By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference
Flowers blossoming, trees budding, grass sprouting in abundance (the persistent sound of lawnmowers, the air rife with pollen) – when spring comes to Kansas, the world becomes, as Dylan Thomas opined, all “green and golden.”
Though the state is known for many things, agriculture is one of the most pervasive (next to Dorothy’s slippers and tornados). And with good reason! Kansas grows 23% of the nation’s winter wheat and is also a critical supplier of sorghum (a type of grain)*. Kansas and her cattle yards have historically been a crucial link in the nation’s beef supply.
Farming and ranching were mainstays for early settlers in Kansas, much as they are today.
In Kansas, the harbinger of spring is freshly plowed fields, the range stretching on and on in rows of dark, loamy earth. In the middle of the country, spring’s cerulean skies give way to tempestuous storms, which are just as quickly followed by dreamy white clouds and lustrous sunsets.
The sights and sounds of Kansas have inspired artists for generations. We’ve gathered a few items from our collections to share how others expressed their appreciation for the 34th state.
A member of the Prairie Print Makers group, artist Hershel C. Logan created this woodcut image in 1923, immortalizing these bales of hay in a Kansas wheat field. Anyone who has driven through Kansas recognizes these ubiquitous features of the landscape.
How else to celebrate the bounty of a successful harvest than a county fair? A time-honored tradition, fairs give local farmers the opportunity to showcase their crops.
Kansans aren’t without a sense of humor. Though we’re fairly certain these cucumbers weren’t the size of a railway car, if they’re grown in Kansas, you just never know!
This image, submitted for the Happy Birthday, Kansas Student Photo Contest in 2014, is a familiar sight to anyone passing through the state. Crucial to harvesting and storing grain and corn, grain elevators dot the landscape of western Kansas.
Now we want to know, what says “spring” to you? What changes do you notice in your community when the weather turns warmer and the flip flops creep out from the closet? Let us know in the comments below!
*Statistics courtesy of the Kansas Department of Agriculture: https://agriculture.ks.gov/about-kda/kansas-agriculture