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Mary White
By: Sarah Parsons - Reference ArchivistBeing a child in a well-known family can be difficult in spite of the benefits it brings. As the daughter of famous Kansas newspaper editor and author William...
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Alice Nichols and The Nichols Journal
By: Katie Keckeisen, Collections Archivist"[Kansas] is so often referred to – or rather used – as a synonym for all that is mediocre in thought and scenery. I know the beauties of both because they...
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Kansas Olympians
By: Ethan Anderson, Government Records ArchivistWith the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in full swing, we decided to take a look at some past Kansans who have left their marks on the Olympic Games. By our...
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Femme Fatales of the Frontier
By: Ethan Anderson, Government Records ArchivistEvery once in a while, an item in the collection piques our interest and we can’t help but investigate further. Such was the case with the below...
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Fort Simple
By: Ethan Anderson, Government Records ArchivistFollowing Quantrill’s bloody raid on Lawrence in August 1863, many Kansans wondered if Border Ruffians would next target Topeka. The capital city was...
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Happy Thanksgiving!
By: Lauren Gray, Head of ReferenceAs we all know, Thanksgiving is a holiday to gather, share, and be thankful. The last year has given us few opportunities to gather, and even fewer to share, so we are...
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Christmas in the 1870s
A reminiscence of Harriet E. Adams, sister of Zu Adams, from Topeka, KS written June 20, 1928. Harriet Adams is recalling a memorable Christmas from her childhood. She is recalling a memory from the...
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Antiquated and Amusing Advertisements
By: Ethan Anderson, Government Records ArchivistAs the Super Bowl recently reminded us, advertisers nowadays use a number of gimmicks to sell their products to consumers, from talking animals and...
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Some Bunny in Kansas Loves You
By: Lauren Gray-Head of ReferenceIn celebration of spring finally arriving, here is a short history of Rabbits on the range. Bunnies: children love to chase them, hawks love to hunt them, and farmers...
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Kansas: The Sunflower State
By: Lauren Gray, Head of ReferenceAsk anyone what their favorite road trip snack is, and sunflower seeds will likely appear somewhere between corn nuts and Doritos. While the spit-and-flick motion is...
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Kansas Travelogues
By: Lauren Gray, Head of ReferenceA picture may be worth a thousand words, but it often doesn’t tell the full story. In the days before cell phones and cameras, tourists would keep travelogues during...
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Political Campaign Slogans
By: Ethan Anderson, Government Records ArchivistPresident William Henry Harrison did not leave behind many long-lasting legacies when he died suddenly of pneumonia in 1841, except of course, a reminder...
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Wintertime in Kansas
By Lauren Gray, Head of Reference The weather outside may be frightful, but we can still find ways to enjoy the winter season. Over the years, Kansans have learned to embrace our state’s harsh but...
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The Western Tuskegee
By: Ethan Anderson, Government Records ArchivistFor nearly 60 years the city of Topeka was home to one of the premier institutions for Black learning in the state of Kansas: the Kansas Technical...
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Abbie Bright
By: Lauren Gray, Head of ReferenceAbbie Bright is a name most of the Kansas Historical Society staff will recognize, if only because her writing was so extensive that she shows up in virtually every...
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Newspapers: Our National Conscience
By: Lauren Gray, Head of ReferenceUpon entering our Research Room at the State Archives, one of the first things you’ll see is row upon row of gray metal cabinets. Inside each of these cabinets are...
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Romance in the 1880s
By: Cordell Moats, Digital ArchivistToday we can communicate instantaneously with others all around the world, but in the 1880s communication relied heavily on letters such as the ones contained in the...
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