VIDEO: Smoky Hill Museum Celebrates Kansas’ 164th Birthday

The state of Kansas turned 164 years old this week, and the Smoky Hill Museum celebrated its history.

On Saturday, February 1st, a crowd of people stopped by the Smoky Hill Museum in Salina to celebrate the history of the Sunflower State. The museum held activities such as shelling/grinding corn, packing a covered wagon, churning butter, pioneer games, and more. Families were able to enjoy themselves with popcorn nd cupcakes during the open house. The celebration was dedicated to Kansas’ inauguration as a state back in 1861.

Since Monday of this week, the museum has invited area students and teachers to participate in special activities. According to Museum Curator of Education Nona Miller, hundreds of students were at the museum everyday this week.

Each year on January 29th, Kansas recognizes “Kansas Day” as a state-wide observation. On January 29th, 1861, Kansas officially became the 34th state in the United States. Kansas is known to be the leading producer of wheat in the country and is referred to as “The Wheat Capital of the World.” According to Kansas history, Sumner County produced 9 million bushels in 2009.

 

 

Photos by Nicolas Fierro, KSAL News Click to Enlarge

 

 

 

 

To learn more about Kansas go to https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/kansas