The Brown Grand Theatre is a community-based historical theatre located in Concordia, Kansas and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The theatre has been called "the most elegant theater between Kansas City and Denver" and to this day plays host to many popular events in the region.
69-598: In November 1905, Concordia resident Colonel Napoleon Bonaparte Brown announced to the townspeople his plans to build a fully outfitted opera house for Concordia. Renowned Kansas City theatre architect Carl Boller was hired to prepare the design drawings and the blueprints. The construction of the theatre was under the direction of Brown's son, Earl Van Dom Brown. Young Earl researched and gathered ideas by touring more than thirty opera houses in Kansas and Missouri. Native Concordian W.T. Short (already known for his work on
138-673: A 23-room Victorian-style 5,000-square-foot (460 m ) stone mansion built in Concordia in 1883. Colonel Brown served as a Republican first in the Missouri House of Representatives , and then in the Kansas State Senate . In 1905, Colonel Brown commissioned the building of the Brown Grand Theatre and entrusted its completion to his son, Earl Van Dom Brown. The theatre was completed in 1907. As
207-727: A bending course for nearly 500 mi (800 km) across the western and southern parts of the state. With its tributaries, (the Little Arkansas , Ninnescah , Walnut, Cow Creek , Cimarron , Verdigris, and the Neosho ), it forms the southern drainage system of the state. Kansas's other rivers are the Saline and Solomon Rivers, tributaries of the Smoky Hill River; the Big Blue , Delaware , and Wakarusa , which flow into
276-445: A brother, Benjamin age 14; and a sister named May or Mary aged 11 listed in the census as well. Later military records list his hometown as Concord, Illinois , in neighboring Morgan County . until he resigned on January 17, 1865. "Colonel" Brown enlisted in the 101st Illinois Infantry Regiment on January 3, 1864, and given the rank of major . Major Brown served in "B" Company until he resigned on January 17, 1865 —the very day
345-490: A life expectancy near the U.S. national average. In 2013, males in Kansas lived an average of 76.6 years compared to a male national average of 76.7 years and females lived an average of 81.0 years compared to a female national average of 81.5 years. Increases in life expectancy between 1980 and 2013 were below the national average for males and near the national average for females. Male life expectancy in Kansas between 1980 and 2014 increased by an average of 5.2 years, compared to
414-493: A male national average of a 6.7-year increase. Life expectancy for females in Kansas between 1980 and 2014 increased by 4.3 years, compared to a female national average of a 4.0 year increase. Using 2017–2019 data, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation calculated that life expectancy for Kansas counties ranged from 75.8 years for Wyandotte County to 81.7 years for Johnson County . Life expectancy for
483-782: A marshal at Hays and Abilene . Dodge City was home to both Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp , who worked as lawmen in the town. The Dalton Gang robbed trains and banks throughout Kansas and the Southwest and maintained a hideout in Meade . In one year alone , eight million head of cattle from Texas boarded trains in Dodge City bound for the East, earning Dodge the nickname "Queen of the Cowtowns". In response to demands of Methodists and other evangelical Protestants , in 1881 Kansas became
552-432: A population of less than 25,000, and upon reaching a population of more than 15,000, they may be certified as a city of the first class. First and second class cities are independent of any township and are not included within the township's territory. Note: Births in table do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number. The residents of Kansas have
621-499: A small town in start of the 20th century mid-America. The formal opening of the Brown Grand Theatre took place September 17, 1907 with the production The Vanderbilt Cup (a comedy set against the backdrop of the auto racing trophy Vanderbilt Cup . During the next four years, the theater prospered until 1910, when N.B. Brown died. Four months later, his popular son Earl died. According to theater lore, Earl's ghost haunts
690-499: A state Senator in Kansas, Brown fought a losing battle to restore Concordia Normal School as a state-run institution. The school was one of several Normal schools placed throughout the state in 1874 under governor Thomas A. Osborn , but was consolidated by the state legislature in 1876. The state normal school would later become Emporia State University . Kansas This is an accepted version of this page Kansas ( / ˈ k æ n z ə s / KAN -zəss )
759-551: A woman will sit in the governor's chair in Kansas." Kansas suffered severe and environmental damage in the 1930s due to the combined effects of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl , and large numbers of people left southwestern Kansas in particular for better opportunities elsewhere. The outbreak of World War II spurred rapid growth in aircraft manufacturing near Wichita in the so-called Battle of Kansas , and
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#1732772737398828-449: A young city incorporated in 1960, has the largest population and the largest land area in the county. It is home to Johnson County Community College . Olathe is the county seat and home to Johnson County Executive Airport . The cities of Olathe, Shawnee , De Soto and Gardner have some of the state's fastest growing populations. The cities of Overland Park, Lenexa , Olathe, De Soto, and Gardner are also notable because they lie along
897-683: Is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States . It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named after the Kansas River , in turn named after the Kansa people. Its capital is Topeka , and its most populous city is Wichita ; however, the largest urban area is the bi-state Kansas City, MO–KS metropolitan area . For thousands of years, what
966-712: Is also the home of Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center , Prairie Dunes Country Club and the Kansas State Fair . North of Wichita along Interstate 135 is the city of Newton , the former western terminal of the Santa Fe Railroad and trailhead for the famed Chisholm Trail . To the southeast of Wichita are the cities of Winfield and Arkansas City with historic architecture and the Cherokee Strip Museum (in Ark City). The city of Udall
1035-678: Is covered by glacial drift and loess . The western two-thirds of the state, lying in the great central plain of the United States, has a generally flat or undulating surface, while the eastern third has many hills and forests. The land gradually rises from east to west; its altitude ranges from 684 ft (208 m) along the Verdigris River at Coffeyville in Montgomery County , to 4,039 ft (1,231 m) at Mount Sunflower , 0.5 miles (0.80 kilometers) from
1104-690: Is defined by the Missouri River . The Kansas River (locally known as the Kaw), formed by the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers at appropriately-named Junction City , joins the Missouri River at Kansas City , after a course of 170 mi (270 km) across the northeastern part of the state. The Arkansas River ( pronunciation varies ), rising in Colorado , flows with
1173-568: Is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Indigenous tribes . The first settlement of non-indigenous people in Kansas occurred in 1827 at Fort Leavenworth . The pace of settlement accelerated in the 1850s, in the midst of political wars over the slavery debate. When it was officially opened to settlement by the U.S. government in 1854 with the Kansas–Nebraska Act , conflict between abolitionist Free-Staters from New England and pro-slavery settlers from neighboring Missouri broke out over
1242-463: Is the largest city in central and north-central Kansas. South of Salina is the small city of Lindsborg with its numerous Dala horses . Much of the architecture and decor of this town has a distinctly Swedish style. To the east along Interstate 70 , the historic city of Abilene was formerly a trailhead for the Chisholm Trail and was the boyhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower , and
1311-559: Is the site of his Presidential Library and the tombs of the former president, First Lady and son who died in infancy. To the west is Lucas , the Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas. Westward along the Interstate, the city of Russell , traditionally the beginning of sparsely-populated northwest Kansas, was the base of former U.S. Senator Bob Dole and the boyhood home of U.S. Senator Arlen Specter . The city of Hays
1380-652: The Amerindians . Explorer Antoine de Marigny and others continued trading across the Kansas River , especially at its confluence with the Missouri River , tributaries of the Mississippi River . In 1803, most of modern Kansas was acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase . Southwest Kansas, however, was still a part of Spain, Mexico, and the Republic of Texas until
1449-530: The Kansa , a federally recognized Native American tribe. The tribe 's name (natively kką:ze ) is often said to mean "people of the (south) wind" although this was probably not the term's original meaning. Before European colonization , Kansas was occupied by the Caddoan Wichita and later the Siouan Kaw people . Tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along
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#17327727373981518-502: The Köppen climate classification , Kansas has three climates: humid continental, semi-arid steppe, and humid subtropical. The eastern two-thirds of the state (especially the northeastern portion) has a humid continental climate , with cool to cold winters and hot, often humid summers. Most of the precipitation falls during both the summer and the spring. The USDA hardiness zones for Kansas range from Zone 5b (−15 °F to −10 °F) in
1587-570: The Mississippi River . The city of Atchison was an early commercial center in the state and is well known as the birthplace of Amelia Earhart . To the west, nearly a quarter million people reside in the Topeka metropolitan area. Topeka is the state capital and home to Washburn University and Washburn Institute of Technology . Built at a Kansas River crossing along the old Oregon Trail , this historic city has several nationally registered historic places. Further westward along Interstate 70 and
1656-600: The Providence Medical Center Amphitheater , the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame , and the annual Kansas City Renaissance Festival . Further up the Missouri River , the city of Lansing is the home of the state's first maximum-security prison. Historic Leavenworth , founded in 1854, was the first incorporated city in Kansas. North of the city, Fort Leavenworth is the oldest active Army post west of
1725-540: The 101st crossed into South Carolina from Georgia under General William Tecumseh Sherman . Cloud county records show that he was paid the pension ($ 25.00) of a major. After he retired from the military, he "promoted himself" to the rank of colonel. In a letter to the editor of the Kansas Blade (now the Concordia Blade-Empire ), Brown claimed that he enlisted as a private on April 22, 1862, and
1794-639: The 2020 census, and the 10th least densely populated . Residents of Kansas are called Kansans . Mount Sunflower is Kansas's highest point at 4,039 feet (1,231 meters). The name Kansas derives from the Algonquian term, Akansa , for the Quapaw people. These were a Dhegiha Siouan -speaking people who settled in Arkansas around the 13th century. The stem - kansa is named after the Kaw people , also known as
1863-744: The 48 contiguous states is in Smith County near Lebanon . Until 1989, the Meades Ranch Triangulation Station in Osborne County was the geodetic center of North America: the central reference point for all maps of North America. The geographic center of Kansas is in Barton County . Kansas is underlain by a sequence of horizontal to gently westward dipping sedimentary rocks . A sequence of Mississippian , Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks outcrop in
1932-759: The Brown Grand was the world premiere of The Devil and LeRoy Bassett which was written and directed by Robert E. Pearson , a native of Concordia. Soon after, the theater underwent extensive restoration led by grassroots community efforts. Restoration was completed in 1980. The theatre was returned to its original 1907 splendor with 650 seats. The Brown Grand Theatre now serves as a tourist attraction and performing arts / community center for Concordia and North Central Kansas. Restoration included replacement seats, restoration of all walls and artistic work, updating of lighting system, addition of air conditioning, and many other enhancements. The restoration project has put
2001-452: The Brown family home Brownstone Hall and other buildings in the area) was hired as the construction supervisor. Ground breaking ceremonies took place on April 3, 1906. At its completion, The Brown Grand Theatre stood sixty-feet high and spanned one-hundred-twenty feet in length. Renaissance in style and overall design, the $ 40,000 structure became a priceless jewel amid rare aesthetic riches in
2070-547: The Colorado border, in Wallace County . It is a common misconception that Kansas is the flattest state in the nation—in 2003, a tongue-in-cheek study famously declared the state "flatter than a pancake". In fact, Kansas has a maximum topographic relief of 3,360 ft (1,020 m), making it the 23rd flattest U.S. state measured by maximum relief. Around 74 mi (119 km) of the state's northeastern boundary
2139-540: The Kansas River is Junction City with its historic limestone and brick buildings and nearby Fort Riley , well known as the home to the U.S. Army 's 1st Infantry Division (nicknamed "the Big Red One"). A short distance away, the city of Manhattan is home to Kansas State University , the second-largest public university in the state and the nation's oldest land-grant university, dating back to 1863. South of
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2208-988: The Kansas River; and the Marais des Cygnes , a tributary of the Missouri River. Spring River is located between Riverton and Baxter Springs . Areas under the protection of the National Park Service include: In Kansas, there are currently 238 species of rare animals and 400 rare plants. Among those include: Smooth rockress , Virginia rail , Western Grotto Salamander , Royal Fern , Turkey-tangle , Bobolink , Cave salamander , Snowy Plover , Strecker's Chorus Frog , Peregrine falcon , and Black-footed ferret . Common animal species and grasses include: Crows , Deer , Lesser prairie chicken , Mice , Moles , Virginia Opossum , Prairie dogs , Raccoon , Eastern Gama Grass , Prairie Dropseed , Indian Grass , Little Bluestem , Switch grass , Northern Sea Oats , Tussock Sedge , Sideoats grama , and Big Bluestem . In
2277-523: The North to Zone 7a (0 °F to 5 °F) in the South. The western third of the state—from roughly the U.S. Route 83 corridor westward—has a semi-arid steppe climate. Summers are hot, often very hot, and generally less humid. Winters are highly changeable between warm and very cold. The western region receives an average of about 16 inches (410 millimeters) of precipitation per year. Chinook winds in
2346-531: The aerospace sector remains a significant portion of the Kansan economy to this day. Kansas is bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. The state is divided into 105 counties with 628 cities , with its largest county by area being Butler County . Kansas is located equidistant from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The geographic center of
2415-644: The all-time highest temperature recorded in Kansas is (121 °F or 49.4 °C) on July 24, 1936, near Alton in Osborne County , and the all-time low is −40 °F (−40 °C) on February 13, 1905, near Lebanon in Smith County . Alton and Lebanon are approximately 50 miles (80 km) apart. Kansas's record high of 121 °F (49.4 °C) ties with North Dakota for the fifth-highest record high in an American state, behind California (134 °F or 56.7 °C), Arizona (128 °F or 53.3 °C), Nevada (125 °F or 51.7 °C), and New Mexico (122 °F or 50 °C). Known as rural flight ,
2484-610: The already faded and brittle painting. Taking an extreme interest in the Napoleon curtain, Marion Cook (a member of the Brown Grand Board of Directors at the time) donated a new replacement drop curtain. The new curtain was painted by Twin City Scenic Company of Minneapolis , Minnesota —the same firm that had painted the original. For the artistic work on the drop, sought-after scenic painter Robert Braun
2553-472: The campus, Aggieville dates back to 1889 and is the state's oldest shopping district of its kind. In south-central Kansas, the Wichita metropolitan area is home to more than 600,000 people. Wichita is the largest city in the state in terms of both land area and population. 'The Air Capital' is a major manufacturing center for the aircraft industry and the home of Wichita State University . Before Wichita
2622-684: The city and killing nearly 200 people. He was roundly condemned by both the conventional Confederate military and the partisan rangers commissioned by the Missouri legislature . His application to that body for a commission was flatly rejected due to his pre-war criminal record. Passage of the Homestead Acts in 1862 accelerated settlement and agricultural development in the state. After the Civil War, many veterans constructed homesteads in Kansas. Many African Americans also looked to Kansas as
2691-558: The conclusion of the Mexican–American War in 1848, when these lands were ceded to the United States . From 1812 to 1821, Kansas was part of the Missouri Territory . The Santa Fe Trail traversed Kansas from 1821 to 1880, transporting manufactured goods from Missouri and silver and furs from Santa Fe, New Mexico . Wagon ruts from the trail are still visible in the prairie today. In 1827, Fort Leavenworth became
2760-453: The day. Precipitation ranges from about 47 inches (1,200 mm) annually in the state's southeast corner to about 16 inches (410 mm) in the southwest. Snowfall ranges from around 5 inches (130 mm) in the fringes of the south, to 35 inches (890 mm) in the far northwest. Frost-free days range from more than 200 days in the south, to 130 days in the northwest. Thus, Kansas is the country's ninth or tenth sunniest state, depending on
2829-473: The eastern and southern part of the state. The state's western half has exposures of Cretaceous through Tertiary sediments, the latter derived from the erosion of the uplifted Rocky Mountains to the west. These are underlain by older Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments which correlate well with the outcrops to the east. The state's northeastern corner was subjected to glaciation in the Pleistocene and
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2898-410: The fastest-growing in the country. Kansas has 627 incorporated cities . By state statute, cities are divided into three classes as determined by the population obtained "by any census of enumeration". A city of the third class has a population of less than 5,000, but cities reaching a population of more than 2,000 may be certified as a city of the second class. The second class is limited to cities with
2967-482: The first U.S. state to adopt a constitutional amendment prohibiting all alcoholic beverages , which was repealed in 1948. Anti-saloon activist Carrie Nation vandalized her first saloon in Kiowa in 1900. In 1922, suffragist Ella Uphay Mowry became the first female gubernatorial candidate in the state when she ran as "Mrs. W.D. Mowry". She later stated that, "Someone had to be the pioneer. I firmly believe that some day
3036-683: The first permanent settlement of white Americans in the future state. The Kansas–Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854, establishing Nebraska Territory and Kansas Territory , and opening the area to broader settlement by whites. Kansas Territory stretched all the way to the Continental Divide and included the sites of present-day Denver , Colorado Springs , and Pueblo . The first non-military settlement of Euro-Americans in Kansas Territory consisted of abolitionists from Massachusetts and other Free-Staters who founded
3105-756: The former route of the Santa Fe Trail . Among cities with at least one thousand residents, Mission Hills has the highest median income in the state. Several institutions of higher education are located in Northeast Kansas including Baker University (the oldest university in the state, founded in 1858 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church ) in Baldwin City, Benedictine College (sponsored by St. Benedict's Abbey and Mount St. Scholastica Monastery and formed from
3174-621: The heat index in those three cities is usually lower than the actual air temperature. Although temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) or higher are not as common in areas east of U.S. 81, higher humidity and the urban heat island effect lead most summer days to heat indices between 107 and 114 °F (42 and 46 °C) in Topeka , Lawrence , and the Kansas City metropolitan area . Also, combined with humidity between 85 and 95 percent, dangerous heat indices can be experienced at every hour of
3243-473: The land of " John Brown " and, led by freedmen like Benjamin "Pap" Singleton , began establishing black colonies in the state. Leaving southern states in the late 1870s because of increasing discrimination, they became known as Exodusters . At the same time, the Chisholm Trail was opened and the Wild West era commenced in Kansas. Storied lawman Wild Bill Hickok was a deputy marshal at Fort Riley and
3312-528: The last few decades have been marked by a migratory pattern out of the countryside into cities. Out of all the cities in these Midwestern states, 89% have fewer than 3,000 people, and hundreds of those have fewer than 1,000. In Kansas alone, there are more than 6,000 ghost towns and dwindling communities, according to one Kansas historian, Daniel C. Fitzgerald. At the same time, some of the communities in Johnson County (metropolitan Kansas City) are among
3381-771: The merger of St. Benedict's College (1858) and Mount St. Scholastica College (1923)) in Atchison, MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Ottawa University in Ottawa and Overland Park, Kansas City Kansas Community College and KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Less than an hour's drive to the west, Lawrence is home to the University of Kansas , the largest public university in
3450-481: The nickname Bleeding Kansas . These included John Brown 's Pottawatomie massacre of 1856. Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state on January 29, 1861, making it the 34th state to join the United States. By that time, the violence in Kansas had largely subsided, but during the Civil War, on August 21, 1863, William Quantrill led several hundred of his supporters on a raid into Lawrence , destroying much of
3519-555: The question of whether Kansas would become a free state or a slave state , in a period known as Bleeding Kansas . On January 29, 1861, Kansas entered the Union as a free state, hence the unofficial nickname "The Free State". Passage of the Homestead Acts in 1862 brought a further influx of settlers, and the booming cattle trade of the 1870s attracted some of the Wild West's most iconic figures to western Kansas. As of 2015, Kansas
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#17327727373983588-458: The river valleys. Tribes in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison . The first European to set foot in present-day Kansas was the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado , who explored the area in 1541. Between 1763 and 1803, the territory of Kansas was integrated into Spanish Louisiana . During that period, Governor Luis de Unzaga 'le Conciliateur' promoted expeditions and good relations with
3657-750: The source. Western Kansas is as sunny as parts of California and Arizona . Kansas is prone to severe weather, especially in the spring and the early-summer. Despite the frequent sunshine throughout much of the state, due to its location at a climatic boundary prone to intrusions of multiple air masses, the state is vulnerable to strong and severe thunderstorms. Some of these storms become supercell thunderstorms; these can produce some tornadoes , occasionally those of EF3 strength or higher. Kansas averages more than 50 tornadoes annually. Severe thunderstorms sometimes drop some very large hail over Kansas as well. Furthermore, these storms can even bring in flash flooding and damaging straight line winds. According to NOAA,
3726-414: The state as a whole was 78.5 years. Life expectancy for the United States as a whole in 2019 was 78.8 years. The northeastern portion of the state, extending from the eastern border to Junction City and from the Nebraska border to south of Johnson County is home to more than 1.5 million people in the Kansas City (Kansas portion), Manhattan, Lawrence, and Topeka metropolitan areas . Overland Park ,
3795-458: The state, and Haskell Indian Nations University . To the north, Kansas City , with the second largest land area in the state, contains a number of diverse ethnic neighborhoods. Its attractions include the Kansas Speedway , Sporting Kansas City , Kansas City Monarchs , and The Legends at Village West retail and entertainment center. Nearby, Kansas's first settlement Bonner Springs is home to several national and regional attractions including
3864-436: The theater, especially during the "opening" season. The theatre operated under various management until 1925 when it was sold to the Concordia Amusement Company. From 1925 to 1974, the Brown Grand was converted to show silent pictures and later talking pictures . The theater was remodeled several times (including air conditioning and concessions) to bring the theater more in line with the times. The last movie to be shown at
3933-427: The theatre today to be unique among theatres. On September 17, 2007, the Brown Grand celebrated its 100th birthday with community events lasting over several days. The event coincided with the opening of the National Orphan Train Museum also in Concordia. On opening night in 1907, Earl Brown unveiled a magnificent drop curtain reproduction of a Horace Vernet painting. The curtain, entitled Napoleon at Austerlitz ,
4002-403: The town of Lawrence and attempted to stop the spread of slavery from neighboring Missouri. Missouri and Arkansas continually sent settlers into Kansas Territory along its eastern border to sway votes in favor of slavery prior to Kansas statehood elections. Directly presaging the American Civil War these forces collided, entering into skirmishes and guerrilla conflicts that earned the territory
4071-500: The winter can warm western Kansas all the way into the 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) range. The south-central and southeastern portions of the state, including the Wichita area, have a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers, milder winters, and more precipitation than elsewhere in Kansas. Some features of all three climates can be found in most of the state, with droughts and changeable weather between dry and humid not uncommon, and both warm and cold spells in
4140-492: The winter. Temperatures in areas between U.S. Routes 83 and 81 , as well as the southwestern portion of the state along and south of U.S. 50 , reach 90 °F (32 °C) or above on most days of June, July, and August. High humidity added to the high temperatures sends the heat index into life-threatening territory, especially in Wichita, Hutchinson , Salina , Russell , Hays , and Great Bend . Temperatures are often higher in Dodge City , Garden City , and Liberal , but
4209-516: Was 'The Air Capital' it was a Cowtown. With a number of nationally registered historic places, museums, and other entertainment destinations, it has a desire to become a cultural mecca in the Midwest. Wichita's population growth has grown by double digits and the surrounding suburbs are among the fastest growing cities in the state. The population of Goddard has grown by more than 11% per year since 2000. Other fast-growing cities include Andover , Maize , Park City , Derby , and Haysville . Wichita
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#17327727373984278-424: Was among the most productive agricultural states, producing high yields of wheat, corn, sorghum , and soybeans . In addition to its traditional strength in agriculture, Kansas possesses an extensive aerospace industry. Kansas, which has an area of 82,278 square miles (213,100 square kilometers) is the 15th-largest state by area , the 36th most-populous of the 50 states, with a population of 2,940,865 according to
4347-490: Was an American businessman and politician who lived in Kansas and Missouri in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is most known as the namesake and builder of the Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas . Brown was named after Napoleon Bonaparte by his parents James & Nancy Brown. The 1850 Pike County, Illinois , census gives his age as 16 at that time. A later census (1900) in Concordia, KS gives his birthdate as Oct 1833. He appeared to have two siblings:
4416-461: Was hired to do the Napoleon battle scene, and Michael Russell, president of the company, came out of retirement to paint the bordering green draperies and gold and bronze frame around the picture. The two artists requested a color photograph of the original Vernet work Battle of Wagram which hangs in the Hall of Battles in the Palace of Versailles near Paris . Napoleon Bonaparte Brown Napoleon Bonaparte Brown (1834 – March 18, 1910)
4485-409: Was one of the first cities to add the city commissioner and city manager in their form of government. Wichita is also home of the nationally recognized Sedgwick County Zoo. Up river (the Arkansas River ) from Wichita is the city of Hutchinson . The city was built on one of the world's largest salt deposits (of what would form Strataca ), and it has the world's largest and longest wheat elevator. It
4554-431: Was presented as a gift to Colonel Brown from his son in recognition of his father's contribution to the community and to the Brown Grand Theatre, his crowning achievement. The original curtain still hangs above the stage but saw little use during the theatre's motion picture years. A 1967 tornado caused extensive water damage to the roof over the stage. The rain that accompanied the tornado permanently stained and streaked
4623-488: Was subsequently promoted to captain, major, and brevet lieutenant colonel . "Colonel" Brown served in the state legislatures for both Kansas and Missouri and was a prominent banker in Kansas during its early years of development as the owner of the first bank in Cloud County, Kansas . N. B. Brown & Co., founded in 1878 with a rumored "suitcase full of money" that he had with him upon his arrival. Colonel Brown and his wife Katherine (Katie) then built Brownstone Hall,
4692-445: Was the site of the deadliest tornado in Kansas on May 25, 1955; it killed 80 people in and near the city. Southeast Kansas has a unique history with a number of nationally registered historic places in this coal-mining region. Located in Crawford County (dubbed the Fried Chicken Capital of Kansas), Pittsburg is the largest city in the region and the home of Pittsburg State University . The neighboring city of Frontenac in 1888
4761-410: Was the site of the worst mine disaster in the state in which an underground explosion killed 47 miners. " Big Brutus " is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) outside the city of West Mineral . Along with the restored fort, historic Fort Scott has a national cemetery designated by President Lincoln in 1862. The region also shares a Media market with Joplin, Missouri , a city in Southwest Missouri. Salina
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