Today in History - 1861

Kansas, the Sunflower State, entered the United States of America this day. The state's other nickname is slightly more obscure. The Jayhawk State is so named because before and during the Civil War, guerrilla fighters in the antislavery camp ... known as jayhawkers ... were extremely active in the Kansas territory. The pro- and anti-slavery groups fought such vicious battles that the state was referred to as "Bleeding Kansas". State bird: the western meadowlark; state song: Home on the Range; state animal: buffalo; state tree: cottonwood. Kansas, derived from the Sioux Indian word meaning "people of the south wind", uses the Latin phrase "Ad astra per aspera" or "To the stars through difficulties" as its motto.