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Its two names both come from the Kanza (Kaw) people who once inhabited the area; Kansas was one of the anglicizations of the French transcription Cansez (IPA:) of the original kką:ze. [2] The city of Kansas City, Missouri , was named for the river, [ 3 ] as was later the state of Kansas.
- Geologic History
- Natural History
- Human History
Long before human history began, geological change a billion years ago created metamorphic and igneous rocks that underlie all of Kansas, but are not visible on the surface. On top of those rocks are layers of sediment put down by shallow seas that rose and fell over time. About 300 million years ago another oscillating sea covered the area leaving...
A traveler speeding across Kansas on Interstate 70 might get the impression that the landscape is flat and treeless. But that’s just the effect of modern highway engineering. Go a mile off the interstate and you will get a good view of the dramatic changes in ecological provinces from the mouth of the Kaw in Kansas City (pictured on left) to its st...
People first came to Kansas 12,000 years ago, during the last of the Ice Age, when the climate was cooler and less seasonal than today. Huge animals such as mammoth and mastodon roamed the area until a gradual warming trend brought an end to the Ice Age, and mass extinctions occurred around 10,000 years ago. From 11,000 to 7,000 B.C., people known ...
Located in northeast Kansas, the Kansas River is named for the Kansa or Kaw people who lived in the area. The name for the state of Kansas was chosen to honor the people and their river. It is slightly more than 60,000 square miles.
The Kaw later lived farther downstream near the French Fort de Cavagnial (1744-1764). By the late 1700s, the Kanza took up residence on the Kansas River, [10] but the ruins of their earlier villages and Fort Cavagnial were a landmark for travelers in the early 1800s.
The state of Kansas was named for the river. Its name (and nickname) come from the Kanza (Kaw) people who once inhabited the area. When including the Republican River and its headwater tributaries, the length of the Kansas River system is 743 miles, making it the 21st longest river system in the U.S.
Kansas River at Topeka. Playing a prominent part in exploring the West, the Kansas River derives its name from the Kanza or Kaw tribe of Indians, which lived on its banks for hundreds of years.
The river originates at the junction of the Smoky Hill and Republican Rivers and runs 173 miles to meet the Missouri River at Kaw Point in Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas River is also a drinking water source for over 800,000 Kansans.
