Kansas Life and CultureKansas history, westward expansion, agriculture, and rural life are integral to K-State’s identity. Preserved within the Kansas Life and Culture collections are documents, papers, and institutional archives of importance to the region’s economy and culture. Topical areas of strength include “Bleeding Kansas”, settlement of Kansas, ranching, general agriculture, Santa Fe Trail, political history, railroads, military history, Prohibition, and the development of Kansas State University. The following subcategories further define this topical area.
Agriculture and rural life: Records of ranches, farms, milling companies, beef cattle industry, and allied agricultural businesses. Far-Mar-Co and Farmland records are the largest quantity of materials in this area. Also collected are personal papers and collections that uniquely document Great Plains rural history including settlement, homesteading, pioneer communities, and railroads.
Grain science and milling: Records of milling companies and allied businesses involved in crop production, breeding and genetics, crop protection, harvesting, transportation, post-harvest handling and storage, technical manuals printed prior to 1850, and early U.S. milling periodicals/journals, books, and other printed materials that detail the history of the grain industry in the state (1830–present).
