Kansas became the 34th state in January 1861. The Civil War began three months later. When rumors circulated that President Lincoln was about to be kidnaped or assassinated, Kansas senator James H. Lane recruited 120 Kansas men dubbed the “Frontier Guard.” For nearly three weeks they were billeted in the White House to protect the President. Kansans were staunch Union supporters. Of 30,000 Kansans of military age, 20,000 enlisted in the Union Army. After the war, Kansas returned to agriculture. Topeka, where the cattle ranches of the Southwest meet the Corn Belt, prospered as a typical Midwestern city. Read more Topeka and Kansas history in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
