National Lands: Kansas

US Army 51501 Belated Honors for Fort Larned Soldiers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Kansas the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site is located in Topeka. This site commemorates the case that ended legal segregation in public schools. Topeka is located on Interstate 70 west of Kansas City in the northeast corner of the state. The Fort Larned National Historic Site features a fort on the Santa Fe Trail. This site is well-preserved and complete. The fort is to the southwest of Great Bend and south of Interstate 70 in the central part of the state. Fort Scott National Historic Site is located south of Kansas City near the Missouri state line. No interstate is close to the area. Nicodemus National Historic Site honors the African Americans who helped with the settlement of the Great Plains. The site is located in the northwestern section of the state east of Colby and north of Interstate 70.

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve protects what is left of the tallgrass that used to cover so much of the prairie lands.  The area is to the west of Emporia and Interstates 35 and 335. Trails and fishing are available in the area. The California National Historic Trail covers ten states. In Kansas this trail cuts across the northeast corner of the state. The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail travels through eleven states. It runs along the Missouri River along the upper eastern border of the state. Traveling across seven states is the Oregon National Historic Trail. This trail also cuts across the northeastern corner of the state. Young men carried the mail on horseback from Missouri to California. The Pony Express National Historic Trail traces this route. In Kansas the trail travels along the northeast corner. The Santa Fe National Historic Trail runs across the northern section of the state.