Looking for an extensive repository of digitized primary source material related to the turbulent territorial days of Kansas? Try Territorial Kansas Online, a project developed by the Kansas State Historical Society and the University of Kansas.
Territorial Kansas Online displays a wide range of artifacts dating from 1854 to 1861, including:
- Letters.
- Speeches.
- Articles.
- Pamphlets.
- Photographs.
- Legislative acts.
- Meeting minutes.
- Sheet music.
There are several ways to browse the content of the site:
- Search by keyword or author.
- Filter materials by county.
- Explore broad topics ranging from border warfare to the national debate on Kansas.
- Browse an alphabetical list of specific topics beginning with A. Hoen & Co. and ending with Israel Zimmerman.
There is also a helpful timeline of major events in Kansas territorial history along with links to relevant materials.
Please note that this impressive collection of documents represents a wide range of perspectives, some of them unthinkable to the modern reader. Parents will want to screen the content for offensive language and descriptions of violence before turning their younger students loose on the site. However, studying primary source materials is essential for an accurate understanding of history and of the events that unfolded in Bleeding Kansas. Territorial Kansas Online is an excellent, easy-to-use way to experience these primary sources.
Homestead on the Range 