The young men of the State began at once to offer their services in the national guard, in the regular army and in the navy. There were more than 18,000 of these volunteers. Within a few weeks Congress passed the Compulsory Service Act, under the provisions of which approximately 42,000 Kansas men were called into service during the war. The National Guard, numbering about 10,000 men, was soon called. Altogether there were fully 70,000 Kansans in the forces of the United States. These men were sent to practically every organization in the army, though the greater portion of them were in the 89th National Army Division, the 10th Regular Army Division, the 35th National Guard Division, and the 117th Ammunition Train of the 42d Division. All of these except the 10th Division, which had not yet completed its training when the armistice was signed, were sent to France, where they took part in important engagements and bore themselves bravely, notably the Rainbow Division in the last battle of the Marne, the 89th at St. Mihiel and the Argonne, and the 35th Division in the Argonne drive. Many of our young men went into special branches of service, such as the Air Service, Railway Engineering, Signal Corps, Quartermasters Corps and Ordnance Corps. The Federal Government established two Officers’ Training Camps in Kansas, one at Fort Riley and one at Fort Leavenworth. Many Kansas men attended these camps and received commissions.

Hundreds of Kansas young women rendered skilled and devoted service as nurses, both in the training camps and overseas.

The people of the State took an active part in various kinds of war work and subscribed more than their quota to all appeals for funds and to all bond issues.

Altogether, Kansas played its part in the war with its accustomed loyalty and spirit.

The Period Since the Civil War. In the present chapter we have touched only in a general way upon the State’s progress, but growth has been in many directions and each activity has a history of its own. In order that we may better understand the advancement that has been made we will study more fully three of the most important phases of the State’s progress and development—​industry, transportation, and education.

SUMMARY

The years since the Civil War have been eventful ones. The Indian troubles on the frontier lasted from 1864 until 1869. Much property and more than 1000 lives were lost. National troops and a regiment of Kansas soldiers were required to quell the trouble. Governor Crawford resigned his position and took command of the Kansas troops. In 1878-’80 thousands of negroes arrived in Kansas. This movement from the South was called the “Exodus.” The grasshopper invasion in 1874 was followed by ten years of prosperity. Then came the boom, which was ended by the drouth in 1887. Eastern moneylenders held thousands of Kansas mortgages, and though several good crop years followed, the State had not yet recovered when the panic in 1893 brought renewed trouble. Good crops followed, and Kansas soon entered upon a period of prosperity which has continued to the present time. Kansas furnished four regiments for the Spanish-American War in 1898, and made the most of every opportunity to serve in the World War in 1917-’18. The State Capitol, which was begun in 1866, was completed in 1903. The years 1903, 1904, and 1908 were the flood years. Among the many important governmental measures are the prohibition and woman suffrage amendments. During the period since the Civil War Kansas has become a great and prosperous state.

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