Kansas 1776: A Dynamic Landscape

Although the land we call Kansas has changed greatly since 1776, it was already a dynamic cultural and environmental landscape before the “Founding Fathers” forged a new nation. Author and historian Adam Hodge discusses how human activities and natural processes alike had transformed Kansas over the course of millennia as a changing climate, Indigenous burning practices, dynamic waterways, and other developments shaped and reshaped what became the Sunflower State.

Adam Hodge is the head of reference at the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka. He has a Ph.D in history with specialization in environmental and Indigenous history of the North American West.