Water and the Making of Kansas

In 1988, KNRC researched and produced a series of twelve feature articles titled "Water and the Making of Kansas". The articles were written by Victoria Foth and dealt with how water has affected the history and culture of our state. They were run in 90 newspapers all across Kansas. They were also compiled into a booklet by the same name. The stories and topics covered in the series are still quite relevant now.

In this part of the KNRC website we have reproduced these articles, which cover many illuminating aspects of how Kansans have related to water - that most essential of liquids.

	Chapter 1 Healing Waters: Legends of Lost Waconda Springs
	Chapter 2 Explorers in the Great American Desert
	Chapter 3 Rain and Riches Will Follow the Plow
	Chapter 4 Gully Washers Guaranteed: The Kansas Rainmakers
	Chapter 5 Buckets, Barrels, and Backaches: Carrying Water for the Farm Home
	Chapter 6 It Takes Faith to Dig a Well: Water Witching in Kansas
	Chapter 7 There's Calluses on Them Bullfrogs: Drought and Plains Humor
	Chapter 8 Paradise at Last: Converting Kansas Rain Farmers to Irrigation
	Chapter 9 Don't Pray for Rain: The Gospel of Dry Farming
	Chapter 10 Unfit to Drink: Clean Water Crusaders in the Progressive Era
	Chapter 11 Big Dam Foolishness: The Tuttle Creek Controversy
	Chapter 12 For Generations to Come: Farm Families and the Ogallala Aquifer

If you want a copy of "Water and the Making of Kansas", a limited number of the booklets are still available. To get one, send a donation of $10 (or more) to:
KNRC
PO Box 2635
Topeka, KS 66601

"Water and the Making of Kansas" was written by Victoria Foth
for the Kansas Natural Resource Council.

Acknowledgements
The "Water and the Making of Kansas" newspaper series and booklet were produced with major financial support from the Joyce Foundation and the Kansas Committee for the Humanities.

The Kansas Natural Resource Council thanks the following contributors for providing challenge grant monies for this project:

	Finnup Foundation Trust, Garden City
	St. Joseph Foundation for Apostolic and Charitable Purposes, Concordia
	Kansas Chapter Sierra Club
	William M. Henry, Topeka
	Kansas Audubon Council
	Kansas Rural Water Association
	The Land Institute, Salina
	Kansas Farmers Union
	Ronald Force, Salina
	Kansas Clean Air Coalition

Series Consultants

	Thomas Fox Averill, Assistant Professor of English, Washburn University
	Jennie A. Chinn, State Folklorist, Kansas State Historical Society
	William E. Koch, Emeritus Professor of English and Folklore, Kansas State University
	Margaret B. Meyers, Instructor of Philosophy, Garden City Community College
	Rita Napier, Associate Professor of History, University of Kansas
	Leo Oliva, Professor of History, Fort Hays State University
	Homer E. Socolofsky, Professor of History, Kansas State University

Special thanks to Marsha Marshall and Ramon Powers for their ideas and inspiration, and to Barbara Watkins for her invaluable advice and editing.

� 1988 & 2010, Kansas Natural Resource Council

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