Miner - Chapter 5

Miner – Chapter 5
The bone and Sinew of the State
The years just after the turn of the century were much more tamed than the previous years. Although, the state legislature was still struggling, the state needed to make some tough decisions during this period. The cost of education was becoming extremely difficult and led to the mandatory adoption of textbooks. To cut costs the state printer printed the books.
The sate took over the only oil refineries and used prisoners from the state penitentiary to work it. This created a lot of conflicts for Kansas from the oil companies.
Prohibition was still an issue; in fact the navy launched a new ship, “The Kansas,” and it was christened with pure water.
For the first time historic preservation became popular, and people started identifying old homes to be saved as historical sites.
The Menninger Clinic was established in Topeka and made Kansas a leader in the nation for the mentally ill.
The El Dorado oil fields became the leading producer of oil in the nation. Natural gas and electricity needed to be regulated.
Ironically, in 1903 there was a major flood in the Kansas City area; the chief concerns were looting and the raising of prices. The city requested financial help from the state and federal government.
The way that I would use this chapter is to talk about the historic register. We could do a project and identify some of the homes and buildings in our town that have been recognized as historic sites.