Noble Prentis may have been the first to suggest that the sunflower be adopted as Kansas’ state flower. In 1880, the well known Kansas editor and writer, wrote,
“The capitol square is surrounded by a dense growth, rods in width, of rampant sunflowers. They grow as big, rank and yellow as if they were forty miles from a house. The sunflower ought to be made the emblem of our state.”
Yet, in 1895, Kansas passed a law declaring the sunflower a noxious weed and mandating its destruction!
But the sunflower was too tough to destroy. That may have frustrated farmers, but some folks admired the sunflower’s tenacity. This is how one person explained it:
“The sunflower always was out in the open. It did not hide in dark places and it did not seek the shade. It made its own way. It was no parasite. It stood by the dusty roadside and out on the high prairie—and you always knew what it meant....it turned its gold petals and black center always toward the sun. No matter how fiercely the heat beat down, it faced the music and it never blinked. It never wavered. It never lost courage. It was the last bit of vegetation to surrender to the hot winds and it was blithe to the last. It loved life and it was genuine.
“I like to think of the sunflower as typifying the people of Kansas. I am sure it does.”
State Pride
In 1901, people celebrating “Missouri Day” wore badges saying, “You will have to show me.” This was a reference to Missouri’s nickname, the Show Me State.
A week later, Missouri’s neighbor was celebrating Kansas Day. It was a very special event for Kansans attending a rodeo in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Senator George P. Morehouse and some friends drove out on the prairies east of Colorado Springs early in the morning. They filled a wagon with sunflowers and brought them to the picnic grounds. The flowers were handed out to Kansans, who wore them as badges.
Senator Morehouse later introduced a bill to adopt the sunflower as the state flower. He had the support of the Women’s Federated Clubs of Kansas.
Not one person voted against the sunflower in the Senate or the House. It was adopted as Kansas’ state flower on March 13, 1903.
Mysterious Origins
Most people would be surprised to know that one of the most beloved state flowers might not even be native to Kansas. It is believed that Kansas’ first sunflower seeds came from the Southwest. They were buried in mud and dirt clinging to wagons traveling the Santa Fe Trail. One settler noted that sunflowers appeared whenever the land was disturbed and the sod destroyed. For example, they sprang up along wagon trails.
But some people insist that the sunflower is a native Kansan. It has been reported that seeds of “the big kind of sunflower” were found in urns in Missouri and Arkansas. The urns belonged to the “Bluff Dwellers,” who lived one thousand years ago.
Sunflowers were cultivated by the Aztecs in Mexico. The explorer Champlain found Indians growing it along the shores of Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes. Lewis and Clark saw sunflowers growing in Montana.
Of course, this still doesn’t prove that the sunflower is native to Kansas. Perhaps Native Americans introduced it.
Kansas’ Premier Symbol
Nevertheless, Kansas and its sunflower have become inseparable. The magnificent blossom is even depicted on the state flag and seal.
Compared to dainty violets and peonies, the sunflower is a gangling giant. It appears even larger on Kansas’ largely treeless plains.
I like to think of Kansas’ sunflower as a bridge between the present and the past. Fields that are left untended may be become overrun by sunflowers for a few years. Eventually, the sunflowers are replaced by native grasses.
A Useful Symbol
The sunflower ranks as one of the most commercially valuable flowers. Sunflower oil is another commercial product. Other products are made from the oil and from the stalk.
But, for most of us, the best sunflower product is sunflower seeds!
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