Amber Waves of Grain and Flowers

Kansas is still the breadbasket of America.

- SHERRY MONAHAN

Kansas pioneers knew their land was perfect for growing corn and wheat and an abundance of beautiful yellow sunflowers. While Kansans harvested wheat very early on, production statistics weren't tracked until 1866. That same year about 1,300 bushels of wheat were produced. Twenty years later, the number increased to 15,000, and by 1900 it jumped to 78,000. Turkey Red wheat, an ancestor of much of the wheat grown in Kansas, is believed to have been brought over by Russian immigrants in the 1870s, and it did very well.

Due to the amount of wheat being grown in Kansas, it's not surprising that flour and grain mills were abundant across the state. Two companies with historic ties remain in business today.