State Symbols
Kansas Seal
The First Session of the Kansas Legislature in 1861 provided for the creation of the Great Seal, described as follows: 
"The East is represented by a rising sun, in the right hand corner of the seal; to the left of it, Commerce is represented by a river and a steamboat; in the foreground, agriculture is represented as the basis of the future prosperity of the state, by a settler's cabin and a man plowing with a pair of horses; beyond this is a train of ox-wagons, going west; in the background is seen a herd of buffalo, retreating, pursued by two indians on horseback; around the top is the motto: 'Ad astra per aspera,' beneath a cluster of thirty-four stars. The circle is surrounded by the words: Great Seal of the State of Kansas. January 29, 1861."
The motto which appears on the Great Seal, "Ad astra per aspera," is Latin for "To the stars through difficulties." The thirty-four stars represent the fact that Kansas was the thirty-fourth state admitted to the Union.
Kansas State Flag
The Kansas flag consists of a dark blue field with the state seal in the center. A sunflower on a bar of twisted gold lies above the seal, and below the seal is the word "Kansas". The seal contains a landscape that includes a rising sun, representing the east; and a river and steamboat, representing commerce. In the foreground, a settler's cabin and a man plowing a field represent agriculture. A wagon train heads west and buffalo are seen fleeing from two Indians. Around the top of the seal is a cluster of 34 stars. The state motto appears above the stars.
Kansas State Capitol
The Kansas Capitol in Topeka is one of the most beautiful State Capitols in the country. It was constructed over a period of 37 years, from 1866 to 1903, at a total cost of $3.2 million.
The state government of Kansas has been based in Topeka since the year that Kansas became a state, 1861. The first capital of Kansas was Fort Leavenworth, where territorial governor Andrew Reeder had his headquarters. Other state capitals during the territorial period were Shawnee Mission, Pawnee, Lecompton, Minneola, Leavenworth and Lawrence. Some of those towns served as the capital several times - the capital changed whenever the territorial leaders decided to move it.
Kansas became a state January 29, 1861. In November of that year an election was held to decide on a capital and Topeka was selected over Lawrence and several other cities. In later years there were several attempts to move the capital to a more central location, but none came close to succeeding.
The Cornerstone to the East Wing was laid October 17, 1866. After several setbacks in construction the wing was finished in 1873. Today the east wing houses the Senate Chamber. Work began on the West Wing in 1879 and the House of Representatives met in the new wing for the first time in 1880. The central domed section was authorized in 1881, and work began in 1885. All structural work on the Capitol was finished by 1903.
Capitol Square consists of twenty acres donated by Cyrus K. Holiday and accepted by the legislature February 7, 1862. The legislature then authorized E. Townsend Mix's building design of French Renaissance architecture with Corinthian composite details.
The Board of Statehouse Commissioners on March 26, 1866 approved a resolution which provided that the “wings of said building project east and west from the central building and that the construction of the east wing be commenced...immediately...” No sooner had the appropriation been made than there was a controversy among those desiring to furnish materials. It was decided to use a brown sandstone, obtained from the bluffs along Deer Creek, near Vinewood, in Shawnee County
Kansas State Quarter
The fourth quarter to be released in 2005 commemorates the State of Kansas. On January 29, 1861, the "Sunflower State" became the 34th state to be admitted into the Union. Kansas marks the 34th coin to be issued in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters® Program, and features a buffalo and sunflower motif, emblematic of the State’s history and natural beauty.
The Kansas commemorative quarter incorporates two of the State’s most beloved symbols, the state animal and flower, the buffalo and the sunflower. Each of these two design elements is a visual reminder of our Nation’s heartland. They feature prominently in the history of the territory, and both were found in abundance throughout the State in the middle of the 19th century when Kansas gained its statehood. With its release in the Fall of 2005, it is the second United States circulating coin of 2005 to carry an image of the buffalo.
In June of 2003, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius announced the creation of the 16-member Kansas Commemorative Coin Commission to narrow the search for Kansas’ quarter design to four finalists. The winning design was then recommended by the State’s high school students in a statewide vote held in the Spring of 2004. In addition to the winning design, the other finalists included an image of the statue that sits atop the State Capitol – an American Indian archer aiming his bow skyward, toward the North Star, an image of a sunflower with wheat, and a design that featured a single sunflower. The Department of Treasury approved the "Buffalo and Sunflower" design on July 13, 2004.