The "Home on the Range" cabin in Smith County is where the iconic western song, "Home on the Range" was written by Dr. Brewster Higley. The music was composed by Dan Kelley. The song was designated the State Song of Kansas in 1947. January 29th is Kansas Day and Kansas will be celebrating its 161st birthday.
It is January, time for cold weather, New Year's resolutions and the birthday of the State of Kansas. It was on Jan. 29, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln signed the document establishing Kansas as the 34th State in the United States of America. This year, Kansas is 161 years old.
During those 161 years, Kansas has acquired some 24 symbols plus mottos, banners and nicknames. It began in 1861 with the State Seal and has continued through 2019 with the state's White Wine Grape, Vignoles, and the state's Red Wine Grape, Chambourcin.
The Kansas symbols include three musical ones. The familiar "Home on the Range" was adopted as the state's song by the Kansas Legislature in 1947. However, our state has two state marches. "The Kansas March" and "Here's Kansas."
"The Kansas March" was written by Duff E. Middleton and adopted as the official Kansas State March in 1935. Middleton taught instrumental music in the Wichita Public Schools from 1928 until 1947. There were no words for "The Kansas March" until 1953 when Robert R. Jones rearranged the music and wrote words. He published the music and words as "Cheers for Kansas." The music was accredited to Middleton but Jones holds the copyright to the words.
These are part of the lyrics composed by Jones:
Sing ad astra and per aspera
to the stars thru' work and strife.
(Oh yes, we mean it, Kan-sas)
Tells us how a bleeding Kansas fought
to preserve a way of life, Oh!
Valiant Kansans vanquished ruffians,
then Cor'nado's dream fulfilled,
Not in the cities of Quivera,
but in a fertile land well tilled.
Yes, Kansas
Our Kansas wheat fields, cross the rolling plain,
Bright sunflow'rs, green pastures there,
Part of our Jayhawk domain, (Oh! Yes we love it)
Folks are guided by stars, both hands on the plow,
Onward ever upward
Cheers for Kansas now.
The second march, "Here's Kansas," was adopted in 1992. The lyrics and music were both written by Bill Post of Gueda Spring. The music was arranged by Kenneth Judd. Post also wrote the music and lyrics to "Where in the World but Kansas?"
Here are the lyrics to "Here's Kansas":
Kansas is the state for me,
Beautiful and plain to see miles around,
With hills and plains and furrowed ground;
Kansas has a heart display,
The heart of the plains toward the future
With her eyes upon the future
She will trust in God from day to day;
As she rings the bell of freedom
She will not forget the freedom
That will bind her close in ev'ry way.
The one with the plow,
With the crowded street,
All walks of life with aims to meet
Will agree to be as one for liberty.
Kansas is alive today,
Going forth in full array,
All the way and we, the people of ev'ry county,
Love Kansas more each day.
Likely the most familiar of the three musical pieces is "Home on the Range." A 1934 lawsuit over copyright claims to "Home on the Range" led to the establishment of Dr. Brewster M. Higley as the author of the words.
Originally called "My Western Home" the lawsuit also determined those words were published in 1876 by the Smith County Pioneer. There is also some but not conclusive evidence that those words were published in 1874 by the Smith County Pioneer. No extant copies of the 1874 paper exist.
The same lawsuit also determined the poem was written in Smith County on the homestead of Higley. His homestead was on Beaver Creek near Athol, Kan. His "Home on the Range" cabin is now restored but has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.
The same 1934 lawsuit determined Dan Kelley of Gaylord to be the composer. He put the words to music he composed on his guitar. The rest is history. The song spread on the cattle trails and became part of the oral tradition of the American West. Franklin D. Roosevelt claimed the song as his favorite soon after his 1932 election as U. S. President.
"Home on the Range" was recorded in 1927 by Vernon Dalhart but has also been recorded by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, John Denver and Roy Rogers to name a few. It has a well-established place in American Western music.
Actually, it claims an international place as well. A fact to which this writer can attest. When on a vacation in Scotland, four of us ate supper in a local pub. Several asked us if we would sing a song from our state if they sang a song from their area. We agreed. They sang lustily but none of the four of us had ever heard of the song they sang. However, soon after we started singing "Home on the Range," all in the pub were singing along with us. We were told, "Everybody knows 'Home on the Range'!"
We might celebrate Kansas Day, Jan, 29 by humming or singing a few bars of one of the three musical symbols of Kansas. "Home on the Range" will be my choice!
The first verse and chorus to "Home on the Range":
Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day
Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day
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