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tlers came from other U.S. states and
territories. Many also came from
Europe, especially Germany and the
British Isles.
Starting in the 1870s, large num-
bers of black settlers migrated to
Kansas, escaping the South in search
of a better life. These settlers became
known as Exodusters, after the exodus
from Egypt in the Bible.
Fueling Kansas’s boom was the
expansion
of
the
railroads.
Construction of the first railroad line
to pass through the state, the Kansas
Pacific Railroad, began in 1863. The
Kansas Pacific later became part of
the Union Pacific Railroad, which
crossed the entire country. By the end
of the 19th century, Kansas was
ranked third in the nation for rail
mileage, with almost 9,000 miles
(14,500 km) of railroads crisscrossing
the state.
Thanks to the railroads, a thriving
cattle industry developed in Kansas.
From the mid-1860s to the mid-
1880s, hundreds of thousands of cat-
tle were herded every year from Texas
to Kansas. These cattle were then
21
Lower Plains: Kansas, Nebraska
A 19th-century cowboy rounds up cattle on a
ranch near present-day Kansas City.
A restored Union Pacific Railroad engine on
display in Dodge City.