Concordia, Kansas

Concordia is a portrait on the Kansas prairie. As one looks out across the valley and sees the little town enfolded in the softly rolling hills, one feels a sense of peace.

Symbol of Kansas, the tall grain elevator thrusts its white towers into the sky. The old of the red brick convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph blends with the new of the Junior College and the hospital.

Concordia is a pretty town - a pleasant town with well kept homes. There are comfortable schools; a much used City Park with a bandshell and a baseball diamond. The churches speak of the faith and generosity of their members. The main street is simple, dignified and well-cared for.

Concordia became a town in 1871, founded by Jim Hagaman, a very motivated and community minded individual. The artists who painted those first brush strokes of the "Portrait On The Prairie" were gallant souls with incredible courage and daring spirit.

The great lure was land . . . all that land. It created exciting dreams of a future of wealth, power, freedom, of "being somebody." Many who came were from eastern states. Many were impoverished men, often well educated, who came because the land was free. Many who came were immigrants. Each immigrant coming from crowded, impoverished, politically controlled countries in Europe, knew what it meant to have "his own land."

So they came, from the east seeking land and wealth and investments; from Europe seeking land, freedom and identity; all of them seeking the opportunity to be part of a new experience, to be free.