2008 42c Flags of Nation, KS coin FDC

2008 42¢ Flags of Our Nation
Kansas Coin Cover 

This Flags of Our Nation Coin Cover features the Kansas stamp from the Flags of Our Nation Series, two uncirculated state quarters, and a cachet, or picture, that reflects the history of the state.

The 2008 Kansas Flags of Our Nation Coin First Day Cover features a woodc...  more

2008 42¢ Flags of Our Nation
Kansas Coin Cover 

This Flags of Our Nation Coin Cover features the Kansas stamp from the Flags of Our Nation Series, two uncirculated state quarters, and a cachet, or picture, that reflects the history of the state.

The 2008 Kansas Flags of Our Nation Coin First Day Cover features a woodcut of the Atchison and Pikes Peak Railroad.  The A&PP was incorporated in 1859, following several treaties with the Kickapoo Indian Tribe.  The woodcut illustrates workers driving the first spike in the Atchinson and Pikes Peak Railroad in 1865.  The railroad, opened in 1868, established a direct route to the Colorado Gold Mines and made millions of acres of prime agricultural land accessible to homesteading.   

Also featured on this cover are the 2005 Kansas state quarter and 2008 Flags of Our Nation stamp.  The Kansas state quarter pictures the bison and sunflower – the state animal and flower.  Officially adopted in 1927, the Kansas state flag also recognizes the important role of the bison.  To the Plains Indians, longtime inhabitants of the Kansas plains, the bison were a significant source for food, shelter, heat, and clothing.  Following the herds across the plains, the resourceful natives used every part of the animal and did not allow anything to be wasted. 

When early settlers first entered the Kansas plains, they encountered herds of bison grazing as far as the eye could see.  An estimated 30 to 75 million bison roamed the Great Plains in the early 1800s.  The introduction of railroads and the sport of hunting bison for fun depleted their population.