In Atchison, Kansas, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech to an overflow crowd in the Methodist Church Auditorium. He spoke for two hours and twenty minutes and used substantial portions of the famous speech he knew he was going to give three months later at the Cooper Union in New York. This was the fourth of five talks in less than a week in Kansas.  Lincoln had learned John Brown had that morning been executed in Virginia and told the crowd that Brown had paid the just penalty for treason. (By John Osborne)

For most of July, fifty-two delegates from all over the territory had been meeting at Wyandotte, Kansas to frame a new constitution in preparation for statehood. In October, the Constitution was put to a referendum in October, 1859 and approved by popular vote of 10,421 in favor and 5,530 against. After the struggles and bloodshed that had surrounded the earlier abortive Topeka and Lecompton Constitutions, Kansas now had a fully legal free state constitution and seemed ready for statehood. Despite some remaining resistance in the U.S. Senate, Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state in January, 1861 and the Wyandotte Constitution has been in force since. (By John Osborne)

For most of July, fifty-two delegates from all over the territory had been meeting at Wyandotte, Kansas to frame a new constitution in preparation for statehood.  By July 29, 1859, the new document had been worked out and was signed. The Constitution was put to a referendum in October, 1859 and approved by popular vote. After the struggles and bloodshed that had surrounded the earlier abortive Topeka and Lecompton Constitutions, Kansas now seemed ready for statehood. Kansas was admitted to the Union in January, 1861 and the Wyandotte Constitution has been in force since. (By John Osborne)
 

As the territorial legislature had ordered in February and the electorate had confirmed in March, a constitutional Convention with thirty-five Republican and seventeen Democrat elected delegates met at Wyandotte, Kansas to produce a State Constitution. New York native James M. Winchell of Osage County was chosen to sit as President and John A. Martin, a twenty-one year old Pennsylvania born newspaper editor from Atchison, Kansas, was named secretary. Three and a half weeks later, on July 29, 1859, the new document had been worked out and was signed. (By John Osborne)

As the territorial legislature had ordered in February, and a March referendum had confirmed, a convention with fifty-two elected delegates from all over the territory, thirty-five Republicans and seventeen Democrats, met at Wyandotte, Kansas to produce a State Constitution. New York native James M. Winchell of Osage County was elected to sit as President and John A. Martin, a twenty-one year old Pennsylvania born newspaper editor from Atchison, Kansas, was named secretary. Three and a half weeks later, on July 29, 1859, the new document had been worked out and was signed. (By John Osborne)

Though the year has been fairly successful agriculturally, the summer and fall of 1859 in Kansas were unseasonably dry. After a winter with only a little rain and less snow, Kansas began to experience a severe drought that produced heavy dust-storms across the territory and helped bring on what was called "the Kansas Famine." (By John Osborne)

After a five month journey that took him to Kansas, Colorado, an interview with Brigham Young in Utah, a tour through the Yosemite Valley in California, and a return by ship via Panama, Horace Greeley arrived home in New York City. His travels were recorded famously in his letters to his New York Tribune and he wrote a book on his travels soon after he returned. (By John Osborne)