Kansas Sesquicentennial Postage Stamp

Hutchinson ? The ever-blowing Kansas wind is the main feature of a new postage stamp that will commemorate the state’s sesquicentennial.

Gov. Mark Parkinson on Friday unveiled the Kansas Statehood Stamp, which has an old metal windmill in the foreground and five modern wind turbines in the background.

“Kansas has a rich history from the last 150 years and is destined for an even brighter future,” Parkinson said in showing off the new stamp.

“I am pleased to help unveil this commemorative stamp, which captures both our lasting traditions and our exciting potential as we celebrate the Kansas sesquicentennial,” Parkinson said.

“We expect this beautiful stamp to be extremely popular when it goes on sale in late January of next year,” said David Failor, who is the executive director of stamp services for the Postal Service. The stamp commemorates the 150th anniversary of Kansas’ Jan. 29, 1861, admission to the United States.

The stamp features the artwork of renowned commercial and fine-art painter Dean Mitchell, who once lived in Overland Park and was an illustrator for Hallmark.

As for the old windmills, there were as many as 50 companies known to have manufactured windmills in Kansas between 1880 and the 1950s, according to Kansas State Historical Society. Those windmills pumped groundwater for farmers, ranchers, residents of small towns and railroads.

The modern wind turbines produce electricity. Kansas produces more than 1,000 megawatts of electricity from wind farms, and has the potential to be one of the top producing states of wind power in the nation.