Bloody, violent, angry: these all described the Missouri-Kansas border for the years leading up to the American Civil War. The violence became so intense that some local historians boast the Civil War really began on the Mo-Kan border. Although these bloody years are long in the past, you can experience them today online at Territorial Kansas Online.  

The Kansas State Historical Society and the Kansas Collection at the University of Kansas have teamed up to create Territorial Kansas Online. Read primary source documents describing "Bleeding Kansas" during the years 1854 through 1861. Also find diaries, letters, maps, photographs and more. Other resources provided include D. W. Wilder's Annals of Kansas, covering events from 1541 to 1885, a bibliography, lesson plans, and a list of historical sites to visit related to the history of territorial Kansas.