A Brief History

Konza Prairie Biological Station

Konza Prairie was founded in 1971 under the leadership of Professor Lloyd C. Hulbert of Kansas State University, after years of dedicated efforts to establish a field station for ecological research in the tallgrass prairie region. Read more...

The Dewey Ranch

Konza Prairie was formerly part of the 10,000-acre Dewey Ranch, acquired by C.P. Dewey and his son, Chauncey Dewey, beginning in 1872. The Riley County ranch was sold by Dewey in 1930, and went through several owners before being purchased by The Nature Conservancy in 1977 for Kansas State University. Read more...

Hokanson Homestead

Born in Sweden in 1848, Andrew Hokanson immigrated to America in 1875 with his two older brothers, Charles and John. In 1878, they moved to Kansas, and Andrew bought 95 acres of prime farmland along King’s Creek on what is now Konza Prairie. Read more...

Konza Environmental Education Program

In 1996, with the urging of the Friends of Konza Prairie, the K-State Division of Biology hired a part-time Environmental Educator to develop a more formal program for educating the public about Konza Prairie Biological Station, with special emphasis on school children. Read more...