'8 Wonders of Kansas History' voting ends Tuesday

With only days left to vote, the Kansas Sampler Foundation has announced the "8 Wonders of Kansas History" contest has received the most total votes of all the previous contests it has hosted.

According to a statement by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, there have been more than 14,000 votes recorded for the contest geared toward educating the world about Kansas and encouraging travel in the state.

Fort Scott National Historic Site is one of the 24 finalists in the contest which will be narrowed down to the top eight by a public vote ending at midnight on Tuesday. FSNHS officials said they hope the contest brings exposure to the site and the Fort Scott community.

According to the Kansas Sampler Foundation, the FSNHS was chosen as a finalist because of its unique place in the formative years of the state beginning in 1842, its role in the western expansion of the nation, as well as the Bleeding Kansas and Civil War eras.

Voters must choose eight of the 24 finalists. Voting is open to anyone regardless of age or location. Votes may be cast online by visiting www.8wonders.org or by submitting a paper ballot at one of the finalist locations or by calling (620) 585-2374. One e-mail address may be used three times to vote and paper ballots must be postmarked by June 15.

The 8 Wonders of Kansas History contest is one in a series which highlights the eight rural culture elements used by the Kansas Sampler Foundation to help a town assess itself. Previous contests which have already been concluded are 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture, Art, Commerce, Cuisine, Customs, and Geography. Prior to the current contest, the highest number of votes were counted in the cuisine contest with 13,863, according to the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

According to the Kansas Sampler Foundation, the final contest, titled "8 Wonders of Kansas People" will take place after the history contest has concluded. The overall "8 Wonders of Kansas" were announced on Kansas Day 2008. All results can be seen at www.8wonders.org.

The 24 finalists for the 8 Wonders of Kansas History (in alphabetical order) are:

* 1930s Dust Bowl to Gas Exploration, Historic Adobe Museum, Ulysses

* Black Jack Battlefield, Baldwin City

* Boot Hill Museum/Historic Dodge City

* Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Topeka

* Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum, Arkansas City

* Constitution Hall State Historic Site, Lecompton

* Council Grove, Santa Fe Trail National Historic Landmark

* El Cuartelejo Pueblo Ruins, Scott County

* Fort Hays State Historic, Hays

* Fort Larned National Historic Site, Pawnee County

* Fort Scott National Historic Site, Fort Scott

* Historic Fort Leavenworth, Leavenworth

* Historic Fort Riley, Junction City

* Home on the Range Cabin, Smith County

* Kansas Museum of History, Topeka

* Kanza Tribe and Lewis & Clark's Independence Creek, Atchison

* Lead and zinc mining, Baxter Springs and Galena museums

* Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site, Olathe

* Mid-America Air Museum, Liberal

* National Orphan Train Complex, Concordia

* Nicodemus National Historic Site, Nicodemus

* Osage Mission Museum, St. Paul

* Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site, Republic County

* Smoky Valley Roller Mill, Lindsborg