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“Home on the Range” is the state song of Kansas, written by Dr. Brewster Higley and Dan Kelley in 1870. It became a symbol of the American West and has been adapted for other states. The true composer was disputed, but Higley was eventually confirmed. The song is accompanied by other state symbols, including the western lark and the American buffalo. Higley’s cabin, where he wrote the song, is still visited by many.
The state song of Kansas is “Home on the Range.” The words were originally written as poetry by Dr. Brewster Higley, a physician, and the music was written by violinist Dan Kelley. The current version of the song differs slightly from his original poem, written in 1870 in Kansas, having undergone several rewrites since it was first composed. His poem, at the time of writing, was called My Western Home.
State symbols, from songs to flags to animals and birds, play an important role in keeping morale up and encouraging patriotism, and the Kansas state song fits these requirements well. The song becomes lyrical about the beautiful countryside, fresh air, wide open spaces, and animals, for which Kansas is well known. After the song took off, many adaptations were made to fit other states, such as “My Colorado Home,” but it was properly staked out as the state song of Kansas, in the form we know it, in 1947.
Due to the various incarnations of the song and its spread across the United States as it became popular, the true songwriter and composer has become uncertain. Around 1935, an Arizona couple, the Goodwins, claimed to have co-written the song and lyrics and sued, claiming copyright rights. For a couple of years, as a young lawyer was sent from state to state to discover the song’s true origins, it was taken off the radio and sung unprofessionally. The search for him ended in Kansas, where he found Higley’s poem and the case was closed.
While the Kansas State Song is held close to the hearts of those who live in the state, it is also widely considered a symbolic song for the American West, evoking scenes of endless prairies and cowboys on horseback. It has been sung by a number of well-known musicians, including Paul Young and Willie Nelson, and has been included in various film soundtracks over the years. In 1954, Porky Pig, of the Looney Tunes, sang it in “Claws for Alarm”.
The state song of Kansas is joined by various other state symbols. Its bird, the western lark, and its animal, the American buffalo, join the flag as state emblems. The cabin that Brewster Higley lived in when he wrote Home on the Range, on the banks of Beaver Creek, remains much as it was at the time of writing and is visited by many Kansas locals and visitors.
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