This book is a written record of the contributions made to the understanding of the geology of Kansas by natural scientists and geologists in the past century and a half. Kansas was for a long tiıne considered a “desert" and a place to cross – not stay – by the early settlers in the U.S. Midcontinent. The geology, however, is excellent and in many places well exposed. With the thousands of wells drilled, the geologic history of the State of Kansas is fairly well known by the 21st Century. Telling the story here is by some 64 early workers and their contributions. These contributors provided a base for all the later work, and in most situations their work was well done. So, here is the record of those early workers and their contributions.