![]() Kansas Governor Charles Robinson raised a regiment called the Independent Mounted Kansas Jayhawks. Lawrence, where KU would be founded, was a free state stronghold.ĭuring the Civil War, the Jayhawk’s ruffian image gave way to patriotic symbol. But the name stuck to the ‘free staters’ when Kansas was admitted as a free state in 1861. For a time, ruffians on both sides were called Jayhawkers. The opposing factions looted, sacked, rustled cattle, stole horses, and otherwise attacked each other’s settlements. The area was a battleground between those wanting a state in which slavery would be legal and abolitionists committed to a free state. The message here: Don’t turn your back on this bird.ĭuring the 1850’s, the Kansas Territory was filled with such Jayhawks. The name combines two birds–the blue jay, a noisy, quarrelsome thing known to rob other nests, and the sparrow hawk, a quiet, stealthy hunter. Accounts of its use appeared from Illinois to Texas and in that year, a party of pioneers crossing what is now Nebraska, called themselves “The Jayhawkers of ’49”. The term “Jayhawk” was probably coined around 1848. ![]() The origin of the Jayhawk is rooted in the historic struggles of Kansas settlers. The University of Kansas is home to the Jayhawk, a mythical bird with a fascinating history. Just about every college and university claims a mascot. ![]() Mascots are believed to bring good luck, especially to athletic teams.
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