Russell County, Kansas, is the heart of the heartland.

Settled in 1871 by a colony of Volga Germans from Ripon, Wisconsin, the area that would become Russell County attracted homesteaders from as far away as Russia, Poland, and Germany. The county was a hub for farming, livestock, and eventually oil and was served by stagecoaches, the railroad, and the interstate highway system. The city of Russell, with a population that has never surpassed 7,000, was the childhood home of two US senators--Bob Dole and Arlen Specter. The county is best known as the home of Wilson Lake (renowned for the clarity of its water), for its buildings and fences made of native limestone, and for the hearty breed of people who continue to make this their home.

Author Linda Crowder has worked with the Russell County Historical Society to select images that best tell the story of the county's first 150 years. The city of Russell is home to half of the county's population, but the communities of Milberger, Dorrance, Dubuque, Fairport, Paradise, Waldo, Luray, Lucas, Bunker Hill, and Gorham are an important part of the story. The history of Russell County is the history of the American prairie.