Dr. Brewster M. Higley wrote the original poem, “Home on the Range” in the early 1870s. Higley was an otolaryngologist who came to Smith County in 1871 under the Homestead Act and was so taken with his new home that he wrote his poem entitled, “My Western Home.” In 1873 the poem was published in the Smith County Pioneer, and music was soon added by Daniel E. Kelley, a friend of Higley. The song quickly became a favorite among pioneers and cowboys. It was later revised by David Guion, who is often given credit as the song’s composer. In 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt claimed it to be his favorite song. Because Higley had written the song while in Kansas, and because the song seemed to so fit the state, the Kansas Legislature chose it as the state song on June 30, 1947. Since then the song has been used in countless movies in shows, being sung by everyone from Willie Nelson to Porky Pig.
