Written by camera-gal on 19 Sep, 2000
While you're tooling around the Lawrence area, you might come upon the unfamiliar mascot of the University of Kansas--the Jayhawk. So, what exactly is a jayhawk? According to legend, a man rode into town one day in 1856 and told another man he…Read More
While you're tooling around the Lawrence area, you might come upon the unfamiliar mascot of the University of Kansas--the Jayhawk. So, what exactly is a jayhawk? According to legend, a man rode into town one day in 1856 and told another man he had been 'over in Missouri jay-hawking'. When asked what that meant, he said he knew of a bird that worried its prey before devouring it. This is the only known origin of the word. The jayhawk as it is known today is a raven-like bird that is blue. Blue and red are KU colors so you'll probably see the bird dressed in those colors. Close