During the 1870's and the early 1880's, about eight thousand Mennonites migrated from the steppes of south Russia to America and arrived near Peabody, Kansas, seeking a land where their desire for religious freedom would be honored. Peabody and neighboring communities became the port of entry for Russian Mennonites to the Kansas rolling prairies. The Santa Fe Railroad directed them to productive land and made it available under favorable terms, while government land-purchase terms were attractive, and the fertile plains and favorable climate led them to choose Kansas. Over the next one hundred years, their decision proved wise as Turkey Hard Red Winter Wheat became the origin of the hard winter wheat grown in America and helped make Kansas the nation's largest wheat-producing state. Though agricultural people, they also established churches, schools, and hospitals to meet spiritual, cultural, and physical needs. Distinctive to their heritage were principles of peace and compassion, expressed in a belief that disciples of Jesus Christ should heal the wounds of individuals and nations rather than inflict them, and through churches and colleges they carried out missions, voluntary service, and aid to suffering people around the world, especially after natural disasters.