By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

A well-organized plan to tap into the rich history of the Civil War in this region is making progress, and deservedly so. Now, federal funds are needed to develop and market the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage area.

Eventually, supporters hope to attract many more visitors to historic sites in eastern Kansas and western Missouri, where they can learn more about the effects of the Civil War on this region and the nation.

The heritage area would encompass 41 counties along the Kansas-Missouri border, including Jackson, Cass, Clay and Platte. These 41 counties were the “epicenter of events that led to the Civil War,” says U.S. Appeals Court Judge Deanell Reece Tacha, chairwoman of the heritage area board.

The National Park Service is now reviewing plans for the educational effort, which could attract $10 million in federal support over 15 years. Combined with private contributions, this funding would be a wise investment in education about the Civil War as well as a good way to jumpstart more tourism and economic development in the counties.

It’s essential to get the heritage area established by the end of this year, because the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War occurs in 2011. That year could see a quickening of interest in the war and all the hot-button issues it involved. They include slavery, abolition, immigration, the impact of the Santa Fe and Oregon Trials, and later matters such as the Brown vs. Board of Education case and its effects on the U.S. school system.

Current plans call for spending about $500,000 a year to manage and promote the heritage area. In the long run, that would be a smart use of public funds, especially if more people discover the significant role this region played in the nation’s bloodiest war.