If I were planting for firewood I would want a mixed stand of species. I would want not just firewood but also wildlife and I would want a mixed stand that would not be overly susceptible to the next exotic insect or disease we import. I would also want some evergreens just for wildlife and because they look nice in the winter.
I'd start with Black Locust. It grows fast, tolerates bad soil, fixes nitrogen so it helps improve the soil, casts a light shade that allows other trees to grow beneath it, resprouts when you cut, bees make honey fron the nectar, and the wood is about as good as firewood gets. The only problem with this tree is that is gets an insect infestation some years that makes it look sort of brown, but doesn't seem to do much other damage. I'd plant the whole area with Black Locust spaced at around 8 or 10 feet apart. This would allow me to plant other trees in between and thin the locust over time to allow the other trees room to grow. I'd also plant Some Osage Orange (just because it is native to the great plains and the firewood is supposed to be the best), plus a mix that includes a lot of the other native trees in your area. For evergreen I would probably choose Norway Pine (actually native, poorly chosen name). I would include the oaks that grow well in your area. Oaks are slow for the first few years, but are great wildlife trees and of course good firewood for your children. Most hardwood trees really aren't going to provide YOU with much firewood, they will take longer than that.