Kaw Mission and Last Chance Store Museums

09/04/2026

Kanza and the Medicine Lodge Treaty Part-5

Finally, on June 3, 1868. some one hundred Cheyenne warriors appeared at the agency headquarters south of town. Many of the settlers feared for their lives, while others were certain that they would have the opportunity to witness Indian brutality at its worst. Both groups were wrong. Although a few scattered shots were fired and considerable amount of shouting and charging with horses occurred, no one was killed Although several government officials stood by like spectators at a medieval joust, the confrontation was largely ceremonial. the excitement lasted less than four hours, and after the "aggressors" had departed for Fort Larned, it was learned that the raid had gained them a small amount of plunder from two farms, some sugar and coffee offered as a "sacrifice" by the Council Grove townsmen, some goods from an isolated trading post 20 miles west of Six Mile Creek and seven beef from squatters and eleven more from a party of Texas drovers. A painting of Kanza by George Catlin Source The Kansa Indians by William G. Unrau

09/03/2026

Fascinating History of the Santa Fe Trail.

St. James Hotel & the Maxwell Mansion

This fascinating photograph captures a unique moment in Cimarron's history. It was taken before the west section of the Maxwell Mansion, visible in the image, was destroyed by fire in 1924.

In the foreground, several men are standing on what was once the bridge crossing the Cimarron River. But in the picture a dirt road. Sometime around the turn of the twentieth century, the Cimarron River was diverted to the north of the Old Mill, although the exact date remains uncertain. If anyone knows when this diversion occurred, please put it in the comments. Following the river's rerouting, a new bridge was constructed farther north. Also visible in the lower right corner is a fence that likely enclosed the garden of Mary E. Lambert.

Behind the men stand the remains of the aging Maxwell Mansion. The roof of the main house can be seen through the trees, while the long wall facing the road was the servants' quarters. Even in its deteriorated condition, the mansion hints at the grandeur it once possessed.

Beyond the mansion rises the St. James Hotel. Two noteworthy details help date the photograph. First, the trees surrounding the hotel reach only to the roofline and are much smaller than those seen in later photographs. Second, the hotel still features the wooden balconies along its north and west sides, a feature known to have been removed in the 1930s.

Taken together, these details make this image an extraordinary snapshot of a changing Cimarron, preserving landmarks, landscapes, and structures that would soon be altered or lost to history.

09/01/2026

The Kanza and the Medicine Lodge Treaty Part-4
While the Cheyennes rushed to obtain reinforcements, the Kansas fled for their reservation, arriving there on December 25 in a completely destitute condition. At least sixty had died during the retreat, mainly from the terrible cold, hunger and exposure. More horses were lost, so that they were reduced to about 150 animals for the entire tribe. A return to buffalo country after the Cheyenne affair was out of the question. With reports circulating that the Cheyennes would return to gain revenge, The Kansas were confined to their reservation, completely dependent on the government and/or the credit of the Council Grove merchants. To be continued...
Source- The Kansa Indians by William G. Unrau

08/28/2026

Kanza and the Medicine Lodge Treaty Part-3

In early December a party of Cheyennes visited the Kansa camp, pretending they were prepared to discuss the "difficulties existing between the tribes." After a friendly talk lasting several hours, the Cheyennes left, giving every indication that an understanding had been reached. Minutes later, within a few hundred yards of the Kansa camp, they, they turned on a lone Kansa herder, who they killed and swiftly scalped. Having witnessed the cowardly act, a number of enraged Kansas charged the Cheyennes, and within four hours the enemy was driven from the field. Fourteen Cheyennes and two Kansas lay dead, many wounded, and both sides lost substantial number of horses. To be continued..... Source- The Kansa Indians by William G. Unrau- Photo of Cheyenne and Tepees

08/25/2026

The Kaw Mission State Historic Site has lost a good friend. R.I.P. Senator Kassebaum!

08/25/2026

Kanza and the Medicine Lodge Treaty Part-2

This left the Kansa short of transportation and horses for hunting. After a short stay at the treaty grounds, where they were wrongly accused of stealing horses from the Arapahoes and where General William S. Harney applauded the slaughter of a few "tame" Kansas by the Arapahoes, they proceeded to Plumb Creek, not far from Fort Zarah. Here they established their winter camp, hoping that some game would be available in the immediate vicinity. It was a costly a tragic decision. To be continued. .
Photo of Bvt. Maj. Gen. William S. Harney - Source- The Kansas Indians by William S. Unrau

08/21/2026

The situation on the plains of the plains of the western Kansas remained tense in the months and years immediately following the Sand Creek Massacre. Government negotiations at the Little Arkansas in the fall of 1865 brought some relief, but Major General Winfield S. Hancock's ill-conceived and poorly executed demonstration of power west of Fort Larned in the spring of 1867 only agitated the Cheyennes and Arapahoes. Their more aggressive warrior bands continued to harass the outlying settlements and make life miserable for such weaker tribes as the Kansas. Following a raid in the late winter of 1866 that netted the Cheyennes forty-two Kansa ponies and a least one Kansa scalp, the Arapahoes stole an additional thirty-four horses while the Kansa were en route to Medicine Lodge. To be continued. . .Photo of Arapahoe Chief Unca
Source-The Kansa Indians by William E. Unrau

08/18/2026

Kit Carson Part-2

"At daylight the men of said company were leading out their horses to picket them in new grass. they were attacked by a party of Commanches and had 26 horses and all their cattle driven off. The cattle taking a turn near our camp, I was enabled to retake them from the Indians. . .[six or eight Comanches were killed, and as many more wounded. I lost two horses . . .We then continued our march and arrived at Santa Fe [on August 27] without difficulty." "The company lost 26 and would have lost all of their cattle, if I and my party had not been there to assist them. Also had three men wounded. I lost two horses. . . We then continued our march and arrived at Santa Fe [on August 27] without any difficulties. Carson went on to California, reaching his destination there in October. On January 28, 1848, the senate negatived his commission. Painting of Commmanches- Source- The Beginning of the West by Louise Barry

08/14/2026

About July 17(?), 1847, Lt. Christopher ("Kit") Carson (commissioned June 9 in the U.S. Mounted riflemen by President Polk) left Fort Leavenworth carrying dispatches (brought from Washington, D.C.) to be delivered in New Mexico and in California. He had as es**rt, to Santa Fe, 2nd Lt. Stephen D. Mullowny and 50 men of Capt. Augustus Jone's Company D, Third regiment, Missouri mounted volunteers. (This company was from Washington county.) On July 25 Carson's party camped at Diamond Spring (as did the portion of First Illinois regiment troops under Lt. Col. H.P. Boyakin's command). The journey, as far a the Pawnee Rock vicinity, was uneventful. But at Ash creek, on August 1 (as Carson later related), he and his es**rt camped "about 300 yards from a company of [Missouri] Volunteers [Captain Smithson's company of the Third regiment] enroute for New Mexico having with them a very large train of wagons. To be continued... Source- The Beginning of the West by Louise Barry Photo of Kit Carson