Historic Council Grove

Location:  The City of Council Grove is located on Hwy US 56 in East Central Kansas.  Historic Tour begins at the Kaw Mission State Historic Site, which is a couple blocks north of downtown.   Location is well marked.

Contact:  Council Grove Visitors Bureau, Phone:  800.732.9211

Fee:  Donations appreciated at the Kaw Mission State Historic Site

Photos Copyright Harland J. Schuster.  Please do not use without permission.

Built in 1851, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Kaw Mission has seen a lot of changes in its time.  The purpose of the Mission was to educate the children of the Kaw, also known as the Kansa, people.  Semi-nomadic farmers, the Kaw, who are thought to have moved to the area in the early 1700's, would spend the winters here.  In the spring, they would plant their corn, then depart for the better hunting grounds of the High Plains--mainly the area that is today Southwest Kansas.  They would return in the fall to harvest their crops and prepare for the sometimes harsh Kansas Winter.  By the 1820's, the Santa Fe Trail passed through the area, and the coming of the White Man would eventually mean the elimination of the Kaw People from the area, though this process would take until about 1900.  The Kaw Mission itself only lasted a few years, due to both the lack of interest by the Kaw, and to the seeming lack of interest on the part of the missionary sent to run the institution.  In general, the Kaw only sent orphan children to the mission.  As for the stone houses the government built for the Kaw on their preserve near town, it was said the Kaw used them as shelter for their horses, preferring to live themselves in their more traditional shelters. 

Continuing attrition due to disease--some say many of the Kaw died of a broken heart--and questionable business practices inflicted on the Indians by some local merchants, compelled the tribe to agree to an system of Allotments in the early 1900's.  The effect of this was to in effect legally dissolve the tribe, and eventually remove them from the land.  The remnants of the once proud people--for whom the state of Kansas is named--moved to Oklahoma.  The last pure blood Kaw died in the 1990's.

Inside the old Kaw Mission, artifacts of local history are on display.   Interpretive films and materials are also on display.   The museum is the starting point for the self-guided Council Grove Historical Tour.   History is around every corner in Council Grove--literally.  Selected points from the tour are featured below.....

The Old Bell Monument.   Though known as the "Indian Raid Bell", it's uncertain if it was ever used for this purpose.  The old bell was brought to Council Grove in 1863, and for thirty years it was used as an alarm, school and church bell.  In 1901, the bell was retired and placed on the present stone monument.  Apparently, at some point, some dimwitted individuals felt compelled to vandalize the bell, breaking the top portion off.

The "Hermit's Cave" is near the bell on a hill overlooking downtown Council Grove.  This humble abode was inhabited for a short period in 1863 by a religious mystic, Giovanni Maria Augustini.  The man was said to have had to power to perform cures.  Austere as the cave may seem, it was probably better than the hollow tree he lived in at Westport, Missouri prior to coming to Council Grove.  Giovanni's diet consisted of only coarse corn meal, milk, and water.   In the fall of 1863, he felt compelled to move on, and walked the Santa Fe Trail to Las Vegas, New Mexico, a distance of about 500 miles.  The hermit lived in a cave there as well, until he was mysteriously murdered in 1869.

Last Chance Store, built in 1857 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The next supplies to the west on the Santa Fe Trail were 2 days in the distance, so business was fairly brisk as long as there was traffic on the trail.  The store's advertising slogan "Last Chance for Beans, Bacon and Whiskey", was not that different from that of the modern convenience stores.

Post Office Oak, was believed to have been 270 years old when it died in 1990.  The story goes that a hollow part of the tree near its base was used as an unofficial post office by travelers on the Santa Fe Trail from 1825 until 1847.  Passing wagon caravans could leave messages for other travelers at the tree.  The stone building near what's left of the tree was built as a brewery in 1864.

The old stone barn, built by town founder Seth Hays in 1871, is located about 1 mile east of town and sets north of Hwy 56.   The old barn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was in danger of collapse until some repairs were done in the 1990's.  It is hoped that one day the barn will be converted into an interpretive center for the Santa Fe Trail.

Bringing the story of the Kaw Nation in Kansas to a full circle, the Kaw Nation of Oklahoma recently purchased the Little John Creek Reserve which includes the ruins of the Kaw Agency and some of the stone huts constructed by the government for the Indians.  To date, a memorial has been erected, the ruins stabilized, and a planning study is underway.  The area is southeast of of Council Grove just off Dunlap Road.  The monument of some of the ruins are visible from the gravel road which bisects the area.

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