Visit the Shawnee Mission State Historic Site / Kansas

The Shawnee natives were living in the Ohio Valley as early as the late 1600s. The Shawnees were considered fierce warriors. They were the more feared and respected of Ohio's natives. In fact, the Shawnees battled from the 1600’s until their forced departure from Ohio in 1832.

Shawnee Methodist Mission, East Building

As American westward migration spread from the eastern seaboard settlement the Native Americans were uprooted, a relocation program that would last until at least 1890. Regarding the Shawnees, between the years 1831 and 1833, the U. S. forced the Shawnees to give up their land in Ohio. The U.S. government sent the natives to reservations in Oklahoma and Kansas, a destination for many Native American tribes.

When the Shawnees gave up their eastern lands they received about 1.6 million acres west of Missouri. This was of course west of the frontier line at the time and the area was generally referred to as the Great American Desert.

The Shawnees Request a Missionary

In July 1830 Chief Fish, leader of the Missouri Shawnees, requested a missionary through their Indian agent George Vashon.

The missionary society began in 1830. Reverend Thomas Johnson, a Methodist minister, was appointed missionary to the Missouri Shawnees and his brother William, missionary to the Kansas tribe.

Shawnee Mission North Bldg.

The Reverend Johnson, who was originally from Virginia, suggested to the missionary society that one central school be built to serve many tribes. A site was chosen was were a branch of the Santa Fe Trail passed through the Shawnee lands. Shawnee Mission was established as a manual training school attended by boys and girls from Shawnee, Delaware, and other Indian nations from 1839 to 1862.

Classes were held six hours each day except Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday teaching was limited to three hours. The boys worked in the shop or on the farm, usually for five hours a day. The girls helped with the sewing, washing, and cooking. The students, as a rule, went to bed at 8 p.m. and rose at 4 a.m.

Mission School Construction

When construction began, about forty hands were employed, and the buildings were soon under way. Brick-kilns were put up for the burning of brick, while some were shipped from St. Louis. Lumber was produced at their own local sawmill.

The manual training portion of the school ceased in 1854. In 1858 Reverend Thomas Johnson turned the school over to his oldest son, Alexander, who ran the mission until it closed in 1862. Shawnee Mission was one of the earliest, largest, and most successful mission schools in pre-Territorial Kansas and the West.

Thomas Johnson was murdered at his home in Missouri on January 2, 1865. The murderers were believed to have been Southern sympathizers who apparently were angered when Johnson, a pro slavery man for many years, had sworn an oath of allegiance to the Union at the start of the Civil War. Johnson County is named for Thomas Johnson and was one of the first counties established in the Kansas Territory in 1855. Both  the old Oregon-California Trail and the Santa Fe Trail passed through the county.

See the Western Trips articles on the links below...

Remembering the Shawnee Trail

The Minnesota Massacre / Start of the Indian Wars

Visiting Shawnee Indian Mission State  Historic Site / Fairway Kansas

The State of Kansas took over the mission property in 1927. Since that time it has been administered by the Kansas Historical Society. Today it is operated as Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Park. The location is 3403 West 53rd, Fairway, KS. This is just in the southern edge of Kansas City.

This is a site you will want to add to your western vacation planner. This historic park is quite interesting and makes a great family trip stop. It's a must see when you're in this area of Kansas.

Rev. Thomas Johnson

Exhibits in the East Building and North Building

Begin your tour in the East Building, which includes the Visitor Center, store, and several exhibits. Discover the story of the Johnson family, Indian agents and missionaries, Kansas settlement, Bleeding Kansas, Overland trails, and the Civil War.

Exhibits in the North Building tell the story of the emigrant Indians in Kansas-—such as the Iowa, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, and Sac and Fox. Objects include woven baskets, beadwork, drums, and other folk art made from techniques passed down through generations of Kansans with American Indian ancestry.

Tours

Site tours are provided by site administrator. For groups of more than 10, two weeks notice is requested. School groups can also schedule guided site tours with two weeks notice.

(Article copyright 2014 Western Trips. Photos and images in the public domain)