Atchison in Atchison County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Homeland of the Kanza Indians
As early as the 1600s, the Kanza (or Kaw) Indians migrated from their home east of the Mississippi River and up the Missouri River into what is now northeastern Kansas. In the 1700s, the Kanza occupied two villages on the west bank of the Missouri: one on Independence Creek in present-day Doniphan County and the other near present-day Fort Leavenworth.
In the early 1800s, the Kanza lived in the Kansas River valley. Two treaties, one in 1825 and another in 1846, forced them to give up their northeastern Kansas lands. The 1,600 Kanza were relocated to a reservation near Council Grove.
In 1873, the Kanza, for whom the state is named, were removed from Kansas to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
By 2003, the Kanza numbered 2,647. Headquartered in Kaw City, Oklahoma, the Kaw Nation provides its members with social, educational, cultural, and health care benefits under the governance of the Kaw Executive Council.
Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park, 3 1/2 miles south of Council Grove, marks the tribe's last home in Kansas.
[Kaw Chief painting caption reads] Mon-Chonsia, or The White Plume, was recognized by Indian Superintendent William Clark and the Office of Indian Affairs as the principal chief of the Kanza nation in the St. Louis Treaty of 1825.
[Photo caption reads] Group of Kaw Indians in full dress, circa 1870.
[Background illustration caption reads] "Dog Dance" in a Kanza lodge at Blue Earth Village...
[Map caption reads] Kanza villages and agencies, 1724-1873.
Erected 2004 by Kaw Nation; Kansas Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commisison; and National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Native Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1825.
Location. 39° 33.709′ N, 95° 6.826′ W. Marker is in Atchison, Kansas, in Atchison County. Marker is at the intersection of Commercial Street and River Road, on the right when traveling east on Commercial Street. Marker is in the Riverfront Park pavilion. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Atchison KS 66002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. "the water…contains a half…Glass of ooze" (here, next to this marker); The Lewis and Clark Expedition (here, next to this marker); "walked on Shore above this Creek" (a few steps from this marker); Lewis Discovers a High Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Atchison Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Under a large Cottonwood… (within shouting distance of this marker); USS Arizona Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Butterfield's Overland Dispatch (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atchison.
Also see . . .
1. The Kaw Nation. Tribal homepage (Submitted on July 20, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. The Kanza (or Kaw) Indians. Legends of America entry (Submitted on January 15, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
3. Allegawaho Memorial Park. Kansas Travel entry (Submitted on July 20, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. Kaw Mission State Historic Site. Kansas Travel entry (Submitted on July 20, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,430 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on July 20, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.