The U.S. Army expedition led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark journeyed up the Missouri River and passed through this area on July 9, 1804.
That evening, Clark wrote in his journal: “…passed the mouth of Creek on the L. S. called . . . — — Map (db m55936) HM
The Presbyterian Board of Missions sent the Reverend Samuel M. Irvin to this area to establish an agricultural mission for the Iowa and Sac & Fox, who survived by hunting. Irvin tried to teach them to farm and raise livestock but had little . . . — — Map (db m47923) HM
Eighteen byre and bluff barns in Doniphan County, built between 1860 and 1933, are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The distinctive barns of Doniphan County help tell the story of the people who settled this . . . — — Map (db m252063) HM
The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 further reduced the size of Indian reservations. Too far removed from the tribes, the mission closed in 1863. Today both tribes have reservations in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The Sac & Fox also . . . — — Map (db m47928) HM
Many diaries of travelers on the Oregon-California Trail speak of good relations with Native Americans. Indians helped travelers by delivering their letters, pulling their wagons up steep banks, teaching them about edible plants, and keeping watch . . . — — Map (db m47956) HM
The Oregon-California Trail passed by the mission and trail ruts are still visible to the southeast of the building. Both tribes benefitted from the increased traffic by building a toll bridge. But with the travelers came small pox and cholera, . . . — — Map (db m47926) HM
As the nation pushed west, Indian tribes were removed from their lands. Between 1825 and 1850, 25 tribes were relocated to Kansas. Two tiny strips of land in extreme northeast Kansas were set aside for the Iowa and the Sac & Fox. Relocation meant . . . — — Map (db m47903) HM
While thoughts of Kansas do not typically conjure images of glaciers, these ancient ice sheets shaped northeast Kansas' landscape of rolling hills and rock-strewn valleys as little as 600,000 years ago. Glaciers are some of earth's largest moving . . . — — Map (db m252054) HM
This memorial is dedicated
in honor of all the men and
women who served these
United States of America
during times of war and peace. — — Map (db m47836) WM
Highland University
1909
Erected by the People
and dedicated
to their best interests
—————
[Stone] From
Old Mission
1837
—————
Names of the College
Highland . . . — — Map (db m47804) HM
In 1845 the missions board began construction of a building to house and educate the children of the Iowa and Sac & Fox tribes. Much larger than it is now, the mission was originally 106 feet long and contained 32 rooms, including a dining hall and . . . — — Map (db m47924) HM
The Iowa, Sac and Fox Mission was one of many Indian missions built in what is now Kansas between 1820 and 1862. Established in 1837 by Reverend Samuel and Eliza Irvin and Reverend William and Julia Hamilton, the mission was sponsored by the . . . — — Map (db m121796) HM
This structure has been
recorded by the
Historic American
Buildings Survey
of the United States Department
of the Interior for its archives
at the Library of Congress — — Map (db m121780) HM
Elevations of the Glacial Hills
As the glaciers receded and windblown silt covered their wake, a striking landscape of wooded river bluffs and rolling hills remained. These loess hills are characterized by their ability to maintain a steep . . . — — Map (db m252056) HM
On average, 40 students lived at the mission. Irvin wrote, "Our custom is to rise at five o'clock in the morning, breakfast at six, have six hours at school in the day, commencing at nine, and the hours out of school are spent at work." Lessons . . . — — Map (db m47925) HM
While some wanted to "Americanize" the relocated Indian tribes, others wanted to offer aid. Missionaries set up schools to convert the Indian children to Christianity and to teach them vocational skills. Many Indians preferred to maintain their own . . . — — Map (db m47907) HM
From the early 1840s to 1865 the Oregon-California Trail was the most important route for settlers traveling west. Wagon trains camped at the Iowa, Sac and Fox Mission to take advantage of the spring and the blacksmith. They were followed in the . . . — — Map (db m47930) HM
The hand-hewn bricks in this memorial were taken from the fireplace of Rubeti Lodge. Constructed as a home for Indian girls, Rubeti Lodge was erected as a memorial to Sophie Rubeti, a young girl of the Sac Indian tribe. Sophie lived at the mission . . . — — Map (db m47797) HM
Sir Knight John W. Smith
Died in Memphis Tenn. Dec. 18, 1877
Aged 86 years
A Master Mason, Royal Arch
and Knight Templar
62 years a Mason and
first Deputy Grand Master
of the Grand Lodge of Kansas
Erected by the Masonic . . . — — Map (db m47868) HM
The oldest Lodge in Kansas [1854]
Chartered March 17, 1856
Dedicated June 8, 1991
M[ost] W[orshipful] Conrad F Johnson
First Grand Master from Smithton Lodge
AF and AM of Kansas — — Map (db m47776) HM
Before reaching the Iowa, Sac and Fox Mission wagon trains crossed the Wolf River. Travelers often encountered members of local Indian nations. Native Americans thought that some payment should be made to them for the use of their land. Travelers . . . — — Map (db m47947) HM
