FRONTIER IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY
FRONTIER IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY The Sturgis Treaty (also known as the Drum Creek Treaty) has been described as a “stupendous wrong,” a “brazen steal,” and a “thoroughly planned fraud.” Signed in 1868 and sent to the U.S. Senate for ratification, the treaty would have transferred 8 million acres of Osage land directly to the Leavenworth, Lawrence, & Galveston Railroad for just 20 cents an acre. The railroad, in turn, would pocket huge profits by selling the land to settlers.
The federal government’s lead negotiator for the treaty was William Sturgis, president of the Leavenworth, Lawrence, & Galveston. When Kansas officials learned as much, they raced to Washington, D.C., to expose the fraud and prevent ratification. The treaty was withdrawn, and a new one was negotiated in 1870, which paid the Osages $1.25 an acre and placed the land in the public domain.
Note: In 2012, current marker 55, 'Frontier in Montgomery County,' replaced old historical marker 55, 'Montgomery County,' which was archived at the Brown Mansion in 1999. Old marker 55 is solely owned and maintained by the Coffeyville Historical Society.
Montgomery County
US-169, Brown Mansion parking lot, Coffeyville
Plaque via Kansas Historical Society, and is used with their permission. Full page