OSAGE NATION
OSAGE NATION Originally from the Ohio Valley, the Osages agreed in 1810 to a treaty to relinquish lands in Missouri and relocate along the Neosho River in Kansas. Under the leadership of Chief Pahuska, called White Hair, the Osages lived and hunted on their new reservation where they faced attacks from their rivals, the Cherokees. A trading post was soon established and in 1824 the first Indian mission and school in this area was built. Operated by Presbyterians and associated denominations, it was located about 3.5 miles west of here. The missionaries failed to attract pupils and to convince the Osages to trade a hunting lifestyle for farming. The mission was also unsuccessful in converting the Osages to Christianity and closed in 1829. A Catholic mission established in 1842 found more success than the early mission. During the Civil War, the Osages formed a regiment and helped counter a Confederate attack. The Osages were forced to leave Kansas in 1870. Today the Osage Nation’s federal reservation lands (approximately 1.5 million acres) are located in north central Oklahoma.
Note: This sign replaced old historical marker 52 'Mission Neosho,' 2012.
US-59, Neosho County
Roadside turnout at 160th St, 1.5 miles north of Erie
Plaque via Kansas Historical Society, and is used with their permission. Full page