The Kansa or Kaw Nation; known as “the Wind People.”(2026)
I asked my spouse if we could swing through Council Grove on our way to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Council Grove, Kansas is located in the heart of the Midwest, along the Neosho River. I remembered reading about a certain oak tree where the leaders of both the Osage and the Kansa met and later signed a treaty with the U.S. government under this grove of trees. Hence, the name Council Grove.
When you understand what went down in Council Grove, you understand how America came to be as it is today.
From 1778 to 1871 the United States signed more than 350 treaties with Indigenous tribes. Many of these treaties resulted in land reduction for Indigenous tribes, while others were meant to quell conflict as settlers and squatters moved West.
The treaty signed in August of 1825, at Council Grove, gave the right-of-way for settlers to travel through Osage Territory along the Santa Fe Trail.
Several commissioners sent by President Adams (i.e. George Sibley, Thomas Benton, Benjamin Reeves, and Thomas Mather) met with Osage leaders, Pawhuska and Watonga. For $800 the Chiefs gave permission to allow safe passage of wagons and settlers traveling through their land.
Gradually, this dusty international trail brought more and more settlers into the West and into Indian Territory.
Council Grove is more than just a dot on a map; it is a place that holds deep historical and cultural significance.
Just down the street from the Council Tree, is the Kaw Mission State Historic Site; a former boarding school turned museum. This was definitely a more solemn tour as we learned about 30 Kaw boys who were taught farming and Christianity but were not really appreciated for who they were inherently…and we learned how the Kaw were pushed out of their own territory into Oklahoma. However, I am glad this museum did not white-wash history. I am glad to see historical societies still sharing the full story, even though it is hard and complex.
[Side note: The mission is managed by the State Historical Society, but they do have NPS passport stamps for all of you National Park Geeks out there. We found a stamp for the Kaw Mission, Last Chance Store, and the Santa Fe Trail.]
Based on the advice of a friendly docent, we ventured further down Main Street, along the Old Santa Fe Trail and arrived at the historic Rawlinson-Terwilliger Home. This historic home is now the site of the Trails Days Cafe and Museum, Council Grove’s hidden gem!
Tucked away inside the Trail Days Cafe and Museum, we found local historian and preservationist, Kenneth McClintock. He and his wife, Shirley, bought the historic property in 1994. It was in poor condition, but they raised money and put in the sweat equity to get the home renovated from top to bottom. In 2002, they opened the Trail Days Cafe and Museum inside of this historic stone house.
We sat down for lunch and were impressed with the menu, as there were various options representative of the different ethnic groups of the region. While we ate, we listened to Ken share snippets of Council Grove history. His passion and dedication to historic preservation made our visit to Trail Days Cafe and Museum one of the highlights of our five-day adventure through Kansas.
[To read more about other sites we visited on our adventure, click here.]
Council Grove is rich in history and culture. I’m glad we were able to take a little detour and spend time learning about the people and history of this place.
Wilderness & Rye 