Some parts of our story begin east of here—along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Osage Rivers. Other parts came up from Oklahoma and Arkansas. These elements set the stage for the Osages' entry into Kansas. As the Osages came, they brought with them civilization, commerce, religion, and education. To this, the white man added government, war, and a plan to remove them from Kansas.
Our Story:
The story is presented like a magazine with fifteen main chapters or 'articles'. I have tried to keep each article at around 1,000 to 2,000 words, like a magazine story. Some of these articles include links to short, illustrated sub-articles. Like a magazine, you can read from front to back or pick articles that sound interesting.
The first four chapters lead the reader to the founding of the Catholic Mission. Generally, these set the stage and provide some reasons why the Catholic Mission was finally founded. These are necessary for understanding how the essential union among the Osages, the French, and the Jesuits developed over time. Without that union, we would not exist, and much of the southern Kansas landscape would be very different today.
Our Regional Timeline:
The timeline below illustrates the approximate period of the fifteen articles. Each numbered article/chapter can be selected from the "Contents" list of links below the illustration. The sub-articles are also listed in the Contents list.
The story is presented like a magazine with fifteen main chapters or 'articles'. I have tried to keep each article at around 1,000 to 2,000 words, like a magazine story. Some of these articles include links to short, illustrated sub-articles. Like a magazine, you can read from front to back or pick articles that sound interesting.
The first four chapters lead the reader to the founding of the Catholic Mission. Generally, these set the stage and provide some reasons why the Catholic Mission was finally founded. These are necessary for understanding how the essential union among the Osages, the French, and the Jesuits developed over time. Without that union, we would not exist, and much of the southern Kansas landscape would be very different today.
Our Regional Timeline:
The timeline below illustrates the approximate period of the fifteen articles. Each numbered article/chapter can be selected from the "Contents" list of links below the illustration. The sub-articles are also listed in the Contents list.
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9. The Osages Leave Their Kansas Reserve 10. A Very Unique Community is Born 11. Regional Boarding Schools 12. Transitions
13. The Passionists Era Begins 14. Citizen Lawmen - The Anti-Horse Thief Association 15. The Passionist Era is Expanded (At some point in the future, we will add a chapter about Our Schools Today. Ours are the longest continuous-running schools, on a single plot of land, in Kansas.)
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I believe our story warrants attention as a prominent Kansas Historical Site or a National Historic Site. It would take a team, some funding, and determined effort to achieve the prominence that would draw thousands of people to our area rather than hundreds. With prominence comes economic advantages, including jobs. After all, our local historian and author, W.W. Graves, achieved prominence with The Vatican for telling parts of the story; and, in turn, he became part of our story. The story has also been the subject of countless papers, books, theses, and other material written over the past 100 years or so. What we do with our story from now on is entirely up to us.
Some Reference Information:
This is a story and not a thesis. It is presented at a very high level and barely scratches the surface of our history. For those who want to dig deeper, I have provided some references with the articles at this position on most pages. Generally, these include respected sources such as Sister Mary Paul Fitzgerald, John Joseph Mathews, Louis Burns, W. W. Graves, James D. White, and others, as well as some web sources.
* Chapter 9A discusses the treatment of the Osage by the Osage Mission priests and sisters. The sub-chapter counters some comments we occasionally get about abuse when we post mission articles.
This is a story and not a thesis. It is presented at a very high level and barely scratches the surface of our history. For those who want to dig deeper, I have provided some references with the articles at this position on most pages. Generally, these include respected sources such as Sister Mary Paul Fitzgerald, John Joseph Mathews, Louis Burns, W. W. Graves, James D. White, and others, as well as some web sources.
* Chapter 9A discusses the treatment of the Osage by the Osage Mission priests and sisters. The sub-chapter counters some comments we occasionally get about abuse when we post mission articles.
