Cherokee Strip Land Run, Arkansas City, Kansas
Date: Between September 14, 1893 and September 15, 1893
These two black and white photographs shows crowds waiting south of Arkansas City for the Cherokee Strip Land Run. The event opened up the area of land between the Oklahoma and Kansas border for settlement.

Cherokee Strip land run, Arkansas City, Kansas
Date: Between September 14, 1893 and September 15, 1893
Two black and white photographs of crowds waiting, south of Arkansas City, for the Cherokee Strip Land Run. The event opened up the area of land between the Oklahoma and Kansas border for settlement.

Clara Gowing reminiscence
Creator: Gowing, Clara
Date: 1908
A series of letters written by Clara Gowing describing Gowing's experiences such as her "Early Mission life among the Indians of the west," "Miss Elisabeth S. Morse," "An Indian Payment," "Indian Traditions," "A Wedding Among the Indians," and "Mission School Among the Indians."

Coronado's route to Quivira, 1541
Creator: Ritchey, William E
Date: 1903
This map of Kansas Territory in 1856 shows Coronado's route to and from Quivira in 1541. The Santa Fe Trail is annotated in red. On the reverse is a newspaper article with a map drawn by George Allen Root showing Coronado's route to Quivira and giving distances between points. There is a note from W[illiam] E Ritchey, Harveyville, Kansas, July 9, 1903, to A. R. Greene, Special Inspector, Department of the Interior requesting that Greene mention Ritchey's work in an article that will be published by the Kansas Historical Society. The location of a number of Indian reservations are shown on the map.

Daily journal of Elisabeth S. Morse, teacher at Delaware Baptist Mission
Creator: Morse, Elizabeth Stevens
Date: February 13, 1866-July 14, 1866
This item is the 1866 daily journal for Elisabeth S. Morse who taught at the Delaware Baptist Mission near Edwardsville, Kansas. While a number of entries are fairly brief, the journal contains interesting information on Morse's daily activities at the Mission.

Delaware Indians
Date: Between 1860 and 1865
This formal portrait shows a group of Delaware Indians. The group have been identified from left to right by their respected rows. FRONT ROW: James Ketchum, James Connor, John Connor, Charles Journeycake, Isaac Journeycake, John Sarcoxie, Sr. BACK ROW: James McDainel, (Cherokee), Black Beaver, Henry Tiblow, John G. Pratt, Charles Armstrong, John Young.

Die Indianer der Vereinigten Staaten
Creator: Hunnius, Ado, 1842-1923
Date: 1870-1900
This item contains an article on the Indians of the United States written by Carl Julius Adolph Hunnius. Known as Ado to his friends and colleagues, Hunnius was a Civil War veteran, Indian Wars veteran, artist, writer, and long time resident of Kansas. The article, printed entirely in German, contains information compiled by Hunnius on the Native American tribes in the United States. Details include the branch of the tribe (Stamm), place of residence (Wohnsitz), county, and the total number of men, women and children (Manner, Weiber, und Kinder) for each tribe. The information provided in the article was taken from the offical reports of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. The article also mentions that there were a total of 100,000 civilized Indians, 135,000 half-civilized Indians, and 81,000 "Wild" Indians.

Eastman's map of Kansas and Nebraska territories showing the location of the Indian reserves according to the treaties of 1854
Date: Between 1854 and 1856
This map shows the locations of the new or reduced lands of Indian tribes according to the treaties of 1854. With the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, the former Indian Territory was opened to white settlement, and the government looked for ways to relocate the native tribes who had made their homes in Kansas. To create more land for white settlement, George Manypenny, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, negotiated treaties with Indian tribes that ceded much of the Indians' lands to the government. This land could then be sold to white emigrants. Naturally, these events helped to exacerbate existing tensions between settlers and Native Americans, contributing to the Indian Wars that occupied the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War.

Field notes of the survey of the Cherokee Lands
Creator: McCoy, John Calvin, 1811-1889
Date: September 21, 1837
This item contains the details of land surveys conducted by John C. McCoy on Cherokee Lands in 1836 and 1837. McCoy's field notes contains details such as the types of trees, topography, size and course of streams, soil condition, etc. According to the first entry, McCoy began the survey "in accordance with the instructions of Isaac McCoy" and "commenced at the N.W. corner of Quapau Lands on the East bank of the Neosho. River and run thence up with the meanders of the same."

First Cherokee Regiment day book
Creator: Parks, Robert Calvin, d. 1864
Date: November 10, 1862-March 31, 1863
A semi-official journal covering the period Nov. 10, 1862-Mar. 31, 1863, during which time the author served with the 1st Cherokee Regiment (Confederate) in the Indian Territory under Colonel Stand Watie. It contains copies of general & local orders, movements of the unit, and events. Portions of the first few pages are missing. During the Civil War, most of the members of the Cherokee Nation who had been removed from Georgia to Oklahoma under the treaty of 1835 allied themselves with the Confederacy. The 1st Cherokee Regiment was organized in 1861. Robert Calvin Parks was a captain in Company B at the time he kept this day book. The regiment played an important role in several battles along the border of Indian Territory. References are made to Clara, Robert's wife; Sterling Price Parks, their son; Thomas J. (Jeff) Parks, Robert's brother; Aunt Susan Taylor, the wife of Richard Taylor, Robert's uncle & his mother's brother; the Riders & Albertys, relatives of Clara; and James Butler, husband of Robert's cousin and the man who shot & killed Robert.

George W. Collamore to Honorable William P. Dole
Creator: Collamore, Geo. W
Date: April 21, 1862
A letter written to William P. Dole, Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington, D. C., from George W. Collamore in Kansas. Collamore describes the horrible living conditions that the Creek and Cherokee have been living in since the war started, having their homes destroyed, their livestock chased off, and having little food, water, or shelter. Collamore pleads assistance be given. Opothleyahola and his daughter are also mentioned in the letter.

Historic Fort Row, Wilson County, Kansas
Date: 1861-1862
This lithograph by Joe Allen of Neodesha, Kansas depicts historic Fort Row. The Fort was located on the bank of the Verdigris River near Coyville in Wilson County, Kansas. Fort Row became infamous because a band of Indians led by Opothleyahola from the Creek, Seminole, Delaware, and Cherokee Tribes, sought refuge there in the winter of 1862. They had fled Indian Territory because they did not support the Confederacy. Many of them perished there during the harsh winter while they waited for assistance from the U.S. Government.

Indian Territory, with parts of Neighborning States and Territories
Creator: Hunnius, Ado, 1842-1923
Date: September 1869
This map drawn by Ado Hunnius at the request of Major General J.M. Schofield was compiled under the direction of 1st Lieutenant Henry Jackson, 7th U.S. Cavalry. The chief engineer was Bvt. Major General A.A. Humphreys. The map illustrates the locations of forts, rivers, Indian tribes and reservations in the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). The neighboring states include: southern Kansas, northern Texas, western Missouri, western Arkansas and the territories of New Mexico, and Colorado

John C. McCoy to Franklin G. Adams
Creator: McCoy, John Calvin, 1811-1889
Date: February 09, 1885
In this item, from John C. McCoy to Franklin G. Adams of the Kansas State Historical Society, McCoy discusses his early experiences in Kansas. McCoy, who came to Kansas City in 1830 to perform missionary work with his father Isaac McCoy and mother Christiana McCoy, was an active figure throughout Kansas from 1830 until his death in 1889. In this letter to Adams, McCoy relates the details of people he came into contact with, including a number of Native Americans.

Kansas and Nebraska
Creator: Wells, J.G.
Date: 1856
Map detailing the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and surrounding states. Identified on the map are rivers, Indian lands, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Oregon Trail. This map is provided through a co-operative project between the Lecompton Historical Society and the Kansas Historical Society. Partial funding was provided by the Ross and Margaret Wulfkuhle Charitable Trust and the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. Copies of this map are available for viewing at both the Kansas Historical Society and Lecompton Historical Society.

Map Showing the Progress of the Public Surveys in Kansas and Nebraska
Creator: United States. Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska
Date: 1861
Map showing the progress of the public surveys in the Kansas and Nebraska territories. This map accompanied the Annual Report of the Surveyor General, Mark W. Delahay, issued on September 2, 1861. This map is provided through a co-operative project between the Lecompton Historical Society and the Kansas Historical Society. Partial funding was provided by the Ross and Margaret Wulfkuhle Charitable Trust and the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. Copies of this map are available for viewing at both the Kansas Historical Society and Lecompton Historical Society.

Map Showing the Progress of the Public Surveys in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska
Creator: United States. Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska
Date: 1860
Map showing the progress of the public surveys in the Kansas and Nebraska territories. This map accompanied the Annual Report of the Surveyor General, Ward B. Burnett, issued on October 1, 1860. This map is provided through a co-operative project between the Lecompton Historical Society and the Kansas Historical Society. Partial funding was provided by the Ross and Margaret Wulfkuhle Charitable Trust and the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. Copies of this map are available for viewing at both the Kansas Historical Society and Lecompton Historical Society.

Map Showing the Progress of the Public Surveys in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska
Creator: United States. Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska
Date: 1857
Map showing the progress of the public surveys in the Kansas and Nebraska territories. This map accompanied the Annual Report of the Surveyor General, John Calhoun, issued in October 1857. This map is provided through a co-operative project between the Lecompton Historical Society and the Kansas Historical Society. Partial funding was provided by the Ross and Margaret Wulfkuhle Charitable Trust and the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. Copies of this map are available for viewing at both the Kansas Historical Society and Lecompton Historical Society.

Map Showing the Progress of the Public Surveys in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska
Creator: United States. Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska
Date: 1858
A sectional map of eastern portions of Kansas Territory and Nebraska Territory. The map shows the progress of public surveying of lands. This map accompanied the 1858 Annual Report of the Surveyor General, Ward B. Burnett. Rivers and Indian reservations are also identified on the map. This map is provided through a co-operative project between the Lecompton Historical Society and the Kansas Historical Society. Partial funding was provided by the Ross and Margaret Wulfkuhle Charitable Trust and the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. Copies of this map are available for viewing at both the Kansas Historical Society and Lecompton Historical Society.

Map of Kansas, with parts of neighboring states and territories
Creator: Hunnius, Ado, 1842-1923
Date: 1870
This map was drawn by Ado Hunnius at the request of Major General J. M. Schofield. It was compiled under the direction of 1st Lieutenant Henry Jackson of the 7th U.S. Cavalry in March 1870. It includes the location of forts in Kansas, southern Nebraska, eastern Colorado, and northern portions of Indian Territory (Oklahoma), as well as noting natural features (rivers, hills, etc.), trails, and Indian reservations.

Map showing the progress of the Public Surveys in the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska
Creator: United States. Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska
Date: 1859
Map of Kansas Territory and Nebraska Territory created to accompany the annual report of Surveyor General, Ward B. Burnett. The map identifies cities, rivers, and Indian reservations. This map is provided through a co-operative project between the Lecompton Historical Society and the Kansas Historical Society. Partial funding was provided by the Ross and Margaret Wulfkuhle Charitable Trust and the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. Copies of this map are available for viewing at both the Kansas Historical Society and Lecompton Historical Society.

Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad map of the Cherokee neutral lands, Kansas
Creator: Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad
Date: 1871
This map shows lands awarded to settlers under the 17th & 19th articles of a treaty with the Cherokee Indians signed July 19, 1866, and lands that were sold. The lands were located in Cherokee, Crawford and Bourbon Counties, Kansas. The map was compiled by the Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad.

Mitchell's Sectional Map of Kansas
Creator: Middleton, Strobridge & Co.
Date: 1859
A sectional map of eastern portions of Kansas Territory. The map was compiled from the field notes in the Surveyor Generals Office by David T. Mitchell, a U. S. Surveyor and Land Agent in Lecompton, Kansas. Towns, county boundaries, and Indian reservations are identified on the map. This map is provided through a co-operative project between the Lecompton Historical Society and the Kansas Historical Society. Partial funding was provided by the Ross and Margaret Wulfkuhle Charitable Trust and the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. Copies of this map are available for viewing at both the Kansas Historical Society and Lecompton Historical Society.

Names and numbers of Indian tribes which must have possessions in the Indian Territory
Creator: McCoy, Isaac, 1784-1846
Date: November 1, 1832
Isaac McCoy, a Baptist missionary and surveyor, compiled this list of Indian tribes and their estimated populations. McCoy advocated Indian removal to western lands because he believed that the white man's influence on natives was corrupting. On this chart he listed about 45 tribes from all over the eastern United States. Only some of these tribes were relocated to Indian Territory (present-day Kansas). "Do" is an abbreviation for "ditto."

Route of Colonel Henry Dodge to the Rocky Mountains
Date: 1835
This map shows the route of dragoon regiments under the command of Colonel Henry Dodge to the Rocky Mountains. The map includes boundary lines of Indian lands across Kansas.