Fort Osage – National Historic Landmark
Photo: Inside the Fort Osage Factory, a three-and-one-half story frontier outpost. The authentically attired historical interpreters are portraying the blacksmith and the Factor, George Sibley. These two very kind interpreters allowed me to snap their photo many times as they went about their daily tasks and answered my husband's many questions.
Brief History of the Fort:
Fort Osage was originally built in 1808, and was the second U.S. outpost constructed after the Louisiana Purchase. During its nineteen years of existence, the Fort welcomed explorers and dignitaries, trappers, traders and great Native American leaders. By 1827, the Fort was abandoned and all but lost to history. However, in 1941 the Jackson County Court, with the support and coöperation of the Native Sons of Kansas City and other local organizations, undertook to find and reconstruct the historical landmark. The reconstruction was finally completed during the early 1960′s.
Historical Significance:
Fort Osage functioned as an outpost in the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase, housing soldiers to guard the new territory and to protect the United States Factory Trade House there. Fort Osage also aided the American government in befriending the area’s Osage Indians. Finally, the Fort offered Missouri’s first settlers a sanctuary from which to venture westward.
The Osage Indians:
With the signing of the Treaty of 1808 the end was near for the Osage Indians in Missouri. This treaty ceded all of their land east of a line due south of Fort Osage to the Arkansas River. In exchange for this the Osage would be given protection from their enemies and the right to trade at the Factory for goods. Following the Treaty of 1808 a series of treaties were signed that continued to take more land away until, in 1825, the Osage were removed to a reservation in what is now southern Kansas. On September 10, 1870 the Osage ratified the Drum Creek Treaty. It provided that the Osage land in Kansas be sold and the proceeds be used to move the tribe to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Thus, they were one of the few American Indian nations to buy their own reservation. The Osage’s experiences with the U.S. government sharpened their ability to negotiate for their rights. In 1907 they negotiated to keep the mineral rights to their reservation lands which were later found to have large amounts of crude oil.
For more information on Fort Osage, please visit: http://www.fortosagenhs.com/index.html
To view more of my Fort Osage photos, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirdhandart
