Osawatomie
Kansas
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History:
Osawatomie is the only town by that name in the United States and probably in the world. The town was named for two Indian tribes, the Osage and the Pottawatomie, for which the two rivers bordering Osawatomie were named. The Osage River was called the Marais des Cygnes (marsh of the swans) by French explorers and trappers living among the tribes, and the Kansas Legislature later adopted the name "Marais des Cygnes" in Kansas because there is another Osage River in Kansas.
Geography placed Kansas in the middle of the nation, and history and fate brought John Brown to Osawatomie (a year after it was founded) where he made his stand against slavery. In 1855 Brown was called by his sons who had come west and settled in Franklin County. Because Osawatomie, a free-state town, was surrounded by pro-slavery communities, the radical Brown came with a wagon load of guns.
The hill upon which John Brown met battle in 1856 is now John Brown Memorial Park, dedicated in 1910 by former President Theodore Roosevelt. John Brown's Cabin and his bronze statue in the park indicate that Osawatomie considers Brown a hero rather than the villain some historians claim.
The Kansas Republican Party was organized in Osawatomie in 1859 and Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the New York Tribune, attended the first convention on his famous overland journey to promote a transcontinental railroad.
The railroad, then the St. Louis-Kansas-Arizona line, reached Osawatomie in 1879, and later became the Missouri Pacific and now the Union Pacific and was for years the principal employer in Osawatomie. The Union Pacific still operates a major switching operation in Osawatomie.
The first patient was admitted to the Osawatomie State Insane Asylum in 1866 following construction north across the Marais des Cygnes River. Today the Osawatomie State Hospital, major employer in Osawatomie, is recognized as an innovative treatment center stressing the philosophy that those with mental or emotional problems should be returned to the mainstream of society as quickly as possible.
It is believed the term "Jayhawking" had its origin in Osawatomie. Osawatomie is rich in history, but not all eyes have been directed to the past.
On October 22, 1854, a group sponsored by an emigrant aid company arrived on the site that is now Osawatomie. Osawatomie celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2004.
City Of Osawatomie
History:
Osawatomie is the only town by that name in the United States and probably in the world. The town was named for two Indian tribes, the Osage and the Pottawatomie, for which the two rivers bordering Osawatomie were named. The Osage River was called the Marais des Cygnes (marsh of the swans) by French explorers and trappers living among the tribes, and the Kansas Legislature later adopted the name "Marais des Cygnes" in Kansas because there is another Osage River in Kansas.
Geography placed Kansas in the middle of the nation, and history and fate brought John Brown to Osawatomie (a year after it was founded) where he made his stand against slavery. In 1855 Brown was called by his sons who had come west and settled in Franklin County. Because Osawatomie, a free-state town, was surrounded by pro-slavery communities, the radical Brown came with a wagon load of guns.
The hill upon which John Brown met battle in 1856 is now John Brown Memorial Park, dedicated in 1910 by former President Theodore Roosevelt. John Brown's Cabin and his bronze statue in the park indicate that Osawatomie considers Brown a hero rather than the villain some historians claim.
The Kansas Republican Party was organized in Osawatomie in 1859 and Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the New York Tribune, attended the first convention on his famous overland journey to promote a transcontinental railroad.
The railroad, then the St. Louis-Kansas-Arizona line, reached Osawatomie in 1879, and later became the Missouri Pacific and now the Union Pacific and was for years the principal employer in Osawatomie. The Union Pacific still operates a major switching operation in Osawatomie.
The first patient was admitted to the Osawatomie State Insane Asylum in 1866 following construction north across the Marais des Cygnes River. Today the Osawatomie State Hospital, major employer in Osawatomie, is recognized as an innovative treatment center stressing the philosophy that those with mental or emotional problems should be returned to the mainstream of society as quickly as possible.
It is believed the term "Jayhawking" had its origin in Osawatomie. Osawatomie is rich in history, but not all eyes have been directed to the past.
On October 22, 1854, a group sponsored by an emigrant aid company arrived on the site that is now Osawatomie. Osawatomie celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2004.