Kansas City is a kaleidoscope of intermingling influences that developed this colorful city that we see today. From 1830 to 1850 the city was situated on the border line between civilization and the great unorganized Indian country. Westport was the chief trading and outfitting point for that vast numbers of trappers, traders, adventurers and pioneers that paved the way for advancing civilization.

The Shawnee Indian Mission in Fairway Kansas was presided over by Rev. Johnson in the 1830s. The dormitory and school for Native American girls was built is 1845. The Shawnee Indian Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday. Today, the attractive grounds are nestled in a busy suburb, with three of the oldest buildings in Kansas.

In 1850, my house the trading post was once a popular place for the local Indians to purchase alcohol, although prohibited by law. Just a short walk from the Indian reservation of the Wyandotte, Delaware, Fox, Sack, Shawnee, and other Indian tribes, across the state line to the west of the trading post. The Santa Fe trail trade in Westport ended after the railroad was established. During it’s hay-day, the trading posts in Westport benefited from the four million dollars of government payments to the Native Americans.

1909 Grocery store.