User:Hessercj/Pawnee Indian Village

Pawnee Indian Village is one of the first historical sites in the state of Kansas and is located in Republic County, Kansas. The modern museum is just a few miles north of highway 36 between Belleville and Mankato, Kansas, just three miles southwest of Republic, Kansas. A visit to the museum and archealogical site is "a walk through history", illuminating the lifestyle of Pawnee that lived in the area over 150 years ago. Most of this excavated Indian village (occupied by Native Americans from about 1820 – 1840) was donated by George and Elizabeth Johnson in 1901. The artifacts of the Kitkehahki (Republican band of Pawnee) were uncovered by the Kansas State Historical Society and preserved with care. For many years this was believed to be where Zebulon Pike visited in 1806 and first raised the American Flag after the Louisiana Purchase was made. A celebration and dedication of the site was held in the early 1900s. The event was attended by residents of the county including many Pawnee Indians. Many photographs of this event are on display in the museum. In 1949 several of the lodge circles were excavated, but real interest in the site was fueled in 1965. A museum was constructed around one of the lodge circles in 1967 and is surrounded by a walking trail which circumferences other lodge circles. Historical information in posted on the State of Kansas historical website article titled "Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site". This online article contains a couple of photos of the museum, including this one:

More information: http://www.kshs.org/places/pawneeindian/history.htm Here is a link to a Google Map of Pawnee Indian Village.

Submitted by Cynthia Hesser - I am a granddaughter of Republic County residents that attended dedication ceremony.