Timeline

This Timeline is an ambitious project to chronologically document the happenings at the Shawnee Indian Mission and the region from its beginnings to the present. In this we have relied heavily upon Martha Caldwell’s The Annals of Shawnee Methodist Mission and Indian Manual Labor School (Topeka: Kansas State Historical Society, 1939) [Purchase this book.] and Louise Barry’s The Beginnings of the West (Topeka: Kansas State Historical Society, 1972), supplemented by newer sources and material for areas they neglected or were beyond the scope of their research. Needless to say, this is a work-in-progress, and contributions are welcome.

Unfortunately, the voices of students, parents, and tribal members are rarely heard except through the words of missionaries and Indian agents. Our hope is that some of those sources may surface as the seriousness of our effort is recognized.

Of course, the history of the historic site is more than the mission and school which lasted nine years at its Turner location on the Kansas River (1830-1839) and 23 years at the Fairway location (1839-1862). The site also served as a way station for the overland trails, the first legislative seat for Kansas, a hospital for Civil War soldiers, a farm and dairy, and lastly a State Historic Site since 1927. All of these roles will be documented in the Timeline.

When possible we hope to link the Timeline to the sources cited, either from the SIM Library collection or other institutions who have published documents online.

The Timeline is long, so we have divided it into eras reflecting major changes:

• The region before the Treaty of 1825 and the arrival of the immigrant tribes to Kansas Territory;
• The Shawnee Lands, 1826-1838 with the settlement of the tribes in the area and the establishment of the missions;
• The Indian Manual Labor School, 1839-1841: the early years of the trade school;
• The Indian Manual Labor School, 1842-1847: the Jerome C. Berryman superintendency;
• The Indian Manual Labor School, 1848-1854: the return of the Thomas Johnson superintendency;
• The Indian Manual Labor School, 1855-1865: the border wars and the decline and end of the school;
• The Private Years, 1866-1927;
• A State Historic Site,  1928-