On Nov. 15, 1861, nearly 80 Potawatomi headmen and Tribal members gathered with federal officials to sign the Treaty of 1861. The agreement created two separate Potawatomi tribes on the Kansas River Reservation, establishing the Citizen Potawatomi and Prairie Band.
In the mid to late 1800s, profitable steam locomotion companies began purchasing large tracts of land in the Midwest. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, chartered in February 1859, wanted to connect Chicago and the West Coast. Upon Kansas’ statehood in January 1861, the company eyed Potawatomi reservation land to complete its railway project. Read More »