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St. Mary's Mission (Kansas) facts for kids

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St. Mary's Mission, Kansas, Pottawatamie Indian School, 90 miles west of Missouri River. (Boston Public Library) (cropped)
Potawatomi girls at St. Mary's Mission, Kansas, around 1867
POTTAWATOMIE INDIAN PAY STATION
The Pottawatomie Indian Pay Station in 1855

St. Mary's Mission was an important place founded by Jesuit priests in 1847. It was located along the famous Oregon Trail, a path many pioneers used to travel west. The mission was built to help and educate the Potawatomi people.

A building called the Pottawatomie Indian Pay Station was also built nearby in 1857. This station was used by government agents. They would pay an "annuity" (a yearly payment) to the Potawatomi people. The Potawatomi had moved to this area from the Great Lakes region of the United States.

The city of St. Marys, Kansas grew up around this mission. The mission school at St. Mary's was special. Unlike some other schools of that time, parents chose to send their children here. The priests and sisters at the school worked hard to teach students in English, French, and the Potawatomi language. This helped to keep the Potawatomi culture and language alive.

See also

  • List of Jesuit sites

External links

  • History of The City of St. Marys
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