Heritage Areas
Heritage Areas are sites preserved for their rich history and role in the shaping of the country. They offer the chance to learn about what…
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Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area includes the sites of extraordinary events that forever changed America.
In the nineteenth century, the nation’s focus was on the Missouri-Kansas border, where peoples with different definitions of freedom collided, inciting and fueling a Civil War. The impact of these events is forever woven into the nation’s fabric.
The heritage area focuses on three main themes: Shaping the Frontier, Kansas/Missouri Border War and the Enduring Struggle for Freedom.
Kansas Counties included in the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area
– Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Clay, Coffey, Crawford, Douglas, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth, Linn, Miami, Montgomery, Neosho, Osage, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte.
For the half-million pioneers who traveled on the Santa Fe, California, Mormon, and Oregon Trails, the Missouri/Kansas border was the jumping-off point. In this place where river travel ended, traders, miners, and emigrants purchased provisions and prepared for long overland treks. As they traveled west, many began to see the "permanent" Indian frontier beyond Missouri's western border as an obstacle to Manifest Destiny.
Many towns in both Missouri and Kansas thrived because of westward migration and the opening of new territories to settlement. Explore the links below to learn more about the settlement within Freedom's Frontier.
Heritage Areas are sites preserved for their rich history and role in the shaping of the country. They offer the chance to learn about what…
Discover pre-historic, Wild West or Civil War history at one of Kansas' many history museums that give you a glimpse into how Kansans…
Kansas’ history includes stories from diverse cultures. Learn about the tribes considered native to present-day Kansas, and the…