Trading Post Museum

Trading Post Museum You are invited to explore what life was like in a small town on the Kansas/Missouri border. We are open from April 1st through the first Saturday in November.

Learn about one of the oldest settlements in Kansas and the tumultuous experiences that impacted the lives of those that lived in it. The Trading Post Museum houses a large collection of local objects and stories related to the now unincorporated town of Trading Post, Kansas. The museum also houses a small genealogy library, one-room school, log cabin, and an agricultural barn. Beside the museum i

s the Trading Post Cemetery where the Marais Des Cygne Massacre Memorial stands. There is no charge for visiting the museum, however, we do seek donations to help sustain the museum and our work. Trading Post Museum is a 501c3 run by the Trading Post Historical Society.

Address

15710 N 4th Street
Pleasanton, KS
66075

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm
Sunday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+19133526441

Website

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Trading Post Museum

Trading Post Museum was opened in 1974. Since then it has been preserving and teaching the important history of Trading Post, Kansas. Trading Post is the oldest settlement in the state still in existence. This little village, sitting on the banks of the Marias de Cygne river, can be found listed as “Establishment de Chouteau” on the 1827 Vandermaelen map that is on display in the museum.

Trading Post was once filled with several different tribes of Native Americans including the native Osage, Potawatomi, and Miami tribes. This area was a violent battleground during the era know as “Bleeding Kansas”. One of the last significant acts of violence during “bleeding Kansas” was the Marais de Cygne massacre which occurred May 19, 1858. 11 men were taken and 5 were killed 3 miles northeast of Trading Post. A memorial for those injured and killed is located at the adjacent Trading Post Cemetery.

During the civil war General Sterling Price’s Confederate troops marched into Trading Post and the surrounding valley and camped the night of October 24, 1864 here until they were fired upon by the Union army on the morning of October 25, 1864. This caused them to retreat across Minecreek 10 miles south of Trading Post where the Battle of Minecreek occurred.

The museum has a great collection that shows what life was like in eastern Kansas during the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum also preserves a log cabin from the 19th century and a one-room schoolhouse built in 1886.