Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site- nature t Traditional Cache
Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site- nature t
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Cache is located just off of a nature trail near the Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site. Permission to hide and hunt for the cache has been given by the museum curator and the KSHS. This is a state historical site area so no digging or metal detectors are allowed, and would not be needed to find the cache anyway. Also no night caching is allowed and please CITO if needed.
This is a very nice museum located at the end of a well maintained highway 8 miles N of US 36, via K-266. The tour of the museum is very informative of the culture and lives of the Pawnee who lived here. Although a tour is nor required to find the cache it is well worth the admission price. The curator is very knowledgeable of the Indian raids, culture and events that took place in this area. From the grounds behind the museum you will see why this spot was chosen by the Pawnee for their village. Hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday - Saturday Closed Sun - Tues Closed all state holidays Group tours by appointment Phone: 785-361-2255 Admission: $3 adults; $1 students; KSHS, Inc., members and children five and under admitted free The Pawnee village became one of the earliest of Kansas' state historic sites. In 1901 George and Elizabeth Johnson gave to the state of Kansas most of the site upon which a Pawnee village had stood for about two decades after 1820. The only visible remains of the village were several depressions and circles of dirt that had been left when the earth lodges had deteriorated and collapsed. Ironically, initial interest in the site stemmed from the mistaken belief that Zebulon Pike, an American explorer, had visited there in 1806 and had raised the American flag over the new Louisiana Territory for the first time. It is now believed this took place at a site near present day Guide Rock, Nebraska. Now interest stems from the association of the site with an important group of American Indians. The Pawnee became one of the largest and most powerful of the groups living on the central plains. Their territory extended north from central Kansas through Nebraska and included large hunting areas of the high plains to the west. The Kitkahahki (pronounced KIT-ka-ha-key), or Republican, band settled along the Republican River around 1820. The village with more than 1,000 people contained at least 30 or 40 earth lodges. Thousands of horses and dogs lived here with the Pawnee. The village was fortified for protection from nearby enemies including the Kaw and the Osage. By 1830 wood became scarce and the land was no longer productive. The village was abandoned and the band moved north, closer to other Pawnees. The village later burned to the ground. This site, which is operated by the Kansas Historical Society, is unique in several ways. The Pawnee Indian Museum site represents the remains of an earthlodge village occupied by the Republican or Kitkahaki band of the Pawnee in the 1820s-30s. It consisted of some 30 or 40 circular earthlodges, protected by a fortification wall and situated on a high upland bluff overlooking the Republican River valley. Most of the lodges were 30-40 feet in diameter; some were larger. Since most of the site has not been touched by the plow, the lodge "rings" and floor depressions are clearly evident on the six-acre grounds donated to the state in 1904. A few of the earth lodge circles were excavated in 1949, but intensive investigation of the site did not come until 1965. Eight of the lodges on the museum grounds have been excavated by archeologists, but the rest are undisturbed. Details of the excavated lodges are indicated by etched-metal signs placed alongside a concrete sidewalk which meanders through the village area. The most striking part of the site's interpretation is the museum which was built on and around one of the largest of the earthlodge rings in 1967. After the building was constructed, the earthlodge floor was excavated and all of the remains left in place. A slightly elevated walkway along the inside perimeter of the building enables visitors to walk around virtually all of the lodge floor and look at the various features. The circular shape of the museum building, the earthlodge-like pitch of the roof, and a central skylight create an ambiance quite similar to that of an actual earthlodge. Interpretation is provided by small signs on the floor, individually activated tape-recorded explanations, and by museum exhibits in cases along the walls. Most dramatically, the sacred bundle of a Pawnee family hangs today above the remains of the lodge's altar, much as it would have at its original site on the Loup River in Nebraska. gleaned from Kansas State Historical Society website
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