2012 Spring Newsletter

Ph il Reak a History’s Mysteries Number 6 I chose the Wea Creek Baptist Mission east of Paola as my next “History Mystery.” While much is already known about this Indian Mission in Miami (then Lykins) County, there is apparently no photo of the most well-known name connected to this historic site: David Lykins. Here is a brief historical report of the mission site: Wea Creek Indian Mission " ć JT NJTTJPO XBT FTUBCMJTIFE UP TFSWF UIF *OEJBOT XIP XFSF QSPNJTFE B QFSNBOFOU IPNF JO *OEJBO 5FSSJUPSZ CZ 1SFTJ EFOU ć PNBT +FČ FSTPO ć F .JBNJ 8FB 1JBOLFTIBX 1FPSJB ,BTLBTLJB 1PUBXBUPNJF BOE 4IBXOFF USJCFT XFSF SFTFUUMFE UP present day Miami County, Kansas. B. Between 1821 and 1856, the Presbyterian Church established nine missions in the Missouri-Kansas area. One of these NJTTJPOT XBT FTUBCMJTIFE OFBS 8FB $SFFL ć F NJTTJPO TPDJFUZ PG UIF 1SFTCZUFSJBO $IVSDI DPOUSBDUFE UP CVJME B MPH IPVTF POF BOE B IBMG TUPSJFT UBMM ć F 3FW BOE .ST 8FMMT #VTIOFMM BOE 3FW BOE .ST +PTFQI ,FSS BOE UFBDIFS .JTT /BODZ )FO derson moved into the partially completed mission building on April 17, 1834. By late June the mission house for school and church services had been built, along with a smoke house, com crib, spring house and other little conveniences. $ ć F CVJMEJOHT PG UIF 8FB .JTTJPO XFSF UBLFO PWFS JO CZ UIF 0TBHF .BSBJT EFT $ZHOFT 3JWFS TVC BHFODZ PG UIF %FQBSUNFOU PG *OEJBO "Č BJST %VSJOH UIF TVNNFS PG TNBMM QPY WBDDJOBUJPOT XFSF HJWFO BU UIF BHFODZ MPDBUJPO UP Indians horn area tribes. In 1843, the sub-agency was moved to a new location in eastern Kansas and the Wea Mission was again vacated. D. In March of 1843 the Indian Mission Association of the Southern Baptist Convention appointed Rev. and Mrs. David Lykins as missionaries to the Wea Indians. David Lykins, his wife Abigail Ann Lykins and Miss Sara Ann Osgood estab MJTIFE UIF 8FB #BQUJTU .JTTJPO ć F TDIPPM FOSPMMFE BT NBOZ BT DIJMESFO BU POF UJNF TFSWJOH UIF 8FB 1JBOLFTIBX ,BT LBTLJB BOE 1FPSJB *OEJBOT ć F NJTTJPO TUSPOHMZ EFTJSFE CZ UIF *OEJBOT SFDFJWFE TVCTUBOUJBM ĕ OBODJBM BOE NPSBM TVQQPSU from Baptiste Peoria. E. As a result of being adopted by the Confederated Indian Tribe and because of the Federal treaty signed in 1854, David -ZLJOT XBT HJWFO BDSFT PG MBOE CZ UIF 6OJUFE 4UBUFT (PWFSONFOU ć F PSJHJOBM QBUFOU QSFTFOUFE CZ 1SFTJEFOU +BNFT #V DIBOBO JODMVEFE UIF 8FB .JTTJPO TJUF ć F .JBNJ $PVOUZ 3FHJTUFS PG %FFET JOEJDBUFT UIBU %BWJE -ZLJOT TPME PS DPOWFZFE the Mission Site property to Baptiste Peoria on June 3, 1854. ' 0JM XBT ĕ STU GPVOE JO B XFMM JO ,BOTBT BCPVU ZBSET TPVUIFBTU PG UIF 8FB .JTTJPO TJUF *O UISFF PJM XFMMT XFSF dug in the Paola vicinity. David Lykins joined Dr. G.W. Brown, editor of the Lawrence Herald of Freedom in obtaining MFBTFT PO TPNF BDSFT GPS FYQMPSBUJPO ć F PVUCSFBL PG UIF $JWJM 8BS CSPLF VQ UIF ESJMMJOH PQFSBUJPO %BWJE -ZLJOT XBT BSSFTUFE JO +VOF PG BOE VQPO CFJOH SFMFBTFE Ę FE UP $PMPSBEP 5FSSJUPSZ )F EJFE "VHVTU BOE JT CVSJFE JO Denver, Colorado. Rev. /Dr. David Lykins A. In March of 1843 the Indian Mission Association of the Southern Baptist Convention ap pointed Rev. and Mrs. David Lykins as missionaries to the Wea Indians. B. Lykins, his wife Abigail Ann Lykins and Miss Sara Ann Osgood established the Wea Bap UJTU .JTTJPO ć F TDIPPM FOSPMMFE BT NBOZ BT DIJMESFO BU POF UJNF TFSWJOH UIF 8FB 1JBOLFTIBX Kaskaskia and Peoria Indians. C. As a result of being adopted by the Confederated Indian Tribe and because of the Federal treaty signed in 1854, David Lykins was given 800 acres of land by the United States Government. continued on page 15

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