We celebrate and honor the indigenous people that first called this land home. Read about the Kaw Nation here.
OUR RICH HISTORY
Council Grove is a favorite rendezvous on the Santa Fe Trail. Enjoy our historic town's quiet, friendly charm while touring the downtown historic district (on the National Register of Historic Places), dining at local restaurants, and shopping in unique stores.
You can stand on the site of the Council Oak where the first treaty was signed, establishing the right-of-way for passage on the Santa Fe Trail or in front of the historic Hays House 1857, Last Chance Store, or Terwilliger Home. Imagine the wagon trains passing by and almost hearing the creaking wagons, the plodding oxen, and the braying mules.
Located at the crossroads of Highways 56 and 177, Council Grove is nestled in the scenic tallgrass prairie of the Flint Hills. Like in trail times, rolling hills stretch as far as you can see across one of the world’s last true tall grass prairies. The Flint Hills’ beauty, quaint charm, warm hospitality, and old trail town lore captivate those who stop to visit...experiencing the present and past of the Flint Hills life with us in Council Grove.
25 HISTORIC PLACES
Our 25 Historic Sites brochure is a visitor favorite! We've created the perfect walking (or driving!) tour throughout Council Grove so that you and your friends and family can easily learn about the special places and events that our community's culture is built upon.
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Learn about sites like our Post Office Oak, where weary travelers along the Santa Fe Trail would leave messages for loved ones and friends, or our Hermit's Cave. Where an Italian priest once spent 5 months before walking 550 miles to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click to view PDF
Below are some of the 25 historic sites around town. Visitors will learn about an intersection of cultures between the Kanza (Kaw) tribe and Euro-Americans during the trail days through the tour. Kansas is named for the Kanza or Kaw tribe. Click on the brochure graphic above to view the PDF online.
THE SANTA FE TRAIL
Council Grove was named one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas History by the Kansas Sampler Foundation because it is a Santa Fe Trail National Historic Landmark town and is the site of an 1825 treaty that led to an intersection of cultures between Kaw Native Americans and Euro-Americans.
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From 1821-1866, the Santa Fe Trail was known as America's first international superhighway of trade and commerce. Spanning 900 miles between Missouri and Mexico, the trail brought together a cultural mosaic of individuals. In 1860 Seth Hays recorded 5,405 Mexican and Euro-American traders, 1,532 wagons, and 17,282 mules, oxen, and horses passed through Council Grove.
Explore more Council Grove
Historic Sites...
Madonna of the Trail
Erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to recognize and honor the "Pioneer Mothers of the Covered Wagon Days," the hardy women who made the long and sometimes dangerous trips along the Santa Fe and other National Old Trails Roads.
11 East Main Street
Council Grove
