Trading Post is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Linn County, Kansas, United States.
History
It is said to be one of the oldest continuously occupied locations in the state. In 1842, a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
fort was built there, shortly after the end of the Civil War it was soon abandoned. The fort remained until 1865. A
military post was established in 1861 and lasted until summer 1865. The
Battle of Marais des Cygnes was fought here during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. The location derives its name from a French trading post established there about 1825.
The site is also the location of the
Marais des Cygnes massacre on May 19, 1858, when Charles Hamilton was forced out of the state by
Jayhawkers, freedom fighters from Kansas fighting for anti-slavery and
individual liberty
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...
rights in Kansas. Hamilton returned with
border ruffians
Border ruffians were proslavery raiders, crossing from the slave state of Missouri into the Kansas Territory, to help ensure Kansas entered the Union as a slave state. They were a key part of the violent period called Bleeding Kansas, that pea ...
from Missouri and captured 11 unarmed Jayhawkers. Hamilton and his men lead the unarmed
Free-Staters into a gorge. Five of the Jayhawkers were executed on the spot by the Missouri border ruffians, five were wounded and one escaped.
John Brown was to visit the site and built a fort.
References
Further reading
External links
* Linn County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT
Unincorporated communities in Kansas
Unincorporated communities in Linn County, Kansas
Populated places established in 1842
1842 establishments in the United States
{{LinnCountyKS-geo-stub