February 2019

At our dinner meeting held on February 26, 2019, Mr. Jim Ogle. Executive Director of Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area gave a presentation about the historic town of Quindaro, which is located in Kansas City KS. The title of Mr. Ogle's talk was “Quindaro: Remembering Our Past As Lessons For Our Future.”

At the start of his presentation. Mr. Ogle said that, 40 minutes earlier. Congress had passed legislation to designate the Quindaro site as a National Commemorative Site. While short of landmark status, the designation will still enable preservation and recognition of the once-bustling Civil War-era port of entry into Kansas and stop on the Underground Railroad.

The bill authorizes the Department of Interior and the National Park Service to enter into financial agreements to help pay for preservation. It’s the same federal classification awarded last year to the Indianapolis memorial that commemorates the 196S speech Robert F. Kennedy delivered in the wake of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination.

The legislation was a small piece of a massive public lands package that designates 1.3 million acres of new wilderness and permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program that uses offshore oil and natural gas revenue to support conservation projects in every state.

The Senate passed the public lands package earlier in February by a 92-8 margin. It passed the House on February 26th by a 363-62 vote and now heads to President Donald Trump's desk for signature.

Also speaking at the dinner meeting on February 26th was Ms. Kristen Zane. who is a member of Wyandot Nation of Kansas. Ms. Zane spoke about the Wyandot Trail of Tears, the town of Quindaro, and her ancestors Ebenezer O. Zane (1824-1903) and his wife Rebecca A. Zane (1827-1916), who were some of Wyandotte County's earliest settlers.

The following are some key points made by Ms. Zane during her presentation:

• The Wyandots departed Ohio in July 1843 and arrived in Kansas in the fall of 1843. A third of the Wyandots died during the journey or during the winter and spring after arrival.
• Ebenezer O. Zane was a member of Wyandot Nation and married Rebecca A. Barnes in 1S43.
• On November 1. 1856, the Quindaro Town Company is formed, created from Wyandot Allotments, including those of Ebenezer and Rebecca Zane.
• Quindaro was an abolitionist town, formed by the New England Emigrant Society, Freedmen. Suffragettes, and Wyandots.
• Quindaro is a traditional Wyandot women's name meaning "Bundle of Sticks."
• The Underground Railroad is operational in Quindaro. aiding slaves escaping from Missouri.
• During the Civil War (at one point). Quindaro was the only free port into Kansas.
• Ebenezer owned and operated the Wyandot House Hotel, the first structure from the Missouri River. He lived on the Kansas Wyandot Reservation when moved to Quindaro in 1849.
• Ebenezer was imprisoned in Ft. Leavenworth, along with others, for being an abolitionist and was required to post a    SI,000 bond
• (approximately S30.000 in today’s dollars).
• Ebenezer and his wife, Rebecca, had to sell most of their property and accept assistance from relatives, in order to make the bond.
• They continued to live in Quindaro and engage in the Underground Railroad.