• My Trip Planner
• 0 Items

• To add items to your My Trip Planner, please look for a "My Trip Planner" button on any listing page.

Freedom's Frontier

Travelers to the region can experience the distinctive history, culture and landscape that tell the stories of the quest for freedoms – both national and individual. The 41-county region of Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri, designated as the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area in September 2006, depict these pursuits of freedom fought in the area.

Extraordinary events that forever changed America belong to the Freedom’s Frontier story. These issues include the abolition of slavery, forced immigration of Native American nations and the spirit of those nations in the face of oppression, voluntary immigration of settlers along the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, and the resolution of racial segregation in our public schools a century later. This story continues to evolve, to define and influence who we are today, in the region and as a nation. Our landscape is dotted with places that capture the pivotal role this area played in the development of the nation.

The Missouri/Kansas border served as the jumping off point for the long journey westward. This was the place where river travel ended, provisions were purchased and the Indian frontier lay ahead. Begin your exploration of frontier life at the National Frontier Trails Museum in Independence (MO). Learn about the personal trials and adventures of those traveling Westward on the Santa Fe, California and Oregon Trails. While in Independence, take a ride in a horse-drawn, covered wagon through the Historic Independence Square to feel what travel was like in the 1850s. Westport (MO) was considered the jumping-off point for those heading into the “great American wilderness.” Take a self-guided, walking tour of the historic district to learn more about the prospects those pioneers faced as they journeyed into the unknown frontier. For travelers looking for the finer-side of the 1850s, visit Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site, the last remaining stagecoach stop open to the public on the Santa Fe Trail, in Olathe (KS). Experience life on a 19th-century farm, learn about the Mahaffie family, and explore the operations of a stagecoach stop and inn. While at Mahaffie, be sure to ride the stagecoach – the luxurious way to travel for the time period. During your visit to Olathe, be sure to stop at Lone Elm Park. For several decades, starting in 1821, this site served as a campground and rendezvous point for travelers along the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails. Today, the Kansas City Area Historic Trails Association marks the rich trails system that brought settlers to the area in the 19th century for visitors to follow.

Life in Kansas and Missouri had the reputation for being a little wild. Follow the story of the local legend Jesse James by visiting the Jesse James Farm and Museum in Kearney (MO), his birthplace, where you can see the largest collection of James family artifacts and his original grave site. In Liberty (MO), you can re-live the nation’s first, successful daytime bank robbery at the Jesse James Bank Museum. Then in St. Joseph (MO), take a tour of the Jesse James Home Museum – the site of Jesse’s murder on April 3, 1882 by fellow gang member Robert Ford. Be sure to visit the Patee House Museum that was used as the headquarters during the investigation after the death of Jesse James and served as a pioneer hotel. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks for its role as the headquarters for the Pony Express in 1860. Just up the street is the Pony Express National Museum where visitors can learn about the famous, horseback overland mail service that began in April 1860. Characters like Jesse James made the frontier famous as the “Wild West.”

In 1854, when Kansas was opened for settlement, a border war ensued capturing the nation’s attention. The Kansas-Nebraska Act nullified the uneasy balance established by the Missouri Compromise and left the territory’s future slave status in the hands of settlers. The stakes were high for both sides. The violence of the Missouri/Kansas Border War ushered in the Civil War and consumed the region in bloody conflict through war’s end – devastating communities on both sides. From the Bushwhackers like Jesse James and William Quantrill to Jayhawkers like John Brown, the border war was marked by passionate politics and people. Lecompton served as the Territorial Capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861. In 1857, the Lecompton Constitution was drafted, making Kansas join the Union as a pro-slavery state. This constitution was later rejected after the intense Lincoln-Douglass Debates and the anti-slavery party won control of the territorial legislature. Tour the Territorial Capital Museum and Constitution Hall, along with other historic buildings, to learn more about this pre-Civil War hotspot. For the Southern-side of the story, visit Lexington (MO) and the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site. The site marks the three-day, bloody Civil War battle between the Union Army and the Missouri State Guard. Visitors can explore 100-acres of the preserved battlefield, tour the 1853 Anderson house that still displays the damage it received from the shots and shells that hammered it, and learn more about this important struggle through the special exhibits and audio-visual programs housed in the visitor center. Many sites, which tell this rich and unique story of America’s struggle for Freedom that began in this area, are preserved today for visitors to discover.

The nation’s toil for freedom did not end with the Civil War. Efforts to break down society's barriers continue. Since the Civil War, this place has inspired national policies and ongoing efforts to secure equal freedoms for all Americans. One of the most pivotal cases heard before the Supreme Court began in Topeka (KS) and ended with the desegregation of schools in America. Learn about this case and the legacy of equality that followed it at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, housed in the original Monroe School. Don’t forget to post your thoughts in the Expressions and Reflections gallery before you leave. Civil rights and liberties are important to this area, which remains a leader in the battle for equality.

The National Heritage Area provides new opportunities for visitors and residents to explore the evolving ideal and fundamental American value of Freedom. The battles, the cries. The losses, the victories. Freedom’s Frontier – our stories live on.