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Kansas Missionaries of the Nineteenth Century.

Of the many who came, Rev. Isaac McCoy probably deserves first mention. He had spent many years in work among the Indians and strongly urged the removal policy. He believed that if they could live in a separate state, free from contact with the white race, the Indians could be civilized, and he gave his life to this work.

Jotham Meeker and his wife were among the most devoted of the missionaries, but there were many others, both men and women, who placed the welfare of human beings above mere gain and who endured the hardships of life among the savages for the sake of the good they might do.

Missions Established.

Shawnee Mission as First Built in 1830.

In 1839 a new location was selected and fine new buildings constructed.

The most noted mission in Kansas was the one established by the Methodist Church for the Shawnee Indians near the present site of Kansas City. This mission was opened in 1830 and continued its work for more than a quarter of a century. It had a large tract of land and good buildings, and maintained a successful school. Rev. Thomas Johnson, who took a prominent part in early Kansas affairs, was in charge of the mission.