National and State Registers of Historic Places
Marais des Cygnes Massacre Site
4 miles northeast of Trading Post, off US69
Trading Post (Linn County)
Listed in National Register
1971-06-21
National Historic Landmark, 5/30/1974
Architect: Not listed
Category: battle site
On May 19, 1858, proslavery men killed five free state men and wounded five others in a ravine that is now known as the Marais Des Cygnes Massacre Site. The shootings shocked the nation and became a pivotal event in the "Bleeding Kansas" era. A few months later, abolitionist John Brown came to the site and constructed a fortified cabin, where he remained during the summer of 1858. The site is owned by the State of Kansas and managed by the Kansas Historical Society.
