Council Grove, Kansas

Custer Elm

Legend has it that while patrolling the Santa Fe Trail with his famous 7th Cavalry Regiment, George Armstrong Custer camped under the huge elm that flourished at this site. The massive trunk is all that remains of this tree that measured more than 100 feet tall and 16 feet around. Custer bought 120

Council Oak

A shelter east of the Neosho River bridge protects the stump of the Council Oak. Gathered in the shade of the big oak on a hot August day in 1825

Guardian of the Grove Statue

Old Bell Monument

Perched high on a hill overlooking the town and Neosho River valley below, this bell was erected in 1866 to warn townsfolk of Indian raids. It also served as a school and church bell for nearly 30 years.

Kaw Mission

The Kaw (or Kansa) Indians lived in three villages southeast of Council Grove from 1848 until their removal south to Indian Territory in 1873. Methodist Episcopal missionaries built this school for Kaw children in 1851