Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation seeks ownership of former Kansas boarding school site

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is seeking ownership of the Shawnee Indian Mission State Historical Site in Fairway, Kansas, raising questions about how the site’s history is preserved, according to reporting by the Kansas Reflector.

The site operated as a Methodist boarding and manual labor school for Native children from 1839 to 1862 and now includes three historic buildings on about 12 acres of land. Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairman Joseph Rupnick told lawmakers during a legislative hearing that transferring ownership would allow the tribe to use the site for cultural revitalization, language preservation and ceremony. Kansas Historical Society Executive Director Patrick Zollner said the state remains the best steward of the property. Senate Bill 518, introduced by Sen. Adam Thomas, would allow the state to convey the land to the tribe beginning in July 2028 while prohibiting gaming or casino development on the property.