The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-09-13
THE NAME "KANSAS."
It Is n Corruption OF Kauzas and Owes
Its Origin TO Proof-Reader.

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| Its Origin TO y Proof-Reader.
In 1929 the commander of the ter
ritory in which was then included what
is now Kansas, claimed by France,
erected a fort near tho mouth of the
Usage, in the hope OF preventing any
further incursions by the Spaniards into
the region beyond the Missouri. 1t was
called Fort Orleans, and was built after
the annihilation of colony of Span
iards from Santa Fe (by the Kansas In
dians,) who had attempted q settlement
in some portion OF what is now the State
OF Missouri, near the mouth of the
Usage probably. OF the three hundred
that left Santa Fe with hopeful heart,
not one was left to tell the story of the
massacre. 1t was only two years before
the establishment Of the fort at the
mouth of the Usage by the French
commander that the Spaniards started
on their mission from Santa Fe, SO
their occupation of their new settlement
could have been of only short duration.
They had for their spiritual adviser a
Dominican monk, but their guide and
real commander was an engineer officer.
The territory now called Kansas, or
at least that portion of it that borders
the Kaw, was occupied by the Kauzas
Indians; and "Kansas" is a corruption
of that primitive name, happily, too, for
the original is harsh and lacks the
euphNpy ef the modern form. II is
alleged chat the name was diverted from
the original through the mistake of a
proof-reader, who, revising the very
early work of some missionary, mistook
the ''u" for an inverted IN and so "cor-
rected" it and to that blunder we are
indebted for the name of Kansas. The
Kansas Indians are called the Kaws, a
diminutive Of Kansas or Kauzas. / have
seen the word spelled in old books
Kauza and Kausa; but the is probably
the correct letter, however.
The exact route of the unfortunate
Spaniards through Kansas has never
been given by any historian in any
work that l have seen; but the Osages
have tradition in their tribe of tho
march, and am indebted to my friend,
Hon. John Madden, of Cottonwood Falls,
Kan, for the supposed trail as he worked
it out from the Indian legend: "They
entered Kansas about the west line of
Hamilton County, followed the Arkansas
River to, probably, where Hutchinson
is now located crossed over to the
head waters of Doyle Creek, in Harvey
County: thence down that valley to
where Florence now stands; from that
point through the Cottonwood Valley to
near Emporia; across through Usage and
Franklin counties, then down the Usage
river to near it's mouth, where they
effected settlement, built a chapel,
and were soon massacred by the Indians,
who were jealous of them"
About a year after the French COM
mandant, De Bourgmont, had construct
ed his little fort of Orleans, he started
on an expedition from where Atchison
is to the headwaters of the Smoky Hill.
In cave on that river in Central
Kansas, not far from my home, are some
names carved on it's walls, which may
have been put there by members OF
that expedition. The following year,
while De Bourgmont was absent from
Fort Orleans, the whole garrison was
massacred by the Indians, and not
soul was left to tell the story.-Kansas
Citv Star