The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-16
THE NAME "kANsAs."
It 10 Corruption OF rlauxas ami Owe,
az Its ORIGIN to q Eroof- cndcr.

It 10 Corruption OF rlauxas ami Owes
81 Its Origin to n groor-Rcadcr.
In 1722-23 tho commander OF the tor
titory in which was then included what
Is now Kansas, claimed by France
Brected fort near tho mouth OF tho
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
lards from Santa Fe (by the Kansas In
aiens.) 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 hearts
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 tho French
commander that the Spaniards started
on their mission from Santa Fe, SO
their occupation of their now settlement
could have been OF only short duration.
They had for their spiritual advisor a
Dominican monk, but their guide and
real commander was an engineer officer.
Tho territory now called Kansas or
tho Raw, was occupied by the Kauzas
indians; and "Kansas" is a corruption
of that primitive name, happily, too, for
the original is harsh and lacks tho
euphony of the modern form. 1t is
alleged that the name was diverted from
tho original through the mistake of a
proof-roader. who, revising the very
early work Of some missionary, mistook
hrt t,,s fN- !
rected' it and to that blundor we arc
Indebted for tho name of Kansas Tho
Kansas Indians are called the Kaws, a
diminutive Of Kansas or Kauzas. l have
seen tho word spelled in old books
Kauza and Kausa; but tho is probably
the correct letter, howevor.
Tho exact route of the unfortunate
Spaniarks through Kansas has never
been given by any historian in any
work that havo 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 ho worked
1T out from the Indian legend: "They
entered Kansas about tho west limo 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; thonco down that valley to
where Florence now stands; from that
point through tho Cottonwood Valley to
near Emporia: across through Usage and
franklin counties then down tho Usage
river to near its mouth, where they
effected settlement, built chapel,
and wore soon massacrcd by the Indians,
who were jealous of them"
About year after the French COM
mandant, De Dourgmont, had construct
cd his little fort OF Orleans. he started
on EN- expedition from whore Atchison
IS to the headwaters of tho 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. Tho following year,
while De Bourgmont was absent from
Fort Orleans, the whole garrison was
massacred by the Indians, and not a
soul was left to tell tho story kansas
City Star