The name "Council Grove" originated from treaty negotiations conducted here in 1825. The treaty, forged between U.S. commissioners and Osage Indian chiefs, granted whites safe passage along the Santa Fe Trail.

The site of Council Grove was a camping and meeting place for Native Americans, explorers, soldiers, and Santa Fe Trail traders. Here they found ample water, grass, and abundant wood due to the extensive groves of hardwood timber. As a rendezvous point for caravans moving west on the Santa Fe Trail, Council Grove provided both Hispanic and American travelers an opportunity to repair wagons and secure provisions in preparation for the long overland trip to Santa Fe.
   

Noted personalities such as John C. Fremont, Kit Carson, George Armstrong Custer, and the great Kaw chief Allegawaho are associated with Council Grove. Early-day settler Seth Hays was the great grandson of Daniel Boone and Kit Caron’s cousin. Today the famous Hays House Restaurant still operates in the store building constructed by Seth Hays in the late 1850s. Because of efforts to preserve our many historic buildings and sites, Council Grove offers visitors an encounter with authentic western American history.
   

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