The Osage Indians: First Gateway to the West

The Osage Indians were once a powerful Indian tribe in the central and southwest part of what became the state of Missouri during the early fur trading years. Lewis and Clark expedition member Patrick Gass wrote of them in his diary, that they "are of a large size and well proportioned, and a very warlike people." The Osage were situated in such a way that they could take advantage of the French expansion in the area and always had a good relationship with the French. Article includes map and numerous illustrations.