Senior Wednesday - Last Stand at Rebel Creek: The Osage as Union Allies in Civil War Kansas

Senior Wednesdays are informational and entertaining sessions, designed for active seniors and offered by a collaboration of local institutions. Learn more at Seniorwednesday.org

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum offers its Senior Wednesdays on the 4th Wednesday of each month, January-October.

MARCH’S TOPIC: Last Stand at Rebel Creek: The Osage as Union Allies in Civil War Kansas

Presented by Isaias McCaffery

As conflicts between states increased during the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy tried to use the Osage to achieve their own aims. Initially divided over how their people should respond in the face of escalating struggles, the Osage eventually emerged as important allies of the Union forces, thwarting a 1863 Confederate expedition tasked with reviving Southern resistance in Colorado and New Mexico territories. This presentation explores the Osage contributions to the Union cause in Kansas during the Civil War.

About the Presenter

Isaias is Professor of History at Independence Community College, where he has served on the faculty for 23 years. He earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Kansas, and his primary research interests focus on immigrant, ethnic, and minority communities on the Central Plains. He is a past President of the Kansas Association of Historians [KAH], and a board member of the Independence Historical Museum.



Doors open at 9:30am
Non-Member Admission Fee – $2 (Annual Memberships available starting at $25- Learn more at: Memberships)
Refreshments provided by the “Friends of the Historical Museum” (served prior to program).

Interested in volunteering at a Senior Wednesday Refreshment table? Email us at museum@wichitahistory.org or call 316-265-9314!

Program starts at 10am  in the DeVore Auditorium (2nd Floor) – Tour to follow at 11am

(Due to capacity restrictions, program has limited seating of 60.)

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum’s Senior Wednesday programs are made possible through a generous grant from the Charles and Joanne McIlwaine Foundation.



Don’t miss any of our upcoming Senior Wednesdays in 2026!

April 22nd - WSU Museum Studies Students Present on Their Exhibit
May 27th - "Let's Talk Shop" Documentary Screening
June 24th - Frank Lloyd Wright in Wichita
July 22nd - Crime in 1800’s Sedgwick County
August 26th - Shady Ladies of the Peerless Princess
September 23rd - Before the Hillcrest in College Hill
October 28th - Museum Docents Present Their Favorites