Fort Osage
Fort Osage:
107 Osage St. Sibley, MO 816.650.3278. Admission: $7.00 Adults; $4.00 Children (5-13) ; $3.00 Seniors (62+) Fort Osage Website
Driving Directions From Kansas City: Take 24 Highway east to Buckner, Missouri. Turn north at Sibley Street (BB Highway) and travel 2-3 miles, while watching carefully for directional signs. Drive through Sibley following the signs to Fort Osage.
Upcoming Summer Events 2012:
- Independence Day at Fort Osage: July 4 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Price: Adults, $7.00; Youth $4.00; and Seniors, $3.00 Have you ever wondered how America celebrated the Fourth of July 200 years ago? Join the staff and volunteers at Fort Osage as the residents of this frontier outpost celebrate the birthday of their young country. The diverse backgrounds of the young soldiers and civilians living at the Fort provide a rich mosaic of different perspectives on what freedom meant on the American frontier. Musket and cannon salutes will punctuate the celebrations. Come and celebrate the Fourth, 1812 style!
- Nature Walk: August 11 at 10:30am and 2:30pm. Admission charged. The diverse terrain surrounding Fort Osage presents a perfect setting for this guided program. After a brief introduction in the Education Center by our staff naturalist, the group will embark on a guided tour of both the upland and floodplain zones. Various species of plants will be identified with special attention given to those which were identified during the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Participants will see how invasive, non native, species threaten plants native to Missouri. Please wear hiking boots or shoes and bring insect repellant and a canteen. Binoculars, cameras and sketchbooks are also recommended.
Fort Osage is one of the best historic sites to visit in the Kansas City Area... it is truly a step back in time. Fort Osage was one of the first forts built to protect the Louisiana Territory... it houses soldier's barracks, a trading post, blacksmith shop, and officer's quarters. Visitors learn about the expedition of Lewis & Clark, the Osage Tribe, the early frontier, and life in the early 1800s for soldiers and civilians. The Education Center (the newest feature at the site) features interactive exhibits on geology, history, and science. Children learn about native plants and animals, the life of the Osage and the study of archaeology, and the diaries of Lewis & Clark. My girls loved creating rubbings, seeing an original canoe, and watching the Missouri River through an overlook.
We then explored the fort, where we walked through the barracks, climbing up the wooden stairs to discover the lofts and how the soldiers defended the fort. We met a guide at the trading post where we guessed animal furs and learned about the goods and products traded among the frontiersmen and the Osage.
The frontier kitchen was perhaps our favorite part of the tour, where the implements and tools of hearth cooking were on display. Fort Osage hosts several events throughout the year as they reenact the War of 1812, celebrate the 4th of July, and demonstrate authentic Militia Musters.
Other Nearby Attractions
Sibley Orchard: 3717 Buckner Tarsney Rd. Sibley, MO 816.650.5535. www.sibleyorchards.com. The Sibley Orchard sells fresh fruit and vegetables according to the season. Sibley Orchard only accepts cash and check.
George Owens Nature Park: 8:30-5:00 Tues-Sat, Noon-5:00 Sun. (1601 S. Speck Rd. Independence, MO) 816.325.7115. Enjoy a small nature center, programs for children, fishing dock, and trails.