Kansas City's Best Casinos

A Guide to Kansas City Casinos

Visitors and locals alike love Kansas City’s casinos for more than just the poker tables, slot machines and other fantastic ways to win. Each touts incredible dining and events as well, plus three offer overnight stays that specialize in luxury and convenience.

Before you play or stay, consult this guide for all the need-to-know info about Kansas City casinos.

ARGOSY CASINO HOTEL & SPA

Argosy Casino Hotel and Spa

Kansas City’s winning destination touts hot slots, world-class tables and nonstop thrills. Whether you’re in the mood for fine dining or the thrill of this state-of-the-art casino floor, Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa takes your experience to the next level. 

Top restaurant options include The Terrace Buffet and Journey Woodfired Steaks , in addition to international favorites like Asian fusion and authentic Mexican street tacos.

When the night’s over, rest up for another big day by staying in the onsite AAA 4-Diamond hotel—fresh off a multimillion-dollar renovation.

HARRAH’S CASINO AND HOTEL

Harrah's Casino and Hotel

Based in buzzy North Kansas City , Harrah’s Casino and Hotel is a player’s paradise thanks to more than 1,300 slot and video poker machines and 60 table games. But where it truly shines is with its World Series of Poker room—the only such space in the entire city.

Not to mention the nearly 400 guest rooms, ideal for late nights spent gaming or enjoying one of the popular live shows at the VooDoo Lounge venue, which regularly hosts notable music acts, MMA fights, dancefloor fun and more.

Onsite restaurants are a stellar plus as well, including  Gordon Ramsay Steak , a prominent addition to KC’s high-end culinary scene.

AMERISTAR CASINO HOTEL KANSAS CITY

Ameristar Casino

The sprawling Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City features a little something for everyone. In addition to nearly 1,900 slot machines, 50 table games and 184 guest rooms, a fully functioning movie theater and arcade keep youngsters entertained while adults can play on.

Don’t forget lunch or dinner. A balanced mix of upscale and relaxed offerings—including  Great Plains Cattle Co. —means you can treat loved ones to date nights or fuel up before you hit the gaming floor. Plus, with the area’s largest indoor TV screen at Amerisports Brew Pub , what more could you ask for?

HOLLYWOOD CASINO AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Hollywood Casino

Turn after turn of thrilling action makes Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway one of the most unique venues in the city. The KCK casino shares a site with racetrack Kansas Speedway , host of two high-speed NASCAR events each year.

In addition to the track, visitors will find 2,000 slot machines, 52 table games and five restaurants. And while there’s no hotel onsite, plenty of other nearby accommodations have what you need to recharge before another full day of entertainment.

Bally's Kansas City

Isle of Capri Casino

Hit up Bally's Kansas City riverboat for a fantastic time that you won’t soon forget. Kick back with more than 1,000 different slot machines and dozens of table games—no matter your gaming preference, there’s a spot for you here.

Grab a bite at 1 800 Noodle Bar , a 20-seat restaurant featuring Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, or catch the game at the onsite cocktail spot, Pulse Bar .

7TH STREET CASINO

Also located in KCK, 7th Street Casino specializes in slot machines. With more than 575 in total—and no other options offered—players can get right down to business with entertaining gaming.

If you’re on a roll, don’t worry about leaving. With a café and bar onsite, your breakfast, lunch or dinner are covered no matter the time of day or day of the week.

Table Games

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  • 1800 Noodle Bar
  • Celebrity Casino & Lounge
  • Chickie's and Pete's
  • Meetings & Groups
  • Gameday Parking Packages

Welcome to Bally's Kansas City

Come experience the all-new 40,000 sq. ft. casino, featuring new slots, blackjack, roulette, mini baccarat, Chickie's and Pete's Crabhouse and Sportsbar, and more!

NOW OPEN Chickie's & Pete's

Chickie’s and Pete’s voted #1 Sports Bar In America by ESPN is NOW OPEN! With a view of a TV from every seat in the house, Chickie’s and Pete’s Kansas City is THE place to catch your favorite teams! Enjoy craft beer, seafood, cheesteaks, famous Crabfries AND MORE!

Best Promotions. Best Table Games. Best Slots.

TRY YOUR HAND AT OUR TABLES

We’ve added Surrender On Any Hand to our Blackjack rules!

Welcome to Bally’s Kansas City

As part of the planned renovation plan and investment in the Kansas City Riverfront, the all-new BIGGER, BETTER, Bally’s Kansas City is NOW OPEN with ALL NEW dining including Chickie and Pete’s – The #1 Sports Bar in North America as Voted by ESPN! Together with Tiki Bar, Best Odds Quick Bites, 1800 Baccarat Lounge featuring 1800 Noodle Bar, and Celebrity Casino and Lounge, along with improvements to the gaming floor, Bally’s Kansas City is the gaming and dining destination in the region!

Best Odds Quick Bites

Whether you’re out for a quick bite between games or longing for something tasty late night, you’ll find yourself satisfied with the familiar options here. Just breeze in and breeze out.

From a classic Cheeseburger, to Chicken Strips and Fries, the menu at Best Odds has something for you!

Meetings & Events

Around the casino, level up your loyalty.

Enhance your experience in Kansas City with our all-new Bally Rewards program. Together with Casino Credit, it’s easier than ever to shoot to the top of our tier benefits.

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15 Top Things to Do in Kansas City

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Kansas City, Missouri, is home to world-class shopping, places where you can sample famous Kansas City barbeque, entertainment like the riverboat casinos, and great museums like the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and the extensive collections of an antique toy museum.

Families will enjoy the 235-acre amusement park, Worlds of Fun, and the adjacent water park, Oceans of Fun.

Shop and Dine at Country Club Plaza

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With amazing shops, great restaurants, and those famed Kansas City fountains, the world-famous Country Club Plaza gets the top pick of the Kansas City's attractions and destinations. The Plaza (as the locals call it) was the first outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment district in the United States and is wonderful any time of year.

Sit in the courtyard and enjoy an evening of jazz, or enjoy dinner and drinks on one of the many patios around the district, enjoy a romantic carriage ride, and be amazed by the Plaza Lights during the holidays . See why over 170 shops and restaurants make the Plaza KC's top destination.

Peruse the Art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum

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The world-renowned Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is one of Kansas City's most treasured gems. With amazing exhibits both inside and out, the Nelson-Atkins boasts impressive collections with everything from ancient Egyptian sculptures to a Japanese collection with more than 2,000 works of art dating as far back as 10th century B.C.E. You can easily spend days looking at everything. Admission is free, although to see most special exhibits, a small fee is charged.

Visit the Animals at the Kansas City Zoo

Andy Harris / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Kansas City Zoo is a great attraction for those young and old alike. The Zoo is spread over 200 acres with habitats for over 1,300 animals. You'll see animals like penguins, polar bears, and orangutans covering species from all of the continents. The Zoo does have trams, shuttles, and a train but even so, you'll get in a lot of walking.

Savor Kansas City BBQ

Trip Savvy / Marianna Massey

When it comes to Kansas City, barbeque is the one thing they do better than everyone else. With rich traditions of dry-rubbed meats cooked to perfection and covered with spicy sauces, it truly is what made Kansas City "The Home of Barbeque."

Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que with its original restaurant housed in a repurposed gas station is a favorite with both locals and visitors. Another eatery serving up local barbeque is Jack Stack Barbecue - Freight House which serves a long menu of barbecue meats as well as fish and salads. Located in the Crossroads Art District, this historic converted Freight House has 25-foot ceilings, a fireplace lounge with full-service bar, and indoor and outdoor private dining.

Check Out Union Station

Courtesy of Union Station 

The fully restored Union Station is one of Kansas City's favorite attractions with plenty of great things to see and do. With everything from the fully interactive Science City and its famed Rail Exhibit to movies, planetarium shows, and world-famous exhibits. Visit traveling national exhibits, 3D movies on the Extreme Screen, or enjoy a cup of coffee or a nice meal in this beautiful, historic building.

See the Collections at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library

gnagel / Getty Images

Harry S. Truman was not only the 33rd president of the United States, but he was also an Independence, Missouri native. The Harry S. Truman Library in Independence is home to an amazing collection of over 30,000 presidential artifacts including everything from Presidential gifts that he and wife Bess received during his term of office, political memorabilia, and other artifacts from the Truman era. The Truman Library is also a well-known research library and has a massive collection of photographs, a motion picture collection, as well as a political cartoon exhibit.

Gamble at a Riverboat Casino

Richard Cummins / Lonely Planet Images / Getty Images

You may or may not sail down the river, but you'll find some great gambling venues on riverboats. During the last decades of the twentieth century, many states began allowing riverboats to offer casino gambling, thus limiting the spread of casinos to the boats, while still bringing in some revenue to the states. Many riverboats are actually stationary barges that never leave the dock.

Even if you are not a gambler, the Kansas City Riverboat Casinos are also great places for dining, shopping, and entertainment. The casinos boast everything from great movie theaters and restaurants to concert venues, hotels, and spas. Some favorites are Harrah's Casino with its Voodoo Lounge hosting name entertainment, Ameristar with a great buffet and its Pearl's Oyster Bar. For relaxation, there's an amazing spa at Argosy.

Other riverboat casinos in Missouri are in St. Joseph, St. Charles, St. Louis, Caruthersville, La Grange, and Boonville. In addition, gambling at Indian tribal casinos is legal in Kansas. 

Visit the 18th and Vine Jazz District

Chris Murphy / Flickr /  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The historic 18th and Vine Jazz District is a fitting tribute to what put Kansas City on the map—world-famous Jazz and Negro Leagues Baseball. The district, which was resurrected in the late 1990s, is home to the American Jazz Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the Gem Theater.

With great restaurants and clubs like the Blue Note, jam sessions and great acts abound. There's always something going on at 18th and Vine.

Stroll Powell Gardens

Kelly Garbato / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Located just east of Kansas City , Powell Gardens is an amazing 900-acre botanical garden that boasts amazing displays of plants and flowers that are in bloom any time of year. The displays change with the seasons, so you'll never see the same thing twice at Powell Gardens and is beautiful year-round. Have lunch at their great Cafe Thyme or see their beautiful chapel, home to many weddings throughout the year.

Reflect at the Liberty Memorial and National WWl Museum

Edwin Remsberg / Getty Images

Liberty Memorial and the WWI museum is the official WWI museum of the United States and honors those who served and sacrificed in WWI. This interactive exhibit shows the impact the war had on the United States. The museum and memorial serve as the leading educational institute and resource of WWI. Head to the top of the Liberty Memorial for some of the best 360 views of Kansas City.

Take the Family to Worlds of Fun

 Courtesy of Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun, a 235-acre amusement park in Kansas City, opened in 1973. Admission to Worlds of Fun includes access to Oceans of Fun, a water park adjacent to the amusement park. There's something for everyone from roller coasters and thrill rides, to Planet Snoopy for the little ones. Year 'round there are special events marking holidays like Halloween and Christmas.

See the Sea Life

From Stingray Bay to an undersea exhibit where you can view tropical marine life, SEA LIFE Kansas City has something for all ages to learn about and enjoy. There's a Turtle Rescue Center where you can get up close to Green Sea Turtles. A favorite is a special exhibit devoted to seahorses.

SEA LIFE Aquarium Kansas City is located in the center of Downtown Kansas City. You can find it in the Crown Center District, situated in the Crown Center Square along with LEGOLAND Discovery Center Kansas City. 

Discover LEGOLAND

SEA LIFE Aquarium and LEGOLAND Discovery Center are both situated in the Crown Center Square in downtown Kansas City. Both attractions can be visited on a combination ticket. This indoor attraction includes Lego rides, a soft play area, a 4D cinema, and a gift shop. There are 10 build-and-play zones for the Lego enthusiast who wants to try building something new. Human-sized Lego characters stroll the building meeting visitors and posing for photo ops.

Find Out About Steamboats

Ian Morton / Flickr

At the Arabia Steamboat Museum, you can learn about steamboat history as you peruse salvaged items brought up from the Missouri River from the Arabia Steamboat which sank in 1856. The attractive museum, located on the river, offers guided tours where you can watch preservationists working on artifacts. Items brought up from the bottom of the river include clothing, fine china and carpentry tools, guns, and children’s toys.

Explore the World of Toys

The toys housed within the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures are said to be some of the worlds most valuable and rare. The collection began in 1982 when two private toy collectors joined forces. The present-day museum occupies 33,000 square feet and houses 72,000 objects. You'll find dollhouses, mechanical toys, and even political toys within this immense collection of antiques.

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Four riverboat casinos hail Kansas City visitors

KANSAS CITY The four casino riverboats in the Kansas City metropolitan area are the city's most popular attractions, according to attendance numbers.

The first riverboat casino in the area, the Argosy Casino, opened in 1994 and continues to expand. In Riverside, less than 15 minutes from downtown Kansas City, the Argosy IV riverboat was custom built for Argosy Gaming Co. with more than 30,000 square feet of gaming space on three levels and an occupancy load of 2,000 passengers.

The casino is open seven days a week, 24 hours Fridays-Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. Sundays-Thursdays.

Near downtown sits the Isle of Capri Casino Kansas City. The exterior proudly adorns the 19th century steamboat look, and the interior provides a Caribbean-theme tropical paradise. One of its highlights is Caribbean Cove, a sports bar with a giant television screen for ideal viewing conditions and open until 1:30 a.m.

The casino is open 24 hours Friday-Sunday and holidays, and 8 a.m. to 4:59 a.m. Monday-Thursday.

Just up the road from Isle of Capri is the popular Harrah's North Kansas City Casino and Hotel. Visitors can escape to the French Quarter of New Orleans in the two-level Mardi Gras Casino. Harrah's North Kansas City also features fabulous restaurants and a newly renovated hotel.

The casino is open 24 hours weekends and holidays.

The newest riverboat casino in the area is the Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City, which features the largest area of gaming space of the four Kansas City casinos 115,000 square feet on two decks. Ameristar opened its doors in January 1997 and prides itself as an entertainment center, featuring 14 restaurants, a showroom for headline entertainment, 18 movie theaters and Kid's Quest, a child-care facility.

Other riverboat casinos in Missouri are in St. Joseph, St. Charles, St. Louis, Caruthersville, La Grange and Boonville.

Argosy Casino, (800) 270-7711.

Isle of Capri Casino, (816) 855-7777.

Harrah's North Kansas City Casino and Hotel, (816) 472-7777.

Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City, (888) 440-7700.

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' class=

What is the closest casino to the Country Plaza. Is there a bus to get you there from the plaza area?

' class=

I guess Isle of Capri would be closest. But Harrah's and Ameristar are only a few minutes/miles further across the river. I am not familiar with any busses so hopefully someone else will know...

riverboat casino kansas city

http://www.kcata.org/maps_schedules/routes/173_casino_cruiser/

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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Wyandot Nation of Kansas renews effort to to win federal recognition as a sovereign tribe

Judith Manthe, principal chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, speaks to a group at the Huron Indian Cemetery in downtown Kansas City, Kansas.

Federal recognition entails the United States acknowledging a tribe as a separate government entity — denoting their right to self-governance. Currently, the U.S. recognizes 574 tribal nations. For the Wyandot Nation of Kansas to join them, they'll need the support of non-natives like members of Congress.

Judith Manthe was about 10 years old and her cousin about 18 when the girls’ grandmother took them aside and spoke of prophecy.

The conversation took place outside, on some of the large rocks near a creek on family farmland near Piper, Kansas.

“She sat us down,” Manthe recalled. “And she said, ‘You two are going to be the ones that bring this tribe back to fruition.’ “

The older of the two, Janith English, later became principal chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas for 25 years. She spent those years carefully chronicling the tribe’s history .

English documented its time in Ontario, Canada, as the Wendat Confederacy. She recorded its time in Michigan and Ohio. She tracked treaties agreed to and dissolved. And then, crucially for this region, she documented the tribe’s pre-Civil War journey to Kansas and how it came to be the namesake of Wyandotte County.

Manthe took over as principal chief three years ago.

The tribe’s 400 members are now ready to reclaim its station. The Wyandot Nation of Kansas is renewing an effort for federal recognition . It’s a complicated process, and despite having many factors in its favor, accomplishing it could take years.

“What is motivating me is our youth,” Manthe said. “It’s basically for the youth, to get them educated.”

Federal status can enable access to federal funding, which can include scholarships and access to higher education.

Federal recognition entails the United States acknowledging a tribe as a separate government entity. It denotes tribal sovereignty, a nation’s right to self-governance.

It can be achieved through an act of Congress, a federal court ruling or administratively by petitioning and passing the scrutiny of the Bureau of Indian Affairs . Currently, 574 tribal nations are federally recognized.

The process is inherently cruel. It includes convincing non-natives, such as members of Congress, to support the tribe. It depends on asking permission from a federal government that worked for centuries to erase the indigenous, to annihilate nations by dividing them, by taking their lands.

Those efforts were largely successful.

You might assume that familiarity with the tribe and its role in the Kansas City region would be strong, given that everything noted as “ Wyandotte ” has a connection. Yet, even highly visible signs of the area’s indigenous roots in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, can be misleading.

The Huron Indian Cemetery, where many members of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas are buried, is next to the 7th Street Casino, which is operated by the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma.

For example, bold black lettering attached to the limestone masonry of the 7th Street Casino spells out “WYANDOTTE NATION.”

But the Kansas Wyandots aren’t affiliated with the gambling operation. The casino, in a former Scottish Rite Temple, is owned and operated by the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma . They’re a related band, considered brothers and sisters, but separate.

There are four bands of the Wyandot, a fact that can be explained by tracing the history of the tribal confederacy being split as it was moved throughout what is now Canada and the United States.

The Oklahoma Wyandots are federally recognized. The Wyandots that live in Canada are recognized by the Canadian government. The Wyandots in the Detroit area also seek federal status.

The Wyandots of Kansas have no interest in the casino. It’s not why they seek federal status, Manthe said.

But they are deeply connected to land next to the casino, the Huron Cemetery , that lies to the north, tucked on a rise of land that overlooks the Missouri and Kansas rivers.

“Huron” traces to what the French called the Wyandot and despite the cemetery’s name, it’s not the term that the tribe uses.

The cemetery, where hundreds of Wyandot and Union soldiers are buried, was once the site of a standoff staged by three Wyandot — the Conley sisters — Eliza “Lyda,” Helena and Ida.

riverboat casino kansas city

Around 1910, plans were announced to sell the land off, to dig up and remove the tribal members buried there. In response, the women built a wooden shack in the cemetery, their fort. For two years the women refused to allow anyone onto the property.

Lyda was an attorney. She took their case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where she argued on behalf of the Wyandot of Kansas. She lost the case. But eventually, the cemetery was saved.

The shotgun that the sisters used during their standoff is on display at the Wyandotte County Museum . Helena’s rattlesnake bone necklace is also showcased there.

But the cemetery isn’t controlled by the Wyandot of Kansas. It’s held in a trust by the federal government.

If any local Wyandot wanted to be buried there, permission would be granted through the Oklahoma band. And cremations are the only thing possible. Digging in the cemetery could disturb unmarked graves, of which there are believed to be many.

The history contained at the site, including family lineages, will be crucial in obtaining federal recognition.

Taller stone monuments are spread throughout the two-acre Huron cemetery site, many marking the gravesites of important early figures in local history who were members of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas. The 7th Street Casino, which is owned and operated by the Wyandotte of Oklahoma, can be seen in the background.

Manthe keeps her documents safeguarded, including proof of payments as Wyandot land was taken and the nation came down the Missouri River by steamboat and was dropped off near Westport, in 1843.

“We have letters that our ancestors had written,” she said, “saying that we never wanted to lose our tribal status.”

Seeking support from those who ‘wanted to eliminate you’

The process of gaining federal recognition can take decades.

Recorded proof of an unjust and painful past is crucial, said Tai S. Edwards , director of the Kansas Studies Institute and a history professor at Johnson County Community College.

“The same entities that wanted to eliminate you as a tribal nation are now whose records you have to use to prove who you are,” Edwards said.

Moreover, non-natives must be convinced, Edwards said.

Even beginning the process can be emotionally wrenching.

“You have to have what non-natives view as convincing documentation from a bureaucracy that was functioning for centuries to eliminate your ability to do this,” Edwards said. “And that is the hardest problem.”

But ultimately, it can also be healing.

Federal recognition forces the U.S. government to admit to its role in past actions.

The least cumbersome route is through an Act of Congress, and this is how several tribes have recently been able to gain federal status in recent years, the last during the Trump administration.

The Wyandots have the good fortune of having U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas in office.

Davids is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. Her maternal grandfather, a U.S. Army veteran, was born into the Mohican Nation Stockbridge-Munsee Band in Oneida, Wisconsin.

But because the process is long, members of Congress often cycle out of office before enough consensus can be built for tribal recognition.

In 2019, the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians were granted federal recognition through an amendment pushed through by Montana congressional members. The action was included in a defense bill.

Efforts for the Chippewa to reach federal status dated back to the 1930s, according to reporting by CNN.

Chris La Tray is an enrolled Chippewa member and the Montana Poet Laureate. He wrote an article titled, “For All My Relations,” after the federal status was achieved.

Edwards says non-natives must understand an indigenous perspective. La Tray wrote of his happiness, but also his “deeply mixed feelings.”

“The entire process is a bitter irony when one considers that the Little Shell will finally ‘get’ federal ‘recognition’ at the behest of a spending bill for a military that has only tried to eradicate us, signed by a president actively pursuing the very policies that disenrolled and dehumanized our ancestors, and made us ‘landless Indians’ in the first place,” La Tray wrote.

La Tray recounted tribal history in the piece and noted that the same bill that included the Little Shell Restoration Act also gave funding to support operations at the U.S.-Mexican border.

At the time, the Trump administration was separating migrant families arriving there, detaining them. Many of those families had indigenous blood, arriving from Mexico and Central America.

La Tray recounted the tribal history, documenting the similarities to then-current policy. Federal status is also restorative, a fact that La Tray addressed in the same article.

“But we are a sovereign nation who are now in a position to deal in strength with another nation who surrounds us on all sides. A nation we must never forget rarely has our best interests in mind.”

Assimilation as an act of survival

Wyandot Nation of Kansas Second Chief Louisa Libby recently led a tour at the Huron Indian Cemetery in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. The first graves were dug for Wyandot who died in the tribe’s first year in the area, possibly of typhoid.

Louisa Libby slowly walks the cemetery pathway, stepping off into the grass to point out specific graves.

Libby is the Second Chief of the Wyandot of Kansas.

Nubs, flush to the ground, are all that is left of many headstones. A fist-sized piece of granite lays under one tree.

On the southern end of the site is a marker, flat against the ground. It notes that a prior survey completed in 1895 and 1896 detected a large grave in this part of the cemetery. It’s the final resting site of Union soldiers killed in the Battle of Westport in October 1864.

They were a Black unit. Racism wouldn’t have allowed their burial elsewhere. The Wyandot were integral to the free state township of Quindaro, which is named for a Wyandot woman.

On the northern end of the cemetery, there are more headstones. A line of pink granite headstones stands out. The graves are the burial plots of the Conley sisters.

To Libby, the ancestors who are no longer buried there, disturbed from their rest by the greed and the disrespect of development, also fill her thoughts.

The tribal history is clear on this point. When surrounding roads were widened decades ago, graves were disturbed. Bones were disrespectfully dumped in the river, Libby said.

Former Principal Chief English once found a femur sticking out of the sloping hillside that backs up to the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library. The bone was delicately handled, honored and reburied.

That section needs a retaining wall. A zig zagging old wooden staircase is blocked off. It’s too dangerous to be secure.

But a small round metal marker is also nearby, emblazoned with a buffalo, noting a significant step in the cemetery’s and the Wyandot’s story.

It’s marked: “U.S. Department of the Interior, Sept. 3, 1971, National Register of Historic Places.”

The Huron Indian Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Manthe’s fifth great-grandfather played a crucial role in how the nation survived. He was Chief Tarhe , born near Detroit in 1742.

Chief Tarhe is credited with guiding the tribe through difficult periods, wars where tribal members were slaughtered and subsequent treaties.

Manthe is proud of her bloodline. It was Chief Tarhe who made the difficult decision that ultimately brought her to this place, as a new chief in a new era.

“He told all of them that you’re not going to win this battle,” she said. “They’re going to keep bringing people in and they’ll just wipe you off the face of the earth. You need to assimilate. You need to start living white or we will be destroyed.”

For several years, Manthe has worked to establish positive relationships with the other bands of Wyandot.

The past includes protracted legal battles over where the Oklahoma band would locate the casino and how the cemetery would be affected.

Now, security guards from the casino note when visitors arrive at the cemetery. They keep a watchful eye. One guard recently noted with dismay the condition of some graves, vandalized through the years and disrespected.

Manthe has brought family members with her to attend naming ceremonies in Oklahoma and celebrations to note green corn coming into the fields.

She’s also attended cultural sessions, learning how to fletch feathers to an arrow, shape arrowheads from flint, weave baskets and create intricate beading.

At each full moon, Manthe connects by Zoom with other Wyandot women around the nation.

“We have got to keep our history alive,” Manthe said. “We have got to promote our history because if you forget it, you’re going to relive it.”

This story was originally published by Flatland , a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.

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