Major Mahlon Stubbs

Mahlon Stubbs played large and influential part in the early history of Kansas and Oklahoma, especially in his service as a government representative in direction of Indian affairs, in which connection he gained his title of major-that customarily applied to executives in such service.

Mahlon Stubbs was born in Preble County, Ohio, February 2, 1825 and he died in August, 1916 at Denver, Colorado. He was a birthright member of the Society of Friends (Quaker).

In 1863 he moved to Council Grove, Kansas where he established the Indian school under the supervision of the Society of Friends. In 1866 he was given supervision of the farm operations of the Kansas Indians until 1867 when he left government service.

In 1869 President Grant gave the management of the affairs of the various Indian tribes exclusively to the several leading church organizations.

To the Society of Friends was assigned such service in Kansas and Indian Territory, and Major Stubbs was selected as United States agent to the Kaw or Kansas Indians, with headquarters near Council Grove.

In the summer of 1871, he received instructions to visit the several agencies of the wild tribes in Southwest Indian Territory and bring a few of the chief from each tribe to Washington to demonstrate to them the futility of the warfare they were waging against white settlers who were invading. He gathered Cheyenne, Arapahoes, and Kansas chiefs. The Kiowa, Comanche and Apache chiefs refused. After visiting the east, the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Kansas and Kaw Indians smoked the pipe of peace. The result of the mission was that the delegates succeeded in preventing further war uprisings on the part of their respective tribes.

In 1872 Major Stubbs helped in selecting the new reservation for the Kaw Indians in the old Indian territory, as well as moving them to the new reservation. He was appointed Indian Agent and served five years and saw the Kaw tribal agency merged into the Osage agency.

He retired to his home in Emporia, and later to Denver, Colorado where he died.