The Story
This month I’m going to go in a bit of a different direction, but I’ve always said that I would write about what was interesting
This month I’m going to go in a bit of a different direction, but I’ve always said that I would write about what was interesting
I was traveling this month and came across a Kansas site that I thought would be interesting to share in this month’s post. On our
This month has been a busy one with the release of my new book, The Kingdom of Amarugia, (now available for pre-order at www.jonathanjonesauthor.com) Instead
This month’s post is going to take us a little further afield to the location of the Siege of Vicksburg. Jill and I took a
This month’s post is a little different than my normal history stuff. That said, there is a history component to the Martin and Osa Johnson
Council Grove, KS: Kanza (Kaw) Indians, Sante Fe Trail, Oldest Restaurant in Kansas This month’s post takes us to Council Grove, Kansas. Council Grove is a
This month’s post was originally published in the Johnson County Gazette in October of 2021. This month’s article is a bit of a departure from
I wanted to post an update to let everyone know how the Amarugia book was coming and what I have been working on. Over the
During the Bleeding Kansas era and continuing until the end of the Civil War, James Henry Lane was both a Kansas hero and the
This month’s post is going to be a review of the movie “Killers of the Flower Moon”. The movie, which is currently in theaters, is
As I promised in the October post, this post returns us back to a popular Missouri resident, Jesse James. This month I took a trip
This month I took a short, hour and half drive out to Wamego, Kansas. Wamego is a town of 4,000 about a hour northwest of
If you have been following me for a while, you know that I like to publish posts about historical television and movies and I watch.
If you don’t know me personally or haven’t followed me long enough to figure this out, I am a God-fearing, flag waving, proud to be
I have a bit of personal attachment to the Jesse James story because the house we built in Richmond, Missouri backed up to the cemetery
One of the ways that I make decisions on my book projects is by looking at the popularity of posts on my blog. My most
Remembering the 4th grade A significant portion of my readers are, or were, Missouri residents. I think that most of these people remember the 4th
Our last stop on the Oklahoma tour is Fort Gibson. I found Fort Gibson very interesting, and I encourage you to visit if you are
The Battle of Honey Springs, sometimes called the Affair at Elk Creek, occurred on July 17, 1863, at the Honey Springs Depot which was a
I decided to do an extra post this week to review the movie Jesus Revolution for two reasons. The first is the obvious connection between
Cabin Creek is a small river in the northeastern part of Oklahoma. Today, the battlefield site is out in the middle of nowhere. In 1863,
I’m thrilled to show everyone the cover for my next book, “Hippie War: Battle for the Harrisonville Square”. For those of you who enjoy seeing how
I’m going to be taking a short break from creating new content for both this page as well as my Facebook Page, Jonathan Jones History.
My wife was concerned that I was considering joining the Mormon religion after watching “Under the Banner of Heaven” on Hulu. While joining up was
This will be the second in an unofficial series of posts relating to the history of the Mormons in Missouri. If you haven’t read the
The Haun’s Mill Massacre came to my attention while Jill and I were watching the Hulu show, Under the Banner of Heaven, starring Andrew Garfield.
The Kingdom of Amarugia was located in an area in Cass County between Freeman, Archie, and Drexel. Much of the land is now a conservation
Check out my latest article on the Orphan Train which was printed in the July 15 edition of the Johnson County Gazette. Orphan Trains were
The Huron Indian Cemetery, also known as the Wyandot National Burying Ground, is located at 631 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, Kansas. Wyandot and Huron are
An American’s Guide to European Travel I will be releasing a new travel book in July. While on a recent trip to Greece with my
The Battle of Pea Ridge is labeled by some historians as the “Battle that Saved Missouri for the Union”. I have been trying to get
Kansas City Municipal Stadium was located at 2123 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri. If you are approaching from the north, you will drive past Arthur
I have always been fascinated, in a sort of macabre way, with this story. The reader comments and interest in the story tell me that
I want to start this final entry in the series with a bit of a disclaimer. If you have read the book, Charlie Simpson Apocalypse,
I was honored to be asked to speak with the Mary Sibley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Harrisonville on Saturday, April
As mentioned at the end of part 1 of this series, the fuse that lit the fireworks occurred in front of the Sears store on
This entry in my series of historic events on the border takes a bit of a different slant than my other entries which generally have
Check out my latest column in the March 4th issue of the Johnson County Gazette. This month I look into Quantrill’s Raids of Shawnee. There
There is very little remaining of the town of Quindaro, Kansas today. A modern park shelter now sits atop the bluff that overlooks the riverfront
Newtonia is a very small town, population 200, about 60 miles southwest of Springfield. The two Civil War battles fought there will always be known
Check out my latest article in the January 28th edition of the JOCO Gazette. This month’s article takes a look at the history of Lenexa,
Early on the morning of September 22, 1861, Lane, and his men, calling themselves “Lane’s Brigade”, rode into town and after trading small arms fire
A traveler cannot understand the Border War without a visit to Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence is located about 30 miles west of Kansas City and was
Check out my latest column in the November 17 edition of the Johnson County Gazette. This article is entitled, KSD’s Luther “Dummy” Taylor, World Series
Lecompton is another town that has embraced its Civil War roots and markets itself to the outside world based on that image. The town’s slogan
Sneak Peek for the cover design for my second book, “The Border War Tour: A Traveler’s Guide to Civil War Sites on the Missouri/Kansas Border”. I’m
In this tour stop, I will review what is not just one tour stop but several. The Battle of Westport Driving Tour takes the visitor
Check out my latest column in the November 19 edition of the Johnson County Gazette. This article is entitled, “Who Were the Harvey Girls”. this
This tour stop at Fort Hayes will wrap up our journey through the middle of Kansas. Hayes, Kansas is located on I-70 about 4 hours
This week we continue our journey through West Central Kansas with a stop at Fort Larned, which is located near Larned, Kansas, approximately 270 miles
For this post, we continue our trip through south-central Kansas with a visit to Dodge City. Dodge City would earn the nickname, “Sodom of the
Check out my latest column in Johnson County Gazette entitled, “Nazi Prisoners?”. This article is a bit a departure from my normal column in the
I’m going to step a little bit away from the Border War for my next few posts. In August I traveled throughout central Kansas visiting
I was honored to speak at the David Whitmer Symposium last Saturday, this was changed to an online event, but the program was recorded so
Fort Scott, named after General Winfield Scott, was built in 1842 to give soldiers a place to live while working to maintain peace between white
Check out my latest article for the Johnson County Gazette entitled “Jennison’s Jayhawkers visit Olathe. The article can be found at this link: http://jocogazette.com/images/2021-9-17.lowrez.pdf. Click
This post is a continuation of the “Battle of Independence, Part 1. I recommend that read that post first before reading this one. At 4:30
This tour stop takes us back to Independence, where the First Battle of Independence occurred on August 11, 1862. There is a single informational sign
I was honored to be on the Timeline Radio show and podcast with Clenece Hill last Monday, August 16th. The show was live on KLWN
Pick up a copy of the August 13th edition of the Johnson County Gazette and read my latest article about the Battle of Blowhard. You
Our next couple of stops on the Border War Tour will take us to Independence, Missouri. Today, we will visit the Jackson County Jail and
I am pleased to announce that Moonlit Mayhem was reviewed by Civil War Books and Authors. Check out their review via the link to their
The Lane Trail is a route from the east and north into Kansas that allowed settlers from those regions to avoid Missouri and the ruffians
Well, it’s not a New York Times bestseller yet, but it’s doing okay. Four months into the sales of Moonlit Mayhem I have sold 227
Check out my latest article in the July 16th Johnson County Gazette entitled, “Bushwhacker Raid on Gardner”. The article details the bushwhacker raid on Gardner
The first Capital of Kansas was located in a small town called Pawnee, Kansas. It has been said that the events that took place in
The strange story of William Quantrill’s multiple graves is too long to cover in a short post so this post will contain the Reader’s Digest
After the end of the Civil War, Confederate Veterans had it rough. Particularly in Missouri, these men had seen their property and most of their
Check out my latest article in the June 11 edition of the Johnson County Gazette about Olathe’s historic Ott’s Mill building on East Cedar Street.
Border War Tour Stop: Rebel Raid on Humbold, Kansas Humboldt, Kansas is a small town about 50 miles due east of Fort Scott, Kansas, and 10
Border War Tour Stop: Drum Creek, Little House on the Prairie, Osage Indians vs Confederates, and the first serial killers. There is a great deal to
The Most Hated Man in Missouri: Check out my latest article in the May 14th edition of the Johnson County Gazette. The article is located
The Battle of Island Mound occurred in Bates County, Missouri about 7 miles west of Butler, Missouri, and 9 miles east of the Missouri/Kansas Border.
I promised when I started this journey that I would keep this audience updated as to my progress and how things were going with this
After the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, Osawatomie, Kansas was settled by Free State settlers. In 1855, this belief conflicted with that of
Check out the latest edition of the Johnson County Gazette to read my latest article about Olathe’s first Mayor, William “Billy” Pellett. Pellett was held prisoner during the
First of all, a shameless plug for my new book, Moonlit Mayhem: Quantrill’s Raid of Olathe Kansas. Get your signed copy for $5 off the
I am pleased to announce that my first book, “Moonlit Mayhem: Quantrill’s Raid of Olathe, Kansas”, is now available. All formats (paperback, Kindle, and eBook) should
Part 2 of this tour is a collection of tidbits that I could not fit into Part 1. • In 1860 Lexington, with a population of
Pick up a copy of the March 12th edition of the Johnson County Gazette in which you will find my latest article about the Shawnee
This month I’m going to go in a bit of a different direction, but I’ve always said that I would write about what was interesting
I was traveling this month and came across a Kansas site that I thought would be interesting to share in this month’s post. On our
This month has been a busy one with the release of my new book, The Kingdom of Amarugia, (now available for pre-order at www.jonathanjonesauthor.com) Instead
This month’s post is going to take us a little further afield to the location of the Siege of Vicksburg. Jill and I took a
This month’s post is a little different than my normal history stuff. That said, there is a history component to the Martin and Osa Johnson
Council Grove, KS: Kanza (Kaw) Indians, Sante Fe Trail, Oldest Restaurant in Kansas This month’s post takes us to Council Grove, Kansas. Council Grove is a