Courtney Eddy King, a descendant of the Peoria Tribe and a student at Haskell Indian Nations University presented an educational lecture titled “Indigenous Perspective on Land Restoration” to the Extension Master Gardeners of Douglas County, KS on March 18th, 2026. This presentation featured a brief history of the university, its land use and current restoration practices on university lands.
The Wakarusa River Valley has deep indigenous and cultural significance to our area and history and once featured open marshlands, tallgrass prairies, riparian woodlands. The area was notable to many Tribal Nations for its bountiful medicinal, food and fiber plant life prior to the American Indian Wars aka American Frontier Wars which occurred from the 17th century until the early 19th century and resulted in the forced relocation of many native tribes to Oklahoma.
According to the Haskell Cultural Center & Museum, Haskell Indian Nations University, the oldest Native American public education institution, was formed by public land grant in 1884 and originated as the “United States Indian Industrial Training School”. Its purpose was to assimilate Native Americans and their land to the majority culture so they would survive in the newly formed United States. This assimilation period lasted from 1884 to around 1933. Many abuses of Native Americans and their lands occurred during this time frame.
Wakarusa River Valley land destruction began around 1884 and continues to this day. Heavy tilling, fertilizer and modern farming practices, as well as conversion of native ecosystems to non-native monocultures, levy and drainage construction, road construction and fire suppression decimated the native lands. Get the latest on Wakarusa Valley Wetlands Threatened By Development.
Many native plant species such as Common milkweed (Asclepius syriaca), Purple Flower (Monarda fistulosa), Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus), American lotus (Nelumbo lutea), Compassplant (Silphium laciniatum) and Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentals) once roamed freely across a thousand acres that are situated south of the university and to the Wakarusa River.
The Wakarusa River Valley is home to the Sandhill Crane migration period which occurs during the cecaahkwa kiilhswa (Peoria tribe native language) or the Sandhill Crane Moon from February 18-March 18.
Haskell Greenhouse is leading the charge in native land restoration for its remaining acreage with ongoing restoration initiatives, teaching and mentoring students on contemporary and traditional land stewardship practices through hands-on work, academic curriculum and research.