Today, Heritage Park in Olathe has a number of reasons to visit: softball fields, fresh walking trails, a marina. But a piece of the park’s history is giving people another reason to visit and reflect.
In 1838, 859 members of the Potawatomi Nation were forcibly removed from their homes and marched westward in what became known as the Trail of Death, a route believed to have passed through the very land that Heritage Park sits on. Since the 1980s, a rock and plaque near the park’s marina has marked that history, but the remembrance recently transformed into something bigger.
Fire Keepers Circle, unveiled last summer, is a circular art installation that stands in Heritage Park now, and it’s believed to be the only commemorative installation ever created for the Potawatomi Nation in honor of that forced march.
“What I love is that it all started with relationship building,” says Susan Mong, superintendent of culture for the Johnson County Park and Recreation District. “When I think about this whole project, that piece of art is stunning—during the day, during the night. But what really wells up for me is the relationships, the trust that was built and the fact that we did it the right way.”…