Embedded Document /system/files/2022-12/LT_SN_Wakarusa_Simmons.pdf Download this PDF Abstract The history of Wakarusa, a town in Shawnee County, Kansas, located about eleven miles south of Topeka, dates back to the 1850s. Its name originates from the Wakarusa River valley, land that was originally inhabited by the Pottawatomie Indians. The name "Wakarusa" was supposedly derived from an American Indian folk tale about a chief who crossed the river by horse and exclaimed to his followers, "Wa-ka-ru-sa," meaning "hip-deep" or "river of big weeds." Authors Simmons, Dillon Date Sep 01, 2011 Tags Potawatomi Tribe Santa Fe Railroad Shawnee County Wakarusa Wakarusa Hotel Zenas King Publisher Kansas State University, The Chapman Center for Rural Studies Citation Dillon Simmons, “Wakarusa, Shawnee County,” Lost Kansas Communities, https://lostkansas.ccrsdigitalprojects.com/wakarusa-shawnee-county. Rights This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). NOTE: Rights status of accompanying images may differ from text.