Highlighting sites of historical interest for citizens and visitors alike... that's one of the key duties of the Historical Society. We carry out this mandate by maintaining a group of engraved wood signs that tell the story of key places and events in Oswego's development.

One such sign is located near the bluff in Riverside Park. In addition to relating the history of the park itself, the sign describes the nearby spot where the Indians used to ford the Neosho River on their way to hunting grounds in Oklahoma, and where Col. J. G. Blunt mustered Union soldiers in preparation for their 1861 raid on the Mathews Trading Post.

The Marker In Riverside Park

Perhaps the most important of the markers is the one in John Mathews Park at Fourth and Union Streets, site of the Little Town Well, around which the town was originally settled. It tells a concise version of the story of Mathews, a blacksmith and licensed trader with the Osage village east of the bluff, and how he ran afoul of Union forces early in the Civil War; and then how the settlement was reborn after the war, first as Little Town and then as present-day Oswego.

Another interesting sign is found in John Schmoker Memorial Park, about a mile west on Fourth Street. This one tells of the roads and trails that intersected where our town is now... trails which were important to the Indians for hunting, to cattlemen for driving their herds from Texas, and eventually for the advancement of rail commerce.

A fourth sign, normally located at the city's Camp Siesta R.V. park near the fairgrounds, is currently absent while it undergoes renovation.

We invite you to visit Oswego, check out our signs, and soak up the history that they recount.

Please check back periodically. We will be adding new information to this section over time.