New Book Explores Lyda Conley's Fight to Preserve Huron Indian Cemetery in Kansas City
A new book titled 'Lyda Conley and the Fight to Preserve Huron Indian Cemetery' traces the multi-generational struggle to protect the sacred burial ground in Kansas City, Kansas. Tai Edwards, director of the Kansas Studies Institute at Johnson County Community College, and Chief Emeritus Judith Manthe will discuss the book on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library’s Central Library. The book, published by University Press of Kansas, utilizes primary sources, oral histories, and scholarly analysis to detail Lyda Conley's lifelong dedication to the cemetery. Conley, a Wyandot woman, became the first Native American woman and third woman in history to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1910, fighting against the sale and relocation of graves. Her efforts, which included physically guarding the cemetery with a shotgun, ultimately led to federal legislation in 1913 protecting the site.
