The city of Shawnee, (not to be confused with "
Shawnee Mission Region" formerly called Gum Springs), was founded in 1857, Pop.: About 42,996, Elev.: 1000 ft.
One of the state's earliest towns, Shawnee was also the site of the first territorial legislature, and home to the first territorial governor.
Shawnee is located in Johnson County and is included within the Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas Metro area. About a 1 mile SE of the mission is a famous spring, which has long been know by the name of "Cottonwood Spring." A mineral spring, said to possess great healing powers, which was called by the Native American "Medicine water." It is at this place that Fremont pitched his first camp after leaving Independence, Mo., on his tour across the plains, and hence the spring is sometimes called Fremont's Spring.