Welcome to the website where you can find the history of the Sibley, Missouri area. The history of this area dates back as far as the Middle Woodland (1A.D. – 500A.D.) period of history. The “Kansas City Hopewell” had villages on the bluff that Fort Osage currently occupies.
In 1808, four years after the Lewis and Clark Expedition a new Fort was constructed to serve two roles in the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. The first was to establish a military presence in the Territory, the second was to trade with the Osage Indians, to improve relations with the United States. In 1812 the area became apart of the Missouri Territory after Louisiana became a state. The Missouri compromise was signed in 1821 which allowed Missouri to join the Union as a slave state. Government trading with the Indians ended in 1822 when the Factory System was abolished to make room for private traders. Fort Osage was closed in 1827 when the U.S. Army opened Fort Leavenworth.
Archibald Gamble officially platted the Town of Sibley in 1836. Gamble, the brother-in-law of the Fort Osage factor George Sibley, named the town after Sibley. Using the Fort Osage landing and planning on ferry operations, Gamble and Sibley envisioned a town made prosperous from river trade, steamboat outfitting, and providing goods and service for overland trail travelers. The town did experience a modest amount of prosperity in the late 1830s and early 1840s.
Sibley never grew into more than a small village as the economic center of Jackson County was Independence. Sibley also suffered from a series of tragic events. In 1844, a severe flood destroyed many of the businesses located at the base of the bluff. The town was also virtually destroyed by Union forces in June 1863, as Sibley was a refuge for Confederate guerillas during the Civil War. A serious fire in 1878 and a tornado in 1880 again damaged much of the town. In 1887, the Santa Fe railroad crossed the Missouri River at Sibley, and the business center and most of the residents moved about a half-mile to the south around the railroad depot. This part of town is often called “New Sibley.”
Today, Sibley has a population of 357 (from the 2010 Census) and is an incorporated village. It is known as the home of Fort Osage National Historic Landmark, which is owned and operated by Jackson County Parks + Rec.