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St. Mary's Mission was a Jesuit mission founded in 1847 along the Oregon Trail. The Pottawatomie Indian Pay Station was built in 1857 for use by government agents to pay an annuity to the Potawatomi Indians who relocated to the area from the Great Lakes region. The city of St. Marys, Kansas was established around the mission. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Native American children were often forced to attend a Mission School. At St. Mary's parents sent their students to the school. The sisters and the priests insisted on teaching the students in English, French, and in the Potawatomi language to preserve their native culture.