A major Osage village stood on a high hilltop in what is now Vernon County, Missouri, between about 1700 and 1775, reflecting the reach and strength of Osage life across a vast region. At its height, it likely contained about 200 lodges and 2,000 to 3,000 people, making it one of the most significant known Osage village sites. Archaeology has revealed rectangular dwellings and artifacts that illuminate daily life. The community also embodied the Osage role in the regional economy through hunting, farming, food processing, and fur trading with Europeans. After the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase in 1804, policies and settlement forced the Osage from their lands.