The Story Behind the Shot
After the Treaty of St. Louis in 1825, the Shawnee people settled along the Kansas River in the area that would later become De Soto. In 1854, John and Hattie Possum were granted 740 acres here by President James Buchanan, building their home near Kill Creek.
Just four years later, in 1858, the Possums sold 80 acres — at $15 an acre — to John F. Ligate, S. Todd, and Stratton & Williams, the group that would form the De Soto Town Company. That sale marked the official beginning of the city.
The name “Playing Possum” tips its cap to both the family and the phrase — a quiet move that changed the course of De Soto. Line up your shot carefully… or your disc just might be the one that flops over and plays possum.