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sWITT  C.  T.  GRUBBS 


I        3  1833  02175  1224 

Gc    978.1    K13t    v,9    ..  vC.:. 06 

K ANB AS  State  H  i  stor  i  c al. 

BOCIETV. 

Transactions  of  the  Kansas 
State  Hi-stdrical.  Society 


TRANSACTIONS 

OF   THE 

KANSAS 
STATE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY, 

1905-1906. 


EMBRACING 

ADDRESSES  AT  ANNUAL  MEETINGS ;    EARLY  MISSIONS  IN 
KANSAS;    SEMICENTENNIAL  OF  TERRITORIAL  ORGANI- 
ZATION;   RIVER  NAVIGATION;    POLITICAL  ADMIN- 
ISTRATIONS;   THE  SOLDIERS  OF  KANSAS, 
AND  MISCELLANEOUS  PAPERS. 


Edited  by  GEO.  W.   MARTIN,  Secretarij. 


VOL.  IX. 


STATE  PRINTING  OFFICE, 
TOPEKA,  1906. 


OFFICERS   FOR   1906. 


President Horace  L.  Moore,  of  Lawrence. 

First  Vice-president J.  R.  Mead,  of  Wichita. 

Second  Vice-president Geo.  W.  Veale,  of  Topeka. 

Secretary Geo.  W.  Martin,  of  Kansas  City,  Kan. 

Treasurer John  Guthrie,  of  Topeka.  (Died  July  i,  i906.) 


LIFE  MEMBERS. 


J.  B.  Adams,   El  Dorado. 
D.  R.  Anthony,  Leavenworth. 
L.  A.  Bigger,   Hutchinson. 
Geo.  E.  Cole,  Topeka. 

C.  L.  Davidson,  Wichita. 
John  E.  Frost,  Topeka. 
Chas.  S.  Gleed,  Topeka. 
Albert  R.  Greene,  Portland,  Ore. 
John  A.  Halderman,   Washington,  D.  C. 

D.  J.  Hanna,  Hill  City. 
Grant  Hornaday,  Fort  Scott. 
Marcus  A.  Low,  Topeka. 

J.  R.  Mead,  Wichita. 


E.  N.  Morrill,  Hiawatha. 

D.  W.  Mulvane,   Topeka. 

Jonathan  D.  Norton,  Topeka. 

C.  A.  Peterson,  St.  Louis. 

Sam  Radges,   Topeka. 

Bertrand  Rockwell,   Junction  City. 

J.  C.  Ruppenthal,   Russell. 

Eliza  May  Stone,  Galena. 

W.  B.  Stone.  Galena. 

W.  R.  Stubbs,  Lawrence. 

B.  P.  Waggener,  Atchison. 

A.  B.  Whiting,  Topeka. 


(iii) 


IV 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


ANNUAL  MEMBERS, 

June  30,  1906. 

In  addition  to  this  list,  all  newspaper  publisshers  and  editors  are  members  by  virtue  of  the 
contribution  of  their  publications. 


Alma.-S.  H.  Fairfield. 

Anthony. -T.  A.  Noftzger. 

Atchison. -Sheffield  Ingalls,  Geo.  W.  Click. 

Baldwin.— J.  W.  Fisher. 

Baxter  Springs.^  Samuel  J.  Crawford. 

Blue  Rapids. —  Emma  K.  Lea. 

Burlington. —  Fred  R.  Hammond. 

Chanute.-J.  M.  Massey,  Esther  M.  Clark,  S. 

W.  Brewster,  Delos  Johnson,  H.  C.  Dryden. 
Clyde. —  James  B.  Sag-er. 
Colony. —  John  Francis,  H.  W.  Sterling. 
Columbus.— Chas.  D.  Huffman. 
Cottonwood  Falls.—  Archibald  Miller. 
Council  Grove.— John  T.  Jacobs. 
Courtland.  -Mrs.    Elizabeth   A.   Johnson    and 

Geo.  Johnson. 
Dodge  City.  — R.  M.  Wright. 
Eagle  Lake,  Minn. —  J.  J.  Lutz. 
Ellinwood.— Albert  Steckel. 
Emporia.— Joseph  H.Hill,  John  Madden,  W. 

E.  Bray,  Geo.  Plumb. 
Erie.-L.  Stillwell. 
Garden  City.—  A.  H.  Burtis. 
Great  Bend.-  A.  J.  Hoisington. 
Harveyville.— Wm.  E.  Richey. 
Hays  City. -Hill  P.  Wilson. 
Hiawatha.  — H.  J.  Aten,   E.  N.Morrill,  Julia 

A.  Chase. 
Highland.—  Dr.  A.  Herring,  Pryor  Plank. 
Hill  City.—  John  S.  Dawson. 
Holton.—  T.  P.  Moore. 
Horton.—  Scott  Hopkins. 
Independence.— L.  U.  Humphrey. 
lola.—  Frank  L.  Travis,  Benton  E.  Clifford. 
Jewell  City.— J.  C.  Postlethwaite. 
Junction  City.— George  W.  McKnight.  S.  W. 

Pierce,  A.  C.  Pierce. 
Kansas  City.— Geo.  W.  Martin,  F.  D.  Coburn, 

Winfield  Freeman,  Dr.  W.  F.  Waite. 
Kansas  City,  Mo.—  J.  C.  Horton. 
Lawrence.— Ch»s.  W.  Smith,  G.  Grovenor,  Hol- 
land Wheeler,  W.   C.   Abbott,  H.  L.  Moore, 

Paul  R.  Brooks.  W.  H.  Carruth,  F.  H.  Hod- 

der,  John  G.  Haskell,  Frank  Strong,  F.  W. 

Blackmar,  Chas.  H.  Hoyt,  Geo.  Leis,  Alex. 

Martin  Wilcox. 
Leavenworth.— J.    H.    Gillpatrick,    H.   C.   F. 

Hackbusch,  J.  C.  Ketcheson,  P.  G.  Lowe.  E. 

T.  Carr. 
Lecompton.—  E.  P.  Harris. 


Lincoln.— A.  Roenigk. 

Lyndon.— Chas.  R.  Green. 

McPherson.— A.  C.  Spilman,  John  D.  Milliken. 

Manhattan.— Carl  Engel,  Wm.  J.  Griffing,  Har- 
riet A.  Parkeson,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Coleman. 

Marion.— Alex.  A.  Case,  W.  H.  Carpenter, 
Ferd  J.  Funk. 

Marquette.  — John  F.  Hughes. 

Marysville.  — W.  H.  Smith,  J.  Earl  Miller. 

Medicine  Lodge.  —  Chester  I.  Long. 

Middletown,  Conn.  — Jos.  M.  Hubbard. 

Minneapolis.— Harry  McMillan. 

Mulberry. -W.  H.  Tharp. 

Ness  City.-  L.  B.  Wolf. 

Newkirk,  Okla.-H.  M.  Hamblin. 

Oberlin.— G.  Webb  Bertram. 

Olathe.—  D.  P.  Hougland,  John  P.  St.  John,  D. 
Hubbard. 

Olsburg.— John  Booth. 

Omaha.  Neb.— Henry  E.  Palmer. 

Pittsburg.—  C.  N.  Price,  T.  C.  Werner.  Geo.  G. 
Hamilton, 

Richland.  —  Stephen  M.  Crockett. 

Salina.— Fred  H.  Quincy,  James  A.  Kimball, 
August  Bondi,  T.  D.  Fitzpatrick,  A.  M. 
Campbell,  C.  W.  Lynn,  Luke  F.  Parsons. 

Solomon. —  R.  M.  Wimsatt. 

Sonyea,  N.  Y.—  Truman  Lewis  Stone. 

Tecumseh.  —  J.  A.  Read. 

Topeka.—  Mrs.  Caroline  Prentis,  Wm.  E.  Con- 
nelley,  E.  F.  Ware,  Harry  E.  Valentine,  Zu 
Adams,  Geo.  W.  Crane,  Clad  Hamilton,  John 
R.  Mulvane,  John  M.  Meade,  Geo.  M.  Kellam, 
T.  J.  Anderson,  John  Martin,  Geo.  W.  Weed, 
Lucy  D.  Kingman,  Fred  M.  Kimball,  Luther 
McAfee  Nellis.  Wm.  A.  Johnston,  Norman 
Plass,  L.  D.  Whittemore.  Geo.  W.  Veale.  J. 
Ware  Butterfield,  G.  F.  Kimball.  Luther  C. 
Bailey,  Fred.  Wellhouse.  Geo.  A.  Huron, 
Chas.  F.  Hardy.  Chas.  E.  Eldridge. 

Wakefield. — Wm.  J.  Chapman. 

Washington,  D.  C— Chas.  S.  Davis,  E.  J. 
Dallas. 

Whittier,  Cal.— R.  M.  Peck. 

Wichita.— Sam'l  F.  Woolard,  Kos  Harris.  W. 
H.  Isely.  R.  A.  Sankey,  J.  Elmer  Reese,  Jos. 
D.  Houston. 

Winfield.— Charles  H.  Rhodes.  E.  C.  Manning. 

York.  Pa.-  Dr.  L  H.  Betz. 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS. 


FOR  THE  THREE  YEARS  ENDING  DECEMBER,  1906. 

McMillan,  Harry,  Minneapoli; 


Adams,  Zu,  Topeka. 

Blackmar,  Frank  W.,  Lawrence. 

Chase,  Harold  T.,  Topeka, 

Chase,  Julia  A.,  Hiawatha. 

Connelley,  Wm.  E.,  Topeka. 

Crane,  Geo.  W.,  Topeka. 

Fisher,  J.  W.,  East  Radford,  Va. 

Gleed,  Chas.  S.,  Topeka. 

Griffing-,  W.  J.,  Manhattan. 

Guthrie,  John.  Topeka.     (Died  July  1, 

Haskell,  John  G.,  Lawrence. 

Hill,  Joseph  H.,  Emporia. 

Hopkins,  Scott,  Horton. 

Hovey,  G.  U.  S.,  White  Church. 

Johnson,  Elizabeth  A.,  Courtland. 

Lane,  Vincent  J.,  Kansas  City. 

Lowe,  P.  G.,  Leavenworth. 

FOR  THE  THREE 
Brooks,  Paul  R.,  Lawrence. 
Clark,  Geo.  A.,  Topeka. 
Cory,  C.  E.,  Fort  Scott. 
Cowgill,  E.  B.,  Topeka. 
Davies,  Gomer  T..  Concordia. 
Dawson,  John  S.,  Hill  City. 
Fairfield,  S.  H.,  Alma. 
Francis,  John,  Colony. 
Freeman,  Winfield,  Kansas  City. 
Hackbusch,  H.  C.  F.,  Leavenworth. 
Hoch,  E.  W..  Marion. 
Isely,  W.  H.,  Wichita. 
Keizer,  Dell,  Topeka. 
McCarter,  Margaret  Hill,  Topeka. 
Martin,  John,  Topeka. 
Miller.  J.  Earl,  Marysville. 
Prentis,  Caroline,  Topeka. 


Martin,  Geo.  W..  Topeka. 
Mead,  J.  R.,  Wichita. 
Milliken,  J.  D.,  McPherson. 
Moore,  Horace  L.,  Lawrence. 
Morrill,  E.  N.,  Hiawatha. 
Murdock,  Victor,  Wichita. 
MacDonald,  John,  Topeka, 
Randolph,  L.  F.,  Nortonville. 
Ruppenthal,  J.  C,  Russell. 
Sims,  William,  Topeka. 
Smith,  W.  H.,  Marysville. 
Vandegrift,  Fred  L.,  Kansas  City. 
Wellhouse,  Fred.,  Topeka. 
Wright,  Robert  M..  Dodge  City. 
Wilson,  Hill  P.,  Hays  City. 


ENDING  DECEMBER.  1907. 
Pierce,  A.  C,  Junction  City. 
Quincy,  Fred  H.,  Salina. 
Richey,  W.  E.,  Harveyville. 
Rockwell,  Bertrand,  Junction  City. 
Royce,  Olive  I.,  Phillipsburg. 
Scott,  Charles  F.,  lola. 
Smith,  Charles  W.,  Lawrence. 
Smith,  F.  Dumont,  Kinsley. 
Strong,  Frank,  Lawrence. 
Stone,  W,  B.,  Galena. 
Thompson,  A.  H.,  Topeka. 
Valentine,  D.  A.,  Clay  Center. 
Whiting,  A.  B.,  Topeka. 
Waggener,  B.  P.,  Atchison. 
Whittemore,  L.  D.,  Topeka. 
Woolard,  Sam'l  F.,  Wichita. 


FOR  THE  THREE  YEARS  ENDING  DECEMBER,  1908. 


Abbott,  Wilbur  C,  Lawrence. 
Anderson,  T.  J.,  Topeka. 
Anthony,  D.  R.,  Leavenworth. 
Baker,  Floyd  P.,  Topeka. 
Brewster,  S.  W.,  Chanute. 
Capper,  Arthur,  Topeka. 
Carruth,  W.  H.,  Lawrence. 
Coburn,  F.  D.,  Topeka. 
Cole,  George  E.,  Topeka. 
Gillpatrick,  J.  H.,  Leavenworth. 
Greene,  A.  R.,  Portland,  Ore. 
Green,  Charles  R.,  Lyndon. 
Hanna,  D.  J.,  Hill  City. 
Harris,  Edward  P.,  Lecompton. 
Hamilton,  Clad,  Topeka. 
Hodder,  Frank  H.,  Lawrence. 
Hughes,  John  F..  McPherson. 


Johnston,  W.  A.,  Topeka. 
Kingman,  Lucy  D.,  Topeka. 
Lewis,  Cora  G.,  Kinsley. 
Madden,  John,  Parsons. 
Moore,  H.  Miles,  Leavenworth. 
Nellis,  Luther  McAfee,  Topeka. 
Noftzger,  T.  A.,  Anthony. 
Parsons,  Luke  F.,  Salina. 
Plank,  Pryor,  Highland. 
Plass,  Norman,  Topeka. 
Rhodes,  Charles  Harker,  Winfield. 
Riddle,  A.  P,,  Minneapolis. 
Veale,  Geo.  W..  Topeka. 
Ware,  E.  F.,  Topeka. 
Weed,  George  W.,  Topeka. 
Wilder,  D.  W.,  Hiawatha. 


CONTENTS  OF  THIS  VOLUME. 


PAGE 

Officers  and  Life  Members  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society iii 

Annual  Members  of  the  Society,  June  30,  1906 iv 

Board  of  Directors  of  the  Society v 

Acknowledgment xi 

I.— Addresses  at  Annual  Meetings. 
The  Alliance  Movement  in  Kansas— Origin  of  the  People's  Party,  by 

W.  F.  Rightmire,  of  Topeka 1 

The  Saline  River  Country  in  1859,  by  James  R.  Mead,  of  Wichita 8 

Reverend  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione,  by  S.  W.  Brewster,  of  Chanute,  19 

The  Victory  of  the  Plow,  by  William  D.  Street,  of  Oberlin 33 

Samuel  A.  Kingman,  by  Joseph  G.  Waters,  of  Topeka 45 

Judge  Samuel  A.  Kingman,  an  address  before  the  State  Bar  Associa- 
tion, by  Howel  Jones,  of  Topeka 55 

Reminiscences  of  Dodge,  by  Robert  M.  Wright,  of  Dodge  City 66 

The  Wyandot  Indians,  by  Ray  E.  Merwin,  of  Galena 73 

Building  the  Sedan  Court-house,  by  H.  B.  Kelly,  of  Topeka 89 

The  Kansas  Oil  Producers  against  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  by  W.  E. 

Connelley,  of  Topeka 94 

The  History  of  the  Desert,  by  F.  W.  Blackmar,  of  Lawrence 101 

IL— Semicentennial  Anniversary  of  our  Territorial 
Organization. 

Kansas-Nebraska    Bill   and    Decoration  Day,   by  William  H.   Taft,   of 

Washington,  D.  C 115 

Early  Days  in  Kansas,  by  Geo.  W.  Martin,  of  Topeka 126 

Address  at  the  Semicentennial  Anniversary  of  the  Founding  of  Law- 
rence, by  George  R.  Peck,  of  Chicago,  111 144 

III.  — Missions  among  the  Indians  in  Kansas. 
Right  Reverend  John  B.  Miege,  S.  J..  First  Catholic  Bishop  of  Kansas, 

by  James  A.  McGonigle,  of  Leavenworth   153 

The  Methodist  Missions  among  the  Indian  Tribes  in  Kansas,  by  Rev. 

J.  J.  Lutz,  of  Eagle  Lake,  Minn 160 

Probably  the  First  School  in  Kansas  for  White  Children,  by  Geo.   P. 

Morehouse,  of  Council  Grove 231 

IV.— River  Navigation. 
A  History  of  the  Missouri  River,  by  Phil.  E.  Chappell,  of  Kansas  City, 

Mo 237 

Missouri  River  Steamboats,  by  Phil.  E.  Chappell,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. .  295 
The  Kansas  River— its  Navigation,  by  Albert  R.  Greene,  of  Portland, 

Ore 317 

(vii) 


viii  Contents  of  this  Volume. 

V. — Statecraft.  page 

The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866,  by  Edwin  C.   Manning,  of 

Winfield 359 

The  Genealogy  of  Charles  Robinson 377 

The  Administrations  of  John  P.  St.  John,  by  I.  O.  Pickering,  of  Olathe. .  378 
The  Administration  of  George  W.  Glick,  by  James  Humphrey,  of  Junc- 
tion City 395 

The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humphrey,  by  D.  O.  McCray,  of  To- 
peka 414 

VI.— The  Soldiers  of  Kansas. 
Company  A,  Eleventh  Kansas  Regiment,  in  the  Price  Raid,  by  Capt. 

H.  E.  Palmer,  of  Omaha,  Neb 431 

The  Battle  on  Beaver  Creek,  by  George  B.  Jenness 443 

Beecher  Island  Monument 453 

The  Black-flag  Character  of  War  on  the  Border,  by  Capt.  H.  E.  Palmer, 

of  Omaha,  Neb 455 

VIL— Miscellaneous  Papers. 

The  Railroad  Convention  of  1860,  by  George  W.  Glick,  of  Atchison 467 

The  Drought  of  1860,  by  George  W.  Glick,  of  Atchison 480 

Reminiscences   of   Foreign   Immigration  work  for  Kansas,   by  C.    B. 

Schmidt,  of  Pueblo,  Colo 485 

Edward  Grafstrom,  a  Hero  of  the  Flood  of  1903 497 

The  Story  of  a  Fenceless  Winter-wheat  Field,  by  T.  C.  Henry,  Denver,  502 

Where  Kansans  were  Born,  by  D.  W.  Wilder,  of  Hiawatha   506 

Voting  for  Lincoln  in  Missouri  in  1860,  by  D.  P.  Hougland,  of  Olathe. . .  509 
Kaw  and  Kansas:  a  Monograph  on  the  Name  of  the  State,  by  Robert 

Hay,  late  of  Junction  City 521 

Two  City  Marshals : 

Thomas  James  Smith,  of  Abilene,  by  T.  C.  Henry,  of  Denver,  Colo.  526 

Thomas  Allen  CuUinan,  of  Junction  City,  by  Geo.  W.  Martin 532 

Dispersion  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  of  1856,  by  Abby  Huntington 

Ware,  of  Topeka 540 

Kansas  Experiences,  1856-'65,  by  Oscar  G.  Richards,  of  Eudora 545 

Reminiscences  of  Hartman  Lichtenhan,  of  Geary  county 548 

Westport  and  the  Santa  Fe  Trade,  by  William  R.  Bernard,  of  Kansas 

City,  Mo 552 

Explanation  of  Map    565 

Errata  and  Addenda  579 

Index 583 

MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Rev.  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione Opposite    24 

Mission  Buildings  at  Osage  Mission "  25 

Right  Rev.  John  B.  Miege 153 

First  Cathedral  in  Kansas 155 

Cathedral  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Leavenworth 157 

East  School  Building  at  Shawnee  Mission 159 

Rev.  Thomas  Johnson 161 


Illustrations  in  this  Volume.  ix 

PAGE 

Ten-squa-ta-wa,  the  Prophet 164 

Rev.  Jesse  Greene 166 

Mrs.  Mary  Greene 167 

Shawnee  Indian  Church 169 

Home  of  Missionary  and  Teachers  at  Shawnee  Mission   173 

Girls'  Boarding-house,  Shawnee  Mission 175 

Col.  A.  S.  Johnson 175 

Rev.  Jerome  C.  Berryman 177 

Rev.  Nathan  Scarritt 182 

Rev.  Charles  Bluejacket 183 

Rev.  Joab  Spencer 185 

Rev.  John  Thompson  Peery 194 

Map  of  the  Kaw  Agency,  1827 195 

Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Johnson  Peery,  nee  Chick 198 

Mrs.  Anna  M.  Grinter 205 

Rev.  James  Ketchum 207 

Silas  Armstrong 216 

Monnocue 221 

Between-the-Logs   221 

Rev.  L.  B.  Stateler 222 

Mrs.  Melinda  Stateler 223 

Judge  T.  S.  Huffaker 231 

Kaw  Indian  Mission  at  Council  Grove .^ 232 

Mrs.  Eliza  A,  Huffaker 234 

Steamer  General  Meade  among  the  Buffaloes    236 

Phil.  E.  Chappell 237 

Manuel  de  Lisa 244 

The  Keel-boat  in  the  Fur  Trade,  1810  261 

The  Pioneer  Steamboat,  1820-1830     279 

A  Missouri  River  Steamboat,  1850- 1860 292 

The  Lightf oot  on  a  Sand-bar,  Kansas  River 326 

River  Scene  at  Lecompton,  1855 344,  345 

Shawnee  Indian  Mission,  1832 375 

Charles  Robinson,  First  Governor  of  Kansas 376 

John  P.  St.  John,  Eighth  Governor  of  Kansas 379 

Benjamin  Singleton 385 

George  W.  Glick,  Ninth  Governor  of  Kansas 396 

Lyman  U.  Humphrey,  Eleventh  Governor  of  Kansas  415 

Monument  at  Beecher  Island 454 

Map  of  Railroads  Suggested  by  Convention  of  1860 477 

C.  B.  Schmidt  486 

Bronze  Tablet  to  Edward  Graf strom 498 

Map  Showing  Early  Routes  of  Travel,  Missions,  and  Indian  Villages  . .  .  576 


ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 


rpHERE  is  much  I  would  like  to  say  about  this  volume  and  its  contents, 
but  it  has  already  expanded  beyond  the  limit  and  I  must  forbear.  The 
Historical  Society  and  all  the  good  people  of  Kansas  interested  in  the 
splendid  record  made  by  our  state  most  heartily  acknowledge  great  obli- 
gations to  the  contributors  who  have  furnished  so  much  interest  to  these 
pages.  The  research  and  editorial  work  have  been  very  extensive,  and  it 
has  been  performed  by  Miss  Zu  Adams,  Miss  Clara  V.  Francis,  and  George 
A.  Root;  I  cannot  give  too  much  credit  to  the  earnestness,  persistence,  en- 
thusiasm and  scholarship  of  these  assistants.  Then,  no  matter  how  much 
work  has  so  far  been  placed  upon  it,  the  result  must  pass  through  the 
brains  and  hands  of  certain  mechanics  before  appearing  to  the  public. 
Equal  acknowledgment  is  therefore  due  Thomas  B.  Brown,  foreman  of  the 
composing-room,  M.  E.  Lanham,  who  cuts  up  and  arranges  the  copy,  and 
Albert  G.  Carruth,  proof-reader  (an  invaluable  familiarity  with  Kansas 
proper  names  and  dates  characterizing  these  three),  and  George  W. 
Tincher,  foreman  of  the  bindery,  and  J.  M.  Hill,  pressman,  of  the  state 
printing  plant,  for  the  almost  faultless  and  entirely  handsome  appearance 
of  the  book.  With  these  acknowledgments  as  to  whom  credit  is  due,  I 
am  in  a  position  to  say  that  volume  IX  is  an  admirable  book. 

One  thought:  the  division  of  statecraft  is  a  new  departure,  which  it  is 
proposed  to  continue  down  to  the  latest  administration.  I  wonder  if  public 
men  ever  stop  to  think  that  what  they  do  is  history,  and  that  it  is  quite  im- 
possible in  compiling  history  to  separate  the  chaff  from  the  wheat,  or  the 
dirt  from  the  good.  There  are  no  instruments  in  making  history  more  im- 
portant than  those  charged  with  public  administration.  It  is  not  the  prov- 
ince of  the  State  Historical  Society  to  publish  that  which  may  be  unpleas- 
ant, but,  unfortunately,  the  bad  is  not  lost. 

G.  W.  M. 

TOPEKA.  August  15.  1906. 

(Xi) 


L 


Addresses  at  Annual  Meetings. 


THE  ALLIANCE  MOVEMENT  IN  KANSAS— ORIGIN 
OF  THE  PEOPLE'S  PARTY. 

An  address  by  W.  F.  Rightmire,"  of    Topeka,  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society, 
at  its  twenty-ninth  annual  meeting,  December  6,  1904. 

rpHE  first  Farmers'  Alliance  originated  in  Lampasas  county,  Texas,  in 
J-  1874  or  1875,  and  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  farm- 
ers from  the  encroachments  of  the  wealthy  cattlemen,  who  sought  to  prevent 
the  settlement  of  farmers  in  that  section  and  to  keep  the  lands  in  pasture 
for  the  use  of  their  ranch  herds. 

A  permanent  organization  was  made  at  Poolville,  Parker  county,  Texas, 
July  29,  1879,  and  this  spread  through  Parker  and  adjoining  counties.  A 
state  Alliance  was  organized  at  Central,  Parker  county,  December  27,  1879.- 
After  several  meetings  had  been  held,  the  permanent  ritual  and  constitution 
were  adopted  August  5,  1880,  and  a  charter  of  incorporation  was  secured  on 
the  6th  day  of  October  following,  by  the  officers  elected  at  a  meeting  held 
August  12,  1880.  The  charter  stated  the  objects  of  the  organization  and  its 
purpose  to  be  "to  encourage  agriculture  and  horticulture,  and  to  suppress 
local,  personal,  sectional  and  national  prejudices  and  all  unhealthy  rivalry 
and  selfish  ambition. ' ' 

The  order  spread  rapidly  through  the  seven  cotton  states  of  Texas,  Ar- 
kansas, Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Alabama,  North  Carolina,  and  Tennessee. 
On  the  15th  day  of  May,  1889,  delegates  from  these  seven  states  of  both 
the  Agricultural  WheeP  and  the  Farmers'  Alliance  met  at  Birmingham, 
Ala.,  and  took  joint  action  against  the  cotton-bagging  trust,  and  shortly 
thereafter— September  24,  1889,— these  two  organizations  were  merged,  un 
der  the  name  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance. 

The  state  Alliance  of  Texas,  at  the  meeting  held  at  Mineral  Wells  Au- 

NoTE  1.— W.  F.  Rightmire,  who  furnished  this  manuscript  by  request,  was  born  in  Tomp- 
kins county.  New  York,  March  20,  1849.  He  worked  his  way  through  college,  graduating  in 
1869,  and  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  read  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872.  Re- 
moving to  Iowa  in  1874,  he  became  district  judge  in  1884.  Resigning  this  office  in  1887,  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  settled  at  Lamed.  He  later  removed  to  Cottonwood  Falls,  and  in  1891  to  Topeka.  where 
he  still  resides.  Having  voted  for  Peter  Cooper  in  1876,  and  always  acted  with  the  so-called  re- 
form movement,  he  was  accepted  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  this  movement  in  Kansas,  and  was  one 
of  the  leaders  in  the  political  history  he  describes  in  this  article. 

Note  2.— The  data  for  this  history  of  the  organization  of  the  Alliance  have  been  compiled 
from  W.  S.  Morgan's  "History  of  the  Wheel  and  Alliance,"  1889,  and  Dunning's  "Farmers'  Alli- 
ance History,"  1891. 

Note  3.— The  Agricultural  Wheel  was  organized  at  Des  Arc,  Prairie  county,  Arkansas,  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1882.  The  original  constitution  stated  the  objects  to  be  "the  improvement  of  its  mem- 
bers in  the  theory  and  practice  of  agriculture  and  the  dissemination  of  knowledge  relative  to 
rural  and  farming  affairs."  A  preamble  to  the  constitution,  adopted  later  the  same  year,  de- 
clares in  favor  of  "providing  a  just  and  fair  remuneration  for  labor,  a  just  exchange  of  our  com- 
modities, and  best  mode  and  means  of  securing  to  the  laboring  classes  the  greatest  amount  of 
good." 


2  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

gust  8,  1882,  adopted  as  the  law  of  the  AlHance  this  resolution :  "Resolved^ 
That  it  is  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws  of  our  order 
to  take  part  in  politics  ;  and  further,  that  we  will  not  nominate  or  support  any 
man  or  set  of  men  for  office  as  a  distinct  political  party. ' '  This  remained  the 
law  of  the  order  while  it  was  in  existence.  The  Kansas  organization  was 
planted,  by  a  few  persons,  for  a  distinct  political  purpose,  as  will  hereafter 
be  shown. 

When  the  question  of  the  resumption  of  specie  payments  and  a  contrac- 
tion of  the  currency  was  agitated  in  1867  and  1868,  the  representatives  of 
the  Southern  states  and  those  west  of  Pennsylvania  in  a  large  measure 
followed  the  lead  of  representatives  Thaddeus  Stevens  and  Wm.  D.  Kelley, 
of  Pennsylvania,  in  resisting  contraction  and  resumption.  Self-appointed 
delegates  met  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  in  the  summer  of  1876,  and  organized 
the  Greenback  party,  and  nominated  Peter  Cooper,  of  New  York,  as  the 
party's  candidate  for  president.  The  result  of  the  campaign  was  the  elec- 
tion of  a  number  of  representatives  in  Congress,  who,  holding  the  balance 
of  power  between  the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties,  were  able  to 
force  the  enactment  of  a  law  prohibiting  the  retirement  of  the  government 
legal-tender  notes  or  greenbacks  below  the  sum  of  346  millions  of  dollars. 

In  the  campaigns  of  1878  and  the  following  years,  in  Kansas  and  many 
other  Western  states,  the  Republican  conventions,  and  in  all  of  the  Southern 
states  the  Democratic  conventions,  for  their  financial  planks,  adopted  the 
demands  of  the  Greenback  party,  and  by  this  means  destroyed  the  Green- 
back party  in  those  states,  and  the  party  passed  out  of  existence  in  the 
campaign  of  1884,  when  its  presidential  nominee  was  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  But- 
ler, of  Massachusetts. 

Many  of  the  former  Greenbackers  and  representatives  of  various  labor  or- 
ganizations met  in  national  convention  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  May  15,  16,  1888, 
and  organized  the  Union  Labor  party,  and  nominated  Alson  J.  Streeter,  of 
Illinois,  and  Charles  E.  Cunningham,  of  Arkansas,  as  its  candidates  for  presi- 
dent and  vice-president.  At  this  convention  the  leading  delegates  of  each 
state  were  initiated  into,  and  made  organizers  of,  the  National  Order  of 
Videttes,  a  secret,  oath-bound  society  which  had  been  organized  by  a  few 
of  the  leaders  of  this  movement  in  Kansas  a  short  time  prior  to  the  conven- 
tion, with  the  object  of  preventing  fusion  with  either  the  Democratic  or  Re- 
publican parties.  Its  membership  was  restricted  to  those  leaders  in  each 
county  who  would  pledge  themselves  for  all  time  to  form  no  alliance  with 
either  of  those  two  parties. 

The  ritual  and  all  other  records  of  the  organization  were  printed  in  a 
secret  code  known  only  to  those  initiated  into  its  ranks,  and  it  was  extended 
over  Kansas  until  it  had  enrolled  in  its  ranks  every  person  who  had  been 
prominent  in  each  county  as  an  opponent  of  the  two  old  parties. 

At  the  convention  of  the  Union  Labor  party  held  in  Wichita  August  28, 
1888,  a  meeting  of  the  Videttes  was  held  the  evening  before  the  convention, 
and  the  entire  work  of  the  convention  of  the  next  day  decided  upon. 

The  general  convention  did  not  deviate  in  any  manner  from  its  prescribed 
course,  and  among  its  nominees  as  candidates  for  various  state  officers,  were 
P.  P.  Elder,  of  Franklin  county,  for  governor,  and  W,  F.  Rightmire,  of  Chase 
county,  as  the  candidate  for  attorney-general.  These  candidates  were  the 
most  prominent  speakers  of  the  party  in  the  campaign  that  followed. 


The  Alliance  Movement  in  Kansas.  3 

As  the  ritual  of  the  Videttes  had  become  exhausted,  a  new  edition  was 
printed  at  the  Nonconformist  office,  in  Winfield.  From  this  office  a  ritual 
was  taken  by  a  member  of  the  order,  a  printer  by  the  name  of  C.  A.  Henrie, 
and  with  a  key  to  its  cypher  code  delivered  into  the  hands  of  a  leader  of 
the  Republican  party. 

The  ritual  was  translated  in  full,  and  printed  and  stereotype  plates  fur- 
nished to  nearly  all  if  not  every  Republican  paper  of  Kansas,  with  big  head- 
lines branding  the  order  of  Videttes  as  a  gang  of  anarchists,  and  holding  up 
to  obloquy  and  denunciation  the  known  members  of  the  order,  those  who 
had  been  present  at  its  last  state  meeting  at  Yates  Center  as  delegates,  and 
whose  names  had  been  furnished  by  Henrie.  This  expose  was  given  by 
those  papers  as  a  supplement  of  their  issue  of  a  week  agreed  upon.  But 
this  publication  changed  no  vote  for  or  against  the  different  political  parties. 

The  result  of  the  election  was  a  vote  for  the  Union  Labor  party's  leading 
candidate  of  about  40,000,^  while  the  Harrison  electoral  ticket  received  a 
plurality  of  about  82,0005  j^  the  state  of  Kansas. 

Pursuant  to  the  call  of  the  commander  of  the  Videttes,  nineteen  selected 
leaders  met  in  Wichita  on  the  19th  day  of  December,  1888,  and,  after  a  two 
days'  conference,  disbanded  the  order  of  Videttes  and  the  state  committee 
of  the  Union  Labor  party,  and  organized  in  their  place  a  State  Reform  As- 
sociation. W.  F.  Rightmire,  of  Chase  county,  was  elected  president;  J.  D, 
Latimer,  of  Linn  county,  secretary ;  Andrew  Shearer,  of  Marshall  county, 
vice-president.  With  the  president,  editors  John  R.  Rogers,"  of  Harvey 
county,  E.  H.  Snow,' of  Franklin  county,  Henry  Vincent,  of  Cowley  county, 
and  W.  H.  H.  Wright,  of  Cloud  county,  formed  the  executive  committee.  This 
committee  was  instructed  to  select  some  existing  organization,  or  to  organ- 
ize a  new  one,  into  whose  ranks  the  reformers  and  farmers  and  laborers  of 
Kansas  could  be  enlisted  as  members. 

After  an  examination  of  the  declaration  of  purposes  of  various  organiza- 
tions, it  was  ascertained  that  the  declarations  of  the  secret  ^  Farmers'  Alli- 
ance of  the  South  embodied  every  tenet  of  the  platform  on  which  the  Union 
Labor  party  had  waged  its  campaign  of  that  year.  Three  editors,  ^  members 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  State  Reform  Association  went  to  Texas, 
and  were  initiated  into  the  order.  Upon  their  return  home  they  planted  the 
Farmers'  Alliance  in  Kansas  by  organizing  a  suballiance  in  Cowley  county 

Note  4.— H.  A.  White,  candidate  for  associate  justice,  received  38,960  votes. 

Note  5.— Republican  plurality  over  Democratic  electors,  80,159. 

Note  6.— John  R.  Rogers  disposed  of  his  newspaper,  the  Kansas  Commoner,  at  Newton, 
and  removed  to  the  state  of  Washington.  He  was  elected  governor  of  this  commonwealth  in 
1896  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  was  reelected  in  1890.  He  died  before  the  close  of  his  second 
term. 

Note  7.— Edwin  H.  Snow  was  elected  state  printer  of  Kansas  in  1891  and  held  the  office  for 
four  years.  Some  time  thereafter  he  moved  to  Nebraska,  and  was  engaged  in  newspaper  work 
in  Lincoln  in  1904. 

Note  8.—  There  were  two  organizations  by  the  name  of  Farmers'  Alliance.  The  one  known 
as  the  Northern  held  open  meetings,  and  was  of  the  nature  of  a  cooperative  society.  It  had  an 
extensive  organization  in  Kansas,  and  held  its  first  state  meeting  in  Lyons,  Rice  county,  Au- 
gust 2,  1888  {  hyons  Republican,  August  16,  1888),  at  which  representatives  from  603  subordi- 
nate Alliances  were  present.  This  organization  held  a  meeting  December  20,  1888.  and  elected 
Benj.  H.  Clover  president.  The  Southern  Alliance,  whose  organization  we  have  thus  far  traced, 
held  secret  meetings,  had  a  ritual,  secret  work,  grips,  and  passwords,  and  excluded  attorneys 
and  all  residents  of  incorporated  cities  from  its  membership,  and  was  a  close  organization,  obey- 
ing the  directions  of  its  general  officer.s. 

Note  9.— These  editors  were  C.  Vincent  of  the  American  Nonconformist,  Winfield  ;  John 
R.  Rogers,  of  the  Newton  Kansas  Commoner ;  and  W.  F.  Rightmire,  of  Cottonwood  Falls,  Kan., 
associate  editor  of  the  Noncoyiformist. 


4  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

by  changing  a  Northern  subaUiance  at  Cloverdale  into  a  secret  Alliance."' 
The  members  of  this  executive  committee  constituted  themselves  recruiting 
officers  to  enlist  organizers  to  spread  the  organization  over  the  state.  Se- 
lecting, if  possible,  some  Republican  farmer  in  each  county  who  had  been 
honored  by  elections  to  two  terms  in  the  state  house  of  representatives, 
and  then  retired,  and  who  had  become  dissatisfied  because  his  ambition  and 
self-esteemed  qualifications  of  statesmanship  received  no  further  recognition 
at  the  hands  of  the  nominating  conventions  of  his  party,  he  was  engaged  to 
"organize  the  farmers  of  his  county  in  the  order,  so  that  if  the  order  should 
conclude  to  take  political  action,  he,  as  the  founder  of  the  order  in  his 
county,  could  have  any  place  he  desired  as  the  reward  for  his  faithful 
services  at  the  hands  of  his  brothers  of  the  order."  But  few  of  their  men 
so  selected  failed  to  accept  the  ofl^ce  of  organizer  or  to  go  to  the  designated 
place  for  initiation,  instructions,  and  a  commission,  as  the  compensation  of  the 
organizer  ranged  from  $1.50  to  $2  per  day,  and  they  changed  open  to  secret 
Alliances,  and  put  in  new  ones  where  there  were  no  organizations. 

Through  the  channels  of  the  old  Vidette  organization  instructions  were 
sent  to  the  members  of  the  Union  Labor  party  to  hold  back  from  member- 
ship and  to  denounce  the  Alliance  as  a  move  on  the  part  of  the  old  parties 
to  steal  the  Union  Labor  platform  and  destroy  the  Union  Labor  party,  until 
all  their  Republican  and  Democratic  neighbors  had  been  initiated,  then  to 
allow  themselves  to  be  coaxed  to  join,  and  then,  after  initiation,  to  begin 
applying  the  tenets  of  the  platform  to  the  condition  of  the  farmers  and 
laborers  of  Kansas. 

The  work  of  organization  thus  directed  progressed  so  rapidly  that  there 
were  no  county  organizations  in  the  Northern  Alliance  instituted.  The 
presidents  of  the  county  Alliances  issued  a  call  for  a  meeting  at  Newton, 
November  16,  1889,  to  organize  a  state  Alliance. 

After  the  call  was  issued,  the  Reform  Association  sent  a  call  through 
the  Vidette  channels  for  all  of  its  former  members  to  be  present  and  help 
perfect  the  state  organization.  This  call  was  obeyed,  the  program  of  the 
Reform  Association  adopted  in  detail,  and  its  choice  elected  as  the  officers 
of  the  state  Alliance,  reelecting  the  officers  elected  at  the  Topeka,  1888, 
meeting. 

The  state  president  selected  was  Benjamin  H.  Clover,  n  an  old  Green- 
backer,  of  Cowley  county.  He  placed  himself  under  the  guidance  of  the 
members  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Reform  Association,  and  actions 
advised  by  its  president  and  Committeeman  Vincent  always  received  his  ap- 
proval and  hearty  cooperation. 

The  first  action  taken  was  a  circular  letter  from  the  president  of  the  state 
Alliance,  countersigned  by  the  state  secretary  and  seal  of  the  order,  sug- 
gesting that  every  suballiance,  by  resolution,  should   submit  the  Alliance 

Note  10.— This  subordinate  Alliance  at  Cloverdale  had  as  its  local  president  Benjamin  H. 
Clover,  who  vi'as  a  National  Labor  candidate  in  Cowley  county,  Kansas,  for  member  of  the  legis- 
lature in  the  campaign  of  1888.  At  a  called  meeting  from  some  Alliances  for  a  state  convention 
meeting  at  Topeka,  December  20,  1888,  Mr.  Clover  had  been  elected  president  of  the  state  organ- 
ization Alliance  of  the  Northern  Alliance,  and  used  all  his  influence  as  such  officer  to  change  the 
Northern  suballiances  into  secret  Southern  suballiances. 

Note  11.— Benjamin  H.  Clover,  of  Cambridge,  Cowley  county,  was  born  in  Franklin 
county,  Ohio,  December  22,  1837 ;  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
state  ;  a  farmer,  school  commissioner,  and  held  similar  local  offices  ;  twice  chosen  president  of  the 
Kansas  State  Farmers'  Alliance  and  Industrial  Union,  and  twice  vice-president  of  the  national 
organization  ;  elected  to  the  fifty-second  Congress  as  a  candidate  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance. 
(  Biog.  Congressional  Directory,  1903,  p.  460. 1  His  death  occurred  at  his  farm  near  Douglass. 
Kan  ,  December  30,  1899.     (  Topeka  Daily  Capital,  December  31,  1899.) 


The  Alliance  Movement  in  Kmisas.  5 

platform  to  the  representative  in  Congress  from  their  congressional  district, 
and  to  the  Kansas  United  States  senators,  and  request  an  answer  of  appro- 
val or  disapproval.  This  was  done.  Every  Kansas  congressman  and  Sena- 
tor John  J.  Ingalls  dodged  an  answer,  while  Senator  P.  B.  Plumb  unqualifiedly- 
approved  every  plank  of  the  platform. 

The  next  action  was  the  submission  of  the  platform,  by  every  suballiance, 
to  William  A.  Peffer,  then  editing  the  Kansas  Farmer.  The  result  was  his 
pamphlet,  "The  Way  Out,"  and  his  taking  the  lecture  field  to  champion  the 
principles  of  the  platform  of  the  Alliance. 

Then  followed  the  call  for  a  meeting  of  the  county  presidents  on  March 
25,  1890,  at  Topeka,  for  a  conference  upon  the  affairs  of  the  state  Alliance. 
At  this  meeting  political  action  was  ordered  by  the  adoption  of  the  follow- 
ing resolution: 

'  'Resolved,  That  we  will  no  longer  divide  on  party  lines,  and  will  only  cast 
our  votes  for  candidates  of  the  people,  for  the  people,  and  by  the  people." 

On  June  12,  1890,  in  response  to  a  public  call  for  a  conference  by  Presi- 
dent Clover,  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  and  Industrial  Union,  to  members  of 
Grange,  Alliances,  Knights  of  Labor,  and  Single-tax  clubs,  there  met  in 
Representative  hall,  Topeka,  ninety  delegates,  of  whom  forty-one  were  of 
the  Alliance,  seven  of  the  Grange  or  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  twenty-eight 
of  Knights  of  Labor,  ten  of  Farmers'  Mutual  Benefit  Associations,  and  four 
from  Single-tax  clubs.  The  conference  adopted  a  resolution,  by  unanimous 
vote,  to  put  full  state,  congressional,  legislative  and  county  tickets  in  the 
field,  and  the  name  "People's  Party"  was  adopted  as  a  title  under  which 
to  take  political  action.  A  committee  of  one  from  each  congressional  dis- 
trict was  elected.  This  committee  organized  with  J.  F.  Willits,  of  Jeffer- 
son county,  as  president,  S.  W.  Chase,  of  Cowley,  as  secretary,  and  the 
name  "People's  Party"  was  adopted  as  the  title  under  which  to  take  polit- 
ical action,  and  the  calling  of  a  state  convention  was  left  to  the  option  of 
this  committee.  A  delegate  state  convention  called  by  this  committee  met 
at  Topeka  August  13, 1890,  and  nominated  a  state  ticket  for  the  People's  Party 
of  Kansas.  The  campaign  which  followed  was  also  managed  by  the  original 
committee.  The  president  of  the  Reform  Association  was  nominated  for 
chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  and  gave  his  entii-e  time  to  speaking,  as 
did  others  of  the  association,  and  the  State  Reform  Association  ceased  to 
exist  as  an  organization. 

At  the  regular  meeting  of  the  state  Alliance,  at  Salina,  in  October,  1890, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  give  the  candidate  for  governor,  J.  F.  Wilhts,''^ 
the  indorsement  of  the  state  Alliance  by  electing  him  as  its  president,  but 
this  movement  was  opposed  by  the  members  of  the  Reform  Association  who 
were  members  of  the  state  Alliance.  Frank  McGrath,''  of  Mitchell  county, 
was  elected  state  president. 

Note  12.— John  F.  Willits  came  to  Kansas  from  Howard  county,  Indiana,  about  1863.  He 
represented  Jefferson  county  in  the  legislatures  of  1871  and  1873  as  a  Republican.  At  the  time  of 
his  nomination  he  was  fifty-five  years  of  age.  His  occupation  is  given  as  a  farmer.  Mr.  Willits 
now  resides  at  McLouth. 

Note  13.— Frank  McGrath  was  born  in  West  Virginia  January  3,  18-16:  served  in  Co.  C, 
Fourth  Illinois  volunteer  cavalry  during  the  civil  war  ;  came  to  Mitchell  county,  Kansas,  in  1868, 
and  engaged  in  stock  business.  He  built  the  Avenue  hotel,  of  Beloit,  and  was  also  interested  in 
the  opera-house  and  livery  business.  He  was  sheriff  of  Mitchell  county,  served  three  years  as 
deputy  United  States  marshal  under  Wm.  H.  Mackey,  jr.,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  at  Lan- 
sing, Kan.,  September  27,  1905,  was  state  parole  officer. 


6  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Near  the  close  of  the  campaign,  National  President  L.  L.  Polk,  of  North 
Carolina,  and  L,  F.  Livingston,  state  president  of  Georgia,  came  to  Kansas 
to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of  the  state  Alliance.  At  its  close,  they  de- 
livered addresses  in  Topeka,  giving  the  gMas?-indorsement  of  the  national 
Alliance  to  the  political  movement. 

While  the  Southern  Farmers'  Alliance  thus  led  the  way  for  the  Kansas 
political  action,  the  Northern  Farmers'  Alliance,  not  secret,  led  the  way  for 
political  action  in  Nebraska,  Iowa,  Wyoming,  Colorado,  Montana,  Minne- 
sota, and  the  Dakotas.  The  Farmers'  Mutual  Brotherhood  elected  members 
of  the  legislature  in  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  and  Indiana,  and  the  Southern  Alli- 
ance, working  within  the  Democratic  party,  elected  several  congressmen, 
and  controlled  the  legislatures  in  several  Southern  states. 

After  the  election  of  1890,  the  president  of  the  ex-Reform  Association 
urged  upon  the  men  who  had  been  prominent  in  the  various  states  the  call- 
ing of  a  conference  for  1891  to  organize  a  national  third  party,  and  the 
signatures  of  every  prominent  Northern  reformer  were  secured  to  a  call  for 
this  purpose.     The  Southern  men  did  not  join  in  this  movement. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  National  Farmers'  Alliance  in  Ocala,  Fla.,  De- 
cember 3,  1890,  Capt.  C.  A.  Power,  of  Indiana,  sent  forth  this  call,  which 
gave  great  offense  to  the  delegates  from  the  Southern  states.  The  Kansas 
delegates,  to  preserve  harmony  in  the  Alliance,  suppressed  and  withdrew 
the  call,  and  as  a  reward  were  given  two  of  the  national  officers.  President 
Clover,  of  Kansas,  who  had  been  elected  to  Congress  from  the  third  Kansas 
district,  was  made  national  vice-president,  and  J.  F.  WilHts,  who  had  been 
the  Kansas  candidate  for  governor,  was  chosen  as  the  national  lecturer  of 
the  national  Alliance. 

While  the  Kansas  Farmers'  Alliance  was  organized  under  the  charter 
granted  in  Texas,  it  deviated  therefrom  by  enacting  a  by-law  at  its  first 
state  meeting  prohibiting  any  resident  within  an  incorporated  town  or  city 
becoming  a  member  of  a  suballiance.  To  ofi'set  this  discrimination,  an  or- 
ganization was  effected  at  Olathe  of  the  residents  of  cities  and  towns,  called 
the  Citizens'  Alliance.  At  a  state  meeting  held  the  day  before  the  People's 
Party  convention,  the  secretary  of  the  first  Citizens'  Alliance,  D.  C.  Zercher, 
was  elected  state  president,  and  the  Reform  Association's  president,  W.  F. 
Rightmire,  was  elected  state  secretary. 

The  political  convention  on  the  following  day,  August  13,  1890,  nominated 
W.  F.  Rightmire  for  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  and  D.  C.  Zercher 
for  the  office  of  secretary  of  state.  After  the  election,  about  the  first  of 
December,  many  of  the  members  of  the  defunct  State  Reform  Association, 
in  person  and  by  letter,  urged  their  past  president  to  issue  a  call  to  perfect 
a  secret  organization  somewhat  similar  to  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  and  yet 
upon  the  plan  of  the  old  Videttes,  to  pledge  its  members  against  voting  for 
any  person  nominated  for  any  office  by  a  convention  of  either  the  Demo- 
cratic or  Republican  parties.  He  therefore  shortly  afterwards  issued  a  call 
as  state  secretary  of  the  Citizens'  Alliance  for  a  meeting  in  Topeka  on  the 
13th  day  of  January,  1891,  the  day  of  the  convening  of  the  legislature. 

Pursuant,  to  this  call  about  250  self-appointed  delegates  met  in  Man- 
speaker's  hall,  in  Topeka,  and  perfected  their  organization  by  adoptmg  a 
ritual,  secret  work,  and  incorporating  under  the  laws  of  Kansas  as  "The 
National  Citizens'  Industrial  Alliance. "     Among  other  officers,  W.  F.  Right- 


The  Alliance  Movement  in  Kansas.  7 

mire  was  elected  as  its  national  secretary,  and  by  a  resolution  he  was  in- 
structed, at  such  time  as  he  should  deem  it  advisable,  to  issue  a  call  for  a 
conference  to  meet  in  Cincinnati,  to  organize  a  national  third  party. 

Securing  by  correspondence  the  call  issued  at  Ocala,  Fla. ,  in  the  previous 
December,  with  all  the  signatures  attached,  and  which  had  been  withdrawn 
and  suppressed,  Mr.  Rightmire  issued  a  call  for  a  conference  of  reformers 
to  meet  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  on  the  19th  day  of  May,  1901,  to  consider,  and, 
if  deemed  necessary,  to  organize  a  national  party.  Securing  the  signatures 
of  the  officers  and  many  of  the  members  of  the  Kansas  house  of  repre- 
sentatives to  this  call,  he  attached  thereto  the  signatures  that  had  been  at- 
tached to  the  Ocala,  Fla.,  call,  and  gave  it  to  the  representatives  of  the 
press  on  said  February  7.  This  call  was  received  with  great  enthusiasm 
by  the  reformers  of  the  Northern  states,  and  with  coldness  and  opposition 
by  the  Alliance  leaders  and  press  of  the  Southern  states. 

When  the  day  of  the  conference  was  at  hand,  a  self-appointed  delega- 
tion of  483  persons  from  Kansas  gathered  at  Kansas  City,  and  proceeded  to 
Cincinnati  by  special  train.  At  Cincinnati  many  representative  Alliance 
men  of  the  South  had  gathered  to  oppose  the  formation  of  a  new  party. 
They  advocated  the  capture  of  the  Democratic  party  by  taking  possession 
of  the  state  organizations  in  the  Western  and  Southern  states.  So  well  did 
they  champion  this  course  that  many  leaders  from  the  Northern  states  held 
a  caucus,  and  determined  to  prevent  action  by  capturing  the  committee  ap- 
pointed to  formulate  a  platform  for  the  conference,  and  then  to  delay  the 
report  until  the  delegates  had  returned  home  in  disgust ;  then  to  recommend 
that  all  action  be  postponed  until  the  joint  meeting  of  the  Alliance  and 
Knights  of  Labor  at  St.  Louis  on  February  22,  1892. 

Upon  the  temporary  organization  of  the  conference,  the  members  of  this 
caucus  were  given  control  of  the  committee  on  platform.  A  committee  on 
permanent  organization  was  appointed,  every  member  of  which  was  an  old- 
time  Greenbacker.     The  conference  took  a  recess  until  the  following  morning. 

All  interest  in  the  conference  centering  in  the  committee  on  platform, 
the  committee  on  permanent  organization  held  a  hurried  meeting,  provided 
for  permanent  officers  of  the  conference,  and  the  speakers  at  its  meetings, 
and  adjourned.  Desiring  to  know  the  result  of  this:  committee's  delibera- 
tions. Colonel  Norton,  of  Chicago,  Morris  L.  Wheat,  of  Iowa,  and  W.  F. 
Rightmire,  called  upon  the  secretary,  who  read  its  report.  Thereupon  W. 
F.  Rightmire  proposed  that  the  secretary  add  to  the  committee's  report  this 
clause:  "That  the  delegation  from  each  state  select  three  members  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  new  party."  This  received  the  approval  of  the 
secretary  and  Messrs.  Norton  and  Wheat.  It  was  then  agreed  that  the  ap- 
proval of  this  clause  by  the  other  members  of  the  committee  on  organization 
should  be  delayed  until  the  gathering  at  the  convention  hall  on  the  morning 
following,  and  that  a  still  hunt  should  be  made  by  those  four  present.  Quiet 
work  was  done  by  hunting  up  the  old  Greenbackers  who  were  delegates,  and 
asking  them  to  move  the  previous  question  upon  the  submission  of  the  com- 
mittee's report  to  the  conference. 

So  quietly  was  the  work  done  that,  when  the  report  was  submitted  to  the 
conference  in  the  morning,  those  opposed  to  the  organization  of  a  party  were 
taken  by  surprise,  and  the  previous  question  was  moved.  More  than  500 
delegates  arose  to  second  the  previous  question,  and  it  and  the  adoption  of 


8  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  report  of  the  committee  were  carried  by  the  unanimous  standing  votes 
of  the  delegates  assembled. 

A  recess  was  then  taken  to  allow  each  state  delegation  to  elect  its  mem- 
bers of  the  national  executive  committee.  The  committee  on  platform  was 
notified  that  the  conference  had  settled  the  organization  of  the  party,  but 
wished  that  committee  to  provide  the  name  for  the  new  party.  By  the  time 
the  executive  committee  had  been  selected,  the  platform  committee  came 
into  the  hall  and  reported  as  the  name  that  of  the  "National  People's 
Party."  A  platform  embodying  all  of  the  planks  of  the  Alliance  platform, 
and  a  plank  presented  by  the  ex- Confederate  delegates  from  Texas  demand- 
ing a  service  pension  for  every  honorably  discharged  Union  soldier,  was  unani- 
mously adopted. 

The  adoption  of  this  platform  by  the  conference  ended  its  work,  and  the 
mission  and  educational  work  of  the  Kansas  Farmers'  Alliance,  having  cul- 
minated in  the  organization  of  a  national  reform  party,  the  interest  in  the 
Alliance  movement  was  transferred  to  the  People's  Party.  The  Alliance 
organisations  perished  through  the  neglect  of  their  members  to  attend  upon 
the  meetings  of  their  suballiances. 


THE  SALINE  RIVER  COUNTRY  IN  1859. 

An  address  delivered  by  James  R.  Mead'  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society,  at  its 
twenty-ninth  annual  meeting.  December  6,  1904. 

MY  story  is  not  of  war,  political  strife,'  the  founding  of  cities,  nor  build- 
ing of  railroads,  in  all  of  which  I  have  played  a  part— others  have 
written  of  these— but  of  the  hills  and  plains  of  Kansas,  God's  great  park, 
surpassing  anything  that  art  or  wealth  of  man  has  made.  To  me  their 
primeval  condition  was  the  most  beautiful  and  interesting  of  all  the  earth, 
especially  that  portion  of  the  plains  comprising  the  valleys  of  the  Saline, 
Solomon  and  Smoky  Hill  rivers  for  100  miles  west  of  Sahna— at  the  time  of 
which  I  write  a  land  almost  unknown,  of  absolute  liberty  and  freedom  to  do 
in  as  one  pleased.  It  was  a  land  of  timbered  rivers,  streams  of  pure  water 
fed  by  springs  in  the  Dakota  sandstone,  broad  valleys,  rolling  hills  covered 
with  a  velvety  coat  of  sweet  grass,  sandstone  cliffs  sculptured  by  nature  in 
form  of  ruined  castles;  monoliths,  cyclopean  walls,  with  cedar  canyons  and 
sparkling  springs. 

Over  this  entrancing  land  roamed  countless  numbers  of  bufl^alo,  elk,  and 
deer.  Beaver  built  their  dams  and  sported  undisturbed  in  the  rivers  and 
streams.  Glossy  black  turkeys  were  as  common  as  chickens  about  a  farm- 
house. Eagles  soared  aloft,  and  thousands  of  ravens,  a  bird  peculiar  to  the 
plains.  There  were  prairie-chickens  of  two  varieties ;  occasional  flocks  of 
quail,  of  the  Texas  variety ;  fox-squirrels  in  the  oak  timber ;  raccoons,  por- 
cupines, foxes,  otter ;  the  lynx,  wildcat,  and  panther ;  badgers  and  prairie- 
dogs  ;  and  everywhere  big  gray  wolves  and  the  musical  coyotes,  subsisting 
on  the  weak  or  fallen  and  the  hunter's  waste.  On  every  side  was  animal 
life,  and  no  one  to  disturb  the  harmony  of  nature  except  the  occasional  rov- 
ing bands  of  the  red  men  of  the  wilderness,  who  claimed  the  country  as 
their  own  since  man  inhabited  the  earth.     Nature  here  supplied  all  things 

Note  1.—  For  sketch  of  James  R.  Mead,  see  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol,  8,  p.  171. 


The  Saline  River  Country  in  1859.  9 

their  needs  required,  free  to  all  alike.  Such  was  the  Saline  country  as  I 
found  it  in  1859,  then  in  its  original  condition  of  life  and  beauty,  and  here  I 
had  many  adventures. 

As  this  article  is  one  of  personal  experience,.  I  will  briefly  narrate  the 
circumstances  which  led  up  to  my  life  on  the  plains.  I  was  born  in  New 
England ;  was  raised  at  the  foot  of  the  timbered  bluffs  which  overlook  the 
father  of  waters,  near  the  city  of  Davenport,  Iowa.  Arriving  there  before 
the  land  was  surveyed  by  the  government,  I  early  learned  to  use  a  rifle,  and 
the  woods  were  full  of  game.  I  loved  adventure  and  the  wild,  free  life  of 
the  frontier.  Kansas  was  at  that  time  fix-st  in  men's  minds  in  our  neighbor- 
hood, occasioned  in  part  by  a  visit  from  Gen.  James  H.  Lane,  who  had  set 
the  land  aflame  by  his  magnetic  presence  and  forceful  eloquence,  as  he  de- 
picted the  woes  and  beauty  of  "bleeding  Kansas." 

Having  decided  to  go  to  Kansas,  I  had  made  to  order  two  of  the  finest 
rifles  money  could  procure,  with  a  fine  saddle-horse,  good  clothes,  and  plenty 
of  grit.  With  two  neighbor  boys,  I  set  out  for  Kansas,  and  crossed  the 
Missouri  river  at  Weston  on  the  23d  day  of  May,  1859.  We  found  a  beauti- 
ful land;  a  few  people  along  the  eastern  border,  but  among  them  many  men 
who  would  rank  high  in  any  line  of  human  activities.  Did  space  permit,  I 
should  like  to  write  of  these  grand  men  whose  names  stand  high  in  the  his- 
tory of  Kansas.  I  again  met  General  Lane,  was  his  friend,  aided  his  ambi- 
tions, ^  and,  later,  stood  by  his  dying  bedside. 

My  two  companions  soon  tired,  became  homesick,  and  returned  to  Iowa. 
I  stayed,  and  spent  the  summer  getting  acquainted  with  Kansas.  We  tried 
boating  corn  down  the  Kaw  river  from  Topeka,  Lecompton  and  Lawrence 
to  McAlpine's  warehouse  at  Wyandotte,  for  government  use,  500  sacks  each 
load.  Boating  was  not  a  success  that  summer;  too  little  water,  too  many 
sand-bars;  but  I  did  meet  two  Delaware  Indians  who  were  Fremont's  guides 
to  California,  and  got  much  valuable  information  of  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains. Then  I  tried  breaking  prairie,  as  I  had  taken  up  some  land,  and  be- 
came a  "squatter  sovereign."  But  the  sun  and  wind  dried  the  ground  till 
it  was  hard  as  a  grindstone,  and  I  became  disgusted  with  honest  endeavor, 
and  quit,  retiring  to  the  hospitable  home  of  that  genial  frontiersman,  I.  B. 
Titus,  on  the  banks  of  Switzler  creek,  at  Burlingame.  Here  I  assisted  him 
in  sitting  on  his  porch  beside  the  great  Santa  Fe  trail  watching  the  dusty 
trains  drag  their  slow  lengths  along  with  a  rattling  fire  of  popping  whips, 
mingled  with  strange  oaths  in  mixed  Mexican  and  frontier  jargon.  Inci- 
dentally we  gathered  in  $20  or  $30  or  more  each  day  for  the  privilege  of 
crossing  Titus's  $100  log  bridge.  So  Kansas  had  its  redeeming  qualities  even 
then. 

From  these  voyagers  of  the  plains  I  learned  of  the  vast  herds  of  buffalo 
and  the  wild  life  to  the  west ;  of  Indians  more  or  less  wild  and  savage,  who 
took  their  toll  in  scalps,  mules,  etc.,  to  liven  up  the  monotony  of  the  plains. 

The  warm  blood  of  youth  longs  for  adventure.  Here  was  an  opportunity. 
My  impatient  rifles  longed  to  show  their  mettle.  Later  they  had  their  fill, 
for  to  my  shame  be  it  recorded  that  they  laid  low  2000  buffalo  and  other  of 
God's  creatures  in  proportion  during  some  years  of  service. 

On  September  1  we  organized  a  party  of  young  men,  of  whom  D.  R.  Kil- 

NOTE  2.— James  R.  Mead  represented  Butler  county  in  the  legislature  of  1865.  and,  January 
12,  voted  for  the  reelection  of  James  H.  Lane  as  United  States  senator.—  House  Journal,  1865, 
pages  42-45. 


10  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

bourn  was  one,  with  six  or  seven  teams.  We  followed  the  Santa  Fe  trail 
west,  crossing,  as  I  remember,  Dragoon,  Log  Chain  and  Rock  creeks  to 
Council  Grove;  then  Diamond  Springs,  Cottonwood,  Little  and  Big,  and 
Running  Turkey  creeks,  to  a  little  wayside  trading-house  south  of  the  big 
bend  of  the  Smoky  Hill,  called  a  ranch,  as  all  such  places  on  the  plains  were 
then  called.  Any  camping-place  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  was  as  good  a  point 
for  business  as  the  main  street  of  a  town.  Along  the  trail  we  met  long 
trains  of  wagons ;  they  usually  drove  twenty  miles  a  day  or  less,  as  water 
and  camping-places  required.  Some  of  these  trains  were  loaded  high  with 
the  coarse  wool  from  New  Mexico.  The  Santa  Fe  trail  was  about  100 
feet  wide,  worn  smooth  and  hard  by  the  broad  tires  of  countless  wagons, 
each  drawn  by  four  to  eight  spans  of  mules  or  oxen,  with  a  loose  herd 
driven  behind  containing  the  sore-footed,  lame,  given-out  and  extra  ani- 
mals.    They  were  called  the  "cavayard. " 

Among  others  we  met  Colonel  Bent,  with  a  train-load  of  buffalo-robes  and 
furs  from  his  fort  up  the  Arkansas.  Some  of  these  trains  were  accompanied 
by  merchants  froin  Santa  Fe,  riding  in  carriages  and  carrying  large  amounts 
of  specie. 

As  one  ox  train  was  passing,  loaded  with  wool,  we  stopped  at  the  side  of 
the  trail  to  view  the  uncouth  caravan,  men,  teams  and  wagons  covered  with 
dust.  Underneath  each  wagon  a  net  was  swung,  made  of  hides  or  sacks 
sewed  together,  filled  with  buffalo-chips  for  fuel,  or  sometimes  a  log  or 
driftwood  was  swinging  underneath,  with  cooking  utensils  and  rawhide  ropes 
hung  along  the  sides.  I  walked  out  to  the  train  to  get  a  closer  view,  and 
the  first  driver  I  noticed  was  a  young  man  named  George  McGranahan,  who 
was  raised  on  a  little  farm  back  in  the  woods  near  my  father's  home  in  Iowa. 
Boys  were  we  together;  I  had  lost  trace  of  him,  and  here  we  met  on  the 
wide  plains. 

At  the  ranch  we  were  told  there  were  plenty  of  buffalo  back  from  the 
trail,  north  or  south.  We  turned  north.  The  plains  seemed  boundless;  not 
a  tree  or  bush  was  in  sight;  lying  in  long,  rolling  swells,  always  higher 
ground  bounded  the  horizon  in  the  distance.  Soon  we  saw  an  occasional 
big  gray  wolf  lying  dead,  poisoned  for  its  hide.  After  traveling  five  or  six 
miles  a  dark  horizon  appeared  in  the  distance  on  the  divide.  "Timber!" 
our  party  shouted.  On  closer  approach  it  proved  to  be  buffalo,  extending  to 
east  and  west  as  far  as  we  could  see.  All  the  loose  men,  except  the  writer, 
seized  their  guns  and  started  in  hot  pursuit  afoot.  Soon  we  heard  the  pop- 
ping of  guns,  which  continued  for  the  next  two  hours,  as  we  dx'ove  slowly 
along.  Later  the  men  came  straggling  in,  exhausted  from  their  long  chase, 
but  not  a  buffalo  tongue  to  show.  They  declared  "a  buffalo  could  pack  off 
twenty  pounds  of  lead,"  as  they  were  sure  they  had  shot  that  much  into 
some  of  them. 

In  the  afternoon  we  crossed  the  divide  and  camped  on  a  stream  running 
north  to  the  big  bend  of  the  Smoky  Hill.  The  "buttes"  were  in  sight  to 
the  north.  Buffalo  were  all  around  us.  In  the  morning  all  scattered  out 
hunting,  the  writer  going  alone  among  the  bluffs  south  of  the  Smoky,  and 
on  returning  towards  evening  had  as  many  tongues  to  show  as  the  twelve 
others  comprising  our  party.  While  at  this  camp,  a  lone  stranger,  unarmed, 
came  walking  into  camp  in  search  of  help.  His  story  was  that  he  and  his 
brother,  with  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  wagon,  had  gone  for  a  winter's  hunt. 


The  Saline  River  Country  in  1859.  11 

Arriving  at  a  difficult  crossing  on  the  Saline,  they  were  delayed,  having  to 
cross  their  outfit  on  a  bridge  made  by  felling  a  tree.  While  here  their  oxen 
developed  Spanish  fever  and  died,  leaving  them  afoot  in  the  vi^ilderness  in  a 
thicket  of  timber  and  vi^eeds,  on  the  bank  of  a  miry  river,  and  no  help  within 
fifty  miles,  so  far  as  they  knew.  I  was  so  entranced  with  the  wild  life  of 
the  beautiful  country  and  the  multitude  of  game,  I  was  anxious  to  see  more 
of  it.  Here  was  an  opportunity.  With  the  consent,  but  against  the  advice, 
of  my  companions,  who  predicted  I  v/ould  never  be  heard  of  again,  I  took 
the  chances,  having  a  team  and  outfit  of  my  own.  The  stranger  and  I 
started  off  north,  crossing  the  Smoky,  and  drove  to  the  top  of  the  buttes  to 
get  a  view  of  the  country,  finding  a  little  lake  of  water  and  springs.  From 
the  summit  of  the  buttes,  so  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  were  broad  valleys 
and  rolling  hills,  rivers  and  streams  lined  with  timber,  and  buffalo  and  other 
animals  grazing  or  lazily  reposing  in  the  warm  sunshine.  A  beautiful  park. 
All  was  peace,  as  nature's  God  had  made  it. 

On  the  second  day  we  arrived  at  the  desolate  camp;  found  a  man  and  a 
dog,  verging  on  insanity  from  solitude  and  fear  and  the  horrors  which  some- 
times come  to  men  and  animals  when  left  alone  in  the  wilderness.  A  horde 
of  hungry  wolves  had  discovered  the  camp.  The  nights  were  a  pandemonium 
of  fighting,  snarling,  and  howling,  as  they  devoured  the  dead  oxen  within 
fifty  feet  of  the  tent.  Nothing  was  left  but  the  large  bones,  and  the  terri- 
fied man  and  dog  supposed  their  time  would  come  next.  A  little  later  I 
gathered  in  the  pelts  of  these  same  wolves.  The  next  summer,  on  visiting 
the  place,  I  found  several  stalks  of  corn  growing;  on  one,  two  well-developed 
ears  of  corn.  This  was  the  first  civilized  corn  grown  on  the  banks  of  the 
upper  Saline.  Not  far  away  I  found  a  beautiful  spot  sheltered  by  timber, 
near  the  north  bluff,  commanding  a  view  five  miles  down  the  valley.  We 
moved  to  this  place  and  built  cabins,  stable  and  corral  for  the  winter.  There 
had  been  a  great  flood  in  the  Saline  valley  in  1858.  In  the  lowlands  along 
the  river  the  sunflowers  grew  a  dense  thicket  ten  feet  high.  Through  them 
were  paths  made  by  buffalo,  and  in  riding  along  them  on  horseback  I  several 
times  met  a  bull  buffalo  face  to  face.  Along  the  bluff  was  a  line  of  drift, 
showing  the  valley  had  been  covered  six  feet  deep  with  water.  This  line  of 
drift  extended  far  up  the  river,  and  the  valley  above  where  the  town  of  Lin- 
coln now  stands  must  have  been  covered,  judging  from  the  drift,  ten  to  fif- 
teen feet  deep,  occasioned  by  the  bluffs  on  either  side  and  the  thick  timber 
forming  a  gorge. 

Having  completed  comfortable  winter  quarters,  which  became  known  as 
Mead's  ranch,  I  set  out  to  explore  the  country.  So  far  we  had  seen  no  one. 
Riding  down  the  river  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  I  found  a  lone  squatter  named 
Shipple,  who  had  a  ferry  across  the  river  on  the  trail  leading  from  Fort 
Riley  to  Fort  Larned,  and,  a  couple  of  miles  southwest  on  the  Smoky,  a  httle 
town  of  a  dozen  or  more  houses,  called  Salina. 

Here  I  met  some  excellent  people.  Col.  William  A.  Phillips,-'  founder  of 
the  town;  H.  L.  Jones  and  his  estimable  wife,  who  kept  a  very  comfortable 
hotel;  Alexander  M.  Campbell^  had  a  store  and  post-office;  the  brothers,  Robert 

Note  3. — William  A.  Phillips  was  the  territorial  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune 
and  the  author  of  "  The  Conquest  of  Kansas."  He  was  a  member  of  Congress  from  1873  to  1879. 
For  complete  biography,  see  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  5,  pages  100-113. 

Note  4.— Alexander  M.  Campbell  was  born  in  Renfrewshire,  Scotland,  August  12,  1835. 
In  1848  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  settled  in  Randolph  county,  Illinois.    In  1853  he 


12  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

H.  Bishop'^  and  Rev.  William  Bishop,"  were  there.  The  surrounding  country 
was  a  buffalo  range.  Between  Salina  and  Fort  Larned  were  two  hunters' 
ranches  — Farris  brothers,"  on  Elm  creek,  and  Page^  and  Lemon,  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Smoky,  both  on  the  Fort  Larned  trail.  I  afterwards  found  these 
men  to  be  good  fellows  and  excellent  hunters. 

Colonel  Phillips  offered  me  one-sixteenth  of  the  town  site  and  a  vacant 
claim  adjoining,  if  I  would  locate  there  and  help  build  up  the  town.  I  was 
out  for  sport  and  adventure,  not  for  town  building.  I  replied  that  I  already 
owned  all  of  the  Saline  country  for  a  hundred  miles  west,  with  a  million  head 
of  live  stock,  and  that  was  enough. 

For  information  I  was  directed  to  a  young  man  named  Spilman,"  who  had 
been  up  the  Saline  to  a  large  tributary  which  he  described  as  very  miry  near 
its  mouth,  and  that  brief  conversation  gave  his  name  to  the  stream  which 
it  still  bears.  The  Saline  river  at  that  time  was  unexplored,  and  there  were 
no  names  for  the  tributaries  on  the  north  side  ;  so  for  convenience  I  named 
them,  and  by  those  names  they  are  still  known.  Returning  to  the  ranch 
with  two  men  I  had  picked  up,  I  fitted  out  a  team  to  explore  the  country  up 
the  river  to  the  west.  A  trail  ran  up  the  river  on  the  north  side  a  short 
distance,  as  all  trails  in  central  Kansas  did.     Our  first  camp  was  on  a  small 

moved  to  Clinton  county,  Missouri,  and  in  1856  he  came  to  Kansas  and  settled  at  Lawrence.  He 
first  engaged  in  cutting  wood  for  Delaware  Indians,  and  then  hired  out  to  run  a  ferry  across  the 
Kansas  river.  He  was  an  ardent  antislavery  man,  and  was  interested  with  Montgomery  and  Abbott 
in  their  campaigns  in  southern  Kansas.  He  acted  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Douglas  county,  and  took 
a  census  of  the  county.  He  settled  in  Saline  county  in  1S58.  opened  a  farm,  traded  with  the  In- 
dians, and  trapped.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  in  1861,  and  held  the  position  for  years, 
engaging  in  general  merchandising.  He  was  married  October  6,  1858,  in  Riley  City,  to  Miss 
Christina  A.  Phillips,  sister  of  Col.  William  A.  Phillips.     He  still  resides  in  Salina. 

Note  5.—  Robert  H.  Bishop  located  in  Saline  county  in  1860,  one-half  mile  west  of  the  town 
site  of  Salina,  and  engaged  in  farming  until  1868.  He  then  engaged  in  insurance  and  real  estate. 
He  was  county  clerk  of  Saline  county  for  several  years  prior  to  1867,  and  acted  as  deputy  register 
of  deeds.  He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1863.  In  1874  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace,  which  position  he  held  for  many  years.  He  was  born  in  Scotland,  and  graduated  from 
Illinois  College,  at  Jacksonville.     He  died  a  few  years  ago. 

Note  6.— Rev.  William  Bishop,  D.  D.,  was  born  December  9,  1825,  at  Whitburn,  Linlith- 
gowshire, Scotland.  His  father  brought  his  family  to  the  United  States  when  William  was  nine 
yeais  old.  After  finishing  a  common-school  course  William  entered  Illinois  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1847.  He  took  a  theological  course  at  Princeton,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by 
the  second  presbytery  of  New  York  in  April,  1850.  In  Illinois  College  he  held  the  chair  of  Greek  for 
two  years,  and  in  1852  was  elected  professor  of  Greek  language  and  literature  in  Hanover  Col- 
lege, Indiana.  In  1859  he  removed  to  Kansas,  and  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Lawrence.  In  the  first  move  to  establish  the  State  University,  Doctor  Bishop  was 
made  corresponding  secretary  of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  professor  of  Greek  language  and 
literature.  In  1874  he  became  president  of  Highland  University,  where  he  served  seven  years. 
He  settled  in  Salina,  and  for  four  years  was  county  superintendent  of  schools.  He  accepted  a 
call  to  become  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Independence.  He  returned  to  Salina,  and 
again  served  four  years  as  county  superintendent  of  schools.  He  was  president  of  the  State 
Teachers'  Association  in  1881,  and  served  twice  as  moderator  of  the  synod  of  Kansas.  He  died 
at  Salina  June  4,  1900. 

Note  7.— The  hunting  ranch  of  Henry  V  and  Irwin  Farris  (who  were  among  the  second 
party  attempting  a  settlement  in  Ellsworth  county)  was  located  on  what  was  "  Elm  "  creek, 
but  now  known  as  "  Clear  "  creek.  They  settled  there  September  20.  1860.  Their  ranch  was  on 
the  line  of  the  Fort  Riley  to  Pawnee  road,  about  four  miles  east  of  Page  &  Lemon's  ranch.  The 
Farris  brothers  were  at  their  ranch  when  the  guerrillas  raided  Salina,  and  both  were  visited  by 
the  freebooters,  and  their  horses  and  arms  taken,  the  robbers  following  the  read  to  the  crossing- 
of  Cow  creek,  where  they  made  their  first  halt,  si.xty  miles. 

Note  8. —  D.  H.  Page  and  Joseph  Lemon  had  a  hunting  ranch  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Smoky  Hill  river  where  the  Vnvi  Riley  to  Larned  road  crossed  that  stream,  and  theirs  was  one 
of  the  first  settlements  in  Ellsworth  county.  These  men  were  single  and  were  engaged  exclu- 
sively in  hunting  and  deinu  a  little  trading.  They  occupied  their  ranch  from  1860  to  1863,  when 
they  abandoned  it  on  account  of  Indian  troubles.  Joe  Lemon  was  the  more  active  of  the  two  ; 
was  an  expert  hunter,  and  was  said  to  be  a  man  who  could  take  care  of  himself  and  party  under 
all  circumstances.  Fort  Ellsworth  was  built  on  their  deserted  ranch  on  the  Smoky  Hill,  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  southwest  of  where  Fort  Harker  was  afterwards  located. 

Note  9.— Alexander  Caraway  Spilman  was  born  October  5,  1837,  at  Yazoo  City,  Miss. 
His  father.  Dr.  James  F.  Spilman,  was  a  planter  in  Mississippi,  but,  meeting  reverses,  in 
1837  removed  to  Illinois.     His  mother  was  Margaret  Caraway,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  of  Scotch 


The  Saline  River  Country  in  1859.  13 

•creek  with  many  beaver  dams.  We  named  that  Beaver  creek.  Here  I  shot 
two  fat  elk  from  a  passing  bunch.  On  the  next  small  creek  were  evidences 
of  war.  Scattered  about  were  broken  pots,  kettles,  pans,  and  camp  equi- 
page ;  probably  a  small  hunting  party  of  Delawares  had  been  surprised  and 
driven  out  by  the  Cheyennes,  who  were  jealous  of  this,  their  country.  What 
they  did  not  choose  to  carry  away  they  had  destroyed.  In  walking  along 
the  bank  of  the  timbered  creek  my  foot  struck  the  end  of  a  chain  extending 
into  the  ground.  On  digging  down  we  found  a  nest  of  heavy,  new  camp- 
kettles,  such  as  Indians  use,  cached.  I  gave  the  name  of  Battle  creek  to 
this  stream.  Late  that  evening  we  approached  a  large  tributary  stream, 
and  in  the  darkness  drove  into  a  salt  marsh.  I  remarked,  ' '  We  have  found 
Spilman's  creek,"  and  that  name  it  still  bears.  On  this  large  sti'eam  was 
abundant  game,  and,  in  the  thickets,  shelters  made  of  fallen  wood,  where 
small  parties  of  Indians  stopped  over  night  while  on  predatory  expeditions. 
No  large  camp  sites  were  seen.  Continuing  on  up  the  river  we  came  to  an- 
other large  stream,  which,  from  the  large  number  of  wolves  we  killed  there, 
I  named  Wolf  creek,  as  it  now  appears  on  the  map.  On  this  creek  I  found 
the  remains  of  two  Indians,  the  flesh  eaten  by  animals  and  ravens.  Stuck 
fast  in  the  bones  were  about  thirty  iron  arrow  points.  Our  verdict  was, 
thieving  Pawnees,  overtaken  by  Cheyennes,  evidently  a  large  party,  as  each 
one  shoots  an  arrow  into  a  fallen  enemy,  and  those  they  cannot  pull  out  re- 
main, except  the  shaft,  which  is  pulled  off.  Wolf  and  Spilman  creeks  were 
on  the  road  of  war  used  by  the  Pawnees  upon  the  Platte  river,  whose  main 
occupation  was  stealing  horses  from  the  wild  tribes  on  the  Arkansas  and 
south  to  Texas.  The  Pawnees,  in  parties  from  two  to  thirty,  would  start 
down  from  their  reservation  afoot,  with  five  or  six  pairs  of  extra  moccasins 
and  several  lariats,  subsisting  on  game.  They  knew  the  country  perfectly, 
as  they  formerly  occupied  it  and  still  claimed  it,  so  they  told  me.     These 

ancestry.  The  family  of  Doctor  Spilman  and  wife  consisted  of  six  daughters  and  five  sons,  and 
of  the  latter  three  wei-e  Presbyterian  ministers  and  two  were  physicians.  A.  C.  Spilman  at- 
tended the  public  schools  at  Edwardsville,  111.,  and  in  1854  entered  Illinois  College.  In  1856-'57  he 
attended  the  Michigan  University,  but  the  exciting  events  then  taking  place  in  Kansas  di-ew 
him  thither.  He  arrived  at  Lawrence  in  August,  1857.  His  attention  was  attracted  to  the 
Saline  River  country,  and  in  February,  1858,  the  Salina  Town  Company  was  incorporated,  and  he 
became  its  secretary.  In  March,  1858,  the  site  was  selected,  and  in  1859  Mr.  Spilman  surveyed 
and  platted  the  town  of  Salina.  In  1860  he  was  clerk  of  the  board  of  commissioners  appointed  to 
organize  Saline  county,  and,  July  2,  1860,  was  elected  first  register  of  deeds.  He  enlisted  in  com- 
pany F,  Sixth  Kansas  cavalry,  serving  as  sergeant,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Indian 
brigade  he  was  made  captain  of  company  B,  Third  regiment.  He  represented  Saline  county  in 
the  legislature  of  1867.  In  1870  he  removed  to  McPherson  county  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  served  three  terms  as  probate  judge  of  that  county  and  two  terms  as  mayor  of 
McPherson,  and  is  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  as  his  father  and  grandfather  were  before 
him.  ^  Mr.  Spilman  writes  as  follows  concerning  Mr.  Mead's  statement : 

"I  have  read  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  Mr.  Mead's  account  of  his  adventures  and  explora- 
tions in  the  upper  Saline  valley  in  1859.  He  was  possibly  the  first  white  man  to  visit  a  portion  of 
that  region  and  note  its  sti-eams  and  prominent  landmarks.  Hunters  and  explorers  are,  in  a 
large  measure,  responsible  for  the  geographical  nomenclature  of  the  country.  Streams  and  other 
noteworthy  physical  features  of  a  new  country  usually  owe  their  names  to  some  distinctive 
characteristic,  some  local  happening  or  incident,  or  some  individual  who  was  first  identified 
therewith.  This  is  illustrated  in  Mr.  Mead's  article,  where  the  presence  of  many  beaver  dams 
gave  the  name  of  'Beaver'  to  a  creek,  while  the  evidences  of  a  conflict  between  hostile  bands 
of  Indians  gave  the  name  of  '  Battle '  to  another,  and  so  on.  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Mead's  visit  to 
Salina,  in  the  fall  of  1859,  Mr.  James  Muir  and  myself,  having  been  members  of  the  surveying 
party  on  township  lines,  in  1858,  were  credited  with  a  somewhat  extensive  acquaintance  with  the 
geography  of  the  Saline  valley  and  its  tributaries  for  a  distance  of  about  forty  miles  west.  In  his 
conversation  with  me  at  that  time.  Mr.  Mead  stated  that  he  was  establishing  a  ranch  on  the  Saline 
for  hunting  purposes,  and  asked  information  as  to  the  streams  entering  the  valley  above.  I  par- 
ticularly described  one  large  creek  coming  in  from  the  northwest,  on  which  there  was  a  consid- 
erable growth  of  young  hardwood  timber.  It  was  currently  reported,  and  I  have  never  denied 
the  statement,  that  while  on  the  survey,  in  attempting  to  cross  this  creek  on  a  mule,  I  got  mired 
down  in  the  quicksand.  Owing  to  the  recent  great  flood,  all  of  the  streams  were  miry  and  al- 
most impassable.  Our  surveying  party  gave  no  names  to  the  tributary  streams,  and  in  the  field- 
notes  reference  by  name  was  made  only  to  the  so-called  rivers,  the  Smoky  Hill,  Saline,  and 
Solomon." 


14  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Pawnees  had  a  regular  route  of  travel,  coming  into  the  state  near  the  north- 
east corner  of  Jewell  county,  south  across  Mitchell  and  Lincoln  counties, 
across  the  northwest  corner  of  Ellsworth  county,  into  Barton  county  and 
the  big  bend  of  the  Arkansas,  and  from  there  wherever  Indians  camps  could 
be  found,  traveling  by  night  when  near  other  Indians. 

I  had  many  adventures  with  these  parties  during  the  three  years  I  spent 
in  that  country.  On  one  occasion  a  straggling  remnant  of  a  party  came  to- 
my  camp  nearly  famished  and  frozen.  It  was  winter.  They  had  found  a 
camp  of  Comanches  somewhere  south,  had  got  near  a  lot  of  horses  in  the 
night,  were  discovered  and  pursued.  Some  of  them  were  killed,  while  others 
threw  away  arms,  clothing,  everything,  to  escape,  and  scattered,  to  meet  at 
some  prearranged  place.  One  of  them  was  shot  through  the  thigh  with  an 
arrow.  I  had  the  meat  of  two  or  three  buffalo  lying  on  the  grass,  which 
they  ate  like  famished  wolves,  cutting  it  in  little  squares  and  boiling  the 
meat  a  few  minutes  in  my  camp-kettles.  They  were  nearly  naked,  and 
their  sole  weapons  for  the  party  of  a  dozen  were  two  bows  and  arrows. 
They  were  not  in  good  spirits.  When  the  Cheyennes  discovered  that  a  bunch 
of  their  horses  were  stolen,  they  would  start  in  hot  pursuit,  like  a  swarm  of 
angry  hornets. 

Another  time,  in  March,  1861,  near  the  same  place,  a  party  of  fourteen 
came  along.  They  had  twenty-four  horses  and  mules,  all  with  Mexican 
brands.  They  said  they  left  their  reservation  on  the  Platte  in  the  fall, 
afoot,  when  the  leaves  were  on  the  trees,  had  been  gone  nearly  seven 
months,  and  said  they  had  been  to  Old  Mexico.  Some  of  their  horses  were 
loaded  with  rock  salt  from  the  Cimarron,  and  they  made  a  map  showing  a 
lot  of  rivers  beyond,  which  I  knew  nothing  of.  Another  time  I  had  to  stand 
off  a  party  of  thirty-five  who  proposed  to  rob  us,  as  my  young  men  were  too 
badly  scared  to  do  any  good.  Once  I  left  a  young  fellow  at  a  camp  I  had 
established,  while  I  went  over  to  Wolf  creek  to  hunt  a  few  days.  On  re- 
turning, I  found  my  man  hidden  out  in  the  brush,  nearly  frozen,  with  nothing 
to  wear  but  his  underclothes.  Two  Indians  came  along  with  some  stolen 
horses,  saw  he  was  scared,  made  him  cook  all  they  could  eat,  then  took  off 
his  clothes  and  whatever  else  they  wanted,  and  leisurely  packed  their  ponies. 
Back  of  the  camp  shelter  was  my  young  man  with  two  loaded  guns  hid 
under  some  skins.  He  was  too  badly  scared  to  use  them.  He  could  easily 
have  gotten  away  with  both  Indians,  but  lacked  grit.  The  timid  and  the 
weaklings  had  no  business  in  that  country. 

On  another  occasion*  I  established  a  camp  on  Spilman  creek,  and,  after 
collecting  a  quantity  of  furs,  left  one  man  in  the  camp  and  went  to  hunt 
with  my  other  man  and  team.  It  was  winter,  very  cold,  and  snow  deep. 
In  a  day  or  two  the  man  I  had  left  came  to  my  camp ;  said  he  heard  shooting 
all  around,  was  scared,  and  skipped  in  the  night.  I  drove  back,  found  the 
camp  plundered  and  a  big  trail  in  the  snow  leading  down  the  river.  Direct- 
ing my  men  to  follow,  I  started  after  them  on  my  pony.  In  a  few  miles  I 
saw  them  ahead,  on  foot.  Each  one  had  a  big  wolf  skin  of  mine  hanging 
down  his  back,  a  slit  in  the  neck  going  over  his  head.  There  were  thirty- 
three  in  the  party.  I  followed  them,  unseen,  for  some  distance,  and  saw  I 
could  not  possibly  get  around  them,  as  my  pony  could  hardly  stand,  her  feet 
were  so  smooth ;  but  I  had  to  get  to  my  ranch  ahead  of  them  for  various. 

*  December,  1861. 


The  Saline  River  Country  in  1859.  15 

reasons ;  so  I  took  the  chances  and  rode  into  them,  just  after  they  crossed 
the  creek,  and  was  surrounded  and  captured.  I  found  they  were  a  party  of 
Sioux  on  a  marauding  expedition,  some  of  them  the  most  villainous-looking' 
beings  I  ever  saw.  I  gave  them  a  good  talk,  let  on  I  was  glad  to  see  them, 
proposed  we  all  travel  together,  to  which  they  agreed,  had  a  jolly  time  for 
half  a  day,  by  which  time  I  had  so  ingratiated  myself  with  the  chief,  who 
was  a  fine  fellow,  that  I  was  allowed  to  go  on  alone.  Some  of  the  Indians 
loudly  protested,  but  a  chief's  word  is  law.  Our  conversation  was  carried 
on  in  the  sign  language,  as  not  one  of  them  could  speak  a  word  of  English. 
I  had  two  men  at  the  ranch,  and  my  men  with  the  team  got  in  that  night. 
The  Indians  came  to  my  place  the  next  morning  and  built  a  fortified  camp 
in  the  timber  back  of  the  house.  I  treated  them  nicely,  gave  them  tobacco, 
and  got  all  of  my  furs  back  except  an  otter  skin,  which  the  chief  had  cut 
into  strips,  and  wore  a  part  of  it  braided  in  his  head-dress  and  the  other 
attached  to  his  war  club.  I  have  some  of  their  war  arrows.  Before  leav- 
ing for  the  northeast,  they  agreed  not  to  molest  any  hunters  they  might 
meet,  but  they  did  go  over  to  the  Solomon  and  plundered  and  abused  the 
few  families  they  found  there. 

I  had  a  somewhat  similar  experience  with  Sioux  on  the  Solomon  in  the 
winter  of  1862,  in  what  is  now  Phillips  county,  where  I  spent  most  of  the 
winter  hunting.  Plenty  of  buffalo  wintered  there.  I  escaped,  while  others 
down  the  river,  towards  the  settlements,  were  plundered.  What  surprised 
me  was  that  they  traveled  afoot  in  the  winter  long  distances,  with  the 
thermometer  at  zero,  and  in  deep  snow,  without  the  least  inconvenience, 
seeming  to  like  it.  These  are  but  a  few  of  many  such  experiences  I  en- 
joyed in  the  Saline  country.  After  we  had  gotten  out  of  one  scrape  we 
would  laugh  over  it  and  wonder  what  would  happen  next.  I  went  no  further 
west  on  this  trip,  but,  after  hunting  and  exploring  all  we  wanted  to,  returned 
to  the  ranch  on  the  Saline  with  a  big  load  of  furs,  hides,  and  meat,  and  had 
all  the  hunting  we  wanted  at  home. 

The  next  exploring  trip  I  undertook  was  up  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  in  the 
month  of  February.  We  went  far  up  the  river,  but  found  nothing.  The 
country  had  been  burned  over;  the  game  had  all  left,  as  there  was  no  feed  — 
a  dreary,  desolate  waste.  We  turned  north  and  went  over  to  the  Saline,  halt- 
ing on  a  high  bluff  south  of  the  river.  I  looked  about.  Not  a  thing  ap- 
peared in  sight.  I  had  no  field-glass.  At  length  in  the  dim  distance,  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  away  to  the  north,  I  could  see  the  tops  of  the  hills  were  black, 
and,  by  watching,  could  see  that  the  summits  moved.  Then  I  knew  buffalo 
were  there,  and  where  buffalo  could  be  found  in  winter  there  was  sure  to  be 
wood,  water,  grass,  and  all  other  game.  We  crossed  the  Saline  below  some 
salt  springs  from  which  the  river  derives  its  saline  properties,  and  traveled 
north.  We  soon  found  a  large,  dry,  sandy  creek  coming  from  the  hills  in 
the  distance  ;  following  this  up  we  came  to  beaver  dams  and  water.  The 
beaver  held  back  all  the  water  in  the  dry  season.  Further  along  were  plenty 
of  buffalo,  and  where  the  stream  came  out  of  the  bluffs  were  groves  of 
beautiful  oak  timber.  The  canyons  were  full  of  large  cedars  and  no  sign 
of  an  ax  or  of  white  man's  presence  in  any  of  it.  I  had  found  a  stream 
unknown. 

As  we  drove  into  this  beautiful  spot  I  exclaimed,  "Boys,  we  have  got 
into  paradise  at  last!"— and  that  name  it  bears  to  this  day,  and  the  town  of 


16  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Paradise  is  near  the  spot  of  our  first  camp.  We  had  surely  found  a  para- 
dise of  game— buffalo,  elk,  black-tailed  deer  in  bunches  of  fifteen  or  twenty, 
turkeys  in  abundance,  beaver,  otter,  and  hungry  wolves  in  gangs.  My  next 
morning's  experience  will  illustrate  this.  I  started  with  my  rifle  at  day- 
light, came  to  the  creek.  Paradise,  near  by ;  water  deep,  from  beavers' 
dams ;  found  a  log  to  cross,  but  a  porcupine  occupied  the  center  and  de- 
clined to  move.  I  punched  him  with  my  rifle  and  he  stuck  the  stock  full  of 
quills  by  blows  of  his  tail.  I  finally  punched  him  into  the  creek  and  crossed, 
crept  up  the  opposite  bank,  and  peeped  over  into  a  dog  town ;  saw  a  big 
v\rildcat  sneaking  up  to  a  dog  hole  looking  for  breakfast.  He  saw  me  and 
skipped  into  the  brush.  Then  two  turkey  gobblers  came  chasing  and  fight- 
ing one  another.  I  got  them  in  range,  running  toward  me,  but  got  only  one 
of  them.  The  other  walked  around  his  fallen  adversary  several  times, 
then  marched  ofi".  I  hung  the  turkey  on  a  tree  out  of  reach,  and  went  on 
about  eighty  rods  and  shot  two  bulls,  and  a  little  further  I  shot  three  cows. 
On  returning  I  found  the  bulls  surrounded  by  a  mass  of  big  wolves  nearly 
white,  and  resembling  a  bunch  of  sheep,  busily  engaged  in  tearing  the 
bulls  to  pieces.  They  paid  no  attention  to  me.  I  walked  up  within  seventy- 
five  yards  and  fired  my  rifle  several  times  into  the  mass  before  they  would 
leave.  Four  of  them  lay  dead  and  others  were  crippled.  I  went  to  camp, 
got  the  team,  and  hastened  back  to  the  cows,  and  found  them  nearly  de- 
voured. While  I  was  gone  my  men  had  shot  at  three  bull  elk  which  came 
near  camp  ;  said  they  hit  one  in  the  paunch— perhaps  they  did.  I  put  out  a 
quantity  of  strychnine  that  night  for  my  friends,  the  wolves,  and  next  day 
we  gathered  in  eighty- two.  As  their  pelts  were  worth  $2.50  apiece,  we  had 
no  fault  to  find  with  the  wolves.  On  going  up  the  creek,  I  found  a  large,  old 
Indian  camp  at  the  entrance  to  the  hills,  probably  ten  years  old.  I  also 
found  a  camp  a  few  days  old,  where  two  Pawnees  were  returning  from  a 
successful  horse-stealing  expedition  from  the  Indians  on  the  Arkansas,  and 
had  left  a  letter  written  in  hieroglyphics  for  the  benefit  of  some  of  their 
comrades  who  were  behind.  I  added  to  it  a  short  account  of  our  hunt,  our 
number,  where  we  were  going,  etc.,  in  the  same  characters.  Further  up 
the  stream  were  cliffs  of  sandstone  on  which  were  recorded,  in  usual  Indian 
style,  accounts  of  battles,  and  many  other  things,  but  no  white  men's  names, 
and  in  my  exploration  of  that  country  I  found  but  one  name  carved  in  the 
rock.  That  bore  the  date  of  1786.  We  returned  to  the  ranch  down  the  Sa- 
line, told  others  of  our  paradise,  and  by  that  name  it  has  been  known  since. 

There  was  a  battle  fought  on  the  plains  north  of  Spilman  creek  in  June, 
1861,  not  recorded  in  history.  The  Otoe  tribe,  from  the  north,  with  their  fami- 
lies and  a  letter  from  their  agent,  came  down  for  a  big  hunt.  They  camped 
in  the  valley  along  the  creek.  The  Cheyennes  found  them  and  sent  300 
or  400  warriors  to  drive  them  out.  The  Cheyennes  were  afraid  to  charge 
the  camp,  as  the  Otoes  had  guns.  Both  sides  fought  on  horseback  with 
bows  and  arrows,  and  after  the  battle  arrows  could  be  picked  up  everywhere. 
In  one  instance  two  young  men  rushed  together  at  full  speed,  seized  each 
other  with  their  left  hands,  stabbing  with  their  right  till  both  fell  dead, 
without  relaxing  their  hold.  The  Otoes  finally  retreated  down  the  river  to 
my  ranch,  with  scalps,  ears,  fingers  and  toes  of  their  enemies,  trophies  of 
the  fight,  tied  on  poles. 

Somewhere  up  the  Saline,  on  the  south  side,  should  be  the  legendary  tin 


The  Saline  River  Country  in  1859.  17 

mine.  (See  Schoolcraft,  vol.  I,  p.  157.) i"  General  McGee,  who  surveyed 
this  country  in  1860  or  1861,  and  made  headquarters  at  my  ranch,  was  on  the 
lookout  for  the  mine.  He  obtained  information  from  a  Wyandotte  In- 
dian named  Mudeater,  who  was  one  of  Fremont's  guides.  His  description 
was:  "At  the  first  camp  we  made  on  the  trail  after  crossing  the  Saline  I 
rode  to  the  mine.  It  was  on  a  creek  in  a  northwest  direction.  I  was  gone 
two  hours  and  brought  back  some  of  the  metal."  He  made  a  rough  sketch 
of  the  location,  which  would  place  it  on  the  head  of  Elkhorn  or  Elm  creek. 
Mudeater  had  intended  to  come  and  locate  the  place,  but  died.  We  hunted 
that  country,  but  failed  to  find  it. 

The  Saline  and  big  bend  of  the  Smoky  Hill  were  favorite  hunting-grounds 
of  the  Kaw  Indians  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1859,  I860,  and  1861.  A  majority 
of  the  tribe  were  there.  A  chief  named  Shingawassa,  with  his  band,  camped 
in  the  timber  close  by  our  ranch. 

The  summer  of  1860  was  very  dry,  and  in  the  fall  the  buffalo,  in  going 
south,  crowded  down  along  the  eastern  border  of  their  range  in  order  to 
get  grass.  There  had  been  few  buffalo  in  the  country  that  summer,  and 
grass  was  fine.  In  the  fall  the  first  wave  of  returning  buffalo  stopped  in 
the  valley;  had  a  regular  play  spell  in  the  tall  grass  and  weeds.  They  were 
almost  as  tame  as  domestic  cattle;  fat  and  fine.  They  kept  coming  until  the 
valley  was  full  before  they  crossed  the  river.  In  a  week's  time  nearly  all 
the  grass  in  the  country  was  eaten  off  close  to  the  ground.    Then,  for  the  next 

Note  10.— "  Information  Respecting-  the  History,  Condition  and  Prospects  of  the  Indian 
Tribes  of  the  United  States,  Collected  and  Prepared  under  the  Direction  of  the  Bureau  of  In- 
dian Affairs,  per  Act  of  Congress  of  March  3d,  1847,  by  Henry  R,  Schoolcraft,  LL.  D."  The 
edition  of  this  publication  in  possession  of  the  State  Historical  Society  does  not  contain  the  ar- 
ticle on  "Tin  in  the  Kansas  Valley  "  :  hence  it  is  deemed  important  to  publish  it  herewith  in  full. 
We  obtain  this  from  the  edition  of  1853.     It  is  the  property  of  J.  R.  Mead. 

"tin   in  the   KANSAS  VALLEY. 

[  The  importance  of  the  subject  named  in  the  following  letters  will  furnish  the  best  reasons 
for  inserting  them.  Indicating  the  existence  of  so  important  a  metal  as  tin,  on  the  waters  of  the 
Kansas,  they  supply  a  hint  for  exploring  the  region  in  question.—  g.  W.  m.] 

Country  of  Pottawatomies,  Old  Kanzas  Agency,  January  10,  1848. 
Sir  :  Permit  me  herewith  to  enclose  you  a  specimen  of  American  tin  found  in  this  region 
of  country  —  the  metal  from  which  the  britannia  ware  of  commerce  is  manufactured.  I  have 
not,  at  this  remote  place,  for  the  want  of  the  necessary  reagents,  been  able  to  subject  it  to  a 
rigid  analysis,  but  I  believe  I  have  sufficiently  tested  it  to  be  able  to  pronounce  upon  its  charac- 
ter, and  if  so,  its  discovery  is  a  matter  of  some  interest  to  our  common  country.  It  exists  in 
great  abundance,  and  passes  here  for  zinc.     Let  it  be  tested. 

"If  I  recollect  my  early  reading  right,  the  old  tin  mines  of  Cornwall,  England,  furnish  the 
greater  part  of  this  metal  used  in  commerce  throughout  the  world.  This  deposit  of  tin,  I  pre- 
sume, is  equal  to  that.  I  have  had  some  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  these  mines  for  more 
than  ten  years  past.  A  beautiful  specimen  of  gold  was  about  that  time  found  by  my  brother- 
in-law.  Dr.  R.  M'Cay,  about  forty  miles  northwest  of  this  place,  and  whatever  this  country  may- 
lack  as  to  timber,  etc.,  it  is  one  of  great  interest  and  value  on  account  of  its  mineral  resources. 

"Should  leisure  from  the  duties  of  my  appointment  as  physician  admit  of  it,  I  propose  in  the 
spring  to  furnish  your  office  with  a  detailed  exhibit  of  its  geological  aspects  and  mineralogical 
indications.  Should  you  be  pleased  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  this,  please  inform  me  whether 
the  person  discovering  mines  on  lands  unassigned  to  the  Indians  west  of  the  state  of  Missouri 
is  entitled  to  have  a  lease,  as  on  other  lands  belonging  to  the  United  States. 

"  P.  S.—  The  metal  enclosed  was  run  from  the  ore  ina  common  melting  panfor  lead.     J.  L." 

"Sub-agency  of  the  Pottawatomies,  Kanzas  River,  May  15,  1848. 
Sir  :  Your  favor,  desiring  that  a  portion  of  the  ore,  from  which  was  smelted  the  metal 
sent  in  my  former  letter,  should  be  sent  through  the  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  arrived  too 
late  to  enable  me  to  comply  with  your  request.  I  have  not  at  this  time  any  of  the  ore  on  hand, 
but  will  procure  and  send  it  as  soon  as  practicable.  The  ore  in  question  has  been  brought  to  this 
place  by  the  Kansas  Indians,  formerly  residing  here,  and  is  represented  by  them  to  exist  in  great 
quantities  where  obtained  by  them.  From  all  I  can  learn  from  them,  they  obtain  it  on  the 
Smoky  Hill  fork  of  this  river,  about  100  miles  west  of  this  place  ;  but  they  are  so  superstitious  in 
regard  to  such  thing.'?,  that  little  reliance  can  be  placed  on  what  they  state— they  have,  however, 
promised  to  conduct  me  to  the  place  whenever  I  may  be  able  to  go.  My  engagements  have  been 
such  that  I  have  not  as  yet  found  time  to  do  so,  and  may  not  this  season.  As  to  the  existence  in 
this  region  of  an  extensive  and  very  valuable  deposit  of  tin  ore  of  a  rich  quality  1  have  no  doubt. 
The  Kanzas  blacksmith  at  this  place  smelted  from  the  ore,  in  his  forge  fire,  a  quantity  sufficient 
to  make  a  large  pipe  tomahawk.    I  had  also  in  my  possession,  ten  years  since,  a  block  of  tin 


18  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

three  weeks,  there  was  a  steady  wave  of  buffalo  passing  on  to  the  south,  day 
and  night.  The  unceasing  roar  continued,  and,  when  their  myriads  had 
passed,  the  surface  of  the  earth  was  worn  Uke  a  road  cut  into  innumerable 
parallel  paths.  Three  weeks  later  I  went  forty  miles  west,  and  found  vast 
herds  of  buffalo  still  passing  south.  That  winter  there  was  deep  snow,  and 
the  starving  buffalo  traveled  east  in  search  of  food.  Several  thousand  passed 
by  Salina,  and  wintered  in  the  valley  of  Gypsum  creek.  The  Kaw  Indians 
reaped  a  harvest  of  robes  and  meat. 

Among  the  odd  characters  found  on  the  frontier  was  a  bald-headed  old 
hunter  named  Tommy  Thorn.  He  had  a  cabin  at  Salina,  with  earth  floor 
covered  with  skins,  a  fireplace  in  the  south  end,  bunks  on  the  side.  It  was 
known  as  "the  den."  It  was  very  comfortable  —  warm  in  winter  and  cool 
in  summer.  Fuel  cost  nothing,  and  at  all  times  there  was  an  abundance  to 
eat  and  drink  free  to  all.  Buffalo  meat,  flapjacks  and  coffee  gave  men 
strength  and  courage.  About  twice  a  year  Thorn  would  take  a  load  of  skins 
and  hides  to  Leavenworth,  bring  back  a  load  of  provisions,  consisting  of 
flour,  sugar,  coffee,  tobacco,  and  ammunition— meat,  the  best  on  earth,  for 
the  killing— not  forgetting  a  ten-gallon  keg  of  Kentucky  whisky,  of  which 
he  was  very  fond,  but  did  not  use  to  excess.  On  returning  to  ",the  den"  he 
would  unload  his  supplies,  set  his  keg  near  the  fireplace,  put  a  faucet  in  it, 
hang  a  tin  cup  on  a  nail,  and  invite  his  brother  hunters  in  to  make  them- 
selves at  home  and  help  themselves  to  anything  he  had.    Among  other  things, 

weighing  one  and  a  half  pounds,  smelted  in  a  common  log  fire.  So  soon  as  practicable,  I  will 
send  you  the  ore  in  question,  with  some  other  ores  now  on  hand,  found  immediately  here. 

"I  have  made  but  little  progress  in  making  up  data  from  which  to  construct  a  geological 
sketch  of  the  country.  I  cannot  command  the  time.  Could  I  obtain  leave  of  absence  from  my 
post  for  one  or  two  months,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  precise  locality  of  the  tin  mines,  I  would 
make  such  a  tour  with  great  pleasure,  but  otherwise  cannot  attempt  it." 

■'  Pub.  M.  L.  School,  Indian  Territory,  October  1,  1849. 

"Sir  :  Some  time  since  I  transmitted  to  your  ofiice  a  specimen  of  American  tin  found  in  the 
Kanzas  valley,  and  subsequently,  through  the  Indian  agent,  made  a  special  request  of  your  prede- 
cessor in  office  for  a  permit  to  explore  and  work  for  a  set  time  this  tin  mine,  to  which  he  made 
no  reply.  I  now  beg  leave  to  call  your  attention  to  the  subject.  For  many  years  I  have  been 
gathering  up  information  respecting  this  locality  of  tin  metal,  and  have  at  length  satisfactorily 
ascertained  its  place.  Twelve  or  fifteen  years  since  a  large  block  of  this  metal  smelted  from  its 
ore  was  submitted  to  me  for  examination.  More  recently  the  Kansas  Indians  have  brought  in 
the  ore,  through  whom,  and  by  paying  for  it,  they  have  privately  revealed  the  secret.  The 
rough  sketch  (  plate  43  i  herewith  submitted  will  give  you  some  knowledge  of  its  location.  The 
deposit  of  metal  in  the  form  of  an  oxyde  of  tin  appears  to  be  immense,  perhaps  surpassing  the  old 
Cornwall  mines  of  England. 

"  Our  common  country,  as  you  are  aware,  is  almost  wholly  dependent  on  foreign  countries 
for  its  supply  of  this  valuable  metal ;  and  its  discovery  within  our  reach  and  on  our  own  soil 
must  be  regarded  as  a  matter  of  great  interest  by  all  who  seek  the  well-being  of  their  country. 
I  feel  unwilling,  after  having  labored  some  and  expended  something,  that  this  subject  should  be 
lost  sight  of  ;  and  I  most  respectfully  beg  the  favor  of  you  to  lay  the  request,  which  I  now  re- 
peat, for  a  permit  to  work  and  explore  these  mines,  before  the  president  and  proper  authorities 
at  Washington,  and  communicate  to  me  the  result.  Should  it  be  deemed  (  for  want  of  authority  ) 
inexpedient  to  grant  the  request,  I  will  then  seek  it  elsewhere.  The  mine  is  too  remote  from  the 
state  to  be  visited  by  single  individuals,  being  immediately  with  the  range  of  the  Pawnee  and 
Comanche  war  parties.  As  you  will  notice,  the  locality  is  on  the  United  States'  lands  not  yet 
assigned  to  any  of  the  Indian  tribes. 

"Thus  far  our  informant.  It  maybe  well  to  add  that  neither  of  the  three  best-known 
species  of  tin  ore  can  be  reduced  in  an  'ordinary  smelting-pan.'  The  red  oxyde  of  zinc,  dis- 
covered in  New  Jersey  by  the  late  Doctor  Bruce,  it  has  been  found  impracticable  to  separate 
from  the  franklinite  with  which  it  exists,  and  we  may  not  unnaturally  look  for  similar  diffi- 
culties with  the  reported  Western  locality  of  the  oxyde  of  tin.  The  geological  sketch  sent  by 
Doctor  Lykins  (  plate  43  )  indicates  a  country  of  sandstones,  shell  rocks,  etc.,  which  are  unfavor- 
able to  the  discovery  of  tin  stone,  wood  tin,  etc.  If  this  metal  exists  as  an  oxyde,  that  fact  will 
probably  itself  constitute  a  discovery.  We  cannot,  from  what  is  known  in  Europe,  exactly  pre- 
scribe its  associations  in  the  West  —  such  has  been  the  progress  of  metallic  discoveries  here  ;  but 
the  geology  of  the  country,  so  far  as  it  is  known,  is  adverse  to  the  theory  and  anticipations  ex- 
pressed. 

"  It  may  also  be  well  to  state  that,  from  the  known  superstitions  of  the  Indians,  the  Kanza 
account  cannot  be  deemed  to  be  free  from  all  suspicion  of  insincerity,  superstition,  or  gross  self- 
interest.  Yet  the  inquiries  of  our  correspondent  are  deemed  entitled  to  notice,  and  if  followed 
up,  however  the  subject  be  now  distorted,  may  prove  the  means  of  mineralogical  discoveries  of 
value." 


Reverend  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione.  19 

he  had  for  a  tobacco-box  an  Indian  skull  sawed  in  two.  It  was  three-fourths 
of  an  inch  thick,  solid  bone.  Some  congenial  spirits  would  gather  in,  hang  a 
few  quarters  of  fat  buffalo  in  a  cool  place,  and  for  a  week  or  ten  days  ' '  the 
den"  would  be  a  place  of  joy,  story,  and  song.  It  was  not  a  disreputable 
resort,  such  as  are  found  in  cities,  but  a  jolly  hunters'  club-house.  Thorn 
usually  hunted  alone.  This  was  bad  policy,  but  we  all  did  it  sometimes. 
His  last  hunt  was  on  Plum  creek,  alone.  He  made  his  camp  by  the  creek, 
turned  out  his  team,  and  had  gone  down  the  bank  for  a  bucket  of  water  to 
make  coffee,  when  a  party  of  Cheyennes  surprised  and  killed  him  with  ar- 
rows, and  in  scalping  him  took  ears  and  all,  to  get  the  fringe  of  hair  on  his 
head.     His  body  was  found  and  given  Christian  burial. 


REVEREND  FATHER  PAUL  M.  PONZIGLIONE.* 

An  address  by  S.  W.  Brewster,  '  of  Chanute,  delivered  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical 
Society,  at  its  twenty-ninth  annual  meeting,  December  6,  1904. 

LOVE  always  expresses  itself  in  service.  He  who  lives  forever  in  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  his  countrymen  has  loved  humanity.  Through 
humble,  daily  service,  in  kindly  deeds  to  the  unfortunate  of  earth,  men  be- 
come truly  great. 

History  is  not  an  impartial  critic.  By  reason  of  material  prosperity,  one 
may  be  considered  great  in  his  day  and  generation,  but  such  greatness  "is 
oft  interred  with  his  bones."  Croesus  is  remembered  for  but  one  thing- 
wealth.  In  history,  he  is  a  cold  proposition.  The  name  Nero  produces  a 
creeping,  cringing  sensation  which  time  never  can  obliterate.  But  to  be 
lovingly  reverenced  by  all  generations,  one  must  be  a  Buddha,  a  Socrates,  a 
Savonarola,  or  a  Ponziglione. 

It  often  happens  that,  after  great  institutions  are  founded  and  immortal 
characters  are  built,  the  suggestive  thought  back  of  it  all  is  forgotten. 
Oftener  it  is  unknown  to  the  world.  In  considering  Osage  Mission  and  the 
life-work  of  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione,  as  missionary  among  the  Indians, 
one  would  hardly  anticipate  a  suggestion  coming  directly  or  indirectly  from 
the  great  statesman,  John  C.  Calhoun. 

In  the  year  1823,  when  Calhoun  was  secretaiy  of  war  under  President 
Monroe,  the  Right  Reverend  Louis  Dubourg,  bishop  of  Upper  and  Lower 
Louisiana,  consulted  the  president  and  secretary  of  war  in  regard  ta 
devising  means  for  the  education  of   Indian  children  within   his  diocese. 

*  The  writer  is  greatly  indebted  to  many  of  Father  Paul's  old  friends  and  parishioners  for 
the  use  of  most  valuable  historical  papers,  books,  and  documents.  And,  in  this  connection,  he 
wishes  to  mention  in  particular  W.  W.  Graves,  editor  of  the  St.  Paul  Journal;  Hon.  L.  Stillwell, 
of  Erie,  judge  of  the  seventh  judicial  district ;  Dr.  E.  B.  Park,  of  Chanute  ;  and  M.  Devine,  Rob- 
ert E.  Greenwall,  Miss  Flora  Greenwall,  Mrs.  M.  Barnes,  Miss  Maggie  Barnes,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Tep- 
fer,  W.  P.  Mason,  Dr.  C.  L.  Roland,  and  Miss  Maggie  O'Dwyer,  of  St.  Paul. —  s.  W.  B. 

Note  1.—  Samuel  Wheeler  Brewster  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bartholomew  county,  In- 
diana. His  father,  Marshall  Brewster,  was  born  in  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  December 
15,  1801,  and  died  at  Thayer,  Kan.,  September  25,  1871.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Williams  College, 
and  was  a  descendant  of  William  Brewster,  of  the  Mayflower.  Marshall  Brewster,  December  is! 
1836,  married  Chloe  K.  Smith.  She  was  educated  at  Warren,  Ohio,  and  served  several  years  as  a 
teacher.  Samuel  W.  Brewster  was  the  youngest  of  six  children.  He  came  to  Kansas  at  the  age 
of  fourteen.  He  maintained  himself  by  clerking  in  a  store,  and  all  sorts  of  chores,  while  secur- 
ing an  education.  He  began  in  Kansas  by  teaching  school.  He  attended  Baker  University  and 
the  Leavenworth  Normal,  and  in  1876  entered  the  Kansas  State  University.  He  graduated 
from  the  classical  course  in  1883.  In  1879  he  married  Hattie  M.  Wills,  a  prominent  school- 
teacher in  Neosho  county.  They  have  four  children.  In  1883  Mr.  Brewster  formed  a  law  part- 
nership with  Amos  S.  Lapham,  of  Chanute,  and  the  firm  still  exists.  He  read  law  with 
Hutchings  &  Summerfield,  in  Lawrence. 


20  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Mr.  Calhoun  suggested  the  advisability  of  asking  the  Jesuit  priests  of  Mary- 
land to  furnish  members  of  their  order  to  assist  in  such  work.  At  White 
Marsh,  Prince  George  county,  Maryland,  there  were  a  number  of  young 
priests  who,  in  1821,  had  come  with  Rev.  Charles  Nerinckx  from  Europe 
for  the  purpose  of  devoting  their  lives  to  missionary  work.  Rev.  Charles 
Van  Quickenborne,  a  Belgian  priest  from  Ghent,  was  then  master  of  novices 
at  White  Marsh.  He  had  come  to  the  United  States  in  1817,  hoping  to 
become  a  Jesuit  missionary  among  the  Indians. 

Bishop  Dubourg  conveyed  Mr.  Calhoun's  suggestion  to  Father  Van 
Quickenborne,  at  White  Marsh,  who  at  once  saw  the  great  opportunity  of 
realizing  his  life  hope  —  to  be  a  missionary  among  the  Indians. 

On  making  known  this  newly  suggested  plan  to  the  young  priests  who 
had  come  to  the  United  States  with  Father  Nerinckx,  six  of  them,  Belgians, 
immediately  volunteered  to  accompany  Father  Van  Quickenborne  on  his 
distant  missionary  journey  to  the  West. 

Bishop  Dubourg  generously  offered  to  donate  to  these  Maryland  Jesuits  a 
rich  farm  at  Florissant,  near  the  Missouri  river,  and  to  put  them  in  posses- 
sion of  his  own  church  and  residence  in  St.  Louis. 

A  more  complete  account  of  the  establishment  of  the  Jesuit  society  in 
Missouri  is  given  in  an  exceedingly  interesting  book  entitled  "Historical 
Sketches  of  the  St.  Louis  University,"  by  Walter  H.  Hill,  S.  J. 

In  1827  Father  Van  Quickenborne  left  this  Jesuit  home  in  Missouri  and 
made  his  first  visit  to  the  land  of  the  Osage  Indians  in  southern  Kansas. 

He  made  two  other  visits  to  the  Osages— in  1829  and  1830.  But  the  noble 
work  of  the  Jesuits  among  the  Osage  Indians  took  on  permanent  and  lasting 
character  in  the  spring  of  1847,  when  they  built  a  church  and  established 
schools  at  the  place  where  Father  Van  Quickenborne  first  acquainted  these 
untutored  savages  with  the  vii'tues  of  the  Christian  religion. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  this  place  was  known  as  Osage  Mission.  Then, 
without  regard  for  historic  association,  through  an  unfortunate  and  mis- 
taken notion  entertained  by  some  of  the  leading  citizens,  the  name  was 
changed  to  St.  Paul  April  12,  1895.  The  town  is  located  in  Neosho  county, 
Kansas,  about  ten  miles  southeast  of  the  geographical  center  of  the  county, 
near  the  beautiful  Neosho  river. 

There  is  a  beautiful  legend  ( which  can  hardly  be  called  a  legend,  for  want 
of  age  to  make  it  such)  that  Father  Van  Quickenborne  was  the  "Black 
Robe  chief"  of  the  mission  where  Longfellow's  Evangeline, 
"Just  as  the  sun  went  down,     .     .     .     heard  a  murmur  of  voices. 

And  in  a  meadow  green  and  broad,  by  the  bank  of  a  river, 

Saw  the  tents  of  the  Christians,  the  tents  of  the  Jesuit  mission." 

"Under  a  towering  oak,  that  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  village, 
Knelt  the  Black  Robe  chief  with  his  children.     A  crucifix  fastened 
High  on  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  and  overshadowed  by  grape-vines. 
Looked  with  its  agonized  face  on  the  multitude  kneeling  beneath  it. 
This  was  their  rural  chapel.     Aloft,  through  the  intricate  arches 
Of  its  aerial  roof,  arose  the  chant  of  their  vespers, 
Mingling  its  notes  with  the  soft  susurrus  and  sighs  of  the  branches." 

It  is  here  pertinent  to  mention  that  the  Presbyterian  church,  ^  for  several 

Note  2.— Presbyterian  missions  were  established  among  the  Osages  at  Harmony,  on  the  Ma- 
rais  des  Cygnes,  in  western  Missouri  in  1821,  and  on  the  Neosho,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  as  early 
as  1821.    Rev.  Benson  Pixley  in  1824  opened  a  mission  near  the  present  villagejof  Shaw,  Neosho 


Reverend  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione.  21 

years  previous  to  1845,  had  partly  maintained  a  mission  among  the  Osage  In- 
dians of  southeastern  Kansas.  It  was  located  about  two  and  one-half  miles 
north  and  west  of  the  Catholic  mission,  on  what  is  now  generally  known  as 
the  James  O'Brien  farm,  on  the  left  or  east  bank  of  Four  Mile  creek,  and 
about  one-fourth  mile  from  its  junction  with  the  Neosho.  Here  the  Presby- 
terian missionaries  lived  and  preached  in  a  large  building  ;  but  tradition  has 
it  that  these  Indians  never  took  kindly  to  Calvinistic  doctrines.  In  a  letter 
written  by  Reverend  Father  Bax  to  Father  De  Smet,  the  noted  Jesuit  mission- 
ary, under  date  June  1,  1850,  the  writer  quotes  a  speech  made  by  an  Indian 
chief  to  Major  Harvey,  superintendent  of  the  Indian  tribes,  who  was  por- 
traying to  the  Indians  the  advantages  of  a  good  education.  As  given  by 
Father  Bax,  the  speech  is  as  follows  : 

' '  Our  great  father  is  very  kind  ;  he  loves  his  red-skinned  children.  Hear 
what  we  have  to  say  on  this  subject.  We  do  not  wish  any  more  such  mis- 
sionaries as  we  have  had  during  several  years  ;  for  they  never  did  us  any 
good.  Send  them  to  the  whites  ;  they  may  succeed  better  with  them.  If 
our  great  father  desires  that  we  have  missionaries,  you  will  tell  him  to  send 
us  Black-gowns,  who  will  teach  us  to  pray  to  the  Great  Spirit  in  the  French 
manner.  Although  several  years  have  elapsed  since  they  have  visited  us,  we 
always  remember  the  visit  with  gratitude,  and  we  shall  be  ever  ready  to  re- 
ceive them  among  us  and  to  listen  to  their  preaching." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  give  a  fair  sketch  of  Father  Ponziglione  and 
his  work  among  the  Osage  Indians  without  mentioning  two  very  important 
personages  closely  connected  with  him  in  his  labors  —  Reverend  Father  John 
Schoenmakers  and  Mother  Superior  Bridget  Hayden  — the  first,  a  young 
Jesuit  priest  from  Holland,  and  the  second,  a  nun  of  the  order  of  the  Sisters 
of  Loretto,  from  Kentucky. 

As  the  advent  of  these  two  noted  people  among  the  Osage  Indians  pre- 
ceded the  coming  of  Father  Ponziglione  by  about  four  years,  no  better  his- 
torical comment  on  that  time  and  place  can  be  given  than  to  quote  extracts 
from  a  speech  made  by  Reverend  Father  Schoenmakers  September  24,  1870, 
on  the  occasion  of  opening  the  mill  on  Flat  Rock  creek,  just  east  of  Osage 
Mission.     The  reverend  father  said,  in  part : 

"On  Christmas  day,  1833,  I  landed  on  American  soil  at  New  York,  being 
a  young  priest  twenty-four  years  old.  I  had  left  Holland  with  the  intention 
of  living  and  dying  with  the  Indians." 

Having  gone  directly  to  Georgetown  College  (Jesuit),  Maryland,  Father 
Schoenmakers  there  received  much  inspiration,  and  entered  upon  a  long, 
disciplinarian  training.     To  resume  his  narrative: 

' '  Before  I  reached  the  field  of  my  labor  fourteen  years  elapsed.  On 
the  10th  of  May,  1847,  I  gathered  into  our  school  ten  Indian  boys.  Then  I 
visited  Kentucky,  where  I  obtained  the  assistance  of  the  Sisters  of  Loretto 
for  the  girls.  Before  1860,  the  number  of  pupils  had  increased  to  136  boys 
and  100  girls.     .     .     . 

' '  The  war  deprived  the  Osages  of  all  their  labor  and  prospects.  The 
youths  of  our  school  above  the  age  of  fifteen  joined  the  Union  army;  500 
Osages  had  gone  south,  and  of  the  remaining  3000,  four  companies  also 
joined  the  army.  New  trials  were  now  upon  us.  Major  Whitney,  a  special 
agent,  had  brought  provisions  for  the  destitute  Osages,  while  John  Matthews, 
my  old  friend,  whose  five  children  I  had  raised  in  school,  raised  an  alarm, 

county,  and  another  was  established  in  1831  by  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  B.  Dodge  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Neosho,  near  its  junction  with  Four  Mile  creek.  These  missions  continued  their  work  until 
1836  or  1837. -r/ie  Herald,  published  monthly  by  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  For- 
eign Missions,  1821-'36. 


22  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

entreating  the  Indians  to  regard  the  provisions  as  poisonous.  This  occurrence 
aUenated  me  from  my  old  friend  Matthews,  and  I  was  obliged  to  spend  eight 
months  at  St.  Marys,  Pottawatomie  county.  On  my  return  to  the  Osage 
Mission,  in  March,  1862,  the  Osages  were  divided.  Frequent  intercourse  with 
their  southern  relatives  increased  our  dangers.  The  southern  Osages,  accom- 
panied by  the  Cherokees,  invaded  our  mission  three  times  to  sack  and  burn 
it,  but  being  associated  with  old  pupils  of  our  school  and  parents  whose  chil- 
dren were  still  at  the  mission,  their  counsel  prevailed  in  sparing  us,  and, 
thereby,  their  own  interests. 

' '  But  our  dangers  now  enlarged  on  account  of  the  avarice  and  bigotry  of 
pretended  friends  of  the  Union,  and  if  Gen.  Charles  W.  Blair  had  not  been  a 
true  friend  of  the  mission,  it  could  not  have  escaped  destruction.  Our  friends. 
Colonels  Thurston,  of  Humboldt  (  Kan.),  and  Brown,  of  lola  (  Kan.),  checked 
the  malice  of  some  ill-designing  leaders;  but  General  Blair  had  the  will  and 
power  to  save  southern  Kansas.  The  Osages,  during  these  hard  times,  visited 
me  by  day  and  by  night.  Should  my  advice  to  them  have  been  withdrawn,  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that  Osage  City,  Humboldt,  lola,  Le  Roy,  Burlington 
and  Ottawa  would  have  been  laid  in  ashes  by  the  united  Osages  and  Cherokees. 

"God  had  spared  us  all.  And  in  September,  1865,  whilst  the  Osages  sold 
and  transferred  a  part  of  their  lands,  they  have  made  thousands  of  homes 
for  white  families.  As  the  whites  settled  first  around  our  mission,  the  idea 
struck  me  of  a  mission  town.  General  Blair  was  to  be  remunerated,  if  pos- 
sible, and  Governor  Crawford  [this  doubtless  refers  to  Gov.  George  A. 
Crawford]  wrote  me  a  letter  congenial  to  my  plan.  The  town  took  a  start, 
whilst  Sam.  WiUiams  and  Ben.  McDonald  brought  us  a  mill. 

"Mission  town  being  started  and  prosperous,  I  withdrew  from  partner-' 
ship,  for  conscience  sake,  fearing  that  questions  might  arise  not  in  conform- 
ity with  God's  law,  and  which  might  blast  all  my  past  labors." 

While  Father  Shoenmakers  was  the  actual  founder  of  Osage  Mission,  he 
had  been  preceded,  as  said  heretofore,  by  Father  Van  Quickenborne,  in 
1827,  who  in  turn  was  preceded  by  Rev.  Charles  de  la  Croix,  in  1822.  The 
particular  incident  recorded  of  Father  de  la  Croix's  visit  to  the  Osages  was 
the  baptism  of  two  Indian  children,  James  and  Francis  Choteau  —  the  first 
within  this  state. 

The  first  marriage  ceremony  of  record  within  the  state  was  that  of 
Francis  Daybeau,  a  half-breed,  and  Mary,  an  Osage  woman,  performed  by 
Father  Van  Quickenborne  in  1828— both  the  baptism  and  marriage  cere- 
monies occurring  where  Osage  Mission  was  subsequently  founded. 

Father  Shoenmakers  died  July  28,  1883,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six.  His 
death  caused  universal  sadness  throughout  both  Catholic  and  Protestant 
communities,  for  he  was  loved  and  reverenced  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
was  buried  in  the  Cathohc  cemetery  at  Osage  Mission,  where  a  simple  mar- 
ble slab  marks  his  grave;  but  his  noble  life  stands  as  a  lasting  monument 
for  generations  to  come. 

Mother  Bridget  Hayden,  the  coworker  with  Fathers  Schoemakers  and 
Ponziglione,  was  born  in  1815.  October  5,  1848,  she  arrived  at  Osage  Mis- 
sion with  a  small  band  of  Sisters  of  Loretto  from  Kentucky,  and  at  once 
established  a  school  for  the  education  of  Indian  girls.  This  school  grew  very 
rapidly,  and,  with  the  settlement  of  the  country,  its  privileges  were  extended 
to  the  white  girls.  Soon  an  academy,  or  boarding-school,  was  started,  the 
first  boarding-school  for  girls  in  Kansas.  The  popularity  of  this  academy 
extended  beyond  the  borders  of  the  state,  so  that,  in  a  few  years,  several 
states  and  territories  were  represented  on  the  roster  of  the  school.  This 
institution  was  maintained  until  September,  1895,  when  the  buildings  were 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  never  have  been  rebuilt.     The  Sisters  of  Loretto  hav- 


Reverend  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione.  23 

ing  left  the  mission  after  the  fire,  other  sisters  started  a  day-school ;  but 
only  the  picturesque  ruins  remain  on  the  site  of  this  once  popular  and  fa- 
mous academy. 

Mother  Bridget  continued  in  charge  of  the  girls'  school  for  about  forty 
years,  and  until  the  day  of  her  death.  She  was  a  most  lovable  character. 
Eminently  practical,  her  generosity  knew  no  bounds.  Her  hand  was  always 
outstretched  to  the  weak  and  needy.  Many  a  poor  girl,  with  no  way  or 
means  of  acquiring  an  education,  was  lovingly  helped  by  Mother  Bridget 
through  St.  Ann's  Academy. 

In  1870  Noble  L.  Prentis  visited  Osage  Mission.  Upon  the  death  of 
Mother  Bridget,  some  years  later,  Mr.  Prentis,  recalling  this  visit,  paid  a 
tender  tribute  to  this  saintly  woman  in  an  editorial  article,  from  which  the 
following  extract  is  taken: 

"It  was  at  this  visit  that  the  writer  met,  for  the  first  and  last  time, 
Bridget  Hayden,  known  to  the  world  as  Mother  Bridget.  Born  in  1815,  her 
hair  was  white  in  1870.  She  had  passed  through,  in  her  earlier  years  in  the 
wilderness,  quite  enough  to  change  its  color.  She  was  a  woman  of  com- 
manding look,  and  spoke  in  a  firm,  resolute  but  quiet  way,  as  one  should, 
accustomed  to  impress  herself  on  human  creatures  brought  to  her  as  wild  as 
any  bird  or  beast  in  all  their  native  prairies  ;  this  she  had  done  and  more— she 
had  gained  their  affections.  The  conversation  which  she  held  at  once  took  a 
religious  turn,  and  the  listener  would  be  very  ungrateful  if  he  did  not  re- 
member that  Mother  Bridget,  as  well  she  might  from  the  privilege  of  her 
years,  spoke  to  him  like  a  mother  indeed,  not  of  churches  and  creeds,  but 
of  the  necessity  of  personal  righteousness. ' ' 

It  is  easy  to  do  good  when  no  sacrifices  are  required.  Too  often  the  best 
preacher  is  "called"  to  the  best-paying  place.  But  the  greatest  manifesta- 
tion and  supreme  test  of  religious  worth  and  nobility  of  character  is  when 
the  preacher  or  priest  renounces  once  and  forever  all  the  alluring  fascina- 
tions of  position,  wealth  and  honor  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  less  fortunate 
of  earth's  children,  and  devote  his  energies  and  abilities  to  the  uplifting  of 
humanity. 

Paul  M.  Ponziglione  was  born  February  11,  1818,  in  the  city  of  Cherasco, 
in  Piedmont,  Italy.  He  was  of  noble  descent  on  both  sides  of  the  house— 
his  father  being  Count  Felice  Ferrero  Ponziglione  di  Borgo  d'Ales,  and  his 
mother.  Countess  Ferrero  Ponziglione,  nee  Marchioness  Ferrero  Castelnuovo. 
But  the  only  nobility  the  good  father  ever  acknowledged  was  that  he  be- 
longed to  ' '  the  noble  family  of  Adam. ' '  Whenever  his  lineage  was  men- 
tioned, he  would  peremptorily  dismiss  the  subject  with  a  quick,  vigorous 
shaking  of  his  right  hand,  making  his  long,  slender  fingers  appear  like  so 
many  missiles  caught  in  a  whirlwind,  and  exclaiming,  with  an  impatient 
turn  of  his  head,  ' '  Vanity,  vanity,  vanity  ! ' ' 

Father  Paul,  as  he  was  commonly  called,  was  christened  Count  Paul  M. 
Ferrero  Ponziglione  di  Borgo  d'Ales.  After  his  preliminary  education,  he 
entered  the  Royal  College  of  Novara,  and  later  he  attended  the  College  of 
Nobles  at  Turin,  both  being  Jesuit  institutions.  The  degree  of  bachelor 
of  arts  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  University  of  Turin. 

After  taking  his  degree  at  the  university,  he  studied  jurisprudence  for 
more  than  a  year.  But  there  seems  to  have  been  with  Father  Paul  an  in- 
born, manifest  destiny  for  the  priesthood.  A  religious  instinct  controlled 
him  from  the  earliest  years  of  his  life.  As  a  small  boy,  playing  with  his 
little  sister  in  his  father's  palace  gardens,  he  was  accustomed  to  don  the 


24  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

vestments  of  the  priest.  This  seems  to  have  aroused  the  childish  jealousy 
of  his  sister,  and  to  all  his  grave  arguments  that  only  boys  and  men  could 
be  priests,  she  turned  a  deaf  ear. 

In  this  connection  Father  Paul  once  related  a  pathetic  incident  to  a  friend 
in  Osage  Mission.  When  a  boy,  in  representing  himself  as  a  priest,  Paul 
would  assume  the  serious,  severe  attitude,  in  contrast  to  the  little  girl's 
laughing,  joyous  disposition.  And  in  after-years,  when  the  sister  had  en- 
tered a  convent  adjoining  the  monastery  where  her  brother  was  preparing 
for  his  priestly  calling,  the  echo  of  her  girlish  laughter,  vibrating  through 
the  sacred  stillness  of  his  surroundings,  often  fell  harshly  upon  the  ears  of 
the  young  novice  engaged  in  his  devotions.  As  yet,  with  the  overzealous- 
ness  of  youth,  he  could  not  understand  how  a  heart  devoted  to  God  could 
harbor  any  but  solemn,  religious  thoughts.  So,  upon  one  occasion,  he  repri- 
manded his  sister,  in  the  presence  of  the  mother  superior,  for  her  light- 
heartedness  ;  but,  in  turn,  he  was  reprimanded  by  the  mother  superior,  who, 
by  reason  of  many  years  of  experience,  comprehended  religious  life  from  a 
different  standpoint.  But  there  came  a  change,  a  brief  sickness,  and  the 
lovely  spirit  of  the  young  sister  passed  out  from  the  gray  convent  walls  into 
the  pure  delights  of  the  city  beautiful.  Now,  after  more  than  half  a  century, 
the  aged  priest,  broadened  by  years  of  loving,  consecrated  service  to  human- 
kind, longed  to  hear  again  the  echoed  music  of  that  girlish  laughter. 

The  luxuries  of  wealth,  the  pomp  and  splendor  of  the  Italian  court,  had 
no  fascinations  for  young  Paul.  In  1839  he  entered  the  novitiate  of  the 
Society  of  Jesus  at  Chieri,  near  Turin.  Here  he  experienced  the  ordinary 
training  of  young  Jesuits,  and  under  it  he  developed  that  deep  earnestness 
and  single-heartedness  which  so  characterized  his  entire  life. 

The  year  1848  found  Father  Paul  connected  with  the  Jesuit  college  in 
Genoa.  It  was  an  eventful  period  in  Italian  history.  There  were  foes  with- 
out and  foes  within.  Austria  was  recognized  as  a  common  enemy  to  all  Italy. 
Three  principal  factions,  strong  among  the  Italians,  were  striving  for  national 
supremacy.  One  faction  wanted  a  republic,  another  wanted  a  confederation, 
with  the  pope  at  its  head,  and  the  third  wished  to  make  Italy  a  constitutional 
monarchy  to  be  ruled  by  the  king  of  Sardinia. 

On  the  night  of  February  28  of  this  year,  the  principal  revolutionists  in 
Genoa,  belonging  to  the  third  faction  just  mentioned,  arrested  eighteen  de- 
fenseless Jesuit  priests  at  the  college,  and  hurried  them  to  the  palace  of  the 
governor.  One  poor  lay  brother,  stricken  with  age  and  sickness,  was  left 
behind.  Father  Paul,  ostensibly,  was  allowed  to  remain  with  him  in  the 
capacity  of  nurse.  The  true  reason,  however,  was  that  these  revolutionists 
at  that  time  were  in  doubt  as  to  the  advisability  of  laying  hands  upon  the 
young  nobleman- priest  who  was  related  to  so  many  powerful  families  in  Italy. 
But  the  governor  sided  with  the  revolutionists,  and  the  next  day  Father  Paul 
was  conducted  to  the  palace  under  strong  military  guard.  That  night  all  the 
Jesuit  priests  were  put  on  board  a  Sardinian  man  of  war  and  lodged  in  the  hull 
of  the  ship,  where  they  were  confined  as  prisoners  for  three  days.  They  were 
then  transported  to  Spenzia,  where  a  furious  mob,  confederates  of  the  revo- 
lutionists, met  them  with  sticks  and  stones.  Father  Paul  was  seriously 
wounded  in  the  head.  But  the  Jesuits  made  their  escape  to  Modena,  across 
whose  border's  the   revolutionists  dared  not  follow.     Once   in  Modena,  the 


REV.   FATHER  PAUL  M.  PONZIGLIONE. 


Reverend  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione.  25 

Jesuits,  with  the  exception  of  Father  Paul,  took  to  the  mountains.  He  de- 
termined to  go  to  Rome,  and  thence  to  the  United  States. 

After  overcoming  many  serious  difficulties,  by  the  financial  help  of  a 
friend,  he  finally  reached  Rome  on  the  eve  of  the  outbreak  of  the  revolution 
there.  The  life  of  Pope  Pius  IX  was  then  in  danger.  His  prime  minister 
and  private  secretary  had  been  murdered.  Only  the  loyal  Swiss  Guard  stood 
between  his  holiness  and  the  revolutionists.  Father  Paul,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  father  general,  was  received  at  San  Andrea,  the  famous  Jesuit 
novitiate  at  Rome,  to  prepare  for  the  taking  of  holy  orders.  On  March  25, 
1848,  he  was  ordained  a  priest  by  Cardinal-vicar  Constantine  Patrizi. 

Leaving  Rome,  he  first  went  to  Turin  to  settle  his  family  affairs.  From 
there  he  proceeded  to  Paris,  at  that  time  the  scene  of  those  terrible  dissensions 
incident  to  the  establishment  of  the  second  republic.  From  Paris  he  went 
to  Havre,  and  there  boarded  the  first  vessel  for  New  York. 

The  ship  was  bad,  the  sea  was  rough,  and  the  journey  long  —  lasting 
forty-eight  days.  Added  to  the  horrors  of  the  situation,  smallpox  broke  out 
among  the  passengers.  But  the  young  priest  met  all  of  these  trials  and 
dangers  with  unfailing  cheerfulness  and  unfaltering  courage. 

After  spending  a  few  days  in  New  York  city.  Father  Paul  went  to  St. 
Xavier's  College,  at  Cincinnati,  where  he  remained  for  a  month. 

While  still  in  Italy,  he  had  determined  to  spend  his  life  as  a  missionary 
among  the  American  Indians,  and  in  pursuance  of  this  resolve  he  had  offered 
himself  as  such  to  the  Rev.  Anthony  Elet,  S.  J.,  superior  of  the  western 
Jesuits  in  the  United  States.  Soon  thereafter  Father  Elet  sent  him  word 
that  the  general  of  the  Jesuit  society  had  assigned  him  to  their  mission  in 
Missouri. 

Upon  leaving  St.  Xavier's  College  Father  Paul  proceeded  directly  to  St. 
Louis  and  reported  to  Father  Elet,  who  immediately  assigned  him  to  mis- 
sionary work  in  Missouri  and  Kentucky.  He  spent  two  years  in  this  field 
and  then  returned  to  St.  Louis. 

Now  begins  the  realization  of  his  early  hopes  —  the  commencement  of  his 
real  life-work  among  the  Indians.  In  March,  1851,  accompanied  by  the 
Right  Reverend  Miege,  S.  J.,  bishop  of  Leavenworth,  Father  Paul  left  St. 
Louis  for  his  far  western  mission.  While  his  home  was  to  be  at  Osage  Mis- 
sion, and  his  particular  charge  the  Osages,  his  missionary  labors  extended 
from  Fremont  Peak,  Wyo.,  to  Fort  Sill,  I.  T. 

Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione  was  now  a  young  man  thirty-three  years  of 
age,  a  little  above  medium  height,  of  slender  build,  and  possessing  an  at- 
tractive personality.  Much  has  been  said  of  the  personal  beauty  of  the  man. 
His  features  were  aristocratic,  of  the  distinctly  higher  Italian  type.  His 
large,  well-shaped  head  was  crowned  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  close,  jetty 
curls;  the  forehead,  high  and  broad,  betokened  great  intellectuality;  the 
eyes,  though  dark  and  penetrating,  were  mild  in  expression,  and  tempered 
with  a  bare  suggestion  of  sadness;  his  nose  was  somewhat  of  the  Grecian 
type,  and  the  thin,  firmly  closed  lips  slightly  drooped  at  the  corners.  The 
chin,  though  prominent,  was  in  symmetry  with  the  rest  of  his  face. 

Every  one  who  knew  the  good  father  speaks  of  the  radiant  kindhness  of 
his  greeting  smile,  which  was  but  the  "outward  and  visible  sign  of  an  in- 
ward and  spiritual  grace."  Upon  his  countenance  at  all  times  dwelt  that 
"beauty  of  holiness,"  far  surpassing  any  earthly  beauty. 


26  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

The  following  brief  extracts  from  a  letter  written  by  Father  Paul  to  the 
publisher  of  the  Osage  Mission  Journal,  under  date  of  June  10,  1868,  give 
some  additional  light  upon  the  historic  founding  of  Osage  Mission  by  Father 
Schoenmakers,  and  the  condition  of  the  Osage  Indian  tribes  at  that  time: 

"  It  is  a  difficult  thing  to  state  when  the  Osages  for  the -first  time  pitched 
their  camps  on  the  beautiful  banks  of  the  Neosho.  •  However,  we  can  record 
some  few  facts  which  might  one  day  prove  interesting  in  forming  a  history 
of  the  early  settlement  of  this  part  of  the  Neosho  valley,  now  known  as 
Neosho  county.     .     .     . 

' '  The  Osages,  having  made  a  treaty  with  the  United  States  government, 
obliged  themselves  to  vacate  the  state  of  Missouri  and  withdraw  into  Kansas, 
then  generally  known  under  the  name  of  Western  Indian  Territory.     .     .     . 

"In  1827  Father  Van  Quickenborne,  from  Harmony,  Mo.,  came  to  visit 
the  Osages  on  Neosho  river  in  this  very  country,  where  they  had  just  begun 
to  form  permanent  settlements.  These,  however,  were  not  confined  to  this 
county,  but  were  in  two  great  divisions— one  we  might  call  of  the  Neosho, 
the  other  of  the  Verdigris,  each  containing  from  six  to  nine  Indian  towns, 
and  each  having  its  respective  chief.  But  as  the  head  chief  of  the  whole 
Osage  nation  resided  on  the  Neosho,  and  had  his  house  built  on  what  is  now 
called  Auguste  creek  (now  corrupted  into  Ogeese  creek),  and  his  people 
were  forming  their  towns,  sometimes  on  the  west  and  at  others  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Neosho,  on  the  very  identical  spot  where  now  rises  our  beautiful 
town  (Osage  Mission) ;  so  this  place  was  considered  from  the  earlier  days  as 
the  place  of  business. 

"The  Indjan  towns  of  the  first  division  extended  from  the  confluence  of 
Labette  creek  with  the  Neosho  to  that  of  Owl  creek  into  the  same  river. 
Those  of  the  second  division  extended  from  the  junction  of  Pumpkin  creek 
to  that  of  Chetopa  creek,  both  with  the  Verdigris  river. 

"The  half-breed  settlement  was  mostly  located  between  what  is  now 
called  Canville  creek  and  Flat  Rock  creek.  The  mechanics  allowed  to  the 
Osages  under  their  late  treaty  with  the  United  States  were  located  on  Flat 
Rock  creek,  and  the  principal  establishment  of  the  American  Fur  Company 
was  on  Canville  creek.  But  as  the  agency  was  located  for  a  considerable 
time  not  far  from  the  mouth  of  Flat  Rock,  so  our  present  town  site  was 
considered  the  most  important  settlement  on  the  Neosho.     .     .     . 

Notes.— About  fifty-eight  or  sixty  miles  up  the  Verdigrise  is  situate  the  Osage  village. 
This  band,  some  four  or  five  years  since,  were  led  by  the  chief  Cashesegra  to  the  waters  of  the 
Arkansaw,  at  the  request  of  Pierre  Chouteau,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  their  trade.  The  ex- 
clusive trade  of  the  Osage  river  having  at  that  time  been  purchased  from  the  Spanish  governor 
by  Manuel  Lisa,  of  St.  Louis:  but  though  Cashesegra  be  the  nominal  leader,  Clermont,  or  the 
Builder  of  Towns,  is  the  greatest  warrior  and  most  iniiuential  man,  and  is  now  more  firmly  attached 
to  the  interests  of  the  Americans  than  any  other  chief  of  the  nation.  He  is  the  lawful  sovereign 
of  the  Grand  Osages.  but  his  hereditary  right  was  usurped  by  Pahuska,  or  White  Hair,  whilst 
Clermont  was  yet  an  infant.  White  Hair,  in  fact,  is  a  chief  of  Chouteau's  creating,  as  well  as 
Cashesegra,  and  neither  have  the  power  or  disposition  to  restrain  their  young  men  from  the  per- 
petration of  an  improper  act,  fearing  lest  they  should  render  themselves  unpopular. — Lieut. 
James  B.  Wilkinson's  report  of  his  passage  down  the  Arkansaw,  etc..  New  Orleans,  April  6, 1807. 
Appendix  to  part  H,  p.  30,  of  Pike's  Expeditions,  1810. 

"2d.  The  Great  Osages  of  the  Osage  river. —  They  live  in  one  village  on  the  Osage  river, 
seventy-eight  miles  (  measured  )  due  south  of  Fort  Osage.  They  hunt  over  a  very  great  extent 
of  country,  comprising  the  Osage,  Gasconade  and  Neeozho  rivers  and  their  numerous  branches. 
They  also  hunt  on  the  heads  of  the  St.  Francis  and  White  rivers  and  on  the  Arkansaw.  I  rate 
them  at  about  1200  souls,  350  of  whom  are  warriors  and  hunters,  fifty  or  sixty  superannuated, 
and  the  rest  women  and  children. 

"3d.  The  Great  Osages  of  the  Neeozho. — About  130  or  140  miles  southwest  of  Fort  Osage; 
one  village  on  the  Neeozho  river.  They  hunt  pretty  much  in  common  with  the  tribe  of  the  Osage 
river,  from  which  they  separated  six  or  eight  years  ago.  This  village  contains  about  400  souls,  of 
whom  about  100  are  warriors  and  hunters,  some  ten  or  fifteen  aged  persons,  and  the  rest  are 
wornen  and  children. 

"4th.  T/ie  Little  Osages. —  Three  villages  on  the  Neeozho  river,  from  120  to  140  miles  south- 
west of  this  place.  This  tribe,  comprising  all  three  villages,  and  comprehending  about  twenty 
families  of  Missouries  that  are  intermarried  with  them,  I  rate  at  about  1000  souls,  about  300  of 
whom  are  hunters  and  warriors,  twenty  or  thirty  superannuated,  and  the  rest  are  women  and 
children.  They  hunt  pretty  much  in  common  with  the  other  tribes  of  Osages  mentioned,  and 
frequently  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Kansas,  some  of  the  branches  of  which  interlock  with 
tho.se  of  the  Neeozho."— Letter  from  G.  C.  Sibley,  factor  at  Fort  Osage,  to  Thomas  L.  McKenney. 
October  1,  1820.     Appendix  to  Morse's  Report  on  Indian  Affairs,  1822,  p.  203. 


Reverend  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione.  27 

"  Father  Charles  Van  Quickenborne  having  died  in  1828,^  the  spiritual 
care  of  the  Osages  was  transferred  to  the  fathers  of  the  St.  Mary's  mission 
among  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  then  located  on  the  Big  Sugar  creek,  in 
Linn  county^  where  now  rises  the  town  of  Paris.  These  fathers  visited  the 
Osages  as  regularly  as  they  could  from  1829  to  1847 ;  when,  the  Osages  hav- 
ing requested  Right  Reverend  Peter  R.  Kendrick,  bishop  of  St.  Louis,  for  a 
Catholic  school.  Reverend  Father  John  Schoenmakers  was  appointed  as  su- 
perior of  this  mission,  and  reached  this  place  on  the  29th  day  of  April,  1847. 

"Father  Schoenmakers  took  possession  of  the  two  buildings,  yet  unfin- 
ished, which  had  just  been  put  up  for  the  use  of  this  new  mission  by  order 
of  the  Indian  department.  Meanwhile,  while  Father  Schoenmakers  was  hav- 
ing these  buildings  completed,  his  companion,  Father  John  Bax,  went  about 
visiting  among  the  Osages,  speaking  to  them  with  great  zeal  on  the  impor- 
tance of  becoming  civilized  and  embracing  Christianity.  They  were  pleased, 
and  having  offered  him  several  of  their  children  that  he  might  give  them  a 
Christian  education,  he  promised  he  would  return  after  them  soon.  On  the 
10th  day  of  May,  the  houses  being  finished,  he  collected  a  small  number  of 
Osage  children  and  brought  them  in— and  so  began,  on  that  day,  the  Osage 
manual-labor  school  on  the  very  spot  on  which  it  now  stands.  Of  the  two 
buildings,  one  was  used  for  the  Indian  boys,  and  the  other  was  kept  for  a 
female  department. 

' '  On  the  5th  day  of  October,  1847,  several  Sisters  of  Loretto  having 
come  from  the  state  of  Kentucky  to  devote  themselves  to  the  education  of 
Indian  girls,  the  present  convent  was  opened,  and  has  been  flourishing  to  this 
day. 

"In  a  short  time  these  two  houses  became  too  small  to  accommodate 
the  pupils  who  were  brought  in,  and  it  became  necessary  to  enlarge  the 
buildings,  and,  next,  to  multiply  them.  So  Father  Schoenmakers  went  to 
work  and,  first  building  a  nice  church,  he,  by  degrees,  added  other  houses, 
which  gave  this  institution  the  appearance  of  quite  a  town. 

"The  church  was  dedicated  in  honor  of  St.  Francis  of  Jerome,  and  was 
soon  looked  upon  as  the  terminus  of  a  holy  pilgrimage,  which  most  of  the 
Catholics  living  in  a  circuit  of  fifty  to  eighty  miles  would  once  a  year  per- 
form to  comply  with  their  Christian  duties. 

"The  fathers,  who  with  Father  John  Schoenmakers,  attended  the  mis- 
sion, visited  the  adjacent  tribes  of  such  as  the  New  York  Indians,  Miamis, 
Peorias,  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Quapaws,  and  others  residing  south  of  the  old 
Santa  Fe  road,  and  established  among  them,  as  well  as  the  white  Catholic 
settlers  scattered  here  and  there  over  a  wide  extent  of  country  some  200 
miles  in  diameter,  several  missionary  stations,  which  they  visited  from  time 
to  time.  But  this  Osage  mission  was  always  considered  the  mother-house 
from  which  all  the  other  stations  were  supphed.     .     .     . 

"Every  year  the  time  of  paying  annuities  was  a  time  of  great  merriment 
with  our  Indians.  The  nation  would,  on  such  an  occasion,  come  here  and 
build  their  camps  around  us;  and  nearly  every  season  some  other  tribe  would 
come  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Osages.  Sometimes  you  would  see  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  sometimes  the  Kaws  or  Otoes,  at  another  the  Kiowas  and  Comanches. 
The  object  of  these  visits  was  to  renew  their  old  friendships,  which  they  did 
by  smoking  the  calumet,  playing  war-dances,  and  running  horse-races,  to 
the  great  amusement  of  their  white  visitors,  who  used  to  be  present  in  large 
numbers. 

"The  time  of  payment  was  Hkewise  time  of  rendezvous  for  traders  and 
travelers  of  every  description.  All  would  come  to  the  mission,  which  really 
was  an  oasis  in  the  desert,  for  no  settlement  then  existed  nearer  than  Fort 
Scott,  forty  miles  away;  and  all  who  came  stopped  with  us,  either  to  rest 
their  teams,  to  repair  their  wagons,  or  to  supply  themselves  with  provisions. 
So  it  is  that  Osage  Mission  came,  with  all  truth,  to  be  called  the  cradle  of 
civilization  in  the  Neosho  valley." 

During  the  first  twenty  years  of  Father  Paul's  life  among  the  Osages 

Note  4.—  Rev.  Charles  Felix  Van  Quickenborne  was  born  in  Ghent  in  1788,  and  died 
near  St.  Charles.  Mo.,  August  17.  1&37.-De  Smet,  1905.  vol.  1,  p.  151. 


28  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

they  remained  in  southeastern  Kansas.  This  was  one  of  the  brightest  periods 
in  their  history.  In  a  letter  to  W.  W.  Graves,  editor  of  the  St.  Paul  Journal^ 
under  date  of  August  28,  1899,  the  aged  priest  writes : 

"  In  those  days,  which  I  might  as  well  call  preadamitic,  the  Osages  were 
having  their  golden  age.  And  why  not?  Their  poor  wigwams,  scattered 
here  and  there  around  the  mission  log  houses,  were  forming  the  largest  set- 
tlement in  southern  Kansas.  .  .  .  The  Osage  nation,  under  the  great 
chief,  George  White  Hair,  and  the  mission  schools,  under  the  management 
of  Father  John  Schoenmakers,  were  the  only  points  then  considered  of  any 
importance  by  the  Indian  department,  whose  commissioners  frequently  visited 
us." 

And  these  were  golden  days  for  Father  Ponziglione.  He  was  working  out 
among  those  wild  people,  in  what  was  then  called  the  "  Great  American  Des- 
ert," the  ambition  of  his  youth.  From  the  time  he  was  first  met,  many  miles 
from  the  mission,  by  Indian  couriers,  sent  to  conduct  him  to  his  new  home,  to 
the  day  of  his  death,  he  was  their  loving  father  and  counselor.  He  was  the 
court  of  last  resort  for  their  individual  and  public  grievances.  He  was  their 
honored  guest  upon  all  occasions  of  feasting  and  merrymaking.  He  bap- 
tised their  children,  and  was  "a  light  unto  their  feet"  in  all  the  ways  of 
education  and  righteousness.  He  united  their  young  men  and  women  in 
marriage.  He  ministered  alike  to  their  physical  and  spiritual  needs.  He 
watched  by  their  death-beds  and  administered  the  last  sacrament.  There  was 
no  road  too  rough,  no  distance  too  great,  no  weather  too  hot  or  too  cold,  no 
vigil  too  long  or  lonely,  when  suffering  humanity  called  Father  Paul.  Well 
might  he  have  said: 

"The  deaths  ye  have  died  I  have  watched  beside. 
And  the  lives  ye  have  lived  were  mine." 

The  particular  scope  of  Father  Ponziglione's  mission  work  in  Kansas  ex- 
tended from  Cherokee  county  north  to  Miami  county,  thence  to  Fort  Larned, 
Pawnee  county,  and  on  through  the  counties  along  the  southern  state  line, 
back  to  the  home  mission.  He  was  the  first  to  spread  the  Gospel  in  thirty 
of  the  counties  of  the  state  included  in  the  circuit  just  mentioned.  He  also 
penetrated  the  wild  regions  of  the  Indian  Territory,  and  established  missionary 
stations  at  the  Indian  agencies  and  military  posts  as  far  south  as  Fort  Sill, 
near  the  Texas  line.  So  this  noble  father  and  his  self-sacrificing  coworkers, 
starting  from  the  mother  church  at  Osage  Mission,  within  forty  years  estab- 
lished 180  Catholic  missions,  eighty-seven  of  which  were  in  southern  Kansas 
and  twenty-one  in  the  Indian  Territory. 

The  great  reverence  in  which  Father  Paul  was  held  by  all  Indians  from 
his  first  acquaintance  with  them,  and  the  extent  of  his  reputation  as  their 
friend,  is  shown  by  the  following  incident: 

In  the  early  fifties  he  was  overtaken  by  a  band  of  wild  Indians  near  where 
Fort  Scott  now  stands.  Not  knowing  him,  the  savages  held  a  short  council, 
and  then  prepared  to  burn  him  at  the  stake.  When  he  had  been  firmly 
bound  and  all  things  were  ready  to  carry  out  their  purpose,  an  Indian  woman 
came  and  gazed  intently  upon  his  face  for  a  minute.  A  flash  of  recognition 
passed  over  her  countenance,  and  she  threw  up  her  hands  in  dismay.  Then 
turning  to  his  captors  'she  spoke  a  few  quick  words,  and  they  as  quickly  re- 
leased him  from  his  bonds.  Then  they  had  nothing  too  great  to  ofi'er  him, 
and,  in  their  uncouth  way,  made  every  demonstration  of  friendliness. 

The  father's  deep  interest  in  spiritual  affairs  was  extended  to  all  hu- 


Reverend  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione.  29 

manity,  and  his  watchful  care  over  his  people  never  waned.  It  is  related 
by  one  of  his  old  parishioners  that  in  the  early  days,  while  traveling  through 
the  Flint  Hills  of  Kansas,  then  sparsely  settled,  night  overtook  the  parishioner 
far  from  any  human  habitation  save  one.  This  was  a  one-roomed  house,  oc- 
cupied by  mother  and  son.  It  was  a  time  to  try  men's  nerves,  and  every 
one  looked  upon  a  stranger  with  a  degree  of  suspicion.  The  traveler  was 
not  favorably  impressed  with  the  surroundings,  and  retired  for  the  night 
with  some  misgivings  and  a  general  feeling  of  uneasiness.  A  curtain  sep- 
arated his  bed  from  the  rest  of  the  room.  Soon  there  came  to  his  ears  the 
low  voice  of  prayer— the  mother  and  son  telling  the  beads  on  their  rosaries. 
With  a  feehng  of  peace  and  security  he  fell  asleep.  In  the  morning  he 
asked  his  hostess  how  she  kept  her  faith  alive,  so  far  from  church  and  re- 
ligious associations.  "Oh,"  she  replied,  "Father  Paul  Ponziglione  never 
fails  to  visit  us  at  least  once  a  year. ' ' 

In  1870  the  Osages  withdrew  forever  from  Kansas  into  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory, but  Father  Paul  never  once  relaxed  his  watchfulness  over  his  red 
children.  It  was  his  unvarying  custom  to  meet  personally  every  member  of 
the  tribe  once  a  year.  His  dun-colored  ponies  and  white-canvas-topped 
spring  wagon  were  a  familiar  sight  to  thousands  of  people.  His  usual  course 
of  travel  from  the  home  mission  to  the  territory  was  by  the  notorious 
Bender  place.  On  one  of  these  trips,  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  stop 
for  the  night  with  the  Benders.  The  father's  suspicions  were  aroused  by 
seeing  old  man  Bender  place  a  large  hammer  behind  the  curtain  near  the 
supper-table,  and  afterwards  engage  in  a  low  conversation  with  his  daughter, 
Kate.  Something  seemed  to  say  to  him,  "You  must  leave  this  place  at 
once. ' '  Under  the  pretext  of  seeing  to  his  ponies,  which  were  restless  and 
would  not  eat,  he  left  the  house  and  made  good  his  escape.  Father  Ponziglione 
often  expressed  the  belief  that  he  owed  his  life  to  the  timely  heeding  of  the 
warning  voice  within  him.^ 

That  beautiful  edifice  in  Osage  Mission,  widely  known  as  St.  Francis 
Church,  and  the  most  imposing  structure  of  its  kind  in  the  state,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Catholic  cathedral  at  Leavenworth,  is  one  of  the  many  evi- 
dences of  Father  Paul's  indefatigable  energy  and  untiring  devotion  to  the 
Catholic  faith.  Without  accident,  the  sacred  building  will  stand  for  centu- 
ries. The  masonry  of  the  building  is  unsurpassed  by  any  in  workmanship  and 
solidity.  The  walls,  which  are  of  sandstone,  two  and  one-half  feet  thick,  rise 
thirty-two  feet  at  the  lowest  point,  and  sixty-seven  feet  at  the  highest 
point,  from  the  level  of  the  floor.     The  belfry  tower,  twenty-four  by  twenty- 

NOTE  5. — The  Bender  family,  consisting  of  four  persons,  father,  mother,  son,  and  daughter, 
lived  in  Labette  county,  two  miles  south  of  Moorehead  station,  on  the  Southern  Kansas  branch 
of  the  Santa  Fe,  and  ten  miles  from  Thayer.  There  was  no  other  house  within  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  of  it.  For  some  time  there  had  been  repeated  stories  of  missing  people,  but  all  without 
friends  to  push  an  investigation.  Finally,  in  the  spring  of  1873,  Dr.  William  York  was  missing. 
He  left  friends  who  made  a  determined  investigation.  They  were  led  to  examine  the  garden  of 
the  Bender  family.  The  Benders  fled  hastily,  and  the  neighbors  made  a  thorough  examination 
of  the  premises.  A  sunken  place  suggested  a  grave,  and  a  sharp  iron  instrument  was  sunk  into 
the  ground  without  difficulty.  Five  feet  below  was  found  a  human  body  distorted  and  partly  de- 
composed and  clothed  in  an  undershirt.  It  was  recognized  as  the  body  of  William  York.  The 
next  day  seven  more  bodies  were  dug  up,  and  all  recognized  save  one:  George  W.  Longcor  and 
daughter,  of  Iowa ;  George  Brown,  of  Howard  county,  Kansas ;  William  McCrothy,  of  Howard 
county ;  H.  T.  McKenzie,  of  Indiana,  and  a  Mr.  Boyle.  The  throat  of  every  victim  was  cut. 
There  was  a  trap-door  in  the  house  large  enough  to  admit  a  body,  and,  directly  beneath,  a  pit  six 
feet  deep.  The  ground  in  this  pit  was  covered  with  clotted  blood.  It  is  supposed  that  the  vic- 
tims stopped  for  a  drink  of  water  or  something  to  eat.  By  the  table  at  which  guests  were  seated 
was  stretched  a  canvas,  and  from  behind  this  canvas  the  guests  received  their  death  blow  from 
an  Iron  hammer.  The  daughter  was  a  clairvoyant  who  ruled  the  house  through  supernatural 
power.  The  Benders  were  pursued,  and  the  truth  of  history  compels  us  to  say  that  neither  the 
pursuers  or  the  family  have  been  heard  from  since. 


30  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

four  feet,  is  of  stone,  and  it  is  seventy  feet  to  the  top  of  the  masonry  on 
on  which  the  bell  rests.  All  this  is  capped  by  thirty-two  feet  of  wooden 
structure,  making  the  complete  height  of  the  tower  102  feet.  One  hundred 
and  twenty  car-loads  of  sand  and  plaster  material  were  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  building.  The  foundation  cost  $7000;  $23,440  were  paid  to 
mechanics  for  wages;  the  doors  and  windows  were  $5800;  then  came  the 
great  altar,  the  side  altars,  the  heating  apparatus,  the  immense  pipe-organ, 
and  other  furnishings,  making  the  entire  cost  of  the  building,  as  it  now 
stands,  $90,000. 

Owing  to  the  great  liberality  manifested  by  Catholics  everywhere,  even 
the  full-blooded  Osages,  then  residing  in  the  Indian  Territory,  contributing, 
this  magnificent  church  was  absolutely  free'  from  debt  when,  on  the  11th 
day  of  May,  1884,  it  was  solemnly  dedicated  to  St.  Francis  de  Hieronymo, 
by  the  Right  Reverend  John  Hogan,  D.  D.,  bishop  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

On  February  27,  1889,  Father  Ponziglione  celebrated  his  golden  jubilee  at 
Osage  Mission,  the  occasion  being  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  admission 
into  the  Jesuit  society.  Many  thousands  of  people  were  present.  Men  of 
national  reputation  and  high  church  connections  came  great  distances  to  pay 
tribute  to  one  of  the  most  generally  beloved  characters  in  the  American 
Catholic  church. 

The  following  lines  are  taken  from  the  beautiful  salutatory  written  for 
the  occasion  by  Miss  Maggie  Barnes,  a  friend  and  parishioner  of  Father 
Paul's  at  Osage  Mission  : 

"  Full  fifty  stars  that  light  the  flood  of  time  ; 
Full  fifty  hymns  that  rise  in  strains  sublime 
Out  of  the  happy  past ;  full  fifty  isles 
All  steeped  in  beauty's  glow,  and  bathed  in  smiles 
From  kindly  heaven  ;  full  fifty  angels  fair, 
Crowned  with  soft  lilies  and  sweet  violets  rare. 
These  are  the  symbols  of  thy  rosary 
Of  years— the  types  of  things  that  gild  thy  jubilee." 

In  the  name  of  the  deanery  of  Parsons,  the  Very  Reverend  E.  Bononcini 
offered  the  following  ode,  written  by  Rev.  T.  A.  Butler,  of  St.  Louis  : 

"  Life  was  fresh,  like  flow'rs  awakening, 

In  thy  bright  Itahan  clime; 
Fair  as  dawn  of  morning  breaking 

Seem'd  the  light  of  coming  time; 
Earth  and  sea  and  skies  above  you 

Caught  the  rosy-tinted  glow; 
Kindred  whispei-ed,  '  Paul,  we  love  you, ' 

More  than  fifty  years  ago. 

"  But  the  Lord  of  all  has  spoken 

Sweeter  words  than  human  tongue; 
Ties  of  kindred  must  be  broken  — 

Heav'n  is  pleased  with  hearts  so  young. 
Paul  is  call'd,  and  soon  we  find  him 

Where  Ignatius'  soldiers  grow  — 
Ah!    he  left  the  world  behind  him 

Fully  fifty  years  ago. 

"Left  the  palace,  left  the  college. 
Left  the  sacred  shrines  of  Rome. 
Full  of  faith  and  zeal  and  knowledge, 
Sent  to  seek  a  prairie  home; 


Reverend  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione.  31 

Sent  across  the  rolling  ocean, 

Out  where  Kansas'  rivers  flow  — 
Ah!    how  strong  that  priest's  devotion, 

Nearly  fifty  years  ago. 

' '  Few  the  homes  in  days  departed  — 

Prairie  homes  when  Paul  was  young  — 
Then  the  Indian,  lion-hearted, 

On  the  plains  his  blanket  flung. 
Few  the  farmers  on  the  prairies; 

Indians  wandered  to  and  fro, 
By  St.  Francis,  by  St.  Marys, 

Fifty,  forty  years  ago. 

"On  the  plains  the  father  greets  them. 

In  their  wigwams  preacheth  peace; 
Smiles  with  joy  where'er  he  meets  them, 

Causes  fiery  feuds  to  cease; 
Bends  the  proud  to  own  a  master, 

Leads  where  heavenly  graces  flow, 
At  the  feet  of  Christ,  the  pastor, 

Happy  forty  years  ago. 

"Fair  thou  seemest,  Osage  Mission, 

Born  again  to  brighter  days; 
Standing  now  in  strong  position, 

Tell  through  time  thy  soldier's  praise; 
But  forget  not  through  the  ages, 

While  Neosho's  waters  flow, 
Paul,  apostle  of  Osages, 

More  than  forty  years  ago. ' ' 

In  the  spring  of  1889,  there  was  much  trouble  with  the  Crow  tribe  on 
their  reservation  in  Montana.  It  was  thought  that  Father  Paul  might  be 
able  to  do  more  with  them  than  any  one  else.  So  he  was  asked  to  go  there 
and  use  his  influence  as  a  peacemaker,  which  he  did  with  marked  results. 
But  his  leaving  the  home  mission  cast  a  deep  sadness  over  southern  Kansas 
and  the  Indian  Territory  ;  for,  owing  to  his  advanced  age,  every  one  felt  the 
improbability  of  his  ever  returning  to  Kansas. 

Father  Ponziglione  left  Montana  to  become  historian  of  St.  Ignatius 's  Col- 
lege, in  Chicago,  in  1891.  It  is  remarkable  that  throughout  his  life  as  an 
Indian  missionary  he  always  maintained  his  high  degree  of  scholarship,  and 
to  the  day  of  his  death  was  considered  one  of  the  finest  Latin  scholars  in  the 
Jesuit  society.  He  was  an  able  writer  of  both  prose  and  poetry  in  Latin 
composition. 

In  connection  with  his  work  at  St.  Ignatius 's  College,  he  was  assistant 
pastor  at  the  Jesuit  church.  He  heard  confessions,  visited  the  sick,  and  it 
is  said  that  in  the  singing  of  high  mass  his  rich  tenor  voice  rang  out  clear 
and  strong  as  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  though  now  an  octogenarian. 

But  his  great  sympathetic  soul  always  turned  to  the  weak  and  helpless. 
Added  to  his  other  work  in  Chicago,  he  became  chaplain  of  St.  Joseph's 
Home  for  Deaf  Mutes,  and  organized  two  sodalities  among  them,  one  for 
young  men  and  the  other  for  young  women.  He  prepared  sermons,  psalms 
and  prayers  for  them  in  the  sign  language.  Outside  of  his  own  parish,  he 
also  did  active  work  in  the  Visitation  and  Aid  Society,  and  for  nearly  ten 
years  he  preached  the  Gospel  to  the  inmates  of  the  Bridewell,  in  Chicago.  ]  g 


32  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

On  the  25th  of  March,  A.  D.  1898,  Father  Paul  celebrated,  in  the  city  of 
Chicago,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  priesthood.  It  was  a  notable  occa- 
sion for  a  notable  man.  A  Jesuit  priest's  religious  and  educational  training 
is  so  long  and  thorough  that  but  few  ever  live  to  have  a  golden  jubilee. 
The  wonderful  character  of  Father  Ponziglione  as  count,  priest,  Indian  mis- 
sionary, historian  and  writer  made  the  event  extremely  interesting,  and  it 
became  one  of  national  church  importance. 

Just  two  years  later— two  more  full  years  of  unceasing  service  for  Christ 
and  humanity— and  the  venerable  father  passed  peacefully  on  to  the  higher 
reahzations  of  spiritual  truth.  After  a  short  sickness  with  bronchial  pneu- 
monia, Father  Ponziglione  died,  at  St.  Ignatius 's  College,  in  Chicago,  on 
Wednesday  night,  March  28,  1900,  a  little  past  his  eighty-second  year. 

No  great  and  good  man  belongs  exclusively  to  any  particular  religious, 
social  or  political  organization.  Influences  for  good  must  extend  to  all  hu- 
manity, and  the  noble  character  of  Father  Paul  stands  like  "the  shadow  of 
a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land,"  offering  peace  and  comfort  to  the  heavy- 
laden  and  distressed.  Whilst  always  he  was  a  most  ardent  Roman  Catholic, 
his  soul  was  too  great  to  be  circumscribed,  and  he  was  the  father,  friend  and 
priest  to  every  one  who  knew  him.  This  was  Christlike— this  was  Pon- 
ziglione. 

In  considering  the  character  of  a  state  or  nation,  we  are  apt  to  look  at 
the  purely  social  and  political,  and  to  lose  sight  of  the  moral  and  religious 
factors.  Who  can  estimate  a  strong  man's  influence  for  good?  Who  can 
measure  the  worth  of  Father  Ponziglione  in  the  formative  period  of  this 
state  ?    In  one  of  his  last  letters  to  a  friend  he  wrote : 

"If,  during  a  period  of  forty-nine  years,  the  Osages,  as  a  nation,  did  not 
take  up  arms  against  the  United  States  government;  if  they  did  not  make  a 
wholesale  slaughter  of  trains  and  caravans  while  crossing  the  plains;  if  they 
did  not  ransack  the  country  along  the  border  of  both  Missouri  and  Kansas; 
if,  in  a  word,  they  did  not  turn  hostile  to  the  white  people,  this  is  due,  in  a 
great  part,  to  the  influence  of  the  Catholic  church,  exerted  over  them 
through  her  missionaries. ' ' 

While  true  in  general  of  the  church,  it  should  be  more  particularly  ap- 
plied to  Father  Ponziglione  himself;  for  his  wonderful  personality  and 
Christlike  character  predominated  at  all  times,  in  all  places,  and  over  all 
people,  for  the  universal  and  perpetual  betterment  of  social  and  political 
conditions. 

His  character  so  thoroughly  impressed  upon  the  thousands  of  students 
educated  at  St.  Francis'  College  and  St.  Ann's  Academy,  in  Osage  Mission, 
stands  also  as  an  imperishable  monument  to  his  greatness. 

So  endeth  this  life's  work  of  Father  Paul  M.  Ponziglione,  the  last  repre- 
sentative of  the  noble  houses  of  Guerra  and  Ponziglione,  who  left  friends, 
wealth  and  nobility  in  Italy  to  become  an  humble  Jesuit  priest  and  mission- 
ary among  the  western  American  Indians,  and  whose  life  was  so  pure, 
whose  human  sympathy  was  so  great,  that  to  know  him  was  to  feel  the  im- 
pulse of  his  righteousness. 

The  influences  of  his  unpretentious  life,  coming  through  quiet  channels, 
are  so  pure  and  simple,  so  great  and  lasting,  as  to  make  the  name  of  Pon- 
ziglione worthy  to  be  inscribed  forever  upon  the  pages  of  Kansas  history. 

"What  is  excellent,  as  God  lives,  is  permanent." 


The  Victory  of  the  Plow. 


THE  VICTORY  OF  THE  PLOW. 

An  address  delivered  by  William  D.  Street  '  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society, 
at  its  twenty-ninth  annual  meeting,  December  6,  1904. 

LOOKING  across  the  great  Sappa  valley  one  morning  in  the  early  autumn 
could  be  seen  the  beautiful  squares  of  green  alfalfa,  the  fields  of  golden- 
hued,  ripening  Indian  corn,  the  hillsides  covered  with  buffalo-grass,  turning 
brown  in  the  warmth  of  the  fall  sunshine.  The  leaves  on  the  belt  of  timber 
that  fringed  the  stream  were  taking  on  the  varied  hues  of  beauty,  so  admired 
by  the  artist  and  extolled  by  the  poet,  that  come  with  the  Indian  summer. 
Lowing  cattle  were  going  to  their  pastures  and  the  pigs  in  the  alfalfa  were 
calling  loudly  for  their  morning  rations.  What  a  beautiful  pastoral  picture! 
Turning  toward  the  rising  sun  could  be  seen  nestled  in  a  cove  in  the  valley  the 
beautiful  and  enterprising  little  city  of  Oberlin,  the  county-seat  of  Decatur 
county,  with  her  church  spires,  public  schools,  high  school,  banks,  stores, 
mill,  creameries,  railroad  depot,  and  all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  commercial 
emporium. 

What  splendid  pictures  of  civilization  these  scenes  made!  My  thoughts 
traveled  across  the  past  thirty  years  to  the  time  when  the  plow  had  not 
turned  a  furrow  in  the  county,  and  called  up  the  fact  that  last  year— 1903— the 
yield  of  wheat  for  the  county  was  2,032,200  bushels,  worth  $1,097,388,  tell- 
ing a  wonderful  story  of  the  victory  of  the  plow. 

Back  to  the  early  days  and  early  settlers;  what  privations,  what  suffer- 
ing, what  sorrows,  those  old-timers  endured  in  their  contest  against  wild 
men,  wild  beasts,  unfavorable  social,  financial  and  climatic  conditions:  what 
fortitude,  what  heroism  in  every  degree,  those  people  displayed  to  win  the 
victory  of  the  plow !  The  story  cannot  be  written.  The  eye-witness  and, 
in  many  instances,  an  actor  in  the  great  drama  cannot  write  it  as  it  should 
be  written.  The  story  cannot  be  told  as  it  should  be  told.  The  soldier  suf- 
fers alone,  while  his  deeds  of  valor  are  told  in  picture  and  story;  but  with 
the  men  who  conquered  the  prairies  came  the  women  and  little  children,  who 
suffered  privations  and  dangers  as  heroically  as  the  strongest  men.  What 
a  victory  they  have  won!  Yet  their  praise  has  not  been  sung  in  song  or 
told  in  prose.  No  monuments  have  been  reared  to  tell  of  their  glory;  no 
eulogies  have  been  pronounced  for  them;  no  niche  in  the  temple  of  fame 
has  been  reserved  for  those  who  won  the  victory  of  the  plow ! 

Less  than  a  half-century  ago  not  a  mile  of  railroad  was  in  operation  in 
Kansas,  while  the  white  settlements  were  confined  to  the  country  adjacent 
to  the  turbulent  Missouri  and  the  eastern  border;  nearly  half  the  state  was 

Note  1. — William  D.  Street  was  born  near  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  the  year  1851.  He  moved 
from  Ohio  to  Kansas  in  1861,  and  became  identified  with  northwestern  Kansas  in  1869,  being  a 
pioneer  in  that  section.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Kansas.  He  served'as  a  sol- 
dier in  company  I,  Nineteenth  Kansas  volunteers,  and  also  in  company  D,  Second  battalion, 
Kansas  state  militia,  in  1869,  in  a  campaign  against  the  Indians.  He  was  a  member  of  the  legis- 
latures of  1883,  1889,  1895,  and  1897.  In  this  last  session  he  was  elected  speaker  of  the  house. 
From  1893  to  1896  he  served  as  a  regent  of  the  State  Agricultural  College.  He  is  a  prominent 
farmer  in  Decatur  county,  and  has  a  large  portion  of  his  farm  under  irrigation.  He  has  experi- 
mented with  irrigation  since  1889.  He  was  a  Republican  until  1890,  when  he  joined  the  People's 
Party.  At  the  People's  Party  congressional  convention,  at  Colby,  in  1896,  he  was  a  candidate  for 
Congress  and  came  within  four  votes  of  a  nomination.     He  is  married  and  has  five  children. 


34  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

unknown  territory.  What  wonders  have  been  wrought  in  less  than  the 
allotted  span  of  life!  The  writer  has  seen  the  plow  fight  the  battle  and  win 
the  victory  from  the  eastern  border  to  the  Colorado  line. 

In  1869  Waterville,  the  terminus  of  the  Central  Branch  Union  Pacific 
railroad,  100  miles  west  of  Atchison,  and  one-fourth  of  the  distance  across 
the  state,  was  the  western  end  of  railroad  communication  for  these  far- 
western  settlements.  Lake  Sibley,  a  semicircular  body  of  water,  left  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Republican  river  when  that  stream,  at  some  time  ante- 
dating the  earliest  knowledge  of  the  country,  had  cut  across  the  bend  and 
straightened  its  course  by  several  miles,  and  named  probably  in  honor  of 
General  Sibley,  was  the  outpost  of  civilization.  The  post-oflfice  and  town 
which  bore  the  name  have  disappeared  from  the  later  maps.  It  was  located 
almost  north  of  Concordia,  and  at  one  time  ambitiously  aspired  to  become 
the  county-seat  of  Cloud  county.  Westward  a  few  miles,  a  fringe  of  set- 
tlers, more  venturesome  than  others,  had  pressed  out  past  the  danger  line. 
Beyond,  the  world  was  asleep,  awakened  only  by  the  whoop  of  the  Indian 
warrior,  the  tread  of  the  mighty  herds  of  buffalo,  or  a  shot  from  the  rifle 
of  an  occasional  hunter  who  penetrated  the  solitude.  This  was  the  north- 
western Kansas  frontier  at  that  time.  The  prairies  and  valleys  further  on 
were  unknown  to  the  white  man,  and  the  plow  of  the  husbandman  had  not 
turned  a  furrow  in  all  this  vast  region— an  empire  within  itself.  Of  the  de- 
velopment of  this  section  the  writer  desires  more  particularly  to  speak. 
Not  that  there  were  no  adventures  and  battles  with  the  Indians  and  conten- 
tion with  wild  animals.  Of  these  we  would  rather  talk  ;  but  the  story  of 
the  plow  on  the  northwestern  frontier  has  never  been  told,  while  the  story 
of  the  sword  is  everywhere.  Every  hill  and  vale  in  Kansas  has  been  the 
scene  of  bloody  conflict,  and  their  history  has  been  written. 

In  1867  the  writer  crossed  what  was  then  called  the  plains,  with  an  ox 
team,  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Dodge,  via  Fort  Harker.  Everywhere 
along  the  western  end  of  the  trail  the  new-made  graves  told  of  the  daring 
or  cunning  of  the  Indian  warrior.  In  the  winter  of  1868- '69  I  was  with 
Custer  in  the  famous  winter  campaign  against  the  redskins  in  the  Indian 
Territory  and  Texas;  in  the  state  militia  on  the  northwestern  border  in  the 
summer  of  1869;  in  1870  captain  of  a  company  of  home  guards  who  built 
Fort  Jewell,  on  the  present  town  site  of  Jewell  City;  and  I  assisted  in  plant- 
ing the  first  settlements  in  the  country  beyond.  For  nearly  five  years  there 
was  scarcely  a  moment  when  the  writer  did  not  have  his  trusty  six-shooter 
within  reaching  distance,  strapped  to  him  by  day,  at  his  hand  by  night,  ex- 
cept when  on  a  few  brief  visits  to  civilization.  This  partially  tells  of  the 
expectancy  in  those  days,  and,  as  the  remark  went,  "one  would  not  be  sur- 
prised to  wake  up  and  find  himself  dead  and  scalped."  But  enough  of  this; 
it  is  of  the  other  struggle  I  want  to  tell. 

The  trappers  and  the  hunters  were  the  first  to  penetrate  the  unsettled 
parts  in  search  of  game  and  fur-bearing  animals.  They  were  the  outposts 
and  advance-guards  of  civilization.  When  the  first  settlers  came  straggling 
in  the  Indian  and  buffalo  had  been  pressed  further  west,  but  neither  had 
entirely  abandoned  the  struggle  for  the  famous  hunting-grounds  and  rich 
pastures.  As  the  white-topped  wagon  of  the  immigrant  with  the  tongue 
pointing  ever  westward  became  more  numerous,  the  Indian  tepees  were 
moved  away  and  the  buffalo  trails  were  overgrown  with  grass. 


The  Victory  of  the  Plow. 


35 


The  invading  settlers  sought  out  their  claims,  and  then  drove  to  Junction 
City,  away  to  the  southeast  75  or  100  miles,  to  the  United  States  land- 
office— then  presided  over  by  our  present  secretary,  v^^ho  was  register  of 
the  same— there  to  make  entry  on  the  land  selected.  After  securing  this 
initial  title  to  their  claims  they  commenced  in  earnest  the  struggle  against 
the  elements  and  'climatic  conditions.  Ignorant  of  the  adaptability  of  the 
country,  the  struggle  was  doubly  severe  ;  so  severe,  indeed,  that  many  brave 
men  abandoned  their  claims,  and  at  times  it  looked  as  if  the  victory  of  the 
plow  was  lost. 

Men  in  many  instances  broke  the  prairie  sod  with  their  guns  strapped  to 
the  plow,  opening  the  land  to  cultivation  that  became  the  nucleus  of  a 
splendid  farm  later  ;  several  worked  together,  for  better  security  of  person 
and  property.  At  times,  when  danger  was  imminent,  one  would  act  as 
sentinel  while  the  others  worked.  They  plowed  in  fear,  planted  in  hope, 
reaped  in  sorrow.  What  a  change  comes  over  the  scene !  -  There  are  the 
echoes  of  civilization  ;  the  distant  rumble  of  the  wagon,  the  lowing  of  the 
herds,  break  the  stillness  of  the  centuries.  Little  log  cabins  or  sod  houses 
dot  the  prairies  everywhere  ;  little  squares  of  earth  turned  upward  by  the 
plow,  like  squares  on  the  checker-board,  change  the  landscape  from  the  liv- 
ing green  of  the  luxuriant  grasses,  or  the  golden  brown  of  the  buffalo-grass, 
to  the  dull  black  of  the  rich  prairie  soil.  The  plow  has  come  unheralded ; 
no  trumpets  sound  the  charge  ;  no  bands  with  inspiring  music  cheer  the  plow- 
man on  his  weary  but  hopeful  march ;  no  banners  wave  aloft  to  mark  the 
lines  of  battle  ;  but  the  battle  is  on  ;  the  plow,  though  silently,  is  surely  mov- 
ing to  victory,  with  a  wilderness  to  conquer. '  No  one  can  tell  what  it  means 
to  be  a  pioneer  except  him  ' '  who  has  been  through  the  mill. ' ' 

Railroad  facilities  were  far  away— 75  to  100  miles  for  a  box  of  matches 
or  a  plug  of  tobacco.  A  journey  to  the  nearest  station  in  winter  meant  dan- 
ger and  suffering.  Streams  without  bridges,  fords  deep  and  treacherous, 
wagons  stuck,  loads  to  be  carried  out  by  the  teamsters  through  icy  waters- 
that  chilled  to  the  marrow,  and  left  for  years  the  aches  and  pains  of  rheuma- 

NoTE  2.— The  wheat  alone  produced  in  the  fourteen  counties  in  the  northern  two  tiers  of 
counties  west  of  and  including  Jewell,  for  the  year  1903,  was  20,872,373  bushels,  worth  $13,587,042.45. 

Note  3.  —The  following  figures  for  the  year  1905,  from  the  report  of  F.  D.  Coburn,  secretary 
of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  show  the  gain  made  by  the  plow  amid  all  the  discourage- 
ments so  graphically  set  forth  by  the  writer  : 


Counties. 

Popula- 
tion, 
1905. 

School 
popula- 
tion, 
1905. 

Assessed 

valuation, 

1905. 

Crop  and 

live-stock 
values, 
1905. 

Cheyenne 

2,844 
9,349 
6,410 

12;671 
10,655 
12,237 
14,162 
5,042 
9,482 
4,540 
3,576 
15,567 
4.506 

987 
3.559 
2,619 
6,071 
4.444 
4.017 
4,215 
5,126 
2,214 
3,218 

1484 
5,351 
1,720 

$777,787 
2,217,219 
1,727,545 
4,308,148 
3,790,460 
2,517,292 
3,060.656 
3.000.189 
1,486,283 
2,404.989 
1,324,815 
1,288,018 
3.489.259 
1,876,813 

$1,671,714  05 
4,982,130  92 
2,936,744  24 
9.075,119  05 
5,934,739  88 
5,031,384  5a 
5,788,169  94 
6,713,744  Ig 
2,736,649  5a 
3,%4,929  56 
2,576,072  11 
1,504,822  02 
7,414,377  59 
2,651,618  69 

Graham                     

Jewell 

Mitchell 

Norton 

Phillips 

Rawlins 

Sheridan 

Sherman 

Totals 

128,423 

46,414 

$33,269,473 

$62,982,216  29 

36  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

tism,  sleeping  in  the  drifting  snow,  far  from  any  friendly  cabin,  were  but 
few  of  the  many  dangers  that  beset  the  freighters  on  the  dreary,  long  roads 
to  the  railroad  stations. 

At  times  the  blizzard's  frosty  breath  swept  across  the  prairies,  carrying 
in  its  wake  death  and  destruction  fearful  to  contemplate.  It  came  unher- 
alded and  without  premonition.  A  dark  gray  cloud  like  an  icy  wave  would 
spread  across  the  plains,  and  the  snow  would  be  swept  into  immense  drifts. 
Woe  betide  the  traveler  who  lost  his  way!  In  a  country  without  well-trav- 
eled roads  and  fenced  farms  all  landmarks  were  soon  obliterated,  and  it  is  a 
wonder  more  people  were  not  lost.  In  those  early  days  cattle  were  knovm 
to  freeze  to  death  standing  in  their  tracks  in  the  great  drifts,  and  would  be 
left  standing  when  the  snow  melted  away  in  the  spring,  mute  reminders  of 
the  terrific  storms  that  had  swept  the  plains  with  arctic  fury  during  the 
winter.  Now  ample  shelters  are  provided.  The  loss  of  stock  is  reduced  to 
the  minimum;  no  loss  of  human  life  has  been  reported  for  years. 

The  blizzard,  under  the  mollifying  influence  of  the  plow,  of  late  years 
has  lost  much  of  its  severity;  the  snows  do  not  have  such  wide  sweeps; 
well-defined  roads  and  many  fenced  farms  are  guides  against  becoming  lost. 

Generally  speaking,  only  robust  people  came  to  the  frontier.  Their  good 
health  stood  them  well,  and,  becoming  inured  to  the  hardships,  their  strength 
carried  them  through  many  diflRculties  and  dangers  where  the  weak  would 
have  succumbed. 

A  want  of  capital  was  another  serious  drawback  to  many  of  the  early 
settlers.  Men  without  means,  save  their  own  strong  arms,  rushed  out  onto 
the  border  where  there  was  but  little  employment,  and  no  money  even  to 
pay  for  that.  Many  of  this  class  soon  found  themselves  in  straitened 
circumstances,  with  no  means  with  which  to  develop  their  lands  and  make 
them  productive.  With  crop  failures  came  discouragement.  Excellent 
claims  were  abandoned  or  sold  for  a  song.  With  the  homesteader  came  the 
land-shark  and  the  money-loaner.  The  latter,  while  supplying  to  a  limited 
extent  the  capital  necessary  to  hasten  the  work  of  building  up  a  new  country, 
proved  in  many  instances  more  of  a  detriment  than  a  benefit,  as  they 
exacted  such  usurious  rates  of  interest  on  the  money  they  loaned  for  them- 
selves or  as  agents  of  Eastern  capitalists  as  to  make  repayment  of  principal 
almost  an  impossibility.  It  was  not  unusual  for  the  rates  charged  to  be 
from  two  to  ten  per  cent,  per  month  on  notes  renewed  every  sixty  or  ninety 
days;  charges  for  writing  and  recording  the  chattel  mortgages,  or  a  com- 
mission charged  for  securing  the  money,  frequently  made  an  annual  inter- 
est charge  of  from  24  to  120  per  cent,  per  annum.  Many  worthy  men 
fell  under  this  load.  The  chattel  mortgages  took  everything  they  had  ex- 
cept wife  and  babies.  Instances  were  frequent  where  every  horse,  cow, 
hog  and  chicken  on  the  place  was  mortgaged,  and  at  these  enormous  rates 
of  interest  the  chances  were  greatly  against  the  borrower.  Many  a  man 
who  under  more  favorable  conditions  would  have  pulled  through  held  his 
land  and  made  a  good  home  succumbed  to  the  inevitable  fate.  A  few 
struggled  through.  As  the  time  for  perfecting  title  to  the  land  rolled  around 
the  money-loaner  was  on  hand,  and  in  a  majority  of  cases  a  mortgage  was 
plastered  onto  the  newly  acquired  real  estate.  Sometimes  it  was  to  build 
better  houses  or  make  improvements;  in  other  cases,  to  buy  cattle  on  invest- 
ment; and  the  struggle  "to  make  ends  meet"  and  pay  the  interest  every 


The  Victory  of  the  Ploiv.  37 

six  months  began.  Some  parties  mortgaged  their  land  for  every  dollar  they 
could  get,  and  considering  it  well  sold  bid  farewell  to  the  homestead,  never 
paying  a  nickel  of  interest  or  principal;  so  that  the  "cutthroat  game  "  was 
not  entirely  a  one-sided  affair  after  all. 

Droughts  of  a  disastrous  nature  were  of  frequent  occurrence.  The  aid  of 
friends  and  even  of  the  state  was  invoked  on  several  occasions  to  enable  the 
pioneer  settlers  to  maintain  their  homes.  The  state  legislature,  on  three  or 
more  occasions,  made  appropriations  to  buy  seed  and  feed  to  enable  the  west- 
ern settler  to  plant  another  crop.^  This  was  money  well  spent,  and  many 
of  those  who  received  the  donations  or  loans  are  now  among  the  most  thrifty 
farmers  of  the  northwest.  As  the  land  has  been  brought  under  civilization 
droughts  are  less  frequent,  not  attributed  so  much  to  the  greater  precipita- 
tion as  to  the  influence  of  the  plow.  The  surface  soil,  in  its  natural  state, 
sheds  like  a  roof,  but  when  stirred  up  and  roughened  by  the  plow  it  retains 
more  of  the  moisture,  eventually  to  give  it  back  to  the  growing  crops. 

Grasshoppers  swooped  down  and  ate  up  every  green  thing  on  the  claim, 
leaving  nothing  but  the  mortgage.  The  settler,  becoming  discouraged, 
abandoned  the  place,  went  "back  to  his  wife's  folks  to  winter,"  in  many 
instances  never  to  return  again. 

Bad  men,  of  which  so  much  is  said  in  the  novels  and  sensational  stories, 
were  not  very  numerous  on  the  northwestern  frontier.  Save  for  a  few 
horse  thieves,  who  occasionally  raided  some  poor  settler's  stable  or  pasture, 
taking  the  best  and  perhaps  the  only  team  he  had,  very  little  trouble  was 
experienced  from  desperadoes.  A  few,  it  is  true,  made  trouble  in  some  lo- 
calities, but  their  reign  of  terror  was  of  short  duration.  The  report  of  a 
double-barreled  shotgun,  or  a  rope  with  a  man  dangling  at  the  noose  end,  ' 
told  the  tale. 

Note  4.—  The  following  sums  were  appropriated  at  times  specified  for  seed  grain : 

The  legislature  of  1869,  the  sum  of  $15,000.  Laws  of  1869,  chapter  134,  page  262.  John  K. 
Wright,  of  Junction  City,  agent. 

In  1871,  $6000.     Laws  of  1871.  chapter  127,  page  290.     Joseph  Logan,  agent. 

In  1872.  an  appropriation  of  $3000  was  made  for  general  relief.  Laws  of  1872,  chapter  47, 
page  76. 

August  28,  1874,  Gov.  Thomas  A.  Osborn  issued  a  call  for  a  special  session  of  the  legis- 
lature, to  meet  September  15,  1874,  because  the  "western  and  newly  settled  portion  of  the  state 
has  been  invaded  by  an  army  of  grasshoppers,"  that  "the  state  has  no  power  to  afford  the 
necessary  relief  in  the  absence  of  legislation,"  and  that  "the  first  duty  of  the  state  is  a  fostering 
care  and  protection  for  all  her  citizens."  The  special  session  met,  and,  in  addition  to  a  few  gen- 
eral acts,  passed  two  of  a  relief  nature.  One  authorized  counties  to  issue  "  special  relief  bonds  " 
in  a  "  sum  not  exceeding  one-half  of  one  per  cent,  on  the  assessed  valuation,"  and  the  other  pro- 
vided for  the  issuance  of  $73,000  of  state  bonds.  The  amount  realized  on  these  state  bonds  was 
to  be  used  in  purchasing  bonds  of  each  county  to  a  certain  extent,  after  the  people  had  voted 
such  indebtedness.  This  fund  was  apportioned  among  certain  counties  in  western  Kansas. 
The  counties  covered  by  this  paper  were  allowed  sums  as  follows  :  Decatur.  $1000  ;  Jewell,  $4000 ; 
Mitchell,  $3000;  Norton,  $5000:  Osborne,  $5000;  Phillips,  $6000;  Rooks,  $3000.  This  put  the  bur- 
den upon  the  county  itself.  The  state  central  relief  committee,  Hon.  Elias  S.  Stover,  chairman, 
distributed  in  Decatur  2  packages;  Graham,  178  packages;  Jewell,  21  car-loads  and  2062  pack- 
ages ;  Mitchell,  8  car-loads  and  1238  packages  ;  Norton,  3'/L'  car-loads  and  828  packages  ;  Osborne, 
4'/4  car-loads  and  1780  packages;  Phillips,  5V-!  car-loads  and  558  packages;  Rooks,  526  packages; 
Smith,  21  car-loads  and  870  packages.  Laws  of  Kansas,  1875,  pages  255,  257 ;  report  of  Kansas 
central  relief  committee,  1875,  pages  5,  6,  7. 

The  legislature  of  1881  appropriated  $25,000  for  general  relief  Laws  of  1881,  chapter  130, 
page  249. 

In  1891,  $60,000.  Laws  of  1891,  chapter  129,  page  218.  The  State  Board  of  Railroad  Commis- 
sioners dish)ursed  it. 

In  1895  $100,000  was  appropriated.     Laws  of  1895,  chapter  242,  page  394. 

The  appropriation  of  1891  required  the  county  to  issue  warrants  payable  to  the  state  on  or 
before  February  1,  1892,  and  the  county  took  each  applicant's  obligation  for  cost  of  grain  fur- 
nished him,  payable  on  or  before  January  1,  1892,  with  interest  at  six  per  cent,  per  annum  after 
maturity.  The  law  of  1895  required  the  county  to  issue  warrants  payable  on  or  before  February 
1,  1896,  and  the  county  took  each  applicant's  obligation,  payable  on  or  before  November  1,  1895, 
with  interest  at  six  per  cent,  per  annum  after  maturity.  According  to  the  books  of  the  state 
auditor,  the  loan  created  by  the  acts  of  1891  and  1895,  $160,000  in  all,  has  been  returned  to  the  state 
treasury,  excepting  a  balance  of  $2334.19. 


38  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

The  pioneers  brought  with  them  a  desire  for  education  and  the  hope  of 
rehgion.  Schoolhouses  of  rude  pattern,  built  of  logs  or  sod,  sprang  up 
everywhere.  They  were  used  for  the  dual  purpose  of  education  during  the 
week  and  devotional  exercises  on  Sunday.  The  log  and  sod  schoolhouses 
have  given  place  to  new  and  modern  houses  of  education,  and  nearly  every 
county-seat  has  a  county  high  school  and  graded  schools  of  high  character.'^ 
Many  churches  of  commodious  size  and  excellent  design  take  the  place  of 
the  former  houses  of  worship.  The  building  of  the  schoolhouse  in  any 
neighborhood  was  an  event  of  more  than  passing  interest.  They  were 
frequently  built  before  a  regular  organized  district  was  set  apart  and  be- 
fore any  taxes  were  levied  for  schools  or  for  school  buildings. 

In  such  cases  work  would  be  donated  by  some  and  funds  by  others.  On 
occasions  persons  were  asked  to  contribute  enough  to  buy  a  joint  of  stove- 
pipe or  a  board  from  which  to  manufacture  a  seat.  The  building  of  the  sod 
schoolhouse  was  an  event  from  which  occurrences  were  reckoned,  as  hap- 
pening before  the  schoolhouse  was  built  or  after.  The  site  being  decided 
upon,  the  neighborhood  gathered  with  horses,  plows,  and  wagons.  A  piece 
of  virgin  prairie  sod  would  be  selected,  the  sod-breaking  plow  would  be 
started  ;  the  sharp  share  would  cut  the  grass  roots  and  slice  out  a  long  piece 
of  the  sod  from  two  to  four  inches  in  thickness,  by  twelve  to  fourteen  inches 
in  width.  After  the  sod  had  been  turned  and  the  place  where  the  edifice 
of  learning  was  to  be  reared  had  been  cleaned  of  the  buffalo-grass  down 
to  the  bare  soil,  men  with  sharp  spades  would  cut  the  long  furrows  of 
sod  into  convenient  lengths  to  be  handled.  These  bricks  of  sod  would  then 
be  loaded  into  wagons  and  taken  to  the  building  site,  the  foundation 
laid,  the  door  frames  set  in  at  once,  and  as  the  work  progressed  and 
the  walls  had  reached  the  height  of  a  foot  or  such  a  matter,  the  window 
frames  were  set  in  and  the  building  continued  to  the  required  height. 
Great  care  would  be  taken  to  break  joints  with  the  sods  and  also  to  put  in 
binders,  soft  mud  or  fine  soil.  The  latter  was  used  more  frequently  to  stop 
up  every  crevice  or  vacuum  in  the  walls  until  they  would  be  almost  air- 
tight. Then  the  roof,  sometimes  of  lumber,  but  more  frequently  of  dirt, 
would  be  put  on.  To  put  on  a  dirt  roof,  a  large  log,  the  length  of  the  build- 
ing, was  selected,  or  two,  if  one  long  enough  could  not  be  secured  from  the 
native  timber  sparsely  scattered  along  the  streams.  This  log  would  be  put 
on  lengthwise— a  ridge  log,  it  was  termed.  Shorter  and  smaller  poles  were 
then  cut  and  laid  from  the  sides  of  the  walls  to  the  ridge  log.     Over  these 

Note  5.— In  the  fourteen  counties  previously  named,  according  to  therepoi"tof  I.  L.  DayhofF, 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  we  find  the  following  statement  of  schoolhouses  and  their 
value : 

No.  school  Value  school 

buildings.  property. 

Cheyenne  county 67  $4,000 

Decatur  county 103  73,400 

Graham  county 86  37,000 

Jewell  county 165  110,000 

Mitchell  county 116  158,175 

Norton  county 117  85.470 

Osborne  county 124  99,850 

Phillips  county 129  57,200 

Rawlins  county 89  54,550 

Rooks  county Ill  70,000 

Sheridan  county 74  46,100 

Sherman  county 59  21,541 

Smith  county 142  93,420 

Thomas  county 85  52.000 

Totals 1,467  $962,706 


The  Victory  of  the  Plow.  39 

would  be  placed  small  willow  brush;  then  sod  would  be  carefully  laid  over 
the  willows;  later  to  receive  a  layer  of  fine  dirt  carefully  smoothed  over  the 
entire  roof,  which  completed  the  job.  The  floor,  usually  of  dirt,  was 
sprinkled  with  water  to  lay  the  dust,  and  as  this  process  was  continued  the 
dirt  floor  became  hard-packed  and  easily  kept  in  order. 

It  is  not  too  far-fetched  to  say,  before  parting  with  the  ' '  little,  old  sod 
schoolhouse  on  the  prairie, ' '  that  great  men  will  rise  up  whose  rudimentary 
education  was  secured  in  one  of  those  humble  places  of  learning— congress- 
men, governors  and  even  a  president  may  have  studied  there.  The  insig- 
nificant mound  that  now  marks  the  place  where  the  sod  schoolhouse  crumbled 
to  earth  may  be  pointed  out  as  the  place  where  some  great  scientist  or 
other  person,  who  has  been  of  inestimable  benefit  to  humanity,  learned  to 
read. 

Turning  from  the  schoolhouse,  as  the  fields  grew  more  extensive  and  the 
herds  more  numerous,  the  attention  of  the  railroad  builders  was  attracted 
to  this  locality,  and  ere  long  great  lines  of  steel  stretched  out  across  the 
prairies,  the  whistle  of  the  engines  awakening  the  country  to  new  life,  and 
thrilling  the  merchant  and  husbandman  with  new  hope  and  energy  at  the 
thought  of  having  railroad  communication  at  their  doors.  While,  at  times, 
freight  rates  were  undoubtedly  exorbitant  and  unreasonable,  and  the  lines 
required  to  produce  too  great  revenues  on  account  of  the  overstocking  and 
mortgaging  of  their  property,  they  greatly  advanced  the  progress  of  the 
country;  and  the  work  that  was  done  within  a  year  or  two  would  have  taken 
many  years  to  accomplish  without  the  advent  of  the  railroad.  The  railroads 
really  belong,  with  the  exception  of  the  Union  Pacific,  to  a  later  date,  as  the 
pioneers  had  "blazed  the  trail"  and  fought  their  way  to  assured  success 
before  the  railroads  were  built. 

One  of  the  causes  of  so  many  failures  and  so  much  trouble  and  suffering 
was  the  fact  that  the  country  in  the  northwest  was  settled  with  such  an 
onrush  of  immigration  as  was  never  before  known.  From  the  Missouri  river 
westward  to  the  eastern  border  of  Jewell  county,  the  march  of  the  white 
settler  had  been  very  slow  and  deliberate.  The  probable  average  advance 
of  the  isotherombrose  line  had  not  been  to  exceed  six  or  eight  miles  per 
annum.  This  gradual  advance  had  been  such  that  the  outposts  were  removed 
but  a  few  miles  from  the  productive  wheat-  and  corn-fields  and  the  potato 
patches. 

The  plow  was  slowly  but  surely  subduing  the  wild  lands,  and  the  reserve 
forces  of  partial  crops  at  least  aided  in  steadying  the  line  of  immigration  in 
its  Western  march.  But  in  1870  an  onrush  such  as  eclipsed  all  former  immi- 
gration in  the  history  of  the  state  or  any  other  country  commenced,  and  by 
the  end  of  the  year  1873  Jewell,  Smith,  Phillips,  Norton,  Decatur,  and  the 
corresponding  counties  southward— 150  miles  of  new  country— had  been  set- 
tled. Within  a  year  or  two  more  the  rush  had  reached  the  Colorado  line;  225 
miles  of  virgin  prairie  to  be  subdued  and  brought  into  cultivation.  The  plow 
was  everywhere,  but  the  task  was  too  great;  the  line  wavered,  and  then  at 
times  it  appeared  that  the  battle  was  lost.  Droughts  and  disappointments, 
as  described  before,  caused  the  tongues  of  the  white-topped  wagons  to  be 
turned  toward  the  rising  sun,  ever  moving  eastward.  The  claims  were 
abandoned,  the  plow  was,  literally  speaking,  left  standing  in  the  furrow.  The 
abandonment  of  the  country  became  a  maddening  flight,  a  complete  rout. 


40  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

The  homesteader  was  vanquished;  the  country  was  a  desolate  ruin  for  miles 
and  miles.  Not  a  farmer  was  left,  and  the  few  settlers  who  remained 
engaged  in  the  stock  business,  continually  singing  the  song  ' '  This  is  not  a 
farming  country,  it  is  only  good  for  cattle."  The  plow  was  forgotten,  and 
the  young  men  who  were  left  aped  the  style  of  the  cowboy  of  bygone  days. 
Then  one  day  the  tide  turned  slowly;  very  slowly  the  people  began  to  come 
back  to  Kansas;  the  settlers  increased,  agriculture  was  taken  up  anew,  and 
the  plow  was  started  again.  As  the  land  was  brought  into  cultivation  more 
and  more,  the  country  became  fruitful  and  promising.  The  rainfall  was 
conserved  in  the  loosened  soil  to  fructify  the  efforts  of  the  husbandman,  and 
the  wonderful  crops  of  recent  years  tell  of  success  for  those  who  have 
suffered  and  endured  the  privations  on  the  border. 

But  all  was  not  unmixed  trials  and  pain,  for  there  were  many  joys  and 
pleasures  in  frontier  life.  To  go  twenty  miles  on  horseback  or  in  a  rough- 
riding  farm  wagon  to  a  neighborhood  dance,  to  dance  all  night  to  the 
monotonous  sawing  of  some  squeaky  old  fiddle,  and,  just  as  the  stars  faded 
from  the  sky,  to  go  home  with  the  girls  in  the  morning,  was  a  popular 
amusement.  Then  there  were  "spellin'  schools,"  that  attracted  people  for 
miles  and  miles— such  distances  as  were  unthought  of  as  the  population  be- 
came more  dense.  There  was,  besides,  the  literary  society,  of  which  the 
debate  on  some  popular  or  obsolete  question  was  an  important  feature,  with 
declamations,  essays,  songs,  etc. ,  making  up  a  program  to  interest  the  settler 
and  pass  an  evening  in  meeting  the  neighbors. 

It  was  a  joy  to  meet  your  neighbor  in  friendly  exchange  of  news.  No 
rural  route  delivery  daily  brought  you  the  latest  paper  from  the  commercial 
center— the  news  not  much  more  than  twelve  hours  old;  the  telephone 
wires  were  not  stretched  in  every  direction  then.  You  could  not  step  up  to 
the  box  and  ring  your  next  neighbor  and  ask  him  if  he  had  seen  a  stray 
cow,  or  inquire  about  some  acquaintance  who  was  sick  a  dozen  miles  away, 
to  hear  his  cheerful  voice  saying  he  was  all  right.  The  news  was  carried 
by  a  slow  process  of  a  weekly  mail  ( sometimes  should  be  spelled  weakly) , 
carried  on  horseback;  there  were  also  mail  routes  styled  the  "triweekly 
lines"  — came  out  one  week  and  tried  to  get  back  the  next.  No  wonder 
all  were  given  the  "glad  hand,"  and  when  they  met  on  the  trail  tarried  to 
gossip  by  the  hour.  Around  the  camp-fires  and  within  the  humble  but  hos- 
pitable homes  those  who  were  returning  from  down  East  were  plied  with 
questions  about  the  latest  events  in  the  settlements. 

When  there  were  but  few  settlers  scattered  along  the  streams,  before 
the  great  rush,  one  of  the  pleasures  of  the  pioneers  was  to  join  together  for 
a  buffalo  hunt.  Several  men  with  teams  and  hunting  outfits  would  set  out 
in  the  early  fall  for  the  buffalo  range,  not  many  days'  travel  distant,  to  se- 
cure their  winter's  supply  of  meat.  They  seldom  failed  to  return  with  an 
abundant  supply,  that  greatly  improved  their  bill  of  fare.  Then  there  were 
antelope,  jack -rabbits,  wild  turkey,  and  occasionally  an  elk  or  deer,  to  sand- 
wich in,  to  make  up,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  a  splended  variety  of 
meats.  One  method  of  curing  the  meat  for  summer  use  was  by  salting  and 
drying  thin  slices  in  the  sun,  slightly  smoking  to  prevent  the  flies  from  spoil- 
ing it.  This  was  called  "jerked"  meat,  was  very  hard  and  dry,  and  would 
keep  indefinitely.  It  could  be  eaten  in  that  state,  or  sliced  and  cooked  by 
various  methods. 


The  Victory  of  the  Plow.  41 

Every  community  contained  some  adventuresome  persons,  usually  the 
young  men  without  families,  who,  when  the  green  began  to  fade  from  the 
leaves  and  autumn  frosts  caused  the  grass  to  turn  brown,  gazed  longingly 
toward  the  country  of  the  wild.  Several  of  them  would  make  up  a  party, 
gather  their  steel  traps,  examine  their  rifles,  and,  with  a  winter's  supply  of 
provisions  and  feed,  start  for  some  favorite  trapping-grounds.  They  were 
the  trappers  of  the  frontier.  Along  the  streams  were  found  the  haunts  of 
the  beaver  and  otter,  the  coon  and  wildcat ;  on  the  prairie  adjacent  were 
the  wolves — the  big  gray  or  buffalo  wolf  and  the  little,  sneaking  coyote. 
The  pelts  of  all  these  animals  commanded  a  price.  The  more  expert  the 
trapper,  the  better  his  returns  from  the  winter's  expedition.  They  would 
make  their  camp  in  some  grove  along  the  stream;  either  pitch  a  tent  or 
build  a  shanty  partly  of  logs  and  the  rest  dug  out  of  the  bank  for  their  win- 
ter quarters.  Next  they  would  string  out  their  traps  for  several  miles  along 
the  stream  to  catch  the  beaver  and  the  otter,  and  scatter  poisonous  bait  out 
on  the  hills  for  the  wolves.  Then  began  their  exciting,  busy  days,  skinning 
and  caring  for  the  furs  and  peltries,  chasing  the  wild  game.  Their  meals 
were  not  always  regular,  but  always  hearty,  consisting  of  such  delicious 
morsels  as  beaver-tail  soup  (the  trapper's  dish  par  excellence),  roast  wild 
turkey,  roasted,  boiled  or  fried  venison,  antelope  or  buft'alo  meat.  These 
were  dishes  beyond  the  dream  of  an  epicure.  Half  a  buffalo's  ribs,  spitted 
before  the  bright  embers  of  the  camp  fire,  roasted  to  a  turn,  rich  and  juicy, 
ready  to  serve  at  any  moment,  when  the  hungry  trapper  should  return, 
would  frequently  be  seen.  Thus  the  winter  would  pass,  the  trapper  ever 
on  the  alert  for  the  prowling  Indian  marauders,  who  would  quickly  rob  them 
of  their  catch,  together  with  all  their  camp  supplies.  If  success  crowned 
their  efforts,  when  the  first  green  grass  appeared  along  the  valleys  the 
trappers  would  wend  their  way  homeward  with  several  hundred  dollars'  worth 
of  furs  to  their  credit,  ready  to  take  up,  indifferently,  the  work  of  agricul- 
ture, always  longing  for  the  autumn  and  the  haunts  of  the  wild  animals. 

The  trapping-grounds  are  no  more;  the  trapper,  too,  has  passed  away  or 
grown  old  and  gray.  When  the  fall  of  the  year  comes  to  those  who  are 
left,  their  eyes  grow  bright,  they  catch  the  spirit  of  the  season;  there  is  a 
longing  for  the  land  of  the  buffalo,  the  beaver,  the  otter.  They  look  back 
to  the  days  of  long  ago  as  the  freest,  happiest  of  their  eventful  lives,  and 
they  tell  of  them  with  delightful  remembrance. 

The  cowboy  who  stood  the  brunt  of  the  battle,  and  acted  as  a  buffer  be- 
tween civilization  and  barbarism,  was  here  in  all  his  pristine  glory.  They, 
as  a  class,  have  been  much  abused.  But  few  toughs  were  to  be  found 
among  the  genuine  cowboys  of  the  northwest.  They  were  generally  a  gen- 
teel set  of  men,  in  many  instances  well  educated,  always  generous,  some 
possessing  excellent  business  qualifications.  There  was,  however,  a  class 
who  hung  out  at  the  shipping  points,  who  did  not  belong  to  the  cowboys, 
but  lived  off  of  them.  They  generally  created  most  of  the  disturbances, 
shot  up  the  towns,  did  the  fighting  and  killing.  This  class  were  the  gam- 
blers and  saloon-keepers;  most  of  them,  it  is  true,  "  came  up  the  trail, "  and 
when  they  went  broke  turned  to  the  range  to  raise  a  stake  as  cowboys. 
This  disreputable  class  caused  the  rows,  and  the  cowboy  was  given  the 
credit  (or  discredit)  for  the  trouble,  when  in  reality  he  usually  had  little  or 
no  part  in  the  disturbance. 


42  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Several  years  without  law,  for  the  outposts  were  pushed  ahead  of  legis- 
lation; settlers  outran  the  lawmakers  and  were  beyond  the  influences  and 
restraint  of  law.  Being  in  unattached  territory,  the  laws  of  the  state  did 
not  apply,  and  no  one  had  authority  to  put  the  machinery  of  the  law  in 
operation.  They  had  outran  even  the  tax  gatherer— not  anarchists,  but 
every  man  was  a  law  unto  himself.  Later,  the  western  unorganized  terri- 
tory was  attached  to  the  organized  county  east  for  judicial  purposes. "  The 
latch-string  hung  out  at  every  cabin  and  ranch  door.  All  men  were  welcome 
to  enter  the  door  and  eat,  whether  the  owner  was  at  home  or  absent.  It 
was  the  custom  of  the  country  that  no  one  passed  the  door  hungry.  Pay 
was  never  expected  and  seldom  off'ered.  Property  was  perfectly  safe.  A 
wagon-load  of  provisions  or  any  other  property  could  be  left  standing  by  the 
roadside  for  days  without  fear  of  loss.  The  house  could  be  left  indefinitely, 
and  nothing  disturbed  except  such  provisions  as  the  passer  might  need  for 
his  immediate  wants.  The  plunderer  was  not  tolerated.  If  a  man  was 
known  to  be  a  thief,  he  either  left  the  country  or  died.  Swift  and  certain 
justice  was  meted  out  to  all  who  violated  the  rights  or  property  of  his  neigh- 
bor. With  the  laws  came  the  lawless  and  disturbing  elements  that  require 
the  police  power  of  the  state  to  keep  in  restraint.' 

Towns  by  the  hundred— paper  towns  principally— sprang  up  everywhere. 
Each  was  expected  to  become  a  metropohs,  the  county-seat,  or  a  great  rail- 
road center.  The  promoters  were  mostly  doomed  to  disappointment,  for 
their  dreams  of  affluence  vanished  into  thin  air  and  their  town  sites  turned 
into  corn-fields. 

The  immensity  of  the  buffalo  herds  in  this  region  was  beyond  computa- 
tion. The  writer  had  seen  them  on  the  Arkansas  river  in  the  freighting 
days,  in  the  great  Southwest,  in  southwest  Kansas,  Indian  Territory,  the 
Panhandle  of  Texas,  and  the  Llano  Estacado.  One  day,  south  of  the  Arkan- 
sas, between  Wichita  and  Camp  Supply,  they  were  so  numerous  that  they 
crowded  the  marching  columns  of  the  Nineteenth  Kansas  so  dangerously 
close  that  companies  were  detailed  to  wheel  out  in  front  and  fire  volleys  into 
the  charging  masses.  But  it  was  not  until  I  came  to  the  northwestern  fron- 
tier that  I  beheld  the  main  herd.  One  night  in  June,  1869,  company  D, 
Second  battalion,  Kansas  state  militia,  then  out  on  a  scouting  expedition  to 
protect  the  frontier  settlements,  camped   on  Buffalo   creek,  where  Jewell 

Note  6. —  Jewell  and  Mitchell  counties  were  organized  in  1870;  Osborne  in  1871 ;  Norton, 
Phillips,  Rooks  and  Smith  in  1872 :  Decatur,  Graham  and  Sheridan  in  1880 ;  Rawlins  in  1881 ; 
Thomas  in  1885  ;  and  Cheyenne  and  Sherman  in  1886. 

Note  7.  — In  the  department  of  archives  are  the  following  letters,  received  from  the  adju- 
tant general's  office : 

Salina,  May  20,  1874. 

Capt.  C.  A.  Moi-ris,  Adjutant  General  State  of  Kansas:  Sir  — Upon  receipt  of  instructions 
under  date  of  the  4th  inst.,  I  proceeded  to  Stockton,  in  Rooks  county,  and  thence  to  the  more  ex- 
posed counties  of  Norton,  Decatur,  and  Graham.  I  made  a  thorough  investigation  concerning 
the  reported  "threatened  Indian  hostilities,"  and  now  submit  the  following  report: 

The  population  of  Rooks  and  Norton  has  been  so  greatly  increased  this  spring  that  in  my 
opinion  the  people  of  these  counties  have  nothing  to  fear  from  Indians.  Decatur  and  Graham 
counties  are  much  less  thickly  populated;  hence  the  people  there  are  uneasy  and  restive  lest  ma- 
rauding bands  may  repeat  the  bloody  scenes  that  were  enacted  upon  the  North  Fork  of  the  Solo- 
mon some  year  or  two  since.  A  majority  of  the  people  in  Graham  have  recently  gone  there  from 
Rooks  and  Norton  for  the  purpose  of  grazing  cattle.  They  are  almost  entirely  unarmed,  which 
fact,  in  view  of  the  scarcity  of  buffalo,  offers  a  strong  incentive  to  molestation  from  Indians  who 
are  making  their  way  from  western  Nebraska  to  southwestern  Kansas.  If  a  limited  number  of 
state  arms  were  furnished  to  the  militia  company  commanded  by  Capt.  L.  C.  Smith,  of  Rooks 
county.  I  am  convinced  that  they  would  be  available  in  case  of  any  emergency  arising  either  in 
Graham  or  Decatur  counties. 

Incidentally,  I  would  beg  to  refer  to  the  many  bold  depredations  that  are  constantly  being 
committed  in  the  extreme  northwestern  counties  by  a  band  of  horse  thieves,  whose  organization 
seems  to  be  perfect  and  to  extend  beyond  the  state.     The  county  in  question  is  peculiarly  adapted 


The  Victory  of  the  Ploiv.  43 

City  is  now  located.  All  night  long  the  guards  reported  hearing  the  roar  of 
the  buffalo  herd,  and  in  the  stillness  of  the  bright  morning  it  sounded  more 
like  distant  thunder  than  anything  else  it  could  be  compared  with.  It  was 
the  tramping  of  the  mighty  herd  and  the  moaning  of  the  bulls.  Just  west 
of  Jewell  City  is  a  high  point  of  bluff  that  projects  south  of  the  main  range 
of  hills  between  Buffalo  and  Brown  creeks,  now  known,  we  believe,  as  Scar- 
borough's Peak.  When  the  camp  was  broken,  the  scouts  were  sent  in  ad- 
vance to  reconnoiter  from  the  point  of  blufl",  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  whether 
the  column  was  in  the  proximity  of  any  prowling  Indians.  They  advanced 
with  great  care,  scanning  the  country  far  and  near.  After  a  time  they 
signaled  the  command  to  advance  by  way  of  the  bluff,  and  awaited  our  ap- 
proach. When  we  reached  the  top  of  the  bluff  what  a  bewildering  scene 
awaited  our  anxious  gaze. 

To  the  northwest,  toward  the  head  of  the  Limestone,  for  about  twelve  or 
fifteen  miles,  west  across  that  valley  to  Oak  creek,  about  the  same  distance, 
away  to  the  southwest  to  the  forks  of  the  Solomon,  past  where  Cawker 
City  now  is  located,  about  twenty-five  miles  south  to  the  Solomon  river,  and 
southeast  toward  where  Beloit  is  now  situated,  say  fifteen  or  twenty  miles, 
and  away  across  the  Solomon  river  as  far  as  the  field-glasses  would  carry  the 
vision,  toward  the  Blue  Hills,  there  was  a  moving,  black  mass  of  buffalo, 
all  traveling  slowly  to  the  northwest  at  a  rate  of  about  one  or  two  miles  an 
hour.  The  northeast  side  of  the  line  was  about  one  mile  from  us;  all  other 
sides,  beginning  and  ending,  were  undefined.  They  were  moving  deliberately 
and  undisturbed,  which  told  us  that  no  Indians  were  in  the  vicinity.  We 
marched  down  and  into  them.  A  few  shots  were  fired.  The  herd  opened  as 
we  passed  through  and  closed  up  behind  us,  while  those  to  the  windward  ran 
away.  That  night  we  camped  behind  a  sheltered  bend  and  bluff  of  one  of 
the  branches  of  the  Limestone.  The  advance  had  killed  several  fine  animals, 
which  were  dressed  and  loaded  into  the  wagons  for  our  meat  rations.  All 
night  the  buffalo  were  passing,  with  a  continual  roar;  guards  were  doubled 
and  every  precaution  taken  to  prevent  them  from  running  over  the  camp. 

for  the  operations  of  this  class  of  vandals,  who  are  a  constant  terror  to  the  people.  Many  of  the 
horse  thieves  have  their  homes  upon  the  tributaries  of  the  Solomon  and  are  well  known,  but  the 
people  dare  not  attempt  their  arrest,  for  fear  that  their  own  lives  will  be  imperiled  and  their 
homes  burned. 

Thus  far  any  attempt  to  apprehend  these  desperadoes  has  resulted  in  shedding  of  blood  and 
the  repulse  of  the  officer  of  the  law.  Very  respectfully,  E.  W.  Ayres. 

Norton,  September  20,  1878. 

Hon.  Geo.  T.  Anthony.  Topeka,  Kan.:  Dear  Sir  —  Your  letter  of  the  12th  duly  received 
and  contents  noted.  In  reply  would  say,  J.  Conarty  presented  your  order  to  Mr.  Green  for  state 
arms,  and  he  refuses  to  turn  them  over.  He  says  he  has  nothing-  to  do  with  them.  They  have 
been  removed  to  the  house  of  Jim  Campbell,  and  he  will  not  give  them  up,  because  the  order 
runs  to  Green  instead  of  him.  It  is  merely  a  subterfuge  to  keep  the  arms  until  after  the  exami- 
nation of  Gandy  and  Cummins.  Last  Tuesday  the  stacks  of  a  harmless  old  man  were  burned 
and  his  house  fired  into.  Two  weeks  ago  0._M.  Dannevik  had  over  900  bushels  of  wheat  burned 
in  stack  by  (  as  we  suppose)  our  incipient  "  Molly  McGuires."  A  Mr.  Lumbard,  who  is  now  at- 
tending a  teachers'  institute  at  this  place,  has  just  told  me  as  a  friend  that  I  shall  be  killed  before 
the  district  court  sits,  for  I  have  been  too  busy  hunting  out  cases  against  the  law.  They  may 
kill  me.  governor,  like  they  did  Mr.  Landis,  but  they  cannot  scare  me.  It  is  a  terrible  state  of 
affairs,  and  unless  something  be  done  towards  helping  us  to  break  up  the  nest  not  one  of  us  who 
have  been  anyways  instrumental  in  trying  to  bring  the  murderers  of  John  Landis  to  justice  are 
safe.  If  you  can  send  some  one  in  to  help  get  evidence  who  is  not  known  I  do  wish  you  would  do 
so.  It  will  help  the  officers  of  justice  and  put  confidence  in  the  law-abiding  citizens  of  this 
place.     If  you  do  anything  with  a  detective  it  will  have  to  be  done  privately. 

Hoping  to  hear  from  you  soon,  I  remain  your  obedient  servant, 

Thos.  Beaumont,  County  Attorney. 

We  heartily  indorse  the  request  of  Mr.  Beaumont,  and  believe  it  is  highly  neeessai-y  to  grant 
the  same  and  break  up  the  gang  of  outlaws  who  are  infesting  our  county. 

M.  J.  FiTZPATRiCK,  County  Clerk. 

John  Conarty,  Sheriff, 

Nat  L.  Baker,  Register  of  Deeds. 


44  _  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

The  next  morning  we  turned  our  course,  marching  north  toward  White 
Rock  creek,  and  about  noon  passed  out  of  the  herd.  Looking  back  from  the 
high  bluffs  we  gazed  long  at  that  black  mass  still  moving  northwest. 

Many  times  has  the  question  come  to  my  mind.  How  many  buffaloes 
were  in  that  herd  ?  And  the  answer,  no  one  could  tell.  The  herd  was  not 
less  than  twenty  miles  in  width— we  never  saw  the  other  side— at  least 
sixty  miles  in  length,  may  be  much  longer ;  two  counties  of  buffaloes ! 
There  might  have  been  100,000,  or  1,000,000,  or  100,000,000.  I  don't  know. 
In  the  cowboy  days  in  western  Kansas  we  saw  7000  head  of  cattle  in  one 
round-up.  After  gazing  at  them  a  few  moments  our  thoughts  turned  to 
that  buffalo  herd.  For  a  comparison,  imagine  a  large  pail  of  water ;  take 
from  it  or  add  to  it  a  drop,  and  there  you  have  it.  Seven  thousand  head  of 
cattle  was  not  a  drop  in  the  bucket  as  compared  with  that  herd  of  buffalo. 
Seeing  them,  a  person  would  have  said  there  would  be  plenty  of  buffalo  a 
hundred  years  to  come,  or  even  longer.  Just  think,  that  ten  years  later 
there  was  scarcely  a  buffalo  on  the  continent.  That  vast  herd  and  the  many 
other  herds  had  been  exterminated  by  the  ruthless  slaughter  of  the  hide- 
hunters,  who  left  the  meat  to  rot  on  the  plains  as  food  for  the  coyotes  and 
carrion  crows,  taking  only  the  hides,  which  were  hauled  away  in  wagons  to 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  and  shipped  in  train-loads  East. 

In  a  few  years  the  bleaching  bones  were  gathered  up  by  the  bone-pickers, 
stacked  in  great  ricks  at  the  railroad  stations,  and  later  shipped  East,  to  be- 
come a  fertilizer  for  worn-out  Eastern  farms.  Sold  for  a  price  of  six  to  ten 
dollars  per  ton,  bone-picking  enabled  many  a  homesteader  to  buy  the  provi- 
sions to  take  his  family  through  the  winter  and  until  he  could  raise  another 
crop.  The  hides  sold  from  $1  to  $4  each,  with  a  probable  average  of  $2.75. 
The  robe  hides,  those  killed  late  in  the  fall  and  early  winter,  being  best, 
brought  better  prices— sometimes  as  high  as  five  dollars  each.  Small  for- 
tunes were  made  by  the  hide-buyers  and  traders  who  furnished  the  supplies 
for  the  hunters.  Usually  the  hunters  had  little  to  show  for  their  labor, 
privations,  and  dangers.  We  have  no  word  to  say  against  the  killers ;  we 
were  one  of  them.  The  government  should  have  passed  laws  to  protect  and 
restrict  the  killing  of  buffalo.  The  danger  of  extermination  was  not 
realized  until  too  late ;  or,  as  the  Indians  would  say  in  lamentation  and 
sorrow,  ' '  Buffalo  all  gone. ' ' 

The  Indian  gave  way  to  the  trapper  and  hunter,  those  nomads  of  the 
plains,  they  to  the  cowboy,  and  he  to  the  plow-holder,  until  now  all  the 
world  watches  the  crop  reports  from  Kansas.  If  the  ticker  announces  that 
Kansas  has  gone  dry,  or  the  wheat  has  Hessian  fly,  up  goes  the  price  ;  while 
if  the  word  goes  out  that  Kansas  is  to  have  a  bumper  big  crop,  down  goes 
the  market.  So  the  influence  of  the  plow  on  the  northwest  border  is  now 
felt  around  the  world.  The  army  of  destruction  may  overrun  for  a  time, 
but  after  all  the  army  of  production  comes  to  the  front  again  and  again, 
and,  with  the  plow  as  the  weapon,  conquers  all  at  last. 

Now  we  catch  the  gleam  of  a  better  and  higher  civilization  ;  a  new  light 
is  dawning.  From  these  people,  tried  by  hardships  and  privations,  like  the 
Pilgrims  of  old,  will  come  a  race  of  heroes  who  will  revolutionize  conditions 
and  build  better  than  those  gone  before ;  not  heroes  on  bloody  fields— but 
with  the  plow  will  march  to  greater  and  grander  victories  in  the  production 
of  those  things  needed  by  humanity.  Thus  will  come  the  complete  victory 
of  the  plow. 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  45 


SAMUEL  A.  KINGMAN. 

An  address  delivered  by  Joseph  G.  Waters  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society, 
at  its  twenty-ninth  annual  meeting,  December  6,  1904. 

Before  what  judge  and  what  assize 

Shall  this  man  make  his  plea  ; 
When  at  the  bar,  what  his  replies. 

And  what  the  court's  decree  ? 
With  lifted  face  and  modest  eyes. 

No  room  for  doubt  or  strife. 
He  mute  shall  stand  and  point  where  lies 

The  story  of  his  life. 

THE  real  justification  of  a  good  and  useful  life  is  that  death  does  not  end 
it.  The  sufficient  apology  for  a  conscience  is  that  it  is  the  signal  bell 
that  sounds  our  course  through  the  fog  and  shoal  and  night  here  that  we 
may  safely  head  our  way  over  the  unknown  seas.  The  one  noble  and  high 
purpose  of  death  is  a  subsequent  existence.  The  reasonable  plea  for  all  the 
love  that  mankind  has  ever  had  or  known  is  for  a  continued  being.  If  there 
is  no  existence  beyond  this,  then  life,  love,  hope,  faith  and  conscience  are 
the  only  purposeless  things  in  all  the  infinite  variety  of  use  in  the  created 
universe.  Without  it  there  would  be  no  fundamental  law  of  good  or  bad ; 
the  felon  would  be  as  worthy  as  the  Christian,  and  hate  as  well  as  love 
would  have  the  right  to  control  human  conduct.  The  world's  philosophy 
would  be  at  an  end  and  hope  become  a  useless  burden-bearer.  The  love  of  a 
mother  for  her  child,  which,  with  the  human  race,  stands  within  the  shadow 
of  a  divine  attribute,  that  love  which  flies  into  the  very  face  of  death,  that 
love  which  imagines,  through  the  long  years  of  stilled  pulses,  that  it  feels  the 
soft  patter  of  a  velvet  hand  upon  the  cheek,  would  be  a  satanic  mockery  of 
this  highest  human  emotion  and  a  travesty  of  all  conceptions  of  a  Creator. 

The  hope  possesses  the  race  that  death  is  but  a  darkened  vale  in  an  on- 
ward pilgrimage,  a  bend  in  the  road,  or  like  the  course  of  a  ship  we  have 
seen  leave  harbor  and  pass,  hull  down  and  out  of  sight,  hid  by  the  breasting 
billows.  It  is  a  hope  that  no  science  has  discomfited,  that  no  dumbness  of 
death  has  blanched.  This  hope  becomes  a  part  of  human  existence.  It 
breeds  sympathy,  it  commands  friendships,  it  compels  the  humanities,  and  it 
blooms  the  dreariest  Saharas  of  life  with  love's  unfading  flowers.  It  makes 
men  plant  trees  for  another's  shade,  and  to  live  for  the  benefit  of  others, 
when  "life  and  thought  have  gone  away  side  by  side."  That  death  is  to 
end  all  is  a  chimera  that  has  in  memory  an  inveterate  foe,  that  love  pillo- 
ries, and  which  stands  accursed  in  the  human  soul.  If  the  sweetness  of  be- 
lieving that  somewhere  the  benign  eyes  of  our  dead  still  bend  their  gaze 
upon  us  were  to  be  destroyed,  if  all  the  love  the  heart  overflows  to  them  is 
unknown  to  them,  if  all  the  prayers  for  their  repose  are  rebufl'ed  by  their 
muffled  ears,  it  is  an  infinite  calamity  piled  on  the  insult  of  life. 

We  may  be  oppressed  by  doubts;  the  world  has  always  had  its  doubts. 
They  people  palaces  and  haunt  hovels.  The  eye  opens  and  closes  on  one. 
Doubt  is,  however,  in  the  order  and  character  of  proof.  Expectancy  and 
desire  at  best  are  half  doubt.     Judge  McFarlandi  once  said  that  "doubt 

Note  1.— Noah  C.  McFarland  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania.  April  2, 
1822.    He  attended  school  and  college  at  Washington,  Pa.,  and  was  a  classmate  of  James  G. 


46  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

becomes  a  necessity."  A  doubt  clings  to  every  hope  and  hugs  it  as  the 
shadow  does  its  familiar.  A  doubt  resembles  the  magnetic  needle,  with  its 
ceaseless  tremble,  yet  forever  pointing  the  polar  star  fixed  and  unmoving 
in  the  outlying  depths  of  space.  It  is  the  common  hope  of  us  all  that  prompts 
this  speech,  and  dare  I  believe  that  when  Judge  Kingman  died  his  good 
soul  and  loving  heart  disappeared  in  the  hushed  waters  of  oblivion  over 
which  is  hung  the  rayless  night  of  eternity,  I  could  not  provoke  my  lips  to- 
utter  that  which  is  in  my  heart  to  say. 

Once  he  delivered  an  address  to  the  memory  of  his  good  friend,  G.  G. 
Gage,-  late  of  this  city,  and  aptly  quoted  these  lines,  and  none  are  apter  for 
himself: 

"  Who  that  surveys  this  span  of  earth  we  press, 
This  speck  of  hfe  in  time's  vast  wilderness. 
Would  sully  the  bright  spot  to  leave  it  bare. 
When  he  might  build  him  a  proud  temple  there. 
And  leave  a  name  to  hallow  all  its  space 
And  be  each  purer  soul's  high  resting-place." 

It  has  never  been  my  pleasure  to  take  part  in  the  transactions  of  this 
Society.  It  has  been  my  lot  to  participate  in  many  casual  affairs,  with  their 
apparent  burden,  seeming  importance,  and  passion  of  the  time,  yet  nigh  all 
of  which  have  passed  into  the  vortex  of  forgotten  ephemera,  dying  with  the 
doing,  giving  hardly  a  paragraph  to  the  use  of  history. 

In  speaking  of  him  I  would  like  to  be  my  better  self —an  ideal  not  closely 
pursued  by  me  nor  highly  attained.  I  would  much  desire  to  say  the  thought 
within  me,  so  that  when  this  utterance  shall  take  its  place  in  the  print  of 
your  proceedings  it  might  be  read  with  profit  in  all  the  after-years,  and 
that,  whenever  the  book  was  opened  at  the  page,  it  might  bring  a  glow  of 
satisfaction  to  my  vanished  and  forgotten  face. 

I  have  high  occasion  to  sweeten  the  lives  of  those  who  are  left  behind.  I 
find  supreme  opportunity  to  point  to  an  honorable  and  useful  life  in  sharp 
contrast  to  the  Mammon  of  these  days  that  endeavors  to  sink  such  lives 
out  of  sight  and  example. 

He  was  born  in  Worthington,  Mass. ,  June  26,  1818.  His  parents,  Isaiah 
and  Lucy  Kingman,  lived  to  a  green  old  age.  Judge  Kingman  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  the   more  pretentious 

Blaine.  Before  he  was  twenty-one  years  old  he  stumped  his  county  in  the  interest  of  Henry  Clay 
for  president.  He  studied  law,  and  engaged  in  active  practice  at  Hamilton,  Ohio,  from  1850  to 
1869.  While  in  Ohio  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Todd  as  "chairman  of  the  Butler  county  war 
committee,"  in  which  capacity  he  labored  for  the  best  interests  of  the  Union  cause.  In  1865  he 
was  elected  to  the  Ohio  state  senate,  and  was  made  chairman  of  the  senate  judiciary  committee. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  Ohio  delegation  to  the  Republican  national  convention  at  Chicago,  in 
1868,  which  nominated  Grant  for  president.  He  removed  to  Kansas  in  1870,  settling  in  Topeka. 
In  1873  and  1874  he  represented  Shawnee  county  in  the  state  senate.  In  1879  he  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  Ute  Indian  commission  to  ratify  a  treaty  between  that  tribe  and  the  United 
States.  In  1881  he  was  made  commissioner  of  the  United  States  land-office,  at  Washington,  and 
reappointed  by  President  Arthur.  He  wrote  the  prohibitory  amendment  which  is  now  a  part  of 
the  constitution  of  Kansas.  He  was  twice  married  —  to  Sarah  Milliken,  of  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1864,  to  Annie  J.  Anthony,  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  who  died  in  Topeka  May  5, 
1896.     He  died  in  Topeka  April  26,  1897. 

Note  2.  — Guilford  G.  Gage  was  born  in  Sheffield,  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  October  17, 
1834.  He  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and  his  education  was  obtained  in  the  scViools  of  that 
county.  He  came  West  and  settled  in  Topeka  May  8,  1856,  making  this  his  future  home.  He 
worked  in  a  brick-kiln  after  coming  here,  and  two  years  later  was  engaged  in  the  same  business 
on  his  own  account.  He  invested  in  much  Topeka  and  Shawnee  county  real  estate,  and  built 
many  houses,  and  left  an  estate  valued  in  the  neighborhood  of  $200,000.  He  gave  the  city  of 
Topeka  an  eighty-acre  park  adjoining  the  city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Second  Kansas  regi- 
ment in  the  civil  war,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Blue.  He  had  erected  in  Topeka  ceme- 
tery a  $10,000  monument  to  the  Kansas  soldiers  participating  in  that  fight,  which  was  unveiled 
in  1896.  He  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Louisa  Ives,  of  Alleghany  county.  New  York.  He  was- 
stricken  with  paralysis,  and  died  in  Topeka  May  19,  1899. 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  47 

Mountain  Academy  there;  he  began  teaching  in  his  seventeenth  year,  and 
when  nineteen  went  to  Kentucky,  where  he  taught  school  and  studied  law. 
He  began  practicing  at  Carrollton,  Ky. ;  then  changed  location  to  Smith- 
land,  Livingston  county.  He  held  the  offices  of  county  clerk  and  district  at- 
torney, and  for  three  years  was  member  of  the  legislature  from  that  county. 

He  assisted  in  forming  a  new  constitution  for  Kentucky.  In  the  spring 
of  1856,  with  his  family,  he  went  to  Knoxville,  Marion  county,  Iowa,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1857  met  his  destiny  face  to  face,  and  came  to  Kansas.  He 
spent  the  first  six  months  at  Leavenworth  and  then  went  upon  a  claim  in 
Brown  county,  near  where  Horton  now  stands.  In  the  summer  of  1858  he 
moved  to  Hiawatha  and  commenced  to  practice  law  again.  ^  He  was  elected 
delegate  from  Brown  county  to  the  Wyandotte  constitutional  convention, 
which  convened  July  5,  1859,  and  on  the  organization  of  the  state  was  elected 
associate  justice  of  the  supreme  court.  In  1864  he  was  nominated  for  asso- 
ciate justice  on  the  Union  Republican  ticket,  which  was  headed  by  Solon  O. 
Thacher  for  governor,  and  was  defeated  by  Jacob  SafFord  on  the  Republi- 
can ticket,  headed  by  Samuel  J.  Crawford  for  governor.  In  1865  he  moved 
to  Atchison  and  went  into  partnership  with  John  James  Ingalls  in  the  prac- 
tice of  the  law.  In  1866  he  became  a  candidate  for  chief  justice  of  the 
supreme  court,  was  elected,  and  reelected  in  1872,  which  oflfice  he  resigned 
in  1876  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  state  libra- 
rian; this  office  he  held  for  a  short  time,  and  was  compelled  to  quit  for  the 
same  reason.  He  was  temporary  chairman  of  the  constitutional  convention, 
as  well  as  chairman  of  the  judiciary  committee  and  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittees on  ordinance,  public  debt,  and  phraseology  and  arrangement  of 
that  body.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  State  Historical  Society  ^  and 
a  director  of  it  from  then  on;  he  has  been  president  of  the  State  Judges'  As- 
sociation and  the  State  Bar  Association.  He  was  the  president  of  the  Ana- 
nias Club  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  has  lived  with  his  family  in  Topeka 
since  1872.  He  had  been  a  Whig,  and,  like  most  Whigs,  he  naturally  gravi- 
tated to  the  Republican  party. 

His  name  has  frequently  been  suggested  for  United  States  senator, 
and  at  one  time  he  somewhat  expected  the  appointment  of  United  States 
judge.  Just  four  days  before  his  death  the  city  papers  announced  that  he 
and  his  wife  intended  to  celebrate  their  sixtieth  wedding  anniversary.  He 
was  married  on  October  29,  1844,  to  Matilda  Willets,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Susan  Hartman,  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  His  venerable  spouse  survives 
him,  and  also  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Lillian  Butterfield  and  Miss  Lucy  D. 
Kingman. 

On  the  death  of  Judge  Kingman,  the  Topeka  Federation  of  Women's 
Clubs  issued  a  memorial  in  his  honor,  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  his  daughter. 
Miss  Lucy,  who  is  a  member  of  that  body.  I  have  received  several  letters 
concerning  him,  and  I  hope  they  will  be  printed  along  with  this.     They  are 

Note  3.— Judge  Kingman  was  one  of  the  three  commissioners  provided  for  by  the  legisla- 
ture of  1859  for  the  adjustment  and  payment  of  territorial  claims.  This  commission  reported  to 
the  Wyandotte  constitutional  convention,  and  a  summary  of  their  report  was  published  in  its 
proceedings,  pages  293-318.  The  other  commissioners  were  Edward  Hoogland,  appointed  by  the 
governor ;  Henry  J.  Adams,  elected  by  the  council ;  and  Judge  Kingman,  by  the  house,  on 
February  11,  1859. 

Note  4.— Judge  Kingman  was  twice  before  first  president  of  historical  organizations  :  In 
February.  1860,  of  the  Scientific  and  Historical  Society  of  Kansas,  organized  at  Lawrence,  and  of 
the  Kansas  Historical  Society,  at  Topeka,  in  March,  1867.  Kansas  Newspaper  World.  January. 
1895,  p.  31. 


48  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

from  great  judges,  prominent  lawyers,  and  neighbors;  and  each  one  of  them 
has  sprinkled  its  salt  through  the  lines  of  this  address. 

It  is  a  proper  preface  to  this  address  to  say  that  up  to  the  time  of  the 
passage  of  the  organic  act  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  slavery  was  a  national 
evil.  The  slave  trade  had  been  abolished,  but  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States,  as  interpreted  by  the  supreme  court  in  the  Dred  Scott  case,  made 
slavery  national  by  protecting  it  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  beyond  the 
reach  of  human  law  to  abolish,  destroy  or  impair  it  as  an  institution.  Upon 
the  organization  of  Kansas  into  a  territory,  a  new  doctrine,  devised  by 
Senator  Douglas  in  his  political  extremity,  was  injected  into  that  act.  The 
decision  in  that  case  declared,  in  substance,  that  the  slave  owner  with  his 
slaves  had  the  same  right  and  protection  under  the  federal  constitution  in 
the  territories  that  the  Northerner  had  with  his  mules.  Douglas  proposed 
to  avoid  the  effect  of  that  decision  by  placing  in  the  ' '  belly  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  bill, ' '  as  was  said  at  that  time,  the  provision  that  it  was  not  the 
object  or  purpose  to  vote  slavery  up  or  down  in  the  territory,  but  to  leave 
the  people  perfectly  free  to  form  their  domestic  institutions  in  their  own 
way,  subject  only  to  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 

This  was  popular  sovereignty.  It  was  the  virtual  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
compromise,  an  act  passed  in  1821,  which  declared  that  slavery  should  not 
go  north  of  the  line  of  36°  30'.  Kansas  became  the  struggle ;  blood  was 
spilled  and  lives  lost.  It  brought  to  the  front  many  a  sturdy  hero  in  patched 
breeches,  leaky  shoes  and  coarse  raiment  whose  descendants  will  100  years 
from  now  be  proud  to  claim  as  the  origin  of  their  blood.  The  Kansas  pio- 
neer was  a  strenuous  man,  a  fighting  man,  battling  for  an  end.  If  out  of  a 
settlement  of  convicts  and  ticket-of -leave  men  Cape  Town  and  Botany  Bay 
became  such  colonial  dependencies  as  South  Africa  and  Australia,  what  should 
this  brave  pioneer  strain  of  blood  do  for  Kansas ;  free  men,  fighting  and 
dying  for  free  homes,  free  speech,  and  free  men?  Under  that  act  the  an- 
tagonistic forces  met.  Four  constitutions  were  voted  on— the  Lecompton 
constitution  twice.  As  the  ultimate  of  all  such  struggles  shall  finally  be, 
freedom  and  liberty  won.  The  Missourian  was  against  the  inexorable.  The 
Bible,  the  spelling-book  and  Sharp's  rifle  were  trained  soldiers  fighting  the 
guerrillas  of  slavery,  illiteracy,  and  the  whisky  jug. 

A  free  state  became  possible.  A  constitutional  convention  was  called  to 
meet  at  Wyandotte  on  July  5,  1859.  It  passed  a  free-state  constitution, 
which  was  ratified  by  the  people.  That  instrument  was  the  death-warrant 
of  slavery.  It  legitimatized  and  incorporated  the  great  underground  rail- 
road, and  adopted  the  north  star  into  the  purposes  and  destiny  of  the  state. 
I  can  understand  the  origin  of  our  state  motto.  Defeated,  exasperated  and 
blinded  by  its  frenzy,  the  South  spurned  Judge  Douglas  and  set  its  own  can- 
didates in  the  field  for  the  presidency,  and  fired  the  Southern  heart  for  seces- 
sion. Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected,  and  the  long  foretold  disruption  came,  that 
ended,  after  an  unparalleled  war,  great  havoc,  and  immense  loss,  with  slavery 
banished  forever  from  the  face  of  the  civilized  globe. 

It  is  of  that  Wyandotte  convention  that  I  desire  to  speak.  In  the  de- 
liberations of  that  body  Judge  Kingman  was  by  far  the  foremost  mind.  The 
work  he  did  there  shows  the  trained  jurist.  He  gave  to  it  his  best  ponder. 
He  came  prepared  for  the  task  ;  even-tempered,  far-seeing,  with  no  sinister 
designs  to  accomplish  and  no  great  ambitions  to  glut.     He  was  its  genius. 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  49 

It  has  been  something  of  an  object  in  the  occasional  addresses  I  have  made 
in  this  state  to  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  our  constitution  and  laws.  I 
would  in  some  way  like  pleasantly  to  anger  and  enrage  our  teachers  and 
citizens  generally,  until  they  would  give  them  the  persistent  study  that  so- 
ciety clubs  devote  to  the  renaissance,  ancient  art,  or  Barneveldt. 

I  believe  that  they  represent  the  highest  plateau  reached  in  the  world's 
civilization,  ancient  or  modern.  We  have  put  good,  rich  blood  into  the  com- 
mon law  or  killed  it  outright.  We  have  placed  woman  on  a  pedestal  and 
intelligence  in  the  show  window.  The  constitution  was  not  motley  or  patch- 
work. It  was  consistent  and  harmonious.  It  had  been  studied  out  and 
licked  into  shape  before  the  convention  met.  The  convention  was  only 
twenty-four  days  in  session.  Were  one  to  be  called  now  it  would  take  six 
months  or  a  year.  The  common  schools  were  provided  for,  which  will  grow 
in  importance  for  all  time.  The  bill  of  rights  is  all  that  a  people  want  for 
their  protection.  Whether  Judge  Kingman  and  his  fellows  shall  ever  have 
set  over  them  some  tall  shaft  or  column  it  is  useless  to  conjecture,  so  long 
as  a  vestige  of  the  constitution  shall  remain  to  ennoble  and  perpetuate  their 
names.  He  was  the  one  man  of  that  convention  that  we  hold  responsible 
for  its  many  magnificent  provisions.  The  homestead  exemption  and  the 
clause  exempting  $200  from  taxation  of  heads  of  families  are  his  especial 
handiwork.  Other  states  had  homestead  exemptions,  but  they  were  meager, 
begrudging,  and  unsatisfactory.  Some  had  limited  them  to  $500,  and  the  high- 
est did  not  exceed  $3000,  and  beyond  that  the  creditor  could  take.  One  state 
gave  the  husband  the  right  to  relinquish  it. 

Our  constitution  gives  160  acres  of  land  outside  a  town  or  city  or  one  acre 
within  such  limits  as  a  homestead.  It  can  only  be  taken  for  unpaid  purchase- 
money  or  for  unpaid  improvements  made  by  its  owner.  It  cannot  be  alienated 
except  by  the  joint  consent  of  the  husband  and  wife.  It  makes  no  difi'erence 
in  whose  name  the  title  stands,  the  husband  or  wife,  or  both,  or  turn  about, 
one  year  him  and  then  one  year  her.  It  is  inconsequential  how  valuable  may 
be  its  acres,  its  buildings,  or  betterments.  It  inures  to  the  use  and  enjoy- 
ment of  the  family.  If  the  wife  keeps  her  pen  from  the  paper  it  is  sacred 
to  her  and  her  brood.  The  husband  can  never  take  it  for  alimony.  The 
eyes  of  the  creditor  need  never  be  turned  toward  it— he  cannot  take  it.  It 
was  the  first  step  in  the  emancipation  of  the  wife  in  her  vassalage  to  her 
husband;  she  emerged  from  his  shadow  and  cast  one  of  her  own.  Following 
this  provision,  and  as  its  necessary  trend,  the  laws  of  Kansas  for  the  first 
time  in  any  state  or  nation  declared  her  to  be  the  heir  of  her  husband,  equal 
before  the  law  in  descents  and  distributions  of  property.  Before  that,  her 
portion  was  a  dower-right  in  his  estate,  an  indefinable,  intangible  next-to- 
nothing,  only  valuable  as  illustrating  the  wife's  poverty  and  dependence 
under  the  common  law.  It  was  expected  that  the  homestead  exemption 
would  be  a  cover  for  the  man's  property  to  escape  his  creditors,  but  the 
many  serious  days  since  then  of  catastrophe,  calamity  or  caterpillar  have 
proven  otherwise. 

This  was  the  noblest  and  proudest  work  of  that  convention.  It  recog- 
nized the  family  as  the  first  thing  to  be  cared  for— the  unit  of  all  the  varied 
things  that  go  to  constitute  a  state.  Poverty  may  put  out  the  fires  on  the 
hearth,  but,  unbidden,  an  army  cannot  kindle  its  embers.  It  draws  the  sa- 
cred circle  of  the  law  around  the  grandmother's  rocker  and  the  patriarch's 
-4 


50  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

seat  by  the  chimney-jamb.  Its  gates  open  only  to  friends.  It  must  be  the 
footfall  of  friend  that  is  heard  coming  up  the  graveled  path.  Its  threshold 
may  be  only  worn  by  the  feet  we  love.  Its  latch  lifts  only  on  approach  of 
neighbor.  Out  of  its  curtained  windows  can  be  seen  the  deft  fingers  of 
spring  weaving  the  tufted  floors  of  vernal  green  that  seem  to  the  weary 
feet  the  velvets  of  paradise;  they  look  out  upon  the  waving  corn,  the 
changing  fields,  the  great  harvesters  afield,  the  autumn's  ripened  stores, 
the  huge  stacks,  the  sleek  herds,  and  when  winter  descends  with  its  snows 
upon  the  roof,  its  blasts  against  the  pane,  there  are  comfort  and  happiness 
within.  And  when  the  great  prairies  turn  into  the  abyss  of  night,  its 
lamps  gem  and  star  the  darkness  and  become  to  the  belated  traveler  hos- 
pitality, cheer,  slumber,  and  blessing.  By  the  fiat  of  the  constitution,  the 
woodbine,  Virginia  creeper,  honeysuckle,  the  rose  climber,  and  morning- 
glory,  when  planted  by  the  mittened  hand  of  the  wife,  her  dark  hair  and 
darker  eyes  hidden  in  the  depths  of  a  sunbonnet,  remembered  for  sixty 
years,  are  vouched  an  inviolate  and  perpetual  license  to  clamber  and  ramble 
at  will  over  the  lintels,  under  the  eaves  and  around  pillar,  porch  and  chim- 
ney of  all  the  homes  of  Kansas.  The  hollyhocks,  marigolds,  sweet  peas,, 
nasturtiums,  violets,  pinks,  and  prairie  queens,  planted  in  boyhood,  there 
become  the  immortal  amaranths  of  old  age.  There  is  no  such  word  as. 
"homeless"  in  the  lexicon  of  Kansas.  For  all  time  the  home  is  the  one 
sure  port  behind  the  harbor  bar,  where  the  lights  gleam,  where  the  gales 
cease,  and  surge  and  billow  are  stayed ;  a  state  of  homes,  of  roof-trees,  of 
family  shrines,  where  children,  touched  with  the  incense  of  home's  altar 
fires,  grow  and  broaden  into  a  mightier  race  under  the  sun.  We  are  too 
near  to  see  its  value.  Things  without  perspective  have  little  meaning.  It 
requires  comparison  to  develop  proportion.  Had  we  the  ingrained  knowl- 
edge of  peasant  life,  of  the  human  tribes  and  shambles,  of  crowded  lands, 
of  the  houseless  and  homeless  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  the 
wide  world  over,  we  would  the  more  fully  value  a  secure  home;  a  home- 
stead fortressed  by  the  constitution,  buttressed  by  law,  and  garrisoned  by 
bright-eyed  children.     The  homestead  is  Judge  Kingman's  monument. 

Sol.  Miller,'-  a  veteran  editor  of  Kansas,  a  philosopher,  statesman,  and 
poet,  has  panegyrized  the  homes  of  Kansas  in  a  few  sweet  verses.     He  died 

Note  5.— Sol.  Miller,  the  editor  of  the  Chief,  published  by  him  at  White  Cloud,  Doniphan 
county,  from  1857  to  1872,  and  at  Troy  from  1872  to  the  day  of  his  death,  April  17,  1897.  came  to. 
Kansas  from  Germantown,  Ohio,  in  the  spring  of  1857.  He  was  born  at  Lafayette,  Ind..  Janu- 
ary 22,  1831,  his  parents  being  John  and  Dicey  Miller,  whose  people  appear  to  have  been  natives- 
of  Tennessee  and  the  Carolinas.  The  family  moved  to  Twin,  Preble  county,  Ohio,  soon  after  his 
birth,  and  he  was  raised  in  that  town,  securing-  his  education  in  the  common  school.  His  father 
was  a  carpenter,  and  Sol.  assisted  him  in  this  work,  which  he  never  liked,  desiring  to  become  a 
printer.  January  28,  1848,  he  became  indentured  for  board  and  clothes  in  the  Gazette  office  at 
Germantown,  Ohio,  for  a  term  of  four  years.  At  the  close  of  his  apprenticeship  he  purchased  a 
half-interest  in  the  Gazette,  giving  his  note  and  a  bill  of  sale  on  the  office  in  payment.  The 
paper  supported  Winfield  Scott  for  president.  During  his  experience  as  editor  he  became  in- 
terested in  the  church  at  Germantown,  and  taught  a  class  of  seven  boys.  He  was  married  May 
17,  1854,  to  Miss  Mary  Kaucher,  of  Germantown. 

The  first  number  of  the  Chief  is  dated  June  4,  1857,  though  he  says  he  printed  and  circulated 
a  bundle  of  papers  among  the  crowd  gathered  at  the  sales  of  the  Iowa  trust  lands,  at  Iowa  Point, 
June  1.  Although  a  slave  boy  was  hired  to  run  off  the  first  number  of  the  paper,  Mr.  Miller  was 
a  free-state  man,  and  afterwards  a  staunch  Republican.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas  house 
of  representatives  in  1862,  and  elected  to  three  terms  in  the  state  senate,  serving  in  1866, 1871, 
1872,  1885,  1886,  and  1887.  He  was  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Public  Works  in  1891 ;  was 
grand  master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  of  Kansas,  1871-'72,  and  was  one  of  the  five 
Kansas  editors  who  organized  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society,  in  December,  1875.  Noble  L. 
Prentis  speaks  of  him  as  "the  best-known  of  Kansas  editors,"  and  "  as  good  a  printer  as  ever 
walked  the  sod."  Two  of  his  poems  were  thought  of  sufficient  merit  to  be  included  in  Professor 
Carruth's  little  volume  of  Kansas  literature:  "The  Homes  of  Kansas,"  and  "The  Model  Old 
Couple,"  the  latter  said  to  have  been  a  tribute  to  his  parents. 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  51 

a  few  years  ago.     How  the  summers  haste  and  the  autumns  scurry !    But 
he  haunts  the  prairies  of  Kansas  yet  with  the  music  qf  his  undying  strain : 

"  The  cabin  homes  of  Kansas  ! 

How  modestly  they  stood 
Along  the  sunny  hillsides 

Or  nestled  in  the  wood. 
They  sheltered  men  and  women, 

Brave-hearted  pioneers  ; 
Each  one  became  a  landmark 

Of  freedom's  trial  years. 

"  The  sod-house  homes  of  Kansas  ! 

Though  built  of  Mother  Earth, 
Within  their  walls  so  humble 

Are  souls  of  sterling  worth. 
Though  poverty  and  struggle 

May  be  the  builder's  lot, 
The  sod  house  is  a  castle, 

Where  failures  enter  not. 

' '  The  dugout  homes  of  Kansas  ! 

The  lowHest  of  all. 
They  hold  the  homestead  title 

As  firm  as  marble  hall. 
Those  dwellers  in  the  caverns. 

Beneath  the  storms  and  snows. 
Shall  make  the  desert  places 

To  blossom  as  the  rose. 

' '  The  splendid  homes  of  Kansas  ! 

How  proudly  now  they  stand, 
Amid  the  fields  and  orchards, 

All  o'er  the  smiling  land. 
They  rose  up  where  the  cabins 

Once  marked  the  virgin  soil, 
And  are  the  fitting  emblems 

Of  patient  years  of  toil. 

"  God  bless  the  homes  of  Kansas  ! 

From  poorest  to  the  best, 
The  cabin  of  the  border, 

The  sod  house  of  the  West. 
The  dugout  low  and  lonely. 

The  mansion  grand  and  great: 
The  hands  that  laid  the  hearthstone 

Have  built  a  mighty  state." 

And  if  I  now  pay  my  own  special  tribute  to  this  song,  it  is  because  of  my 
own  personal  regard  for  the  man  and  his  measure: 

How  sweet  the  song  that  ages  long 

Compels  the  world  to  linger. 
Halts  trade  and  train  to  move  again 

The  lips  of  this  dead  singer  ! 

There  is  no  sweeter  word  with  which  to  link  the  name  of  Judge  King- 
man to  remembrance  than  "home."  And  I  cannot  conclude  what  I  have 
to  say  upon  the  homestead  provision  without  adding  this :  On  Kansas  Day 
at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  an  oration  was  delivered  by  a  distin- 
guished citizen  of  this  state,  of  national  reputation,  a  great  lawyer,  and  as 
eloquent  as  great,  which  became  a  classic  as  soon  as  he  uttered  it.**    There 

Note  6.  —  David  Overmyer,  of  Topeka.  Mr.  Overmyer  was  born  in  Pickaway  county. 
Ohio,  May  1,  1847.    In  1849  his  parents  moved  to  Indiana.    He  was  educated  at  Asbury  Univer- 


52  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

is  no  earthly  use  to  send  to  Massachusetts  for  material  for  our  school  read- 
ers.    Here  is  a  part  of  what  he  said  : 

"This  provision,  at  once  wise,  just,  and  humane,  is  the  work,  chiefly,  of 
that  Nestor  of  the  early  days  of  the  state,  the  late  Chief  Justice  Samuel  A. 
Kingman.  On  the  9th  day  of  the  present  month,  at  his  home  in  Topeka,  in  his 
eighty-seventh  year,  he  passed  from  a  pure,  serene  and  tranquil  life  into  the 
mysterious  silence.  It  is  said  that  Solon  instructed  kings ;  and  so  it  can  be 
truly  said  of  Judge  Kingman,  that  he  instructed  men  who  are  greater  than 
kings  —the  buildei's  of  a  sovereign  state.  The  noble  career,  the  stainless  life 
and  the  blessed  memory  of  this  rare  man  should  teach  us  what  abiding  conso- 
lation lies  in  duty  well  performed ;  that  all  must  serve  each  other  according 
to  his  estate  and  station,  and  that  virtue  is  truly  its  own  reward.  Kingman 
and  his  compatriots  aimed  only  at  justice  and  mercy.  They  did  not  foresee 
that  in  time  the  homestead  exemption  might  become  a  measure  of  saving 
policy  for  states  and  nations. 

"We  are  told  in  ancient  fable  that  Anteus  was  invincible  while  he 
remained  in  contact  with  his  Mother  Earth,  and  so  nations  are  invincible  as 
long  as  they  rest  firmly  on  the  sustaining  earth.  No  nation  ever  flourished 
where  agriculture  languished,  and  no  nation  ever  languished  where  agri- 
culture flourished.  Cities  bring  opulence  and  culture.  They  lure  the  rustic 
youth  from  his  father's  fields  with  their  dazzling  splendors  and  their  prodig- 
ious power.  They  expand  the  mind,  sharpen  the  faculties  and  arouse  the 
ambitions  of  men.  They  attract  hordes  of  weak  and  defective  beings,  and 
generate  hordes  of  perverts,  who  bask  in  the  sensual  excitements  and  float 
in  the  oceans  of  ooze  which  flow  fathomless  in  all  the  great  cities.  Vast 
heaps  of  human  compost  send  forth  their  poisonous  exhalations  year  by 
year,  detoning  and  degrading  more  and  more  the  life  of  a  city. ' ' 

The  other  exemption  of  the  constitution  excluded  $200  belonging  to  the 
head  of  a  family  from  taxation.  This  was  the  work  of  Judge  Kingman.  In 
that  convention  there  were  no  rich  men— a  man  could  not  watch  a  Missourian 
and  make  money  at  the  same  time.  This  exemption  was  a  protection  to  the 
poor.  In  the  forty-flve  years  we  have  been  a  state,  $500,000,000  of  prop- 
erty have  escaped  taxation  by  reason  of  that  exemption. 

These  special  exemptions  will  remain  forever.  The  people  will  never 
consent  to  any  amendment  of  them.  A  new  constitution  has  been  talked, 
but  the  fear  of  the  people  that  these  provisions  might  be  impaired  has  pre- 
vented a  serious  consideration  of  another  convention  for  that  purpose.  They 
are  the  birthright  and  heirloom  of  all  future  Kansas  that  still  lies  below  the 
horizon.  On  July  25,  1884,  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  Wyandotte 
constitution  was  held  at  Wyandotte,  on  which  occasion  Judge  Kingman  de- 
livered an  address  that  has  not  been  preserved.  It  was  the  only  anniversary. 
The  survivors  of  this  convention  are  :  E.  G.  Ross,  afterwards  a  senator,  who 
undeservedly  met  the  ill  will  of  Kansas  by  voting  against  the  impeachment 
of  President  Johnson,  is  still  living,  in  New  Mexico;  Judge  John  T.  Burris, 
honored  and  respected,  is  still  hving  at  Olathe,  and  B.  F.  Simpson,  who  has 
honored  and  been  honored  by  Kansas,  is  hving  at  Paola;  R.  C.  Foster,  who 
is  now  living  somewhere  in  Texas;  S.  D.  Houston,  now  living  at  Salina,  and 
who  is  also  honored  and  esteemed;  and  C.  B.  McClellan,  whom  I  have  known 
for  thirty  years,  after  a  successful  mercantile  career  commenced  and  ended 
at  Oskaloosa,  is  now  enjoying  the  shade  of  his  trees,  the  smell  of  his  roses, 
the  enjoyment  of  family  and  neighbors,  beloved,  honored  and  respected  by 

sity,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1869.  In  February.  18&3,  he  moved  to  Kansas,  locating  at  Topeka. 
In  1885,  and  the  special  session  of  1886,  he  represented  Topeka  in  the  house  of  representa- 
tives. In  1888  he  was  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Topeka  district,  and  in  1894  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  governor.  He  enjoys  a  great  legal  practice  and  is  a  prominent  writer 
on  political  questions. 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  53 

the  entire  community.  These  are  the  only  survivors  of  that  convention. 
As  long  as  the  actors  speak,  history  is  silent. 

Judge  Kingman  was  for  thirteen  and  a  half  years  on  the  supreme  bench, 
over  nine  years  of  which  he  was  chief  justice.  He  is  represented  in  the  first 
seventeen  reports.  Great  lawyers  were  in  the  habit  of  coming  before  his 
court  —  John  Martin,  Stinson,  Gamble,  McCahon,  Brewer,  Ingalls,  A.  L. 
Williams,  Waggener,  Shannon,  Crozier,  Foster,  Glick,  Ruggles,  Plumb, 
Stillings,  Fenlon,  Wheat,  Bertram,  Burns,  Usher,  Simpson,  Burris,  Deven- 
ney,  Otis,  McClure,  Humphrey,  Peck,  Thacher,  Cobb,  Webb,  and  others 
whose  names  on  the  least  thought  will  readily  be  remembered. 

From  the  first  decision  this  court  began  to  set  the  plastic  mortar  into 
precedent  that  should  be  the  hard  whinstone  of  the  law.  It  consisted  of 
three  members,  and  it  was  a  very  rare  occasion  for  any  one  of  them  to  dis- 
sent, and  still  rarer  to  write  a  dissenting  opinion.  Judge  Clifford's  opinions 
while  associate  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States  can  be 
distinguished  ten  feet  away  by  the  peculiar  way  he  paragraphed  them.  And 
Judge  Kingman's  opinions  can  be  recognized  that  far  off  by  their  brevity 
and  conciseness.  He  never  wrestled  with  an  adjective.  He  never  plunged 
himself  into  the  vortex  of  a  philosophical  disquisition  just  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  who  would  be  the  master  of  the  bout. 

The  lawyer  in  practice  to-day  uses  and  encounters  the  use  in  others  of 
many  apt,  terse  and  sententious  propositions  of  law  which  are  constantly 
being  asked  and  given  as  instructions,  which  are  largely  from  his  opinions. 
In  his  first  opinion.  The  State  v.  Home  (1  Kan.),  there  occur  several  of 
these  paragraphs.  He  wrote  226  opinions.  They  are  models.  The  last 
opinion  he  wrote,  Yandle  v.  Kingshury  (17  Kan.),  was  a  replevin  case. 
The  jury  allowed  the  owner  $500  for  the  use  of  a  horse,  mare  and  colt  valued 
at  $185  for  sixteen  months  and  seven  days.  Ten  per  cent,  interest  on  the 
$185  would  have  amounted  to  less  than  $30  for  that  time.  The  court  sus- 
tained the  verdict,  holding  that  the  owner  had  the  right  to  prove  and  recover 
the  usable  value  of  the  property,  and  was  not  restricted  to  interest.  Judge 
Brewer  took  occasion  to  write  a  dissenting  opinion.  He  thought  it  an  out- 
rage that  the  owner  could  recover  three  times  the  value  of  the  property  for 
the  simple  use  of  it  for  sixteen  months,  beside  the  property  itself.  That 
was  the  law  then  and  now,  and  I  have  often  wondered  if  that  was  the  rea- 
son Judge  Brewer  left  the  state  bench  and  went  onto  the  federal  one. 

Judge  Kingman  resigned  the  bench  in  1876.  He  survived  two  chief 
justices  who  came  after  him.  I  can  think  of  no  more  agreeable  companion 
on  or  off  the  bench  than  he  was.  He  was  always  a  modest,  tender,  cour- 
teous gentleman.  There  was  no  sting  in  his  decisions  or  conversation.  He 
ran  his  conscience  into  his  decisions.  He  had  as  full  faith  in  human  nature 
as  Abraham  Lincoln  had;  the  lapse  or  fall  of  one  did  not  shake  his  faith  in 
the  mass. 

In  every  relation  of  life  he  was  a  delightful  man.  He  lived  a  simple,  un- 
ostentatious life,  loving  his  friends,  and  loved  by  them.  When  he  died  he 
was  without  an  enemy,  nor  had  he  given  cause  for  one.  For  a  quarter  of  a 
century  he  waited  the  summons.  He  lived  to  a  green  old  age,  and  died 
calmly,  painlessly,  serenely,  "as  flowers  may  close  at  set  of  sun."  He 
was  given  high  positions,  and  he  gave  back  to  the  people  his  trusts  hon- 
estly administered  and  stainless  and  pure,  thank  God !  His  desires  were 
few,  his  habits  simple.     The  city  and  county  of  Kingman  were  named  after 


54  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

him,  and  the  honor  weighted  his  modest  soul.  As  the  president  of  this  So- 
ciety, he  gave  it  of  his  strength  and  goodness.  He  was  a  frequenter  of  the 
Ananias  Club,  where  he  habited  to  meet  old  cronies  and  lifelong  friends 
down  to  the  very  last.  A  lover  of  good  women,  of  little  children,  and  young 
people.  A  heart  big  enough  to  house  all  mankind.  A  good  and  glorious 
thing  to  live  life  as  he  lived  it.  He  loved  the  accustomed  chair  of  his 
home;  the  pleasant,  harmless  tattle  of  neighbors;  he  loved  his  wife,  his 
children,  and  grandchildren;  no  enemy  ever  supped  at  his  table,  nor  any  sin- 
ister thing  ever  opened  the  door  to  his  heart.  When  he  died  we  covered 
him  with  flowers.  No  crape  on  the  door,  nor  grief  nor  tears,  for  in  the  ful- 
filled course  of  nature  there  are  no  tears.  His  friends  and  neighbors  filled 
the  rooms  as  the  last  services  were  held  over  that  frail  body  on  that  lower- 
ing Sunday  morning.  The  preacher  read  Whittier's  "Eternal  Goodness," 
wherein  occurs  this  matchless  verse  of  faith  and  hope: 

"  I  know  not  where  His  islands  lift 
Their  fronded  palms  in  air, 
I  only  know  I  cannot  drift 
Beyond  His  love  and  care." 

And  then  the  preacher,  God  bless  him,  read  "The  Aged  Man's  Funeral," 
of  William  Cullen  Bryant : 

"And  I  am  glad  that  he  has  lived  thus  long. 
And  glad  that  he  has  gone  to  his  reward  ; 
Nor  can  I  deem  that  nature  did  him  wrong. 

Softly  to  disengage  the  vital  cord  ; 
For  when  his  hand  grew  palsied,  and  his  eye 
Dark  with  the  mists  of  age,  it  was  his  time  to  die." 

Usually  Death  approaches  with  felted  feet.  The  call  follows  the  blow, 
no  warning,  no  premonition,  no  signal  bell.  It  seems  as  if  Death  himself  by 
Death's  own  suddenness  may  be  taken  unawares.  How  often  does  he  make 
this  address  to  his  victim  : 

Pull  off  your  hat  and  shoes  ;  undress  ; 

Turn  over  all  that  you  possess  — 

Your  income,  leases,  fief  of  lands, 

The  subtle  thought,  the  cunning  hands ; 

Renounce  your  splendid,  matchless  frame, 

Your  loves,  your  memories  and  name, 

The  throb  of  life,  the  buoyant  breath. 

Command  I  may,  for  I  am  Death. 

The  worm,  an  universal  heir, 

Shall  take  its  portion,  lot,  and  share. 

Creep  in  your  bed  beneath  the  sod ; 

Leave  hope  and  faith  and  all  to  God. 

He  nothing  heard  of  all  I  said  ; 

His  heart  is  still,  the  man  is  dead  ! 

Death  came  to  him  as  an  expected  guest.  It  entered  his  door  with  the 
welcome  of  a  friend.  Death  kindly  whispered  the  word  ;  the  good-bys  had 
been  said  over  and  over  again  the  long  years  through,  and  arm  in  arm  they 
went  away.  As  the  ripened  and  burnished  apple  falls  in  the  latest  autumn, 
so  Judge  Kingman  died. 

To  all  the  young  gentlemen  of  Kansas,  as  they  man  the  generations  yet 
to  come,  here  was  a  life  for  your  edification  and  example. 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  55 


JUDGE  SAMUEL  A.   KINGMAN. 

An  address  before  the  State  Bar  Association.  January  31,  1905,  by  Howel  Jones, 
of  Topeka,  Kan. 

TT  may  safely  be  taken  for  granted  that  all  lawyers  of  the  older  generation  in  Kansas  knew 
Judge  Kingman.  He  had  an  unique  personality,  and  he  lived  and  worked  at  the  time  of  the  be- 
ginnings, when  the  home,  the  church,  the  school  and  the  law  were  slowly  emerging  from  the  soil 
of  a  region  that  only  yesterday  had  passed  from  the  dominion  of  the  Indian  and  the  buffalo. 

Judge  Kingman  died  September  9, 1904,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  His  life  had  seen  the 
passing  of  all  the  old  and  the  coming  of  all  the  new.  In  his  youth,  in  the  Massachusetts  town  of 
Worthington,  where  he  was  born,  the  world  had  not  yet  heard  of  the  telegraph,  and  all  we  have 
now— the  strange  things  that  are  the  indispensable  conveniences  of  daily  life— came  to  us  after 
he  had  reached  middle  life.  In  his  early  manhood,  and  even  after  he  began  the  practice  of  the 
law,  men  and  women  were  still  sold  like  cattle,  while  at  the  time  of  his  death  every  man  had  long 
been  free  and  at  liberty  to  make  of  himself,  for  himself,  whatever  it  was  in  him  to  be. 

Judge  Kingman  came  of  the  sturdiest  New  England  stock.  His  early  education  was  such 
as  is  given  in  the  New  England  district  school,  and  all  he  knew,  and  it  was  much,  he  learned 
later,  and  by  and  for  himself.  Ill  health  was  his  constant  companion  during  all  his  long  life,  and 
he  was  forbidden  a  full  participation  in  the  physical  energies  that  always  accompany  growth 
and  change.  Yet  growth  and  change  were  part  of  his  environment  wherever  he  was  after  he 
had  left  his  native  town.  He  took  part  in  all,  but  it  was,  of  necessity,  the  part  of  one  who 
sees  clearly  and  advises  wisely,  rather  than  of  him  who  rides  far  and  watches  long,  and  wrings 
bis  sustenance  from  unwilling  nature  at  first  hands.  It  was  ill  health  that  took  him  from  his 
birthplace,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  without  health,  money,  or  friends,  he  was  at  Carrollton,  on 
the  Ohio  river,  in  Kentucky.  He  taught  school  to  live,  and  while  teaching  studied  law.  Later 
he  removed  to  a  town  named  Smithland,  in  the  same  state,  and  there  began  the  practice  of  the 
law. 

Some  of  his  earliest  experiences  were  in  the  field  of  politics,  and  for  several  terms  he  rep- 
resented his  county  in  the  Kentucky  legislature.  It  was  during  this  period  that  Kentucky 
adopted  a  new  constitution,  and  thus  he  acquired  some  of  the  practical  experience  that  fitted 
him  for  his  work  as  a  member  of  the  body  that  framed  the  present  constitution  of  Kansas,  at 
Wyandotte,  in  1859  —  more  than  forty-five  years  ago.  It  was  ill  health  that  caused  Judge  King- 
man's removal  from  Kentucky  and  placed  him  where  his  life-work  was  actually  to  be  done  —  here 
in  Kansas.  He  arrived  in  this  state,  then  a  territory,  in  1857,  a  date  that  few  living  men  can 
now  recall.  It  was  a  time  when  everything  was  yet  to  be  done,  and  the  situation  was  rendered 
still  more  complicated  by  a  strife  such  as  never  had  occurred  before,  and  certainly  can  never  oc- 
cur in  the  future ;  and  that  seems  almost  incredible  to  the  school  child  of  our  time  as  a  part  of 
the  history  of  his  native  state. 

It  was  in  1859,  about  two  years  after  Judge  Kingman  arrived,  that  he  was  sent  as  a  dele- 
gate to  the  Wyandotte  constitutional  convention.  There  had  been  held  three  conventions  for 
the  same  purpose  —  at  Topeka  in  1855,  at  Lecompton  in  1857,  at  Leavenworth  in  1858.  These 
others  had  been  held  under  the  stress  of  what  was  in  fact  a  mere  modification  of  civil  war,  and 
when  the  minds  of  men  were  too  excited  and  radically  inclined  to  frame  a  fitting  organic  law 
for  the  Kansas  that  was  to  be.  As  time  passed,  and  it  became  certain  that  the  work  was  neces- 
sary, the  people  of  the  territory  called  still  another  convention,  and  sent  to  it  as  delegates  a  new 
type  of  men  —  men  unhampered  by  the  personal  memories  of  the  struggle  whose  echoes  had 
died  away,  having  in  their  minds,  instead,  a  forecast  of  the  future.  They  were  for  the  greater 
part  newer  to  the  territory,'  and  their  veins  were  full  of  the  red  wine  of  young  manhood.  There 
had,  indeed,  been  extremes  at  other  conventions.  Slavery  was  excluded  by  all  save  one  of  the 
votes  of  the  Wyandotte  convention,  though  at  the  time  of  its  writing  no  man  dreamed  of  the 
great  war  that  was  so  soon  to  come,  and  that,  after  years  of  struggle,  was  to  result  in  the  abol- 
ishment of  slavery  from  every  state. 

Judge  Kingman  was  perhaps  the  genius  of  the  Wyandotte  convention.  He  brought  to  his 
work  there  the  equipped  and  disciplined  mind  of  the  student  and  thinker.  He  knew  the  salient 
events  of  history  and  was  familiar  with  the  laws  and  constitutions  of  the  English-speaking 
world.  In  this  convention  at  Wyandotte  he  served  on  three  important  committees  —  judiciary, 
ordinance  and  public  debt,  and  phraseology  and  arrangement.  How  well  his  work  was  done  is 
shown  by  the  instrument  as  it  stands  to-day. 

Note  7.— The  following  are  the  only  ones  who  served  in  two  constitutional  conventions: 
James  M.  Arthur,  in  the  Topeka  and  Wyandotte  conventions  ;  Caleb  May,  W.  R.  Griffith,  Will- 
iam McCuUough,  John  Ritchie,  and  James  M.  Winchell,  in  the  Leavenworth  and  Wyandotte 
conventions.    The  Lecompton  convention  was  not  represented  in  the  Wyandotte  convention. 


56  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Judge  Kingman  had  the  rare  gift  of  leading  men  while  seeming  merely  to  follow  them.  He 
was  from  Massachusetts  and  known  to  be  opposed  to  slavery,  yet  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
legislature  and  county  attorney  in  a  slave  state,  and  at  a  period  when  slavery  was  becoming  more 
and  more  a  burning  question.  This  unusual  gift  was  shown,  as  an  instance,  in  the  consideration 
of  the  petition  to  the  constitutional  convention  of  the  citizens  of  Douglas  and  Shawnee  counties 
protesting  against  the  constitutional  differences  that  were  proposed  to  be  established  between 
the  sexes.  The  petitioners  desired  to  be  heard  by  the  entire  convention,  and,  had  they  been, 
endless  discussion  would  have  resulted.  A  majority  favored  this  general  hearing,  but  Judge 
Kingman  had  the  petitions  referred  to  the  committees  on  elective  franchise  and  judiciary.  The 
following,  written  by  Kingman,  is  the  unanimous  report  of  the  two  committees  : 

"The  committee  on  the  judiciary,  to  whom,  in  connection  with  the  committee  on  elective 
franchise,  was  referred  the  petition  of  sundry  citizens  of  Kansas  '  protesting  against  any  con- 
stitutional distinctions  based  on  difference  of  sex,'  have  had  the  same  under  consideration,  and 
beg  leave  to  make  the  following  report :  Your  committee  concede  the  point  in  the  petition  upon 
which  the  right  is  claimed  '  that  the  women  of  the  state  have,  individually,  an  evident  common 
interest  with  its  men  in  the  protection  of  life,  liberty,  property,  and  intelligent  culture '  ;  and 
are  not  disposed  to  deny  that  sex  '  involves  them  in  greater  and  more  complicated  responsi- 
bilities.' But  the  committee  are  compelled  to  dissent  from  the  conclusion  of  petitioners.  They 
think  the  rights  of  women  are  safe  in  present  hands— the  proof  that  they  are  so  is  found  in  the 
growing  disposition  on  the  part  of  different  legislatures  to  extend  and  protect  the  rights  of  prop- 
erty, and  in  the  enlightened,  progressive  spirit  of  the  age,  which  acts  quietly  but  efficiently  upon 
the  legislatures  of  the  day.  Such  rights  as  are  natural  are  now  enjoyed  as  fully  by  women  as 
men.  From  such  i-ights  and  duties  as  are  merely  political  in  their  character  they  should  be  re- 
lieved, that  they  may  have  more  time  to  attend  to  those  'greater  and  more  complicated  respon- 
sibiHties  '  which,  petitioners  claim,  and  your  committee  admit,  devolve  upon  women. 

[j  The  theological  view  of  this  question  your  committee  will  not  consider. 

"All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted." 

His  wonderful  insight  into  the  motives  and  impulses  that  control  human  nature  was  shown 
when  the  bill  of  rights  was  under  consideration. 
The  first  section,  as  reported,  was  as  follows  : 

"  Section  1.  All  men  are  by  nature  equally  free  and  independent,  and  have  certain  inalien- 
able rights,  among  which  are  those  of  enjoying  and  defending  their  lives  and  liberties,  acquiring, 
possessing  and  protecting  property,  and  of  seeking  and  obtaining  happiness  and  safety  ;  and  the 
right  of  all  men  to  the  control  of  their  persons  exists  prior  to  law  and  is  inalienable." 

The  discussion  on  this  section  took  wide  range  and  nearly  every  member  in  the  convention 
took  part.     When  it  had  practically  ended,  Kingman  arose  and  said  : 

"  Mr.  President  :  I  do  not  propose  to  argue  this  question.  I  would  be  willing  to  vote  for 
the  section  as  it  stands,  but  I  prefer  the  language  of  the  substitute  just  offered.  But  I  hold  in 
my  hand  a  section  which  I  prefer  to  both  of  them.  I  do  not  propose  at  this  time  to  offer  it.  But 
I  hold  that  this  use  of  the  word  '  inalienable '  is  misunderstood  and  misinterpreted  in  this  house. 
A  man's  right  to  his  life  is  inalienable  in  law  under  all  circumstances.  He  has  no  right  to  sell  or 
give  it  away  ;  no  right  to  dispose  of  it  at  all.  But  the  word  '  inalienable  '  has  a  fixed  meaning  in 
law.  And  when  in  the  common  use  of  the  word  we  say  that  a  man  cannot  alienate  his  property, 
none  would  suppose  we  mean  to  say  he  cannot  forfeit  his  property.  We  intend,  at  the  proper 
time,  to  propose  in  this  constitution  that  there  shall  be  a  homestead  set  apart  to  each  settler  in 
the  state,  which  shall  be  inalienable,  but  we  do  not  propose  to  ordain  that  it  shall  not  be  forfeited 
for  debts  due  to  the  state,  and  so  on.  I  do  not  like  to  see  this  doctrine  infringed.  I  do  not  like 
to  depart  from  old,  established  usage.  Therefore.  I  hope  the  section  which  I  hold  in  my  hand 
will  be  adopted.     By  the  leave  of  the  convention  I  will  read  it : 

"  'All  men  are  possessed  of  equal  and  inalienable  natural  rights,  among  which  are  life,  lib- 
erty, and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.' 

"These  terms,  Mr.  President,  are  fixed  in  the  minds  of  the  American  people.  They  have  be- 
come traditional,  and  I  offer  to  strike  out  and  insert  this,  that  the  American  feeling  may  appear 
in  this  section.  We  all  cling  to  old  truths,  and  I  love  the  very  forms  of  expression  in  which  old 
truths  have  been  presented.  I  dislike  to  change  any  old  truth  from  the  forms  of  language  to 
which  I  have  been  accustomed.  I  dislike  to  see  them  taken  from  the  habiliments  in  which  I  have 
so  often  seen  them  clothed  and  put  into  new  and  doubtful  phraseology,  and  our  national  declara- 
tion of  independence  is  of  this  class  of  truth.  That  declaration  of  rights  forms  a  part  of  our  po- 
litical creed,  from  which  no  man  can  extricate  himself,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  change  the  clothing 
of  these  ideas.  It  is  this  feeling  that  makes  a  man  who  had  long  read  one  book,  as  the  Bible  or 
Blackstone,  value  it  a  hundredfold  above  its  intrinsic  value.  This  makes  a  man  like  to  read  the 
sentiments  he  cherishes  in  their  original  style  of  expression  —  makes  him  like  to  dwell  on  the 
very  words  that  cover  the  principles  he  holds  closest  to  his  heart.  And  we  should  express  these 
sentiments  in  few  words,  sufficient  to  cover  their  views  and  carry  their  original  force,  and 
whatever  goes  beyond  that  is  injurious  to  the  sense.  I  say  again,  sir,  I  love  these  old  forms. 
They  are,  it  seems  to  me,  as  the  political  Bible  of  every  citizen  of  the  United  States.  If  you  change 
their  language,  you  mar  their  beauties  —  carry  the  mind  away  from  the  sense,  and  send  it  off  into 
reflections  on  the  phraseology  and  meaning  of  these  new  terms.  I  think  the  amendment  I  have 
read,  in  these  old  terms,  is  broad  enough.  It  will  show  no  man's  prejudices,  and  it  is  broad 
enough  for  all  to  stand  upon." 

This  substitute,  as  you  all  know,  is  the  first  section  of  our  present  bill  of  rights. 
Matchless  as  was  his  great  work  in  the  judiciary,  public  debt,  and  phraseology  and  arrange- 
ment committees,  before  the  convention  adjourned  his  crowning  glory  became  the  shaping  and 
:  of  the  homestead  provision.     At  common  law  the  home  could  not  be  sold,  but  the  emble- 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  57 

ments  thereof  could  be  seized,  with  the  result  of  keeping  the  debtor  always  impoverished. 
Writers  interested  in  humanity  have  deplored  this  condition,  but  Senator  Benton,  in  1828,  as  far 
as  the  writer  hereof  knows,  was  the  first  forcibly  to  picture  that  a  tenant  has  no  home,  no 
hearth,  no  altar,  and  no  household  gods.  In  1836  the  Texas  revolutionists  favored  a  homestead. 
No  provision  that  came  before  the  convention  elicited  so  much  feeling  and  discussion  as  this. 
Many  were  in  favor  of  giving  it  a  money  value.  Kingman's  observing  mind,  extensive  reading 
and  sympathy  showed  him  that  the  big-hearted  and  generous  pioneers  were  unable  to  cope  with 
the  money-getter  and  trader.  He  remembered  that  so  long  as  Rome  drew  its  soldiers  from  the 
small  farmers  and  England  from  its  yeomen  their  armies  were  invincible.  He,  too,  saw  with  his 
prophetic  eye  the  approaching  industrialism,  the  growth  of  the  urban  population,  and  the  weak- 
ening of  home  and  family  ties.  Therefore,  he,  perhaps,  was  the  best  qualified  man  in  the  con- 
vention to  give  the  homestead  provision  the  comprehensiveness  and  scope  that  were  needed.  He 
had  given  it  more  thought  and  consideration  than  any  other  delegate,  and  he  was  more  deeply 
interested  in  it  than  in  any  other  question  before  the  convention.     He  said  : 

"Mr.  Chairman  :  I  have  an  argument  against  this.  The  gentlemen  do  not  seem  to  make  the 
distinction  between  a  homestead  and  an  exemption  law.  The  object  of  a  homestead  law  is  very 
unlike  that  of  an  exemption  law.  And  I  think  the  amendment  proposed  is  calculated  to  defeat 
the  homestead  principle.  I  think  that  is  its  object.  It  is  within  the  recollection  of  many  when 
it  was  the  settled  policy  of  many  of  the  states  that  the  land  should  not  be  subject  to  sale  for  the 
payment  of  debts.  But  the  commercial  interests  of  the  country,  by  their  power  and  skill,  pro- 
duced a  change  which  has  subjected  the  farms  and  homes  of  the  people  to  be  sold  under  execu- 
tion, and  so  nearly  converted  our  people  into  a  class  of  nomads.  I  want,  if  possible,  to  restore  the 
old  policy  —  to  change  back  again,  so  that  every  man  or  woman,  if  he  plants  a  tree  or  she  culti- 
vates a  rose,  that  both  may  beautify  and  adorn  their  homes  as  they  may  choose,  and  have  the 
benefit  of  the  protection  of  the  law.  But  if  we  put  it  in  the  power  of  the  husband  or  the  fortunes 
of  trade  to  convey  by  lien  or  mortgage,  the  grasping  creditor  will  take  away  the  homestead.  I 
want  to  separate  this  subject  from  anything  like  the  consideration  of  an  exemption  law.  I  ap- 
proach this  as  a  great  measure  which  arises  above  all  considerations  of  the  rights  of  debtor 
and  creditor.  I  abhor  an  exemption  law.  This  is  not  of  the  same  nature.  This  is  to  go  forth, 
the  promulgation  of  a  great  principle  that  shall  encourage  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  The  case 
was  well  illustrated  by  the  gentleman  from  Riley  [  Mr.  Houston  ] ;  and  though  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  me  to  emulate  the  flights  of  his  fancy  and  the  boldness  and  strength  of  his  doctrine,  I 
am  not,  therefore,  restricted  as  to  my  full  share  of  feeling  and  anxiety  for  the  success  of  this 
most  important  measure." 

"Mr.  President  :  I  do  not  feel  well— physically  as  well  as  mentally.  I  am  totally  unfitted 
now  to  discuss  this  question  of  a  homestead  law,  and  I  do  not  attempt  it.  But  in  our  action  here 
I  wish  to  insist  on  the  clear  distinction  between  the  homestead  and  an  exemption  law.  And  I 
can  see  in  the  substitute  proposed  by  the  gentleman  from  Douglas  [  Mr.  Thacher  ]  nothing  but 
an  exemption  law.  It  looks  to  me  that  every  essential  feature  —  every  requisite  of  a  homestead 
law,  as  I  have  advocated  it,  is  abandoned  in  this  substitute,  and  if  adopted  here  I  shall  abandon 
all  hope  of  a  homestead  in  our  legislation.  To  limit  the  value  of  the  homestead  to  $2000  is  to  say 
to  the  owner  :  '  So  long  as  your  land  remains  unimproved,  so  long  as  it  shall  remain  poor  and  sterile, 
it  is  yours  ;  but  the  moment  you  put  your  labor  upon  it.  the  moment  you  improve  and  adorn  it, 
and  make  it  inhabitable  and  beautiful,  it  shall  be  taken  away  from  you  for  the  payment  of  your 
debts.'  This  amendment  tells  him  that  his  labor  shall  be  in  vain  —  tells  him  to  keep  away  the 
hand  of  improvement  —  for  if  he  advance  its  value  beyond  our  limit  his  homestead  —  his  re- 
liance for  the  support  of  his  family  —  is  gone.  Sir,  any  limitation  on  the  value  of  the  homestead 
is  wrong.  One  hundred  thousand  dollars  is  as  disgusting  to  me  as  one  thousand.  I  would  not 
give  a  straw  for  the  difference,  in  this  provision,  between  these  two  sums.  In  either  case  it  is 
opposed  to  the  principle  that  a  home  is  a  home  —  good  or  bad  —  valuable  or  valueless  —  it  is  simply 
the  home— the  hearthstone— the  fireside  around  which  a  man  may  gather  his  family,  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  assurance  that  neither  the  hand  of  the  law  nor  any,  nor  all  of  the  uncertainties  of  life 
can  eject  them  from  the  possession  of  it.  Without  this  characteristic,  a  homestead  law,  to 
my  mind,  is  most  distasteful.  But  a  true  homestead  law  has  always  lain  very  near  my  heart,  and 
I  regret  that  both  physical  and  mental  infirmity  prevent  an  exposition  of  my  views  at  this 
time.  If  the  value  of  a  man's  home  stand  up  to  $500,000  —  if  his  labor  and  a  wise  location 
made  it,  let  him  have  the  benefit  of  it  —  let  him  have  and  enjoy  his  home  and  the  society  of  his 
friends.  It  cannot  hurt  his  creditors  ;  but  it  would  give  him  credit  and  heart  if,  by  a  solemn  act 
in  this  constitution,  he  were  to  be  assured  that  no  impious  hand  can  disturb  his  possession  —  that 
no  unfeeling  creditor  can  touch  it.  I  am  willing,  sir,  that  the  original  article  shall  be  so  amended 
as  to  have  no  application  to  debts  heretofore  contracted.  I  think  it  has  that  extent  as  it  now 
stands.  But  I  am  not  willing  to  give  up  this  homestead  entirely,  and  take  in  the  place  of  it  this 
bastard  child  of  an  exemption  law." 

The  homestead  provision  of  the  Kansas  constitution  was,  it  is  believed,  the  pioneer  enact- 
ment of  its  kind,  and  it  was  born  in  the  brain  and  heart  of  Judge  Kingman,  and  placed  there 
through  his  efforts.  It  has  never  been  changed  or  amended,  or  even  successfully  assailed.  It 
has  harmed  no  man,  and  has  been  the  shield  and  guaranty  of  the  Kansas  home-maker  for  nearly 
fifty  years.  It  is  based  upon  the  idea  expressed  in  his  own  words  in  the  convention  —  "Simply 
the  home  —  the  hearthstone  —  the  fireside  round  which  a  man  may  gather  his  family,  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  assurance  that  neither  the  hand  of  the  law  nor  any,  nor  all  of  the  uncertainties  of  life 
can  eject  them  from  the  possession  of  it.  ...  I  am  not  willing  to  give  up  this  homestead  en- 
tirely, and  take  in  the  place  of  it  this  bastard  child  of  an  exemption  law." 

This  was  Kingman's  great  work  in  the  convention  that  framed  our  constitution.     He  never 


58  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

dreamed  of  greatness  as  we  conceive  the  term.     He  worked  blindly  and  in  the  dark,  as  all  men 
did  in  those  early  times  when  they  planned  for  the  future  of  a  state  that  was  planted  on  the  rim 
of  a  desert,  whose  hopelessness  far  outweighed  any  promise  of  greatness.     It  would  be  enough 
of  fame,  as  he  conceived  fame,  if  there  were  carved  upon  his  monument  the  words 
"Father  of  the  Kansas  Homestead  Law. 
Wyandotte,  July,  1859." 

Great  as  was  Judge  Kingman's  work  in  this  convention,  a  greatei-  and  much  more  difficult 
work  was  still  before  him.  In  1861  he  became  associate  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  and  was 
twice  thereafter  elected  chief  justice.  It  was  a  most  fortunate  thing  that  Kansas  had  in  its 
judiciary  beginnings  a  man  of  Kingman's  temperament  on  the  supreme  bench.  He  carried  with 
him  to  the  court  probity,  a  high  sense  of  honor,  and  a  remarkably  clear  power  of  analysis.  He 
brought  to  that  work  still  other  high  qualities,  among  them  a  moral  courage  that  was  unassail- 
able, and  a  trained  and  disciplined  mind  accustomed  to  weigh  and  fully  consider  complicated 
propositions.  His  opinions  remain  to  us  models  of  judicial  literature.  Among  his  early  judicial 
work  he  established  for  all  time  the  standard  for  judges  to  follow  in  jury  trials.  His  opinions  on 
constitutional  questions  are  familiar  to  you  all,  and  because  of  them  he  has  many  times  been 
alluded  to  as  the  "  John  Marshall  of  Kansas."  In  all  his  works  there  is  manifest  the  principle 
that  was  constantly  in  his  mind  —  no  man  can  be  above  the  law  and  no  man  beneath  it. 

An  instance  occurred  in  the  case  of  Albert  Wiley  v.  Keokuk  [6  Kan.  94].  Wiley  was  agent 
for  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  and  Keokuk  was  a  chief.  The  acting  commissioner  of  Indian 
affairs.  Mr.  Mix.  had  directed  that  no  delegation  of  Indians  should  visit  Washington  because  no 
appropriation  had  been  made  for  that  purpose.  Keokuk  had  money  of  his  own.  and  started  to 
Washington.  Wiley  followed  him  and  had  him  arrested  at  Lawrence.  Later  Keokuk  brought 
suit  against  him  for  assault  and  battery  and  false  imprisonment,  and  recovered  $1000  as  damages. 
Wiley  brought  the  case  to  the  supreme  court,  and  the  opinion  was  delivered  by  Chief  Justice 
Kingman.     Among  other  things  he  said  : 

"  Nor  does  it  make  any  difference  that  the  party  injured  is  an  Indian,  whether  he  be  re- 
garded as  'a  ward  of  the  government,'  or  as  belonging  to  a  'domestic  dependent  nation,'  or  'a 
distinct  independent  political  community,  retaining  their  original  natural  rights  '  —  to  each  of 
which  classes  they  have  at  times  been  assigned  by  the  language  of  the  supreme  court  of  the 
United  States.  In  any  view,  while  keeping  the  peace,  and  disobeying  no  law,  human  or  divine,  he 
cannot  be  the  subject  of  arrest  or  imprisonment  by  any  one.  except  at  the  peril  of  the  offender. 
His  rights  are  regulated  by  law,  and  when  he  appeals  to  the  law  for  redress,  it  is  not  in  the 
power  of  any  tribunal  to  say,  '  You  are  an  Indian,  and  your  rights  rest  on  the  arbitrary  decrees  of 
executive  officers,  and  not  in  the  law.'  " 

This  was  Judge  Kingman's  inherent  and  natural  view  of  the  rights  of  man.  He  reduced  a 
vague  and  much-used  phrase  to  practical  fact,  and  gave  it  a  literal  meaning  in  daily  life.  The 
terms  in  which  he  chose  to  embody  this  principle  cannot  be  misunderstood.  No  man  can  easily 
forget  the  words  in  which  be  ridicules  the  position  :  "  You  are  an  Indian,  and  your  rights  rest  on 
•the  arbitrary  decrees  of  executive  officers,  and  not  in  the  law." 

When  it  is  remembered  that  Judge  Kingman  was  a  sick  man  during  his  entire  life,  it  seems 
remarkable  that  he  was  able  to  render  such  comprehensive  and  vigorous  decisions,  clothed  in  lan- 
guage that  is  a  model  of  style  ;  and  it  may  be  well  that  in  some  happier  epoch,  when  our  University 
shall  have  taken  its  rightful  place  among  the  great  educational  institutions  of  the  world,  his 
decisions  will  there  be  taught  as  classics. 

D  uring  the  years  1875  and  1876  his  health  declined  and  his  bodily  strength  became  very  much 
impaired,  and  it  was  only  by  heroic  effort  that  he  was  able  to  perform  his  judicial  labors.  His 
associates,  with  great  consideration  and  loving  tenderness,  offered  repeatedly  to  relieve  him  of 
his  arduous  tasks,  made  heavier  by  his  ill  health.  But  his  high  sense  of  honor  would  not  permit 
him  to  increase  their  labors  or  accept  a  salary  that  he  believed  he  did  not  earn.  At  the  end  of 
December,  1876,  he  resigned  his  judicial  work.  While  he  lived  nearly  thirty  years  longer,  he 
never  again  took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  a  lawyer,  although  repeatedly  urged  to  become 
the  head  of  law  firms. 

H  e  was  the  best  of  the  old  generation  of  lawyers.  His  conception  of  the  duties  of  a  lawyer- 
one  that  placed  his  personal  honor  above  all  things  else— could  not  be  made  to  conform  to  the 
standards  of  modern  commercialism.  In  the  earlier  years  of  his  retirement  he  took  an  active 
part  in  the  State  Historical  Society  and  our  association.  During  this  period  also  he  gladdened 
the  lives  of  his  associates  in  what  was  known  as  the  "Ananias  Club."  He  had  an  incomparably 
sweet  and  sunshiny  disposition  all  his  life,  with  a  keen  intellect  and  brilliant  wit.  At  this  club, 
which  he  frequented  daily  for  many  years,  he  did  not  entertain  his  associates  like  Polonius.  but 
by  a  far  nobler  delineation  of  character  and  nature.  He  ridiculed  kindly,  if  at  all.  He  did  not 
preach.  He  saw  the  humor  that  is  the  strongest  admixture  in  all  human  affairs.  He  believed 
in  men  as  men,  and  honored  women,  and  loved  little  children.     He  never  quarreled,  and  rarely 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  59 

even  argued.  He  respected  opinions  not  his  own,  yet  clung  to  his  own  views  on  great  subjects 
with  a  tenacity  that  could  not  be  shaken.  A  deeply  religious  man,  yet  he  was  the  partizan  of  no 
creed,  the  member  of  no  organized  church ,  the  adherent  of  no  prescribed  form  of  worship.  In 
his  views  he  lived  and  died  content,  and  with  an  understanding  sufficient  for  all  his  needs. 

Children  were  Judge  Kingman's  most  devoted  and  admiring  friends.  The  long  and  sleepless 
nights,  made  longer  by  pain,  were  occupied  in  weaving  and  coloring  the  stories  he  told  them  by 
day,  when  they  clustered  around  him  as  their  best  and  wisest  friend. 

Completely  out  of  the  ordinary,  conceded  always  to  be  a  remarkable  man  whether  or  not  he 
was  always  understood  or  appreciated,  there  were  times  when  Judge  K  ingman  was  more  than  a 
man  —  he  was  an  age,  as  it  were.  Long  before  his  death,  he  had  exercised  functions  that  were 
unusual.  He  had  fulfilled  a  mission.  He  had  been  chosen  to  do  a  work  ordained  by  the 
Supreme  Will,  which  manifests  itself  as  visibly  in  the  laws  of  human  destiny  as  in  those  com- 
moner laws  of  nature  that  all  may  study  and  understand. 

In  the  final  analysis  his  life  was  one  of  devotion,  prayer,  and  love  for  the  Master  whom  he 
worshiped  in  his  heart.  His  devotions  were  in  secret,  and  prayer  was  the  essence  of  them; 
that  conscious  and  voluntary  relation  that  is  entered  into  by  the  distressed  and  uncertain  soul 
with  the  Power  on  which  it  feels  itself  to  depend,  and  which  guides  its  fate  regardless  of  all  the 
world  may  offer  or  contain. 

All  I  have  said  is  but  an  inadequate  review  of  the  life  and  work  of  a  remarkable  man.  It  is  a 
difficult  task  to  describe  Judge  Kingman  as  he  was.  He  was  indifferent  to  all  the  allurements  of 
wealth  and  fame.  There  was  never  a  moment  in  which  he  was  influenced  by  the  hope  of  ap- 
plause. Ambition,  in  the  usual  meaning  of  the  term,  was  not  included  as  an  ingredient  of  his 
inner  life.  He  cared  nothing  for  wealth,  and  an  honest  livelihood,  and  nothing  more,  was  all  he 
ever  attempted  to  win  from  a  reluctant  world.  His  highest  motive  was  the  satisfaction  of  all  the 
demands  of  that  self-respect  that  makes  the  gentleman.  He  was  a  humanitarian  in  the  highest 
sense ;  a  just  man,  a  wise  and  far-seeing  legislator,  an  impartial  judge.  Whatever  the  emer- 
gency, he  never  forgot  to  be  a  man,  walking  in  God's  image.  Honor  is  but  another  name  for 
conscience,  and  his  sense  of  responsibility  to  that  and  to  his  fellow  man  Judge  Kingman  never 
forgot  to  the  latest  hour  of  a  life  of  pain,  that  was  yet  prolonged  some  sixteen  years  beyond  the 
limit  set  by  him  who  wrote:  "The  days  of  our  years  are  threescore  years  and  ten."  He  lived 
and  did  his  work  in  eventful  days,  and  he  survived  to  see  the  fruition  of  all  his  hopes  in  the  great 
commonwealth  whose  foundation  stones  he  helped  to  lay.    It  was  to  him  enough. 


Hiawatha,  Kan.,  November  16,  1904. 

Hon.  Joseph  G.  Waters,  Topeka,  Kan.:  My  Dear  Friend— You  request  me  to  send  you  a 
letter  about  Judge  Kingman,  to  be  read  by  you  as  a  part  of  your  address  before  the  State  His- 
torical Society,  and  I  very  gladly  comply  with  your  wishes.  The  field  will  be  covered  by  you. 
My  story  will  be  brief ;  a  few  rambling  remarks  upon  a  great  man  whom  I  long  knew  and  loved. 
Of  all  the  public  men  in  Kansas  whom  I  have  known  during  a  period  covering  more  than  forty 
years,  this  man,  Samuel  A.  Kingman,  is  the  most  entitled  to  honor  and  affection.  No  apologies 
have  to  be  made  for  him  ;  no  unworthy  acts  concealed.  His  life  was  an  open  book,  with  no  blots 
on  any  page.  His  years  of  a  retirement  enforced  by  frail  health  were  spent  with  his  family  in  a 
perfect  home,  with  devoted  friends  who  were  members  of  a  whist  club,  in  the  rooms  of  the  state 
library,  of  which  he  was  long  a  trustee  and  then  the  librarian,  and  in  the  quarters  of  the  His- 
torical Society,  of  which  he  was  the  first  president  and  always  a  director,  until  he  resigned  in 
favor  of  his  daughter.  Miss  Lucy  D.  Kingman. 

Home,  friends,  books  —  these  are  the  sufficient  joys  of  our  philosopher.  His  only  political 
disappointment  came  from  the  broken  promise  to  him  of  a  United  States  judgeship,  a  fact 
known  to  only  three  or  four  persons.  The  treachery  did  not  freeze  the  genial  current  of  his 
soul.  Had  the  promise  been  kept,  his  physical  weakness  would  have  soon  caused  a  voluntary 
retirement. 

The  last  time  I  met  him  at  his  home,  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand  kept  the  leaves  of  "  Evelyn's 
Diary"  partly  open.  Now.  you  know,  the  stranger  may  know  hereafter,  the  catholicity  of  King- 
man's literary  taste.  The  books  that  held  him,  that  kept  him  fresh,  witty,  warm-hearted,  up  to 
the  last  day  of  a  long  life,  are  the  books  that  live  forever. 

Of  the  pain  in  head  and  body  that  so  long  stayed  with  him  none  of  us  ever  heard  a  com- 
plaint. We  only  knew  that  through  many  a  dreary  year  the  happy  man  was  too  feeble  to  work. 
A  diary  from  his  pen,  covering  the  years  when  he  lived  on  a  claim  in  Brown  county,  while  he 
practiced  law,  while  he  was  on  the  bench,  and  since  he  retired,  would  have  a  higher  historic 
value  than  the  written  record  of  any  other  Kansas  man.  He  knew  the  people  and  the  questions 
before  them,  and  his  breadth  of  vision,  his  iron  integrity,  his  freedom   from    partizan  bias,  his 


60  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

wit  and  humor,  his  sweetness  and  light,  made  him  the  first  broad   and   liberal   man  in   Kansas 
during-  its  first  half-century. 

A  man  born  thirty  miles  from  the  birthplace  of  Kingman's  American  ancestors,  the  son  of  a 
tallow  chandler,  became,  by  the  voice  of  mankind,  the  greatest  man  that  the  eighteenth  century 
produced.  The  nearer  any  man  in  his  make-up  approaches  the  temper  and  spirit  of  Franklin, 
his  common  sense,  his  wisdom,  the  nearer  he  approaches,  at  even  a  great  distance,  that  small 
band  of  Americans  which  includes  Franklin  and  Lincoln,  who  are  the  highest  types  of  American 
manhood.  The  temper  and  spirit  of  our  own  Kingman,  modest,  diffident,  enamored  with  silence, 
come  back  to  us  and  live  again  in  the  few  lines  from  Franklin  copied  below.  They  are  taken 
from  a  ten-minute  speech  made  in  1787,  when  Franklin  was  eighty-one  years  old,  in  the  conven- 
tion that  formed  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 

"The  older  I  grow  the  more  apt  I  am  to  doubt  my  own  judgment  of  others.  Most  men,  in- 
deed, as  well  as  most  sects  in  religion,  think  themselves  in  possession  of  all  truth,  and  that  when- 
ever others  differ  from  them  it  is  so  far  error.  Steele,  a  Protestant,  in  a  dedication,  tells  the 
pope  that  the  only  difference  between  our  two  churches  in  their  opinions  of  the  certainty  of 
their  doctrine  is,  that  the  Romish  church  is  infallible,  and  the  church  of  England  is  never  in  the 
wrong.  But,  though  many  private  persons  think  almost  as  highly  of  their  own  infallibility  as  of 
that  of  their  sect,  few  express  it  so  naturally  as  a  certain  French  lady,  who,  in  a  little  dispute 
with  her  sister,  said  :  '  But  I  meet  with  nobody  but  myself  that  is  always  in  the  right.'  In  these 
sentiments,  sir,  I  agree  to  this  constitution,  with  all  its  faults." 

Your  friend,  D.  W.  Wilder. 


Hon.  J.  G.  Waters  :  My  Dear  Sir  —  I  am  much  gratified  to  learn  that  you  have  been  chosen 
to  deliver  an  address  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  upon  the  life  and  public  services 
of  Judge  Samuel  A.  Kingman.  Surely  this  is  a  theme  that  is  full  of  inspiration.  To  do  it  sub- 
stantial justice  will  task  your  great  power  of  analysis  and  your  fine  gift  of  description  to  the  ut- 
most. The  result  should  be  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  literature  of  the  Historical  Society  and 
a  splendid  testimonial  to  the  name  and  achievements  of  one  of  the  state's  most  distinguished 
citizens. 

In  response  to  your  request  for  a  letter  to  be  read  in  connection  with  your  address,  permit 
me  briefly  to  say  that  Samuel  A.  Kingman  had  the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  builders  and 
pioneers  of  this  great  commonwealth  of  ours.  He  assisted  in  the  work  of  establishing  the  state 
government  of  Kansas.  He  helped  to  fashion  and  write  its  constitution,  to  make  and  interpret 
its  laws.  The  constitution,  the  statute-books  and  the  reports  of  the  supreme  court  are  tablets 
upon  which  are  graven  his  worth  and  deeds,  and  in  these  may  be  traced  the  commanding  intel- 
lect which  claimed  men's  admiration  and  the  kindly  heart  that  won  their  confidence  and  affection. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  for  me  to  do  more  than  to  indicate  these  facts  and  observations,  as 
they  will  be  amply  elaborated  in  your  address  and  form  a  part  of  the  permanent  files  of  the 
historical  library.  I  may  be  pardoned  the  suggestion  that  in  a  large  measure  we  are  indebted 
to  Judge  Kingman  for  the  judicial  system  under  which  the  state  is  now  operating,  and  which 
has  endured  almost  without  change  for  nearly  half  a  century  of  time.  Judge  Kingman  was  not 
only  a  leader  in  the  constitutional  debates  in  the  Wyandotte  convention  of  1859,  but  was  chair- 
man of  its  judiciary  committee,  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  factors  in  all  the  proceedings  of 
that  remarkable  assemblage.  The  homestead-exemption  provision  is  credited  to  him  by  his  col- 
leagues, and  in  one  of  the  debates  he  justified  its  adoption  in  these  words : 

"  It  is  simply  the  home,  the  hearthstone,  the  fireside  around  which  a  man  may  gather  his 
family  with  the  certainty  of  assurance  that  neither  the  hand  of  the  law  nor  any,  nor  all  the  un- 
certainties of  life  may  eject  them  from  it." 

Aside  from  his  work  in  the  formative  pei-iod  of  the  state  government,  his  most  illustrious 
service  was  performed  as  a  member  of  the  highest  judicial  tribunal  of  Kansas.  His  intellectual 
grasp  was  broad,  his  reasoning  strong  and  clear,  his  judgment  sound  and  just,  and  his  opinions 
are  regarded  by  the  lawyers  of  the  state  as  models  of  judicial  expression. 

I  well  remember  my  first  appearance  before  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  when  it  was 
composed  of  Chief  Justice  Kingman  and  Associate  Justices  Valentine  and  Brewer  —  a  notable 
trio  of  Western  jurists.  As  I  now  recall  the  circumstance,  the  matter  I  had  to  present  at  cham- 
bers was  not  of  vast  or  vital  consequence,  although  it  might  have  seemed  to  me  at  that  time  to 
be  of  very  deep  concern.  The  judges  then  occupied  and  worked  in  a  single  room  in  the  basement 
of  the  east  wing  of  the  capitol.  When  I  entered  the  room  and  indicated  the  purpose  of  my  call, 
the  attitude  of  the  judges  impressed  me  in  a  way  I  shall  never  forget.  Justice  Valentine  was 
dignified,  serious,  and  attentive ;  Justice  Brewer  courteous  and  good-natured,  but  at  first 
inclined  to  ask  questions  in  a  somewhat  mischievous  manner.  In  the  case  of  Chief  Justice  King- 
man, there  was  a  desire  to  be  imrhediately  helpful,  and  this  was  so  apparent  that  my  embarrass- 
ment gradually  departed.     His  voluntary   suggestions   indicated   the  proper  course  for  me  to 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  61 


pursue,  and  his  associates  readily  concurred  therein,  as  they  were  no  doubt  perfectly  willing  to 
do  from  the  beginning. 

This  small  incident  of  personal  experience  servesto  illustrate  one  of  the  dominant  traits  of 
Judge  Kingman's  character  :  his  kindly  interest  in  the  welfare  of  others,  and  his  generous  con- 
sideration for  the  young  attorneys  with  whom  he  was  brought  into  daily  contact.  The  lesson 
of  his  life  may  be  studied  with  advantage  by  both  old  and  young.  His  good  nature  was  unfail- 
ing, his  big-heartedness  inexhaustible.  He  made  no  enemies,  cherished  no  resentments.  The 
pleasures  he  most  enjoyed  were  those  he  could  share  with  his  family  and  friends.  The  triumphs 
he  won  were  not  noisy  ones,  and  they  left  no  sting.  His  life  was  extended  beyond  the  measure 
of  human  existence,  and  it  was  meant  to  be  so.  The  vyorld  was  better  and  happier  because  of 
his  allotment  in  it.     A  better  epitaph  no  man  can  have. 

Glancing  at  the  list  of  representative  men  who  have  figured  conspicuously  in  the  history  of 
Kansas  and  passed  beyond  its  glory  and  strife,  I  can  think  of  no  words  more  appropriate  to  ex- 
press in  remembrance  of  Judge  Kingman  than  the  pithy  sentence  employed  by  Edward  Everett, 
in  summing  up  his  estimate  of  the  character  of  Washington  :  "  He  was  the  greatest  of  good 
men,  and  the  best  of  great  men."  Very  respectfully,  W.  A.  Johnston.* 


Washington,  D.  C,  November  25.  1904. 

Hon.  Joseph  G.  Waters :  My  Dear  Waters  —  Some  time  since  I  received  a  letter  from  you  in 
refei-ence  to  an  address  that  you  are  to  deliver  before  the  Historical  Society  on  Judge  Kingman, 
and  asking  for  a  letter  to  be  used  on  that  occasion. 

You  must  excuse  my  delay  in  answering,  but  the  first  leisure  moment  has  come  during  this, 
our  Thanksgiving  recess. 

My  acquaintance  with  Judge  Kingman  commenced  immediately  after  the  admission  of  the 
state.  That  acquaintance  ripened  into  a  very  strong  friendship.  I  was  intimately  associated 
with  him  for  some  years,  both  while  we  were  on  the  bench  together  and  subsequently  when  he 
was  acting  as  librarian. 

He  was  a  capital  raconteur  and  an  inveterate  joker.  Few  ever  got  the  better  of  him  in  rep- 
artee. Nothing  pleased  him  better  than  to  have  lawyers  from  the  state  gather  around  him  in 
the  court-room  or  the  librai-y  while  he  told  stories  and  cracked  jokes.  Very  likely  many  of  those 
who  listened  did  not  realize  the  serious,  earnest  character  of  the  man  who,  for  the  time  being, 
was  amusing  them  as  well  as  himself.  Once  he  told  me  what  led  him  into  this  habit.  He  came 
to  Kansas  partly  on  account  of  his  health.  He  was  not  very  strong,  and  was  fearful  that  his 
lungs  were  affected.  Hon.  Samuel  A,  Stinson,  afterwards  attorney-general  of  the  state,  became 
quite  intimate  with  him,  and,  recognizing  his  capacity  as  a  story-teller,  told  him  that  if  he  wanted 
good  health,  and  to  live  long,  he  must  make  that  a  habit.  Evidently  Mr.  Stinson's  advice  was 
good.  Judge  Kingman  did  form  the  habit  and  he  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  I  fancy,  however,  he 
commenced  telling  stories  long  before  he  met  Mr.  Stinson. 

I  recall  two  instances— and  only  two — in  which  Judge  Kingman  was  decidedly  worsted.  One 
was  this  :  An  oil  painting  of  the  judge  was  presented  to  the  court  and  placed  over  the  clerk's 
desk  in  the  court-room.  James  F.  Legate,  coming  in  one  day,  said  it  looked  like  John  Brown,  who 
also  had  a  long,  flowing  white  beard.  So  we  not  infrequently  called  it  our  picture  of  John 
Brown.  One  day  Doctor  Wyman  came  into  the  court-room,  where  Judge  Kingman  sat  smoking 
his  clay  pipe.  After  a  little  the  judge  turned  to  the  doctor  and  said,  "  Doctor,  what  do  you 
think  of  our  picture  of  John  Brown?"  The  doctor,  who  was  old  and  near-sighted,  put  on  his 
spectacles  and  went  close  to  the  picture.  He  recognized  it  at  once,  but  stood  a  minute  gazing  at 
it,  and  then  turned  and  said  very  deliberately  :  "  If  John  Brown  looked  like  that  I  don't  blame 
Governor  Wise  for  hanging  him."  Amid  the  roar  that  followed  Kingman  could  only  say  that 
he  wished  he  could  think  of  some  mean  thing  to  say  about  the  medical  profession.  The  other  in- 
stance was  this  :  One  summer  Judge  Kingman,  Mr.  Hammatt,  the  clerk  of  the  supreme  court, 
and  I  spent  several  weeks  in  Colorado.  At  Denver  we  hired  a  wagon,  team,  and  driver,  and 
went  camping  in  the  mountains.  For  the  trip  we  purchased  suitable  clothing  and  left  our  ordi- 
nary wearing  apparel  in  valises  in  Denver.     On  our  return  to  that  city  we  had  just  enough  time 

Note  8.— William  Agnew  Johnston  was  born  at  Oxford,  Ontario,  Canada,  July  24,  1848. 
He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  academy.  He  came  to  the  United  States  at  the  age 
of  sixteen.  He  settled  in  Minneapolis,  Kan.,  in  1872.  He  was  a  member  of  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives in  1876,  and  was  state  senator  in  1877  and  1879.  In  1880  he  served  as  assistant  United 
States  district  attorney,  and  as  attorney-general  of  Kansas  in  1881-'84.  He  was  associate  justice 
of  the  supreme  court,  1884-1903,  and  by  seniority  he  became  chief  justice  January  10,  1903,  which 
position  he  still  holds.  In  1875  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  Brown,  of  Camden,  Ohio.  Mrs. 
Johnston  served  three  terms  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  Minneapolis,  and  of  the 
Ottawa  county  teachers'  examining  board  for  six  years.  She  was  president  of  the  Kansas  State 
Federation  of  Clubs,  1901-'02,  and  originator  of  the  Kansas  Traveling  Library  Commission. 


62  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

to  take  the  valises  and  jump  on  board  the  train  for  Topeka.  There  was  but  one  train  a  day,  and 
if  we  had  stopped  to  clean  up  and  change  our  clothes  we  should  have  been  delayed  an  entire  day. 
We  were  brown  as  Indians,  and  looked  like  miners  or  farmers,  On  the  cars  we  had  a  most  agree- 
able evening  with  Rev.  Dr.  John  Hall,  the  famous  Presbyterian  preachei-,  of  New  York  city.  In 
the  course  of  the  conversation  the  East  and  the  West  came  into  delightful  collision.  Doctor  Hall 
making  fun  of  the  Grangers,  and  we  in  like  manner  of  the  bondholders  and  Wall  street.  The 
jokes  flew  fast  and  thick.  At  one  time  Judge  Kingman  stretched  out  his  hands  and  said,  "  Look 
at  the  hands  of  an  honest  Granger  from  Kansas."  It  so  happened  that  the  judge  had  not 
cleaned  his  nails,  and  Doctor  Hall,  leaning  forward,  said  in  an  inimitable  way  :  "  It  seems  to  me 
the  hands  of  justice  in  Kansas  are  not  clean." 

It  must  not  be  thought  from  all  this  that  life  to  him  was  only  a  joke,  and  that  he  lived  for 
nothing  else  but  to  laugh  and  make  merry.  On  the  contrary,  fun  was  to  him  simply  on  the 
surface.  His  was  a  most  earnest  and  serious  nature.  He  believed  most  strenuously  in  the  reali- 
ties of  life  and  duty.  He  had  high  ideals  of  what  one  ought  to  be  and  do.  At  the  same  time  he 
was  very  charitable  to  human  weaknesses.  Although  more  than  once  disappointed  at  the  neglect 
or  forgetfulness  ( to  use  no  harsher  terms )  of  supposed  friends,  I  never  heard  him  denounce  them, 
or  speak  harshly  of  their  conduct.  He  would  talk  of  the  facts,  but  in  a  dispassionate  way,  as 
though  he  were  simply  e.xpressing  a  judicial  opinion. 

While  tenacious  in  his  opinions,  he  avoided  any  discussion  of  them  which  he  thought  might 
lead  to  unpleasant  controversy,  and  sometimes  very  clearly  put  the  matter  in  such  shape  as  to 
prevent  any  discussion.  I  remember  calling  on  him  in  the  summer  of  1896.  After  the  usual 
questions  about  health  and  family  and  matters  of  that  kind,  we  sat  down  for  one  of  our  com- 
fortable chats,  and  about  the  first  thing  he  said  in  that  was:  "Now,  Brewer,  I  might  as  well 
state  at  the  outset  that  I  am  going  to  vote  for  Bryan.  I  don't  think  it  is  necessary  to  go  into  the 
whys  and  wherefores,  but  I  think  it  is  better  that  you  should  know  the  fact."  Of  course,  I  took 
it  as  a  suggestion  that  it  was  better  not  to  enter  into  a  political  discussion,  and  none  was  en- 
tered into. 

Of  his  ability  as  a  judge  the  early  volumes  of  Kansas  Reports  will  remain  an  enduring  wit- 
ness. They  who  were  with  him  in  conference  know  how  wise  were  his  counsels,  how  clear  his 
views,  and  how  discriminating  and  correct  his  analyses  of  difficult  and  confused  cases. 

He  was  one  of  the  rare  men  of  whom  the  poet  truthfully  says  : 
"  None  knew  him  but  to  love  him. 
Nor  named  him  but  to  praise." 

Very  truly  yours,  David  J.  Brewer.' 


Hon.  J.  G.' Waters:  Dear  Sir  — I  became  acquainted  with  Judge  Samuel  A.  Kingman  in 
the  early  part  of  1861.  Afterwards  we  were  members  of  the  supreme  court  of  Kansas  together 
for  eight  years,  from  January,  1869,  to  January,  1877,  he  as  chief  justice  and  I  as  associate  jus- 
tice, and  we  have  been  intimately  acquainted  with  each  other  ever  since.  During  that  whole 
period  of  time  I  found  him  to  be  one  of  the  most  noble  and  honorable  men  whom  I  have  ever 
met.  He  was  just,  honest  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings  and  in  all  his  judicial  opinions.  In- 
deed, his  judicial  opinions  have  been  regarded  and  quoted  by  both  the  bench  and  the  bar  in  the 
very  highest  of  terms. 

His  greatest  misfortune  was  his  lack  of  vigorous  health.  On  December  31,  1876,  he  resigned 
as  chief  justice  because  of  his  lack  of  health.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  state  librarian  for 
the  state  of  Kansas,  but  again,  after  serving  for  a  time  in  that  position,  he  had  to  resign  on  ac- 
count of  his  ill  health.     But  in  all  cases  he  was  honest,  honorable,  and  just. 

Yours  truly,  D.  M.  Valentine.'" 

Note  9.—  David  Josiah  Brewer  was  born  in  Smyrna,  Asia  Minor,  June  20, 1837,  son  of  the 
Rev.  Josiah  and  Emilia  Field.  He  is  a  nephew  of  the  late  Justice  Stephen  J.  Field.  He 
graduated  at  Yale  and  the  Albany  Law  School.  Married,  October  3,  1861,  Louise  R.  Landon,  of 
Burlington,  Vt.,  who  died  April  3,  1898,  and,  June  5.  1901,  married  Emma  Minor  Mott,  of  Wash- 
ington. He  settled  at  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  in  June,  1859.  In  1861-'62  he  was  United  States  com- 
missioner ;  judge  of  the  probate  and  criminal  courts  of  Leavenworth  county,  1863-'65  ;  judge  of 
the  district  court,  1865-'69  :  county  attorney,  1869-'70 ;  justice  supreme  court  of  Kansas.  1870-'84  ; 
judge  circuit  court  of  the  United  States,  1884-'89.  December  18,  1889,  he  was  commissioned  asso- 
ciate justice  of  the  United  States  supreme  court.  In  1896  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
Venezuelan  boundary  commission,  and  in  1899  a  member  of  the  British- Venezuela  arbitration 
tribunal.     He  is  the  author  of  several  books.     He  lives  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

Note  10.—  Daniel  M.  Valentine  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Ohio,  June  18,  1830.  He  is  a 
descendant  of  Richard  Valentine,  who  came  from  England  to  Hempstead,  Long  Island,  in  1644. 
His  mother  was  Rebecca  Kinkennon,  a  native  of  Tennessee.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  started  in  life  as  a  school-teacher  and  surveyor.  His  fam- 
ily moved  in  1836  to  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana.  In  1854  Judge  Valentine  moved  to  Iowa,  and  in 
1859  to  Kansas,  first  settling  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  made  his  home  for  about  a  year,  when  he 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  63 

Erie,  Neosho  County,  Kansas,  November  30,  1904. 

Capt.  Joseph  G.  Waters,  Topeka:  Dear  Captain— I  received  some  weeks  ago  your  letter  of 
the  12th  ult.,  in  which  you  informed  me  that  you  had  promised  to  deliver  an  address  before  the 
State  Historical  Society  on  the  6th  prox.  on  the  life  and  public  services  of  the  late  Samuel  A. 
Kingman,  formerly  chief  justice  of  the  Kansas  supreme  court.  In  your  note  you  requested  me 
to  write  you  a  letter  stating  something  of  my  recollections  of  our  deceased  friend,  to  be  read  by 
you  in  connection  with  your  address. 

I  have  been  holding  court  continuously  in  this  county  since  the  18th  of  last  month  up  to  and 
including  the  26th  of  the  present  month,  and  have  had  no  time  nor  opportunity  to  comply  with 
your  request  until  now  ;  and  I  am  afraid  that  what  I  may  undertake  to  say  will  fall  far  short  of 
the  standard  I  would  like  to  attain  in  discussing  the  merits  of  our  deceased  friend  ;  but  I  have 
concluded  to  try  to  write  you  something,  and,  in  doing  so,  I  shall  confine  myself  to  some  incidents 
connected  with  Judge  Kingman  which  occurred  in  my  early  practice  before  the  supreme  court 
in  the  old  days  — 

"  Those  happy  days  of  long  ago. 
When  I  was  Lee  and  you  were  Joe." 

The  first  time  I  saw  Judge  Kingman  was  in  February,  1870,  when  he  was  chief  justice  of  the 
supreme  court.  I  had  located  in  Kansas  nearly  two  years  previously,  at  the  place  where  I  now 
reside,  but  I  was,  comparatively  speaking,  only  a  boy,  and  a  fearfully  green  one  at  that.  Hence, 
my  law  practice,  up  to  the  time  I  met  the  judge,  had  not  reached  that  court  which  the  late  Chief 
Justice  Crozier  styled  "  tri-pedal  pier  "  of  the  state  constitution.    (Scarle  v.  Adams,  3  Kan.  519.) 

But  we  had  a  chronic  county-seat  war  in  Neosho  county  that  evoked,  among  other  things, 
legal  battles  of  the  most  unrelenting  and  acrimonious  type.  So  it  came  about  that,  in  February, 
1870,  I  went  as  the  attorney  of  my  town  to  Topeka  for  the  purpose  of  applying  to  the  supreme 
court,  then  in  session,  for  an  alternative  writ  of  mandamus  against  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners of  the  county  of  Neosho,  to  compel  them  to  move  their  records  and  keep  their  oflice  at 
the  town  of  Erie,  the  alleged  county-seat  of  said  county. 

I  realize  now  that  when  I  walked  into  the  supreme-court  room  on  that  cold  winter  morning, 
now  nearly  thirty-five  years  ago,  my  appearance  must  have  been  decidedly  against  me.  We  had 
no  railroads  in  my  locality  then,  and  I  had  "staged  "  it,  by  day  and  night,  to  the  nearest  railroad 
station  on  the  old  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  railroad,  which  then  was  either  Garnett 
or  Ottawa  ( I  don't  now  remember  which i.  So,  when  I  entered  the  court-room,  I  was  tired  and 
sleepy,  and,  moreover,  greatly  awed  by  my  surroundings.  My  tout  ensemble  ( if  that  is  the  cor- 
rect expression )  was  not  calculated  to  inspire  confidence  by  any  means.  At  that  time  Erie  had 
no  sidewalks  —  we  simply  had  to  stalk  through  the  mud  —  and  my  footgear  was  of  a  nature 
adapted  to  local  conditions.  I  remember  that  I  was  wearing  a  pair  of  old-fashioned  cavalry 
boots,  with  the  ends  of  my  trousers  tucked  therein.  Said  boots  were  of  a  pronounced  foxy  hue, 
and  well  spattered  with  mud  ;  and,  as  regards  appearance  and  condition,  the  balance  of  my  garb 
was  in  hearty  accord  and  profound  sympathy  with  the  aforesaid  cavalry  boots. 

Well,  I  removed  my  old  slouch  hat  and  overcoat  on  entering  the  court-room,  piled  them  on 
the  floor  in  a  corner,  and  seated  myself  in  the  most-retired  part  of  the  room  I  could  find.  The 
court  at  the  time  consisted  of  Chief  Justice  Kingman  and  Associate  Justices  Jacob  Safford  and 
D.  M.  Valentine  ( the  latter  being  now  the  only  survivor). 

There  were  several  "big  lawyers  "  with  "store  clothes  "  on,  who  were  occupying  the  atten- 
tion of  the  court  when  I  arrived,  and  I  waited  patiently  for  everybody  else  to  get  through.  In 
the  meantime  I  caught  the  eye  of  the  venerable  chief  justice  glancing  once  or  twice  over  his 
spectacles  in  my  direction,  with  a  look  in  which  curiosity  and  friendly  sympathy  seemed  queerly 
blended.  At  last  the  big  lawyers  were  all  done  and  there  came  a  lull.  Judge  Kingman  removed 
his  glasses  and  looked  directly  at  me,  as  if  to  intimate  that  my  turn  had  come.  I  thereupon 
arose  and  walked  forward,  and,  addressing  the  court  in  the  customary  manner,  stated  that  I  de- 
sired to  present  an  application  for  an  alternative  writ  of  mandamus  against  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  of  Neosho  county,  and  inquired  if  the  court  was  at  leisure  to  hear  me.  I  was 
answered  in  the  affirmative.  Thereupon,  taking  the  verified  application  for  the  writ  from  an  in- 
side pocket  of  my  "fatigue  coat,"  1  proceeded  to  read  it  to  the  court.  I  remember  that  just 
about  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  one  of  the  "  big  lawyers,"  a  rather  large,  fine-looking  man, 
who  was  seated  a  little  in  my  front  and  to  the  left,  turned  sharply  in  his  chair  to  the  right,  and 
clapped  on  his  nose  a  pair  of  gold-bowed  and  rimmed  pinch-nose  glasses,  and  proceeded  to  gaze 
upon  me  with  looks  indicative,  to  say  the  least,  of  contemptuous  astonishment.     I  have  always 

located  in  Franklin  county.  He  was  county  surveyor  of  Adair  county,  Iowa,  1855-'57,  and 
county  attorney  of  the  same  county  in  1858.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas  house  of  repre- 
sentatives in  1862  from  Franklin  county,  and  represented  the  same  county  in  the  state  senate  in 
1863  and  1864.  In  1864  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  seventh  judicial  district,  until  1869,  when  he 
was  elected  to  the  supreme  bench,  where  he  served  until  January,  1893  —  twenty-two  years.  He 
was  married  June  25,  1855,  to  Miss  Martha  Root.     They  reside  in  Topeka. 


64  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

thought  that  he  was  some  Eastern  bond  lawyer,  but  I  am  not  sure.  His  actions,  however,  came 
very  near  extinguishing  the  last  atom  of  presence  of  mind  that  I  possessed  ;  but  I  managed  to 
struggle  through  the  reading  of  my  paper,  and  by  that  time  had  somewhat  regained  my  com- 
posure. Then,  in  the  briefest  possible  manner  (knowing  beforehand  every  word  I  intended  to 
say),  I  indicated  to  the  court  as  best  I  could  that,  on  the  facts  presented  and  the  law  applicable 
thereto,  I  thought  my  client  had  made  a  prima  facie  showing  entitling  him  to  the  relief  de- 
manded, and  took  my  seat. 

Judge  Kingman  then  announced  from  the  bench  [that  the  court  would  consider  the  matter, 
and  inform  me  of  their  conclusion  presently.  The  judges  then  retired  from  the  bench  and  re- 
paired to  their  consultation  room,  and  after  only  a  brief  absence  returned  and  resumed  their  ■ 
seats.  Judge  Kingman  announced  that  the  court  had  concluded  to  grant  the  writ,  and  then  said 
to  me :  "I  suppose.  Mr.  Stillwell,  you  know  that  it  is  not  the  duty  of  the  clerk  to  prepare  the 
writ,  but  that  you  must  attend  to  that  matter."  I  answered  that  I  so  understood  it.  He  kept 
looking  at  me  in  a  sort  of  hesitating  way  and  pitying  manner,  and  finally  said  in  a  very  grave, 
portentous  tone  :  "You  are  aware,  I  presume,  Mr.  Stillwell,  that  you  prepare  the  writ  at  your 
peril?"  I  made  him  a  little,  alleged  backwoods  bow,  and  in  my  meekest  manner  responded 
that  I  had  been  so  advised.  The  fact  is  the  writ  had  been  prepared  days  beforehand,  and  was  in 
my  pocket  then,  but  I  had  some  sort  of  a  shadowy  notion  that  it  wouldn't  do  tolsay  so  to  the 
court  ;  it  might  cause  them  to  sit  down  on  me  as  altogether  too  fresh. 

Well,  the  writ  was  finally  issued  in  due  and  legal  form,  and  at  the  July  term  of  the  court 
that  year  the  case  came  on  for  trial  before  the  supreme  court.  The  title  of  the  case  was  The 
State  of  Kansas,  on  the  relation  of  Joseph  A.  Wells,  v.  Solon  E.  Marston  and  others,  as  the  Board 
of  County  Cow-Tnissioners  of  Neosho  County.        (See  6  Kan.  524.) 

A  mass  of  testimony  had  been  taken  by  deposition,  and  in  addition  a  number  of  witnesses 
were  examined  orally  before  the  court.  An  incident  occurred  on  the  trial  I  have  since  frequently 
seen  in  print,  but  never  correctly  ;  so  I  will  now  state  it  here  according  to  my  best  recollection. 

H.  C.  McComas,  of  Fort  Scott,  and  myself,  were  the  attorneys  for  the  plaintiff",  and  Ross 
Burns,  of  Topeka,  and  the  inimitable  John  O'Grady,  of  Osage  Mission,  represented  the  defend- 
ants. (All  these  lawyers  are  now  dead  except  the  writer.)  McComas  and  Burns  did  the  heavy 
work,  while  O'Grady  and  I  were  allowed  to  "  limber  to  the  front  "  only  when  the  situation  was 
such  that  neither  of  us  was  capable  of  doing  much  harm.  We  were  both  young,  impulsive,  and 
exceedingly  technical.  McComas  generally  kept  a  hand  on  my  coat  tail,  and  held  me  down  when 
he  saw  that  I  was  about  to  make  an  ass  of  myself,  but  O'Grady  frequently  escaped  from  his 
keeper.  While  the  oral  e.xamination  of  the  witnesses  was  in  progress,  he  made  numerous  and 
persistent  objections  to  various  questions,  and  when  his  objections  were  overruled,  as  they  al- 
most invariably  were,  he  took  a  most  emphatic  exception.  This  went  on  for  some  time.  Finally 
Judge  Kingman  looked  down  at  O'Grady  over  his  glasses,  and  slowly  and  impressively  said  : 

"  Mr.  O'Grady,  the  court  notes  your  numerous  exceptions  to  its  rulings,  which  is  your  right ; 
but  will  you  kindly  inform  the  court  as  to  what  tribunal  you  intend  to  carry  this  case  in  the 
event  of  a  decision  adverse  to  your  clients  ?  " 

My  recollection  is  that  O'Grady  did  n't  answer  the  question.  Poor  boy ;  his  face  turned  a 
fiery  red  ;  he  made  one  furiously  quick  spit  through  his  closed  teeth  in  that  well-known  way  of 
his,  and  there  were  no  more  exceptions  taken  during  the  trial. 

But  he  laughs  best  who  laughs  last.  In  the  end  O'Grady  gained  the  case,  and  my  people  were 
beaten.  It  is  perhaps  in  order  to  say,  though,  that  a  subsequent  county-seat  election  resulted  in 
the  success  of  Erie.  Some  more  years  of  heart-breaking  litigation  then  ensued  on  the  irre- 
pressible county-seat  question,  finally  terminating  in  favor  of  that  town.  And  lastly,  about  three 
weeks  ago,  the  county  officials  moved  into  and  took  possession  of  a  new  $45,000  court-house  re- 
cently erected  on  the  public  square  in  Erie ;  so  it  is  reasonable  to  assume  that  the  county-seat 
troubles  of  the  good  people  of  Neosho  county  are  ended  forever. 

But  the  events  of  these  latter  days  we  could  n't  foresee  in  1870,  and  my  heart  then  was 
especially  wrapped  up  in  the  case  of  The  State,  ex  ret.  Wells,  v.  Marston  et  at.  At  the  close  of 
the  trial  the  court  took  the  case  under  advisement,  and  so  held  it  for  some  months.  At  last  I 
learned  in  some  way  that  the  court  would  probably  decide  the  case  at  its  December  sitting  that 
year;  so,  during  that  session,  I  went  to  Topeka  in  order  to  obtain  the  earliest  possible  intelligence 
as  to  the  nature  of  the  expected  decision.  The  morning  after  my  arrival  I  went  to  the  court- 
room, and  on  making  inquiry  of  the  clerk  I  ascertained  that  the  court  had  handed  down  an  opin- 
ion in  the  case  the  day  before,  and  that  it  was  against  my  client.  Any  lawyer  who  in  his 
youthful  days  has  lost  a  similar  case  will  know  how  I  felt.  We  had  lost  the  county-seat,  and  I 
had  to  go  home  to  that  little  town  on  the  Neosho  river  and  tell  my  people  that  their  temporal  sun 
had  set ;  that  the  game  was  up,  and  the  last  ditch  reached. 

1  was  sitting  in  one  corner  of  the  court-room,  reading  and  rereading  that  fatal  opinion,  look- 
ing, I  imagine,  like  the  very  incarnation  of  mental  anguish  and  utter  wretchedness,  when  Judge 


Samuel  A.  Kingman.  65 


Kingman  came  in  to  get  some  papers  from  the  clerk.  He  spied  me  sitting  in  my  corner,  in  my 
loneliness  and  woe,  and  at  once  came  and  shook  hands  with  me  in  the  kindest  and  most  fatherly 
manner.  After  a  brief  conversation  he  invited  me  to  go  with  him  to  his  room  and  visit  a  while. 
I  tried  to  beg  off,  saying  that  his  time  was  important,  he  was  doubtless  busy,  etc.,  but  the  good 
old  man  silenced  all  my  objections  at  once.  He  said  the  court  had  adjourned  for  that  term  and 
he  had  nothing  to  do  ;  and,  taking  me  by  the  arm,  he  escorted  me  to  his  room  ;  we  went  in  and  sat 
down.  He  lit  his  old  corn-cob  pipe,  put  his  feet,  encased  in  coarse-  white-yarn  socks  and  old  car- 
pet slippers,  on  the  seat  of  an  adjacent  chair,  and  then  proceeded  to  chat  with  me  and  tell 
stories,  some  comical,  some  pathetic,  and  all  interesting,  of  incidents  in  his  early  days  in  Kansas 
territory  and  elsewhere.  It  soon  cropped  out  in  the  conversation  that  the  judge  in  his  youthful 
days  had  practiced  law  for  some  years  in  the  town  of  Hickman,  Ky.  It  so  happened  that  as  a 
soldier  boy  in  the  Union  army  I  had  also  been  around  and  about  Hickman  to  some  extent ;  so  a 
topic  was  struck  where  we  both  were  on  common  ground,  and  the  judge's  anecdotes  of  his  ca- 
reer there,  and  his  reminiscences  in  general,  touching  the  bench,  bar  and  clientage  of  his  time  in 
that  locality,  were  simply  delicious. 

But  all  the  time  neither  of  us  alluded  to  my  ill-starred  "  lost  cause."  Of  course,  I  wouldn't ; 
and  the  old  man  on  his  part  knew  that  some  griefs  are  inconsolable,  and,  with  consummate  tact, 
he  skilfully  avoided  the  subject.  But  I  have  always  been  of  the  opinion  that  if  I  had  gained  the 
case  I  should  have  lost  this  delightful  interview.  I  think  when  he  saw  me  in  the  court-room  he 
realized  and  perfectly  well  understood  my  intense  disappointment  at  the  result  of  my  case,  and 
thereupon  the  kind-hearted  old  man  resorted  to  what  he  conceived  was  the  best  attainable  way 
to  cheer  me  up  and  get  me  in  a  more  hopeful  and  pleasant  frame  of  mind  ;  and  when  I  recall  the 
fact  that  I  was  only  a  young  and  exceedingly  obscure  country  lawyer,  utterly  destitute  of  any 
political  influence,  or  otherwise,  living  away  out  on  what  was  then  one  of  the  frontiers  of  Kan- 
sas, while,  on  the  contrary,  he  was  a  man  of  mature  years,  of  profound  legal  ability,  and  the 
chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state,  his  cordial  and  unaffected  kindness  to  me  in  my 
hour  of  sadness  and  gloom  shows  all  the  brighter  and  stronger  the  generous  nature  and  kindly 
heart  of  the  grand  old  man. 

From  this  on,  until  Judge  Kingman  retired  from  the  bench  by  resignation,  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1876,  it  was  my  lot  frequently  to  appear  before  the  supreme  court  in  the  discharge  of  the 
duties  appertaining  to  my  calling.  And  during  all  these  years  I  was  the  recipient  at  his  hands 
of  the  very  kindest  and  most  fatherly  treatment  and  consideration,  which  I  shall  gratefully  re- 
member as  long  as  I  live.  My  acquaintance  with  him  continued,  after  his  retirement  from  the 
bench,  until  he  passed  away.  There  are  numerous  other  recollections  of  a  personal  nature  con- 
nected with  his  career  on  the  bench,  or  as  state  librarian,  that  I  would  like  to  speak  of,  but  this 
letter  is  too  long  now.  Take  him  all  in  all,  I  consider  him  one  of  the  purest-minded  and  most  up- 
right and  conscientious  men  I  ever  knew.  As  a  judge  he  was  thoroughly  grounded  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  law,  and  had  an  intuitive  perception  and  love  of  justice,  and  an  abhorrence  of  fraud 
and  iniquity  in  all  their  varied  forms  and  guises.  As  the  ordinary  man,  moving  among  his  fel- 
lows, he  possessed  a  heart  overflowing  with  kindness  and  good  feeling,  and  he  was  absolutely 
incapable  of  harboring  thoughts  of  rancor  or  malignity.  As  was  said  of  another,  "his  presence 
was  a  blessing,  his  friendship  a  truth,"  and  his  noble  and  lovable  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  can 
never  be  forgotten.  Truly  your  friend,  Leander  Stillwell." 


TOPEKA,  October  24,  1904. 
Mr.  J.  G.  Waters :  Dear  Sir  —  You  request  me  to  make  a  statement  as  to  how  we  neighbors 
of  the  late  Judge  Samuel  A.  Kingman  looked  upon  him  as  a  citizen.  I  am  not  a  little  surprised 
to  think  that  you  would  ask  of  me  such  a  task.  I  have  been  a  near  neighbor  of  his  since  1877,  and 
can  now  imagine  that  I  see  the  judge,  with  his  old  corn-cob  pipe  in  his  mouth,  his  cane  in  hand, 
and  his  snow-white  beard,  standing  beside  my  garden  fence,  and  arguing  with  my  dear  departed 
wife  about  some  beans  that  were  just  coming  up,  the  roots  lifting  the  beans  above  the  surface. 
He  said  they  were  planted  wrong  and  must  be  reversed,  the  other  end  up,  and  any  one  that  did 

Note  11.— Leander  Stillwell  was  born  in  Jersey  county,  Illinois,  September  16,  1843. 
He  received  a  common-school  education.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  company  D,  Sixty-first 
Illinois  infantry,  January  6, 1S62,  and  reenlisted  as  a  veteran  on  February  1,  1864.  He  served  to 
the  end  of  the  war.  and  was  mustered  out  as  second  lieutenant  September  8,  1865.  He  attended 
the  Albany  Law  School,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  New  York  December  5,  1867.  He  came  to 
Kansas  in  April,  1868,  and  located  in  Neosho  county.  He  was  elected  to  the  house  of  representa- 
tives as  a  Republican  for  the  session  of  1877.  He  was  elected  in  1883  judge  of  the  district  court 
for  the  seventh  judicial  district,  a  position  he  still  holds.  In  May,  1872,  he  married  Miss  Anna  L. 
Stauber,  of  Erie.  During  his  military  service  he  participated  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  in  competition  with  several  others  he  won  a  prize  of  $100  offered  by  the 
New  York  Tribune  for  the  best  account  of  the  battle  of  Shiloh. 


66  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

not  know  that  by  looking  at  them  was  very  foolish.  He  was  a  great  hand  to  joke,  but  in  all  these 
long  years  that  I  have  known  him  I  have  never  heard  an  unkind  word  or  expression  regarding 
him  from  any  one  that  knew  him.  To  do  justice  to  that  noble,  kind-hearted  and  respected 
neighbor  requires  a  far  abler  pen  than  mine.  Often  have  I  seen  him  at  his  home,  on  Seventh 
street  and  Monroe,  with  a  half-dozen  or  more  little  children  gathered  around  him.  All  was  hap- 
piness and  sunshine,  because  little  children  loved  Judge  Kingman.  And  those  on  the  other 
side  of  that  great  chasm,  who  in  this  life  knew  the  judge —  I  am  sure  he  will  be  as  welcomed  by 
them  there  as  he  was  respected  here.  The  loss  to  this  neighborhood  can  never  be  replenished. 
May  his  eternal  pathway  be  strewn  with  flowers  of  the  brightest  hue  is  my  most  earnest  desire. 

Most  respectfully  yours,  Calvin  Brewer. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  DODGE. 

Address  by  the  president,  ROBERT  M.  WRIGHT, '  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society,  at 
its  thirtieth  annual  meeting,  December  5,  1905. 

I  PROMISED  our  secretary  and  others  that  I  would  write  a  story  on  the 
great  Indian  fight  at  the  adobe  walls,  where  all  the  men  engaged  were 
Kansans,  and  I  expected  to  do  so  up  to  a  very  short  time  since,  when  I  found  it 
impossible  to  get  hold  of  a  few  facts  and  data.  I  could  not  complete  the 
story  without  them.  So  I  give  you  instead  a  description  of  the  mirage,  and 
a  few  stories  about  Dodge  in  the  early  days. 

Mirage  Webster  describes  as  an  "optical  illusion,  arising  from  an  un- 
equal refraction  in  the  lower  strata  of  the  atmosphere,  and  causing  remote 
objects  to  be  seen  double,  as  if  reflected  in  a  mirror,  or  to  appear  as  if  sus- 
pended in  the  air.  It  is  frequently  seen  in  deserts,  presenting  the  appear- 
ance of  water. ' ' 

If  I  were  gifted  with  descriptive  powers,  what  wonderful  scenes  could  I 
relate  of  the  mirage  on  the  plains  of  Kansas.  What  grand  cities  towering 
to  the  skies  have  I  seen,  with  their  palaces  and  cathedrals,  and  domed 
churches,  with  tall  towers  and  spires  reaching  almost  up  to  the  clouds,  with 
the  rising  sun  glistening  upon  them  until  they  looked  like  cities  of  gold, 
their  streets  paved  with  sapphire  and  emeralds,  and  all  surrounded  by  mag- 
nificent walls,  soldiers  marching,  with  burnished  spears  and  armor!  There 
would  arise  at  times  over  all  a  faint  ethereal  golden  mist,  as  if  from  a 
smooth  sea,  shining  upon  the  towers  and  palaces  with  a  brilliancy  so  great  as 
to  dazzle  the  eyes— a  more  gorgeous  picture  than  could  be  painted  by  any 
artist  of  the  present,  or  by  any  of  the  old  masters.  The  picture  as  has  pre- 
sented itself  to  me  I  still  retain  in  good  recollection,  in  its  indescribable 
magnificence.  At  other  times  the  scenes  would  change  entirely,  and,  instead 
of  great  cities,  there  would  be  mountains,  rivers,  seas,  lakes,  and  ships,  or 
soldiers  and  armies,  engaged  in  actual  conflict.  So  real  have  such  sights  ap- 
peared to  me  on  the  plains  that  I  could  not  help  but  believe  they  were 
scenes  from  real  life,  being  enacted  in  some  other  part  of  the  world,  and 
caught  up  by  the  rays  of  the  sun  and  reflected  to  my  neighborhood,  or  per- 
haps that  some  electrical  power  had  reproduced  the  exact  picture  for  me. 

How  many  poor  creatures  has  the  mirage  deceived  by  its  images  of  water. 
At  times  one  unacquainted  with  its  varied  whims  would  be  persuaded  that 
it  really  was  water,  and  would  leave  the  well-beaten  track  to  follow  this 
optical  illusion,  only  to  wander  farther  from  water  and  succor,  until  he 
dropped  down  from  thirst  and  exhaustion,  never  to  rise  again,  never  again 

Note  1.— For  sketch  of  Robert  M.  Wright,  see  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  7,  p.  47. 


Reminiscences  of  Dodge.  67 

to  be  heard  of  by  his  friends,  his  bleaching  bones  to  be  picked  by  the  coyote, 
unburied  and  forgotten.  On  other  occasions  you  would  see  immense  tower- 
ing forests,  with  every  variety  of  trees  and  shrubbery.  In  some  places  it 
would  be  so  dark  and  lowering,  even  in  the  daylight,  as  to  appear  dangerous, 
though  one  could  not  help  admiring  its  gloomy  granduer.  Then  there  would 
be  fair  spots  of  picturesque  beauty,  with  grottoes  and  moonlit  avenues,  in- 
viting you  to  promenade,  where  one  seemed  to  hear  the  stroke  of  the  barge's 
oars  on  lake  and  river,  and  the  play  of  the  fountains,  and  the  twitter  of  the 
birds. 

With  the  trail  of  the  plow,  followed  by  immigration  and  civilization,  the 
wonderful  mirage  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  It  is  only  now  and  then  that  one 
gets  a  glimpse  of  its  beauties;  its  scenes  of  magnificence,  far  beyond  any 
powers  of  description,  I  will  never  see  again. 

Now  I  want  to  tell  you  something  of  the  great  officers  who  came  to  Fort 
Dodge  in  the  early  days. 

Gen.  Phil.  Sheridan  first  came  to  Fort  Dodge  in  the  summer  of  1868.  He 
pitched  his  camp  on  the  hill  north  of  the  fort  and  next  to  my  house.  I  saw 
a  good  deal  of  him  while  fitting  out  his  command  against  the  Indians,  and 
he  dined  with  me  several  times,  together  with  the  officers  of  the  post.  On 
one  of  these  occasions,  about  noon,  on  the  hills  to  the  southwest,  we  saw 
with  strong  field-glasses  what  seemed  to  be  a  body  of  horsemen  or  a  bunch 
of  bufi'alo.  But  they  moved  so  straight  and  uniformly  that  we  finally  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  they  must  be  Indians.  As  the  apparition  came  nearer 
we  discovered  that  it  was  but  one  ambulance  with  a  long  pole  lashed  to  it, 
with  a  wagon-sheet  attached  to  the  pole  for  a  flag  of  truce.  It  was  the 
largest  flag  of  truce  ever  used  for  such  purpose.  The  driver  proved  to  be 
Little  Raven,  chief  of  the  Arapahoes,  who  had  come  in  to  have  a  peace  talk 
with  General  Sheridan.  As  a  result  of  the  long  talk,  Little  Raven  badly  out- 
generaled Sheridan.  He  said  all  the  time  he  wanted  was  two  sleeps  to 
bring  in  the  whole  Arapahoe  tribe.  General  Sheridan  said  to  take  a  week 
and  see  that  all  came  in.  The  old  chief  insisted  that  he  only  wanted  two 
sleeps.  He  started  out  the  next  morning  loaded  down  with  bacon,  beans,  flour, 
sugar,  and  coflPee.  Little  Raven  told  me  afterwards  it  was  a  great  ruse  to 
avoid  the  soldiers  until  they  could  get  the  women  and  children  out  of  danger. 
When  Little  Raven  set  out  for  Dodge,  the  women  and  children  had  started 
south,  to  get  into  the  broken  and  rough  country  that  they  knew  so  well,  and 
with  which  our  soldiers  were  so  little  acquainted  at  that  day.  It  was  really 
laughable  to  hear  his  description  of  how  he  disposed  of  his  ambulance  after 
getting  back  to  the  tribe.  He  said  the  soldiers  followed  the  tracks  of  the 
ambulance  for  days,  so  his  rear-guard  would  report  at  night.  The  other 
Indians  were  for  burning  it  or  abandoning  it;  but  Little  Raven  said  he  prized 
it  so  highly  that  he  did  not  want  to  lose  it.  So  they  took  off  the  wheels,  and 
hung  them  in  some  very  high  trees,  and  concealed  the  body  in  a  big  drift  in 
the  river,  covering  it  with  driftwood. 

The  last  visit  General  Sheridan  made  at  Dodge  was  in  1872.  He  brought 
his  whole  staff  with  him.  General  Forsyth  was  his  aide-de-camp,  I  think,  and 
his  brother  Mike  was  along.  I  had  known  Mike  for  some  time  before  this, 
when  he  was  captain  in  the  Seventh  cavalry.  I  was  also  well  acquainted 
with  the  other  brother,  who  held  a  clerkship  at  Camp  Supply— a  most  ex- 
cellent gentleman.  During  his  stay  General  Sheridan  and  his  staff,  with  the 
officers  of  the  post,  were  dining  at  my  house.     They  had  all  been  drinking 


68  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

freely  before  dinner  of  whisky,  brandy,  and  punch,  except  Mike  Sheridan. 
These  liquors  were  all  left  in  the  parlor  when  we  went  in  to  dinner,  and  there 
was  an  abundance  of  light  wine  on  the  dinner-table.  When  dinner  was 
nearly  over  an  important  dispatch  came.  The  general  read  it  and  handed 
it  to  General  Forsyth,  requesting  him  to  answer  it.  With  that  Captain 
Sheridan  jumped  up  and  said  to  General  Forsyth:  "You  are  not  half 
through  your  dinner  yet,  and  I  am;  so  let  me  answer,  and  submit  to  you  for 
review."  He  then  requested  me  to  get  paper  and  pen  and  go  with  him  to 
the  parlor.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  parlor  the  captain  grabbed  me  by 
the  arm,  and  said,  "For  God's  sake,  Wright,  get  me  some  of  that  good 
brandy,  and  say  not  a  word  about  it."  I  replied,  "There  it  is.  Help  your- 
self."    He  took  two  generous  glasses,  and  then  wrote  the  dispatch. 

The  last  time  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  General  Sheridan  was  at  New- 
ton. I  was  on  my  way  to  Kansas  City,  and  stopped  there  to  get  supper.  I 
was  told  that  General  Sheridan  was  in  his  private  car.  I  called  on  him  as 
soon  as  I  got  my  supper.  He  knew  me  in  a  minute  and  received  me  most 
graciously.  Not  so  with  the  brother.  Captain  Mike,  whom  I  had  taken  care 
of  many  times  and  seen  that  he  was  properly  put  to  bed.  He  pretended  not 
to  know  me.  "Why,"  said  the  general,  "you  ought  to  know  Mr.  Wright. 
He  was  the  sutler  at  Fort  Dodge,  and  so  often  entertained  us  at  his  home." 
I  responded  to  the  general  that  I  was  surprised  that  he  knew  me  so  quickly. 
"I  knew  you  as  soon  as  I  saw  you,"  he  replied,  and  then  began  to  inquire 
about  all  the  old  scouts  and  mule  drivers,  and  wanted  to  know  what  they 
were  doing  and  where  they  had  drifted,  including  many  men  whom  I  had  for- 
gotten, until  he  mentioned  their  names.  He  said  that  he  had  been  sent  down 
by  President  Cleveland  to  inquire  into  the  Indian  leases  entered  into  by  the 
cattlemen.  We  talked  about  old  times  and  old  faces  way  into  midnight,  and 
even  then  he  did  not  want  me  to  go. 

In  the  first  years  of  Dodge  City  a  merchant  in  the  town  had  a  govern- 
ment hay  contract.  He  was  also  sutler  at  the  fort.  There  was  also  a  sa- 
loon-keeper who  kept  the  best  billiard-hall  in  the  town,  an  Irishman,  and  a 
clever  fellow,  whom  the  officers  preferred  to  patronize,  by  the  name  of  Moses 
Waters.  Now,  this  Waters  was  full  of  jokes,  and  a  fighter  from  away  back. 
The  officers  made  his  saloon  their  headquarters  when  they  came  to  Dodge, 
but,  as  a  general  thing,  upon  their  arrival,  they  sent  for  the  sutler  and  had 
him  go  the  rounds  with  them— a  chaperone  they  deemed  essential,  lest  they 
might  get  into  difficulties,  and  the  sutler  was  as  eager  to  have  their  company 
as  they  were  to  have  him  along.  One  evening  about  dark  the  post  sutler 
came  into  Dodge  from  his  hay  camp  to  purchase  a  suit  of  clothes  suitable 
for  camp  service.  Waters,  in  passing  along  Front  street,  saw  the  sutler 
trying  on  the  suit,  and  an  idea  struck  him.  He  went  immediately  to  his 
saloon,  wrote  a  note  to  the  sutler,  as  he  had  often  seen  the  officers  do,  pre- 
senting his  compliments,  and  requesting  his  presence  at  once  at  his  saloon. 
The  buildings  on  Front  street  were  all  low,  frame  shanties  with  porches. 
On  the  corners  of  the  porch  roofs  were  placed  barrels  of  water  in  case  of 
fire,  and  the  sutler  had  to  pass  under  these  porches  to  get  to  Waters 's  sa- 
loon. As  soon  as  he  was  properly  rigged  out  in  his  new  outfit,  he  hurried 
to  Waters's  saloon  to  meet  his  officer  friends,  as  he  supposed,  not  suspecting 
any  danger,  of  course.  But  no  sooner  had  he  passed  under  one  of  these 
porches  on  the  corner,  than  a  barrel  of  water  was  dashed  over  him,  nearly 
knocking  him  down,  wetting  him  to  the  skin,  and  nearly  drowning  him.     He 


Reminiscences  of  Dodge.  69 

knew  as  soon  as  he  had  recovered  his  breath,  and  as  he  heard  the  parties 
running  over  the  roof  to  the  rear  of  the  building  and  jumping  to  the  ground, 
what  had  happened  and  what  was  up. 

When  he  reached  Waters 's  saloon  there  was  a  crowd,  looking  as  innocent 
as  could  be,  and  saying,  "Come  in  and  wet  your  new  clothes,"  which  was  a 
common  custom.  "Yes,"  the  sutler  said,  "I  will  wet  them.  Barkeep,  set 
up  the  drinks.  It  is  all  right,  and  I  am  going  to  get  even. "  There  were,  of 
course,  no  officers  in  sight. 

Some  time  previous  to  this.  Waters,  who  had  a  lot  of  horses,  and  some 
fine  ones  by  the  way,  had  built  him  a  large  barn  and  painted  it  blood  red. 
He  took  great  pride  in  this  barn,  more  on  account  of  its  color  than  anything 
else.  He  had  cut  out  in  front  of  each  stall  a  place  large  enough  for  a  horse 
to  get  his  head  through,  to  give  the  horse  air  and  light.  Waters  had  an 
Englishman,  a  very  fine  hostler,  to  attend  his  horses.  One  day,  soon  after 
the  incident  mentioned  above,  a  tall,  finely  built  young  Missourian  came  to 
the  sutler,  as  was  frequently  the  case,  and  asked  for  work.  The  sutler  said, 
"Yes,  I  can  give  you  work.  Can  you  whitewash?  "  He  said,  "I  can  beat 
the  man  who  invented  whitewashing."  The  sutler  got  two  old-fashioned 
cedar  buckets,  holding  about  three  gallons  each,  and  two  whitewashing 
brushes,  a  short-  and  a  long-handled  one.  "Now,"  said  the  sutler,  "I  want 
you  to  mix  these  buckets  full  and  thick,  and  go  down  to  that  red  stable 
(showing  him  the  stable) ,  and  plaster  it  thick  with  whitewash.  I  painted 
it  red,  but  every  one  seems  to  dislike  the  color,  and  I  want  it  changed.  But, 
say,  there  is  a  crazy  Irishman,  by  the  name  of  Waters,  who  imagines  he 
owns  the  stable.  He  may  come  around  and  try  to  give  you  some  trouble. 
If  he  does,  don't  give  him  any  gentle  treatment.  Use  him  as  rough  as  you 
can.  Smash  him  with  your  whitewash  brush,  and  if  you  can  put  a  white- 
wash bucket  over  his  head  and  nearly  drown  him,  I  will  pay  you  two  dollars 
extra.  Try  and  do  this  anyway,  and  I  will  pay  you  more  for  it  than  for  do- 
ing the  job  of  whitewashing." 

Soon  after  the  talk  off  went  the  big  Missourian  with  his  whitewash  buck- 
ets and  brushes.  There  was  a  strong  west  wind  blowing,  so  he  commenced 
on  the  east  side  of  the  barn.  He  went  at  it  like  he  was  mauling  rails,  and 
was  doing  a  fine  job.  The  Englishman  was  shut  up  inside,  giving  the  horses 
their  morning  scrubbing.  At  last  he  was  attracted  by  the  continual  knock- 
ing of  the  brush  against  the  stable.  In  the  meantime  quite  a  crowd  had 
gathered,  looking  on  at  the  curious  spectacle  of  the  big  Missourian  white- 
washing the  stable.  At  last  the  Englishman  poked  out  his  head,  demanding 
of  the  Missourian:  "What  the  bloody  'ell  are  you  doing,  anyway?"  Down 
comes  the  Missourian's  brush  on  the  face  and  head  of  the  Englishman,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  said  that  the  man  who  gave  him  the  job  told  him  that 
an  ignorant  Irishman  would  try  to  stop  him.  This  was  too  much  for  the 
Englishman,  who  went  across  the  street  to  Waters's  room,  dripping  all  over 
with  whitewash. 

Waters  being  a  saloon-keeper  and  compelled  to  be  up  late  at  night,  slept 
late  in  the  morning,  and  was  still  in  bed.  Waters  could  hardly  believe  the 
Englishman's  story,  that  any  one  would  dare  whitewash  his  beautiful  red 
barn.  But  he  put  on  his  pants,  slippers,  and  hat,  and  went  over  to  see. 
Waters  was  a  fighter— in  fact,  he  was  something  of  a  prize-fighter,  and  was 
a  powerful  and  heavy-set  man,  and  did  not  think  he  could  be  whipped.  The 
reason  the  Missourian  got  such  an  advantage  of  him.  Waters  told  me  after- 


70  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

wards,  was  because  he  was  trying  to  get  up  to  him  as  close  as  possible  so 
that  he  could  give  him  a  knock-out  blow.  But  the  Missourian  was  too  quick 
for  him.  Waters  approached  the  Missourian  very  slowly  and  deliberately, 
talking  tO'  him  all  the  while  in  a  very  mild  and  persuasive  way,  but  when  he 
was  almost  within  striking  distance  the  Missourian  put  the  bucket  of  white- 
wash over  his  head.  It  almost  strangled  Waters,  and  he  had  to  buck  and 
back  and  .squirm  to  shake  the  bucket  off.  When  he  did,  and  had  shaken  the 
whitewash  out  of  his  eyes,  nose,  and  mouth,  what  a  fight  began.  The  young 
Missourian  was  a  giant,  but  Waters  was  more  skilled  by  training.  Still  they 
had  it,  rough  and  tumble,  for  a  long  time,  first  Waters  on  top  and  then  the 
Missourian,  Finally,  the  Missourian  found  that  Waters  was  getting  the  best 
of  it,  and,  with  a  desperate  effort,  threw  Waters  to  one  side,  tore  loose,  and 
made  for  the  government  reservation,  only  a  few  hundred  yards  distant,  fol- 
lowed closely  by  Waters,  amid  great  cheering  by  the  crowd.  It  was  indeed 
laughable,  the  Missourian  in  the  lead,  beating  the  ground  with  his  big  feet 
and  long  legs,  with  all  the  vim  and  energy  he  possessed,  and  as  if  his  life 
depended  on  the  race  (and  perhaps  it  did),  followed  by  the  low,  squatty 
figure  of  Waters  in  his  shirt  sleeves  and  slippers,  minus  hat  and  coat,  with 
the  whitewash  dripping  from  him  at  every  point,  and  tearing  down  with 
equal  energy,  as  if  his  life,  too,  depended  upon  the  race.  The  race  of  the  two 
men  presented  a  most  laughable  scene,  too  ludicrous  for  anything.  They 
both  seemed  determined  on  the  issue,  but  the  long  legs  of  the  Missourian 
were  evidently  too  much  for  Waters 's  short  ones,  and  he  finally  abandoned 
the  chase. 

There  is  nothing  further  to  the  story,  except  that  the  sutler  had  to  hide  out 
for  a  few  days,  until  mutual  friends  could  bring  in  a  white  flag  and  agree 
upon  terms  of  peace. 

Among  the  other  great  men  who  came  to  Dodge  City  was  "Uncle  Billy 
Sherman,"  as  he  introduced  himself.  He  came  with  President  Hayes  and 
party  in  September,  1879.  The  president  did  not  get  out  of  his  car,  and 
would  not  respond  to  the  call  of  the  cowboys,  who  felt  that  they  deserved 
some  recognition.  It  was  a  long  time  even  before  "Old  Tecumseh  "  could 
be  induced  to  strike  the  pace  and  lead  off.  But  the  cheerfulness,  the  hilarity 
and  the  endless  jokes  of  the  half  drunken  cowboys,  who  had  been  hallooing 
for  the  president  until  they  had  become  disgusted  because  of  his  lack  of  in- 
terest in  them,  induced  the  general  to  appear.  Then  they  called  for  Sher- 
man in  a  manner  indicating  that  they  considered  him  their  equal  and  an  old 
comrade.  Although  half  of  those  cowboys  had  been  soldiers  in  the  Confed- 
erate army,  this  seemed  to  make  no  difference  in  their  regard  for  the  old 
war-horse.  They  had  an  intuitive  feeling  that,  no  matter  how  they  scandal- 
ized him,  Sherman  would  be  fair  and  treat  them  justly.  I  was  astonished 
that  their  surmise  was  right,  for  when  General  Sherman  appeared  he  handed 
them  bouquet  for  bouquet.  No  matter  on  what  topic  they  touched,  or  what 
questions  they  asked,  he  gave  them  back  as  good  as  they  sent,  answering 
them  in  the  same  generous  humor.  Before  the  close  of  the  general's  talk 
some  of  the  crowd  were  getting  pretty  drunk,  and  I  looked  to  see  a  display 
of  bad  feeling  spring  up,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  occurred,  for  the  general 
was  equal  to  the  occasion  and  handled  the  crowd  most  beautifully.  Indeed, 
it  was  laughable  at  times,  when  the  general  rose  way  above  his  surround- 
ings and  sat  down  on  their  coarse,  drunken  jokes  so  fitly  and  admirably, 
that  one  could  not  help  but  cheer  him.     He  had  the  crowd  with  him  all  the 


Reminiscences  of  Dodge.  71 

while  and  enlisted  their  better  feeling,  notwithstanding  more  than  half  of 
them  were  Southern  sympathizers. 

-  President  Hayes  paid  but  little  attention  to  the  crowd  the  whole  day, 
nor  the  crowd  to  him,  but  General  Sherman  kept  it  in  good  humor,  and  the 
presidential  party  at  last  left  Dodge  City  amid  strong  cheers  for  ' '  Uncle 
Billy,"  a  long  hfe  and  a  happy  one. 

In  the  fall  of  1868  Gen.  Alfred  Sully  took  command  of  Fort  Dodge  and 
fitted  out  an  expedition  for  a  winter  campaign  against  the  plains  Indians. 
He  was  one  of  the  grand  old  style  of  army  officers,  kind-hearted  and  true, 
a  lover  of  justice  and  fair  play.  Though  an  able  officer  and  a  thorough  gen- 
tleman at  all  times,  he  was  a  little  too  much  addicted  to  the  drink  habit. 
When  General  Sully  had  gotten  the  preparations  for  the  expedition  well 
under  way,  and  his  army  ready  to  march.  General  Custer  was  placed  in  com- 
mand by  virtue  of  his  brevet  rank,  and  the  old  man  was  sent  home.  This 
action,  as  I  am  told,  broke  General  Sully's  heart,  and  he  was  never  again 
any  good  to  the  service. 

General  Custer  carried  out  the  winter  campaign,  persistently  following 
the  Indians  through  the  cold  and  snow  into  their  winter  fastnesses,  where 
never  white  man  had  trod  before,  not  even  the  trusted  trader,  until  he 
surprised  them  in  their  winter  camp  on  the  Washita,  south  of  the  Canadian. 
There  was  a  deep  snow  on  the  ground  at  the  time.  The  scouts  had  come  in 
soon  after  midnight  with  the  report  of  a  big  camp.  ' '  Boots  and  saddles  ' ' 
was  sounded,  and  soon  all  were  on  the  march.  The  command  reached  the 
vicinity  of  the  Indian  camp  some  time  before  daylight,  but  waited  until  the 
first  streak  of  day,  which  was  the  signal  for  the  charge.  Then  the  whole 
force  went  into  the  fight,  the  regimental  band  playing  "Garry  Owen." 
They  charged  through  the  camp  and  back,  capturing  or  killing  every  warrior 
in  sight.  But  the  camp  was  the  first  of  a  series  of  Indian  camps  extending 
down  the  narrow  valley  of  the  Washita  for  perhaps  ten  miles,  and  Custer 
had  only  struck  the  upper  end  of  it. 

I  have  been  told  by  good  authority  that  early  in  the  attack  Major  Elliott's 
horse  ran  away  with  him,  taking  him  down  the  creek.  Elliott  was  followed 
by  some  twenty  of  his  men,  they  thinking,  of  course,  that  he  was  charging 
the  Indians.  It  was  but  a  few  moments  until  he  was  entirely  cut  oflF,  and 
urged  on  further  from  General  Custer's  main  force.  Custer  remained  in 
the  Indian  camp,  destroying  the  tents  and  baggage  of  the  Indians,  until  in 
the  afternoon,  and  finally,  after  the  Indian  women  captives  had  selected 
the  ponies  they  chose  to  ride,  destroyed  the  balance  of  the  herd,  about  800 
ponies  in  all.  He  then  left  the  camp,  following  the  stream  down  to  the 
next  village,  which  he  found  deserted.  It  was  then  dusk.  When  night  had 
fallen  he  retraced  his  way  with  all  speed  to  the  first  village,  and  out  by  the 
way  he  had  come  in  the  morning,  towards  Camp  Supply.  He  continued  his 
march  until  he  came  up  with  his  pack-train,  which,  having  been  under  the 
protection  of  only  eighty  men,  he  had  feared  would  be  captured  by  the  In- 
dians, had  he  allowed  it  to  have  come  on  alone. 

Now,  I  do  not  want  to  judge  Custer  too  harshly,  for  I  know  him  to  have 
been  a  brave  and  dashing  soldier,  and  he  stood  high  in  my  estimation  as 
such,  but  I  have  often  heard  his  officers  say  that  it  was  a  cowardly  deed  to 
have  gone  off  and  left  Elliott  in  the  way  he  did.  Many  officers  claim  that 
Custer  realized  that  he  was  surrounded  and  outnumbered  by  the  Indians, 
and  this  was  the  reason  he  left  Elliott  as  he  did.     The  facts  are  that  he 


72  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

should  never  have  attacked  the  village  until  he  had  more  thoroughly  investi- 
gated the  situation  and  knew  what  he  was  running  into.  Some  of  his  own 
officers  have  condemned  and  censured  him,  talking  about  him  scandalously 
for  thus  leaving  Elliott.  =  I  cannot,  however,  see  how  he  could  have  been 
badly  whipped  when  he  brought  away  with  him  about  fifty-seven  prisoners, 
besides  having  captured  and  killed  so  large  a  number  of  ponies. 

This  is  the  story  of  Major  Elliott  as  told  to  me  by  Little  Raven,  chief  of 
the  Arapahoes,  but  who  was  not  present  at  the  time.  He  was  my  friend, 
and  I  always  found  him  truthful  and  fair.  He  said  that,  when  Major  Elliott's 
horse  ran  away  with  him,  followed  by  about  twenty  of  his  men,  Elliott  was 
soon  cut  off,  and  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  Indians,  who  drove  him  some 
three  to  five  miles  from  Custer's  main  body  at  the  village,  bravely  fighting 
at  every  step.  After  getting  him  well  away  from  Custer,  the  Indians  ap- 
proached him  with  a  flag  of  truce,  telling  him  that  Custer  was  surrounded 
and  unable  to  give  him  any  help,  and  that,  if  he  and  his  men  would  surrender, 
they  would  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war.  Elliott  told  them  he  would  never 
give  up.  He  would  cut  his  way  back  to  Custer,  or  that  Custer  would  send 
a  detachment  to  his  relief  sooner  or  later.  As  soon  as  this  announcement 
was  made  the  young  men  who  had  gotten  closer,  without  further  warning, 
and  before  Elliott  could  properly  protect  himself,  poured  in  volley  after 
volley,  mowing  down  most  of  Elliott's  horses.  He  then  commanded  his  men 
to  take  to  the  rocks  afoot,  and  to  keep  together  as  close  as  possible,  until 
they  could  find  some  suitable  protection  where  they  could  make  a  stand. 
They  did  this  and  stood  the  Indians  off  for  nearly  two  days,  without  food  or 
water,  and  almost  without  sleep  or  ammunition.  They  were  then  again  ap- 
proached with  a  flag  of  truce.  This  time  they  told  Elliott  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  get  away,  which  he  fully  realized.  They  said  that  Custer  had 
been  gope  for  two  days  in  full  retreat  to  Supply,  and  that  he  had  taken  with 
him  fifty  of  their  women  and  children,  whom  he  would  hold  as  hostages,  and 
that  if  he  and  his  men  would  lay  down  their  arms  they  would  be  treated 
fairly,  and  held  as  hostages  for  the  good  treatment  and  safety  of  their 
women  and  children.  They  repeated  that  Custer  would  be  afraid  to  be  harsh 
or  cruel  or  unkind  to  their  women  and  children  because  he  knew  that,  if  he 
was.  Major  Elliott  and  his  soldiers  would  be  subject  to  the  same  treatment. 
Elliott  explained  the  whole  thing  to  his  men,  and  reasoned  with  them  that 
under  these  circumstances  the  Indians  could  not  help  but  be  fair.  The  con- 
sequence was  that  Elliott  and  his  men  accepted  the  terms  and  laid  down 
their  arms.  No  sooner  had  they  done  so  than  the  Indians  rushed  in  and 
killed  the  last  one  of  them.  The  older  Indians  claimed  that  they  could  not 
restrain  their  young  men.  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  is  the  true  story,  and 
that  thus  perished  one  of  the  bravest  officers  with  a  squad  of  the  bi'avest 
men  in  our  whole  army.  The  only  other  officer  killed  in  the  fight  was 
Captain  Hamilton,  when  the  first  charge  was  made.  He  was  a  bright  fellow, 
full  of  life  and  fun.^ 

Note  2.  — General  Custer's  account  of  the  killing  of  Maj.  Joel  H.  Elliott  and  his  men  is  given 
in  his  "Wild  Life  on  the  Plains."  c.  1874,  pp.  231,  253. 

Note  3.— The  recollections  of  George  Bent,  son  of  Col.  William  Bent  and  Owl  Woman,  of  the 
southern  Cheyennes,  are  being  published  in  a  Colorado  Springs  monthly.  The  Frontier,  under 
the  title  of  "  Forty  Years  with  the  Cheyennes."  Young  Bent  left  school  to  join  the  Confederate 
army  under  Price,  was  captured,  paroled,  and  turned  over  to  his  father  by  the  Union  authorities. 
He  then  joined  his  mother's  people,  with  whom  he  remained  during  the  war.     He  shows  how 


The  Wyandot  Indians.  73 


THE  WYANDOT  INDIANS. 

An  address  delivered  by  Ray  E.  Merwin,*  of  Galena,  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical 
Society,  at  its  thirtieth  annual  meeting,  December  5.  1905. 

WHEN  the  first  European  explorers  visited  the  new  world  they  found  the 
whole  country  in  the  possession  of  numerous  aboriginal  tribes;  some 
large  and  powerful,  holding  dominion  over  a  vast  region;  others  small  in 
numbers,  restricted  to  a  single  village,  possessing  only  a  very  limited  terri- 
tory. At  first  it  seemed  that  each  of  these  tribes  had  its  own  language,  dis- 
tinct and  entirely  different  from  the  others;  and  the  variety  of  languages 
and  dialects  seemed  to  be  almost  infinite;  but  after  careful  study  by  eminent 
philologists  it  has  been  discovered  that  these  languages  and  dialects  are  re- 
duceable  to  a  few  primary  stocks. 

The  most  northern  group  comprised  the  tribes  of  the  Eskimoan  stock. 
They  occupied  a  narrow  strip  of  territory— seldom  more  than  twenty  miles 
wide— along  the  coast  of  British  Columbia,  Greenland,  and  Alaska. 

The  tribes  comprising  the  Algonquin  stock  possessed  a  territory  triangu- 
lar in  shape,  extending  on  the  north  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, but  gradually  narrowing  southward  until  it  dwindled  to  a  mere  coast 
strip  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  and  finally  ended  about  the  mouth  of  the 
Neuse  river. 

The  next  group,  known  as  the  Iroquoian  family,  occupied  a  territory 
which  either  .lay  within  or  bordered  on  the  territory  possessed  by  the  Al- 
gonquin stock.  Around  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Ontario,  and  stretching  to  a 
considerable  distance  inland  on  either  side,  were  the  Iroquois  proper,  and 
several  other  closely  connected  tribes;  on  the  lower  Susquehanna  were  the 
Conestoga  or  Susquehanna;  and  in  Virginia,  on  the  rivers  bearing  their 
names,  were  the  Nottaway  and  Meherrin  tribes.  On  the  lower  Neuse,  in 
North  Carolina,  were  the  Tuscarora,  while  on  the  southwest,  in  the  wilder- 
nesses of  the  southern  Alleghanies,  were  the  Cherokees,  whose  territory  ex- 
tended far  into  the  Gulf  states. 

The  country  southwest  of  the  Savannah  river  was  held  chiefly  by  tribes 
of  the  Muskhogean  stock,  occupying  the  greater  portion  of  Georgia,  Ala- 
bama, Mississippi,  and  parts  of  Tennessee  and  Florida. 

West  of  all  these  tribes  was  the  territory  of  that  great  group  known  as 

■  Raymond  Edwin  Merwin  was  born  at  Humboldt,  Kan.,  in  1881.  He  is  the  son  of  C.  E. 
Merwin  and  Lydia  Ellen  (  Welch  )  Merwin.  His  father  is  a  school-teacher,  at  present  principal 
of  Central  school,  Lawrence,  Kan.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Ida,  Erie,  Stockton, 
and  Lawrence,  all  in  Kansas.  He  entered  the  University  of  Kansas  in  1899— in  the  college  of 
liberal  arts  and  sciences ;  received  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts  in  1903,  and  the  degree  of  master 
of  arts  in  1904.  During  the  school  year  of  1904-'05  he  had  the  teaching  fellowship  in  sociology 
and  anthropology.  His  thesis  for  the  master's  degree  was  on  "The  Wyandot  Indians,"  of  which 
this  paper  is  a  portion.  For  this  paper  he  was  offered  the  Gorham  Thomas  scholarship  in 
Howard  University  for  1904-'05,  but  was  unable  to  accept.  Mr.  Merwin  is  a  single  man,  and  is  at 
present  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Galena,  Kan. 

faith  was  broken  with  his  people  through  the  atrocities  of  the  massacre  at  Sand  creek,  by  the 
Colorado  troops  under  Colonel  Chivington,  and  gives  the  Indian  version  of  the  .several  engage- 
ments of  the  Eleventh  Kansas  in  Wyoming,  under  Col.  Thomas  Moonlight,  on  Powder  river  and  at 
Platte  bridge,  of  General  Hancock's  Indian  expedition  of  1867  in  western  Kansas,  the  battles  of 
the  Arickaree  and  the  Beaver,  in  the  fall  of  1868,  and  Custer's  fight  on  the  Washita,  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  in  November  of  that  year.    The  story  is  well  told,  and  without  passion. 


74  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  Siouan  or  Dakotan  stock,  extending  in  general  from  the  Mississippi  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  from  the  Saskatchewan  to  the  Arkansas. 

During  the  colonial  period,  the  tribes  belonging  to  the  Algonquin  and 
Iroquoian  families  occupied  a  very  prominent  position;  for,  as  native  pro- 
prietors of  an  immense  territory  claimed  by  the  two  great  rival  European 
powers— France  and  England— their  friendship  was  a  matter  of  prime  im- 
portance, and  each  nation  made  strenuous  efforts  to  secure  their  alliance 
against  the  other. 

During  this  struggle  the  Algonquin  tribes  were  allied  with  the  French; 
while  the  Iroquois,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  tribe,  were  either  friends 
or  active  allies  of  the  Enghsh. 

The  Iroquoian  tribe  which  did  not  join  the  English  was  the  Wyandot. 
Their  country  was  in  the  center  of  the  scene  of  conflict,  and  as  they  were  a 
tribe  noted  for  fighting  ability,  their  assistance  was  looked  upon  by  both 
nations  as  of  the  utmost  importance.  But  the  French,  by  means  of  mission- 
aries, and  aided  by  the  fact  that  the  Wyandots  were  enemies  of  certain  Iro- 
quoian tribes,  succeeded  in  making  an  alliance  with  them. 

From  that  time  the  Wyandot  tribe  exerted  a  more  or  less  important  in- 
fl  uence  on  the  development  of  the  colonies,  and  later  on  the  development  of 
the  United  States,  playing  a  very  important  part  in  the  early  history  of  the 
two  states,  Ohio  and  Kansas, 

The  Indians  known  as  the  Wyandots  have  during  their  history  been  called 
by  a  number  of  diff'erent  names.  Lalemant,  the  Jesuit  missionary,  writes 
that  their  true  name  is  Ouendat,  while  other  writers  have  called  them  by 
the  following  names  :  Tionontates,  Etionontates,  Tuinontatek,  Dionondad- 
dies,  Khionontaterrhonons.  The  early  French  explorers,  who  were  the  first 
Europeans  to  visit  these  people,  gave  them  the  nickname  Hurons,  or 
"Shock-heads,"  on  account  of  the  lines  of  bristly  hair  which  adorned  their 
half-shaven  crowns.  Another  name  often  applied  to  them  was  Nation  du 
Fetun  (tobacco  nation).  They  were  called  this  because  of  the  superior 
quality  of  tobacco  which  they  raised,  and  from  the  very  significant  fact  that 
they  produced  it  in  such  large  quantities  as  to  create  a  somewhat  extensive 
commerce  in  its  barter  and  exchange  with  other  tribes.  But  to  other  peo- 
ple of  the  same  race  they  were  known  as  Wandat  or  Wendat,  a  word  mean- 
ing simply  "of  one  speech."  This  name  was  corrupted  by  the  English  to 
Wyandotte  or  Wyandot.  To-day  these  people  call  themselves  Wehn-duht  or 
Wehn-dooht. 

Their  history  since  the  time  that  they  were  first  visited  by  the  early 
French  explorers  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  is  well  known; 
but  before  that  time  it  must  be  traced  by  means  of  their  myths  and  tradi- 
tions. 

The  ancient  home  of  the  Wyandots,  and  the  place  where  they  were 
created,  is  located  by  their  traditions  in  the  region  between  St.  James  bay 
and  the  coast  of  Labrador,  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence  river.  Migrating 
southward,  they  came  to  the  island  on  which  Montreal  now  stands;  and  tak- 
ing possession  of  the  country  along  the  north  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence  from 
the  Ottawa  river  to  a  large  river  and  lake  (probably  Coon  lake),  far  below 
Quebec,  they  called  it  Cu-none-tot-tia,  which  means  "the  country  of  rush- 
ing waters  "  or  "  the  rivers  rushing  by. ' ' ' 

At  that  time  the  Senecas  lived  on  the  south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 

Note  1.— Folk-lore  of  the  Wyandots.— Connelley.     Twentieth  Century  Classics,  vol.  1,  p.  18. 


The  Wyandot  Indians.  75 

claimed  the  island  where  Montreal  is  now  located.  They  were  on  very 
friendly  terms  with  the  Wyandots;  and  as  the  two  tribes  had  been  neighbors 
from  time  immemorial,  and  as  their  languages  are  vei*y  similar,  they  must 
have  been  closely  related.  East  of  the  Wyandots  were  the  Delawares,  and 
west  of  them  was  the  territory  of  the  Ottawas.- 

When  this  migration  took  place  and  how  long  the  Wyandots  occupied  the 
territory  along  the  north  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence  is  not  known;  but  they 
must  have  been  living  there  about  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
since  their  traditions  assert  that  they  were  among  those  who  met  Cartier  at 
Hochelaga  in  1535. 

According  to  the  Wyandot  legend,  a  deadly  war  originated  between  the 
Wyandots  and  their  neighbors,  the  Senecas,  because  of  murders  committed 
by  a  Wyandot  warrior.  This  man  wanted  a  certain  woman  for  his  wife,  but 
was  refused  because  he  was  no  warrior,  for  he  had  never  gone  out  \^ith  a 
war  party  and  had  never  taken  the  scalp  of  an  enemy  slain  in  battle.  So, 
in  order  to  fulfil  the  requirements  and  obtain  the  woman  as  his  wife,  the 
man  raised  a  small  war  party,  fell  upon  a  band  of  Seneca  hunters,  and  killed 
and  scalped  a  number  of  them.  This  deed  immediately  caused  war  between 
the  Senecas  and  Wyandots,  which  lasted  for  more  than  a  century.  Fre- 
quently treaties  of  peace  were  made  by  the  two  tribes,  but  at  every  oppor- 
tunity, when  one  of  the  tribes  would  see  an  advantage  over  the  other,  the 
deadly  struggle  would  begin  again.  ^ 

Seeing  that  they  were  in  danger  of  becoming  exterminated,  the  Wyandots 
decided  to  leave  their  territory.  They  traveled  westward  along  the  St.  Law- 
rence, and,  crossing  it,  followed  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  until 
they  came  to  Niagara  Falls.  Here  they  remained  for  many  years;  but  on 
account  of  pressure  from  the  Senecas,  who  were  moving  into  the  territory 
now  New  York  state,  they  were  forced  to  move  farther  westward. 

Their  next  home  was  near  the  present  site  of  Toronto,  Canada.     To  this 

Note  2.— Folk-lore  of  the  Wyandots. —Connelley.    Twentieth  Century  Classics,  vol.  1,  p.  18. 


Note  3. — The  history  of  the  long  conflict  between  the  Wyandots  and  the  Senecas  is  found  in 
a  letter  from  Rev.  Joseph  Badger  to  John  Frazier,  of  Cincinnati,  dated  Plainwood  county,  Ohio, 
August  25,  1845 : 

"  Having  been  a  resident  missionary  with  the  Wyandot  Indians  before  the  late  war,  and  ob- 
tained the  confidence  of  their  chiefs  in  a  familiar  conversation  with  them,  and  having  a  good 
interpreter,  I  requested  them  to  give  me  a  history  of  their  ancestors  as  far  back  as  they  could. 
They  began  by  giving  a  particular  account  of  the  country  formerly  owned  by  their  ancestors. 
It  was  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  down  to  Coon  lake,  and  from  thence  up  the  Uti- 
was.  Their  name  for  it  was  Cu-none-tot-tia.  .  .  .  The  Senecas  owned  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  and  the  island  on  which  Montreal  now  stands.  They  were  both  large  tribes,  consisting 
of  many  thousands.  They  were  blood  relations,  and  I  found  at  this  time  they  claimed  each  other 
as  cousins. 

"A  war  originated  between  the  two  tribes  in  .this  way :  A  man  of  the  Wyandots  wanted  a 
certain  woman  for  his  wife  ;  but  she  objected,  and  said  lie  was  no  warrior ;  he  had  never  taken 
any  scalps.  To  accomplish  his  object,  he  raised  a  small  war  party,  and  in  their  scout  fell  upon  a 
party  of  Seneca  hunters,  killed  and  scalped  a  number  of  them.  This  procedure  began  a  war  be- 
tween the  two  nations,  which  lasted  more  than  a  century,  which  they  supposed  was  fully  a 
hundred  winters  before  the  French  came  to  Quebec.  They  ( the  Wyandots)  owned  they  were  the 
first  instigators  in  the  war,  and  were  generally  beaten  in  the  contest.  Both  tribes  were  greatly 
wasted  in  the  war.  They  often  made  peace,  but  the  first  opportunity  the  Senecas  could  get  an 
advantage  against  them  they  would  destroy  all  they  could,  men,  women,  and  childi-en.  The 
Wyandots,  finding  they  were  in  danger  of  becoming  exterminated,  concluded  to  leave  their  coun- 
try and  go  far  to  the  west.  With  their  canoes  the  whole  nation  made  their  escape  to  the  upper 
lakes,  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Green  Bay,  in  several  villages  ;  but,  after  a  few  years,  the 
Senecas  made  up  a  war  party  and  followed  them  to  their  new  settlements,  fell  on  one  of  their 
villages,  killed  a  number,  and  returned.  Through  this  long  period  they  had  no  instruments  but 
bows,  arrows,  and  the  war-club. 

"  Soon  after  this  the  French  came  to  Quebec  and  began  trading  with  the  Indians,  and  sup- 
plied them  with  firearms  and  utensils  of  various  kinds.  The  Senecas,  having  got  supplied  with 
guns  and  learned  the  use  of  them,  made  out  a  second  war  party  against  the  Wyandots,  came  upon 
them  in  the  night,  fired  into  their  huts,  and  scared  them  exceedingly:  they  thought  at  first  it 
was  thunder  and  lightning.  They  did  not  succeed  as  well  as  they  intended.  After  a  few  years 
they  made  out  a  third  party,  and  fell  upon  one  of  the  Wyandot  villages,  and  took  them  nearly  all ; 


76  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

country  they  gave  a  name  which  means  "a  land  of  plenty,"  because  food 
was  so  plentiful.  ^  But  the  Senecas  forced  the  Wyandots  to  abandon  their 
new  home  in  this  land  of  plenty.  Moving  northward,  they  entered  the  ter- 
ritory of  the  Hurons,  who  tried  to  drive  the  invaders  away,  but  were  unsuc- 
cessful. And  when  the  Jesuits  visited  the  Indians  of  this  region,  in  the 
beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  they  found  the  Wyandots  not  only 
living  in  the  Huron  territory,  but  were  even  a  part  of  the  great  Huron  con- 
federacy. 

The  Hurons  at  this  time  dwelt  in  several  large  villages  in  a  narrow  dis- 
trict on  the  high  land  between  Lake  Simcoe  and  Georgian  Bay  of  Lake 
■  Huron.  To  the  southwest  of  them,  in  a  territory  coinciding  closely  with  the 
present  township  of  Nottawasaga,  Simcoe  county,  on  the  rising  spurs  along 
the  eastern  side  of  the  Blue  mountains,  were  the  friends  and  allies  of  the 
Hurons,  the  Wyandots.''  At  this  time  the  Jesuits  estimated  the  total  popu- 
lation of  the  tribes  of  the  Huron  confederacy  at  10, 000. « 

The  Wyandots  occupied  a  very  prominent  position  in  this  confederacy, 
and  the  Jesuits  write  that  "they  were  deemed  oldest  in  lineage  and  highest 
in  civil  rank.     Their  chief  surpassed  all  other  chiefs  in  pomp  and  dignity." 

In  1615  Champlain  went  among  the  nations  of  the  Huron  confederacy 
and  persuaded  them  to  go  on  a  number  of  expeditions  against  the  Iroquois. 
Usually  these  expeditions  were  unsuccessful,  and  the  tribes  of  the  con- 
federacy returned  home  baffled  and  humiliated. 

In  1649  the  Huron  confederacy  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Iroquois  and 
their  territory  laid  waste.  Of  the  inhabitants  who  remained,  some  joined 
their  conquerers  and  were  adopted  among  them,  but  were  allowed  to  live 

but  it  so  happened  at  this  time  that  nearly  all  the  young  men  of  the  village  had  gone  to  war  with 
the  Fox  tribe,  living  on  the  Mississippi. 

"Those  few  that  escaped  the  massacre  by  the  Senecas  agreed  to  give  up  and  go  back  with 
them  and  become  one  people,  but  requested  of  the  Senecas  to  have  two  days  to  collect  what  they 
had  and  make  ready  their  canoes  and  join  them  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day  at  a  certain 
point,  where  they  had  gone  to  wait  for  them,  and  hold  a  great  dance  through  the  night.  The 
Wyandots  sent  directly  to  the  other  two  villages  which  the  Senecas  had  not  disturbed  and  got  ad 
their  old  men  and  women,  and  such  as  could  fight,  to  consult  on  what  measure  to  take.  They 
came  to  the  conclusion  to  equip  themselves  in  the  best  manner  they  could,  and  go  down  in  perfect 
stillness  so  near  the  enemy  as  to  hear  them.  They  found  them  engaged  in  a  dance,  and  feasting 
on  two  Wyandot  men  they  had  killed  and  roasted,  as  they  said,  for  their  beef ;  and  as  they 
danced  they  shouted  their  victory  and  told  how  good  their  Wyandot  beef  was.  They  continued 
their  dance  until  the  latter  part  of  the  night,  and.  being  tired,  they  all  laid  down  and  soon  fell  into 
a  sound  sleep. 

"A  little  before  day  the  Wyandot  party  fell  on  them  and  cut  them  all  off;  not  one  was  left  to 
carry  back  the  tidings.  This  ended  the  war  for  a  great  number  of  years.  Soon  after  this  the 
Wyandots  got  guns  from  the  French  and  began  to  grow  formidable.  The  Indians  who  owned 
the  country  where  they  had  resided  for  a  long  time  proposed  to  them  to  go  back  to  their  own 
country.  They  agreed  to  return,  and,  having  prepared  themselves  as  a  war  party,  they  returned 
—  came  back  to  where  Detroit  now  stands,  and  agreed  to  settle  in  two  villages  —  one  at  the  place 
above  mentioned,  and  the  other  where  the  British  fort.  Maiden,  now  stands. 

"But  previously  to  making  any  settlement  they  sent  out  in  canoes  the  best  war  party  they 
could,  to  go  down  the  lake  some  distance,  to  see  if  there  was  an  enemy  on  that  side  of  the  water. 
They  went  down  to  Long  Point,  landed,  and  sent  three  men  aci-oss  to  see  if  they  could  make  any 
discovery.  They  found  a  party  of  Senecas  bending  their  course  around  the  point,  and  returned 
with  the  intelligence  to  their  party.  The  head  chief  ordered  his  men  in  each  canoe  to  strike  fire, 
and  offer  some  of  their  tobacco  to  the  Great  Spirit,  and  prepare  for  action.  The  chief  had  his 
son,  a  small  boy,  with  him.  He  covered  the  boy  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe.  He  determined  to 
fight  his  enemy  on  the  water.  They  put  out  into  the  open  lake;  the  Senecas  came  on.  Both 
parties  took  the  best  advantage  they  could,  and  fought  with  the  determination  to  conquer  or 
sink  in  the  lake.  At  length  the  Wyandots  saw  the  last  man  fall  in  the  Seneca  party  ;  but  they 
had  lost  a  great  proportion  of  their  own  men,  and  were  so  wounded  and  cut  to  pieces  that  they 
could  take  no  advantage  of  the  victory,  but  only  to  gain  the  shore  as  soon  as  possible,  and  leave 
the  enemy's  canoes  to  float  or  sink  among  the  waves.  This  ended  the  long  war  between  the  two 
tribes  from  that  day  to  this.     ( Howe's  Historical  Collections  of  Ohio,  vol.  3,  pp.  594,  595.) 

Note  4.— The  Wyandot  name  for  Toronto  is  Toh-roohn-toh,  meaning  plenty ;  abuvdance. 

Note  5.— Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  1.  pp.  21,  22. 

Note  6. -Id.,  vol.  5,  p.  279. 


The  Wyandot  Indians.  11 

together,  separate  from  their  old  foes;  others  fled  to  Quebec  and  placed 
themselves  under  the  protection  of  their  French  allies.  Only  one  group 
kept  its  tribal  organization. 

The  Wyandots  (then  called  the  '  'tobacco  nation " ) ,  because  of  their  location 
in  the  wilds  of  the  Blue  mountains,  at  first  were  successful  in  repulsing  the 
fierce  attacks  of  the  Iroquois;  but  finally,  their  population  becoming  so  re- 
duced by  both  war  and  disease,  they,  too,  were  compelled  to  seek  safety  in 
flight,  together  with  some  stragglers  from  the  tribes  of  their  former  allies, 
the  Hurons. 

Fleeing  northward,  the  depleted  band  of  Wyandots  and  their  allies  finally 
settled  upon  the  island  of  Michilimackinac.  Here  they  were  joined  by  wan- 
dering bands  of  Ottawas  and  other  Algonquin  tribes,  who  had  been  driven 
from  their  territory  by  the  Iroquois.  But  these  fugitives  had  been  at  this 
place  only  a  short  time  when  the  Iroquois  again  attacked  them,  and,  after 
fighting  a  number  of  years,  they  were  compelled  to  flee  towards  the  south- 
west, settling  on  the  islands  near  Green  Bay,  on  Lake  Michigan. 

But  even  here,  in  this  isolated  retreat,  their  old  enemy  again  made  war 
upon  them,  and  the  Wyandots  and  their  allies  were  forced  to  move.  They 
migrated  in  a  southwesterly  direction  until  they  came  to  the  territory  of 
Illinois,  at  that  time  a  very  large  tribe.  In  the  Jesuit  Relation  of  1659-'60 
is  to  be  found  the  following  reference  to  the  Wyandots: 

"Among  other  things  they  saw,  six  days'  journey  to  beyond  the  lake 
(Superior),  towards  the  southwest,  a  tribe  composed  of  the  remnants  of 
the  Hurons  of  the  '  tobacco  nation  '  (  Wyandots) ,  who  had  been  compelled  by 
the  Iroquois  to  forsake  their  native  land  and  bury  themselves  so  deep  in  the 
forests  that  they  cannot  be  found  by  their  enemies.  These  poor  people, 
fleeing  and  pushing  their  way  over  mountains  and  rocks,  through  these  vast, 
unknown  forests,  fortunately  encountered  a  beautiful  river,  large,  wide, 
deep,  and  worthy  of  comparison  with  our  great  river,  St.  Lawrence.  On  its 
banks  they  found  the  great  nation  of  the  Alimiwec  ( probably  the  Illinois) , 
which  gave  them  a  very  kind  reception."  • 

But  the  Wyandots  and  their  allies  did  not  remain  long  with  the  Illinois 
Indians,  but  pushed  their  way  to  the  west,  until  they  reached  the  Mississippi 
river,  within  the  territory  of  the  Sioux.  It  was  not  long  until  the  Sioux 
forced  the  fugitives  to  leave  their  territory,  and  the  Wyandots  retreated  to 
the  southwestern  extremity  of  Lake  Superior,  where  they  settled  on  Point 
Saint  Esprit,  or  Shagwamigon  point,  near  the  islands  of  the  Twelve  Apostles. 

While  they  occupied  this  territory  a  mission  was  established  among  them 
by  the  Jesuits.  In  1669  James  Marquette  was  sent  to  take  charge  of  the 
mission.  Of  one  group  of  these  people,  he  says  that  they  lived  in  clearings 
divided  into  five  villages.  "The  Hurons  (Wyandots)  to  the  number  of  400 
or  500  souls  are  nearly  all  baptized,  and  still  preserve  a  little  Christianity. ' ' » 

They  remained  at  this  place  for  a  short  time,  but  in  1671  they  were  com- 
pelled to  leave  because  of  the  fierce  attacks  of  the  Sioux.  They  returned  to 
Michilimackinac  and  settled,  not  on  the  island,  but  on  the  neighboring  Point 
St.  Ignace,  now  Graham's  point,  on  the  north  side  of  the  strait. 

At  this  time,  one  writer  says:  "The  Hurons  (Wyandots)  and  Ottawas 
are  thorough  savages,  although  the  Hurons  still  retain  the  forms  of  Roman 
Catholic  Christianity."     "These  people,"  writes  Cadillac,  "are  reduced  to 

Note  7.— Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  45,  p.  235. 
Note  8.— Id.,  vol.  20,  pp.  292,  293. 


78  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

a  very  small  number,  and  it  is  well  for  us  that  they  are,  for  they  are  ill- 
disposed  and  mischievous,  with  a  turn  for  intrigue  and  a  capacity  for  large 
undertakings.  Luckily  their  power  is  not  great;  but,  as  they  cannot  play 
the  lion,  they  play  the  fox,  and  do  their  best  to  make  trouble  between  us  and 
our  alhes. " 

In  1679  Father  Louis  Hennepin  visited  the  Wyandots,  and  writes  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  them: 

"We  went  the  next  day  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Hurons,  who  inhabit  a  ris- 
ing ground  on  a  neck  of  land  over  against  Missilimakinak.  Their  villages 
are  fortified  with  pallisados  of  twenty-five  feet  high,  and  always  situated 
upon  eminences  and  hills.  They  received  us  with  more  respect  than  the 
Outtaouatz  (Ottawas),  for  they  made  a  triple  discharge  of  all  the  small 
guns  they  had,  having  learned  from  some  Europeans  that  it  is  the  greatest 
civility  amongst  us.  However,  they  took  such  a  jealousy  to  our  ship  that 
we  understood  since  they  endeavored  to  make  our  expedition  odious  to  all 
the  nations  about  them.  The  Hurons  and  Outtaouatz  are  in  confederacy 
together  against  the  Iroquoise,  their  common  enemy. ' ' " 

Afterwards  the  Wyandots  moved  southward  along  the  shores  of  Lake 
Huron,  crossing  the  river  and  the  lake,  St.  Clair,  until  they  reached  the 
present  site  of  Detroit,  Mich. 

This  removal  from  Michilimackinac  to  Detroit  is  told  in  one  of  the  Wy- 
andot legends,  which  runs  as  follows: 

' '  In  very  ancient  times  the  Hurons  (or  Wyandots)  had  a  great  king  or 
head  chief  named  Sastaretsi,  or  Sastareche.  They  were  then  living  in  the 
far  east,  near  Quebec,  where  their  forefathers  first  came  out  of  the  ground. 
The  king  told  them  that  they  must  go  to  the  west,  in  a  certain  direction, 
which  he  pointed  out.  He  warned  them,  moreover,  that  this  would  not  be 
the  end  of  their  wanderings.  He  instructed  them  that  when  he  died  they 
should  make  an  oaken  image  resembling  him;  should  clothe  it  in  his  attire, 
and  place  it  upright  at  the  head  of  his  grave,  looking  towards  the  sunrise. 
When  the  sunlight  should  fall  upon  it,  they  would  see  the  image  turn  and 
look  in  the  direction  in  which  they  were  to  go.  King  Sastaretsi  went  with 
his  people  in  their  westward  journey  as  far  as  Lake  Huron  and  died  there. 
But  he  had  time  before  his  death  to  draw  on  a  strip  of  birch  bark  an  outline 
of  the  course  which  they  were  to  pui'sue  to  reach  the  country  in  which  they 
were  finally  to  dwell.  They  were  to  pass  southward,  down  Lake  Huron,  and 
were  to  continue  on  until  they  came  to  a  place  where  the  water  nan-owed  to 
a  river,  and  this  river  then  turned  and  entered  another  great  lake.  When 
he  died  they  fulfilled  his  commands.  They  made  an  oaken  image,  exactly 
resembling  their  dead  king,  clothed  it  in  his  dress  of  deer  skin,  adorned  the 
head  with  plumes,  and  painted  the  face  like  the  face  of  a  chief.  They  set 
up  this  image  at  the  head  of  the  grave,  planting  it  firmly  between  two 
strong  pieces  of  timber,  its  face  turned  to  the  east.  All  the  people  stood 
silently  around  it  in  the  early  dawn.  When  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun  shone 
upon  it,  they  saw  the  image  turn  with  such  power  that  the  strong  timbers 
between  which  it  was  planted,  groaned  and  trembled  as  it  moved.  It  stayed 
at  length  with  its  face  looking  to  the  south,  in  the  precise  direction  in 
which  the  chief  had  instructed  them  to  go.  Thus  his  word  was  fulfilled,  and 
any  hesitation  which  the  people  felt  about  following  his  injunctions  was 
removed.  A  chosen  party,  comprising  about  a  dozen  of  their  best  warriors, 
was  first  sent  out  in  canoes,  with  the  birch-bark  map,  to  follow  its  tracings 
and  examine  the  country.  They  pushed  their  course  down  Lake  Huron,  and 
through  the  river  and  Lake  St.  Clair,  till  they  came  to  where  the  stream 
narrowed,  at  what  is  now  Detroit;  then  advancing  farther  they  came,  after 
a  brief  course,  to  the  broad  expanse  of  Lake  Erie.  Returning  to  the  nar- 
row stream  at  Detroit,  they  said:  'This  is  the  place  which  King  Sastaretsi 
meant  to  be  the  home  of  our  nation! '     Then  they  went  back  to  their  people. 

Note  9.— Hennepin's  A  New  Discovery —  Thwaites.  vol.  1,  p.  116. 


The  Wyandot  Indians.  79 

who,  hearing  their  report,  all  embarked  together  in  their  canoes  and  passed 
southward  down  the  lake,  and  finally  took  up  their  abode  in  the  country 
about  Detroit,  which  they  were  to  possess  as  long  as  they  were  a  nation. 
The  image  of  King  Sastaretsi  was  left  standing  by  his  grave  in  the  far 
north,  and  perhaps  it  is  there  to  this  day.  "i" 

To-day  this  movement  is  thought  to  have  been  greatly  influenced  by  the 
cunningness  of  the  French,  who  it  is  thought  manipulated  the  details  of  the 
turning  of  the  image.  The  French  had  already  established  forts  in  Ohio  and 
Michigan,  and  it  is  very  natural  that  they  should  wish  their  Wyandot  allies 
to  be  near  these  forts,  so  as  to  defend  them  from  the  Iroquois  and  the  English. 
This  would  necessitate  the  removal  of  the  Wyandots  from  their  home  in  the 
north  to  the  perilous  vicinity  of  their  powerful  foes.  So,  by  appealing  to  the 
reverence  with  which  these  people  held  the  memory  of  their  deceased  king, 
the  French  erected  an  image  of  the  great  chief,  and  provided  with  great 
care  that  its  face  should  be  pointing  towards  the  south  by  sunrise. 

In  connection  with  the  removal  from  Michilimackinac  to  Detroit,  there 
occurred  the  death  of  Suts-tau-ra-tse,  probably  a  grandson  of  Sastaretsi; 
and  it  is  thought  that  he  was  also  the  last  of  the  ancient  line  of  head  chiefs, 
or  kings,  of  pure  Wyandot  blood. 

In  this  new  home  the  Wyandots,  although  reduced  to  two  villages,  with 
a  total  population  of  not  more  than  1500  people,  and  only  about  300  warriors, 
resumed  their  ascendency  over  the  surrounding  tribes  of  Indians.  Charle- 
voix, in  1721,  writes  that  "they  are  still  the  soul  of  the  councils  of  these 
different  tribes,  and  still  assuming  the  right  of  sovereignty  over  the  country 
between  the  great  lakes  and  the  Ohio,  as  far  west  as  the  Miami  river." 
They  encouraged  the  Shawnees  and  the  Delawares  to  remove  to  the  Ohio, 
by  granting  to  them  the  possession,  though  not  the  right  to  the  soil,  of  the 
territory  west  of  the  Alleghany  river,  bordering  principally  upon  Lake  Erie, 
the  Muskingum  and  the  Scioto  rivers. 

Throughout  the  long  struggle  between  France  and  England  for  the  pos- 
session of  the  new  world,  the  Wyandots  were  always  the  allies  of  the  French. 
Many  writers,  in  speaking  of  Indian  allies  during  this  great  conflict,  regard 
the  Wyandots  as  the  bravest  and  most  powerful  friends  that  the  French  had. 

In  1755  the  Wyandots,  Chippewas,  Ottawas  and  Pottawatomies  were  the 
principal  tribes  that  were  the  cause  of  the  defeat  of  Braddock's  army;  and 
in  1758  these  tribes  attacked  and  captured  Fort  Duquesne.  ^^ 

In  1762  the  Wyandots,  all  of  the  Algonquin  tribes  except  a  few  minor 
ones,  the  Senecas  and  several  tribes  of  the  lower  Mississippi  were  banded 
together  under  Pontiac.  In  that  fierce  struggle,  known  in  history  as  Pon- 
tiac's  war,  the  Wyandots  played  a  very  important  part,  especially  showing 
great  valor  and  bravery  in  the  battle  of  Bloody  Bridge,  in  1763. 

In  1764  Colonel  Bradstreet  with  a  small  army  proceeded  along  the  south- 
ern coast  of  Lake  Erie,  for  the  purpose,  it  is  said,  of  concluding  peace  with 
such  tribes  as  solicited  it,  and  to  chastise  all  those  who  continued  in  arms. 
He  received  a  deputation  from  the  Wyandots  of  Sandusky  and  other  tribes, 
who  expressed  an  earnest  desire  for  peace,  and  promised  fidelity  for  the 
future.     Nevertheless  these  tribes  were  very  active  in  fighting  Colonel  Brad- 

NoTE  10. — Magazine  of  American  History,  vol.  10,  pp.  479.  480. 

Note  11.  — "During  my  negotiations  with  the  Wyandots,  in  1841  and  1842,  I  ascertained  a 
fact  which  had  previously  escaped  my  notice  —  that  they  had  no  horses  previous  to  1755.  The 
year  of  Braddock's  defeat,  the  first  owned  by  Wyandots  were  captured  in  that  disastrous  cam- 
paign."—Col.  John  Johnston,  in  Cist's  Cincinnati  Miscellany,  vol.  2,  p.  269. 


80  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

street  soon  after.  Later  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  by  the  Wyandots  and 
other  tribes  who  had  been  at  war.  The  number  of  Wyandots  present  when 
this  treaty  was  signed  (in  1764)  is  estimated  by  Colonel  Bradstreet  as  200 
warriors.  ^- 

During  the  revolutionary  war,  the  Wyandots,  although  small  in  number 
( having  a  total  population  of  900,  and  only  about  180  warriors) ,  were  very 
prominent  and  active  allies  of  the  English. 

At  the  close  of  this  war  the  Wyandots,  Delawares,  Chippewas,  and  Otta- 
was,  tired  of  fighting  and  weakened  by  disease  and  war,  united  in  a  treaty 
with  the  United  States  government,  at  Fort  Mcintosh,  on  the  Ohio,  January 
21,  1785.  This  treaty  was  important  in  many  respects.  It  inaugurated  a 
system  of  dealing  with  the  Indian  tribes  by  written  contract;  also,  showing 
the  friendly  disposition  of  the  government,  and  at  the  same  time  demonstrat- 
ing that  the  government  possessed  the  means  of  enforcing  its  mandates. 
Boundaries  were  established  between  the  Wyandots  and  the  Delawares, 
designating  the  Cuyahoga  and  the  Tuscarawas  rivers  as  the  division  line.^^ 

But  even  after  signing  this  treaty  these  tribes  could  not  be  relied  upon 
for  living  up  to  their  promises;  for,  in  1791,  they  are  to  be  seen  taking  a 
very  active  part  in  those  battles  which  had  such  a  disastrous  effect  upon  St. 
Clair's  army;  and,  in  1794,  the  Wyandots  are  again  to  to  be  found  in  the 
Indian  army  which  was  opposing  the  forces  of  Anthony  Wayne  and  which 
was  so  hopelessly  defeated  by  his  troops. 

At  the  close  of  this  war  with  Wayne,  the  Wyandots,  together  with  other 
tribes,  again  signed  a  treaty  of  peace,  at  Greenville,  Ohio,  in  1796.  By  this 
treaty  the  Wyandots  ceded  to  the  government  a  few  tracts  of  their  territory, 
and  in  return  received  the  sum  of  $1000.  ^^ 

A  short  time  before  this,  in  1795,  Col.  John  Johnston,  then  an  agent  of 
the  United  States  over  the  Indians  of  the  west,  took  a  census  of  the  Wyan- 
dot tribe,  and  found  the  total  population  to  amount  to  2300  people.'"' 

In  the  war  of  1812  that  portion  of  the  Wyandots  that  lived  in  Ohio  re- 
mained friendly  to  the  United  States;  but  those  living  in  Michigan  allied 
themselves  with  the  English.  Tarhe,  the  eldest  chief  of  the  Wyandots,  was 
summoned  by  the  United  States  agent  from  Sandusky  to  exert  his  influence 
with  his  people.  Together  with  his  work  and  the  earnest  efforts  of  Col.  John 
Johnston,  the  Indian  commissioner,  a  large  part  of  the  Wyandots  were  per- 
suaded to  remain  friendly  to  the  United  States.  On  the  25th  of  July,  1812,  a 
small  party  of  Menomini  warriors  routed  a  company  of  Ohio  militia  near  Sand- 
wich, and  immediately  a  sudden  change  of  sentiment  became  apparent  among 
the  Wyandots  living  in  Michigan,  which  ended  in  a  determination  to  join  the 
British.  "  On  the  2d  instant,"  said  Colonel  Proctor  (British),  writing  to 
General  Brock,  "the  Wyandots  having  at  last  decided  on  joining  the  other 
nations,  of  whom  they  are  the  bravest  and  eldest,  against  the  Americans, 
a  considerable  body  of  Indians  accompanied  the  chief,  Tecumseth  (the 
prophet's  brother),  to  the  village  of  the  Wyandots  (Browntown).  .  .  . 
I  sent  a  detachment  of  100  men  under  Captain  Muir  to  enable  the  Wyan- 
dots to  bring  off  their  families,  cattle,  and  effects.     This  was  effected  much 

Note  12.— Schoolcraft,  pp,  254,  255. 

Note  13— Id.,  p.  327. 

Note  14.— Revised  Indian  Treaties,  pp,  184-190. 

Note  15.— Howe's  Historical  Collections  of  Ohio,  vol.  3,  p.  278, 


The  Wyandot  Indians.  81 

to  the  disappointment  of  Mr.  Hull  (American  general),  who  has  given  them 
a  considerable  sum  of  money  in  the  hope  of  retaining  them  in  the  Ameri- 
can interest."  i'' 

At  the  close  of  this  war,  that  portion  of  the  Wyandots  which  had  adhered 
to  Great  Britian  settled  permanently  in  Canada;  while  those  who  had  es- 
poused the  cause  of  the  United  States  remained  about  the  western  end  of 
Lake  Erie,  in  what  is  now  Ohio  and  Michigan;  their  Ohio  lands  being  located 
in  that  part  of  the  state  which  is  now  known  as  Wyandot  county. 

In  a  treaty  proclaimed  in  1819,  the  Wyandots  ceded  to  the  United  States 
a  large  tract  of  their  territory,  for  which  the  government  agreed  to  pay 
them  the  sum  of  $4000  annually  forever.  Certain  sections  of  the  land  were 
given  to  prominent  members  of  the  tribe.  The  United  States  also  agreed 
to  appoint  an  agent  to  live  with  the  tribe,  to  aid  them  in  the  protection  of 
their  persons  and  property  and  to  manage  their  intercourse  with  the  govern- 
ment and  the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  The  government  was  also  to 
erect  a  sawmill  and  a  grist-mill  upon  the  Wyandot  reservation,  and  to  pro- 
vide and  maintain  a  blacksmith  establishment  for  the  Wyandots  and  the 
Senecas.  The  Wyandots  were  also  paid  for  damages  done  their  property  in 
the  war  of  1812.'' 

In  the  formation  of  the  northwestern  confederacy  of  Indian  tribes,  the 
Wyandots  were  most  important  workers,  and  wei-e  given  the  high  position 
of  keepers  of  the  council-fire.  This  confederacy  fiercely  opposed  the  settle- 
ment of  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  river  by  the  American  colonists; 
but  finally  it  was  subdued  and  the  settlers  were  unmolested. 

Methodism^s  was  first  introduced  among  the  Wyandots  in  1816,  by  John 
Stewart,  a  mulatto,  who,  although  not  an  ordained  minister  of  the  Methodist 
church,  went  among  them  of  his  own  accord,  and  gained  much  influence 

Note  16.— Annual  Report  American  Historical  Association,  1895,  pp.  329,  830. 
Note  17. -Revised  Indian  Treaties,  pp.  197-209. 

Note  18.— "Before  the  revolutionary  war  a  large  portion  of  the  Wyandots  had  embraced 
Christianity  in  the  communion  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  In  the  early  part  of  my  agency 
the  Presbyterians  had  a  mission  among  them  at  Lower  Sandusky,  under  the  care  of  Rev.  Joseph 
Badger.  The  war  of  1812  broke  up  this  benevolent  enterprise.  When  peace  was  restored  the 
Methodists  became  the  spiritual  instructors  of  these  Indians,  and  continued  in  charge  of  them 
until  their  final  removal  westward  of  Missouri  river,  two  years  ago."— Col.  John  Johnston,  in 
Cist's  Cincinnati  Miscellany,  vol.  2,  page  249. 

Among  the  manuscripts  received  by  the  State  Historical  Society  from  the  Anderson  family, 
at  Manhattan,  is  the  following,  copied  (only  in  part )  from  the  Rev.  John  Anderson,  D.  D.,  to  his 
wife,  Rebecca.  Doctor  Anderson  was  the  father  of  Col.  John  B.  Andei-son,  and  the  grandfather 
of  ex-Congressman  John  A.  Anderson.  There  are  other  missionary  letters  to  and  from  Doctor 
Anderson  concerning  missions  as  far  west  as  Franklin,  Mo.  : 

"Lower  Sandusky,  Saturday,  August  17,  1805.—  I  reached  this  place  last  evening  at  sun- 
setting  in  good  health.  All  the  way  I  experienced  an  uninterrupted  series  of  mercies,  for  which 
the  greatest  gratitude  is  due.  My  spirits  never  sunk  for  one  minute.  My  health  is  much  better 
than  it  has  been  at  any  time  since  the  spring.  I  have  not  felt  the  least  symptom  of  my  common 
complaint  in  my  stomach  nor  a  pain  in  my  head  since  I  left  you.  My  horse  holds  out  very  well. 
Not  any  cross  accident  has  befallen  me  in  any  matter.  I  was  kindly  received  by  Mrs.  Whitaker. 
The  entertainment  is  as  good  here  as  any  house  in  Washington  can  afford,  and  a  hearty  welcome 
is  given. 

"  Mr.  Badger  arrived  this  morning  from  Upper  Sandusky,  where  he  has  been  preaching  and 
treating  with  the  chiefs  about  opening  a  school  here  for  the  education  of  the  children.  There  is 
a  constantly  increasing  attention  to  the  means  ;  they  have  quit  drinking  spirits,  liquors,  entirely 
at  the  Sandusky  towns,  and  resolved  to  call  a  minister.  The  chiefs  informed  Mr.  Badger  that  in 
years  past  they  were  afraid  to  have  a  minister  less  the  people  would  use  him  ill  when  they  got 
drunk.  This  difficulty  being  now  removed,  they  appear  much  in  earnest  about  getting  a  minister 
and  a  schoolmaster.  The  whole  of  this  business  is  already  finished,  written,  and  signed,  so  that 
I  have  nothing  to  do  but  preach  to  them  while  I  stay ;  and  it  is  not  likely  I  will  be  sent  here  again 
on  a  mission,  as  a  resident  missionary  will  be  placed  here  soon. 

"Monday.  August  19,  1805.  -Yesterday  the  Indians  met  at  Mrs.  Whitaker's.  Mr.  Badger 
preached  to  them  in  the  morning  and  I  attempted  it  in  the  evening.  They  listened  carefully  to 
the  sermons.     Perhaps  you  did  not  see  more  attention  paid  to  the  word  at  home,  by  those  who 


82  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

over  this  tribe.  He  was  forced  to  leave  them  in  1817,^^  but  the  work  was 
taken  up  by  Rev.  James  B.  Finley  in  1819.  In  1821  he  built  a  small  log 
mission  and  schoolhouse.  Here  the  Indian  girls  and  boys  were  instructed  in 
the  various  trades  of  civilization.  This  was  the  first  industrial  school  on  the 
continent.  From  the  beginning  this  mission  was  very  successful,  and 
soon  a  larger  and  better  church  was  erected  by  the  general  government.-" 

The  Wyandots  were  the  last  tribe  of  Indians  in  Ohio  to  leave  their  ter- 
ritory and  seek  a  new  home  in  the  West.  By  a  treaty -^  made  at  Upper 
Sandusky,  Ohio,  on  March  17,  1842,  they  ceded  all  their  lands  in  Ohio  and 
Michigan  to  the  United  States.  In  return,  the  government  agreed  to  set 
apart  as  a  reservation  for  them  148,000  acres  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
pay  them  a  perpetual  annuity  of  $17,000  ;  also  $500  per  annum  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  school.  The  government  agreed  to  pay  for  all  improvements 
made  by  the  Wyandots  on  their  lands,  and  also  to  assume  all  debts  which  had 
been  contracted  by  the  tribe  in  favor  of  citizens  of  the  United  States.  A  black- 
smith and  an  assistant,  furnished  with  a  shop  and  proper  tools  and  material, 
were  to  be  provided  and  maintained  by  the  general  government  for  the 
Wyandots.  The  tribe  was  to  be  given  $10,000  for  removal  expenses  ;  $5000 
when  the  first  detachment  of  people  set  out  for  the  West,  and  the  remainder 
when  all  had  arrived  at  their  new  reservation.  A  few  of  the  most  impor- 
tant members  of  the  tribe  were  each  given  a  section  of  land  west  of  the 
Mississippi. -- 

Col.  John  Johnston,  who  was,  as  commissioner  of   the    United  States, 


can  understand  it  without  an  interpreter.  If  those  who  have  the  Bible  in  their  own  language, 
and  an  honest  minister  whom  they  understand,  could  be  made  to  understand  the  greatness  of 
their  privileges  in  this  one  thing,  they  surely  would  fall  down  to  adore  the  riches  of  souvereign 
grace  which  has  cast  their  pleasant  lot  for  them.  And  they  would  weep  over  the  poor  tribes 
who  are  destitute  of  a  Bible  and  the  knowledge  of  letters. 

"  That  man  or  society  of  men  who  does  most  to  establish  a  Gospel  ministry  and  schools  among 
the  Indians  deserves  the  approbation  and  assistance  of  every  Christian  on  earth  and  the  thanks 
of  the  whole  heathen  world.  I  am  not  the  man  who  can  do  much  in  this  glorious  work,  but  I  hope 
that  both  disposition  and  talent  are  given  to  Mr.  Badger  to  undertake  and  succeed  in  it.  The  In- 
dians have  agreed  to  receive  him  as  their  minister,  if  he  is  willing  to  come  to  them.  Oh,  that  di- 
vine providence  may  lead  him  to  accept  their  earnest  invitation,  and  make  him  the  instrument  of 
their  salvation.  -  Mr.  Badger  has  gained  the  confidence  of  the  Indians  by  giving  them  medicine, 
which  has  in  every  instance  cured  their  disorders,  as  well  as  by  instructing  them  in  religion. 
Their  eyes  are  opening  by  slow  degrees  to  see  their  best  interests.  But  pagan  influence  is  exert- 
ing to  keep  them  in  the  way  to  destruction.  An  impostor,  who  is  called  the  '  Prophet  of  the  Six 
Nations,'  is  much  talked  of  by  the  ignorant.  He  will  endeavor  to  revive  and  uphold  their  old 
heathenism  in  opposition  to  Christianity.     But  the  King  of  Zion  reigns  and  will  do  all  His  pleasure. 

"  To-morrow  I  am  to  preach  at  the  lower  town.  I  find  it  difficult  to  speak  through  an  inter- 
preter, but  hope  to  be  enabled  to  set  the  plain  ti-uth  before  them  for  their  edification.  Mr.  Badger 
designs  to  leave  us  on  Wednesday.  He  has  enjoyed  good  health  all  the  time  of  his  mission,  and 
will  leave  us  filled  with  the  hope  that  salvation  is  coming  to  the  Wyandots.  He  has  furnished 
me  with  all  necessary  medicine,  in  case  I  should  take  sick,  and  with  instructions  respecting  my 
mission.  I  may  be  accommodated  with  lodging  among  friendly  and  decent  white  people  at 
every  place  but  one  that  I  have  to  visit,  and  thei-e  I  am  to  be  but  two  days." 

Note  19.  — Among  the  relics  in  the  Kansas  Historical  Society  collection  is  a  log  from  the 
house  owned  by  Rev.  John  Stewart,  a  negro,  who  introduced  the  Christian  religion  among  the 
Wyandots.  The  house  was  built  on  the  sixty-acre  farm  adjoining  the  Wyandot  reservation,  near 
Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  secured  for  him  by  Bishop  McKendree.  in  1821.  Stewart  lived  in  this 
house  until  his  death,  in  1823.  Log  sent  to  William  E.  Connelley  by  Emil  Schulp,  of  Lovell, 
Wyandotte  county,  Ohio,  August  22,  1900. 

Note  20.—  Howe's  Historical  Collections  of  Ohio,  vol.  3,  pp.  599,  600. 

Note  21.— Revised  Indian  Treaties,  pp.  1017-1021. 

Note  22.— These  sections  of  land,  thirty-five  in  number,  could  be  located  any  where_  west  of 
the  Mississippi  on  Indian  land  not  already  occupied.  They  were  known  as  Wyandot  "floats," 
and  were  very  convenient  for  town  sites,  because  they  were  not  held  by  the  usual  occupancy 
title,  but  could  be  acquired  without  the  trouble  and  expense  of  complying  with  the  ordinary  pre- 
emption laws.  A  number  of  Kansas  cities,  such  as  Topeka,  Manhattan,  Emporia,  were  lo- 
cated on  these  "floats."  The  greatest  part  of  Lawrence  was  located  on  the  Robert  Robertaile 
float,  and  West  Lawrence  was  located  on  the  Joel  Walker  float. 


The  Wyandot  Indians.  83 

negotiating  this  treaty  of  cession  and  emigration  with  the  Wyandots,  took  a 
census  of  the  tribe,  and  found  the  total  population  was  only  800.  ^^ 

Although  by  this  treaty  of  1842  the  Wyandots  were  promised  148,000 
acres  west  of  the  Mississippi,  yet  such  a  large  tract  of  unoccupied  govern- 
ment land  could  not  be  found.  The  Wyandots  then  realized  that  they  must 
purchase  a  home  from  some  of  the  tribes  that  had  already  been  moved  to  . 
the  West.  So,  while  in  Ohio,  they  made  a  treaty  with  the  Shawnees,  whose 
reservation  was  then  located  in  Kansas.  One  of  the  provisions  of  this  treaty 
was  that  a  strip  of  the  Shawnees'  territory  adjoining  the  state  of  Missouri, 
and  running  south  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river,  should  be  given  to 
the  Wyandots.  But  the  Shawnees  repudiated  this  treaty.  The  Wyandots 
complained  that,  when  the  Shawnees  were  homeless,  the  Wyandots  "had 
spread  a  deerskin  for  them  to  sit  down  upon,  and  given  them  a  large  tract 
of  land;  and  now,  when  the  Wyandots  are  without  a  home,  the  Shawnees 
would  not  even  sell  them  one.  "-'^  Many  years  before  the  Wyandots  had 
given  a  portion  of  their  territory  in  Ohio  to  the  Shawnees  and  Delawares. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  had  no  reservation,  practically  the 
whole  tribe  of  Wyandots,  numbering  about  700  people,  set  out  for  Kansas, 
reaching  there  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1843.  They  immediately  purchased 
from  their  old  friends,  the  Delawares,  who  had  come  to  Kansas  in  1829,  a 
tract  of  land  of  thirty-six  sections,  in  the  fork  of  the  Kansas  and  Missouri 
rivers,  all  of  which  was  located  in  what  is  now  Wyandotte  county,  Kansas. 
For  this  reservation  they  paid  $46,080,  and,  in  addition,  the  Delawares  gave 
them  three  sections— making  a  total  of  thirty-nine  sections. -^ 

The  Wyandots  at  this  time  were  civilized,  only  about  100  being  pagans; 
.and  for  pride  of  race,  courage,  capability  of  vast  organization,  enterprise 

Note  23.— Howe's  Historical  Collections  of  Ohio,  vol.  3,  pp.  278,  279. 

Note  24. —  The  Provisional  Government  of  Nebraska  Territory. —  Connelley,  p.  2. 

Note  25.—  Agreement  in  writing  between  the  Delaware  and  Wyandot  nations,  on  the  14th 
of  December,  1843,  for  the  purchase  of  certain  lands  by  the  latter  of  the  former ;  confirmed  by 
the  senate  July  25,  1848  ; 

"Whereas,  From  a  long  and  intimate  acquaintance,  and  the  ardent  friendship  which  has 
for  a  great  many  years  existed  between  the  Delawares  and  the  Wyandots,  and  from  a  mutual 
desire  that  the  same  feeling  shall  continue  and  be  more  strengthened  by  becoming  near  neigh- 
bors to  each  other :  therefore,  the  said  parties,  the  Delawares  on  one  side,  the  Wyandots  on  the 
other,  in  full  council  assembled,  have  agreed,  and  do  agree,  to  the  following  stipulations,  to  wit : 

"Article  1.  The  Delaware  nation  of  Indians,  residing  between  the  Missouri  and  Kansas 
rivers,  being  very  anxious  to  have  their  uncles,  the  Wyandots,  to  settle  and  reside  near  them,  do 
hereby  donate,  grant,  and  quitclaim  forever,  to  the  Wyandot  nation,  three  sections  of  land, 
containing  640  acres  each,  lying  and  being  situated  on  tlie  point  of  the  junction  of  the  Missouri 
and  Kansas  rivers. 

"Art.  2.  The  Delaware  chiefs,  for  themselves  and  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  their  people, 
do  hereby  cede,  grant,  quitclaim,  to  the  Wyandot  nation,  and  their  heirs,  forever,  thirty-six 
sections  of  land,  each  containing  640  acres,  situated  between  the  aforesaid  Missouri  and  Kansas 
rivers,  and  adjoining  on  the  west  the  aforesaid  three  donated  sections,  making  in  all  thirtv-nine 
sections  of  land,  bounded  as  follows,  viz.:  Commencing  at  the  point  at  the  junction  of  the  afore- 
said Missouri  and  Kansas  rivers,  running  west  along  the  Kansas  river  sufficiently  far  to  include 
the  aforesaid  thirty-nine  sections  ;  thence  running  north  to  the  Missouri  river;  thence  down  the 
said  river  with  the  meanders  to  the  place  of  beginning;  to  be  surveyed  in  as  near  a  square  form 
as  the  rivers  and  territory  ceded  will  admit  of. 

"Art.  3.  In  consideration  of  the  foregoing  donation  and  cession  of  land,  the  Wyandot  chiefs 
bind  themselves,  successors  in  office,  and  their  people,  to  pay  to  the  Delaware  nation  of  Indians 
$46,080.  as  follows,  viz.,  $6080  to  be  paid  the  year  1844,  and  $4000  annually  thereafter  for  ten  years. 

"Art.  4.  It  is  hereby  distinctly  understood  between  the  contracting  parties  that  the  aforesaid 
agreement  shall  not  be  binding  or  obligatory  until  the  president  of  the  United  States  shall  have 
approved  the  same,  and  caused  it  to  be  recorded  in  the  War  Department."— Land  Laws  of  the 
United  States  of  a  Local  and  Temporary  Character,  vol.  2.  p.  849. 

In  1848  this  treaty  was  confirmed  by  the  .senate,  and  in  a  treaty  of  the  same  year  ( 1848  )  the 
Wyandots  relinquished  all  claim  to  the  148,000  acres  which  was  to  have  been  given  to  them  by 
the  United  States  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  1842  ;  and  in  consideration  of  this 
the  government  agreed  to  pay  them  the  sum  of  $185,000.  — Revised  Indian  Treaties,  pp.  1021.  1022 

The  attorney  who  drew  up  this  treaty  compelled  the  Wyandots  to  pay  him  $40,000  as  his  fee 
The  tribe  was  very  much  dissatisfied,  but  the  attorney  was  permitted  t  o  keep  his  ill-gotten  gains 


84  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

and  ambition,  they  were  far  superior  to  the  other  tribes  of  this  region.  They 
brought  with  them  from  Ohio  a  Methodist  church,  with  a  membership  of  over 
250,  and  a  lodge  of  Free  Masons,  with  a  small  membership.  They  also  had 
an  "organized  civil  government,  modeled  to  some  extent  after  that  of  an 
American  state,  especially  in  their  manner  of  procedure  and  practice  before 
their  council,  which  was  their  court,"  and  "a  code  of  laws  which  provided 
for  an  elective  council  of  chiefs,  the  punishment  of  crime,  and  maintenance 
of  pubhc  order."  -'* 

Shortly  after  the  Wyandots  came  to  Kansas,  efforts  were  made  in  Con- 
gress to  organize  the  Nebraska  territory,  which  embraced  in  its  limits  the 
present  states  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  introduced 
bills  for  this  purpose  at  different  times;  but  they  were  referred  to  the  com- 
mittee on  territories,  without  further  action  being  taken. 

These  different  movements  aroused  great  interest  among  the  Indian  tribes 
whose  lands  were  within  the  boundaries  of  the  proposed  territory;  for  it  was 
evident  to  them  that  they  must  surrender  their  lands  very  soon  if  the  terri- 
tory was  established,  although  the  government  in  the  treaties  with  them 
had  promised  that  the  land  should  be  theirs  forever,  and  should  never  be  a 
part  of  any  territory  or  state.  So,  realizing  the  great  importance  of  such  an 
organization,  the  leading  men  of  the  different  tribes  called  a  convention  for 
the  purpose  of  discussing  the  matter.  This  congress  met  at  or  near  Fort 
Leavenworth  in  October,  1848,2'  with  the  following  tribes  represented,  which 
had  belonged  to  the  ancient  northwestern  confederacy  of  Indian  tribes: 
Wyandot,  Delaware,  Chippewa,  Ottawa,  Pottawatomie,  Shawnee,  and  Miami. 
Two  other  tribes  were  admitted  to  the  confederacy  at  this  time— the  Kicka- 
poo  and  the  Kansas.  The  Sac  and  Fox  were  represented,  but,  as  they  were 
ancient  enemies  of  the  Wyandots  and  peace  had  not  been  declared  between 
them,  they  were  frightened  by  a  speech  made  by  one  of  the  Wyandot  repre- 
sentatives and  fled  from  the  convention. -» 

This  convention  continued  in  session  for  several  days,  and  the  old  con- 
federacy was  reorganized,  and  the  Wyandots  were  reappointed  as  its  head 
and  made  keepers  of  the  council-fire.-" 

When  it  became  apparent  to  the  Indians  that  they  would  sooner  or  later 
be  compelled  to  sell  their  lands  back  to  the  government  and  seek  new  homes, 
they  were  then  very  desirous  of  having  their  territory  organized  and  a 
territorial  government  set  up.  They  saw  that  if  they  must  sell  their  reser- 
vations, the  white  man  must  be  allowed  to  settle  in  their  vicinity  in  order 
that  the  land  might  be  sold  for  a  good  price.     Another  reason  why  they  de- 

NoTE  26.—  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  6,  p.  98. 

Note  27.—  Nebraska  Historical  Collections,  second  series,  vol.  3,  p.  265. 

Note  28.— "Such  was  the  awe  in  which  they  (Sacs  and  Foxes)  stood  of  the  Wyandots  that 
when  Governor  Walker  arose  and  displayed  the  wampum  belts  —  the  archives  and  records  of  the 
confederacy-thechiefsof  these  tribes  kept  their  eyes  fixed  upon  him.  Governor  Walker  was 
an  elo<iuent  man.  He  was  familiar  with  the  language  of  the  tribes  of  the  league.  These  belts 
had  not  been  explained  nor  shown  in  council  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Many  a  young  warrior 
saw  them  here  for  the  first  time  and  heard  from  the  official  oracle  what  his  father  had  often  re- 
peated to  him  about  the  ancient  compact.  Grizzled  warriors  looked  upon  them  and  thought  of 
the  glory  of  long-gone  battle-fields,  where  they  had  met  the  enemy  and  gathered  many  a  bloody 
trophy.  At  length  Governor  Walker  took  up  a  long  belt,  upon  which  was  worked  a  blood-red 
tomahawk,  indicating  the  declaration  of  war  upon  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  by  the  confederacy  at  the 
instigation  of  the  Wyandots.  At  sight  of  this  belt  the  chiefs  of  these  tribes  sprang  to  their  feet, 
uttered  a  whoop  of  warning,  and  fled  in  terror,  followed  by  their  warriors.  Messengers  were 
sent  after  them,  but  they  could  not  be  induced  to  return  to  the  congress."  ( The  First  Pro- 
visional Constitution  of  Kansas.— Connelley.     In  Kansas  Historical  Collection,  vol.  6.  pp.  99,  100.) 

Notb129.—  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  (\  p.  100. 


The  Wyandot  Indians.  85 

sired  a  territorial  organization  was  the  wish  to  have  the  proposed  line  of 
railroad  between  the  Pacific  ocean  and  the  Missouri  river  run  through  their 
territory. 

So  the  Wyandots,  as  head  of  the  northwestern  confederacy  of  Indian 
tribes,  and  the  recognized  leaders  among  all  these  tribes,  determined  to  call 
a  convention  to  be  held  on  the  day  of  the  ancient  anniversary  of  the  greeri- 
corn  feast,  which  was  then  on  August  9,  1853.  All  the  tribes  within  the 
proposed  territory  were  invited  to  send  delegates;  and  all  the  white  men 
then  residents  of  the  territory  were  asked  to  come  and  participate  in  the 
proceedings  of  this  convention. 

But  before  that  time,  on  July  26,  1853,  a  convention  was  called  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Missouri  (or  central )  route  of  the  proposed  railroad,  and  it  was 
decided  to  hasten  the  matter  and  organize  a  territorial  government.  The 
resolutions  adopted  by  the  convention  served  as  a  constitution  for  the  pro- 
visional government  of  the  territory,  and  under  its  provisions  a  provisional 
governor  was  elected.  The  man  elected  to  fill  this  significant  position  was 
William  Walker.  Governor  Walker  was  a  member  of  the  Wyandot  tribe, 
his  mother  belonging  to  the  Big  Turtle  gens.  He  had  two  Indian  names— 
Hah-shah-rehs,  meaning  the  "stream  overfull,"  and  Sehs-tah-roh,  meaning 
"bright."  Mr.  Walker  was  a  gentleman  of  education,  refinement,  and 
great  strength  of  character,  and  one  of  Kansas'  most  infiuential  men  dur- 
ing its  territorial  days.  "' 

The  importance  of  this  action  of  the  delegates  in  this  territorial  conven- 
tion may  be  best  stated  in  the  words  of  William  E.  Connelley: 

"Abelard  Guthrie  declared  that  Kansas  was  the  arbiter  of  the  destinies 
of  the  republic.  At  the  time  of  the  adoption  of  our  constitution  slavery 
was  not  molested,  but  was  suffered  to  remain  one  of  the  institutions  of  a 
government  set  up  for  the  liberty  and  perfect  freedom  of  mankind.  But 
even  at  that  time  the  principles  and  theories  of  the  Puritan  and  the  Cavalier 
were  antagonistic  on  this  point.  Who  could  have  conceived  that  the  spark 
to  ignite  the  fires  destined  to  burn  away  this  foul  barrier  to  perfect  freedom 
was  to  be  struck  out  by  a  people  who  were,  at  the  time  of  the  formation  of 
our  government,  pagan  savages;  and  that  this  should  transpire  in  a  land 
which  was  at  the  same  time  no  part  of  our  common  country  ?  Yet,  such  is 
the  potency  of  our  institutions,  that  in  less  than  three-quarters  of  a  century 
this  remote  possibility  became  a  remarkable  fact. 

"He  would  be  rash,  indeed,  who  declared  that  this  movement  was  the 
cause  of  the  rebellion;  but  that  the  organization  of  the  provisional  govern- 
ment for  Nebraska  territory  was  the  immediate  cause,  the  precipitating 
event,  of  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  the  repeal  of  the  Mis- 
souri compromise,  the  proslavery  and  free-state  conflict  in  Kansas,  and, 
finally,  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  I  believe  capable  of  demonstration  beyond 
doubt  or  question. 

"The  Wyandots,  as  head  of  the  northwestern  confederacy  of  Indian 
tribes,  moved  for  this  provisional  government  for  the  Nebraska  territory. 
This  antagonized  the  plans  of  the  slave  power  for  that  country.     This  pre- 

NoTE  30.— William  Walker  was  born  at  Gibraltar,  Mich..  March  5,  1799.  and  died  Febru- 
ary 13,  1874,  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  Governor  Walker  received  a  thorough  education  at  Worthing- 
ton,  Ohio,  under  the  immediate  instruction  of  the  venerable  Bishop  Chase.  After  acquiring-  his 
education,  William  Walker  entered  almost  at  once  an  active  life  in  behalf  of  the  North  American 
Indians  in  general,  and  of  the  Wyandot  nation  in  particular,  among  vi'hom  he  became  leader  and 
counselor,  devoting  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  their  interests.  As  early  as  1831,  he  visited  the 
Platte  purchase  as  agent  of  the  Wyandot  nation,  with  a  view  to  purchasing  a  new  location  for  it. 
He  was  at  the  treaty  of  St.  Marys,  and  rendered  efficient  services  to  all  contracting  parties.  He 
was  for  some  years  the  private  secretary  and  friend  of  General  Lewis  Cass,  his  secretaryship  be- 
ginning after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  the  friendship  continuing  until  the  death  of  the 
general.  In  1843  he  came  to  Kansas  with  his  tribe,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since,  except 
when  he  was  called  away  on  business  or  for  his  health.  ...  He  acquired  his  title  of  governor 
in  1853,  when  he  was  appointed  provisional  governor  of  Kansas  territory.— Wyandot  Herald  of 
February  19.  1874. 


86  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

monitory  movement,  inaugurated  at  tiie  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river,  gathered 
strength.  It  raised  its  head  in  Washington,  and  its  voice  was  heard  in  the 
halls  of  Congress.  It  became  formidable  through  the  circumstances  enumer- 
ated herein.  It  forced  the  conflict.  The  slave  power  mustered  every  re- 
source for  the  final  struggle,  which  it  foresaw  must  be  a  desperate  one,  for 
its  existence.  But  it  foresaw,  also,  that  if  it  retained  an  existence  it  could 
thenceforth  dominate  the  nation.  Its  first  aggressive  act  in  opposition  to 
this  movement  was  the  introduction  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  The 
second  was  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise.  At  this  stage  the  con- 
flict became  national;  and  the  Httle  band  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  whose 
action  precipitated  the  struggle,  had  nothing  to  say  in  its  settlement  until  it 
came  to  open  blows  and  become  a  question  of  the  Hfe  of  the  nation."  •■' 

In  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  also  during  the  civil  war,  some  of  the 
Wyandots  were  enlisted  in  the  Union  armies,  and  they  did  not  fail  to  sus- 
tain the  enviable  record  which  their  ancestors  had  made  during  the  colonial 
wars. '- 

In  the  early  part  of  March,  1855,  the  Wyandots  signed  a  treaty,  by  the 
provisions  of  which  the  tribe  was  given  the  right  of  claiming  citizenship 
under  the  laws  of  the  United  States.  They  ceded  their  reservation  of 
thirty-nine  sections,  which  they  had  bought  of  the  Delawares  in  1843,  to  the 
general  government.  The  land,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  small  tracts, 
was  then  given  back  to  them  in  severalty,  under  a  new  and  better  title;  ?.  e., 
declared  open  to  allotment  on  a  fee-simple  patent.  Those  portions  not  re- 
conveyed  were  the  ground  then  used  as  a  public  burial-place,"  two  acres 
apiece  to  the  two  Methodist  churches,  and  four  acres  adjoining  the  Wyandot 
ferry.  The  tribe  was  also  to  surrender  all  claims  which  they  might  hold 
under  previous  treaties  ;  and  in  consideration  of  this  release,  the  general 
government  agreed  to  pay  to  the  individual  members  of  the  tribe  the  sum 
of  $380,000.  The  Wyandots  were  to  receive  in  severalty  the  sum  of  $100,000, 
which  had  been  invested  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  treaty  of  1850. '* 

A  slight  revival  of  the  old  promise  found  in  so  many  of  the  old  Indian 
treaties,  that  the  reservation  should  always  remain  outside  the  limits  of  a 
state  or  territory,  is  to  be  found  in  the  following: 

' '  None  of  the  lands  to  be  thus  assigned  and  patented  to  the  Wyandots 
shall  be  subject  to  taxation  for  a  period  of  five  years  from  and  after  the 
organization  of  a  state  government  over  the  territory  where  they  reside  ; 
and  those  of  the  incompetent  classes  shall  not  be  aliened  or  released  for  a 
longer  period  than  two  years,  and  shall  be  exempt  from  levy,  sale,  or  for- 
feiture, until  otherwise  provided  by  state  legislation,  with  the  assent  of 
Congress."^'"' 

Note  31.— Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  6.  p.  110. 

Note  32.— Nebraska  Historical  Collections,  second  series,  vol.  3,  pp.  107,  108. 

Note  33.— This  burial-ground,  known  as  Huron  cemetery,  was  set  apart  for  this  purpose 
soon  after  the  tribe  came  to  Kansas,  when  there  was  much  sickness  and  many  deaths  in  the 
Wyandot  nation,  in  consequence  of  protracted  rains  and  great  floods  in  May  and  June  in  1844. 
There  were  probably  400  burials  in  this  place  between  1844  and  1855.  This  was  their  only  burial- 
ground  until  a  short  time  before  the  civil  war.  Before  this  war  a  division  in  the  Methodist 
church,  with  which  a  majority  of  the  Wyandots  were  affiliated,  caused  some  of  them  to  select  a 
different  cemetery.  Aunt  Lucy  B.  Armstrong,  who  adhered  to  the  north  Methodist  church, 
built  a  church  at  Quindaro,  and  a  cemetery  was  laid  out  at  this  place. 

For  many  years  the  people  of  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  have  tried  to  persuade  the  Wyandots  to 
consent  to  the  sale  of  the  old  cemetery,  and  recently  the  tribe  has  agreed  to  sell  it ;  but  before 
they  can  dispose  of  the  land  a  bill  will  have  to  pass  both  houses  of  Congress,  giving  a  commission 
power  to  negotiate  the  sale.  As  the  land  is  located  in  the  very  heart  of  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  it  is 
very  valuable,  the  price  asked  for  it  being  $50,000.  If  it  is  sold,  about  $10,000  will  be  expended  in 
the  removal  of  the  bodies  interred  there,  and  the  remaining  sum  will  be  divided  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe. 

Note  34.-  Revised  Indian  Treaties,  pp.  1022-1028. 

Note  35.-  Id.,  p.  1026. 


The  Wyandot  Indians.  87 

The  most  peculiar  provision  of  this  treaty  was  the  division  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe  into  two  classes,  the  competents  and  the  incompetents, 
according  to  whether  they  were  "sufficiently  intelligent,  competent  and 
prudent  to  control  and  manage  their  affairs  and  interests. ' '  Patents  con- 
taining an  absolute  and  unconditional  grant  in  fee  simple  were  to  be  given 
to  the  competents;  but  the  patents  given  to  the  incompetents  showed  that 
the  lands  were  not  to  be  sold  or  alienated  for  a  period  of  five  years,  and 
not  then  without  the  consent  of  the  president  of  the  United  States.  The 
patents  could  also  be  withheld  from  the  incompetents  by  the  commissioner 
of  Indian  affairs  as  long  as  he  thought  best. 

As  a  result  of  the  division  of  the  tribe  into  these  two  classes  there  was 
great  dissatisfaction,  for  it  seemed  that  the  competents  had  a  most  decided 
advantage  over  the  incompetents.  It  was  thought  that  this  was  only  a 
"smooth  way"  for  the  leaders  and  the  most  influential  men  to  get  posses- 
sion of  all  the  property  belonging  to  the  tribe.  '*' 

So  in  1868  the  Wyandots,  tired  of  the  conditions  imposed  upon  them  by 
the  treaty  of  1855,  again  negotiated  a  treaty  with  the  government.  By  this 
treaty, ''  all  the  Wyandots  who  desired  to  do  so,  and  all  incompetents  de- 
scribed in  the  treaty  of  1855,  could  again  become  members  of  the  Wyandot 
tribe  and  be  placed  on  a  reserv^ation.  This  reservation  selected  for  them  was 
a  tract  of  land  which  had  been  ceded  to  the  general  government  by  the 
Senecas  and  was  a  part  of  their  reservation.  According  to  the  treaty  be- 
tween the  Senecas  and  the  government,  the  land  ceded  was  "to  be  bounded 
on  the  east  by  the  state  of  Missouri,  on  the  north  by  the  north  line  of  the 
reservation,  on  the  west  by  the  Neosho  river,  and  running  south  for  the 
necessary  distance  to  contain  20,000  acres.  ■■** 

Immediately  after  this  reservation  was  set  apart  for  them  over  200  of  the 
Wyandots  moved  to  their  new  home,  but  many  of  those  who  had  become 
citizens  remained  in  Wyandotte  county,  where  they  or  their  descendants  are 
still  living.  The  majority  of  those  who  first  occupied  the  reservation  be- 
longed to  the  class  designated  in  the  treaty  of  1855  as  the  incompetents,  and 
for  a  time  they  were  in  very  poor  circumstances.  The  United  States  agent 
for  them  writes,  in  1872: 

"They  ( Wyandots)  are  poor,  and  having  no  annuities  and  but  little  force 
of  character  are  making  slight  progress  in  industry  and  civiUzation.  They 
have  been  lately  joined  by  members  of  the  tribe  who,  under  the  treaty,  ac- 
cepted citizenship.  These,  desiring  to  resume  their  relations  with  their 
people,  have  been  again  adopted  into  the  tribe.  Inasmuch  as  the  new- 
comers are  decidedly  superior  in  point  of  industrial  attainments,  education, 
and  energy  of  character,  it  is  hoped  that  the  condition  of  the  tribe  may  be 
improved  by  their  accession. "  ■' 

It  was  not  long  until  many  of  those  who  had  accepted  citizenship  became 
tired  of  their  responsible  positions  and  joined  their  tribe  in  the  Indian  Ter- 

NoTE  36.— Tauroomee,  chief  of  the  Wyandots,  was  bitterly  opposed  to  this  treaty,  foi-  he 
knew  that  manv  of  his  tribe  were  not  prepared  to  shoulder  the  responsibilities  of  citizenship. 
But  as  a  majority  of  his  people  voted  in  favor  of  the  new  arrangement,  Tauroomee,  with  reluc- 
tance, signed  the  treaty.  It  was  not  long  until  the  foresight  of  the  chief  was  evident,  for  many 
of  the  people  soon  squandered  their  lands  and  were  without  homes,  and  were  even  suffering  for 
the  necessaries  of  life.  Tauroomee  then  began  to  look  for  a  new  home  for  them,  and,  after  many 
discouragements,  finally  obtained  the  present  reservation  in  the  Indian  Territory. 

Note  37.-  Revised  Indian  Treaties,  pp.  844,  845. 

Note  38.-  Id.,  pp.  840,  841. 

Note  39.— Report  of  the  Indian  Commissioner,  1872,  p.  39. 


88  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

ritory.  From  that  time  the  condition  of  the  tribe  gradually  improved,  and 
to-day  it  is  one  of  the  most  advanced  and  progressive  tribes  in  the  territory. 

They  are  becoming  more  and  more  progressive;  building  houses,  bams, 
fences,  and  all  kinds  of  improvements,  and  acquiring  stock  of  all  kinds; 
using  the  prairie  land  for  stock-raising  principally,  and  the  land  along  the 
streams  for  agricultural  purposes.  The  men  are  good  business  men  and 
traders,  but  are  not  so  industrious  as  the  women,  some  of  whom  are  good 
housekeepers,  neat  and  tidy,  dress  well,  and  present  a  very  respectable  ap- 
pearance. All  of  them  wear  citizens'  clothes.  Over  250  are  able  to  read,  and 
about  300  are  able  to  use  enough  English  for  ordinary  conversation.  In  1902 
the  number  of  Wyandots  living  on  the  reservation  was  354—159  males  and 
195  females.     There  were  ninety-seven  children  of  school  age.^" 

They  hold  their  land  in  severalty;  20,695  acres  are  allotted  and  only  535 
acres  are  unallotted  or  tribal  land.  When  the  lands  were  allotted,  the  heads 
of  families  received  160  acres  ;  single  persons,  80  acres  ;  the  children  under 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  40  acres.  By  the  Indian  appropriation  act,  ap- 
proved June  10,  1896,  it  was  provided  that  certain  portions  of  the  reserva- 
tion might  be  sold  by  the  adult  allottees.  Since  then  455.50  acres  have 
been  sold,  at  a  valuation  of  $9552.  ^i  A  great  deal  of  the  land  has  been  leased ; 
about  forty  per  cent,  of  the  income  of  the  tribe  being  from  this  source.  ^^ 

The  Seneca  boarding-school  is  located  on  the  Wyandot  reservation,  and 
is  attended  by  all  the  tribes  of  this  agency.  Here  the  children  are  taught 
the  common  industries  :  housekeeping,  sewing  and  fancy  work  to  the  girls, 
and  all  kinds  of  farm  industries  to  the  boys. 

There  are  now  three  churches  on  their  reservation ;  one  has  recently 
burned  down.  Three  missionaries  conduct  services  in  these  churches  and 
take  great  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people.  The  religion  of 
the  Wyandots  who  have  been  converted  to  Christianity  is  about  equally  di- 
vided between  the  Methodists  and  the  Society  of  Friends. 

To-day  the  Wyandots  have  entirely  lost  the  greater  part  of  their  old  tra- 
ditions and  legends.  Some  of  them  speak  a  kind  of  dialect  of  the  pure  Wy- 
andot language,  but  most  of  them  speak  English.  They  have  a  chief  whom 
they  elect  annually,  but  his  power  is  nominal.  Polygamy  has  been  aban- 
doned for  many  years,  and  the  marriage  relation  is  strictly  adhered  to. 

At  the  present  time  the  Wyandot  tribe  is  more  white  than  Indian.  There 
is  not  so  much  as  a  half-blood  member  of  the  tribe  living.  The  last  full- 
blood  Wyandot  died  in  Canada  in  1820.     His  name  was  Yah-nyah-meh-deh. " 

Note  40.-  Annual  Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Aflfairs,  1902,  p.  632. 

Note  41.— Id.,  pp.  68,  69. 

Note  42.— Id.,  p.  633. 

Note  43.—  Folk-lore  of  the  Wyandots.— Connelley.     Twentieth  Century  Classics,  vol.  1,  p.  8. 


Building  the  Sedan  Court-House. 


BUILDING  THE  SEDAN  COURT-HOUSE. 

An  address  delivered  by  H.  B.  Kelly  '  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society,  at  its 
thirtieth  annual  meeting,  December  5,  1905. 

ABOUT  the  first  of  August,  1875,  the  county  officers  of  the  new  county  of 
Chautauqua  moved  to  the  town  site  of  Sedan,  and  for  offices  occupied 
an  old  frame  structure,  the  only  building  on  the  town  site,  and  which  had 
been  unoccupied  for  some  time. 

In  January  of  that  year  the  legislature  had  obliterated  ^  Howard  county 
and  erected  from  the  territory  thereof  the  two  counties,  Elk  and  Chautau- 
qua. Ed.  Jaquins, '  the  member  from  Howard,  introduced  and  passed  the 
bill  creating  the  two  new  counties,  the  bill  designating  Howard  City  county- 
seat  of  Elk  and  the  town  site  of  Sedan  county-seat  of  Chautauqua. 

Immediately  upon  the  passage  of  the  bill  the  validity  of  the  law  was 
contested  in  the  courts,  and  when  sustained  by  the  supreme  court,  in  July, 
the  new  counties  organized  and  became  successors  to  Howard  county,  Elk 
having  been  named  after  the  river  running  through  the  county,  and  Chau- 
tauqua for  Ed.  Jaquins's  home  county  in  New  York. 

The  division  of  Howard  county  and  its  obliteration  was  the  result  of 
county-seat  elections  and  contests  that  had  extended  over  a  period  of  five 
years,  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  county,  resulting  in  an  indebtedness  of 
about  $50,000,  with  nothing  to  show  for  it. 

With  the  removal  of  the  county  officers  to  the  designated  county-seat  of 
the  new  county  of  Chautauqua,  the  writer  and  his  partner  removed  their 
printing-office,  from  which  they  were  issuing  the  Elk  Falls  Journal,  to  Se- 
dan, where  they  commenced  the  publication  of  the  Chautauqua  Journal.  At 
about  the  same  time  two  small  stores  of  mixed  stocks  were  opened  in  tem- 
porary box  buildings,  while  a  third  building  was  erected  in  which  a  saloon 
was  opened.  Another  building  of  the  same  class  was  erected  for  a  boarding- 
house,  where  the  county  officers  and  those  on  and  about  the  town  site  found 
something  to  eat,  lodging  as  best  they  could. 

With  this  start  at  Sedan,  Peru,  seven  miles  to  the  east,  a  town  of  about 
200  population,  seconded  by  the  people  near  the  geographical  center  of  the 
county,  moved  in  the  matter  of  circulating  a  petition  for  a  county-seat  elec- 
tion. A  petition  containing  the  requisite  number  of  names  for  an  election 
was  soon  secured,  when  the  county  commissioners  were  requested  to  con- 

NoTE  1.— H.  B.  Kelly  was  born  in  Richmond,  Ky..  February  28,  1843.  His  parents  moved 
to  Iowa  in  1849.  He  enlisted  in  1862  in  company  C,  First  Iowa  cavalry,  and  served  three  years  as 
a  private  soldier.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  in  Atchison  county,  teaching  school ;  also 
teaching  in  Buchanan  county,  Missouri.  In  the  spring  of  1872  he  made  a  permanent  settlement 
in  Kansas  at  Howard  City,  Howard  county.  He  edited  the  Howard  City  Messenger,  and  after- 
wards the  Elk  Falls  Journal.  Later  he  became  interested  in  the  Chautauqua  Journal,  which  he 
sold  to  buy  the  McPherson  Freeman.  He  was  married  November  17,  1870,  to  Julia  L.  Adkins.  He 
was  elected  to  the  state  senate  from  the  McPherson  district  in  1884  and  reelected  in  1888.  His 
residence  to-day  is  Topeka,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  handling  of  bonds  and  securities. 

Note  2.—  Chapters  78  and  106,  Kansas  Statutes  of  1875. 

Note  3.—  Edward  Jaquins  was  born  in  Clymer,  Chautauqua  county.  New  York,  in  1842.  He 
settled  in  Kansas  in  1872.  He  was  married  in  1876.  He  was  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  in  New  York.  He  represented  Howard  county  in  the  legislature  of  1875,  and  in 
1897  and  1899  represented  Cowley  county. 


90  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

vene  to  consider  the  same.  The  members  of  the  board  were  Ed.  Hewins,* 
T.  J.  Berry,  and  John  Lee ;  Berry  and  the  county  clerk  supposedly  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  petitioners  for  an  election.  On  the  day  fixed  for  considera- 
tion of  the  petition,  owing  to  the  absence  from  the  county  of  Commissioner 
Lee,  it  was  feared  that  Commissioner  Berry  and  the  county  clerk  might 
canvass  the  petition  and  order  an  election.  It  was  therefore  deemed  neces" 
sary  to  secure  Berry  before  the  board  should  assemble,  and  this  was  done 
through  a  promise  to  place  him  on  the  Sedan  ticket  for  the  legislature,  his 
ambitions  in  that  direction  having  been  well  known  to  the  writer  and  to 
Eli  Titus,  5  then  sheriff. 

Management  of  matters  for  Sedan  then  in  hand  devolved  upon  Eli  Titus, 
C.  J.  Peckham,  and  the  writer,  we  having  decided  that,  unless  Berry  could 
be  secured,  we  must  prevent  a  meeting  of  the  board,  and  to  this  end,  upon 
the  arrival  of  Hewins,  in  the  morning,  we  had  him  secrete  himself  in  the 
hay-loft  of  a  little  stable  on  the  town  site,  leaving  Berry  the  only  member 
of  the  board  present.  Hewins  was  to  be  kept  secreted  until  an  agreement 
should  be  concluded  with  Berry,  and  with  this  reached,  Hewins  was  to  come 
out  of  his  hiding  and,  with  Berry,  to  consider  the  petition  for  election.  The 
agreement  with  Berry  was  to  the  effect  that  the  two  sides  should  present 
their  matters  and  debate  and  wrangle  over  the  proposition  until  three  or 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  request  of  the  Sedan  managers 
would  be  granted.  With  this  understanding,  it  was  agreed  that  Berry  should 
act  with  Hewins  in  giving  the  Sedan  people  thirty  days  in  which  to  inspect 
the  petition  for  county-seat  election  before  the  board  should  take  final  ac- 
tion thereon.  This  was  a  great  disappointment  to  Peru  and  the  managers 
for  county-seat  election,  but  it  was  the  winning  card  and  turning-point  for 
Sedan,  as  during  the  thirty  days  copies  of  names  of  signers  to  the  petition 
were  made,  and  the  friends  of  Sedan,  with  pockets  full  of  warranty  deeds 
to  town  lots,  made  and  acknowledged  in  blank,  called  upon  the  petitioners 
and  presented  to  such  as  could  be  secured  deeds,  each,  to  one  or  two  lots, 
owing  to  the  ice  cut  by  the  petitioner,  conditioned  that  the  signer  there  and 
at  that  time  sign  a  request  addressed  to  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
to  erase  his  name  from  the  petition  for  a  county-seat  election  before  mak- 
ing canvass  of  the  petition. 

This  work  was  continued  until  Sedan  town  lots  were  pretty  well  distributed 

Note  4.— Edwin  M.  Hewins  was  born  in  Loraine  county,  Ohio.  March  22,  1839.  His  mother 
was  Sabra  Worcester,  a  relative  of  the  author  of  Worcester's  Dictionary,  and  cousin  of  General 
Harney,  the  famous  Indian  fighter.  Edwin  M.  Hewins  received  a  meager  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Fond  du  Lac  and  Appleton,  Wis.  In  1857,  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  struck 
out  for  himself,  and  settled  on  a  claim  in  Wabaunsee  county,  Kansas.  He  participated  in  some 
of  the  territorial  excitement,  on  the  free-state  side,  and  in  1859  was  a  prospector  in  Colorado  and 
New  Mexico  He  returned  to  Kansas  in  the  winter  of  1860,  and  enlisted  in  the  Second  Kansas 
cavalry.  He  was  severely  wounded  at  Coon  creek,  and  was  honorably  mustered  out  at  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  settled  in  Shawnee  county,  and  in  the  spring  of  1871  removed  to  Howard  county. 
Governor  Crawford  made  him  captain  of  a  militia  company  for  defense  against  the  Indians.  In 
1876  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives.  He  served  again  in  the  house  of 
1879,  and  in  the  senate  of  1885  and  1887.  May  22,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Julia  E.,  a  sister  of  ex- 
United  States  Senator  E.  G.  Ross. 

Note  5. —  Eli  Titus  was  a  pioneer  stock-raiser  and  stock  dealer  in  southern  Kansas.  His 
father.  Benjamin  Titus,  was  a  stock  dealer  near  Galesburg,  111.,  and  his  grandfather,  Benjamin 
Titus,  was  a  New  Jersey  soldier  in  the  revolutionary  war.  Eli  Titus  was  born  at  Lebanon,  Boone 
county,  Indiana,  July  16,  1846.  He  received  a  good  Isusiness  education  at  Lombai-d  College,  Gales- 
burg, 111.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  in  1863,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  company  C,  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-seventh  Illinois,  and  served  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He  married,  at  Connersville, 
Ind.,  October  4,  1869.  Miss  Lilly  Myers.  He  settled  at  Paola,  Kan.,  in  1866.  and  in  1869  removed  to 
Chautauqua  county.  In  1872  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Howard  county  and  served  two  terms. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  in  1883.  Some  years  ago  he  removed  to  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo. 


Building  the  Sedan  Court-House.  91 

over  the  country,  and  enough  names  taken  from  the  petition  to  reduce  it  to 
less  than  the  number  required  for  an  election  by  the  time  of  the  meeting  of 
the  board  thirty  days  later. 

Knowing  that  defeat  of  a  petition  never  permanently  killed  a  movement 
for  county-seat  election,  a  dozen  residents  of  the  county  who  were  opponents 
of  a  county-seat  election  met  in  the  shade  of  a  jack-oak  tree  on  the  borders 
of  the  town  site,  and  these,  as  I  now  recall  the  names,  were:  Eli  Titus,  Ed. 
Hewins,  Ed.  Jaquins,  Col.  Samuel  Donaldson,  John  Lee,  C.  J.  Peckham,  L. 
L.  Turner,'^  J.  L.  Mattingley,  W.  W.  Jones,  Virgil  Jones,  Jas.  Springer,  and 
H.  B.  Kelly,  most  of  whom  resided  in  remote  sections  of  the  county. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  consider  the  best  method  and  plan  for  keeping 
down  county-seat  elections,  and  this,  however,  not  for  pecuniary  interest  of 
the  parties  in  the  town  site,  but  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  the  stinfe  and 
conditions  that  had  resulted  disastrously  to  Howard  county. 

Among  the  several  propositions  offered,  H.  B.  Kelly  proposed  the  erection 
of  a  court-house  as  the  best  method  of  preventing  county-seat  elections,  and 
upon  this  Eli  Titus  moved  that  Kelly  build  a  court-house,  and  the  motion 
carried  unanimously;  the  meeting,  without  organization,  chairman,  or  secre- 
tary, made  no  record  of  its  conclusions.  With  nothing  further  proposed  or 
done,  the  meeting  ended,  and  all  went  to  their  several  homes  and  vocations. 
But  Kelly  had  been  charged  with  building  a  court-house,  and  he  proceeded 
at  once  to  the  work,  becoming  his  own  architect,  own  judge  as  to  size  and 
plan  of  building,  method  of  procedure,  extent  and  conditions  of  contract. 
The  dimensions  of  the  building  undertaken  were  about  fifty  by  sixty  feet, 
two  stories,  and  to  be  built  of  stone— hammered,  dressed,  range  rock.  Five 
oflfices  were  provided  on  the  first  floor,  with  two  and  a  court-room  on  the 
second,  and  the  work  undertaken  with  no  person  pledged  in  writing  for  the 
contribution  of  a  dollar. 

A  stone  contractor  was  secured,  and  an  agreement  made  with  him  for  the 
work,  signed  by  H.  B.  Kelly  and  the  contractor,  but  with  not  a  dollar  on 
hand  to  commence  or  continue  the  work.  A  dozen  men  were  soon  at  work 
laying  foundation  and  carrying  up  the  walls  for  a  court-house,  for  payment 
ofjwhich  neither  the  county  nor  indiyiduals  were  obligated,  while  very  few 
were  informed  as  to  plan,  probable  cost  and  source  from  which  funds  might 
be  derived. 

Each  of  the  dozen  persons  who  had  been  present  at  the  meeting  was  no- 
tified, and  asked  for,  and  paid,  a  contribution  of  fifty  dollars,  which  was  fol- 
lowed with  a  later  payment  of  fifty  dollars,  while  from  that  time  until  about 
the  last  of  December  the  building  of  that  court-house  and  its  completion 
kept  the  writer  a  very  busy  man.   't!!!!^^      ="    '"=: ^^;■ss^^^l^,_ 0^^^^ 

The  Sedan  convention  to  nominate  county  officers  was  held,  a  ticket 
made  up  of  Republicans  and  Democrats  was  designated  "the  Sedan  or  anti- 
county-seat-election  ticket."  This  was  soon  followed  by  the  opposition 
nominating  a  ticket  pledged  to  petition  an  election  for  county  seat.  The 
court-house,  building  through  the  campaign,  was  the  argument  for  the  Se- 
dan ticket,  the  campaign  having  been  made  upon  the  proposition  of  donating 
a  court-house  to  the  county.  Each  candidate  on  the  ticket  was  assessed  fifty 
dollars  for  court-house  purposes,  while  friends  over  the  county  were  called  on 

Note  6.— Leonidas  L.  Turner  was  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners, 
serving  from  April  1,  1883,  to  April  1,  1887. 


92  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

for  contributions,  various  turns  and  shifts  having  been  made  to  raise  money 
or  its  equivalent.  If  a  man  had  an  ox  he  would  sell,  he  w^as  given  a  fancy 
price  for  it,  possibly  twenty-five  per  cent,  above  its  value,  conditioned  that 
he  would  take  a  town  lot  in  exchange  for  it,  or  a  town-company  note,  the 
ox  then  turned  to  payment  for  labor  or  material.  Wheat  was  bought  at 
more  than  railroad  prices,  paid  for  in  town  lots  or  town-company  notes, 
while,  among  the  several  sawmills  in  the  county,  native  lumber,  used  for 
joisting  and  studding,  was  purchased  in  the  same  way  and  upon  like  con- 
dition. Men  wanting  work,  either  hauling  from  Independence  or  hauling 
stone  or  lumber,  were  employed,  and  paid  in  part  in  the  same  way,  with  the 
result  that  in  the  various  and  remote  parts  of  the  county  men  were  engaged 
in  work  on  the  court-house,  and,  having  thus  acquired  an  interest  in  the 
town  site  and  the  success  of  Sedan,  became  advocates  for  the  election  in 
their  several  localities  of  the  Sedan  ticket. 

Prompt  payment  every  Saturday  to  the  dozen  men  at  work  on  the  build- 
ing was  an  important  matter,  and  the  coming  of  Saturday  with  no  cash  was 
a  trying  time  for  the  writer.  However,  he  would  call  in  turn  on  the  little 
stores  or  the  saloon  for  a  loan,  these  having  proven  of  most  valuable  assist- 
ance. Saturday  noon  the  contractor  would  start  hunting  Kelly  and  Kelly 
would  start  for  a  loan.  But  he  never  told  the  person  from  whom  he  obtained 
the  loan  for  what  purpose  the  money  was  wanted.  The  lender  might  guess, 
but  I  feared  that  telling  in  the  early  stages  of  the  work  that  I  was  borrow- 
ing to  pay  for  work  on  the  court-house,  the  enterprise  would  be  regarded  a 
failure  and  the  loan  requested  could  not  be  had.  From  the  saloon  I  would 
borrow  possibly  fifty  dollars,  to  be  returned  the  middle  of  the  next  week, 
and  then  would  bestir  myself  to  collect  in  something,  or  secure  a  new  sub- 
scriber to  the  fund,  when  I  would  promptly  pay  back  the  money  borrowed. 
If  I  failed  to  reaHze  it  from  a  new  source,  I  would  go  to  one  of  the  stores 
and  borrow  and  pay  the  saloon,  and  when  collections  were  quite  slow,  as 
they  usually  were,  I  would  go  to  the  other  store  and  borrow  to  pay  the  first 
store;  and  so,  for  a  period  of  three  months,  I  took  turns  borrowing  in  one 
place  to  pay  in  another,  stirring  up  candidates  and  friends  of  the  movement, 
and  paying  big  prices  for  anything  I  could  turn,  to  realize  upon,  in  some 
way.  I  did  not  permit  work  to  stop,  but  kept  it  moving,  and  through  a 
fierce  campaign  the  court-house  building  proved  the  strong  card  for  the 
Sedan  cause.  The  election  resulted  in  victory  for  the  Sedan  ticket  by  100 
to  200  majority,  the  battle  having  been  won,  though,  with  the  court-house 
still  incomplete.  The  walls  were,  however,  complete,  the  joisting  and  stud- 
ding all  in,  and  the  window-  and  door-frames  in,  but  the  roofing  was  un- 
touched. 

I  submitted  a  proposition  for  roofing  the  building,  designating  the  kind  of 
roof  to  be  put  on,  to  two  firms  of  carpenters  who  had  located  on  the  town 
site,  their  bids  having  been  something  hke  $1100  or  $1200  each,  for  furnish- 
ing everything  and  putting  on  the  roof.  But,  as  there  was  no  such  money 
at  my  command,  I  rejected  the  bids,  and,  driving  to  Independence,  employed 
a  carpenter  for  a  day,  who  went  with  me  into  the  attic  and  inspected  the 
roof  of  the  Caldwell  hotel,  as  the  model  by  which  to  be  guided.  A  plan  of 
the  roof  was  drawn,  with  each  principal  piece  of  lumber  used  therein,  and 
this  we  took  to  a  lumber-yard,  where  I  bought  the  bill  of  lumber  from  the 
carpenter's  draft,  showing  the  exact  pieces  necessary— bought  enough  and 


Building  the  Sedan  Court-House.  93 

no  more— freighted  the  material  to  Sedan  in  wagons,  hired  workmen  by  the 
day,  and,  using  walnut  shingles,  put  the  roof  on  complete  for  something  like 
$500. 

The  structure,  then  a  building,  good  from  foundation  to  roof,  with  walls, 
joisting,  studding,  window-  and  door-frames  in,  and  roof  on,  was  accepted 
by  a  friendly  board  of  county  commissioners  as  a  building  erected,  fully 
satisfactory  to  the  commissioners,  who  under  the  law  were  prevented  from 
levying  a  tax  for  the  "erection  "  of  a  court-house  costing  more  than  $1000. 
They  accepted  the  Sedan  structure  as  a  building,  and  made  a  tax  levy  suffi- 
cient to  complete  the  court-house,  upon  conveying  the  building  with  a  block 
of  ground  to  the  county.  The  cost  of  the  building  paid  as  indicated  in  the 
foregoing  was  about  $4000— possibly  a  little  more;  a  sum  which  now  appears 
insignificant.  But  the  labor  was  secured  cheaply,  there  were  no  leakages, 
and  no  chance  for  leakages,  as  there  was  never  any  accumulation  to  leak, 
and  no  hole  for  it  to  leak  through.  The  raising  of  that  amount  of  money 
at  that  time  in  a  new  community  where  $100  or  .$200  in  cash  made  the  pos- 
sessor a  capitalist,  for  a  town  forty  miles  from  a  railroad,  was  an  under- 
taking fraught  with  no  little  difficulty.  Not  a  candidate,  and  not  a  prospective 
political  candidate,  during  the  period  between  the  commencement  of  the  court- 
house and  election,  was  eager  to  announce  his  personal  connection  with  it; 
in  fact,  he  avoided  that,  as,  in  the  event  of  failure,  defeat  of  the  Sedan  ticket, 
and  stoppage  of  work  on  the  court-house,  the  opponents  of  Sedan  prophe- 
sied that  the  stone  pile  in  Sedan  would  be  pointed  out  as  a  monument  to 
Kelly's  folly. 

But  the  court-house  was  a  success  and  the  Sedan  ticket  was  a  winner; 
victory  reached  through  a  period  of  trial  and  tribulation,  untiring  work  by 
day  and  sleepless  nights  for  the  writer,  as  during  the  time  of  building  the 
court-house  he  was  editing  his  paper  in  the  interest  of  the  ticket,  par- 
ticipating in  campaigning,  speaking  at  nights  in  the  various  schoolhouses  of 
the  county,  and  in  addition  to  this  locating  newcomers  on  lots  of  the  town 
company— lots  donated  to  those  who  would  build  and  become  residents  of 
Sedan. 

It  is  now  thirty  years  since  the  board  of  county  commissioners  accepted 
the  Sedan  court-house  and  that  building  is  still  the  Chautauqua  county  court- 
house; not  imposing,  not  commodious,  and  not  changed,  it  stands  and  has 
stood,  answering  every  purpose^  and  that,  too,  practically  without  cost  to  the 
county,  having  served  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended,  namely,  pre- 
vention of  county-seat  contests.  Chautauqua  county  has  never  had  a  county- 
seat  election,  never  issued  a  bond  for  a  court-house,  nor  made  a  tax  levy 
therefor  to  any  considerable  amount,  save  such  as  was  necessary  for  the 
completion  of  the  building  donated. 

Of  the  group  of  twelve  who  met  in  the  shade  of  the  jack  oak  in  August, 
1875,  Colonel  Donaldson,  Eli  Titus,  Ed.  Hewins,  and  John  Lee,  all  strong  men 
in  their  day,  are  dead. 

Among  those  who  met  and  decided  for  a  court-house  not  one  had  a  per- 
sonal interest  in  the  town  site,  but  were  interested  only  in  having  a  county 
free  from  the  strife  and  turmoil  of  county-seat  contests. 

Briefly,  this  is  the  story  of  the  building  of  the  Sedan  court-house. 


94  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


THE  KANSAS  OIL  PRODUCERS  AGAINST  THE 
STANDARD  OIL  COMPANY. 

An  address  by  William  E.  Connelley,'  delivered  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society, 
at  its  thirtieth  annual  meeting,  December,  5,  1905. 

I  ENGAGED  in  the  business  of  oil  production  at  Chanute,  Kan.,  in  August, 
1903.  I  became  interested  in  holdings  in  Neosho,  Allen  and  Chautauqua 
counties.  During  the  summer  of  1904  prices  of  crude  oils  declined  rapidly, 
and  the  producers  of  crude  petroleum  in  Kansas  came  to  believe  that  the 
depression  then  created  in  their  business  was  caused  by  the  action  of  the 
Standard  Oil  Company.  Many  of  the  producers  were  confronted  by  ruin,  all 
of  them  by  heavy  loss.  As  the  Standard  Oil  Company  appeared  to  be  en- 
trenched behind  legal  forms  no  remedy  existed.  The  oil  producers  were  not 
organized.  What  seemed  a  promising  organization  was  effected  about 
August.  A  meeting  was  held  in  Independence  and  one  at  Chanute;  but  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  had  great  influence  in  both  towns,  and  the  movement 
commenced  by  these  meetings  for  the  organization  of  the  general  field 
amounted  to  nothing.  Chanute  maintained  a  strong  and  aggressive  local  oil 
producers'  association.  The  feeling  that  some  remedy  for  the  existing  evils 
could  and  would  be  found  was  wide-spread  in  the  state.  In  his  message  to 
the  legislature  Gov.  E.  W.  Hoch  gave  official  expression  to  this  feeling,  and 
he  recommended  that  some  adequate  remedy  be  devised  by  the  legislature. 
On  Thursday,  January  12,  1905,  I  was  in  Peru,  Kan.,  with  J.  0.  Fife, 
attending  to  a  business  matter.  It  was  a  cold  day.  A  deep  snow  had  fallen 
the  night  of  the  11th,  and  on  this  snow  there  was  a  thick  crust  of  sleet.  It 
was  with  diflficulty  that  our  team  broke  the  road  from  Peru  to  Sedan,  but 
the  trip  was  finally  made.  Hoping  to  find  the  south  road  in  better  condition, 
we  returned  to  Peru  by  the  route  that  leads  by  the  Hufi'man  pool,  a  rich  oil- 
field, but  we  found  nc  person  had  driven  over  that  road,  and  we  had  to  break 
the  way  from  Sedan  to  Peru.  Upon  our  return  to  Peru  we  went  to  the  office 
of  H.  E.  West,  where  the  Kansas  City  daily  papers  were  found.  They  con- 
tained Governor  Hoch's  message,  which  was  read  with  great  interest  by 
every  one.  It  created  much  discussion,  during  which  it  was  suggested  that 
we  begin  then  and  there  to  form  some  organization  embracing  all  the  pi-o- 
ducers  of  crude  oil  in  Kansas;  this  body  to  seek  to  accomplish  the  purposes 
deemed  necessary  to  preserve  the  oil  industry  of  the  state.  After  mature 
deliberation  upon  the  matter,  Mr.  West  decided  to  call  together  in  his  office, 
at  eight  o'clock  that  evening,  all  the  oil  producers  in  the  vicinity  of  Peru. 
Some  eight  or  ten  producers  responded  to  the  call.  They  formed  the  Chau- 
tauqua County  Oil  Producers'  Association,  and  the  newly  formed  body  de- 
cided to  issue  a  call  for  a  meeting  of  the  oil  producers  of  the  entire  oil-field. 
I  was  requested  to  prepare  the  call.  I  went  into  a  room  apart  from  the  one 
in  which  the  meeting  was  in  progress;  there  I  wrote  the  following,  which 

Note  1.— Author  of  The  Provisional  Government  of  Nebraska  Territory  ;  John  Brown  ;  James 
H.  Lane ;  Wyandot  Folk-lore  ;  Kansas  Territorial  Governors ;  An  Appeal  to  the  Record  ;  Over- 
land Stage  to  California  (with  Frank  A.  Root )  ;  Memoirs  of  John  J.  Ingalls ;  The  Heckewelder 
NaiTative  ;  Doniphan's  Expedition  ( in  preparation  ).  For  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Connelley, 
see  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  7,  p.  486. 


Kansas  Oil  Producers^  First  Fight.  95 

was  adopted  without  change,  though  the  19th  was  substituted  for  the  24th 
as  the  day  for  the  meeting: 

"Peru,  Kan.,  January  12,  1905. 

"The  Chautauqua  County  Oil  Producers'  Association  read  with  pleasure 
the  message  of  Governor  Hoch  to  the  legislature.  He  does  not  disappoint 
us,  but  proves  the  true  friend  of  Kansas  and  of  every  industry  vital  to  her 
interest  and  prosperity.  We  congratulate  the  producers  of  petroleum  upon 
the  position  and  stand  of  Governor  Hoch.  And  we  also  congratulate  them 
upon  the  election  by  the  people  of  a  legislature  of  good  business  men,  de- 
termined to  do  everything  possible  to  foster,  preserve  and  develop  the  re- 
sources—all the  resources— of  the  great  state  of  Kansas.  And  while  Kansas 
has  surprised  the  world  by  her  marvelous  growth  of  corn,  wheat,  cattle,  and 
other  agricultural  and  live-stock  products,  and  by  her  production  of  lead, 
salt,  and  other  mineral  resources,  she  now  bids  fair  to  become  the  greatest 
producer  of  crude  petroleum  in  America.  This  being  true,  it  is  but  just 
that  the  people  of  Kansas  should  enjoy  the  results  and  profits  of  this 
valuable  resource.  It  is  particularly  gratifying  that  Governor  Hoch  is  of 
this  opinion,  and  that  he  believes  that  the  people  should  not  be  robbed  of 
these  profits  by  monopoly  and  the  unjust  methods  which  have  proven  so  disas- 
trous to  this  particular  industry  in  other  states. 

' '  Realizing  that  the  petroleum  interests  of  Kansas  are  of  enormous  pro- 
portions and  capable  of  indefinite  extension,  and  that  they  extend  over 
several  counties  of  the  state  and  require  the  consideration  and  careful  at- 
tention of  every  person  interested  therein,  this  association  desires  to  assist 
in  devising  ways  and  means  to  enable  the  people  to  realize  the  hopes  ex- 
pressed by  Governor  Hoch.  To  this  end  this  association  deems  it  a  duty  to 
request  every  producer  of  crude  petroleum  in  Kansas,  and  every  one  inter- 
ested therein,  to  be  present  at  a  general  and  fraternal  meeting  which  it 
hereby  calls  for  Thursday,  the  19th  day  of  January,  1905,  in  the  Throop 
hotel,  Topeka,  Kan.,  at  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.,  to  discuss  the  present  condi- 
tions and  future  prospects  of  the  petroleum  industry  of  this  state,  and  to 
take  such  united  action  as  may  then  and  there  be  believed  proper  and  nec- 
essary. The  Chautauqua  County  Oil  Producers'  Association. 

By  H.  E.  west.  President:' 

Copies  of  this  call  were  coming  from  the  press  in  Peru  the  following  day, 
before  I  left  for  my  home  in  Chanute.  At  that  time  plans  for  the  Topeka 
meeting  were  not  discussed,  for  there  was  no  certainty  that  it  would  have 
a  fair  attendance,  and  until  it  was  known  that  the  producers  would  be 
present  in  respectable  number  it  was  thought  to  be  idle  to  make  plans. 
The  call  was  sent  broadcast.  The  Chautauqua  county  association,  of  which 
I  was  a  charter  member,  did  little  the  week  following  the  formulation 
of  the  call  but  solicit  attendance  upon  the  Topeka  meeting.  The  response 
of  the  producers  was  sudden  and  enthusiastic,  and  we  could  see  that 
the  meeting  would  be  a  success.  A  special  train  was  provided  to  carry 
the  producers  to  Topeka,  and  it  was  crowded.  Every  part  of  the  Kan- 
sas oil-field  was  represented.  The  day  preceding  the  meeting  was  stormy, 
and  when  the  train  arrived  in  Topeka,  at  dark,  snow  was  falling.  The 
Hotel  Throop  was  soon  fill,ed  to  overflowing,  and  Mr.  West  saw  that  the 
meeting  would  have  to  be  in  some  hall,  if  all  the  producers  were  to  be 
present,  for  there  was  no  room  in  the  hotel  large  enough  to  hold  them. 
The  audience  chamber  of  the  Topeka  Commercial  Club  was  engaged  for 
the  meeting  on  the  19th.  On  the  night  of  the  18th  a  meeting  was  held 
in  the  parlors  of  the  hotel  at  which  the  question  concerning  the  union 
of  producers  of  oil  and  those  of  natural  gas  in  the  proposed  movement 
was  discussed.  The  oil  producers  thought  it  best  not  to  join  the  two  inter- 
ests, but  the  producers  of  gas  were  anxious  to  have  the  organization  to  be 


96  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

formed  care  for  the  interests  of  the  producers  of  both  oil  and  gas ;  on  this 
subject  no  agreement  was  reached  in  the  meeting,  although  the  question 
engrossed  the  attention  of  every  one  present  for  the  remainder  of  the  even- 
ing. Matters  were  in  a  chaotic  condition.  A  large  attendance  had  been 
secured  and  the  producers  were  enthusiastic ;  but  there  seemed  a  lack  of 
leadership,  and  no  one  had  any  plan  for  even  the  meeting  to  be  held  on  the 
19th.  Plans  for  handling  the  general  situation  were  almost  as  numerous  as 
the  producers  present.  The  indications  were  that  a  plan  would  have  to  be 
evolved  after  long  discussion  of  the  numerous  ones  presented.  I  knew  this 
course  was  fraught  with  danger  and  likely  to  develop  dangerous  and  irre- 
concilable differences.  There  was  some  unanimity  as  to  what  we  would 
have  done,  but  none  as  to  how  to  make  intelligent  effort  to  secure  the  ends 
desired.  I  retired  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  at  that  time  there  was  nothing 
definite  determined  for  the  coming  meeting  except  that  Mr.  West  would 
preside  over  its  deliberations. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th,  I  went  early  into  the  writing-room  of  the 
hotel  and  sat  down  at  a  small  desk  and  wrote  nine  resolutions.  During  the 
night  I  had  studied  the  whole  movement  carefully  and  reflected  upon  the 
expressions  of  the  oil  producers  gathered  in  the  hotel  lobby.  I  had  arrived 
at  a  conclusion  as  to  what  should  be  done  at  the  meeting,  and  these  resolu- 
tions embodied  that  conclusion.  Some  of  the  resolutions  were  in  effect  the 
same  that  I  had  helped  prepare  for  our  Chanute  association.  In  forming 
the  other  resolutions  I  had  not  even  a  suggestion  from  any  one.  I  finished 
writing  the  resolutions  just  as  the  hotel  lobby  began  to  fill,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  operator  of  a  typewriter  came  in  and  took  her  seat  at  a  machine 
on  a  small  desk  across  the  door  from  me.  I  had  her  make  half  a  dozen 
copies  of  the  resolution.  While  talking  to  her,  R.  C.  Rawlings,  of  Chanute, 
came  in  with  a  resolution  expressing  the  gratitude  of  the  producers  to 
Governor  Hoch.  I  had  prepared  a  similar  resolution,  but  as  that  of  Mr. 
Rawlings  was  better  than  mine  I  asked  leave  to  use  it,  which  he  readily 
granted.  The  copies  were  finished  about  ten  o'clock.  I  had  not  seen  Mr. 
West  up  to  that  time  that  morning,  nor  had  I  talked  with  any  of  the  principal 
producers  that  day. 

I  took  my  resolutions  directly  from  the  typewriter  to  the  room  of 
Mr.  West.  There  I  found  Mr.  West,  J.  H.  McBride,  Charles  Noble,  and 
also  M.  L.  Lockwood,  who  was  writing  a  resolution  covering  the  rate 
question.  These  gentlemen  were  discussing  the  situation,  in  an  effort  to 
mark  out  a  course  to  be  pursued  in  the  meeting,  but  nothing  definite  had 
been  concluded.  I  presented  my  resolutions  and  went  over  them  carefully. 
They  agreed  that  I  had  covered  the  situation  and  pronounced  the  resolutions 
satisfactory.  I  handed  them  to  Mr.  West  and  started  to  go  out,  but  he 
called  me  back  and  requested  me  to  submit  the  resolutions  to  the  meeting, 
which  I  agreed  to  do.  And  then  we  started  to  the  hall  where  the  meeting 
was  to  be  held. 

When  we  left  the  hotel  to  go  to  the  meeting,  we  found  the  day  clear 
and  bright,  and  many  remarked  that  it  was  a  good  omen.  The  meeting  was 
called  to  order  by  Mr.  West  as  soon  as  we  arrived  at  the  chamber,  and  he, 
as  chairman,  read  a  long  paper,  with  which  he  was  not  satisfied.  Then 
J.   M.   Parker,   of  Independence,   was   elected   secretary  of   the  meeting. 


Kansas  Oil  Producers'  First  Fight.  97 

Mr.  West  asked  what  was  the  further  pleasure  of  the  meeting.     I  offered 
the  first  of  my  resolutions,  as  follows: 

"Resolved,  That  this  organization  become  a  permanent  body,  to  be 
known  as  the  Kansas  Oil  Producers'  Association,  and  that  it  be  extended  by 
the  admission  to  membership  of  any  person  engaged  in  the  production  of 
crude  oil  in  Kansas." 

I  moved  the  adoption  of  the  resolution,  and  it  was  adopted  without  dis- 
cussion.    Then  I  read  my  second  resolution,  which  follows: 

"Resolved,  That  the  president  shall,  upon  the  adjournment  of  this  meet- 
ing, appoint  four  members,  who,  together  with  himself,  shall  constitute  the 
executive  committee  of  this  association,  which  said  executive  committee 
shall  be  the  executive  and  administrative  power  and  authority  of  the  asso- 
ciation until  the  first  annual  election,  which  shall  be  provided  for  by  said 
executive  committee.  Such  executive  committee  shall  appoint  such  other 
committees— legislative  and  others— as  it  may  deem  necessary.  Said  ex- 
ecutive committee  shall  devise  ways  and  means  to  raise  such  funds  as  may 
be  required  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  association,  and  shall  appoint  a 
treasurer  to  receive  and  disburse  the  same  upon  its  order. ' ' 

This  was  the  most  important  resolution  I  had  prepared.  It  constituted 
a  scheme  of  government  for  the  association  and  provided  for  every  contin- 
gency which  I  could  foresee.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  embodiment  of  all  the 
meeting  was  called  to  accomplish,  and  I  was  anxious  to  know  how  the  pro- 
ducers would  receive  it.  There  was  no  discussion  after  I  moved  the  adop- 
tion of  the  resolution,  and  it  passed  by  a  unanimous  vote.  I  was  much 
pleased,  for  I  then  knew  there  would  be  no  wrangling,  no  disagreement,  no 
dissatisfaction,  and  that  the  meeting  would  be  harmonious;  and  I  then  be- 
lieved that  the  ends  for  which  we  were  organizing  to  labor  would  be  fully 
accomplished.  I  felt  that  an  organization  was  effected  which  would  be  a 
power  for  good  in  Kansas. 

At  the  request  of  Mr.  H.  B.  Kelly,  I  read  the  remaining  resolutions  at 
once  and  moved  their  adoption  together.     They  were  as  follows : 

'  'Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  association  that  the  state  of  Kan- 
sas ought  to  erect  and  maintain  a  refinery  for  oil,  of  the  capacity  of  at  least 
5000  barrels  daily." 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  association  that  a  law  should  be 
enacted  by  the  present  legislature  making  all  pipe-lines  now  built  and  those 
to  be  constructed  in  the  future  for  the  transportation  of  oil  common  car- 
riers, subject  to  all  the  laws,  duties  and  obligations  of  the  same,  and  that 
said  lines  be  regulated  in  all  matters  by  some  competent  authority,  to  be 
designated  by  the  legislature." 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  association  that  the  legislature 
ought  to  protect  the  industries  of  this  state  by  a  law  providing  heavy  penal- 
ties for  its  violation,  and  which  should  prohibit  any  dealer,  owner  or  manu- 
facturer from  selling  his  products  at  a  lower  price  in  one  portion  of  the 
state  than  in  another  portion  thereof,  all  items  of  cost  considered,  thereby 
creating  a  monopoly  and  destroying  competition  in  manufacture,  trade,  and 
commerce." 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  association  that  the  present  legis- 
lature should  by  law  provide  for  transportation  rates  and  charges  by  rail- 
roads and  pipe-lines  that  will  enable  the  producers  of  oil  in  this  state  to  sell 
their  product  in  any  portion  thereof  at  a  fair  profit  for  fuel  and  other  pur- 
poses." 

'  'Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  association  that  the  present  legis- 
lature should  provide  a  competent  board  of  inspection,  to  be  supported  by 
reasonable  fees  collected  for  services  performed,  to  protect  the  resources  of 

-7 


98  KaTisas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  state  by  the  proper  action  concerning  dry,  abandoned,  imperfect,  ex- 
hausted or  dangerous  oil-  or  gas-wells.  Also  for  the  inspection  and  proper 
grading  of  the  crude  oil  produced  in  the  state,  and  having  authority  to  act 
upon  the  appeal  of  producers  or  purchasers  in  case  of  dispute." 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  the  sense  of  the  Kansas  oil  producers,  in  convention 
assembled,  that  the  action  of  Governor  Hoch  in  recommending  such  legisla- 
tion as  will  protect  the  Kansas  producers  of  crude  petroleum  and  the  refiners 
of  the  same  from  the  crushing  and  throttling  grasp  of  monopolistic  influ- 
ences is  most  heartily  and  sincerely  commended  as  the  act  of  a  man  to  whom 
the  interests  and  welfare  of  the  people  of  this  state  are  very  dear;  and  we 
furthermore  thank  him  from  our  innermost  hearts  for  his  manly  actions  and 
his  mode  of  encouragement  to  the  oil  producers  of  the  state." 

"Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  association  be  tendered  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  present  legislature  for  the  manifest  disposition  shown  to  pre- 
serve and  foster  the  oil  industries  of  Kansas." 

The  resolutions  were  adopted  after  very  httle  discussion.  The  last  reso- 
lution is  changed  a  little  from  the  form  in  which  I  put  it,  as  I  had  tendered 
the  thanks  of  the  association  to  Senators  Porter  and  Waggener  only,  for  the 
introduction  of  bills  in  the  interest  of  the  oil  producers.  It  was  believed 
best  to  include  all  the  members  of  the  legislature.  No  other  changes  were 
made  in  the  resolutions. 

Within  an  hour  after  President  West  inquired  the  pleasure  of  the  meet- 
ing the  work  for  which  the  oil  producers  had  assembled  was  fully  accom- 
plished, and  there  had  been  scarcely  five  minutes'  discussion  of  the  resolutions 
offered.  A  gentleman  from  Nebraska,  whom  no  one  present  knew,  but  who 
was  suspected  of  being  an  agent  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  in  disguise, 
wanted  the  membership  to  include  consumers  of  oil,  as  well  as  producers, 
but  he  met  with  little  encouragement.  So  rapidly  and  with  so  little  friction 
had  the  work  been  done  that  all  were  surprised  to  find  there  was  really 
nothing  else  to  do.  Mr.  S.  H.  Whisner,  of  Wyandotte  county,  moved  that 
a  committee  on  constitution  and  by-laws  be  appointed,  and  this  he  moved 
after  the  adoption  of  all  resolutions.  It  was  explained  to  him  that  the  meet- 
ing had  passed  that  stage,  and  that  the  purpose  supposed  to  be  served  by  a 
constitution  and  by-laws  had  been  provided  for  in  the  second  resolution.  On 
motion  of  Mr.  Rawlings,  of  Chanute,  a  tax  of  fifty  cents  per  month  on  each 
producing  oil-well  was  levied  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  association,  and  the 
meeting  adjourned  for  dinner  with  practically  all  of  its  work  done  and  objects 
accomplished. 

At  the  afternoon  meeting  President  West  announced  the  names  of  the 
four  members  appointed  by  him  on  the  executive  committee.  They  wei'e  L. 
H.  Perkins,  of  Lawrence;  Senator  S.  J.  Stewart,  of  Humboldt  (not  a  mem- 
ber of  that  legislature);  J.  M.  Parker,  of  Independence;  and  J.  O.  Fife,  for 
Chanute,  though  he  lived  in  Wyandotte  county.  The  committee  was  a  good 
one.  It  organized  by  the  election  of  H.  E.  West,  president;  J.  O.  Fife,  vice- 
president;  J.  M.  Parker,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Mr.  West  assumed  the  real  work  of  the  committee.  It  is  safe  to  say 
that  no  man  was  ever  more  faithful  to  a  trust,  nor  was  one  ever  more  de- 
voted to  a  cause;  and  it  is  safe  to  say,  also,  that  no  man  ever  did  more 
effective  work.  He  directed  a  campaign  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  the 
people  of  Kansas  in  his  efforts  to  secure  legislation  along  the  lines  laid 
down  in  the  resolutions,  and  it  was  not  long  until  the  whole  state  was 
aroused.  Petitions  and  letters  poured  in  upon  the  legislature  from  every 
quarter.     The  newspapers  took  up  the  work.      Public  gatherings  passed 


Kansas  Oil  Producers'  First  Fight.  99 

resolutions.  There  was  an  uprising  such  as  can  occur  nowhere  but  in  Kan- 
sas. It  spread  to  other  states.  Illinois  offered  to  loan  Kansas  the  money 
to  build  the  state  refinery.  The  whole  country  was  aroused.  Congress  or- 
dered an  investigation  of  conditions  existing  in  the  oil-fields.  The  action  of 
the  state  in  rebelling  against  the  greatest  and  wickedest  corporation  on 
earth,  when  older  and  richer  states  had  submitted  to  its  arrogance  for  years 
without  protest,  was  applauded  throughout  the  land.  Kansas  was  praised 
for  her  courage.  Her  rebellion  against  slavery  and  its  destruction  through 
her  efforts  were  often  mentioned,  and  the  hope  was  expressed  that  her  re- 
markable rebellion  against  trusts  would  lead  to  their  regulation  and  control 
in  this  country.  The  Standard  Oil  Company  tried  to  stay  the  rising  tide  by 
sending  its  representatives  to  Topeka  to  use  methods  so  often  effective  in 
other  places  and  by  employing  a  great  number  of  "attorneys"  and  hang- 
ers-on about  legislatures,  but  these  were  swept  out  of  the  state  and  out  of 
service  immediately,  to  appear  no  more  around  the  state-house,  so  fierce 
was  the  sentiment  against  them.  And  for  all  these  things  President  West 
was  largely  responsible.  He  surprised  everybody  by  his  executive  ability 
and  his  power  to  organize  and  influence  men.  Often  he  worked  twenty 
hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  and  was  always  sanguine  of  success. 

The  accomplishments  of  the  association  were  truly  remarkable.  The 
third,  fourth,  fifth,  sixth  and  seventh  resolutions  were  in  effect  requests  for 
the  enactment  of  laws.  Of  these  five  requests,  four  were  complied  with  by 
the  legislature.     They  are  as  follows  : 

The  third  resolution  requested  the  state  to  erect  and  maintain  an  oil  re- 
finery capable  of  handling  5000  barrels  of  crude  oil  daily.  The  law  as  passed 
made  the  daily  capacity  of  the  refinery  1000  barrels.  This  law  was  declared 
by  the  state  supreme  court  to  be  in  conflict  with  the  constitution  of  Kansas. - 

The  fourth  resolution  requested  a  law  declaring  pipe-lines  for  the  trans- 
portation of  oil  common  carriers,  subject  to  all  the  restrictions  applicable  to 
common  carriers;  and  a  common-carrier  law  was  passed  and  is  now  a  Kan- 
sas statute.  3 

The  fifth  resolution  requested  a  law  prohibiting  any  corporation  or  person 
from  underselling  a  competitor,  to  ruin  him,  and  at  the  same  time  sell  the 
same  product  at  a  higher  price  in  another  community.  A  law  known  as  the 
antidiscrimination  law  was  passed  in  compliance  with  this  request.  It  is 
now  on  the  statute-book,  and  is  one  of  the  best  laws  ever  enacted  by  any 
state.  Under  its  provisions  a  number  of  independent  refineries  are  in  op- 
eration in  the  state.  It  is  estimated  that  more  than  a  million  dollars  have 
been  invested  in  Kansas  refineries  by  residents  of  other  states  as  a  result 
of  the  enactment  of  this  law  less  than  one  year  ago.  And  it  has  made  the 
price  of  oil  uniform  in  the  state.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  this  law  has  already 
saved  the  people  of  Kansas  ten  million  dollars,  for  it  applies  to  all  manu- 
factured articles  and  not  alone  to  refined  oil.  ^ 

The  sixth  resolution  requested  the  enactment  of  a  law  placing  a  maximum 

Note  2.  —  There  were  appropriated  the  following  sums  for  the  construction,  maintenance, 
etc.,  of  the  Penitentiary  and  Oil  Refinery  :  Ten  thousand  dollars  for  provision  of  suitable  quar- 
ters, feeding,  guarding,  etc.,  of  convicts  employed  in  its  construction;  $200,000 for  construction 
and  equipment;  and  $200,000  as  a  "revolving  fund  "for  the  operation  of  the  plant.  (Session 
Laws  of  1905,  ch.  478,  p.  783.)  Declared  unconstitutional  by  the  supreme  court  July  7,  1905. 
Justice  A.  L.  Greene  writing  the  opinion. 

Note  3.-  Session  Laws  of  1905,  ch.  315,  p.  526. 

Note  4.- Id.,  ch.  2,  p.  2. 


100  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

rate  for  freight  charges  on  the  shipment  of  oil  by  railroads.  The  law  was 
enacted,  and  under  its  operation  a  large  business  is  being  built  up  in  various 
parts  of  the  state  in  the  establishment  of  fuel-oil  stations.  The  fuel- oil 
dealers  purchase  their  oil  from  the  Kansas  oil  producers.  Before  the  enact- 
ment of  this  law  the  freight  rates  on  crude  oil  in  Kansas  were  prohibitive.^ 

The  seventh  resolution  requested  a  board  for  the  supervision  and  protec- 
tion of  the  oil-fields  from  damage  from  neglected  and  abandoned  wells,  and 
to  supervise  the  inspection  and  grading  of  crude  oil.  It  should  have  been 
passed.  It  is  supposed  that  there  would  have  been  little  opposition  to  a 
proper  bill  of  that  nature;  but  the  time  of  the  legislature  is  Umited  by  law, 
and  in  the  labor  of  shaping  and  passing  the  other  bills  deemed  of  more  im- 
portance this  bill  had  to  be  neglected  and  was  not  passed,  though  it  is  con- 
fidently expected  that  the  next  legislature  will  enact  a  law  along  the  lines 
marked  out  by  the  resolution. 

The  result  of  the  formation  of  the  association  and  its  efforts  was  the 
enactment  of  four  laws  out  of  five  which  were  requested— a  result  never  be- 
fore equaled  in  Kansas,  and,  so  far  as  we  know,  never  equaled  in  any  other 
state;  and,  as  said  before,  this  remarkable  record  was  largely  due  to  the 
sound  judgment  and  untiring  energy  of  President  West.  His  selection  for 
the  head  of  the  association  was  the  most  fortunate  that  could  have  been 
made.  He  had  the  undivided  support  of  the  other  members  of  the  executive 
committee,  all  able  men,  and  in  their  respective  positions  did  splendid  work. 
Everybody  worked— worked  to  full  capacity,  and  in  unison  with  every  other 
worker. 

We  must  not  forget  the  legislature  in  this  brief  review,  for  it  is  entitled 
to  honorable  mention  always.  In  ability,  as  a  body,  it  ranked  far  above 
the  average  legislature.  It  was  patriotic,  square,  and  honest.  It  realized 
that  it  had  been  elected  to  labor  for  the  welfare  of  Kansas,  and  it  rose  to 
the  occasion  and  did  its  duty.  It  was  not  elected  on  the  issues  put  before  it 
by  the  oil  producers,  but  it  responded  nobly  to  what  it  saw  was  the  right  of 
the  matter.  It  was  a  clean,  honorable  body,  bent  on  doing  the  right  thing. 
It  was  a  business  body,  careful  of  its  reputation,  for  there  were  no  grafts 
nor  scandals.  I  said,  in  a  communication  to  a  Chanute  newspaper,  that  no 
other  legislature  had  ever  been  given  the  opportunity  in  Kansas  which  now 
came  to  this  one,  and  if  it  responded  intelligently  it  would  be  the  most  illus- 
trious that  ever  met  in  any  state.  That  estimate  may  have  been  too  high, 
though  I  doubt  it.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  Kansas  legislature  of  1905 
stood  for  a  square  deal,  and  against  graft,  boodle,  trusts,  and  other  forms 
of  oppression  of  the  people. 

The  oil  men  saw  with  satisfaction  many  of  the  ablest  men  in  the  legisla- 
ture come  to  their  aid  and  labor  especially  in  their  interest,  without  expecta- 
tion of  fee  or  reward.  Where  all  the  friends  of  the  oil  producers  did  so  well, 
it  is  difficult  justly  to  make  special  mention.  In  the  senate,  W.  S.  Fitzpat- 
rick  and  F.  D.  Smith  were  untiring  in  their  efforts,  but  none  worked  harder 
nor  with  better  judgment  than  Senator  James  F.  Getty,  of  Wyandotte 
county.  His  course  was  an  agreeable  surprise  to  the  oil  producers.  He  was 
a  new  man  in  the  public  affairs  of  Kansas,  and  it  was  not  known  how  he 
would  regard  the  questions  presented  by  the  oil  men.  He  voluntarily  es- 
poused their  cause,  for  the  sole  reason  that  he  believed  it  the  right  thing  to 

Note  5.—  Session  Laws  of  1905,  ch.  315,  sees.  3,  4,  p.  536. 


The  History  of  the  Desert.  101 

do,  and  he  stood  for  their  requests  with  marked  ability.  Many  other  sena- 
tors did  the  same,  and  scores  of  house  members  could  be  named  who  fought 
valiantly  for  the  measures  proposed  by  the  producers. 

Governor  Hoch  was  a  host  within  himself.  His  position  on  these  ques- 
tions, so  vigorously  urged  in  his  splendid  message,  made  it  possible  for  the 
association  to  be  formed.  Without  his  official  expression  in  favor  of  the  oil 
producers  of  Kansas  we  could  not  have  organized  the  association,  nor  could 
we  have  secured  the  cooperation  of  the  people  of  Kansas.  In  any  move- 
ment for  the  rights  of  the  people  it  is  imperative  that  some  strong  man 
stand  boldly  forth  as  their  champion  in  the  beginning.  Governor  Hoch's 
defiant  challenge  to  the  Standard  Oil  Company  rang  like  a  trumpet  blast, 
and  was  our  rallying-cry.  He  sprang  at  once  into  national  prominence  be- 
cause of  his  fearlessness,  his  ability,  his  courageous  stand  for  the  people, 
and  for  his  uncompromising  hostility  to  trusts.  At  home  he  became  the 
idol  of  his  people. 

The  laws  enacted  at  the  instance  of  the  Kansas  oil  producers  have  been 
on  the  statute-books  less  than  a  year  at  this  writing,  but  the  good  effects 
of  them  all  are  already  visible  in  many  directions.  These  good  effects  will 
increase  enormously  in  the  near  future. 

The  fight  started  by  the  oil  producers  here  has  spread  to  many  states. 
Kansas  blazed  the  way,  as  she  always  does  when  a  great  movement  for  the 
rights  of  the  people  is  to  be  inaugurated.  Under  the  leadership  of  Governor 
Hoch  the  people  carried  their  cause  to  the  legislature,  which,  by  its  re- 
sponse, became  the  most  remarkable  that  ever  assembled  in  any  state,  and 
became  illustrious  in  being  the  first  to  make  a  stalwart  stand  against  the 
further  encroachments  of  monopolistic  greed. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  DESERT. 

An  address  by  Frank  W.  Blackmar,'  delivered  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society, 
at  its  thirtieth  annual  meeting,  December  5,  1905. 

THE  theory  of  a  great  American  desert  stretching  over  boundless  wastes 
in  the  intei-ior  of  the  continent  has  been  one  of  the  most  persistent  ideas 
in  the  historical  development  of  our  nation.  Based  upon  the  meager  facts 
obtainable  by  indirect  methods,  this  theory  has  been,  largely,  the  product  of  the 
vivid  imagination  of  writers  who  felt  and  travelers  and  explorers  who  suffered. 
Philosophers,  historians  and  scientists  have  contributed  to  the  dream  and  ihe 
statesman  has  ever  been  prone  to  concede  what  he  considered  the  inevitable. 
And  quite  naturally  enough  it  came  about,  for  they  had  no  method  of  know- 
ing the  actual  resources  of  the  country  and  no  conception  of  the  methods  to 
be  employed  in  its  conquest.  True  it  is,  also,  that,  compared  with  the  fertile 
valleys  and  wooded  districts  east  of  the  Mississippi,  the  great  inland  basin 
has  been  to  all  ordinary  purposes  a  veritable  desert,  for  it  failed  to  give  up 

Note  1.— Frank  Wilson  Blackmar  was  born  November  3,  1854,  at  Springfield,  Pa.  He 
graduated  from  the  University  of  the  Pacific  in  1881,  A.  M.,  1884  :  Ph.  D.,  Johns  Hopkins,  1889  : 
professor  of  mathematics.  University  of  the  Pacific,  1882-'86  :  graduate  student  Johns  Hopkins, 
1886-'89  ;  fellow  in  history  and  politics,  1888-'89  ;  professor  of  history  and  sociology.  University  of 
Kansas,  since  1889  ;  president  Kansas  conference  charities  and  corrections,  1900-'02.  He  is  author 
of  Federal  and  State  Aid  to  Higher  Education  in  the  United  States,  1890  ;  Spanish  Colonization, 
1890  :  Spanish  Institutions  in  the  Southwest,  1891 ;  The  Study  of  History  and  Sociology,  1890  : 
The  Story  of  Human  Progress,  1896  ;  Economics,  1900  ;  Jlistory  of  Higher  Education  in  Kansas, 
1900 ;  Charles  Robinson,  the  Free-state  Governor  of  Kansas,  1900  ;  Life  of  Charles  Robinson,  the 
First  Governor  of  Kansas,  1902  ;  The  Elements  of  Sociology,  1905. 


102  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

its  treasures  and  to  submit  to  civilization  in  ways  similar  to  the  more  favor- 
able districts  of  the  Mississippi  valley  and  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  And  so  the 
terrors  of  this  te^-ra  incognita  have  been  magnified  and  its  worthlessness 
proclaimed. 

Gradually,  however,  myth  has  given  way  to  fact,  just  as  trapper  and 
explorer  have  given  place  to  the  bona  fide  settler  ;  the  pony  express  and 
the  prairie-schooner  to  the  railroad ;  and  the  land  has  ceased  to  be  considered 
a  mere  highway  by  the  shortest  trails  to  the  Pacific  slope,  and  has  become 
a  habitable  land,  whose  mineral  and  agricultural  resources  are  to  be  de- 
veloped—a land  whose  face  is  dotted  with  beautiful  towns  and  cities  and 
pleasant  homes.  In  the  great  drama  of  settlement,  while  the  world  was 
thinking  and  dreaming  of  the  dreary  wastes  of  land  and  creating  the  myth 
of  the  desert,  the  hardy  pioneer  was  setting  his  stakes  farther  westward 
and  enlarging  the  boundaries  of  civilization.  It  was  a  strenuous  life, 
marked  by  self-denial,  hardship,  and  toil,  frequently  of  disappointment  and 
regret.  Frequently  romance  and  tragedy  existed  side  by  side.  For  it  must 
be,  in  the  mastery  of  nature,  that  a  large  number  of  people  should  live  on 
the  margin  of  culture,  preparing  the  way  for  others  who  may  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  civilization  thus  made  possible.  So,  in  the  settlement  of  the 
West,  statesman,  historian,  scientific  explorer  and  the  prophet  of  human 
destiny  were  thrust  aside  by  the  adventurous  spirit  who  took  his  life  in  his 
hands  and  went  out  to  meet  and  conquer  the  difficulties  of  an  unknown  land. 
It  was  the  pioneer  who  demonstrated  the  possibilities  of  the  country  and 
made  known  its  characteristics  and  advantages,  and  who  really  mastered  the 
territory. 

Perhaps  the  first  suggestion  of  the  myth  of  the  desert  came  from  Thomas 
Jefferson,  who  thought  that  the  great  inland  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi 
would  be  of  comparatively  little  value  to  the  United  States.  In  the  purchase 
of  Louisiana  he  seemed  to  be  thinking  only  of  a  strip  of  land  which  would 
protect  our  Western  frontier,  rather  than  of  a  great  territory  to  be  filled 
with  a  teeming  population.  But  there  was  no  real  knowledge  of  this  country 
at  the  time  of  JeflFerson.  It  was  a  boundless  territory,  unknown  as  to  soil, 
climate,  and  possibilities  of  civilization.  It  appears  that  the  explorations  of 
the  Spaniards  in  the  interior  and  on  the  Pacific  coast  were  little  known  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Atlantic  seaports.  And  so  for  years  afterwards, 
through  conjecture,  various  reports  of  travelers,  and  the  flight  of  imagina- 
tion, this  territory  came  to  be  known  as  "The  Great  American  Desert." 
It  was  like  the  myth  of  the  great  northwestern  passage  to  India,  which  the 
explorers  sought  at  Panama,  and  chased,  with  varying  success,  further  and 
further  to  the  northwest,  until  finally  it  ended  in  a  passage  from  the  Pacific 
ocean  into  the  Arctic,  known  as  Behring  strait.  And  so,  in  history  and 
vision,  the  Great  American  Desert  was  created,  but  it  has  gradually  disap- 
peared from  the  maps,  and  likewise  from  the  minds  of  the  people,  as  they 
slowly  realized  the  facts  of  settlement. 

The  real  foundation  of  this  myth  was  perhaps  laid  in  the  expedition  of 
Zebulon  M.  Pike,  who  crossed  the  plains  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  1805 
to  1807.  It  is  true  that  the  famous  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark  had 
given  something  of  the  vastness  of  the  territory,  but,  as  they  kept  very 
close  to  the  Missouri  and  Columbia,  they  could  give  very  little  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  country.  Their  reports,  too,  seemed  to  have  for  their  ob- 
jective point  the  Oregon  territory,  rather  than  any  explicit  descriptions  of 


The  History  of  the  Desert.  103 

the  lands  between  it  and  the  Mississippi.  But  Pike's  expedition  gave  some 
statements  in  regard  to  the  territory  which  were  taken  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
and  which  characterized  for  more  than  half  a  century  this  great  interior  of 
the  continent.  Speaking  of  the  fertihty  of  the  soil,  he  says:  "From  the 
Missouri  to  the  head  waters  of  the  (Little)  Osage  river,  a  distance,  in  a 
straight  line,  of  probably  300  miles,  the  country  will  admit  of  a  numerous, 
extensive  and  compact  population.  Thence,  on  the  rivers  Kansas,  La  Platte, 
Arkansas  and  their  various  tributaries  it  appears  to  me  to  be  only  possible 
to  introduce  a  Hmited  population  on  their  banks."  (Coues,  vol.  II,  p.  523.) 
This  limits  the  fertile  territory  to  the  boundaries  of  the  state  of  Missouri 
and  a  small  part  of  eastern  Kansas,  and  counts  the  rest  of  the  territory 
capable  of  only  a  sparse  settlement. 

Again,  he  says,  in  characterizing  this  territory:  "These  vast  plains  of 
the  western  hemisphere  may  become  in  time  as  celebrated  as  the  sandy 
deserts  of  Africa,  for  I  saw,  in  my  route  in  various  places,  tracts  of  many 
leagues  where  the  wind  had  thrown  up  the  sand  in  all  the  fanciful  forms  of 
the  ocean's  rolling  wave,  and  on  which  not  a  speck  of  vegetable  matter  ex- 
isted." (Coues,  vol.  II,  p.  525.)  And  in  his  conclusion  he  states:  "But 
from  the  immense  prairies  there  arises  one  advantage  to  the  United  States, 
viz.,  the  restriction  of  our  population  to  some  certain  Hmits,  and  thereby  a 
continuance  of  the  Union.  Our  citizens  being  so  prone  to  rambling  and  ex- 
tending themselves  on  the  frontier  will,  through  necessity,  be  constrained  to 
limit  their  extent  on  the  west  to  the  boundaries  of  the  Missouri  and  the 
Mississippi,  while  they  leave  the  prairies  incapable  of  cultivation  to  the 
wandering  and  uncivilized  aborigines  of  the  country."  (Coues,  vol.  II,  p. 
525.)  There  is  in  this  statement  a  hint  of  the  material  welfare  of  the  nation 
in  the  prevention  of  the  too  rapid  exploration  of  a  country  and  the  practice 
of  extensive  agriculture  to  the  neglect  of  intensive  agriculture. 

Long's  expedition  of  1819  and  1820  rather  emphasizes  this  characteriza- 
tion given  by  Pike.  In  speaking  of  the  country  east  of  the  meridian  which 
passes  through  Council  Bluffs,  he  asserts  that  it  will  support  a  high  population, 
but  that  "the  scarcity  of  timber,  mill  sites,  and  sources  of  water,  difficul- 
ties that  are  almost  uniformly  prevalent,  must  for  a  long  time  prove  serious 
impediments  in  the  settling  of  the  country.  Large  tracts  are  often  to  be  met 
with  exhibiting  scarcely  any  trace  of  vegetation."  When  it  is  observed 
that  within  this  territory  we  have  now  the  northern  part  of  Missouri,  the 
fertile  state  of  Iowa,  and  a  large  part  of  the  grain  belts  of  Minnesota,  it  is 
easy  to  realize  that  the  possibilities  of  the  country  were  unthought  of  by  the 
chronicler.  Of  the  country  west  of  this  meridian  the  report  states:  "  In  re- 
gard to  this  extensive  section  of  the  country,  we  do  not  hesitate  in  giving  the 
opinion  that  it  is  almost  wholly  unfit  for  cultivation,  and,  of  course,  uninhab- 
itable by  people  depending  upon  agriculture  for  their  subsistence. "  (  Long's 
Expedition,  vol.  II,  p.  361.) 

But,  having  taken  this  melancholy  view  of  the  land,  he  finally  discovers 
that  this  vast  territory  may  be  of  some  use  to  the  United  States,  and  he 
reiterates  the  opinions  of  Jefferson  and  Pike  in  the  following  paragraph: 

"This  region,  viewed  as  a  frontier,  may  prove  of  infinite  importance  to 
the  United  States,  inasmuch  as  it  is  calculated  to  serve  as  a  barrier  to  pre- 
vent too  great  an  extension  of  our  population  westward,  and  secure  us  against 
the  machinations  of  an  enemy  that  might  otherwise  be  disposed  to  annoy  us 
in  that  quarter."     (Long,  vol.  II,  p.  361.) 


104  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

He  closes  by  saying:  "From  the  minute  account  given  in  the  narrative 
of  the  particular  features  of  this  expedition,  it  w^ill  be  perceived  to  be  a 
manifest  resemblance  to  the  deserts  of  Siberia."  In  this  he  refers  to  the 
whole  distance  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Now  come  the  first  reports  of  the  territory  beyond,  in  which  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  desert  are  extended  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  says,  in  speaking 
of  the  country  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains:  "It  is  a  region  destined,  by 
the  barrenness  of  its  soil,  the  inhospitable  character  of  its  climate  and  by 
other  physical  defects  to  be  the  abode  of  perpetual  desolation." 

These  two  government  explorers  laid  the  foundation  for  the  discussion  of 
the  subject  in  future  years,  and  set  some  limits  to  the  thought  and  imagina- 
tion of  the  people.  So  we  find,  thereafter  for  a  period  of  fifty  years,  in  the 
school  geographies  and  atlases  and  in  other  descriptions  of  the  country,  a 
representation  of  the  Great  American  Desert.  Woodbridge  and  Willard 
published  a  geography  for  schools  in  1824,  in  which  they  reflected  the  state- 
ments of  Long  and  Pike,  except  that  they  mention  that  the  soil  between 
the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  is  very  fertile,  but  that,  lacking  in  water  and 
timber,  settlement  would  be  impeded.  They  seem  to  have  discovered  some- 
where south  of  the  Missouri,  and  extending  to  the  Red  river,  a  swamp  200 
miles  in  length  and  five  to  thirty  in  width.  For  the  benefit  of  the  youth  of 
our  schools,  they  go  on  to  give  a  full  description  of  the  country,  a  part  of 
which  may  be  stated  as  follows: 

"From  longitude  96,  or  the  meridian  of  Council  Blufi's,  to  the  Chippewain 
mountains,  is  a  desert  region  of  400  miles  in  length  and  breadth,  or  about 
1600  miles  in  extent.  ...  On  approaching  within  100  miles  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  the  snow-capped  summits  become  visible.  Here  the  hills  become 
more  frequent,  and  elevated  rocks  more  abundant,  and  the  soil  more  sterile, 
until  we  reach  the  abrupt  chain  of  peaks  which  divide  it  from  the  western 
declivities  of  North  America.  Not  a  thousandth  part  can  be  said  to  have 
any  timber  growth,  and  the  surface  is  generally  naked.  .  .  .  The  pre- 
dominant soil  of  this  region  is  a  sterile  sand,  and  large  tracts  are  often  to  be 
met  with  which  exhibit  scarcely  a  trace  of  vegetation.  The  salts  and  mag- 
nesia mingled  with  the  soil  are  often  so  abundant  as  to  destroy  vegetation. 
The  waters  are,  to  a  great  extent,  impure,  and  frequently  too  brackish  for 
use.  .  .  .  The  valley  of  the  Canadian  river  is  covered  to  a  great  extent 
with  salt  incrustations,  resembling  ice  or  snow  in  its  appearance.  The  waters 
of  this  river  are  so  impregnated  with  salt  as  to  be  unfit  for  use,  and  this  is  the 
case  with  other  tributaries  of  the  Arkansas  and  of  the  Red  rivers.  .  .  . 
Agreeably  to  the  best  intelligence,  we  find  the  country,  both  northward  and 
southward  of  that  described,  commencing  near  the  sources  of  the  Sabine  and 
Columbia,  and  extending  to  the  northern  boundaries  of  the  United  States,  is 
throughout  of  the  same  character." 

Again  we  find,  in  Carey  and  Lee's  atlas  of  1827:  "The  Great  American 
Desert  covers  an  indefinite  territory  in  Colorado,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Indian 
Territory,  and  Texas."  -     Mitchell,  in  his  "Accompaniment  to  Reference  and 

Note  2.— "About  140  miles  west  of  the  state  of  Missouri  the  country  begins  to  assume  a  more 
level  face.  About  this  place,  also,  commences  a  growth  of  short,  soft  grass  on  the  prairies, 
which  prevails  westwardly,  none  of  which  is  found  in  Missouri,  Illinois,  or  Indiana.  I  presume 
that  this  circumstance  has  led  some  travelers  into  the  mistaken  supposition  that  they  were  pass- 
ing over  poor  land.  The  soil,  as  far  west  as  we  extended  our  survey,  is  almost  invariably  rich. 
The  uplands  are  somewhat  inferior  to  that  nearer  the  state  of  Missouri.  The  bottom  lands  of 
Solomon  river,  which  are  two  or  three  miles  wide,  mostly  pi-airie,  and  the  bottom  lands  of  other 
smajler  streams,  are  of  first-rate  quality.     .     .     . 

"  I  beg  leave,  sir,  to  state  distinctly  that  I  am  confirmed  in  an  opinion  often  expressed,  that 
the  country  under  consideration  may  safely  be  considered  favorable  for  settlement ;  the  distance, 
on  an  average  of  200  miles  from  the  state  of  Missouri  and  territory  of  Arkansas,  water,  wood, 
soil,  and  stone,  are  such  as  to  warrant  this  conclusion."—  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy.  Extract  from  his 
letter  to  the  secretary  of  war,  dated  April,  1831,  reporting  his  survey  of  the  Delaware  reserve  and 
outlet,  in  Kansas,  the  previous  summer.— In  23d  Cong,,  1st  sess.,  sen.  doc.  512,  p.  435. 


The  History  of  the  Desert.  105 

Distance  Map,"  published  in  1835,  states  that  a  large  portion  of  this  country 
may  be  likened  to  the  Great  Sahara  or  African  desert.  In  1838  Bradford's 
Atlas  of  the  United  States  indicated  the  great  desert  as  extending  from 
the  Arkansas  through  into  Colorado  and  Wyoming,  including  South  Dakota, 
part  of  Nebraska,  and  Kansas.  Here,  also,  was  an  indefinite  boundary,  sug- 
gesting an  unknown  country. 

Perhaps  Irving,  in  his  "Astoria,"  gave  the  most  forcible  impulse  to  this 
notion  of  the  great  interior.  In  his  association  with  the  northwest  custom 
officials  at  Montreal  he  listened  to  many  stories  of  adventure,  and,  as  he  states : 
"I  was  at  an  age  when  imagination  lends  color  to  everything,  and  the  stories 
of  these  Sinbads  of  the  wilderness  made  the  life  of  a  trapper  and  a  fur 
trader  perfect  romance  to  me. "  Subsequently  he  made  a  brief  tour  on  the 
prairies  and  into  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  then  was  prepared  to  write 
"Astoria, "  in  which  he  gives  graphic  pictures  of  the  plains.  But  he  prefaces 
this  charming  book  with  the  significant  statement  that  "The  work  I  here 
present  to  the  public  is  necessarily  of  a  rambling  and  somewhat  disjointed 
nature,  comprising  various  expeditions  by  land  and  sea. "  While  it  is  a  book 
full  of  interest,  no  doubt  the  Sinbads  of  the  wilderness  and  Irving 's  imagina- 
tion fail  to  give  sufficient  data  to  enable  us  to  form  a  clear  judgment  of  the 
country. 

In  regard  to  the  nature  of  this  country,  Irving  has  this  to  say,  in  part : 
"This  region,  which  resembles  one  of  the  ancient  steppes  of  Asia,  has  not 
inaptly  been  termed  'The  Great  American  Desert.'  It  spreads  forth  into 
undulating  and  treeless  plains  and  desolate,  sandy  wastes,  wearisome  to  the 
eye  from  their  extent  and  monotony.  .  .  .  It  is  a  land  where  no  man 
permanently  abides,  for  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  there  is  no  food  for 
the  hunter  or  his  steed. "  Again,  he  continues  to  say:  "  Such  is  the  nature 
of  this  immense  wilderness  of  the  far  West,  which  apparently  defies  cultiva- 
tion and  habitation  of  civilized  life.  Some  portions  of  it  along  the  rivers 
may  partially  be  subdued  by  agriculture,  others  may  form  vast  pastoral 
tracts  like  those  of  the  East,  but  it  is  to  be  found  that  a  great  part  of  it 
will  form  a  lawless  interval  between  the  abodes  of  civilization,  more  like 
the  wastes  of  the  ocean  or  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  and,  like  them,  be  subject 
to  the  depredation  of  marauders. ' '  This  work  appeared  in  1836,  and  gave 
renewed  impulse  to  the  ideas  of  the  Great  American  Desert. 

Soon  after  came  the  great  struggle  over  the  Oregon  territory,  during 
which  an  attempt  was  made  to  show  the  boundless  wastes  of  desert  that 
existed  between  the  extended  possessions  of  the  United  States  and  the 
Pacific  coast.  Greenhowe's  History  of  Oregon,  which  appeared  in  1845,  took 
up  the  statement  of  Long  and  emphasized  his  frightful  picture  of  the  coun- 
try.    He  says: 

"One  most  important  fact  in  a  geological  point  of  view  was  completely 
estabhshed  by  the  observation  of  the  party,  viz.,  that  the  whole  division  of 
North  America  drained  by  the  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  their  tributaries, 
between  the  meridian  at  the  mouth  of  the  Platte  and  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
is  almost  unfit  for  cultivation,  and  thus  uninhabitable  for  people  dependent 
on  agriculture  for  subsistence.  The  portion  for  almost  500  miles,  extending 
from  the  thirty-ninth  to  the  forty-ninth  parallels  of  latitude,  was  indeed 
found  to  be  a  desert  of  sand  and  stones,  and  subsequent  observations  have 
shown  the  adjoining  regions  to  a  great  distance  west  of  those  mountains  to 
be  yet  more  arid  and  sterile." 

From  this  time  on  the  geographies  continued  to  represent  the  Great 


106  KaTisas  State  Historical  Society. 

American  Desert  on  their  maps  and  the  explorers  continued  to  talk  of  the 
sterility  of  the  region,  which  now  extended  from  the  meridian  passing  through 
Council  Bluffs  to  that  unknown  region  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Mitch- 
ell's School  Atlas,  in  1840,  pictured  the  Great  American  Desert  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  described  it  as  a  great  sandy  desert,  running  from 
Arizona  to  the  northern  boundary  of  Nevada,  covering  the  entire  territory 
between  the  Rocky  and  the  Snow  mountains.  Smith's  Geography,  in  1844, 
had  the  same  statement,  with  the  exception  that  the  Nevada-Cahfornia 
desert  was  called  the  "Great  Sandy  Plains."  Smith  repeats  the  same  in  his 
editions  of  1847  and  1850.  The  geographies  continued  to  represent  these 
ideas  down  to  the  year  1870,  though  the  desert  grew  smaller  and  smaller, 
and  finally  became  eliminated. 

The  settlement  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  in  the  '50's  and  '60's  tended,  to 
a  certain  extent,  to  ehminate  the  desert  idea.  In  the  meantime,  the  expe- 
ditions of  the  United  States  government,  especially  those  of  Fremont  and 
Kearney,  and  the  surveys  for  great  transcontinental  railroads,  tended  to  clear 
up  the  matter  by  degrees,  though  we  still  find  that  the  magazines  continued 
to  discuss  the  Great  American  Desert.  In  the  No7^th  American  Review,  July, 
1858,  is  a  paragraph  on  the  report  of  Lieut.  C.  K.  Warren  on  the  Missouri 
and  the  Great  Plain.  The  eastern  line  of  the  desert  has  now  moved  up  to 
central  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  but  the  author  goes  on  to  state  that,  ' '  Sup- 
posing, however,  that  with  central  Nebraska  and  Kansas  civilization  outside 
the  river  bottoms  must  cease,  the  question  arises.  What  effect  will  this  im- 
portant fact  have  on  these  young  territories  themselves,  as  well  as  on  the 
country  at  large?  Nebraska  and  Kansas  will  be,  in  that  case,  the  source  at 
which  will  terminate  a  vast  ocean  desert  nearly  1000  miles  in  breadth." 

Again,  in  the  Westminster  Review,  for  July,  1867,  a  writer  is  trying  to 
point  out  that  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  has  taken  lands  to  themselves 
which  are  fertile  and  valuable,  and  has  tried  to  create  the  impression  that 
the  lands  are  worthless.  In  speaking  of  the  territory  south  of  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  United  States,  he  has  this  to  say:  "From  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  the  United  States  territory  consists  of 
an  arid  tract  extending  south  nearly  to  Texas,  which  has  been  called  'The 
Great  American  Desert. '  This  sterile  region,  covering  such  an  immense  ex- 
tent of  area,  covers  but  a  few  miles  of  fertile  land."  The  author  proceeds 
to  describe  the  lands  of  Canada,  and  then  states:  "Nature,  marching  from 
east  to  west,  showered  her  bounty  on  the  United  States  until  she  reached 
the  Mississippi,  but  there  she  turned  aside  and  went  northward  to  favor 
British  territory." 

The  explorations  for  transcontinental  railroads  near  the  forty-seventh 
and  forty-ninth  parallels  from  St.  Paul  to  Seattle,  and  near  the  forty-first 
and  forty-second  through  South  Pass  from  Council  Bluffs,  and  near  the 
thirty-eighth  and  thirty-ninth  westward  to  San  Francisco,  gave  considerable 
information  about  the  country.  But  in  all  the  surveys  carried  on  by  the 
government,  and  in  all  the  scientific  expeditions,  there  seem  to  be  no 
methodical  efforts  to  show  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  its  adaptability  to  ag- 
riculture. The  general  descriptions  of  climatic  conditions,  and  the  fauna, 
flora  and  general  geology  of  the  country,  were  without  a  serious  discussion 
of  the  possibility  of  agriculture. 

In  an  article  published  by  General  Hazen  in  the  North  American  Review, 
January,  1875,  based  on  his  investigations  during  a  long  residence  in  the 


The  History  of  the  Desert.  107 

territory  described,  is  given  the  most  scientific  description  of  the  country 
put  in  print  up  to  that  date.  While  he  does  not  take  the  ground  that  had 
been  reached  by  other  observers,  that  there  will  be  damming  up  of  the 
stream  of  immigration  on  the  frontier  at  the  middle  of  Nebraska  and  Kan- 
sas, he  shows  that  the  railroads  and  land  agents,  in  the  interest  of  this  West- 
ern country,  have  greatly  exaggerated  its  agricultural  possibilities. 

However,  granting  that  the  railroads  made  exorbitant  statements  con- 
cerning the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  possibilities  of  agriculture  in  the  West  in 
general,  we  now  observe,  in  a  somewhat  different  way  from  what  they  pic- 
tured it,  the  resources  of  the  West  are  rapidly  approximating  their  most  san- 
guine representations.'  General  Hazen  states  that  200  miles  from  Omaha 
good  agricultural  land  is  found,  but,  after  that,  nothing  but  barrenness.  He 
states  that  the  western  limit  of  our  agricultural  land  has  been  reached  by 
settlers  along  the  frontier  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  forty-ninth  parallel 
of  latitude.  Among  other  things,  he  specifically  states  that  the  western  half  of 
Kansas  is  unfit  for  agriculture,  and  the  Solomon,  Republican  and  Saline  rivers 
rise  in  the  northern  part  of  it  in  numerous  small  branches,  giving  some  small 
strips  for  irrigation,  but  as  a  rule  the  soil  is  unsusceptible  of  agriculture  and 
unfit  for  settlement.  We  now  know  that  much  of  the  land  described  in 
Kansas  and  Nebraska  has  turned  out  to  be  fine  agricultural  land,  producing 
some  of  the  finest  crops  of  wheat  in  the  world.  Indeed,  as  if  to  defy  the 
opinions  of  men,  nature  has  extended  the  wheat  belt  nearly  to  the  Colorado 
line.  As  farmers  have  learned  to  handle  the  soil  and  adapt  agricultural 
methods  to  the  climate  and  the  soil,  the  agricultural  belt  has  continually 
widened.  Also,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  processes  of  agriculture  have  notice- 
ably affected  the  rainfall  and  the  climate.  General  Hazen  refers  to  the  state- 
ment of  Mr.  Blodgett,  of  the  government  service,  that  "the  great  arid  re- 
gion may  be  said  to  embrace  ten  degrees  of  longitude  and  seventeen  degrees 
of  latitude  in  the  United  States,  drained  only  by  the  great  Colorado  and 
Columbia  rivers,  yet  so  arid  is  this  region  that  fully  200  miles  square  has  not 
sufficient  rainfall  to  require  any  drainage  at  all."  It  is  evident  that  in  this 
statement  he  includes  the  region  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Some  attempts  were  made  in  1862  by  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  to  ex- 

NOTE  3.— The  following  letter  was  found  among  the  archives  deposited  with  the  Historical 
Society  by  Adjutant-general  Hughes,  and  contains  a  prophecy  of  the  agricultural  possibilities  of 
the  western  half  of  our  state  now  more  than  fulfilled: 
His  Excellency  Governor  Carney :        Land-office.  Junction  City.  Kan..  August  5.  1863. 

Sir— Knowing  the  lively  interest  you  take  in  reference  to  the  prosperity  of  the  state,  I  wish 
to  call  your  special  attention  to  a  subject  which,  I  presume,  has  already  engaged  your  attention 
to  some  extent. 

The  question  is:  "Immigration  to  the  state."  The  dry  year,  the  war,  our  proximity  to  or 
location  in  a  state  possibly  very  soon  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  battle-fields  of  the  war,  and  other 
causes,  have  for  the  past  two  years  almost  entirely  defeated  Kansas  of  the  immigration  which 
would  have  naturally  flowed  into  it ;  and  these  and  other  causes  still  retai-d  and  turn  immigra- 
tion aside.  That  capital  should  be  shy  of  danger  is  natural,  and  thus  we  lose  a  class  of  men  much 
needed  in  all  communities,  and  which  should  be  secured  if  it  can  be  done  with  fair  means. 

I  am  told  that  several  of  the  Western  and  Northwestern  states  have  agents  at  some  of  our 
principal  cities  whose  business  it  is  to  direct  immigration.  Thus  Minnesota  and  other  North- 
western states  are  now  filling  up.  How  these  agents  are  sustained,  or  whether  the  report  is 
true,  I  know  not,  but  I  pi'esume  it  is  done  in  some  way  by  the  state. 

If  some  such  way  could  be  adopted  in  Kansas,  would  it  not  richly  repay  our  state  ?  A  few  of 
the  border  counties  are  partially  settled,  but  far  more  than  one-half  of  the  state  is  still  almost 
without  settlement.  Pass  a  line  north  and  south  through  the  east  line  of  the  Pottawatomie  re- 
serve, and  that  is  close  to  Topeka,  which  is  far  east,  as  you  know,  of  the  center  of  the  state,  and 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  if  the  entire  families  on  farms  were  located  at  regular  distance  that  you 
would  not  have  one  family  for  each  township  of  six  miles  square;  and  this  though  no  desert 
waste  can  be  found  for  175  miles  west  of  this  place.  And  here,  governor,  let  me  ego  a  little.  I 
came  to  Kansas  in  1853,  and  have  been  here  ever  since.  I  think  I  know  this  portion  of  the  state 
from  observation  and  experience,  and  I  feel  confident  in  its  ultimate  triumph  in  all  that  goes  to 
make  up  agricultural  wealth.    It  is  and  should  be  a  dryer  country  than  most  of  the  Mississippi 


108  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

periment  on  their  land  in  regard  to  the  possibiHties  of  agriculture,  but  all 
grains  and  grasses  failed  for  want  of  water.  All  the  trees  failed,  except 
the  catalpa,  honey-locust,  and  box-elder,  which  seemed  to  thrive. 

General  Hazen  estimated  in  his  report  that  the  possible  arable  land  of 
Arizona  was  not  more  than  one  million  acres,  and  that  of  New  Mexico  the 
same;  Colorado  having  only  two  millions.  We  find  at  the  present  time  that 
Arizona  has  an  acreage  of  about  two  millions  already  under  cultivation; 
Colorado,  of  nearly  ten  millions;  New  Mexico,  of  five  millions  of  acres  of  land, 
all  under  cultivation,  within  twenty-five  years  from  the  time  General  Hazen 
made  his  dismal  statement  about  the  arid  lands  of  the  West.  One  conclu- 
sion that  he  reached  is  the  following:  "The  phenomena  of  the  formation 
and  rapid  growth  of  new,  rich  and  populous  states  will  no  more  be  seen  in 
our  present  generation,  and  we  must  soon  face  a  condition  of  facts  utterly 
new  in  the  condition  of  the  country,  when  not  new  but  old  states  must  make 
room  for  the  increase  of  population,  and  thus  receive  a  fresh  impulse." 

The  final  stroke  which  destroyed  the  terror  of  the  desert  and  exploded 
its  myths  and  reduced  its  legends  to  matters  of  fact  was  a  report  of  Major 
Powell,  in  1879,  on  the  "Lands  of  the  Arid  Region."  It  was  a  report  on 
the  whole  interior  region,  from  the  humid  regions  of  the  East  to  the  Pacific 
ocean,  based  upon  the  rainfall  and  the  water-supply.  All  the  lands  having 
an  annual  rainfall  below  twenty  inches  are  called  arid.  Those  having  a 
rainfall  of  from  twenty  to  twenty-eight  inches  are  called  the  subhumid  re- 
gion. The  western  boundary  of  this  subhumid  region  runs  along  on  the 
one  hundredth  meridian.  About  four-tenths  of  all  the  land  in  the  United 
States,  exclusive  of  Alaska,  at  the  time  the  report  was  written,  was  in- 
cluded in  the  arid  district,  having  an  annual  rainfall  below  twenty  inches. 
About  one-tenth  of  the  land  was  found  in  the  subhumid  region.  Major  Powell 
characterizes  the  subhumid  region  as  a  land  subjected  more  or  less  to  disas- 
trous droughts,  the  frequency  of  which  will  diminish  from  west  to  east. 
He  also  asserts  that  agriculture  cannot  have  an  assured  success  in  a  coun- 
try where  the  rainfall  is  twenty  inches  or  less;  and  he  doubts  whether,  be- 

valley.  but  it  has  quite  moisture  enough  for  the  staple  agricultural  products.  The  extreme  west- 
ern border  of  the  state  will  perhaps  be  the  only  land  in  the  state  not  strictly  agricultural,  but 
even  this  belt  of  land  will  be  found  to  be  but  a  narrow  one  and  beyond  the  extreme  head  of  the 
Kansas  river.  The  early  and  later  rains  fall  as  far  west  as  the  forks  of  the  Solomon,  150  miles 
west  of  this  place,  each  year  since  I  have  been  here,  and  will  more  and  more  as  the  land  is 
opened  up.  I  allude  to  this  subject,  governor,  because  it  is  generally  believed  that  western  Kan- 
sas will  not  produce,  is  too  dry,  etc.  I  am  well  satisfied  that  it  will  grow  more  wheat,  and,  take  a 
series  of  years,  more  corn,  than  Iowa  or  Illinois.     But  I  have  said  enough. 

The  question  now  is.  How  shall  we  secure  an  immigration  to  fill  up  a  country  pierced  by 
three  lines  of  railroads  :  One  from  Atchison  west  to  the  Republican,  one  up  the  Kansas  and  up 
the  Republican  valley,  and  one  from  Topeka  southwest  through  a  very  rich  portion  of  the  state? 
A  vast  population  can  be  stored  on  the  waters  of  the  Blue,  the  Republican,  on  the  rich,  broad 
valley  of  the  Solomon,  as  well  as  on  the  Smoky  Hill,  Neosho,  and  other  streams.  Thousands  of 
settlers  can  find  as  good  land  now  open  as  the  land  joining  the  town  site  of  Topeka  on  the  south, 
and  all  over  western  Kansas. 

I  have  not  nor  will  not  allude  to  advantages  other  than  agricultural.  You  will  need  none. 
To  suppose  that  there  is  no  other,  is  to  set  aside  some  of  the  most  obvious  saline  and  mineral 
manifestations  found  anywhere. 

I  write  this  hasty  note,  governor,  to  simply  call  your  attention  to  the  subject,  believing  that 
if  any  plan  can  be  devised  to  direct  immigration  legitimately  that  it  will  be  done. 

I  will  not  deny  that  I  might  possibly  be  benefited  a  little  with  such  immigration,  but  the 
state  would  far  more.  And  feeling  confident  of  the  purpose  of  the  executive  to  make  Kansas  a 
prosperous  state,  I  have  called  his  attention  to  it,  at  the  same  time  feeling  that  you  have  no 
doubt  ere  this  given  the  subject  your  most  careful  attention. 

If  the  executive  has  not  at  his  disposal  such  state  means  as  will  enable  him  to  plan  and 
execute  some  well-directed  plan  to  consummate  the  object,  I  ti-ust  that  the  coming  legislature 
will  at  once  place  a  proper  fund  at  his  disposal  as  will  conduce  much  to  the  early  and  permanent 
prosperity  of  this  rich  state. 

Would  that  it  could  be  done  at  once  and  not  wait  another  year. 

Feeling  that  I  am  writing  to  a  friend,  I  have  spoken  freely,  and  shall  be  glad  at  any  time  to 
do  all  in  my  power  to  increase  the  wealth  and  power  of  the  state. 

In  haste,  very  respectfully,  your  friend,  S.  D.  HOUSTON. 


The  History  of  the  Desert.  109 

cause  of  the  alternation  of  drought  and  harvest,  agriculture  will  prove  re- 
munerative in  the  arid  region.  Not  only  has  rainfall  been  more  regular  in 
recent  years,  but  it  has  been  found  that  some  crops  may  be  successfully 
grown  on  land  where  the  annual  rainfall  is  less  than  twenty  inches.  Add  to 
these  facts  the  study  of  the  soil  and  the  seasons  and  the  adaptability  of  a 
variety  of  crops,  and  the  actual  results  have  been  far  different  from  the  in- 
ferences drawn  from  the  report.  However,  he  makes  a  general  estimate  of 
the  water-supply,  the  amount  of  irrigable  lands,  timber  lands,  and  pasture 
lands,  all  of  which  was  of  great  value  in  the  settlement  of  the  arid  region. 
After  this  report,  while  people  might  talk  about  the  desert  in  a  general 
way,  or  about  particular  districts,  the  conception  of  the  Great  American 
Desert  had  changed  or  passed  away. 

In  the  map  which  Major  Powell  publishes  in  connection  with  his  work  no 
mention  is  made  of  any  desert  in  America  except  a  small  district  southwest 
of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  a  territory  less  than  twice  the  size  of  the  small 
state  of  Rhode  Island,  known  as  the  "Great  Salt  Lake  Desert."  The  official 
map  of  the  United  States  of  1900  recognizes  this  desert  under  the  name  of 
Great  Salt  Lake  Desert.  The  geographies  used  in  our  public  schools  still 
call  it  the  Great  American  Desert.  It  also  recognizes  a  desert  in  southern 
California  and  Nevada,  east  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains.  But  now  the 
former  desert  is  circumscribed  by  two  railroads,  which  pass  through  a  por- 
tion of  it,  while  a  third  line  is  surveyed  across  it.  Into  the  latter  one  rail- 
road already  penetrates,  and  a  second  is  about  to  be  built  through  it.  Only 
a  few  years  will  elapse  before  the  term  * '  desert ' '  will  cease  to  be  used  in 
connection  with  any  part  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States. 

But  is  there  no  real  desert,  apart  from  the  myth  which  existed  in  the 
minds  of  geographers  and  philosophers  ?  Within  the  boundaries  of  this  im- 
mense territory  designated  by  Major  Powell  as  the  arid  region  are  many  dis- 
tricts which  partake  of  all  the  qualities  of  the  desert.  There  are,  indeed, 
rocky  steppes,  treeless  plains  and  sandy  wastes  still  in  existence  to-day. 
There  are  wide  stretches  of  land  without  running  water  or  lakes,  and  with 
scarcely  any  rainfall,  covered  with  sand  and  sage-brush.  Upon  these  dreary 
wastes  the  sun  pours  its  intense  rays,  making  the  hot  air  move  in  undulat- 
ing waves  from  the  earth's  surface  and  creating  the  mirage,  the  irony  and 
mockery  of  the  desert.  The  traveler,  a  faint  speck  upon  the  boundless 
plain,  sees,  by  means  of  the  fateful  mirage,  the  distant  sage-brush  suddenly 
enlarging  to  ti'ees  of  good  proportion  that  mirror  their  forms  in  inviting 
waters.  But,  as  he  travels  on,  the  vision  recedes  at  his  approach,  nor  does 
he  ever  overtake  it  before  the  sun  passes  to  the  west  of  the  distant  moun- 
tains and  the  picture  is  dissolved.  What  an  abomination  of  desolation  is  this 
desert,  that  puts  its  stamp  upon  everything  that  lives  !  Even  the  coyote 
has  lost  the  joUity  of  his  nature,  which  he  possesses  in  well- watered  mountain 
and  fertile  plains;  his  body  is  a  skeleton,  his  ribs  showing  through  the  matted 
and  unhealthy  coat  of  hair,  his  eyeballs  glare,  and  every  evidence  of  a  hun- 
gry, savage  nature  appears.  The  sage-hens  are  feathers,  skin,  and  bones, 
and  their  dull  gray  colors,  like  those  of  the  coyote,  agree  with  the  somber 
and  desolate  appearance  of  the  plain.  The  Hzards  and  snakes,  both  savage 
and  venomous,  are  like  tough  pieces  of  leather.  There  is  every  evidence  of 
a  struggle  for  existence.  The  sage-brush  and  cactus,  wherever  the  land  is 
not  too  sterile  to  permit  their  growth,  have  taken  on  the  color  and  appear- 


110  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

ance  of  the  desert.  They,  like  the  animals,  have  learned  to  do  without  water 
and  with  comparatively  little  food,  and  to  live  a  scrawny,  meager  life.  Tracts 
like  these  may  cover  hundreds  or  thousands  of  acres,  only  lacking  sufficient 
water  to  make  them  blossom  as  the  rose. 

But  with  all  of  its  desolation  the  desert  is  not  without  its  charms  ;  the 
mountains  are  always  in  sight  in  the  dim  distance  of  dust  and  haze,  and 
when  the  sun's  rays  pass  behind  their  huge  forms  they  seem  to  approach 
the  dweller  on  the  plains  and  to  gather  about  him  as  night  falls.  The  air  is 
delightfully  cool  and  charming,  and  even  intoxicating,  and  as  the  glare  of 
the  sun  is  removed,  in  the  long  twilight  or  in  the  early  morning  colors  of 
enhancing  beauty  appear.  The  grays  and  browns  are  vivified  in  the  chang- 
ing light  and  the  scene  is  enlivened  by  the  appearance  of  the  afterglow  of 
sunset.  Those  who  have  dwelt  in  these  dry  districts,  where  small  tracts  of 
land  could  be  irrigated  or  where  stock  could  be  pastured,  have  accustomed 
themselves  to  the  conditions  of  life,  like  the  animals  and  plants.  They  have 
toughness  in  their  grain  and  have  learned  to  delight  in  the  attractions  of 
the  desert.  While  culture  and  luxuries  of  more-favored  parts  of  the  world 
are  not  theirs,  there  is  freedom  in  this  Western  life  and  they  love  it.  The 
climate  of  the  arid  region  is  lacking  the  disagreeable  feature  of  heat  and 
cold,  namely,  moisture.  The  excessive  heat  does  not  exhaust  the  system  as 
it  does  in  humid  regions,  nor  does  the  excessive  cold  impair  the  health. 
When  the  thermometer  registers  110  in  the  shade  in  Arizona  the  suffering  is 
not  so  great  as  at  90  in  New  York  city.  Likewise  in  the  Dakotas  twenty- 
five  below  zero  is  more  easily  endured  than  zero  weather  in  Boston.  There 
is  an  exhilaration  and  charm  to  the  air  of  the  arid  regions  which  moist  coun- 
tries do  not  possess. 

Little  by  little  civilization  has  gradually  encroached  upon  the  desolate 
places.  While  men  were  conjecturing  as  to  what  was  to  be  done  to  this 
practically  boundless  area  of  worthless  land,  the  settler  has  gradually  in- 
vaded the  territory  and  adapted  himself  to  the  development  of  the  resources 
of  the  country.  First  there  came  the  trappers  and  the  fur  traders,  who  es- 
tablished their  posts  along  the  principal  streams  of  the  continent.  The 
government,  to  protect  the  first  invaders  and  to  secure  the  country  to  itself, 
planted  lines  of  forts  along  the  principal  highways  of  travel,  until  the  whole 
territory  was  dotted  with  military  stations,  which  opened  up  the  way  more 
fully  to  the  settler  and  the  traveler.  The  great  overland  trading  routes 
from  Independence,  Atchison,  Leavenworth  and  Council  Bluffs  to  Santa  Fe, 
N.  M.,  and  to  Oi'egon,  along  the  old  Santa  Fe,  Salt  Lake  and  Oregon  trails, 
enlivened  the  scene  and  opened  up  the  way  for  future  settlement.  The 
hardy  pioneer  established  his  cabin  in  some  fertile  spot  convenient  to  fuel 
and  water,  and  began  agriculture  and  stock-raising  in  a  small  way.  This 
advance-guard  of  civilization,  settling  down  without  leave  upon  Uncle  Sam's 
land,  suggested  the  possibilities  of  the  country.  Others  followed,  until,  by 
the  time  of  the  great  transcontinental  railroad,  the  advance-guard  had  es- 
tablished itself  on  every  plain  and  in  every  valley,  wherever  there  was  pros- 
pect of  food  and  water  for  man  and  beast. 

The  discovei-y  of  gold  in  California  gave  a  great  impetus  to  overland 
travel,  and  many  who  had  crossed  the  plains  returned  to  settle  in  some  fa- 
vored spot.  Thus  the  possibilities  of  the  great  interior  became  known. 
Gradually,  too,  it  appeared  that,  in  their  haste  to  reach  the  Eldorado  of  the 
Pacific  coast,  the  gold-seekers  had  passed  by  untold  wealth  of  coal,  iron, 


The  History  of  the  Desert.  Ill 

copper,  gold,  silver,  zinc,  lead,  and  petroleum,  hidden  underneath  the  soil  in 
mountain  or  plain.  The  discovery  of  these  have  caused  the  rapid  settlement 
of  some  districts  and  added  much  to  the  wealth  of  the  country. 

Following  in  the  wake  of  the  railroads  came  the  great  multitude  of 
people,  hurrying  and  scurrying  for  new  lands  and  mines  and  watercourses, 
so  that  this  great  arid  region  is  developing  tremendous  wealth  of  mining,  ag- 
ricultural and  pastoral  products,  and  its  population  is  steadily  increasing, 
and  its  desert  conditions  are  gradually  disappearing,  through  the  efforts  of 
the  man  who  digs  and  toils  and  subdues  nature. 

The  first  lands  taken  were  along  the  rivers  and  other  watercourses. 
The  struggle  to  obtain  possession  of  the  water  of  this  region  has  caused 
much  strife  and  has  marked  one  of  the  tragedies  of  the  plains.  First  came 
the  fight  with  the  Indians,  who  resisted  encroachment  on  the  water  privileges 
of  the  country.  This  was  followed  by  the  strife  of  independent  squatters 
who  contended  for  water-rights.  Then  the  great  land  corporations  would 
obtain  possession  of  the  water  or  land  along  a  stream  and  by  this  means 
control  the  entire  country  around.  Then  came  the  great  contention  for  the 
great  ranges  of  the  territory,  and  with  it  cowboy  justice,  in  which  might 
made  right.  The  contention  of  the  cattleman  against  the  sheepman  has 
led  to  many  a  dark  tragedy.  While  cattle  permit  forage  and  undergrowth 
to  survive  and  perpetuate  themselves,  sheep  sweep  the  country  clean  of  its 
vegetation,'  eventually  killing  the  native  grasses.  Hence,  when  a  few  thou- 
sand sheep  are  introduced  into  a  neighborhood  it  is  not  long  before  it  is  unfit 
for  a  cattle  range.  There  has  been  great  prodigality  of  plain  and  forest  by 
improper  use  and  by  the  carelessness  of  settlers  in  destroying  forests  by  fire. 
But  these  strenuous  times,  when  the  whole  country  was  subjected  to  the  sav- 
age rule  of  contending  forces,  are  fast  passing  away.  Gradually  the  country 
has  yielded  to  the  influences  of  law  and  order.  There  is  also  a  greater  util- 
ity of  the  resources  of  nature.  Forests  and  ranges  are  protected  and  the 
water  is  quite  evenly  distributed,  so  as  to  yield  the  largest  service  to  the 
various  members  of  the  community.  The  laws  of  irrigation  have  done  much 
to  regulate  the  property  rights  in  water.  It  is  treated  more  as  a  commodity 
in  the  market  and  less  as  a  mere  accident  of  nature. 

The  work  of  irrigation,  in  a  measure,  is  the  basis  of  prosperity  in  this 
region,  for  it  deals  with  the  food-supply— that  which  makes  all  civilization 
possible.  They  have  learned  to  measure  the  water  on  the  surface  and  the 
water  under  the  surface  and  to  direct  it  to  scientific  use.  Thousands  of 
windmills  pump  the  water  from  wells  and  irrigate  small  tracts  of  land, 
amounting,  in  the  aggregate,  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres.  The  water 
is  turned  from  the  streams  to  cover  the  irrigable  land,  and  huge  reservoirs 
hold  the  surplus  water  of  mountain  streams,  to  be  measured  out  to  growing 
crops. 

The  waste  and  misuse  of  water  when  water  is  the  great  essential,  the 
burning  of  the  forests  when  timber  is  scarce,  the  destruction  of  grasses  and 
ranges  through  lack  of  care,  are  tragedies  of  the  past.  They  have  given 
way  to  the  utility  of  forest  and  stream  and  vegetation.  The  mines  and  the 
railroads  have  caused  tremendous  feats  of  engineering  skill.  The  moun- 
tains have  been  tunneled  and  crossed  and  the  hills  forced  to  yield  their 
treasures  of  mineral  wealth.  Manufactories  of  all  kinds  have  sprung  up 
and  are  increasing  daily  in  number  and  equipment.  At  Pueblo  are  gigantic 
iron  and  steel  works  that  would  not  seem  insignificant  by  the  side  of  the 


112  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

magnificent  plants  at  Pittsburg.  The  rapid  movement  in  manufacturing  en- 
terprises in  the  far  West  comes  as  a  surprise  to  many.  But  why  should  it  ? 
With  water-power,  coal,  and  all  minerals,  and  a  consuming  public,  manu- 
facturing is  an  essential  outcome  of  the  country.  Steadily  the  factory  ap- 
proaches the  region  of  power  and  raw  material. 

Best  of  all,  this  great  region,  marked  by  plain  and  valley  and  mountain, 
the  backbone  of  the  continent,  is  the  great  health-maker  of  the  nation. 
Not  all  of  the  land  cart  be  put  to  agricultural  use,  but  it  has  a  high  service 
to  perform  in  the  control  of  storm  and  wind  and  sunshine  for  the  strength 
and  healing  of  the  nation. 

One  should  not  pass  lightly  by  the  influence  of  education  in  the  building 
of  the  great  commonwealths  in  the  arid. region.  For  scarcely  had  the  smoke 
first  issued  from  the  lonely  cabin  or  the  sod  house  before  the  sturdy  pioneers, 
following  the  precedent  of  the  more-favored  settlers  of  the  Mississippi 
valley,  began  to  plan  for  schools,  and  for  schools  of  the  better  sort. 
Meager,  it  is  true,  was  the  beginning,  but  soon  high  schools,  colleges  and 
universities  dotted  the  land.  Every  state  and  territory  within  the  ai'id 
region  has  its  state  university,  whose  education  articulates  with  the  high 
schools  and  grammar-schools  of  the  country.  It  is  a  land  of  magnificent 
distances,  and  many  of  the  pupils  were  obliged  to  journey  far  to  reach  the 
seat  of  education,  but  they  minded  it  not.  The  writer  once  taught  a  small 
school  in  a  district  fifty  miles  square.  Some  were  deprived  of  the  privilege 
of  education,  but  others  were  eager  enough  to  ride  seven  miles  to  and  from 
school  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge.  In  a  western  county  of  Kansas,  in  what 
is  known  as  ' '  the  short-grass  country, ' '  nearly  400  miles  from  Kansas  City, 
are  a  few  remnants  of  the  old  sod  schoolhouse.  But  from  these  sod  school- 
houses  the  children  graduate  into  the  county  high  school  where  Latin,  French, 
German,  mathematics  and  the  rudiments  of  science  are  taught,  and  where 
they  are  fitted  for  entrance  to  the  University.  ^  One  grasps  the  greatness 
and  beneficence  of  our  public-school  system  when  it  is  realized  that  from  the 
sod  schoolhouse  on  the  plains  it  is  but  a  step  to  the  high  school  and  another 
to  the  University,  after  which  the  best  educational  institutions  of  America 
and  Europe  are  open  to  the  zealous  student.  Surely  the  schoolhouse,  the 
free  library  and  the  church  have  played  no  small  part  in  the  mastery  of  the 
desert. 

The  immense  power  derived  by  the  fall  of  great  volumes  of  water,  de- 
scending from  a  height  of  10,000  feet  to  a  plain  of  4000,  will  give  the  me- 
chanical power  of  a  hundred  Niagaras  for  the  development  of  manufactures 
and  transportation.  Even  now  a  plan  is  conceived  of  running  an  electric 
line  down  the  canyon  of  the  Colorado  to  the  sea  and  using  the  water-power 
of  the  river  to  generate  electric  power  for  the  road.  It  is  only  a  suggestion 
of  what  may  be  added  to  the  engineering  feats  already  accomplished  in  the 
mastery  of  the  West. 

The  millions  of  money  derived  from  land  sales  and  appropriated  by  Con- 
gress to  carry  on  irrigation  in  the  arid  region  will  be  of  untold  value  in  the 
utilization  of  the  watei'-supply.  Great  reservoirs  will  be  built  for  the  stor- 
age of  surplus  waters  of  the  melting  snows  of  the  mountains,  to  be  distrib- 
uted on  the  land,  insuring  bountiful  crops.  Could  the  floods  of  great  rivers 
be  thus  stayed  and  evenly  distributed  over  the  plains,  immense  tracts  of 
land  would  yield  bountiful  harvests. 

Note  4.— See  "The  Victory  of  the  Plow,"  page  38,  this  volume. 


The  History  of  the  Desert.  113 

The  construction  of  the  Panama  canal  will  mean  much  to  the  interior  of 
the  United  States.  It  will  mean  a  shifting  of  the  center  of  trade  and  manu- 
facture to  the  West,  and  will  call  for  the  development  and  use  of  all  the 
natural  water-power  and  resources  of  the  country.  Even  now  the  lines  of 
commerce  are  running  north  and  south  from  the  interior  to  the  Gulf. 

But  let  us  see  what  has  been  accomplished  already  in  this  arid  region  of 
Major  Powell's.  Let  us  observe  to  what  extent  the  real  desert  has  been 
conquered.  Leaving  out  of  consideration  the  great  states  of  Missouri,  Iowa, 
Minnesota,  and  Arkansas,  comprising  a  territory  once  considered  valueless, 
with  a  population  of  over  eight  millions,  and  considering  only  the  fifteen 
states  and  territories  lying  almost  wholly  in  the  great  arid  region,  compris- 
ing a  territory  of  1,508,210  square  miles,  we  have  to  note  the  following  sta- 
tistics:  The  population  within  this  territory  numbered,  in  1900,  8,771,269; 
the  acreage  of  farms,  300,380,645.  Of  these  farms,  100,956,487  acres  are 
already  improved.  The  value  of  the  farms  in  1900  was  $4,006,108,282.  The 
value  of  agricultural  products  for  1900  was  estimated  to  be  $947,907,104.  Of 
farm  lands,  6, 566, 738  acres  are  under  irrigation,  In  addition  to  this,  the  mining 
products,  $160,000,000,  add  to  the  growing  wealth  of  the  country.  But  more 
marvelous  than  all  this  is  the  rapid  growth  in  railroad  extension  throughout 
this  territory.  The  mileage  of  railroads  had  already  reached,  in  1900,  the 
enormous  figure  of  50,712.96  miles.  There  are  not  less  than  six  great  trans- 
continental lines  running  through  the  territory,  and  there  soon  will  be  sev- 
eral more.  Short  lines  are  extending  in  every  direction  into  fertile  valleys, 
and  to  mines  and  'cattle  ranges,  opening  up  the  territory  and  furnishing 
means  of  increasing  population.  A  line  has  been  completed  from  Salt 
Lake  City  to  Los  Angeles,  running  through  the  heart  of  the  great  sandy 
plain  of  the  geographers.  Another  will  soon  be  completed  from  Denver 
through  the  northern  part  of  Colorado  and  Utah  to  Salt  Lake  City,  open- 
ing up  a  territory  comprising  the  richest  part  of  Colorado  in  agricultural  and 
mineral  lands.  Another  line  penetrates  the  northern  part  of  Nevada  and 
enters  the  Sierra  Nevadas  and  the  northern  part  of  California. 

Nevada  is  being  crosscut  by  short  lines  to  meet  the  new  mining  districts. 
Railroad  extension  in  the  Southwest  has  been  very  rapid,  and  the  proposed 
new  Orient  road  from  Kansas  City  to  Port  Stillwell  will  pass  through  some 
of  the  most  desolate  portions  of  Texas.  How  long  will  it  take,  then,  by  the 
penetration  of  railroads,  through  the  development  of  mines,  and  by  the  use 
of  all  the  water  that  can  be  obtained  above  the  ground  and  from  underneath, 
to  transform  this  healthiest  portion  of  the  globe  into  a  populous  district  of 
fifty  millions  of  people?  Gradually,  but  surely,  the  real  desert  is  being  mas- 
tered, just  as  was  the  myth  of  the  desert,  by  the  push  and  energy  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  great  Northwest  also  is  awakening  to  renewed  energy.  Montana 
and  Idaho  are  undergoing  a  rapid  change,  as  people  begin  to  realize  their  vast 
agricultural  and  mineral  resources.  Though  the  country  is  rough  and  moun- 
tainous the  valleys  of  states  large  enough  for  empires  will  support  a  large 
population.  But  the  excess  agricultural  products  of  the  great  interior  will 
all  be  consumed  by  a 'population  engaged  in  manufacturing,  transporting, 
and  mining. 

Prophesying  on  the  future  of  America,  Coleridge,  many  years  ago,  said: 
"The  possible  destiny  of  the  United  States  of  America,  as  a  nation  of  100 
millions  of  freemen,  stretching  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  living  under 


114  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  laws  of  Alfred,  and  speaking  the  language  of  Shakespeare  and  Milton,  is 
an  august  conception."  We  are  now  prepared  to  improve  on  Coleridge,  and 
to  say  a  nation  of  200  millions  of  freemen,  living  under  American  common 
and  statute  law,  stretching  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  fifty  millions  of 
whom  occupy  the  arid  region  of  the  continent,  where  the  word  "desert"  is 
unknown,  will  soon  be  a  mighty  reality.     Truly— 

"Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way; 

The  first  four  acts  already  past. 
The  fifth  closes  the  drama  .with  the  day; 

Time's  noblest  product  is  the  last." 

Some  may  dispute  that  the  last  act  of  the  great  drama  of  immigration 
and  settlement  is  the  noblest  of  them  all,  but  it  is  at  least  great  in  the 
completion  of  the  nation  and  the  mastery  of  mountain,  desert,  and  plain. 
What  has  a  half-century  wrought  with  its  slow-going  methods?  What  will 
the  next  half-century  do,  with  steam  and  electricity,  with  improved  ma- 
chinery and  methods  of  agriculture  ? 

The  Santa  Fe  and  Oregon  trails,  still  in  the  memory  of  men  living,  are 
like  the  stage-coach  and  the  emigrant  train— practically  unknown  to  the 
men  who  are  now  building  the  West.  The  old  cabins  and  dugouts  are  re- 
placed with  modern  dwellings.  The  great  ranges  are  fast  passing  into  or- 
derly farms,  where  cultivated  crops  take  the  place  of  wild  grasses.  Steadily 
is  man's  rational  selection  directing  the  selection  of  nature.  Even  the 
cowboy,  an  essential  creation  of  Western  conditions,  is  rapidly  passing 
away.  Like  the  buffalo,  he  has  had  his  place  in  the  drama  of  civilization. 
The  Indian  of  the  plain  must  yield  to  civilization  or  pass  away.  Custer, 
Cody,  Bridger  and  Carson  did  their  work  and  passed  on.  So  did  the  great 
caravan  of  the  plains.  Pioneers  of  the  old  school  are  giving  place  to  a 
young  and  vigorous  group  of  men  of  intellect,  will,  and  ceaseless  activity, 
who  are  turning  the  light  of  scientific  discovery  on  plain  and  mountain. 
College  men  are  found  in  every  town  and  city,  on  plain  and  mountain,  join- 
ing hands  with  the  man  of  affairs  in  subduing  nature  and  building  an  em- 
pire in  the  arid  region. 


11. 

Semicentennial  Anniversary  of  Our 
Territorial  Organization. 


T 


KANSAS-NEBRASKA  BILL  AND  DECORATION  DAY. 

An  address  by  Hon.  William  H.  Taft,  '  secretary  of  war,  at  Topeka,  May  30,  1904. 

HE  semicentennial  anniversary  of  the  signing  of  the  bill  organizing  the 
territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  was  enthusiastically  observed 
throughout  the  state  in  schools  and  public  gatherings,  Monday,  May  30,  1904. 
Monday  was  Memorial  day,  and  it  was  observed  jointly  at  Topeka  by  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  pioneers;  Tuesday  was  territorial  day; 
Wednesday  was  woman's  day;  and  Thursday  was  Topeka  day. 

Monday  there  was  a  great  military  and  civic  parade  in  Topeka,  in  honor 
of  Secretary  of  War  William  H.  Taft,  who  represented  President  Roose- 
velt, as  the  orator  of  the  day.  Tuesday  was  characterized  by  an  exhibition 
of  pioneer  experiences,  and  on  Wednesday  the  women  gave  an  exceptionally 
fine  flower  parade. 

The  Auditorium  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  Monday  afternoon,  the  30th, 
to  observe  the  dual  anniversary  of  Decoration  day  and  the  formation  of  Kan- 
sas territory. 

Theodore  F.  Garver,  of  Topeka,  called  the  meeting  to  order  and  intro- 
duced Right  Reverend  Frank  R.  Millspaugh,  bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Kan- 
sas, who  oifered  the  following  prayer: 

"Almighty  God,  whose  kingdom  is  everlasting  and  forever  infinite,  have 
mercy  on  the  whole  land,  and  especially,  we  ask,  on  this  the  fiftieth  anniver- 
sary for  the  state  of  Kansas.  So  rule  the  hearts  of  the  president  of  the 
United  States,  the  governor  of  this  state  and  all  others  in  authority  that  they 
and  we,  the  people,  may  in  all  things  seek  Thy  honor  and  glory  in  true  citi- 
zenship. We  thank  Thee  for  the  great  blessings  Thou  hast  heaped  upon  us 
as  a  state,  and  as  we  commemorate  to-day  those  who  have  died  in  and  after 
service  for  their  country,  we  give  them  hearty  thanks  for  their  example  of 
self-sacrifice,  and  we  beseech  Thee  that  we  with  them  may  have  our  perfect 
consummation  and  bliss  in  Thy  eternal  and  everlasting  glory,  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord." 

Note  1.— William  Howard  Taft  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  September  15,  1857.  He 
was  educated  at  Woodward  high  school,  Cincinnati,  graduated  at  Yale  in  1878,  and  at  the  Cincin- 
nati Law  School  in  1880.  He  served  as  assistant  prosecutor  of  Hamilton  county,  1881-'82  ;  col- 
lector of  internal  revenue,  first  district  of  Ohio,  1882.  which  position  he  resigned  ;  in  general  law 
practice  from  1883  to  1887  ;  from  1887  to  1890  he  was  judge  of  the  superior  court  of  Ohio  ; 
solicitor-general  of  the  United  States,  1890-'92  ;  dean  and  professor  law  department.  University 
of  Cincinnati,  1896-1900 ;  United  States  circuit  judge,  sixth  circuit,  1892-19C0  ;  civil  governor 
Philippine  islands,  June  5,  1901-'03  ;  president  United  States  Philippine  Commission,  1900-'03  ; 
appointed  United  States  secretary  of  war,  1903,  in  which  position  he  is  still  serving.  His  father, 
Alphonso  Taft,  served  as  secretary  of  war  and  attorney-general  in  the  cabinet  of  President 
Grant,  and  as  minister  to  Austria  and  Russia  under  President  Arthur. 

(115) 


116  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Judge  Garver  very  fitly  stated  the  purpose  of  the  meeting,  as  follows: 

"  I  extend  cordial  greeting  and  hearty  welcome  to  our  distinguished  guest, 
the  secretary  of  war,  and  to  all  who  have  come  to-day  to  join  us  in  the 
celebration  of  an  event  in  Kansas  history  which  has  meant  so  much  and 
which  still  means  so  much  to  our  state  and  nation.  Fifty  years  ago  to-day 
Kansas  emerged  from  the  chaos  of  almost  boundless  plains  and  assumed  the 
place  of  an  organized  territory  among  the  states  of  this  nation.  When  the 
curtain  was  drawn  aside,  her  people  were  seen  already  arrayed  for  that  con- 
test in  behalf  of  the  rights  of  man  which  was  impending.  They  won  the 
fight  which  made  Kansas  a  free  state;  and,  without  faltering  or  even  stop- 
ping to  sheathe  their  swords,  they  marched  forward  to  join  that  greater  army 
and  helped  win  the  fight  which  made  a  free  nation. 

"On  this  Memorial  day  of  1904,  it  is  fitting  that  we  celebrate  that  first 
step  taken  by  Kansas,  half  a  century  ago,  towards  the  statehood  which  she 
to-day  honors;  and  that  we,  at  the  same  time,  commemorate  the  heroic 
deeds  of  that  grand  army  of  men  in  blue  whose  sacrifices  made  possible 
such  a  statehood  in  such  a  nation.  This  day  belongs  to  the  brave  men  of  '54 
and  the  veterans  of  '61.     Hats  should  go  off  as  we  do  them  honor. 

' '  It  had  been  arranged  that  this  meeting  should  be  presided  over  by  Charles 
Harris,  department  commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  for 
Kansas.  He  has  been  unavoidably  prevented  from  being  with  us;  but  there 
is  present  Abram  W.  Smith,  of  McPherson,  late  department  commander, 
and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  presenting  him  to  you  as  the  president  of  this 
meeting." 

Mr.  Smith  said  that  the  day  was  doubly  dear  to  all  Kansans  because  it 
commemorated  events  in  which  Kansans  were  especially  interested.  "The 
people  who  came  here  from  the  Eastern  and  Middle  states,"  he  said, 
' '  planted  the  seed  which  made  this  a  free  state.  They  determined  the  destiny 
and  character  of  the  state.  After  the  early  settlers  came  the  young  men 
who  had  left  their  homes  to  go  to  war.  When  they  had  returned  home  they 
found  their  places  taken;  so  they  came  west.  This  made  Kansas  essentially 
a  soldier  state,  and  we  are  proud  of  it. ' ' 

Gov.  Willis  J.  Bailey  followed  with  a  short  address.  He  said  the  day 
which  the  people  had  met  to  celebrate  was  surrounded  by  sacred  memories 
which  were  inspiring.  He  thanked  the  old  soldiers  for  the  inheritance  of  an 
undivided  Union  and  said  that  it  would  be  kept  as  inherited.  ' '  You  have 
demonstrated  to  the  world,"  he  said  to  the  old  soldiers,  "what  love  of 
country  means,  and  the  flag  you  fought  for  not  only  floats  over  a  united 
country,  but  over  other  lands  as  well.  What  we  have  is  merely  a  prelude 
to  what  we  will  have  when  the  country  is  fully  developed.  Our  early  set- 
tlers produced  wonders  and  the  work  has  not  ceased.  The  character  of  the 
state  was  made  by  the  settlers  and  the  soldiers.  You  old  soldiers  blew  in 
the  bottle  the  character  of  Kansas  and  there  it  is  going  to  stay.  States 
have  characters  as  well  as  individuals;  you  established  the  character  of 
Kansas." 

In  closing  his  speech  Governor  Bailey  introduced  Secretary  Taft,  and  the 
audience  arose  and  cheered  as  Mr.  Taft  came  forward  on  the  platform. 
His  address  in  full: 

Mr.  Chairman,  Members  of  the  Grand  Army,  and  Citizens  of  Kansas:  I 
deeply  regret,  as  you  must,  that  the  engagements  of  President  Roosevelt  pre- 


Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  and  Decoration  Day.  117 

vented  him  from  accepting  the  invitation  of  your  committee  to  address  you 
at  this  time.  No  one  could  have  pointed  out  more  forcibly  and  more  usefully 
the  lessons  to  be  drawn  from  this  day  we  celebrate  and  its  sequelae  than 
he,  with  his  thorough  knowledge  of  our  country's  history  and  his  discriminat- 
ing appreciation  of  the  significance  of  its  important  events.  But  he  could 
not  come;  and  as  a  poor  substitute  he  persuaded  your  committee  to  accept 
me.  I  appreciate  the  honor  greatly,  but  sympathize  with  you  in  your  dis- 
appointment. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  select  a  day  and  date  more  important  and  signifi- 
cant, both  from  a  local  and  national  standpoint,  than  the  day  which  we  cele- 
brate here.  It  is  fifty  years  to  a  day  since  President  Franklin  Pierce  signed 
the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.'-  We  do  not  meet  to  praise  him,  or  the  author 
of  the  bill,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  or  those  by  whose  votes  the  bill  was  enacted 
into  law.  Though  our  party  prejudices  are  mellowed  by  half  a  century,  and 
though  now  we  can  take  a  more  judicial  view  of  the  act,  we  still  find  nothing 
in  it  which  can  reflect  credit  on  those  who  are  responsible  for  its  passage. 
The  act  involved  a  breach  of  faith  so  palpable  that  its  beneficiaries  and 
supporters  were  embarrassed  in  its  defense,  while  its  opponents,  the  anti- 
slavery  men  of  the  North,  were  roused  to  an  indignation  of  white  heat  at  this 
deliberate  breaking  of  a  compromise  which  for  thirty  years  had  been  thought 
to  be  as  sacred  as  the  provisions  of  the  constitution  itself.  The  declarations 
of  the  bill  opened  every  foot  of  unorganized  territory  in  the  United  States 
to  the  possibility  of  having  imposed  upon  it  the  institution  of  human  slavery, 
and  it  remitted  the  decision  of  the  question  to  the  uncex'tain,  untutored,  float- 
ing vote  of  a  shifting  pioneer  people,  forming  the  population  of  a  territoiy 
not  yet  incorporated  into  a  state.  It  transferred  the  decision  from  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States,  an  intelligent  and  dignified  legislature,  to  an  un- 
organized, disorganized  body  of  men,  among  whom  mob  violence  was  cer- 
tain to  exist,  subject  to  all  sorts  of  improper  influence,  capable  of  unscru- 
pulous manipulation.  If  this  be  true,  why  do  we  commemorate  the  event? 
Why  is  there  gathered  here  so  much  of  the  intelligence  and  patriotism  of  the 
great  state  of  Kansas?  When  we  meet  to  celebrate  the  Fourth  of  July,  it 
is  because  we  feel  pride  in  the  declaration  of  independence  and  the  courage 
and  high-mindedness  of  our  ancestors  that  led  them  to  strike  off  the  bond  of 
union  with  England  and  make  a  nation  for  themselves.  When  we  celebrate 
the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  it  is  because  we  regard  that  as  the  greatest 
single  instrument  ever  struck  off  by  the  mind  of  man  for  the  government  of 
freemen,  with  the  checks  and  restrictions  necessary  to  the  enjoyment  by 
them  of  proper  political  control  and  the  freest  civil  liberty.     When  we  cele- 

NoTE  2. — It  was  apparently  not  until  some  years  after  its  passage  that  Nebraska  was  rele- 
gated to  the  rear  in  the  name  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  and  was  thus  deprived  by  its  jay- 
hawker  neighbor  of  its  immemorial  precedence,  and  of  the  full  fame  or  notoriety  of  its  relation 
to  this  famous  (  or  infamous  )  act.  Douglas  constantly  referred  to  it  as  the  Nebraska  bill  as  late, 
at  least,  as  the  time  of  his  debates  with  Lincoln  in  1858  ;  but  in  his  noted  article  in  Harpt  I's 
Magazine  of  September,  1859,  he  commits  the  error  of  stating  that  the  act  "  is  now  known  on 
the  statute-book  as  the  Kansas-Nebraska  act."  The  act  is  in  fact  entitled  in  the  statute  as  "An 
act  to  organize  the  territories  Nebraska  and  Kansas"  ;  but  the  Illinois  Democratic  convention  of 
1860  called  the  measure  by  its  present  name.  The  misnomer,  and  the  usurpation  by  Kansas  of 
first  place  in  the  name,  may  probably  be  credited  to  the  fact  that  it  is  more  easily  spoken  in  that 
form,  and  that  the  spectacular  and  tragical  political  procedure  in  "bleeding  Kansas  "  during 
the  years  immediately  following  the  passage  of  the  bill  gave  the  territory  the  full  place  in  the 
public  eye,  to  the  exclusion  of  Nebraska,  with  the  comparatively  tame  events  of  its  organization. 
(Morton's  History  of  Nebraska,  vol.  1,  p.  155.)  The  first  eighteen  sections  of  the  act  of  May  30. 
1854,  apply  to  Nebraska,  and  Kansas  is  provided  for  beginning_  with  section  19.  The  senate. 
July  21,  1854,  passed  a  resolution  for  printing  20,000  copies  of  the  "  Kansas  and  Nebraska  act."  — 
Senate  misc.  doc.  No.  72,  3d  Cong.,  1st  sess. 


118  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

brate  Appomattox  day  or  the  birthdays  of  Washington  or  Lincoln  or  Grant, 
we  rejoice  for  what  happened  on  the  day  we  celebrate.  Here  the  case  is 
different.  We  rejoice  to-day  in  the  fact  that  the  bill  which  was  enacted  into 
law  fifty  years  ago,  instead  of  accomplishing  the  purpose  of  those  who  voted 
for  it,  marks  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  a  controversy  which  eliminated  from 
our  social  system  the  cancer  of  human  slavery,  and  permits  us  as  citizens  of 
the  United  States  to  look  the  world  in  the  face  when  we  proclaim  our  national 
love  of  freedom  and  civil  liberty.  The  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  was  the  last 
great  step  of  the  slave  power  before  actual  secession,  which  showed  to  a 
doubtful  and  hesitating  North  the  political  extremity  to  which  the  institution 
of  slavery  could  bring  its  supporters;  and  it  aroused  the  North  to  a  state  of 
virtuous  excitement  which  three  decades  of  abolition  propaganda  had  failed 
to  stir. 

The  first  hundred  years  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States  embrace 
but  little  more  than  the  history  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  slave  power  in 
this  country.  That  history  teaches  us  that  we  human  beings  are  so  much 
the  creatures  of  circumstance  that  we  should  be  very  charitable  in  condemn- 
ing those  of  our  fellows  who  have  been  led  away  from  the  principles  of  right 
and  justice  into  a  condition  of  mind  where  a  distinct  vision  of  those  prin- 
ciples is  blurred  by  self-interest.  Originally  slaves  were  owned  in  all  the 
states  of  the  Union;  but  they  disappeared  from  those  states  in  which  slave 
ownership  was  not  profitable,  and  they  increased  in  those  states  in  which  it 
was  profitable. 

Had  the  slaves  been  profitable  in  New  England  and  not  in  South  Carolina, 
is  it  too  violent  a  presumption  that  the  geography  of  the  slavery  question 
might  have  been  reversed  ?  Until  Eli  Whitney  invented  the  cotton-gin,  it 
was  by  no  means  an  impracticable  and  impossible  effort  on  the  part  of 
Jefferson  and  other  leading  statesmen  of  Virginia  to  bring  about  an  aboli- 
tion of  slavery;  but  as  the  increase  of  the  planting  of  cotton  and  its  sale 
enriched  the  Southern  states,  and  it  was  believed  that  the  cotton  crop  de- 
pended upon  the  use  of  slave  labor,  emancipation  and  abolition  in  the 
Southern  states  became  a  political  impossibility. 

In  1784  Jefferson  almost  secured  the  passage  of  an  ordinance  through  the 
Continental  Congress  which  would  have  excluded  slavery  from  Alabama, 
Mississippi,  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  all  the  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio 
river.  By  only  two  votes  out  of  twenty  was  this  ordinance  lost.  In  1787, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  Gen.  Rufus  Putnam  and  Nathan  Dane,  and 
not  without  the  influence  of  Jefferson,  the  ordinance  of  1787  was  passed, 
which  excluded  slavery  from  the  then  northwestern  territory,  made  up  of 
the  future  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin.  When 
the  constitution  came  to  be  adopted  the  anti-slave  party  in  the  South  was 
not  sufficiently  strong  to  prevent  the  necessity  for  compromise  upon  the 
slavery  question,  and  the  constitution  expressly  recognized  property  in  hu- 
man beings  by  making  provision  for  rendition  of  such  property  from  one 
state  to  another;  and  it  also  expressly  recognized  the  existence  of  the  slave 
trade  and  its  legality  until  1808. 

After  1800  both  Jefferson  and  Madison  seem  to  have  acquiesced  in  the 
spread  of  slavery  in  the  new  states.  Between  1800  and  1820  a  series  of 
compromises  was  effected  by  which  from  time  to  time  there  was  admitted 
to  the  Union  at  the  same  time  a  slave  state  and  a  free  state.  In  1820  the 
question  arose  of  the  admission  of  Missouri.     By  that  time  the  slave  power 


Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  and  Decoration  Day.  119 

had  become  strongly  developed  in  the  South,  and  a  heated  controversy  arose 
because  the  supporters  of  the  slavery  system  deemed  its  extension  into 
Missouri  of  the  utmost  importance.  Accordingly,  the  Missouri  compromise 
was  enacted,  which  permitted  slavery  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  but  forbade 
its  existence  in  all  other  portions  of  the  Louisiana  purchase  north  of  the 
south  boundary  of  Missouri;  that  is,  36°  30'  latitude. 

This  compromise,  which  continued  in  full  force  and  effect  for  thirty-four 
years,  would  have  been  quite  sufficient  to  meet  all  exigencies  had  it  not  been 
for  the  Mexican  war,  a  war  undertaken  at  the  instance  of  the  Southern  states, 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  additional  territory  below  the  parallel  named  in 
the  Missouri  compromise  for  the  extension  of  slavery.  In  the  Mexican  war 
I  include  the  annexation  of  Texas,  which  brought  it  about.  The  law  annex- 
ing Texas  provided  for  a  possible  four  states  to  be  carved  out  of  that  terri- 
tory, which  would,  of  course,  largely  increase  the  political  power  of  those 
favoring  slavery.  It  was  supposed  at  the  time  of  the  Mexican  war  that  the 
additional  territory  extending  to  the  Pacific  coast  obtained  from  Mexico 
would  be  well  adapted  for  the  introduction  of  slavery,  but  it  became  ap- 
parent from  the  organization  of  the  territory  of  California  as  a  free  state  and 
a  closer  acquaintance  with  the  character  of  New  Mexico  that  this  was  a 
mistake.  The  pressure,  however,  for  additional  territory,  the  aggressive- 
ness of  the  slave  states,  and  the  complaints  made  by  them  in  respect  to  a 
failure  to  restore  fugitive  slaves  by  the  North,  produced  a  political  anxiety 
on  the  part  of  the  leaders  of  the  Whig  party,  whose  supporters  were  to  be 
found  partly  in  free  states  and  partly  in  slave  states,  to  secure  another  com- 
promise, disposing  of  the  questions  arising  out  of  the  Mexican  war. 

Accordingly,  Mr.  Clay,  in  1850,  introduced  his  series  of  resolutions  pro- 
viding, among  other  things,  for  the  admission  of  California  with  a  free  con- 
stitution; for  the  admission  of  any  territory  acquired  from  Mexico  without 
any  restriction  as  to  slavery,  because  it  did  not  exist  by  law  and  was  not 
likely  to  be  introduced  into  any  such  territory;  declaring  the  inexpediency  of 
abolishing  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia  without  the  consent  of  Mary- 
land, and  without  just  compensation  to  the  owners  of  slaves;  prohibiting  the 
slave  trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  making  more  effectual  provision 
for  the  rendition  of  fugitive  slaves.  These  resolutions  were  embodied  in  a  bill, 
were  supported  by  Mr.  Clay,  by  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  by  Mr.  Webster— by  the 
last  named  in  his  famous  7th  of  March  speech— and  were  enacted  into  law 
against  the  opposition  of  senators  who  were  subsequently  identified  with  the 
Republican  party. 

Four  years  later,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Calhoun,  Mr.  Clay,  and  Mr.  Web- 
ster, Stephen  A.  Douglas,  of  Illinois,  introduced  in  the  senate  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  bill,  asserting  that  it  was  the  logical  outcome  of  the  compromise 
measure  of  1850,  which,  he  said,  necessarily  involved  a  repeal  of  the  Mis- 
souri compromise.-'    The  bill  permitted  the  people  of  the  projected  state  to 

Note  3.  — "One  day  toward  the  close  of  January  [January  29.  1850],  Henry  Clay  rose  from 
his  chair  in  the  senate  chamber,  and  waving  a  roll  of  papers,  with  dramatic  eloquence  and  deep 
feeling,  announced  to  a  hushed  auditory  that  he  held  in  his  hands  a  series  of  resolutions  propos- 
ing an  amicable  arrangement  of  all  questions  growing  out  of  the  subject  of  slavery.  Read  and 
explained  by  its  author,  this  plan  of  compromise  was  to  admit  California,  and  to  establish  terri- 
torial government  in  New  Mexico  and  the  other  portions  of  the  regions  acquired  from  Mexico, 
without  any  provision  for  or  against  slavery,  to  pay  the  debt  of  Texas  and  fix  her  western  bound- 
ary, to  declare  that  it  was  'inexpedient'  to  abolish  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  but 
'  expedient '  to  put  some  restrictions  on  the  slave  trade  there,  to  pass  a  new  and  more  stringent 
fugitive-slave  law,  and  to  formally  deny  that  Congress  had  any  power  to  obstruct  the  slave 
trade  between  the  states."  — F.  W.  Seward,  Seward  at  Washington,  1846-'61,  ch.  16. 

"Mr.  Atchison  labored  hard  to  get  the  Missouri  compromise  repealed  in  the  first  Nebraska 


120  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

declare  it  free  or  slave.  In  the  debate  which  followed,  it  was  clearly  estab- 
lished by  the  arguments  of  Senators  Chase  and  Wade,  of  Ohio,  Seward,  of 
New  York,  and  Sumner  and  Everett,  of  Massachusetts,  that  the  repeal  of 
the  Missouri  compromise  did  not  enter  into  the  consideration  of  those  who 
were  discussing  the  compromise  measure  of  1850.  Nevertheless  the  South- 
ern senators,  coming  to  the  rescue  of  Judge  Douglas,  upon  the  constitutional 
ground  that  Congress  had  not  the  power  to  restrict  slavery  in  the  terri- 
tory of  new  states,  passed  the  bill,  and  gave,  as  they  supposed,  further 
extension  to  their  favored  institution.  Andrew  H.  Reeder  was  appointed 
governor  of  the  new  territory  by  President  Pierce,  and  an  election  was  held 
for  the  territorial  legislature.  A  pro- slavery  legislature  was  carried  by  the 
votes  of  2500  men  who  moved  across  the  border  from  Missouri,  cast  their 
ballots,  and  then  returned  to  their  Missouri  homes.  At  this  stage  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  country,  there  was  very  little  to  encourage  those  who  looked 
upon  slavery  as  a  curse  and  found  no  safety  for  the  country  save  in  its  ex- 
termination. Compromise  after  compromise  had  been  made  with  the  slave 
power,  with  a  view  to  restricting  the  extension  of  its  operation,  until  now 
all  compromises  were  abandoned,  and  the  question  of  the  existence  of  slavery 
was  left  to  mob  law  and  mob  violence.  At  this  time,  one  would  have  been 
thought  mad  to  prophesy  that  in  little  more  than  ten  years  from  the  date 
of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  there  would  be  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
United  States  only  free  men  and  women.  It  is  well  for  us,  with  the  tend- 
ency to  pessimism  which  we  find  so  wide-spread  at  the  present  day,  to  look 
back  in  our  history  and  note  the  occasions  and  times  when  the  reasons  for 
discouragement  have  been  far  greater  than  at  the  present  day,  and  to  fol- 
low with  care  the  result  of  the  courageous  and  intelligent  effort  toward  the 
betterment  of  conditions— of  individuals  who  believe  in  practical  progress, 
and  who  believe  in  doing  things  instead  of  saying  things. 

At  every  stage  of  progress  in  the  country's  growth,  there  are  those  who 
profess  to  have  and  follow  the  highest  standard  of  ethics,  and,  by  their  criti- 
cisms of  actual  progress,  anger  and  discourage  others  who,  with  quite  as 

bill,  brouRht  in  by  Mr.  Douglas  at  the  short  session  immediately  preceding  that  in  which  the 
measure  passed.  On  the  3d  of  March  Mr.  Atchison  arose  in  despair  and  said  :  '  I  have  always 
been  of  the  opinion  that  the  first  great  political  error  committed  in  the  political  history  of 
this  country  was  the  ordinance  of  1787,  rendering  the  Northwest  territory  free  territory.  The 
next  great  error  was  the  Missouri  compromise.  But  they  are  both  irremediable.  There  is  no 
remedy  for  them.  We  must  submit  to  them.  I  am  prepared  to  do  it.  It  is  evident  that  the  Mis- 
souri compromise  cannot  be  repealed.  So  far  as  that  question  is  concerned,  we  might  as  well 
agree  to  the  admission  of  this  territory  now  as  next  year,  or  five  or  ten  years  hence.'  "—Congres- 
sional Globe,  2d  sess.  32d  Cong.,  vol.  2(i,  p.  1113. 

"  Several  senators  followed  Mr.  Atchison,  and  spoke  against  time  until  the  session  ran  out, 
and  thus  the  bill  was  defeated.  Mr.  Douglas,  the  author,  laboring  might  and  main  to  carry  it 
without  the  clause  of  repeal,  which  Mr.  Atchison  pressed  for  in  vain.  A  short  time  before  the 
meeting  of  the  next  Congress,  Mr.  Atchison,  in  his  speech  to  his  constituents  before  leaving  for 
Washington,  changed  his  tune  from  that  of  his  3d  of  March  speech  in  the  senate,  and  declared 
that  the  Missouri  compromise  repeal  should  be  inserted  in  the  Nebraska  bill  or  he  would  never 
vote  for  it.  He  had,  doubtless,  lieard  from  his  friends  in  the  South,  that  both  the  Whig  and 
Democratic  members  of  that  section  would  sustain  him  in  this  course.  Mr.  Atchison  then  ac- 
complished his  purpose  of  repeal ;  and  how  ?  In  his  speech  from  the  cart-tail  in  Kansas, 
whither  he  went  to  carry  slavery  by  his  Missouri  force,  he  told  the  people  he  achieved  it  by  in- 
forming Mr.  Douglas  that  if  he  refused  again  to  insert  the  repealing  clause  in  the  Kansas-Ne- 
braska bill,  he  would  resign  the  chair  of  the  vice-president  in  the  senate,  be  elected  chairman  of 
the  territorial  committee,  and  report  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise  himself :  and  he 
gave  Mr.  Douglas  only  twenty-four  hours  to  make  up  his  mind.  The  latter  yielded,  and  then  fol- 
lowed Mr.  Douglas's  successive  attempts  to  satisfy  Mr.  Atchison.  He  first  drew  a  bill  leaving  it 
to  the  judges  to  annul  the  compromise  on  the  score  of  its  unconstitutionality.  Mr.  Atchison  held 
that  this  was  not  a  compliance  with  his  pledge.  Then  Mr.  Douglas  found  between  Saturday, 
when  the  bill  was  first  published,  and  the  next  Monday,  a  final  clause  which,  he  said,  his  clerk 
had  lost,  and  was  therefore  omitted,  and  which  contained  the  provision  of  the  compromise  of  1850, 
that  the  territory  might  come  in  as  a  state  with  or  without  slavery,  as  the  constitution  deter- 
mined. This  was  wholly  at  variance  with  the  bill  and  its  explanatory  report,  for  it  took  from  the 
judiciary  and  gave  to  the  people  the  right  of  deciding  the  constitutionality  of  the  Missouri 


Kmisas-Nehraska  Bill  and  Decoration  Day.  121 

high  standards,  conceive  that  it  is  wiser  to  make  some  progress  by  seeing 
clearly  actual  conditions,  treating  them  as  facts  or  obstacles,  and  compro- 
mising with  them,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  without  sacrifice  of  honesty  and 
decency,  for  the  sake  of  real  advancement.  The  former  class  usually  plumes 
itself  as  the  higher  and  purer  element,  because  it  makes  no  compromise  and 
accepts  nothing  as  such.  I  do  not  know  that  it  is  important  to  dispute  this 
pretense,  but  I  cannot  refrain  from  saying  that,  in  the  march  of  the  world 
toward  a  higher  civilization,  those  who  make  the  progress  may  fairly  claim 
a  higher  meed  of  praise  than  those  who  not  only  do  not  themselves  make  the 
progress,  but  so  frequently  obstruct  by  their  criticisms  and  sneers  those 
who  do. 

When  the  enactment  of  the  Kansas  bill  of  1854  presented  the  issue.  Shall 
Kansas  be  free  or  slave?  a  few  men— hardly  more  than  a  dozen— determined 
to  make  her  free  by  peopling  the  state  with  citizens  who  would  forever  ex- 
clude slavery  from  the  limits  of  the  new  state. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  the  professed  and  prominent  abolitionists  scouted 
the  idea  that  this  could  be  a  successful  movement,  and  rejected  men  engaged 
in  it  as  allies  because  it  did  not  appear  with  sufficient  clearness  that  they 
were  casting  themselves  upon  the  altar  in  declared  and  open  sacrifice  for  the 
cause  of  the  negro.  These  theorists  seemed  not  to  be  content  with  the 
bringing  in  of  the  state  of  Kansas  as  a  free  state.  They  demanded  that  it 
must  be  brought  in  on  the  avowed  principle  of  love  for  the  negro  and  in  his 
interest.  Had  their  views  prevailed,  Kansas  might  have  been  a  slave  state; 
but  the  men  engaged  in  the  work  were  practical  men,  and  of  sterner  stuff. 
They  were  little  moved  by  words  or  formal  distinctions.  Eli  Thayer  traveled 
from  town  to  town  in  the  North  soliciting  aid  for  his  emigration  society,  and 
recruiting  the  ranks  of  the  small  bands  of  settlers  already  in  Kansas  or  on 
their  way  there.  When  it  became  necessary  to  have  guns,  Thayer  obtained 
them  in  the  East  and  sent  them  to  his  fellows  in  Kansas.  Charles  Robinson 
superintended  and  guided  the  movement  in  Kansas  itself.  With  their  lives 
often  at  stake,  nothing  daunted  or  discouraged  the  two  patriots.      They 

compromise,  which  was  the  purport  of  the  committee's  bill  before  this  incongruous  foundling, 
picked  up  on  Sunday,  was  attached.  But  this  extraordinary  effort  did  not  satisfy  Mr.  Atchison. 
He  thought  it  possible  that  both  the  judges  and  the  territorial  convention  might  feel  themselves 
unauthorized  to  repeal  the  Missouri  compromise,  and  a  week  after  Mr.  Dixon  had  reported  his 
amendment  for  absolute  repeal,  Mr.  Douglas  inserted  it  in  his  own  bill.  Who  can  hesitate  in  be- 
lieving Mr.  Atchison's  account  of  the  travail  which  brought  forth  the  repeal,  taken  down,  re- 
ported and  published  by  his  friend,  the  editor  of  the  Western  Dispatch,  when  sustained  by  such 
corroborating  evidence  in  the  public  history  of  the  transaction?"— The  New  York  Evening  Post, 
Saturday,  October  20,  1855.  in  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  6,  p.  61. 

"General  Atchison  resides  on  the  western  border  of  Missouri,  and  wants  to  be  reelected  by 
the  newly  chosen  legislature,  if  possible.  Of  course,  he  is  a  good  deal  around,  and  was  in  at- 
tendance at  a  sale  of  lots  on  the  20th  ult.,  at  Atchison  city,  on  the  Kansas  side  of  the  Missouri 
river,  a  few  miles  above  Weston.  Finding  a  large  crowd  of  Missourians  in  attendance.  General 
Atchison  improved  the  occasion  by  making  them  a  speech,  whereof  the  Parkville  Luminary,  of 
the  26th,  reports  the  substance,  as  follows  :  '  General  Atchison  mounted  an  old  wagon  and  made 
a  speech.  He  commenced  by  alluding  to  the  beautiful  country  which  was  now  beginning  to  be 
settled  —  to  some  of  the  circumstances  under  which  a  territorial  government  was  organized  — 
and  in  the  course  of  his  remarks  mentioned  how  Douglas  came  to  introduce  the  Nebraska  bill 
with  the  repeal  clause  in  it.  Senator  Atchison  said  that,  for  himself,  he  is  entirely  devoted  to 
the  interests  of  the  South,  and  that  he  would  sacrifice  everything  but  his  hope  of  heaven  to  ad- 
vance her  welfare.  He  thought  the  Missouri  compromise  ought  to  be  repealed  ;  he  had  pledged 
himself  in  his  public  addresses  to  vote  for  no  territorial  organization  that  would  not  annul  it; 
and  with  this  feeling  in  his  heart,  he  desired  to  be  chairman  of  the  senate  committee  on  territories 
when  a  bill  was  to  be  introduced.  With  this  object  in  view,  he  had  a  private  interview  with  Mr. 
Douglas,  and  informed  him  of  what  he  desired  —  the  introduction  of  a  bill  for  Nebraska  like  what 
he  had  promised  to  vote  for  —  and  that  he  would  like  to  be  chairman  of  the  committee  on  territo- 
ries, in  order  to  introduce  such  a  measure  ;  and,  if  he  could  get  that  position,  he  would  immedi- 
ately resign  as  speaker  of  the  senate.  Judge  Douglas  requested  twenty-four  hours  to  consider 
the  matter,  and  said  if  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  could  not  introduce  such  a  bill  as  he 
( Mr.  Atchison  )  proposed,  which  would  at  the  same  time  accord  with  his  own  sense  of  right  and 
justice  to  the  South,  he  would  resign  as  chairman  of  the  territorial  committee  in  Democratic  cau- 


122  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

sacrificed  everything  but  honor  and  honesty  to  the  pursuit  of  the  one  pur- 
pose that  Kansas,  when  admitted,  should  be  admitted  as  a  free  state.  Robin- 
son restrained  his  fellows  from  serious  conflict  with  the  federal  authority, 
and,  with  a  tact  and  finesse  almost  impossible  for  us  to  understand,  limited 
forcible  resistance  to  the  repudiated  territorial  authorities  and  police.  After 
two  years,  so  well  conducted  was  the  campaign  of  Thayer  and  Robinson,  that 
no  movement  was  taken  on  behalf  of  the  pro-slavery  party  and  the  border 
ruffians  of  Missouri  that  did  not  rouse  additional  indignation  on  the  part  of 
the  North  against  the  pro-slavery  movement  in  Kansas  and  additional  sym- 
pathy with  those  who  were  there  fighting  the  cause  of  freedom. 

Ultimately  men  forced  their  way  into  the  anti-slavery  ranks  who  were 
willing,  from  one  motive  or  another,  to  resort  to  such  unjust  extremes  that 
the  ground  which  had  been  gained  by  the  free-state  party  under  Thayer 
and  Robinson  might  well  have  been  lost.  Fortunately,  however,  public 
opinion  had  then  become  so  fixed  that  this  late  movement  did  not  cause  the 
reaction  which  certainly  would  have  been  caused  had  its  projectors  appeared 
much  earUer  upon  the  scene.  It  would  not  only  take  too  much  time,  but  it 
would  be  most  perplexing,  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the  Topeka  constitu- 
tion and  the  Lecompton  constitution  and  the  controversies  which  arose  in 
respect  to  them  and  their  varying  provisions  as  to  slavery.  That  happened 
which,  with  the  light  we  now  have,  ought  perhaps  to  have  been  foreseen. 
The  forces  representing  the  free  men  of  the  country,  who  are  the  natural 
pioneers,  settled  Kansas,  and  the  slave  owners  and  the  border  ruffians  from 
Missouri,  who  could  not  resort  to  more  than  an  occasional  invasion,  ceased 
to  play  a  part  which  could  be  important  only  when  there  was  no  actual  set- 
tlement or  population.  The  slave  owner  was  timid,  and  did  not  care  to  ex- 
pose his  property  to  the  very  decided  risk  involved  in  guarding  it  in 
disputed  territory  like  that  of  Kansas;  so  that  the  number  of  slave  owners 
who  moved  here  was  quite  small.  This  beautiful  state,  with  its  magnificent 
agricultural  possibilities,  attracted  the  energy  and  the  enterprise  of  the 

cus,  and  exert  his  influence  to  get  him  (Atchison)  appointed.  At  the  expiration  of  the  given 
time  Senator  Douglas  signified  his  intention  to  report  such  a  bill  as  had  been  spoken  of.'  "  —  New- 
York  Tribune,  October  19,  1854,  in  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  1,  p.  169. 

"  Early  in  the  campaign  of  1852  Atchison  took  the  stump  in  Platte  county,  which  lies  on  the 
western  side  of  Missouri,  with  nothing  between  it  and  Kansas  except  the  Missouri  river,  and, 
from  the  outset,  made  the  great  point  to  be  gained  by  the  election  of  Pierce,  the  repeal  of  the  law 
of  Congress  by  which  Missouri  was  admitted  in  1820.  Rev.  Frederick  Starr,  with  whom  we  had 
an  interview  a  few  weeks  since,  who  has  been  for  five  years  past  a  resident  of  Platte  county,  was 
present  at  a  mass  meeting  at  Weston,  when  this  declarative  statement  was  made  from  the  stump 
by  General  Atchison.  This  announcement  was  made  thus  openly  upon  the  arrival  there  of  intelli- 
gence of  the  result  of  the  Democratic  convention  at  Baltimore  and  the  nomination  of  Franklin 
Pierce.  Atchison  then  stated  that  the  scheme  should  be  placed  in  charge  of  Northern  Democrats, 
in  order  that  its  success  should  not  be  endangered  by  its  Southern  origin  and  advocacy,  and  he 
assured  his  hearers  of  its  ultimate  and  triumphant  success.  He  doubtless  had  Douglas  in  his 
eye  at  the  moment  of  making  the  announcement  —  they  had  been  in  the  senate  together,  and  well 
knew  each  others'  utter  baseness,  simulation,  venality,  and  entire  want  of  principle.  Atchison 
knew  that  the  predilections  of  Douglas  have  been  always  for  slavery,  and  that  though  nominally 
a  Northern  man,  yet  his  associations  have  been  with  the  South." — The  Detroit  Democrat  and 
Inquirer,  Friday  morning.  May  25.  1855,  in  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  4,  p.  94. 

"  I  now  wish  to  review  my  course  on  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  When  the  subject  was  first 
introduced,  you  know  I  opposed  it.  I  plainly  saw,  then,  all  the  difficulties  that  would  and  have 
attended  it.  I  told  you  then  that  it  would  be  no  benefit  to  you.  I  told  you  that  it  would  be 
injurious  to  the  commerce  of  the  frontier  counties  ;  that  the  trade  would  go  west  with  the  in- 
crease of  population.  But  meetings  were  held,  resolutions  were  passed  declaring  it  was  your 
wish  to  open  that  territory,  and  I,  being  a  true  Democrat,  promised  to  go  for  it  on  one  condition, 
and  that  was  that  the  Missouri  compromise,  so  called  —  the  Missouri  restriction,  properly  called 
—  be  repealed.  I  addressed  the  people  here  in  this  court-house,  at  Parkville,  at  Westport,  in  fact, 
all  over  the  state,  and  told  them  that  if  the  compromise  was  repealed  I  would  go  for  a  bill  to 
organize  the  territory,  and  in  a  speech  at  Independence  I  told  the  people  that  unless  that  restric- 
tion was  repealed  I  would  see  them  damned  before  I  would  go  for  it.  That  was  the  English  of 
it.  Well,  it  was  done.  I  do  not  say  that  I  did  it,  but  I  was  a  prominent  agent."  — Extract  from 
address  of  David  R.  Atchison,  at  Platte  City.  Mo.,  February  4,  18.56,  as  contained  in  letter  of  Wm. 
Hutchinson,  in  New  York  Daily  Times,  of  February  25,  1856,  in  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  9.  p.  216. 


Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  and  Decoration  Day.  123 

Northern  youth,  stimulated  as  they  were  by  emigration  societies  in  all  the 
Northern  states.  Even  the  Southern  people,  after  three  years,  saw  the 
contest  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  from  a  Southern  standpoint,  to  be  hope- 
less. The  agents  whom  President  Pierce  and  President  Buchanan  sent  as 
governors  and  secretaries  to  the  territory  — honest  men  generally,  as  they 
were,  though  prejudiced— returned  to  tell  their  principals  the  truth,  that 
Kansas  was  and  must  be  a  fi-ee  state;  that  any  election  that  showed  other- 
wise was  only  the  result  of  fraud  and  violence.  There  are  no  greater  he- 
roes in  the  history  of  this  country  than  Eli  Thayer,  of  Massachusetts,  and 
Charles  Robinson,  of  Kansas,  who,  almost  alone  and  single-handed,  entered 
upon  the  work  of  peopling  a  vast  territory  with  free  and  brave  men,  so  as 
forever  to  exclude  human  slavery  from  its  limits.  So  it  was  that  on  the 
29th  of  January,  1861,  almost  within  hearing  of  the  guns  that  boomed  out 
the  beginning  of  the  civil  war  at  Fort  Sumter,  Kansas  was  christened  and 
accepted  as  a  state  of  the  Union  from  which  slavery  should  ever  be  ex- 
cluded. It  was  the  people  of  Kansas  who  did  this.  It  was  the  people  of 
Kansas  that  rose  against  the  iniquitous  measure  devised  for  the  purpose  of 
fastening  the  system  of  slavery  upon  these  prairies,  and  who,  by  their  own 
bravery,  courage,  and  enterprise,  made  slavery  impossible. 

We  celebrate  to-day  the  enactment  of  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  bill  as  a 
tremendous  obstacle  to  free  government  which  the  people  of  Kansas  them- 
selves overcame  by  their  courage,  their  persistence,  and  their  intelligence. 

We  celebrate  it  as  the  first  step  in  the  birth  and  development  of  this 
great  state,  which,  reaching  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  Rocky  Mountain 
states,  compels  admiration  of  all  who  look  upon  it.  From  a  few  Indian 
tribes  to  a  highly  intelligent  and  patriotic  population  of  a  million  and  a  half 
of  souls  in  fifty  years  is  a  transition  which  finds  no  parallel  save  in  other 
states  of  our  own  country  similarly  situated.  The  state  has  had  the  diseases 
of  childhood.  It  has  been  swept  at  times  with  notions  and  ideas,  superfi- 
cially attractive,  that  if  the  creditor  class  could  only  be  obstructed  in  free 
collection  of  its  debts,  the  debtor  and  the  larger  class  would  profit,  to  the 
benefit  of  the  community.  Hard  experience  has  taught  the  futility  of  such 
experiments,  and  has  shown  that  the  only  method  of  securing  progress  and 
prosperity  is  to  insist  on  exact  justice  to  both  creditors  and  debtors,  because 
the  creditor  class  can  always  protect  itself  against  more  than  one  loss, 
whereas  the  debtor  class,  losing  all  future  and  necessary  credit,  is  rendered 
poor  indeed.  Then  there  has  been  on  the  part  of  good  Kansas  people  the 
strong  conviction  that  men  and  women  can  be  made  morally  greatly  better 
by  legislation.  Such  a  feeling  always  possesses  an  agricultural  people  of 
strong  moral  convictions,  but  as  cities  grow,  and  as  the  population  becomes 
more  dense,  the  truth  steals  over  the  clear-headed,  however  moral  and  high- 
minded,  that  there  is  a  limit  to  the  making  or  keeping  of  people  good  by  law, 
and  that  when  the  law  essays  more  than  it  can  really  effect,  public  morals 
are  not  improved,  and  the  authority  and  sacredness  of  enacted  law  suffer. 
Born  and  reared  as  Kansas  was  in  the  atmosphere  of  an  intense  moi-al  strife, 
possessing  largely  an  agricultural  and  therefore  a  simple  and  honest  people, 
the  history  of  the  politics  of  the  state  presents  to  the  student  of  economics 
and  politics  most  useful  lessons.  Strong  and  enthusiastic  as  its  people  are, 
favored  by  heritage,  history,  and  natural  wealth  and  resources,  they  can 
afford  to  experiment,  if  only  the  lessons  of  the  experiments  are  carried  home 
to  their  hearts,  thus  advancing  and  retracing  their  steps.     They  are  in  the 


124  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

end  led  along  a  path  of  conservative  progress  which  means  real  advance- 
ment. Child  of  the  irrepressible  conflict  over  the  moral  issue  of  slavery, 
carving  its  own  future  out  of  a  most  inauspicious  beginning,  the  progress, 
material,  intellectual,  and  spiritual,  which  it  has  made  in  the  fifty  years  of 
its  history,  safely  augurs  that  it  will,  among  the  states  of  the  Union,  take  a 
more  and  more  important  place,  until  with  its  great  central  geographical 
position  shall  accord  completely  its  national  influence  and  control. 

What  is  the  lesson  for  us  from  the  birth  of  Kansas  ?  Is  it  not  that  we 
should  never  despair  of  the  body  politic  as  long  as  we  know  that  there  are 
among  the  citizens  of  the  republic  a  large  majority  sound  of  heart,  sound  of 
head,  on  the  right  side  ?  Abuses  will  establish  themselves  in  popular  as  in 
other  governments,  and  men  will  avail  themselves  of  popular  lethargy  and 
inertia  to  fasten  upon  the  people  for  a  time  a  government  which  is  really 
not  representative. 

In  some  of  our  states  to-day  there  are  machines  that  prevent  really  popu- 
lar party  expression,  and  in  many  of  the  cities  the  aggregation  of  the  ig- 
norant and  corrupt  is  so  great  as  to  make  the  electorate  more  easily  subject 
to  the  manipulation  of  the  boss  than  in  the  country  or  in  a  state  at  large. 
It  is  perhaps  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  problem  of  to-day  most  concern- 
ing Americans  is  the  method  by  which  pure  and  disinterested  municipal 
government  can  be  obtained  on  a  popular  basis.  The  increase  in  wealth  has 
put  into  the  hands  of  individuals  and  corporations  the  means  of  corrupting  a 
municipal  electorate. 

The  lover  of  his  country  is  apt  to  exclaim  that  there  is  no  hope  in  the 
future.  This  is  not  brave  ;  this  is  not  courageous ;  this  is  not  to  look  at  the 
lessons  of  history ;  this  is  not  fair  to  the  progress  which  has  already  been 
made,  and  it  does  not  do  justice  to  the  honesty  and  intention  of  the  great 
mass  of  the  American  people;  for  in  their  soundness  of  heart  and  their 
soundness  of  mind  will  be  worked  out  this  problem,  more  intricate  in  many 
ways  possibly  than  the  one  we  have  been  just  discussing,  but  one  which 
presents  no  more  discouraging  features  than  were  placed  before  the  free- 
state  men  of  Kansas  when  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  was  passed,  in  1854. 

But,  gentlemen,  this  is  more  than  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  signing 
of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  This  is  the  day  set  apart  by  the  proclamation 
of  the  president  and  the  governor  of  Kansas  as  a  memorial  day  for  the  dead 
who  have  given  up  their  lives  for  their  country  in  the  service  of  their 
government.  As  Kansas  was  the  child  of  the  irrepressible  conflict  between 
slavery  and  freedom,  which  led  to  the  war  of  secession,  she  could  not  but 
respond  to  the  nation's  call.  For  six  or  seven  years  there  had  been  war  in 
Kansas,  and  the  spirit  which  had  thus  been  engendered  sent  to  the  front  to 
defend  the  Union  and  suppress  slavery  thousands  of  Kansas'  sons.  Under 
President  Lincoln's  call  of  May  3,  1861,  for  three  years'  men,  the  First  Kan- 
sas infantry  was  organized.  Of  this  regiment  a  writer  has  said:  "The 
rapidity  with  which  men  enlisted  and  the  earnestness  manifested  to  proceed 
at  once  to  the  place  of  conflict  most  clearly  demonstrated  the  loyalty  and 
patriotism  of  the  citizens  of  Kansas." 

Actuated  as  these  men  were  by  the  highest  patriotic  motives,  we  gather 
here  now  to  do  them  honor,  and  to  spread  flowers  and  sweet  fragrance  over 
their  green  graves.  We  do  this  from  two  motives:  First,  from  a  deep  and 
ever-recurring  sense  of  gratitude  to  those  who  died  that  our  country  might 


Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  and  Decoration  Day.  125 

live;  and,  second,  to  demonstrate  to  those  who  may  be  invited  to  future 
sacrifice  that  republics  are  not  ungrateful. 

It  is  delightful  to  praise  and  render  tribute  to  those  who  die  in  a  cause 
the  moral  side  of  which  is  always  prominent,  and  such  were  the  men  who 
entered  the  civil  war  under  the  inspiration  of  the  controversy  which  grew 
out  of  the  statehood  of  Kansas.  But  there  are  in  the  graves  of  yonder 
cemeteries,  perhaps,  the  remains  of  men  who  entered  the  employ  and  serv- 
ice of  the  government  under  no  such  inspiration,  and  yet  from  a  simple 
sense  of  duty  to  their  government  they  laid  down  their  lives  in  Indian  war- 
fare, Cuba,  or  the  Philippines.  Shall  we  distinguish  between  the  noble  dead 
because  some  may  denounce  the  righteousness  of  either  our  Indian,  Cuban 
or  Philippine  war?  "My  country!  may  she  ever  be  in  the  right;  but  my 
country,  right  or  wrong."  This  has  not  always  met  the  approval  of  all,  but 
it  must  be  the  true  guide  of  every  man  who  has  a  country. 

Every  man  who  owes  allegiance  to  a  country  must  bear  arms  for  that 
country,  should  he  be  legally  called  upon.  Whether  the  country  be  right  or 
wrong  is  a  matter  always  of  opinion.  In  free  governments  the  majority 
usually  rules.  Constituted  authority  thus  selected  determines  the  course  of 
the  country,  and  that  course  may  lead  the  country  into  war.  Should  it  do 
so,  every  citizen,  high  or  low,  is  subject  to  the  call  to  arms.  If  he  may  dis- 
pute the  right  of  the  country  to  call  him,  then  government  is  at  an  end. 
Hence  it  is  that  a  man  who  bears  the  uniform  of  his  country,  and  in  its  serv- 
ice loses  his  life,  whether  in  the  battle  or  in  the  hospital,  or  under  any  cir- 
cumstances in  the  line  of  duty,  cannot  have  his  case  distinguished  from  one 
who,  acting  under  the  impulse  of  a  tremendous  moral  force,  carries  forward 
his  country's  flag  to  moral  victory.  To  every  one  of  these  brave  men, 
whether  their  lives  were  lost  in  one  war  or  another,  in  maintaining  one  issue 
or  another,  so  long  as  they  were  maintaining  the  cause  of  their  government, 
are  gratitude  and  the  sweet  commemoration  of  this  day  due.  It  is  fortunate 
indeed  that  a  country  under  free  auspices  is  rarely  moved  to  war  save  by 
some  moral  issue,  and,  therefore,  that  the  moral  inspiration  is  usually  with 
the  troops  of  such  a  nation  and  such  a  country;  but  there  is  a  comparatively 
small  number  of  persons,  who  claim  to  be  citizens  of  the  world,  and  to  be 
above  the  mere  spirit  of  patriotism,  and  who  deal  more  stringently  with 
their  own  country  than  any  other,  who  need  to  be  reminded  that  as  the  world 
is,  as  governments  are,  as  nations  are,  there  is  no  higher  obligation  that 
can  be  recognized  than  that  which  the  citizen  owes  to  his  country  to  lay  down 
his  life  in  any  controversy  in  which  that  country  may  engage. 

And  now,  as  we  contemplate  the  ashes  of  those  whose  lives  were  sacri- 
ficed in  the  great  civil  conflict  between  the  North  and  the  South,  the  ques- 
tion cannot  but  recur,  Could  it  have  been  avoided  ?  Might  not  the  frightful 
loss  of  life  and  limb,  the  ravages  of  disease  and  the  great  destruction  of 
property  and  the  suffering  of  men,  women  and  children  have  been  averted  ? 
There  were  men  who  thought  so  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  There  are  those 
who  continue  to  think  that  the  war  was  unnecessary.  I  cannot  concur  with 
them  in  this  view.  The  hundred  years  of  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
slave  power  preceding  the  war  unconsciously  fastened  into  the  social  system 
of  the  South  attachment  to  slavery  on  the  one  hand  and  hostility  to  it  in  the 
North  on  the  other,  which,  as  Mr.  Seward  said  in  his  Kansas-Nebraska 
speech,  created  an  "irrepressible  conflict."  The  issue  entered  into  the 
social  life  of  the  South,  and  its  removal  and  the  extirpation  of  the  evil  were 


126  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

impossible  except  by  a  capital  surgical  operation.  "  War  is  hell, "  and  there 
is  no  war  in  history  that  was  more  severe  than  our  civil  war.  Even  that 
war,  awful  as  it  was,  has  not  wiped  out  all  the  evils  and  all  the  troubles  that 
have  arisen  from  the  existence  of  slavery  in  the  United  States.  The  victors 
doubtless  made  errors  in  their  effort  to  remedy  the  existing  evils  that  time 
and  patience  only  can  rectify.  Nothing  but  a  cataclysm,  nothing  but  a  de- 
structive upheaval,  could  have  brought  the  peace  which  now  prevails  between 
the  sections.  Much  blood  as  it  has  cost,  much  human  agony  as  has  been 
expended,  all,  all  have  not  exceeded  the  glorious  benefit  that  has  accrued  to 
our  common  country. 


[  The  people  of  the  city  of  Lawrence  engaged  in  exercises  October  1  to 
6,  1904,  commemorating  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  Law- 
rence. Sunday,  October  2,  the  Rev.  W.  M.  Backus,  of  Chicago,  preached 
an  anniversary  sermon ;  Monday,  October  3,  was  given  to  the  old  settlers 
and  the  old  soldiers,  and  an  address  by  Geo.  W.  Martin,  secretary  of  the 
State  Historical  Society ;  Tuesday,  October  4,  was  school  day,  made  memo- 
rable by  a  wonderful  parade  by  school  children ;  Wednesday,  October  5,  an 
address  by  the  Rev.  F.  W.  Gunsaulus,  of  Chicago ;  Thursday,  October  6, 
anniversary  day,  address  by  George  R.  Peck,  general  attorney  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railway,  Chicago.— G.  w.  M.] 


EARLY  DAYS  IN  KANSAS. 

An  address  by  George  W.  Martin,  Secretary  of  the  State  Historical  Society,  October  2,  1904, 
at  the  semicentennial  of  the  founding  of  Lawrence. 

THE  story  of  Kansas  has  been  told  and  told,  but  the  half  has  not  been 
known.  The  troubles  of  Charles  Robinson,  John  Brown,  and  James  H. 
Lane,  the  doings  and  misdoings  of  the  leaders  and  agitators,  have  monopo- 
lized the  attention  of  history,  to  the  overshadowing  of  the  meek  and  humble, 
the  noiseless  doings  of  the  great  army  of  pioneers,  without  whom  no  one 
could  have  made  fame,  and  but  for  whom  the  sentiment  of  our  "Ad  astra 
per  aspera ' '  would  never  have  been  immortalized. 

I  look  back,  and  it  is  easy  to  see  the  swarms  of  heroic  men  and  women 
coming  up  the  river;  and,  when  denied  the  river,  blazing  a  way  across  the 
prairies  of  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  on  foot  and  by  wagon,  to  make  homes  and 
save  Kansas  to  freedom.  And  amid  the  bluster  and  ruffianism  of  the  bor- 
der, I  see  pro-slavery  or  Southern  people  moving  in  to  find  homes,  content 
that  the  issue  should  be  honestly  made  and  fairly  settled.  And,  glancing 
down  the  history  of  the  years,  I  see  how  these  people  blended  into  a  homo- 
geneous citizenship,  disturbed  only  by  the  wrangles  of  those  who  sought 
leadership. 

And  a  review  of  the  fifty  years  shows  me  how  the  toilers,  the  humble  in- 
dividuals who  came  to  these  plains  to  work,  have  made  a  billion-dollar  com- 
monwealth of  the  territory  of  Kansas.  In  view  of  our  aptness  in  dodging 
taxation,  I  take  it  that  an  assessed  valuation  in  1904  of  $387,577,259  war- 
rants as  fair  a  comparison  between  the  bleak  and  uninviting  prairies  of  fifty 
years  ago,  absolutely  worthless,  and  a  billion  dollars  of  Uncle  Sam's  two- 
or  four-per-cent.  bonds  of  to-day.     Who  produced  this  wonderful  result? 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  127 

Those  who  filled  the  offices,  many  of  whom  are  known  only  by  their  receipts 
for  salary;  those  who  attained  temporary  or  spasmodic  fame;  or  those  who 
figure  in  our  published  histories  as  statesmen  and  leaders?  Of  course,  none 
of  them.  Real  history  will  tell  you  that  those  who  stuck  first  the  plowshare 
into  this  soil  are  the  heroes  who  have  accomplished  so  much. 

I  am  not  a  boss  buster.  I  would  not  disparage  the  boss.  Sometimes  a 
change  is  essential,  but  a  boss  is  indispensable.  Kansas  was  born  of  bosses, 
by  bosses,  and  for  bosses.  Concerning  Kansas,  and  what  should  happen 
here,  fifty  years  ago  everybody  from  Maine  to  Texas  was  a  boss.  The 
political  bosses  at  that  time  in  the  higher  circles  of  national  affairs  undoubt- 
edly decreed  that  Nebraska  should  be  free  and  Kansas  should  be  slave  ter- 
ritory. New  England,  however,  became  the  real  concrete  thing,  at  long 
range,  with  several  score  of  subbosses  on  the  ground.  And  while  the  Middle 
West  furnished  the  voters  and  a  fair  sprinkling  of  the  subbosses,  New  Eng- 
land is  entitled  to  the  honor  of  leadership  in  organizing  the  forces  following 
the  plow  and  the  shop,  in  starting  the  most  interesting  of  all  in  the  union  of 
states.  From  what  I  see  of  the  publications  of  the  New  England  states,  of 
New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  some  of  the  Southern  states,  going  back  to 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  Kansas  will  some  day  publish  the 
name  of  every  person  who  settled  in  her  borders  during  the  territorial  era; 
this  on  the  theory  that  the  humble  worker,  and  not  he  who  attains  promi- 
nence through  some  noise,  is  the  one  that  history  will  in  the  end  credit  with 
what  success  has  been  made. 

Neither  would  I  disparage  the  man  who  fights.  Those  were  stirring 
times.  Those  who  came  here  to  settle  a  principle  and  make  a  home— and 
that  meant  the  vast  majority— were  compelled  occasionally  to  take  the 
sword.  They  did  not  come  here  to  steal  horses  and  to  raise  hell,  as  some 
historians  would  have  you  believe.  They  and  their  descendants  have  re- 
mained with  us.  But  the  violence  and  the  outrages  through  which  the 
territorial  settlers  passed  have  been  dwelt  on,  to  the  neglect  of  business 
operations  and  the  development  of  material  interests. 

So  what  has  been  the  result  of  the  fifty  years  under  the  combined  effort 
of  the  men  who  started  the  plow,  those  who  fought,  those  who  led  in 
public  affairs,  and  the  bossism  of  New  England  ?  Who  can  conceive  the 
idea  of  a  few  settling  on  a  raw  and  useless  piece  of  the  world  and  starting 
such  machinery  of  government  as  we  have  in  the  state-house  at  Topeka  ? 
Where  such  a  thing  or  power  was  never  dreamed  of  fifty-one  or  two  years 
ago,  we  have  a  perpetual  motion  which  draws  from  the  soil  millions  of 
dollars  every  year  where  not  a  dollar  existed  before.  Laws  to  regulate  the 
affairs  of  the  people,  and  a  body  to  adjudicate  diflferences,  are  made  and 
accepted  by  all.  This  power  has  drawn  and  expended  $11,445,703^  in  erect- 
ing buildings  for  public  use,  for  higher  education,  and  the  unfortunate.  It 
has  created  a  current  business  requiring  the  annual  gathering  and  disburse- 
ment for  state,  county,  school  and  municipal  purposes  amounting  to  $16, 063,- 
637.25  for  the  year  1904.  This  governmental  machine  has  also  created  an 
indebtedness  upon  this  territory  amounting  in  1904  to  $34,027,649,  securities 
ranking  as  high  as  any  in  the  world. 

School  property  has  increased  from  $10,432  in  1862  to  $9,298,387  in  1904. 
There  are  8627  common  schools  at  work  in  the  state,  employing  10,103  teach- 

NOTE  1.— Superintendent  public  instruction  (Kan.)  reports,  1862-1904;   state  treasurer,  ltK)4. 


128  Kansas  State  Historical  Society 

ers,  costing  annually  from  $10,381  in  1862  to  $6,523,967.21  in  1904.  From 
1878  to  1904,  inclusive,  this  machine  called  the  state,  founded  by  our  terri- 
torial pioneers,  gathered  in  and  expended  for  common  schools  $110,472,981,13. 
It  had  a  permanent  school  fund,  December  31,  1904,  amounting  to  $7,599,- 
395.48.  On  this  date  the  State  University,  the  State  Normal  School  and  the 
State  Agricultural  College  each  had  permanent  funds— bond  account— of 
$150,079.17,  $218,435,  and  $487,388.80,  respectively.  Including  the  denomina- 
tional schools,  we  have  a  total  invested  in  school  property  of  $18,603,324.1 

For  the  year  1904  our  crop  products  amounted  to  $208,406,358,  and  our 
live  stock  on  hand  was  $159,010,755,  making  a  total  value  of  $367,417,113. 
Among  the  fifteen  leading  agricultural  states,  for  a  period  of  five  years, 
Kansas  stands  No.  1,  with  a  combined  value  of  wheat  and  corn  raised  for 
that  period  of  $387,433,347.  In  the  year  1900  Kansas  ranked  No.  1  for  corn, 
with  a  value  of  $97,807,362.  The  total  acreage  of  the  state  is  52,572,160,  and 
in  1904  but  25,672,082  acres  were  in  use.  From  1904  back  to  and  includ- 
ing 1883,  twenty-one  years,  the  crop  productions  of  Kansas  amounted  to 
$3,368,584,768,  or  an  annual  average  of  $160,408,798.  Much  less  than  fifty 
years  ago  the  western  end  of  the  state  was  considered  absolutely  worthless; 
and  yet  the  results  for  1904  gave  a  per  capita  production  of  over  $300  in 
several  of  the  counties  of  that  section;  and  pioneers  of  1854  and  1855  have 
lived  to  see  ordinary  farms  sell  for  $35  and  $40  per  acre;  and  alfalfa  farms, 
something  then  unknown,  also  sell  for  from  $50  to  $75  per  acre,  in  the 
western  one-half  of  the  state.  Add  the  value  for  each  year  back  to  and  in- 
cluding 1872,  less  1873,  for  which  year  there  are  no  figures,  and  we  have  a 
total  of  $3,932,153,889.  Since  1872,  less  1873,  and  including  1904,  we  have 
raised,  from  a  very  small  portion  of  the  "American  Desert,"  4,070,778,487 
bushels  of  corn  and  1,051,806,169  bushels  of  wheat.-  We  have  13,099,637 
bearing  fruit-trees  and  4,946,630  non-bearing  fruit-trees. ■■ 

In  1903  the  mineral  productions  of  Kansas  amounted  to  $27,154,007.85,  or 
a  grand  total  of  production  since  the  industry  began  of  $249,325,890.06.  The 
production  of  oil  in  1903  amounted  to  $1,120,018.90,  or  a  total  of  $2,025,584.33 
since  1894.  In  1903  the  value  of  natural  gas  produced  was  $1,115,375,  or  a 
total  of  $4,475,616  since  1889.^  Before  the  greater  portion  of  this  oil  and  gas 
development,  the  United  States  census  for  1900  gave  the  state  7830  manu- 
facturing establishments,  with  a  total  capital  of  $66,827,362,  and  an  annual 
production  of  $172,129,398. 

At  the  close  of  fifty  years  the  state  had  a  population  of  1, 533,049.  ■■>  In 
June,  1904,  or  nine  days  more  than  fifty  years  from  the  signing  of  the  Kan- 
sas-Nebraska bill,  Kansas  had  534  state  and  private  banks  and  156  national 
banks,  in  which  our  people  had  deposits  amounting  to  $104,841,566.82."  We 
are  the  fifth  state  in  the  Union  in  railroad  mileage,  with  10,527.92  miles, 
June  30,  1904,  of  which  10,067  miles  are  of  steel  rails.'  We  have  $8,000,000 
worth  of  church  property.  *■' 

Note  1.— Superintendent  public  instruction  (Kan.)  reports,  1862-1904;  state  treasurer,  1904. 

Note  2.— Reports  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  1872-1904. 

Note  3. -State  Horticultural  Society,  1904. 

Note  4.— University  Geological  Survey  of  Kansas,  Mineral  Resources.  1900-'03. 

Note  5,— United  States  census,  1900. 

Note  6. — Report  of  Kansas  Bank  Commissioner,  1903-'04. 

Note  7.— Report  of  Kansas  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners,  1904. 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  129 

Stop  a  moment  and  grasp  these  figures,  if  you  can,  the  result  of  the 
movement  started  on  these  prairies  by  the  territorial  pioneers.  Consider, 
also,  that,  of  this  semicentennial  period,  on  the  eastern  border  the  first  ten 
years  were  given  to  war  and  bloodshed,  while  on  the  western  border  the  first 
twenty  or  twenty-five  years  passed  before  development  obtained  a  foothold 
or  impetus,  the  Indians  ^  raiding  that  section  as  late  as  twenty-four  years 
after  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  And  the  figures  represent 
the  productive  power  of  less  than  one-half  of  the  magnificent  domain  within 
the  bounds  of  Kansas.  In  those  days  agriculture  was  considered  doubtful, 
while  the  mineral  development  was  not  dreamed  of.  The  people  in  that  por- 
tion of  Nebraska  south  of  the  Platte  made  a  vigorous  effort  to  be  included 
in  the  state  of  Kansas,  but  the  Wyandotte  constitutional  convention  ex- 
cluded them. 

God  forbid  that  I  should  present  these  figures  as  the  only  results  of  the 
seed  sown  by  the  pioneers  of  the  '50's,  or  that  a  mercenary  touch  should 
overshadow  the  spirit  of  loyalty,  of  state  pride,  of  enthusiasm  for  home,  be- 
queathed by  them  to  native  and  adopted  sons  alike.  They  set  a  standard  of 
citizenship  that  sent  more  soldiers  into  the  Union  armies  during  the  rebel- 
lion than  the  state  had  voters,  and  that  always  exceeded  quotas  without 
bounty,  heading  the  column  of  mortality  with  the  highest  percentage— 61.01 
in  1000,  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  following  with  58.22  and  47.76,  respect- 
ively. In  the  late  war  with  Spain,  the  state  furnished  a  regiment  which 
commanded  the  attention  of  the  world,  with  others  that  would  have  done  as 
well  had  opportunity  been  the  same  to  all.  The  finest  building  in  every 
Kansas  town  is  a  schoolhouse.  A  distinguished  senator,  who  commanded 
the  plaudits  of  the  world  for  eighteen  years,  said  that  once  a  Kansan,  the 
allegiance  can  never  be  forsworn;  so  that  the  title  "formerly  of  Kansas" 
commands  everywhere  the  profoundest  attention,  securing  to  all  our  boys 
who  emigrate  choice  places  in  all  lines  of  the  world's  activities. 

Who  were  the  people  at  that  time  engaged  in  the  movement  to  establish 
the  state  of  Kansas  ?  I  hope  it  will  not  be  treason  on  this  sacred  town  site, 
watered  by  the  blood  of  so  many  martyrs,  and  battered  on  all  sides  by  foes  un- 
til the  heroic  character  of  Lawrence  is  established  the  world  over,  to  say  that 
they  were  overwhelmingly  Middle  states  and  Western  people.  We  have  no 
count  for  1854.  Reeder's  census,''  in  February,  1855,  shows  a  population  of  8601, 
of  whom  408  were  foreigners,  151  free  negroes,  and  192  slaves.  There  were 
2905  voters.     I  find  the  statement  that  in  Lawrence,  in  January,  1855,  there 

Note  8.— The  Northern  Cheyennes,  under  the  leadership  of  Dull  Knife,  made  a  raid  across 
the  state  in  September  and  October,  1878,  during  Gov.  George  T.  Anthony's  administration,  in 
which  more  than  forty  men  were  murdered  and  many  women  captured. 

Note  9.—  The  census  of  Kansas  as  taken  during  the  territorial  period  : 

1854,  May  30.  "  I  infer  it  is  the  white  population  of  Kansas  that  you  desire.  This  infoi-ma- 
tion  I  will  give  you  as  nearly  as  I  can.  There  were  three  military  posts  at  this  period,  Leaven- 
worth, Riley,  and  Fort  Scott.  [The  latter  fort  was  dismantled,  1853-'55.]  Fort  Riley  was  built 
during  the  years  1852-'53.  I  have  not  now  any  means  of  ascertaining  the  number  of  employees  at 
those  forts.  I  visited  and  was  employed  at  two  government  stations  during  that  period,  and  I 
have  made  an  estimate  of  all  the  school  and  missionary  stations  at  that  time,  including  mission- 
aries, teachers,  traders,  mechanics,  squaw-men,  etc.,  and  give  it,  as  nearly  as  can  now  be  ascer- 
tained, as  about  1200  men,  women,  and  children.  About  one-half  of  this  number  were  single 
men.  There  were  no  settlers  upon  the  public  lands  prior  to  1854.  The  territory  at  that  time  was 
covered  all  over  with  Indian  reservations,  and  no  white  settlers  were  permitted  to  settle  upon  the 
lands.  A  few  squaw-men  and  half-breeds  who  were  lawfully  in  the  Indian  country  had  taken  a 
few  claims,  perhaps  fifty  or  more  such.  Those  names  Mr.  Cone  gives  are  of  these  classes.  I 
recognize  among  them  Pottawatomie  and  Kawnames."—T.  S.  Huffaker,  Council  Grove  October 
30,  1905. 

1855,  January  15,     As  provided  by  the  organic  act  of  May  30,  1854,  census  enumerators  were 

-9 


130  Kmisas  State  Historical  Society. 

were  80  residences,  i «  with  from  5  to  20  occupants  each.  Another  account  gives 
you  credit  for  400  abolitionists.  Notwithstanding  the  census  count  of  2905 
voters  in  the  whole  territory  in  February,  in  the  following  month  of  March, 
5427  pro-slavery,  791  free-state  and  89  scattering  votes  were  cast.  In  April, 
1857,  Secretary  Stanton  made  another  count,  and  found  a  population  of  25,- 
321,  with  five  counties  making  no  returns.  The  census  of  June,  1859,  gives 
Lawrence  township  a  total  population  of  3351;  number  of  voters,  1079; 
heads  of  families  not  voters,  26;  number  of  minors,  2239;  negroes,  7.'^ 
There  seems  to  have  been  no  other  count,  except  of  voters,  until  the  fed- 
eral census  of  1860.  The  vote^-  on  the  Wyandotte  constitution,  and  for 
delegate  to  Congress,  October  4,  1859,  seems  to  have  been  an  orderly  one, 
amounting  to  15,951  for  and  against  the  constitution,  and  16,949  total  vote  for 
delegate.  In  1860  the  census  showed  a  population  in  the  territory  of  107,206, 
of  whom  12,691  were  born  in  foreign  countries.  This  gave  a  population  of 
94,513  native-born  Americans.  In  the  census  of  1860,  the  state  of  Ohio  led, 
with  11,617  natives  in  Kansas;  Missouri  followed,  with  11,356;  Kansas  comes 
in  third,  with  10,997  babies;  Indiana  is  fourth,  with  9945,  and  Illinois  fifth, 
with  9367;  Kentucky  was  next,  with  6556;  Pennsylvania,  6463;  New  York, 
6331;  and  Iowa  with  4008.  The  six  New  England  states  led  Iowa,  with 
4208.  The  tenth  state  was  the  two  Virginias,  with  3487.  The  list  continues : 
No.  11,  Tennessee,  with  2569;  No.  12,  Wisconsin,  with  1351;  No.  13,  Massa- 
chusetts, 1282;  No.  14,  North  Carolina,  1234;  No.  15,  Michigan,  1137;  No. 
16,  Vermont,  902;  No.  17,  Maine,  728;  No.  18,  Connecticut,  650;  No.  19, 
Maryland,  620;  No.  20,  New  Jersey,  499.  Daniel  W.  Wilder,  who  worked 
out  these  figures,  himself  a  Massachusetts  man,  says:  "But  nearly  all  the 
states  that  contributed  largely  to  Kansas  in  the  early  and  later  years  were 

appointed  by  Governor  Reeder.  (  Kan.  State  Hist.  Soc.  Col.,  vol.  3,  p.  247.)  Returns.  (Rept.  of 
Cong.  Inves.  Com.,  1856,  pp.  9,  30.) 

1857,  February  19.  An  act  to  provide  for  the  taking  a  census,  and  election  for  delegates  to  a 
convention.  (  Laws  1857,  p.  60.)  Returns.  (iyemZd  o/ Freedom,  Lawrence,  May  30,1857.1  "Cen- 
sus of  Douglas  County,"  a  broadside  containing  the  names  of  552  electors,  arranged  by  town- 
ships, dated  May  9,  1857. 

1857.  Census  taken  under  provisions  of  the  Topeka  legislature  in  the  summer  of  1857.  as 
mentioned  in  letter  of  T.  J.  Marsh  to  George  L.  Stearns.  Lawrence,  K.  T.,  July  18. 1857  :  "The  work 
of  census  taking  has  not  been  completed.  Some  50,000  inhabitants  have  been  returned.  The 
number  of  voters  is  much  larger  in  proportion  to  the  whole  number  of  inhabitants  than  with 
us.  As  an  instance,  I  saw  one  return  of  the  numbering  of  a  township  thus  :  Voters,  1584  ;  total, 
3008.     The  census  will  be  continued.     It  is  said  there  is  a  large  portion  not  yet  taken."! 

1858,  January  21.  An  act  to  provide  for  taking  a  census  in  certain  districts.  (Laws  of  1858, 
p.  223.)  "Sec.  2.  The  following  persons  are  hereby  appointed  commissioners  to  take  such  census, 
viz.:  Scott  J.  Anthony  and  Columbus  Crane,  for  the  township  of  Kickapoo  ;  Benj.  F.  Dare  and 
Chas.  Mayo,  for  the  township  of  Oxford  ;  Chas.  Mayo  and  Samuel  M.  Cornatzer,  for  the  township 
of  Shawnee;  Dr.  J.  Eagles  and  Caleb  Woodworth,  jr.,  for  the  township  of  Walnut ;  J.  C.  Danford 
and  Wm.  Emerson,  for  the  townships  of  Tate  and  Potosi ;  A.  G.  Barrett  and  Dan  C.  Auld,  for  the 
county  of  Marshall ;  and  Wm.  R.  Griffith,  for  the  county  of  McGee,  who,  before  entering  upon 
the  discharge  of  their  duties,  shall  take  an  oath  faithfully  to  discharge  their  duties  under  the 
provisions  of  this  act."  — Laws  1858,  p.  224.     [Have  not  yet  found  returns  of  this  census.] 

1859,  February  11.  An  act  providing  for  taking  a  census.  (General  Laws  1859,  p.  78. 1  Re- 
turns. I  House  Journal,  special  session,  1860,  pp.  35-39.  i  "  The  returns,  as  reported  by  the  gov- 
ernor, show  a  partial  and  incorrect  census,  as  taken  in  the  month  of  June,  1859,  since  which  time 
the  immigration  into  Kansas  has  been  unprecedented.  The  whole  amount  of  population,  as  re- 
ported by  the  governor  at  the  regular  session  (  January  3.  1859  ),  was  71,770  ;  to  which,  if  we  add 
the  calculation,  as  estimated  in  the  foregoing  counties  partially  returned,  and  from  which  we 
have  no  return,  the  population,  up  to  the  1st  day  of  July,  1859,  would  amount  to  about  to  107,570, 
in  which  is  not  included  a  large  number  of  the  most  populous  counties,  from  which  there  have 
been  only  a  part  of  the  townships  returned  to  the  executive."—  Report  of  Committee  on  Elections, 
in  House  Journal,  special  session,  1860,  p.  425. 

1860.  United  States  census,  vol.  1.  pp.  158-167. 

Note  10.—  The  Webb  Scrap-books  are  responsible  for  much  of  this  miscellaneous  information. 
Note  11. —  House  Journal,  special  session,  1860,  p.  37. 
Note  12.— Wilder's  Annals,  pp.  281,  282. 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  131 

connected  with  us  by  river  navigation.  These  states  were  Pennsylvania, 
Ohio,  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Arkansas,  Missouri, 
and  Iowa.     These  states  and  their  rivers  made  Kansas." 

From  an  address  by  John  A.  Anderson  before  the  teachers'  institutes  in 
1879,  I  quote:  "From  this  standpoint  (meaning  that  the  Western  man  is 
better  fitted  for  pioneer  work),  please  scan  the  proportions  in  which  our 
population  came  from  other  states  to  Kansas,  as  enumerated  in  the  census 
of  1875:  Out  of  each  100  Kansans,  there  came  from  New  England  1,  from 
New  York  2,  Pennsylvania  3,  Ohio  6,  Kentucky  2,  Indiana  7,  Illinois  17,  and 
Missouri  14.  These  states  may  be  termed  the  agricultural  spine  of  the  na- 
tion, both  because  of  climatic  position  and  the  order  of  their  settlement. 
From  Michigan  came  2,  Wisconsin  2,  Minnesota  1,  Iowa  9,  and  Nebraska  1. 
These  are  the  ribs,  and  of  later  growth.  Other  groupings  show  that  the 
Atlantic  slope,  embracing  New  England,  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  New 
Jersey,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Virginia,  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  Florida,  and 
Alabama,  all  told,  furnished  7,  and  the  great  basin  ( meaning  the  region  be- 
tween the  Alleghany  and  the  Rocky  Mountains),  83.  The  slave  states  fur- 
nished 19  and  the  free  states  76.  Foreign  countries  sent  5  and  the  United 
States  95." 

The  federal  census  of  1900  gave  us  630,321  native-born  Kansans.  Illinois 
followed,  with  113,704,  and  Missouri  next,  with  100,814.  The  six  New  Eng- 
land states  in  1900  had  11,857  natives  in  Kansas,  and  of  this  number  3433 
came  from  Massachusetts. 

So  the  illusion  that  has  always  existed  that  Kansas  is  a  Yankee  state  is 
dispelled. 

This  disclaimer,  however,  does  not  evidence  any  lack  of  pride  by  us  in 
the  connection  the  Yankees  had  with  the  beginnings  of  Kansas.  It  will 
probably  never  be  a  question  whether  Kansas  would  have  been  saved  from 
slavery  without  the  agitation  and  money  of  New  England.  Upon  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  the  free  states  and  the  slave  states  began 
to  organize  to  open  battle  in  Kansas.  The  compromise  measure  of  1820 
made  Kansas  free  soil,  and  the  undoubted  purpose  of  the  act  of  May  30, 
1854,  was  to  facilitate  the  introduction  of  slavery  into  this  territory.  The 
South  claimed  Kansas  as  its  own,  but  that  region  was  no  match  in  resources 
to  the  North,  led  by  New  England.  The  South  could  not  raise  funds  as  did 
the  North,  and  organization  in  its  interest  was  almost  entirely  limited  to  the 
border  counties  of  Missouri.  However,  in  John  Sherman's  scrap-book  is  a 
letter  dated  New  Orleans,  June  4,  1856,  addressed  "To  the  North,"  and 
signed  "J.  H.  J.,"  in  which  it  is  said:  "The  South  has  sent  more  than 
$200,000  already— not  to  Kansas,  but  in  the  border  counties  of  Missouri— and 
will  send  double  that  amount  in  the  next  three  months,"  the  pretext  being 
to  buy  Kansas  lands.  A  speaker  in  the  Alabama  legislature  said  Kansas 
was  worth  to  the  South  a  tax  of  ten  per  cent,  on  the  $250,000,000  of  slave 
property.  Buford  ^ '  sold  forty  slaves  at  an  average  of  $700  each,  or  $28,000, 
all  of  which  he  lost  in  his  Kansas  movement.  I  see  frequent  statements  in 
the  Southern  papers  that  he  obtained  all  the  money  he  desired,  but  the  sub- 
scription lists  to  be  found  seem  to  be  short.  The  various  organizations  and 
movements  in  the  North  and  South  to  raise  money  for  Kansas  will  always 
be  of  interest,  and  some  day  of  persistent  investigation.     Daniel  W.  Wilder 

Note  13.— Fleming's  "The  Buford  Expedition,"  in  Am.  Hist.  Review,  vol.  6.  October,  1900. 


132  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

says  that,  through  all  instrumentalities,  not  less  than  $250,000  was  raised 
in  the  North  for  Kansas,  and  that  it  was  money  well  spent. 

And  yet  there  is  abundance  of  testimony  in  the  old  scrap-books  out  of 
which  I  am  working  to  show  that  the  Yankees  about  Lawrence  did  it  all. 
A  Washington  writer  in  the  Philadelphia  Ledger,  as  early  as  December,  1854, 
threw  up  the  sponge,  as  follows:  "In  July  last  (1854)  I  wrote  you  that 
Kansas  would  be  a  slave  state.  I  am  now  of  a  different  opinion.  The  im- 
pertinent and  insolent  interference  of  your  Eastern  fanatics,  the  colonizing, 
as  they  have  done  by  hundreds,  of  the  lowest  class  of  rowdies  to  browbeat 
our  voters,  and  prevent  a  fair  expression  of  the  popular  will,  has  brought 
about  this  result.  They  have  located  themselves  near  the  Kansas  river, 
named  their  city  Lawrence,  and  number,  I  am  told,  some  hundreds  of  vot- 
ers. I  have  seen  some  of  them,  and  they  are  the  most  unmitigated  set  of 
blackguards  I  have  ever  laid  my  eyes  upon." 

I  have  said  that  the  story  of  Kansas  has  been  told  and  told,  and  only  half 
known.  The  position  I  occupy  is  a  remarkable  one  from  which  to  view  and 
contemplate  the  dimensions  of  Kansas  and  the  activity  of  her  people.  The 
founders  of  the  State  Historical  Society  gave  it  a  breadth  of  foundation  and 
purpose,  resulting  in  a  collection  the  scope  of  which  is  little  realized  by  the 
public.  The  factional  and  controversial  feature  of  our  history  has  obscured 
much  of  this  material.  It  will  be  of  use  in  determining  matters  after  all 
the  participants  have  gone  to  glory.  I  am  a  hopeful  sort  of  an  individual— 
have  been  in  Kansas  so  long  that  I  know  the  best  will  always  happen. 

About  two  years  ago  the  widow  of  George  L.  Stearns,  while  on  her  death- 
bed, made  up  a  bundle  of  her  husband's  correspondence  and  sent  it  to  the 
State  Historical  Society.  There  are  many  letters  of  great  historical  value, 
and  some  eight  or  ten  financial  statements.  Three  statements,  that  I  con- 
clude are  not  duplicates,  show  an  expenditure  for  Kansas  from  July  1,  1856, 
to  July  1,  1857,  of  $74,654.  One  is  that  of  P.  T.  Jackson  in  account  with 
the  Massachusetts  State  Kansas  Committee,  another  of  James  Hunne- 
well,  treasurer  of  the  Middlesex  County  Kansas  Aid  Committee;  the  third 
statement  shows  where  $48,116.04  of  the  money  came  from,  as  follows: 
Massachusetts,  $44,817.39;  Maine,  $785.37;  New  Hampshire,  $933.99;  New 
York  city,  $845.34;  South  Carolina,  $5;  Great  Britain,  $491;  British  prov- 
inces, $5,  and  unknown,  $235. 

Prof.  William  H.  Carruth  made  a  valuable  statement  in  the  sixth  volume 
of  the  Historical  Collections  of  the  operations  of  the  New  England  Emigrant 
Aid  Company,  and  other  schemes  to  raise  money,  giving  interest  to  this 
question  of  funds  for  Kansas.  The  letters  to  Mr.  Stearns  are  from  well- 
known  Kansans,  contributing  much  light  on  how  things  were  done  then. 
Many  thousands  of  dollars  were  shipped  to  firms  in  St.  Louis  and  Chicago; 
to  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  E.  B.  Whitman,  S.  N.  Simpson,  and  M.  F.  Conway;  scores 
of  items  are  in  these  names,  but  mostly  marked  for  some  one  else.  The 
fund  about  which  Mrs.  Stearns  has  furnished  the  Historical  Society  so  many 
papers  differs  from  the  others  in  that  there  seems  to  have  been  a  special 
agent  sent  out  from  Boston  to  look  after  it  and  report  conditions.  His  name 
was  Thomas  J.  Marsh.  He  arrived  in  the  territory  July  12,  and  returned 
to  New  England  about  October  1,  1857.  There  are  ten  of  his  letters  written 
during  that  time.  I  quote  from  his  letter  of  July  18:  "I  think  this  is  an 
important  time  for  the  future  of  Kansas.  The  people  here  are  earnest, 
though  they  are  apparently  quiet  and  at  their  business.     They  need  help. 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  133 

As  an  evidence  of  this  earnestness  let  me  say,  that  in  the  convention  [free- 
state  convention  at  Topeka,  July  15  and  16,  1857,  to  nominate  candidates 
under  the  Topeka  constitution],  were  men  who  had  to  ride  more  than  100 
miles  from  the  extremes  to  the  place  of  meeting,  and  this,  not  by  railroad 
conveyance,  but  on  horseback,  very  many  of  them,  with  the  thermometer 
ranging  all  the  time  from  95  to  110  degrees,  and  consuming,  including  the 
two  days  occupied  by  the  meeting,  not  less  than  from  a  week  to  ten  days' 
time." 

July  21,  1857,  Mr.  Marsh  wrote  a  lengthy  letter  in  which  appears  this  : 
"  The  committee  have  their  plans  matured,  and  speakers  engaged  for  the 
coming  election,  and  all  their  meetings  notified ;  a  good  vote  will  be  polled 
in  August.  I  called  upon  George  W.  Brown  this  morning.  I  believe  I  have 
now  seen  all  the  apparently  hostile  chiefs.  Mr.  Brown,  I  think,  is  well  dis- 
posed. There  may  be  some  personal  matters  not  entirely  settled,  but  I  trust 
and  believe  they  will  all  be  deferred  until  all  of  the  elections  have  been  held. 
I  told  Mr.  Brown,  as  I  have  told  the  others,  that  their  differences  were 
a  source  of  grief  to  all  their  friends  East ;  no  matter  who  was  right  or  who 
was  wrong,  they  were  furnishing  aid  and  comfort  to  their  enemies  and 
sorrow  to  their  friends.  That  friends  at  home,  nor  myself,  would  have  only 
one  feeling,  one  wish  to  express,  and  that  was  union  of  all  the  friends  in 
Kansas,  for  the  freedom  of  Kansas." 

Who  can  overestimate  the  importance,  in  determining  the  future  of  Kan- 
sas, of  this  interesting  piece  of  New  England  bossism,  through  a  special 
agent,  in  rounding  up  the  local  bosses,  whose  petty  quarrels  threatened  to 
destroy  all  effort  ?  New  England  was  justified  in  sending  a  special  agent  to 
boss  the  job,  since  she  was  putting  up  the  stuff. 

But  this  is  not  the  only  evidence  showing  that  the  boss  was  paramount 
in  those  days.  A  Washington  letter  to  the  New  York  Times  in  December, 
1857,  says:  "The  agent  of  the  administration,  who  represented  them  in 
Kansas  during  the  sitting  of  the  [Lecompton]  convention,  was  Henry  S. 
Martin,  a  shrewd  and  intelligent  Mississippian,  then  and  now  clerk  in  the 
interior  department  under  Secretary  Thompson.  Martin  was  constantly 
present  at  the  convention  caucuses,  and  it  was  chiefly  through  his  repre- 
sentation and  influence  that  the  convention  determined  on  only  a  partial 
submission  of  the  constitution  to  the  people.  As  the  agent  of  the  adminis- 
tration his  credentials  were  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  he  was  at  the 
same  time  a  clerk  in  the  government  service,  and  his  influence  was  para- 
mount. Except  for  his  interference  it  is  fully  believed  that  the  Judge  El- 
more party,  who  favored  a  free  submission  of  the  constitution,  would  have 
triumphed.  It  was  Martin's  dispatch  to  Washington,  also,  which  led  the 
president  and  the  [Washington]  Union  to  take  their  positions  so  early  in 
favor  of  the  convention's  action." 

And  yet  what  would  all  this  putting  up,  bossing  and  scheming  have 
amounted  to  had  not  a  great  majority  of  the  settlers  gone  to  work  building 
log  cabins  on  their  claims  and  breaking  prairie  ? 

The  campaign  which  seemed  to  warrant  a  special  agent  from  New  Eng- 
land to  meet  the  necessity  of  rounding  up  the  bosses,  who  were  distressing 
friends  all  over  the  country,  was  the  first  time  the  two  parties  met  at  the 
same  ballot-box.  From  the  29th  of  November.  1854,  until  October  5,  1857, 
not  quite  three  years,  the  people  of  the  territory  had  twelve  elections,  eleven 
of  them  without  force.     The  pro-slavery  people  obtained  control  of  the  terri- 


134  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

torial  organization  by  fraudulent  votes,  they  polling  5427  votes  March  30, 1855, 
when  the  census  taken  in  February,  1855,  reported  only  2905  voters,  and  so 
the  free-state  people  refused  to  recognize  the  pro-slavery  authorities,  and 
attempted  to  start  another  organization.  At  the  second  election,"  March 
30,  1855,  there  were  781  pro-slavery  votes  polled  at  Lawrence  and  253  free- 
state, '"'  while  on  October  5,  1857,  there  were  906  free-state  and  11  pro-slav- 
ery. Of  the  twelve^"  elections,  five  were  held  under  the  Topeka  constitution 
and  seven  under  the  bogus  government.  In  the  last  election,  October  5, 
1857,  Gov.  Robert  J.  Walker  had  induced  the  free-state  people  to  participate, 
under  the  pledge  of  fair  play.  It  was  the  purpose  of  the  Grasshopper  Falls 
convention  1'  to  consider  this  question  of  the  free-state  men  voting.  It  was 
unanimously  decided  for  the  free-state  party  that  they  would  make  the  ef- 
fort to  capture  the  territorial  organization.  It  was  in  this  effort  New  Eng- 
land was  so  specially  interested.  The  free-state  party  won"^  by  a  vote  of 
7888  to  3799,  a  majority  of  4089.  They  elected  a  majority  in  both  branches 
of  the  legislature,  the  council  standing  nine  free-state  and  four  pro-slavery 
and  the  house  twenty-four  free-state  and  fifteen  pro-slavery.  But  the  pro- 
slavery  people  had  the  apportionment  fixed  so  that  if  the  Oxford  fraud  had 
prevailed  there  would  have  been  a  change  of  three  councilmen  and  eight 
members  of  the  house,  which  would  have  given  a  pro-slavery  majority  in 
both  houses.  Governor  Walker  and  Secretary  Stanton,  however,  kept  their 
pledges  of  fair  play  and  threw  out  the  returns  of  Oxford.  There  were  1628 
votes  1"  polled  at  Oxford  for  legislative  candidates,  when  only  124,  probably 
all  legitimate,  were  cast  for  township  officers.  It  was  generally  understood 
■  at  Lecompton  that  Secretary  Stanton  refused  certificates  of  election  based 
on  the  Oxford  vote  with  a  pistol  pointed  at  his  breast.  This  was  the  turn- 
ing-point. 

Here  is  another  letter,  by  Thos.  J.  Marsh,  addressed  to  George  L.  Stearns, 
Esq.,  dated  Lawrence,  August  7,  1857,  and  marked  private:  "I  understand 
Mr.  E.  B.  Whitman  is  going  to  start  for  the  East  on  Monday  [the  10th], 
and  as  the  proper  disposal  of  the  money  entrusted  to  my  care  in  some  meas- 
ure depends  upon  the  fact  of  no  other  persons  knowing  anything  about  the 
amount  but  myself  that  from  time  to  time  may  be  sent  me,  I  hope  you  will 
not  deem  it  wise  to  communicate  to  him  any  information  in  regard  to  it  ex- 
cept generally.  Money  is  wanted  for  all  purposes.  I  pay  such  bills  and 
such  only  as  I  think  you  will  approve.  I  have  not  nor  do  I  intend  to  en- 
courage any  expenditures  that  do  not  seem  to  be  absolutely  necessary. ' ' 

August  11  he  writes  an  important  letter  full  of  advice  concerning  the 
Grasshopper  Falls  convention,  called  for  August  26,  closing  with  the  follow- 
ing paragraph:  "You  mention  the  request  of  the  committee  that  Judge 
[Martin  F.]  Conway  be  constantly  employed  so  long  as  there  is  anything  to 
be  done.     The  judge  is  engaged  in  the  military  organization,  acting  in  the 

Note  14.—  Rept.  of  Cong.  Inves.  Com.,  1856,  pp.  30-33. 

Note  15.— Herald  of  Freedom,  October  10.  1857,  gives  this  at  Lawrence,  March  30,  1855,  as 
1050  pro-slavery  and  225  free-state. 

Note  16.— Kan.  Hist.  Soc.  Col.,  vol.  7,  pp.  141,  142. 

Note  17.— Wilder's  Annals,  1886,  p.  176 ;  also,  letter  of  T.  J.  Marsh  to  George  L.  Stearns,  d. 
Lawrence,  K.  T.,  Sept.  7,  1857. 

Note  18.- Wilder's  Annals,  1886,  p.  194. 

Note  19. -Id.,  pp.  194,  195. 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  135 

capacity  of  adjutant-general.  If  there  is  no  voting  done,  the  organization 
falls.  Mr.  Redpath  is  assistant  to  Conway,  and  Mr.  Whitman  is  quarter- 
master. I  could  not  promise  them  money  for  salaries  or  other  expenses 
unless  authorized  so  to  do.  Judge  Conway  told  me  before  the  August  elec- 
tion that  he  was  going  to  Osawatomie  to  speak,  if  he  could  get  a  team.  I 
gave  him  twenty  dollars.  He  started,  lost  the  way,  and  did  not  arrive  in 
time.     He  spoke  at  another  place. " 

In  a  postscript  to  a  letter  about  the  Grasshopper  Falls  convention,  dated 
August  27,  1857,  he  says:  "Governor  Robinson  has  just  handed  me  $200,  to 
be  used  for  the  free-state  cause,  forwarded  by  Amos  A.  Lawrence,  Esq. "  In 
another  letter,  dated  September  7,  appears  this:  "I  have  paid  out  for  vari- 
ous services,  $744.80;  by  far  the  larger  part  was  for  the  census,  and  the 
balance  for  the  August  election.  My  own  expenses  driving  about  here  and 
my  expenses  coming  here  will  make  about  $100  more,  besides  my  board,  so 
that  I  shall  not  have  more  than  $550  for  present  use.  There  is  a  man  here, 
missionary  for  the  Democracy;  he  is  very  polite.  I  am  satisfied  he  is  a 
little  too  leaky  for  his  employers  or  for  his  own  success."  Among  the  pa- 
pers are  Marsh's  board  bills,  $80,  and  laundry,  $10,  receipted  by  Robert 
Morrow. 

Marsh  was  a  Know  Nothing  politician,  of  New  Hampshire  antecedents. 
In  1858  Governor  Banks  made  him  superintendent  of  the  Tewksbury  alms- 
house. In  this  job  he  and  his  family  lost  their  reputations.  A  correspondent 
of  the  Historical  Society  says  Marsh  was  pecuniarily  honest  and  was  of  good 
repute  in  1857.  The  trouble  seems  mostly  to  have  been  with  his  boys.  He 
was  the  first  Kansas  boss,  for  he  seems  to  have  rounded  up  our  "chiefs"  in 
good  shape  at  the  right  time,  and  yet  he  was  here  but  ten  weeks,  and  his 
name  appears  but  once  in  printed  Kansas  history.-" 

In  this  collection  of  letters  there  are  many  also  from  E.  B.  Whitman  to 
George  L.  Stearns.  Politically  Whitman's  letters  are  cheerful  and  instruct- 
ive, but  financially  quite  doleful.  October  11,  1857,  he  writes:  "Yesterday 
I  was  obliged  to  borrow  $350  at  five  per  cent,  per  month,  to  meet  some 
freight  payments.  If  it  does  not  arrive  soon  I  shall  be  deeply  in  trouble 
again.  Money  is  very  scarce  here,  and  I  do  not  know  but  that  we  shall  all 
have  to  stop  payment.  Mr.  Marsh  has  returned,  leaving  us  to  foot  the  bills 
for  the  organization.  I  cannot  learn  that  he  paid  any  bills  at  all  of  this 
description. ' '  October  25  Whitman  writes  that  the  results  of  a  draft  had 
failed  to  arrive  in  St.  Louis.  "Indeed,"  he  says,  "I  do  feel  uneasy.  Is  it 
possible  that  I  am  after  all  to  be  disappointed?     Here  I  am  with  an  enter- 

NoTE  20. — "Thomas  J.  Marsh,  a  gentleman  of  integrity  and  organizing  ability,  was  selected 
as  agent,  and  he  left  for  Kansas  on  the  2d  day  of  July,  where  he  remained  till  after  the  October 
election.  Arriving  at  Lawrence,  he  attended  a  conference  of  leading  men  met  to  consider  the 
question  of  voting  at  the  October  election.  The  situation  was  not  hopeful  nor  were  the  men  as- 
sembled confident  of  success.  Mr.  Marsh  stated  to  them  that  he  had  been  sent  by  the  friends  of 
free  Kansas  in  the  East  with  from  $3000  to  $4000  to  aid  in  organizing  the  territory  to  carry,  if 
possible,  both  branches  of  the  legislature  in  October.  Encouraged  by  this  proffered  assistance, 
the  conference  agreed  to  press  upon  the  free-state  convention,  soon  to  be  held,  the  importance  of 
securing,  if  attainable,  the  legislature.  Mr.  Marsh  attended  the  convention,  but  he  found  the 
delegates  much  disheartened.  The  people  were  poor,  many  had  been  murdered,  others  had  been 
despoiled,  a  malignant  typhoid  fever  was  prevailing,  and  many  were  sick  and  dying.  It  was  cer- 
tain, too,  that  there  would  be  a  large  failure  of  their  crops.  They  felt  that  political  power  was 
wholly  in  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  whose  plans  were  matured,  and  who  were  confident,  boast- 
ful, and  insolent.  '  But  for  all  that,'  said  Mr.  Marsh  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wilson,  '  it  was  one  of  the 
grandest  conventions  I  ever  attended.  An  influence  went  out  from  it  which  was  felt  in  every 
part  of  the  territory.  From  that  time  the  work  went  steadily  on  ;  conventions  and  neighborhood 
rneetings  were  held  everywhere  until  the  day  of  the  election.  Under  the  circumstances,  no  po- 
litical contest  in  this  country  will  compare  with  it.  I  shall  never  forget  how  they  labored  and 
what  sacrifices  they  made.  But  they  triumphed  and  saved  the  territory  to  freedom.'  "—Wilson's 
Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Slave  Power  in  America,  vol.  2,  1876,  p.  539. 


136  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

prise  of  magnitude  and  importance  on  my  hands,  with  expenses  to  a  large 
amount  already  incurred,  my  own  personal  obligation  given  for  money  bor- 
rowed on  the  strength  of  the  arrival  of  this.  The  money  was  on  deposit,  as 
I  supposed,  when  I  left,  and  no  intimation  was  given  me  that  there  could  be 
a  delay.  Is  it  possible  that  the  parties  making  the  collection  in  Boston  have 
appropriated  it  to  their  own  use?  Do  investigate  and  write  me  at  once,  if 
you  have  any  bowels  of  compassion."  Whitman  borrowed  $500  for  John 
Brown,  giving  his  personal  obligation,  and  this  was  troubling  him.  October 
25  he  says:  "I  am  willing  to  work,  wear  out,  die,  if  need  be,  in  the  cause, 
but  I  cannot  make  bricks  always  without  straw. ' ' 

The  Historical  Society  possesses  hundreds  of  such  letters,  and  from  them 
and  the  newspaper  clippings  some  writer  will,  some  day,  revise  and  greatly 
revive  and  freshen  Kansas  history.  The  letters  of  Whitman  and  Marsh  will 
some  day  be  published,  as  also  a  fine  collection  from  many  leading  states- 
men of  that  period  addressed  to  Charles  Robinson,  furnished  by  Sara  T.  D. 
Robinson. 

It  might  be  well  to  look  and  see  if  there  were  any  friends  in  those  trying 
times  who  have  not  been  remembered.  In  the  bitterness  coming  out  of  ten 
years  of  war  on  the  border,  we  have  believed,  and  taught  our  children  to  be- 
lieve, that  no  good  could  come  out  of  western  Missouri.  Time  modifies  all 
views  and  controversies,  and  a  little  search  in  the  marvelous  collection  in 
the  State-house  at  Topeka  makes  the  fact  stand  out  that  across  the  line 
there  were  heroes  who  stood  up  for  the  rights  of  the  people  coming  to  Kan- 
sas, regardless  of  their  views  on  the  slavery  question. 

The  first  expression  was  in  Salt  Creek  valley,  about  three  miles  west  of 
Fort  Leavenworth,  in  March,  1854,  when  it  was  resolved, -i  "That  we  will 
afford  protection  to  no  abolitionist  as  a  settler  of  Kansas  territory. ' '  Next, 
at  Weston,  a  reward'--  of  $200  was  offered  for  Eli  Thayer.  On  the  20th  of 
July,  1854,-3  a  resolution  was  adopted  at  a  meeting  held  at  Weston,  and 
signed  by  B.  F.  Stringfellow,  and  known  as  the  Bayliss  resolution,  declar- 
ing "That  this  association  will,  whenever  called  upon  by  any  of  the  citizens 
of  Kansas  territory,  hold  itself  in  readiness  to  go  there  to  assist  in  remov- 
ing any  and  all  emigrants  who  go  there  under  the  auspices  of  the  Northern 
emigration  aid  societies."  Did  this  stand  as  the  sentiment  of  the  people  of 
Weston,  or  was  there  any  to  protest?  On  the  1st  of  September,  1854,-^  be- 
fore there  was  any  trouble  at  Lawrence,  or  elsewhere  in  the  territory,  a 
mass  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Weston  was  held,  and  the  following  expres- 
sion adopted: 

"Whereas,  Our  rights  and  privileges,  as  citizens  of  Weston,  Platte 
county,  Missouri,  have  been  disregarded,  infringed  upon  and  grievously  vio- 
lated within  the  last  few  weeks  by  certain  members  of  the  Platte  County 
Self-defensive  Association;  and 

"Whereas.  The  domestic  quiet  of  our  families,  the  sacred  honor  of  our 
sons  and  daughters,  the  safety  of  our  property,  the  security  of  our  living 
and  persons,  the  'good  name'  our  fathers  left  us,  the  'good  name'  of  us  all 
—  and  the  city  of  our  adoption— are  each  and  all  disrespected  and  vilely  as- 
persed and  contemptuously  threatened   with    mob   violence,  wherefore,  it 

Note  21.— Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  1,  p.  43. 
Note  22.— Id.,  vol.  1,  p.  46. 
Note  23.— Id.,  vol.  1,  p.  104. 
Note  24.— Id.,  vol.  1,  p.  114ll>. 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  137 

is  imperatively  demanded  that  we,  in  mass  meeting  assembled,  on  this,  the 
1st  day  of  September,  A.  D.  1854,  do  make  prompt,  honorable,  effective  and 
immediate  defense  of  our  rights  and  privileges  as  citizens  of  this  glorious 
Union :   therefore, 

"Resolved  (1),  That  we,  whose  names  are  hereunto  affixed,  are  order- 
loving  and  law-abiding  citizens. 

"Resolved  (2),  That  we  are  Union  men.  We  love  the  South  much,  but  we 
love  the  Union  better.  Our  motto  is,  the  Union  first,  the  Union  second,  and 
the  Union  forever. 

'  'Resolved  (3) ,  That  we  disapprove  the  Bayliss  resolution  as  containing 
nullification,  disunion,  and  disorganizing  sentiments. 

"Resolved  (4),  That  we,  as  consumers,  invite  and  solicit  our  merchants  to 
purchase  their  goods  wherever  it  is  most  advantageous  to  the  buyer  and  the 
consumer. 

"Resolved  (5),  That  we  hold  every  man  as  entitled  to  equal  respect  and 
confidence  until  his  conduct  proves  him  unworthy  of  the  same. 

'  'Resolved  (6) ,  That  we  understand  the  '  Douglas  bill '  as  giving  all  the 
citizens  of  this  confederacy  equal  rights  and  equal  immunities  in  the  terri- 
tories of  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 

"Resolved  (7),  That  we  are  behevers  in  the  dignity  of  labor;  it  does  not 
necessarily  detract  from  the  moral  nor  intellectual  character  of  men. 

"Resolved  (8) ,  That  we  are  competent  to  judge  who  shall  be  expelled  from 
our  cornmunity,  and  who  shall  make  laws  for  our  corporation. 

"Resolved  (9),  That  mei'e  suspicion  is  not  a  ground  of  guilt;  mob  law 
can  only  be  tolerated  when  all  other  law  fails,  and  then  only  on  proof  of 
guilt. 

"Resolved  (10th  and  lastly).  That  certain  members  of  the  Platte  County 
Self-defensive  Association  have  proclaimed  and  advocated  and  attempted 
to  force  measures  upon  us  contrary  to  the  foregoing  principles,  which  meas- 
ures we  do  solemnly  disavow  and  disapprove,  and  utterly  disclaim,  as  being 
diametrically  opposed  to  common  and  constitutional  law,  and  as  having 
greatly  disturbed  and  well-nigh  destroyed  the  order,  the  peace  and  the 
harmony  of  our  families  and  community,  and  as  being  but  too  well  calcu- 
lated seriously  to  injure  us  in  our  property  and  character,  both  at  home  and 
abroad.     We  will  thus  ever  disavow  and  disclaim. ' ' 

This  is  signed  by  174  citizens  of  Weston,  and  is  a  printed  broadside  in  the 
Webb  collection  of  newspaper  clippings.  The  only  name  that  can  be  iden- 
tified to-day  signed  to  this  protest  is  that  of  H.  Miles  Moore,  still  living  at 
Leavenworth.  Mention  of  this  protest  was  made  in  the  New  York  Tribune 
in  October,  the  letter  being  dated  Fort  Leavenworth,  September  18,  1854. 

It  seems  that  David  R.  Atchison  was  a  roaring  lion  on  the  border  seek- 
ing whom  he  might  devour.  He  was  at  the  head  of  a  gang  of  ruflfians  called 
the  Platte  City  regulators.  They  destroyed  the  press  of  the  Parkville 
Luminary  April  14,  1855,  and  drove  the  proprietor,  George  S.  Park,  away 
from  home  because  of  some  criticism  of  pro-slavery  action  in  Kansas.  In  a 
short  time  Park  returned  to  look  after  some  private  business,  when  the  mob 
arose  again  and  demanded  that  he  go.  He  offered  tor  do  anything  manly  or 
honorable  to  avoid  the  shedding  of  blood.  A  committee  of  citizens  who  had 
the  care  of  Park  asked  the  mob  if  they  were  satisfied,  and  they  responded 
"No,"  that  Park  had  to  leave.  Fielding  Burns,  one  of  the  committee,  re- 
sponded: "Then  let  the  principle  be  settled  in  blood.  We  ask  the  honors  of 
war.  Set  your  day  and  we  will  meet  you,  but  don't  sneak  down  in  the 
night.  Come  openly,  and  blood  will  flow  as  freely  as  in  the  Mexican  war. 
We  fight  for  principle,  for  right."  W.  H.  Summers,  another  member  of 
the  committee  said:  "Let  them  come,  and  the  streets  of  Parkville  will  be 
hotter  than  hell  in  fifteen  minutes  !  "    A  vigorous  protest  was  addressed  to 


138  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  world  by  the  citizens  of  Parkville,  in  behalf  of  freedom  of  action  in 
Kansas,  signed  by  a  committee  of  eleven. -^ 

The  "Annals  of  Platte  County,"  by  W.  M.  Paxton,  says  the  result  of 
this  outrage  on  Park  was  to  bring  a  myriad  of  anti-slavery  settlers  to  Kan- 
sas, and  of  Park  it  says:  "He  became  a  great  capitahst,  and  returned  to 
his  old  home  to  bless  and  enrich  the  very  men  who  had  conspired  for  his 
ruin.  He,  from  the  wealth  thrust  upon  him  by  his  enemies,  founded  Park 
College,  the  grandest  and  noblest  educational  enterprise  in  the  West.  His 
dust  now  reposes  at  the  very  spot  whence  he  was.  banished  in  life,  and  a 
colossal  marble  monument  to  his  honor  overlooks  the  place  where  his  press 
was  submerged.  How  unsearchable  are  God's  judgments,  and  '  His  ways 
are  past  finding  out.'  " 

The  mayor  and  councilman  of  the  city  of  Weston,  May  19,  1855,  protested  ^e 
against  the  outrage  committed  in  the  streets  of  their  city  on  William  Phil- 
lips, who  was  taken  from  Leavenworth  and  sold  by  a  negro  at  auction  in 
Weston. 

The  St.  Louis  Intelligencer,  which  was  filled  from  day  to  day  with  con- 
stant and  bitter  attacks  on  the  pro-slavery  leaders  in  Missouri,  August  30, 
1855,  published  a  lengthy  article  on  "The  Suicide  of  Slavery,"  -"  from  which 
I  take  a  few  lines: 

"Any  man  of  sense  could  have  foreseen  this  result— Alabama  and  Georgia 
may  hold  public  meetings  and  resolve  to  sustain  the  slaveholders  of  Mis- 
souri in  making  Kansas  a  slave  state.  But  their  resolutions  comprise  all 
their  aid— which  is  not  'material'  enough  for  the  crisis.  When  slavehold- 
ers of  Alabama  and  Georgia  emigrate  they  go  to  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  and 
Texas.  They  do  not  come  with  their  slaves  to  Missouri  or  to  Kansas.  Call 
they  that  backing  their  friends? 

' '  The  result  is  that  Kansas,  the  finest  land  under  the  sun,  is  neglected 
and  idle;  occupied  by  a  few  honest  and  earnest  but  disheartened  pioneers, 
and  lorded  over  by  a  dozen  or  two  feudal  tyrants  of  Missouri,  who  curse  by 
their  presence  the  land  they  have  desolated. 

"Such  is  Kansas— poor,  neglected,  and  despised— and  western  Missouri 
stands  infected  by  the  horrible  contagion  of  outlawry,  and  dwindles  away 
under  the  moral  leprosy  of  its  mobocratic  leaders! 

"These  are  the  bitter  fruits  of  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise— a 
wicked  and  wrongful  deed— that  will  yet  bring  a  hell  of  bitter  self -reproaching 
to  its  authors.  Missouri  did  not  demand  that  repeal.  The  South  never  asked 
it.  Atchison  solicited  it— and  in  a  moment  of  political  insanity  the  South 
consented  to  the  wrong,  and  made  the  wrong  her  own.  This  was  the  suicide 
of  slavery. 

"Atchison  and  Stringfellow,  with  their  Missouri  followers,  overwhelmed 
the  settlers  in  Kansas,  browbeat  and  bullied  them,  and  took  the  government 
from  their  hands.  Missouri  votes  elected  the  present  body  of  men  who 
insult  public  intelligence  and  popular  rights  by  styling  themselves  'the  leg- 
islature of  Kansas. '  This  body  of  men  are  helping  themselves  to  fat  specu- 
lations by  locating  the  '  seat  of  government '  and  getting  town  lots  for  their 
votes.  They  are  passing  laws  disfranchising  all  the  citizens  of  Kansas  who 
do  not  believe  negro  slavery  to  be  a  Christian  institution  and  a  national 
blessing.  They  are  proposing  to  punish  with  imprisonment  the  utterance 
of  views  inconsistent  with  their  own.  And  they  are  trying  to  perpetuate 
their  preposterous  and  infernal  tyranny  by  appointing,  for  a  term  of  years, 
creatures  of  their  own  as  commissioners  in  every  county,  to  lay  and  collect 
taxes  and  see  that  the  laws  they  are  passing  are  faithfully  executed.  Has 
this  age  anything  to  compare  with  these  acts  in  audacity  ? 

Note  25.— Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  6,  pp.  207-236. 

Note  26.—  St.  Louis  Evening  Nervs,  June  4,  1855,  in  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  4.  p.  137. 

Note  27.— Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  5,  p.  79. 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  139 

' '  It  has  been  the  common  opinion  of  thoughtless  persons  and  thick-headed 
bulHes  of  the  West  that  the  Northern  and  Eastern  men  will  not  fight.  They 
would  rather  work— plow,  build  towns,  railways,  make  money,  and  raise 
families— than  fight.  But  fight  they  will,  if  need  be.  Remember,  the  sons 
of  New  England  shed  the  first  blood  in  the  American  revolution ;  and  they 
were  the  last  to  furl  their  flags  in  that  terrible  struggle.  They  have  never 
disgraced  their  country  by  cowai'dice,  and  they  will  not.  They  are  Ameri- 
cans, with  spirit,  courage,  endurance,  and  deep  love  of  liberty  to  animate 
them.  The  free-state  men  in  Kansas  will  fight  before  they  will  be  disfran- 
chised and  trampled  on.     Mark  the  word. 

"Here  comes,  then,  the  suicide  of  slavery.  The  outrages  committed  by 
Atchison  and  his  fellows  in  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise,  and  by 
Stringfellow  and  his  followers  in  subjugating  Kansas  to  non-resident  rule, 
will  bring  on  a  collision,  first  in  Congress  and  then  in  Kansas— and  who  shall 
tell  the  end? 

"Slavery  will  never  sustain  itself  in  a  border  state  by  the  sword.  It  may 
conquer  in  some  respects;  but  it  can  never  'conquer  a  peace.'  Never! 
never!  Once  light  the  fires  of  internecine  war  in  defense  of  slavery,  and  it 
will  perish  while  you  defend  it.  Slaveholders  will  not  stay  to  meet  the  fight. 
Property  is  timid,  and  the  slaves  will  be  sent  to  Texas  to  be  in  'a  safe  place ' 
while  the  fight  lasts;  and  as  soon  as  the  slaves  are  gone,  it  will  be  found 
that  Missouri  has  nothing  to  fight  about,  and  the  fight  will  end  'before  it 
begins  ! ' 

"Thus  the  slavery  propagandists  who  repealed  the  Missouri  compromise 
to  make  Kansas  a  slave  state  will  make  Missouri  free,  and,  in  endeavoring 
to  expel  abolition  from  Kansas,  they  will  fill  both  Kansas  and  Missouri  with 
an  entire  free  white  population,  worth  more  to  the  two  states  than  all  the 
negroes  in  America. 

"Is  not  the  Kansas  outrage  the  suicide  of  slavery?" 

The  committee  appointed  by  the  Grasshopper  Falls  convention,  August 
26,  1857,-8  fourteen  in  number,  James  H.  Lane,  chairman,  says:  "We  desire 
to  be  understood  that  the  people  of  Kansas  do  not  charge  the  outrages  to 
which  they  have  been  subjected  to  the  people  of  Missouri  as  a  body.  On  the 
contrary,  they  know  that  the  masses  of  the  people  have  not  joined  in  these 
outrages,  but  have  remained  at  home  and  have  denounced  the  invaders. ' ' 

The  semicentennial  period,  which  has  closed  upon  Kansas,  has  been  the 
most  interesting  which  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  any  portion  of  the  American 
people.  The  settlement  and  development  of  a  state  like  Kansas,  the  mighty 
issue  involved  in  its  inception,  and  the  world-wide  results  which  came  from 
the  struggle  precipitated  from  without  upon  these  prairies,  gave  to  the  pio- 
neers and  later  citizens  of  the  state  a  proud  position  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  The  first  to  open  the  way  were  moved  by  faith,  not  only  in  the 
moral  and  political  principles  which  impelled  so  many  thitherward,  but  to 
invest  in  agricultural  implements  and  household  goods  looking  to  the  mate- 
rial outcome  of  this  region,  then  an  unknown  quantity.  It  is  said  that  Buford's 
company  of  Southern  emigrants,  in  1856,  were  an  expense  to  the  people  of 
Kansas  City  (Benjamin  F.  Stringfellow  raised  $500  for  them),  whereas,  a 
Connecticut  party,  moving  in  simultaneously,  expended  $6000  in  St.  Louis, 
and  $4000  more  in  Kansas  City,  for  implements  and  groceries.--'  Hearing 
that  Atchison  was  very  busy  with  his  ' '  Lone  Star  Order ' '  and  ' '  Blue  Lodges, ' ' 

Note  2^.— Herald  of  Freedom,  September  12,  1857. 

Note  29.- One  of  Buford's  men  wrote  from  Franklin,  Kan.,  the  6th  of  July,  1856.  to  the 
Mobile  Tribune  (Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  15,  p.  213),  stating  that  not  one-seventh  of  Buford's 
company  remained  in  the  territory.  He  says:  "Most  of  the  others  have  returned  home  to  hang 
around  their  mothers'  apron-strings,  leaving  the  energetic  and  persevering  Yankees  to  rule  Kan- 
zas.  Yes,  these  men,  the  '  flovirer  of  Southern  chivalry,'  the  men  on  whom  the  South  relied  to 
vindicate  her  rights,  and  for  whose  support  liberal  subscriptions  were  made,  the  men  whom  the 
Missourians  welcomed  with  outspread  arms  and  open  purse,  have  proved  false  just  at  the  time 
■when  they  should  have  stood  ready  to  do  or  die  for  Southern  rights.    Having  seen  Kanzas,  hav- 


140  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

practicing  military  drills  for  an  invasion  of  the  territory,  thirteen  merchants 
of  Lawrence  made  an  appeal  to  the  chamber  of  commerce  3'^'  of  St.  Louis, 
January  30,  1856,  for  peace  and  protection,  stating  that  the  people  of  Law- 
rence had  expended  in  their  city  in  less  than  a  year  over  $100,000  for  goods, 
and  friends  in  the  territory  nearly  $1,000,000.  Paul  R.  Brooks,  of  Lawrence, 
and  George  W.  Hutchinson,  of  MarceHne,  Mo.,  are  the  only  ones  living  who 

ing  spent  their  money  in  dissipation,  when  the  time  for  work  and  enduring  hardships  came  on, 
they  strucli  for  home,  to  disparage  the  country,  to  denounce  Colonel  Buford,  and,  what  is  worse, 
to  desert  and  leave  unprotected  the  rights  of  the  South." 

The  St.  Louis  News,  about  July  24,  1856,  tells  of  the  return  of  Major  Buford  to  Alabama. 
(Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  15,  p.  111.)  It  says:  "Major  Buford  passed  through  this  city  not  long 
ago  on  his  way  to  Alabama,  and  it  is  said  he  is  so  disgusted  with  the  Kansas  business  that  he 
will  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  it.  He  tried  to  get  his  men  to  settle  on  preemption  claims,  be- 
come steady  citizens,  so  as  to  secure  him  for  the  sums  of  money  he  had  paid  out  for  them.  But 
the  men  could  not  be  induced  to  do  it.  They  preferred  roaming  over  the  country  in  organized 
bands,  depending  on  their  too  hospitable  friends  in  Kansas  and  Missouri  for  the  means  of  sup- 
port. These  friends  are  becoming  tired  of  them,  and  no  doubt  desire  their  departure.  They 
have  done  nothing  for  themselves,  nothing  for  their  commander,  and  nothing  for  the  cause  of 
the  South  in  Kansas." 

Page  224,  volume  15,  Lawrence  letter,  dated  July  23,  says :  "  The  funds  collected  for  their 
support  have  become  exhausted." 

Note  30.— The  following  is  the  protest  in  full,  published  February  23,  1856,  and  found  in 
Webb  Scrap-books,  volume  9,  page  198  (  William  Hutchinson  wi-ote  the  paper  ;  B.  W.  Wood- 
ward was  on  the  committee  ;  the  third  member  has  passed  from  memory )  : 

"To  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  St.  Louis:  While  all  the  American  constitutions  regard 
government  as  based  upon  the  expressed  or  tacit  consent  of  the  governed  and  the  supreme  power 
of  state  as  always  residing  in  the  people,  it  is  not  essential  to  a  pure  democracy  that  its  powers 
should  be  delegated  to  executive  or  legislative  agents,  but  exigencies  may  arise  wherein  the 
high  moral  trust  may  be  exercised  by  the  sovereign  people  in  conserving  their  own  rights  and 
liberties  in  the  absence  of  official  agents.  Such  an  exigency  has  now  arisen  with  us,  in  which  the 
supremacy  of  the  popular  will  must  be  recognized,  for  securing  our  own  happiness  against  for- 
eign abuses  —  in  defending  the  right  and  repelling  the  wrong. 

■■  You  must  be  already  aware  that  while  without  an  outward,  operative  government  of  our 
own,  while  we  were  weak  in  numbers,  wealth,  and  all  the  requisites  for  the  administration  of 
justice,  our  soil  has  been  repeatedly  invaded  by  armed  bands  as  well  as  organized  armies  from 
your  state,  who,  without  provocation  or  the  slightest  pretext,  have  murdered  our  peaceable  citi- 
zens, destroyed  our  ballot-boxes,  pillaged  our  property,  blockaded  our  towns,  and  threatened 
them  with  demolition  and  their  inhabitants  with  death,  and  that  it  has  only  been  through  the 
most  unparalleled  forbearance,  in  some  instances,  and  manly  defense  of  our  inherent  rights  in 
others,  that  we  have  escaped  a  most  deadly  civil  war.  Recent  reports  have  come  to  us  that  there 
is  another  extensive  organization  in  your  state  which  is  preparing  for  a  future  attack  upon  our 
towns,  and  that  recruiting  officers  are  moving  to  and  fro  enrolling  men  in  several  counties,  who 
go  through  with  daily  military  drill  for  the  same  unlawful  purpose.  We  have  committed  no 
crime,  violated  the  international  faith  toward  no  state,  but  have  ever  sought  to  maintain  the 
sanctity  of  the  most  peaceful  relations  toward  all  men. 

"  We  came  to  Kansas  because  we  believed  it  possessed  the  most  inviting  climate,  luxuriant 
soil  and  enchanting  scenery  now  open  to  emigrants  upon  this  continent.  We  came  to  build  up 
for  ourselves  and  our  children  beautiful  homes,  where,  as  the  inheritance  of  a  free  government, 
we  and  they  might  enjoy  a  lifetime,  having  our  hearts  filled  with  the  pleasure  of  domestic  joy. 
We  have  been  educated  in  the  schools  of  peace,  and  nothing  would  be  more  abhorrent  to  our  na- 
tures than  to  see  the  smoke  of  battle  curling  over  these  prairies,  or  to  feel  again  the  smart  of 
those  grievous  outrages  with  which  some  of  your  people  are  said  to  be  threatening  us.  These 
considerations,  gentlemen,  prompt  us  to  address  you  in  a  commercial  capacity. 

"We  have  chosen  a  residence  in  Lawrence,  from  its  unrivaled  situation  upon  the  only  navig- 
able river  in  the  territory  —  an  indispensable  requisite  in  building  up  a  large  commercial  city. 
We  have  erected  suitable  stores  for  a  wholesale  and  retail  trade,  and  have  already  secured  a  very 
flattering  business  with  the  interior  country.  Although  it  is  but  little  more  than  twelve  months 
since  the  first  store  was  erected  here,  yet  we  have  already  paid  to  your  state  over  $100,000,  a  large 
proportion  of  which  has  gone  to  your  city,  and  the  trade  of  our  entire  territory  with  your  state 
thus  far  has  been  nearly  one  million  dollars.  This  circumstance  alone  has  already  raised  the 
prices  of  many  articles  of  export  in  your  state  from  200  to  500  per  cent.,  and  your  city  is  extend- 
ing her  levees  and  enlarging  her  warerooms  in  anticipation  of  our  future  trade.  With  an  area 
four  times  as  large  as  your  whole  state,  our  prospective  business  must  be  at  least  fully  equal  to 
that  of  any  other  state,  and  our  prosperity,  in  a  commercial  sense,  has  quite  as  much  to  do  with 
the  future  greatness  of  your  city  as  any  constructive  considerations  it  is  possible  to  deduce  from 
your  own  state.  Geographically,  St.  Louis  is  the  commercial  mart  of  Kansas  for  years  to  come,  or, 
until  by  dint  of  our  own  industry  and  the  richness  of  our  soil,  manufacturing  and  commercial 
cities  will  be  built  on  our  own  rivers,  and  even  then  they  will  reciprocally  add  to  your  enterprise 
and  wealth.  The  chain  of  all  our  public  interests,  therefore,  becomes  directly  linked  with  yours. 
Our  prosperity  is  yours,  our  adversity  is  yours,  our  invasion  is  yours,  our  conquest  is  yours  ;  for  if, 
by  an  unnatural  and  coercive  policy  on  the  part  of  any  of  your  people,  we  are  induced  to  open  new 
thoroughfares  for  trade  with  other  cities  and  invest  our  wealth  in  opening  railroads  and  tele- 
graphic communication  with  the  same,  the  weight  of  your  imprudence  will  recoil  only  upon  your 
own  heads,  and  in  due  time  we  shall  escape  the  fiery  ordeal  unscathed. 

"Although  the  froward  spirit  of  President  Pierce,  according  to  his  message,  has  not  yet  dis- 
cerned anything  in  our  grievances  that  '  have  occurred  under  circumstances  to  justify  the  in- 
terposition of  the  federal  executive,'  we  will  hope  and  trust  that,  so  far  as  the  citizens  of  your 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  141 

signed  the  paper.  Just  five  days  after  this  appeal,  on  February  4,  1856, 
Atchison  and  Stringfellow  made  speeches ^^  in  Platte  county,  urging  an  in- 
vasion of  the  territory,  in  such  reckless  and  extravagant  language  as  to 
cause  one  to  conclude  that  in  comparison  John  Brown  was  of  the  highest 
order  of  saneness.  And  on  the  27th  of  March  following,  sixty-eight  business 
firms  in  Lawrence  called  a  meeting  to  consider  the  breaking  open  and 
searching  of  goods  in  transit  on  the  Missouri  river,  and  an  extra  tax  that 
had  been  imposed  on  goods  coming  up  the  river,  and  to  remedy  the  same  by 

state  are  implicated,  they  have  occurred  in  such  a  manner  as  will  justify  your  interposition  and 
kindly  offices.  Like  great  events  casting  their  shadows  forward,  the  forebodings  of  the  future 
have  produced  a  general  paralysis  in  all  departments  of  business  throughout  the  territory.  Our 
trade  is  not  one- third  as  large  as  it  was  three  months  ago  ;  mechanics  — laborers  of  all  kinds  — 
complain  alike  of  the  general  depression.  In  the  border  towns  of  your  state  the  same  want  of 
enterprise  is  observed.  Let  this  continue,  and  our  remittances  to  your  city  the  coming  season 
will  be  very  limited.  Emigration  is  retarded  ;  consequently  no  new  money  is  brought  into  circu- 
lation, and  we  are  cursed,  not  with  war  alone,  but  with  "war,  pestilence,  and  famine.' 

"  Our  wish  is  to  urge  upon  you  these  considerations,  and,  by  virtue  of  your  commercial  in- 
fluence throughout  the  state,  ask  of  you  to  intercede  in  our  behalf  in  staying  the  hand  of  evil- 
doers, that  we  may  go  on  developing  our  greatness  and  yours,  and  long  enjoy  the  pleasure  of 
those  relations  we  have  mutually  found  thus  far  so  profitable  and  pleasant. 

G.  W.  &  W.  Hutchinson  &  Co.     Ran  &  Bro. 

HORNSBYS  &   FERRIL.  C.  STEARNS. 

L.  M.  Cox  &  Co.  Otis  Wilmarth. 

W.  &  C.  Duncan.  Gaius  Jenkins. 

Woodward  &  Finley.  L.  H.  Brown  &  Co. 

P.Richmond  Brooks.  Lyman  Allen  &Co." 
J.  J.  Fariss. 

Note  31. —  December  6  to  9,  1855,  about  1500  Missourians  besieged  Lawrence.  They  retired 
in  consequence  of  a  treaty  of  peace  between  Governor  Shannon  and  Charles  Robinson  and  James 
H.  Lane,  to  which  John  Brown  objected  ;  the  latter  wanted  to  fight.  May  21,  1856,  Lawrence 
was  attacked  and  much  property  destroyed.  September  15,  1856,  an  army  of  2700  again  moved 
on  Lawrence,  but  Governor  Geary  arrived  in  time  to  disperse  them.  David  R.  Atchison  was  in 
the  party,  and  Governor  Geary  rebuked  him,  by  saying  that  the  last  time  he  saw  him  he  was 
presiding  over  the  United  States  senate  as  acting  vice-president. 

December  15,  1855,  Atchison  published  a  letter  in  the  Charleston  Mercury,  in  which  he  wrote: 
"  Let  your  young  men  come  forth  to  Missouri  and  Kansas!  Let  them  come  well  armed,  with 
money  enough  to  support  them  for  twelve  months,  and  determined  to  see  this  thing  out.  One 
hundred  true  men  will  be  an  acquisition.  The  more  the  better.  I  do  not  see  how  we  are  to  avoid 
civil  war.  Come  it  will.  Twelve  months  will  not  elapse  before  war,  civil  war,  of  the  fiercest 
kind,  will  be  upon  us.  We  are  arming  and  preparing  for  it.  Indeed,  we  of  the  border  counties 
are  prepared.  We  must  have  the  support  of  the  South,  We  are  fighting  the  battles  of  the 
South.     Our  institutions  are  at  stake."  -  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  8,  p.  139. 

On  the  date  referred  to,  February  4,  1856,  Atchison  said:  "My  object  in  going  was  not  to 
vote  but  to  settle  a  difficulty  between  two  of  our  candidates,  and  the  abolitionists  of  the  North 
said,  and  published  it  abroad,  that  Atchison  was  there  with  a  bowie-knife  and  revolver,  and  by 
God  't  was  true.  I  never  did  go  into  that  territory,  I  never  intend  to  sro  into  that  territory,  with- 
out being  prepared  for  all  such  kind  of  cattle.  ...  I  say,  prepare  yourselves ;  get  ready. 
Go  over  there ;  send  your  young  men,  and  if  they  attempt  to  drive  you  out,  then,  damn  them, 
drive  them  out.  Fifty  of  you  with  your  shotguns  are  equal  to  250  of  them  with  their  Sharp's 
rifles.  Get  ready  ;  arm  yourselves  ;  for  if  they  abolitionize  Kansas,  Missouri  is  no  longer  a  slave 
state,  and  you  lose  8100,000,000  of  your  property."— Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  9,  p.  216. 

At  Lawrence,  May  21,  1856,  Atchison  made  this  kind  of  a  speech  :  "  Boys,  this  day  I  am  a 
Kickapoo  ranger,  by  G— d.  This  day  we  have  entered  Lawrence  with  Southern  rights  in- 
scribed upon  our  banner,  and  not  one  d d  Abolitionist  dared  to  fire  a  gun.     Now,  boys,  this  is 

the  happiest  day  of  my  life.  We  have  entered  that  d d  town,  and  taught  the  d d  Aboli- 
tionists a  Southern  lesson  that  they  will  remember  until  the  day  they  die.     And  now,  boys,  we 

will  go  in  again  with  our  highly  honorable  Jones,  and  test  the  strength  of  that  d d  Free-state 

hotel,  and  teach  the  Emigrant  Aid  Company  that  Kansas  shall  be  ours.  Boys,  ladies  should,  and 
I  hope  will,  be  respected  by  every  gentleman.  But,  when  a  woman  takes  upon  herself  the  garb 
of  a  soldier,  by  carrying  a  Sharp's  rifle,  then  she  is  no  longer  worthy  of  respect.  Trample  her 
under  your  feet  as  you  would  a  snake.  Come  on,  boys  ;  now  to  your  duty  to  yourselves  and  your 
Southern  friends.  Your  duty  I  know  you  will  do.  If  one  man  or  woman  dare  stand  before  you, 
blow  them  to  h-11  with  a  chunk  of  cold  lead."— Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  13,  p.  58.  [James  F. 
Legate  always  said  that  he  heard  this  speech.] 

In  a  speech  at  St.  Joseph,  in  the  early  summer  of  1855,  B.  F.  Stringfellow  said  :  "I  tell  you 
to  mark  every  scoundrel  among  you  that  is  the  least  tainted  with  free-soilism  or  abolitionism  and 

exterminate  him.     Neither  give  nor  take  quarter  from  the  d d  rascals.     I  propose  to  mark 

them  in  this  house,  and  on  the  present  occasion,  so  you  may  crush  them  out.  To  those  who  have 
qualms  of  conscience  as  to  violating  laws,  state  or  national,  the  crisis  has  arrived  when  such  im- 
positions must  be  disregarded,  as  your  rights  and  property  are  in  danger  ;  and  I  advise  you.  one 
and  all,  to  enter  every  election  district  in  Kansas,  in  defiance  of  Reeder  and  his  vile  myrmidons, 
and  vote  at  the  point  of  the  bowie-knife  and  revolver.  Neither  give  nor  take  quarter,  as  our  cause 
demands  it.  It  is  enough  that  the  slave-holding  interest  wills  it,  from  which  there  is  no  appeal. 
What  right  has  Governor  Reeder  to  rule  Missourians  in  Kansas?  His  proclamation  and  prescribed 
oath  must  be  repudiated.  It  is  your  interest  to  do  so.  Mind  that  slavery  is  established  where  it 
it  not  prohibited."—  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  3,  p.  130. 


142  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

establishing  a  line  of  steamboats  from  Alton,  111.,  to  Leavenworth  and  Law- 
rence, and  thus  reach  Chicago.  '- 

By  the  summer  of  1857  the  end  of  the  contest  was  so  apparently  free-soil 
that  the  spirit  of  commercialism  exhibited  by  the  people  of  Lawrence  reached 
Atchison  and  Stringfellow,  and  the  towns  of  Atchison '•'  and  Leavenworth  '^ 
were  yielded  to  free-state  control.  History  tells  us  that  about  this  time  the 
pro-slavery  and  free-soil  men  of  Atchison  agreed  tacitly  to  forego  political 
differences  and  remember  only  the  well-being  of  the  town,  and  several 
ladies  opened  small  private  schools  for  the  accommodation  of  the  growing 
young  community. 

In  October,  1857,  Gen.  James  H.  Lane  ■'■  had  an  appointment  to  speak  at 
Atchison,  and  threats  of  violence  were  made  by  some  pro-slavery  people. 
October  19,  1857,  a  public  meeting  was  held,  and  speeches  were  made  by 
several  citizens  of  various  political  stripes,  Robert  McBratney,  Dr.  J.  H. 
Stringfellow,  and  others,  all  deprecating  what  had  now  become  disgraceful. 
At  this  time  the  brains  of  the  pro-slavery  party  had  given  up  the  fight,  and 
the  fortunate  possessors  thereof  fraternized  with  any  one  who  would  come 
in  to  help  build  up  the  town,  now  striving  against  other  new  and  flourishing 
places  around  it. 

In  an  editorial,  March  21,  1857,  Harper's  W^eefc/y  concluded  "That  we  are 
not  so  great  a  country  as  we  thought  we  were."  We  are  told  that  Law- 
rence marks  the  point  where  successful  agriculture  will  be  found  to  have  sub- 
stantially reached  the  "western  inland  limit  of  the  United  States,"  and  great 
distress  is  exhibited  for  fear  of  "the  effect  upon  our  institutions  and  our 
government."  "  Is  the  escape-valve  so  soon  to  be  shut  down?  Is  the  ref- 
luent wave  of  population  to  be  turned  back  thus  early  on  the  national  heart?  " 
These  conundrums  centered  around  Lawrence,  a  point  which  the  same  paper, 
June  6,  1857,  places  among  the  relics,  as  follows  :  "  Fifty  years  hence,  when 
the  slavery  question  has  come  to  be  viewed  as  an  interesting  economical 
problem,  like  subsoil  plows  or  the  merits  of  guano,  the  Oread  hill,  with  its 
old  fort,  will  be  as  curious  an  object  as  the  ax  with  which  great  men's 
heads  were  cut  off  in  the  Tower  of  London,  or  the  Place  de  la  Bastile,  in 
Paris. ' '    There  were  wise  men  in  the  East  in  those  days  talking  about  Kansas. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  each  crisis  in  the  march  of  time  develops  men 
and  women  capable  of  meeting  it,  but  it  is  well  for  all  who  enjoy  the  fruits 
to  consider  profoundly  the  wise  and  heroic  service  of  those  who  were 
charged  with  the  duty  of  starting  the  state  of  Kansas.  Not  all  of  those 
who  have  gone  before  will  ever  receive  due  credit.  I  trust  I  have  brought 
a  few  overlooked  to  life  and  light. 

Pride  in  the  past  is  essential  to  good  citizenship.  The  territorial  pioneers 
of  Kansas  are  entitled  to  the  gratitude  of  the  people  for  all  time  to  come. 
We  should  ever  have  consciousness  and  thoroughness  in  our  knowledge  of 
the  state's  history.  The  pubhc  schools  of  Kansas  are  now  by  law  required 
to  teach  state  history. 

In  closing,  let  me  say  a  word  in  behalf  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical 
Society.     This  Society  and  its  work  should  be  the  pride  of  every  citizen  of 

Note  32. -Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  11,  pp.  26,  37,  84. 

Note  33.—  Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  p.  373. 

Note  34.— The  election  of  a  free-state  mayor,  April  13, 1857,  in  Wilder's  Annals,  1886,  p.  160. 

Note  35.— Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  p.  372. 


Early  Days  in  Kansas.  143 

the  state.  The  object  of  the  Society  "shall  be  to  collect,  embody,  arrange 
and  preserve  books,  pamphlets,  maps,  charts,  manuscripts,  papers,  paint- 
ings, statuary,  and  other  materials  illustrative  of  the  history  of  Kansas  in 
pai'ticular,  and  of  the  country  generally  ;  to  procure  from  the  early  pioneers 
narratives  of  the  events  relative  to  the  early  settlement  of  Kansas,  and  of 
the  early  explorations,  the  Indian  occupancy,  overland  travel,  and  immigra- 
tion to  the  territory  and  the  West ;  to  gather  all  information  calculated  to 
exhibit  faithfully  the  antiquities  and  the  past  and  present  resources  and 
progress  of  the  state,  and  to  take  steps  to  promote  the  study  of  history  by 
lectures  and  other  available  means." 

It  will  be  observed  that  one  need  not  necessarily  be  an  old  man  or  an  old 
woman  to  do  this  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  a  proper  ap- 
preciation of  such  work  seldom  comes  to  men  and  women  at  a  time  in  their 
lives  when  such  a  task  would  be  easier  of  complete  accomplishment.  "The 
struggles  of  empires  and  the  convulsions  of  nations,"  says  a  writer,  "while 
they  have  much  of  sublimity,  have  also  much  of  uncertainty  and  indistinct- 
ness." Important  and  instructive  as  is  the  narration  of  past  events  and  the 
influence  they  have  exerted  on  the  world  in  civilization  and  refinement,  his- 
tory is  seldom  so  interesting  as  when,  descending  from  the  loftier  and  more 
splendid  regions  of  general  narration,  it  dwells  for  a  while  in  a  humbler 
place,  and  delights  in  the  details  of  events  of  every-day  life  and  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  people. 

At  the  end  of  the  year,  June  30,  1904,  the  Historical  Society  has  10  life 
members,  and  146  members  who  pay  an  annual  fee  of  one  dollar  each.  Be- 
sides these,  all  newspaper  editors  and  publishers  are  members  by  virtue  of 
the  contribution  of  their  publications.  The  collections  of  the  Society  have 
an  intrinsic  value  beyond  estimate,  but,  based  on  figures  used  by  a  correspond- 
ing institution,  $200,000  would  not  replace  it.  Last  summer  I  attended  a 
meeting  of  the  various  historical  associations  in  the  Louisiana  purchase. 
One  man  spoke  and  said:  "My  father  was  a  hfe  member  of  the  Missouri 
Historical  Society;  I  am  a  life  member;  and  my  son  [pointing  to  a  sixteen- 
year-old  lad]  is  also  a  Hfe  member."  Surely,  if  there  is  that  much  pride  in 
Missouri,  there  ought  to  be  as  much,  if  not  more,  among  Kansas  people  in 
a  Kansas  society  of  like  nature. 

To  appear  on  the  program  of  the  semicentennial  observance  of  such  an 
event  is  an  extraordinary  privilege.  I  know  of  no  way  to  compensate  for 
the  honor  you  have  done  me  in  your  invitation  but  to  pledge  renewed  zeal 
in  caring  for  the  records  of  this  people  committed  to  the  society  which  I 
represent. 


144  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


ADDRESS  BY  GEORGE  R.  PECK/ 

Delivered  at  the  Semicentennial  Anniversary  of  the  Founding  of  Lawrence,  Kan., 
October  6,  1904. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen:  It  is  hardly  a  figure  of  speech 
to  say  that  memory  is  the  motor  of  civilization.  If  you  would  know  the  se- 
cret of  human  progress,  mark  how  tenderly,  how  proudly,  how  steadfastly  the 
world  clings  to  the  annals  of  heroic  deeds.  Men  go  forward  only  by  looking 
backward;  and  the  great  races  which,  like  ours,  have  a  history,  are  not  so  much 
led  as  they  are  pushed.  Magna  charta,  the  bill  of  rights,  and  the  declara- 
tion of  independence— firm  set  in  the  irrevocable  past— are  more  potent  with 
all  who  speak  our  tongue  than  the  beckonings  of  any  future  that  can  come 
into  our  vision.  Before  us,  always  and  always,  are  the  struggles  we  know 
must  come;  but  behind  us  are  the  strong  impulsions  of  the  immemorial 
years.  In  these  autumnal  days,  tinged  with  a  beauty  seen  nowhere  else  as 
it  is  in  Kansas,  where  earth  and  air  and  sky  are  in  perfect  rhythm,  it  is 
most  fitting  that  we  should,  if  we  may,  touch  hearts  and  hands  with  those 
brave  yesterdays,  in  whose  memory  you  make  this  a  holy  week. 

Some  are  here,  silver-touched,  who  remember  them;  who  in  the  ardor  of 
their  young  lives,  wrought  for  the  cause;  and  all,  whether  young  or  old, 
who  join  in  these  observances,  are  moved  by  the  spell  of  those  deep  in- 
fluences which  are,  as  Wordsworth  says,  "felt  in  the  blood  and  felt  along 
the  heart."  Under  these  skies  a  drama  was  enacted,  whose  epic  greatness 
is  far  more  apparent  now  than  it  was  then,  and  which  will  grow  more  and 
more  sublime  as  the  years  go  by.  It  is  an  imperial  theme;  and  I  know  full 
well  how  little  right  I  have  to  stand  in  its  august  presence.  But  you  bade 
me  come,  because  I,  too,  have  lived  in  Kansas;  have  known  the  sweetness 
of  a  Kansas  home,  and  have  here  breathed  "an  ampler  ether,  a  diviner 
air."  Kansas  had  little  need  of  me;  but  all  my  life  I  shall  feel  a  certain 
distinction  in  the  fact  that  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  I  was  a  citizen  of  this 
great  commonwealth.  And  so  I  thank  you,  good  people  of  Lawrence,  old 
friends,  true  friends,  that,  as  I  have  kept  you  in  my  heart,  you  have  not 
forgotten  me. 

The  building  of  states  is  not  a  trade.  They  are  not  constructed  as  houses 
are.      No  one  consciously  lays  their  foundations  or  uprears   their  walls. 

Note  1. —  George  R.  Peck  was  born  May  15,  1843,  in  Cameron,  Steuben  county.  New  York. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  William  Peck,  who  emigrated  from  England  in  1638  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  New  Haven.  His  father,  Joel  Hunger  Peck,  was  born  in  Chenango  county,  New 
York,  in  1799,  and  removed  to  Palmyra,  Wis.,  in  1849.  His  mother,  Amanda  Purdy,  was  born  in 
Norwich,  Chenango  county.  New  York,  in  1804.  George  R.  Peck  was  the  youngest  of  ten  chil- 
dren. He  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  He  attended  the  common  schools 
during  the  fall  and  winter.  For  three  successive  winters  he  taught  school.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  he  entered  Milton  College.  His  parents  determined  to  send  him  to  an  Eastern 
college,  but  on  the  day  he  was  to  start  he  changed  his  mind,  and  enlisted  under  Lincoln's 
call  for  300,000  additional  volunteers,  in  the  First  Wisconsin  heavy  artillery.  In  three  months 
he  was  made  first  lieutenant  of  company  K,  Thirty-first  Wisconsin  infantry,  of  which  he  be- 
came captain.  He  was  with  General  Sherman  in  many  of  his  engagements,  and  was  mustered 
out  in  July,  1865.  He  read  law  with  Charles  G.  Williams,  in  Janesville,  Wis.,  where  he  practiced 
for  three  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1871  changed  his  residence  to  Independence,  Kan.  January  14. 
1874,  he  was  appointed  United  States  district  attorney  for  Kansas  by  President  Grant,  and  re- 
appointed by  President  Hayes.  He  moved  to  Topeka  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Thomas 
Ryan.  He  became  general  solicitor  for  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  in 
1881,  serving  until  August,  1896,  when  he  was  called  to  a  similar  position  with  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  railway.  He  served  many  years  as  regent  of  the  Kansas  State  University. 
He  was  married  in  1866  to  Miss  Belle  Burdick,  of  Janesville,  Wis.     They  have  three  children 


Address  by  George  R.  Peck.  145 

They  grow;  they  rise  out  of  hopes  and  aspirations,  out  of  longings  and  faiths, 
and,  alas!  out  of  selfishness  and  the  clashing  of  personal  ambitions.  We 
shall  not  find  perfection  in  this  world  until  the  dross  is  wrung  out  of  human 
hearts;  and  then  the  pen  of  history  will  have  become  dull  and  heavy,  wait- 
ing for  the  everlasting  rest. 

Kansas,  the  beautiful,  is  like  that  stately  pleasure  dome  of  which  Cole- 
ridge dreamed— not  builded,  but  decreed.  Here  on  the  prairie  she  stands  in 
her  loveliness,  with  smiles  and  tears  for  the  jewels  that  make  her  roof  to 
shine  and  to  be  seen  from  afar.  But,  after  all,  a  state,  and  especially  such 
a  state  as  Kansas,  cannot  be  truly  imaged  as  a  structure.  It  is  an  organism; 
vital,  sentient,  pulsing  with  currents  of  life,  and  teeming  with  thoughts 
that,  from  day  to  day,  take  form  and  shape  and  become  ideals  established 
and  secured  in  her  rule  and  polity. 

Half-centuries  seem  slow  to  those  who  have  not  tried  them;  but,  for  all 
of  us,  the  shuttle  flies  more  and  more  swiftly  as  the  years  are  woven  into 
the  cloth  of  human  destiny.  Eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-four  was  a  memo- 
rable year.  The  fates  were  loosened;  the  map  was  waiting  to  be  colored; 
the  eyes  of  North  and  South  were  fastened  upon  this  fairest  region  of  the 
republic,  which  all  men  saw  must  be  the  arena  for  the  deadly  clutch  of  ideas. 
How  tame,  how  commonplace,  are  our  contentions  of  to-day!  Tariff's  and 
trusts  seem  almost  grotesque  in  their  Httleness,  when  we  think  of  freedom 
and  slavery.  Fifty  years  ago  the  sinews  of  men  were  strung  to  the  ulti- 
mate pitch  of  endurance  for  a  cause— for  the  cause.  I  wonder  if  we  could 
bear  such  a  strain  to-day? 

The  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  under  which  Kansas  territory  was  organized, 
did  not,  as  has  sometimes  been  said,  dedicate  this  soil  to  slavery.  It  did 
worse;  it  tore  down  the  barrier  which,  since  1820,  had  stayed  the  northward 
advance  of  that  institution,  and  said:  "Freedom  with  her  hands  tied  may— 
if  she  can— defend  herself  against  slavery  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  with  the 
panoply  of  the  United  States  upon  her."  The  chief  iniquity  of  the  bill  was 
that  it  seemed  so  fair.  It  declared,  with  an  appearance  of  judicial  impar- 
tiality, that  it  was  "  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  this  act  not  to  legislate 
slavery  into  any  territory  or  state,  nor  to  exclude  it  therefrom,  but  to  leave 
the  people  thereof  perfectly  free  to  form  and  regulate  their  domestic  institu- 
tions in  their  own  way." 

Surely  that  sounded  reasonable.  What  could  be  better?  The  people 
were  to  be  left  perfectly  free  to  decide  for  themselves  whether  they  would 
have  freedom  or  slavery.  Wise  men  have  ever  trusted  the  power  of  truth. 
Listen  to  the  words  of  John  Milton— words  that  once  stirred  the  heart  of 
Puritan  England  to  its  depths:  "Though  all  the  winds  of  doctrine  were  let 
loose  to  play  upon  the  earth,  so  truth  be  in  the  field,  we  do  ingloriously  to 
misdoubt  her  strength.  Let  her  and  the  falsehood  grapple;  who  ever  knew 
truth  put  to  the  worse,  in  a  free  and  open  encounter?  " 

Your  eyes  will  flash  as  you  note  how  Milton's  grave  and  lofty  eloquence 
assumed  that  the  encounter  between  truth  and  falsehood  should  be  "free 
and  open. "  What  it  was  in  Kansas  territory  you  know  and  the  world  knows. 
It  was  not  "  fi-ee  and  open,"  but  was  waged  by  the  friends  of  freedom  as 
best  they  could,  in  the  imminent  peril  of  the  hour,  against  an  enemy  with 
the  moral  and,  sometimes,  with  the  physical  assistance  of  the  government 
at  its  back.  And  yet  such  is  the  power  of  truth,  the  people  of  this  brave 
-10 


146  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

city  and  this  brave  state  are  here  to-day  in  peace  and  happiness,  knowing 
how  beautiful  it  is  to  have  dreams  come  true. 

Consider,  if  you  will,  that  great  struggle,  with  which  Kansas  and  the 
people  of  Kansas  are  indissolubly  connected.  All  the  world  loves  a  fair  fight. 
Admiration  for  courage  is  a  part  of  human  nature.  It  is,  perhaps,  a  relic  of 
other  days— days,  not  so  enlightened  and  advanced  as  these— but  there  is  in  it 
a  certain  quality  which,  if  it  ever  fails  us,  will  leave  us  weak  and  withered. 
The  world  will  not  forget  the  story  of  the  Kansas  conflict.  Freedom  was 
here  with  her  innocent  smile,  calm  and  confident,  hoping  all  things  and  ready 
to  endure  all  things;  and  what  happened  was  this:  They  put  gyves  upon  her 
wrists,  and  told  her  she  might  win— if  she  could.     And  she  won. 

It  is  very  profitless  to  speculate  upon  what  would  have  happened— if 
something  else  had  not  happened.  But  we  cannot  help  prattling,  as  men 
and  babes  have  prattled  since  language  first  touched  human  lips.  It  seems 
to  be  an  intellectual  necessity  to  repeat  forever  the  obstinate  questionings 
which  begin  with  "if"  and  end  only  with  other  "ifs"  that  fail  to  bring  an 
answer.  I  once  heard  Jeremiah  S.  Black  declare  that  "if  the  battle  of 
Tours  had  gone  the  other  way  the  sign  of  the  camel  driver  would  have  blazed 
all  over  western  Europe. "  It  seems  to  me— does  it  not  seem  to  you?— that  if 
the  Kansas  conflict  had  gone  the  other  way— if  slavery  had  triumphed  and 
Kansas  in  her  weeds  of  mourning  had  been  brought  into  the  Union  a  slave 
state— slavery  would  have  become  national,  and  freedom  sectional,  as  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  declared  they  would. 

And  still  it  was  true,  as  we  know  it  now,  slavery  was  already  a  lost  cause. 
The  centuries  had  crept  slowly  along  through  darkness  to  the  better  light, 
and  the  intelligence  of  modern  times  had  pronounced  its  doom.  The  wisdom 
of  the  world,  ethical,  economic,  and  religious,  had  said  "No."  Long  before 
the  civil  war,  where  slavery  made  its  final  fight— so  grand,  so  gallant,  so 
magnificent— it  was  but  a  relic;  an  anachronism;  an  effort  to  maintain  in 
the  nineteenth  century  the  ideas  and  the  methods  of  the  fifteenth.  It  died, 
as  all  things  die,  when  the  end  comes.  "The  stars  in  their  courses  fought 
against  Sisera. " 

It  was  perhaps  ordained— who  can  tell?— that  the  free-state  cause  should 
have  its  pivot  here  by  Mount  Oread;  and  that  those  who  struggled  to  make 
Kansas  free  should  look  this  way  always  for  encouragement,  for  light;  and, 
more  than  all,  for  that  wise  counsel  without  which  good  causes  languish  and 
fail.  Here  was  the  citadel;  and  here  was  the  intellectual  center,  which  was, 
in  that  contest,  as  in  all  contests,  the  real  center.  Emerson  asks:  "Is  not 
a  man  better  than  a  town?"  And  we  may  well  answer:  "Yea,  verily,  if  he 
be  really  so."  There  are  men  and  there  are  towns;  but  here  was  that  happy 
conjunction,  in  which  town  and  men  were  fused  and  blended  as  if  summoned 
by  another  Virgil,  to  another  and  better  Arma  Virumque. 

When  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  became  a  law,  in  1854,  the  great  plain 
out  of  which  the  two  territories  were  carved  lay  open  to  the  sky,  unknown, 
mysterious;  waiting— as  all  things  wait— for  the  event;  and  it  came.  The 
act  was  approved  by  President  Pierce  May  30,  1854,  and  from  that  date  time, 
which  seems  so  slow,  rushed  onward,  always  onward,  to  secession,  to  Sum- 
ter, and— beyond. 

May  30— when  spring  and  summer  kiss  each  other  under  the  blossoms— 
the  act  went  into  effect.     Years  afterward,  when  sorrow  and  pride  selected 


Address  by  George  R.  Peck.  147 

May  30  as  the  day  for  tears  and  flowers  over  the  dust  of  those  who  died  for 
that  which  never  dies— they  who  chose  it  unconsciously  set  history  to  music. 

Let  us  think  of  1854;  think  what  it  was  here  by  the  Kaw,  here  by  Mount 
Oread.  New  England,  which  undeniably  is  thrifty,  is  also,  and  has  always 
been,  prone  to  muse  and  meditate  on  things  which  do  not  show  tangible  re- 
wards. They  do  and  dare  for  the  things  which  get  a  hearing  in  their  minds.  It 
was  not  for  profit  that  Carver  and  Bradford  sailed,  or  Putnam  fought,  or  War- 
ren died.  And  so  it  happened  that  when  the  question  of  slavery  in  Kansas 
came  on,  and  slavery  flung  down  her  challenge,  New  England  promptly  picked 
it  up,  as  her  fashion  has  always  been.  Let  us  be  fair.  While  New  England 
certainly  led  in  the  Kansas  struggle,  she  led  by  her  ideas  and  her  example 
as  much,  perhaps,  as  in  any  other  way.  Others  were  here,  from  Ohio,  from 
Illinois,  from  Wisconsin,  and  from  the  entire  North— men  who  had  become 
weary  of  being  smitten  on  the  one  cheek  only  to  turn  the  other  for  a  blow. 
When  the  roll  is  called,  it  matters  little  where  was  the  birthplace  or  where 
the  ancestral  home  of  any  who  stand  up  to  be  counted.  They  came,  not 
simply  to  make  homes  for  themselves;  that  would  be  too  narrow  a  view  of 
the  great  movement  which,  against  appalling  odds,  won  freedom  for  Kan- 
sas, and,  in  a  larger  sense,  for  this  nation.  They  came  to  make  free  homes 
for  all;  to  establish  here,  in  Kansas,  towns  and  town  meetings,  district 
schools,  the  untrammeled  vote  of  every  citizen,  and  all  the  sanctions  of  an 
institutional  government.  Their  zeal,  tranquil  and  self-poised,  was  the  zeal 
which  had  been  in  generations  before  them— generations  that  had  crossed 
the  ocean,  and  subdued  the  sternest  soil  upon  this  continent.  Kansas  was, 
of  course,  different  from  New  England.  The  comparison  was  between  a 
garden  and  a  land  of  rocks.  I  pray  you  remember  they  were  not  mere  ad- 
venturers; and  remember,  too,  they  were  men  who  could  follow  a  purpose 
wherever  it  might  lead,  asking  only  if  it  were  right. 

We  often  use  the  phrase:  "The  irony  of  fate."  Here  is  the  irony: 
The  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  passed  by  the  votes  of  men  who  expected  to  see 
slavery  made  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  territory,  was  the  strongest  in- 
fluence which  insured  freedom  here  instead  of  slavery.  They  turned  the 
question  out  of  Congress— out  to  the  free  prairies,  where  truth  can  always 
find  a  chance.  They  blindly  said:  "  You  miy  fight  it  out. "  And  so  it  hap- 
pened the  wretched  measure,  the  fatal  and  perfidious  bill,  became  a  step  in 
the  march  toward  all  for  which  the  friends  of.  freedom  were  praying.  And 
they  took  care  of  this  soil  and  made  it  free  forever.  Such  is  the  irony  of 
fate. 

You  who  are  young  perhaps  do  not  understand  that  the  fight  was  not 
against  slavery  in  the  abstract,  but  against  its  extension.  New  England 
and  the  North  said:  "Slavery  is  wrong,  but  it  is  protected  by  constitutional 
and  statutory  guaranties,  and  we  must  let  it  alone  where  it  is."  But  they 
said  also:  "Keep  within  your  own  limits;  so  far  may  you  come,  but  no  far- 
ther. Keep  off  the  prairies."  And  then  the  prairies  spoke  out;  for,  in  the 
cabins  and  on  the  claims,  they  knew  they  could  hardly  live  themselves,  and 
that  the  children  could  never  thrive,  if  their  toil  was  to  be  measured  by  the 
toil  of  slaves.  It  is  an  old  economic  truth  that  the  good  and  valuable  can- 
not compete  with  the  bad  and  worthless.  Slave  labor  will  drive  out  free 
labor  as  the  cheaper  and  baser  metal  will  drive  out  the  precious  one.  It 
was  a  perfectly  simple  proposition.  Slavery  was  not  only  wrong,  but  it  was 
destructive  of  their  homes;  the  gardens,  the  flowers,  the  clambering  wild 


148  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

rose,  the  little  cluster  of  buildings,  the  lares  and  penates,  which  they  had 
cherished  and  brought  with  them  to  their  rude  Western  habitations.  Let 
slavery  stay  where  it  belongs— on  the  plantation,  in  the  swamp,  in  the  fields 
of  rice  and  cane— but  it  shall  not  fasten  its  deadly  fangs  upon  our  free 
Western  institutions.  That  was  the  issue;  and  it  was  here,  good  friends— 
here,  where  we  now  are,  and  out  upon  the  virgin  soil  of  Kansas— that  the 
grapple  came.  In  all  those  days  and  nights,  Lawrence  was  the  eye  and  ear 
of  the  cause. 

How  can  I  recite  the  story  of  this  beautiful  city,  or  tell  the  part  she 
played  in  the  struggle  for  freedom  in  Kansas?  How  can  I  tell  you— you 
who  are  dwellers  here— what  relation  she  bore  to  the  cause  which  in  some 
form  has  always  been  in  the  hearts  of  men?  Lawrence  is  distinctly  a  child 
of  New  England.  And  if  that  be  not  a  lineage  of  which  to  boast,  it  is  cer- 
tainly a  lineage  of  which  you  may  well  be  proud.  The  love  of  liberty  in  any 
heart  is  a  sacred,  a  solemn  and  an  inspiring  thing;  and  it  is,  ideally,  as 
beautiful  in  one  person  or  in  one  country  or  state  as  in  another.  It  is  the 
same  passion  in  Holland  or  Switzerland  as  in  Old  England  or  in  New  Eng- 
land, and,  like  all  that  is  most  precious  in  human  Hves,  is  but  a  sentiment, 
impalpable  and  invisible,  though  as  real  and  actual  as  the  everlasting  hills. 
In  the  teachings  of  the  Master  there  is  nothing  more  profoundly  true  than 
this:  "The  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you."  When  Eh  Thayer  saw  the  ap- 
proaching triumph  of  the  slavery  propagandists  in  the  certain  passage  of 
the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  he  felt  within  him  kingdoms  and  powers  and  hopes 
and  faiths  and  the  "quickening  of  the  word."  His  eyes  had  never  seen  this 
land  of  surpassing  beauty,  but  what  of  that?  It  is  a  narrow  patriotism  and 
a  very  scant  philosophy  which  confines  human  effort  to  that  which  happens 
under  our  own  eyes.  Eli  Thayer,  with  the  soul  of  a  poet  and  the  brain  of  a 
New  England  Yankee,  took  time  by  the  forelock  and  organized  his  company 
before  the  bill  passed.  That  has  been  their  way  always.  The  genius  of 
Puritanism  means:  "Here  we  are— Ready. "  And  it  means  also,  if  abso- 
lutely necessary— ' '  Fire ! ' '  And  the  Puritan,  fellow  citizens,  takes  his  Crom- 
well and  his  Hampden  with  him  to  Kansas,  and  to  any  place  upon  this  earth 
where  he  plants  his  feet.  The  United  States  of  America,  one  and  indivisible, 
is  the  product  of  New  England  ideas,  mixed— a  little— with  other  ideas. 
Without  New  England  we  should  not  be  what  we  are,  and  what  we  expect 
to  be— soon  or  late. 

You  have  seen  paintings  of  the  Mayflower,  and  of  the  sad-faced  Pilgrims 
who  used  to  kneel  upon  her  deck  to  pray  for  safety  and  deliverance.  Some 
day  artists  will  paint  the  men  and  women  who  came  here,  under  an  impulse 
as  strong  as  that  which  filled  the  sails  of  the  Mayflower,  and  then  you  will 
see  that  heroism  is  infinitely  pervasive,. and  that  it  is,  in  Shakespeare's  ex- 
quisite phrase,  "as  broad  and  general  as  the  casing  air."  Some  poet  will, 
in  good  time,  relate  the  story,  which,  however  dumb  the  tongue  may  be 
that  tells  it  now,  is  a  true  poem.  And  poetry  is  the  highest  expression  of 
truth.  The  epic  asks  for  something  heroic,  and  the  lyric  for  something 
sweet.  Ah!  what  both  really  ask  for  is  something  true— and  then  they 
sing,  under  divine  promptings,  while  the  world  listens  and  loves,  and  re- 
news the  consecrations  of  all  the  years. 

Eli  Thayer  started  his  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company  before  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  bill  became  a  law.  As  Emerson  says:  "  He  saw— which 
means  that  he  foresaw."     When  the  bill  was  fastened  upon  the  country— a 


Address  by  George  R.  Peck.  149 

bad,  wicked,  false  enactment— the  "New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company  " 
was  already  a  legal  entity,  with  chartered  rights  and  powers,  and  with 
something  in  the  treasury  to  defray  necessary  expenses.  I  have  read,  and 
you  have  read,  how  the  Pilgrim  fathers  organized  their  westward  sailing ; 
how 'Carver  and  Bradford  and  the  others  prevised  what  might  happen,  and 
—perhaps  against  the  literal  word  of  the  Gospel— took  thought  of  the  mor- 
i-ow.  In  enterprises  of  great  pith  and  moment  wisdom  means  action— in- 
slant,  immediate  action— and  so  it  was  that  EH  Thayer  and  his  company 
were  ready  for  the  bill,  and  for  all  that  it  meant. 

May  30,  1854,  it  came.  The  prairies  were  aflame;  and  the  hearts  of  men 
were  hot  with  the  controversy.  Could  any  one  think  for  a  moment  that  Kan- 
sas would  be  given  up  ?  And  yet,  why  not  ?  Why  should  men  struggle  for 
a  mere  idea;  for  ethical  abstractions  which  they  could  very  well  live  with- 
out ?  If  the  slave-drivers  want  the  prairies  why  should  they  not  have  them  ? 
What  diff'erence  does  it  make  to  us  ?  Do  we  feel  the  shackles  that  bind  the 
ankles  of  a  slave  ?  After  all,  what  is  there  in  this  talk  about  right  and 
wrong  ?  Ah  !  there  you  have  asked  the  ultimate  question;  you  have  touched 
the  surest  and  most  responsive  spring  of  human  motive.  Down  at  the  bot- 
tom, it  was  a  question  of  right  and  wrong— and  such  questions  cannot  be 
compromised.  It  would  be  a  tedious  recital  to  tell  how  Missouri  poured  over 
the  border,  and  how  territorial  governors  came  and  went,  vainly  trying  to 
do  right,  without  being  able  to  do  exactlj^  right.  From  the  first  the  case 
was  hopeless,  for  it  was  too  large  for  politics.  It  was  not  only  so  great  a 
moral  question  that  it  dominated  all  others,  but  as  we  see  now,  and  as  wise 
men  saw  then,  it  could  neither  be  evaded  nor  put  down.  The  sun  and  all 
the  stars  were  shining  upon  Kansas,  but  they  gave  their  beams  ahke  for 
those  who  fought  for  slavery,  and  for  those  who  fought  against  it.  It  is  a 
romantic  story;  but  history,  when  rightly  told,  is  always  romantic. 

What  eye  it  was  that  first  saw  the  great  possibility  of  Lawrence,  and 
the  beauty  of  its  situation,  I  know  not.  But  it  is  plain  enough  to  those  who 
see  it  now,  that  nature  smiled  upon  the  pioneers,  and  here  gave  them  her 
sweetest  welcome. 

All  that  I  have  said,  all  that  can  be  said  about  the  conflict  for  freedom 
in  Kansas,  leads  up  to  the  part  played  by  Lawrence  in  that  immortal  struggle. 
Here  was  the  shrine;  here  freedom  poured  out  her  tears,  and  here  she  kept 
her  constant  vigil,  undaunted  by  disaster  and  undismayed  by  fear.  Instinct- 
ively, they  who  came  to  Kansas  to  make  it  a  slave  state  hated  Lawrence; 
and  against  this  child  of  the  Mayflower  they  garnered  up  their  wrath.  Out 
from  the  camps  and  settlements  came  wireless  messages  of  good  and  evil 
import,  from  enemies  and  from  friends  alike;  but  in  the  cabins  which  clus- 
tered around  Mount  Oread  the  heart  of .  the  cause  was  bravely  beating. 
On  yonder  hillside,  and  down  by  the  banks  of  the  river— sometimes  joyous, 
sometimes  despondent— the  little  homes  gave  back,  to  friend  and  foe  alike, 
the  one  reply:  "We  are  here— we  are  here  to  stay."  It  was  something 
more  than  poetic  fancy  which  made  Keats  sing:  "Beauty  is  truth,  truth 
beauty."  The  home-dwellers  here,  pinched  and  crowded,  had  beauty  in 
their  kitchens,  and  truth  in  their  hearts— yea,  in  their  very  heart  of  hearts— 
cor  cordium.  Let  us  not  forget  that,  in  good  and  evil  times,  the  soul  of 
the  home  is  the  wife  or  mother  who  reigns  under  its  roof. 

Back  of  most  great  movements— when  they  become  visible  to  the  world— 


150  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

is  a  sentimental  question.  It  may  be  a  stamp  act;  it  may  be  tea  in  Boston 
harbor;  but  it  is  seldom  a  question  of  money.  After  all,  what  is  there  in 
this  world  worth  fighting  for  which  is  not  based  on  some  deep  consideration 
that  will,  when  crowded  to  its  uttermost,  become  profoundly  spiritual?  And 
such  was  the  situation  in  1854.  You  cannot  choke  a  genuine  aspiration  by 
any  appeal  to  consequences.  When  the  Kansas-Nebraska  act  became  a  law, 
everybody— philosophers  and  fools  alike— understood  that  it  meant  a  fight  to 
the  finish.  When  the  gauntlet  was  thrown  down,  they  said  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  out  on  the  prairies,  "We  will  see  about  it."    And  they  did. 

Meanwhile,  Lawrence  was,  in  the  language  of  science,  being  evolved. 
This  day,  tranquil  and  content,  she  looks  back  upon  her  sorrows,  and  for- 
ward to  triumphs  yet  to  come.  But  what  a  history  it  has  been!  When  Eli 
Thayer  organized  his  company,  how  little  he  dreamed  of  to-day!  But  such 
has  ever  been  the  way  of  the  world.  They  who  do  great  things— the  things 
that  make  history  radiant— can  never  foresee  what  will  happen.  It  is  doubt- 
less better  so;  but  think  how  beautiful  it  would  be  if,  to  the  eyes  of  those 
who  have  done  great  deeds,  there  had  come  glimpses  of  the  future!  Colum- 
bus died  not  knowing  he  had  discovered  a  continent,  but  believing  only  that 
he  had  found  a  new  pathway  to  Cathay.  The  mind  of  Magellan  never 
grasped  the  tremendous  consequences  of  that  marvelous  voyage  which 
showed  that  all  the  oceans  are  one.  EH  Thayer  probably  did  not  see  that 
with  his  emigrant  aid  company  he  was  doing  infinitely  more  than  organizing 
a  free  Kansas.  In  the  strife  out  upon  the  prairies  the  coming  war  was 
latent,  waiting  to  be  born  when  its  time  should  come.  Looking  backward, 
everybody  now  knows  that  the  civil  war— big  with  the  fate  of  free  institu- 
tions—was but  a  continuance  of  the  fight  on  the  border.  Already  there  were 
mutterings  of  Shiloh  and  Gettysburg  and  Appomattox.  And  thus  it  hap- 
pened that  Lawrence  became  a  factor  in  the  struggle  that  made  things  so 
ditf  erent,  the  world  over.  That  conflict  was  an  elemental  encounter.  Here 
we  are  this  day,  peaceful  and  contented.  Lawrence,  sad-eyed  daughter  of 
misfortune,  wears  myrtle  and  ivy  in  her  hair,  and  gives  to  all  the  greeting 
of  one  who  is  happy  beyond  words.  But  there  are  tears.  Life  is  only  such 
as  it  is,  and  whether  we  should  be  glad  is  never  answered  here.  And  yet, 
it  is  well  to  think  that,  where  we  now  are,  a  great  cause  has  been  weighed 
and  tested  in  the  unerring  scales  of  truth,  and  has  come  out  with  the  seal 
upon  it  that  lasts  forever.  No  one  can  now  say  that  it  would  have  been 
better  if  slavery  had  succeeded  in  its  efforts  to  seize  this  commonwealth. 

Fifty  years  ago  to-day  the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company  held  a 
meeting  here.  The  record  does  not  tell  us,  but  it  was  doubtless  such  a  day 
as  a  Kansas  October  always  has  in  store— Hke  that  which  inspired  the  soul 
of  dear  old  George  Herbert,  when  he  sang: 

"Sweet  day,  so  cool,  so  calm,  so  bright, 
The  bridal  of  the  earth  and  sky." 

There  must  have  been  many  weighty  matters  under  consideration,  for, 
only  a  few  hours  before,  a  demand  had  been  served  upon  Charles  Robinson, 
who  was  the  incarnate  purpose  of  the  New  England  company,  to  remove  a 
certain  tent  in  thirty  minutes  or  suffer  the  consequences.  The  tent  was  not 
removed,  but  the  company  went  serenely  forward,  in  the  New  England  way, 
with  the  business  it  bad  in  hand,     Mrs,  Robinson,  who  gave  to  history  an 


Address  by  George  R.  Peck.  151 

invaluable  service  in  her  book,  "Kansas,  Its  Interior  and  Exterior  Life," 
made  this  entry  in  the  record  she  kept  of  daily  events: 

"October  6.  At  a  meeting  of  the  association,  it  was  decided  that  the 
town  be  named  Lawrence,  after  Amos  A.  Lawrence,  of  Boston,  who  was 
doing  much  for  the  settlement." 

It  is  a  noble  name,  and  not  only  fitly  commemorates  the  Boston  philan- 
thropist who  was  so  closely  identified  with  this  young  city,  but  it  is  sug- 
gestive of  the  high  and  resolute  spirit  of  those  who  chose  it,  that  it  had 
been  borne  by  the  brave  sailor  who  died  on  the  deck  of  the  "Chesapeake," 
murmuring,  with  his  departing  breath,  "Don't  give  up  the  ship!"  And 
this  city— another  Sparta— turned  always  to  her  foes  with  the  same  brave 
look,  which  said:  "You  may  hack,  you  may  murder,  you  may  burn— but 
here  we  are,  and  here  we  shall  remain. "  Excepting  only  Plymouth— if, 
indeed,  she  ought  to  be  excepted— there  is  no  soil  on  this  continent  so  sacred 
as  that  upon  which  we  stand  to-day.  The  currents  of  history,  flowing  down- 
ward from  age  to  age  and  from  generation  to  generation,  meet  Thermopylge 
and  Naseby  and  Bunker  Hill,  but  here  they  touched  a  soil  as  sweet  and 
classic  as  any  in  all  the  world. 

In  the  wild,  irregular  outbreaks  which  always  accompany  great  move- 
ments, when  they  leave  the  domain  of  thought  for  the  trial  of  mere  physical 
strength,  it  is  inevitable  that  many  excesses  will  be  committed.  And  one 
of  the  best  things  in  the  history  of  Kansas  is  the  wise  and  prudent  modera- 
tion that  always  tempered  passion  when  the  advice  of  Charles  Robinson 
was  heeded.     How  true  it  is— 

"The  gods  approve 
The  depth  and  not  the  tumult  of  the  soul." 

He  was  your  first  great  citizen;  calm,  sagacious,  and  brave;  so  well 
tried  in  personal  courage  that  he,  of  all  others,  could  advise  caution  without 
reproach.  He  had  that  highest  attribute  of  statesmanship,  which,  in  his  own 
language,  strove  always  to  "  keep  the  record  right."  He  would  not  go  into 
any  movement  which  could  be  counted  as  rebellion  against  the  United  States 
—against  the  government  which,  how  far  so  ever  it  had  drifted  from  its 
true  course,  was  yet  the  formal,  outward  authority  which  good  citizens  must 
respect,  or  try  to  respect.  In  the  Kansas  struggle,  the  government,  or  per- 
haps it  would  be  more  correct  to  say  the  administration,  was  wrong,  and  it 
took  a  large  man  in  such  a  crisis  to  see  the  distinction  between  the  desirable 
and  the  possible.  There  is  a  maxim  that  has  come  to  us  from  the  French  revo- 
lution, which  declares  that  in  troublous  times  it  is  "audacity,  audacity, 
audacity  "  which  wins.  Yes,  to-day.  But  true  wisdom  thinks  of  to-morrow. 
It  is  not  audacity  but  cool,  deliberate  judgment  which  wins  great  causes.  If 
the  Kansas  conflict  had  been  French— if  it  had  been  a  general  uprising 
against  the  government— it  would  not  have  been  what  we  know  it  was. 
The  American  people  can  never  have  need  of  revolution.  Every  right  which 
they  have  ever  claimed  or  desired  is  in  the  great  organic  law.  And  so  it  has 
always  happened,  that  when  the  English-speaking  people  assert  a  grievance, 
it  is  not  for  the  denial  of  some  new  privilege,  but  for  the  withholding  of 
some  ancient  right.  It  is,  of  course,  true  that  we  know  the  history  of  our 
own  breed  and  kin  better  than  that  of  any  other,  but  scholars  and  students 
the  world  over  know  the  Anglo-Saxon  stoiy.     It  has  been  a  forward  race, 


152  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

always  in  the  advance,  gathering  to  itself  from  traditions  and  ballads  and 
stories;  a  creed,  almost  as  much  religious  as  it  is  political,  which  means  only 
this:    Liberty  under  the  law. 

What  shall  I  say  of  Lawrence  in  history?  The  Quantrill  raid  is  a  part 
of  it,  but  that  was  only  a  wild,  sporadic  outburst— the  savage,  cruel  sequel 
of  the  free-state  struggle.  In  it  Lawrence  was  paying  again  the  penalty  of 
her  devotion  for  freedom.  When  it  was  over  she  lifted  once  more  her  beau- 
tiful face,  as  in  the  old  days,  and,  looking  out  serenely  upon  the  future, 
uttered  the  words  which  more  truly  than  any  others  tell  the  sad,  brave  story 
of  Kansas:  "Ad  astra  per  aspera."  Truly,  she  had  reached  the  stars 
through  rough  ways. 

It  is  a  strong,  enduring  tie,  which  here  unites  the  city  and  university — 
the  civic  and  the  scholastic— in  that  high  companionship  which  has  so  long 
identified  them  and  made  them  one.  The  great  institution  which  crowns 
Mount  Oread  is  the  pledge  of  high  resolves,  and  each  morning  as  it  looks  out 
upon  the  landscape  such  as  cannot  be  seen  elsewhere,  they  who  give  and  they 
who  receive  know  how  truly  they  have  been  dedicated  to  freedom,  and  to  the 
things  for  which  Kansas  suffered  and  strove  in  those  brave  days.  Here  let 
me  express  the  hope  and  the  faith  that  the  Kansas  State  University  will 
continue  to  be  always,  not  only  the  seat  of  scholarship  and  learning,  but  of 
honor,  truth,  and  freedom— the  high  ideals  which,  more  than  any  others,  join 
a  university  to  the  great  common  heart. 

They  greatly  err  who  think  that  learning  and  patriotism  do  not  go  hand 
in  hand,  each  helping,  encouraging  and  sustaining  the  other.  As  a  university 
town,  Lawrence  is  dedicated  to  both;  and  from  both  has  received  blessings 
which  cannot  all  be  told,  or  estimated,  or  measured.  I  like  to  believe  that 
this  noble  institution  is  kindred  to  all  others,  anywhere  in  the  world,  which 
keep  burning  the  light  of  civiHzation,  of  science,  of  art,  and  of  beauty.  I 
like  to  believe  that  some  day  she  will  be  another  Oxford,  at  whose  breast 
has  been  nurtured  the  best  scholarship  and  the  best  thought  of  England- 
Oxford,  "spreading  her  gardens  to  the  moonlight  and  whispering  from  her 
towers  the  last  enchantments  of  the  middle  age." 

Fellow  citizens,  the  high  aim  of  all  these  ceremonies  is  neither  to  recall 
nor  to  exalt  the  mere  founding  or  the  mere  naming  of  a  city.  Ah !  there 
are  larger  cities— cities  of  greater  commercial  importance,  of  greater  wealth; 
but  nowhere,  on  any  soil,  are  there  memories  more  inspiring  or  which  mean 
more  to  those  who  look  back  fifty  years.  L  congratulate  you,  whose  homes 
are  here  in  this  goodly  Kansas,  that  peace  with  all  her  joys  and  consolations 
came  long  ago  to  take  the  place  of  sorrow  and  of  strife.  The  old  days  were 
glorious,  when  the  nerves  were  always  attuned,  and  the  men  and  women 
proudly  confident  of  their  cause.  The  constant  watch,  sleepless,  habitual— 
because  danger  is  the  quickest  of  teachers— gave  them  what  has  well  been 
called  "the  historic  poise"— the  serenity  that  rises  above  alarm  and  takes 
courage  from  its  own  unslumbering  heart.  And  what  of  to-day?  Let  us 
think,  and  think— while  we  move  forward.  The  place  of  Lawrence  in  his- 
tory is  secure  forever, 

"There's  not  a  breathing  of  the  common  wind 
That  will  forget  thee  ;  thou  hast  great  allies  ; 
Thy  friends  are  exultations,  agonies. 
And  love,  and  man's  unconquerable  mind." 


III. 

Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas. 


RIGHT  REVEREND  JOHN  B.  MIEGE,  S.  J. 
CATHOLIC  BISHOP  OF  KANSAS. 


FIRST 


Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  James  A.  McGonigle,'  of  Leavenworth. 

JOHN  BAPTIST  MIEGE  was  bom  in  1815,  the  youngest  son  of  a  wealthy 
and  pious  family  of  the  parish  of  Chevron  in  upper  Savoy.     At  an  early 

age  he  was  committed  to  the  care  of  his  brother,  the  director  of  the  episcopal 

seminary  of  Montiers.  At 
this  time  he  manifested  liter- 
erary  and  religious  qualities 
of  the  highest  kind. 

He  completed  his  literary 
studies  at  nineteen.  At  first 
he  desired  to  enter  the  army, 
but  at  his  brother's  sugges- 
tion he  spent  two  more  years 
at  the  seminary,  in  the  study 
of  philosophy,  and  after  this 
his  purpose  was  changed. 
On  the  23d  of  October,  1836, 
he  was  admitted  into  the 
Society  of  Jesus  by  Rev. 
Father  Puty,  rector  of  the 
novitiate  at  Milan. 

During  the  very  first 
years  of  his  spiritual  life, 
spent  under  Father  Francis 
PelHco,  he  gave  evidence  of 
his  strong  purpose  and  en- 
ergy of  soul.  Broadest 
charity,  profound  humility, 
unflinching  spirit  of  disci- 
pline and  ardent  devotion  to 

his  institute  evidenced  his  vigor  of  character.     Charity  to  his  fellows  was 

one  of  his  very  strongest  characteristics,  and  one  of  his  favorite  themes  for 

thought  and  discourse. 

He  pronounced  his  first  vows  on  October  15,  1838,  spent  two  years  in 

NoxE  1.— James  McGonigle,  the  father  of  James  Andrew  McGonigle,  was  born  four 
miles  from  Giant's  Causeway,  county  of  Derry.  Ireland,  July  31.  1786.  When  sixteen  years  old 
he  was  apprenticed  for  five  years  to  learn  the  art  of  weaving  byTiand  in  fhe  City  of  London- 

(153) 


JOHN  B.  MIEGE, 
First  Catholic  Bishop  of  Kansas. 


154  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

literary  studies,  and  was  transferred  to  the  boarding-school  at  Milan,  where 
he  was  entrusted  with  the  office  of  chief  disciplinarian.  Thence,  in  1843,  he 
was  removed  to  Chambs'ry  where  his  genial  disposition  and  the  wide  sym- 
pathy of  his  heart  gave  him  a  large  influence  over  the  students.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1844,  owing  to  promise  of  future  eminence,  he  was  sent  to  Rome  to  be 
instructed  by  eminent  masters.  His  talents  were  extensive  and  varied,  but 
his  bent  of  mind  seemed  to  incline  him  especially  to  the  most  able  solution 
of  moral  questions. 

He  was  ordained  priest  in  1847,  and  in  1848  completed  his  theological 
studies.  This  very  year  the  houses  of  the  society  were  closed  by  the  revo- 
lutionists, and,  among  others,  Father  Miege  sought  refuge  in  France.  Dur- 
ing the  journey  thither  he  took  advantage  of  a  most  successful  disguise  to 
play  the  role  of  protector  of  the  exiles,  and  his  influence  was  such  that  he 
greatly  contributed  to  make  the  journey  rather  pleasant  than  otherwise  for 
the  victims  of  the  persecution. 

In  the  midsummer  of  1849,  as  the  result  of  his  long  and  earnest  petition, 
he  set  sail  for  the  Indian  mission  of  North  America,  and  reached  St.  Louis 
in  the  fall.  He  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  little  church  in  St.  Charles, 
Mo.     His  pastoral  duty  included  the  charge  of  the  mission  of  the  Portage. ^ 

Later  he  was  removed  to  the  house  of  probation  at  Florissant,  Mo,, 
where  he  taught  moral  theology.  In  1851  he  was  sent  to  St.  Louis  Univer- 
sity, Missouri.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  he  was  appointed  to  the  vicariate 
apostolic  of  all  the  territory  from  the  Kansas  river  at  its  mouth  north  to  the 
British  possessions  and  from  the  Missouri  river  west  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, being  about  650  miles  from  south  to  north  line  and  600  from  east  to 

derry,  Ireland.  May  10,  1813,  he  took  passage  on  a  sailing  vessel,  and  arrived  at  Baltimore,  Md,, 
August  25,  1813,  being  three  months  and  fifteen  days  on  the  way  across.  He  settled  at  Hagers- 
town,  Md.,  August  28,  1813,  and  immediately  secured  work  at  his  trade  and  built  up  a  successful 
business.  He  died  November  28,  1858.  He  was  married  in  Hagerstown,  May  1,  1829,  to  Miss 
Susan  McLaughlin.  Mrs.  McGonigle  was  born  in  the  county  of  Derry,  Ireland,  June  3,  1805. 
She  was  the  mother  of  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  James  Andrew  McGonigle  was  born  in  Ha- 
gerstown, Md.,  February  8,  1834.  He  started  to  a  subscription  school  when  he  was  eight  years 
old,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  entered  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  at  the  house-joiner 
trade.  He  worked  for  two  years  as  a  journeyman  in  Hagerstown,  at  *1.12y2  cents  per  day  of 
fourteen  hours  in  summer-time,  paying  his  board  out  of  his  wages.  ,On  the  26th  of  May,  1857,  he 
arrived  in  Leavenworth,  where  he  immediately  went  to  work  at  three  dollars  per  day  of  ten 
hours.  In  a  few  months  he  began  contracting,  which  he  has  continued  to  this  day,  erecting 
some  of  the  most  important  buildings  in  the  country  from  Pennsylvania  west  to  Colorado  and 
New  Mexico,  among  them  the  cathedral  at  Leavenworth.  In  1861,  associated  with  Gen.  Daniel 
McCook,*  he  raised  company  H,  First  Kansas  infantry.  McCook  was  made  captain  and  McGoni- 
gle first  lieutenant,  and  Michael  Bransfield  second  lieutenant.  In  the  '  attle  of  Wilson  Creek, 
because  of  the  sickness  of  McCook,  McGonigle  had  command  of  the  company.  McCook  was  one 
of  the  fiuhting  family  of  McCooks,  and  remarked  at  enlistment  that  he  would  wear  a  colonel's 
epaulettes  or  fill  a  soldier's  grave.  When  he  died  he  was  a  brigadier-general.  Company  H, 
at  Wilson  Creek,  lost  nineteen  killed  and  twenty-  three  wounded.  Lieutenant  McGonigle  was 
wounded  and  taken  to  the  rear,  and  later  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to  Texas.  He  was  soon  ex- 
changed, and  on  his  return,  with  a  friend,  called  on  General  Price,  at  Springfield,  Mo.  Price  in- 
quired where  they  were  from,  and  when  each  responded  "  Kansas,"  he  said :  "  I  am  going  to  wipe 
out  your  state  from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other."  Mr  McGonigle  was  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil of  Leavenworth  in  1860  and  again  in  1865.  He  was  a  member  of  the  second  state  legislature, 
in  January,  1862.  In  politics  McGonigle  was  a  Democrat  until  1896,  since  when  he  has  voted  the 
Republican  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  belongs  to  the  order  of  the  Knights 
of  Columbus  and  the  Lo.val  Legion,  in  the  latter  having  served  a  term  as  commander.  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1864,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Gilson.  whose  parents  moved  from  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  to  Leavenworth  July  3,  1860.     They  have  eight  children. 

Note  2.—  Probably  Portage  des  Sioux. 

*  Daniel  McCook,  captain  of  company  H,  First  Kansas  infantry,  from  31st  of  May  to  9th  of 
November,  1861,  was  a  brother  of  Alexander  McDowell  McCook,  and  son  of  Daniel  McCook.  He 
was  born  in  Carrollton,  Ohio,  July  22,  1884;  enlisted  with  the  First  Kansas ;  was  made  chief  of 
staff  in  the  fii-st  division  of  the  army  of  the  Ohio  in  the  Shiloh  campaign;  colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
second  Ohio  infantry  July  15,  1862  ;  and,  for  bravery  displayed  in  the  assault  on  Kenesaw  moun- 
tain, which  he  led,  was  made  brigadier-general  July  16,  1864.  He  died  on  the  21st  day  of  July, 
Ave  days  later,  froin  wounds  received  in  that  battle. 


Missions  Among  the  Indiana  in  Kansas.  155 

west.-^  It  required,  however,  the  formal  order  of  the  Holy  See  to  move  him 
to  accept  the  office.  He  was  consecrated  by  Archbishop  Kenrick  on  the  25th 
of  March,  1851,  in  St.  Xavier's  Church,  St.  Louis,  receiving  the  title  of 
bishop  of  Messenia.  He  left  St.  Louis  on  the  11th  of  May  following,  and 
finally  arrived  at  St.  Marys,  territory  of  Kansas.  Here,  in  1851,  he  built 
the  first  Catholic  church  in  Kansas,  of  hewn  logs.* 

Here  he  began  his  life  work  as  a  missionary.  The  vast  extent  of  his 
diocese  rendered  long  and  tedious  journeys  necessary,  for  he  often  visited 
its  distant  limits,  traversing  the  then  trackless  wastes  of  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
Colorado,  and  the  Indian  Territory.  He  removed  and  established  his  see  in 
Leavenworth  in  1855,  where  he  found  seven  Catholic  families.''' 


FIRST  CATHEDRAL  IN  KANSAS. 
Erected  at  St.  Marys,  in  1851. 

He  commenced  the  erection  of  a  church,  size  24  by  40  feet."  The  in- 
crease in  the  Catholic  population  was  so  fast  that  in  1857  he  erected  a  larger 
church,  it  being  40  by  100  feet.     In  1863  he  erected  a  large  episcopal  residence. 

In  1859  Bishop  Miege,  with  Brother  John,  crossed  the  plains  in  his  own 

Notes.— The  diocese  comprised  the  greater  part  of  what  is  now  Montana,  the  Dakotas, 
Wyoming,  Colorado.  Nebraska,  and  Kansas. 

Note  4.—"  Church  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  which  was  the  first  cathedral 
of  Bishop  Miege  ( 1851-'55 )  and  the  first  church  of  any  size  in  Kansas. "—  Rev.  J.  J.  O'Meara,  S.  J., 
sketch  of  St.  Marys,  in  The  Dial.  February,  1890,  p.  6.  In  March.  1839,  a  log  church  was  built  on 
Sugar  creek.  Linn  county,  by  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  under  the  direction  of  Father  Hoecken. 
In  1840.  several  hundred  more  Indians  having  arrived  from  Indiana,  a  new  church  was  built  for 
their  accommodation,  and  blessed  on  Christmas  day  of  that  year  by  Father  Aelen. —  Father 
Hoecken's  diary,  in  The  Dial,  June,  1890,  p.  2.  and  September,  1890,  p.  1. 

_v  Note  5. —  The  membership  of  the  cathedral  congregation  numbered  4000  persons  in  1882. 
"The  first  mass  in  Leavenworth  was  said  in  1854.  by  Bishop  Miege,  at  the  house  of  a  Mrs. 
Quinn."—  Cutler,  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  p.  431.  "  Leavenworth  is  the  principal  town  of  Kan- 
sas territory  [1858].  It  contains  already  about  10.000  souls,  though  it  has  sprung  into  existence 
within  the  last  six  years.  It  is  beautifully  and  advantageously  situated,  on  the  Missouri  river.  It 
has  a  bishop,  two  Catholic  churches,  a  convent,  with  a  boarding-school  and  a  day-school.  There 
are  already  fifteen  churches,  twenty-three  stations,  sixteen  priests,  five  religious  communities, 
and  four  manual-labor  schools  for  the  Osage  and  Pottawatomie  Indians,  which  are  under  the  care 
of  our  fathers  and  religious  ladies  of  different  orders."— "' Life,  Letters  and  Travels  of  Father 
De  Smet,"  Chittenden  and  Richardson,  1905,  vol.  2,  p.  720. 

Note  6.— In  1855  the  old  cathedral  was  bqilt;  in  1857  there  was  also  elected  a  priest's  houee. 
-Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  p.  431. 


156  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

conveyance  to  Denver  to  establish  the  organization  of  the  CathoHc  church 
in  Colorado.'  A  trip  at  that  time  was  hazardous,  as  the  hostile  Indians 
were  constantly  scalping  those  whom  they  might  come  across  on  the  plains. 

About  1858  he  established  a  Catholic  church  in  Omaha,  Neb.s  In  1858 
he  invited  eight  members  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  the  state  of  Ten- 
nessee to  establish  their  order  here,  which  they  did.  From  the  basis  of 
eight  members  in  1858,  they  now  number  about  500,  having  academies  and 
hospitals  in  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Colorado,  New  Mexico,  Wyoming,  and  Mon- 
tana, where  they  have  taught  and  dispensed  charities  to  thousands  of  people. 
There  is  no  order  of  sisters  in  the  Catholic  world  that  has  done  so  much  good 
as  they. 

Bishop  Miege  commenced  the  excavation  for  the  cathedral  at  Leaven- 
worth in  the  spring  of  1864.''  The  corner-stone  was  laid  in  September,  1864, 
and  the  cathedral  was  completed  and  dedicated  December  8,  1868.  The 
question  is  often  asked:  "Why  did  the  bishop  erect  such  a  fine  cathedral 
at  Leavenworth?"  The  reason  was  this:  At  that  time  the  contest  was 
between  Kansas  City  and  Leavenworth  as  to  which  would  be  the  great  city 
on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  river.  In  1863,  and  for  many  years  after  that, 
Leavenworth  was  very  prosperous  and  everything  indicated  that  it  would 
be  the  large  city.  Bishop  Miege  was  a  strong  believer  in  the  great  future  of 
Leavenworth,  and  showed  his  faith  by  erecting  such  a  cathedral.  Each 
city  was  striving  to  become  an  important  railroad  point.  Kansas  City 
secured  it. 

The  bishop  possessed  an  artistic  and  architectural  mind,  which  the  great 
work  he  accomplished  shows.  The  architectural  proportions  of  the  cathedral 
are  perfect.  The  sanctuary  is  the  largest  of  any  cathedral  in  this  country. 
He  often  remarked  that  he  wanted  a  laige  one,  so  that  the  largest  ceremo- 
nies of  the  church  could  be  held  with  comfort.  Bishop  Miege  secured  the 
best  fresco  artist  in  the  United  States,  Leon  Pomrade.  The  figures  in  fresco 
are  perfect,  and  even  to-day  the  expressions  and  colors  are  good.  The 
stiained-glass  figures  show  that  they  were  made  by  a  first-class  artist,  as  the 
colors  are  as  fresh  and  clear  to-day  as  when  executed,  thirty-seven  years 
ago.  The  cathedral  is  of  the  Romanesque  style  of  architecture,  and  has  no 
superior  of  that  type  in  this  country.  The  size  of  the  cathedral  is  94  feet 
front  and  200  feet  long  and  about  56  feet  high  to  square  of  building.  The 
toweis,  when  completed,  will  be  about  190  feet  high. 

After  the  dedication  of  the  cathedral  the  prosperity  of  Leavenworth  de- 
clined, which  aft'ected  the  financial  support  of  the  church.  The  indebtedness 
of  the  cathedral  at  that  time  was  about  $100,000. 

Bishop  Miege  concluded  a  short  time  after  the  completion  of  the  cathe- 
dral to  make  a  trip  to  the  South  American  states  for  the  purpose  of  collect- 
ing funds  to  reduce  the  indebtedness.     He  was  gone  for  a  year  or  more,  and 

Note  7. — In  1859  or  18G0  Bishop  Lamy,  bishop  of  Santa  Fe,  "received  from  Rome  the  juris- 
diction of  the  new  country  called  Pike's  Peak"  i  see  biography  of  Rt.  Rev.  J.  P.  Machebeuf,  in 
History  of  Denver,  Baskin,  1880,  p.  525),  and  it  is  possible  that  Bishop  Miege  made  this  journey 
to  Denver  on  business  connected  v(7ith  the  change  in  his  diocese.  See,  also.  Rocky  Mountain 
Directory  and  Colorado  Gazetteer,  1871,  p.  138. 

Note  8.— Bishop  Miege  placed  Rev.  Father  Cannon,  of  the  Benedictine  order,  in  charge  of  the 
Omaha  church,  St.  Philomena,  in  the  fall  of  1858,  and  in  the  v^rinter  of  1858-'59,  the  vicariate  of 
Kansas  and  Nebraska  was  divided. — Andreas,  History  of  Nebraska,  1882,  p.  730.  The  vicariate 
Kansas  and  Nebraska  was  divided  in  1857,  and  that  of  Nebraska  and  other  territory  in  the 
Northwest  was  established  January  6,  1857.— Catholic  Directory,  1906,  p.  494. 

Note  9.— This  cathedral  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  cost  $150,000.— Cutler's  History  of 
Kansas.  1883.  p.  431. 


Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas. 


157 


CATHEDRAL  OF  THE  IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION,  LEAVENWORTH  CITY,  KAN. 
Corner-stone  laid  September  16,  1864;  dedicated  December  8,  1868.    Cost,  $175,000. 


158  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

solicited  funds  in  all  the  states  of  South  America,  and  suffered  many  priva- 
tions and  had  many  dangerous  trips.  He  told  me  that  in  crossing  the  Andes 
mountains  it  was  so  dangerous  that  he  was  blindfolded,  as  also  the  mule  he 
was  riding,  which  was  led  by  the  guide.  He  returned  to  Leavenworth,  hav- 
ing been  quite  successful  in  his  mission.  I  am  not  quite  positive,  but  I 
think  he  told  me  that  he  reduced  the  indebtedness  about  $50,000. 

After  reducing  the  debt,  in  1874,  with  permission  of  the  Holy  See,  he 
laid  aside  his  dignity  of  bishop  and  retired  to  St.  Louis  University,  St. 
Louis,  Mo.  Thence  he  withdrew  to  Woodstock  College,  Maryland,  where 
he  acted  as  spiritual  adviser.  In  1877  he  was  sent  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  to 
open  a  college  of  the  society.  Here  he  greatly  endeared  himself  to  the  peo- 
ple.    In  1880  he  retired  once  more  to  Woodstock. 

In  1883  he  was  stricken  with  paralysis.  He  lingered  in  this  state  a  year, 
and  underwent  many  sufferings.  He  died  July  20,  1884,  with  all  the  com- 
forts of  the  church. 

His  noble  qualities  were  numerous,  as  a  religionist,  a  priest,  and  a 
bishop.  His  virtue  and  genial  disposition  caused  him  to  be  regarded  with 
confidence  and  affection  by  the  young  and  with  deepest  veneration  by  the 
old.  With  the  highest  endowments  of  mind  and  character,  he  combined  the 
most  imperturbable  modesty  and  humility.  He  had  the  rare  gift  of  being 
able  to  adjust  himself  to  humors  and  characters.  But  one  of  his  finest 
characteristics  was  the  depth  of  his  sympathy,  springing  from  a  broad, 
warm,  human  heart. 

There  died  a  good  bishop,  a  loyal  Jesuit  father,  and  one  time  a  colaborer 
of  the  great  Jesuit,  Father  de  Smet,^^'  in  civilizing  the  Indians,  who  as  a 
citizen  of  Kansas  did  more  for  its  religious  and  material  prosperity  than 
any  citizen  of  the  state.  The  state  of  Kansas  has  a  room  in  the  capitol 
building  at  Topeka  where  the  portraits  of  the  distinguished  men  of  Kansas 
are  placed  and  cared  for  for  all  time  to  come.  When  the  portrait  of  Bishop 
Miege  shall  be  placed  there  it  will  represent  the  greatest  of  them  all. 

The  territory  of  Kansas,  by  a  law  of  the  United  States  government,  was 
thrown  open  to  settlement  in  1854,  giving  citizens  the  right  to  preempt  160 
acres  of  land  free  of  cost,  under  certain  conditions.  The  white  population 
in  all  that  territory  at  that  time,  from  the  Kansas  river,  at  its  mouth,  to 
the  British  possessions,  and  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, did  not  exceed  3000.  At  the  end  of  fifty-two  years,  in  the  same  ter- 
ritory, there  are  about  3,000,000.  The  growth  of  the  Catholic  population  in 
the  same  territory  and  the  same  time  is  about  400,000. 

In  1855  there  was  one  Catholic  bishop  and  one  see  in  all  that  territory, 
with  a  population  of  700  Catholics.  At  the  end  of  fifty  years  there  are  nine 
bishops  and  nine  sees,  each  see  having  its  cathedral,  colleges,  convents, 
parochial  schools,  orphan  asylums,  and  hospitals.  The  character  and  intel- 
ligence of  the  inhabitants  in  this  territory  cannot  be  excelled  anywhere. 

I  have  submitted  only  a  few  of  the  many  good  points  of  Bishop  Miege.  He 
laid  a  great  many  good  foundations  and  left  them  to  others  who  will  follow 
to  build  the  superstructure.  He  was  a  remarkably  handsome  man,  with  a 
commanding  appearance,  whose  presence  would  attract  attention.  He  pos- 
sessed a  fine  mind,  and  was  one  of  the  most  lovable  of  men.     The  most 

Note  10.— See  Life,  Letters  and  Travels  of  Father  De  Smet,  Chittenden  and  Richardson, 
1905,  4  V. 


Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas. 


159 


humble  of  his  parishioners  could  always  get  his  attention  and  be  treated 
with  the  utmost  courtesy  and  kindness. 

I  arrived  in  Leavenworth  May  6,  1857,  when  I  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Bishop  Miege,  whose  friendship  was  given  to  me,  and  which  is  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  memories  of  my  life.  My  business  association,  consisting  in 
the  construction  of  the  cathedral  frorn  the  foundation  to  its  entire  comple- 
tion, was  mutually  satisfactory.  I  had  a  strong  affection  for  him  when 
living,  and  his  memory  is  cherished  with  great  appreciation. 

I  am  indebted  to  Reverend  Father  Corbette,  S.  J.,  Detroit,  Mich.,  who 
was  administrator  of  Leavenworth  diocese  during  the  absence  of  Bishop 
Miege  in  South  America,  for  information  of  the  early  life  of  Bishop  Miege. 
During  Father  Corbette's  administration  of  the  diocese  he  exercised  great 
ability  and  sound  judgment,  and  retired  from  his  responsibility  having  given 
satisfaction  to  the  priests  and  people  of  the  diocese. 

Father  Corbette  is  the  oldest  living  Jesuit  father  in  the  United  States. 


EAST  SCHOOL  BUILDING  AT  SHAWNEE  MISSION. 

Erected  in  1839.     This  picture  is  a^  it  appears  now  (1906) .     Boys'  dormitory,  chapel,  and  study 

rooms.     In  this  building  the  territorial  legislature  held  its  sessions,  in  July,  1855. 

(This  building  is  referred  to  in  the  article  that  follows  on  next  page.) 


160  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


THE  METHODIST  MISSIONS  AMONG  THE  INDIAN 
TRIBES  IN  KANSAS. 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  Rev.  J.  J.  LuTZ,  of  Eagle  Lake,  Minn. 

THE  only  white  men  who  inhabited  what  is  now  the  state  of  Kansas  prior 
to  its  territorial  organization,  besides  the  Indian  agents  and  the  at- 
taches of  the  agencies,  were  traders  and  trappers,  the  soldiers  in  the  forts, 
and  the  missionaries  among  the  Indians,  i  The  story  of  the  missionary  op- 
erations among  the  various  tribes  inhabiting  what  is  now  the  great  state  of 
Kansas  forms  an  interesting  chapter  in  Kansas  history. 

The  principal  missions  formed  by  the  various  denominations  other  than 
Methodist  were  the  following  :  The  Shawnee  Baptist  mission,  1831;  Ottawa 
Baptist  mission,  by  Rev.  Jotham  Meeker,  1837;-  and  the  Kickapoo  Catholic 
mission,  1836.-'  This  denomination  had  two  other  important  missions,  that 
among  the  Osages,  on  the  Neosho  river,  and  that  among  the  Pottawatomies, 
at  St.  Marys.  The  Shawnee  Friends'  mission  was  organized  in  1834, ^  and 
that  of  the  Sac  and  Fox,  by  the  Presbyterian  church,  at  Highland,  Doniphan 
county,  in  1837.  •''' 

Previous  to  the  year  1824,  the  date  of  the  establishment  of  the  Osage  Pres- 
byterian mission  by  the  Rev.  Benson  Pixley,  there  had  been  no  missions  among 
the  Indian  tribes  of  Kansas.  The  Missouri  conference  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  was  held  in  St.  Louis  September  16,  1830,  Bishop  Robert  R. 
Roberts  presiding.  The  city  at  that  time  contained  a  population  of  but 
5000.  This  session  was  memorable  by  reason  of  the  action  taken  in  regard 
to  the  mission  work  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  Kansas.  The  missionary 
spirit  and  the  missionary  society  in  the  conference  received  a  wonderful 
impetus  at  this  session.  The  following  is  the  preamble  to  the  constitution 
of  the  society  as  then  formed : 

"The  members  of  the  Missouri  conference,  considering  the  great  neces- 
sity for  missionary  exertions,  and  feeling  a  willingness  to  aid  in  the  great 
work  of  sending  the  Gospel  among  all  people,  form  themselves  into  a  mis- 
sionary society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,"  etc. 

This  was  not  a  missionary  society  as  we  have  it  now,  supported  by  the 
entire  church;  but  the  men  of  the  Missouri  conference,  some  of  whom  re- 
ceived less  than  forty  dollars  a  year,  resolved  to  contribute  a  part  of  their 
very  limited  means  toward  sending  the  Gospel  to  those  who  were  in  still 
greater  need.  The  call  to  mission  work  among  the  Indians  was  heard  and 
answered,  and  the  devoted  brothers,  Thomas  and  William  Johnson,  entered 

Note  1.-  See  T.  S.  Huffaker's  letter  of  October  30,  1905,  in  this  volume,  p.  129. 

Note  2.—  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy's  "  History  of  Baptist  Indian  Missions,"  Washington,  1840  ;  also 
his  manuscript,  diary,  and  correspondence,  and  the  diary  and  correspondence  of  Jotham  Meeker, 
both  in  the  Historical  Society's  library  ;  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  1-2,  p.  271. 

Note  3.— See,  also,  this  volume,  p.  19  ;  also  vol.  8,  p.  83. 

Note  4. —  See  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vols.  7  and  8,  indexes,  for  history  of  Friends' 
Indian  missions  in  Kansas ;  also,  Harvey's  History  of  the  Shawnee  Indians,  Cincinnati,  1855. 

Note  5. —  For  other  missions  of  this  denomination,  see  note,  p.  20,  this  volume ;  also,  the  Re- 
ports of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  and  the  files  of  the  Missionary  Herald, 
1824-'37. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        161 


,<s^* 


3"^    ^'. 


REV.  THOMAS  JOHNSON, 

For  twenty-six  years  missionary  among  the  Shawnee  and  other  Indian  tribes  of  Kansas  ; 
one  of  the  prominent  names  in  American  Methodism  of  his  day. 

what  became  their  life-work  among  the  Indians.     The  Missouri  conference 
at  this  date  contained  but  twenty-nine  members. 

The  missionary  appointments  for  the  year  1830  read:  "  Shawnee  Mission, 
Thomas  Johnson, "«    "  Kanzas  or  Kaw  Mission,  Wm.  Johnson."     For  the 


Note  6.  — Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  was  born  in  Virginia  July  11,  1802.  When  comparatively 
young  he  came  to  Missouri.  He  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  1826, 
and  was  appointed  to  Mount  Prairie,  Ark.  In  1828  he  was  received  into  full  connection  and  was 
appointed  to  Fishing  River.  For  the  year  1829  he  was  on  Buffalo  circuit,  and  at  the  next  confer- 
ence, 1830,  was  appointed  to  the  Shawnee  Mission,  which  was  in  the  Missouri  district.  Rev.  Alex. 
McAlister.  presiding  elder.  He  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Shawnee  Mission  till  1841,  when 
he  resigned  on  account  of  failing  health.  He  moved  with  his  family  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
spent  nearly  two  years  under  medical  treatment,  after  which  he  returned  to  Missouri  and  secured 
a  home  near  Fayette,  Howard  county.  Having  regained  his  health,  he  was.  in  the  fall  of  1847, 
reappointed  to  the  manual-labor  school,  in  which  capacity  he  served  till  the  breaking  up  of  the 
school,  in  1862.     In  1858  he  settled  two  miles  east  of  Westport,  Mo.     In  1853  a  territorial  govern- 

-11 


162  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

years  1832  and  1833  there  were  four  Indian  missions  in  Kansas,  comprising 
the  Indian  missionary  district.  In  1833  and  1834  it  was  called  the  north  In- 
dian mission  district;  the  southern  district  embracing  the  Indian  missions  in 
what  is  now  Indian  Territory.  In  the  year  1832  missions  were  organized  in 
four  other  tribes— among  the  Delawares,  Peorias,  lowas,  and  Sacs  and 
Foxes.  In  1833  the  Kickapoo  mission  was  established,  and  in  1838  the  Pot- 
tawatomie. 

THE   SHAWNEE   MISSION. 

We  shall  first  describe  the  work  among  the  Shawnees,  as  that  was  the 
most  ambitious  attempt  of  our  church  to  care  for  the  Indians  of  Kansas, 
and  Shawnee  Mission,  by  reason  of  its  location  at  the  entrance  to  the  terri- 
tory for  emigrants  from  the  East  and  the  part  it  played  in  the  territorial 
history,  became  a  place  of  peculiar  interest. 

The  Shawnee  reservation  embraced  a  tract  of  1,600,000  acres,  described 
in  the  treaty  of  May  10,  1854,  as  follows: 

"  Beginning  at  a  point  in  the  western  boundary  of  the  state  of  Missouri, 

ment  was  organized  for  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  Mr.  Johnson  was 
elected  as  delegate  to  Cong-ress  by  Indian  votes.  He  went  to  Washington,  but  the  territory  was 
not  organized  and  he  was  not  received  as  a  delegate.  The  Washington  Union  spoke  of  him  as 
"Rev.  Thomas  Johnson,  a  noble  specimen  of  Western  man."  In  March,  1S55,  he  was  elected  to 
the  Kansas  territorial  council  on  the  pro-slavery  ticket,  and  on  its  sitting  was  elected  president 
of  the  council.  His  son  Alex.  S.  Johnson  was  elected  a  member  of  the  house  for  the  same  legis- 
lature, and  was  the  youngest  member  —  only  twenty-three  years  of  age.  While  Mr.  Johnson  was 
Southern  born  and  reared,  and  his  ancestors  Southern,  it  was  natural  that  he  should  have  Southern 
and  pro-slavery  sympathies,  but  when  he  was  called  upon  to  decide  between  union  and  secession 
Mr.  Johnson's  patriotism  proved  superior  to  all  sectional  and  social  ties,  and  he  took  his  stand  on 
the  side  of  the  Union.  On  the  night  of  January  2,  1865,  he  was  assassinated,  at  his  home  near 
Westport,  by  guerrillas.  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  September  7,  1829,  to  Miss  Sarah  T.  Davis,  of 
Clarksville,  Mo.  Their  son.  Colonel  Johnson,  said,  in  an  interview  with  Judge  Adams,  that  his 
parents  came  to  Kansas  on  their  wedding  journey.  To  them  were  born  three  sons  and  four 
daughters,  Alexander  Soule,  who  died  recently,  being  the  eldest ;  Andrew  Monroe,  whose  death 
occurred  more  than  three  years  ago;  and  William  M.,  who  lives  at  Red  Clover,  Johnson  county, 
with  post-office  at  Rosedale,  Kan.  Eliza  married  John  Wornal.  and  has  been  dead  about  thirty 
years.  Laura  married  Frank  Waterman;  she  has  been  dead  many  years.  Cora  married  Harry 
Fuller,  and  lives  in  Washington  city.  Edna  married  Wm.  J.  Anderson,  and  lives  with.her  sister, 
Mrs.  Fuller,  in  Washington  city.j 

Among  William  E.  Connelley's  papers  is  a  manuscript  interview  with  E.  F.  Heisler,  of  Kan- 
sas City,  Kan.,  in  which  the  story  of  the  assassination  of  Thomas  Johnson  is  told,  as  follows : 
"  It  is  the  common  belief  that  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  was  slain  in  his  house  at  the  Shawnee  Mis- 
sion, in  Johnson  county,  Kansas,  and  that  his  assassins  were  Kansas  red  legs.  Mr.  Heisler  has 
gathered  the  proof  that  this  belief  is  not  in  accord  with  the  facts,  which  are  as  follows :  John- 
son lived  during  the  war  in  his  house  near  Westport.  It  is  now  in  the  corporate  limits  of 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  not  far  from  the  magnificent  home  of  William  R.  Nelson,  owner  of  the 
Kansas  City  Star.  He  had  a  considerable  sum  of  ready  money,  which  he  kept  loaned  out  to  his 
neighbors.  When  one  loan  of  $1000  was  about  due,  he  went  to  the  debtor  and  told  him  to  have 
the  money  right  on  the  day  it  was  due,  as  he  wished  to  use  the  money  and  must  have  it.  The 
debtor  had  but  $800.  but  he  told  Johnson  he  would  pay  the  full  $1000  the  day  it  was  due.  He 
went  about  borrowing  twenty-five  dollars  of  one  neighbor  and  fifty  of  another,  always  telling 
them  he  must  have  it  to  make  up  the  $1000  he  had  to  pay  Johnson  on  a  certain  day.  He  made  the 
payment  promptly,  and  Johnson  immediately  loaned  it  to  another  man  to  whom  he  had  promised 
a  loan.  No  person  other  than  Johnson  and  the  person  to  whom  he  turned  over  the  $1000 
knew  of  this  last  transaction.  The  community  supposed  Mr.  Johnson  had  the  money  in  the 
house.  That  night,  about  eleven  o'clock,  he  was  called  up  by  a 'hello.'  Going  to  the  door,  he 
saw  a  group  of  horsemen  in  the  road  in  front  of  his  house.  They  said  they  wanted  a  drink  of 
water.  Johnson  told  them  to  go  back  to  the  kitchen,  by  the  side  of  which  they  would  find  a 
well,  and  that  a  cup  was  hanging  on  a  nail  there;  that  they  were  welcome  to  help  them- 
selves. This  did  not  satisfy  them.  They  said  they  were  cold  and  wanted  to  come  into  the  house 
and  get  warm.  Johnson  told  them  the  household  had  been  in  bed  some  time  and  that  the  house 
was  cold,  and  that  he  did  not  wish  to  make  a  fire  and  disturb  all  the  family.  He  then  closed  the 
door,  when  the  ruflians  began  to  shoot.  The  bullets  went  through  the  door,  and  one  of  them 
penetrated  the  abdomen  of  Johnson,  who  died  in  a  few  minutes.  Johnson's  son  William  was  at 
home.  Looking  from  the  window  of  an  upper-story  he  saw  the  horsemen  and  noted  a  white  or 
gray  horse.  The  family  called  out  that  Johnson  was  killed,  and  William  Johnson  fired  on  the 
murderers  from  the  upper-story  window.  He  heard  one  of  the  men  say  he  'believed  Bill  was  at 
home  and  it  would  be  useless  to  go  in,  for  they  probably  would  not  get  the  money  anyway.'  The 
assassins  then  rode  away.  Some  one  had  complained  of  William  Johnson,  and  he  was  under  orders 
from  Major  Ran.som,  Sixth  cavalry,  to  remain  at  home  until  a  certain  day,  when  his  matter 
would  be  inquired  into.  He  went  to  Major  Ransom  on  the  day  following  the  murder  of  his  father 
and  requested  a  body  of  soldiers  and  leave  to  go  with  them  in  search  of  the  assassins.  His  re- 
quest was  granted,  and  he  was  directed  to  be  back  against  a  certain  day  to  have  his  matter  dis- 
posed of,  which  he  agreed  to  do.  Young  Johnson  had  some  idea  who  the  murderers  were.  The 
soldiers  went  with  him  to  the  neighborhood  of  where  the  man  lived  who  had  made  the  payment 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        163 

three  miles  south  of  where  said  boundary  crosses  the  mouth  of  Kansas  river  ;^ 
thence  continuing  south  and  coinciding  with  said  boundary  for  twenty-five 
miles;  thence  due  west  120  miles;  thence  due  north,  until  said  line  shall  in- 
tersect the  southern  boundary  of  the  Kansas  reservation;  thence  due  east, 
coinciding  with  the  southern  boundary  of  said  reservation,  to  the  termination 
thereof;  thence  due  north,  coinciding  with  the  eastern  boundary  of  said 
reservation,  to  the  southern  shore  of  the  Kansas  river;  thence  along  said 
southern  shore  of  said  river  to  where  a  line  from  the  place  of  beginning 
drawn  due  west  shall  intersect  the  same— estimated  to  contain  sixteen  hun- 
dred thousand  acres,  more  or  less. "» 

The  tribe  resided  on  the  northeast  corner  of  this  vast  tract,  near  Missouri 
and  near  the  Kansas  river.  These  lands  lying  in  the  vicinity  of  the  larger 
streams  afforded  considerable  bodies  of  good  timber,  interspersed  with  fertile 
prairies.  This  reservation  had  been  assigned  to  the  Shawnees  by  the  treaty 
of  1825,  and  it  would  seem  that  the  larger  part  of  the  tribe  had  congregated 
here  by  1830, "  their  most  populous  settlement  being  in  Wyandotte  county  south 

of  $1000.  There  Johnson  saw  a  white  horse  in  a  field  that  reminded  him  of  the  one  he  noticed  in 
front  of  the  house  on  the  night  of  the  murder.  They  went  to  the  man  having  it  in  charge.  He 
told  a  crooked  story  of  his  possession  of  the  horse.  One  of  the  soldiers  drew  his  pistol,  and  said 
to  him:  "Tell  us  the  truth  ;  tell  us  all  about  this  matter  ;  tell  us  now.  If  you  refuse  I  will  kill 
you.  If  you  fail  to  tell  the  truth  I  will  kill  you  when  I  return.'  The  man  then  said  that  the  horse 
had  been  left  there  by  a  certain  person  he  named  ;  that  there  were  with  him  certain  other  per- 
sons, whom  he  named  ;  that  the  horse  gave  out  and  could  go  no  further  ;  that  they  left  it  there 
and  took  one  of  his;  that  they  made  it  plain  that  they  would  kill  him  if  he  made  these  things 
known.  They  also  told  him  where  they  had  been  and  what  they  had  done,  saying  that  if  it  be- 
came known  that  they  had  done  this  deed  it  would  be  by  his  telling  it,  and  he  would  be  killed. 
With  this  information  the  soldiers  went  in  pursuit  of  the  assassins.  All  of  them  were  killed 
except  one.  They  had  to  return  to  Johnson's  trial  before  the  last  one  was  found.  They  were 
citizens  of  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  and  some  of  them  were  Quantrill's  men.  The  whole  matter 
was  planned  to  get  that  $1000.  William  Johnson  told  these  facts  to  Heisler.  There  can  be  no 
reasonable  doubt  of  their  accuracy." 

Note  7. — This  small  piece  of  land  south  of  the  Kansas  river,  now  a  part  of  Kansas  City, 
Kan.,  lying  between  the  Missouri  line  and  the  Kansas  river,  which  here  makes  an  abrupt  and  ir- 
regular bend  north  before  entering  the  Missouri  river,  was  reserved,  Wm.  E.  Connelley  says, 
by  the  government  for  a  military  or  other  purpose,  evidently  at  the  time  of  Langham's  survey 
of  the  eastern  portion  of  the  Shawnee  reservation  boundaries,  in  1828.  Silas  Armstrong  after- 
wards covered  the  whole  with  his  float,  a  diagram  of  which  may  be  found  in  a  book  of  the  origi- 
nal surveys  of  Wyandotte  county,  the  property  of  Mr.  Connelley,  on  two  pages,  entitled  "Map, 
being  cause  No.  1066,  Wyandotte  county  district  court." 

Note  8.— Indian  Affairs,  Laws,  and  Treaties,  vol.  2,  p.  618. 

Note  9.— The  following  sketch  of  the  Shawnee  Indians  is  extracted  from  the  article  by  F, 
W.  Hodge,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  in  the  Encyclopedia  Americana,  1904,  vol.  13 :  "  Shaw- 
nee Indians  (contracted  from  the  Algonquian  Shawanogi,  '.southerners '),  an  important  tribe 
of  the  Algonquian  stock  of  North  American  Indians,  who.  according  to  the  best  evidence,  were 
originally  an  offshoot  from  the  Lenape  or  Delawares,  which  migrated  southward  ;  hence  their 
popular  name.  Jt  is  believed  that  they  entered  the  present  limits  of  the  United  States  from  the 
territory  north  of  the  great  lakes  via  the  lower  peninsula  of  Michigan,  various  bands  or  divisions 
settling  in  southern  Illinois,  southern  Ohio,  and  (the  larger  part)  on  Cumberland  river.  A  por- 
tion of  the  latter  drifted  southeastward  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Savannah,  where  they  came  in 
contact  with  the  Cherokees  and  Catawbas,  who  forced  them  northward  into  Pennsylvania  by 
1707,  while  those  remaining  on  Cumberland  river  were  driven  away  by  combined  Cherokees  and 
Chickasaws.  They  were  first  mentioned  under  the  name  Ouchaouanag,  in  1648,  as  living  to  the 
westward  of  Lake  Huron ;  later  in  the  century  they  were  found  by  La  Salle  in  northern  Illinois, 
while  others  were  settled  along  the  Ohio  and  the  Cumberland,  and.  indeed,  had  extended  into 
Maryland,  Virginia,  and  Pennsylvania,  and  even  as  far  south  as  Mobile,  Ala.,  in  the  country  of 
the  Creeks.  They  were  at  war  with  numerous  tribes  at  various  periods,  as  well  as  with  the 
French,  and  later  with  the  United  States,  from  the  beginning  of  the  French  and  Indian  war 
until  about  1795,  during  which  time  they  had  concentrated  north  of  the  Ohio  river.  Anthony 
Wayne's  victory,  followed  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  in  1795,  terminated  the  hostilities  of  the 
Indians  of  the  Ohio  valley  region,  a  considerable  part  of  the  Shawnees  moving  to  Missouri  within 
Spanish  territory,  while  a  few  years  later  others  migrated  to  White  river.  Indiana  [Missouri?], 
on  invitation  of  the  Delawares." 

The  history  of  the  removal  of  the  Shawnees  to  Kansas  has  never  been  fully  written,  but  the 
following  notes  and  extracts  throw  some  light  on  their  emigration : 

The  treaty  of  1825,  though  providing  for  the  entire  Shawnee  nation,  was  made  with  the 
Cape  Girardeau  band  of  Shawnees,  who  moved  to  Kansas  as  soon  as  their  lands  were  selected,  in 
the  winter  of  1825-'26,  settling  in  Wyandotte  county,  south  of  the  Kansas  river.  Mrs.  Jackson, 
grandmother  of  Mrs.  David  C.  de  Shane,  made  this  statement  to  Wm.  E.  Connelley,  in  January! 
1897.  She  was  then  living,  at  the  age  of  125  years,  as  she  claimed,  bedfast,  in  the  family  of  David  C. 
de  Shane,  on  the  mixed  Seneca  and  Shawnee  reserve,  about  two  miles  from  Seneca,  Mo.  She 
said  the  Delawares  and  Shawnees  began  crossing  the  Mississippi  river  when  Pontiac  was  fight- 
ing at  Detroit.     They  gradually  increased  by  emigration  until  the  Spanish  governor  at  St.  Louis 


164  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

of  the  Kansas  river.  Among  the  earliest  comers  appears  to  have  been  the 
prophet/"  brother  of  the  great  Tecumseh,  who  made  his  home  near  the 
present  town  of  Turner. 

In  the  year  1835  the  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy  describes  the  condition  of  the 
Shawnees  as  follows : 

"Generally  their  dwellings  are  neat,  hewed  log  cabins,  erected  with  their 
own  hands,  and  within  them  a  small  amount  of  furniture.  Their  fields  are 
enclosed   with  rail  fences ;   are  sufficiently  large  to  yield  them  corn  and 

allotted  them  land  near  Cape  Girardeau,  where  they  continued  to  live  for  some  time.  wh«n,  be- 
cause of  hostile  whites,  they  abandoned  the  reservation  to  live  with  the  Delawares,  on  the  James 
river,  in  what  is  now  the  southern  part  of  Greene  county,  Missouri,  from  whence  they  moved  to 
Kansas.  She,  being-  a  widow  with  children,  waited  until  1828,  in  order  that  the  first  emigrants 
would  have  corn  grown. 

"  In  1824  proposals  were  made  by  the  United  States  commissioners  to  the  Shawanoes  of  Wa- 
paughkonetta,  in  Ohio,  to  move  westward  of  Mississippi  river.  These  proposals  were  not  ac- 
ceded to  at  the  time.  Nevertheless,  without  any  special  interference  of  our  government,  and  it 
is  believed  contrary  to  the  advice  of  white  men  who  might  be  supposed  to  have  considerable  in- 
fluence among  them,  and  whose  private  interest  it  was  that  the  Indians  should  remain  in  Ohio, 
about  one-third  part  of  them  moved  off  in  a  body,  in  October,  1826,  to  the  Western  country  which 
had  previously  been  offered  them."— McCoy's  Remarks  on  Indian  Reform,  Boston,  1827,  p.  37; 
see,  also,  Howe's  Historical  Collections  of  Oliio,  vol.  1,  p.  294. 

"The  Wapaughkonetta  band  moved  from  Auglaize  county,  Ohio,  to  Kansas  in  1832,  in  care 
of  James  B.  Gardiner,  leaving  their  old  homes  September  20,"  and  reaching  the  Shawnee  reser- 
vation in  Kansas  about  Christmas  time,  having  suffered  much  from  cold  and  hunger.  The  Hog 
Creek  band  were  moved  from  the  same  locality  to  Kansas  in  the  summer  of  1833,  under  the  care 
of  Joseph  Parks,  in  safety  and  without  suffering. —Henry  Harvey's  History  of  the  Shawnee  In- 
dians, 1855.  pp.  230-233. 

"Latterly  they  had  chiefly  congregated  at  and  near  Wapaughkonetta,  twenty-nine  miles 
north  of  Piqua,  from  whence  they  finally  emigrated  southwest  of  Missouri  in  1826  and  1833.  The 
Shawanese  were  divided  into  four  tribes,  viz..  the  Chillicothe,  Mequochake.  Piqua.  and  Kisco- 
pokee.  Tecumtha  was  of  the  last-named  tribe,  and,  on  account  of  their  restless,  warring  pro- 
pensities, this  tribe  numbered  very  few  fighting  men  when  they  left  Ohio.  The  prophet, 
Elsquatawa,  was  a  twin  brother  of  Tecumtha.  a  man  void  of  talent  or  merit,  a  brawling,  mis- 
chievous Indian  demagogue."— Col.  John  Johnston,  in  Cist's  Cincinnati  Miscellany,  1845,  vol.  2, 
p.  242. 

Note  10.— In  the  month  of  September,  1897,  the  Rev.  Charles  Bluejacket  visited  Wyandotte 
■county  for  the  purpose  of  searching  for  the  grave  of  the  prophet.  Bluejacket  had  been  absent 
twenty-five  years,  and  the  growth  of  trees  and  the  cultivation  of  the  white  man  had  so  changed 
the  face  of  the  country  that  after  hours  of  effort  he  was  unable  to  locate  it.  The  prophet  was 
buried  a  mile  or  so  south  or  southwest  of  Argentine,  near  the  Wyandotte  county  line.  Catharine 
Prophet,  probably  a  daughter,  had  for  her  allotment  the  southeast  quarter  and  the  southeast 
quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  32,  township  11  south,  range  25  east.  Because  of  ex- 
posure at  the  time.  Bluejacket  caught  a  cold,  and  died  on  the  29th  of  October  following,  in  his 
eightieth  year.  Among  the  papers  which  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  received  from  the 
family  of  the  Rev.  Isaac  McCoy  is  the  following  account  of  the  death  of  the  prophet,  written  in 
1837,  by  Dr.  J.  A.  Chute,  of  Westport,  Mo.:  

"In  Nov.  last  there  died  in  the  country  of  the  Shaw- 
nees, a   few   miles   from  this  pt.,  the  Shawnee   prophet 
Tensqu[atawa],  generally  reputed  to  be  a  twin  brother  of 
Tecumseh.     He  had  [been]  sick  several  weeks,  when  he 
sent  for  a  gentleman  [connec]ted  with  the  Baptist  mission 
to  visit  and  prescribe  for  him.     At  the  [same  time  with] 
this  gentleman  I  also  called  to  see  him.     I  went  ac[com- 
paniled  by  an  interpreter,  who  conducted  me  by  a  wind- 
ing path  th[rough  t]he  woods  till  we  descended  a  hill,  at 
the  bottom  of  which,  s[eclud]ed  apparently  from  all  the 
world,  was  the  '  Prophet's  town '  [        ],  or  [4?]  huts,  built 
in  the  ordinary  Indian  style,  constituted  the  entire  settle- 
ment.    The  house  of  the  prophet  was  not  distinguished  at 
all  from  the  others.     A  low   portico   covered   with   bark, 
which  we  were  obliged  to  stoop  to  pass  under,  was  erected 
before  it,  &  [a]  half-starved  dog  greeted  us  with  a  growl 
as  we   entered.     The   interior  of   the   house,    which   was 
lighted  only  by  the   half-open  door,  showed   at  the  first 
view  the  taste  of  one  who  hated  civilization.     Two  or  three 
platforms  built  against  the  wall  served  the  purpose  of  bed- 
steads, covered  with  blankets  &  skins.     A  few  ears  of  corn  A  T  A  w  A 
and  a  quantity  of  dried  pumpkins  (a  favorite  dish  of  the                    i£yiN-awu  a-i  a-w  a. 
Indians )  were  hanging  on  poles  overhead  ;  a  few  imple-                            The  prophet, 
mentsof  savage  domestic  [        ],  as  wooden  spoons  &  trays, 
pipes,  &c.,  lay  scattered  about  the  floor,  [everylthing  in- 
dicating poverty.     One  corner  of  the  room,  cl[ose  to  an]  apology  for  a  fireplace,  contained  a 
platform  of  split  [        ],  elevated  about  a  foot  from  the  floor  and  covered  with  a  blanket.     This 
was  the  bed  of  the  prophet.     Here  was  fallen,  savage  greatness.     I  involuntarily  stop[ped]  for  a 
moment  to  view  in  silence  the  spectacle  of  a  man  whose  wo[rd]  was  once  law  to  numerous  tribes, 
now  lying  on  a  miserable  pallet,  dying  in  poverty,  neglected  by  all  but  his  own  family.     He  that 
exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased.     I  approached  him.     He  drew  aside  his  blanket  and  discovered  a 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        165 

culinary  vegetables  plentifully.  They  keep  cattle  and  swine,  work  oxen, 
and  use  horses  for  draught;  and  own  some  plows,  wagons,  and  carts."  '^ 

It  was  to  the  vicinity  of  the  prophet's  town  that  the  Rev.  Thomas  John- 
son followed  the  Indians,  built  a  log  house,  and  began  his  work  as  a  mis- 
sionary among  the  sons  of  the  forest,  in  1830.  The  following  letter,  ad- 
dressed to  the  Rev.  Jesse  Greene,'-  presiding  elder  of  the  Missouri  district, 

form  emaciated  in  the  extreme,  but  the  broad  proportions  of  which  indicated  that  it  had  once 
been  the  seat  of  great  strength.  His  countenance  was  sunken  and  haggard,  but  appeared  —  it 
might  have  been  fancy  —  to  exhibit  something  of  the  soul  within.  I  thought  I  could  discover, 
spite  of  the  guards  of  hypocrisy,  something  of  the  marks  which  pride,  ambition  and  the  work- 
ings of  a  dark,  designing  mind  had  stamped  there.  I  inquired  of  his  symptoms,  which  he  related 
particularly,  &  then  proposed  to  do  something  for  his  relief.  He  replied  that  he  was  willing  to 
submit  to  medical  treatment,  but  was  just  then  engaged  in  contemplation,  or  'study,'  as  the  in- 
terpreter called  it,  &  he  feared  the  operation  of  medicine  might  interrupt  his  train  of  reflection. 
He  said  his  'study '  would  occu[py]  three  days  longer,  after  which  he  should  be  glad  to  see  me 
again.  Accordingly,  in  three  days  I  repaired  again  to  his  cabin,  but  it  was  too  late.  He  was 
speechless  and  evidently  beyond  the  reach  of  human  assistance.  The  same  day  he  died.  The 
hist[oryJ  of  the  prophet  until  the  late  war  has  been  often  told.  When,  in  conjunction  with 
his  brother  Tecumseh,  he  was  plotting  a  union  of  all  the  Indian  nations  of  the  continent  against 
the  growing  pow[er  of]  the  U.  S.,  &  preached,  as- he  alleged,  with  a  direct  communication  [from] 
heaven,  his  influence  was  almost  unbounded.  Many  tribes  beside  [the]  Shawnees  believed  in  him. 
but  the  charm  was  in  a  great  [measure]  broken  by  the  disastrous  result  of  the  battle  of  Tippe- 
canoe. The  Indians  engaged  in  this  battle  with  all  the  enthusiasm  that  [superst]ition  could  in- 
spire, assured  by  the  prophet  that  he  had  power  to  change  the  powder  of  the  whites  to  ashes. 
Tensquatawa,  who  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  that  part  of  valor  called  prudence,  placed 
himself  [on]  an  eminence  out  of  harm's  way  and  encouraged  his  men,  singing  and  dancing  to  con- 
ciliate the  favor  of  the  G.  S.  [Great  Spirit].  But  all  was  vain.  The  Indians  were  killed  in  great 
numbers,  and  the  reputation  of  the  prophet  sank,  never  again  to  rise.  Since  the  war  the  prophet 
has  not  figured  at  all.  He  seems  to  have  lived  in  obscurity,  always  keeping  a  small  but  de- 
creasing band  around  him.  He  maintained  his  character  to  the  last,  professing  to  hold  continual 
intercourse  with  heaven,  and  opposing  every  encroachment  of  civilization  upon  the  venerated 
customs  of  his  forefathers  He  hated  the  whites,  their  language,  their  religion,  and  their  modes 
of  life.  He  understood  [English],  it  is  said,  but  would  never  speak  it.  Nothing  vexed  him 
[more  t]han  the  operations  of  the  missions  and  their  success  in  introduc[ing  the]  Christian  re- 
ligion &  civilized  arts.  He  was  frequently  known,  [when]  an  assembly  had  met  for  worship,  [to] 
stand  before  the  door  and  interrupt  the  meeting  by  noise  [some]times  sinking  the  dignity  of  the 
prophet  in  very  unbecoming  acts  to  efl'ect  this  purpose.  Among  his  pretensions  was  that  of 
skill  in  medicine,  or  rather  in  healing  ;  for  I  believe  his  means  of  cure  was  mostly  conjuration  and 
ceremonies  deriving  their  efficiency  from  divine  interposition.  A  Shawnee  of  intelligence  and 
piety,  yielding  to  the  importunity  of  friends  who  had  faith  in  the  prophet,  once  called  on  him  to 
administer  relief  to  two  of  his  children.  Tens,  told  him  he  would  visit  them,  but  he  must  first 
take  time  to  dream.  Accordingly  he  retired  to  his  pallet,  &  after  a  nap,  in  which  he  communed 
with  the  Great  S..  he  hastened  to  communicate  the  results  of  this  revelation,  assuring  the 
parents  that  the  prescriptions  of  the  Deity  himself  must  infallibly  succeed.  The  children,  how- 
ever, died,  &  the  parents'  faith  in  the  prophet  was  probably  buried  with  them.  He  always  main- 
tained that  he  should  never  die.  Several  times  during  his  last  sickne.=s  he  swooned  &  was 
thought  to  be  dead.  He  took  advantage  of  these  occasions  and  assured  his  followers  that  he 
actually  died  temporarily  but  was  restored  again  by  divine  power.  Why  he  should  seek  the  aid  of 
a  white  physician  in  his  sickness  seems  rather  mysterious.  Perhaps,  &  I  have  thought  it 
probable,  the  near  approach  of  death  caused  his  own  spirit  to  quail,  and  pride  for  once  gave  way 
to  fear,  but  further  reflection  on  his  weakness  induced  him  to  discard  aid  ofl'ered  by  one  of  a  race 
he  so  heartily  detested.  The  prophet  held  the  rank  of  chief,  and  was  regarded  by  his  country- 
men as  a  man  of  talents,  aside  from  his  religious  pretensions.  All  agree,  however,  in  ranking 
him  below  Tecumseh,  whose  memory  is  still  venerated  by  the  Sh.  [Shawnees]  as  the  pride  of  the 
nation.  Tensquat.  was  considered  a  good  councillor,  but  I  have  frequently  heard  the  Indians 
complain  that  he  made  too  long  speeches.  They  sometimes  threw  out  remarks  rather  derogatory 
to  his  char,  for  sourcery,  and  some  even  openly  call  him  a  [fraud].  Some  historians  have  said 
that  Tecumseh  &  the  prophet  were  twin  brothers  ;  others  that  they  and  [a]  third,  called  Kum. 
[Kumskaukau],  were  of  one  birth.  But  the  true  account,  as  I  have  derived  it  from  some  old  S. 
[squaw?]  who  certainly  must  have  known,  is  that  Tecumseh  was  the  oldest  of  the  family,  and  that 
between  him  and  Tens.,  who  was  one  of  tivo  at  a  birth,  a  sister  intervened.",! 

Note  11.— Isaac  McCoy's  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  vol.  1,  1835,  p.  23. 

Note  12.— The  establishment  of  missions  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  Kansas  by  the  Metho- 
dist church  was  largely  due  to  the  eflForts  of  Mr.  Greene.  If  he  was  not  the  founder  of  the 
Shawnee  and  Kaw  missions,  in  1830,  he  was  an  important  factor  in  their  organization,  being  pre- 
siding elder  of  the  district  bordering  on  Kansas  from  1828  to  1830.  The  organization  of  the  mis- 
sionary society  of  the  Mis«iouri  conference  was  largely  due  to  Mr.  Greene.  His  death  occurred 
in  1817.  He  is  buried  at  Drake's  chapel.  Henry  county,  Missouri.  Mrs.  Greene  died  March  21. 
1893.  One  of  the  teachers  at  Shawnee  Mission  deserving  notice  is  Mary  Todd,  who  was  born  in 
Bristol.  England,  December  11,  1812.  When  six  years  of  age  she  emigrated  with  her  parents  to 
America.  "They  settled  in  New  York  city,  where  they  united  with  the  old  John  Street  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  the  cradle  of  American  Methodism.  In  1838  she  was  appointed  by  the  New 
York  conference  as  a  missionary  to  the  Shawnee  Indians.  After  a  midwinter  trip  alone  by  stage 
she  reached  the  old  Shawnee  Mission,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land.  While  engaged  in  teaching 
in  the  mission  she  met  Rev.  Jesse  Greene,  presiding  elder  of  the  district,  which  included  parts  of 
Missouri.  Iowa,  and  Arkansas.  At  the  mission,  in  June,  1839,  in  the  presence  of  no  white  people 
save  the  mission  family,  but  surrounded  by  her  Indian  pupils,  she  was  married  to  Rev.  Jesse 
Greene. 


166 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


by  Indian  Agent  Vashon, 
tells  something  of  the  in- 
ception of  our  first  Indian 
mission  in  Kansas:  '■' 

"Indian  Agency,  near 
Kansas,  July,  1830.  Rever- 
end Sir— I  have  the  pleasure 
now  to  make  the  communi- 
cation which  I  promised 
when  I  had  the  happiness 
of  conversing  with  you  at 
my  office  on  the  subject  of 
establishing  a  mission  for 
the  instruction  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  hapless  portion 
of  the  human  family  en- 
trusted to  my  care  in  this 
part  of  my  agency.  I  have 
been  informed  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Dodge,  whom  I  had  the 
pleasure  to  meet  with  a  few 
days  ago,  at  Harmony  Mis- 
sion, ^^  that  the  American 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
will  not  have  it  in  their 
power  to  comply  with  the 
applicatio"n  which  I  made 
through  him  for  a  mission- 
ary establishment  at  or  near 
this  place  in  less  time  proba- 
bly than  two  or  three  years, 
as  they  have  a  great  many 
more  applications  than  they 
can  possibly  comply  with, 
and  he  therefore  solicited 
me  to  request  your  earnest 
attention  to  the  subject 
without  delay.  And  I  now 
have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  that  I  have  this  day  been  requested  by  Fish, 
a  Shawnee  chief,  also  Wm.  Jackson,  a  white  man,  raised  with  the  Shaw- 
nees,  to  make  application  for  the  estabhshment  of  a  mission  among  them 


REV.  JESSE  GREENE. 
'  of  the  founders  of  the  Indian  missions,  and  for  four- 
teen years  connected  with  the  mission  work. 


Note  13.—  'As  we  passed  through  the  Shawanoe  settlements  adjoining  the  line  of  the  state 
of  Missouri,  through  the  politeness  of  Maj.  John  Campbell,  United  States  Indian  agent,  acting 
for  the  Shawanoes  and  Delawares,  I  had  an  interview  in  council  with  upwards  of  twenty  Shawa- 
noes,  on  the  subject  of  establishing  a  mission  among  them.  The  celebrated  Shawanoe  prophet, 
the  brother  of  Tecumseh,  who  figured  in  the  last  war,  was  present,  and,  in  behalf  of  the  rest, 
responded  to  my  remarks,  professedly  approving  the  proposition,  though  no  doubt  he  secretly 
was  opposed  to  everything  like  education  or  religion.  They  were  desired  to  reflect  on  what  I  had 
proposed,  and  to  be  prepared  to  answer  me,  as  I  would  repass  their  place  on  my  way  home. 

"A  white  man  by  the  name  of  Fish,  who  had  lived  with  the  Shawanoes  from  a  small  boy, 
and  was  in  all  respects  identified  with  them,  had  become  a  principal  of  a  clan  which  had  lived 
many  years  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  which  was  in  a  good  degree  civilized.  I  took  Fish  to  the 
house  of  Capt.  Anthony  Shane,  a  half-breed,  and  who  was  the  United  States  interpreter;  and  on 
his  informing  me  that  he  and  his  party  desired  a  school  for  the  instruction  of  their  youth,  I  as- 
sured him  that  he  should  be  furnished  with  one ;  and  that,  whatever  might  be  the  answer  of  the 
rest  of  the  nation  to  my  proposals,  he  might  rely  upon  the  establishment  of  a  school  for  his  party. 
I  would  immediately  begin  to  make  preparation  for  it,  ^nd  on  my  return  his  wishes  should  be  met 
with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  Two  others  of  the  party  at  the  same  time  urged  me  to  establish 
the  school. 

"On  the  22d  of  November  I  returned  to  this  place,  when  Captain  Cornstalk  and  Capt.  Will- 
iam Perry,  chiefs,  met  me,  to  deliver  the  decision  of  the  nation,  which  was  favorable  to  the 
establishment  of  the  school  proposed.  These  chiefs,  however,  and  most  of  the  Shawanoes,  con- 
sented to  my  propositions  rather  through  courtesy  than  on  account  of  a  desire  really  to  enjoy  the 
advantages  of  education.     Like  most  Indians  not  much  advanced  in  civilization,  they  felt  little  de 


Note  14.  — This  mission  was  established  in  1821  among  the  Osages,  in  Vernon  county.  Mi; 
souri.-See  Vernon  County  History,  1887,  p.  144. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        167 

for  the  education  of  their 
children,  and  I  most  earn- 
estly solicit  your  attention 
to  the  subject. 

"Fish,  the  Shawnee 
chief,  has  a  son  by  the  name 
of  Paschal,  who  was  put  to 
school  when  he  was  a  boy. 
He  can  speak  English  very 
well.  He  is  a  sober,  steady, 
moral,  good  man.  He  has 
an  Indian  family,  and  is  in- 
dustriously employed  in 
farming,  and  I  think  he 
would  make  the  most  effi- 
cient male  interpreter  that 
could  be  procured.  Captain 
Shane,  the  Shawnee  inter- 
preter, has  a  stepdaughter 
by  the  name  of  Nancy,  who 
is  a  widow  with  one  child. 
She  speaks  English  very 
well,  and  is  a  woman  of 
most  excellent  character, 
and,  I  think,  much  disposed 
to  be  pious.  She  has  been 
brought  up  in  the  habits  of 
civilized  life  entirely  from 
her  infancy,  and  I  think  bet- 
ter qualified  for  all  the  va- 
rious duties  of  a  female 
interpreter  than  any  other 
that  I  know  of,  and,  if  I  am 
not  greatly  mistaken,  will 
devoutly  rejoice  to  have  an 
opportunity  of  living  once 
more  under  the  influence  of 
the  Gospel.  Captain  Shane  also  has  a  son,  who  has  been  six  months  at  the 
Choctaw  academy  in  Kentucky,  where  I  expect  he  will  be  again  sent. 

"The  vicinity  of  the  smith  shop,  I  think,  would  be  the  most  judicious  lo- 
cation that  could  be  selected  for  the  establishment  of  the  missionaries.  Mr. 
Harmon  Davis,  the  smith  for  the  Indians,  is  a  man  of  most  excellent  moral 
character;  he  is  a  member  of  the  church,  and  has  a  large  and  amiable  family. 
His  children  are  mostly  daughters  and  nearly  all  grown.  I  feel  convinced  that 
no  other  situation  in  the  country  possesses  as  many  advantages.  I  there- 
fore recommend  it,  in  the  strongest  possible  light,  as  the  most  judicious  lo- 
cation that  can  be  selected.     .     .     .  Geo.  Vashon.  " 

Of  the  first  mission,  established  on  the  bluffs  of  the  Kansas  river,  we  have 
been  able  to  learn  but  little.  Joseph  S.  Chick,  a  prominent  business  man 
of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  a  son  of  Col.  Wm.  M.  Chick,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Kansas  city,  in  a  recent  letter  to  Rev.  Joab  Spencer,  of  Slater,  Mo.,  says: 

' '  I  was  at  the  old  Shawnee  Mission  about  three  weeks,  but  failing  to  have 


MRS.  MARY  GREENE. 

For  two  years  a  teacher,  and  for  many  years  connected 

with  missionary  work. 


sire  for  schools,  and  still  less  to  hear  preaching.  With  Fish  and  his  party  it  was  otherwise ;  they 
appreciated  in  a  good  degree  the  former,  and  were  favorably  inclined  to  the  latter,  and  through 
them  I  had  hoped  that  access  could  be  successfully  obtained  to  the  main  body  of  the  nation. 
But,  unfortunately  for  my  plan,  while  I  had  been  absent  in  the  wilderness,  the  Rev.  Mr.  McAl- 
lister and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson,  of  the  Methodist  denomination,  visited  the  Shawanoes,  and 
made  similar  propositions.  The  main  body  of  the  Shawanoes  objected,  'because,'  they  said, 
'  they  intended  to  accept  the  proposals  I  had  made  them.'  The  result,  however,  was  an  agree- 
ment that  the  Methodists  should  establish  a  school  with  Fish's  party.  In  this  matter  I  felt  a 
disappointment  which  I  could  not  remedy ;  but  I  was  still  resolved  to  carry  out  the  design  of 
establishing  a  mission  in  the  nation." — Isaac  McCoy's  History  of  Baptist  Indian  Missions,  1840, 
p.  404. 


168  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

school,  I  went  home.  The  building  as  I  remember  was  a  two-story,  double 
log  house,  with  rooms  about  twenty  feet  square,  with  outhouses,  smoke- 
house, chicken-house,  etc.  There  was  no  teacher  there  at  that  time.  There 
was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Waugh  '^  that  had  been  a  teacher,  and  was  staying 
there  at  the  time,  but  I  do  not  recall  any  other." 

Rev.  Lorenzo  Waugh  was  appointed  as  missionary  to  the  Shawnees,  with 
Rev.  Thomas  Johnson,  for  the  years  1837  and  1838;  so  this  was  about  the 
time  that  Mr.  Chick  was  at  the  old  Shawnee  Mission  school.  It  was  at  the 
old  Shawnee  Mission  that  the  late  Col.  Alexander  S.  Johnson  was  born,  July 
11,  1832.  His  father,  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson,  was  born  in  Virginia  exactly 
thirty  years  before,  July  11,  1802. 

At  the  conference  of  1832  the  first  fruits  of  the  two  missions  were  reported 
by  the  Johnsons,  nine  white  and  thirty-one  Indian  members,  which  was  con- 
sidered an  encouraging  beginning ;  so  that  the  sum  of  $4800  was  appro- 
priated that  year  to  the  Indian  missions  within  the  bounds  of  the  conference. 

In  the  month  of  August,  1833,  Bishop  Soule  had,  on  his  way  to  the 
Missouri  conference,  held  at  Cane  Hill,  Ark.,  visited  our  Indian  missions 
among  the  Delawares  and  Shawnees.  The  bishop  spent  a  few  days  with 
Thomas  and  William  Johnson  in  surveying  the  ground,  with  a  view  of  ex- 
tending the  mission  work,  and  as  a  result  he  determined  to  establish  two 
additional  stations,  one  among  the  Peorias  and  the  other  among  the  Kicka- 
poos.  The  conference  report  for  the  year  1834  shows  a  total  of  11  white 
and  380  Indian  church  members,  in  the  four  Indian  missions  in  Kansas— 
the  Shawnee,  Delaware,  Peoria,  and  Kickapoo.  The  report  of  the  mission- 
ary society  for  1834 1«    has  this  to  say  of  the  Shawnees: 

"Some  of  the  leading  men  who  had  considerable  opposition  to  the  Gospel 
are  now  cordially  united  in  the  work  of  reformation  and  the  prospect  is 
truly  flattering.  Upwards  of  sixty  church  members,  some  of  whom  are 
able  to  instruct  their  brethren  in  the  things  of  God— school  prospering." 

The  following  letter,  written  by  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  to  Rev.  Jesse 
Greene,  is  full  of  encouragement : 

"Shawnee  Mission,  February  17,  1834. 
"Dear  Bro.  Greene  :  We  have  great  excitement  in  the  Indian  country; 
some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Shawnee  nation  have  lately  surrendered 
their  prejudices ;  twelve  or  fourteen  have  lately  joined  our  society.  The 
Peoria  nation  has  submitted  to  the  yoke  of  Christ— forty  of  them  joined  last 
Sabbath  week.  Write  to  us  and  let  us  know  when  you  will  come  to  see  us. 
I  will  try  to  be  at  home.  Yours  in  haste,  Thomas  Johnson." 

At  the  conference  of  1832  the  Kansas  Indian  missions  were  formed  into 
a  separate  district,  called  the  Indian  Mission  district,  and  Thomas  Johnson 
appointed  superintendent,  which  position  he  held  till  1841,  when  he  was 
compelled  to  resign  because  of  ill  health.  Up  to  1836  the  appointment  of 
the  missionary  was  to  "mission  and  school,"  and  he  had  charge  of  both  re- 
ligious and  educational  work,  under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent. 
When  the  manual-labor  school  was  opened  a  minister  was  placed  in  separate 
charge  of  that  institution.  At  the  conference  of  1842  the  office  of  "super- 
intendent" gave  way  to  that  of  "presiding  elder."  Prior  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  manual-labor  school,  mission  schools  were  conducted  in  each 

Note  15. — Autobiography  of  Rev.  Lorenzo  Waugh,  1884,  chapters  7  and  8. 

Note  16. — During  the  year  1834  Rev,  William  Johnson  and  wife  are  mentioned  as  assistants 
at  the  mission  ;  scholars,  27;  hopeful  native  converts,  40  ;  other  natives,  34  ;  white  members,  4. 
—McCoy's  Annual  Register,  January,  1835,  pp.  23.  24. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        169 

tribe,  the  missionary  securing  some  lady  to  do  the  teaching.  This  lady  was 
often  the  wife  of  the  missionary.  The  salary  of  the  missionary  was  the 
regular  disciplinary  allowance  of  $100  per  annum  for  himself,  and  the  same 
for  his  wife,  and  there  was  very  little  money  with  which  to  equip  the  sta- 
tion. Rev.  Joab  Spencer,  surviving  missionary  to  the  Shawnees,  writes  that 
in  the  early  days  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  received  a  call  from  one  of  the  church 
officials,  and  that  Mrs.  Johnson  desired  a  better  equipment  for  her  table 
than  they  had  ordinarily,  but  Mr.  Johnson  said  that  the  official  must  put 
up  with  their  plain  fare.  So  he,  like  th'^  rest,  ate  from  a  tin  plate.  Mr. 
Johnson  had  no  horse,  and  sometimes  in  making  his  trips  had  to  ride  an  ox 
instead. 


SHAWNEE  INDIAN  CHURCH. 

From  a  drawing  made  from  a  description  furnished  by  Rev.  L.  B.  Stateler,  who  was  missionary  to 
this  tribe,  and  erected  it  in  1840-41.     It  was  sometimes  used  as  council-house. 

The  church  building  belonging  to  the  Shawnee  Mission  was  located  i^  in  a 
beautiful  grove  on  a  country  road  leading  from  Westport  into  the  Indian 
country,  and  was  about  four  miles  west  of  the  manual-labor  school,  and 
about  six  miles  southwest  of  Kansas  City.     The  manual-labor  school  was 


Note  17. — The  following  location  of  mission  sites  among  the  Shawnees  was  given  the  secre- 
tary by  Rev.  Joab  Spencer,  under  date  of  February  17,  1906: 

Shawnee  Mission,  established  1830,  located  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter 
section  24,  township  11,  range  24,  Wyandotte  county. 

Shawnee  manual-labor  school,  built  in  1839,  southwest  quarter  section  3,  township  12,  range 
25,  Johnson  county. 

Shawnee  church,  north  half  of  southeast  quarter  section  11,  township  12,  range  24,  Johnson 
county. 

The  prophet's  town,  northeast  quarter  of  southwest  quarter  section  32,  township  11,  range 
25,  Wyandotte  county. 

Quaker  mission,  northeast  quarter  section  6,  township  12,  range  25,  Johnson  county. 

Baptist  mission,  northeast  quarter  section  5,  township  12,  range  25,  Johnson  county. 


170  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

not  erected  on  the  old  mission  premises,  but  was  four  miles  south  of  the 
original  site  of  Turner.  The  church  building  was  constructed  of  hewn  logs, 
and  was  about  20  x  40  feet,  plain  and  old-fashioned,  and  faced  to  the  north, 
a  door  in  the  south  end  of  the  building  opening  on  the  camp-ground  and 
cemetery.  The  date  of  its  erection  was  about  1840,  services  before  this 
having  been  held  in  the  school  building.  Quite  a  number  of  whites  attended 
the  services,  which  consisted  of  preaching,  morning  and  evening.  Class- 
meetings  were  held  at  private  houses.  Love-feasts  were  held  in  connection 
with  quarterly  meetings  and  camp-meetings,  the  latter  being  held  annually 
on  the  grounds  near  the  church,  and  were  attended  by  Methodists  from 
other  tribes.  A  parsonage  was  connected  with  the  church.  This  historic 
old  meeting-house  stood  till  the  latter  part  of  the  war,  when  it  was  torn 
down  and  used  for  fuel.  A  part  of  the  time  it  was  loopholed  and  used  by 
the  Kansas  militia  as  a  fort.  Nothing  is  left  but  the  little  reservation  of 
five  acres  used  for  a  burying-ground. 

The  conference  of  183518  appointed  Rev.  William  Ketron  as  missionary  to 
the  Shawnees.  Mr.  Ketron  was  a  Southerner,  having  joined  the  Holston 
conference  on  trial  in  1825,  and  was  transferred  to  the  Missouri  conference 
in  1829.  He  served  but  one  year  in  the  Indian  mission  in  Kansas.  His  as- 
sistants in  the  school  and  mission  work  were  Mrs.  Ketron,  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Miller,  Rev.  David  G.  Gregory,  and  Mrs.  Gregory.  They  had  thirty-four 
scholars  under  their  instruction,  who  were  instructed  in  English  gratui- 
tously. Nineteen  of  the  pupils  were  supported  by  the  mission,  and  lived 
in  the  mission  family;  the  others  received  one  meal  a  day  at  the  mission 
house,  and  were  otherwise  supported  by  their  parents.  It  seems  that  the 
industrial  feature  which  Mr.  Johnson  inaugurated  upon  such  a  large  scale 
a  few  years  later  was  introduced  at  this  time,  as  five  of  the  boys  were 
learning  cabinet-making  and  two  shoemaking.  The  missionaries  taught 
some  of  the  Shawnees  to  read  in  their  native  language,  and  some  of  these 
in  time  became  teachers  of  others.  Instruction  in  Indian  was  placed  under 
the  immediate  notice  of  native  class-leaders  of  the  church.  A  small  book  in 
the  Shawnee  language,  on  religious  subjects,  and  some  hymns,  was  published 
by  the  missionaries,  and  introduced  among  the  people  with  good  effect,  i" 
Some  of  the  native  church  members,  who  numbered  105  at  this  time,  took 
active  part  in  public  religious  exercises,  and  had  prayer  in  their  families. 
The  next  year,  1836,  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  was  assisted  by  Mrs.  Johnson, 
Rev.  N.  T.  Shaler,  Rev.  D.  G.  Gregory,  and  a  Mr.  Holland.-" 

The  year  1838  dates  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  Methodist  Indian 
missions  in  Kansas  — the  establishment  of  the  Shawnee  manual-labor 
school.  21    This  meant  the  discontinuance  of  the  separate  Methodist  schools 

Note  18.— Isaac  McCoy's  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  January,  1836,  pp.  24,  25. 

Note  19.— Mr.  McCoy  mentions,  January,  1836,  that  advanced  school-books  had  been  printed 
on  the  Baptist  press  by  Jotham  Meeker  —  two  for  the  Baptists  and  one  for  the  Methodists;  also, 
a  small  monthly  periodical  entitled  Sanwaunowe  Kesauthwau  or  Shawanoe  Sun. — Register,  p.  25. 

Note  20.— Isaac  McCoy's  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  May,  1837,  p.  27. 

Note  21. —  Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Stinson,  of  Tecumseh,  widow  of  Thomas  Nesbit  Stinson,  made 
the  following  statement.  April  21,  1906,  regarding  the  building  of  the  Shawnee  manual-labor 
school :  Her  grandfather,  Henry  Rogers,  was  a  white  man,  stolen  from  his  home  in  Virginia 
when  a  child,  for  Blackfish,  a  Shawnee  Indian  chief  in  Kentucky,  who  had  lost  his  son.  He  grew 
up  in  Blackfish's  family  and  married  his  daughter.  Here  he  became  cniite  a  wealthy  man.  Mrs. 
Stinson  did  not  remember  when  her  grandfather  started  west,  but  said  that  he  sold  out  in  Ken- 
tucky and  came  to  Missouri  with  his  family  and  slaves,  to  where,  her  grandmother  told  her,  were 
great  barracks,  where  they  staid  quite  a  while,  and  her  grandfather  died.     Mrs.  Rogers  came 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        171 

among  the  tribes  and  the  education  of  the  children  at  this  central  institution. 
At  the  general  conference  of  1836  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  induced  that  body 
to  vote  $75,000  for  the  establishment  of  the  Indian  manual-labor  school, 
and  the  government  at  Washington  granted  him  2400  acres  of  the  finest  land 
for  his  Indian  mission. 

This  amount  alleged  to  have  been  voted  is  so  large  as  to  raise  a  question, 
which  resulted  in  the  following  correspondence  with  the  missionary  society 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church : 

"Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 

150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York,  April  24,  1906. 
"Rev.  W.  C.  Evans,  D.  D.,  Topeka,  Kan.: 

"My  Dear  Doctor  Evans— Yours  of  April  9,  addressed  to  Doctor 
Leonard,  has  been  handed  to  me  for  reply.  I  have  been  compelled  to  make 
some  delay  because  of  absence  from  the  office  in  visiting  conferences,  mak- 
ing it  impossible  for  me  to  search  the  records  for  the  facts  concerning  which 
you  inquire.  I  do  not  find  any  action  of  the  board  taken  in  1836  that  ap- 
propriated money  for  the  Shawnee  school.  At  the  meeting  held  November 
16  of  that  year  I  find  this  record,  which  possibly  is  the  origin  from  which 
emanated  the  statement  to  which  you  refer,  viz.,  that  $75,000  is  appropri- 
ated for  the  Shawnee  school:  'The  treasurer  also  stated  that  he  had  received 
from  the  War  Department  $750,  being  one-fourth  of  the  funds  set  apart  for 
education  and  for  missions  by  the  treaty  with  the  Ottawas  and  the  Chippe- 
was. '  I  find  several  items  in  the  records  of  the  board  for  1838  that  relate 
to  the  Shawnee  industrial-training  school.  I  send  you  these  quotations, 
thinking  that  they  may  be  of  value  to  you  in  furnishing  the  information  de- 
sired by  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

lYours  sincerely,  S.  O.  Benton." 

Z::i'    [From  the  records  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  missionary  society  of  the  Methodist    ^^ 
Episcopal  church.  .  -^^.Z 

April  13,  1838:  "It  was  mentioned  that  Brother  Johnson,  presiding  elder 
and  superintendent  of  the  Shawnee  Mission,  with  an  Indian  of  that  nation, 
would  attend  our  anniversary.  A  committee  was  ordered  to  be  appointed  to 
to  take  charge  of  the  missionary  lyceum ;  Nathan  Bangs,  David  M.  Reese 
and  George  Coler  constitute  the  committee." 

May  16,  1838:  "Certain  documents  from  the  Shawnee  Mission  having 
been  read,  they  were  on  motion  referred  to  a  committee  of  five,  viz. :  Rev. 
Dr.  Bangs,  Rev.  Dr.  Luckey,  Joseph  Smith,  Stephen  Dando,  and  B.  Dis- 
brow. " 

May  30,  1838:  "Doctor  Bangs,  from  the  committee  appointed  at  the  last 
meeting,  made  the  following  report,  which  was  adopted: 

'The  committee  appointed  to  take  into  consideration  certain  documents  presented  to  the 
board  of  managers  respecting  the  necessity  and  expediency  of  establishing  a  large  central  school 
for  the  benefit  of  Indian  children  and  youth  north  of  the  Cherokee  line,  southwest  of  the  Mis- 
souri river,  and  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  have  had  the  same  under  consideration,  and  beg 
leave  to  present  the  following  as  the  result  of  their  deliberations: 

'  For  several  years  past  our  missionaries  have  had  schools  upon  a  small  scale  among  the 
Shawnee  and  other  tribes  of  Indians  in  that  region  of  country  who  have  become  in  part  Chris- 
tianized ;  and  though  these  schools  have  exerted  a  salutary  influence  upon  those  who  have  at- 
tended them,  yet,  being  small,  and  divided  among  so  many  distant  tribes,  they  are  necessarily 
limited  in  their  influence,  expensive  in  their  support,  as  well  as  difficult  of  management. 

'  It  appears,  moreover,  that  this  being  a  part  of  the  country  ceded  by  the  United  States  to 
the  Indians  for  the  perpetual  possession,  other  tribes  are  moving  into  the  neighborhood,  to 
whom  it  is  desirable  to  impart  the  benefits  of  religious,  moral,  and  intellectual,  as  well  as  me- 
chanical and  agricultural  instruction,  that  they  may  in  due  time  be  exalted  to  the  benefits  and 
immunities  of  a  Christian  and  civilized  community,  and  this  is  most  likely  to  be  accomplished  by 
the  employment  of  suitable  and  eflncient  means  for  the  education  of  their  children  and  youth. 

'  From  the  humane  policy  of  the  general  government  of  the  United  States,  in  the  efforts  they 
made  to  rescue  the  savages  of  our  wildernesses  from  their  state  of  barbarism,  by  means  of 
schools,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  if  it  be  determined  to  establish  a  school  of  a  character  contem- 

on  to  Kansas,  bringing  with  her  twenty  slaves,  who,  Mrs.  Stinson  thought,  were  the  first  ever 
brought  to  Kansas.  Later.  Thomas  Johnson  borrowed  $4000  from  her  grandmother,  Mrs.  Henry 
Rogers,  and  with  this  money  built  the  Shawnee  manual-labor  school,  his  second  mission  building. 
Mr.  Johnson  repaid  the  money  later.  Mrs.  Stinson's  parents,  Polly  Rogers  and  Mackinaw  Bosh- 
man,  were  married  about  1824  or  1825,  as  their  oldest  child.  Annie  (Mrs.  N.  T.  Shaler),  was  at 
least  eight  years  older  than  Mrs.  Stinson,  who  was  born  in  March,  1834. 


172  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

plated  in  the  documents  above  referred  to,  that  pecuniary  means  may  be  obtained  from  the  gov- 
ernment to  carry  the  plan  into  effect,  and  also  an  annuity  for  its  support  from  year  to  year. 

'  Under  these  views  and  impressions,  the  committee  submit  the  following  resolutions  for  the 
concurrence  of  the  board  : 

'Resolved,  1,  That  it  be,  and  hereby  is,  recommended  to  the  Missouri  annual  conference  to 
adopt  such  measures  as  they  may  consider  suitable  for  the  establishment  of  a  central  manual- 
labor  school  for  the  special  benefit  of  Indian  children  and  youth,  in  such  place  and  under  such 
regulations  as  they  may  judge  most  fit  and  proper. 

'Resolved,  2,  That  whenever  the  said  conference  shall  so  resolve,  this  board  pledge  them- 
selves to  cooperate  with  them  in  carrying  the  plan  into  effect ;  provided,  that  a  sum  not  exceed- 
ing $10,000  shall  be  drawn  from  the  treasury  of  the  missionary  society  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  for  any  one  year  for  the  support  of  the  schools  so  established. 

'Resolved,  S,  That,  with  a  view  to  secure  the  aid  of  the  government  of  the  United  States  in 
furnishing  the  pecuniary  means  necessary  for  the  establishment  and  support  of  such  a  school  as 
is  contemplated,  our  corresponding  secretary,  or  Dr.  Samuel  Luckey,  be,  and  hereby  is,  requested 
to  accompany  our  brother,  the  Rev.  T.  Johnson,  to  the  city  of  Washington,  and  lay  before  the 
proper  officer  or  officers  having  the  superintendence  of  Indian  affairs,  or,  if  need  be,  submit  to 
Congress,  the  plan  of  the  contemplated  school,  and  solicit  aid  in  such  way  and  manner  as  may  be 
judged  most  suitable  for  the  establishment  and  support  of  said  school. 

All  which  is  respectfully  submitted.  N.  BANGS,  Chairman.' 

* '  The  presiding  bishop  ( Soule ) ,  in  alluding  to  the  call  for  the  present 
meeting,  gave  his  views  fully  in  favor  of  the  establishment  of  a  central 
school  in  the  Indian  country.  The  bishop  had  himself  been  in  this  country, 
and  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  tribes  over  whom  Brother  Johnson 
has  the  superintendence. 

"Bishop  Andrew  concurred  in  the  remarks  of  the  presiding  officer,  so 
far  as  his  knowledge  went. 

"Brother  Johnson  also  gave  his  opinion  as  to  the  wants  of  the  tribes  in 
the  Southwest,  their  present  condition  and  prospects. 

"Letters  were  read  from  Major  Cummins,  the  Indian  agent,  fully  ac- 
cording with  the  representations  made  in  the  documents  which  have  been 
read  to  this  board. 

"Doctor  Bangs  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  unanimously 
passed : 

'Resolved,  That  our  treasurer  be  authorized  to  pay  to  Brother  Johnson  the  amount  of  his 
traveling  expenses  to  and  from  this  place,  and  that  Brother  Johnson  be  requested,  on  his  return, 
to  stop  at  as  many  of  the  principal  places  as  his  other  engagements  will  allow,  hold  missionary 
meetings  and  take  up  collections  for  the  missionary  society,  and  account  with  the  treasurer  for 
the  amount  of  said  collections.'  " 

June  20,  1838:  "Doctor  Luckey  stated  that  he  had  just  returned  from 
his  mission  to  Washington  city  in  behalf  of  the  Southwestern  Indians,  and 
that  success  had  attended  his  mission.  A  full  report  would  be  hereafter 
presented." 

July  IS,  18S8:  "Doctor  Luckey  presented  the  report  of  his  doings  at 
Washington,  as  promised  at  the  last  meeting.  See  documents,  '  Report  of 
Delegation  on  Indian  Affairs,'  and  accompanying  documents  1,  2." 

"I  am  unable  to  find  the  documents  referred  to  in  this  last  action.  It 
may  be  that  they  are  in  some  inaccessible  place,  stored  with  old  papers  be- 
longing to  the  missionary  society,  or  it  may  be  that  they  have  been  lost  in 
some  of  the  removals  of  the  headquarters  of  the  missionary  society. 

S.  O.  Benton." 

At  the  conference  session  which  met  at  Boonville,  September  26,  1838,  it 
was  decided  to  build  a  manual-labor  school,  which  was  to  be  patronized  by 
the  six  tribes  among  which  the  church  labored.  This  school  was  in  opera- 
tion a  year  after  action  was  taken.  The  report  of  the  mission  committee 
at  this  conference  session  may  be  regarded  as  the  foundation  of  the  Shawnee 
manual -labor  school,  and  reads  as  follows: 

"Whereas,  The  board  of  managers  of  the  missionary  society  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  have  recommended  to  the  Missouri  annual  con- 
ference to  adopt  such  means  as  they  consider  suitable  for  the  establishment 
of  a  central  manual-labor  school  for  the  benefit  of  Indian  children  and  youth 
in  such  place  and  under  such  regulations  as  they  may  judge  most  fit  and 
proper;  and 

"Whereas,  The  government  of  the  United  States  has  stipulated  to  aid 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        173 

liberally  in  the  erection  of  suitable  buildings  for  said  school,  and  also  to  aid 
annually  in  its  support;  and 

"Whereas,  The  Shawnee  nation  of  Indians  in  general  council  assembled, 
and  in  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the  government  have  consented  to  the 
establishment  of  such  school  on  their  lands  near  the  boundary  of  the  state 
of  Missouri,  which  is  deemed  a  most  eligible  situation:  therefore, 

''Resolved,  1,  That  we,  fully  concurring  with  the  board  of  managers  of  the 
missionary  society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  do  hereby  agree  to 
establish  a  manual-labor  school  for  the  benefit  of  Indian  children  and  youth 
on  the  Shawnee  lands  near  the  boundary  line  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  to  be 
called — . 

"Resolved,  2,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed,  whose  duty  it  shall 
be  to  erect  suitable  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  the  proposed  school; 
secondly,  to  employ  competent  teachers,  mechanics,  a  farmer,  and  such  other 
persons  as  may  be  necessary;  thirdly,  to  exercise  a  general  supervision  over 
the  institution  and  report  to  this  conference  annually. 

'  'Resolved,  3,  That  the  above-named  committee  be  and  are  hereby  instructed 
to  erect,  for  the  accommodation  of  said  school,  two  buildings,  to  serve  as  school- 
houses  and  teachers'  residences,  each  to  be  100  feet  long  and  30  wide  and 
two  stories  high,  with  an  ell  running  back,  50  feet  by  20,  and  two  stories 
high;  thirdly,  buildings  for  four  mechanics,  with  shops;  fourthly,  such  farm 
buildings  as  they  may  judge  necessary;  provided,  however,  that  if,  in  the 
judgment  of  the  committee,  the  expenses  of  the  above-named  buildings  are 
likely  to  be  greater  than  such  a  sum  as  may  be  estimated  by  the  missionary 
committee  of  this  conference,  they  may  make  such  changes  as  they  may 
think  proper," 


MISSIONARY  AND  TEACHERS  AT  SHAWN KK  Ml 


Erected  in  1839.     This  picture  is  as 
born  in  this  building,  while  he 


t  appears  now  (1906).     Mrs.  Bishop  Hendrix,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  was 
father,  Doctor  Scarritt,  was  a  teacher  in  the  manual-labor  school. 
( See  school  building  on  page  159.) 


174  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

The  location  selected  for  the  manual-labor  school  was  in  a  beautiful 
little  valley  about  three  miles  southwest  of  Westport,  Mo.,  and  on  the  Cali- 
fornia road.  Work  on  the  new  buildings  was  begun  by  Mr.  Johnson  about 
the  first  of  February  1839.  --  At  this  time  he  had  400  acres  of  land  enclosed, 
12  acres  of  which  was  planted  in  apple  trees,  it  being  the  first  orchard  set 
out  in  Kansas,  and  176  acres  were  planted  in  corn.  Upward  of  about  40,- 
000  rails  were  made  in  a  short  time  by  the  Shawnee  Indians.  About  forty 
hands  were  employed,  and  the  buildings  were  soon  under  way.  Brick-kilns 
were  put  up  for  the  burning  of  brick,  while  some  were  shipped  from  St.  Louis, 
and  lumber  from  Cincinnati.  The  two  large  brick  buildings  erected  at  this 
time  were  on  the  south  side  of  the  California  road.  The  building  farthest 
east  was  110  by  30  feet  and  two  stories  high.  It  was  used  as  the  school- 
house  and  dormitory  for  the  boys  and  the  home  of  the  superintendent. 
The  chapel  was  on  the  first  floor  of  this  building.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
historically  interesting  buildings  in  the  state  of  Kansas  and  one  of  its  ter- 
ritorial capitals.  23  Here  the  first  territorial  legislature  of  Kansas,  which 
was  called  the  "bogus"  legislature,  met  and  passed  laws.  Rev.  Thomas 
Johnson,  a  Virginian  by  birth,  who  very  naturally  sympathized  with  the 
South,  was  chosen  president  of  the  council,  or  upper  house  of  the  legislature. 
The  building  just  west  of  this  one  was  built  of  brick  and  was  100  by  30  feet, 
with  an  ell.  It  served  as  the  boarding-house,  with  a  large  dining-hall  and 
table  capable  of  accommodating  between  200  and  300  people  at  a  time.  These 
two  large  buildings  were  within  100  yards  of  each  other.  Between  them, 
and  near  the  road,  was  a  fine  spring.  Log  houses  and  shops  went  up  all  over 
the  place.  Blacksmith  shops,  wagon  shops,  shoemaker  shops,  barns,  grana- 
ries and  tool-houses  were  erected;  and  a  brick-yard,  a  sawmill  and  steam 
flour-mill  were  added  to  the  mission.  The  latter  was  capable  of  grinding 
300  bushels  of  wheat  per  day. 

The  school  was  opened  in  the  new  building  in  October,  1839.  The  report 
of  the  first  year  of  the  school  by  the  superintending  committee,  Rev. 
Thomas  Johnson,  Rev.  Jerome  C.  Berryman,  and  Rev.  Jesse  Greene,  made 
in  September,  1840,-^  shows  that  the  new  project  was  a  success.  The  re- 
port shows  that  seventy-two  scholars  were  in  attendance  during  the  school 
year,  which  opened  in  October,  1839,  and  closed  in  September,  1840.  The 
most  of  these  were  permanent  scholars,  though  some  stayed  but  a  short 
time.  None  were  counted  unless  they  stayed  a  month.  The  different 
tribes  patronizing  the  school  were  represented  as  follows:  Shawnees,  27; 
Delawares,  16;  Chippewas,  2;  Gros  Ventres,  1;  Peorias,  8;  Pottawatomies, 
7;  Kansans,  6;  Kickapoos,  3;  Munsees,  1;  Osages,  1.  The  mission  at  this 
time  was  incomplete,  and  had  house-room  for  only  eighty  children.  Work 
and  study  alternated,  the  children  being  employed  six  hours  a  day  at  work 
and  six  hours  in  school.  The  girls,  under  the  direction  of  their  teachers, 
did  the  cooking  for  the  entire  school  and  for  about  twenty  mechanics  and 
other  hands  employed  about  the  institution.  They  also  made  not  only  their 
own  clothes,  but  those  of  the  boys  and  some  of  the  mechanics  and  others. 
Bishop  Jas.  O.  Andrew  once  visited  the  school,  and  the  Indian  girls  pre- 

NoTE  22. — These  statistics  are  found  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs.  1839,  p.  433. 

Note  23.  — See  "Shawnee  Mission  Capital,"  in  volume  8  of  Historical  Society's  Collections, 
p.  333. 

Note  24.— Report  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1840,  p.  147. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        175 


GIRLS'  BOARDING-HOUSE. 

Also  home  of  the  superintendent,  matron,  and  teachers.    For  a  time  the  home  of  Governor  Reeder 

and  other  territorial  officials  ;  erected  in  1845. 

The  portrait  is  Col.  A.  S.  Johnson,  first  child  born  at  the  old  Shawnee  Mission. 


sented  him  with  a  pair  of  trousers,  all  the  work  of  their  own  hands.  They 
were  also  taught  to  spin  and  weave,  while  the  boys  were  taught  farming, 
carpentering,  shoemaking,  and  brickmaking. 

Four  teachers  25  were  employed  the  first  year— two  to  teach  the  children 
when  in  school  and  two  to  teach  them  when  at  work.  A  farmer  was  em- 
ployed to  take  charge  of  the  farm  and  stock,  and  his  wife  to  superintend 
the  cooking.  The  principal  of  the  institution  was  a  practical  mechanic,  and 
conducted  the  building  operations  during  the  year.  The  crop  report  for  the 
first  year  shows  that  2000  bushels  of  wheat,  4000  of  oats,  3500  of  corn  and 
500  of  potatoes  were  raised.  Upon  the  farm  were  130  cattle,  100  hogs,  and 
5  horses.     Later  three  native  buffalo  were  added.-" 

The  daily  routine  of  the  pupils  at  the  manual-labor  school  was  as  follows  : 
At  five  A.  M.  they  were  awakened  by  the  ringing  of  a  bell,  when  in  summer- 
time they  performed  light  work  about  the  farm  until  seven  o'clock,  when 
they  breakfasted,  a  horn  being  blown  by  way  of  signal  before  each  meal. 
In  winter-time  their  morning  work,  before  eating,  was  confined  to  the 
preparation  of  fuel,  milking  the  cows,  some  thirty  or  forty  in  number,  and 
feeding  the  stock.     At  nine  the  school-bell  summoned  them  to  their  studies, 

Note  25  —John  B.  Luce,  who  visited  the  school  in  1840,  and  made  quite  a  lengthy  report  to 
the  commissioner  of  Indian  affairs,  mentions  Mr.  Browning,  principal,  and  Mrs.  Kinnear,  as  a 
teacher  of  the  boys'  school.— Id.,  p.  163. 

Note  26.— Report  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1840,  p.  148. 


176  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

which  were  kept  up,  with  a  short  interval  for  recess,  till  twelve  M.  They 
dined  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  and  then  resumed  their  studies  until 
four.  Their  hour  for  tea  was  six  P.  M.  Their  evenings  were  spent  in  the 
preparation  of  their  lessons  for  the  ensuing  day  until  eight  o'clock.  They 
were  then  alloweu  to  indulge  themselves  in  indoor  recreation  until  half-past 
eight,  when  they  were  sent  to  their  dormitories  for  the  night.  The  only 
religious  services  which  were  held  during  the  week  were  the  reading  of  a 
chapter  in  the  Bible,  followed  by  prayer,  just  before  the  morning  and  even- 
ing meals.  Saturday  forenoon  was  devoted  to  work  and  the  afternoon  was 
given  them  as  a  holiday.  Saturday  evening  was  spent  in  the  bath-room  in 
cleaning  up  for  Sunday. 

The  children  paid  seventy-five  dollars  a  year  each  to  the  superintendent, 
as  a  receipt  in  full  for  board,  washing,  and  tuition.-^  The  first  task  of  the 
instructor  was  to  teach  the  children  English,  which  they  soon  learned  to 
speak  well,  yet  a  slight  foreign  accent  was  usually  noticeable.  The  children, 
as  a  general  thing,  were  docile,  teachable,  and  good-natured,  and,  when  well, 
of  a  playful  disposition,  but  when  sick  they  were  usually  stupid  and  silent. 
They  were  not  quarrelsome.  As  to  mental  capacity,  they  compared  favora- 
bly with  white  children. 

At  the  conference  of  1841  Rev.  J.  C.  Berryman  was  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  the  manual-labor  school,  to  which  position  he  was  also  appointed 
by  the  succeeding  conferences.  Mr.  Berryman  was,  like  his  predecessor,  a 
man  of  great  energy  and  ability.  His  report  for  1842  is  interesting  and  is 
as  follows : 

"From  experiments  already  made,  we  are  fully  satisfied  that  there  is  no 
essential  difference  between  white  and  red  children;  the  difference  is  all  in 
circumstances. 

"There  are  difficulties,  however,  very  great  difficulties,  to  be  surmounted 
in  the  education  of  Indian  youth.  The  ignorance  and  prejudice,  instability 
and  apathy,  of  the  parents,  and  all  the  little  whims  that  can  be  imagined  as 
being  indulged  in  by  so  degraded  a  people,  combine  to  hinder  us  and  retard 
their  own  advancement  in  civilization;  and  one  of  the  greatest  hindrances 
to  the  success  of  our  efforts  to  impart  instruction  to  the  children  we  collect 
here  is  the  difficulty  of  keeping  them  a  sufl[icient  length  of  time  to  mature 
anything  we  undertake  to  teach  them;  especially  if  they  are  considerably 
advanced  in  age  when  they  commence.  We  have  found  that  the  labors 
bestowed  upon  those  children  taken  in  after  they  had  reached  the  age  of 
ten  or  twelve  years  have,  in  most  cases,  been  lost;  whereas,  those  taken  in 
between  the  ages  of  six  and  ten,  have  in  a  majority  of  cases  done  well. 
This  is  chiefiy  owing  to  the  older  ones  having  formed  habits  of  idleness,  so 
that  they  will  not  bear  the  confinement  and  discipline  of  school.  Another 
thing  in  favor  of  receiving  these  children  at  an  early  age  is,  that  they  ac- 
quire our  language  more  readily  and  speak  it  more  correctly.  They  also 
more  easily  adopt  our  manners  and  habits  of  thinking. 

J.  C.  Berryman, 
Superintendent  Manual  Labor  School." 

"We  concur  in  this  report: 
N.  M.  Talbot, 
E.  T.  Perry  [Peery], 

Members  of  Superintending  Com. 

(Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1842,  pp.  114,  115.) 

The  school  opened  September  15,   1843,  with  110  scholars.     The  church 

Note  27.— This  charRe  of  seventy-five  dollars  per  annum  was  probably  made  at  a  later  date, 
as  Mr.  Berryman,  in  his  report  for  1X42,  says:  "The  children  are  boarded,  clothed,  lodged  and 
taught  free  of  any  cost  to  ther  parents,  except  in  a  single  instance,  in  which  the  parents  clothe 
the  child."— Report  of  the  United  States  Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs,  1842,  p.  115. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indiana  in  Kansas.        Ill 


REV.  JEROME  C.  BERRYMAN. 

For  [twelve  years  missionary  to  the  Indians.     He  died  May  8,  1906,  at  Caledonia.  Mo.,  in   the 
ninety-seventh  year  of  his  age.     For  seventy-seven  years  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.^ 

statistics  for  this  year  report  ten  colored  children  as  members  of  the  mis- 
sion. The  conference  minutes  would  indicate  that  they  lived  at  the  manual- 
labor  school.  These  colored  children  belonged  to  the  slaves  which  Rev. 
Thomas  Johnson  had  brought  into  the  territory,  and  who  worked  on  the  mis- 
sion premises. -8  The  increase  of  members  in  our  mission  this  year  was  210. 
In  the  month  of  October,  1844,  Bishop  Thomas  A.  Morris,  in  the  course 
of  an  episcopal  tour  through  the  Southwest,  visited  the  Shawnee  manual- 
labor  school.  The  trip  from  St.  Louis,  where  he  presided  at  the  Missouri 
conference,  to  what  is  now  Kansas  City,  was  made  by  boat.  The  water  in 
the  Missouri  river  was  at  a  low  stage,  so  that  navigation  was  extremely 
difficult.  A  safe  landing  was  however  made  one  mile  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Kansas,  on  the  10th  of  October,  between  sunset  and  dark.  The  ten  or 
twelve  preachers  who  had  started  from  St.  Louis  in  company  with  the  bishop 
had  all  left  the  boat  at  different  points  for  their  circuits,  so  that  he  found 
himself  entirely  alone  on  the  border  of  the  Indian  country,  without  guide  or 


Note  28. —  In  April,  1895,  Col.  A.  S.  Johnson  dictated  a  lengthy  and  very  interesting  state- 
ment relative  to  his  father's  slaves,  which  is  among  his  papers  in  the  Historical  Society's  Col- 
lections. 

-12 


178  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

acquaintance,  with  lodging  to  hunt  amid  the  deepening  shadows  of  night. 
Shouldering  his  baggage,  he  ascended  a  steep  hill,  on  the  summit  of  which 
he  found  a  new  cabin,  occupied  by  Colonel  Chick, -^  who,  having  been  washed 
out  by  a  late  freshet,-'"  had  sought  a  new  home  above  high- water  mark.  The 
bishop  was  very  cordially  received,  and  kindly  entertained  by  the  colonel 
and  his  family  until  the  next  morning. 

Bishop  Morris  then  started  on  horseback  for  the  manual-labor  school, 
seven  miles  distant,  where  he  had  appointed  to  meet  a  party  of  missionaries, 
to  proceed  together  through  the  Indian  country  to  the  Indian  Mission  con- 
ference to  be  held  at  Tahlequah,  Cherokee  nation.  Bishop  Morris  witnessed 
part  of  the  examination  exercises  at  the  close  of  the  regular  term.  "Their 
performance, ' '  he  says,  ' '  in  spelling,  reading,  writing,  geography,  composi- 
tion and  vocal  music  was  such  as  would  do  credit  to  any  of  our  city  schools 
in  the  United  States." 

On  Monday,  October  14,  the  bishop  and  his  company  started  for  the  In- 
dian Mission  conference.  The  company  consisted  of  himself.  Rev.  L.  B. 
Stateler,  missionary  to  the  Shawnees;  Rev.  Thomas  Hurlburt,  missionary 
among  the  Chippewas,  and  Rev.  E.  T.  Peery,  superintendent  of  the  manual- 
labor  school.  They  followed  the  old  military  road  through  the  territory. 
They  got  a  late  start  the  first  day,  and  after  traveling  about  twenty-five 
miles  camped  for  the  night.  Their  tent  was  made  of  domestic  cotton,  cir- 
cular, in  the  style  of  the  northern  Indian  habitations,  supported  by  a  center 
pole,  and  the  base  extended  by  cords  and  pegs.  In  this,  with  buffalo  skins 
for  beds  and  buggy  cushions  for  pillows,  they  slept  comfortably  and  securely. 
The  next  day  they  journeyed  about  thirty-eight  miles,  camping  for  the  night 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  Mara  is  des  Cygnes  in  a  quiet,  pleasant  place,  where 
the  only  interruptions  of  their  slumbers  were  the  noises  which  arose  now  and 
then  from  a  camp  of  Pottawatomie  Indians.  The  next  day  they  overtook 
the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Ruble,  missionary  among  the  Pottawatomies,  and  a  son 
of  Chief  Boashman,  a  young  Indian  who  had  been  educated  in  the  manual- 
labor  school  and  had  become  a  Christian,  and  was  then  acting  as  an  inter- 
preter. Thus  reenforced,  the  three  carriages  formed  quite  a  respectable 
procession.  Early  in  the  afternoon  they  were  caught  in  a  northeastern 
rain-storm,  accompanied  with  high  winds,  but  they  pushed  on,  and  late  in 
the  evening  they  reached  the  Marmaton  river,  near  Fort  Scott,  where  fuel 
and  water  could  be  procured,  and  where  they  pitched  their  tent  for  the  night. 
Calling  at  the  fort  next  morning,  they  laid  in  a  supply  of  horse  provender, 
having  been  notified  that  this  would  be  the  last  opportunity  for  the  next 

Note  29.— William  M.  Chick  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1794.  Came  to  Saline  county,  Missouri, 
about  1822.  Moved  to  Howard  county  in  1826,  thence  to  Westport  in  1836,  and  to  Kansas  City  in 
1843.  He  died  April  7,  1847,  in  Kansas  City.  His  wife,  Ann  Eliza  Chick,  was  a  teacher  in  the 
Shawnee  Mission  in  1851.  She  died  in  Kansas  City  in  1875.  The  children  were:  Mary  Jane,  mar- 
ried to  Rev.  Wm.  Johnson,  afterwards  to  Rev.  John  T.  Peery;  William  S.  Chick;  Virginia,  wife 
of  John  C.  McCoy;  Sarah  Ann.  Polk,  Washington  Henry  ( born  in  Saline  county  in  1826),  Joseph 
S.,  Martha  Matilda,  Scarritt,  Pettus  W.,  and  Leonidas.  It  was  in  the  cabin  of  Col.Wm.  M.  Chick 
that  the  first  Methodist  preaching  service  was  held  in  Kansas  City.  This  was  in  1840,  and  the 
preacher  Rev.  James  Porter.  In  1845  this  same  local  preacher  organized  the  first  Methodist 
class,  the  services  being  held  in  a  log  schoolhouse  at  the  present  crossing  of  Missouri  avenue  and 
Delaware  street  in  that  city.  The  weather  being  warm,  the  service  was  held  in  the  shade  of 
the  forest-trees.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  preaching  service,  the  preacher  requested  those  who 
wished  to  join  to  take  their  seats  on  a  log  near  where  he  stood.  Five  came  forward  and  took 
their  seats  accordingly,  viz.:  Colonel  Chick  and  wife,  James  Hickman,  a  Mrs.  Smith,  and  Jane 
Porter.  These,  with  the  preacher,  constituted  the  first  class  in  Kansas  City.  His  son,  J.  S. 
Chick,  of  Kansas  City,  was  born  in  Howard  county,  August  3,  1828. 

Note  30,  — This  was  the  great  flood  year  in  the  Kansas  valley,  1844,  the  water  exceeding  in 
depth  that  of  1903. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        179 

fifty  miles.  That  day  the  air  was  very  chilly  and  traveling  across  the  prai- 
ries anything  but  pleasant.  When  they  finally  reached  the  last  skirt  of 
timber,  on  the  Drywood  fork,  though  early  in  the  afternoon,  it  was  too  late 
to  attempt  to  cross  the  big  prairie,  twenty-three  miles  across,  and  they 
halted  for  the  night. 

The  next  day  they  set  out  early,  in  a  driving  snow-storm.  On  Saturday, 
the  19th,  they  passed  through  the  Quapaw  lands  and  the  Little  Shawnee 
village,  and  in  the  evening  arrived  at  Mrs.  Adams's,  in  the  Seneca  nation, 
where  they  were  kindly  received,  and  spent  the  Sabbath.  The  religious 
services  held  in  the  house  of  this  excellent  lady  were  peculiarly  impressive. 
The  congregation  of  some  sixty  persons  contained  Senecas,  Stockbridges, 
Shawnees,  Cherokees,  Africans,  Canadians,  and  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  Here  the  Rev.  N.  M.  Talbot,  missionary  among  the  Kickapoos, 
joined  the  party,  and  all  proceeded  together  Monday  morning  to  confer- 
ence. 

The  school  report  for  the  year  1845  shows  137  scholars  in  attendance. 
During  this  year  the  erection  of  another  large  brick  building,  100  feet  in 
length  and  20  feet  in  width,  and  two  stories  high,  was  begun.  It  was 
located  on  the  north  side  of  the  road,  the  three  large  buildings  forming  a 
triangle,  but  not  joining  each  other.  This  building  had  a  piazza  the  whole 
length,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  room  at  each  end  taken  off  the  piazza. 
This  building  served  as  the  girls'  home  and  boarding-school.  The  superin- 
tendent and  his  family  also  occupied  this  building.  Governor  Reeder  and 
staff  and  other  territorial  officials  were  quartered  here  in  1855,  when  Shaw- 
nee Mission  was  the  capital.  " 

In  1845  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  rent  asunder,  as  the  result 
of  differences  of  opinion  on  the  slavery  question.  At  a  convention  which 
met  May  1,  1845,  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South  was  organized. '-  The  Kansas  missions,  which  at  this  time 
were  embraced  in  the  Indian  Mission  conference,  fell  into  the  Church  South. 
The  Indian  Mission  conference  for  the  year  1845  was  held  at  the  Shawnee 
Mission,  Bishop  Joshua  Soule  presiding.  Bishop  Soule  was  one  of  the  two 
bishops  who  adhered  to  the  Church  South.  The  other  was  Bishop  James  O. 
Andrew,  a  native  of  Georgia.  Bishop  Soule  was  a  Northern  man  by  birth 
and  rearing,  having  been  born  in  Maine,  August  1,  1781.  He  died  at  Nash- 
ville, March  6,  1867. 

Rev.  Wm.  H.  Goode,  one  of  the  early  missionaries  among  the  Choctaws 
in  Indian  Territory,  was  a  delegate  with  Rev.  E.  T.  Peery  from  the  Indian 
Mission  conference  which  met  at  Tahlequah  October  23,  1844,  to  the  conven- 
tion held  at  Louisville  in  May,  1845,  at  which  the  M.  E.  Church  South  was 

Note  31.— A  fine  picture  of  this  building,  taken  in  1897,  is  given  in  the  Coates  Memorial, 
opposite  page  114 ;  see,  also.  Report  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1845, 
p.  539. 

Note  32.— A  very  interesting  account  of  the  part  taken  by  Missouri  in  the  organization  of 
the  Southern  conference  may  be  found  in  a  little  volume  in  the  Historical  Society's  library,  en- 
titled "  History  of  the  Organization  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South."  Nashville,  1845. 
Missouri  was  represented  in  the  Louisville  conference  by  the  following  delegates:  Andrew 
Monroe.  Jesse  Greene,  John  Glanville,  Wesley  Browning,  William  Patton.  John  H.  Lynn,  Joseph 
Boyle,  Thomas  Johnson.  J.  C.  Berryman  was  chairman  of  the  Indian  Mission  conference.  The 
Historical  Society  has  also  a  little  pamphlet,  of  which  a  few  pages  are  lacking,  published  in  1847 
or  1851,  being  the  "Defense  of  Rev.  Lorenzo  Waugh  against  the  M.  E.  Church  South,  of  Mis- 
souri." The  twenty-first  and  twenty-second  chapters  of  Father  Waugh's  autobiography  also  re- 
late to  the  division. 


180  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

organized.     He  has  this  to  say  in  his  "Outposts  of  Zion"  concerning  the 
division : 

* '  The  influence  of  the  large  mission  estabHshment  at  the  manual-labor 
school  was  strong.  There  were  few  to  counteract  or  explain ;  and  at  the 
separation  the  main  body  of  our  Shawnee  membership  was  carried,  nolens 
volens,  into  the  Church  South.  They  have  a  large  meeting-house  and 
camp-ground,  and  exert  a  powerful  influence  over  the  tribe.  Our  member- 
ship is  reduced  to  about  twenty— a  faithful  band.  "^3 

The  manual-labor  school  was  thus  for  the  next  seventeen  years  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  In  1845  and  1846 
Rev.  William  Patton  was  superintendent.  The  concluding  portion  of  his 
report  for  1846  to  Hon.  William  Medill,  commissioner  of  Indian  affairs,  is 
as  follows : 

' '  Our  mills  and  shops  are  doing  well,  aif  ording  considerable  assistance  to 
the  Indians  around  in  various  ways.  The  shops  furnish  the  more  industri- 
ous and  enterprising  with  wagons,  and  such  like,  by  which  they  are  enabled 
to  make  for  themselves  and  families  something  to  subsist  upon.  Of  the 
mills  I  must  speak  more  definitely.  There  has  nothing  been  done  for  the 
Indians  in  all  this  section  of  country,  in  the  way  of  improvements,  which  is 
of  equal  importance,  or  anything  like  equal  importance,  with  the  erection 
of  the  steam  flouring-  and  sawmill  at  this  place.  Here,  the  Indians  from 
several  tribes  around  get  a  large  quantity  of  their  breadstuffs,  such  as 
fl.  ur  and  corn-meal.  But  this  is  not  the  only  advantage  derived— the  saw- 
mill furnishes  them  with  lumber  for  building  and  furnishing  their  houses ; 
and,  what  is  of  still  greater  importance  to  them,  the  mills,  and  especially 
the  sawmill,  offer  to  them  inducements  to  industry.  We  purchase  from 
the  Indians  all  our  sawlogs,  our  steam  wood,  etc.,  thus  giving  them  em- 
ployment and  furnishing  in  return  flour,  meal,  sugar,  coffee,  salt,  and  such 
other  things,  in  a  dry-goods  line,  as  they  or  their  families  may  need,  and 
those  things  which,  in  many  instances,  they  could  not  have  without  these 
facilities,  at  least  to  any  considerable  extent. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be,  dear  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  Patton." 
(Report  1846,  p.  365.) 

In  1847  Thomas  Johnson  was  returned  as  superintendent  of  the  manual- 
labor  school,  which  position  he  held  till  the  school  was  discontinued.  The 
school  report  for  this  year  shows  125  scholars  in  attendance,  78  males  and 
47  females. 

The  crops  for  1848  were  a  partial  failure,  by  reason  of  a  prolonged  drought 
of  two  years— very  little  rain  falling  in  that  time.  The  springs  began  to 
fail,  the  pasture  suffered  greatly,  and  they  were  compelled,  in  the  summer 
of  1848,  to  haul  water  a  distance  of  two  miles  in  order  to  keep  the  steam 
flour-mill  running.  ^* 

This  year,  1848,  Mr.  Johnson  decided  to  organize  a  classical  department 
in  connection  with  the  school.  In  the  conference  minutes  it  is  called  the 
Western  Academy.     Rev.  Nathan  Scarritt,^^  father-in-law  of  Bishop  E.  R. 

Note  33.-  Outposts,  p.  295. 

Note  34.— Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs.  1848,  p.  450. 

Note  35. -Bishop  E.  R.  Hendrix,  Kansas  City,  Mo.:  One  of  the  men  closely  identified  with 
the  early  history  of  Kansas,  and  especially  with  missionary  work  among  the  Indians  on  the 
reservation  was  Rev.  Nathan  Scarritt,  whose  name  is  held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  the  de- 
scendants of  the  Shawnees.  Delawares,  and  Wyandots.  as  well  as  the  early  settlers  of  eastern 
Kansas  Doctor  Scarritt  was  born  April  14,  1821,  in  Edwardsville.  111.,  was  educated  at  McKen- 
dree  College,  Lebanon,  111.,  where  he  graduated  as  valedictorian  of  his  class  in  1842,  and  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life  in  teaching  and  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  in  Missouri  and  Kansas.     In  1845 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indiana  in  Kansas.        181 

Hendrix,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  whose  episcopal  resi- 
dence is  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  was  selected  to  take  charge  of  this  new  de- 
partment, in  which  he  served  three  years.  Mrs.  Hendrix  was  born  at  the 
Shawnee  Mission,  Mr.  Scarritt  says,  in  a  manuscript  left  by  him,  that  the 
school  was  then  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  that  the  new  department  which 
he  was  called  upon  to  take  charge  of  proved  a  decided  success.     He  says:| 

"A  score  or  more  of  young  gentlemen  and  young  ladies  from  across  the 
line,  and  some,  indeed,  from  more  distant  parts  of  Missouri,  were  admitted 
into  this  department.  This  brought  the  whites  and  Indians  into  close  com- 
petition in  the  race  for  knowledge,  and  I  must  say  that  those  Indian  scholars 
whose  previous  knowledge  had  been  equal  to  their  competitors  were  not  a 
whit  behind  them  in  contest  for  the  laurels  of  scholarship."  ^f* 

Doctor  Scarritt  attributed  the  success  of  the  school  chiefly  to  the  wise, 
judicious  and  able  management  of  the  superintendent,  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson. 
Doctor  Scarritt  spent  a  considerable  part  of  his  time  in  preaching  among  the 
different  tribes,  through  interpreters.  He  became  so  interested  in  mission- 
he  removed  to  Fayette,  Mo.,  where  he  joined  with  Prof.  Wm.  T.  Lucky  in  establishing-  a  high 
school,  out  of  which  has  grown  Central  College  and  Howard  Female  College.  In  1846  he  was 
licensed  to  preach,  and  joined  the  Missouri  conference,  but  for  two  years  his  appointment  was  to 
Howard  high  school.  After  some  four  years  at  Fayette,  Mo.,  in  Howard  high  school,  he  was 
called  to  take  charge  of  the  high  school  or  academic  department  of  the  Shawnee  manual-labor 
school,  under  the  general  superintendence  of  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson,  an  early  missionary  to  the 
Shawnees,  as  his  brother.  Rev.  Wm.  Johnson,  was  to  the  Kaws.  All  the  tribal  schools  were 
merged  into  this  institution,  which  was  located  some  two  miles  from  Westport.  Here  are  still 
found  the  substantial  buildings  erected  some  sixty-five  years  ago  for  school  and  chapel  purposes 
and  for  the  homes  of  the  missionaries.  While  instruction  was  given  in  brickmaking,  carpenter- 
ing, wagon-making,  farming,  and  the  girls  taught  all  kinds  of  domestic  pursuits,  much  attention 
was  given  to  work  of  a  high-school  grade.  Here  the  Indian  youth  came  in  contact  with  the 
children  of  the  pioneer  whites  and  were  taught  in  the  same  classes.  At  least  one  United  States 
senator  received  instruction  in  those  early  days  from  the  lips  of  Doctor  Scarritt.  He  was  mar- 
ried April  29,  1850,  to  Miss  Martha  Matilda  Chick,  daughter  of  Col.  Wm.  M.  Chick.  She  was  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living.     She  died  July  29,  1873. 

In  the  fall  of  1851  he  was  appointed  missionary  to  the  Shawnee,  Delaware  and  Wyandot  In- 
dians, and,  later  in  the  year,  was  stationed  at  Lexington,  Mo.  In  1852  he  was  appointed  to 
Kansas  City  and  Westport.  In  1854-'55  he  was  principal  of  the  Westport  high  school.  Then  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Kansas  Mission  conference,  and  appointed  presiding  elder  of  the  Kicka- 
poo  district.  He  was  soon  afterward  elected  president  pro  tern,  of  Central  College.  In  1858-'59 
he  was  appointed  to  the  Shawnee  reserve,  and  for  the  next  two  years  presiding  elder  of  the 
Lecompton  district.  In  October,  1874,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Ruth  E.  Scarritt,  the  widow  of  his 
brother  Isaac.  He  was  a  member  of  several  general  conferences.  His  death  occurred  in  1890. 
The  sketch  of  Thomas  Johnson  in  Andreas's  History  of  Kansas  was  written  by  Doctor  Scarritt. 

While  engaged  in  teaching.  Doctor  Scarritt  found  great  joy  in  preaching  to  the  Indians,  and 
soon  had  regular  appointments  among  them.  Doctor  Scarritt  gave  all  together  some  seven  years 
to  work  among  the  Indians  and  whites  in  eastern  Kansas.  Speakingof  the  Indians,  he  says:  "The 
effects  of  divine  grace  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  these  uncultured  heathen  were  to  me  a  mar- 
vel." While  his  work  was  not  continuous,  as  would  have  been  his  preference,  being  called  twice 
to  other  work  in  Missouri,  where  he  had  begun  his  ministry,  and  where  he  was  always  held  in  great 
esteem  as  a  preacher  and  an  educator,  yet  his  years  given  to  Kansas  form  an  important  chapter  in 
its  early  history.  Apioneerin  spirit,  he  delighted  to  build  on  noother  man's  foundation.  Speaking 
of  those  seven  years,  he  says  :  "  I  traveled  wherever  settlements  were  planted,  preaching  to  the 
people,  visiting  pastorally,  and  organizing  churches.  The  Indian  tribes  still  occupied  the  reser- 
vations, and  all  the  white  settlements  were  in  their  most  primitive  and  inchoate  state.  This  con- 
dition of  society,  together  with  the  extent  of  country  over  which  I  had  to  travel,  and  the  total 
want  of  roads,  bridges,  etc.,  between  settlements,  rendered  my  labors  during  those  years  of  the 
most  arduous  character.  My  exposures  were  often  severe  and,  sometimes,  hazardous.  Some- 
times I  would  have  to  swim  swollen  streams,  lie  out  all  night  upon  the  ground,  even  in  cold  and 
stormy  weather,  with  nothing  but  my  saddle-blanket  for  my  bed,  and  go  fasting  for  twenty-four 
to  thirty  hours  at  a  time.  But  though  my  travels  were  often  hard  and  hazardous,  yet  I  greatly 
enjoyed  myself  in  them,  for  by  nature  I  was  always  fond  of  life  amid  such  scenes.  The  welcome 
hospitalities  I  received  in  the  cabin  of  the  frontier  settler,  and  even  in  the  Indian's  wigwam,  how- 
ever rude  and  meager  may  have  been  the  accommodations,  were  always  enjoyed  by  me  with  a 
genuine  heart  zest." 

Doctor  Scarritt  was  closely  identified  with  Kansas  from  1848  to  1861,  with  the  exception  of 
two  or  three  years,  when  he  yielded  to  the  call  of  his  church  for  special  service  in  Missouri.  Much 
of  his  life  was  spent  in  what  is  now  embraced  in  the  corporate  limits  of  Kansas  City,  where  he 
founded  "  The  Scarritt  Bible  and  Training  School  for  Missionaries."  His  noble  wife,  a  daughter 
of  Col.  Wm.  M.  Chick,  cordially  seconded  him  in  all  his  labors.  Her  sister  was  Mrs.  William 
Johnson,  who  was  in  deep  sympathy  with  her  husband  in  his  missionary  work  among  the  Kaws. 
and  she  often  served  as  an  interpreter,  because  of  her  acquaintance  with  their  language.  A 
memorial  window  in  White  Church,  Wyandotte  county,  Kansas,  perpetuates  the  names  of  some 
of  these  pioneer  missionaries,  but  their  true  record  is  kept  on  high. 

Note  36. -Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883.  p.  300. 


182 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


REV.  NATHAN  SCARRITT.  D.  D., 
Principal  of  classical  department  in  the  manual-labor  school,  and  missionary. 


ary  work  among  the  Indians  that  at  the  end  of  his  three  years'  professorship 
he  entered  that  work  exclusively.  This  was  in  the  fall  of  1851,  when  he  was 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  three  missions — the  Shawnee,  the  Delaware,  and 
the  Wyandot,  with  Rev.  Daniel  D.  Doffelmeyer  and  several  native  helpers 
as  assistants.  He  says  that  the  Indian  converts  were  as  a  rule  consistent 
in  their  Christian  conduct,  and  that  they  would  compare  favorably  in  this 
particular  with  the  whites.  He  says:  "The  older  Christians  among  them 
especially  would  manifest  in  their  public  exercises,  their  exhortations  and 
prayers  a  degree  of  earnestness,  pathos  and  importunity  that  I  have  seldom 
witnessed  elsewhere."  Of  the  interpreters  he  says:  "Charles  Bluejacket 
was  our  interpreter  among  the  Shawnees,  Silas  Armstrong  among  the  Wyan- 
dots,  and  James  Ketchum  among  the  Delawares.  They  were  all  remark- 
able men,  all  intelligent,  all  truly  and  deeply  pious,  yet  each  was  unique  in 
some  prominent  characteristic." 

Charles  Bluejacket  was  born  in  Michigan,  on  the  river  Huron,  in  1816, 
and  came  with  his  tribe  to  Kansas  when  a  boy.  His  grandfather,  Weh-yah- 
pih-ehr-sehn-wah,  or  Bluejacket,  was  a  famous  war-chief,  and  was  in  the 
battle  in  which  General  Harmar  was  defeated,  in  1790.  In  the  battle  in 
which  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne  defeated  the  northwest  confederacy  of  Indians, 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        183 


^ 

J^^^^ 

rim   ^ 

REV.  CHARLES  BLUEJACKET, 
Shawnee  chief  and  interpreter. 


in  1794,  Captain  Bluejacket  commanded  the  allied  forces.  According  to 
Charles  Bluejacket,  his  grandfather,  had  been  opposed  to  the  war,  which  had 
for  some  time  been  waged  against  the  whites,  but  was  overruled  by  the 
other  war-chief.  After  the  defeat,  which  rendered  the  cause  of  the  Indians 
hopeless,  Captain  Bluejacket  was  the  only  chief  who  had  courage  to  go  to 
the  camp  of  General  Wayne  and  sue  for  peace.  The  battle  was  fought  in 
1794,  and  a  permanent  peace  was  made  in  1795.  Charles  Bluejacket's  an- 
cestors were  war-chiefs,  but  never  village  or  civil  chiefs  until  after  the 
removal  of  the  tribe  to  the  West.  His  father  was  probably  the  first  civil 
chief  of  his  family.  When  Charles  was  a  child  his  parents  moved  to  the 
Piqua  Plains,  Ohio.  In  1832  they  removed  to  their  reservation  near  Kansas 
City,  Kan.     He  was  then  a  youth  of  sixteen  years. 

Charles  inherited  all  the  noble  traits  of  character  of  his  grandfather. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1859,  and  continued  till  the  time  of  his  death. 
Rev.  Joab  Spencer,  in  a  sketch  of  this  famous  Indian,  says:  "  In  1858,  when 
I  made  his  acquaintance,  he  was  forty-two  years  old,  and  as  noble  a  speci- 
men of  manhood  as  I  ever  saw.  I  lived  in  his  family  for  two  months,  and 
saw  him  at  close  range.     An  intimate  acquaintance  of  two  years  showed 


184  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

him  in  all  walks  of  life  to  be  a  Christian  gentleman  of^high  order.  In  look- 
ing back  over  all  these  years,  I  can  think  of  no  one  who,  taken  all  in  all, 
had  more  elements  of  true  dignity  and  nobleness  of  character.  He  was  my 
interpreter,  and  I  never  preached  through  a  better.  A  favorite  hymn  of 
Bluejacket's,  and  the  one  which  was  largely  instrumental  in  his  conversion, 
was  the  familiar  hym  of  Isaac  Watts: 

"Alas!  and  did  my  Saviour  bleed, 
And  did  my  Sovereign  die, 
Would  He  devote  that  sacred  head 
For  such  a  worm  as  I." 

Following  is  the  verse  in  the  Shawnee  language: 

' '  Na-peache  mi  ce  ta  ha 
Che  na  mo  si  ti  we 
Ma  ci  ke  na  mis  wa  la  ti 
Mi  ti  na  ta  pi  ni." 

No  history  of  the  Shawnee  Mission  would  be  complete  that  omitted  the  names 
of  Bluejacket,  Paschal  Fish,  Tooly,  Black  Hoof,  Pumpkin,  Silverheels,  and 
Capt.  Joseph  Parks.  All  the  above  were  half,  and  in  some  cases  more 
than  half,  white  blood. ' ' 

Bluejacket  died  October  29,  1897,  at  the  town  of  Bluejacket,  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, whither  he  moved  in  1871,  from  the  effects  of  a  cold  contracted  the 
preceding  month,  while  searching  for  the  Shawnee  prophet's  grave,  in  Wyan- 
dotte county,  Kansas.  He  was  married  three  times,  and  twenty-three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  him.  Mr.  Spencer  officiated  at  the  wedding  of  one  of  his 
daughters,  who  married  J.  Gore. 

Rev.  Joab  Spencer,^"  a  missionary  among  the  Shawnees  from  1858  to 
1860,  gives  some  interesting  features  of  the  work,  and  says  in  regard  to  the 
results  of  our  missionary  labors  among  the  Kansas  tribes: 

' '  Methodism  did  not  accomplish  much  for  any  of  the  tribes  except  the 
Shawnees,  Delawares,  and  Wyandots.  A  good  beginning  was  made  among 
the  Kickapoos,  but  for  some  reason  the  work  did  not  prosper,  though  when 
we  abandoned  them  there  was  a  band  of  about  twenty- five  faithful  mem- 
bers. The  Indians  made  a  treaty  in  1854,  taking  part  of  their  land  in  sever- 
alty and  selling  the  balance  to  the  government.     Each  Indian  received  200 

Note  37.— Rev.  Joab  Spencer  was  born  in  Delaware  county,  Indiana,  March  10,  1831.  His 
great-grandfather,  Ithamar  Spencer,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  war 
of  the  revolution,  and  with  his  oldest  son,  Amos,  spent  the  entire  seven  years  in  that  struggle. 
Joab  Spencer's  father  and  grandfather  were  natives  of  New  York.  In  1842  his  father  moved  to 
Andrew  county,  Missouri,  included  in  the  Platte  purchase,  and  just  opened  to  white  settlers. 
School  advantages  were  limited,  and  Mr.  Spencer  did  not  attend  school  to  exceed  three  years.  At 
the  age  of  thirteen  he  united  with  the  Methodist  church.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the 
spring  of  1855,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Missouri  conference  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  After  spending  three  years  in  the  work  in  Missouri  he 
was  appointed  to  the  Shawnee  Indian  mission,  in  1858,  serving  two  years.  August  20,  1860.  Mr. 
Spencer  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  C.  Munkres,  a  niece  of  T.  S.  Huffaker.  Their  family  consists 
of  five  daughters,  two  of  whom  are  graduates  of  the  Missouri  State  Normal  and  one  of  the  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University.  The  only  son  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six.  The  son  was  part  owner 
of  the  daily  and  weekly  Mail,  at  Nevada,  Mo.  In  the  fall  of  1860  he  was  appointed  to  the  Paola. 
Kan.,  circuit,  and  in  1861  presiding  elder  of  the  Council  Grove  district,  but  did  not  go  on  to  the 
district  till  the  spring  of  1862,  but  was  prevented  by  war  troubles  from  doing  any  work ;  so  he 
opened  a  high  school  at  Council  Grove.  He  remained  at  or  near  Council  Grove  for  twelve  years, 
teaching,  farming,  and  merchandising.  In  1864  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature  from 
Moms  county.  In  1874  he  was  transferred  to  the  Missouri  conference,  and  served  the  following 
charges :  California.  Otterville,  Clifton,  Cambridge,  Independence,  and  Warrensburg,  the  latter 
for  more  than  six  years  continuously.  Mr.  Spencer  has  been  active  in  Sunday-school  work,  and 
IS  the  author  of  a  work,  "Normal  Guide  No.  1,"  and  for  a  number  of  years  edited  the  home 
Sunday-school  course  in  the  St.  Louis  Christian  Advocate.  He  is  now  living  at  Slater,  Mo.,  the 
surviving  missionary  among  the  Indians  in  Kansas,  and  has  recently  published  in  the  St.  Louis 
Chrtattan  Advocatea  history  of  the  "  Kansas  Mission  Conference,"  of  great  interest  in  connec- 
tion with  this  subject. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        185 


REV.  JOAB  SPENCER. 

At  this  date  (May  15,  1906),  the  only  surviving  missionary  to  the  Shawnee  Indians,  living  at 

Slater,  Mo.,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year. 


acres,  I  think,  and  $110  cash  a  year  for  a  number  of  years— ten,  I  think. 38 
This  gave  the  Indians  a  large  sum,  and  was  the  means  of  bringing  among 
them  a  large  number  of  base  men,  who  sold  them  mean  whisky,  and  robbed 
them  in  many  ways.  When  I  was  appointed  to  the  mission,  in  1858,  I  found 
a  bad  state  of  things  as  a  result.  Many  of  the  members  had  lapsed,  and  the 
presence  of  the  white  people  in  the  congregation  kept  many  away  from  the 
church  service.  Then  the  example  of  the  whites,  including  some  church  mem- 
bers, had  a  very  bad  influence  on  the  Indians;  besides,  the  mother  church 
had  evidently  lost  much  interest  in  the  work,  as  the  results  had  been  disap- 
pointing. I  held  two  camp-meetings  during  my  two  years,  at  which  a  num- 
ber were  converted,  but  very  Httle  was  accomplished  in  the  way  of  building 
up.  At  this  time,  1858-'60,  all  features  of  manual  training  had  ceased. 
There  were  twenty  or  thirty  children— all,  or  nearly  all,  Shawnees — in  the 

Note  38.—  For  the  exact  terms  of  these  treaties,  see  Indian  Affairs,  Laws,  and  Treaties,  vol. 
2.  p.  618.  Washington,  1904. 


186  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

school,  taug'ht  by  a  young  lady,  another  young  lady  being  matron.  But  our 
work  as  a  church  was  done.  How  much  of  it  abides,  we  cannot  know.  Few 
of  the  Indians,  especially  women,  could  converse  in  English.  In  my  pastoral 
work  I  carried  an  Indian  hymn-book  containing  many  of  the  old  favorites, 
which  I  learned  to  sing  in  their  language.  After  spending  a  short  time  in 
the  family,  I  would  select  and  sing  a  hymn  in  which  all  would  join;  then, 
after  prayer  and  hand-shaking,  would  leave.  In  this  way  I  have  witnessed 
many  pleasant  and  touching  scenes.  Many  of  the  members  were  excellent 
and  stable  Christians." 

One  very  important  official  connected  with  the  missions  was  the  interpre- 
ter, as  the  preaching  was  mostly  done  through  this  medium.  Rev.  G.  W. 
Love,  M.  D.,  who  was  a  missionary  for  nearly  three  years  among  the  Peoria, 
Pottawatomie  and  Kaw  Indians,  has  left  some  brief  reminiscences,  which 
are  interesting.  Doctor  Love  emigrated  to  western  Missouri  from  Ten- 
nessee in  1836,  and  died  in  Westport,  Mo.,  October  20,  1903,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven.     In  his  reminiscences  he  says: 

' '  I  have  preached  through  Capt.  Joseph  Parks,  who  was  in  command  of 
a  company  of  Shawnee  Indians  who  fought  for  the  government  against  the 
Seminoles  in  the  Florida  war.  Afterwards  he  was  the  principal  chief  of  the 
Shawnee  nation.  I  also  preached  through  Henry  Tiblow,  who  received  his 
education  at  the  Shawnee  Mission  school.  He  was  employed  by  the  govern- 
ment as  interpreter  for  the  Shawnees  and  Delawares.  I  also  preached 
through  Bashman  [Mackinaw  Beauchemie],  **•  while  I  was  with  the  Potta- 
watomies. " 

Capt.  Joseph  Parks  was  a  half-breed,  and  a  prominent  character  among 
the  Shawnees.  His  wife  was  a  Wyandot.  He  owned  slaves,  and  had  a  well- 
improved  farm,  with  an  elegant,  well-furnished  brick  house,  and  in  the 
treaty  was  well  provided  for  by  the  grant  of  lands  immediately  upon  the 
Missouri  state  line.  Captain  Parks  lived  for  many  years,  when  young,  in 
the  home  of  Gen.  Lewis  Cass.  After  the  Shawnees  came  to  Kansas  he  went 
to  Washington,  where  he  spent  many  years  as  agent  of  his  tribe,  in  order  to 
recover  the  money  taken  from  them  as  stated  on  page  78  of  volume  8,  Kan- 
sas Historical  Collections.  Parks  told  Rev.  Joab  Spencer  that  it  was  through 
General  Cass  that  he  secured  the  money,  because  he  had  lived  in  the  Cass 
family  and  the  good  reputation  he  sustained.  He  was,  for  many  years, 
leader  and  head  chief  of  his  nation.  He  died  April  4,  1859,  and  was  buried 
from  the  old  log  meeting-house.  ^^' 

Another  prominent  man  of  this  tribe  was  Rev.  Paschal  Fish,  He  was  a 
local  preacher,  and  his  brother,  Charles  Fish,  acted  as  interpreter.  For  a  few 
years  after  the  division  Paschal  Fish  served  appointments  in  the  Shawnee  and 
Kickapoo  missions  under  the  Church  South — then  returned  to  the  old  church, 
remaining  firm  in  his  allegiance  in  spite  of  persecution.  While  fairly  well 
educated,  it  appears  that  he  was  unable  to  write  his  name,  as  I  have  seen  a 
document  signed  as  follows:  "Paschal  Fish,  his    ■    mark." 

Another  interpreter  connected  with  Shawnee  Mission  was  Matthias  Split- 

NOTE  39. —  Is  this  the  "Bossman  "  whose  name  is  attached  to  the  Pottawatomie  treaty  of 
1846  at  "Pottawatomie  creek,  near  Osage  river,  June  17,  1846 "?  — Indian  Affairs,  Laws,  and 
Treaties,  vol.  2,  p.  560. 

Note  40.—  "  Monday.  4th  April.  1859.  Capt.  Parks  died  about  6  o'clock  last  night.  He  was 
tho't  to  be  about  66  years  old.  He  has  been  for  several  years  head  chief  of  the  Shawnees,  but 
General  Cass,  who  employed  him  as  interpreter  when  in  the  Indian  service,  stated  in  a  speech 
in  the  U.  S.  senate,  in  1853,  while  a  Shawnee  claim  was  under  discussion,  that  Parks,  then  in 
Washington,  was  a  pure  white  man  and  had  been  captured  by  the  Indians  when  very  young-. 
But  among  the  Shawnees  he  claimed  to  be  of  Shawnee  extraction,  and  the  claim  was  universally 
acknowledged."—  Extract  from  the  journal  of  Abelard  Guthrie,  in  Connelley's  Provisional  Gov- 
ernment, p.  120. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        187 

log.  He  was  a  Cayuga-Seneca  by  descent,  having  been  born  in  Canada  in 
1816.  He  married  Eliza  Carloe,  a  Wyandot,  and  came  west  with  the  Wyan- 
dot nation.  He  made  his  home  in  the  Seneca  country  when  the  Wyandots 
moved  to  the  Indian  Territory.  Here  he  erected  a  fine  church  building.  He 
died  there  in  1896.  An  interesting  sketch  of  his  life  is  found  in  Connelley's 
Provisional  Government,  p.  34. 

During  the  year  1851  the  Shawnee  manual-labor  school  still  continued  to 
prosper.  It  suffered  some  little  embarrassment  from  1849  to  1851  by  reason 
of  the  prevalence  of  cholera  in  the  community.  The  subjoined  statement  is 
interesting  in  giving  the  name,  age,  the  tribe  to  which  each  pupil  belonged, 
the  date  of  entrance,  and  the  studies  pursued.  The  roll  contains  many 
very  picturesque  names. 

SHAWNEE   INDIAN   MANUAL-LABOR   SCHOOL. 

Statement  No.  1,  showing  the  condition  of  Fort  Leavenworth  Indian 
manual-labor  school  for  the  current  year,  ending  September  30,  1851 : 

Male  Department. 
Teachers— A.  Coneatzer,  T.  Huffaker,  W.  Luke,  S.  Huffaker. 


Names.  Age. 

Levi  Flint 17 

Robert  Armstrong 14 

Henry  Garrett 16 

Lagarus  Flint 15 

Mebzy  Dougherty 15 

John  Paschal 16 

John  Mann 14 

Thaxter  Reed 13 

Alpheus  Herr 15 

William  Fish 14 

John  Anderson 15 

Robert  W.  Robetalle..  11 

Jacob  Flint 10 

Stephen  Bluejacket 13 

Moses  Pooler 12 

Francis  Pooler 11 

Solomon  Peck 12 

Robert  Merrill 12 

Ephraim  Robbins 11 

James  Hicks 15 

William  Barnet 15 

Jacob  Whitecrow 15 

Peter  Anderson 12 

Peter  Mann 13 

Peter  Sharlow 13 

Robert  Bluejacket 12 

Thomas  Bluejacket 10 

Cassius  Barnet 14 

Samuel  Flint 12 

Lewis  Hays 17 

William  Flint 15 

George  Sharlow 15 

Anson  Carryhoo 15 

Thomas  Huffaker 10 

Eldridge  Brown 7 

John  Solomon,  1st 17 


Tribe. 


Entered. 


Shawnee Nov.,  1842 

Wyandot Sept.,  1850 

"  1850 

Shawnee Aug..  1842 

"       Nov.,  1848 

Peoria Jan.,  1841 

Pottawatomie. .      ' '  1841 

Ottawa Mar.,  1849 

Sept.,  1849 

Shawnee May,  1849 

Pottawatomie..  Sept.,  1848 

Wyandot Nov.,  1849 

Shawnee July,  1848 

June,  1847 

Ottawa Mar.,  1849 

"       "  1849 

"       "  1849 

"       "  1849 

"  1849 

Wyandot April,  1851 

Shawnee "  1851 

Wyandot Mar.,  1851 

Pottawatomie..  Oct.,  1848 

..  Jan.,  1848 

Wyandot Mar.,  1851 

Shawnee Sept.,  1849 

June,  1847 

Mar.,  1849 

May,  1851 

July,  1850 

April,  1851 

Wyandot "  1851 

"  1851 

"       "  1851 

"  1851 

"   "  1851 


Studies. 
Latin,  English, 
grammar,   geogra- 
phy, arithmetic, 
philosophy,  pen- 
manship, declama- 
tion, etc. 


Grammar,  arithme- 
tic, geography, 
reading,  writing, 
spelling,  declama- 
tion, etc. 


Arithmetic,  reading, 
spelling,  writing, 
and  declamation. 


From  the  alphabet 
to  reading,  spell- 
ing, and  writing. 


188 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society, 


George  Big  River 12 

Henry  Lagotrie 11 

John  Solomon,  2d 6 

Francis  Whitedeer 9 

James  Baltrice 13 

William  Deskin 8 

Robert  Sergket 16 

Nathan  Scarritt 12 

Edward  Scarritt 10 

John  Charles 16 

John  Coon 16 

Charles  Barnet 9 

Joe  Richardson 7 

George  Williams 16 

Isaac  Frost 20 

Albert  Solomon 11 

George  Luke 12 


Wyandot Oct.,  1850 

Pottawatomie. .  April,  1860 

Wyandot "  1860 

Shawnee June,  1850 

Sept.,  1848 

June,  1850 

"       "  1850 

Mar.,  1849 

"       "  1849 

Wyandot Oct.,  1850 

"  1850 

Shawnee Feb.,  1850 

Ottawa Oct.,  1850 

Wyandot "  1850 

Jan.,  1851 

Mar.,  1851 

Delaware Oct.,  1850 


From  the  alphabet 
,  to  reading-,  spell- 
r      ing,  and  writing. 


Teachers— Mrs.  M. 


Female  Department. 

J.  Peery  and  Mrs.  A.  E. 
Col.  Wm.  M.  Chick). 


Chick  (the  wife  of 


Names. 

Stella  A.  Harvey 

Sally  Bluejacket,  1st . 
Mary  A.  Anderson . . . 
Elizabeth  Johnson  . . . 

Emily  Bluejacket 

Sophia  Green 

Susan  Bluejacket . . . . 

Hannah  Wells 

Rosalie  Robetaille 

Margaret  Peery 

Sarah  Driver 

Sally  Bluejacket,  2d  . 

Caty  P.  Scarritt 

Catharine  Donaldson. 
Rebecca  Donaldson.. . 

Nancy  Green 

Susan  Wolfe 

Elizabeth  Robbins  . . . 

Louisa  Shigget 

Sarah  Sarahas 

Elizabeth  Robetaille.. 
Mary  A.  Wolfe 

Ellen  Miller 

Eleanor  Richardson . . 

Sarah  Armstrong 

Eliza  Armstrong 

Mary  Armstrong 

Mary  Solomon 

Susan  Buck 

Frances  Williams  .  . . . 

Sarah  Sharlow 

Philomene  Lagottrie . 

Rosalie  Lagottrie 

Susan  Driver 

Ella  Dougherty 

Mary  Hill 

Sarah  Hill 

Emma  Williams 

Mary  Williams 


Age. 
12 

IL 

11 

15 
12 
11 
10 
13 
10 
13 
15 


Tribe. 

Omaha 

Shawnee 

Pottawatomie. 
Shawnee 


Ottawa . . 
Shawnee. 


Wyandot. 
Delaware 
Wyandot. 


Entered. 

Sept.,  1846 

Feb.,  1849 

Oct.,  1848 

May,  1847 

June,  1844 

Oct.,  1847 

Mar.,  1849 

Dec,  1847 

Jan.,  1851 

Aug.,  1844 

Feb.,  1851 

8    Shawnee Mar.,  1849 

8  "       Oct.,  1848 

10  "       "  1848 

7  "       "  1848 

11  Ottawa "        1849 

11  "       April,   1849 

10  "       "        1849 

15  Delaware July,     1850 

13  Wyandot Sept.,  1850 

7  "       "        1850 

16  Ottawa April,   1851 

7  "       July,  1850 

6  "       "  1850 

12  Wyandot "  1850 

10  "       "  1850 

8  "       "        1850 

8  "       Sept.,   1850 

10  "       Feb.,    1851 

14  "       Sept.,  1850 

6  "       Mar.,    1851 

9  Mohawk "        1851 

6  "        "        1851 

14    Wyandot April,   1851 

8  Shawnee Oct.,     1849 

9  Wyandot "        1850 

11  "       "        1850 

12  "        "        1850 

16  "       "        1850 


Grammar,  arith- 
metic, geography, 
reading,  writing, 
and  needlework. 


Arithmetic,  geog- 
raphy, reading, 
writing,  and 
needlework. 


From  the  alphabet 
to  reading,  spell- 
ing, and  needle- 
work. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        189 

Sally  Bluejacket,  3d...  6    Shawnee Sept.,  1850 

Mary  L.  Scarritt 6  "       May,  1849 

Anna  Scarritt 4  "       Sept.,  1850      From  the  alphabet 

Nancy  Barnet 6  "       May,  1849    L    to  reading,  speii- 

MaryJ.  Owens 10  "         Sept.,    1850    f      ing.  and  needle- 

Caty  Whitedeer 7  "       July,     1850    |     "^     ' 

Mary  E.  Ward 7    Peoria Sept.,  1849    I 

Susan  Miller 13    Ottawa April,  1849  J 

Total  number  in  the  female  department 47 

Total  number  in  the  male  department 53 

Total  number  in  both  departments 100 

(Report  Unites  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1851,  pp.  87,  88.) 

The  report  for  the  year  1854  shows  that  105  children  were  in  attendance, 
divided  among  the  tribes  as  follows:  Shawnee,  49;  Delaware,  19;  Wyandot, 
14;  Ottawa,  23,  but  none  from  the  Kickapoo,  Kaw,  Pottawatomie  or  Peoria 
tribes."  The  treaty  was  made  this  year,  and  the  manual  feature  closed. 
The  shops  were  disposed  of  and  disappeared.  In  1858  a  brick  one  was  still 
standing,  and  used  as  a  stable.  The  report  of  1855  shows  that  but  two  tribes 
besides  the  Shawnees  sent  children  to  the  school,  the  Ottawas  22,  and  the 
Wyandots  10.  Two  Spanish  boys,  rescued  from  the  Cheyennes  by  General 
Whitfield, ^2  were  in  attendance;  also  one  small  Sioux  boy— 122  in  all.  The 
report  indicates  progress,  and  notices  a  disposition  among  the  Shawnees  to 
improve  and  fit  themselves  to  live  among  the  white  people.  *^ 

Thomas  Johnson's  last  report  as  superintendent  of  the  institution  is  headed 
"Shawnee  manual-labor  school,  Kansas,  September  6,  1862,"  and  is  ad- 
dressed to  Maj.  James  B.  Abbott,  Indian  agent.  It  contains  the  following 
information:  During  the  past  year,  closing  with  the  present  month,  fifty- 
two  Shawnee  children  were  in  attendance— twenty-six  males  and  twenty-six 
females— ages  from  seven  to  sixteen;  taught  ordinary  English  branches; 
health  unusually  good.  The  parents  and  guardians  manifest  interest  in  the 
children.  The  average  attendance  has  been  thirty.  Among  the  names  are 
those  of  Wm.  M.  Whiteday,  John  Bigbone,  Hiram  Blackfish,  Martha  Prophet, 
Wm.  Prophet,  and  Emma  Chick  (Emma  Chick  Moon,  daughter  of  Wm. 
Chick,  of  Glenwood,  Kan.)  Major  Abbott  gives  the  following  account  of 
his  visit  to  the  school: 

"I  found  the  children  tidy,  well  clothed,  and  apparently  well  fed.  Their 
head  teacher,  Mr.  Meek,  appeared  to  possess  their  confidence  and  affection. 
They  appeared  happy  and  contented,  take  a  deep  interest  in  their  studies, 
and  will  compare  favorably  with  white  scholars.  This  school  is  sustained 
entirely  out  of  the  Shawnee  school  fund."  "J 

The  school  was  abandoned  soon  after,  perhaps  the  following  year.  Ma- 
jor Abbott,  in  his  report  for  1864,  says : 

"There  are  no  regular  missionaries  in  this  agency,  but  there  is  preaching 
almost  every  Sabbath  from  the  Methodist  denomination.  There  are  also 
three  or  four  Shawnees  who  preach  occasionally  to  their  brethren  in  their 
own  language. ' ' 

Note  41.—  Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1854.  p.  316. 
Note  42.—  Gen.  John  W.  Whitfield  was  in  charge  of  the  Upper  Platte  agency  in  1855. 
Note  43. —  Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1855,  p.  413. 
Note  44.— Id..  1862,  pp.  Ill,  113. 


190  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Thus  came  to  a  close  the  most  prominent  Indian  mission  estabHshed  by 
the  Methodist  church  in  the  territory  of  Kansas.  The  mission  had  a  dura- 
tion of  about  thirty-three  years,  a  school  being  maintained  during  that  period, 
and  the  manual-training  school  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years.  The  Indian 
school  at  Lawrence,  the  magnificent  Haskell  Institute,  which  I  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  visiting,  is  in  its  system  of  work  and  its  various  departments  of 
manual  training,  very  similar  to  the  manual-labor  school  established  by 
Thomas  Johnson  at  Shawnee  Mission  nearly  half  a  century  before. 

This  manual-labor  school  is  said  to  have  been  the  initiation  of  the  effort 
to  teach  industrial  pursuits  to  Indian  children,  which,  being  followed  by  other 
societies  and  by  the  government  of  the  United  States,  to-day  constitutes  so 
prominent  a  feature  in  the  work  of  Indian  civilization.  Finley  with  the 
Wyandots  and  McCoy  with  the  Pottawatomies  had  used  similar  methods  of 
instruction. 

It  has  been  said  that,  when  the  Church  South  abandoned  Shawnee  Mis- 
sion, although  the  government  had  granted  the  land  to  the  church,  the  title 
had  been  made  out  in  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson's  name,  so  that  he  possessed 
himself  of  all  the  mission  grounds  and  divided  it  among  his  children  before 
his  death. 

Rev.  Joab  Spencer,  who  was  a  very  close  friend  of  Mr.  Johnson,  makes 
the  following  explanation: 

"In  the  treaty  of  1854,  the  Shawnee  Indians  gave  one  section  of  their 
land  to  Thomas  Johnson,  and  two  sections  and  $10,000  in  ten  annual  pay- 
ments to  the  church,  for  the  education,  board  and  clothing  of  a  certain  number 
of  children  for  the  term  of  ten  years.  For  prudential  reasons  the  treaty 
shows  that  all  three  sections  were  granted  to  the  church,  but  with  the  under- 
standing that  the  church  was  to  deed  one  section  to  Mr.  Johnson.  After 
the  treaty,  Mr.  Johnson  proposed  to  the  mission  board  to  do  the  work 
named  in  the  treaty  for  one  section  of  the  church's  land  and  $1000  a  year, 
thus  leaving  one  section  to  the  church  clear  of  all  trouble  and  expense.  He 
carried  out  the  contract  with  the  church  and  government  for  five  or  six 
years,  and  then  the  war  closed  the  school,  though  A.  S.  Johnson  continued 
to  live  there. 

"  When  I  went  there,  in  1858,  there  were  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  chil- 
dren in  the  school.  A.  S.  Johnson^^  ^vas  in  charge  of  the  farm  and  school. 
Miss  Mary  Hume  was  teacher  and  Miss  Anna  Shores  matron. 

' '  The  war  came,  and  the  government  decided  to  confiscate  the  whole  tract- 
all  three  sections.  The  Johnsons  were  at  a  heavy  expense  defending.  They 
were  loyal,  and,  on  establishing  valuable  and  acquired  interest,  through  the 
influence  of  Senator  James  H.  Lane,  they  succeeded  in  having  all  three  sec- 
tions patented  to  them.  To  save  the  church's  interest,  Mr.  Johnson  secured 
patents  to  all  and  settled  with  the  church  for  its  interest,  paying,  I  think, 
$7500." 

It  remains  only  to  tell  of  the  old  mission  as  it  stands  to-day.     The  old 

Note  45.— Col.  Alexander  Soule  Johnson  was  born  at  the  old  Shawnee  Mission,  in 
Wyandotte  county,  Kansas,  July  11,  1832.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Prudence  C.  Funk,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.  Two  boys  and  two  girls  were  born  of  the  marriage,  all  of 
whom  are  dead  except  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Fargo,  of  Dallas,  Tex.  Colonel  Johnson  made  his  home 
in  Johnson  county  till  1870,  when  he  moved  to  Topeka.  His  first  wife  died  in  1874,  and  in  1877 
he  married  Miss  Zippie  A.  Scott,  of  Manchester,  N.  H.  Colonel  Johnson  was  a  member  of  the 
lower  house  of  the  first  territorial  legislature,  when  his  father  was  president  of  the  council. 
Colonel  Johnson  was  the  youngest  member,  being  but  twenty-three  years  old. 

Alexander  S.  Johnson  was  commissioned  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Thirteenth  infantry.  Kan- 
sas state  militia,  October  13.  1863,  and  served  in  the  Price  raid,  in  October,  1864.  He  organized 
company  D,  Thirteenth  Kansas  state  militia,  at  Eastport,  Johnson  county,  September  19,  1863, 
of  which  he  was  captain. —  See  Adjutant-general's  Report,  1864,  1st  pt.,  pp.  103,  104. 

In  1866-'67  Colonel  Johnson  served  in  the  state  legislature  as  a  member  from  Johnson  county. 
In  1867  he  was  appointed  land  commissioner  of  the  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  road.  He  remained  in  that 
position  till  the  spring  of  1870.  He  entered  the  land  department  of  the  Santa  Fe  road  in  1874. 
In  1890  he  resigned  this  position  and  retired  from  active  business.  Colonel  Johnson  died  at  Dallas, 
Tex.,  December  9,  1904.     His  remains  were  brought  to  Topeka. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        191 

building  with  the  white  posts,  on  the  north  side  of  the  road,  has  been  entirely 
remodeled  inside,  but  the  outward  appearance  of  the  place  remains  the 
same.  In  front  of  it  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque,  old-fashioned  yards  to 
be  found  in  the  state.  The  trees,  the  shrubbery  and  the  shape  of  the  yard 
are  all  old-fashioned.  Up  from  the  gate  to  the  wide  porch  that  runs  along 
the  entire  south  side  of  the  building  is  a  walk  made  of  stone  slabs.  It  is 
uneven  still,  though  the  thousands  of  feet  that  have  trod  its  stones  have 
worn  down  the  sharp  points.  Many  moccasined  feet,  and  many  feet  shod 
with  boots  and  shoes,  and  some  unshod,  have  passed  over  it  in  the  sixty- 
seven  years  of  its  existence.  The  two  large  buildings  on  the  south  side  are 
still  standing.  The  plaster  has  fallen  in  spots  from  the  ceilings  and  walls, 
disclosing  the  laths  beneath.  These  laths  were  all  hewn  with  hatchets  and 
knives  from  the  saplings  of  the  forests.  They  were  about  twice  the  thick- 
ness of  the  modern  lath,  and  far  more  substantial.  The  old  spring  is  still 
there,  and  flows  with  undiminished  volume  to  this  day.  Fragments  of  the 
iron  pipe  which  conveyed  the  water  from  this  spring  yet  remain. 

The  mission  cemetery  is  a  place  of  interest.  It  stands  on  the  top  of  the 
hill,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  southeast  of  the  mission  buildings.  The  place  may 
be  found  by  the  clump  of  evergreens  and  other  trees  that  mark  it.  It  is 
enclosed  by  a  stone  wall  which  Joseph  Wornal  and  Alex.  S.  Johnson  put 
up  some  years  ago.  To  this  place  the  body  of  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  was 
brought  for  burial,  after  his  foul  assassination  by  bushwhackers  in  1865. 
His  wife  and  a  brother  and  seven  of  his  children  and  some  of  his  grand- 
children are  buried  here.  Outside  the  wall  were  other  graves,  some  marked 
and  some  unmarked.  Many  of  the  stone  and  marble  slabs  have  toppled 
over  and  are  being  buried  underneath  the  soil.  Among  the  graves  outside 
the  wall  is  that  of  Mrs.  J.  C.  Berryman. 

Among  the  graves,  that  of  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  is  the  most  conspicu- 
ous. It  is  marked  by  a  marble  shaft  which  was  put  up  by  his  family  shortly 
after  the  war,  and  which  bears  this  inscription : 

"Rev.  Thomas  Johnson, 

The  Devoted  Indian  Missionary. 

Born  July  11,  1802. 

Died  Jan.  2,  1865. 

He  built  his  own  monument,  which  shall  stand  in  peerless  beauty  long 

after  this  marble  has  crumbled  into  dust— 

A  Monument  of  Good  Works." 

THE  SHAWNEE  MISSION  REORGANIZED  BY  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH. 

At  the  time  of  the  division  of  the  church,  in  1845,  as  already  stated,  all 
its  Indian  missions  were  carried  into  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Kansas  was  not  slave  territory,  and  that  the 
Indians  had  little  to  do  with  slavery.  The  location  of  the  missions  were 
mostly  contiguous  to  pro-slavery  communities,  thus  making  it  difficult  for 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  to  exert  much  influence.  It,  therefore,  sus- 
pended its  operations  in  Kansas  from  1845  to  1848.  A  convention  was  called 
at  Spring  river,  December  25,  1845,  Anthony  Bewley,  chairman,  to  decide 
what  could  be  done  for  the  few  who  remained  in  Missouri  faithful  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  After  the  organization  of  the  Missouri  con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  1848,  an  effort  was  made  to 
reestablish   our  work  among  the  Shawnees.     The  veteran  pioneer,   Rev. 


192  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Abraham  Still,"  although  a  Southerner  by  birth  and  rearing,  remained  true 
to  the  church,  and  was  appointed  to  the  charge.  A  site  was  selected  upon 
the  Wakarusa,^'  near  the  mouth  of  that  stream  which  gives  name  to  the  first 
war  in  Kansas  history.  Some  progress  was  made  in  preparing  a  farm,  and 
cheap  buildings  were  erected  and  a  small  school  opened.  The  appointments 
for  1849  read:  "Platte  Mission  district,  Abraham  Still,  presiding  elder: 
Indian  mission,  Thomas  B.  Markham  and  Paschal  Fish."  In  1851  Henry 
Reeder  and  Paschal  Fish  were  appointed.  In  1857  the  work  of  our  three 
Indian  missions  —  Wyandot,  Delaware,  and  Shawnee— seems  to  have  been 
combined  and  four  preachers  appointed  to  serve  them,  viz.,  Abraham  Still, 
M.  T.  Klepper,  Paschal  Fish,  and  Charles  Ketchum.  In  1853^8  the  appoint- 
ments were  the  same,  except  that  J.  M.  Chivington  took  the  place  of  M.  T. 
Klepper. 

In  1854  Kansas  became  a  territory,  and  Rev.  W.  H.  Goode  was  appointed 
to  the  Kansas  and  Nebraska  district  and  Shawnee  Mission.  In  "Outposts 
of  Zion,"  p.  279,  he  says: 

"It  was  accordingly  arranged  that  I  should,  in  addition  to  the  general 
charge  [of  the  work  among  the  white  settlers] ,  be  appointed  to  the  Shawnee 
mission,  thus  giving  me  the  occupancy  of  the  mission  farm  and  buildings 
upon  Wakarusa,  already  described,  with  a  young  man  as  my  colleague  who 
should  make  his  home  with  me  and  perform  the  principal  labors  of  the  mis- 
sion. ' ' 

The  young  man  sent  was  Rev.  James  S.  Griffing,^"  whose  son,  Wm.  J. 
GrifRng,  still  lives  at  Manhattan,  where  I  became  acquainted  with  him  some 
years  ago,  and  who  is  an  honored  member  of  the  Historical  Society. 

It  was  in  October,  1854,  that  Mr.  Goode  received  this  appointment,  which 
proved  to  be  a  disappointment.     Mr.  Goode  continues  (on  page  286) : 

"Here  (at  Hannibal,  Mo.,  the  seat  of  the  conference)  a  disappointment 
met  me,  rarely  equaled  in  my  life.  The  understanding  already  had  for  our 
occupancy  of  the  mission  premises  among  the  Shawnees  has  been  stated. 
Toward  that  point  I  was  tending.  On  reaching  Hannibal  I  learned  that  the 
title  of  the  farm  and  improvements  had  been  transferred  to  an  Indian,  who 
wished  to  lay  his  large  claim  or  head-right,  under  the  late  treaty,  so  as  to 
embrace  these  premises.  It  had  been  sold  and  his  notes  taken;  possession 
to  be  given  in  the  spring.  Here  I  was  brought  to  a  stand,  on  my  way  with 
a  large  family  to  the  frontier— winter  just  at  hand,  and  no  shelter  in  view." 

Mr.  Goode  applied  to  the  Wyandots  for  a  home  among  them,  visited  the 
council-house,  obtained  a  hearing,  and  the  chiefs,  after  a  brief  consultation, 

Note  46.— Abraham  Still  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1792,  entering  the  Holston  conference 
in  1819.  He  moved  to  Missouri  in  1837,  and  entered  the  Missouri  conference.  He  died  December 
13.  1869.  at  CentropoHs,  Kan.-Goode's  Outposts  of  Zion,  p.  253;  Autobiography  of  A.  T.  Still. 

Note  47.—  The  site  was  on  section  8,  town  13,  range  21,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Douglas 
county. —  Oscar  J.  Richards,  of  Eudora. 

Note  48.—  Dr.  Andrew  T.  Still  says  that  in  May,  1853,  he  and  his  wife,  Mary  M.  Vaughn,  to 
whom  he  was  married  January  29,  1849,  by  Lorenzo  Waugh,  moved  to  the  Wakarusa  mission,  six 
miles  east  of  Lawrence.  Here  his  wife  taught  the  Shawnee  children,  while  he  attended  to  the 
mission  farm,  breaking  ninety  acres  of  land  before  August.  He  also  assisted  his  father,  Rev. 
Abraham  Still,  in  doctoring  the  Indians,  some  of  whom  had  the  cholera.  Mrs.  Still  died  Septem- 
ber 29,  1859.— Autobiography  of  A.  T.  Still,  Kirksville,  Mo.,  1897,  p.,  60. 

Note  49.— A  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Griffing  will  be  found  in  Kansas  Historical  Society 
Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  134.  Mrs.  J.  Augusta  Griffing,  the  widow  of  Rev.  James  S.  Griffing,  died 
at  Manhattan,  Kan.,  February  21,  1906.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Silas  Goodrich, 
of  Owego.  Tioga  county.  New  York,  and  was  born  January  26,  1829.  She  was  married  to  Rev. 
James  S.  Griffing  in  Owego,  September  13,  1855,  and  came  to  Kansas  immediately,  locating  on  a 
claim  two  miles  east  of  Topeka,  that  her  husband  had  preempted  the  year  before.  She  was  a 
cheerful  helpmeet  in  the  labors  of  an  itinerant  Methodist  minister. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        193 

gave  their  consent.  He  rented  for  a  year  a  small  farm  in  the  heart  of  the 
tribe,  with  a  brick  house,  orchard,  and  other  accommodations.  The  owner 
was  a  blind  Indian,  of  the  Zane  stock. 

In  1855  only  two  missions  were  supplied  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  — the  Delaware  and  Wyandot  —  served  by  J.  H.  Dennis,  Charles 
Ketchum,  and  one  supply. 

Among  the  many  traditions  held  by  the  Shawnee  Indians  was  one  about 
the  creation.  In  all  essential  points  it  agreed  well  with  the  account  given 
in  Genesis,  up  to  the  flood.  Soon  after  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  began  his 
work  at  the  mission,  at  a  meeting  of  their  council  a  committee  of  leading 
Indians  was  appointed  to  hear  him  preach,  and  report  to  the  next  council. 
Accordingly  the  committee  were  at  the  next  Sunday  service  to  hear  the 
missionary.  Knowing  of  this  tradition,  Mr.  Johnson  preached  on  the  crea- 
tion. When  the  committee  made  their  report,  it  was  that  the  missionary 
knew  what  they  knew,  only  much  better,  and  the  council  decided  to  receive 
the  missionary  and  his  message.''" 

Early  in  his  operations  he  began  the  translation  of  parts  of  the  Gospel 
into  the  Shawnee  language.  This  work  had  to  be  done  through  native  in- 
terpreters, though  not  Christians.  Mr.  Johnson  said  that  the  first  thing 
that  seemed  to  make  a  deep  impression  on  them,  and  especially  on  Paschal 
Fish,  who  afterwards  became  a  leader  in  Christian  work  and  a  missionary 
to  other  tribes,  was  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus. 

Many  of  their  traditions  have  so  striking  a  resemblance  to  Bible  narra- 
tives and  customs,  that  Captain  Parks,  head  chief,  seemed  to  think  they 
had  descended  from  the  Israelites.  He  was  a  Freemason,  and  he  told  Rev. 
Mr.  Spencer,  missionary,  that  the  Indians  had  always  had  a  form  of  Masonry 
almost  exactly  like  ours. 

THE  KAW  MISSION. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  of  Rev.  Alexander  McAlister,  pre- 
siding elder  of  the  Cape  Girardeau  district,  to  Rev.  Jesse  Greene,  presiding 
elder  of  the  Missouri  district,  which  embraced  the  western  portion  of  Mis- 
souri and  the  Indian  country,  will  exhibit  the  inception  of  that  enterprise 
for  the  education  of  the  Indians  on  our  western  frontier.  Says  McAlister, 
under  date  of  April  2,  1830: 

"I  have  just  time  to  write  a  few  lines  by  Brother  Peery,  in  which  I  wish 
to  call  your  attention  to  the  Kaw  Indians  on  your  frontiers.  Col.  Daniel 
[Morgan]  Boone,  who  is  the  government's  farmer  among  those  Indians, 
married  Mr."''  McAlister 's  sister,  which  circumstance  has  led  to  a  corre- 
spondence between  him  and  myself  and  the  government's  agent  of  those 
Indians.  Boone  is  among  them,  perhaps  thirty  or  forty  miles  from  Fort 
Osage.  He  promises  to  do  all  he  can  for  the  support  of  a  school  among 
that  tribe.  The  agent  also  promised  to  assist  as  far  as  he  can,  and  informs 
me  that  the  Kaw  Indians,  according  to  the  provisions  of  a  treaty  with  the 

Note  50.  — "Considerable  stress  has  been  laid  upon  the  traditions  of  the  Indians,  some  of 
which  have  been  thought  to  favor  the  idea  of  their  descent  from  Israel ;  but  it  is  probable  that 
none  have  ever  become  acquainted  with  the  traditions  of  any  tribe  until  after  the  tribe  had  de- 
rived some  notions  of  Christianity  from  white  men."— Isaac  McCoy,  History  of  Baptist  Indian 
Missions,  1840,  introductory  remarks,  p.  14. 

Note  51.— It  is  possible  that  this  should  read  "Mrs."  McAlister's  sister,  as  Mr.  Cone  says, 
in  Capital  article  of  August  27,  1879,  "Col.  Daniel  M.  Boone  was  married  to  Sarah  E.  Lewis  in 

1800." 

-13 


194  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

government,  have  a  considerable  sum  of  money'-  set  apart  to  support 
schools  among  themselves,  and  the  agent  advises  us  to  get  in  there  imme- 
diately and  secure  that  fund,  and  improve  it  to  their  benefit.  I  think  you 
might  visit  them  and  know  all  about  it  soon,  and  perhaps  get  some  pious 
young  man  to  go  and  commence  a  school  among  them  before  conference. ' ' 

The  Brother  Peery  by  whom 
this  letter  was  sent  to  his  pre- 
siding elder  was  Rev.  E.  T. 
Peery,  who  at  this  time  had 
charge  of  the  Missouri  circuit. 
At  the  conference  held  in  St. 
Louis  the  September  following, 
two  missionary  appointments 
for  Kansas,  as  we  have  already 
stated,  were  made  — Rev. 
Thomas  Johnson  to  the  Shaw- 
nees,  and  Rev.  William  Johnson 
totheKaws.  Rev.  William  John- 
son was  born  in  Nelson  county, 
Virginia,  February  2,  1805,  and 
removed  with  his  father  to  Mis- 
souri in  1825,  the  year  in  which 
REV.  JOHN  THOMPSON  PEERY,  the    Kaw  reservation  was   laid 

For  eight  years  missionary  to  the  Indians.  ^^^^  ^^  ^Yie  Kansas  river. 

Just  previous  to  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Johnson  as  missionary  to  the 
Kaws,  the  main  body  of  that  tribe  was  living  in  a  large  village  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Kansas  river  directly  below  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue,  in  Pot- 
tawatomie county.  Five  years  before,  their  lands  had  been  curtailed,  the 
eastern  boundary  had  been  placed  sixty  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  state  line. 
By  the  same  treaty  twenty-three  half-breed  Kaw  children  were  each  given 
a  mile  square  of  land  fronting  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Kansas  river,  and 
running  for  length  eastwardly  from  the  Kaw  reserve  proper,  now  the 
western  boundary  of  Soldier  township,  Shawnee  county,  to  about  four  miles 
east  of  the  Delaware,  in  Jefferson  county.  The  same  treaty  provided  a 
blacksmith  and  farmer  for  the  tribe,  who,  together  with  the  agent,  located, 
about  1827,  on  what  they  probably  thought  was  the  easternmost  half-breed 
allotment.  No.  23,  but  they  were  really  situated  just  east  of  the  line,  on  land 
which  had  been  given  the  Delawares.  By  1830  quite  a  little  settlement  had 
grown  up  here  and  in  the  neighborhood,  of  agency  officers,  half-breed  families 
and  a  few  Indians,  among  the  last  was  the  family  of  White  Plume,  the  head 
chief  of  the  tribe,  while  Fred.  Chouteau's  trading-post  was  just  south  of  the 
river.  It  was  at  this  settlement,  ^3  it  has  been  suggested,  that  Mr.  Johnson 
began  his  first  missionary  work,  in  December,  1830. 

Note  52.— "Out  of  the  lands  herein  ceded  by  the  Kanzas  nation  to  the  United  States,  the 
commissioner  aforesaid,  in  behalf  of  the  said  United  States,  doth  further  covenant  and  agree 
that  thirty-six  sections  of  good  lands  on  the  Big  Blue  river  shall  be  laid  out  under  the  direction 
of  the  president  of  the  United  States,  and  sold  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund,  to  be  applied, 
under  the  direction  of  the  president,  to  the  support  of  schools  for  the  education  of  the  Kanzas 
children  within  their  nation."— Article  5,  treaty  with  the  Kansa,  1825,  in  Indian  Affairs,  Laws, 
and  Treaties,  1904,  vol.  2,  p.  223. 

Note  53.—  Regarding  the  situation  of  the  first  Kaw  agency.  Daniel  Boone,  a  son  of  Daniel 
Morgan  Boone,  government  farmer  to  the  Kaws,  says,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  W.  W.  Cone,  dated  West- 
port,  Mo.,  August  11,  1879:  "Fred.  Chouteau's  brother  established  his  trading-post  across  the 
river  from  my  father's  residence  the  same  fall  we  moved  to  the  agency,  in  the  year  1827.     The 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        195 

MAP  DRAWN  BY  JOHN  C.  McCOY. 
Observe  that  this  map  is  drawn  upside  down.     Top  is  south. 


Kaw  agency,  1827. 
Section  4,  township  12,  range  19  east. 


"  The  situation  was  somewhat  as  above  - 


Kaw  half -bleed  allotment  No.  23.  of 
Joseph  James,  1825. 
I  Thos.  R.  Bayne,  1854, 

I  mean  of  the  agency," 


This  same  year  the  Kaw  Indians  removed  from  their  old  village  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Blue  and  located  in  three  villages,  each  named  for  its  own  chief,. 
a  little  east  of  the  present  post  village  of  Valencia,  in  Shawnee  county^ 
one  north  and  the  other  two  south  of  the  Kansas  river,  near  Mission  creek. 
Here  Fred.  Chouteau  moved  his  trading-post  the  same  year.  Mr.  W.  W, 
Cone,  of  Brandsville,  Mo.,  to  whom  I  am  greatly  indebted,  says  in  his  splen- 
did article  entitled  "The  First  Kaw  Indian  Mission"  (published  in  volumes 
1  and  2  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Society's  Collections),  that  William  John- 
son pursued  his  mission  work  among  the  Indians  of  these  three  villages  from 
1830  to  1832.  He  cannot  quote  his  authority  for  this  statement,  but  thinks  it 
is  based  on  sufficient  grounds  for  belief.  The  fact,  however,  that  "seven 
whites"  appear  to  have  attended  the  mission  school  during  that  period,  and 

land  reserved  for  the  half-breeds  belonged  to  the  Kaws.  The  agency  was  nearly  on  the  line  in- 
side the  Delaware  land,  and  we  lived  half-mile  east  of  this  line,  on  the  bank  of  the  river." 

Survey  23,  the  property  of  Joseph  James,  was  the  most  easterly  of  the  Kaw  half-breed  lands. 
The  first  Delaware  land  on  the  Kansas  river  east  of  this  survey  is  section  4,  township  12,  range  19 
east ;  hence  the  site  of  the  old  agency.  August  16,  1879,  Mr.  Cone  and  Judge  Adams,  piloted  by 
Thos.  R.  Bayne,  owner  of  survey  No.  23,  visited  the  site  of  the  agency.  In  the  Topeka  Weekly 
Capital  of  August  27  Mr.  Cone  says :  "  We  noticed  on  the  east  of  the  dividing  line,  over  on  the 
Delaware  land,  the  remains  of  about  a  dozen  chimneys,  although  Mr.  Bayne  says  there  were  at 
least  twenty  when  he  came  there,  in  1854." 

John  C.  McCoy,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Cone,  dated  August,  1879,  says  :  "I  first  entered  the  terri- 
tory August  15,  1830.  ...  At  the  point  described  in  your  sketch,  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Kansas  river,  seven  or  eight  miles  above  Lawrence,  was  situated  the  Kansas  agency.  I  recollect 
the  following  persons  and  families  living  there  at  that  date,  viz.:  Marston  G.  Clark,  United 
States  sub-Indian  agent,  no  family ;  Daniel  M.  Boone,  Indian  farmer,  and  family ;  Clement  Lessert, 
interpreter,  family,  half-breeds  ;  Gabriel  Phillibert,  government  blacksmith,  and  family  (whites); 
Joe  Jim,  Gonvil,  and  perhaps  other  half-breed  families.  ...  In  your  sketch  published  in 
the  Capital  you  speak  of  the  stone  house  or  chimney,  about  two  miles  northwest  of  the  Kansas 
agency.  That  was  a  stone  building  built  by  the  government  for  White  Plume,  head  chief  of  the 
Kanzans,  in  1827  or  1828.  There  was  also  a  large  field  fenced  and  broken  in  the  prairie  adjoining 
toward  the  east  or  southeast.  We  passed  up  by  it  in  1830,  and  found  the  gallant  old  chieftain  sit- 
ting in  state,  rigged  out  in  a  profusion  of  feathers,  paint,  wampum,  brass  armlets,  etc.,  at  the 
door  of  a  lodge  he  had  erected  a  hundred  yards  or  so  to  the  northwest  of  his  stone  mansion,  and  in 
honor  of  our  expected  arrival  the  stars  and  stripes  were  gracefully  floating  in  the  breeze  on  a 
tall  pole  over  him.  He  was  large,  fine-looking,  and  inclined  to  corpulency,  and  received  my 
father  with  the  grace  and  dignity  of  a  real  live  potentate,  and  graciously  signified  his  willing- 
ness to  accept  of  any  amount  of  bacon  and  other  presents  we  might  be  disposed  to  tender  him. 
In  answer  to  an  inquiry  as  to  the  reasons  that  induced  him  to  abandon  his  princely  mansion,  his 
laconic  explanation  was  simply,  'too  much  fleas.'     A  hasty  examination  I  made  of  the  house 


196  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  further  fact  that  no  white  families  were  located  at  the  upper  villages, 
would  indicate  that  his  work  was  done  at  the  Kaw  agency,  in  Jefferson  county. 
Though  he  had  no  good  interpreter,  and  the  Indians  could  speak  but  little  Eng- 
lish, some  good  impressions  were  made.  Three  white  persons  were  brought  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  those  who  attended  the  mission  school,  nine 
Indians  and  seven  whites,  made  a  good  beginning  in  leaning  to  spell  and  read. 
Mr.  Johnson  strove  hard  to  learn  their  language.  He  spent  nearly  two 
years  in  this  mission,  when  he  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  the  Delawares. 
In  1835  Maj.  Daniel  Morgan  Boone,  son  of  the  Kentucky  pioneer,  opened 
two  farms  near  the  Kaw  villages,  ^-t  It  was  this  year  that  the  Rev.  Wm. 
Johnson,  having  married  Miss  Mary  Jane  Chick,  at  her  father's  home  in 
Howard  county,  Missouri,  May  24,  1834,  received  a  second  appointment 
from  the  conference  as  a  missionary  among  the  Kaws.     During  that  summer 

justified  the  wisdom  of  his  removal.  It  was  not  only  alive  with  fleas,  but  the  floors,  doors  and 
windows  had  disappeared,  and  even  the  casings  had  been  pretty  well  used  up  for  kindling-wood. 

Mr.  Cone  gives  the  following  description  of  White  Plume's  stone  house  in  his  Capital  article 
of  August  27,  1879 :  "  Mr.  Bayne  showed  us  a  pile  of  stone  as  all  that  was  left  of  that  well-known 
landmark  for  old  settlers,  the  'stone  chimney.'  It  was  located  fifty  yards  north  of  the  present 
depot  at  Williamstown,  or  Rural,  as  it  is  now  called.  Mr.  Bayne,  in  a  letter  dated  August  12, 
says  :  '  The  old  stone  chimney  or  stone  house  to  which  you  refer  stood  on  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  29,  range  19,  when  I  came  here,  in  1854.  It  was  then  standing  intact,  except  the  roof 
and  floors,  which  had  been  burnt.  It  was  about  18  x34  and  two  stories  high.  "There  was  a  well 
near  it  walled  up  with  cut  stone,  and  a  very  excellent  job.'  "  "  _..    , 

John  T.  Irving  visited  Kansas  in  the  fall  of  1833,  and  gives  this  entertaining  account  of  his 
accidental  visit  to  White  Plume's  residence,  and  the  first  Kansas  Indian  agency  : 

"We  emerged  from  the  wood,  and  I  found  myself  again  near  the  bank  of  the  Kansas  river. 
Before  me  was  a  large  house,  with  a  court-yard  in  front.  I  sprang  with  joy  through  the  unhung 
gate,  and  ran  to  the  door.  It  was  open :  I  shouted  ;  my  voice  echoed  through  the  rooms  ;  but 
there  was  no  answer.  I  walked  in ;  the  doors  of  the  inner  chambers  were  swinging  from  their 
hinges,  and  long  grass  was  growing  through  the  crevices  of  the  floor.  While  I  stood  gazing 
around  an  owl  flitted  by,  and  dashed  out  of  an  unglazed  window  ;  again  I  shouted  ;  but  there  was 
no  answer  :  the  place  was  desolate  and  deserted.  I  afterwards  learned  that  this  house  had  been 
built  for  the  residence  of  the  chief  of  the  Kanza  tribe,  but  that  the  ground  upon  which  it  was 
situated  having  been  discovered  to  be  within  a  tract  granted  to  some  other  tribe,  the  chief  had 
deserted  it,  and  it  had  been  allowed  to  fall  to  ruin.  My  guide  waited  patiently  until  I  finished  my 
examination,  and  then  again  we  pressed  forward.  .  .  .  We  kept  on  until  near  daylight,  when 
we  emerged  from  a  thick  forest  and  came  suddenly  upon  a  small  hamlet.  The  barking  of  several 
dogs,  which  came  flying  out  to  meet  us,  convinced  me  that  this  time  I  was  not  mistaken.  A  light 
was  shining  througli  the  crevices  of  a  log  cabin  ;  I  knocked  at  the  door  with  a  violence  that  might 
have  awakened  one  of  the  seven  sleepers.  '  Who  dare— and  vot  de  devil  you  vant? '  screamed  a 
little  cracked  voice  from  within.  It  sounded  like  music  to  me.  I  stated  my  troubles.  The  door 
was  opened  ;  a  head,  garnished  with  a  red  nightcap,  was  thrust  out,  and,  after  a  little  parley,  I 
was  admitted  into  the  bedroom  of  the  man,  his  Indian  squaw,  and  a  host  of  children.  As,  how- 
ever, it  was  the  only  room  in  the  house,  it  was  also  the  kitchen.  I  had  gone  so  long  without  food 
that,  notwithstanding  what  I  had  eaten,  the  gnawings  of  hunger  were  excessive,  and  I  had  no 
sooner  mentioned  my  wants  than  a  fire  was  kindled,  and  in  ten  minutes  a  meal  (  I  don't  exactly 
know  whether  to  call  it  breakfast,  dinner,  or  supper)  of  hot  cakes,  venison,  honey  and  coff'ee  was 
placed  before  me,  and  disappeared  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning.  The  squaw,  having  seen  me 
fairly  started,  returned  to  her  couch.  From  the  owner  of  the  cabin  I  learned  that  I  was  now  at 
the  Kanza  agency,  and  that  he  was  the  blacksmith  of  the  place.  About  sunrise  I  was  awakened 
from  a  sound  sleep,  upon  a  bearskin,  by  a  violent  knocking  at  the  door.  It  was  my  Indian  guide. 
He  threw  out  broad  hints  respecting  the  service  he  had  rendered  me  and  the  presents  he  deserved. 
This  I  could  not  deny  ;  but  I  had  nothing  to  give.  I  soo^i  found  out.  however,  that  his  wants  were 
moderate,  and  that  a  small  present  of  powder  would  satisfy  him :  so  I  filled  his  horn,  and  he  left 
the  cabin  apparently  well  pleased.  In  a  short  time  I  left  the  house,  and  met  the  Kanza  agent. 
General  Clark,  a  tall,  thin,  soldier-like  man,  arrayed  in  an  Indian  hunting-shirt  and  an  old  fox- 
skin  cap.  He  received  me  cordially,  and  I  remained  with  him  all  day,  during  which  time  he  talked 
upon  metaphysics,  discussed  politics,  and  fed  me  upon  sweet  potatoes."— Indian  Sketches,  1835, 
vol.  2,  pp.  264-268. 

Note  54.  — "  .  .  .  The  Kaw  Indians  had  their  village  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue,  where 
it  empties  in  the  Kaw  river.  After  I  removed  the  trading  from  the  south  side  of  the  Boone  farm 
[Kaw  Indian  farm  in  Jefl'erson  county]  and  went  and  built  below  the  mouth  of  American  Chief 
creek,  then  the  Kaw  came  down  near  the  trading  house.  The  Fool  chief  built  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  the  Hard  chief  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  about  two  miles  then  above  the  mission, 
the  American  chief  on  the  creek.  That  was  in  1832.  As  for  the  village  you  speak  of.  about  fifteen 
miles  above  Topeka  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  there  never  was  any  village  there.  The  agent 
had  300  acres  of  land  bi-oke,  fenced  and  planted  for  them  [there]  in  1835,  and  the  Fool  chief's  village 
would  go  and  camp  there  for  a  month,  dry  corn  and  also  pumpkins,  and  gather  their  beans.  I  went 
with  the  agent  and  selected  the  most  suitable  place  for  a  field.  Also  there  was  300  acres  selected 
on  this  side  of  the  river  for  the  Hard  chief  village,  between  Hard  chief  and  the  American  Chief 
creek.     .  .     P.  S.— I  omitted  to  mention  the  name  of  the  agent  that  I  went  with  to  select 

the  most  suitable  ground  for  a  field  was  R.  W.  Cummins."— Letter  of  Frederick  Chouteau  to  W. 
W.  Cone,  dated  Westport,  May  5,  1880. 

The  following  extracts  from  Father  De  Smet's  "  Indian  Sketches  "  are  found  in  an  account 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        197 

he  erected  the  mission  buildings  on  the  northwest  corner  of  section  33, 
township  11,  range  14  east. 

The  main  building  was  a  hewed-log  cabin,  thirty-six  feet  long  and  eighteen 
feet  wide,  two  stories  high,  divided  into  four  rooms,  two  above  and  two 
below,  with  a  stone  chimney  on  the  west  end  of  the  building  on  the  outside, 
the  style  of  architecture  peculiar  to  the  people  of  the  South.  There  were 
also  a  log  kitchen,  smoke-house,  and  other  outbuildings.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Johnson  moved  into  this  house  in  September,  1835,  and  for  the  next  seven 
years  labored  faithfully  among  this  tribe.  They  both  learned  to  speak  the 
language  of  the  Kaws.  Mrs.  Johnson  was  a  daughter  of  Col.  William  M. 
Chick.     She  died  November  22,  1872. 

Early  in  March,  1842,  Rev.  William  Johnson,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
went  to  Independence,  Mo.,  to  attend  a  quarterly  meeting,  where  he  was 
taken  sick  with  pneumonia.  He  recovered  in  about  three  weeks,  having 
been  cared  for  at  the  home  of  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Ruble,  visited  Westport  and 
Shawnee  Mission,  and  then  returned  to  his  station  at  the  Kaw  mission.  In 
April  he  made  a  business  trip  to  the  Shawnee  Mission.  The  fatigue  and 
exposure  of  the  trip  of  sixty  miles  caused  a  relapse  of  the  disease,  pneu- 
monia. He  became  rapidly  worse,  and  died  April  8,  1842.  An  Indian  mes- 
senger was  dispatched  to  the  Kaw  mission  to  inform  Mrs.  Johnson  of  the 
illness  of  her  husband.  About  twenty  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the 
tribe  accompanied  her.  Mrs.  Johnson  arrived  an  hour  after  her  husband's 
death.  The  Indians,  having  pushed  on  ahead,  arrived  a  short  time  before 
the  death  of  their  beloved  teacher.  Mr.  Johnson  was  buried  at  the  Shawnee 
Mission.  The  funeral  sermon  was  preached  by  Bishop  Roberts,  at  the  con- 
ference at  Jefferson  City,  in  August,  1842.  No  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnson.  In  person  Rev.  Wm.  Johnson  was  above  medium  height 
and  well  formed.  He  had  great  influence  with  the  Kaw  Indians.  They  re- 
garded him  with  veneration.  It  was  through  his  influence  that  the  Kaws 
permitted  their  children  to  attend  the  manual-labor  school,  and  after  his 
death  the  children  were  taken  from  the  school.''^     Soon  after  the  death  of 

of  his  visit  made  to  Fool  chief's  village,  in  May.  1841 :  "As  soon  as  the  Kanzas  understood  that  we 
were  going:  to  encamp  on  the  banks  of  the  Soldier's  river,  which  is  only  six  miles  from  the  village, 
they  galloped  rapidly  away  from  our  caravan.  ...  As  for  dress,  manners,  religion,  modes  of 
making  war,  etc.,  the  Kanzas  are  like  the  savages  of  their  neighborhood,  with  whom  they  have 
preserved  peaceful  and  friendly  relations  from  time  immemorial.  In  stature  they  are  gen- 
erally tall  and  well  made.  Their  physiognomy  is  manly  ;  their  language  is  guttural  and  remark- 
able for  the  length  and  strong  accentuation  of  the  final  syllables.  Their  style  of  singing  is 
monotonous,  whence  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  enchanting  music  heard  on  the  rivers  of  Pa  a- 
guay  never  cheers  the  voyager  on  the  otherwise  beautiful  streams  of  the  country  of  the  Kanzas. 
"  With  regard  to  the  qualities  which  distinguish  man  from  the  brute,  they  are  far  from  being 
deficient.  To  bodily  strength  and  courage  they  unite  a  shrewdness  and  address  superior  to  other 
savages,  and  in  their  wars  or  the  chase  they  make  a  dexterous  use  of  firearms,  which  gives  them 
a  decided  advantage  over  their  enemies.  When  we  took  leave  of  our  hospitable  hosts,  two  of 
their  warriors,  to  one  of  whom  they  gave  the  title  of  captain,  escorted  us  a  short  distance  on  the 
road,  which  lay  through  a  vast  field  which  had  been  cleared  and  planted  for  them  by  the  United 
States,  but  which  had  been  ravaged  before  the  harvest- home." 

Note  55.— "There has  been  considerable  exertion  made  by  myself  and  the  Rev.  Wm.  John- 
son, late  a  missionary  among  them,  to  get  them  to  turn  their  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  I 
visited  them  in  March  last,  in  company  with  Mr.  Johnson,  who  resided  for  several  years  among 
them,  understood  and  spoke  their  language  well,  had  become  personally  acquainted  with,  and, 
from  a  correct,  honorable,  firm  course  of  conduct,  he  had  secured  to  himself  almost  unbounded  in- 
fluence among  them.  We  stayed  several  days  among  them  ;  most  of  that  time  we  spent  in  coun- 
cil with  the  whole  nation,  trying  to  get  them  to  raise  corn,  etc.,  enough  to  fubsist  them  during 
the  year.  They  made  very  fair  promises,  and  I  think  that  they  intended  to  comply  with  them  at 
the  time,  but,  unfortunately,  Mr.  Johnson,  on  his  way  down  to  the  manual-labor  school,  with 
eleven  Kanzas  boys,  in  company  with  me,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Wakarusa,  where  we  encamped 
for  the  night,  was  taken  sick,  of  which  he  never  recovered.  The  death  of  this  man,  whom  I  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  men  I  ever  became  acquainted  with,  was.  I  believe  the  greatest  loss  the 
Kanzas  Indians  ever  met  with.  His  last  services  expired  when  he  returned  the  eleven  Kanzas 
boys  to  the  manual-labor  school,  part  of  which  he  rendered  in  great  pain.     The  Kanzas  render 


198 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Mr.  Johnson  Rev.  G.  W.  Love  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  mission, 
but  he  remained  only  part  of  the  year.  He  preached  through  an  interpreter, 
Charles  Fish,  an  educated  Indian  belonging  to  the  school,  and  employed  by 
the  government  as  blacksmith  for  the  Kaws. 

From  the  reports  made  to  the  conference,  it  would  seem  that  our  mission 
had  but  ill  success  among  the  Kaws;  no  members  are  reported  for  the  year 
1835,  but  one  white  and  one  Indian  for  the  year  1836,  and  for  1837  three 
whites  and  one  Indian. 

In  1844  Mrs.  Wm.  Johnson 
was  married  to  Rev.  J.  T. 
Peery,5«  and  early  in  the 
spring  of  1845  Mr.  Peery  was 
sent  to  the  mission  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a 
manual-labor  school  among 
the  Kaws.  I  make  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  a  letter  of 
Mr.  Peery  to  W.  W,  Cone, 
dated  "Miami,  Saline  county, 
Missouri,  December 30, 1880," 
describing  the  mission  prem- 
ises: 

"On  the  southwest  was  a 
small  garden,  enclosed,  as  was 
the  yard,  with  spHt  palings. 
We  had  a  good  horse-lot  on 
the  east;  south  of  the  house 
was  a  field,  but  no  fence  about 
it,  perhaps  twenty  acres,  s" 
The  spring  was  very  wet  and 
unfavorable,  and  we  failed  to 
raise  a  good  crop.  The  first 
year  I  had  in  my  employ  a 
young  man  by  the  name  of 
James  Foster,  a  good  young 
man,  and  others  not  necessary 
to  mention.  The  next  year  I  was  appointed  farmer  for  the  Kaws.  We  had 
about  115  acres  of  corn.     We  herded  our  stock,  and  put  them  in  pens  at 


MRS.  MARY  JANE  JOHNSON-PEERY,  nee  CHICK, 

For  seven  years  teacher  and  matron  in  the  Kaw  mission 
school,  and  other  years  at  the  manual-labor  school. 


many  excuses  for  not  turning  their  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  the  present  year ;  the 
principal  one  is.  they  say  they  were  afraid  to  work  for  fear  the  Pawnees  would  come  on  them 
and  kill  them  all  off."  Richard  W.  Cummins,  Agent.— Report  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs, 
1842,  p.  63. 

Note  56.— Rev.  John  Thompson  Peery  was  born  in  Tazewell  county,  Virginia,  February  18, 
1817.  He  was  converted  in  1834,  and  came  with  his  father's  family  to  Grundy  county,  Missouri, 
in  the  following  year.  In  the  winter  of  1835  he  taught  school  in  Clay  county,  Missouri.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  1837.  He  labored  among  the  Kansas  Indians  during  1845  and  1846.  when  he 
was  sent  to  the  Cherokees.  The  next  year,  1848,  he  was  appointed  missionary  to  the  Wyandots, 
and,  in  1849,  was  at  the  Shawnee  manual-labor  school,  according  to  the  list  of  conference  ap- 
pointments. In  1860  he  was  transferred  to  the  Kansas  conference,  and  stationed  at  Leavenworth. 
Mr.  Peery  was  unanimously  elected  chaplain  of  the  Kansas  territorial  house  of  representatives 
on  July  16,  1855,  the  first  day  of  the  adjourned  session  at  the  manual-labor  school.  — House  Jour- 
nal, 1855,  p.  34.  Three  days  later  the  council  resolved,  "That  the  president  of  the  council  [Rev. 
Thomas  Johnson]  be  instructed  by  the  council  to  invite  Rev.  Mr.  Peery,  or  some  other  minister 
of  the  Gospel,  to  open  the  daily  sittings  of  the  council  by  prayer." — Council  Journal,  1855.  p.  39. 
He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Missouri  conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
South.  He  died  January  5.  1890,  and  is  buried  at  Drake's  chapel,  Henry  county,  Missouri.  He 
spent  thirty-eight  years  in  the  ministry. 

Note  57.  — Daniel  Boone,  son  of  the  Kaw  farmer,  wrote  Mr.  Cone,  August  18,  1879:  "I also 
broke  twenty  acres  of  the  land  referred  to  by  you  on  Mission  creek,"  the  field  mentioned  by  Mr. 
Peery. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        199 

night.  I  employed  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Clark  to  attend  to  the  farm- 
ing business.  I  also  employed  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  S.  Cornatzer,58 
who  proved  himself  to  be  a  true  and  useful  man.  He  still  lives  in  Kansas, 
I  believe.  We  raised  a  very  large  crop.  The  agent  gave  us  a  part  of  the 
crop. ' ' 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peery  kept  a  few  Indian  children  at  the  mission  and  taught 
them  through  the  first  year.     The  school  was  then  discontinued,  s" 

An  account  of  the  conversion  of  Fool  Chief  is  given  in  the  Kansas  His- 
torical Society  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  426. 

It  appears  that  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  kept  a  journal  of  at  least  a  part  of 
the  period  of  his  ministry  spent  in  Kansas.  This  journal,  covering  an  ac- 
count of  a  tour  of  visitation  of  several  of  the  missions,  was  sent  to  the  cor- 
responding secretary  of  the  mission  society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  under  date  of  August  11,  1837.  The  first  entry  is  May  4,  1837,  and 
tells  of  a  visit  to  the  Kaw  Mission: 

"May  4th  [1837].  Set  out  for  the  Kanzas  mission,  in  company  with  the 
Rev.  N.  Henry,  of  Independence  circuit.  Major  Cummins,  Indian  agent, 
and  Mr.  Cephas  Case.  The  wind  blew  very  hard  in  the  prairie,  which  ren- 
dered it  very  unpleasant  traveling.  We  stopped  early  in  the  evening  to 
camp,  as  there  was  no  good  camping-ground  in  reach  had  we  rode  until  night. 

' '  5th.  Started  early,  rode  hard  all  day,  and  got  to  the  mission  a  little 
before  night.  We  met  some  400  or  500  of  the  Kanzas  Indians  going  to  the 
white  settlements  to  beg  provisions,  for  they  had  nothing  to  eat  at  home. 
And  those  who  had  not  gone  to  the  white  settlements  to  beg  provisions  were 
nearly  all  scattered  over  the  prairies,  digging  wild  potatoes. 

' '  6th.  The  agent  called  the  principal  men  together  and  spent  the  day  in 
counseling  with  them  relative  to  the  various  interests  of  the  nation.  The 
prospect  of  these  people  is  very  gloomy;  and  it  seems  nothing  can  save 
them  from  starvation,  unless  we  can  get  them  to  adopt  the  habits  of  civil- 
ized people;  and  this  is  not  likely  to  be  done,  unless  they  can  be  brought 
under  the  influence  of  the  Christian  religion— and  this  cannot  be  done  at 
present,  for  the  want  of  suitable  means  of  access  to  them.  Oh,  that  God 
may  open  the  way,  and  speedily  give  us  access  to  these  people!  We  made 
arrangements  to  take  a  few  children  into  the  mission  family,  and  gave  each 
of  the  chiefs  the  privilege  of  furnishing  one,  either  his  own  son  or  some 
other  boy  whom  he  may  select. 

"7th.    Bro.  Henry  preached  for  us  an  interesting  sermon. 

"8th.  Started  for  home,  rode  forty  miles,  and  encamped  at  the  same 
place  where  we  camped  as  we  went  up.  I  slept  quite  comfortably,  notwith- 
standing the  ground  was  my  bed,  having  but  one  blanket  to  cover  me. 

"9th.    Got  home  and  was  glad  to  find  my  family  well. 

"13th.  Met  the  school  committee  at  the  Shawnee  Mission  to  organize  our 
school  for  another  year.  All  appear  to  act  in  harmony,  and  sustain  the 
school.  It  is,  certainly,  a  great  help  in  an  Indian  school  when  we  can  get  a 
judicious  committee  of  natives  to  take  the  responsibility  of  making  the 
rules  for  the  government  of  the  Indian  children,  and  then  to  see  that  the 
children  attend  the  school. 

"June  6th.  Bro.  A.  Monroe,  presiding  elder  of  the  Missouri  district, 
arrived,  having  been  appointed  at  our  last  conference,  in  connection  with 
Bros.  Redman  and  Henry,  to  visit  our  missions. 

"7th.  We  set  out  for  the  Peori  mission.  Had  a  pleasant  time  in  travel- 
ing through  the  prairie  and  talking  over  our  various  matters  relative  to  the 
state  of  the  church  in  the  Missouri  conference.     A  little  before  night  we 

Note  58.— Samuel  Cornatzer  was  employed  a  while  as  a  laborer  at  the  Shawnee  Mission, 
and  also  had  charge  of  the  Kaw  mission  after  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Wm.  Johnson.  About  1850 
he  married  an  Indian  j?irl  who  had  been  educated  at  the  Shawnee  Mission.  He  then  built  a 
house  and  opened  a  farm  near  the  point  where  the  Santa  Fe  road  crosses  110  Mile  creek,  Osage 
county.     He  died  a  few  years  ago  in  the  Cherokee  nation,  Indian  Territory. 

Note  59.— Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  p.  60. 


200  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

arrived  at  the  Peori  mission,  and  met  with  Bros.  Redman,  Henry,  and 
Ashby,  who  had  gone  another  route  and  got  there  before  us. 

' '  8th.  Held  meeting  twice  ;  had  a  very  interesting  meeting  in  the  even- 
ing. We  were  very  busy  all  day  in  attending  meeting,  making  out  an  in- 
voice of  mission  property,  etc. 

"9th.  We  rode  to  Shawnee  Mission.  Spent  the  principal  part  of  the  day 
discussing  various  questions  relative  to  the  financial  part  of  our  missions,  to 
see  if  our  plans  could  be  improved.  These  discussions  caused  the  time  to 
pass  off  much  more  pleasantly  than  it  generally  does  while  traveling  through 
these  extensive  prairies  alone. 

"10th.  We  met  the  Saganaw  mission;  but  few  attended  until  late  in  the 
evening.     They  then  crowded  the  house,  and  we  had  a  pleasant  time. 

"11th.  The  Sabbath.  We  held  a  love-feast  in  the  morning.  Each  re- 
lated the  dealings  of  God  with  his  own  soul,  in  his  own  language.  At  eleven 
o'clock  Bro.  Monroe  preached,  and  then  administered  the  sacrament.  We 
took  up  a  collection  for  the  poor  and  sick  of  the  church— it  amounted  to 
twenty  dollars.  At  the  close  of  the  sacramental  services  a  call  was  given 
for  mourners  to  come  forward,  and  a  considerable  number  came;  we  found 
it  expedient  to  close,  and  meet  again  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.  We  met  again 
in  the  evening.  I  have  no  doubt  that  this  two  days'  meeting  will  prove  a 
blessing  to  the  Shawnees  and  Delawares. 

' '  14th.  Met  with  the  Delawares.  After  preaching  we  had  class-meeting. 
We  were  much  edified  in  hearing  the  Delawares  tell  the  state  of  their  souls. 
What  they  said  was  interpreted  into  English,  so  that  our  visiting  brethren 
could  understand  it. 

"17th  and  18th.  Held  a  two  days'  meeting  with  the  Kickapoos.  On  the 
Sabbath  we  held  a  love-feast  in  the  morning  and  administered  the  sacrament 
at  noon.  More  than  200  communed,  and  400  or  500  were  present;  nearly  all 
appeared  affected.  It  was  to  me  a  time  of  unusual  interest,  to  see  and  hear 
the  Christian  Indians  of  different  nations,  speaking  different  languages,  all 
uniting  their  petitions  at  a  throne  of  grace,  and  all  wrought  upon  by  the 
same  spirit. 

"20th.  Brs.  Monroe,  Redman,  and  Henry,  having  closed  the  labors  for 
which  they  were  appointed,  left  us,  and  started  for  their  different  fields  of 
labor.  We  have  no  doubt  but  their  visit  to  the  missions  will  be  attended 
with  much  good;  for  1st,  it  is  well  calculated  to  strengthen  the  hands  of  the 
missionaries  to  have  their  brethren  visit  them  occasionally,  and  unite  with 
them  in  their  labors,  aid  them  by  their  counsels,  and  report  the  true  state 
of  our  missions  to  the  conference  and  to  the  world,  and  thus  save  the  mis- 
sionaries from  the  embarrassment  of  always  being  compelled  to  report  their 
own  work.  2d.  It  will,  we  have  no  doubt,  be  a  lasting  blessing  to  the  brethren 
thus  sent.  They  will,  from  their  own  observations,  be  much  better  prepared 
to  plead  the  cause  of  missions  in  their  respective  charges.  3d.  It  will  be  a 
help  to  the  Indians  to  know  that  our  brethren  feel  so  much  interest  in  their 
welfare;  that  they  have  been  influenced  to  visit  our  missions  and  unite  with 
the  missionaries  to  promote  the  cause  of  religion  among  their  people." 

"In  a  further  report, ^which  is  full  and  satisfactory,  Mr.  Johnson  states: 

'1st.  The  Shawnee  Mission  went  on  as  at  the  time  of  the  last  report. 
Pastoral  labor  was  becoming  more  arduous  and  difficult.  That  the  crops 
were  short  from  drought.     Hoped  they  should  have  a  sufficiency. 

*2d.  The  Delaware  mission  was  prospering.  The  Christian  party  was 
likely  to  be  strengthened  by  emigrants.  That  they  were  repairing  build- 
ings, organizing  schools,  and  anticipating  good  results. 

'3d.  Peori  mission.  The  principal  men  appeared  to  remain  firm,  though 
some  appearances  of  a  loss  of  zeal  and  animation  among  professors.  The 
native  leaders  faithful,  and  worthy  to  be  taken  as  examples  by  the  whites. 
A  small  school  kept  up.  The  missionaries  preach  to  different  bands  con- 
nected with  this  mission.  Many  in  the  church  who  would  do  no  disgrace  to 
any  church,  but  are  worthy  to  be  copied. 

'4th.  Kickapoo  mission.  Doing  well;  their  number  diminished  by  the 
Pottawatomies  who  were  among  them  removing  to  their  own  lands.     School 


Methodist  MissioTis  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        201 

doing  well.  The  work  increases  in  importance,  and  many  going  forward  in 
labors  of  love. 

'  5th.  Kanzas  mission.  The  missionary  had  visited  the  Osage  nation  in 
hopes  of  finding  a  good  interpreter  to  aid  in  preaching  to  the  Kanzas.  A 
few  children  under  instruction. 

'6th.  Potawattamy  mission.  More  than  100  of  Pottawatomies  joined 
at  Kickapoo  mission  and  have  recently  removed  to  their  own  lands,  request- 
ing a  missionary  may  reside  among  them.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Leach  appointed. 
He  sees  little  prospect  of  success  until  they  get  settled.'  "  —  History  of  Am. 
Missions  to  the  Heathen,  Spooner  and  Howland,  1840,  pp.  543-545,  in  back  of 
volume. 

The  report  of  the  mission  society,  from  which  the  above  extract  is  made, 
shows  that  for  the  entire  Kansas  mission  district  there  were  six  stations, 
employing  twelve  missionaries  and  five  school-teachers.  There  were  397 
members  of  the  church,  23  whites  and  374  natives,  and  78  scholars.  The 
report  says:  "These  have  already  made  delightful  progress  in  learning. 
The  people  are  advancing  in  agriculture  and  the  arts.  Let  the  friends  of 
the  missions  bless  God  and  take  courage." 

In  1846  the  government  made  another  treaty  with  the  Kaws,  by  which 
they  relinquished  their  rights  to  the  lands  on  the  Kansas  for  another  location 
at  Council  Grove,  where  they  received  a  grant  of  256,000  acres.""  A  few 
months  previous  to  the  removal  of  the  Indians  to  Council  Grove,  Mr.  Peery 
was  appointed  missionary  to  the  Cherokees,  and  Mr.  Mitchell,  government 
blacksmith  for  the  Kaws,  moved  into  the  mission  buildings,  and  resided 
there  till  the  spring  of  1847.  Then  Isaac  Mundy,  blacksmith  for  the  Potta- 
watomies, occupied  it  until  the  spring  of  1850.  At  this  time  a  half-breed 
Pottawatomie,  Joseph  Bourassa,  moved  into  it,  and  remained  there  till  1853, 
when  he  tore  the  buildings  down  and  removed  the  logs  about  one  mile 
north,  and  there  erected  another  residence.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  pic- 
tures of  our  mission  buildings,  with  two  exceptions,  are  not  in  existence. 

In  1847  the  Kaws  moved  to  their  new  reservation.  The  mission  building, 
a  picture  of  which  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  was  erected  in  1850  by 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  Funds'"  were  paid  annually  by  the 
government  for  the  support  of  the  school.  The  walls  of  the  building  are  of 
stone,  quarried  out  of  the  bluff's  near  by.  The  woodwork  is  from  the  na- 
tive timber  of  the  grove.  It  is  now  altered,  and  occupied  as  a  residence. 
Originally  it  had  eight  rooms  in  the  main  part,  and  there  were  some  out- 
buildings. At  each  end  there  are  two  large,  projecting  fireplace  chimneys. 
The  building  is  a  stone  structure  and  is  yet  in  good  repair. 

The  mission  and  school  at  Council  Grove  were  in  charge  of  T.  S.  Huffaker 
and  Rev.  Henry  Webster,  the  latter  a  Methodist  minister  from  some  place 
in  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Webster  had  charge  of  the  farming  and  stock  and  Mrs. 
Webster  presided  over  the  culinary  department.  The  school  was  in  charge 
of  Mr.  Huffaker,  who  had  previously  been  employed  several  years  as  teacher 
in  the  Shawnee  manual-labor  school.  The  school  was  attended  almost  en- 
tirely by  Indian  boys.     George  P.  Morehouse  writes  me  that— 

"The  Indians  were  never  in  sympathy  with  the  movement  and  never  al- 

NoTE  60.  — "Twenty  miles  square."— John  Maloy,  History  of  Morris  county,  ch.  2,  published  in 
The  Cosmos.  Council  Grove,  March  5.  1886. 

Note  61.- The  treaty  of  1846,  article  2,  says:  "...  One  thousand  dollars  of  the  interest 
thus  accruing  shall  be  applied  annually  to  the  purposes  of  education  in  their  own  country."  — 
Indian  Affairs,  Laws,  and  Treaties,  Washington,  1904,  vol.  2,  p.  553.  Mr.  Huffaker  says  that  the 
mission  building  at  Mission  creek  was  built  by  the  government.  When  the  Kaws  moved  it  was 
sold,  and  the  money  applied  towards  the  new  school  building  at  Council  Grove. 


202  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

lowed  their  girls  to  enter  the  school.  Indian  girls  are  betrothed  by  their 
parents  (in  fact,  sold)  when  they  are  very  young.  They  regarded  education 
and  adopting  the  ways  of  the  white  man  degrading  and  beneath  true  Indian 
caste  and  character.  With  this  opposition,  the  school  was  principally  com- 
posed of  orphan  children.  The  interpreter  was  'Wm.  Johnson,'  a  rather 
smart,  good-looking  Indian,  named  after  Rev.  Wm.  Johnson,  the  first  mis- 
sionary to  the  Kaw  or  Kansas  tribe.  I  have  been  told  that  Mr.  Johnson,  on 
his  death-bed,  after  reviewing  his  seven  years'  labor  among  the  Kaws,  said 
that  it  had  accomphshed  little,  as  he  knew  of  but  one  truly  converted  Indian, 
Sho-me-kos-see  (the  wolf).  I  understand  that  he  advised  against  further 
work  among  them."-  While  missionary  work  here  at  Council  Grove  was  not 
productive  of  much  visible  good  along  religious  lines,  yet  when  I  recently 
asked  Mr.  Huffaker  what  his  judgment  was,  he  said  it  was  difficult  to  see 
much  improvement  in  them  as  the  results  of  missions  and  schools,  except 
literary  improvement.  The  Kaws  were  a  peculiar  tribe,  very  heathenish 
and  superstitious,  and  not  nearly  as  susceptible  to  education  and  religious 
instruction  as  most  of  the  other  tribes." 

Mr.  Huffaker  has  furnished  me  the  following  account  of  the  mission  and 
its  work: 

"The  school  for  the  Kansas  Indians  at  Council  Grove  was  established  in 
the  year  1851.  The  building  was  erected  in  1850.  The  fund  for  the  build- 
ing and  maintenance  of  the  school  was  furnished  by  the  government  out  of 
funds  due  the  Indians  and  held  by  the  government  in  trust  for  this  purpose. 
Rev.  Thomas  Johnson,  of  the  Shawnee  Mission,  was  authorized  by  the  board 
of  missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  to  contract  for  the 
buildings  and  for  the  management  of  the  school.  I,  with  H.  W.  Webster, 
took  the  contract  for  the  management  of  the  school  and  farm.  Webster  was 
married;  I  was  single.  Webster  and  family  remained  one  year;  he  in  charge 
of  the  farm,  I  in  charge  of  the  school.  His  family  became  dissatisfied  so 
far  from  civilization  and  society,  and  returned  to  their  adopted  state,  and  I 
continued  the  school  until  1854.  There  was  during  this  period  a  blacksmith 
for  the  Indians  named  E.  Mosier.  The  school  averaged  about  thirty  pupils, 
all  boys.  The  Indians  did  not  receive  any  religious  instruction  at  this  time— 
I  mean  the  tribe  as  such.  Religious  observances  were  kept  in  the  school 
and  families.  The  branches  taught  were  spelling,  reading,  writing,  and 
arithmetic.  None  of  them  received  instruction  in  the  trades.  The  boys 
worked  well  on  the  farm." 

Mr.  Huffaker  was  married  in  the  old  mission  building  on  the  6th  of  May, 
1852,  to  Miss  Eliza  Baker,  the  officiating  clergyman  being  a  Rev.  Mr.  Nichol- 
son, a  missionary  on  his  way  over  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  to  Mexico,  who  was 
stopping  at  the  Kaw  mission.  Susie,  their  first  daughter,  was  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Morris  county. 

While  our  mission  work  among  the  Kaws  ceased  in  1854  with  Mr.  Huf- 
faker's  retirement  from  the  mission,  yet  he  seems  to  have  continued  his 
work  among  this  tribe  as  "farmer  for  the  Kaw  Indians,"  as  the  following 
report  to  the  commissioner  of  Indian  affairs  will  show: 

"Kansas  Agency,  September  15,  1863. 
"  Sir— I  submit  this  as  my  report  for  the  past  year  as  farmer  for  the  Kan- 
sas Indians.  The  Indians  are  still  laboring  under  the  same  disadvantages 
mentioned  in  my  last  annual  report,  the  same  insufficient  number  of  oxen, 
plows,  and  other  agricultural  implements;  but  they  have,  notwithstanding 
these  difficulties,  been  able  to  plant  more  than  300  acres  of  ground,  from 
which  they  will  gather  some  8000  or  9000  bushels  of  corn.     They  have  de- 

NOTE  62.  —  The  missionary  workers  among  the  Kaws  seem  to  have  felt  great  discouragement 
in  the  results  of  their  labors,  apparently  comparing  the  habits  and  manner  of  thought  of  this 
wholly  uncivilized  Western  tribe  with  those  of  the  half-civilized  Shawnees.  Delawares  and 
Wyandots  who  were  brought  into  this  territory  about  the  time  civilization  and  mission  work 
was  offered  to  the  Kansas.  Many  of  the  Shawnees  in  IRJO  were  half-breeds  of  good  family, 
while  amongr  the  Wyandots  the  last  full-blood  died  early  in  the  nineteenth  century. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        203 

voted  most  of  their  time  to  the  raising  of  corn,  being  better  acquainted  with 
the  culture  of  corn  than  of  other  products.  Many  famihes  have  been  unable 
to  cultivate  their  farms  as  they  should,  owing  to  the  fact  that  many  of  their 
able-bodied  men  have  gone  into  the  army,  of  whom  more  than  eighty  have 
enhsted  in  the  United  States  service  during  the  last  year.  The  Indians  are 
well  pleased  with  their  new  mode  of  life,  and  say  they  do  not  desire  to  ex- 
change their  present  mode  for  their  former.  They,  to  commence  another 
year  favorably,  should  be  furnished  with  an  additional  number  of  oxen,  plows, 
etc. ;  say  twice  the  number  they  now  have.  T.  S.  Huffaker, 

Farmer  for  Kansas  Indians." 

THE   DELAWARE   MISSION. 

The  history  of  the  Delawares  is  intimately  connected  with  that  of  the 
Shawnees.  Their  reservation  originally  extended  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Kansas  river  westward  to  the  Kaw  reservation,  and  embraced  2,208,000 
acres. ''^  It  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  Kansas  river,  a  very  fertile  section, 
and  embraced  Wyandotte,  practically  all  of  Leavenworth  and  Jefferson  and 
portions  of  Shawnee  and  Jackson  counties.  Their  reservation  fronted  on 
the  Missouri  river,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth.*'^ In  numbers  they  did  not  differ  greatly  from  the  Shawnees.  The 
Delaware  lands  were  mostly  fine  prairie  interspersed  with  good  timber. 
Their  lands  were  considered  the  most  valuable  of  all  the  territory  occupied 
by  the  Indian  tribes.  Though  the  Delawares  were  considerably  advanced  in 
agriculture,  they  had  but  little  literary  culture.  They  were  an  energetic  and 
enterprising  people. 

The  mission  among  the  Delawares  was  opened  in  1832,  Rev.  Wm.  John- 
son and  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Markham  having  been  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
the  mission  and  school.  The  first  report  of  membership  was  made  the  fol- 
lowing year— five  whites  and  twenty-seven  Indians. 

The  fifteenth  annual  report  of  the  missionary  society,  for  1834,  contains 
the  following: 

"Delaware,  a  gracious  work  of  religion— forty  church  members,  several 
of  whom  officiate  as  exhorters,  regular  in  attendance  at  preaching  and  other 
means  of  grace.  The  school  has  twenty-four  native  children,  who  are  learn- 
ing well.  In  the  Sabbath-school  are  fourteen  male  and  ten  female  scholars, 
conducted  by  three  teachers  and  one  superintendent.  The  children  are  cate- 
chized in  the  duties  and  doctrines  of  Christianity." 

Rev,  Nathan  Scarritt,  in  an  unpublished  manuscript,  says : 

"Though  many  of  the  best  membeis  of  the  tribe  embraced  Christianity, 
the  membership  was  never  large,  owing,  as  we  suppose,  to  the  strong  preju- 
dice exhibited  by  the  great  majority  against  all  Christian  effort  among  them  ; 
but  a  better  little  body  of  professing  Christians  would  be  hard  to  find  among 
any  people  than  was  gathered  together  by  our  faithful  missionaries.  Moses 
Grinter  and  family,''"'  the  Ketchums,  and  others,  were  of  the  salt  of  the 
earth." 

Note  63.—  Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1836,  p.  397. 

Note  64.—  Indian  Affairs,  Laws,  and  Treaties,  Washington,  1904,  vol.  2,  p.  304. 

Note  65.— Moses  R.  Grinter  came  from  Bardstown,  Ky.,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Wyan- 
dotte county,  Kansas,  in  January,  1831.  His  place  was  about  nine  miles  out  from  Kansas  City, 
and  for  a  while  was  known  as  a  station  on  the  Union  Pacific  named  Secondine.  He  died  June  12, 
1878.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Anna  Marshall  Grinter,  was  born  in  Miami  county,  Ohio,  January  8,  1820, 
and  died  in  Wyandotte  county,  Kansas,  June  28,  1905.  Her  father  was  a  white  man,  and  her 
mother  a  Delaware  Indian.  She  came  to  Wyandotte  with  her  parents  in  1832.  She  was  married 
to  Moses  R.  Grinter,  the  first  white  man  to  locate  in  Wyandotte  county.  To  this  union  there  was 
born  ten  children,  four  of  whom  survive  her.  There  were  twenty-one  grandchildren,  thirty-six 
•great-grandchildren,  and  five  great-great-grandchildren.  She  was  very  proud  of  the  fact  that 
;she  was  an  Indian.     Her  last  audible  prayer  was  in  the  musical  Delaware  Indian  language.     She 


204  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

The  highest  membership  reported  for  any  year  was  108,  for  1844.  In 
educational  matters  the  Delawares  did  not  make  as  commendable  progress 
as  some  of  the  other  tribes.  In  February,  1844,  an  agreement ''^  was  made 
with  the  superintendent,  J.  C.  Berryman,  by  which  the  Delawares  devoted 
all  their  school  fund  for  the  education  of  their  children  at  the  Shawnee 
manual-labor  school  for  a  term  of  ten  years.  The  indifference  of  the  Dela- 
wares in  the  matter  of  sending  their  children  to  the  school  wa?  later  a  great 
disappointment  to  the  superintendent,  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson. 

The  first  church  erected  was  in  1832,  near  a  spring,  in  a  beautiful  grove, 
some  of  the  old  trees  of  which  are  still  standing.  The  church  was  about 
forty  by  sixty  feet,  the  frame  of  black  walnut,  and  stood  on  the  high  divide 
on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  White  Church,  facing  east.     The  church 

was  converted  and  united  with  the  Methodist  church  in  childhood,  and  for  more  than  seventy 
years  lived  a  consistent  Christian  life.  When  the  church  separated  she  adhered  to  the  Southern 
church,  in  which  she  spent  the  remainder  of  her  life.  Her  body  rests  in  the  cemetery  at  Grinter's 
chapel,  where  she  held  her  membership  for  many  years. 

Note  66.  — "We,  the  undersigned  chiefs  of  the  Delaware  nation,  being  invested  with  full  au- 
thority to  act  in  the  premises  for  our  nation  whom  we  represent,  do  agree  and  bind  ourselves  as 
follows,  viz.: 

"That  we  will  encourage  and  patronize  the  Indian  manual-labor  school  now  in  operation 
on  the  Shawnees'  land,  near  the  Fort  Leavenworth  agency  site:  First,  by  using  our  influence  to 
send  and  keep  a  suitable  number  of  the  children  of  our  tribe  in  said  institution;  and,  secondly, 
by  applying  our  school  funds  to  its  support;  and  our  great  father,  the  president  of  the  United 
States,  is  hereby  instructed  and  respectfully  requested  to  cause  to  be  paid  over  to  Rev.  J.  C. 
Beri-yman,  now  superintendent  of  said  institution,  or  to  his  successor  in  office,  the  entire  pro- 
ceeds or  interest  arising  on  all  our  school  funds  annually,  for  the  ensuing  ten  years,  together 
with  all  arrearages  due  us  to  this  time  on  said  funds. 

"And  the  said  J,  C.  Berryman,  in  behalf  of  said  institution,  agrees  to  receive  and  educate 
any  number  of  Delaware  children  —  not  exceeding  fifty  at  any  one  time,  without  the  consent  of 
said  superintendent  of  said  institution.  It  is  herein  understood  that  the  Delaware  children  from 
time  to  time  sent  to  the  above-mentioned  institution  are  to  be  comfortably  clad  and  boarded  at 
its  expense. 

"And  we,  the  undersigned  chiefs,  wish  it  to  be  understood  that  the  instructions  herein  given 
to  our  great  father,  the  president,  respecting  our  school  funds,  are  intended  to  supersede  all  in- 
structions previously  given  contrary  to  the  spirit  and  intention  of  this  agreement,  and  our  agent, 
Maj.  R.  W.  Cummins,  is  hereby  requested  to  forward  this  agreement  to  the  department,  at 
Washington  city,  with  such  explanations  as  he  may  think  proper  to  give. 

"  February  28,  1844.  J.  C.  Berryman. 

Capt.  Nah-koomer,  his  X  mark.  Salt  Petre,  his  X  mark. 

Capt.  Ketchum,  his  X  mark.  Nahgennan,  his  X  mark. 

Sackendiather,  his  X  mark.  P.  M.  Scott,  his  X  mark. 

Sankochia,  his  X  mark.  John  Peters,  his  X  mark. 

CocHATOWHA,  his  X  mark.  Capt.  Swanac,  his  X  mark. 

Witness;  Richard  W.  Cummins,  Indian  Agent." 

"I  certify,  on  honor,  that  the  above  and  foregoing  agreement,  made  and  entered  into  on  the- 
28th  of  February,  1844,  by  and  between  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Berryman,  superintendent  of  the  manual- 
labor  school  now  in  operation  among  the  Shawnees  under  the  Fort  Leavenworth  agency  [and  the 
chiefs  of  the  Delaware  tribe  of  Indians],  was  by  me  carefully  read  and  explained  to  the  Delaware 
chiefs  whose  names  are  thereunto  annexed,  and  that  they  well  understood  its  contents,  and  that 
it  contained  the  agreement  and  understanding  which  they  had  made  with  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Berry- 
man, superintendent  Indian  manual-labor  school,  and  that  the  Delaware  chiefs  made  their  marks 
to  their  names  thereunto  annexed  in  my  presence.        Richard  W.  Cummins,  Indian  Agent." 

I  have  read  with  interest  and  pleasure  the  agreement  of  the  28th  of  February  last,  between 
the  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  manual-labor  school  and  the  chiefs  of  the  Delaware  tribe  of 
Indians,  by  which  they  devote  all  their  school  funds  to  the  education  of  the  children  of  said  tribe 
at  said  institution  for  the  next  ten  years;  during  which  time  the  entire  amount  of  the  interest 
accrued,  accruing  and  to  accrue  shall  be  paid  to  the  said  superintendent,  or  his  successor  in 
office. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  this  agreement;  it  manifests  a  friendly  disposition  to  education.  I  do  not 
see  any  objection  to  its  conditional  ratification  by  the  department.  The  interest  they  are  enti- 
tled to  receive  annually  is  $2844,  and  the  arrearages  of  unpaid  interest  are  upwards  of  $2000.  The 
ternis  I  would  impose  are: 

"1st.  That  there  shall  be  always  at  least  thirty  Delaware  children  in  a  course  of  education 
at  said  school;  and  if  at  any  time  or  for  any  period  there  shall  be  fewer  than  thirty  under  in- 
struction, the  sum  to  be  paid  the  superintendent  shall  abate  $100  for  every  scholar  short  of  the 
required  number  of  thirty. 

]]2d.    That  one-half  of  the  scholars  shall  be  female,  as  near  as  may  be  practicable. 

"3d.  That  in  addition  to  the  comfortable  board  and  clothing  stipulated  for,  there  shall  be 
furnished  to  every  scholar,  should  he  or  she  unfortunately  require  it.  proper  medical  aid  and  ad- 
vice; and  still  further,  books,  stationery  and  whatever  else  shall  be  necessary  to  the  successful 
prosecution  of  their  studies  and  to  their  comfort  and  health. 

"4th.   The  interest  to  be  paid  annually,  where  it  may  suit  the  treasury;   and  this  ratification 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        205 


was  frame  and  painted  white,  the 
structure  thus  giving  name  to  the 
town.  It  was  about  the  center 
of  Wyandotte  county,  and  some 
eight  miles  west  of  Kansas  City, 
Kan.  It  was  destroyed  by  a  tor- 
nado in  May,  1886.  A  stone  me- 
ir  orial  church  was  recently  erected 
on  the  site  of  the  one  destroyed."' 

In  the  separation  troubles  of 
1845  the  Delawares  went  with 
their  church  into  the  Southern 
branch.  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South  has  a  society  at 
White  Church  at  the  present  time. 
In  the  early  days  a  log  parsonage 
was  erected,  a  camp-ground  was 
laid  out,  and  camp-meetings  were 
held  for  many  years. 

The  following  is  an  abstract 
from  the  report  of  Thos.  Mosely, 
jr.,  Indian  agent,  for  the  year 
1851: 

"In  this  tribe  [Delawares],  I 
find  only  one  school ;  the  report  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Pratt  is  herewith 
sent,  marked  '  D. '  This  indefati- 
gable missionary  deserves  great 
praise  for  the  management  and  conducting  of  this  school,  whose  benefits  are 
so  valuable  to  the  Delaware  tribe,  being  the  only  school  within  the  limits  of 
the  tribe. 

"From  my  experience  among  the  Indians,  which  has  been  for  years,  I 
am  of  the  opinion  that,  with  the  less-civilized  Indians,  schools  should  be 
scattered  about  in  all  the  strong  bands  of  a  tribe.  This  would  afford  the 
parents  an  opportunity  to  often  visit  them.  The  Indians  are  remarkably 
fond  of  their  children,  and  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  get  them  to  send  them 
far  from  home. 

"The  Delawares  have  disposed  of  their  education  fund  for  several  years 
yet  to  come ;  it  being  vested  in  the  Shawnee  Mission  manual-labor  school. 
They  have  (for  some  cause  not  correctly  known  to  me)  refused  to  send  their 
children  to  the  Shawnee  Mission  school,  which  their  fund  sustains,  for  the 
space  of  a  year.  I  feel  in  great  hope  that,  with  my  aid,  the  Shawnee  Mis- 
sion superintendent  will  be  able  to  get  back  to  his  school  some  twenty  or 
thirty  of  the  Delaware  children. 

"The  Delaware  mill,  which  was  built  by  the  Methodist  missionary  board 


MRS.  ANNA  M.  GRINTER, 
Member  of  the  Delaware  tribe;  died  in  1905,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five,  and  oldest  of  five  genera- 
tions; for  more  than  seventy  years  a  commu- 
nicant in  the  Methodist  church;  supposed  to 
be  the  last  of  the  immigrants  that  came  from 
Ohio  in  1832. 


to  be  subject  to  withdrawal,  and  the  agreement  itself  to  rescission,  and  to  be  annulled  at  the 
pleasure  of  the  department. 

"  5th.  Reports  of  the  number  and  progress  of  the  Delaware  scholars  to  be  made  prior  to  the 
annual  payment. 

■■  Respectfully  submitted,  April  22,  1844.  T.  Hartley  Crawford." 

"Approved,  with  this  additional  stipulation  and  condition:  That  the  first  within  article  shall 
not  in  any  way  impair  or  change  the  number  of  children  agreed  in  the  treaty  to  be  educated. 
That  article  is  meant  to  limit  the  minimum  number;  but  if  more  Delaware  children  shall  be  sent 
to  the  school,  not  exceeding  in  all  fifty,  they  shall  be  received  and  educated  upon  the  terms  men- 
tioned. William  Wilkins. 

"April  22.  1844." 

(  Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1844,  pp.  368-370.)  , 

Note  67. — The  church  contains  memorial  windows  for  early  missionaries. 


206  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

as  a  boon  for  their  education  for  a  term  of  years,  is  now  a  complete  wreck. 
I  have  visited  it,  and  recommended  the  chiefs  to  retain  $3000  out  of  the 
money  they  received  from  the  Wyandots,  which  they  did,  for  the  purpose  of 
rebuilding  the  mill ;  but  whether  they  will  expend  it  for  that  purpose  is,  I  am 
fearful,  uncertain.  The  tribe  is  anxious  it  should  be  rebuilt,  as  there  is  not 
a  mill  in  the  Indian  country  near,  but  the  chiefs  seem  to  feel  indifferent." 
(Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1851,  p.  80.) 

The  quarterly  meetings  for  the  Delaware  and  Wyandot  missions  were 
held  alternately  between  the  two  nations.  Rev.  W.  H.  Goode  describes 
one  held  among  the  Delawares  in  1855,  which  was  largely  attended,  quite  a 
number  being  present  from  the  neighboring  tribes  — Delawares,  Wyandots, 
Shawnees,  Kickapoos  and  Stockbridges  all  participating  in  the  exercises  and 
each  speaking  in  his  own  tongue."** 

A  prominent  man  among  the  Delawares  was  Charles  Ketchum,  for  many 
years  a  preacher  in  the  Methodist  church.  In  appearance  he  was  large  and 
portly,  of  manly  appearance  and  address.  He  was  illiterate,  but  a  man  of 
good  intellect  and  a  fluent  talker.  When  the  church  divided,  in  1845,  he  ad- 
hered to  the  Northern  branch,  built  a  church  himself,  and  kept  the  little 
remnant  of  the  flock  together.*"'  He  was  settled  on  a  good  farm  and  re- 
ceived appointments  from  the  conference  regularly.  He  entered  the  min- 
istry in  1850  and  was  a  regular  member  of  the  Kansas  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Rev.  Joab  Spencer  writes:  "Charles  and 
James  Ketchum  have  both  interpreted  for  me.  Charles  interpreted  a  ser- 
mon for  me  at  a  Delaware  camp-meeting  that  resulted  in  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  conversions.  He  was  a  notable  Christian  character,  such  as  Blue- 
jacket." Charles  Ketchum  died  on  the  Delaware  reserve,  July  20,  1860, 
aged  forty-nine  years. 

In  the  History  of  the  Delawares,  by  Charles  R.  Green,  of  Lyndon,  Kan., 
p.  175,  is  the  following  concerning  Rev.  James  Ketchum: 

"Rev.  James  Ketchum  was  born  in  1819.  He  was  a  convert  to  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  faith  in  youth,  preaching  in  his  own  language  at  White  Church, 
Wyandotte  county,  Kansas,  and  to  a  portion  of  the  Delawares  in  the  Chero- 
kee nation,  after  their  removal,  in  1868,  and  was  considered  one  of  the  most 
eloquent  orators  of  the  Delaware  tribe." 

He  is  now  dead.  Mr.  Green  also  states  that  Lewis  Ketchum  was  still 
living  in  1903,  ten  miles  southeast  of  Vinita,  I.  T. ,  between  eighty  and  ninety 
years  of  age,  the  oldest  member  of  his  tribe. 

Prominent  among  the  missionaries  among  the  Delawares  were  the  brothers 
E.  T.  and  J.  Thompson  Peery,  Learner  B.  Stateler,""  and  N.  M.  Talbot. 
The  name  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Ellefrit  occurs  in  the  list  of  missionaries  for  1837. 

Note  68.—  Outposts  of  Zion,  p.  307. 

Note  69.— Id.,  p.  296. 

Note  70.— Rev.  Learner  Blackman  Stateler  was  born  near  Hartford,  Ohio  county. 
Kentucky,  July  7,  1811.  He  was  of  German  parentage.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1830,  and 
the  next  year  made  his  way  from  Kentucky  to  Missouri  on  horseback.  In  1833  he  was  sent  as 
missionary  to  the  Creek  Indians.  In  1837  he  was  appointed  to  the  Delaware  Indian  mission, 
where  he  remained  till  1840,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Shawnee  Mission,  where  he  re- 
maified  till  1844,  in  which  year  he  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of  the  Choctaw  district.  Indian 
Territory.  In  1845  he  returned  to  Shawnee  and  served  as  presiding  elder  of  the  Kansas  River 
district,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  till  1850.  In  1862  he  took  charge  of  the  work  in 
Denver,  and  later  was  a  missionary  to  Montana,  where  he  died.  May  1,  1895,  having  spent  sixty- 
five  years  on  the  Western  frontier.  He  was  married  in  1836  to  Melinda  Purdom,  a  native  of 
North  Carolina.  She  served  as  matron  and  manager  of  the  girls'  boarding-house  at  the  Shawnee 
manual-labor  school  for  a  short  time.     She  died  in  Montana  in  1889. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        207 


REV.  JAMES  KETCHUM, 
Delaware  chief  and  interpreter. 


He  was  no  doubt  a  teacher,  as  his  name  does  not  appear  in  the  list  of  minis- 
terial appointments. 

The  interpreters  for  the  Northern  branch  of  the  church  were  Isaac  Johnny- 
cake,  Paschal  Fish,  and  Charles  Ketchum;  those  for  the  Southern  branch, 
James  Ketchum,  Jacob  Ketchum,  and  Ben.  Love.  Henry  Tiblow  was  the 
United  States  interpreter. 

I  am  indebted  in  the  preparation  of  this  paper  to  Geo.  U.  S.  Hovey,  of 
White  Church,  Kan.     Mr.  Hovey  died  at  White  Church  January  7,  1906. 

THE   KICKAPOO   MISSION. 

The  Kickapoos  occupied  a  reservation  in  northeastern  Kansas  which  is 
now  parts  of  Brown,  Atchison  and  Jackson  counties.  Their  country  lay 
north  of  the  Delawares,  extending  up  the  Missouri  river  twenty  miles  in  a 
direct  line,  then  northwestward  about  sixty  miles,  and  thence  south  twenty 


208  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

miles  to  the  Delaware  line,  and  included  768,000  acres. '^  As  a  tribe,  the 
Kickapoos  are  thus  described  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Goode,  who  visited  this  reser- 
vation in  the  early  days: 

"The  numbers  of  this  tribe  are  considerable;  their  lands  were  good.  In 
character  and  general  improvements  they  are  a  degree  below  the  tribes  just 
now  noticed— the  Wyandots,  Shawnees,  and  Delawares— have  no  very  promi- 
nent men,  and  have  attracted  less  attention.  Some  missionary  effort  has 
been  expended  among  them,  the  results  of  which  are  still  seen  in  the  piety 
of  some  of  the  tribe.  Among  them  the  prophet  Ken-i-kuk  '^  appeared  to  run 
his  race.  His  vagaries  were  a  serious  drawback  to  the  work;  though  it  is 
believed  that  he  afterward  became  a  true  penitent." 

In  civilization  their  condition  was  similar  to  that  of  the  Weas  and  Peorias. 
A  mission  was  organized  in  1833,'''  and  Rev.  Jerome  C.  Berryman  "^  appointed 
to  the  work  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  continuing  in  charge  of  it  till  the  fall  of 
1841.  The  Kickapoos  lived  on  the  southeastern  extremity  of  their  lands, 
near  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  here  our  mission  was  situated.  Rev.  J.  C. 
Berryman  gives  the  following  interesting  account  of  his  introduction  to  the 
work  among  the  Kickapoos: 

' '  The  Kickapoos  had  been  but  recently  removed  from  Illinois  [and  Missouri] 
to  their  new  location  on  the  Missouri  river,  and  were  still  living  only  in  wig- 
wams. In  fact,  they  had  never  been,  properly  speaking,  settled,  but  had 
always  led  a  roving  life.     On  my  first  visit  to  them  at  their  village,  I  was 

Note  71.— Treaty  of  1832,  Indian  Affairs,  Laws,  and  Treaties.  Washington.  1904,  vol.  2,  p.  365; 
see,  also.  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1836,  p.  397. 

Note  72. — "  Kelukuk,  alias  the  Kickapoo  prophet,  one  of  the  Kickapoo  chief s,  is  a  professed 
preacher,  of  an  order  which  he  himself  originated  some  years  ago.  His  adherents  ai-e  about  400 
in  number,  some  of  whom  are  small  boys  and  girls.  He  professes  to  receive  all  that  he  teaches 
immediately  from  the  Great  Spirit  by  a  supernatural  agency.  He  teaches  abstinence  from  the 
use  of  ardent  spirits,  the  observation  of  the  Sabbath,  and  some  other  good  morals.  He  appears 
to  have  little  knowledge  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  only  as  his  dogmas  happen  to  agree 
with  them.  Congregational  worship  is  performed  four  days  in  the  week,  and  lasts  from  one  to 
three  hours."  Isaac  McCoy,  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  No.  2,  pp.  31,  32.  For  a  more 
extended  account,  see  reference. 

The  post  village  Kennekuk,  Atchison  county,  formerly  the  agency  of  the  Kickapoos,  was 
named  for  this  chief. 

Note  73.— McCoy's  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  January,  1835,  p.  30. 

Note  74.— In  1833  Mr.  Berryman  was  appointed  to  the  Kickapoo  Indian  mission  and  school. 
As  no  mission  had  yet  been  established  among  the  Kickapoos  in  Kansas,  the  appointment  meant 
that  he  was  to  open  a  station,  collect  children,  and  start  a  school.  As  soon  as  shelter  could  be 
secured,  Brother  Berryman  and  wife  entered  on  the  work.  It  was  her  part  to  act  as  matron  and 
teach;  in  fact,  the  work  of  the  school  fell  to  her  lot,  but  she  was  equal  to  the  task.  She  was  well 
endowed  and  well  equipped  for  the  place,  which  she  held  with  success  for  eight  years,  when  Mr. 
Berryman  was  removed  to  the  Shawnee  manual-labor  school,  where  Mrs.  Berryman  was  connected 
with  that  school  till  her  death,  which  occurred  July  28.  1846.  Then  the  loved  sister  and  mother, 
as  the  Indians  called  her,  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  mission  burying-ground,  where  she  now  sleeps. 

Jerome  Cousin  Berryman  was  born  in  Ohio  county,  Kentucky,  in  1810.  He  came  to  Missouri 
in  1828.  Soon  after  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  that  same  year  was  admitted  into  the  Missouri 
conference.  For  five  years  he  served  the  white  woi-k  in  Missouri,  and  in  1833  was  appointed  mis- 
sionary to  the  Kickapoos,  at  their  village,  not  very  far  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.  He  re- 
mained in  charge  of  this  mission  for  eight  years.  In  1S41  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the 
Indian  manual-labor  school,  where  he  remained  for  si.x  years,  having  a  part  of  this  time  charge 
of  the  Indian  Mission  conference.  At  the  conference  of  1847  he  was  taken  from  the  Indian  work 
and  placed  on  Cape  Girardeau  district  as  presiding  elder.  From  this  date  we  find  him  serving 
district  and  station,  and  engaged  in  the  educational  work  of  the  church.  He  was  the  last 
surviving  member  of  the  general  conference  of  1844.  Mr.  Berryman  and  Miss  Mary  C.  Cissna 
were  married  in  Kentucky,  October  6,  1831. 

While  reading  proof  on  this  paper  the  author  received  a  copy  of  the  St.  Louis  Republican 
with  a  special  from  Birmingham,  Ala.,  where  the  general  conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South  was  in  session,  reporting  that  the  news  of  the  death  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Berryman,  at 
Caledonia.  Mo.,  had  caused  profound  sorrow  among  the  members  of  the  Missouri  delegation.  He 
died  on  May  8,  soon  after  answering  a  greeting  from  the  conference.  He  was  the  oldest  Method- 
ist minister,  having  celebrated  his  ninety-sixth  birthday  in  February.  His  reply  to  the  greeting 
was:  "Please  convey  to  the  conference  and  church  at  large  fraternal  benediction,  with  the  as- 
surance that  I  am  still  preaching  from  the  grand  text.  Job  xix.  25,  "For  I  know  that  my  re- 
deemer liveth,  and  that  He  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth."  After  hearing  of  his 
death  the  following  resolution  was  passed  by  the  general  conference :  "We  have  heard  with  sor- 
row of  the  death  of  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Berryman,  the  sole  survivor  of  the  historic  general  conference 
of  1844,  at  the  close  of  almost  a  century  of  heroic  faith  and  tireless  labor  for  Christ." 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        209 

alone  and  spent  a  night  with  them,  occupying  a  wigwam  with  a  large  family 
of  Indians.  Around  the  interior  of  the  wigwam  were  spread  on  the  ground 
mats  made  of  rushes,  of  which,  also,  the  wigwam  itself  was  constructed, 
and  these  served  all  the  purposes  of  chairs,  tables,  and  beds.  The  manner 
of  going  to  bed  I  observed  was  for  each  person  to  wrap  himself  or  herself 
in  a  blanket  and  lie  down  on  these  mats.  I  of  course  followed  the  example, 
and  having  a  large  Mackanaw  blanket  of  my  own,  used  it  in  like  manner, 
without  the  formality  of  undressing.  But  tired  nature's  sweet  restorer  re- 
fused to  visit  my  wakeful  lids,  and  seemed  content  to  lodge  only  with  my 
new  and  very  strange  companions  for  that  night.  It  did  not  take  me  long 
to  have  some  log-cabin  buildings  erected  for  my  family,  and  a  schoolhouse 
of  the  same  sort  in  which  to  open  a  school;  and  by  midwinter  I  had  about 
ninety  children  in  attendance.  Here  for  eight  consecutive  years,  with  my 
faithful  wife  and  other  helpers,  I  labored  in  teaching  the  young  and  the  old; 
often  preaching  to  the  soldiers  at  the  fort,  and  also  frequently  visiting  and 
helping  at  the  other  mission  stations  among  the  Shawnees,  Delawares, 
Peorias,  and  Pottawatomies.  In  the  fall  of  1841  Nathaniel  M.  Talbot  was 
taken  from  Peoria  mission  and  appointed  to  Kickapoo,  and  I  was  put  in 
charge  at  the  Indian  manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson's  health  having 
failed,  so  that  he  had  to  leave.  Our  work  was  greatly  owned  and  blessed  of 
God  in  the  Christiani7ing  and  civilizing  of  hundreds  of  Indians. 

"Returning  from  the  conference  at  Cane  Hill,  Ark.,  to  St.  Charles  county, 
Missouri,  where  I  had  left  my  wife,  I  made  haste  to  get  up  a  traveling  outfit 
suitable  for  the  occasion;  and  soon,  with  what  was  then  called  a  carryall, 
wagon,  and  a  good  horse,  I  was  on  the  road  for  Kickapoo  mission,  distant 
about  275  miles,  accompanied  by  my  wife  and  a  young  woman  who  went 
along  as  company  and  help  for  her.  We  arrived  at  Shawnee  Mission  in 
about  eight  or  ten  days,  twenty-five  miles  short  of  our  final  destination;  for 
Kickapoo  mission,  as  yet  only  on  paper,  was  still  that  distance  further  up 
the  Missouri  river,  near  Fort  Leavenworth.  A  few  days'  rest  at  Shawnee, 
and  then  Brother  Thomas  Johnson  and  myself  went  on  up  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth for  the  purpose  of  consultation  with  the  government  officials  and  the 
Indians  about  the  location  of  the  contemplated  mission  among  the  Kicka-' 
poos." 

The  work  among  this  tribe  seems  to  have  been  prosperous  from  the  start, 
the  report  for  the  year  1834  showing  that  2  whites  and  230  Indians  were  en- 
rolled in  the  mission  and  school.  Rev.  John  Monroe  was  appointed  this  year 
to  assist  Mr.  Berryman.  The  fifteenth  annual  report  of  the  missionary  so- 
ciety, for  the  year  1834,  refers  to  the  Kickapoos  as  follows : 

"Flourishing.  A  church  recently  organized  of  230  members,  of  natives 
belonging  to  the  Kickapoos  and  Pottawatomies,  some  of  whom  formerly  be- 
longed to  the  Iroquois  mission." 

Mr.  Berryman,  in  some  reminiscences,  thus  speaks  of  his  appointment  to 
this  work,  his  arduous  labors  as  conference  superintendent,  and  pays  a 
beautiful  tribute  to  his  devoted  wife  and  helper : 

' '  I  have  ever  believed  that  my  marriage  had  much  to  do  in  procuring  this 
appointment  for  me.  My  wife  was  eminently  fitted  for  work  of  this  kind, 
and  it  was  essential  to  success  that  the  missionary  should  have  with  him  a 
suitable  companion,  who  could  be  at  once  the  sharer  of  his  privations  and 
toils,  and  fill  the  position  of  mother  and  matron  in  the  mission  school.  In 
all  these  respects  the  woman  I  had  married  proved  herself  inferior  to  none. 
She  was  universally  loved  by  her  associates  and  the  Indians,  many  of  whom 
delighted  to  call  her  sister  and  mother.  She  finished  her  work  in  great 
peace,  at  Shawnee  manual-labor  school,  on  the  28th  of  July,  1846,  having 
spent  twelve  of  the  best  years  of  her  life  feeding  the  lambs  of  Christ's 
flock,  and  now  sleeps  in  the  grave  by  the  side  of  the  Johnsons  and  other 
missionary  coworkers,  at  the  place  where  she  died. 

"I  spent  eight  years  at  Kickapoo  mission,  and  six  at  the  Indian  manual- 

-14 


210  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

labor  school  and  in  the  superintendency  of  the  Indian  Mission  conference, 
which  was  organized  at  the  general  conference  of  1844.  It  embraced  the 
entire  Indian  Territory,  then  extending  from  the  Missouri  river  on  the 
north  to  Red  river  on  the  south,  a  distance  of  500  miles  along  the  border  of 
the  states  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  included  the  following  tribes: 
Shawnees,  Delawares,  Wyandots,  Senecas,  Kickapoos,  Pottawatomies, 
Munsees,  Osages,  Pawnees,  Kansas,  Quapaws,  Cherokees,  Creeks,  Choc- 
taws,  Chickasaws,  and  Seminoles.  My  duty  in  this  superintendency  re- 
quired frequent  long  journeys  performed  on  horseback,  generally  alone, 
lodging  in  Indian  cabins,  and  taking  such  fare  as  their  scanty  supplies  af- 
forded, yet  sometimes  even  in  Indian  families  I  enjoyed  such  hospitality  as 
would  do  credit  to  the  best  homes  in  civilized  communities." 

The  school  established  in  1833  numbered  in  1835  forty  scholars.  The 
children  were  boarded  at  the  mission  house  and  "taught  gratuitously.  All 
dine  at  the  mission  house  on  school  days;  and  eight  of  them  are  supported 
by  the  mission. "  "^  In  1836  Mr.  Berryman  was  employed  by  the  government 
to  teach  in  its  school,  receiving  as  compensation  a  salary  of  $480  a  year."*^ 
"Receiving  his  support  from  the  Methodist  missionary  society,  [he]  applies 
the  salary  which  he  receives  from  the  government  as  teacher  to  the  support 
of  the  native  scholars  and  to  other  purposes  of  the  mission.  The  mission 
buildings  and  the  United  States  schoolhouse  are  on  the  same  grounds." 
Only  six  scholars  were  reported  in  the  government  school  this  year."^ 

For  the  year  1839,  Mr.  Berryman  reported  but  sixteen  scholars  in  the 
mission  school,  that  number  being  the  average  for  a  year  or  two  previous. 
In  his  report  he  says: 

"These  are  tolerably  regular,  though  of  late,  through  the  detrimental 
influence  of  the  prophet  and  others,  we  have  found  it  difficult  to  keep  the 
children  in  regular  and  orderly  attendance,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  at  pres- 
ent it  is  almost  impracticable  to  keep  our  school  under  good  discipline  and 
management  while  the  children  can,  at  any  moment  when  they  become  dis- 
satisfied, abscond  and  go  home  with  impunity." 

'  The  teacher  employed  by  our  missionary  society  this  year  was  Miss 
Elizabeth  Lee,  The  branches  taught  were  geography,  arithmetic,  reading, 
writing,  and  spelling.  The  scholars,  twelve  boys  and  three  girls,  were  pro- 
vided with  American  names,  as  follows:  Jesse,  Silas,  Joseph,  George,  Ste- 
phen, Jane,  Amelia,  Sarah,  etc. 

A  majority  of  the  Kickapoos  were  decidedly  averse  to  sending  their  chil- 
dren to  school.  From  1839  on  the  Kickapoo  children  were  sent  to  the  man- 
ual-labor school  of  the  Shawnee  Mission,  but  few  seem  to  have  attended. 
The  only  year  any  are  reported  from  this  tribe  was  1840— a  total  of  three. 
The  report  to  the  commissioner  of  Indian  affairs  for  the  year  1860,  page 
100,  would  lead  us  to  believe  that  the  tribe  supported  a  school  of  its  own. 
The  report  is  as  follows: 

' '  Kickapoo  Agency,  Muscotah,  Atchison  county,  K.  T. ,  October  22, 1860.  — 
,  .  .  The  mission  school  was  closed  in  June  last,  as  heretofore  reported. 
The  Indians  are  now  awaiting  the  reestablishment  of  a  school  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  missionary  board  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South." 

Note  75.— Isaac  McCoy,  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  vol.  1,  p.  30. 

Note  76.— By  the  treaty  of  1832,  article  7.  the  United  States  agreed  to  pay  $500  per  annum  for 
ten  successive  years  for  the  support  of  a  school,  purchase  of  books,  etc.  See,  also.  Report  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1838,  p.  496. 

Note  77.— Isaac  McCoy,  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  vol.  2,  p.  31. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        211 

The  school  was  situated  about  one  mile  from  the  eastern  border  of  the 
reservation.  Mrs.  Frank  M.  Green,  of  Whiting,  Kan.,  a  teacher  at  the 
Presbyterian  mission  near  the  old  Kickapoo  agency,  at  Kennekuk,  in  the 
'50's,  says  she  thinks  the  building  for  this  school  was  purchased  from  a  Mr. 
Rising,  who  used  it  for  a  hotel,  and  that  it  was  situated  on  the  overland  road 
to  California.  The  Kickapoos  have  a  small  reservation  in  the  southern  part 
of  Brown  county  at  the  present  time. 

The  report  for  1861  shows  an  attendance  of  twenty— eighteen  males  and 
two  females.  The  buildings  were  in  a  dilapidated  state  and  no  money  had 
been  contributed  by  the  society  and  nothing  by  individual  Indians;  so  the 
pressure  of  money  matters  and  the  influence  of  the  war  excitement  upon 
the  school  had  a  bad  efl'ect.  Religious  services  were  conducted  every  Sab- 
bath and  family  worship  during  the  week.  The  superintendent  this  year 
was  F.  M.  Williams. 

THE   PEORIA  AND   KASKASKIA   MISSION. 

The  Peorias  were  a  small  tribe  south  of  the  Shawnees,  with  the  Weas 
and  Piankeshaws  on  the  east,  the  Ottawas  on  the  west,  and  the  Potta- 
watomies  on  the  south.  The  Peorias  and  Kaskaskias  are  regarded  as  one 
tribe.  Our  church  established  a  mission  among  the  Peorias  in  1833,  and 
Rev.  James  H.  Slavens  was  appointed  as  missionary.  Rev.  Nathaniel  M. 
Talbot  '8  was  appointed  in  1834,  and  continued  to  serve  till  1840.  The  report 
for  the  year  1834  shows  two  white  members  and  fifteen  Indians.  In  1836 
the  mission  school  reported  sixteen  scholars,  who  were  instructed  in  Enghsh 
and  supported  by  their  parents,  except  one  meal  a  day  furnished  at  the 
mission  house.  The  missionary  was  Rev.  Mr.  Talbot,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Tal- 
bot, and  a  Mr.  Groves  who  had  charge  of  the  school.'^*'  The  mission  was 
located  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Osage  river.  The  buildings  consisted 
of  one  schoolroom  and  one  double  dwelling  with  common  outhouses.  In  1837 
there  were  but  twelve  scholars,  ten  males  and  two  females,  who  were 
taught  reading,  writing,  and  spelling.  8«  In  1842  a  missionary  station  was 
kept  up  under  the  management  of  Rev.  N.  T.  Shaler  and  Mrs.  Annie  Shaler, 
daughter  of  Mary  Rogers  and  Mackinaw  Bauchemie,  but  no  school. si  The 
mission  was  dropped  about  three  years  later.  Mrs.  Shaler  had  been  brought 
up  at  the  Shawnee  manual-labor  school,  where  she  cared  for  Mrs.  Johnson's 
children.  She  was  about  nineteen  when  she  married  Mr.  Shaler,  and  lived 
about  eight  years. 

THE  POTTAWATOMIE   MISSION. 

A  mission  was  established  in  this  tribe  in  1837,  and  Rev.  Frederick  B. 
Leach  appointed  missionary;  in  1838,  Rev.  E.  T.  Peery,  who  served  again  in 
1839. 

The  Pottawatomie  reserve  was  south  of  the  Peorias  and  Ottawas.  The 
mission  was  located  upon  the  site  of  the  town  of  Osawatomie.  Rev.  G.  W. 
Love  was  for  a  short  time  a  missionary  among  this  tribe,  and  had  as  his  in- 

NoTE  78. -Nathaniel  M.  Talbot  was  born  in  Shelby  county.  Kentucky,  March  17,  1805.  and 
died  near  Arrow  Rock,  Mo.,  July.  1872.  He  joined  the  Missouri  conference  in  1825,  and  spent 
forty-seven  years  in  the  ministry. 

Note  79.— Isaac  McCoy,  Annual  Register  of  Indian  Affairs,  vol.  2.  p.  23. 

Note  80.— Report  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1837,  p.  609. 

Note  81. -Id.,  1842,  p.  118. 


212  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

terpreter  Boashman,**-  a  native  Pottawatomie,  who  lived  many  years  among 
the  Shawnees  and  married  a  squaw  of  that  tribe. 

After  the  church  was  divided,  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Hurlburt  was  appointed 
by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  to  labor  among  the  Pottawatomies. 
The  following  report  was  made  to  the  sub-agent  for  the  year  1846: 

"Pottawatomie,  Septembers,  1846. 

"Dear  Sir— Although  our  mission  premises  are  located  at  this  point, 
our  labors  extend  to  but  a  small  part  of  the  Pottawatomie  tribe.  We  labor 
among  the  Chippewas,  Peorias,  Weas,  and  Piankeshaws.  These  are  but 
fragments  of  tribes  so  reduced  in  numbers  that  we  do  not  feel  justified,  un- 
der all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  in  establishing  a  mission  for  the  ex- 
clusive benefit  of  any  one  of  them. 

"The  Chippewas  are  improving  some  temporally,  and  will,  perhaps, 
raise  enough  this  year  for  their  subsistence.  In  their  social  and  moral  habits 
they  are  also  improving  some.  There  seems  a  disposition  among  them  to 
merge  with  the  Ottawas,  as  they  are  near  neighbors  and  speak  dialects  of 
the  same  language.  Indeed,  the  Chippewas  have  already  disused  their  own 
dialect  and  assumed  the  Ottawa,  as  the  latter  far  outnumbered  them. 

"The  Peorias,  Weas  and  Piankeshaws  speak  dialects  of  the  same  lan- 
guage, and  are,  perhaps,  nearly  on  a  par  in  regard  to  temporal  circumstances 
and  social  and  moral  habits.  All  have  horses,  and  most  of  them  cattle  and 
hogs,  and  generally  raise  suflftcient  corn  for  their  consumption.  Some  of 
them  have  embraced  the  Christian  religion,  and  manifest  the  sincerity  of 
their  profession  by  the  consistency  of  their  general  deportment.  There  is 
but  little  energy  manifested  by  them  generally  in  regard  to  improving  their 
condition,  either  temporally,  socially,  morally,  or  intellectually. 

"A  few  of  the  Pottawatomies  on  this  creek  are  men  of  intelligence  and 
worth,  an  honor  to  their  tribe  and  to  the  churches  to  which  they  are  attached; 
but,  as  it  regards  the  greater  part  of  them,  I  cannot  say  that  I  see  any  im- 
pr)vement  among  them. 

"We  have  no  school  attached  to  this  mission,  but  send  all  the  children 
we  can  obtain  to  the  Indian  manual-labor  school,  situated  in  the  Shawnee 
country.  A  good  number  from  the  above-mentioned  tribes  are  now  receiv- 
ing their  education  at  that  institution. 

"We  have  about  fifty  church  members  in  this  charge. 

Yours  most  respectfully,  Thomas  Hurlburt, 

Missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South." 

"Col.  a.  J.  Vaughan,  Indian  Siibagent." 

(Commissioner's  Report,  1846,  pp.  368,  369.) 

The  Pottawatomies,  in  1847-'48,  moved  to  the  reservation  in  the  present 

Note  82. — Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Stinson  says  that  her  grandmother,  the  wife  of  Henry  Rogers  and 
daughter  of  Blackfish,  was  a  cousin  of  Tecumseh.  Blackfish  and  Tecumseh's  father  married 
sisters.  Mrs.  Stinson  named  the  town  of  Tecumseh  for  her  kinsman,  it  being  situated  on  her 
allotment  as  a  member  of  the  Shawnee  tribe.  Her  mother,  Mary  Rogers,  after  coming  west, 
married  Mackinaw  Bauchemie,  a  Frenchman,  so-called  because  he  was  born  at  Mackinaw.  One 
of  her  brothers  was  Alex.  Bushman,  whose  allotment  covered  the  site  of  Auburndale,  the  Topeka 
suburb.     She  was  married  here  before  he  moved  to  Uniontown.— W.  E.  Connelley. 

"After  my  parents  were  married  my  father  stopped  going  with  the  American  Fur  Company 
and  interpreted  for  Mr.  Johnson  and  joined  church.  After  the  Pottawatomies  came  to  Kansas 
the  Methodist  church  sent  him  to  them  as  an  interpreter  because  he  could  speak  their  language. 
My  parents  lived  in  the  mission  building  among  the  Pottawatomies.  It  was  built  by  the  Metho- 
dist church  and  was  a  double  log  house,  standing  east  and  west,  with  a  hallway  between.  There 
was  a  half-story  above.  My  father  had  thirty  mares,  and  he  raised  mules  and  sold  them  to  the 
government  at  Leavenworth.  We  had  two  colored  slaves.  Moses  and  Jennie,  given  by  my  grand- 
mother Rogers  to  my  mother  on  her  marriage.  The  missionaries  came  nearly  every  Sunday  from 
the  Shawnee  Mission  or  from  Westport  to  preach.  Bishop  Soule  preached  there  once.  There 
was  a  government  agent  who  lived  down  there —  Colonel  Vaughn.  He  had  no  family  but  his  son 
Lee.  Vaughn  was  afterwards  agent  for  the  northern  Indians.  His  wife  was  dead.  He  had  a 
house  like  ours,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  built  by  the  government.  He  had  negro  servants, 
and  raised  a  garden  but  had  no  farm.  My  mother  died  at  the  mission  in  February  and  father  in 
Marcli,  1849.  Alexander  and  I  were  in  school  at  Fayette  Academy,  Missouri,  where  I  boarded 
with  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson  there  in  1847-'48,  when  he  returned  tp  the  Kansas  mission.  Alex,  was 
with  me  in  1849,  and  when  we  heard  of  our  mother's  death  we  started  home,  but  traveling  was  so 
bad  that  we  did  not  reach  there  until  after  my  father  had  died.  It  was  an  awful  place  to  come 
to.  Our  colored  people  were  keeping  house,  and  only  Martha  and  William  were  at  home.  While 
Tve  were  off  at  school  the  Pottawatomies  had  sold  out  and  moved  away." —  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Stinson. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indiana  in  Kansas.        213 

Pottawatomie  county,  Kansas.  The  Catholic  mission  school  at  St.  Marys 
was  the  only  mission  among  them,  except  that  of  the  Baptists,  in  Shawnee 
county,  which  I  know  of,  after  their  coming  North. 

THE   WYANDOT   MISSION. 

The  Wyandots  have  a  history  different  from  the  other  tribes  among  whom 
our  church  established  missions  in  Kansas,  in  that  they  were,  at  the  time 
they  migrated  to  Kansas,  quite  highly  civilized  and  quite  thoroughly  Chris- 
tianized. 

The  genesis  of  Methodist  missions  is  connected  with  the  Wyandots,  as 
the  first  systematized  missionary  work  undertaken  by  the  church  was  with 
this  tribe,  the  converts  being  the  first  fruits  of  her  labors  among  a  pagan 
race.*' 

The  Wyandots  for  a  long  period  stood  politically  at  the  head  of  an  Indian 
federation  of  tribes,  and  were  so  recognized  by  the  United  States  govern- 
ment in  the  treaties  made  with  the  Indians  of  the  old  Northwest  territory. 
In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century  they  occupied  a  large  reservation  in 
what  is  now  Wyandot  county,  Ohio,  something  more  than  twelve  by  twelve 
miles  in  extent,  and  through  which  flowed  the  Sandusky  river.  By  a  treaty 
made  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  March  17,  1842,  they  ceded  their  lands  to 
the  United  States,  they  being  then  the  only  Indians  remaining  in  the  states'* 

In  the  year  1816,  John  Stewart,  s-'  a  converted  mulatto,  felt  called  to  la- 
bor among  them  as  a  missionary  and  succeeded  in  making  a  number  of  con- 
verts, among  whom  were  several  chiefs.  When  Stewart  began  to  labor 
among  the  Wyandots  they  were  the  most  degraded  heathen.  Stewart's 
parents  were  free  people  of  color,  and  he  was  born  in  Powhattan  county, 
Virginia.  He  died  December  17,  1823.  A  church  and  schoolhouse  were 
erected  and  a  farm  opened.  The  boys  were  taught  agriculture  and  the 
girls  various  domestic  arts.  The  advancement  made  under  our  missionaries 
was  something  marvelous;  so  that  when  they  migrated  to  what  is  now  Wy- 
andotte county,  Kansas,  in  July,  1843,  they  were  in  a  high  state  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  brought  with  them  a  fully  organized  Methodist  church  of  more 
than  200  members,  with  some  local  preachers  and  exhorters  of  ability  and 
prominence.  Among  them  were  some  splendid  specimens  of  Indian  piety 
and  thrilling  pulpit  eloquence.  One  factor  which  contributed  largely  toward 
making  them  a  superior  nation  was  the  large  infusion  of  white  blood  that  the 
tribe  contained,  and  that  of  some  rather  prominent  families.  The  Walker, 
Hicks,  Zane,  Armstrong  and  Mudeater  families  were  all  founded  by  cap- 
tives who  were  adopted  into  the  tribe. 

Their  reservation  in  Kansas  consisted  of  thirty-nine  sections  of  land,  a 
little  more  than  one  township,  thirty-six  being  purchased  December  4,  1843, 
for  $46,080,  from  the  Delawares,  their  neighbors  on  the  west  and  north,  and 
their  reputed  nephews,  and  three  being  the  gift  of  the  same  tribe.  Their 
little  reservation  at  the  confluence  of  the  Kansas  and  Missouri  rivers  was  a 
finely  wooded  tract  of  very  fertile  land,   beautifully  undulating  and  well 

Note  83.  — History  of  the  Wyandot  Mission  at  Upper  Sandusky.  Ohio,  by  James  Finley, 
Cincinnati,  1840;  History  of  the  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  by  Rev.  Enoch 
Mudge,  in  History  of  American  Missions,  1840,  p.  529. 

Note  84.  — For  a  connected  history  of  this  tribe,  see  "The  Wyandot  Indians,"  by  Ray  E. 
Merwin,  on  page  73  of  this  volume.  The  Provisional  Government  of  Nebraska  Territory  and  the 
Journals  of  William  Walker,  by  W.  E.  Connelley,  Lincoln,  Neb.,  1899,  relates  to  the  Wyandots  in 
Kansas. 


214  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

watered.  The  site  was  eligible  and  healthy,  and  upon  it  has  grown  up  the 
Kansas  metropolis. 

When  the  Wyandots  arrived  by  two  steamboats  at  their  reservation,  July 
28  and  31,  1843,  they  numbered  about  700  souls.  Mrs.  Lucy  Bigelow  Arm- 
strong says  85  that  among  the  more  than  200  church  members  there  were  nine 
class-leaders,  several  exhorters,  and  three  local  preachers,  one  of  whom, 
Squire  Greyeyes,  a  man  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  a  true  mis- 
sionary, was  ordained  deacon.  The  members  were  divided  into  five  classes 
for  religious  work  and  instruction.  The  Rev.  James  Wheeler,  who  had  been 
their  missionary  for  nearly  four  years,  accompanied  them.  Religious  serv- 
ices were  held  on  their  journey  and  all  their  religious  appointments  kept  up 
in  Ohio  were  resumed  on  their  first  camping-ground  in  Kansas.  Most  of  the 
Wyandots  camped  on  the  reservation  from  the  latter  part  of  July  till  the 
latter  part  of  October,  1843,  while  some  rented  houses  in  and  about  West- 
port,  Mo.  Their  missionary.  Rev.  James  Wheeler,  found  a  home  at  the 
Shawnee  manual-labor  school,  and  preached  at  the  Wyandot  camp  nearly 
every  Sabbath  and  often  during  the  week.  His  services  were  required  fre- 
quently, as  sixty  of  their  number  died  in  the  three  months  they  were 
camped  there.  The  Wyandot  preachers  and  exhorters  were  always  at  their 
posts,  so  that  there  were  always  two  regular  preaching  services  on  the 
Sabbath  and  five  well-attended  class-meetings  in  the  place  appointed  for  pub- 
lic preaching  and  in  some  of  the  camps.  A  general  prayer-meeting  was  held 
on  Wednesday  evening,  and  on  Thursday  evening  there  was  preaching  by 
Squire  Greyeyes  or  another  of  the  Wyandots.  The  interpreters  for  Mr. 
Wheeler  were  Geo.  I.  Clark  and  John  M.  Armstrong. 

Mr.  Wheeler  attended  the  Missouri  conference,  held  at  Lexington  in 
October,  1843,  as  the  missions  were  a  part  of  this  conference.  From  there 
Mr.  Wheeler  returned  to  Ohio,  expecting  to  return  to  the  Wyandots  in  the 
spring. 

The  Wyandots  held  their  meetings  regularly  on  the  Sabbath  and  Wednes- 
days and  Fridays  during  the  winter  of  1843- '44  in  their  camps,  for  only  a 
few  had  houses  in  which  to  live.  At  the  close  of  a  meeting  in  January,  1844, 
Squire  Greyeyes  proposed  that  the  brethren  should  come  together,  cut  down 
trees,  hew  logs,  make  puncheons  and  clapboards,  and  build  a  church.  While 
they  were  all  busy  clearing^ground,  spHtting  rails  to  enclose  their  fields  for 
the  spring  crops,  they  set  apart  a  day  now  and  then  to  work  on  the  new 
church.  So  faithfully  did  they  labor  that  they  were  able  to  worship  in  it 
in  April  of  the  same  year,  1844,  the  preacher  standing  on  one  tier  of  the 
puncheon  floor  and  the  congregation  sitting  on  the  uncovered  sleepers.  This, 
the  first  church  built  by  the  Wyandots  in  Kansas,  was  a  good,  hewed-log 
house,  about  thirty  by  forty  feet,  located  about  three  miles  from  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Kansas  and  Missouri  rivers.'*''  It  was  completed  before  the 
return  of  the  missionary,  Mr.  Wheeler,  in  May  of  the  same  year,  and  their 
first  quarterly  meeting  for  the  year  was  held  in  it  the  first  Saturday  and 
Sunday  in  June,  at  which  time  he  baptized  all  the  infants  born  to  the  Wyan- 

NOTE  85. — Mrs.  Armstrong's  account  may  be  found  in  Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  pp. 
1226-1229. 

N0TE86.  — Mrs.  Lucy  B.  Armstrong,  in  her  sketch  of  the  Washington  Ayenue  Methodist 
Church,  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  says  this  log  church  was  built  on  Mr.  Kerr's  place,  or  about  the 
western  limit  of  the  city— Washington  and  Eighteenth  streets.  — History,  Record  and  Directory 
Washington  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Kansas  City,  1893. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        215 

dots  during  his  absence.  A  parsonage,  built  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
confluence  of  the  rivers,  was  nearly  completed  at  this  time.  This  was  a 
two-story  frame  house,  costing  about  $1500,  being  a  part  of  the  proceeds  of 
the  mission  farm  improvements  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  one  result  of  the 
labors  of  the  old  missionaries  Finley,  Gilruth,  Bigelow,  and  their  successors. 
This  parsonage,  Mrs.  Armstrong  says,  was  unjustly  alienated  from  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  by  the  Wyandot  treaty  of  1855,  the  Manypenny 
treaty.  The  above  description  is  largely  gathered  from  the  reminiscences  of 
Mrs.  Lucy  Bigelow  Armstrong. 

During  Mr.  Wheeler's  absence,  the  missionaries  from  the  Shawnee, 
Delaware  and  Kickapoo  missions  preached  to  the  Wyandots  once  in  two 
weeks,  alternately— Rev.  J.  C.  Berryman,  superintendent  of  the  manual- 
labor  school;  Rev.  Learner  B.  Stateler,  missionary  to  the  Shawnees;  E.  T. 
and  J.  Thompson  Peery,  of  the  Delawares;  and  N.  M.  Talbot,  of  the  Kicka- 
poos. 

The  slavery  question,  which  rent  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  asun- 
der in  1845,  assumed  a  more  acute  form  among  the  Wyandots  than  with 
any  of  the  other  tribes  among  which  our  church  established  her  missions  in 
Kansas.  They  had  just  recently  moved  from  the  northern  part  of  Ohio,  a 
free  state,  and  had  not  been  affected  by  pro-slavery  influences,  as  the  other 
Kansas  missions  had  been,  by  reason  of  their  belonging  to  the  Missouri  con- 
ference and  served  by  Southern  and  pro-slavery  sympathizers. 

Rev.  James  Wheeler  returned  to  Ohio  in  May,  1846.  From  the  journal 
of  Wm.  Walker,  we  are  able  to  obtain  the  exact  date;  for,  under  date  of 
May  4,  1846,  he  makes  record  as  follows:  "The  deacon  packing  up  his  ef- 
fects for  a  move  to  Ohio";  and  under  date  of  May  5,  "At  eleven  o'clock 
the  deacon  and  his  family  bade  adieu  to  the  Wyandots  and  embarked  on 
board  the  '  Radnor '  with  sorrowful  hearts.  May  they  have  a  pleasant  and 
prosperous  voyage."  May  9,  "  E.  T.  Peery's  family,  successors  of  J.  W., 
moved  over  to-day." 

The  Wyandots  were,  by  the  removal  of  Mr.  Wheeler,  deprived  of  their 
spiritual  leader.  All  about  them  were  strong  pro-slavery  influences.  About 
this  time  the  Wyandots  held  an  official  meeting, «'  and  resolved  that  they 
would  ' '  not  receive  a  missionary  from  the  church  south  of  the  line ' '  di- 
viding the  new  organization  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  according 
to  the  proposed  plan  of  separation. 

The  Rev.  E.  T.  Peery  was  appointed  missionary  to  the  Wyandots  from 
1845  to  October,  1848.  Mr.  Peery  represented  himself  to  the  Wyandots  as 
being  opposed  to  slavery,  but  finally  went  with  the  majority  of  the  mission- 
aries into  the  Church  South.  In  October,  1846,  when  the  United  States 
government  paid  the  Wyandots  for  the  improvements  on  their  Ohio  homes, 
Mr.  Peery  proposed  in  an  official  meeting  that  they  should  build  a  larger 
and  better  church,  and  more  convenient  to  the  parsonage,  than  the  log 
church.  James  Big  Tree,  who  was  a  licensed  exhorter  in  the  church,  op- 
posed it,  saying  that  the  Church  South  would  claim  it,  but  Mr.  Peery  over- 
ruled the  objection,  saying  that  the  records  were  kept  in  the  name  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  that  it  was  well  known  that  the  Wyandots 
were  opposed  to  the  new  organization  ( Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South) , 
and  would  adhere  to  the  old  organization,  or  a  majority,  at  least,  would. 

Note  87.— Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  p.  1228. 


216 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


A  good  brick  building, 
fifty  by  thirty-five  feet, 
with  a':^,basement,  was 
erected,  and  occupied  No- 
vember 1,  1874.88  The  funds 
were  raised  mostly  by  pri- 
vate subscriptions  among 
the  people.  The  organiza- 
tion at  this  time  numbered 
240  members— two  native 
preachers  and  four  exhort- 
ers.  The  building,  it  ap- 
pears, was  not  finished  till 
several  years  later,  but  all 
the  services  were  now  held 
in  this  church,  but,  as  here- 
tofore, class-  and  prayer- 
meetings  in  private  houses 
in  diff^erent  neighborhoods, 
largely  through  the  labors 
of  Greyeyes. 

The  new  brick  meeting- 
house proved  to  be  a  bone 
of  contention  between  the 
opposing  factions. 

The  journals  of  Wm. 
Walker,  published  by  Wm, 
E.  Connelley  in  his  interest- 
ing volume  "Wm.  Walker 
and  the  Provisional  Government  of  Nebraska  Territory, "  gives  us  an  insight 
into  the  contest  waged  so  bitterly  by  the  opposing  factions,  and  which  re- 
sulted in  the  burning  of  both  the  old  log  church  and  the  new  brick  church  in 
the  Wyandot  Nation.  8**  Due  allowance  must  be  made  for  Governor  Walker's 
bias  toward  the  pro-slavery  party  and  the  M.  E.  Church  South.     He  was  a 


SILAS  ARMSTRONG. 
Wyandot  chief  and  interpreter. 


Note  88.— Mrs.  Armstrong  says  this  brick  church  was  one-half  mile  from  town,  on  the 
Greenwood  tract,  supposed  to  be  about  Tenth  street  and  Freeman  avenue.  Kansas  City,  Kan. 

Note  89.  — William  E.  Connelly  writes,  under  date  of  Topeka,  October  1,  1905.  as  follows  : 

My  Dear  Brother  Lutz  — I  received  your  manuscript,  and  read  it  with  much  pleasure  and 
profit.  It  contains  much  that  I  did  not  know  in  relation  to  the  missions  other  than  that  to  the 
Wyandots.  It  is  very  valuable.  I  was  at  a  loss  to  know  where  to  find  many  things  about  the 
Shawnees  ;  you  have  it  all  here.  I  send  you  herewith  copies  of  a  few  documents  which  I  have  in 
my  collection.  I  have  hundreds  of  them  on  this  church  division  in  the  Wyandot  nation,  but  these 
will  be  suflicient  for  this  paper. 

The  date  of  the  burning  of  the  church  buildings  is  April  8,  1856.  I  find  this  in  the  sketch  of 
the  church  left  by  Aunt  Lucy  B.  Armstrong.  I  have  the  manuscript,  and  it  is  published  in  the 
directory  of  the  Washington  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  1893.  The  entry  is  as  fol- 
lows: "On  the  night  of  April  8,  1856,  both  church  buildings  were  burned  to  the  ground  by  in- 
cendiaries." The  churches  were  burned  by  some  young  men  who  did  not  belong  to  any  church 
organization.  The  Church  South  had  no  organization  in  the  nation  at  that  time.  This  may  seem 
a  strange  statement  to  make,  but  I  quote  you  the  following  document : 

"Wyandott,  November  25,  1854. 
The  undersigned,  official  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  for  ourselves 
and  the  membership,  would  respectfully  notify  the  Rev.  A.  Monroe,  superintendent  of  the  Kan- 
sas district,  that,  in  view  of  the  present  condition  of  the  charge  in  this  place  — a  condition  that 
may  be  called  anything  but  prosperous  ~  have  deliberately  determined  upon  a  union  of  the  two 
societies,  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

"The  official  and  private  members  have  for  the  past  two  years  observed  with  pain  and  deep 
regret  a  continual  decline  in  the  spiritual  condition  of  this  society. 

"The  cause,  in  part,  of  the  falling-off  may  be  attributed  to  the  loss  by  death  of  many  of  our 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indiana  in  Kansas.        217 

slaveholder  on  a  small  scale.  Mr.  Connelley  says  that  "Governor  Walker 
was  extremely  bitter,  intolerant  and  unjust  in  his  attitude  toward  the  M. 
E.  church,  although  he  did  not  belong  to  the  Church  South,  and  his  wife  and 
daughter  Martha  belonged  to  the  M.  E.  church."  Under  date  of  September 
1,  1848,  Governor  Walker  says: 

"Pursuant  to  notice,  the  nation  assembled  at  the  camp-ground,  and  at 
twelve  o'clock  proceeded  to  organize  by  the  appointment  of  James  Washing- 
ton, president,  and  John  Hicks,  sen'r,  vice-president,  and  W.  Walker,  sec- 
retary. The  object  [of  the  convention]  being  to  determine  whether  the 
nation  will  declare  for  the  Southern  division  of  the  M.  E.  church  or  the 
Northern.  After  an  animated  discussion  by  S.  Armstrong,  W.  Walker, 
M.  R.  Walker,  J.  D.  Brown,  F.  A.  Hicks,  David  Young  and  others  in  favor 
of  the  South,  and  J.  M.  Armstrong,  G.  I.  Clark,  Squire  Greyeyes  in  favor 
of  the  North,  a  preamble  and  resolution  [were]  adopted  by  which  the  nation 
declared  for  the  South." 

September  5. —  "Writing  an  appeal  to  the  Ohio  conference." 

September  7. —  "  To-day  the  church  members  were  to  be  assembled  at  the 
new  brick  church  to  vote  on  the  question  'North  or  South,'  but  unfortu- 
nately the  members  refused  to  attend,  and  so  ended  the  affair.  A  rather 
severe  rebuke  to  the  agitators. ' ' 

October  21.  —  "  Wrote  an  address  to  the  Indian  Mission  conference  for  the 
official  members.  ...  In  the  evening  the  notorious  Bishop  Andrews 
[Andrew]  came  over.  Called  upon  him  at  the  deacon's.  Found  him  sociable 
and  affable— a  real,  burly  Georgian." 

Sunday,  October  22.  —  "Attended  church  and  heard  the  bishop  preach. 
In  the  afternoon  he  dined  with  us." 

October  23.  — "A  preacher,  it  seems,  is  appointed  by  the  Ohio  conference 
to  come  in  here  and  sneak  about  like  a  night  burglar  or  incendiary  to  do 
harm  and  not  good.  What  is  it  that  religious  fanaticism  will  not  do?  The 
seceders  have  stolen  the  church  records." 

October  24. —  "At  night  a  number  of  our  friends  came  and  stayed  till  a 
late  hour  discussing  various  matters.  Determined  to  call  in  the  authority  of 
the  Nation  and  the  Indian  Agent,  to  protect  their  rights  from  the  seceders. " 

Sunday,  October  29. —  "Went  to  Church,  and  to  our  astonishment  found 
the  presiding  Elder  of  the  Quasi  Northern  District,  a  Mr.  Still ;  the  Deacon, 
as  a  matter  of  Grace,  asked  him  to  preach,  which  he  attempted  to  do; 
'  Sorter '  preached.  The  Church  was  then  divided,  South  from  the  North, 
Meeting  appointed  by  the  Northerners  for  evening." 

old,  experienced  and  zealous  members  and  fathers  in  the  church,  and  no  accessions  to  supply 
these  losses. 

"  For  the  last  two  years  we  have  thouprht  that  the  church  of  our  choice  looked  upon  this 
charge  as  a  burden,  especially  by  this  conference,  judging  from  the  character  of  the  ministerial 
supply  afforded  us.  We  have  been  denied  the  benefit  and  privilege  of  the  general  itinerant  sys- 
tem of  the  church  —  a  system  which  past  experience  demonstrated  to  be  eminently  useful  and 
successful  with  our  people. 

"  No  one  could,  previous  to  the  commencement  of  this  conference  year,  doubt  our  devotion 
and  loyalty  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  A  crisis  has  arrived,  and  it  must  be  met, 
and  how  to  meet  it  was  asked  ;  but  no  satisfactory  response  was  made  —  no  effectual  remedy  was 
proposed. 

"To  our  statements  and  suggestions  answers  were  returned  better  calculated  to  silence  than 
to  satisfy  us. 

"To  us,  as  a  society,  the  alternative  was  presented,  either  spiritual  death  or  a  change,  and 
the  stern  necessity  of  the  case  determined  us  to  choose  the  latter. 

"  We  dissolve  our  connection  with  the  Church  South  from  a  deep  sense  of  duty.  We  part  in 
peace,  and  shall  carry  with  us  feelings  of  high  regard,  esteem  and  Christian  love  for  our  brethren. 

"  This  union  will  render  it  obviously  necessary  to  have  the  use  of  the  brick  church  as  well  as 
the  parsonage. 

"The  necessary  arrangement  will  be  made  for  a  reimbursement  to  your  church  of  its  out- 
lay in  money  in  the  erection  of  the  church  building." 

There  are  no  names  to  the  above  document,  and  it  is  evidently  but  the  first  draft.  It  is  in 
the  handwriting  of  Governor  Walker,  and  he  evidently  drew  up  the  articles.  I  found  this  docu- 
ment among  his  papers.  There  is,  on  the  same  sheet  of  paper,  the  following,  which  is  in  the 
handwriting  of  Governor  Walker,  and.  being  on  the  same  sheet,  would  make  it  certain  that  both 
papers  are  but  the  first  drafts  of  the  papers  signed  and  acted  upon  : 

"The  undersigned,  official  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Wyandott,  would 
respectfully  state  that  the  brethren  whose  names  are  signed  to  the  above  article  made  overtures 
to  us  for  the  purpose  mentioned  therein. 

"  We  met  and  had  a  full,  free  and  unreserved  conference,  and  the  result  was  the  adoption  of 


218  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

October  30. —  "At  candle-light  the  Wyandott  Chiefs  met  at  our  domicile 
and  prepared  a  communication  to  the  Agent,  asking  the  interposition  of  the 
Government  to  keep  out  of  our  territory  those  reverend  disturbers  of  the 
Nation. ' ' 

November  28.  — "Rev.  J.  Thompson  Peerey,  our  newly  appointed  mis- 
sionary, moved  into  the  parsonage." 

November  30.  — "To-night  will  be  held  the  first  official  meeting  of  the 
Church  South  under  the  administration  of  Rev.  J.  T.  Peerey." 

December  1.  — "Called  upon  Mr.  Peerey  and  presiding  elder  Stateler. 
.  .  .  Mr.  James  Gurley,  the  preacher  sent  by  the  Ohio  annual  conference 
to  preach  abolitionism  to  the  Wyandotts,  has  just  arrived.  So  I  suppose  we 
are  to  have  religious  dissensions  in  full  fruition." 

December  2. —  "Mr.  Gurley  called  upon  us  and  defended  his  position.  If 
he  follows  the  instructions  received  from  Bishop  Morris  we  shall  not  have 
much  trouble,  for  he  will  'gather  up  his  awls  '  and  pull  out." 

Sunday,  December  3.  —  "  Must  go  to  the  Synagogue  and  hear  Mr.  Gurley 

a  resolution  for  a  union  of  the  two  societies,  as  stated  in  their  communication.     We  receive  them 
as  brethren  and  sisters  beloved. 

"  With  this  complaint  of  a  want  of  proper  attention  towards  them  from  your  conference,  we 
have  nothing  to  say  ;  on  the  contrary,  be  assured  of  our  best  wishes  and  fraternal  regard  for  our 
brethren  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  while  we  invoke  the  blessing  of  the  Great 
Head  of  the  Church  upon  this  union." 

When  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  again  effected  an  organization  in  the  nation  I 
have  not  had  time  to  ascertain.  But  it  could  not  have  been  very  soon  after  this  union ;  the  war 
on  the  border  began  about  that  time,  and  things  were  very  unsettled.  I  think  this  Kansas  war 
had  more  to  do  with  the  burning  of  the  church  buildings  than  any  religious  controversy  which 
could  have  existed  at  that  time. 

As  confirmatory  of  the  truthfulness  of  the  above  documents,  I  will  quote  from  the  paper  of 
Aunt  Lucy,  referred  to  before : 

"  With  Doctor  Goode  as  superintendent  came  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Dennis  as  missionary.  Soon 
after  their  arrival  twelve  of  the  members  who  had  joined  the  Church  South  returned  to  the  old 
church.  Among  the  number  were  Matthew  Mudeater,  a  Wyandot  chief,  and  Mrs.  Hannah,  wife 
of  William  Walker,  who  afterwards  became  provisional  governor  of  Kansas." 

I  am  satisfied  that  Mrs.  Hannah  Walker  never  united  with  the  Church  South  nor  did  her 
daughter  Martha.  Jesse  Garrett,  Esq.,  who  married  Martha,  told  me  that  his  wife  and  Mrs. 
Walker  always  remained  in  the  old  church,  but  the  feeling  was  so  bitter  that  they  could  not  at- 
tend its  services,  and  that  they  did  attend  the  services  of  the  Church  South. 

Another  document,  showing  that  the  succession  has  always  remained  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  is  as  follows  (I  do  not  know  the  handwriting,  but  I  secured  the  paper  from  a 
daughter  of  Aunt  Lucy): 
"State  of  Missouri,  County  of  Jackson,  to  wit: 

"  Edward  Peery,  of  the  county  aforesaid,  being  duly  sworn,  says  that  he  was  Missionary  to 
the  Wyandot  Indians  in  Kansas,  then  Indian  Territory,  from  June,  1846,  to  October,  1848 ;  that 
though  the  said  affiant  was  in  connection  with  the  Methodist  Church  South  at  that  time,  yet  the 
records  of  all  the  oflicial  meetings  of  the  Church  among  the  Wyandots  during  that  time  were  in 
the  name  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  licenses  of  the  Local  Preachers  and  Ex- 
horters  were  renewed  quarterly  as  emenating  from  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  ;  that  at  a  meeting  of  the  official  members  of  the  Church  among  the  Wyandotts 
in  May,  1846,  it  was  resolved,  that  the  Church  among  the  Wyandotts  would  not  submit  to  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Church  South. 

"Said  affiant  further  states,  that  at  another  oflncial  meeting,  held  in  the  fall  of  1846,  it  was 
decided  to  build  a  good  brick  Church,  and  subscription  papers  for  building  a  Methodist  Church 
among  the  Wyandotts  were  circulated  for  that  purpose,  and  the  Wyandotts  themselves  con- 
tributed the  most  of  the  Money  raised,  the  Wyandott  Council  donating  Five  Hundred  dollars  out 
of  the  National  Annuity  ;  that  the  Church  was  built  tn  pursuance  of  the  aforesaid  decision  of  the 
official  members,  and  ready  for  occupancy  in  November,  1847;  that  regular  religious  services 
were  held  in  it,  and  the  records  of  the  Church  were  still  kept  in  the  name  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  as  heretofore  stated,  until  the  fall  of  1848.  when  the  membership  was  divided,  a 
large  majority  of  the  members  adhering  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ;  that  after  the  or- 
ganization of  Kansas  Territory  a  State  of  Lawlessness  and  disorder  prevailed  along  the  border, 
and  much  property  was  destroyed,  and  the  aforesaid  Brick  Church  was  burned  in  April,  1856 ; 
said  Church  was  worth  at  the  time  of  its  destruction  three  thousand  dollars. 

"  Said  affiant  further  states,  that  in  1844  a  Parsonage  was  built  for  the  use  of  the  Missionary 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to  the  Wyandotts,  costing  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  said  money 
being  a  part  the  proceeds  of  the  Mission  Farm  at  Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio,  which  Farm  was  made 
by  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ;  that  the  recognition  of  the  afore- 
said parsonage  as  belonging  to  the  Church  South  by  the  Treaty  of  January  31st,  \9,bh,  was  unjust, 
since  the  money  used  in  building  said  Parsonage  really  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  further  says  not." 
■•Mrs.  Lucy  Ar^.trong.  Wyandott.  Kansas:  "  KANSAS  CiTY,  Mo.,  Feb.  15th,  1864. 

"  Dear  Sister  in  Christ--I  went  out  to  see  Bro.  Peery  two  or  three  times,  but  did  not  meet 
with  him  ;  he  being  absent  at  the  time.  I  sent  the  paper  to  him,  however,  by  his  son,  which  he 
examined,  and  left  word  with  his  wife  that  he  could  endorse  it  all  except  that  part  which  says, 
"a  large  majority  adhering  to  the  M.  E.  Church,'  upon  this  point  he  is  not  so  clear.  I  am  sorry 
that  I  did  not  go  to  -see  Bro.  Peery  myself.  I  return  the  paper  and  also  the  dollar  handed  to  me 
by  Bro.  Ham.  Yours  in  Christ,  Alfred  H.  Powell." 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        219 

'  hold  forth. '  He  held  forth.  Went  to  Church  at  early  candle-lighting  and 
heard  the  preacher  in  charge,  J.  T.  Peerey. " 

January  30,  1849.  — "Went  to  attend  the  session  of  the  Council,  in  order 
to  report  the  result  of  the  meeting,  on  the  19th,  of  the  non-professing  mem- 
bers, who  decided  that  both  missionaries  should  be  expelled  from  the  na- 
tion."" Made  my  report,  and  closed  with  a  speech,  defining  our  position, 
and  closed  with  a  solemn  warning  to  the  Northern  faction." 

February  10.  — "To-day  is  the  time  appointed  for  the  Northern  quarterly 
meeting.     But  will  it  be  held?  " 

July  15.  — "Dr.  Hewitt  moved  to-day  from  Wyandott  Territory  to  give 
place  to  his  successor.  'Sic  transit  gloria  mundi.'" — Connelley's  Provi- 
sional Government,  p.  260. 

It  is  in  order  now  to  narrate  a  little  more  particularly  the  events  which 
led  to  Doctor  Hewitt's  moving  from  the  territory,  as  recorded  in  the  entry 
of  Governor  Walker's  journal,  just  quoted.  This  was  the  culmination  of  the 
troubles  between  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  South. 

Dr.  Richard  Hewitt  was  sub-Indian  agent  for  the  Wyandots,  and  a 
somewhat  intense  slavery  propagandist.  The  report  of  Doctor  Hewitt  to  the 
commissioner  of  Indian  affairs  for  1848  will  show  his  attitude  toward  the 
opposition.  We  must  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  great  pressure 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  agent  by  the  Southern  faction.  In  his  report 
for  1848  he  says: 

"During  the  past  summer  some  dissension  has  existed  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  arising  out  of  the  division  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  which  took  place  four  years  ago,  by  which  a  line  of  separation  sepa- 
rating the  slaveholding  from  the  non-slaveholding  territories  was  agreed 
upon  by  the  general  conference  of  that  church.  By  this  prudential  arrange- 
ment all  the  Indian  missions  west  of  the  states  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas, 
etc.,  under  the  patronage  of  that  church  were  thrown  into  the  Southern  di- 
vision and  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South. 
By  the  history  of  this  church  arrangement  or  ecclesiastical  legislation,  it 
appears  that  at  the  last  quadrennial  session,  held  in  May  last,  the  Northern 
division  in  its  separate  capacity  abrogated  and  annulled  the  plan  of  separa- 
tion mutually  agreed  upon  four  years  previous,  and  intend  to  invade  the 
territory  of  the  former. 

"From  information  on  which  I  can  rely,  it  appears  that  certain  clergy- 
men in  Ohio,  with  a  view  of  the  furtherance  of  their  plans,  have  been  cor- 
responding with  such  Wyandotts  as  they  are  acquainted  with  and  could  be 
influenced.  These  communications  are  doubtless  well  seasoned  with  abo- 
litionism, with  a  view  of  stirring  up  disaffection  and  discord  among  the 
people,  and,  through  them,  among  the  Delawares,  Shawnees.  and  Kickapoos, 
among  which  the  Southern  division  has  missionary  establishments;  this  move- 
ment has  not  been  without  its  effects,  especially-among  the  Wyandots,  who 
are,  to  a  limited  extent,  slaveholders  themselves,  in  producing  strife  and 
contention,  not  among  the  membership  only,  but  through  the  nation  gener- 
ally. 

"A  memorial  was  forwarded,  not  long  since,  by  the  disaffected  members, 
addressed  to  the  Ohio  annual  conference,  praying  the  appointment  of  a 
preacher  from  that  body  to  reside  among  them  as  missionary. 

"A  protest  addressed  to  the  same  body  was  shortly  afterwards  adopted 
and  forwarded  by  the  nation,  protesting  against  any  interference  in  their 
affairs,  and  warning  that  body  of  the  disastrous  consequences  that  might 
follow  them,  from  such  agitations  which  would  grow  out  of  the  stationing 
of  a  preacher  from  the  North,  when  they  were  already  supplied  by  the  Indian 
Mission  conference. 

Note  90.  — Wm.  E.  Connelley  says  :  "This  action  resulted  in  the  expulsion  of  the  missionary 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South 
was  not  molested." 


220  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

"The  whole  movement  has  no  doubt  originated  in  aboHtionism,  which 
seldom  hesitates  at  the  means  to  accomplish  its  purpose. 

"Should  a  preacher  be  sent  here  from  the  North  (Ohio)  contrary  to  the 
wishes  of  the  nation,  and  we  have  no  other  authority  than  that  given  him 
by  that  conference,  and  he  present  himself,  I  shall  be  compelled  (in  this 
novel  case),  in  the  absence  of  special  instructions,  to  enforce  the  'inter- 
course laws, '  however  unpleasant  it  may  be  to  my  feelings. 

"Notwithstanding  those  engaged  in  the  getting  up  of  this  unpleasant 
state  of  things  act  with  great  energy  (an  energy  and  perseverance  worthy 
of  a  better  cause)  and  no  little  bitterness  of  feeling,  I  am  bound  in  candor 
to  believe  that  their  actions  are  prompted  by  an  honest  though  a  misguided 
zeal.  Their  course  of  conduct  proves  conclusively  to  my  mind  that  it  is  far 
easier  to  reason  men  intoerror  than  out  of  it. —Richard  Hewitt,  Sub-agent." 

(  Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1848,  pp.  486,  487.) 

We  have  been  unable  to  gather  from  Governor  Walker's  journal,  or  from 
any  other  source,  anything  concerning  the  particulars  of  the  arrest  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Gurley  and  his  expulsion  from  the  nation.  The  matter  was  taken  up  at 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in 
their  session  at  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  April,  1849.  After  some  consultation 
concerning  our  missions  in  the  Missouri  territory,  Bishop  Morris  was  ap- 
pointed to  draft  a  memorial  to  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  at  Washing- 
ton, in  relation  to  the  expulsion  of  Rev.  James  Gurley  from  ^'^^  Wyandot 
nation.     Following  are  the  material  portions  of  the  document: 

"The  Wyandot  Indians,  formerly  of  Sandusky,  Ohio,  now  i  the  terri- 
tory west  of  Missouri,  have  for  thirty  years  past  been  regu  arly  supplied 
with  missionaries  from  our  church,  except  a  short  interval  since  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  When  the  Wyandots 
removed  from  Ohio  to  their  present  home,  our  missionary,  Rev.  J.  Wheeler, 
who  had  been  their  pastor  for  years,  accompanied  them  and  remained  with 
them  until  1846,  when,  the  Indian  Mission  conference  having  adhered  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  he  returned  to  his  own  conference  in 
Ohio.  The  Wyandots  were  much  dissatisfied  with  their  new  position  in 
church  affairs,  and  gave  notice  to  the  Church  South  that  they  would  look  to 
us  for  supplies  of  ministers,  and  accordingly,  in  1848,  sent  a  petition  to  the 
Ohio  conference  for  a  missionary.  This  was  signed  by  the  official  and  lead- 
ing men  of  the  society,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases.  Rev.  James  Gurley,  a 
minister  long  and  favorably  known  among  us,  was  selected,  appointed,  and 
sent,  with  a  letter  of  instruction  from  T.  A.  Morris.  That  letter  was  ob- 
tained from  Mr.  Gurley  by  Major  Cummins,  United  States  agent  near  Fort 
Leavenworth,  and,  so  far  as  we  know,  is  still  in  his  hands;  otherwise  we 
would  herewith  forward  to  you  the  original.  After  Mr.  Gurley's  arrival 
at  Wyandot,  the  official  members  of  our  church  there,  in  a  communication  to 
T.  A.  Morris,  expressed  their  gratitude  and  pleasure  on  his  reception  among 
them,  and  having  heard  of  an  idle  and  false  rumor  of  an  intention  on  our 
part  to  recall  him,  remonstrated  strongly  against  in.  Subsequently,  how- 
ever. Doctor  Hewitt,  subagent  of  the  Wyandot  nation,  had  Mr.  Gurley  ar- 
rested, and  ordered  him  to  leave  the  nation.  One  fact  to  which  we  beg 
leave  to  call  your  special  attention  is,  that  no  exception  to  the  moral.  Chris- 
tian or  ministerial  character  or  conduct  of  Mr.  Gurley  was  alleged,  even  by 
Doctor  Hewitt,  as  a  reason  for  expelling  him  from  the  nation,  n  r  had  Mr. 
Gurley  any  personal  difficulty  with  any  individual  there;  yet  h  vas  driven 
off,  to  the  great  grief  of  the  Christian  society  over  which  he  /.us  pastor, 
consisting  of  a  large  majority  of  the  church-members  in  the  Wya.i  Jot  nation. 

"Now,  what  we  wish  is,  to  be  informed  whether  the  act  of  Doctor  Hewitt 
was  authorized  and  sanctioned  by  the  government,  or  merely  an  assumption 
of  power  on  his  part.  If  the  latter,  we  respectfully  ask  that  the  abuse  of 
the  power  may  be  corrected  in  such  way  as  the  department  may  deem  proper, 
the  wrong  redressed,  and  our  constitutional  rights  secured.  We  know  of  no 
reason  why  our  missionaries  should  be  excluded  from  the  Indian  Territory, 
while  the  missionaries  of  other  churches  are  tolerated  and  protected." 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        221 


This  communication,  signed 
by  all  the  bishops,  was  duly 
forwarded  to  Hon.  Thos.  Ew- 
ing,  secretary  of  the  interior. 
It  caused  the  speedy  removal 
from  office  of  Doctor  Hewitt, 
sub-agent  at  Wyandot,  and  the 
restoration  of  our  privileges  as 
a  church  in  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory.   • 

It  appears,  from  the  journals 
of  Governor  Walker,  that  both 
the  church  buildings  were 
standing  as  late  as  1851,  for  he 
records : 

"November  2. —Went  in 
company  with  Martha  [his 
daughter]  to  the  Northern 
Quarterly  Meeting.  Heard  a 
poor  sermon  from  the  Presiding 
Elder  [Geo.  W.  Roberts].  Rev. 
L.  B.  Stateler  preached  at  the 
Brick  Church. 

"Sunday,  16. —Must  go  [to] 
the  Synagogue  to  hear  Mr. 
Scarritt  preach,  this  being  his 
day  to  preach  at  the  Brick 
Church.  A  rather  thin  congre- 
gation. 

'  'April  10, 1852.  -  In  the  even- 
ing Rev.  Mr.  Barker,  Mr.  Scar- 
ritt's  successor,  called  upon  us 
and  spent  some  time  with  us. " 

The  preachers  for  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  for  the  confer- 
ence year  1851-'52  were  Revs.  Nathan  Scarritt  and  D.  D.  Doffelmeyer, 
They  served  the  Shawnee,  Delaware  and  Wyandot  missions. 

One  feature  of  the  old-time  Methodism  was  the  camp-meeting.  The 
Wyandots  held  them  in  the  forests  of  Ohio  in  the  early  days,  and  introduced 
them  into  Kansas.  They  were  held  annually  by  the  Shawnees,  Delawares, 
and  Wyandots.  Governor  Walker's  journals  give  us  a  brief  description  of 
one  of  these  great  gatherings  in  the  forests : 

"  Friday,  September  3,  1852.  —Our  folks  all  in  a  bustle,  house  upside  down, 
moving  to  the  Camp  ground  cooking  utensils,  provisions.  Bed  clothes,  etc.  In 
the  evening  I  went  to  the  consecrated  ground  and  found  a  very  comfort- 
able shantee  erected. 

"Sunday,  September  5. —At  the  Camp  ground.  The  great  Conch  shell"' 
was  Sounded  as  a  Signal  to  rise  from  our  beds  and  prepare  for  morning  devo- 
tions and  breakfast.  At  11  o'clock  A.  M.  a  large  Congregation  assembled 
under  the  Arbor  prepared  for  the  occasion,  and  was  addressed  by  a  Rev.  Mr. 
Love,  of  St.  Louis,  in  a  sermon  of  great  eloquence  and  ability.  .  .  .  Devo- 
tional exercises  were  continued  through  the  day  and  till  a  late  hour  in  the 
night.     Several  new  members  were  received  into  the  Church. 

' '  September  19.  —  Engaged  in  writing  a  long  epistle  to  the  Northern  Bishop 


1.    MONONCUE.         2.    BETWEEN-THE-LOGS. 


Two  noted  Wyandot  chiefs  and  Methodist 
preachers. 


Note  91.— The  conch-shell  referred  to  above  is 
was  used  by  the  Wyandots  for  centuries. 


the  possession  of  Wm.  E.  Connefley.     It 


222 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


REV.  L.  B.  STATELER. 

who  is  to  preside  at  the  Northern  Conference  in  St.  Louis,  upon  their  Mis- 
sionary operations  among  the  Indians. 

"  September  24.  —Finished  my  letter  to  the  Bishop,  making  sixteen  pages, 
in  which  I  have  attempted  to  show  up  these  canting  Methodist  Abolitionists 
in  their  true  colors.  The  preachers  of  the  Northern  Methodist  Church  prowl- 
ing around  on  this  frontier  are  the  most  contemptible,  hypocritical,  canting 
set  of  fellows  that  ever  disgraced  Christianity. 

"November  19. —I  learned  on  yesterday  that  Doctor  Clipper  [M.  T. 
Klepper],  the  Northern  Preacher,  and  his  lady  arrived  on  Tuesday  last. 
He  succeeds  Rev.  James  Witten'-*-  as  preacher  in  charge  of  the  pitiful  fac- 
tion here. 


NoTR  92.— Rev.  James  Witten  was  born  in  Tazewell  county.  Virginia,  about  1790.  His 
mother  was  a  Laird  and  grandniece  of  Lord  Baltimore.  He  was  also  a  kinsman  of  Wm.  Cecil 
Price,  of  Springfield.  Mo.,  his  mother  being  a  Cecil.  At  about  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  entered 
the  United  States  service,  under  General  Jackson,  in  the  Creek  Indian  and  New  Orleans  cam- 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indiana  in  Kansas.        223 


^^    m 


MRS.  MELINDA  STATELER. 

"January  11,  1853. — Drew  up  a  petition  to  the  Council  praying  that  body 
to  restrain  Dr.  Clipper  from  opening  a  Missionary  Establishment  in  our 
Territory  as  unnecessary  and  useless. 

"January  19.  —  Wrote  to  Maj.  Moseley  at  Sarcoxie,  upon  matters  apper- 
taining to  the  Agency,  especially  about  the  movements  of  the  Northern 
Missionary." 

In  October,  1853,  Bishop  Morris,  who  presided  over  a  conference  at  New- 


paifirns.  He  was  admitted  on  trial  in  the  Tennessee  conference  held  at  Franklin.  October  30,  1817, 
in  the  class  with  Rev.  Jesse  Greene,  who  afterward  became  a  prominent  figure  in  the  work 
among  the  Indian  tribes  in  Kansas.  In  1822  he  located,  and  the  following  year  was  married  to 
Miss  Eliza  Ewing,  of  Washington  county,  Virginia.  In  1847  he  moved  to  northwest  Missouri, 
where  he  entered  the  active  work  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  had  three  brothers. 
John  W.,  Wm.  A.,  and  Thomas,  all  of  whom  were  Methodist  ministers,  the  two  former  serving 
as  local  preachers.  Thomas  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Portland,  Ore.  His  ( Jas.  Witten's) 
death  occurred  about  1870.  His  wife's  father  was  a  man  of  wealth  and  a  slaveholder.  Mr.  Wit- 
ten  was  opposed  to  slavery,  and  his  remaining  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  the  time  of 
the  division  was  the  cause  of  alienating  many  of  his  friends  and  relatives  who  were  slaveholders. 


224  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

ark,  Mo.,  made  a  hasty  visit  to  the  Wyandot  mission  in  company  with  Rev. 
J.  M.  Chivington,-'3  missionary  to  the  Wyandots,  on  his  way  to  attend  the 
Arkansas  conference,  at  Fayetteville.  The  journey  from  northwest  Missouri 
was  made  in  a  stage  wagon.  They  crossed  the  Missouri  river  at  Weston 
ferry  and  entered  Nebraska  territory,  passing  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  trav- 
eling through  the  lands  of  the  Stock  bridge  Indians.  ■'■»  On  Friday,  October 
14,  they  reached  Wyandotte  and  visited  Mrs.  Lucy  Bigelow  Armstrong,  whom 
they  found  coxnf ortably  living  in  a  good  house,  supporting  herself  in  part  by 
teaching.  On  Saturday  they  went  to  the  mission  premises,  occupied  by 
Doctor  Klepper,  and  remained  with  him  over  the  Sabbath.  The  bishop  made 
his  first  effort  at  public  speaking  through  an  interpreter  on  Sunday,  and  was 
not  much  pleased  with  the  method. 

The  last  appointment  made  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  to  the 
Wyandots  as  a  mission  was  in  1855.  "Delaware  and  Wyandot  mission,  J. 
H.  Dennis,  Charles  Ketchum,^^  and  one  supply."  This  year  the  Wyandots 
made  a  treaty  by  which  .they  dissolved  their  tribal  relations,  accepted  the 
allotment  of  the  lands  in  severalty,  and  became  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  The  old  mission  developed  into  the  Washington  Avenue  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South 
also  grew  into  a  fine  city  church  of  that  denomination. 

There  were  a  number  of  men  belonging  to  the  Wyandots  who  took  an 
active  part  in  our  missionary  operations  and  who  deserve  a  brief  notice. 
Rev.  Wm.  H.  Goode,  who  resided  among  them,  has  recorded  brief  notices  in 
his  "Outposts  of  Zion, "  of  some  of  the  more  prominent  men  of  this  tribe. 
Of  Squire  Greyeyes  he  writes  as  follows  : 

"Squire  Greyeyes,  a  native  preacher,  was  the  model  man  of  his  tribe. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  fruits  of  Finley's  labors,  and  lived  to  a  good  old  age; 
small  in  stature;  quick  and  active  in  his  movements;  spirited,  but  mild  and 
gentle  in  his  temper;  scrupulously  neat  in  his  person  and  zealous  in  his  piety 
and  exemplary  in  his  walk,  he  was,  upon  the  whole,  one  of  the  noblest  speci- 
mens of  Indian  character.  No  white  missionary  ever  could  move  and  melt 
and  sway  the  Wyandots  as  he  did.  The  missionaries  understood  this,  and 
when  direct  effect  was  intended  they  placed  him  in  the  front.  Still  he  was 
unassuming,  and  seemed  highly  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  the  labors  of  the 
missionaries  through  the  interpreters,  as  his  flowing  tears  would  often  tes- 
tify. His  wife,  considerably  his  junior,  was  neat  and  pious  and  his  home 
comfortable.  I  loved  to  visit  him,  though  he  could  converse  but  little.  He 
rarely  attempted  English." 

William  E.  Connelley  says  he  was  the  son  of  Doctor  Greyeyes,  who 
was  the  son  of  a  British  army  officer  who  married  a  Wyandot  girl  at  De- 
troit during  the  war  of  the  revolution.  Squire  Greyeyes  was  a  Methodist 
preacher,  converted  at  the  old  Wyandot  mission  in  Ohio,  under  the  labors  of 
Rev.  Jas.  B.  Finley,  who  was  the  leading  man  connected  with  that  mission. 
In  1826  Greyeyes  was  a  class-leader  there.  His  son,  John  W.  Greyeyes. 
was  educated  at  the  mission  in  Kansas  and  at  Kenyon  College,  Gambler, 
Ohio,  where  he  graduated.     He  became  a  successful  lawyer. 

George  I.  Clarke  was  a  man  of  influence  among  the  Wyandots,  and  was 

Note  93.— Goode's  Ouposts  of  Zion,  pp.  249,  252;  United  States  Special  Commissioner  on 
Indian  Tribes,  Report  of  B.  F.  Wade,  1867;  Official  Records,  War  of  the  Rebellion,  vol.  41,  pt.  1, 
p.  948. 

Note  94.—  For  Kansas  reservation  of  Stockbridges,  a  family  of  New  York  Indians,  in  south- 
«rn  part  of  the  territory,  see  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  83. 

Note  9.5.—  Sketch  of  Charles  Ketchum,  in  Goode's  Outposts  of  Zion,  p.  296. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        225 

elected  head  chief.  He  was  born  June  10,  1802,  and  died  June  25,  1858.  He 
belonged  to  the  faction  that  opposed  slavery  and  adhered  to  the  old  church. 
Mr.  Goode  has  this  to  say  of  him  : 

"George  I.  Clark,  a  local  preacher,  was  my  near  neighbor.  He  was  a 
half-breed  of  good  sense,  gentle  manners,  consistent  piety.  He  spoke  Eng- 
lish tolerably  well,  and  was  understood  to  render  English  correctly  into 
Wyandot.  He  was  our  stated  interpreter.  I  have  enjoyed  many  pleasant 
opportunities  of  preaching  through  him.  He  had  a  good  farm  and  com- 
fortable residence  near  where  Quindaro  now  stands." 

Another  prominent  man  of  the  tribe  was  John  Hicks,  who  was  the  last  of 
the  hereditary  chiefs  of  the  Wyandot  nation.  He  died  February  14,  1853, 
being  upwards  of  eighty  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  the  first  converts 
at  the  old  mission  in  Ohio  in  1819,  and  was  a  member  in  the  church  thirty- 
five  years.  He  was  licensed  as  an  exhorter  in  the  church.  He  affiliated 
with  the  Church  South.  His  son,  Francis  A.  Hicks,  was  also  a  man  of  note 
in  the  tribe.  He  was  born  in  1800  and  died  in  1855.  He  was  head  chief 
of  the  Wyandots.  He  first  sided  with  the  Church  South  and  took  part  in  the 
expulsion  of  the  missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  Mr.  Gurley. 
He  afterward  returned  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  daughter 
was  educated  at  the  Cincinnati  Wesleyan  Female  College. 

John  M.  Armstrong,  a  half-breed,  was  the  leader  of  the  Wyandots  who 
refused  to  go  with  the  Southern  faction  in  the  division.  His  father,  Robert 
Armstrong,  was  captured  by  Wyandots  and  Senecas  on  the  Alleghany  river 
in  1783.  He  married  Sarah  Zane.  J.  M.  Armstrong  married  Lucy  Bige- 
low,***  daughter  of  Rev.  Russell  Bigelow,  an  eloquent  pioneer  preacher  of 
Ohio,  and  who,  as  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Portland  district  in  Ohio,  was 
also  superintendent  of  the  Wyandot  mission  in  1829-'30.  Lucy  Bigelow 
Armstrong  died  January  1,  1892,  aged  seventy-three  years.  Mr.  Armstrong 
was  an  attorney  at  law,  and  was  associated  for  some  time  with  Hon.  John 
Sherman,  of  Mansfield,  Ohio,  where  he  died  April  11,  1852,  while  on  his  way 
to  Washington.  For  fuller  sketches  of  the  Armstrong  and  Hicks  families, 
see  Connelly's  "Provisional  Government." 

LIST  OF  APPOINTMENTS 

To  the  Indian  missions  of  the  Methodist  church,  from  1830  to  1860  (from  the 
general  minutes  of  the  church) : 

Number  in  society. 
White.     Colored.     Indians. 

1830.  Kansas  or  Kaw  mission,  WiUiam  Johnson 

Shawnee  Mission,  Thomas  Johnson 

1831.  Presiding  elder  and  superintendent  Kansas  mis- 

sions, Jos.  Edmundson: 
Kansas  missions,'*'    Thomas  Johnson,  William 

Johnson 9        31 

1832.  Indian  Mission  district,  superintendent,  Thomas 

Johnson : 
Shawnee  Mission  and  school,  Thomas  Johnson, 

Edward  T.  Peery 

Note  96.— Lucy  B.  Armstrong,  the  widow  of  John  Mclntyre  Armstrong,  was  the  mother  of 
five  children.  Russell  Bigelow  Armstrong,  her  son,  was  born  at  Westport,  November  20,  1844. 
and  died  June  7.  1901.  He  served  in  the  legislature  of  1879.  William  R.  Armstrong,  a  civil  en- 
gineer connected  with  the  Kansas  City,  Mexico  &  Orient  railroad,  is  a  grandson.  i  ,.  ..j 

Note  97.— Rev.  Joab Spencer,  of  Slater,  Mo.,  says:  "This  is  according  to  the  minutes,  but  it 
should  read,  'Shawnee  and  Kanzas  missions,  Thomas  Johnson  and  Wm.  Johnson.'  " 

-15 


226 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


1832.  Delaware  mission  and  school,  William  Johnson, 

Thomas  B.  Markham 

Iowa  and  Sac  mission  and  school,  to  be  supplied,      .... 
Peoria  mission  and  school,  James  H.  Slavens 

1833.  Indian  Mission  district,  superintendent;  Thomas 

Johnson : 
Shawnee  Mission  and  school,  William  Johnson,  5 

Delaware  mission  and  school,  E.  T.  Peery 5 

Peoria  mission  and  school,  N.  M.  Talbot 

Kickapoo  mission  and  school,  J.  C.  Berryman 

1834.  North  Indian  Mission  district,  superintendent. 

Thomas  Johnson: 

Shawnee  Mission  and  school,  William  Johnson,     

Delaware  mission  and  school,  E.  T.  Peery 7 

Peoria  mission  and  school,  N.  M.  Talbot 2 

Kickapoo  mission  and  school,  J.  C.  Berryman, 

J.  Monroe 2 

1835.  North  Indian  Mission  district,  superintendent, 

Thomas  Johnson: 

Shawnee  Mission,  William  Ketron 9 

Delaware  mission  and  school,  E.  T.  Peery 5 

Peoria  mission  and  school,  N.  M.  Talbot 2 

Kickapoo  mission  and  school,  J.  C.  Berryman,           2 
Kansas  mission  and  school,  William  Johnson 

1836.  Indian  Mission  district,  superintendent,  Thomas 

Johnson: 

Shawnee  Mission,  to  be  supplied 6 

Delaware  mission,  E.  T.  Peery 4 

Peoria  mission,  N.  M.  Talbot 4 

Kickapoo  mission,  J.  C.  Berryman 3 

Kansas  mission,  William  Johnson 1 

1837.  Indian  Mission  district,  superintendent,  Thomas 

Johnson: 
Shawnee   Mission,   Thomas   Johnson,    Lorenzo 

Waugh 10 

Delaware  mission.  Learner  B.  Stateler 

Peoria  mission,  N.  M.  Talbot,  Reuben  Aldridge,  4 
Kickapoo  mission,  J.  C.  Berryman,  David  Kin- 
near  5 

Kansas  mission,  William  Johnson 3 

Pottawatomie  mission,  Frederick  B.  Leach 

1838.  Indian  Mission  district,  superintendent,  Thomas 

Johnson : 
Shawnee    Mission,    Thomas   Johnson,    Lorenzo 

Waugh 8 

Delaware    mission,    L.    B.    Stateler,    Abraham 

Millice 2 

Peoria,  N.  M.  Talbot,  John  Y.  Porter 3 

Kickapoo,  J.  C.  Berryman,  David  Kinnear 6 


Number  in  society. 
White.     Colored.     Indians. 


85 
50 
15 

230 


102 
70 
26 

230 


42 

218 

1 


92 
90 
55 

264 
1 


97 

74 

40 

161 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indiana  in  Kansas.        227 


Number  in  society. 
White.     Colored.     Indians. 


1838.  Kansas,  William  Johnson,  John  W.  Dole 4 

Pottawatomie,  E.  T.  Peery 

1839.  Indian  Mission  district,  superintendent,  Thomas 

Johnson: 

Shawnee,  Thomas  Johnson 

Indian  manual-labor  school,  Wesley  Browning, 

D.  Kinnear  

Delaware,  L.  B.  Stateler 

Kickapoo,  J.  C.  Berryman 

Peoria,  N.  M.  Talbot 

Kansas,  Wm.  Johnson 

Pottawatomie,  E.  T.  Peery 

1840.  Indian  Mission  district,   superintendent,  Thos. 

Johnson : 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler 

Indian  manual-labor  school,  D.  Kinnear 

Delaware,  Edward  T,  Peery 

Kickapoo,  Jerome  C.  Berryman 

Peoria  and  Pottawatomie,  Nathaniel  M.  Talbot,     

Kansas,  Wm.  Johnson 

1841.  Wm.  Johnson,  superintendent: 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler 

Indian  manual-labor  school,  J.  C.  Berryman 

Delaware,  Edward  T.  Peery 1 

Kickapoo,  N.  M.  Talbot 1 

Peoria  and  Pottawatomie,  to  be  supplied 37 

Kansas,  Wm.  Johnson 

1842.  Edward  T.  Peery,  presiding  elder: 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler 

Manual-labor  school,  J.  C.  Berryman 

Delaware,  E.  T.  Peery 

Kickapoo,  N,  M.  Talbot 

Kansas,  Geo.  W.  Love 

Pottawatomie,  supply 

1843.  Edward  T.  Peery,  presiding  elder : 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler 

Manual-labor  school,  J.  C.  Berryman 

Delaware,  E.  T.  Peery,  John  Peery 

Kickapoo,  N.  T.  Shaler ..." 

Pottawatomie,  Thomas  B,  Ruble 

Wyandot,  supply 

1844.  Indian  Mission  conference,  Kansas  River  dis- 

trict, N,  M,  Talbot,  presiding  elder : 

Indian  manual-labor  school,  E.  T.  Peery 25 

Delaware  and  Kickapoo,  N.  M.  Talbot,  J.  T. 
Peery : 

Delaware 3 

Kickapoo 3 


186 

94' 

41 

5 


29 

10 

38 

4 

2 

98 

3 

35 

1 

45 

4 

2 

242 

40 


108 


228 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


1844.  Shawnee  and  Wyandot,  J.  Wheeler  and  one  to 

be  supplied : 

Shawnee 

Wyandot 

Pottawatomie,    Chippewa,    Peoria,    and   Wea, 
Thomas  Hurlburt,  Thomas  B.  Ruble : 

Pottawatomie 

Peoria 

1845.  Indian   Mission  conference,  Kansas  River  dis- 

trict, L.  B.  Stateler,  presiding  elder : 
Indian    mission,  manual-labor   school,   William 

Patton,  superintendent 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler,  Paschal  Fish 

Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler,  W.  D.  Collins 

Kickapoo,  Charles  Ketchum 

Wyandot,  E.  T.  Peery 

Pottawatomie,  Thomas  Hurlburt 

Chippewa,  Wea,   and  Sac,   Maccinnaw  Boach- 

man  [  Mackinaw  Beauchemie] 

Kansas,  J.  C.  Berryman 

1846.  Methodist    Episcopal    Church    South,    Kansas 

River  district,  L.  B.  Stateler,  presiding  elder: 
Indian   manual-labor   school,   William   Patton, 

superintendent 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler,  Paschal  Fish 

Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler,  W.  D.  Collins 

Kickapoo,  Charles  Ketchum 

Wyandot,  E.  T.  Peery 

Pottawatomie,  Thos.  Hurlburt 

Chippewa,  Wea,  and  Sac,  Maccinaw  Boachman, 
Kansas,  J.  C.  Berryman 

1847.  Kansas  River  district,  L.  B.  Stateler,  presiding 

elder: 
Indian  manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson, 

Tyson  Dines 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler 

Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Kickapoo,  Paschal  Fish 

Wyandot,  E.  T.  Peery 

Chippewa,  Wea,  and  Sac,  Maccinaw  Boachman, 
Kansas,  to  be  supplied 

1848.  Kansas  River  district,  L.  B.  Stateler,  presiding 

elder: 
Indian  manual-labor  school,  Thos.  Johnson,  T. 

Hurlburt 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler 

Delaware,  B.  H.  Russell 

Kickapoo,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Wyandot,  J.  T.  Peery 


Number  in  society. 
White.    Colored.     Indians. 


25 


18 


19 


17 


153 
242 


19 
332 


90 


66 


12 

130 

50 

34 

158 

51 


20 
140 

50 

30 
169 

37 


11 

127 

56 

34 

165 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        229 


1848. 
1849. 


1850. 


1851. 


1852. 


1853. 


1854. 


1855. 


Kansas,  T.  Johnson 

Western  Academy,  N.  Scarritt 

Kansas  River  district,  L.  B.  Stateler,  presiding 
elder: 

Indian  manual-labor  school,  Thos.  Johnson,  su- 
perintendent, J.  T.  Peery 

Shawnee,  L.  B.  Stateler 

Delaware,  J.  A.  Cummings 

Wyandot,  B.  H.  Russell 

Kickapoo,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Kansas,  T.  Johnson 

Pottawatomie,  T.  Hurlburt 

Western  Academy,  N.  Scarritt 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South: 

Manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson 

Shawnee,  B.  H.  Russell 

Wyandot  and  Delaware,  L.  B.  Stateler,  N.  T. 
Shaler 

Kickapoo  mission,  Thomas  Hurlburt 

Kansas  school,  Thomas  Johnson 

Western  Academy,  Nathan  Scarritt 

Fort  Leavenworth  manual-labor  school,  Thomas 
Johnson  

Shawnee,  Delaware,  and  Wyandot,  N.  Scarritt, 
D.  D.  Doffelmeyer 

Kickapoo,  J.  Grover 

Kansas  Indians,  Thomas  Johnson 

Indian  manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson  . . 

Shawnee,  Charles  Boles 

Wyandot,'  D.  D.  Doffelmeyer «8 

Delaware,  J.  Barker 

Kickapoo,  J.  Grover 

Indian  manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson  . . 

Shawnee,  Charles  Boles 

Delaware,  J.  Barker 

Wyandot,  D.  D.  Doffelmeyer 

Kickapoo,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Fort  Leavenworth  manual-labor  school,  Thomas 
Johnson  

Shawnee,  Charles  Boles 

Delaware 

Wyandot,  D.  D.  Doffelmeyer 

Kickapoo,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson 

Shawnee,  Charles  Boles 

Wyandot,  William  Barnett 

Delaware,  N.  M.  Talbot 

Kickapoo,  N.  T.  Shaler 


Number  in  society. 
White.     Colored.      Indians. 


20 


15 


16 


5 
102 

56 
103 

32 


100 


102 
81 
65 


Note  98.  — Gov.  Wm.  Walker,  in  his  journal,  p.  396,  spells  the  name  Duffle[meyer]. 


230 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Number  in  society. 
White.     Colored.     Indians. 


1856. 


1857. 


1858. 


1859. 


1860. 


1861. 


Manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson  . 

Shawnee,  Charles  Boles 

Wyandot,  William  Barnett 

Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Kickapoo,  F.  M.  Williams 

Manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson  , 

Shawnee,  Charles  Boles 

Wyandot,  William  Barnett 

Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Kickapoo,  A.  Williams 

Manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson 

Shawnee,  Joab  Spencer 

Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Wyandot,  William  Barnett 

Manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson 

Shawnee,  Joab  Spencer 

Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Wyandot,  William  Barnett 

Manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson 

Shawnee,  Thomas  Johnson 

Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler 

Wyandot,  William  Barnett 

Manual-labor  school,  Thomas  Johnson 

Shawnee,  R.  C.  Week 

Delaware 

Wyandot,  William  Barnett 


71 


21 


When  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  was  organized,  in  1845,  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  retired  from  the  field,  but  entered  it  again  in 
1848,  with  the  following  appointments: 

1848.   Platte  Mission  district,  Abraham  Still,  presiding  elder: 
Wyandot,  supplied. 

Platte  Mission  district,  Abraham  Still,  presiding  elder: 
Indian  mission,  Thos.  B.  Markham,  Paschal  Fish. 
No  appointments  for  Kansas. 

Platte  mission,  Geo.  W.  Roberts,  presiding  elder: 
Indian  missions:    Wyandot,  Delaware,  and  Kickapoo,  James  Witten, 

Charles  Ketchum. 
Shawnee,  Henry  Reeder,  Paschal  Fish. 
Platte  Mission  district,  G.  W.  Rains,  presiding  elder: 
Wyandot,  Delaware,  and  Shawnee,  A.  Still,  M.  T.  Klepper,  Paschal 

Fish,  Charles  Ketchum. 
Platte  Mission  district,  J.  H.  Hopkins,  presiding  elder: 
Wyandot,  Delaware  and  Shawnee  missions,  A.  Still,  J.  M.  Chivington, 

Paschal  Fish,  Charles  Ketchum. 
Kansas  and  Nebraska  Mission  district,  W.  H.  Goode,  presiding  elder: 
Shawnee  mission,  W.  H.  Goode. 
Wyandot   and  Delaware,   J.    H.    Dennis,    Charles  Ketchum,  and  one 

supply. 
North  Kansas  Mission  district,  L.  B.  Dennis,  presiding  elder: 

Charles  Ketchum  and  one  supply. 


1849. 


1850, 
1851. 


1852. 


1853. 


1854. 


1855. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        231 


PROBABLY  THE  FIRST  SCHOOL  IN  KANSAS  FOR  WHITE 
CHILDREN. 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  Geo.  P.  Morehouse,  of  Council  Grove. 

FIR  several  months  a  contest  has  been  going  on  through  the  newspapers  of  the  state  relative 
to  when  and  where  was  held  the  first  school  for  the  education  of  young  Kansans.  It  seems 
that  some  localities  in  Douglas  and  Leavenworth  counties  strive  for  the  honor.  Now  that  they 
have  established  their  dates  and  places.  "Historic  Council  Grove  "  comes  into  the  contest  and 
shows  that  it  had  a  well-organized  white  school  several  years  before  Kansas  was  even  a  territory. 

This  building  was  constructed  in  1850.  and  the  teacher  was  Judge  T.  S.  Huffaker,  who  still 
lives  near  this  city,  close  by  the  old  mission  building,  in  which  the  school  was  held.  This  date  is 
several  years  prior  to  any  date  claimed  by  the  other  localities,  and  as  we  can  produce  the  build- 
ing and  the  teacher  who  gives  the  living  testimony  the  evidence  is  complete.  Judge  Huffaker 
and  his  wife  last  year  celebrated  the  fifty-third  anniversary  of  their  wedding,  which  took  place 
in  this  same  old  historic  building  on  May  6, 1852.  Judge  Huffaker  came  to  Kansas  in  1849  and  has 
lived  here  •ver  since,  and  has  probably  resided  in  the  state  longer  than  any  other  living  person, 
now  that  Col.  A.  S.  Johnson  is  dead. 

In  tills  article  are  produced 
the  pictures  of  the  old  schoolhouse 
and  the  teacher,  as  he  now  looks, 
in  his  eighty-second  year.  The 
building  was  first  constructed  for 
a  mission  school  for  the  Kaw  or 
Kansas  Indians,  and  Mr.  Huffaker 
had  it  in  charge  for  a  number  of 
years.  The  building  is  of  stone, 
with  two  large  fireplace  chimneys 
in  each  gable.  The  walls  are 
very  thick,  and  the  general  ap- 
pearance of  the  structure  is  solid 
and  quaint  and  the  surroundings 
are  romantic.  Eighteen  hundred 
and  fifty,  or  fifty-six  years  ago, 
is  a  long  way  back  in  the  history 
of  Kansas,  but  this  old  building 
is  still  in  good  condition  and  is 
occupied  as  a  dwelling.  It  has 
been  used  for  many  purposes, 
such  as  a  schoolhouse,  council- 
house,  meeting-house,  church- 
house,  and  during  the  Indian  raids 
and  scares  of  the  old  frontier  days 
it  was  often  the  place  of  refuge 
and  stronghold,  to  which  the 
early  settlers  fled  for  safety.  It 
might  be  added,  in  passing,  that 
probably  the  first  Sunday-school 
for  white  children  in  Kansas  was 
also  held  in  this  building  by  this 
worthy  couple.  The  first  relig- 
ious meetings  in  this  region  were 
held  in  the  building  at  a  time 
when  the  next  Western  preach- 
ing appointment  of  the  presiding 
elder  was  Denver,  Colo.     It  will 

always  be  a  noted  shrine  in  this  state,  where  early  movements  were  started,  and  it  is  hoped  it 
will  be  preersved  for  many  years,  for  it  is  surely  one  of  the  most  interesting  buildings  in  Kansas. 
If  it  was  closer  to  the  center  of  the  city  it  might  be  used  for  a  library,  museum,  or  art  gallery, 
and  thus  preserved  for  many  generations. 

Governor  Reeder  and  staff  and  other  territorial  officers  were  entertained  here  when  on  their 
expedition  to  select  a  site  for  the  capital  of  Kansas,  and  the  uncertainty  as  to  the  title  of  the  Kaw 
Indian  lands  surrounding  this  place  only  prevented  Council  Grove  from  being  chosen.    This  old 


JUDGE  T.  S.  HUFFAKER, 

The  only  surviving  teacher  of  the  Indian  schools,  still  living 
at  Council  Grove,  Kan.,  in  his  eighty-second  year. 


232 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Methodist  Missions  Among  the  Indians  in  Kansas.        233 

building  is  right  on  the  west  bank  of  the  beautiful  Neosho,  in  the  north  part  of  the  city,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  attractive  spots  in  this  region.  It  will  always  be  pointed  out  as  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  historic  buildings  in  Kansas,  and  the  location  of  probably  the  first  organ- 
ized white  school  in  the  state.  Its  priority  is  not  a  matter  of  a  few  months,  for  it  antedates  the 
claims  of  Leavenworth  and  Douglas  counties  four  or  five  years.  The  manner  in  which  the  white 
school  was  held  in  this  place  by  Mr.  Huflfaker  was  as  follows :  The  better  element  of  the  Kaws, 
or  the  pure  Indian  type  of  that  wild  tribe,  refused  to  send  their  children  to  the  mission  school, 
but  as  a  rule  only  allowed  the  orphans  and  a  few  dependents  of  the  tribe  to  attend.  They  con- 
sidered it  very  degrading  and  a  breach  of  true,  old  Indian  dignity  and  aristocracy  to  adopt  and 
follow  the  educational  methods  of  their  white  brothers. 

Council  Grove,  even  prior  to  the  '50's,  was  a  noted  frontier  outpost  and  gathering-place,  and 
one  of  the  earliest  towns  and  trading-points  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  in  the  state  of  Kansas,  and  had  a 
considerable  white  population.  The  children  of  the  government  employees,  mail  and  stage  contrac- 
tors, traders,  blacksmiths  and  other  whites  connected  with  Indian  affairs  and  with  the  vast  over- 
land commerce  of  the  trail  were  without  school  privileges.  What  should  be  done?  In  May,  1851, 
Mr.  T.  S.  Huffaker,  whose  time  was  not  entirely  taken  up  with  his  other  duties,  came  to  the  res- 
cue and  established  a  white-school  department  in  this  old  building,  and  classes  were  formed 
with  a  dozen  or  fifteen  white  pupils.  This  is  a  larger  attendance  than  reached  by  several  dis- 
trict schools  of  this  county  even  at  the  present  time.  For  three  or  four  years  Mr.  Huffaker  in- 
structed these  white  pupils  in  the  elementary  school  branches.  The  terms  were  not  irregular 
and  short,  but  continued  through  the  year  with  only  brief  summer  vacations.  It  was  a  free 
school,  and  it  was  a  very  commendable  act  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Huffaker,  and  a  great  boon  to  the 
white  children  living  so  far  out  in  the  wilderness  of  the  "Great  American  Desert." 

We  find,  in  looking  over  the  claims  of  other  Kansas  schools,  the  following  :  Lawrence  had  a 
school  organized  in  January,  1855,  in  the  back  office  of  Dr.  Charles  Robinson,  in  the  Emigrant  Aid 
building.  It  was  taught  by  Edward  P.  Fitch  (afterwards  killed  in  the  Quantrill  raid  ),  who  was 
paid  by  private  subscriptions,  and  the  term  was  three  and  a  half  months,  with  about  twenty 
pupils  attending.^^  Leavenworth  county  ""'  had  an  organized  school  in  May,  1856,  near  Spring- 
dale.  The  schoolhouse  was  an  abandoned  settler's  cabin,  and  the  teacher  was  V.  K.  Stanley,  of 
Wichita,  Kan.  The  "union  school,"  ""  with  a  term  of  three  months,  was  three  miles  north  of 
Lawrence,  and  was  organized  by  Robert  Allen  in  February,  1855.  There  is  an  account  of  a  lady 
opening  a  school  in  her  home  near  Lawrence  in  December,  1854,  with  her  four  children  and  three 
others  of  the  neighbors,  but  as  it  only  lasted  for  a  part  of  a  week  it  does  not  reach  the  status  of  a 
real  school. 

The  school  held  by  Judge  Huffaker  in  the  above  old  building  for  the  white  children  of  this  lo- 
cality was  several  years  before  Lawrence  had  an  existence  or  the  territory  of  Kansas  was  or- 
ganized, and  was  without  doubt  the  initial  movement  of  that  Kansas  spirit  and  ambition  for  a 
free  and  liberal  education  which  have  grown  to  such  magnitude  and  perfection  as  to  receive  the 
praise  and  commendation  of  the  educational  forces  of  mankind. 

Council  Grove  has  many  unique  and  noted  shrines  of  historic  character  about  which  cluster 
interesting  and  instructive  early  Kansas  history  and  tradition,  such  as  Council  oak,  Custer  elm, 
Fremont  park.  Soldier  hole.  Belfry  hill,  old  Kaw  villages.  Sunrise  rock.  Hermit's  cave,  old  trail 
buildings,  famous  old  crossing,  Padilla's  monument,  on  Mount  Padilla,  and  others,  but  few  are 
more  prized  or  filled  with  more  interest  to  our  present  generation  than  the  "  old  mission  "  by  the 
ford,  within  the  strong,  thick,  stone  walls  of  which  were  gathered  over  fifty  years  ago  the  first 
classes  of  the  first  organized  white  school  that  started  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  "Sunflower" 
state  on  the  royal  road  of  a  liberal  education. 

Hon.  Thomas  Sears  Huffaker,  son  of  Rev.  George  Huffaker,  was  born  in  Clay  county,  Mis- 
souri, March  30,  1825.  His  parents  were  from  Kentucky,  moving  to  Missouri  in  1820.  He  ob- 
tained his  education  in  country  district  schools  and  in  the  Howard  high  school.  In  1849,  when 
Judge  Huffaker  was  twenty-four  years  old,  he  moved  to  Kansas,  and  is  at  the  present  time 
probably  the  earliest  living  Kansas  settler. 

At  first  he  was  employed  in  connection  with  the  manual  training  school  for  Indians  at 
Shawnee  Mission,  in  Johnson  county.  He  there  began  a  career  of  active  interest  in  Indian 
affairs  and  in  the  development  of  the  state  which  has  been  highly  honorable  and  interesting.     In 

Note  99.—  Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  p.  323,  says  the  first  school  taught  in  Lawrence 
commenced  January  16,  1855  ;  Edward  iP.  Fitch,  teacher.  See,  also.  Cordley's  History  of  Law- 
rence, 1895,  p.  23. 

Note  100.—  See  Leavenworth  Times,  May  6, 1900  :  also  clippings  from  Topeka  Capital.  More 
extended  notices  of  these  schools  are  found  in  clippings  preserved  ,in  the  Historical  Society's 
Collections. 

Note  101.— This  appears  to  be  the  school  on.Reeder's  float,  taught  by  Robert  J.  Allen. 


234 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


1850  he  came  to  Council  Grove,  at  that  time  an  important  point  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  and  the 
capital  of  the  Kaw  (or  Kansas)  Indians,  whose  reservation  surrounded  the  town.  Here  he  took 
charge  of  the  Indian  mission  school  which  had  just  been  organized  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  but  supported  by  the  United  States  government.  On  May 
6,  1852,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza  A.  Baker  by  the  Reverend  Nicholson,  a  missionary  on  his 
way  to  old  Mexico  over  the  trail,  who  stopped  at  the  mission. 

This  was  the  first  marriage  in  this  region, 
and  one  of  the  first  in  the  state.  Mrs.  Huf- 
faker  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1836,  and  had 
lived  in  Iowa  with  her  parents,  where  her 
father  was  blacksmith  for  the  Sac  and  Fox 
Indians.  Their  living  children  are:  Mary  H. 
(Mrs.  J.  H.  Simcock),  Aggie  C.  (  Mrs.  Louis 
Wysmeyer),  Annie  G.  (Mrs.  Fred  B.  Carpen- 
ter), George  M.,  Homer,  and  Carl,  and  there 
are  a  dozen  or  more  grandchildren.  Judge 
Huff'aker  had  charge  of  the  Kaw  mission 
school  till  1854,  when  it  was  abandoned.  It 
was  during  these  years  (1850-'54)  that  he 
organized  a  school  for  white  children  in  the 
old  mission  building,  and  he  and  his  wife 
thu.=5  became  probably  the  first  school-teach- 
ers" of  white  children  in  the  state.  At  times 
ha  was  manager  of  the  Kansas  Indian  trad- 
ing-housaand  at  one  time  had  charge  of  the 
farming  interests  of  the  tribe.  He  often 
held  important  ipositions  in  Indian  affairs  as 
a  trusted  agent,  being  a  fluent  linguist  in  not 
only  the  Kaw  dialect,  but  also  in  the  Osage, 
Ponca,  and  others.  Few  men  ever  had  more 
influence  with  the  Kaws  than  "Tah-poo- 
skah,"  the  name  they  gave  him,  by  which  he 
is  even  known  to-day.  It  means  teacher. 
Judge  Huffaker  was  the  first  postmaster  of 

Council  Grove,  and,  July  24.  1858,  chairman  of  the  first  board  of  county  supervisors  (now  com- 
missioners), appointed  by  Acting  Governor  F.  P.  Stanton. '"- 

He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Council  Grove  Town  Company.  In  the  seventies  he 
served  twice  in  the  Kansas  'legislature,  1874  and  1879,  and  has  been  probate  judge  of  Moi-ris 
county  several  times.  From  1864  to  1871  he  was  regent  of  the  State  Normal  School.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  which  was  the 
first  church  organization  in  the  county.  While  from  a  Southern  family,  he  was  loyal  and  stood 
for  the  Union  during  the  war,  and  has  been  a  trusted  leader  in  the  Republican  party  since  that 
period.  His  experiences  have  been  varied,  and  his  active  career  has  e.xtended  through  preterri- 
torial,  territorial  and  state  periods,  and  to-day  he  takes  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  and  is  an 
authority  on  all  historical  matters.  The  judge  and  his  worthy  wife  live  in  the  same  old  home- 
stead they  established  so  many  years  ago,  and  are  enjoying  good  health,  and  have  a  large  circle 
of  friends  in  many  states.  They  spent  the  last  winter  in  St.  Louis  with  a  daughter.  On  the  6th 
of  last  May  they  celebrated  the  fifty-third  anniversary  of  their  wedding,  and  over  200  guests  en- 
joyed the  hospitality  of  the  famous  old  homestead.  Mr.  Huffaker  was  a  delegate  from  Morris 
county  in  the  Republican  state  convention  which  met  May  2,  1906. 

The  history  of  Kansas  could  not  be  correctly  written  without  frequent  and  worthy  mention 
of  Judge  Huffaker,  for  he  is  the  oldest  notable  living  settler  in  the  state. 


MRS.  ELIZA  A.  HUFFAKER. 


Note  102.  —  Thomas  S.  Huffaker  also  received  three  appointments  from  Governor  Reeder :  As 
judge  of  the  eighth  election  district  for  first  territorial  election,  November  29.  1854,  for  delegate 
to  Congress ;  March  30,  1855.  for  member  of  first  territorial  legislature  ;  May  22.  1855,  to  fill  va- 
cancy in  the  council.—  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  3.  pp.  233,  255,  275.  He  was  also  ap- 
pointed commissioner  of  election  by  Fred.  P.  Stanton,  December  19.  1857.—  Ibid.,  vol.  5,  p.  460. 


Methodist  Missio'ns  Among  the  Indiajis  in  Kansas.        235 

The  following  items  relative  to  early  schools  in  Kansas  will  be  of  general  interest  in  connec- 
tion with  this  paper : 

Mrs.  Bonnett,  whose  letter  follows,  had  inquired  for  the  number  of  schools  in  Kansas  at  the 
time  they  came  under  territorial  control,  and  the  pay  of  teachers. 
"Mrs.  W.  H.  Bonnett,  Eureka.  Kan.:  "January  22,  1906. 

"M\  Dear  Madam  — I  regret  to  say  that  I  find  no  compilation  of  statistics  in  regard  to 
schools  in  Kansas  prior  to  December,  1858,  the  time  of  publication  of  the  first  report  of  the  terri- 
torial superintendent  of  public  instruction.  Although  an  act  to  provide  for  the  establishment  of 
common  schools  was  passed  by  the  first  territorial  legislature,  in  1855,  the  disturbed  condition  of 
the  territory  and  the  inefficiency  of  the  law  rendered  it  ineffectual. 

"The  first  free-state  legislature,  in  February,  1858,  passed  'An  act  providing  for  the  organiza- 
tion, support  and  maintenance  of  common  schools,'  including  provision  for  a  territorial  superin- 
tendent. James  H.  Noteware,  the  first  appointee  under  this  act,  published  this  law  in  pamphlet 
form  some  time  later  than  the  2d  of  June,  1858  ;  so  we  can  probably  use  that  date  as  the  begin- 
ningof  organized  schools  in  Kansas. 

"  I  have  e,xamined  county  histories,  'The  History  of  Education  in  Kansas,'  1893,  and  Cutler's 
History,  1883,  and  find  in  them  mention  of  at  least  seventy-six  schools,  though  records  are  evi- 
dently so  imperfect  that  it  is  impossible  to  state  facts.  For  instance,  the  first  report  of  the  ter- 
ritorial superintendent,  in  January,  1859,  states  that  sixteen  school  districts  in  Leavenworth 
county  reported  in  December,  1858,  while  up  to  June,  1858,  I  can  find  mention  of  only  two  schools 
in  the  whole  county. 

"  In  Douglas  county,  in  December,  1859,  thirty-three  schools  were  in  operation,  while  I  find  but 
four  in  Douglas  county  in  June,  1858. 

"As  to  the  pay  of  teachers,  the  little  town  of  Greeley,  Anderson  county,  allowed  the  teacher 
thirty  dollars  per  month  in  November,  1856,  for  a  school  of  twelve  pupils,  the  next  winter  adding 
f ree_board  among  the  students,  who  had  increased  to  twenty. 

"  In  a  union  school  in  a  country  district  four  miles  west  of  Lawrence,  twenty  dollars  per 
month  was  paid  in  May,  1856,  there  laeing  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-one  pupils. 

"At  Manhattan,  in  1857,  forty-five  dollars  was  paid  for  a  teacher  of  sixteen  pupils  for  three 
months. 

"The  Rev.  J.  B.  McAfee,  in  May,  1855,  opened  a  school  in  the  Lutheran  church  at  Leavenworth, 
-of  which  he  was  the  pastor,  charging  primary  pupils  five  dollars  and  advanced  ten  dollars  for 
twelve  weeks'  school.  Later,  in  1857,  he  opened  a  similar  school  at  Valley  Falls,  in  Jefferson 
county. 

"In  the  city  of  Leavenworth,  in  October,  1859,  there  were  five  schools,  in  three  buildings  ;  a 
man  and  woman  teaching  in  each  building,  and  receiving  for  their  combined  labors  $1000  an- 
nually. 

"Trusting  this  will  be  satisfactory,  I  remain,  yours  very  truly,  Geo.  W.  Martin." 


"  J.  M.  Armstrong  taught  the  first  free  school  in  the  territory,  which  was  opened  July  1, 
1844.  The  building  was  a  frame  one,  with  double  doors,  which  but  a  few  years  since  stood  on  the 
east  side  of  Fourth  street,  between  Kansas  and  Nebraska  avenues,  Wyandotte  city  [now  Kansas 
City,  Kan.]  It  was  sometimes,  but  erroneously,  called  the  council-house.  J.  M.  Armstrong  con- 
tracted to  build  it,  and  commenced  teaching  on  the  date  named.  The  council  of  the  nation  met 
in  it  during  vacations  or  at  night.  The  expenses  of  building  the  school  were  met  out  of  the  fund 
secured  by  the  Wyandot  treaty  of  March,  1842.  The  school  was  managed  by  directors  appointed 
by  the  council,  the  members  of  which  were  elected  annually  by  the  people.  White  children  were 
admitted  free.  Mr.  Armstrong  taught  until  1845,  when  he  went  to  Washington  as  the  legal  rep- 
resentative of  the  nation  to  prosecute  their  claims.  Rev.  Mr.  Cramer,  of  Indiana,  succeeded 
him  ;  then  Robert  Robitaille,  chief  of  the  nation  ;  next  Rev.  R.  Parrott,  Indiana  ;  Mrs.  Arm- 
strong, December,  1847,  to  March,  1848 ;  Miss  Anna  H.  Ladd,  who  came  with  the  Wyandots  in 
1843  ;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Armstrong.  .  .  .  The  school  was  closed  in  the  old  building  April  16, 
1852  ;  resumed  in  Mrs.  Armstrong's  dining-room  ;  removed  the  next  winter  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  her  house,  and  left  without  a  home  when  that 
structure  was  burned  by  incendiaries,  April  8,  1856."— Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  p.  1228. 
See,  also,  Mrs.  Armstrong's  account  of  the  school,  on  same  page. 

A  pioneer  school  on  Reeder's  float,  two  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Lawrence,  com- 
menced May  10,  1855.  The  teachers  were  Robert  J.  Allen  and,  later,  James  F.  Legate.— Letters 
from  G.  W.  W.  Yates,  in  Historical  Society's  manuscript  collections  :  see.  also,  Wyandotte  Chief, 
March  12-July  23,  1884. 

J.  B.  McAfee,  in  his  autobiography,  in  Historical  Society's  manuscript  collections,  says: 
■"  May  14,  1855.  he  founded  the  Leavenworth  Collegiate  Institute,  the  first  school  in  Kansas,  In- 
dian missions  and  government  forts  excepted.  He  taught  school  during  the  week.  .  .  .  The 
school  was  in  a  flourishing  condition  when  he  turned  it  over,  in  July,  1856.  to  Professor  Strong, 
an  accomplished  teacher." — See,  also.  Cutler's  History  of  Kansas.  1883,  p.  432. 

J.  B.  McAfee,  in  his  autobiography,  says:  "  .  .  .  On  May  13  [1855]  assisted  in  organizing 
the  first  Sabbath-school  in  Kansas  after  the  organization  of  the  territory." — See,  also.  Cutler's 
History  of  Kansas,  1883,  p.  314,  for  account  of  first  Bible  class  formed  in  Lawrence,  October,  1854. 
Cordley's  History  of  Lawrence,  1895,  p.  23,  gives  an  account  of  this  and  also  of  first  Sunday- 
school  organized  in  Lawrence,  in  January,  1855. 


IV. 

River  Navigation. 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  MISSOURI  RIVER. 

A   paper  read  by  Phil.  E.  Chappell.'  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  before  the  Kansas  State  Historical 
Society,  at  its  twenty-ninth  annual  meeting,  December  6,  1904. 

THERE  is  but  little  doubt  that  had  the  Missouri  river  been  discovered 
before  the  Mississippi  the  name  of  the  former  would  have  been  ap- 
plied to  both  streams,  the  Missouri  being  considered  the  main  stream 
and  the  upper  Mississippi  the  tributary. 
From  the  mouth  of  the  three  forks  of  the 
Missouri,  northwest  of  Yellowstone  Park, 
to  its  mouth,  as  it  meanders,  is  a  distance 
of  2547  miles,  and  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
the  Missouri-Mississippi  has  a  length  of 
3823  miles.'-  The  Missouri,  including  the 
Jefferson  or  Madison  branches,  is  longer 
than  the  entire  Mississippi,  and  more  than 
twice  as  long  as  that  part  of  the  latter 
stream  above  their  confluence.  It  drains 
a  watershed  of  580,000  square  miles,  and 
its  mean  total  annual  discharge  is  esti- 
mated to  be  twenty  cubic  miles,  or  at  a 
mean  rate  of  94,000  cubic  feet  per  second, 
which  is  more  than  twice  the  quantity  of 
the  water  discharged  by  the  upper  Miss- 
issippi. ^  It  is  by  far  the  boldest,  the 
most  rapid  and  the  most  turbulent  of  the 
two  streams,  and  its  muddy  water  gives 
color  to  the  lower  Mississippi  river  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  By  every  rule  of  nomen- 
clature, the  Missouri  is  the  main  stream, 
and  the  upper  Mississippi  the  tributary- 


PHIL.  E.  CHAPPELL, 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 


-the  name  of  the  former  should  have 

Note  1.— As  a  rule,  the  writers  of  history  are  not  the  makers  of  it.  The  makers  of  history 
are  reluctant,  for  many  reasons,  to  set  down  in  words  their  understanding  of  occurrences  in 
which  they  have  participated.     But  where  the  historical  student  can  follow  the  story  of  one  who 

Note  2.— These  figures  are  from  J.  V.  Brower's  The  Missouri  River,  1897,  p.  120.  who 
bases  them  on  the  reports  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  river  commissions:  he  gives  the 
le  ngth  of  the  Missouri  river,  including  the  Jefferson  branch,  as  2945  miles.  The  Century  Cyclo- 
pedia  of  Names,  p.  691,  gives  the  length  of  this  river,  including  the  Madison  branch,  as  3047 
mi  les,  and  the  total  Missouri-Mississippi  length  4200  miles.  The  Encyclopedia  Americana.  1904, 
vol.  10,  gives  the  length  of  the  Missouri  river,  including  the  Madison  branch,  as  2915  miles,  and 
th  e  length  including  the  Jefferson  branch  as  3000  miles,  with  a  total  Missouri-Mississippi  length 
of  4200  miles. 


Note  3.—  The  Encyclopedia  Americana,  1904.  vol.  10,  gives  the  basin  as  527,6 
a  nd  the  discharge  per  second.  120,000  cubic  feet. 

(237) 


square  miles 


238  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

been  given  precedence,  and  the  great  river,  the  longest  in  the  world,  should 
have  been  called  Missouri  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  earliest  Spanish  explorers  evidently  considered  the  lower  Mississippi 
but  a  continuation  of  the  Missouri,  for  during  the  famous  expedition  of 
Francisco  Vasquez  de  Coronado  in  search  of  Quivira,  1540-'42,  the  Indians 
told  him— 

"The  great  river  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (Espiritu  Santo),  which  Don 
Fernando  de  Soto  discovered  in  the  country  of  Florida,  flows  through  this 
country.  .  .  .  The  sources  were  not  visited,  because,  according  to  what 
they  said,  it  comes  from  a  very  distant  country,  in  the  mountains  of  the 
South  sea,  from  the  part  that  sheds  its  waters  onto  the  plains.  It  flows 
across  all  the  level  country  and  breaks  through  the  mountains  of  the  North 
sea,  and  comes  out  where  the  people  with  Don  Fernando  de  Soto  navigated 
it.  This  is  more  than  300  leagues  from  where  it  enters  the  sea.  On  ac- 
count of  this,  and  also  because  it  has  large  tributaries,  it  is  so  mighty 
when  it  enters  the  sea  that  they  lost  sight  of  the  land  before  the  water 
ceased  to  be  ^esh."'» 

The  Missouri  river  was  the  same  ugly,  muddy,  tortuous,  rapid  stream 
when  first  seen  by  the  early  French  explorers  that  it  is  to-day.  When, 
about  the  1st  of  July,  1673,  the  Jesuit  explorers,  Marquette  and  JoHet,^ 
the  first  white  men  to  descend  the  Mississippi,  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri  during  the  June  rise,  they  were  astonished  to  see  flowing  in  from 

is  privileged  to  say,  "all  of  which  I  saw  and  part  of  which  I  was,"  his  confidence  is  greater  and 
his  satisfaction  more  profound.  We  have  such  a  writer  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Philip  Edward 
Chappell,  author  of  the  sketch  of  the  history  of  early  steamboating  on  the  Missouri  river.  Mr. 
Chappell  was  born  in  Callaway  county,  Missouri,  about  ten  miles  from  Jefferson  City,  August 
18  1837.  He  was  descended  from  some  of  the  best-known  families  in  the  South,  his  Chappell  an- 
cestors" in  this  country  having  settled  at  the  mouth  of  the  James  river  in  1635.  Mr.  Chappell 
lived  on  the  home  farm  in  Callaway  county  and  studied  at  the  local  (log  house)  school  until  he 
was  fifteen  years  of  age.  and  then  left  home  for  college.  He  spent  two  years  at  the  Kemper 
school  in  Boonville  and  two  years  at  the  Missouri  State  University,  at  Columbia,  Mo.  Return- 
ing home  at  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  immediately  began  his  business  career  by  entering  the 
steamboat  service  on  the  Missouri.  He  continued  in  this  service  until  1860,  when  he  was  called 
home  to  manage  his  father's  estate.  In  the  following  year  he  married  Miss  Teresa  Ellen  Tarl- 
ton  daughter  of  Col.  Meredith  R.  Tarlton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chappell  were  blessed  with  a  family  of 
two  sons  and  three  daughters.  In  1869  Mr.  Chappell's  plantation  yielded  a  great  crop  of  tobacco. 
Mr  Chappell  being  awarded  first  prize  at  the  St.  Louis  fair  for  the  best  hogshead  of  the  leaf. 
After  that  owing  to  the  radical  change  in  the  labor  conditions,  no  more  large  tobacco  crops  were 
undertaken,  and  Mr.  Chappell  removed  to  Jefferson  City  and  in  1870  took  the  presidency  of  the 
Jefferson  City  Savings  Association,  afterwards  the  E.xchange  Bank,  the  oldest  bank  in  that  city. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Jefferson  City,  and  in  1872  was  elected  mayor.  From 
1873  to  1886  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  state  insane  asylum,  and  in  1880  he 
was  elected  state  treasurer,  a  position  he  held  for  four  years.  On  leaving  this  office  he  removed 
to  Kansas  City,  where  he  became  president  of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank.  In  1891  he  resigned 
from  the  bank'  on  account  of  overwork  and  has  since  lived  a  somewhat  retired  life,  though  in 
1889  he  was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  public  works  of  Kansas  City,  and  he  is  now  (1906) 
president  of  the  Safety  Deposit  Company  of  Kansas  City.  His  own  large  property  and  his 
literary  work  occupy  most  of  his  time.  .       .         .        j       ^  ■-.,.. 

This  brief  sketch  of  Mr.  Chappell's  business  career  is  given  in  order  to  emphasize  the  char- 
acter of  the  writer  of  the  present  article  and  the  others  from  his  pen  which  may  come  to  the  stu- 
dent's notice  Mr.  Chappell  is  accurate  and  painstaking  in  all  his  work.  Conscientious  to  the 
last  degree  he  counts  all  labor  lost  in  any  line  of  research  which  falls  short  of  arriving  as  nearly 
as  possible  at  absolute  certainty.  He  has  always  been  an  inveterate  reader,  and  though  making 
no  pretension  to  literary  skill,  his  work  has  always  shown  that  straightforward  simplicity  which 
has  characterized  the  strongest  writers  of  history  from  Ca>sar  to  Grant.  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
Mr  Chappell  has  done  more  than  almost  any  other  man  to  preserve  the  fast  disappearing  facts 
of  early  Missouri  history.  It  is  hoped  that  he  will  follow  this  charming  task  for  many  future 
years,  so  as  to  still  further  command  the  thanks  of  generations  to  come.—  Charles  S.  Gleed. 

Note  4.-Winship's  Tranlations  of  Castaneda,  in'.U.  S.  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  vol.  14,  p.  529. 

Note  5  -  It  was  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  after  the  discovery  of  the  Mississippi  river 
bv  the  Spaniards,  in  1519,  before  the  French  made  this  effort  to  explore  it.  In  1634  Jean  Nicolet, 
the  French  interpreter,  had  left  Quebec,  and,  ascending  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Ottawa  rivers, 
nassed  by  way  of  French  river  and  Lake  Huron,  through  the  Straits  of  Macinaw.  Then,  coast- 
ine  along  Lake  Michigan,  he  reached  Green  bay  and  ascended  Fox  river.  From  the  Indians  in 
that  vicinity  he  heard  of  the  great  river  toward  the  west.  Other  explorers  and  Jesuit  missiona- 
ries followed  -  Fathers  Raymbault  and  Jogues  in  1641,  and  Radisson  and  Groseilliers  in  1654-'56. 
All  of  these  adventurers  brought  back  to  Quebec  wonderful  accounts  of  a  great  river  west  of 
Lakes  Michigan  and  Superior,  and  the  two  latter  even  claimed  to  have  descended  it.  but  into 
what  sea  it  flowed  was  unknown  to  the  Indians.-  Earned,  vol.  1,  p.  63  ;  Thwaites'  Jesuit  Rela- 
tions vol  8  p.  295 ;  vol.  11,  p.  279 :  Parkman  Club  Publications,  No.  2,  p.  27. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  239 

the  west,  a  torrent  of  yellow,  muddy  water  which  rushed  furiously 
athwart  the  clear  blue  current  of  the  Mississippi,  boiling  and  sweeping 
in  its  course  logs,  branches  and  uprooted  trees.  Marquette,  in  his  jour- 
nal says: 

"I  have  seen  nothing  more  dreadful.  An  accumulation  of  large  and  en- 
tire trees,  branches  and  floating  islands  was  issuing  from  the  mouth  of  the 
River  Pekistanoui  with  such  impetuosity  that  we  could  not,  without  great 
danger,  risk  passing  through  it.  So  great  was  the  agitation  that  the  water 
was  very  muddy  and  could  not  become  clear. 

"Pekitanoui  is  a  river  of  considerable  size,  coming  from  the  northwest 
from  a  great  distance;  and  it  discharges  into  the  Mississippi."" 

Marquette  was  informed  by  the  Indians  that  "by  ascending  this  river  for 
five  or  six  days  one  reaches  a  fine  prairie,  twenty  or  thirty  leagues  long. 
This  must  be  crossed  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  and  it  terminates  at  an- 
other small  river,  on  which  one  may  embark,  for  it  is  not  very  difficult  to 
transport  canoes  through  so  fine  a  country  as  that  prairie.  This  second 
river  flows  toward  the  southwest  for  ten  or  fifteen  leagues,  after  which  it 
enters  a  lake,  small  and  deep  [the  source  of  another  deep  Yivev— substituted 
by  Dablon],  which  flows  toward  the  west,  where  it  falls  into  the  sea.  I 
have  hardly  any  doubt  that  it  is  the  VermilHon  sea."  ' 

This  was  an  age  of  adventure  and  exploration  among  the  people  of  the 
new  world,  and  in  1672  Comte  de  Frontenac,  the  governor  of  New  France, 
determined  to  send  an  expedition  to  discover  the  "great  river,"  in  which 
great  interest  had  now  become  awakened.  Louis  Joliet,^  a  man  of  educa- 
tion, excellent  judgment,  and  tried  courage,  was  selected  to  undertake  this 
hazardous  enterprise.  He  had  besides  previously  visited  the  Lake  Superior 
region  and  spent  several  years  in  the  far  West. 

Joliet  set  out  from  Quebec  in  August,  1672,  and  in  December  arrived  at 
Mackinaw,  where  he  spent  the  winter  in  preparing  for  his  expedition.  He 
had  orders  to  take  with  him  a  young  Jesuit  missionary.  Father  Marquette, 
a  religious  zealot,  who  had  devoted  his  life  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
Indians,  and  who  was  then  in  charge  of  a  mission  at  Point  Ignace,  opposite 
Mackinaw.  The  missionary,  having  long  desired  to  visit  the  nations  living 
along  the  Mississippi  river,  gladly  joined  Johet,  and  on  May  17,  1673,  having 
laid  in  a  supply  of  corn  and  dried  buff'alo  meat,  they  set  out  with  five  Indi- 
ans in  two  canoes  on  their  perilous  voyage.  Having  reached  Gieen  Bay, 
they  ascended  the  Fox  river  to  its  head,  where  they  made  a  portage  of  one 
and  one-half  miles  '•>  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Wisconsin  river.  They  floated 
down  the  last-named  river  until,  on  the  17th  of  June,  the  little  fleet  floated 
out  upon  the  placid  waters  of  the  Mississippi. 

Note  6.— Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  59,  p.  141. 

Note  7. -Id.,  vol.  59,  p.  143. 

Note  8.  — "They  were  not  mistaken  in  the  choice  that  they  made  of  Sieur  Jolyet,  for  he  is  a 
young  man,  born  in  this  country,  who  possesses  all  the  qualifications  that  could  be  desired  for 
such  an  undertaking.  He  has  experience  and  knows  the  languages  spoken  in  the  country  of  the 
Outaouacs,  where  he  has  passed  several  years.  He  possesses  tact  and  prudence,  which  are  the 
chief  qualities  necessary  for  the  success  of  a  voyage  as  dangerous  as  it  is  difficult.  Finally,  he 
has  the  courage  to  dread  nothing  where  everything  is  to  be  feared.  Consequently,  he  has  ful- 
filled all  the  expectations  entertained  of  him  ;  and  if.  after  having  passed  through  a  thousand 
dangers,  he  had  not  unfortunately  been  wrecked  in  the  very  harbor,  his  canoe  having  upset  be- 
low Sault  St.  Louys,  near  Montreal,  where  he  lost  both  his  men  and  his  papers,  and  whence  he 
escaped  only  by  a  sort  of  miracle,  nothing  would  have  beea  left  to  be  desired  in  the  success  of 
his  voyage."— Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  59,  p.  89;  see,  also,  vol.  50,  note  19,  p.  324. 

Note  9.- Parkman,  LaSalleand  the  Discovery  of  the  Great  West,  1879,  p.  54.  Marquette 
calls  it  "a  portage  of  2700  paces."— Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  59,  p.  105. 


240  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Without  meeting  with  any  adventure  worthy  of  notice,  they  arrived  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  about  the  1st  of  July,  1673. 

After  paddHng  their  canoes  down  as  far  as  the  Arkansas,  i"  the  voyagers 
became  convinced  that  the  Mississippi  emptied  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
and  not  into  the  Atlantic  ocean  or  the  Gulf  of  California,  as  had  been  sur- 
mised. They  also  learned  from  the  natives  that  they  were  approaching  a 
country  where  they  were  likely  to  encounter  the  Spaniards.  They  therefore 
very  prudently  turned  the  bows  of  their  canoes  up  stream,  and  after  a 
tedious  voyage  arrived  at  Green  Bay  by  way  of  the  Illinois  river  and  Lake 
Michigan.  Here  the  two  comrades  parted  company,  Marquette  to  remain 
for  about  a  year  with  a  tribe  of  Indians  at  the  mission  on  Green  bay,  and 
Joliet  to  return  to  Quebec  by  the  route  he  had  come.  In  descending  the  St. 
Lawrence  river  Joliet's  canoe  was  upset,  and  all  of  his  papers,  including 
his  maps  and  journal,  were  lost.  Fortunately,  Marquette's  papers  were 
preserved,  and  it  is  from  his  journal,  a  priceless  manuscript,  that  the  above 
extracts,  referring  to  the  Missouri  river,  have  been  obtained. 

It  seems  that  Marquette  had  contemplated  a  voyage  down  the  Mississippi 
for  several  years  before  he  met  Joliet,  for  in  a  letter  written  in  1670  to 
Father  Francois  Le  Mercier,  superior  of  the  Huron  mission,  after  referring 
to  the  Mississippi  river,  then  only  known  by  reports  from  the  Indians,  and 
to  the  different  Illinois  tribes,  he  says  of  the  Missouri : 

"Six  or  seven  days'  journey  below  the  Illinois  there  is  another  great 
river  on  which  live  some  very  powerful  nations,  who  use  wooden  canoes;  of 
them  we  can  write  nothing  else  until  next  year— if  God  grant  us  the  grace 
to  conduct  us  thither. "ii 

Marquette,  having  contracted  a  lingering  malady  in  the  South,  died  May 
19,  1675,  on  his  return  journey  to  Michillimackinac  from  Kaskaskia,  where 
he  had  gone  to  found  the  mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  He  was 
buried  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  but  his  remains,  over  which 
a  handsome  monument  has  been  erected,  now  repose  at  St.  Ignace,  near 
Mackinaw,  Mich. 

The  second  expedition  down  the  Mississippi  was  conducted  by  Robert 
Cavalier  de  La  Salle  in  1682.  For  several  years  La  Salle,  who  had  been  an 
enterprising  trader  at  Quebec,  Canada,  had  contemplated  completing  the 
expedition  of  Marquette  and  Joliet  by  following  the  Mississippi  to  its 
entrance  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  planting  there  the  lilies  of  France. 
Following  the  usual  course  of  travel,  through  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw,  and 
down  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  he  arrived  about  the  1st  of  Janu- 
ary, 1682,  at  the  mouth  of  a  river  called  by  the  Indians  Chicagou.  Drag- 
ging their  canoes  up  the  frozen  river  they  made  the  portage  to  the  head  of 
the  Illinois,  down  which  they  descended,  until  the  6th  of  February  found 
them  at  the  mouth  of  that  river,  where  they  were  detained  for  several  days 
by  ice  in  the  Mississippi. 

La  Salle's  company  consisted  of  thirty-one  Indians  and  twenty-three 
Frenchman.  Among  the  latter  was  Father  Zenobius  Membr(',  who  has  left 
an  account  of  this  famous  expedition,  from  which  the  following  is  taken: 

"The  ice  which  was  floating  down  on  the  river  Colbert  at  this  place  kept 
us  there  till  the  13th  of  the  same  month,  when  we  set  out,  and  six  leagues 

Note  10.— They  descended  the  Mississippi  to  latitude  33  degrees  40  minutes.— Thwaites' 
Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  59,  p.  159. 

Note  11.— Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  54,  p.  191. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  241 

lower  down  we  found  the  river  of  the  Ozages'-  coming  from  the  West.  It 
is  full  as  large  as  the  river  Colbert,  into  which  it  empties,  and  which  is  so 
disturbed  by  it  that  from  the  mouth  of  this  river  the  water  is  hardly  drink- 
able. The  Indians  assured  us  that  this  river  is  formed  by  many  others,  and 
that  they  ascend  it  for  ten  or  twelve  days  to  a  mountain  where  they  have 
their  source;  and  that  beyond  this  mountain  is  the  sea,  where  great  ships 
are  seen;  that  it  is  peopled  by  a  great  number  of  large  villages,  of  several 
different  nations;  that  there  are  lands  and  prairies,  and  great  cattle  and 
beaver  hunting.  Although  this  river  is  very  large,  the  main  river  does  not 
seem  augmented  by  it;  but  it  pours  in  so  much  mud  that  from  its  mouth 
the  water  of  the  great  river,  whose  bed  is  also  very  slimy,  is  more  like  clear 
mud  than  river  water,  without  changing  at  all  till  it  reaches  the  sea,  a  dis- 
tance of  more  than  300  leagues,  although  it  receives  seven  large  rivers,  the 
water  of  which  is  very  beautiful,  and  which  are  as  large  as  Mississippi."  i^ 

Speaking  in  another  place  of  the  hostilities  between  the  Iroquois  and  the 
Illinois  Indians,'^  MembrC-  says: 

"There  had  been  several  engagements  with  equal  loss  on  both  sides,  and 
that,  at  last,  of  the  seventeen  Illinois  villages,  the  greater  part  had  retired 
beyond  the  river  Colbert,  among  the  Ozages,  200  leagues  from  their  country, 
where  a  part  of  the  Iroquois  had  pursued  them. "  i' 

Henri  de  Tonty,!"  who  also  accompanied  La  Salle  on  this  famous  expe- 
dition, in  his  relation  entitled  ' '  Enterprises  of  M.  de  La  Salle  from  1678  to 
1683,"  written  at  Quebec,  in  November,  1684,  gives  the  following  account 
of  the  Missouri  river: 

"The  Indians  having  finished  making  their  canoes,  we  descended  the 
river,  and  found,  at  six  leagues,'"  upon  the  right  hand,  a  river  which  fell 
into  the  river  Colbert,  which  came  from  the  west,  and  appeared  to  be  as 
large  and  as  considerable  as  the  great  river,  according  to  the  reports  of  the 
Indians.  It  is  called  the  Emissourita,  and  is  well  peopled.  There  are  even 
villages  of  Indians  which  use  horses  i*^  to  go  to  war  and  to  carry  the  car- 
casses of  the  cattle  which  they  kill."  ^'■> 

Note  12.— Father  Membre  calls  the  Missouri  river  the  Osage,  doubtless  from  the  tribe  of 
Indians  whose  villages  were  then  located  on  that  stream  near  its  confluence  with  the  Mississippi. 
So  imperfect  was  the  knowledge  of  the  country  at  that  time,  as  it  had  never  been  explored,  and 
so  little  was  known  of  the  rivers  of  the  West,  even  by  the  Indians,  that  there  was  some  doubt  in 
the  minds  of  the  Frenchmen  whether  the  Missouri  or  the  Osage  was  the  principal  stream. 

Note  13.— Le  Clercq's  Establishment  of  the  Faith,  vol.  2,  p.  163. 

Note  14. —  The  Kaskaskias,  Peorias  and  Cahokias  were,  according  to  Parkman,  component 
tribes  of  the  Illinois  nation.  (  Conspiracy  of  Pontiac,  9th  ed.,  vol.  2,  p.  312. )  Father  Vivier,  mis- 
sionary among  the  Illinois  in  1750,  nearly  seventy  years  later  than  Membre,  says  that  this  nation 
then  lived  in  four  villages,  numbering  in  all  2000  souls,  three  of  these  villages  Ibeing  between  the 
waters  of  the  Kaskaskia  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  the  fourth  eighty  leagues  distant.  He  also 
says  the  population  of  the  Illinois  had  been  reduced  from  5000,  since  first  visited  by  the  French 
missionaries  sixty  years  before.  (Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  69,  pp.  145  and  149.)  The 
Miamias  and  Weas  appear  also  to  have  belonged  to  the  Illinois.  (  Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations, 
vol.  58,  p.  203.)  These  several  tribes  came  to  Kansas  with  the  early  Indian  emigration  from  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  were  finally  removed  to  the  Indian  Territory.     (Kan.  His.  Coll.,  vol.  8.) 

Note  15.—  Le  Clercq's  Establishment  of  the  Faith,  vol.  2,  p.  155. 

Note  16.—  Henry  de  Tonty  was  the  trusted  friend  and  lieutenant  of  La  Salle,  and  in  point  of 
energy,  intelligence  and  personal  courage  was  not  behind  his  superior  officer.  In  his  youth  he 
had  lost  an  arm  in  battle,  and  had  supplied  the  missing  member  with  one  of  iron.  This  pecul- 
iarity was  observed  by  the  Indians,  by  whom  he  was  universally  known  as  the  "Iron  Hand." 
He  accompanied  La  Salle  in  his  first  expedition  down  the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth,  in  1682.  He 
returned  to  the  Illinois  country  the  same  year,  and  after  La  Salle's  unfortunate  death,  during 
his  second  expedition,  in  1687,  he  again  went  down  the  Mississippi,  in  1689,  for  the  purpose  of  res- 
cuing the  remnant  of  the  ill-fated  colony.  Of  all  the  members  of  La  Salle's  famous  expedition 
de  Tonty  was  the  bravest,  the  most  loyal,  and  the  most  trustworthy. 

Note  17. — A  French  league  is  two  and  three-fourths  miles. 

Note  18.— Horses,  procured  from  the  Spaniards  in  New  Mexico,  were  in  general  use  among 
the  Indian  tribes  above  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw  at  an  early  day. 

Note  19.— Margry,  vol.  1,  p.  595. 

-16 


242  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

In  the  narration  of  Nicholas  de  La  Salle,  entitled  "Relation  of  the  Dis- 
covery which  M.  de  La  Salle  has  made  of  the  Mississippi  river  in  1682,  and 
of  his  return  to  Quebec,"  written  in  1685,  he  says  :  "Finally  we  descended 
the  Mississippi.  The  first  day  we  camped  six  leagues  on  the  right  bank, 
near  the  mouth  of  a  river  which  falls  into  the  Mississippi  and  which  is  very 
impetuous  and  muddy.  It  is  named  the  river  of  the  Missouris.  The  river 
comes  from  the  northwest.  It  is  well  peopled,  according  to  what  the  In- 
dians say.     The  Panis  are  upon  this  river,  a  great  distance  from  its  mouth.-" 

The  Panis,  or  Pawnees, -"^  were  at  one  time  a  numerous  western  people 
and  roved  over  the  country  from  Red  river,  Texas,  to  the  Platte.  The  Re- 
publican Pawnees  were  encountered  by  Lieutenant  Pike  in  Republic  county, 
Kansas,  in  September,  1806.  In  a  report  of  the  secretary  of  war,  made  in 
1829,  the  number  of  the  northern  Pawnees  was  estimated  at  12,000,  divided 
into  four  bands— the  Pawnee  Republics,  the  Pawnee  Loups,  the  Grand  Paw- 
nees, and  Pawnee  Picts.  They  were  located  on  the  Platte,  and  claimed  the 
country  as  far  west  as  the  Cheyennes.  In  1836  their  number  was  estimated 
by  the  government  at  10,000,  but  in  a  subsequent  report,  made  to  the  secre- 
tary of  war  in  1849,  it  is  stated  that  they  were  still  on  the  Platte,  but  that 
their  number  had  been  reduced  through  epidemics  of  smallpox  in  1838,  and 
cholera  in  1849,  to  about  4500.-2 

This  remarkable  mortality  was  not  confined  to  the  Pawnees  alone,  but 
extended  to  many  other  tribes  on  the  upper  Missouri,  one-half  of  whom,  it 
is  said,  died  during  the  summer  and  winter  of  1837-'38.-^ 

In  1855  the  Pawnees  ceded  their  lands  in  Nebraska  to  the  government, 

Note  20.—  Margry,  vol.  1.  p.  549. 

Note  21. — The  members  of  this  family  are  :  "The  Pawnees,  the  Arikaras.  the  Caddos.  the 
Huecos  or  Wacos,  the  Keechies,  the  Tawaconies,  and  the  Pawnee  Picts  or  Wichitas.  The  last 
five  may  be  designated  as  the  southern  or  Red  River  branches."  (  Dunbar,  Magazine  of  Am. 
Hist.,  vol.  4,  p.  241.)  Du  Tisne  visited  one  of  these  southern  branches-on  the  Arkansas  in  1719, 
called  by  him  the  Panis  or  Panioussas.  (  Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  313  :  Kan.  Hist.  Soc.  Coll.,  vol.  4,  p. 
276.)  Representatives  of  the  Pawnees  of  the  Platte,  Panimahas,  accompanied  Bourgmont,  in 
1724.  on  his  visit  to  the  Paducas  in  western  Kansas,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter.  (  Margry,  vol.  6, 
pp.  398-449.) 

Note  22.—  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1836,  p.  403 ;  id.,  1849,  p.  140. 

Note  23.— Father  De  Smet,  in  his  Travels  among  the  Rocky  Mountain  Indians,  in  1840, 
refers  to  this  terrible  epidemic  among  the  Assiniboines,  Minnetarees.  Pawnees,  Aricaras,  Black- 
feet,  Flatheads,  Crows,  Grosventrees,  Mandans,  and  other  tribes.  Of  the  Mandans  he  says:  "This 
once  numerous  nation  is  now  reduced  to  a  few  families,  the  only  survivors  of  the  smallpox  scourge 
of  1837.  In  a  letter  of  Indian  Agent  John  Dougherty  to  Supt.  William  Clark,  dated  Cantonment 
Leavenworth,  October  29,  1831,  he  writes:  "  I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you  that  I  have  returned 
from  a  visit  to  the  four  Pawnee  villages,  all  of  whom  I  found  in  the  most  deplorable  condition; 
indeed  their  misery  defies  all  description.  Judging  from  what  I  saw  during  the  four  days  I  spent 
with,  and  the  information  I  received  from,  the  chiefs  and  two  Frenchmen,  who  reside  with  and 
speak  their  language  well.  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  one-half  of  the  whole  number  of  souls  of 
each  village  have  been  and  will  be  carried  off  by  this  cruel  and  frightful  distemper.  They  told 
me  that  not  one  under  thirty-three  years  of  age  had  escaped  the  monstrous  disease  —  it  having 
been  that  length  of  time  since  it  visited  them  before.  They  were  dying  so  fast,  and  taken  down 
at  once  in  such  large  numbers,  that  they  had  ceased  to  bury  their  dead."  (U.  S.  Ho.  Rep., 
22d  Cong.,  1st  sess.,  Ex.  Doc.  No.  190.)  Isaac  McCoy,  in  a  letter  to  Lewis  Cass,  dated  Washington, 
March  23,  1832.  says  :  "The  claims  of  humanity,  in  a  case  peculiarly  affecting,  compel  me  to  ask 
leave  to  trouble  you  with  this.  I  have  this  moment  received  information  from  Mr.  Lykins.  near 
Kanza  river,  dated  February  25,  that  Maj.  J.  Dougherty  believed  that  among  the  Pawnees.  Otoes, 
Omahas,  and  Ponchas,  more  than  4000  persons  had  already  died  of  the  smallpox.  Of  the  three  lat- 
ter tribes,  about  160  had  died  when  the  disease  was  checked  by  vaccination.  Major  Dougherty 
thinks  that  all  the  mountain  tribes,  as  well  as  the  Sioux  and  other  northern  Indians,  will  con- 
tract the  disease,  unless  measures  should  speedily  be  taken  to  prevent  it."  (Id.,  p  3.)  T.  Hartley 
Crawford,  commissioner  of  Indian  affairs,  recommends  to  the  chairman  of  the  house  committee 
on  Indian  affairs,  December  14,  1838,  the  use  of  vaccine  matter  by  physicians  paid  for  the  purpose 
by  the  United  States,  and  says  that  the  smallpox  still  prevails  among  the  five  tribes  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  "and  that  its  ravages,  at  the  latest  dates,  were  not  arrested  on  the  upper  Missouri." 
(Ho.  Rep.,  25th  Cong.,  3d  sess..  Doc.  No.  51.  i  The  smallpox  was  conveyed  by  the  Missouri 
Fur  Company's  boat  up  the  Missouri  river  in  the  summe"-  of  1837.  Quite  lengthy  particulars  are 
given  of  the  spread  of  the  disease  by  Captain  Chittenden  in  his  American  Fur  Trade,  and  in 
Lieut.  Jas.  H.  Bradley's  Affairs  at  Fort  Benton  from  1831  to  1839,  printed  in  volume  III  of  the 
Contributions  to  the  Historical  Society  of  Montana. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  243 

and  in  the  '60's  were  removed,  with  other  tribes,  to  the  Indian  Territory. 
The  remnant  of  the  tribe,  now  numbering  633,'-'  are  on  a  reservation  near 
Ponca  agency.  They  were  among  the  most  dangerous  of  the  tribes  that 
infested  the  Western  plains  from  1840  to  1860.25 

Henri  Joutel,  a  native  of  Rouen,  France,  and  a  fellow  townsman  of  La 
Salle,  accompanied  him,  in  1684,  on  his  second  expedition  to  Louisiana. 
This  time  La  Salle  sailed  directly  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  from  France, 
whither  he  had  gone  in  1683,  soon  after  the  close  of  his  first  Louisiana  ex- 
pedition, to  secure  permission  and  means  to  establish  a  French  colony  on 
the  lower  Mississippi.  La  Salle  missed  the  mouth  of  the  river  but  located  a 
colony  called  St.  Louis  on  the  coast  of  Texas.  Shortly  after,  he  was  cruelly 
murdered  by  one  of  his  own  men.  Joutel,  one  of  the  half-dozen  survivors 
of  the  ill-fated  expedition,  after  La  Salle's  death,  made  his  way  up  the 
Mississippi  river  to  old  Fort  St.  Louis,  on  the  Illinois  river,  and  thence  to 
Quebec  and  France. 

The  following  is  a  reference  to  the  Missouri  river  made  by  Joutel  in  his 
journal.  He  says:  "We  continued  on  the  30th  [August,  1687],  and  on  the 
1st  of  September  passed  by  the  mouth  of  a  river  called  Missouri,  whose  wa- 
ter is  always  thick,  and  to  which  our  Indians  did  not  fail  to  offer  sacrifice."  -* 

Among  the  priests  in  La  Salle's  party  who  accompanied  Joutel  was 
Father  Anastasius  Douay,  a  most  devout  missionary,  from  whom  Father 
Le  Clercq  quotes  regarding  the  Missouri  river,  which  he  passed  in  1687  on 
his  way  to  the  Illinois,  after  La  Salle's  death: 

"About  six  leagues  below  this  mouth  [Illinois]  there  is  on  the  northwest 
the  famous  river  of  the  Massourites,  or  Ozages,  at  least  as  large  as  the 
main  river  into  which  it  empties;  it  is  formed  by  a  number  of  other  known 
rivers  everywhere  navigable,  and  inhabited  by  many  populous  tribes:  .  .  . 
They  include  also  the  Ozages,  who  have  seventeen  villages  on  a  river  of 
their  name,  which  empties  into  that  of  the  Massourites,  to  which  the  maps 
have  also  extended  the  name  of  Ozages.  The  Akansa  were  formerly  situ- 
ated on  the  upper  part  of  one  of  these  rivers,  but  the  Iroquois  ='  drove  them 
out  by  cruel  wars  some  years  ago,  so  that  they,  with  some  Ozage  villages, 
have  been  obliged  to  descend  and  settle  on  the  river  which  now  bears  their 
name,  and  of  which  I  have  spoken,  "^s 

Note  24. —  Report  of  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1904,  p.  606. 

Note  25.— "Their  relations  with  the  United  States  have  always  been  friendly.  Instances 
mig-ht  be  catalogued,  no  doubt,  in  considerable  number,  in  which  they  have  committed  outrages. 
But  if  against  these  should  be  set  a  list  of  the  wanton  provocations  that  they  have  received  at 
the  hands  of  irresponsible  whites  their  offenses  would  be  probably  sufficiently  counterbalanced. 
.  .  .  During  the  last  fifteen  years  a  battalion  of  Pawnee  scouts  has  been  employed  a  large 
portion  of  the  time  by  the  government  against  the  hostile  Dakotas.  and  in  every  campaign  have 
won  high  encomiums  for  their  intrepidity  and  soldierly  efficiency."— John  B.  Dunbar,  Magazine' 
of  Am.  Hist,  1880.  vol.  4,  pp.  256,  257. 

Mr.  T.  S.  Huffaker.  of  Council  Grove,  says  that  as  late  as  1856  or  1857  the  Pawnees  made  in- 
cursions into  Kansas  for  the  purpose  of  stealing  ponies  from  the  Kaws,  then  in  Morris  county, 
and,  besides  robbing  the  Indians,  drove  off  stock  from  the  neighboring  white  settlers,  taking 
forty  or  fifty  ponies  that  he  was  keeping  for  Northrup  &  Chick.  Although  an  agent  sent  to  the 
Pawnee  villages  in  Nebraska  identified  these  ponies,  the  Indians  would  not  return  them.  The 
government  paid  for  one  lot  of  ponies  some  years  later. 

Note  26.—  Margry,  vol.  3,  p.  471. 

Note  27.— The  Iroquois  were  a  confederation  of  Indians  occupying  the  Mohawk  valley  and 
lakes  of  western  New  York,  embracing  the  five  nations  first  known  as  the  Mohawk.s  Oneidas 
Onondagas.  Cayugas.  and  Senecas,  and  after  the  Tuscaroras  had  joined  them  from  North  Caro- 
hna,  in  1712,  the  Six  Nations.  They  were  the  most  warlike  of  all  the  northern  Indians,  and  were 
allies  of  the  English  in  their  contest  with  the  French  for  supremacy  in  the  new  world.  They 
subdued  the  neighboring  Indian  nations  and  extended  their  conquests  beyond  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  even  the  Mississippi,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  statements  of  Fathers  Douay  and  Membre.  The 
Encyclopedia  Americana.  1904.  says  the  census  of  the  Si.x  Nations  still  living  in  both  the  United 
States  and  Canada  numbered,  in  1902.  about  17.000.  See  volume  8  of  the  Kansas  Historical  So- 
ciety Collections  for  lands  granted  the.>5e  "  New  York  Indians  "  in  Kansas. 

Note  28.— LeClercq's  Establishment  of  the  Faith,  vol.  2.  p.  271. 


244 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


The  Father  of  Navigation  on  the  Missouri  Kiver.     (See  page  267.) 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  245 

In  "Henri  de  Tonty's  Memoirs,"  published  in  Paris  in  1693,  he  makes 
the  following  reference  to  the  Osage  Indians,  in  his  trip  down  the  Missis- 
sippi river  to  bring  back  the  men  of  the  ill-fated  expedition  of  La  Salle. 
He  says:  "We  arrived  on  the  17th  [October,  1689]  at  an  Illinois  village  at 
the  mouth  of  their  river.  They  had  just  come  from  fighting  the  Osages 
and  had  lost  thirteen  men,  but  they  brought  back  130  prisoners."'-" 

In  Tonty's  account  of  the  route  from  the  Illinois,  by  the  Mississippi 
river,  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  he  says:  "The  rivers  of  the  Missouri  come 
from  the  west,  and,  after  traversing  300  leagues,  arrive  at  a  lake,  -^hich  I 
believe  to  be  that  of  the  Apaches.  The  villages  of  the  Missounta,  Otenta 
and  Osage  are  near  one  another,  and  are  situated  on  the  prairies,  150  leagues 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri."'"' 

Again,  he  says  of  his  downward  voyage:  "We  descended  the  river  [Mis- 
sissippi], and  found,  six  leagues  below,  on  the  right,  a  great  river  [Mis- 
souri], which  comes  from  the  west,  on  which  are  numerous  nations.  We 
slept  at  its  mouth."-" 

Jean  Francois  de  St.  Cosme,  a  priest  of  the  Seminary  of  Quebec,  left 
Canada  in  the  summer  of  1698  and  descended  the  Mississippi  river  by  way 
of  Green  Bay  and  the  Wisconsin  river.  He  went  as  a  missionary  to  Cahokia 
and  later  to  Natchez,-'-  and  has  left  the  following  account  of  the  Missouri 
river: 

"On  the  6th  of  December,  1699,  we  embarked  on  the  Mississippi  river 
and  after  making  about  600  leagues  [1650  miles],  we  found  the  river  of  the 
Missourites,  which  comes  from  the  West  and  which  is  so  muddy  that  it 
spoils  the  water  of  the  Mississippi,  which,  down  to  this,  is  clear.  It  is  said 
that  up  this  river  are  a  great  number  of  Indians." 

In  another  place  he  mentions  meeting  with  the  Arkansas  Indians.  "We 
told  them,"  he  says,  "we  were  going  further  down  the  river  among  their 
neighbors  and  friends,  and  that  they  would  see  us  often;  that  it  would  be 
well  to  assemble  all  together,  so  as  more  easily  to  resist  their  enemies.  They 
agreed  to  all  of  this  and  promised  to  try  to  make  the  Osages  join  them,  who 
had  left  the  river  of  the  Missourites  and  were  now  on  the  upper  waters  of 
their  own  river." 

As  the  foregoing  pages  contain  the  first  references  to  the  Osage  Indians 
preserved  in  history,  the  statements  of  the  different  writers  may  be  worth 
a  comparison. 

Father  Membri'  says  that  in  1682  the  greater  part  of  the  seventeen  Illi- 
nois villages  were  driven  across  the  Mississippi  by  the  Iroquois,  who  pursued 
them  until  they  took  refuge  with  the  Osages.  Father  Douay,  in  1687,  says 
that  the  Osages  had  seventeen  villages  on  the  Osage  river,  and  that  the  Ar- 
kansas Indians,  who  had  formerly  lived  in  that  section,  had  been  driven  out 
by  the  Iroquois  some  years  before,  and  with  some  Osages  had  settled  on  the 
Arkansas.  Henri  de  Tonty  states  that  the  Osages,  in  1693,  were  then  in 
the  prairies  150  leagues  from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri.  This  would  be 
about  400  miles,  which  is  very  near  the  distance  by  the  river  route  to  where 
the  prairies  on  the  Osage  set  in,  or  between  Osceola,  in  St.  Clair  county. 

Note  29. — Historical  Collections  of  Louisiana.  French,  vol.  1.  p.  71. 

Note  30. -Id.,  vol.  1,  p.  82. 

Note  31.— Id.,  vol.  1,  p.  59. 

Note  32.— Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  65,  p.  262,  note  7. 


246  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

and  Papinsville,  in  Bates  county,  Missouri.  This  is  the  locaUty  in  which, 
as  will  hereafter  appear,  Du  Tisn(?  found  them  twenty-six  years  afterwards, 
1719,  and  where  they  remained  until  they  began  their  gradual  removal  to 
the  Indian  Territory,  about  1796."  Father  St.  Cosme,  in  1699,  confirms  the 
statement  made  by  Douay,  for  he  says  the  Osages  had  left  the  river  of  the 
Missourites  and  were  on  the  upper  waters  of  their  own  river.  The  map  of 
Delisle,  published  in  1703,  which  gives  the  location  of  many  of  the  Western 
tribes,  lays  down  four  villages  of  the  Osages  on  their  river.  Three  are  high 
up  on  the  river,  apparently  near  Osceola;  the  other  is  located  about  where 
the  town  of  Warsaw  stands.  There  are  none  laid  down  nearer  the  mouth  of 
the  river. 

From  this  testimony  left  us  by  the  early  explorers,  which  must  be  re- 
liable, as  it  comes  from  so  many  different  sources,  it  appears  that  the  Osage 
Indians,  at  some  time  previous  to  1682,  dwelt  near  the  mouth  of  the  Osage 
river,  either  on  the  banks  of  that  stream  or  on  the  Missouri.  There  is  no 
question  that  about  that  time  the  lower  Missouri  tribes  were  attacked  by 
the  wild  men  from  the  East,  the  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  Iroquois,  who,  as  they 
were  armed  with  British  muskets,  and  the  Missouri  tribes  had  only  the 
primitive  bow  and  arrow,  drove  the  Osages  higher  up  their  river,  and  the 
Missouris  to  the  mouth  of  the  Grand  river.  The  beautiful  country  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri  was  thus  early  abandoned  by  the  red  men. 

In  many  respects  the  Osages  were  the  most  remarkable  of  all  the  West- 
ern tribes.  They,  with  the  Missouri,  are  the  first  of  which  we  have  any 
data.  They  were  distinguished  by  Marquette  in  1673  as  the  "Ouchage"  and 
"Autrechaha, "  and  by  Penicaut  in  1719  as  the  "Huzzau,"  "Ous,"  and 
"  Wawha."  ^^  They  were  one  of  the  largest  and  most  powerful  tribes  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  they  have  remained  longer  in  the  same  locahty ; 
they  have  been  the  most  peaceable  of  all  the  Western  tribes  and  have  given 
the  government  less  trouble;  they  are  the  tallest  and  best-proportioned 
Indians  in  America,  few  being  less  than  six  feet. 

The  tribe  was  evidently  a  numerous  one  when  first  visited  by  the  French, 
for  Douay  says  in  1687  that  they  occupied  seventeen  villages.  Like  all  our 
aborigines,  contact  with  civilization  rapidly  diminished  their  numbers,  for 
by  1804  they  had  decreased  to  2300  warriors. 

At  the  time  Lieut.  Zebulon  M.  Pike  visited  the  tribe,  in  1806,  it  was  sepa- 
rated into  three  bands.     The  history  of  this  division  he  gives  as  follows: 

"The  Osage  nation  is  divided  into  three  villages,  and  in  a  few  years  you 
may  say  nations,  viz. :  The  Grand  Osage,  the  Little  Osage,  and  those  of  the 
Arkansaw. 

"The  Little  Osage  separated  from  the  Big  Osage  about  100  .years  since, 
when  their  chiefs,  on  obtaining  permission  to  lead  forth  a  colony  from  the 
great  council  of  the  nation,  moved  on  to  the  Missouri;  but  after  some  years, 
finding  themselves  too  hard  pressed  by  their  enemies,  they  again  obtained 
permission  to  return,  put  themselves  under  the  protection  of  the  Grand 
village,  and  settled  down  about  six  miles  off. 

"The  Arkansaw  schism  was  effected  by  Mr.  Pierre  Choteau,  ten  or  twelve 
years  ago,  as  a  revenge  •  n  Mr.  Manuel  t)e  Sezei  [Liza  or  Lisa],  who  had 
obtained  from  the  Spanish  government  the  exclusive  trade  of  the  Osage 
nation,  by  the  way  of  the  Osage  river,  after  it  had  been  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Choteau  for  nearly  twenty  years.     The  latter,  having  the  trade  of  the  Ar- 

NOTE  33.  -History  of  Vernon  County.  Missouri,  1887,  p.  131. 

Note  34.-Annual  Report  United  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  vol.  15,  p.  192. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  247 

kansaw,  thereby  nearly  rendered  abortive  the  exclusive  privilege  of   his 
rival. ' '  -^5 

The  History  of  Vernon  County,  Missouri,  1887,  says  that  a  number  of 
young  men  from  both  the  Big  and  Little  Osages,  influenced  by  French  traders, 
removed  about  1796  under  Cashesegra  or  Big  Track,  to  the  Verdegris.^" 

While  the  Osages  were  a  brave  and  warlike  nation,  and  were  frequently 
at  war  with  the  Kansas,  Pawnees,  lowas.  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  other  tribes, 
they  always  maintained  peaceable  relations  with  the  whites.  This  was,  no 
doubt,  through  the  influence  of  the  French  traders,  who,  as  early  as  1693,  ^^ 
began  trading  with  them,  and,  frequently  intermarrying,  acquired  a  wonderful 
influence  over  them. 

The  Osages,  in  their  hunting  excursions,  roamed  over  all  the  vast  terri- 
tory from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  a  good  story  is  told 
by  General  Rozier,  in  his  History  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  of  an  occur- 
rence that  took  place  at  an  early  day  near  Ste.  Genevieve,  where  General 
Rozier  was  born,  and  where  he  lived  and  died: 

"In  1797  a  wedding  party  of  young  people,  consisting  of  a  proposed 
bride  and  groom  and  a  half-dozen  other  couples,  left  their  home  on  Big 
river  to  go  to  Ste.  Genevieve  to  be  married,  there  being  no  priest  nearer. 
On  arriving  at  Terre-Beau  creek,  near  Farmington,  they  encountered  a 
roving  band  of  Osage  Indians,  who  were  out  on  a  prairie  horse-racing.  The 
party  was  soon  discovered  by  the  Indians  and  followed.  On  being  captured, 
they  were  stripped  of  all  their  clothing,  both  men  and  women,  and  turned 
loose  on  the  prairie,  as  naked  as  they  came  into  the  world.  No  violence 
was  offered,  as  the  Indians  considered  it  only  a  good  joke;  but  they  kept 
their  clothing,  and  the  young  people  were  compelled  to  return  home  in  this 
terrible  plight.  The  wedding  was  postponed  for  a  year,  but  the  young 
couple  finally  married,  and  their  descendants  are  yet  living  in  St.  Francois 
county." 

The  Osages  claimed  all  of  the  country  lying  south  of  the  Missouri  river 
and  the  Kansas  as  far  west  as  the  head  waters  of  the  latter  stream.  On 
November  10,  1808,  a  treaty  was  entered  into  by  which  they  ceded  to  the 
government  the  territory  lying  east  of  a  line  running  due  south  from  Fort 
Clark  ( later  Fort  Osage,  now  Sibley) ,  on  the  Missouri  river,  to  the  Arkansas 
river,  and  lying  north  of  that  stream,  to  its  confluence  with  the  Mississippi. 
The  provisions  of  this  treaty •'«  especially  favored  those  Indians  "who  re- 
side at  this  place,"  Fort  Osage,  or  who  might  remove  to  its  neighborhood. 

Note  35.— Coues's  Pike,  p.  529.  "  When  the  Little  Osages  moved  to  the  Missouri  river,  which 
was  about  1700,  they  located  upon  Petit-sas- Plains,  near  the  present  town  of  Malta  Bend,  in  Saline 
county,  Missouri.  On  their  return  to  the  Great  Osage,  which  was  about  1774.  they  located  in  a 
separate  village,  at  what  is  now  Ballstown.  on  the  Little  Osage  river.  Coues  give  the  relative 
postions  of  the  two  villages  in  the  following  note:  "The  village  of  the  Little  Osage  Indians  was 
about  six  miles  higher  up,  on  the  other  (west)  side  of  the  river  of  the  same  name.  Marmiton  river 
falls  in  between  where  the  two  villages  were.  These  were  so  well  known  to  the  traders  and  others 
in  Pike's  time  that  he  does  not  take  the  trouble  to  say  exactly  where  they  were  ;  nor  are  we  favored 
with  the  precise  location  of  Camp  Independence,  "  near  the  edge  of  the  prairie.'  But  there  is,  of 
course,  no  question  of  the  exact  site  of  a  village  which  stoo<i  for  more  than  a  century  ;  see.  for 
example,  Holcombe's  History  of  Vernon  County.  Hundreds  of  Osages  were  buried  on  the  mound, 
to  which  their  descendants  used  to  come  from  Kansas  to  cry  over  them,  as  late  at  least  as  1874. 
Among  the  remains  rested  those  of  old  White  Hair  himself,  until  his  bones  were  dug  up  and  car- 
ried off  by  Judge  C.  H.  Allen,  of  Missouri.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  upper  village  is  now  a  place 
called  Arthur,  where  the  Lexington  &  Southern  division  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  comes 
south  from  Rich  Hill,  Bates  county,  and  continues  across  both  Little  Osage  and  Marmiton  rivers  ; 
a  mile  west  of  its  crossing  of  the  former,  on  the  south  of  that  river,  is  the  present  hamlet  called 
Little  Osage  [or  Ballstown].  All  Pike's  positions  of  August  18-September  1  are  in  the  present 
Osage  township."— Coues'  Pike,  1895,  vol.  2,  note  45,  p.  389. 

Note  36.— History  of  Vernon  County,  Missouri,  1887,  p.  131. 

Note  37.— Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  64,  p.  161. 

Note  38.—  Indian  Affairs,  Laws,  and  Treaties,  vol.  2,  p.  95. 


248  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

The  History  of  Vernon  County,  Missouri,  says  that  only  a  few  of  the  Osages 
settled  near  Fort  Clark,  the  majority  continuing  to  live  at  their  old  home 
in  the  northern  part  of  that  county.^" 

In  1820  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  es- 
tablished a  mission  for  the  Arkansas  Osages,  called  Union  Station,  on  the 
Neosho,  twenty-five  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Arkansas,  and,  in  1821, 
another  called  Harmony  Mission,  near  Papinsville,  Bates  county,  Missouri. 
At  the  latter  place  mission  buildings,  including  a  schoolhouse,  were  erected, 
and  a  large  apple  orchard  set  out.  Nothing  remains  to-day  to  mark  the 
site  of  this  old  village  except  the  trunks  of  some  gnarled  apple  trees,  which 
have  withstood  the  storms  of  eighty  winters.'"' 

The  Osages  are  one  of  the  very  few  tribes  which  have  no  cause  to  com- 
plain of  the  treatment  accorded  them  by  the  government.  They  have  been 
well  paid  for  their  lands,  and  the  different  treaties  made  with  them  have 
been  religiously  observed.  The  following  extract  from  the  report  of  the 
commissioner  of  Indian  affairs  for  1904  shows  the  present  status  of  the 
tribe : 

"A  census  of  the  Osage  tribe  at  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year  shows  a  popula- 
tion of,  males,  946;  females,  949;  total,  1895.  The  Osage  Indians  are  con- 
sidered about  the  richest  people  as  a  tribe  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  They  have 
an  annual  income  of  $418,611.39,  being  five  per  cent,  interest  on  the  $8,372,- 
427.80  held  in  trust  for  them  by  the  United  States  treasury.  To  this  is 
added  about  $165,000  derived  from  lease  of  grazing  lands,  royalty  from  oil- 
wells,  etc.  The  amount  from  oil  and  gas  royalties  will  greatly  increase 
from  this  time,  owing  to  increased  development  and  facilities  on  account  of 
pipe-lines  for  reaching  the  market.  This  makes  an  annual  income  of  about 
$584,000.  Out  of  this  fund  well-equipped  schools  are  maintained,  salaries  of 
employees  are  paid,  nearly  all  the  expenses  of  the  agency  is  met,  and  the 
residue  paid  per  capita  to  the  members  of  the  tribe  in  quarterly  instalments. 
The  division  of  interest  money  alone  amounts  to  about  fourteen  dollars  per 
month,  or  forty-two  dollars  every  three  months,  to  each  man,  woman,  and 
child.  To  this  may  be  added  quite  comfortable  incomes  to  many  individual 
members  of  the  tribe,  more  progressive  than  others,  from  their  homesteads 
and  farms. ' '  * 

But  the  time  will  soon  come,  under  the  present  allotting  system  of  the 
government,  when  the  Osages  will  lose  their  lands — the  fairest  in  the  terri- 
tory. It  is  the  beginning  of  the  end.  Then,  with  their  tribal  relations  sun- 
dered, and  the  protecting  arm  of  the  government  withdrawn,  their  money 
will,  under  the  influence  of  civilization,  become  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing. 

Baron  de  Lahontan^'  left  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  river,  so  he  says,  on 
March  17,  1689,  and  reached  the  first  village  of  the  Missouri  tribe  on  the 
18th,  and  the  second  the  next  day.     Three  leagues  from  there  he  reached 

Note  39.—  History  of  Vernon  County,  Missouri,  1887,  p.  135. 

Note  40.—  Two  sections  of  land  at  the  site  of  the  mission  were  reserved  by  the  treaty  of 
1825,  and  for  the  improvements  thereon  the  United  States  paid  $8000,  the  land  itself  reverting  to 
the  government  upon  the  abandonment  of  the  mission.  The  money  went  to  the  American  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions.— History  of  Vernon  County.  Missouri,  1887.  p.  150. 

"Article  10.  It  is  furthermore  agreed  on,  by  and  between  the  parties  to  these  presents,  that 
there  shall  be  reserved  two  sections  of  land,  to  include  the  Harmony  missionary  establishment 
and  their  mill,  on  the  Marais  des  Cygne."— Treaty  with  the  Osages,  1825 ;  Indian  Affairs,  Laws, 
and  Treaties,  Wash.,  1904,  vol.  2,  p.  220. 

Note  41.  — For  an  extended  biography  of  the  Baron  de  Lahontan,  see  J.  Edmond  Roy.  in  the 
Proceedings  and  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society  of  Canada,  vol.  12,  sec.  1,  p.  63.  Appleton's 
Cyclopedia  of  American  Biography  and  Winsor's  Narrative  and  Critical  History  of  America  give 
the  name  as  La  Hontan. 

•Annual  Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1904.  p.  297. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  249 

the  mouth  of  the  Osage *-  river.  After  a  skirmish  with  the  Indians  at  that 
place  he  reembarked  and  started  down  stream.  He  landed  his  forces  at 
night  and  destroyed  a  village;  reembarked  again,  and  arrived  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  on  the  25th.  There  he  met  some  Arkansas  Indians,  and  he  says 
of  them:  "All  that  I  learned  from  them  was  that  the  Missouris  and  Osages 
were  numerous  and  mischievous;  and  their  country  was  well  watered  with 
very  great  rivers,  and,  in  a  word,  was  entirely  too  good  for  them. "^' 

Penicaut,  in  his  Annals  of  Louisiana,  says,  in  writing  of  a  voyage  made 
in  1700  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  copper- mines  of  the  Sioux 
country,  on  the  upper  part  of  that  stream: 

".  .  .  We  ascended  the  Mississipy  six  leagues  higher,  where  we 
found,  on  the  left,  the  mouth  of  a  very  large  river  named  the  Missoury. 
This  river  is  of  a  tremendous  rapidity,  in  the  spring  especially,  when  it  is 
high,  for  in  passing  over  the  islands  which  it  overflows,  it  uproots  and  sweeps 
along  the  trees.  ^^  It  is  from  this  fact  that  in  the  spring,  the  Mississipy,  into 
which  it  flows,  is  all  covered  with  floating  wood,  and  that  the  water  of  the 
Mississpy  is  then  muddy  from  the  water  of  the  Missoury,  which  falls  into 
the  same.  Up  to  the  present  the  source  of  the  Missoury  has  not  been  found, 
nor  that  of  the  Mississipy.  ...  I  will  not  speak  of  the  manners  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  banks  of  the  Missoury,  because  I  have  not  yet  ascended 
the  Missoury.  "^5 

In  1700,  James  Gravier,  a  Jesuit  priest,  made  a  voyage  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi. He  says :  ".  .  .  It  [the  Arkansas  river]  runs  to  the  north- 
west, and,  by  ascending  it,  one  reaches  the  river  of  the  Missouris,  by  mak- 
ing a  portage."" 

Previous  to  1705,  nearly  all  the  explorers  of  the  Mississippi  came  down 
the  river  from  Canada,  but  now  the  tide  began  to  turn,  and  a  stream  came 
up  the  river  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  These  two  streams  met  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  it  was  during  this  period— 1700  to  1720— that  the 
French  villages  of  Cahokia,  Kaskaskia,  Vincennes  and  Fort  Chartres  were 
established." 

In  1703  Chevalier  Pierre  Charles  Le  Sueur  was  sent  on  a  mining  expedi- 
tion to  the  upper  Mississippi.  On  returning  down  the  river  in  1705  he  ar- 
rived at  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  is  said  to  have  ascended  the  stream 
as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw. "  There  is  some  doubt  whether  Le  Sueur  ever 
really  came  up  the  river,  but  there  is  no  question  that  about  this  time  the  Mis- 
souri was  first  explored.  Le  Chevalier  de  Beaurain,  whose  memoir  of  Lou- 
isiana contains  an  account  of  Le  Sueur's  explorations,  makes  the  following 
allusion  to  the  Missouri  river,  and  the  different  tribes  along  that  stream. 
He  says:     ".     .     .     They  [the  Sioux]  generally  keep  to  the  prairies,  be- 

NOTE  42.  — As  it  is  140  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  to  the  mouth  of  the  Osage,  the 
voyage  could  not  have  been  made  up  stream  in  canoes  in  three  days.  The  statement  of  the  dates 
and  distances  made  discredits  the  entire  story,  and  it  may  be  taken  with  a  degree  of  allowance. 
If  Lahontan  actually  came  up  the  Missouri  river,  he  was  the  first  white  man  to  ascend  that 
stream  of  whom  there  is  any  account. 

Note  43.— From  Travels  of  Baron  de  Lahontan  in  North  America,  from  1689  to  1700.  published 
in  London  in  1703.  — Found  in  Kansas  City  Review,  May,  1881,  p.  19. 

Note  44. — The  writer  must  have  passed  the  mouth  of  the  river  during  the  annual  June  rise, 
as  his  description  indicates  that  he  saw  it  during  a  flood. 

Note  45.— Margry,  vol.  5,  p.  409. 

Note  46.— Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  65,  p.  125. 

Note  47.— Wallace's  History  of  Illinois  and  Louisiana  under  French  Rule.  pp.  203.  207,  270, 
and  299 ;   see,  also,  Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  65,  pp.  262,  264  ;   vol.  69,  p.  301 ;   vol.  70,  p.  316. 

Note  48. -Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  91. 


250  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

tween  the  upper  Mississippy  and  the  Missoury  river,  and  live  solely  by  hunt- 
ing."" At  another  place  he  says:  ".  .  .  We  were  told  that  the 
Ayavois  [lowas]  and  Otoctatas  [Otoes]  had  gone  to  station  themselves  up 
on  the  side  of  the  Missoury  river,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Maha  [Oma- 
has],5«  a  nation  dwelling  in  those  quarters. ■''  He  also  refers  to  Le  Sueur's 
meeting  with  three  Canadian  travelers,  and  receiving  from  them  a  letter 
from  Father  Marest,  of  the  mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  of  the 
Illinois,  dated  July  10,  1700,  informing  him  that  the  Peanguichas  had  been 
defeated  by  the  Sioux  and  Ayavois,  and  had  joined  with  the  Quicapous 
and  a  part  of  the  Mascoutins,  Foxes,  5-  and  Metesigamias,  to  avenge  them- 
selves, not  upon  the  Sioux,  for  they  fear  them  too  much,  possibly  upon  the 
Ayavois,  or  perhaps  the  Paoutes,  or  more  likely  on  the  Ozages,  for  these 
mistrust  nothing,  and  the  others  are  upon  their  guard.^^ 

The  Otoes 5^  were  a  small  tribe  in  1804,  and  did  not  number  exceeding 

Note  49.— Margry,  vol.  6.  p.  79. 

Note  50.— Delisle's  map  of  Louisiana  and  Mississippi,  in  the  second  volume  of  French's 
Louisiana,  shows  a  village  of  the  Mahas  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Missouri,  far  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Platte,  and  near  it  three  villages  of  the  lowas  ( Aiaouez ).  while  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Platte  (Riviere  des  Panis),  and  east  of  the  Missouri  river,  is  situated  the  Otoes  (Octotata) 
village.  Another  "  loway  "  village  is  placed  some  distance  east  of  the  Missouri  river  and  of  the 
"Canses"  village,  at  the  mouth  of  Independence  creek.  French  quotes  Le  Sueur's  spelling  of 
these  names,  "Ayavois,"  "Octotata,"  and  "Maha." 

"According  to  tribal  traditions  collected  by  Dorsey,  the  ancestors  of  the  Omaha.  Ponka, 
Kwapa,  Osage  and  Kansa  were  originally  one  people  dwelling  on  Ohio  and  Wabash  rivers,  but 
gradually  working  westward.  The  first  separation  took  place  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  when 
those  who  went  down  the  Mississippi  became  the  Kwapa  or  down-stream  people,  while  those 
who  ascended  the  great  river  became  the  Omaha  or  up-stream  people.  This  separation  must  have 
occurred  at  least  as  early  as  1500.  since  it  preceded  De  Soto's  discovery  of  the  Mississippi.  .  .  . 
The  Omaha  group  (  from  whom  the  Osage,  Kansa  and  Ponka  were  not  yet  separated  )  ascended 
the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  where  they  remained  for  some  time,  though  war 
and  hunting  parties  explored  the  country  northwestward,  and  the  body  of  the  tribe  gradually 
followed  these  pioneers,  though  the  Osage  and  Kansa  were  successively  left  behind.  The  Omaha 
gathered  south  of  the  Missouri,  between  the  mouths  of  the  Platte  and  Niobrara.  .  .  .  The 
Omaha  tribe  remained  within  the  great  bend  of  the  Missouri,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Big 
Sioux,  until  the  white  men  came.  Their  hunting-ground  extended  westward  and  southwestward, 
chiefly  north  of  the  Platte  and  along  the  Elkhorn,  to  the  territoi-y  of  the  Ponka  and  Pawnee." 
(  McGee,  U.  S.  Bu.  of  Eth.,  vol.  15.  p.  191.)  The  Omahas  now  occupy  a  reservation  in  Thurston 
county,  Nebraska,  and  had  a  population  of  1232  in  1904.—  Report  United  States  Commissioner  of 
Indian  Affairs,  p.  235. 

Note  51.-Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  82. 

Note  52.—  The  Foxes,  also  called  Renards  and  Outagamies.  were  at  that  time.  1700,  on  or  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Green  bay.  Wisconsin,  i  Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  62.  p.  205.)  They 
had  formerly  lived  in  the  country  east  of  Lake  Huron.  (Cutler's  Hist,  of  Kan.,  1883.  p.  73.) 
'They  were  a  populous  tribe  in  1666-'68,  mustering  about  1000  warriors.  (  Thwaites'  Jesuit  Rela- 
tions, vol.  51,  p.  43.)  Having  become  reduced  through  wars  with  neighboring  tribes,  they  united 
with  the  Sacs  about  1760,  the  two  ever  afterwards  being  known  as  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  i  Encycl. 
Americana,  1904,  vol.  7.)  They  claimed  certain  country  north  of  the  Missouri  and  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi rivers,  and  in  1804  made  their  first  treaty  of  cession  to  the  United  States.  After  various 
subsequent  treaties,  and  having  become  divided  into  two  bands,  a  part  of  the  one,  known  as  the 
"Sacs  and  Foxes  of  the  Mississippi,"  was  removed  in  1845-'46  to  a  reservation  in  Osage  and 
Franklin  counties,  Kansas,  and  in  1869  to  the  Indian  Territory.  I  Green,  in  Kan.  Hist.  Coll..  vol. 
8.  p.  130.)  Of  this  band.  491  still  reside  upon  their  reservation  in  Oklahoma.  (  Rept.  U.  S.  Com. 
Ind.  Aff..  1904,  p.  608.)  A  branch  of  the  Mississippi  band,  numbering  343.  still  holds  a  reserva- 
tion in  Tama  county,  Iowa.  '  Rept.  U.  S.  Com.  Ind.  Afl"..  1904,  p.  211.)  The  other  band,  known 
as  the  "Sacs  and  Foxes  of  the  Missouri,"  were  granted,  in  1854,  a  small  reservation  with  the 
Kowas,  between  Nebraska  and  Brown  county,  Kansas.  They  still  retain  a  portion  of  these 
lands  and  number  eighty-two  souls  —  Kan.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  8,  p.  91. 

Note  53.-Margry.  vol.  6,  p.  70. 

Note  54.— The  Otoes  were  related  to  the  Missouris,  and.  Dr.  Elliott  Coues  says,  occupied 
about  1700,  the  same  village  on  Bowling  Green  prairie,  below  Grand  river,  in  Missouri.  (Coues's 
Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  1.  p.  22.)  It  is  possible  that  they  removed  from  this  village  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Platte  at  the  time  LeSueur  mentions.  Both  the  Otoes  and  lowas  are  said  to  be  offshoots 
from  the  Missouris.  (U.  S  Bu.  of  Eth.,  vol.  15,  p.  195.  t  This  would  seem  reasonable,  as  it  was 
to  the  Otoes,  then  on  the  Platte,  that  the  remnant  of  the  Missouris  fled,  about  1774  (Coues's  Lewis  ' 
and  Clark,  p.  23),  when  they  were  driven  from  Petite-sas-Plains.  The  original  separation  of 
these  two  tribes  is  said  to  have  been  caused  by  the  abduction  of  a  Missouri  squaw  by  the  chief 
of  the  Otoes.  (Coues's  Lewis  and  Clark,  p.  23.)  When  Bourgmont  visited  Kansas,  m  1724.  he 
brought  with  him  a  party  of  Missouris  from  their  village  near  Fort  Orleans,  Missouri.  He  sent 
five  of  them  as  runners  to  the  Otoes,  whom  he  also  desired  to  accompany  him,  and  who  appear  to 
have  been  living  in  Nebraska,  as  they  are  mentioned  as  coming  with  the  Pawnees  and  lowas. 
— Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  4C2. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  251 

500  souls,  120  of  whom  were  warriors.  They  were  always  a  peaceable 
tribe,  probably  on  account  of  their  numbers,  and  maintained  friendly  rela- 
tions with  the  early  fur-traders  and  voyageurs.  The  remnant  of  the  tribe— 
which  includes  the  Missouris— numbered,  in  1904,  365  individuals.  They  are 
now  on  a  reservation  in  the  Indian  Territory,  near  Ponca  agency. 

The  lowas^s  were  never  a  numerous  tribe,  although  they  were  good 
fighters,  and  made  war  on  all  the  neighboring  tribes  except  the  ancient 
Missouris,  from  whom,  it  is  said,  they  were  an  offshoot.  In  1804  Lewis  and 
Clark  estimated  them  as  having  300  men;  allowing  five  to  a  family,  there 
would  have  been  a  population  of  1500  individuals.  They  were  then  living 
on  the  Des  Moines  river,  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Chariton,  s"  Geo.  Sib- 
ley, in  1820,  gave  their  number  as  800, '^^  and  Rev.  S.  M.  Irvin,  in  his  school 
report  for  1853,  says,  "  Sixteen  years  ago  there  were  830,  and  now  a  fraction 
over  400. "58  The  remnant  now  lives  on  two  reserves;  that  on  the  Missouri 
river,  on  the  line  between  Nebraska  and  Kansas,  having  a  population  of 
220,  while  those  in  Oklahoma  number  90."'''  They  receive  an  an^.uity  of 
$9791. 74. 6« 

Father  Gabriel  Marest,  the  missionary,  in  a  letter  to  Father  Germon, 
dated  Cascaskias,  November  9,  1712,  writes: 

"Seven  leagues  below  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river  is  found  a  large 
river  called  the  Missouri— or,  more  commonly,  Pekitanoui;  that  is  to  say, 
'muddy  water'— which  empties  into  the  Mississippi  on  the  west  side;  it  is 
extremely  rapid,  and  it  discolors  the  beautiful  water  of  the  Mississippi, 
which  flows  from  this  point  to  the  sea.  The  Missouri  comes  from  the 
northwest,  not  far  from  the  mines  which  the  Spaniards  have  in  Mexico, 
and  it  is  very  serviceable  to  the  French  who  travel  in  that  country." 

Again,  he  says:  "We  are  only  thirty  leagues  [eighty-three  miles]  from 
the  Missouri,  or  Pekitanoui.  This  is  a  large  river,  which  flows  into  the 
Mississippi,  and  it  is  said  that  it  comes  from  a  still  greater  distance  than 
does  that  river.  The  best  mines  of  the  Spaniards  are  at  the  head  of  this 
river.  "**! 

In  the  spring  of  1719  Claude  Charles  du  Tisn*'^  went  up  the  Missouri  river 
in  canoes  to  the  village  of  the  Missouris,  near  the  mouth  of  Grand  river.  It 
was  his  purpose  to  go  farther,  but  the  Indians  would  not  permit  him  to  do 

Note  55.— A  good  deal  of  latitude  has  always  been  admissible  in  Indian  nomenclature.  The 
name  of  the  Siouan  tribe  which  LeSueur  calls  Ayavois.  and  Delisle  calls  Aiaouez  and  Joways.  was 
variously  spelled  by  the  French  "Aiaouas,"  "Ayoes."  "Ayowois,"  etc.  ■  Thwaites'  Jesuit  Rela- 
tions, vol.  72.  p.  261. )  They  were  a  tribe  of  wanderers,  and  their  migrations  extended  during  dif- 
ferent periods  all  up  and  down  the  Missouri  river.  Their  village  was  somewhere  in  the  territory 
now  embraced  in  the  state  of  Missouri  at  the  time  of  their  removal,  as  mentioned  by  LeSueur  ; 
but  it  is  nowhere  shown  that  they  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  river,  except,  possibly,  on 
Delisle's  map  in  French's  second  volume.  About  1750  they  were  seated  on  the  Chariton  river,  in 
Missouri,  near  the  Iowa  line,  having  doubtless  come  back  to  Missouri  —  for  which  they  cannot  be 
blamed.  Sibley  mentions  that  they  lived  in  more  than  one  village  in  1820.  They  were  living  on 
a  creek  near  Weston,  Platte  county,  Missouri,  in  1836,  when  they  ceded  the  country  embraced  in 
the  Platte  purchase  to  the  government.  The  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  has  recently  come 
into  possession  of  a  worn  and  weather-stained  manuscript,  presented  by  a  Spanish  officer  of 
the  province  of  Louisiana  to  the  Iowa  nation,  at  New  Orleans,  March  25.  1784.  Just  what  it 
signifies  is  not  yet  ascertained.  It  had  been  preserved  by  the  family  of  Antoine  Barada,  whose 
signature  was  attached  to  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  the  Kansas  ration,  at  St. 
iouis,  in  1815. -U.  S.  Treaties,  1778-1837.  p.  184. 

Note  56.— Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  1,  pp.  20,  45. 

Note  57.— Morse's  Report.  1822,  apx.,  p.  204. 

Note  58.—  Report  of  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1853,  p.  333. 

Note  59. -Id.,  1904.  pp.  598,  608. 

Note  60.— Id.,  1904,  p.  538. 

Note  61. -Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  66,  pp.  225,  293. 


252  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

so.  He  then  returned  down  the  river  and  made  his  way  to  the  Illinois  coun- 
try, whence  he  soon  thereafter  crossed  the  Mississippi  river  and  set  out 
overland  from  the  mouth  of  the  Saline  river,  near  Ste.  Genevieve.  He 
traveled  westward,  through  what  was  then  an  unexplored  wilderness,  beings 
the  first  French  explorer  of  the  trans-Mississippi  territory. 

The  following  letter,  written  by  Du  Tism'  after  his  return  from  his  last 
expedition,  to  Bienville,  the  commandant  at  New  Orleans,  throws  much 
light  on  the  different  Indian  tribes  then  inhabiting  the  Missouri  valley.  It 
was  written  at  the  old  French  village  of  Kaskaskia,  which  was  located  near 
the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  on  the  Kaskaskia,  about  fifty  miles  below 
the  present  city  of  St.  Louis : 

"Kaskaskia,  November  22,  1719.6- 

"SlR—  .  .  .  You  know,  sir,  that  I  have  been  obliged  to  leave  the 
Missourys,  as  they  did  not  wish  me  to  go  to  the  Panioussas;  hence  I  was- 
compelled  to  return  to  the  Illinois  to  offer  to  M.  de  Boisbriant  [commander 
of  the  post]  to  make  the  journey  across  the  country,  and  he  granted  me 
permission  to  do  so.  The  journey  was  attended  with  much  trouble,  as  my 
men  fell  sick  on  the  way;  my  own  health  keeps  well.  I  send  you  with  this- 
a  Httle  account  of  my  trip. 

"I  went  to  the  Osages  and  was  well  received  by  them.  Having  ex- 
plained your  intentions  to  them,  they  answered  me  satisfactorily  in  regard 
to  themselves;  but  when  I  spoke  of  going  to  the  Panis  [Pawnees]  they  all 
opposed  it,  and  would  not  assent  to  the  reason  I  gave  them.  When  L 
learned  they  did  not  intend  to  let  me  take  my  goods  I  had  brought,  I 
proposed  to  them  to  let  me  take  three  guns  for  myself  and  my  interpreter, 
telling  them,  with  decision,  if  they  did  not  consent  to  this  I  would  be  very 
angry,  and  you  indignant;  they  then  consented.  Knowing  the  character 
of  these  savages  I  did  not  tarry  long,  but  set  out  at  once;  and  in  four  days- 
I  reached  the  Panis,  where  I  was  badly  received,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
Osages  made  them  believe  that  our  intention  was  to  entrap  them  and 
make  slaves  of  them.  On  that  account  they  twice  raised  the  tomahawk 
above  me;  but  when  they  learned  the  falsehood  of  the  Osages,  and  saw  my- 
bravery  when  they  threatened  me,  brutal  as  these  people  are,  they  con- 
sented to  make  an  alliance  and  treated  me  well.  I  traded  them  my  three 
guns,  some  powder,  pickaxes  and  some  knives  for  two  horses  and  a  mule 
marked  with  a  Spanish  brand. 

"I  proposed  to  them  to  let  me  pass  through  to  the  Padoucas.  To  this 
they  would  not  consent  at  all,  being  mortal  enemies  to  them.  Seeing  their 
opposition,  I  questioned  them  in  regard  to  the  Spanish;  they  said  they  had 
formerly  been  to  their  village,  but  now  the  Padoucas  prevented  them. 
They  traded  me  a  very  old  silver  cup,  and  told  me  it  would  take  more  thart 
a  month  to  go  to  the  Spanish.  It  seems  to  me  that  we  could  succeed  in 
making  peace  between  this  tribe  and  the  Padoucas,  and  thereby  open  a 
route  to  the  Spanish  [in  Mexico] ;  it  could  be  done  by  giving  them  back 
their  slaves  and  making  them  presents.  I  have  told  them  that  you  desired 
that  they  be  friends.  We  might  also  attempt  a  passage  by  the  Missouri, 
going  to  the  Panimahas"^  and  carrying  them  presents.  I  offered  M.  de 
Boisbriant  to  go  there  myself,  and  if  you  desire  it  I  am  ready  to  execute 
it,  so  as  to  merit  your  protection. 

"I  have  written  to  the  chief  of  the  Cadodaquious,  and  have  asked  him  to- 
give  you  advice  of  it.  A  Mento  chief  has  charge  of  the  letters.  I  had  seen 
him  among  the  Osages  and  he  had  sold  some  slaves  for  me  to  the  Natchi- 
toches. It  is  from  him  that  I  learned  of  the  arrival  of  M.  de  La  Harpe  with 
the  large  boats  at  the  Nassonites.     He  tells  me  that  in  a  month  he  will  re- 

NoTE  62.— This  letter  is  found  in  Margry,  vol.  6.  pp.  313-315.  Another  translation  will  be 
found  in  an  article  by  John  P.  Jones,  of  Coldwater,  Kan.,  a  close  student  of  French  explorations^ 
in  Kansas  and  Missouri,  on  the  "  Discoverer  of  Kansas,"  in  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  4, 
p.  277. 

Note  63.—  Prof.  John  B.  Dunbar  considers  "  Panimahas  "  to  be  simply  another  form  of  the? 
French  name  "  Pani  "  for  the  Pawnees  of  the  Platte.  (Magazine  of  Am.  Hist.,  vol.  4,  p.  249.> 
The  same  view  is  taken  by  Mr.  J.  P.  Jones. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  253 

turn  to  the  Natchitoches,  and,  by  the  direction  which  he  has  showed  me,  the 
route  to  the  Osages  is  south  a  quarter  southwest.  The  villages  of  the 
Mentos  are  seven  days'  journey  from  the  Osages  toward  the  southwest.  He 
has  promised  me  to  come  to  the  Illinois  and  bring  some  horses,  as  have  also 
the  Panis,  who  ought  to  come  next  spring. 

' '  The  Osages  not  wishing  to  give  me  a  guide  to  return  to  the  Illinois,  I  was 
obliged  to  come  by  means  of  my  compass,  with  fourteen  horses  and  my 
mule.  I  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  six  of  them  and  a  colt,  which  is  a  loss  of 
more  than  900  livres  to  me.  I  refer  you  to  M.  de  Boisbriant  for  the  many 
difficulties  I  have  passed  through.  I  hope,  sir,  since  being  one  of  the  oldest 
lieutenants  of  the  country,  you  will  do  me  the  favor  to  procure  me  a  com- 
pany. I  shall  try  to  meet  your  kindness  by  my  faithfulness  to  the  service. 
I  am,  with  profound  respect,  etc.,  Du  TiSNE. 

"To  M.  de  Bienville,  New  Orleans." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  La  Harpe's  relation  of  Du  TisnC's 
journey  among  the  Missouris,  in  1719,  translated  from  Margry's  Memoirs, 
by  Mr.  E.  A.  Kilian,  secretary  of  the  Quivira  Historical  Society:**^ 

"From  the  village  of  Kaskaskia  to  the  Missouri  is  32  leagues  [75  miles]. 
The  Missouri  is  very  turbid  and  full  of  obstacles  from  driftwood  and  exten- 
sive shallows  and  a  strong  current.  It  flows  from  the  Missouries  [the 
village]  north-northwest,  although  it  makes  many  times  a  complete  circum- 
volution of  the  compass.  It  is  well  wooded  with  walnut,  sycamore  and  oak 
trees.  Very  fine  soil  and  some  rocky  hills  are  seen.  At  intervals  on  the 
west  side  of  the  stream,  two  fine  rivers  flow  into  it.  The  first  is  the  Blue 
river  [the  Gasconade],  which  is  not  great  in  importance.  The  second  is  the 
river  of  the  Osages,  whose  village  is  80  leagues  [about  220  miles]  above,  to 
the  southwest.     A  pirogue  can  go  20  leagues  [55  miles]  above  that  village. 

"The  river  of  the  Osages  is  10  leagues  [25  miles]  above  the  mouth  of 
Blue  river,  and  40  leagues  [110  miles]  above  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri.  In 
the  vicinity  of  the  Osages  there  are  lead-mines  in  abundance,  and  it  is  also 
believed  there  are  silver-mines. 

"The  distance  is  80  leagues  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  Missouri  to  the 
village  of  that  name.  The  prairie  begins  10  leagues  [27  miles]  beyond  their 
village.  This  would  be  a  good  place  to  make  an  establishment;  the  Mis- 
sourys  are  jealous  because  the  French  go  to  other  nations.  They  are  people 
who  stay  only  at  their  village  in  the  springtime.  One  league  southwest  of 
them  is  a  village  of  the  Osages,  which  is  30  leagues  [82  miles]  from  their 
great  village.  [  The  writer  is  now  referring  to  the  village  of  the  Little 
Osages,  on  the  Missouri  river,  near  the  mouth  of  Grand  river.]  By  the 
Missoury,  one  can  go  to  the  Panimahas,  to  other  nations  called  Ahuach'S, 
and  from  them  to  the  Padoucas. 

".  .  .  The  village  of  the  Osages  is  situated  on  an  elevation  a  league 
and  a  half  [about  four  miles]  from  their  river  to  the  northwest.  This  vil- 
lage is  composed  of  100  lodges  and  200  warriors.  They  stay  in  their  village 
like  the  Missourys,  and  pass  the  winter  in  chasing  the  buffalo,  which  are 
very  abundant  in  these  parts.  Horses,  which  they  steal  from  the  Panis, 
can  be  bought  of  them;  also  deer  skins  and  buffalo- robes.  They  are  a  well- 
built  people,  and  deceitful ;  they  have  many  chiefs  of  bands  but  few  have 
absolute  authority  ;  in  general,  they  are  treacherous  and  break  their  word 
easily.  There  is  a  lead-mine  12  leagues  from  here,  but  they  do  not  know 
what  use  to  make  thereof. 

"From  the  Osages  to  the  Panis  is  40  leagues  [110  miles]  to  the  south- 
west, and  the  whole  route  is  over  prairies  and  hills  abounding  in  cattle.  The 
land  is  fine  and  well  wooded.  There  are  four  rivers  from  the  Osages  to  the 
Panis,  which  have  to  be  crossed.  The  most  considerable  is  the  Atcansas, 
which  has  its  source  toward  the  northwest  a  quarter  north.  Du  Tism' 
crossed  it.     .     .     .     This  river  of  the  Atcansas  is  12  leagues  [33  miles]  east 

Note  64.  —  The  writer  recognizes  Mr.  Kilian  as  one  of  the  most  scholarly,  painstaking  and 
reliable  historians  of  the  Missouri  valley,  and  is  indebted  to  him  for  assistance  in  the  preparation 
of  this  paper,  and  especially  for  notes  obtained  from  Margry's  Decouvertes  et  Etablissments  des 
Francais  dans  I'Amerique  Septentrionale,  a  collection  of  documents  and  journals  pertaining  to 
the  French  occupancy  of  North  America. 


254  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

of  the  Pani's  village.  It  is  situated  on  the  bank  of  a  creek,  on  a  hill,  sur- 
rounded by  elevated  prairies.  .  .  .  One  league  to  the  northwest,  on  the 
same  stream,  is  another  village,  as  large  as  the  first  one.  There  are  in 
these  two  villages  300  horses,  which  they  value  so  much  that  they  do  not 
like  to  part  with  them.  This  nation  is  very  brutal,  but  it  would  be  easy  to 
subdue  them  by  making  them  presents  of  guns,  of  which  they  have  much 
need;  they  have  only  six  among  them  all.  There  are  many  other  Pani's 
villages  to  the  west  and  northwest,  but  they  are  not  known  to  us. 

"According  to  their  reports,  it  is  fifteen  days'  journey  to  the  Padoucas, 
but  they  encounter  them  frequently  in  six  days'  journey.  They  have  a  cruel 
war  now  between  them,  so  that  they  nearly  eat  one  another  up.  When  they 
go  to  war  they  harness  their  horses  in  a  cuirass  of  tanned  leather.  They 
are  clever  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  also  use  a  lance,  which  is  like  the 
end  of  a  sword  inserted  in  a  handle  of  wood.  Two  days'  journey  to  the  west 
a  quarter  southwest  is  a  salt-mine,  which  is  very  beautiful  and  pure.  Every 
time  they  give  food  to  a  stranger  the  chief  cuts  the  meat  into  pieces  and 
puts  them  into  the  mouth  of  those  they  regale.  Le  Sieur  Du  Tisnc-  planted 
a  white  flag,  the  27th  of  September,  1719,  in  the  middle  of  their  village, 
which  they  received  with  pleasure."'*'^ 

The  location  of  the  village  of  the  Great  Osages  on  the  Osage  river,  when 
visited  by  Du  Tisn^',  is  not  easily  determined.  When  Pike  came  up  the 
Osage,  in  1806,  they  were  seated  on  the  Little  Osage  river  in  the  northern 
part  of  Vernon  county,  Missouri,  a  beautiful  prairie  country,  which  extends 
far  westward.  Du  Tisn<?'s  description  would  fix  the  location  near  Osceola,  in 
St.  Clair  county,  which  was  probably  the  true  location  of  the  village  in  1719. 
The  Osages  like  all  other  tribes,  were  migratory,  and  may  have  moved  their 
village  higher  up  the  river,  or  there  may  have  been  more  than  one  village. 

It  is  stated  by  Du  Tisnc  that  he  traveled  four  days  in  a  southwesterly 
direction  in  going  from  the  Osage  village  to  the  Pawnees.  He  estimates 
the  distance  at  110  miles.  He  also  says  the  Pawnee  villages  were  twelve 
leagues,  or  thirty-three  miles,  west  of  the  river  he  calls  the  Atcansas.  He 
undoubtedly  meant  the  Neosho,  a  branch  of  the  Arkansas.  The  locations 
of  these  villages  are  unknown,  but  from  the  distance  traveled,  the  course, 
and  the  distance  from  the  Neosho  river,  they  were  probably  situated  on 
one  of  the  Cabin  creeks,  in  what  is  now  Cherokee  county,  Indian  Territory, 
near  Vinita. 

After  Du  TisnC-  had  visited  the  Great  Osages  and  the  Pawnees,  he  re- 
turned to  the  Illinois  country,  where  he  arrived  about  the  1st  of  November, 
1719. 

Extracts  from  a  letter  written  at  "  Kaskasquias, "  October  20,  1721,  by 
Father  Pierre  Francois  Xavier  de  Charlevoix,  who  was  the  most  intelligent 
and  reliable  of  all  the  early  French  explorers  and  historians.     He  says: 

".  .  .  After  we  had  gone  five  leagues  on  the  Mississippi  we  arrived 
at  the  month  of  the  Missouri,  which  is  north-northwest  and  south-southeast. 
I  believe  this  is  the  finest  confluence  in  the  world.  The  two  rivers  are  much 
of  the  same  breadth,  each  about  half  a  league;  but  the  Missouri  is  by  far 
the  most  rapid,  and  seems  to  enter  the  Mississippi  like  a  conqueror,  through 
which  it  carries  its  white  waters  to  the  opposite  shore  without  mixing  them; 
afterwards  it  gives  its  color  to  the  Mississippi,  which  it  never  loses  again, 
but  carries  it  quite  down  to  the  sea. 

"The  Osages,  a  pretty  numerous  nation,  settled  on  the  side  of  a  river 
that  bears  their  name  and  which  runs  into  the  Missouri,  about  40  leagues 
[110  miles]  from  its  junction  with  the  Mississippi,  send  once  or  twice  a  year 
to  sing  the  calumet  amongst  the  Kaskasquias,  and  are  actually  there  at 
present.     I  have  also  just  now  seen  a  Missourite  woman,  who  told  me  that 

Note  65.—  Margry,  vol.  6,  pp.  309-312. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  255 

her  nation  is  the  first  we  meet  with  going  up  the  Missouri,  from  which  she 
has  the  name  we  have  given  her,  for  want  of  knowing  her  true  name.  It 
is  situated  80  leagues  [220  miles]  from  the  confluence  of  that  river  with  the 
Mississippi.  .  .  .  This  woman  has  confirmed  to  me  what  I  had  heard 
from  the  Sioux,  that  the  Missouri  rises  out  of  some  naked  mountains,  very 
high,  behind  which  there  is  a  great  I'iver,  which  probably  rises  from  them 
also,  and  which  runs  to  the  west.  This  testimony  carries  some  weight,  be- 
cause of  all  the  savages  which  we  know  none  travel  farther  than  the  Mis- 
sourites. "  ^s 

During  the  entire  period  of  the  French  occupancy  of  the  Missouri  valley, 
1673-1763,  there  was  a  continuous  conflict  between  Spain  and  France  for 
supremacy  in  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi.  In  1719  a  Spanish  cara- 
van was  sent  from  Santa  Fe  to  the  Missouri  river  to  drive  back  the  French, 
who  even  then  were  becoming  numerous  among  the  different  tribes  along 
that  stream.  The  fate  of  that  expedition  will  ever  be  enshrouded  in  mys- 
tery, for  with  it  was  connected  one  of  the  darkest  tragedies  known  in  the 
annals  of  the  West.  By  a  shrewd  piece  of  strategy  the  invaders  were 
thrown  off  their  guard  by  the  Indians  and  massacred,  but  by  what  tribe  the 
deed  was  done,  or  where,  was  never  known.  6" 

The  arrival  of  this  expedition  from  so  great  a  distance  naturally  alarmed 
the  French.  Etienne  Venyard  sieur  de  Bourgmont  had  already  taken  steps 
through  his  friends,  in  June,  1718,*  to  secure  a  commission  for  the  explora- 
tion of  the  upper  Missouri.  This  was  granted  him  August  12,  1720,  by  the 
Company  of  the  Indies,  with  instructions  to  build  a  fort,  and  to  make  peace 
with  the  surrounding  nations  for  the  purpose  of  trade.  The  fort,  called  Or- 
leans, was  completed,  and  friendship  with  the  tribes  upon  the  Missouri  as 
far  north  as  the  Pawnee,  in  Nebraska,  established  as  early  as  the  spring  of 
1724.  Bourgmont  next  turned  his  attention  to  the  Paducas,  a  numerous 
nation  living  upon  the  Western  plains,  and  who  had  been  concerned  in  the 
recent  unfortunate  Spanish  expedition.  He  had  been  instructed  to  make 
peace  with  them,  and  through  them  arrange  for  commerce  with  the  Spanish 
of  New  Mexico.  He  appointed  a  rendezvous  for  the  Indians  who  were  to 
accompany  him,  at  the  village  of  the  Kansas,  located  on  the  Missouri  river 
where  the  town  of  Doniphan,  Kan.,  is  now  situated. "^     He  then  divided  his 

Note  66.- Charlevoix's  Letters,  London,  1763,  pp.  291.  294. 

Note  67.  — The  following  is  Maj.  Amos  Stoddard's  version  of  this  affair  :  The  Spanish  "  vi'ell 
knew  the  importance  of  the  Missouri,  and  were  anxious  to  secure  a  strong  position  on  its  banks. 
They  readily  perceived  that  such  a  measure,  if  prosecuted  with  success,  would  effectually  hold 
in  check  the  Illinois  French,  confine  their  territorial  claims  to  the  borders  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
turn  the  current  of  the  Indian  trade.  Their  first  object  was  to  attack  and  destroy  the  nation  of 
Missouris,  situated  on  the  Missouri,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  Kansas  river,  within  whose 
jurisdiction  they  meditated  a  settlement.  These  Indians  were  the  firm  friends  of  the  French, 
and  this  rendered  their  destruction  the  more  necessary.  At  this  time  they  were  at  war  with  the 
Pawnees,  and  the  Spaniards  designed  to  engage  these  as  auxiliaries  in  their  enterprise.  A  con- 
siderable colony,  therefore,  started  from  Santa  Fe  in  1720,  and  marched  in  pursuit  of  the  Pawnee 
villages  ;  but  tliey  lost  their  way,  and  unluckily  arrived  among  the  Missouris,  whose  ruin  they 
meditated.  Ignorant  of  their  mistake  I  the  Missouris  speaking  the  Pawnee  language),  they 
communicated  their  sentiments  without  reserve,  and  requested  their  cooperation.  The  Indians 
manifested  no  surprise  at  this  unexpected  visit,  and  only  requested  time  to  assemble  their  war- 
riors. At  the  end  of  forty-eight  hours  about  2000  of  them  appeared  in  arms.  They  attacked  the 
Spaniards  in  the  night,  while  reposing  themselves  in  fatal  security,  and  killed  all  of  them,  except 
the  priest,  who  escaped  the  slaughter  by  means  of  his  horse.  Various  writers  assert  that  these 
colonists  aimed  to  find  the  Osage  villages  ;  but  the  records  of  Santa  Fe  authorize  the  statement 
we  have  given."—  Sketches  of  Louisiana.  Phila.,  1812,  p.  46.  See.  also,  Charlevoix's  Letters.  Lon- 
don, 1763,  p.  204,  written  in  July,  1721  ;  he  places  the  date  of  this  expedition  as  "about  two  years 
ago."  Also,  John  P.  Jones's  Spanish  Expedition  to  Missouri  in  1719,  Kansas  City  Rev.  of  Sci. 
and  Ind.,  vol.  4,  p.  724.) 

Note  68.-  Mr.  Geo.  J.  Remsburg,  an  acknowledged  authority  on  the  archeology  of  the  Mis- 
souri valley,  has  located  this  old  village  at  Doniphan.  Kan. 

*  Margry,  vol,  6,  pp.  385.  388. 


256  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

own  force,  part  going  up  the  Missouri  in  canoes  and  the  remainder  across 
the  country.  Bourgmont,  with  the  latter  party,  arrived  at  the  Kansas 
village  first,  and  had  a  long  negotiation  with  the  Kansas  Indians  for  horses 
with  which  to  continue  the  journey. 

The  departure  was  delayed  several  days  because  of  illness  in  the  detach- 
ment coming  by  boat.  Finally,  on  July  24,  the  motley  crew,  consisting  of 
French,  half-breed  coureurs  des  bois,  and  Indians,  among  the  latter  being 
68  Osages  and  109  Missouris,  who  had  followed  Bourgmont  from  their  village 
near  the  mouth  of  Grand  river,  set  out  on  their  journey  to  the  Paducas. 
They  proceeded  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  the  account  giving  minute  de- 
tails of  the  journey.  Unfortunately  Bourgmont  fell  ill  of  a  malady  caused 
by  the  excessive  summer  heat,  and  was  unable  to  continue  the  journey. 
August  1  the  whole  party  were  obliged  to  return  to  Fort  Orleans,  having  dis- 
patched a  messenger  to  the  Paducas  to  explain  the  cause  of  delay.  Bourg- 
mont was  unable  to  resume  the  journey  to  the  Padoucas  until  fall.  He  then 
found,  at  the  Kansas  village,  his  messenger,  Gaillard,  with  six  Paducas, 
whom  he  had  induced  with  great  difficulty  to  return  with  him.  Bourgmont 
assembled  representatives  of  all  the  nations  present  in  a  circle  before  his 
tent,  and  gave  them  a  friendly  talk,  explaining  the  wish  of  the  French  that 
they  should  be  on  good  terms  with  one  another  and  with  the  Frenchmen  who 
would  come  among  them  for  purposes  of  trade.  There  were  present  Pa- 
ducas, Missouris,  Otoes,  lowas.  Pawnees,  Osages,  and  Kansas.  Two  mem- 
bers of  each  tribe  were  requested  by  Bourgmont  to  go  with  him  to  the 
Paducas.  These,  with  the  Frenchmen  of  his  suite,  and  his  ten-year-old  son, 
made  a  party  of  forty.  They  again  set  out  from  the  Kansas  village  in  the 
direction  before  taken,  and  crossed  the  "  Canzas  "  on  the  11th  of  October. 
The  relation  says:  "This  Kansas  river  comes  straight  from  the  west  to  the 
east,  and  discharges  into  the  Missouri;  it  is  very  deep  in  high  water,  accord- 
ing to  the  report  of  the  Paducas.  It  comes  from  a  great  distance."  Octo- 
ber 18.  —  "  We  found  a  small  river  where  the  water  was  briny.  We  found 
on  the  border  of  this  stream  an  encampment  of  the  Paducas.  They  had 
been  in  camp  about  four  days,  and  numbered  4300."  Other  villages  were 
mentioned,  and  as  being  but  twelve  days'  journey  from  the  Spanish.  The 
Paducas  greeted  all  their  visitors  with  great  cordiality,  and  Bourgmont  was 
promised  all  he  required,  by  all  parties.  October  22  Bourgmont  and  his  com- 
mand began  their  return  journey  to  the  Kansas  village,  which  they  reached 
on  the  30th  of  October,  having  come  seventy  leagues. 

The  following  extracts  taken  from  Bourgmont's  journal  will  prove  in- 
teresting: 

"Departure  from  Ft.  Orleans.  —  Sunday,  June  25,  1724.  This  morning 
the  detachment  has  set  out  by  water  to  the  Canz<''S  and  from  there  to  the 
Padoucas,  commanded  by  M.  de  Saint-Ange,  ensign  of  Ft.  Orleans,  with 
Dubois,  sergeant;  Rotisseur  and  Gentil,  corporals;  and  eleven  soldiers, 
namely.  La  Jeunesse,  Bonneau,  Saint-Lazare,  Ferret,  Derbet,  Avignon, 
Sans-Chagrin,  Poupard,  Gaspard,  Chalons,  and  Brasseur;  five  Canadians, 
Mercier,  Quesnel,  Rivet,  Rolet,  and  Lespine,  and  two  engaged  from  the 
Sieur  Renaudiere,  Toulose  and  Antoine. 

"Saturday,  [July]  8.  ...  At  five  P.  M.  a  Frenchman  arrived  with 
an  Indian,  who  had  come  by  land,  sent  by  M.  de  Saint-Ange,  who  com- 
manded the  convoy  by  water,  reporting  that  there  were  many  Frenchmen 
attacked  by  fever,  and  that  they  could  not  proceed.  M.  de  Saint-Ange  re- 
quested that  M.  de  Bourgmont  send  him  five  Frenchmen  with  provisions. 
M.  de  Bourgmont  sent  him  what  he  demanded,  and  requested  him  to  make 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  257 

haste,  so  as  to  proceed  on  the  voyage  to  the  Padoucas  with  dispatch;  that 
besides  he  had  160  Indians  to  feed,  and  that  he  was  made  to  treat  for  the 
provisions  everyday  by  this  nation  [Canzi's]  for  their  subsistence. 

"Sunday,  [July]  9.  At  eight  in  the  morning  M.  de  Bourgmont  started 
the  five  Frenchmen  in  a  boat  with  the  provisions,  and  nine  Indians,  a  part 
to  row  the  boats  and  the  others  to  hunt,  and  sent  at  the  same  time  five  Mis- 
souris  to  the  Othos  to  tell  them  of  his  arrival  at  the  Canzi's.     .     .     . 

"Sunday,  [July]  16.  .  .  .  M.  de  Saint- Ange  arrived  with  the  boats 
at  two  in  the  afternoon,  with  a  part  of  the  men  sick  with  fever,  which  had 
rather  hindered  his  arrival.  The  Canz<^s  came  to  look  for  our  new  arrivals 
and  take  them  to  their  cabins  and  make  a  feast  for  them."*''' 

The  history  of  the  Missouri " '^  nation  is  most  pathetic,  and  illustrates  forci- 
bly the  sad  fate  that  befell  many  tribes  of  our  aborigines.  There  is  little 
doubt  but  that  they  were  seated  near  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  river  when 
they  were  first  known  to  the  French,  when  Marquette  descended  the  Mis- 
sissippi, in  1673,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  and  that  they  were  then  a  nu- 
merous tribe.  Henri  de  Tonty,  who  accompanied  La  Salle  nine  years  later, 
remarks  of  the  Missouri  river,  as  we  have  seen,  that  "it  is  called  Emis- 
sourita,  and  abounds  in  people."'' 

During  the  last  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  Iroquois  were 
active  in  their  assaults  upon  the  Illinois  Indians,  pursuing  them  beyond  the 
Mississippi.  It  is  thought  that  they  forced  the  Missouris  further  west.'^- 
Delisle's  map  of  1703  locates  their  villages  on  the  Missouri  a  short  distance 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Osage,  and  there  were  evidences  when  that  section 
was  first  settled,  in  1818,  of  an  Indian  village  and  burial-ground  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  directly  opposite  Jefferson  City,  and  another  at  the  mouth 
of  Moniteau  creek,  near  the  boundary  separating  Cole  and  Moniteau  counties. 
At  the  mouth  of  this  creek  stood  a  tall  pinnacle  or  bluff  called  Painted 
Rock,  a  noted  landmark  to  pilots  in  the  days  of  steamboating.  It  was 
blasted  away  a  few  years  ago  by  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  when  they 
built  the  cut-off  down  the  river  to  Jefferson  City.  On  this  rock,  on  the  face 
fronting  the  river,  was  found  painted,  when  first  seen,  a  picture  of  a  strange 
animal  which  resembled  the  painting  found  by  Marquette  just  above  Alton, 
on  the  Mississippi.  Near  this  painted  rock  were  found  what  appeared  to  be 
the  remains  of  an  old  Indian  village  and  burying-ground.  The  name,  origi- 
nally Maniteau,  corrupted  to  Moniteau,  and  now  given  to  the  creek  and 
county,  doubtless  originated  from  the  picture  on  the  rock.  The  writer 
visited  these  localities  years  ago,  when  a  boy,  and  saw,  in  exhumed  skulls 
and  bones,  and  in  broken  pieces  of  pottery,  arrow-heads,  and  other  relics, 
the  evidences  of  which  he  speaks. 

When  Lewis  and  Clark  came  up  the  river,  in  1804,  their  half-breed  guides 
pointed  out  to  them  the  location  of  another  old  village  of  the  Missouris  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river,  on  Bowling  Green  prairie,  about  five  miles  below 

Note  69.— Margry,  vol.  6,  pp.  383-452. 

Note  70.— Mr.  John  P.  Jones,  in  his  excellent  article.  "  Early  Notices  of  the  Missouri  River 
and  Indians,"  in  the  Kansas  City  Review  of  Science  and  Industry,  vol.  5,  p.  Ill,  says  that  "the 
word  '  Missouri '  means  canoe  in  the  Algonquin  language,  and  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  it  is 
the  name  applied  by  Indians  of  that  stock  to  our  Indians,  who  used  canoes  made  out  of  logs,  while 
their  own  was  made  of  birch  bark." 

Note  71.— Margry,  vol.  1,  p.  595. 

Note  72.— La  Salle,  in  writing  to  La  Barre,  in  April,  1683,  says  that  the  Iroquois  have  lately 
murdered  some  Miami  families  settled  near  Fort  St.  Louis,  in  the  present  La  Salle  county.  Illinois, 
and  he  is  afraid  they  will  take  flight,  and  so  prevent  the  Missouris  from  settling  at  the'  fort,  as 
they  were  about  to  do.— Parkman's  La  Salle,  1879,  p.  300. 

-17 


258  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  mouth  of  Grand  river.  They  said  that  the  Sacs,  about  the  year  1700, 
had  attacked  the  Missouris  in  this  village,  killing  200,  and  that  they  then  fled 
across  the  river,  and  located  a  village  three  miles  above  that  of  the  Little 
Osages,  near  the  present  town  of  Malta  Bend,  in  Saline  county,  Missouri. 
Lewis  and  Clark  state  that  the  western  village  belonged  to  the  Missouris, " 
and  founded  their  belief,  possibly,  upon  the  statements  of  some  of  the  earlier 
writers  and  the  maps  of  D'Anville  and  Du  Lac,  to  which  I  have  not  had  ac- 
cess. But  the  fact  that  Du  TisnS  found  an  Osage  village  one  league  west  of 
the  Missouris  and  in  this  locality  (see  page  253) ,  and  that  the  western  village 
site  is  the  larger  of  the  two,  lead  me  to  the  conclusion  that  it  belonged  to 
the  Little  Osages.  For  this  reason,  I  have  decided  that  the  Little  Osage 
village  was  the  one  north  of  Malta  Bend  one  mile  and  a  quarter,  and  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  west,  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  Mrs.  A.  G.  Dicus,  and 
that  the  other— that  of  the  Missouris— was  situated  three  and  a  half  miles 
north  of  the  town  and  the  same  distance  east,  on  a  tract  of  land  now  owned 
by  Benjamin  McRoberts.  There  can  be  no  question  that  they  were  here,  on 
the  Petit-sas-Plains,  about  eighteen  miles  above  Grand  river,  when  visited 
by  Du  Tisn*'',  in  1719,  and  at  the  establishment  of  Fort  Orleans  by  Bourg- 
mont,  in  1723.' ' 

There  has  always  been  a  controversy  among  historians  as  to  the  exact 
location  of  old  Fort  Orleans,  a  matter  of  some  interest,  as  it  appears  to  have 
been  the  first  '*  fort  established  west  of  the  Mississippi.  The  Margry  papers 
on  this  subject  should  settle  that  question.  One  of  the  documents,  which 
appears  to  be  a  letter  of  instructions,  dated  at  New  Orleans,  August  23, 
1723,  contains  the  following:  "In  ascending,  there  is  another  river  that 
they  call  the  Grande  river,  which  comes  from  the  north,  from  which  the  In- 
dians bring  quantities  of  copper  specimens  that  they  find  near  the  river. 
From  there  you  will  go  to  the  village  of  the  Missouris,  which  is  only  six 
leagues  distant  from  the  south  side.  There  are  100  lodges.  It  is  at  this 
place  that  M.  de  Bourgmont  should  establish  himself."  '^  Du  Pratz  gives 
another  particular  as  to  its  location :  ' '  There  was  a  French  post  for  some 
time  in  an  island  a  few  leagues  in  length,  over  against  the  Missouris;  the 
French  settled  in  this  fort  at  the  east  point,  and  called  it  Fort  Orleans.""** 
This  little  frontier  post  had  but  a  brief  existence.  Its  fate  is  told  in  the 
following  words  by  Bossu :  ' '  Baron  Porneuf ,  who  has  been  governor  of  Fort 
Orleans,  established  in  that  nation  [Missouri],  and  who  knows  their  genius 
perfectly  well,  has  informed  me  that  they  were  formerly  very  warlike  and 
good,  but  that  the  French  hunters  had  corrupted  them  by  their  bad  conduct, 
and  by  some  disunions  among  them;  they  had  made  themselves  contemptible 

Note  73.— Coues's  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  1,  p.  22  ;  Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  1.  pp.  47-49. 
"The  sites  of  both  these  Indian  tribes  (Little  Osages  and  Missouris)  are  plainly  marked  on 
D'Anville's  map  of  1752,  and  also  on  Perrin  du  Lac's,  1805.  The  location  is  very  near  the  present 
Malta  Bend,  in  Saline  county,  and  a  little  above  this  place  is  the  large  island  of  Du  Pratz,  where 
was  old  Fort  Orleans." — Coues's  Lewis  and  Clark,  p.  26. 

Note  74. —  The  first  fort  established  by  the  French  west  of  the  Mississippi,  unless  it  be  Fort 
St.  Louis,  by  La  Salle,  in  1685,  on  Mission  lake,  near  Espiritu  Santo  bay,  Texas.  Joutel,  who  was 
left  in  charge  of  it,  gives  many  particulars  regarding  it  in  Margry,  vol.  2,  p.  209  ;  vol.  3,  pp. 
179-209,  235.  Le  Clercq,  in  his  Establishment  of  the  Faith.  Shea,  vol.  2.  p.  220,  also  refers  to 
the  above,  with  an  extract  from  a  Spanish  account  of  Fort  St.  Louis.  See,  also,  Parkman's 
La  Salle,  1879. 

Note  75.— Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  393. 

Note  76. —  History  of  Louisiana,  London,  1763,  vol.  1.  p.  296.  "We  have  also  'Fort  D'Orleans 
abandonne'  marked  on  D'Anville's  map,  published  1752,  across  the  Missouri  from  his  Petits 
Osages  et  Missouris.  This  locality  is  certainly  at  the  large  island  which  the  expedition  will  pass 
June  16,  above  Malta  Bend." — Coues's  Lewis  and  Clark,  p.  24. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  259 

by  frauds  in  trade;  they  seduced  and  carried  off  the  Indian  women,  which, 
among  these  people,  is  a  very  great  crime.  All  the  irregularities  of  these 
bad  Frenchmen  irritated  the  Missouris  against  them;  and,  therefore,  during 
M.  de  Bienville's  government,  they  massacred  the  Sieur  Dubois  and  the  little 
garrison  under  his  command;  and,  as  no  soldier  escaped,  we  have  never  been 
able  to  know  who  was  right  and  who  was  wrong."  '" 

The  Missouris,  having  rid  themselves  of  the  fort  and  its  accompanying 
traders,  remained  in  possession  of  their  home  until  about  1774, "»  when  they 
were  again  attacked  by  the  Sacs  and  other  Indians,  and  reduced  to  a  few 
families.  These  scattered,  according  to  McGee,  five  or  six  joining  the 
Osages,  two  or  three  going  with  the  Kansas,  and  the  remainder  amalgamat- 
ing with  the  Otoes  on  the  Platte  below  the  Pawnees.""  There  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  final  battle  fought  at  this  village  resulted  in  a 
massacre  and  a  rout,  and  probably  in  the  burning  of  the  wigwams.  The 
number  of  human  skeletons  found  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  which 
have  been  turned  up  by  plowshares,  indicates  that  the  bodies  did  not  re- 
ceive the  sacred  sepulcher  which  even  savages  accorded  their  dead.  That 
the  lodges  were  burned  seems  evident  from  the  condition  of  the  many  relics 
found,  such  as  gun-barrels,  kettles,  etc.,  all  of  which  bear,  in  their  bent  and 
broken  condition,  evidence  of  having  been  subjected  to  fire. 

In  1805  General  Clark  mentions  thirty  Missouris  at  the  Otoe  village  in 
Nebraska.  **"  McGee  says  the  only  known  survivors,  numbering  eighty, 
were  living  with  the  Otoes  in  1829. «i  The  remnant  of  these  two  tribes  now 
reside  in  Oklahoma,  and  in  1904  numbered  365.8- 

As  has  been  said,  the  Kansas  nation  was  living  in  1724  on  the  Missouri 
river  in  a  large  village  just  above  the  mouth  of  Independence  creek,  Doni- 
phan county,  Kansas.  What  appears  to  have  been  an  older  village  site  was 
found  by  Lewis  and  Clark  on  the  Missouri  just  above  Kickapoo  island,  ia 
Leavenworth  county,  in  1804.8 '  The  tribe  at  that  time  was  occupying  a  well- 
established  village  just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Kansas  river,  where,  in  1819,  they  were  visited  by  Prof.  Thomas  Say,  of 
Long's  expedition.  8^  They  removed  from  this  village  in  1830  to  the  western 
part  of  Shawnee  county,  where  they  establish  themselves  in  three  villages, 
one  north  and  two  south  of  the  Kansas  river.  85  About  1846  they  went  to 
the  new  reservation  near  Council  Grove, «"  and  in  18738'  to  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory. During  the  war  of  1812  the  Kansas  sided  with  the  British,  but  re- 
newed peace  with  the  United  States  at  St.  Louis,  October  28,  1815.88    June 

Note  77.- -Travels  through  Louisiana,  London,  1771,  vol.  1,  p.  145;  Dumont's  Memoires  His- 
toriques  aur  la  Louisiane,  Paris,  1753,  vol.  2,  pp.  74-78. 

Note  78. -Allen's  Lewis  and  Clark,  Philadelphia,  1814,  vol.  1,  p.  15. 

Note  79. —  Report  of  United  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  vol.  15,  p.  195. 

Note  80.— Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  7,  p.  314. 

Note  81.— Report  of  United  States  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  vol.  15,  p.  195. 

Note  82.—  Report  of  United  Stetes  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1904,  p.  606. 

Note  83.-Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  1,  pp.  64,  66-68. 

Note  84.  — Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vols.  1,  2,  pp.  280-301;  Long's  Expedition,  Phila- 
delphia, 1823,  vol.  1,  ch.  6,  7;  Thwaites'  Early  Western  Travels,  vol.  14,  ch.  6,  7. 

Note  85.  — Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  425. 

Note  86. — Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1846,  p.  285. 

Note  87. — Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  211. 

Note  88.  — Indian  Affairs.  Laws,  and  Treaties,  Washington,  vol.  2,  p.  123. 


260  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

3,  1825,  they  ceded  to  the  government  their  claim  to  all  lands  in  Missouri, 
and  practically  all  of  Kansas  north  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  waters 
of  the  Arkansas  and  Kansas,  to  a  point  thirty  miles  below  the  Kansas  river 
on  the  western  boundary  of  Missouri.  From  this  cession  they  retained  for 
themselves  a  strip  of  country  thirty  miles  wide,  running  west  from  within 
sixty  miles  of  the  western  boundary  of  Missouri,  s'-'  Though  the  natural 
right  of  the  Kaws  to  land  in  Kansas  quite  equaled  if  not  exceeded  that  of 
the  Osage,  they  are  now,  through  the  unequal  treatment  of  the  government, 
a  practically  destitute  people  when  compared  with  the  former  tribe.  "'^ 

In  1724  that  part  of  the  population  which  accompanied  Bourgmont  to 
the  plains  for  a  summer  hunt  were  14  war-chiefs,  300  warriors,  300  women, 
500  children,  and  300  dogs  (beasts  of  burden). ''i  Lewis  and  Clark,  1804, 
give  their  numbers  as  300  warriors,"-  the  government  census,  in  1845,  as 
1607  individuals,  while  the  agent  says:  "The  Kanzas  are  a  stout,  active 
lively  people;  I  believe  they  have  moi'e  children  among  them  in  proportion 
to  their  numbers  than  any  other  tribe  known  to  me.""'  In  1904  their 
population  was  212.''^ 

In  regard  to  the  characteristics  of  this  tribe.  Pike  says:  "In  war  they 
are  yet  more  brave  than  their  Osage  brethren;  being,  although  not  more 
than  one-third  of  their  number,  their  most-dreaded  enemies,  and  frequently 
making  the  Pawnees  tremble";  and  that  the  Kansas  and  Osages  escaped 
the  Sioux,  "but  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  lowas,  Sacs,  Kickapous,  Poto- 
watomies,  Delawares,  Shawanese,  Cherokees, "  and  five  other  southern 
nations,  "and  what  astonished  me  extremely  is  that  they  have  not  been  en- 
tirely destroyed  by  those  nations. ' '  ''^  Lewis  and  Clark  represent  the  Kansas 
as  "a  dissolute  and  lawless  banditti,  frequently  plunder  their  traders,  and  com- 
mit depredations  on  persons  ascending  and  descending  the  Missouri  river; 
population  rather  increasing."'"'  Richard  W.  Cummins,  agent  in  1845, 
reports:  "The  Kanzas  are  very  poor  and  ignorant.  I  consider  them  the 
most  hospitable  Indians  that  I  have  any  knowledge  of.  They  never  turn 
off  hungry  white  or  red,  if  they  have  anything  to  give  them,  and  they  will 
continue  to  give  as  long  as  they  have  anything  to  give." »' 

The  opportunities  of  the  Kansas  Indians  for  improvement  have  been 
less  than  those  of  any  other  tribe  that  has  lived  in  Kansas.  Prior  to  1873 
the  only  white  people  to  set  them  a  good  example  in  living  were  the  mem- 
bers of  the  missionary  family  for  a  scanty  twenty-five  years,  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  their  closest  white  associates  for  150  years  had  been  the  French 
trapper  and  trader,  the  United  States  soldier,  the  illicit  vender  of  fire- 
water, and  the  teamsters  and  guards  of  the  Santa  Fe  and  other  trails 
which  lay  through  their  territory. "« 

Note  89. -Indian  Aflfairs,  Laws,  and  Treaties,  Washington,  vol.  2,  p.  222. 
Note  90.— The  income  of  the  Kansas  tribe  from  all  sources  for  1904  was  $2500  ;  of  the  Osages, 
$595,883.91;  population  of  latter  tribe,  1895.-Rept.  U.  S.  Com.  Ind.  Aff.,  1904,  pp.  538,  606. 

Note  91.— Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  414. 

Note  92.— Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  1,  p.  61. 

Note  93.— Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1845,  p.  542. 

Note  94.— Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs.  1904,  p.  606. 

Note  95.— Coues's  Pike,  vol.  2,  pp.  526,  536. 

Note  96.— Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  6,  p.  85 ;  see,  also,  vol.  5,  p.  384. 

Note  97. — Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1845,  p.  542. 

Note  98.— See  Professor  Hay's  article  on  the  name  "  Kansas." 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River. 


261 


262  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Daniel  Coxe  was  an  Englishman,  and  the  owner  of  a  grant  of  land  ex- 
tending from  the  coast  of  South  Carolina  to  the  Mississippi  river,  or  ' '  from 
sea  to  sea,"  issued  by  Charles  I  of  England.  He  owned  the  first  ship  to 
enter  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  1699,  and  made  a  futile  effort  to  estab- 
lish a  colony  on  that  river.  In  describing  the  Missouri  river  and  the  country 
through  which  it  runs,  he  says: 

"The  Great  Yellow  river,  so  named  because  it  is  yellowish,  and  so  muddy 
that  though  the  Meschacebe**''  is  very  clear  where  they  meet,  and  so  many 
great  rivers  of  crystalline  water  below  mix  with  the  Meschacebe,  yet  it  dis- 
colors them  all  even  unto  the  sea.  When  you  are  up  this  river  sixty  or 
seventy  miles  you  meet  with  two  branches.  The  lesser,  though  large,  pro- 
ceeds from  the  South.  .  .  .  This  is  called  the  river  of  the  Ozages,  from 
a  numerous  people  who  have  sixteen  or  eighteen  towns  seated  thereupon, 
especially  near  its  mixing  with  the  Yellow  river.  The  other,  which  is  the  ■ 
main  branch,  comes  from  the  northwest.  .  .  .  The  Yellow  is  called  the 
river  of  the  Massorites,  from  a  great  nation  inhabiting  in  many  towns  near 
its  junction  with  the  river  of  the  Ozages. 

"  It  will  be  one  great  conveniency  of  this  country,  if  ever  it  comes  to  be 
settled,  that  there  is  an  easy  communication  therewith  and  the  South  sea, 
which  lies  between  America  and  China,  and  that  two  ways— by  the  north 
branch  of  the  Great  Yellow  rivei','""  by  the  natives  called  the  river  of  the 
Massorites,  which  hath  a  course  of  500  miles,  navigable  to  its  heads  or 
springs,  and  which  proceeds  from  a  ridge  of  hills  somewhat  north  of  New 
Mexico,""  passable  by  horse,  foot  or  wagon  in  less  than  half  a  day.  On  the 
other  side  are  rivers  which  run  into  a  great  lake  that  empties  itself  by  an- 
other great  navigable  river  into  the  South  sea.  ""'- 

The  Missouri  river,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  called  by  Marquette  the 
"  Pekitanoui, "  '"•'  and  it  is  so  laid  down  on  many  of  the  early  maps.  It  was 
also  called  the  "  Ozage  river, "  being  doubtless  confounded  with  that  stream. 
Coxe  calls  it  the  "Yellow  river,"  although  he  also  refers  to  it  by  the  name 
by  which  it  was  generally  known— the  "river  of  the  Massorites."  The 
latter  name  was  very  appropriately  given  it  by  La  Salle,  from  the  Indian 

Note  99. —  It  will  be  observed  that  the  early  French  explorers  made  repeated  efforts  to  give 
names  to  the  two  great  watercourses  of  the  West,  which  fortunately  failed;  else  they  would  not 
to-day  bear  the  beautiful  and  poetic  Indian  names  which  they  do.  Marquette  — the  religious 
zealot  —  called  the  Mississippi  the  "Conception."  (Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  59,  p.  93. ) 
La  Salle  called  it  the  "  River  Colbert,"  after  the  minister  of  marine  of  France.  It  was  called  by 
Le  Page  Du  Pratz  the  "River  St.  Louis,"  after  the  French  king,  and  it  remained  for  the  Eng- 
lishman, Daniel  Coxe,  to  restore  the  musical  Indian  name,  "Mescha-cebe,"  by  which  it  was 
known  by  the  Indians  on  Lake  Superior  as  early  as  1670.  "The  river  Meschacebe,  so  called  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  north  ;  cebe  being  the  name  for  a  river,  even  as  far  as  Hudson's  bay  ;  and 
mescha,  great,  which  is  the  great  river;  and  by  the  French,  who  learned  it  from  them,  cor- 
ruptly, Mississippi ;  which  name  of  Meschacebe  it  doth  retain  among  the  savages  during  half  its 
course.  Afterwards  some  call  it  Chucagua,  others  Sessagoula._  and  Malabanchia."  (Coxe's 
Carolana,  French,  vol.  2,  p.  224.)  The  name  is  a  Chippewa  word,  "  mishisibi,"  and  means,  in  the 
dialect  of  the  tribe,  "large  river."  'Chrysostum  Verwyst,  Cheppewa  Geographical  Names,  in 
Wis.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  12,  p.  393.)     It  was  an  easy  transition  to  the  more  modern  name,  Mississippi. 

Note  100.—  Coxe  was  evidently  impressed  with  the  same  eri-oneous  belief  that  was  enter- 
tained by  most  of  the  early  explorers,  that  there  was  a  waterway  somewhere  through  the  west- 
ern hemisphere  by  which  the  South  sea  and  China  might  be  reached.  Marquette  possessed  the 
same  idea  when  he  first  discovered  the  Missouri,  for  he  said  :  "1  hope  by  its  means  to  discover 
the  Vermillion  or  California  sea."  (  Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  59,  p.  141.)  Frontenac  had 
the  same  impressionv  for  when  he  sent  Joliet  down  the  Mississippi,  he  wrote  to  his  home  govern- 
ment, in  France,  "  that  he  would  in  all  probability  prove  once  for  all  that  the  great  river  flowed 
into  the  Gulf  of  California."  The  same  belief  is  expressed  in  an  extract  from  one  of  his  letters  to 
M.  Colbert.—  Margry,  vol.  1,  p.  255. 

Note  101.— The  description  given  by  the  writer  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  is  amusing,  and 
shows  how  little  was  known,  even  as  late  as  1726,  of  the  geography  of  the  Western  country,  al- 
though both  Coxe  and  Charlevoix  must  have  had  some  conception  of  Great  Salt  Lake  and  the  Co- 
lumbia river. 

Note  102.- Coxe's  Carolana,  French,  vol.  2,  pp.  230,  253. 

Note  103. — "Pekitanoiti :  The  Missouri  river.  The  name  here  given  by  Marquette  [mean- 
ing] 'muddy  water,'  prevailed  until  Marest's  time  ( 1712  ).  A  branch  of  Rock  river  is  still  called 
Pekatonica.  The  Recollects  called  the  Missouri  the  river  of  the  Ozages."— Shea's  note  in  Disc, 
of  Miss.  Valley,  p.  38  ;  Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  59.  note  31,  p.  311. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  263 

tribe  which  at  that  time  dwelt  near  its  mouth.  This  name  was  variously 
spelled  by  the  early  French  "  Oumissourites, "  and  "  Emissourittes  and  Mis- 
sourits. "  1"^  In  the  course  of  time,  through  the  jargon  of  the  French  voy- 
ageurs,  it  passed  through  many  changes,  until  it  finally  settled  down  to  the 
present  form— Missouri.  The  word  simply  meant,  in  the  Indian  dialect, 
and  as  applied  to  the  stream,  "dwellers  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,"  and 
there  appears  to  be  no  foundation  for  the  general  belief  that  the  name  was 
characteristic  of  the  river  and  meant  "muddy  water."  i"' 

Excerpt  from  a  letter  of  Father  Louis  Vivier,  written  at  Kaskaskia, 
November  17,  1750: 

"Before  its  junction  with  that  river  [Missouri],  the  Mississippi  is  of  no 
great  size.  Its  current  is  slight,  while  the  Missouri  is  wider,  deeper,  more 
rapid,  and  takes  its  rise  much  farther  away.  Several  rivers  of  considerable 
size  empty  into  the  Mississippi;  but  the  Missouri  alone  seems  to  pour  into 
it  more  water  than  all  these  rivers  together.  Here  is  the  proof  of  it:  The 
water  of  most— I  might  say,  of  all— of  the  rivers  that  fall  into  the  Missis- 
sippi is  only  passably  good,  and  that  of  several  is  positively  unwholesome; 
that  of  the  Mississippi  itself,  above  its  junction  with  the  Missouri,  is  not 
the  best;  on  the  contrary,  that  of  the  Missouri  is  the  best  water  in  the 
world."'"  Now,  that  of  the  Mississippi,  from  its  junction  with  the  Missouri 
to  the  sea,  becomes  excellent;  the  water  of  the  Missouri  must,  therefore, 
predominate."  "" 

Excerpt  from  the  History  of  Louisiana,  Le  Page  du  Pratz, '"^  published, 
with  a  map  of  the  country,  London,  1763,  p.  294;  first  published  at  Paris  in 
1658: 

"This  river  [the  Missouri]  takes  its  rise  at  eight  hundred  leagues  dis- 
tance, as  is  alleged,  from  the  place  where  it  discharges  itself  into  the  Mis- 
sisipi.  Its  waters  are  muddy,  thick,  and  charged  with  niter;  and  these  are 
the  waters  that  make  the  Missisipi  muddy  down  to  the  sea,  its  waters  being 
extremely  clear  above  the  confluence  of  the  Missouri.  The  reason  is,  that 
the  former  rolls  its  waters  over  a  sand  and  pretty  firm  soil ;  the  latter,  on 
the  contrary,  flows  across  rich  and  clayey  lands,  where  little  stone  is  to  be 
seen;  for  tho'  the  Missouri  comes  out  of  a  mountain  which  Hes  to  the  north- 
west of  New  Mexico,  we  are  told,  that  all  the  lands  it  passes  thro'  are  gen- 
erally rich;  that  is,  low  meadows,  and  lands  without  stone. 

Note  104.—  Margry,  vol.  3.  Carte  de  la  Louisiane.  1679-1682. 

Note  105, — "Missouri,  or  Ni-u-t'a-tci  (exact  meaning  uncertain;  said  to  refer  to  drowning 
people  in  a  stream  ;  possibly  a  corruption  of  Ni-shu-dje,  "smoky  water,'  the  name  of  Missouri 
river)."  — W.  J.  McGee,  in  Fifteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  Hureau  of  Ethnology,  p.  162.  "A 
tribe  of  the  Tciwere  division  of  the  Siouan  stock  of  North  American  Indians.  Their  name  for 
themselves  is  Niut'atci,  'those  who  reached  the  mouth  '  (of  the  river  )  ;  called  Nichudje  by  the 
Kansas,  which  appellation  may  have  been  corrupted  into  Missouri."— Century  Cyclopedia  of 
Names,  p.  691. 

Note  106. —  The  statement  of  Father  Vivier  as  to  the  purity  of  the  waters  of  the  Missouri 
river  and  the  Mississippi,  after  their  confluence,  is  not  in  accord  with  the  prevailing  opinion,  but 
is  nevertheless  true.  While  muddy,  from  the  sand  held  in  solution,  the  very  presence  of  this 
sand  serves  to  purify  it  and  render  it  wholesome.  And  when  clarified,  by  settling,  it  is  true  that 
there  is  "  no  better  water  in  the  world."  Several  years  ago  a  test  was  made  in  Paris,  France,  of 
waters  taken  from  streams  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  to  ascertain  which  would  continue 
pure  and  wholesome  for  the  longest  period  of  time  :  it  being  important  that  this  fact  should  be 
ascertained  for  the  benefit  of  ships  sailing  on  long  voyages  at  sea.  After  a  thorough  test,  the 
water  taken  from  the  lower  Mississippi,  which  assumes  its  character  from  the  Missouri,  was  pro- 
nounced the  best. 

Note  107.— Thwaites'  Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  69,  p.  207. 

Note  108.— Du  Pratz  (1695-1775)  lived  in  New  Orleans,  then  the  capital  of  all  Louisiana. 
Though  never  up  the  Missouri  river  he  was  a  pioneer  for  eight  years  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  and 
part  of  the  time  in  the  regions  watered  by  the  Missouri  and  the  Arkansas.  The  description  he 
gives  of  the  river,  distances,  etc.,  information  which  he  had  doubtless  obtained  from  the  voy- 
ageurs,  was  approximately  correct.  The  map  which  he  published  at  the  time  was  a  valuable 
contribution  to  the  geographical  knowledge  of  the  West,  and  on  it  are  laid  down  the  village  of 
the  Missouris  and  old  Fort  Orleans,  at  the  exact  spot  where  Charlevoix  had  located  them  thirty- 
five  years  before. 


264  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

"This  great  river,  which  seems  ready  to  dispute  the  preeminence  with 
the  Missisipi,  receives  in  its  long  course  many  rivers  and  brooks  which  con- 
siderably augment  its  waters.  But  except  those,  that  have  received  their 
names  from  some  nation  of  Indians,  who  inhabit  their  banks,  there  are  very 
few  of  their  names  we  can  be  well  assured  of,  each  traveler  giving  them 
different  appellations.  The  French  having  penetrated  up  the  Missouri  only 
for  about  three  hundred  leagues '""  at  most,  and  the  rivers  which  fall  into  its 
bed  being  known  only  by  the  Indians,  it  is  of  little  importance  what  names  they 
may  bear  at  present,  being  besides  in  a  country  but  little  frequented.  The 
river  which  is  the  best  known  is  that  of  the  Osages,  so  called  from  a  na- 
tion of  that  name  dwelling  on  its  banks.  It  falls  into  the  Missouri,  pretty 
near  its  confluence. 

"The  largest  known  river  which  falls  into  the  Missouri  is  that  of  the 
Canzas,  which  runs  for  near  two  hundred  leagues  in  a  very  fine  country. 
According  to  what  I  have  been  able  to  learn  about  the  course  of  this  great 
river,  from  its  source  to  the  Canzas,  it  runs  from  west  to  east;  and  from 
that  nation  it  falls  down  to  the  southward,  where  it  receives  the  river  of  the 
Canzas,  which  comes  from  the  west;  there  it  forms  a  great  elbow, ii"  which 
terminates  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Missouris;  then  it  resumes  its  course 
to  the  southeast,  to  lose  at  last  both  its  name  and  waters  in  the  Missisipi. " 

To  La  Verendryeiii  and  sons  belongs  the  honor  of  having  been  the  first 
white  men  to  visit  the  upper  Missouri  country,  and  to  give  to  the  world  the 
first  information  of  that  vast  unexplored  domain.  The  result  of  their  ex- 
plorations was  far-reaching,  for  it  is  probable  that  the  memoir  of  their 
travels  was  the  awakening  cause  which  impressed  on  Mr.  Jefferson  the  im- 
portance of  the  acquisition  of  that  valuable  territory  by  the  United  States."- 

The  tenacity  with  which  Mr.  Jefferson  clung  to  that  idea  and  the  per- 
sistency with  which  he  followed  it  up  are  matters  of  history.  He  induced 
John  Ledyard,  in  1785,  to  "seek  the  West  byway  of  the  East,"  and  pointed 
out  to  him  the  road  to  the  Pacific  coast  through  Russia  and  the  Bering 
strait.  "3  jn  1733  Jefferson  attempted  a  second  time  the  exploration  of  the 
Missouri  valley.  This  expedition,  it  was  proposed,  should  be  placed  under 
the  command  of  George  Rogers  Clark,  the  older  brother  of  William  Clark, 
of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition,  and  again,  in  1793,"^  he  made  an  effort, 
as  an  officer  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  to  secure  by  private  sub- 
scription a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to  equip  and  send  an  expedition  "to 
cross  the  Mississippi  and  pass  by  land  to  the  nearest  part  of  the  Missouri 
above  the  Spanish  settlements."  All  of  these  attempts  failed;  but  when 
he  became  president  of  the  United  States  he  did  not  lose  sight  of  his  favor- 
ite project,  but  hastened,  with  a  far-seeing  wisdom,  to  consummate  with 

Note  109.— The  author  says  the  Missouri  had  not  then  been  ascended  for  more  than  300 
leagues,  or  about  825  miles.  He  probably  meant  to  the  mouth  of  the  Platte,  for  that  was  as  high 
as  the  fur-traders  were  accustomed  to  go  in  that  day,  and  was  considered  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween the  upper  and  lower  river.  The  distance  is  about  650  miles,  or  about  175  miles  less  than 
Du  Pratz  estimated  it.  He  estimates  the  length  of  the  entire  river  at  800  leagues,  or  2200  miles. 
The  actual  distance  from  its  head  — three  forks  — to  its  mouth  is  2547  miles.— Chittenden's 
American  Fur  Trade,  p.  7fi2. 

Note  110.  — The  courses  of  the  river,  as  stated,  are  correct.^  The  "elbows"  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Kaw  and  at  the  mouth  of  Grand  river,  the  latter  being  "  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Mis- 
souris," are  correctly  described. 

Note  111.— In  1738  Pierre  Guatier  La  Verendrye,  commandant  of  northwest  Canada,  came 
down  from  the  British  possessions  to  the  Missouri  river,  which  he  crossed  at  the  Mandan  village, 
near  where  Bismarck,  N.  Dak.,  is  now  located. 

Note  112.  — Journal  of  La  Verendrye,  1738-39,  in  Brymner's  Report  on  Canadian  Archives, 
1889,  pp.  2-29 ;  Margry,  vol.  6.  pp.  581-632  ;  biographical  sketch  of  La  Verendrye,  in  Thwaites' 
Jesuit  Relations,  vol.  68,  p.  334. 

Note  113.-  Sparks's  Life  of  John  Ledyard,  2d  ed.,  p.  157. 

Note  114.—  Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  1,  pp.  xx,  xxi. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  265 

Napoleon  the  fortunate  land  deal  known  as  the  ' '  Louisiana  purchase. ' '  This 
masterly  stroke  of  statesmanship  fixed  the  destiny  of  this  country,  and  re- 
sulted in  placing  it  among  the  first  powers  of  the  world. 

In  a  book  entitled  "The  Present  State  of  the  European  Settlements  on 
the  Mississippi,"  published  in  London  by  Philip  Pittman  in  1770,  it  is  said: 

"  The  source  of  the  river  Missoury  is  unknown.  "^  The  French  traders 
go  betwixt  three  and  four  hundred  leagues  up,  to  traffic  with  the  Indians 
who  inhabit  near  its  banks.  .  .  .  From  its  confluence  [with  the  Missis- 
sippi] to  its  source  is  supposed  to  be  eight  hundred  leagues.  "'^^ 

In  1792-'93  that  intrepid  explorer,  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie— the  first  to 
cross  the  continent— blazed  a  path  over  the  Rocky  Mountains,  floated  down  the 
Fraser  river  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  gave  to  the  world  the  first  intimation 
of  the  magnitude  and  grandeur  of  the  Northwest.  In  1804  Lewis  and  Clark, 
who  followed  Mackenzie,  traced  the  great  river  beyond  Yellowstone  Park, 
and  found  the  spring""  from  which  it  flows— the  fountainhead— on  the 
great  divide.  From  these  discoveries  a  correct  map  of  the  country  was  pro- 
duced, its  topography  and  geographical  dimensions  were  made  known,  and 
its  wonderful  possibilities  as  a  home  for  civilized  man  foretold.  These  re- 
ports showed  that  the  Missouri  river,  including  the  lower  Mississippi,  was 
the  longest  river  in  the  world;  that  the  Missouri  valley  was  the  most  fertile 
agricultural  region;  that  it  was  the  largest  body  of  tillable  land,  and,  finally, 
that  the  Louisiana  purchase  was  the  most  profitable  real-estate  investment 
that  had  ever  been  made. 

The  purchase  of  Louisiana  was  the  realization  of  the  cherished  dream  of 
Thomas  Jefferson.  With  the  far-seeing  wisdom  for  which  he  was  distin- 
guished, he  probably  foresaw  more  clearly  than  any  man  of  his  day  the  great 
possibilities  that  would  result  to  his  country  from  the  acquisition  of  this  im- 
mense and  valuable  domain.  In  his  message  to  Congress,  October  17,  1803, 
urging  the  speedy  ratification  of  the  treaty  with  France,  he  said:  "The  fer- 
tility of  the  country,  its  climate  and  extent,  promise  in  due  season  important 
aids  to  our  treasury,  an  ample  provision  for  our  posterity,  and  a  wide  spread 
for  the  blessings  of  freedom  and  equal  laws."  "** 

It  is  not  known  positively  in  what  year  the  first  white  man  entered  the 
Missouri  river,  but  it  was  probably  between  1700  and  1705.  The  account 
given  by  Lahontan"'-'  of  his  Voyage  a  la  Riviere  Longue  (1688-'89)  is  not 
worthy  of  credence,  and  it  is  even  doubtful  if  Le  Sueur  came  up  in  1705. 
There  can  be  no  question,  however,  that  about  this  time  the  lower  part  of  the 
river,  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw,  was  first  explored  by  the  French. i-" 

Note  115.— A  hundred  years  had  passed  since  Marquette's  discovery  of  the  Missouri  river, 
and  yet  its  source  was  unknown.  The  French  voyageurs  had  ascended  the  river  as  high  up  as 
the  mouth  of  the  Platte,  or  perhaps  the  Mandan  village,  but  beyond  nothing  was  known.  The 
time  had  now  come,  however,  when  the  searchlight  of  a  new  race,  the  Anglo-Saxon. __was  to 
be  turned  on  the  dark  recesses  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Indian  myths  of  the  "South 
sea,"  the  "  Vermillion  sea,"  the  "  southeast  passage  to  China,"  the  "great  lakes  of  the  West," 
the  "Spanish  mines,"  and  the  "ridge  of  hills,  passable  by  horse,  foot  or  wa^on  in  half  a  day." 
were  all  to  be  exploded. 

Note  116.—  Pittman's  Mississippi  Settlements,  Hodder,  1906,  p.  30. 

Note  117.— Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  2,  p.  335. 

Note  118. —  Richardson's  Messages  and  Papers  of  the  Presidents,  vol.  1,  p.  358. 

Note  119.— Le  Baron  de  Lahontan,  par  J.  Edmund  Roy,  in  Proceedings  Royal  Society  of 
Canada,  vol.  12,  pp.  82,  129. 

Note  120.-  One  Sieur  Presle  mentions,  in  Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  285,  under  date  of  June  10,  1718, 
that  Bourgmont,  who  had  lived  among  the  Missouris  for  fifteen  years,  could  make  discoveries 
400  or  500  leagues  further  up  the  river  if  he  had  2000  pounds  of  presents  for  the  Indians. 


266  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

In  the  Gazetteer  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  published  in  St.  Louis  in  1837, 
on  page  194,  the  following  reference  is  made  to  the  early  navigation  of  the 
Missouri  river: 

"The  French  then,  in  1705,  ascended  the  Missouri  as  far  as  the  Kanzas 
river  ( the  point  where  the  western  boundary  line  of  Missouri  now  strikes 
the  river) .  The  Indians  there  cheerfully  engaged  in  trade  with  them,  and 
all  the  tribes  on  the  Missouri,  with  the  exception  of  the  Blackfeet  and  the 
Arickaras,  have  since  generally  continued  on  friendly  terms  with  the  whites. 
It  should  be  observed  that  the  French  traders  have  always  been  more  fortu- 
nate in  their  intercourse  with  the  Indians  than  those  of  any  other  nation." 

As  early  as  1700  it  was  reported  that  there  were  not  less  than  100  cou- 
reurs  des  bois,  or  trappers,  domiciled  among  the  different  tribes  along  the 
Missouri  river.  ^'-'  The  coureur  de  bois  was  a  type  of  the  earliest  pioneer, 
now  long  since  extinct.  He  was  a  French  Canadian,  sometimes  a  half-breed, 
and  in  his  habits  were  blended  the  innocent  simplicity  of  the  fun-loving  French- 
man and  the  wild  traits  and  woodcraft  of  the  Indian.  Born  in  the  woods, 
he  was  accustomed  from  childhood  to  the  hardships  and  exposures  of  a  wild 
life  in  the  wilderness,  and  was  a  skilful  hunter  and  trapper.  His  free-and- 
easy-going  manners,  peaceable  disposition  and  vivacity  qualified  him  for 
association  with  the  Indian,  whose  customs  he  adopted,  and  often  marrying 
into  the  tribe,  himself  became  a  savage. '-'- 

It  was  this  roving  vagabond  who,  as  he  wandered  up  and  down  the  Mis- 
souri river,  gave  the  poetic  and  musical  French  names  to  its  tributaries  and 
prominent  localities  which  they  bear  to  this  day;  such  as  the  Marais  des 
Cygnes  (river  of  the  swans),  Creve  Coeur  (broken  heart).  Cote  sans  Des- 
sein  (a  hill  without  a  cause),  Petit-sas-Prairie  (little  cradle  of  the  prairie), 
Roche  PercCe  (pierced  rock).  Bonne  Femme  (good  woman),  Aux  Vasse 
(from  au  vase,  muddy).  Gasconade  (from  gasconnade,  turbulent),  Lamine 
(from  la  mine,  the  mine),  Pomme  de  Terre  (apple  of  the  earth,  potato), 
Moreau  (very  black),  and  Niangue  (crooked). 

But  while  the  coureur  de  bois,  the  feather-bedecked  wanderer,  has  for- 
ever disappeared,  he  will  not  be  forgotten,  for— 

"He  has  left  his  names  behind  him. 

Adding  rich,  barbaric  grace 
To  the  mountains,  to  the  rivers, 

To  the  fertile  meadow-place; 
Relics  of  the  ancient  hunter. 

Of  a  past  and  vanished  race." 

It  is  true  that  many  of  the  most  beautiful  of  these  early  French  names 
have  become  so  corrupted  in  their  anglicization  as  to  have  lost  all  sem- 
blance to  their  original  meaning.  When  Lewis  and  Clark  came  up  the  river 
a  hunter  killed  a  bear  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  not  far  above  St.  Charles. 
Very  naturally  they  called  the  creek  "Bear  creek."  The  French  hunter 
called  the  place  "L'Ours  creek,"  "Tours"  being  French  for  "the  bear." 
Soon  thereafter  the  long-haired  Tennesseean  came  along,  and  not  knowing 
the  meaning  of  "L'Ours,"  called  it  "Loose  creek,"  and  it  is  so  laid  down 
on  the  maps  to-day.  Another  instance  of  the  corruption  of  a  beautiful 
French  name  occurs  just  below  the  Osage.     An  early  French  hunter,  in 

Note  121.—  By  the  treaty  of  June  3,  1825,  special  provision  was  made  "for  each  of  the  half- 
breeds  of  the  Kanzas  nation,"  twenty-three  in  all.-  Laws  and  Treaties,  vol.  II,  p.  223. 

Note  122.— See  Scharf's  History  of  St.  Louis,  vol.  1,  pp.  272-276;  Chittenden's  American 
Fur  Trade,  vol.  1,  p.  56 ;  Parkman's  La  Salle. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  267 

passing  through  the  country,  gave  the  name  "Bois  Brule"  to  a  certain 
creek.  The  words  mean  "burnt  woods,"  and  it  was  probably  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  woods  had  recently  been  burned  over  that  the  name  was  ap- 
plied. The  creek  is  now  called  colloquially  the  "Bob  Ruly."  There  is  still 
a  town  of  Bois  Brule  in  Perry  county. 

During  the  entire  eighteenth  century  the  navigation  of  the  Missouri  river 
was  confined  to  the  wooden  canoe,  and  its  commerce  was  limited  to  the 
primitive  fur  trade.  The  trader  or  trapper  ascended  the  river  singly  or  in 
pairs,  and,  after  spending  the  winter  with  some  favorite  tribe,  returned  in 
the  spring  with  his  pirogue  well  loaded  with  furs,  which  he  disposed  of  in 
St.  Louis.  Then,  after  a  protracted  debauch,  he  went  to  the  priest,  was 
granted  absolution  from  his  sins,  and  returned  to  the  wilderness.'-' 

It  is  not  probable  that  these  early  voyageurs  ascended  the  river  higher 
than  the  Platte,  for  neither  La  Verendrye,  who  came  over  from  the  Hud- 
son Bay  Company's  posts,  in  1738,  to  the  Missouri  river,  at  the  Mandan  vil- 
lage, where  Bismarck  is  now  located,  or  the  Mallet  brothers,  Pierre  and 
Paul,i-<  who  ascended  the  Platte  in  1739,  mention  having  met  them,  though 
Bienville,  in  a  letter  dated  April  22,  1734,  mentions  a  Frenchman  who,  having 
lived  several  years  among  the  Pawnees,  had  ascended  the  Missouri  river  to 
the  Ricaras,  who  had  never  before  seen  a  Frenchman,  and  had  found  on  his 
journey  silver-mines.  Two  voyageurs  appeared  with  him  to  verify  his  re- 
port. '-^  It  is  very  certain,  however,  that  at  the  time  St.  Louis  was  founded, 
in  1764,  the  fur  trade  of  the  French  upon  the  Missouri  had  become  well  es- 
tablished. Indeed,  the  charter  granted  Pierre  Laclede  Liguest'-"  and  his 
associates  by  the  governor  of  Louisiana  gave  them  the  exclusive  right  to 
trade  on  the  Missouri  river.  But  little  is  known,  however,  of  the  navigation 
of  the  river  during  the  eighteenth  century.  The  French  voyageur  could 
neither  read  nor  write;  hence  no  record  of  his  early  voyages  was  preserved. 
He  continued  to  paddle  his  canoe  up  and  down  the  river,  gradually  increasing 
his  trade,  and  by  extending  his  voyages  higher  up  became  better  acquainted 
with  its  tortuous  channel. 

To  Manuel  Lisa,i  =  '  a  Spaniard  of  St.  Louis,  is  generally  accorded  the 
honor  of  being  the  father  of  navigation  on  the  Missouri  river,  although 
tradition  divides  that  honor  with  one  Gregoire  B.  Sarpy,  i'-**  who  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  to  introduce  the  keel-boat.  As  early  as  1800  Lisa  be- 
came the  successor  of  Pierre  Chouteau  in  trading  up  the  Osage  river  with 
the    Osage    Indians,   who   were   then    seated    in   what  is  now    Bates  and 

Note  123.—  Lewis  and  Clark,  as  they  ascended  the  river  in  the  spring  of  1804,  met  a  number 
of  these  half-savage  adventurers  coming  down  stream  in  their  canoes,  laden  with  furs. 

Note  124.  -  Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  463. 

Note  125.— Id.,  vol.  6,  p.  455. 

Note  126.-  Oscar  W.  Collet.  Magazine  of  Western  History,  vol.  2,  p.  301. 

Note  127.  ~  Manuel  Lisa  was  not  only  the  father  of  navigation  on  the  Missouri  river,  but  the 
pioneer  fur-trader  on  that  stream.  As  early  as  1800  he  was  granted  the  exclusive  right,  by  the 
Spanish  government,  to  trade  with  the  Osage  Indians.  He  made  thirteen  trips  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  in  keel-boats,  traveling  not  less  than  26,000  miles,  or  a  greater  distance  than  around 
the  earth.  He  died  in  1820,  and  his  ashes,  over  which  a  monument  was  erecteil.  rest  in  old  Belle- 
fontaine  cemetery,  in  St.  Louis.  (Sketch  of  Lisa  in  Chittenden's  American  Fur  Trade,  p.  125.) 
R.  I.  Holcombe,  in  his  History  of  Vernon  County,  Missouri,  1887,  p.  163.  says  that  Pieri-e  Chou- 
teau, under  Spanish  license,  had  the  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  with  the  Osages  from  about  1782 
until  he  was  succeeded  by  Manuel  Lisa,  about  1795,  but  that  the  latter  divided  his  privileges  with 
Chouteau  until  about  1802.  Chouteau's  establishment  was  called  by  the  Spanish  Fort  Carondelet, 
and  was  situated  near  Halley's  bluffs,  in  Vernon  county. 

Note  128.— Chittenden's  American  Fur  Trade,  p.  .390. 


268  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Vernon  counties,  Missouri.  They  transported  their  merchandise  up  the 
Missouri  in  pirogues  to  the  mouth  of  the  Osage,  and  then  up  that  stream 
to  the  Indian  villages.  The  Chouteaus  continued  to  trade  with  the  Osages 
for  many  years  and  gained  a  wonderful  influence  over  the  tribe.  Indeed, 
they  intermarried  with  them,  and  there  are  descendants  of  this  well-known 
family  now  living  with  the  tribe  in  the  Indian  Territory  after  a  period  of 
120  years. 

For  200  years  the  history  of  the  Missouri  river  has  been  the  history  of 
the  country  through  which  it  flows,  and  its  influence  on  its  development 
should  not  now  be  underestimated.  On  its  dark  bosom  the  Indian  pad- 
dled his  canoe  for  centuries  before  the  advent  of  the  white  man.  Then 
came  the  French  voyageur  and  his  pirogue,  his  bateau,  his  keel-boat,  and 
his  mackinaw  boat,  without  which  the  fur  trade,  the  principal  commerce 
in  that  day,  could  not  have  attained  its  great  proportions.  At  last  came 
the  steamboat,  the  most  wonderful  invention  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

For  half  a  century  the  Missouri  river  was  the  great  thoroughfare  from 
the  East  to  the  West,  and  on  it  floated  the  travel  and  commerce  of  the 
trans-Mississippi  section.  No  one  can  now  appreciate  its  importance  in  the 
past.  Military  posts  were  established  that  supplies  by  the  river  route  might 
be  easily  obtained,  and  settlements  were  made  with  a  view  to  transporting 
the  products  of  the  farm  to  market  on  its  waters.  Capitals  of  states  were 
located  on  its  banks,  that  they  might  be  accessible. 

Perhaps  there  is  not  in  the  world  a  more  difficult  stream  to  navigate 
than  the  Missouri  river.  The  Sieur  Hubert  was  right  when,  in  his  report 
to  his  government  in  1705,  he  said  the  birch-bark  canoe  could  not  be  used  to 
navigate  its  waters. 

The  greatest  diflficulty  encountered  in  navigating  the  river  was  caused 
by  constant  changes  in  the  shifting  of  the  channel.  From  the  mouth  of  the 
Platte  to  the  Mississippi,  on  each  side  of  the  river  are  bluffs  which  parallel 
each  other  at  an  average  distance  of  two  miles.  The  channel,  except  during 
a  flood,  is  confined  to  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  this  distance,  leaving  the 
remainder  bottom  land.  This  bottom,  which  is  alluvial  soil,  originally  cov- 
ered with  a  primeval  forest,  furnishes  a  leeway  for  the  channel.  It  is 
"made  land."  caused  from  accretions,  and  the  river  has  never  relinquished 
its  title  to  it.  It  may  have  been  thousands  of  years  in  forming,  but  sooner 
or  later  the  channel,  unless  restrained,  will  go  back  and  claim  its  own. 
When  the  channel  of  the  river  changes  it  leaves  a  sand-bar,  which  soon  be- 
comes overgrown  with  willows  and  young  cottonwoods.  These  catch  and 
retain  the  silt  of  subsequent  overflows,  which  continually  raises  the  surface 
of  the  accretion,  until,  together  with  decaying  vegetation,  it  becomes  as 
high  as  the  adjacent  land.  This  process  goes  on  for  centuries,  and  in  this 
way  the  bottom  lands  along  the  Missouri  river  are  continually  forming  and 
reforming. 

Surveys  made  along  the  lower  river  during  the  Spanish  regimi',  and  even 
during  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  substantiate  this  statement;  but  if 
further  evidence  is  required,  let  a  hole  be  bored  anywhere  in  the  river  bot- 
toms, a  mile  or  more  from  the  present  bed  of  the  river,  and  it  is  probable 
that  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty-five  feet,  or  when  the  level  of  the  water 
in  the  river  is  reached,  a  wrack  heap  or  an  old  log  will  be  struck  that  has 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  269 

lain  there  embedded  in  the  soil  for  centuries,  thus  proving  conclusively  that 
the  channel  of  the  river  at  one  time  flowed  there.'-'* 

The  most  dangerous  localities  on  the  river  were  the  bends,  and  it  was  in 
them  that  most  of  the  accidents  occurred  to  the  steamboats.  They  were 
formed  in  the  following  manner:  The  main  channel  of  the  river  is  disposed 
to  follow  the  bluff  shore,  and  does  so  until  it  meets  with  some  obstruction.  A 
trifling  object,  such  as  a  wrack  heap  or  an  old  steamboat  wreck,  will  some- 
times deflect  the  current  and  send  it  ofl"  obliquely  to  the  opposite  shore.  As 
the  land  where  it  strikes  is  underlaid  with  a  stratum  of  white  sand,  it  melts 
before  the  strong  current  as  a  snow-bank  before  the  noonday's  sun.  This 
undermining  process  goes  on  at  every  rise,  until  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
a  great  bend  is  formed,  thousands  of  acres  of  land  are  swept  away,  and  the 
channel  of  the  river  is  a  mile  or  more  away  from  where  it  formerly  ran. 

Some  of  these  bends  are  as  much  as  twenty  miles  long  and  have  been 
many  years  in  forming.  The  land  along  the  shore  was  originally  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  large  timber— Cottonwood,  elm,  walnut,  etc.  As  the 
banks  are  undermined  these  immense  trees  tumble  into  the  channel  and  float 
along  the  current  until  their  roots,  the  heaviest  part,  after  dragging  awhile, 
became  anchored  in  the  bottom  of  the  river.  There  they  remain  for  years, 
some  extending  above  the  surface  of  the  water  and  others  beneath  and  out 
of  sight.  The  former,  from  being  continuously  in  motion,  caused  by  the 
swift  current,  are  called  "sawyers."  From  the  velocity  of  the  current,  and 
the  innumerable  snags,  these  bends  were  a  continuous  menace  to  steam- 
boats, and  no  pilot  approached  one,  especially  at  night,  without  trepidation 
and  fear. 

Each  bend  had  its  own  name,  sometimes  derived  from  the  name  of  a 
planter  who  lived  near  by,  or  from  some  steamboat  which  had  been  pre- 
viously wrecked  there.  Among  the  former  were  "Murray's,"  "Howard's," 
"Wolf's,"  "Penn's, "  and  "Pitman's  bend."  Among  the  latter  were 
"Malta  bend,"  "Diana,"  "Bertrand,"  "Alert,"  and  "Sultan  bend." 
Among  the  most-noted  localities  on  the  river— noted  because  they  were  the 
most  dangerous,  and  contained  the  greatest  number  of  wrecks— were  "Brick- 
house  bend,"  "  Bonhomme  bend,"  "Augusta  bend,"  and  "Osage  chute." 
Many  a  magnificent  steamer' was  wrecked  in  them,  and  with  them  the  for- 
tunes of  their  owners.  There  were  other  bends  which  bore  euphonious 
names,  such  as  "Nigger  bend,"  and  "Jackass  bend,"  and  a  good  story 
could  be  told  as  to  how  the  latter  received  its  name,  if  space  permitted. 

Where  the  current  changed  from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other  were 
called  "crossings,"  and  it  was  there  that  the  greatest  difficulty  was  en- 
countered by  the  navigator ;  although,  as  there  were  no  snags  in  such  places, 
there  were  no  disasters.  The  water  spreads  out  over  a  large  space  at  these 
crossings,  and  instead  of  one  main  channel  there  are  many  chutes,  none  of 
which,  in  a  low  stage  of  water,  were  deep  enough  to  float  a  boat  heavily 

Note  129.— In  1858,  the  town  of  Brunswick,  Mo.,  was  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri 
river,  and  was  the  shipping-point  for  all  the  Grand  River  country.  It  is  now  an  inland  town,  and 
the  river  flows  five  miles  away.  In  1896  a  farmer  was  d\g.g\ng  a  well  in  the  river  bottom  near  the 
town,  where  the  river  formerly  ran.  A  Bible  was  found  in  the  excavation,  and  on  the  cover  was 
the  name  "  Naomi."  The  book  was  sent  to  some  of  the  old  steamboat  men  in  St.  Louis  to  see  if 
they  could  suggest  any  explanation  of  its  strange  presence  where  found.  It  was  distinctly  re- 
called by  Capt.  Jo  La  Barge,  and  others  of  the  old  steamboat  men,  that  the  steamer  Naomi 
was  wrecked  at  that  identical  spot  in  1840,  It  was  the  custom  of  the  missionary  societies  to  pre- 
sent to  each  boat,  when  she  came  out,  a  Bible,  which  was  attached  to  the  table  in  the  ladies" 
cabin  by  a  small  brass  chain.  On  the  back  of  the  book  was  lettered  the  name  of  the  boat.  On 
Keemle  Wetmore's  map  of  Missouri,  1837,  the  town  of  Brunswick  is  placed  on  a  sharp  northern 
bend  of  the  river. 


270  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

loaded.  The  boats  ran  aground  in  low  water  in  these  crossings,  and  fre- 
quently were  several  days  in  getting  over  the  bar.  In  such  cases  the  spars 
were  resorted  to.  They  were  two  long  poles,  one  on  each  side  of  the  bow 
of  the  boat,  attached  to  the  capstan  by  tackle.  They  were  thrown  over- 
board, and  by  means  of  pushing  on  them  the  vessel  was  virtually  lifted  over 
the  bar  as  with  a  pair  of  stilts.  It  was  no  unusual  sight,  in  the  palmy  days 
of  steamboating,  to  see  as  many  as  a  half-dozen  fine  steamers  aground  on 
a  crossing  within  a  short  distance  of  each  other.  It  was  push  and  pull,  spar 
and  warp,  back  and  go  ahead,  night  and  day,  without  a  moment's  cessation 
until  the  boat  was  safely  over  the  bar.  The  jingling  of  the  bells,  the  hissing 
of  steam,  together  with  the  swearing  of  the  mate,  rendered  it  an  animated 
and  interesting  scene  to  the  passenger  as  he  stood  on  the  hurricane  deck 
and  looked  on,  but  it  was  terrible  on  the  crew. 

To  return  to  the  primitive  river  craft,  it  is  not  necessary  to  describe  the 
canoe,  as  its  universal  use  to-day  has  rendered  it  a  familiar  object.  The 
birch-bark  canoe,  so  often  seen  on  the  northern  lakes,  was  not  adapted  to 
the  Missouri,  on  account  of  its  frail  construction;  and,  besides,  the  birch 
tree,  from  which  the  bark  was  taken,  is  not  found  on  the  river.  The  craft 
universally  used  was  the  cottonwood  canoe,  or  ' '  dugout, ' '  made  from  a  log 
fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet  long  and  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter.  The 
cottonwood  grows  along  the  river  everywhere,  and  such  logs  were  easily 
procured.  This  canoe  possessed  the  requisites  of  strength,  lightness  of 
draft,  and  durability,  and  was  not  only  the  primitive  craft  of  the  French 
voyageur,  but  had  been  in  use  by  the  Indian  from  time  immemorial. 

The  pirogue  1-"'  was  another  craft  used  by  the  French  in  the  fur  trade,  to 
which  it  was  especially  adapted.  It  was  really  a  double  canoe,  built  in  the 
shape  of  a  flat-iron,  with  a  sharp  bow  and  a  square  stern.  Two  canoes  were 
securely  fastened  together  a  short  distance  apart,  the  whole  being  decked 
over  with  plank  or  puncheons.  On  the  floor  was  placed  the  cargo,  which 
was  protected  from  the  weather  by  skins.  The  boat  was  propelled  up- 
stream by  oars  or  a  line,  and  steered  by  an  oarsman,  who  stood  on  the 
stern.  A  square  sail  was  also  resorted  to,  going  up-stream,  when  the  wind 
was  in  the  right  quarter,  and  a  distance  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  per  day 
could  be  made  under  favorable  conditions.  Such  boats  were  usually  from 
thirty  to  forty  feet  long  and  from  six  to  eight  feet  beam,  and,  being  of  light 
draft,  were  good  carriers.  They  were  much  safer  than  the  canoe,  as  from 
breadth  of  beam  they  could  not  be  upset.'" 

The  bateau,  as  its  name  indicates,  was  still  another  craft  employed  by 
the  early  French  fur-trader.  It  was  a  flat-bottomed,  clumsily  constructed 
boat,  especially  adapted  to  transporting  a  cargo  of  furs  down-stream,  and 
did  not  difi'er  materially  from  the  flat-bottomed  boat.  It  was  usually  fifty 
to  seventy-five  feet  long  and  ten  to  twelve  feet  beam.  The  gunwales  were 
hewn  from  cottonwood  logs,  and  the  bottom  was  spiked  onto  stringers  run- 
ning lengthwise  of  the  boat.  The  bow  and  stern  were  square,  with  a  suffi- 
cient rake  to  prevent  impeding  headway.  The  oar,  the  pole,  the  line  and 
the  sail  were  the  appliances  relied  upon  for  motive  power  in  ascending  the 

Note  130.— See,  also,  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  428. 

Note  131.— When  Lewis  and  Clark  ascended  the  Missouri  river,  in  1804,  their  fleet  consisted 
of  six  small  canoes  and  two  large  pirogues.— Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  voL  1,  p.  284  ;  vol.  7.  p. 
320.     See.  also,  index. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  271 

stream,  but  in  going  down  the  boat  was  allowed  to  float  with  the  current, 
being  kept  in  the  channel  by  the  steersman,  i^- 

A  very  unique  craft  in  use  by  the  fur-trader,  from  1810  to  1830,  on  the 
upper  tributaries  of  the  Missouri,  the  Platte,  the  Yellowstone,  and  the  Nio- 
brara, was  the  bull-boat.  It  was  especially  adapted  to  the  navigation  of 
these  streams  on  account  of  its  extreme  lightness  of  draft.  Indeed,  the  ex- 
cessive shallowness  of  the  water  precluded  navigation  by  any  other  of  the 
primitive  craft.  It  was  probably  the  lightest- draft  boat  ever  constructed 
for  its  size,  but  could  carry  a  cargo  of  from  5000  to  6000  pounds.  The  frame- 
work of  the  bull-boat  was  constructed  of  willow  poles,  twenty-five  or  thirty 
feet  long,  laid  lengthwise,  and  across  these  other  poles  were  laid.  All  were 
then  securely  fastened  together  with  rawhide  thongs.  Along  the  tops  of 
the  vertical  portions  of  the  framework,  on  the  inside,  were  then  lashed  stout 
poles,  like  those  forming  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  which  served  as  gunwales. 
To  these  gunwales  were  lashed  cross-poles,  to  prevent  the  former  from 
spreading.  Not  a  nail  was  used  in  the  entire  structure,  all  fastenings  being 
secured  with  rawhide  thongs.  The  frame  so  constructed  was  then  covered 
with  buffalo  hides  sewed  together  with  sinews,  the  seams  being  pitched  with 
a  cement  made  of  buffalo  tallow  and  ashes.  ^^3 

A  similarly  constructed  boat  to  the  one  described  above,  although  much 
smaller  and  of  a  different  shape,  was  in  use  on  the  upper  Missouri  by  the 
Mandan  Indians  when  they  were  first  visited  by  the  Hudson  Bay  traders, 
about  1790.  This  boat  was  about  the  size  and  shape  of  a  wash-tub,  and  one 
buffalo  hide  was  sufficient  to  cover  it.     It  could  safely  carry  one  person. '■''3 

The  return  of  Lewis  and  Clark  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  September, 
1806,  and  the  wonderful  account  they  brought  back  of  the  immense  number 
of  beaver  and  other  fur-bearing  animals  found  in  that  country,  at  once  gave 
a  new  impetus  to  the  fur  trade.  Companies  were  formed  in  St.  Louis  of 
the  most  enterprising  merchants,  who  invested  sufficient  capital  to  prosecute 
the  trade  with  intelligence  and  vigor. ''^  The  most  skilful  and  experienced 
boatmen  were  employed  to  command  the  boats,  which  were  destined  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellowstone.  The  distance  was  nearly  2000  miles,  against  a 
strong  current,  and  much  of  the  route  lay  through  a  country  inhabited  by 
fierce  and  warlike  tribes.  The  voyage  was  one  of  great  labor,  hardship, 
and  danger,  and  only  the  most  suitable  and  best-equipped  craft  that  could 
be  devised  would  answer  the  purpose  of  such  a  venture.  The  keel-boat  was 
destined  to  supply  this  want.  It  was  the  steamboat  without  steam  as  a 
motive  power. 

The  keel-boat  was  usually  from  fifty  to  seventy- five  feet  long  and  fifteen 
to  twenty  feet  beam.  The  keelson  extended  from  stem  to  stern,  and  it  was 
a  staunch  vessel,  well  modeled,  sharp  bow  and  stern,  and  built  by  skilful 
workmen,    after   the   most-approved   methods   of   shipcraft   of   that   day. 

Note  132.  — "The  boats  used  by  the  Indian  traders  are  of  various  sizes,  but  the  most  com- 
monly preferred  carry  from  15.000  to  25.000  weight.  Their  sides  are  low  and  their  oars  short,  so 
that  they  may  be  navigated  near  the  shore,  where  the  counter-currents  or  eddies  accelerate  their 
progress  ;  their  bottoms  are  nearly  flat,  so  that  they  are  enabled  to  pass  in  shoal  water  ;  they  are 
also  somewhat  narrow,  and  their  length  is  generally  from  forty-five  to  sixty  feet." — Stoddard's 
Sketches  of  Louisiana,  1812,  p.  303.     See,  also,  Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  vol.  5,  p.  390. 

Note  133. — Wyeth's  Oregon,  p.  54  ;  Chittenden's  American  Fur  Trade,  vol.  1,  p.  35.  Thwaites' 
Lewis  and  Clark  has  many  indexed  references. 

Note  134.— The  Kansas  Historical  Society  possesses  an  original  record- book  of  the  Missouri 
Fur  Company,  of  St.  Louis,  January,  1812,  to  January,  1814, 134  pages,  containing  the  autographs 
of  many  of  its  members.— Collections,  vol.  3,  p.  51. 


272  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Such  a  boat  had  a  carrying  capacity  of  ten  to  twenty  tons,  a  draft  of 
thirty  inches  light,  and  cost,  usually,  from  $2000  to  $3000.  Amidship  was 
the  cabin,  extending  four  or  five  feet  above  the  hull,  in  which  was  stored 
the  cargo  of  Indian  merchandise.  On  each  side  of  the  cabin  was  a  narrow 
walk,  called  by  the  French  ''passe-a-vant,"  on  which  the  boatmen  walked 
in  pushing  the  boat  along  with  poles.  The  appliances  used  for  ascending 
the  river  were  the  cordelle,  the  pole,  the  oar,  and  the  sail.i3^  The  cordelle 
was  a  line,  sometimes  300  yards  long,  which  was  fastened  to  the  top  of 
the  mast  extending  from  the  center  of  the  boat.  The  boat  was  pulled 
along  by  this  line  by  a  long  string  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  men,  who  walked 
along  the  shore.  When  an  obstacle  was  encountered  which  prevented  the 
men  from  walking  along  the  bank,  the  line  was  made  fast  to  some  object  on 
the  shore,  and  she  was  pulled  up  by  the  men  on  the  boat  pulling  on  the  line. 
This  process  was  called  "warping."  There  were  shallow  places  along  the 
river  where  it  became  necessary  to  use  the  poles,  and  in  such  places  they 
were  resorted  to.  The  oars  came  into  use  when  it  became  necessary  to 
cross  from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other,  as  it  frequently  did. 

The  crew  of  a  keel-boat,  in  the  fur  trade  called  a  "brigade,"  frequently 
consisted  of  as  many  as  100  men,  although  this  number  included  many  hunt- 
ers and  trappers  en  route  to  the  mountains,  who  were  not  regular  boat- 
men. They  went  well  armed,  and  every  boat  carried  on  her  bow  a  small 
cannon,  called  a  "swivel."  The  captain  of  the  boat,  called  the  "patroh," 
did  the  steering,  and  his  assistant,  called  the  "bosseman, "  stood  on  the 
bow,  pole  in  hand,  and  gave  directions  to  the  men  at  the  cordelle.  It  was 
necessary  that  these  officers  should  be  men  of  great  energy,  physical 
strength,  and  personal  courage.  The  sail  was  seldom  used,  except  in  the 
upper  river,  where  the  absence  of  timber  rendered  the  wind  available. 

It  required  nearly  the  entire  boating  season  to  make  a  trip  to  the  Yellow- 
stone, and,  as  may  well  be  imagined,  the  labor  was  most  arduous.  If  a  dis- 
tance of  fifteen  miles  a  day  was  made  it  was  considered  a  good  day's  work. 
It  was  push  and  pull,  through  rain  and  storm,  from  daylight  to  dark;  and  it 
is  exceedingly  doubtful  if  men  could  be  hired  at  any  price  at  this  day  to 
perform  such  laborious  work.  The  rations  furnished  consisted  of  pork  and 
beans  and  lye  hominy,  and  from  this  allowance  the  pork  was  cut  off  when 
game  could  be  procured  by  the  hunters.     There  was  no  coffee  and  no  bread. 

The  boatmen  employed  on  these  voyages  were  French  Canadians  and 
Creoles,  and  many  of  them  were  offshoots  from  the  coureurs  des  bois.^^e 
These  were  in  some  respects  different  f i-om  their  progenitors,  for  they  were 
a  hard-working,  obedient,  cheerful  class,  and  were  happy  and  contented 
under  the  most  discouraging  circumstances.  They  constituted  a  peculiar 
and  interesting  type  of  pioneer  life  on  the  Missouri  river,  now,  like  the 
woodsmen,  entirely  extinct.  Many  of  the  sons  of  these  early  river-men  be- 
came pilots  on  the  first  steamboats  on  the  river,  and  their  sons,  following 
the  occupation  of  their  fathers,  stood  their  "trick  at  the  wheel"  as  long  as 
there  was  a  steamboat  on  the  river. 

In  the  spring  of  1811  there  occurred  on  the  Missouri  river  the  strangest 

Note  135.— Frederick  Chouteau  describes  the  keel-boat,  and  its  use  by  him  on  the  Kansas 
river  in  the  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  pp,  424,  428;  see,  also,  Chittenden's  American 
Fur  Trade,  p.  32. 

Note  136.  — Wallace's  Illinois  and  Louisiana  under  French  Rule,  pp.  118-195 ;  Coues's  Expedi- 
tions of  Zebulon  M.  Pike,  p.  27(5. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  273 

race  ever  run  on  any  river  in  the  West.  It  was  a  race  between  two  keel- 
boats  from  St.  Louis  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  a  distance  of  1790 
miles. 

John  Jacob  Astor  was  then  preparing  to  establish  his  trading-post,  As- 
toria, at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river,  and  in  addition  to  an  expedition 
sent  by  sea,  around  Cape  Horn,  'had  projected  another  up  to  the  Missouri 
river,  to  cross  over  the  mountains  and  join  the  first  on  the  Pacific.  The 
latter  was  to  be  under  the  command  of  Wilson  Price  Hunt,  a  partner  of 
Astor.  Hunt  wintered  on  the  Missouri  river,  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  stream 
called  Nodaway,  a  little  above  the  site  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  set  off  up  the 
river  from  this  camp  April  21, 1811.  Manuel  Lisa,  the  pioneer  fur-trader,  who 
had  built  the  first  house,  i-''  a  trading  establishment,  in  what  is  now  Montana, 
was  in  command  of  a  boat  belonging  to  an  opposition  company.  He  felt 
that  it  was  important  for  him  to  overtake  Hunt  and  travel  in  his  company, 
for  mutual  protection  in  passing  the  Sioux  country.  He  also  felt  some  anxi- 
ety as  to  whether  two  of  Hunt's  companions,  rival  traders  on  the  Missouri 
a  previous  season,  and  whom  he  had  served  a  scurvy  trick,  might  not 
incite  some  of  his  Indian  patrons  against  him.  Hunt,  in  his  turn,  doubt- 
ing Lisa's  protestations  of  friendship,  and  sympathizing  with  his  companions, 
made  all  haste  to  prevent  being  overtaken.  Lisa  left  St.  Louis  April  2, 
and  by  great  exertion  overtook  Hunt  at  the  Great  Bend  of  the  Missouri, 
now  in  Lyman  county.  South  Dakota,  on  June  2,  after  traveling  1100  miles, 
or  about  two-thirds  the  distance  to  the  Yellowstone.  He,  therefore,  made 
1100  miles  in  61  days,  an  average  of  18  miles  a  day.  The  voyage  was  con- 
sidered a  most  remarkable  one  and  the  time  was  never  beaten  on  the  Mis- 
souri river  by  a  keel-boat,  i"*  The  two  parties  continued  up  the  river  to 
the  Aricara  village ;  and  the  race  finally  terminated  in  a  better  feeling 
between  the  patrons  and  crews  on  the  rival  boats. 

It  is  impossible,  in  this  age  of  steam  and  electricity,  for  any  one  unac- 
quainted with  the  character  of  the  Missouri  river  to  comprehend  the  diffi- 
culties of  such  a  voyage  as  these  boats  made  in  1811.  At  the  break  of  day 
the  horn  of  the  patron  called  the  men  to  the  cordelle,  and  from  that  time 
till  dark  they  tugged  along  the  shore;  half  bent,  wading  in  water,  scramb- 
ling over  rocks  and  through  brambles  and  brush,  they  pulled  the  boat 
against  the  swift  current,  until  at  last  the  glistening  snow  on  the  peaks  of 
the  Rockies  gave  assurance  that  they  were  approaching  their  journey's  end. 

The  mackinaw  boat  was  made  entirely  of  cottonwood  plank  about  two 
inches  thick;  it  was  about  fifty  to  sixty  feet  long,  with  twelve- foot  beam, 
and  had  a  flat  bottom.  The  gunwales  arose  about  three  feet  above  the 
water-Hne  amidship,  and  increased  in  height  toward  the  bow  and  stern.  In 
the  bottom  of  the  boat  were  stringers,  running  fore  and  aft,  and  to  these  were 
spiked  the  bottom  plank,  in  the  first  years  with  wooden  pins,  but  later  with 
iron  nails.  The  sides,  which  were  also  of  plank,  were  supported  by  knees, 
at  proper  distances.  The  keel  showed  a  rake  of  thirty  inches,  fore  and  aft, 
and  the  hold  had  a  depth  of  four  feet  amidship  and  about  five  feet  on  the 
bow  and  stern. 

In  the  middle  of  the  boat  was  a  space  partitioned  oflt  with  bulkheads. 

Note  137.— Historical  Society  of  Montana  Contributions,  vol.  2.  p.  120. 

Note  138.— Bradbury's  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  America,  editions  of  1819  and  1904  ;  Irving's 
Astoria.  1836 ;  Breckenridge's  Views  of  Louisiana,  Pittsburgh,  1814. 

-18 


274  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

similar  to  the  cargo-box  of  the  keel-boat,  which  has  been  described.  In 
this  was  stored  the  cargo  of  furs,  put  up  in  bales,  which  extended  several 
feet  above  the  gunwales.  The  entire  cargo,  consisting  of  beaver  and  other 
valuable  furs,  was  then  covered  over  with  buffalo  skins,  securely  fastened 
to  the  gunwales  by  cleats.  The  poop  deck,  on  which  the  steersman  stood, 
was  used  as  quarters  for  the  men.  The  voyage  was  always  made  on  the 
June  rise,  and  as  the  current  was  then  swift,  and  there  was  no  danger  from 
sand-bars,  a  distance  of  100  miles  per  day  was  made.  A  crew  of  five  men 
was  all  that  was  necessary,  as  the  boat  simply  floated  down  with  the  current. 
The  only  danger  anticipated  was  from  the  snags  in  the  bends  and  the  In- 
dians, and  these  had  to  be  carefully  guarded  against.  For  mutual  protec- 
tion, the  mackinaw  boats  usually  went  down  in  fleets  of  from  six  to  twelve, 
but  it  was  not  unusual  for  a  single  boat  to  make  the  long  voyage  alone.  A 
trip  down  the  Missouri  river  was  to  the  mountaineer  an  event  of  a  lifetime 
and  one  never  forgotten.  They  have  been  described  by  such  early  travelers 
as  Catlin,  Wyeth,  Brackenridge,  Lewis  and  Clark,  De  Smet,  and  others. 

As  the  mackinaw  boat  was  only  intended  for  a  single  voyage  down  the 
river,  they  were  cheaply  built.  There  was  near  every  large  trading-post  on 
the  river  a  boat-yard,  called  by  the  French  a  "chantier, "  where  the  lumber 
was  gotten  out  and  the  boat  constructed.  There  were  no  sawmills  in  the 
upper  country  in  that  day,  and  the  lumber  was  sawed  out  with  a  whip-saw. 
It  was  a  tedious  process,  but  answered  the  purpose.   ' '" 

In  the  spring  of  1845,  as  a  barefooted  boy,  the  writer  stood  on  the  bank 
of  the  Missouri,  opposite  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  and  saw  what  was  probably 
the  last  mackinaw  boat  pass  down  and  out  of  the  river.  There  were  ten 
or  twelve  boats  in  the  fleet,  and,  as  they  passed  at  intervals  of  half  an 
hour  or  more,  they  were  all  the  morning  in  view.  It  was  the  last  of  this 
primitive  mode  of  navigation  in  the  fur  trade  on  the  Missouri  river.  The 
steamboat  had  supplanted  the  keel-boat  in  the  up-river  fur  trade  in  1832, 
but  it  never  entirely  supplanted  the  mackinaw  boat  while  the  trade  contin- 
ued, for  that  craft  furnished  the  cheapest  transportation,  in  this  particular 
trade,  for  down-stream  navigation,  ever  devised. 

In  following  the  evolution  that  has  taken  place  in  the  navigation  of  the 
Missouri  river,  we  come  at  last  to  the  steamboat,  the  par  excellence  of  all 
water  crafts  on  Western  rivers. 

The  new  craft  came  none  too  soon  to  supply  the  rapidly  increasing  de- 
mand for  transportation  in  the  West;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  coincidence 
that  the  same  year,  1807,  in  which  the  first  Anglo-American  settlement 
was  made  on  the  Missouri,  i^"  witnessed  the  successful  application  of  steam, 
as  a  motive  power,  on  the  Hudson.  The  settlement  of  the  country  along 
the  Missouri  river  was  greatly  retarded,  for  several  years  after  the  Louisiana 
purchase,  by  continual  conflicts  with  the  Indians;  and  it  was  not  until  after 
the  war  of  1812,  and  the  conclusion  of  treaties  of  peace  with  the  various  hostile 
tribes,  that  immigration  from  the  older  states  began  to  flow  into  the  new 
territory.  Previous  to  the  advent  of  these  pioneers,  the  pirogue,  the  bat- 
teau  and  the  keel-boat  had  been  sufficient  to  supply  the  limited  wants  of 

Note  139.— Chittenden  describes  this  boat  in  his  American  Fur  Trade,  p.  34. 

Note  140.— "In  1807  a  few  American  families  located  on  Loutre  island  (in  the  Missouri 
river,  a  few  miles  below  the  present  town  of  Hermann  ).  at  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  the 
small  French  settlement  at  Cote  sans  Dessein.  the  'far  West'  of  the  new  world."— Barns's  Com- 
monwealth of  Missouri,  p.  173. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  275 

the  fur-trader,  but  the  time  had  now  come,  with  the  change  of  government, 
the  arrival  of  the  Anglo-Saxon,  and  the  rapid  advancement  of  civilization, 
when  better  facilities  were  demanded  by  the  growing  commerce  of  the 
West.  The  surplus  products  of  the  alluvial  soil  must  find  transportation  to 
the  markets  of  the  world.  Without  such  facilities  the  settlement  of  the 
country  would  have  been  retarded  many  years,  and  the  rapid  development 
which  did  occur,  would  not  have  been  witnessed.  The  steamboat  was 
destined  to  supply  this  want,  and  proved  the  great  factor,  not  only  in  the 
development  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  but  in  revolutionizing  the  commerce 
of  the  world. 

For  several  years,  foreseeing  the  urgent  need  of  additional  transporta- 
tion, especially  on  inland  waters,  the  inventive  genius  of  the  American 
mind  had  been  engaged  in  an  endeavor  to  supply  this  want  by  applying 
steam  as  a  motive  power  to  river  craft.  As  early  as  1736  Jonathan  Hulls, 
an  Englishman,  had  made  some  experiments  along  this  line,  but  had  failed. 
The  first  attempt  made  in  this  country  was  by  James  Rumsey.  He  was  so 
far  successful  as  to  construct  a  steamboat,  which  he  propelled  on  the  Po- 
tomac river  in  1786  at  the  rate  of  four  or  five  miles  an  hour,  but  the  experi- 
ment, for  some  reason,  proved  a  failure.  Others  during  the  same  period 
were  endeavoring  to  accomplish  the  same  object— Symington,  in  Scotland, 
John  Stevens,  at  New  York,  and  Oliver  Evans,  at  Philadelphia.  Each  par- 
tially succeeded,  but  all  failed,  either  from  the  want  of  proper  facilities  for 
manufacturing  the  machinery,  from  a  proper  conception  of  the  application 
of  the  power  of  steam,  or  more  likely  from  the  want  of  sufficient  means  to 
advantageously  prosecute  their  experiments.  Without  an  exception,  having 
exhausted  their  resources,  they  died  poor. 

In  1786,  the  same  year  in  which  Rumsey  was  experimenting  on  the  Po- 
tomac, John  Fitch,  a  Connecticut  Yankee,  was  making  similar  experiments 
on  the  Delaware  ;  and  was  so  far  successful  that  in  1788  he  built  a  boat  that 
ran  at  a  speed  of  eight  miles  an  hour  on  that  stream.  He,  however,  like 
his  coworkers,  finally  failed  for  want  of  sufficient  means  to  carry  forward 
his  efforts  to  a  successful  termination.  He  died  a  pauper,  and  the  follow- 
ing record,  found  in  his  diary,  after  his  death,  is  pathetic.  He  said:  "The 
day  will  come  when  some  more  powerful  man  will  get  fame  and  riches  from 
my  invention ;  but  nobody  will  believe  that  poor  John  Fitch  can  do  anything 
worthy  of  attention." 

The  dying  prediction  of  John  Fitch  proved  prophetic.  A  young  mechan- 
ical genius  of  Philadelphia,  Robert  Fulton,  came  into  possession  of  Fitch's 
plans  and  drawings,  and,  with  the  financial  assistance  of  Chancellor  Robert 
R.  Livingston,  of  New  York,  who  became  associated  with  him,  carried  into 
practical  effect  the  ideas  and  plans  of  the  man  who  was,  in  fact,  the  in- 
ventor of  the  steamboat.  The  world  has  given  to  Fulton  the  honor  which 
justly  belongs  to  the  unfortunate  genius  whose  ashes  repose  at  Bardstown, 
Ky.,  where  he  was  buried  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  During  his  lifetime  he 
had  expressed  his  desire  to  be  buried  there,  that,  as  he  said:  "The  future 
traveler  on  that  stream  may  point  to  my  grave  and  say:  'There  lies  the  man 
who  invented  the  steamboat.'  "  '■" 

It  was  in  August,  1807,  that  the  Clermont,  Fulton's  boat,  made  her  first 
successful  trip  on  the  Hudson;    and  from  that  day  and  that  trip  steamboat 

Note  141.- Justice  to  the  Memory  of  John  Fitch,  by  Chas.  Whittlesey.  Cincinnati,  1845. 


276  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

navigation  became  an  assured  fact  and  the  trade  and  travel  of  the  world 
entered  on  a  new  era. 

The  complete  success  attending  steam  navigation  on  the  Hudson  imme- 
diately turned  the  attention  of  the  principal  projectors  and  others  to  its 
application  on  the  Western  rivers,  and,  in  1809,  Nicholas  J.  Roosevelt,  a 
relative  of  President  Roosevelt,  who  had  become  associated  with  Fulton  and 
Livingston,  went  to  Pittsburg  and  there  built  a  boat,  called  the  New  Or- 
leans. The  history  of  this  boat,  the  first  built  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  is 
interesting.  She  was  a  lubberly  craft,  propelled  by  a  wheel  at  the  stern, 
138-foot  keel,  20-foot  beam,  and  had  a  measurement  of  about  400  tons.  She 
had  two  small  cabins  in  the  hold,  one  aft  for  ladies  and  one  forward  for 
gentlemen,  and  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $38,000.  Before  building  the  boat 
Captain  Roosevelt  constructed  a  flatboat  and  went  down  the  river  to  New 
Orleans,  for  the  purpose  of  determining  if  his  steamboat  could  stem  the 
current  of  the  Mississippi.  He  then  returned,  and  began  her  construction  in 
1810.  In  was  not  until  the  latter  part  of  October,  1811,  that  the  New  Or- 
leans cast  off  her  moorings  at  Pittsburg.  As  she  proceeded  down  the  river 
her  appearance  created  a  mixture  of  fear  and  surprise  among  the  settlers 
along  the.jbanks,  many  of  whom  had  never  heard  of  such  an  invention  as  a 
steamboat.  The  vessel  reached  Louisville,  a  distance  of  678  miles,  in  sixty- 
four  hours.  She  was  detained  above  the  falls  because  of  low  water  until 
December,  and  passed  New  Madrid,  Mo.,  on  the  night  of  December  16,  just 
as  the  first  shock  of  the  great  earthquake"-  occurred,  the  most  astounding 
convulsion  of  nature  ever  known  in  the  West.  Finally,  after  a  long  and 
tedious  voyage,  she  arrived  at  the  city  of  New  Orleans.  She  ran  between 
Natchez  and  New  Orleans  at  a  profit  to  her  owners  until  July  14,  1814,  when 
she  was  snagged  near  Baton  Rouge  and  sank.  !■*' 

While  other  boats  of  crude  and  imperfect  construction  followed  the  New 
Orleans,  such  is  the  velocity  of  the  current  in  the  Mississippi  that  it  was  not 
until  1815  that  sufficient  improvement  had  been  made  in  their  machinery  as 
to  enable  them  to  overcome  this  obstruction  to  navigation.  In  that  year  the 
Enterprise  made  the  first  successful  trip  up  the  river.  She  left  New  Orleans 
on  May  6,  and  arrived  at  Louisville  on  the  31st,  making  the  voyage  in  twenty- 
five  days;  a  remarkable  achievement  in  that  day.'" 

Owing  to  the  difficulty  that  has  been  referred  to,  the  swift  current  of 
the  Mississippi,  it  was  not  until  1817  that  any  steamboat  succeeded  in  ascend- 
ing that  stream  above  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  On  August  2,  1817,  the 
steamer  Zebulon  M.  Pike,  a  side-wheeler,  came  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis, 
being  the  first  steamboat  to  land  at  that  place.  Her  arrival  was  attended 
with  great  demonstrations  of  joy  among  the  inhabitants,  who  justly  con- 
sidered the  event  as  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the  destinies  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley,  i^'' 

It  was  not  until  1819  that  any  attempt  was  made  to  navigate  the  Mis- 

NOTE  142.— The  Navigator.  Pittsburg-,  12th  ed.,  1824,  p.  234. 

Note  143.— The  Navigator.  Pittsburg.  12th  ed.,  1824,  p.  27:  also,  in  Scharf's  History  of  St. 
Louis,  p.  1094 ;  Niles's  Weekly  Register.  May  21,  1814,  p.  197 ;  Cist's  Cincinnati  Miscellany,  1845, 
vol.  1,  pp.  150,  157:  Lloyd's  Steamboat  Directory.  1856,  p.  41. 

Note  144.— Built  at  Brownsville,  Pa.,  1814,  Cist's  Cincinnati  Miscellany,  p.  151.  For  further 
information,  see  Niles's  Register,  1814,  p.  320 ;  1815,  pp.  320,  404 ;  also,  Lloyd's  Steamboat  Direct- 
ory, p.  43. 

Note  145.— Scharf's  History  of  St.  Louis.  1883,  vol.  2,  p.  1096:  Chittenden's  American  Fur 
Trade,  vol.  1,  p.  106. 


A  Histo7^y  of  the  Missouri  River,  277 

souri  river  by  steam.  The  voyageurs  and  traders  up  that  stream  had  given 
it  as  their  opinion  that  the  tortuous  channel,  the  strong  current,  and  the 
innumerable  snags  and  sand-bars  would  render  steam  navigation  impossible. 
Such,  however,  were  the  increasing  demands  of  commerce  that  Col.  Elias 
Rector  and  others,  of  St.  Louis,  in  the  spring  of  that  year,  chartered  a 
steamboat  called  the  Independence,  John  Nelson,  master,  to  make  a  voyage 
to  old  Chariton,  the  name  of  a  town  then  located  near  the  town  of  Glasgow, 
Mo.,  but  which  has  long  since  disappeared  from  the  maps.  The  Independ- 
ence left  St.  Louis  May  15,  1819,  and  arrived  at  old  Franklin,  another  town 
now  abandoned,  on  the  28th.  She  continued  her  voyage  to  Chariton,  and  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis  June  5.  It  was  a  slow  and  tedious  voyage,  but  it  solved 
the  question  of  navigating  the  Missouri  river  by  steamboat.  •*« 

During  the  same  year  a  fleet  of  steamboats  arrived  at  St.  Louis  intended 
for  a  voyage  up  the  Missouri  river— the  first  Yellowstone  expedition.  This 
undertaking,  which  was  partly  military  and  partly  scientific,  the  troops 
being  in  charge  of  Col.  Henry  Atkinson,  is  known  in  history  as  "Long's  ex- 
pedition," from  the  name  of  Maj.  Stephen  H.  Long,  an  army  officer,  who 
had  charge  of  the  scientific  party.  The  instructions  were  to  proceed  up  the 
river  as  far  as  the  Yellowstone,  to  ascertain  if  the  upper  river  could  be 
navigated  by  steamboats,  and  also  to  establish  military  posts.  It  was  in- 
tended to  make  a  grand  military  display,  and  thus,  by  overawing  the  north- 
ern Indians,  withdraw  them  from  the  influence  of  the  British,  who  were  then 
contending  for  the  fur  trade  in  that  region. 

The  names  of  the  four  steamboats  which  constituted  the  fleet  were 
Thomas  Jefferson,  R.  M.  Johnson,  Expedition,  and  Western  Engineer,  the 
latter  being  in  charge  of  Major  Long.  The  Jefferson  struck  a  snag  in  Osage 
chute,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Osage,  and  sank,'^'  being  the  first  steamboat  of 
the  many  wrecked  on  the  Missouri  river.  The  Western  Engineer  had  been 
built  expressly  for  this  expedition,  and  from  her  unique  construction  is 
worthy  of  a  description.  She  was  a  small  stern-wheeler,  seventy-five  feet 
long,  thirteen  feet  beam,  and  drew  nineteen  inches  light.  She  was  intended 
to  impress  the  Indians  with  awe,  and  there  is  no  doubt  she  did  so.  On  her 
bow,  running  from  her  keelson  forward,  was  the  escape-pipe,  made  in  imi- 
tation of  a  huge  serpent,  painted  black,  and  its  mouth  and  tongue  painted 
a  fiery  red.  The  steam  escaped  from  the  mouth  of  the  serpent,  and  we  can 
readily  imagine  that  the  Indian  who  saw  this  wonderful  piece  of  marine 
mechanism  recognized  in  it  the  power  of  the  great  Manitou.'^* 

There  is  a  difference  of  statement  among  the  various  writers  as  to  the 
movements  of  the  boats  of  this  expedition.  James's  account  of  Long's  ex- 
pedition may  be  relied  upon  for  those  of  the  Western  Engineer,  which  left 
St.  Louis  June  21,  reached  Cow  island  or  Cantonment  Martin  '^''  August  18, 
and  finally  arrived  at  Council  Bluffs  on  the  17th  of  September,  i'"     The  Thomas 

Note  146.— Barns's  Commonwealth  of  Missouri,  1877,  p.  199:  Scharf's  History  of  St.  Louis, 
1883,  p.  1100;  Chittenden's  American  Fur  Trade,  vol.  1,  p.  106;  Niles's  Register.  July  10.  1819,  p. 
336. 

Note   147.— Paxton's  Annals  of  Platte  County,  p.  5. 

Note  148.—  Niles's  Register,  July  24.  1819.  p.  368  ;  Barns's  Commonwealth  of  Missouri,  p.  200  ; 
Scharf's  History  of  St.  Louis,  vol.  1,  p.  1099. 

Note  149.—  Cantonment  Martin,  the  first  United  States  military  post  established  on  the  Mis- 
souri west  of  the  Kaw,  was  located  on  an  island  below  Atchison,  Kan.,  called  by  the  French 
"  Isle  au  Vache."  and  by  the  Americans  "Cow  Island." 

Note  150.— Thwaites'  Western  Travels,  vol.  14,  preface;  Niles's  Register,  July  31,  1819,  p. 
377. 


278  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Jefferson,  R.  M.  Johnson  and  Expedition  left  St.  Louis  July  5,  and  the  last 
two  seem  to  have  reached  Cow  island  in  the  latter  part  of  August. '^i 

On  their  arrival  at  Cow  Island  the  Expedition  and  Johnson  tied  up,  and 
the  troops  went  into  winter  quarters.  As  these  boats  were  found  to  be  en- 
tirely unfit  for  the  river  they  returned  to  St.  Louis  in  the  spring.  The  West- 
ern Engineer,  which  proved  to  be  the  only  boat  of  the  fleet  at  all  adapted  to  the 
navigation  of  the  river,  although  she  could  make  only  three  miles  an  hour  up- 
stream, proceeded  up  the  river,  and  on  the  17th  of  September  arrived  at  Fort 
Lisa,  a  trading-post  established  by  Manuel  Lisa  in  1812,  about  five  miles  be- 
low Council  Bluffs.  "5-  Here  she  also  went  into  winter  quarters,  and  returned 
to  St.  Louis  in  the  following  spring.  It  having  become  apparent  that  the 
marine  part  of  the  expedition  was  an  unqualified  failure,  the  river  was 
abandoned,  and  Major  Long,  with  his  company  of  scientists,  went  overland 
to  the  Platte.  The  machinery  of  the  boats  was  so  imperfectly  constructed 
that  it  was  continually  breaking,  and,  besides,  the  boats,  excepting  the  En- 
gineer, were  so  slow  and  drew  so  much  water  that  but  little  headway  could 
be  made.  To  the  little  Engineer,  however,  belongs  the  distinction  of  being 
the  first  steamboat  to  ascend  the  river  as  far  as  Council  Bluffs. i'^' 

From  the  sparsely  settled  condition  of  the  country,  the  limited  demand 
for  transportation,  and  the  diflRculties  of  navigation,  there  were  but  few 
steamboats  on  the  Missouri  river  previous  to  1840.  Side-wheelers  were  the 
favorites  then,  and  have  ever  been  since,  as  they  were  more  easily  handled 
in  a  swift,  crooked  channel,  among  snags.  The  boats  in  use  during  this 
period  were  heavy,  clumsy  craft,  built  of  strong  timbers,  and  were  usually 
from  100  to  130  feet  in  length,  twenty  to  thirty  feet  beam,  and  six  to  seven 
feet  hold.  But  little  attention  was  paid  to  the  model,  and  they  drew,  with 
an  ordinary  cargo,  from  three  to  five  feet. ''"^  They  carried  a  single  engine, 
with  one  or  two  boilers.  Of  course,  with  such  heavy  draft  and  imperfect 
machinery,  the  progress  of  such  boats  up-stream  was  exceedingly  slow;  in- 
deed, they  did  not  make  more  than  five  or  six  miles  an  hour,  and  the  puffing 
of  the  steam  from  their  escape-pipes  could  be  heard  for  miles.  There  were 
no  steam-whistles  in  that  day;  they  were  not  invented  until  1844,  nor  were 
they  needed  on  those  primitive  boats. 

During  the  period  from  1820  to  1840  the  entire  traffic  on  the  lower  river 
was  confined  to  the  towns,  the  Santa  Fe  trade  at  Westport  Landing,  now 
Kansas  City,  and  the  government  trade  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  As  early 
as  1829  155  there  was  a  regular  packet  between  St.  Louis  and  the  latter  place. 

Note  151.— Judge  W.  B.  Napton.  of  Marshall,  Mo.,  has  in  his  possession  a  number  of  old  let- 
ters written  by  Captain  Martin,  Col.  John  O'Fallon,  General  Atkinson,  and  other  officers  of  this 
expedition,  at  different  points  on  the  river,  to  Gen.  Thomas  A.  Smith,  the  general  in  command  of 
the  district,  who  was  then  at  Franklin,  and  who,  Mr.  Napton  says,  died  on  his  estate,  in  Saline 
county,  Missouri,  in  1844.  From  this  correspondence  the  following  extracts  are  made:  "The 
Engineer  passed  St.  Charles  four  days  since."—  Letter  of  John  O'Fallon  to  Gen.  T.  A.  Smith. 
June  28,  1819.  "  St.  Louis.  July  7,  1819.  The  residue  of  troops  embarked  on  board  of  the  steam- 
boats Johnston.  Jefferson,  and  Expedition,  and  four  keel-boats,  on  the  5th.  and  short  of  St. 
Charles  the  two  first  were  badly  grounded,  and  't  is  probable  that  ere  this  that  the  last  is  in  the 
same  predicament  ;  the  river  is  falling.  Colonel  Atkinson  is  here  and  believes  that  these  boats,  in 
the  present  state  of  the  water,  cannot  navigate  the  Mis.souri."  — O'Fallon.  "September  3,  1819. 
The  steamboat  Expedition  arrived  a  few  days  ago.  ...  It  seems  that  the  steamboats  are  not 
to  go  further  unless  perhaps  the  Johnston,  which  has  not  reached  this  place.  The  last  accounts 
from  her  she  was  below  the  channel  bar."— Willoughby  Morgan. 

Note  1.52.— Thwaites'  Long's  Expedition,  vol.  1,  p.  221. 

Note  153.  -  See  Niles's  Register,  July  24.  1819,  p.  368.  Also  Missouri  Intelligencer,  June,  1819. 
Transactions  of  the  Nebraska  State  Historical  Society,  vol.  4,  p.  20. 

Note  154.—  Chittenden's  La  Barge,  p.  111. 

Note  155. —  Paxton,  in  his  Platte  County  Annals,  says:  "Prior  to  1830  only  an  occasional 
steamer  ventured  up  the  dangerous  Missouri." 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River. 


279 


280  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

which  continued  in  the  trade  for  several  years.  There  were  no  settlements 
above,  except  at  St.  Joseph  and  Council  Bluffs.  There  was  but  httle  travel 
on  the  river  during  that  period,  and  the  modern  cabin  was  not  adopted  until 
1836.  Previous  to  that  time  the  usual  accommodations  for  passengers  and 
crew  were  the  two  small  cabins  placed  in  the  hull  of  the  boat.  During  1831 
there  were  only  five  regular  boats  on  the  Missouri  river,  but  by  1836  the 
number  had  increased,  so  rapidly  had  the  country  become  settled,  to  fifteen 
or  twenty,  which  made  thirty-five  round  trips  to  Boonville  and  Glasgow. '^e 

About  1840  the  rapidly  increasing  population  along  the  Missouri  river 
caused  a  corresponding  demand  for  additional  transportation  facilities.  A 
better  class  of  boats  was  built;  full-length  cabins  were  adopted,  and  double 
engines,  with  a  battery  of  boilers,  in  place  of  the  single  engine,  one-boiler 
"dingey."  Great  improvements  were  also  made  in  the  model  of  the  hull, 
and  they  were  so  constructed  as  to  have  the  same  carrying  capacity  and 
draw  much  less  water.  The  same  inventive  genius  that  had  invented  the 
steamboat  was  continually  making  improvements,  both  in  the  machinery 
and  hull,  so  as  to  add  to  the  speed  of  the  boat  and  also  increase  her  carrying 
capacity. 

During  the  year  1842  there  were  twenty-six  steamboats  engaged  regu- 
larly in  the  lower  river  trade.  They  were  a  much  better  class  of  boats  than 
were  formerly  built,  and  were  generally  from  140  to  160  feet  long,  about  30 
feet  beam,  and  a  6-foot  hold.  They  had  full-length  cabins  and  side  wheels. 
There  were  312  arrivals  and  departures  from  Glasgow  during  the  year,  and 
the  latan,  the  regular  Glasgow  packet,  made  twenty-four  weekly  trips  from 
St.  Louis.  During  the  season,  46,000  tons  of  different  kinds  of  freight  were 
transported.!" 

The  fur  trade  had  so  increased  by  1830  as  to  require  a  better  method  of 
transportation,  and,  besides,  such  improvements  had  been  made  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  steamboat  as  to  lead  the  fur  companies  to  believe  that  they 
could  successfully  be  used  in  navigating  the  upper  river  as  well  as  the  lower. 
In  1831  Pierre  Chouteau,  who  was  then  at  the  head  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  built  a  boat  called  the  Yellowstone,  intended  for  the  mountain 
trade.  She  was  130  feet  long,  19  feet  beam,  6-foot  hold;  good  model;  side 
wheel;  single  engine,  two  chimneys;  fly-wheel;  ladies'  cabin  in  the  stern 
hold;  boiler  decks  open;  no  hurricane  roof;  pilot-house  elevated;  and  drew 
six  feet,  loaded  to  seventy-five  tons.  The  Yellowstone  left  St.  Louis  April 
16,  1831,  on  her  maiden  voyage,  and  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Bad  river,  in 
South  Dakota,  on  June  19.  After  discharging  her  cargo  of  Indian  goods 
she  took  in  a  cargo  of  furs  and  buffalo-robes  and  returned  to  St.  Louis, 
where  she  arrived  July  15.  She  was  the  first  boat  to  ascend  the  Missouri 
river  above  Council  Bluffs. '■'"'^ 

In  the  following  year,  1832,  the  Yellowstone  made  her  second  trip  "to 
the  mountains,"  as  the  old  river  men  always  called  the  upper  Missouri, 
reaching  Fort  Union,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  about  June  17.  On 
her  return  she  arrived  at  St.  Louis  on  July  7.  She  was  the  first  steamboat 
to  ascend  the  Missouri  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  demonstrated 

Note  156. — ""  The  steamboat  arrivals  ascending  the  Missouri  river  at  Boonville.  in  1831,  were 
only  five.  In  the  year  18.36.  on  the  20th  of  September,  the  arrivals  at  the  same  port  liad  amounted 
to  more  than  seventy."  — Wetmore's  Gazetteer  of  Missouri,  p.  69. 

Note  157.—  Missouri  Intelligencer  and  Patriot. 

Note  158. —  Chittenden's  American  Fur  Trade,  p.  339. 


A  History  of  the  Missou7'i  River.  281 

what  Major  Long  had  attempted  to  establish,  that  the  upper  Missouri  was 
navigable  by  steamboats  as  high  up  as  that  river.  The  Yellowstone  made 
two  trips  during  the  year  1833.  The  preceding  year  will  be  ever  memora- 
ble as  that  in  which  the  Asiatic  cholera  first  made  its  appearance  in  the 
United  States. i^"  The  terrible  scourge  followed  the  watercourses,  where 
at  that  day  the  population  dwelt,  and,  in  proportion  to  the  inhabitants,  was 
more  fatal  than  it  has  ever  been  since.  In  1833  there  was  a  recurrence  of 
the  plague,  which  the  Yellowstone  did  not  escape.  That  year  she  made  two 
trips.  Prince  Maximilian's  party  ascending  the  river  on  the  first,  leaving  St. 
Louis  on  April  10  and  arriving  at  Fort  Pierre  May  30.'«"  The  prince  then 
changed  his  quarters  to  the  steamer  Assiniboine,  which  had  also  ascended 
that  spring.  The  Yellowstone  immediately  returned  to  St.  Louis  with  a 
load  of  furs  and  began  her  second  voyage.  By  the  time  she  arrived  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kaw  half  of  her  crew  were  dead.  There  was  no  Kansas  City 
there  then,  but  only  a  landing  at  Chouteau's  trading-post,  just  below  the 
present  city. 

It  being  impossible  to  proceed  further  with  a  diminished  crew,  Captain 
Bennett,  the  commander,  manned  the  yawl  with  a  few  men  and  returned  to 
St.  Louis  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  an  additional  crew.  During  his  ab- 
sence the  boat  was  left  in  charge  of  Joseph  La  Barge,  then  eighteen  years 
of  age,  who  was  just  beginning  his  long  career  of  more  than  fifty  years  as 
a  steamboat  man  on  the  Missouri  river.  Alarm  soon  spread  among  the  in- 
habitants who  were  then  living  near  the  landing,  and  created  such  conster- 
nation that  they  threatened  to  burn  the  boat.'"     La  Barge,  perceiving  the 

Note  159.  -Cholera  first  visited  the  western  United  States  in  1832,  through  emigrants  from 
Ireland  by  way  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  epidemic  rapidly  spread  up  that  river  and  the  lakes, 
from  Chicago  to  the  troops  at  Rock  Island  and  Jefferson  barracks,  and  down  the  Mississippi  river. 
(  Dr.  John  M.  Woodworth,  "Cholera  Epidemic  of  1873,"  U.  S.  Ho.,  Ex.  Doc,  No.  95.  43d  Cong.,  2d 
sess.,  p.  563.)  Niles's  Register,  August  25, 1832.  p.  452,  states  that  "  the  cholera  was  prevaihng  at 
St.  Louis  at  our  latest  dates,"  and  in  the  issue  for  December  1,  p.  226,  that  St.  Louis  was  practically 
free  from  cholera.  The  disease  also  spread  among  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  and  this  issue  of  the  Regis- 
ter mentions  the  death  of  Keokuk,  an  error,  as  that  famous  chief  afterwards  moved  to  Kansas  with 
his  tribe.  (Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  8,  p.  180.)  This  year  the  cholera  does  not  seem  to  have  ascended  the 
Missouri.  In  1833  the  cholera  reappeared,  first  on  the  Mississippi,  ascending  that  stream  and  its 
branches,  and  reaching  St.  Louis  in  May.  (Niles's  Register,  June  1,  p.  221. )  The  issue  of  August 
17,  page  401,  copies  from  the  St.  Louis  Republican :  "The  Western  mails  bring  melancholy  tidings 
of  the  spread  of  cholera,"  and  states  that  St.  Charles  lost  sixty  of  her  best  citizens  in  July. 
Cholera  was  again  introduced  into  Canada  and  the  United  States  from  Europe  in  1834,  and  from 
Cuba  in  1835.  (Doctor  Woodworth's  report,  p.  592.)  In  December.  1848.  cholera  was  introduced 
at  New  Orleans  from  Europe,  and  from  thence  traveled  by  boat  up  the  Mississippi  and  the  Mis- 
souri. At  St.  Louis,  early  in  April,  1849,  "the  disease  was  again  epidemic,  and  during  May  and 
June  the  mortality  was  excessive."  The  steamer  Sacramento,  a  cholera-infected  vessel, 
reached  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  April  21,  loaded  with  California  emigrants.  "September  7  it  was  re- 
ported at  St.  Louis  that  cholera  was  raging  among  the  Northwestern  Indians  to  an  alarming  ex- 
tent." "From  St.  Louis  the  disease  was  carried  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and 
Missouri."  (  Doctor  Woodworth.  pp.  609.  617.)  D.  D.  Mitchell,  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs 
at  St.  Louis,  reports,  September  14,  1850,  page  18:  "I  am  informed  by  Indian  traders,  recently 
from  the  Platte  and  upper  Missouri,  that  several  bands  of  the  Sioux  Indians  have  suffered  se- 
verely by  the  cholera,  and  that  this  epidemic  was  introduced  by  the  whites."  The  Western 
Journal,  a  St.  Louis  monthly,  February.  1851,  page  264.  reports  the  number  of  deaths  from 
cholera  at  St.  Louis,  in  1849,  as  4285.  and,  in  1850,  as  872.  During  1851  to  1853,  slight  epidemics 
occurred  in  the  East  and  West.  In  1854  there  was  great  loss  of  life  from  cholera  at  New  Orleans. 
"St.  Louis  suffered  more  severely  than  any  other  city  in  the  United  States.  The  river  steam- 
boats became  again  infected  ;  the  disease  was  carried  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  Mis- 
souri, and  Ohio.  From  St.  Louis  the  disease  was  carried  into  St.  Charles.  Gasconade,  Boone, 
Cooper,  Chariton,  Lafayette."  and  other  Missouri  counties,  i  Woodworth,  pp.  635.  636.)  ^  The 
cholera  was  again  on  the  Missouri  river  in  1855,  and  in  Kansas.— See  Kan.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  7.  pp. 
101.  326. 

Note  160.— The  dates  of  the  first  trip  of  the  Yellowstone  in  1833  are  taken  from  Maximilian's 
account  in  Thwaites'  Early  Western  Travels,  vol.  22,  pp.  237-316. 

Note  161.- Joseph  S.  Chick,  of  Kansas  City,  in  a  letter  written  in  May,  1906,  says :  "I  was 
born  in  Howard  county.  Missouri.  August  3,  1828:  arrived  in  Westport.  Mo.,  March  7,  1836,  and 
in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  December,  1843.  At  that  time  there  was,  as  I  remember,  the  Evans  tavern, 
at  the  foot  of  Main  street  and  levee,  a  warehouse,  and  two  other  houses.  My  father  built  the 
next  houses  —  a  warehouse  on  the  levee  and  the  first  residence  on  the  hills  in  Kansas  City.  Kan- 
sas City's  corporate  limits  extended  south  from  the  river  about  one-half  mile.     Since  then,  by 


282  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

danger,  raised  steam  himself  during  the  night,  and,  taking  the  wheel,  ran 
the  boat  above  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw,  where  she  remained  undisturbed.  On 
Captain  Bennett's  return  the  boat  proceeded  on  her  voyage,  and  arrived  at 
Council  Bluffs  in  August. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  which  by  1831  had  ob- 
tained a  complete  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade,  i"-  to  send  up  annually  to  the 
mountains  one  boat.  Occasionally  two  were  dispatched,  but  usually  one 
was  sufficient  to  carry  up  the  supply  of  goods.  These  voyages  were  always 
attended  with  great  danger  and  hardship  and  required  the  most  skilful  navi- 
gation. The  lurking  savage,  as  he  lay  concealed  in  the  grass  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  ready  to  fire  on  the  unsuspecting  boatmen,  was  a  continual 
menace,  and  many  a  brush  occurred  between  the  red  man  and  his  white 
brother.  The  greatest  difficulty  encountered  in  navigating  the  boats  was 
from  the  scarcity  of  fuel.  There  were  no  settlements  above  St.  Joseph  at 
that  day,  and  above  the  Platte  there  was  but  little  timber.  The  only  wood 
to  be  obtained  was  from  the  wrack  heaps,  and  this,  being  driftwood,  wet 
and  sodden,  would  scarcely  make  steam  at  all ;  but  it  was  the  only  depend- 
ence for  fuel,  and  while  half  the  crew  were  engaged  in  cutting  wood,  the 
other  half  stood  guard,  muskets  in  hand,  to  protect  them  from  a  surprise 
by  the  Indians.'"' 

There  were  other  difficulties  to  be  overcome  by  these  navigators  of  the 
upper  river.  In  ascending  the  quantity  of  water  naturally  diminished,  and 
the  narrowing  of  the  channel  made  it  absolutely  essential  that  the  trip 
should  be  made  on  the  June  rise.  This  rise,  caused  by  the  melting  of  the 
snow  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  begins  in  May  and  continues  to  the  latter 
part  of  July.  1"  It  required  quick  work  and  skilful  navigation  to  take  a 
boat  from  St.  Louis  to  the  Yellowstone,  a  distance  of  nearly  2000  miles,  and 
back,  before  the  subsidence  of  the  annual  rise. 

During  the  period  from  1831  to  1846  the  navigation  of  the  upper  Missouri 
river  was  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  boats  belonging  to  the  American 
Fur  Company.  Among  these  boats  the  following  made  the  annual  voyage 
in  the  years  indicated:  Yellowstone,  1831-'33;  Assiniboine,  1833;  Diana,  1834; 

various  expansions,  it  has  taken  in  the  town  of  Westport ;  therefore,  I  can  claim  residence  in  the 
present  Kansas  City  from  March  7,  1836.  In  1833  there  may  have  been  a  few  French  and  half- 
breed  families  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river.  I  hardly  think  cholera  could  have  prevailed  at 
that  time,  for  the  reason  that  there  was  no  material  to  work  on.  Farther  up  the  Missouri,  where 
many  tribes  lived  on  the  river,  cholera  was  very  destructive.  The  first  appearance  of  cholera  in 
Kansas  City  was  in  the  spring  of  1849,  and  was  introduced  by  a  colony  of  Belerians  brought  here 
by  Chouteau  and  Guinotte,  just  at  the  commencement  of  the  California  emigration.  A  great 
many  citizens  and  emigrants  died  from  the  disease,  and  the  town  was  largely  deserted  for  sev- 
eral months.  After  the  first  appearance  nearly  every  boat  ascending  the  river  was  a  hotbed  for 
the  disease,  and  it  prevailed  annually  for  several  years,  but  never  as  bad  as  at  the  first  out- 
break. Probably  1855  was  the  last,  until  1866,  it  appeared  again.  Since  then  there  has  been  no 
recurrence"  The  cholera  "came  first  in  1849.  It  first  made  its  appearance  among  some  Bel- 
gians brought  here  by  Mr.  Guinotte  and  Mr.  Chouteau.  There  were  about  eighty  of  them  camped 
below  town,  and  the  cholera  proved  very  fatal  among  them,  and  soon  spread  to  other  classes  of 
the  population  and  to  Independence,  Westport  and  other  neighboring  places.  .  .  .  Kansas 
City,  this  year  having  a  large  trade  and  many  steamboats  touching  her  levee  from  points  below, 
received  the  scourge  in  its  most  fatal  form.  It  followed  the  California  emigrants  in  1849  and  1850 
on  to  the  plains,  and  besides  decimating  their  numbers  also  greatly  depressed  the  trade  and  emi- 
gration."— History  of  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  1881,  p.  411. 

Note  162.-  Chittenden's  American  Fur  Trade,  p.  337. 

Note  163.—  See,  also,  Chittenden's  La  Barge,  p.  117. 

Note  164.  — "The  river  has  two  regular  floods  every  year,  one  usually  in  April  and  the  other 
in  June.  The  first  flood  is  short,  sharp,  and  of  ten  very  destructive.  The  second  flood  is  of  longer 
duration  and  carries  an  immensely  greater  quantity  of  water,  but  does  less  damage  than  the 
first.  The  April  flood  is  due  to  the  spring  freshets  along  the  immediate  valley,  as  the  snow  melts 
off  and  the  first  rains  come.  The  June  rise  comes  primarily  from  the  melting  snows  in  the 
mountains." — Chittenden's  Early  Steamboat  Navigation  on  the  Missouri  River,  p.  83. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  283 

Antelope,  1835;  Trapper,  1836-'37;  St.  Peter,  1837;  Elk,  1838;  Platte,  1839; 
Emilie,  1840;  Otter,  1841;  Shawnee,  1842;  Omega,  1843;  Nimrod,  1844;  latan, 
1845;  St.  Ange,i65 1851;  Robert  Campbell, '»«  1853;  Spread  Eagle, '"'^  1859-'62; 
and  Chippewa,  1861.  Other  boats  which  made  trips  to  the  mountains  during 
this  period,  some  of  which  belonged  to  opposition  companies,  were  the  As- 
toria, Big  Horn,  Dacota,  Chian,  St.  Croix,  St.  Anthony,  A.  S.  Bennett, 
and  W.  H.  Ashley. 

The  voyage  of  1843  was  made  by  the  Omega.  She  left  St.  Louis  April 
25,  and  the  following  incident,  taken  from  her  log,  furnishes  a  living  pic- 
ture of  the  dangers  to  which  these  early  boatmen  were  exposed.  A  band  of 
Indians,  hidden  in  the  tall  grass,  opened  fire  on  the  boat  as  she  passed  along 
close  to  the  shore.  Captain  La  Barge,  who  has  been  referred  to,  was 
at  the  wheel,  and  a  negro  called  Black  Dave,  who  stood  the  alternate 
watch,  was  also  in  the  pilot-house.  Both  were  Frenchmen,  as  were  most  of 
the  early  boatmen  on  the  upper  Missouri,  and  Dave  could  scarcely  speak  the 
English  language.  He  was  as  black  as  the  ace  of  spades,  always  dressed 
well,  with  a  profusion  of  jewelry,  and  might  well  have  been  taken  for  the 
king  of  Dahomey.  Dave,  whose  real  name  was  Jacques  Desire,  had  but  one 
fault,  his  fear  of  the  Indians.  But  he  knew  how  to  handle  the  wheel,  and 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  upper-river  pilots  in  his  day.  When  the 
bullets  crashed  through  the  pilot-house,  shattering  the  glass,  Dave  deserted 
the  wheel,  ran  out  of  the  pilot-house,  and  took  refuge  behind  one  of  the 
smoke-stacks,  where  he  remained  until  the  attack  was  over.  On  being  repri- 
manded for  his  cowardice,  in  deserting  his  post  in  time  of  danger,  he  replied 
that  it  was  not  from  fear  of  the  bullets,  but  that  his  eyesight  was  all  he  had 
to  depend  on  to  make  a  living,  and  he  was  afraid  the  flying  pieces  of  glass 
would  strike  him  in  the  eyes  and  put  them  out. 

By  the  year  18551''"  the  government  had  established  military  posts  on 
the  upper  Missouri,  and  a  few  straggling  settlements  had  sprung  up.  The 
supplies  necessary  for  these  posts  were  transported  on  steamboats  other 
-than  those  belonging  to  the  fur  company.  The  number  of  boats,  however, 
was  still  limited  to  one  or  two  a  season.  The  principal  points  above  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  were  Fort  Pierre,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Missouri  river  from  the 
present  Pierre,  S.  Dak. ;  Fort  Clark,  south  of  the  mouth  of  Big  Knife  river, 
N.  Dak. ;  Fort  Union,  in  Montana,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Missouri,  nearly 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone;  Fort  Benton,  just  above  the  mouth 
of  the  Teton  river,  in  Montana;  and  Handy's  Point,  S.  Dak.,  where  Fort 
Randall  was  established  by  Gen.  William  S.  Harney  in  1856.  Some  of  these 
places,  once  so  well  known,  have  since  been  wiped  off  the  map. 

The  voyage  of  1844  was  made  by  the  Nimrod.  She  was  a  new  boat,  built 
by  the  American  Fur  Company,  and  her  log  of  the  voyage,  like  that  of  oth- 
ers during  this  period,  has  been  preserved.  This  was  the  year  of  the  great 
flood  in  the  Missouri  river, '"^  the  greatest,  not  excepting  that  of  1903,  that 

Note  165.—  De  Smet's  Life  and  Travels,  Chittenden  and  Richardson,  pp.  638,  783. 

Note  166.—  Montana  Historical  Society  Contributions,  vol.  4,  p.  232. 

Note  167. —  Fort  Pierre,  South  Dakota,  the  first  military  post  on  the  upper  Missouri,  was 
established  July  7,  1855.  (List  of  military  forts,  arsenals,  etc..  in  Army  and  Navy  Register. 
1776-1887,  p.  148.)  This  post,  named  for  Pierre  Chouteau,  jr.,  was  origrinally  built  for  a  trading- 
post,  in  1831-'32,  to  replace  Fort  Tecumseh,  abandoned  on  account  of  the  erosion  of  the  river. — 
Chittenden's  History  of  the  American  Fur  Trade,  p.  955. 

Note  168.—  See  Jotham  Meeker's  diary  for  May  and  June,  1844,  giving  an  account  of  the  rise 
and  progress  of  the  flood  on  the  Osage  river.- Kan.  Hist.  See.  Coll.,  vol.  8,  p.  473. 


284  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

has  occurred  since  the  settlement  of  the  country.  When  the  Nimrod  arrived 
at  the  village  of  the  Maha  Indians,  a  short  distance  below  the  present  loca- 
tion of  Sioux  City,  she  found  the  w^ater  so  low  that  she  was  compelled  to  tie 
up  and  wait  for  a  rise.  After  a  delay  of  several  days  she  proceeded  on  her 
voyage.  As  this  was  early  in  May,  it  is  a  noteworthy  fact,  and  refutes  the 
popular  impression  that  the  overflows  of  the  Missouri  always  come  from  the 
annual  mountain  rise,  caused  by  the  melting  of  snow.  It  is  true  that  the 
melting  of  snow  in  the  mountains  serves  to  augment  the  flood  by  keeping 
the  stage  of  water  high,  and  thus  becomes  an  important  factor  in  an  over- 
flow, but  no  great  flood  in  the  Missouri  was  ever  caused  by  the  melting  of 
the  snow  alone.  They  are  invariably  accompanied  by  an  unusual  precipita- 
tion in  the  vast  watershed  of  the  Kaw  and  other  tributaries  flowing  into 
the  upper  part  of  the  river  just  as  the  annual  spring  rise  reaches  this  part 
of  the  river,  which  is  about  the  1st  of  June.'"" 

In  the  history  of  steamboat  navigation  on  the  Missouri  river  the  decade 
between  1850  and  1860  may  be  properly  termed  the  "golden  era."  The 
improvements  which  had  been  made,  both  in  the  machinery  and  in  the 
construction  of  the  hull,  the  adaptation  of  the  stateroom  cabin  and  the 
systematizing  of  the  business  all  tended  to  lessen  the  danger  of  navigation 
and  increase  the  profits.  The  advancement  made  in  navigation  on  the  Mis- 
souri river  had  kept  pace  with  the  march  of  commerce  in  other  parts  of  the 
world. 

The  first  navigator  on  the  Missouri  river  was  the  little  blue-winged  teal; 
the  next  the  Indian,  with  his  canoe;  then  came  the  half-civilized  French 
Canadian  voyageur,  with  his  pirogue,  paddling  up-stream  or  cordelling 
around  the  swift  points.  At  a  later  day  came  the  fur-trader,  with  his  keel- 
boat;  still  later  there  came  up  from  below  the  little  "dingey  "—the  single- 
engine,  one-boiler  steamboat,  which  has  been  described.  At  last  the  evolution 
was  complete,  and  there  came  the  magnificent  passenger  steamer  of  the  '50's, 
the  floating  palace  of  the  palmy  days  of  steamboating,  combining  in  her 
construction  every  improvement  that  experience  had  suggested  or  the  in- 
genuity of  man  had  devised  to  increase  the  speed  or  add  to  the  safety  and 
comfort  of  the  passenger. 

The  fully  equipped  passenger  steamer,  in  the  heyday  of  steamboating 
on  the  Missouri  river,  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  marine  architecture. 
She  was  generally  about  250  feet  long,  40  feet  beam,  and  had  a  full-length 
cabin,  capable  of  accommodating  from  300  to  400  people.  The  texas,  occu- 
pied solely  by  the  officers,  was  on  the  hurricane  roof.  In  addition  to  her 
passenger  accommodation,  she  had  a  freight  capacity  of  from  500  to  700  tons. 
She  was  well  proportioned,  symmetrical,  trim,  fast,  and  sat  on  the  water 
like  a  thing  of  life.  Her  two  tall  smoke-stacks,  with  ornamental  tops,  be- 
tween which  was  usually  suspended  some  gilt  letter  or  device,  added  much 
to  her  beauty.  The  pilot-house,  on  top  of  the  texas,  was  highly  ornamented 
with  glass  windows  on  every  side;  a  fancy  railing  of  scrollwork  surrounded 
the  guards  of  the  boiler  deck  and  texas.  The  entire  boat,  except  the  smoke- 
stacks, was  painted  a  dazzling  white. 

The  cabin  of  the  boat,  a  long,  narrow  saloon,  was  a  marvel  of  beauty  in 
its  snow-white  splendor.  The  floors  of  the  cabin  were  covered  with  the 
softest  Brussels  carpets,  and  the  staterooms  were  supplied  with  every  con- 

NOTE  169.-  See,  also,  Chittenden's  Life  of  La  Barge,  p.  83. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  285 

venience.  Indeed,  the  bridal  chambers  were  perfect  gems  of  elegance  and 
luxury.  The  table  was  elegantly  furnished,  and  tke  menu  unsurpassed  by 
that  of  any  first-class  hotel.  Each  boat  had,  in  the  ladies'  cabin,  a  piano, 
and  generally  a  brass  band,  and  always  a  string  band,  was  carried.  After 
the  table  was  cleared  away  at  night  a  dance  was  always  in  order,  the  old 
Virginia  reel  being  the  favorite  dance.  The  social  feature  of  a  trip  on  one 
of  these  elegant  boats  was  most  charming. 

The  machinery  and  boilers  of  the  boat  were  on  the  main  deck.  The  lat- 
ter, consisting  of  a  battery  of  six  or  eight  cylinders,  was  placed  over  a  huge 
furnace.  The  machinery,  consisting  of  two  ponderous  engines,  ran  as 
smoothly  as  the  movements  of  a  watch,  and  furnished,  the  motive  power  to 
turn  the  two  immense  wheels,  one  on  either  side  of  the  boat.  The  cost  of 
such  a  boat  as  has  been  described  was,  during  the  period  between  1850  and 
1860,  from  $50,000  to  $75,000. 

The  crew  of  a  first-class  passenger  steamer  consisted  of  a  captain,  two 
clerks,  two  pilots,  four  engineers,  two  mates,  a  watchman,  a  lamplighter, 
a  porter,  a  carpenter,  and  a  painter.  There  were,  besides,  a  steward,  four 
cooks,  two  chambermaids,  a  deck  crew  of  about  forty  men,  and  a  cabin 
crew,  generally  colored,  of  about  twenty.  There  were  also  a  barber  and  a 
barkeeper,  for  a  bar  was  always  an  indispensable  attachment  to  a  first-class 
Western  steamboat.  The  entire  crew  consisted  of  from  seventy-five  to 
ninety  people. 

The  wages  paid  were  commensurate  with  the  size  of  the  boat,  the  labor, 
and  danger,  as  well  as  the  profits  of  the  business.  Captains  received  about 
$200  per  month;  clerks,  $150;  mates,  $125;  engineers  about  the  same  as  mates. 
Of  course,  these  wages  included  board. 

It  was  the  pilot,  however,  who  divided  the  profits  with  the  owner,  and 
sometimes  received  the  larger  share.  He  was  the  autocrat  of  the  boat  and 
absolutely  controlled  her  navigation.  It  was  for  him  to  determine  when  the 
boat  should  run  at  night  and  when  she  should  lay  by.  He  received  princely 
wages,  sometimes  as  much  as  $1200  per  month,  and  he  spent  it  like  a 
thoroughbred.  These  exorbitant  wages  were  demanded  and  paid  as  a  result 
of  a  combination  among  the  pilots  called  the  "Pilots'  Benevolent  Associa- 
tion." It  controlled  the  number  of  apprentices,  and,  as  no  man  could 
"learn  the  river,"  as  it  was  called,  without  "being  shown,"  it  absolutely 
controlled  the  number  of  pilots.  It  had  a  "dead-sure  cinch,"  and  in  com- 
pactness, in  rigid  enforcement  of  rules  and  in  keeping  wages  at  high-water 
mark  it  was  a  complete  success,  and  continued  to  maintain  its  organization 
as  long  as  steamboating  was  profitable,  i"" 

Note  no. —  " Messrs.  Editors:  I  noticed  in  your  paper,  some  days  ago,  some  very  forcible 
editorial  remarks  on  the  late  monopoly  of  the  steamboat  trade  of  the  Missouri  river.  It  appears 
that  all  the  pilots  have  b^en  hired  at  extravagant  wages,  whether  they  work  or  not,  so  as  to  keep 
out  all  transient  boats.  You  notice  the  case  of  the  Tropic.  This  boat  started  on  a  voyage  from 
Pittsburg  to  St.  Joseph,  on  the  Missouri  river  ;  on  her  arrival  at  this  point  she  could  get  no  pilot 
at  any  price;  and,  after  waiting  three  days,  was  compelled  to  give  up  her  trip,  paying  to  the 
boat  that  took  it  two-thirds  of  all  she  got  for  the  whole  voyage.  Had  there  actually  been  no 
pilots  in  port,  it  might  have  been  set  down  as  one  of  the  misfortunes  of  trade;  but.  in  this  case, 
I  understand  there  were  plenty  of  pilots  walking  about  the  levee,  rejoicing  at  the  success  of 
their  scheme.  They  were  all  under  wages.  Now,  I  pronounce  this  combination  illegal,  and  every 
man  concerned  in  it  liable  for  the  damage  the  captain  and  owners  of  the  boat  suffered,  and  if 
a  suit  had  been  brought  against  any  one,  or  all  of  them,  every  dollar  of  it  would  have  been  re- 
covered ;  and  they  are  now  sub.iect  to  indictment,  in  either  the  state  or  United  States  courts.  In 
1845  a  similar  combination  occurred  among  the  boat  owners  on  the  Pennsylvania  canal,  and  the 
first  thing  they  knew  a  number  of  the  most  active  business  men  connected  with  the  combination 
found  themselves  in  jail,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  they  got  out.  They  were  taken  up 
for  conspiracy.  Aware  of  these  things,  our  Missouri  boatmen  have  acted  very  cunningly.  The 
case  of  the  Tropic  was  so  glaring,  and  the  damage  so  easily  procured,  that  the  monopolists  have 


286  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Piloting  on  the  Missouri  river  was  a  science,  and  the  skilful  pilot  was 
a  man  of  wonderful  memory  of  localities.  No  man,  indeed,  ever  became  a 
first-class  pilot  who  was  not  endowed  with  this  peculiar  faculty.  He  was 
required  to  know  the  river  throughout  his  entire  run  as  a  schoolboy  knows 
a  path  to  the  schoolhouse,  upside  down,  endways,  inside,  outside,  and  cross- 
ways.  He  had  to  know  it  at  midnight  of  the  darkest  night,  when  called  on 
watch,  as  well  as  in  daylight.  He  was  expected  to  know  every  sand-bar, 
every  crossing,  chute,  towhead,  and  cut-off ;  the  location  of  every  wreck  and 
every  dangerous  snag,  from  one  end  of  the  river  to  the  other.  He  had  also 
to  be  able  to  determine  the  location  of  the  boat  on  the  darkest  night  from 
the  reverbration  of  the  sound  of  the  whistle  as  the  echo  resounded  from 
the  adjacent  bluffs.  He  was  expected  to  know  every  landmark  on  the  shore, 
the  location  of  every  cabin,  and  the  peculiar  bark  of  every  squatter's  dog. 

On  one  occasion  a  pilot  attempted  to  make  a  crossing  near  Hill's  Land- 
ing, on  the  lower  river,  on  an  exceedingly  dark  night.  He  missed  the  chan- 
nel and  ran  the  bow  of  the  boat  square  up  against  a  bluff  sand-bar.  On 
being  scolded  by  the  captain,  he  admitted  that  he  could  not  recognize  a 
single  landmark,  so  extreme  was  the  darkness,  but  had  guided  the  boat 
solely  by  the  familiar  bark  of  a  dog,  which  belonged  to  a  wood-chopper 
whose  cabin  stood  near  the  head  of  the  crossing.  The  dog  was  accustomed 
to  come  out  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  whenever  a  boat  approached,  and  sa- 
lute it  vigorously,  by  barking,  until  it  had  passed.  Unfortunately,  on  this 
particular  night,  the  dog  had  changed  his  position  and  was  farther  up  the 
river  than  his  usual  location,  which  was  in  front  of  his  owner's  cabin. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  dangerous  localities  on  the  Missouri  river  were 
the  bends,  on  account  of  the  snags,  and  it  was  in  them  that  most  of  the  ac- 
cidents occurred.  Often  has  the  writer  stood  in  the  pilot-house,  in  going 
down- stream,  when  on  looking  ahead  it  seemed  impossible  to  find  a  space 
sufficiently  wide  for  the  boat  to  pass  between  the  snags.  Good  judgment,  a 
keen,  quick  eye  and  an  iron  nerve  were  prerequisites  in  a  pilot;  for  there 
were  times  in  the  experience  of  every  one  when  a  miscalculation  as  to  the 
power  of  the  wind,  the  force  of  a  cross-current  or  even  the  wrong  turn  of 
the  wheel  would  have  sent  his  boat  to  the  bottom  of  the  river.  It  was  the 
custom,  in  running  such  dangerous  localities,  to  straighten  the  boat  at  the 
head  of  the  bend  and  then  "belt  her  through,"  by  throwing  the  throttles 
wide  open  and  putting  on  every  pound  of  steam.  Only  in  this  way  would 
the  boat  respond  to  the  rudder,  and  thus  prevent  flanking  on  the  dangerous 
snags. 

On  one  occasion,  on  a  down-stream  trip,  which  the  writer  recalls,  there 
were  two  pilots  on  the  boat,  Capt.  Bob  Wright  and  his  son-in-law,  Gates 
McGarrah.  The  former  was  an  old,  experienced  pilot,  and  was  recognized 
as  among  the  best  on  the  river.  The  young  man,  who  was  scarcely  of 
age,  was  also  a  skilful  pilot,  but  a  reckless,  nervy,  dare-devil.  It  was  Cap- 
tain Wright's  watch  when  we  came  to  the  head  of  the  bend,  and  he  was  at 
the  wheel.     McGarrah  was  in  the  texas  asleep.     The  old  man  was  generally 

bought  the  boat,  and  thus  quieted  her  owners'  claims.  As  what  is  everybody's  business  is  no- 
body's business,  there  is  no  man  who  has  sufficient  interest  to  bring  suit ;  and  if  the  community 
will  tamely  submit  to  it,  they  can  go  on  and  buy  up  every  dangerous  opponent.  But,  gentlemen, 
rememiser  that  these  high  wages  and  these  high-priced  boats  have  to  be  paid  for,  with  large  ad- 
ditions, by  the  producers,  the  consumers,  the  merchants,  and  the  immigrants,  in  the  shape  of 
freights  and  passage.  It  is  an  attempt  to  arrest  the  great  principle  of  trade ;  to  cut  oflF  the  sup- 
ply of  boats  demanded  in  that  section  of  country.  It  is,  therefore,  now,  with  this  whole  com- 
munity, either  to  raise  means  to  bring  this  matter  before  the  courts  of  law,  or  to  bear  with  it  as 
it  is."— St.  Louis  Intelligencer,  April  26,  1855. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  287 

■cool  and  collected,  but  on  this  occasion,  as  the  boat  was  heavily  loaded  and 
full  of  people,  he  seemed  to  realize  his  responsibility.  His  hands  trembled 
like  a  leaf,  and  as  I  watched  him  I  saw  that  he  had  lost  his  nerve.  The 
boat  was  held  back,  and  he  sent  for  McGarrah.  The  young  fellow  came 
running  into  the  pilot-house  laughing  and  whistling,  took  the  wheel,  and, 
putting  on  a  full  head  of  steam,  ran  through  the  snags  without  a  scratch. 

Such  was  the  amount  of  business  done  on  the  river  during  the  '50's,  and 
such  the  skill  of  the  pilots,  that  boats  in  the  lower  trade  ran  day  and  night. 
No  night  ever  became  so  dark  as  to  render  it  necessary  for  the  boat  to  tie 
up,  especially  in  going  up-stream.  A  speed  of  ten  miles  an  hour,  up-stream, 
was  not  unusual,  and  a  distance  of  150  miles  was  made  down-stream  in  a 
day.  In  July,  1856,  the  James  H.  Lucas,  one  of  the  fastest  boats  on  the 
river,  ran  from  St.  Louis  to  St.  Joseph,  a  distance  of  600  miles,  in  sixty 
hours.  In  1853  the  Polar  Star,  another  remarkably  fast  boat,  and  a  great 
favorite,  made  the  same  run  in  sixty-eight  hours. i^'  When  the  difficulty  of 
navigating  the  river,  the  swiftness  of  the  current  and  the  crookedness  of 
the  channel  are  considered,  the  time  made  by  these  boats  is  remarkable, 
and  shows  what  was  accomplished,  in  the  way  of  speed,  in  the  heyday  of 
steamboating  on  the  Missouri. ''- 

From  the  peculiar  character  of  the  Missouri  river,  and  the  many  ob- 
stacles to  navigation,  racing  was  never  practiced  on  that  stream  as  it  was 
on  the  lower  Mississippi.  As  in  the  case  of  the  Lucas  and  Polar  Star,  a  par- 
ticularly fast  boat  would  sometimes  make  a  run  against  time,  the  wager 
being  a  large  pair  of  gilded  elk  horns,  which  were  carried  by  the  successful 
boat  until  some  other  boat  beat  her  time.  But  racing  was  risky  in  any  case, 
especially  on  the  Missouri,   for  the  temptation  always  existed  to  increase 

Note  171. —  "The  Polar  Star  was  built  and  owned  by  Capt.  Tom  Brierly,  whose  home  was  on 
a  farm  near  this  city  [St.  Joseph].  She  was  very  fast,  and  made  the  run  from  St.  Louis  in  two 
days  and  twenty  hours.  Across  her  forecastle  was  a  streamer  inscribed  :  "Beat  our  time,  and 
take  our  horns  —  St.  Louis  to  St.  Joseph,  two  days  and  twenty  hours."  Prominent  citizens  here 
presented  Captain  Brierly  with  a  fine  pair  of  elk  horns,  mounted  with  silver,  with  an  appropri- 
ate inscription.  That  evening  the  society  people  attended  a  swell  ball  on  the  boat,  in  honor  of 
the  occasion.  This  boat  was  used  as  a  flag-ship  before  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  in  1863,  and  was 
afterwards  burned  in  the  Tennessee  river.  The  James  H.  Lucas  was  brought  out  and  run  by 
Capt.  Andy  Wineland,  a  very  popular  master.  She  beat  the  time  of  the  Polar  Star,  making  the 
run  to  this  city  in  two  days  and  twelve  hours,  the  quickest  time  ever  made.  Andrew  B.  Symns, 
Atchison's  wholesale  grocer,  was  clerk  on  the  Lucas."  (History  of  Buchanan  County  and  St. 
Joseph.  Mo.,  p.  223.)  Lloyd's  Steamboat  Disasters,  p.  280,  claims  that  the  trip  was  made  by  the 
Polar  Star  in  sixty-four  hours. 

Note  172.-  "St.  Louis  and  St.  Joseph 

UNION    PACKET    LINE  !  !  ! 

"  In  order  to  promote  the  general  interest  of  the  traveling  public,  as  well  as  that  of  the  ship- 
pers, we,  the  undersigned,  captains  of  steamboats  running  on  the  Missouri  river,  have  associated 
ourselves  together  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  above-stated  objects,  knowing,  as  we  do, 
that  there  has  been  a  great  want  of  system  and  regularity  on  the  part  of  boats,  whereby  ship- 
pers and  passengers  suffered  great  loss  by  delay.  Our  interests  being  identified  with  that  of  the 
people  throughout  the  valley  of  the  Missouri  river,  we  deem  it  our  duty  to  protect  their  interests 
as  well  as  ours,  and  in  order  to  eff'ect  that  object  have  established  a  daily  line  of  packets  from  St. 
Louis  to  St.  Joseph,  composed  of  the  following  boats  . 

Boat.  Captain.  Leave  St.  Louis.  Leave  St.  Joseph 

Peerless Bissell February  15,  1858 February  21,  1858 

Morning  Star Burke February  16,  1858 February  22,  1858. 

Star  of  the  West Ohlman February  17,  1858 February  23,  1858, 

A.  B.  Chambers Gillham February  18,  1858 February  24,  1858 

D.  A.  January P.  Yore February  19,  1858 February  25,  1858, 

Minnehaha C.  Baker February  20.  1858 February  26.  1858, 

Twilight J.  Shaw February  22,  1858 February  28.  1858, 

The  Hesperion F.  B.  Kercheval February  23,  1858 March  1,  1858. 

The  Southwester D.  Hoover February  24,  1858 March  2,  1858. 

Ben  Lewis Brierly February  25,  1858 March  3,  1858. 

Kate  Howard Nauson February  27,  1858 March  5,  1858. 

T.  H.  Brierly,  Presrident. 

F.  B.  Kercheval,  Secretary." 

[Advertisement  in  Lecompton  National  Democrat,  February,  1858.] 


288  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  pressure  of  steam  above  the  safety  limit.  Of  all  the  disasters  that  ever 
occurred  on  the  river,  the  most  terrible  were  those  caused  by  boiler  explo- 
sions. 

The  next  most  common  cause  of  accidents  on  the  Missouri,  after  snags  and 
sunken  wrecks,  was  fire.  The  cabins  of  the  boats  were  constructed  of 
white  pine,  as  light  as  they  could  be  built,  and  were  thoroughly  saturated 
with  lead  and  oil.  Constructed  of  such  combustible  material,  when  once 
on  fire  the  flames  could  not  be  extinguished,  and  the  vessel  burned  with 
such  rapidity  as  often  to  cause  the  loss  of  life. 

Accidents  from  explosions  of  boilers  were  frequent  in  the  early  days  of 
steamboating  on  the  river,  and  the  fatality  in  some  cases  was  appalling. 
The  boat  always  caught  fire  after  the  explosion,  and  those  who  escaped 
immediate  death  were  confronted  by  the  flames.  The  improvement  in  the 
material  and  construction  of  the  boiler,  however,  and  the  most  rigid  en- 
forcement of  the  inspection  laws  by  the  government,  tended  materially  to 
decrease  the  number  of  disasters  from  this  cause  in  the  last  years  of  steam- 
boating. 

The  most  terrible  disaster  that  ever  occurred  on  the  Missouri  river  was 
that  of  the  explosion  of  the  Saluda,  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  in  1852.  The  Saluda 
was  a  side-wheel  steamer,  with  a  battery  of  two  boilers,  and  was  on  her 
way  up  the  river,  with  her  cabin  and  lower  deck  crowded  with  passengers, 
the  most  of  whom  were  Mormons.  The  river  was  unusually  high  and  the 
current  at  that  place  exceedingly  swift.  Capt.  Francis  T.  Belt,  the  com- 
mander of  the  boat,  had  made  repeated  efforts  to  stem  the  current,  but, 
having  failed,  fell  back  to  the  levee.  At  last,  on  the  morning  of  April  9, 
after  waiting  several  days  for  the  flood  to  subside,  he  again  ordered  steam 
raised  for  a  final  effort.  He  went  to  the  engine-room,  and,  looking  up  at 
the  steam-gage,  asked  the  engineer  how  much  more  pressure  she  could 
stand.  On  being  answered  that  she  had  already  every  pound  of  steam  that 
it  was  safe  to  carry,  he  said:  "Fill  her  up;  put  on  more  steam,"  and 
remarked  to  the  engineer  that  he  would  "round  the  point  or  blow  her  to 
h— 1."  He  then  returned  to  the  hurricane  roof,  rang  the  bell,  and  gave 
the  order  to  "cast  loose  the  line." 

The  bow  of  the  boat  swung  gently  out  into  the  stream  and  was  caught 
by  the  current.  The  engine  made  but  one  revolution;  then  came  a  terrific 
crash,  and  all  was  chaos,  darkness,  and  death!  The  number  of  those  who 
lost  their  lives  was  never  known.  About  100  bodies  were  recovered,  and  it 
was  supposed  that  there  were  as  many  more  victims  whose  bodies  were  blown 
into  the  river  and  never  recovered.  Nearly  all  the  oflficers  of  the  boat  were 
killed,  among  them  Captain  Belt.  He  was  at  his  post  on  the  hurricane  roof, 
standing  with  his  arm  resting  on  the  bell,  when  the  explosion  occurred,  and 
was  blown  high  up  on  the  bank.  His  body  when  found  was  a  mangled  mass 
of  flesh  and  bones.  The  bell  which  had  just  sounded  the  death-knell  of  so 
many  souls  was  sold  with  the  wreckage  to  an  old  German,  who  afterward 
sold  it  to  the  Christian  church  at  Savannah,  Mo.,  where  it  has  hung  in  the 
belfry  for  more  than  half  a  century.  On  any  Sabbath  morning  its  clear, 
silvery  peals  can  be  heard,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  there  is  one  among  all  those 
who  are  called  to  the  house  of  God  who  knows  anything  of  its  tragic  history. 

A  partial  list'"'  of  boats  wrecked  on  the  Missouri  river  has  been  pre- 

NOTE  173.—  "  List  of  steamboat  wrecks  on  the  Missouri  river,  from  the  beginning  of  steam- 
boat navigation  to  the  present  time,"  in  An.  Rept.  of  Mo.  River  Comm'n,  1897,  U.  S.  Ho.  Rep., 
55th  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  Doc.  No.  2,  pp.  3872-3892. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  289 

served,  with  the  names  of  the  captains  and  owners,  the  date  and  place 
where  wrecked,  the  cause,  and  many  other  particulars.  It  contains  the 
names  of  300  boats,  but  is  not  complete,  as  no  regular  record  was  kept  of 
the  number.  Of  those  named,  193  were  sunk  by  coming  in  contact  with  snags, 
twenty-five  by  fire,  and  the  remainder  by  explosions,  rocks,  bridges,  storms, 
and  ice.  More  than  three-fourths  of  the  number  were  wrecked  between 
Kansas  City  and  the  mouth  of  the  river,  as  most  of  the  boats  ran  in  the 
lower  trade.  In  fact,  there  lie  buried  in  the  lower  bends  the  wrecks  of  more 
than  200  steamboats,  covered  with  the  accumulated  sands  of  half  a  century. 

Marvelous  tales  of  gambling  on  the  river,  in  old  times,  have  been  told, 
and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  many  of  these  stories  have  not  been  exagger- 
ated. There  were  boats  on  which  gambling  was  permitted,  and  it  was  not 
unusual  for  a  professional  gambler  to  travel  on  a  boat  and  run  his  game 
openly  and  aboveboard.  Indeed,  there  were  certain  boats  on  which  it  was 
said  the  captain  or  clerk  "stood  in  "  with  the  gambler  and  shared  his  nefari- 
ous profits.  I  never  saw  a  planter  bet  his  negro  servant  on  a  game  of  cards 
(that  is  said  to  have  occurred  on  the  lower  Mississippi),  but  I  have  wit- 
nessed scenes  equally  as  pathetic  and  sad.  I  have  seen  men,  after  losing 
their  last  dollar,  take  their  watches  and  jewelry  and  cast  them  into  the  jack- 
pot. Poker  was  the  game  universally  played  on  the  river;  big  games  they 
were,  too;  and  the  excitement  ran  high,  as  the  passengers  crowded  around 
the  table,  in  the  cabin,  on  which  the  gold  and  silver  were  stacked. 

The  steamer  John  D.  Perry  left  St.  Louis  one  evening  in  July,  1858,  with 
her  cabin  crowded  with  passengers.  Among  the  number  was  an  old  gentle- 
man, a  farmer  from  the  lower-river  country,  who  had  gone  down  on  the 
previous  trip  with  his  crop  of  hemp,  which  he  sold.  The  writer  was  clerk 
of  the  boat,  and  just  as  the  lines  were  cast  off  the  old  gentleman  came  to 
the  office  and  handed  me  a  well-filled  pocketbook,  which  he  requested  me 
to  place  in  the  safe.  About  nine  o'clock  that  night,  after  the  boat  had  got- 
ten several  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  he  came  to  the  office 
again  and  requested  me  to  return  his  pocketbook.  I  did  so,  and,  being  busily 
engaged  at  the  time,  did  not  give  the  matter  any  further  attention.  It  soon 
occurred  to  me,  however,  that  it  was  strange  that  he  should  want  his  money 
at  that  time  of  night,  and  I  walked  back  into  the  cabin  to  see  what  was  go- 
ing on.  There  I  saw  my  old  friend  sitting  at  a  table,  on  which  was  stacked 
a  pile  of  money,  playing  poker  with  two  men,  whom,  from  their  appearance, 
I  suspected  were  professional  gamblers. 

We  did  not  permit  gambling  on  our  boat,  and  our  captain  was  violently 
opposed  to  it,  and  utterly  abhorred  a  professional  gambler.  I  went  at  once  to 
the  hurricane  roof,  where  I  knew  the  "old  man"  was  on  watch,  and  in- 
formed him  of  what  was  going  on  below.  He  came  down  in  a  hurry,  and 
walking  back  to  the  table,  said:    "This  game  must  stop  right  here.     You 

sports  can't  make  a  gambling-house  out  of  this  boat.     Mr. ,"  calling 

the  old  farmer  by  name,  "get  up  from  that  table  and  take  your  money. 
These  men  are  professional  gamblers  and  are  robbing  you.  Now,"  he  said, 
turning  to  the  other  two  men,  "you  fellows  get  your  baggage  and  get  ready 
to  go  ashore." 

The  gamblers  first  undertook  to  bluff  the  captain,  and  then  began  to  beg, 
but  it  was  all  in  vain;  he  was  inexorable.  It  was  a  dark  and  stormy  night 
and  the  rain  was  pouring  down  in  torrents,  but,  notwithstanding  the  storm, 
-19 


290  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  boat  was  landed  alongside  a  dense  forest  and  the  two  sporting  gentle- 
men were  made  to  walk  a  gangplank.  We  shoved  off  and  left  them  stand- 
ing there  in  the  dark  woods,  miles  from  any  human  habitation,  and  as  the 
buckets  of  the  wheels  struck  the  water  we  could  hear  their  curses,  loud  and 
bitter,  as  they  swore  eternal  vengeance  against  the  boat  and  her  officers. 

During  the  early  cholera  epidemics,  when  a  passenger  died,  especially  a 
deck  passenger,  who  was  generally  an  emigrant,  the  body  of  the  unfortu- 
nate victim  was  hastily  placed  in  a  rude  wooden  box,  the  boat  run  along  shore, 
where  a  shallow  grave  was  dug,  in  which  the  body  was  hastily  interred. 
There  it  remained,  unmarked,  until  the  shifting  current  of  the  river  invaded 
the  sacred  spot  and  swept  away  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  unfortunate 
stranger,  whose  friends,  perhaps,  never  knew  his  fate.  There  were  many 
such  graves  along  the  river  in  olden  times,  and  it  was  not  unusual  for  a 
coffin  to  be  seen  protruding  from  the  bank,  where  the  current  had  en- 
croached. 

The  rough  wooden  boxes  used  as  coffins  were  made  by  the  boat's  carpen- 
ter, who  worked  day  and  night  in  preparing  them  in  advance  of  the  death 
of  the  victims,  so  that  when  a  death  occurred  there  might  be  no  delay  in 
disposing  of  the  body.  On  one  occasion  a  boat  was  ascending  the  river 
with  the  cholera  on  board.  Death  was  stalking  the  decks,  and  one  morning, 
among  those  who  had  died  during  the  night,  was  a  man  of  unusual  height. 
No  box  was  found  of  sufficient  length  to  contain  the  body.  What  was  to  be 
done?  The  captain,  whose  name  need  not  be  mentioned,  although  he  has 
been  dead  for  more  than  forty  years,  called  for  an  ax,  and  deliberately  cut 
the  man's  legs  off  and  laid  them  beside  the  body  in  the  box,  and  thus  the 
poor  fellow  was  laid  away  in  a  hastily  dug  grave. 

In  the  spring  of  1849  the  steamer  James  Monroe  left  St.  Louis,  bound 
for  the  Missouri  river,  crowded  with  people,  who,  for  the  most  part,  were 
California  emigrants.  On  approaching  Jefferson  City  the  people  of  that 
town— such  was  the  fear  of  the  epidemic— forbade  the  boat  landing,  and,  to 
enforce  their  command,  planted  an  old  cannon  called  the  "  Sacramento  "  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  and  threatened  to  blow  the  boat  out  of  the  water  if  she 
attempted  to  touch  the  wharf.  The  boat  stopped  about  a  mile  below  the 
town,  and  the  poor,  unfortunate  passengers,  in  their  effort  to  escape  from 
the  plague-ridden  vessel,  came  up  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  afterwards 
many  of  their  dead  bodies  were  found.  Finally,  the  compassion  of  the  citi- 
zens overcame  their  fear,  and  churches  were  turned  into  improvised  hospitals, 
and  the  best  care  possible  was  given  those  who  had  survived.  Those  of  the 
unfortunate  crew  who  had  escaped  death  fled  from  the  pestilence,  and  the  ill- 
fated  boat,  after  lying  there  for  several  months,  was  taken  back  to  St.  Louis. 

The  most  unfortunate  trip  that  was  ever  made  by  a  steamboat  up  the 
river,  and  the  most  far-reaching  in  its  results  and  in  the  sacrifice  of  human 
life,  was  that  of  the  St.  Peter.  She  was  a  single-engine  boat,  built  by 
Pierre  Chouteau  and  Peter  Sarpy  for  the  fur  trade.  She  left  St.  Louis  in 
the  spring  of  1837,  bound  for  the  mountains,  loaded  with  supplies  for  the 
different  posts.  Her  deck  crew  was  composed  of  negroes,  and  before  she 
arrived  at  St.  Joseph,  then  called  the  "  Blacksnake  Hills,"  the  smallpox 
had  broken  out  among  them,  and  one  who  had  died  was  buried  there.  The 
contagion  immediately  extended  to  other  members  of  the  crew,  and  the 
danger  of  communicating  the  disease  to  the  Indians,  who  were  then  numer- 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  291 

ous  along  the  river,  became  apparent.  Runners  were  sent  forward  to  give 
the  alarm  and  warn  them  to  keep  away  from  the  banks;  but  notwithstand- 
ing this  precaution  the  terrible  contagion  spread,  and  was  communicated  to 
every  tribe  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  fatality,  as  the  Indians 
knew  no  way  to  treat  the  disease,  was  appalling,  and  among  some  tribes 
amounted  to  annihilation.  In  the  case  of  the  Mandans,  a  tribe  then  seated 
near  where  Bismarck,  N.  Dak,,  is  now  located,  a  population  of  1700  was  re- 
duced to  31.  Among  the  Pawnees,  who  were  then  on  the  Platte,  the  death 
rate  was  so  great  that,  according  to  the  official  report  made  to  the  govern- 
ment, they  were  reduced,  within  a  year,  from  10,000  to  4500— one-half  the 
tribe  had  died.  Utter  dismay  pervaded  all  the  tribes,  and  they  fled  from 
the  pestilence  in  every  direction,  leaving  the  bodies  of  their  dead  to  be  de- 
voured by  the  wolves. 

The  year  1858  may  be  taken  as  the  year  in  which  steamboating  on  the 
Missouri  river  reached  the  summit  of  its  prosperity.  There  were  then  not 
less  than  sixty  regular  packets  on  the  river,  besides  perhaps  thirty  or  forty 
transient  boats,  called  "tramps,"  which  came  into  the  river  from  other 
streams  and  made  one  or  two  trips  during  the  season.  Packet  lines  were  es- 
tablished to  Miami,  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph,  Omaha,  and  even  to  Sioux 
City.  They  carried  the  United  States  mail  and  the  express  freight,  and 
the  semiweekly  or  daily  arrival  of  the  regular  packet  was  looked  forward 
to  with  the  same  degree  of  certainty  as  we  now  look  forward  to  the  arrival 
of  a  railroad-train.  So  numerous  were  the  boats  on  the  lower  river,  during 
this  period,  that  it  was  no  unusual  sight  to  see  as  many  as  five  or  six  lying  at 
a  landing  at  the  same  time,  and  at  no  time  was  a  boat  out  of  sight  during 
the  boating  season,  which  continued  from  March  till  November.  The  pros- 
perity which  this  great  traffic  brought  to  the  river  towns  was  phenomenal, 
and  the  population  of  many  of  them  was  greater  fifty  years  ago  than  it  is 
to-day. 

The  usual  life  of  a  steamboat,  barring  accidents,  was  from  five  to  ten 
years,'"  and  she  was  expected  to  make  money  from  the  first  turn  of  the 
wheel.  If  she  did  not  she  was  considered  a  failure,  for  the  depreciation  was 
estimated  at  ten  per  cent,  the  first  year  and  twenty-five  per  cent,  each  year 
thereafter.  There  were  many  boats  in  the  regular  trade  which  paid  back 
their  cost  the  first  year,  and  by  the  end  of  the  second  year  at  furthest  they 
were  expected  to  show  a  clean  balance-sheet.  Steamboating  was  a  hazard- 
ous business,  and  one  attended  with  great  risk,  both  to  life  and  property, 
but  the  profits,  with  the  rates  of  freight  from  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar  per 
hundred  pounds,  and  passage  from  St,  Louis  to  Kansas  City  twenty-five  dol- 
lars, were  commensurate  with  the  risk.  No  insurance  could  ever  be  obtained 
against  explosions,  and  the  hull  risk  was  from  twelve  to  fifteen  cents  per 
hundred. 

But  the  business  of  steamboating,  notwithstanding  all  its  drawbacks, 
was  both  profitable  and  pleasant,  and  there  was  a  fascination  about  it  which 
prevented  those  who  had  once  followed  the  river  ever  becoming  exactly  sat- 
isfied on  shore.  The  continual  change  of  scenery,  the  panoramic  views  of 
forests  and  farmhouses,  the  meeting  with  interesting  people,  and  above  all 

Note  174.— The  Ontario,  built  in  1863,  "  is  already  considered  as  past  its  prime.  The  con- 
stant service  in  which  boats  are  kept  on  our  great  rivers  of  the  West,  v/here  commerce  and  trans- 
portation are  very  considerable  and  much  varied,  uses  them  up  in  a  very  few  years."—  From  a 
letter  written  June  10,  1866,  in  Father  De  Smet's  Life  and  Travels,  Chittenden  and  Richardson 
1905,  p.  846. 


292 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  293 

the  social  feature  of  steamboating,  rendered  the  avocation  a  pleasant  one. 
The  most  pathetic  feature  connected  with  steamboating  on  the  Missouri 
river  was  the  tenacity  with  which  the  old  steamboat  man  clung  to  the  river. 
He  seemed  never  to  be  able  to  realize  the  changed  condition  in  the  method 
of  transportation  which  came,  but  continued  the  unequal  contest  with  the 
new  method,  hoping  for  the  return  of  the  good  old  days,  until  the  fortune 
he  had  acquired  was  lost.  There  were  but  few  instances  in  which  they  did 
not  die  poor. 

It  cannot  be  expected  that  in  so  brief  a  paper  the  names  of  all  the  steam- 
boats that  navigated  the  river  in  its  palmy  days  can  be  given,  but  among 
the  finest  and  most  popular  which  were  on  the  river  in  1858,  the  banner 
year,  were  the  following:  Kate  Howard,  John  D.  Perry,  David  Tatum, 
Clara,  Platte  Valley,  Asa  Wilgus,  Alonzo  Child,  F.  X.  Aubrey,  Admiral,  D. 
S.  Carter,  Emigrant,  E.  A.  Ogden,  Empire  State,  Isabella,  James  H.  Lucas, 
Meteor,  Minnehaha,  Polar  Star,  Peerless,  Spread  Eagle,  War  Eagle,  South 
Western,  C.  W.  Sombart,  Twihght,  Thomas  E.  Tutt,  White  Cloud,  and  Ed- 
inburg. 

Among  those  which  came  later,  and  which  were  built  for  some  special 
trade,  were  the  R.  W.  Dugan,  E.  H.  Durfee,  Phil.  E.  Chappell,  Montana, 
Dakota,  A.  L.  Mason,  State  of  Missouri,  and  State  of  Kansas.  Some  of 
these  ran  as  late  as  1888.    They  were  the  last  boats  built  for  the  Missouri  river. 

But  steamboating  on  the  Missouri  river  is  dead.  Like  the  cowboy  and 
the  prairie-schooner,  the  steamboat  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  whistle  of 
the  first  locomotive,  as  it  reverberated  through  the  Blacksnake  Hills,  on  the 
completion  of  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  railroad  to  the  Missouri  river,  at 
St.  Joseph,  in  1859,  sounded  the  death-knell  of  steamboating  on  that  stream. 
It  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  Steamboating  began  in  1819.  At  the  end 
of  twenty  years  it  had  grown  to  large  proportions,  and  continued  to  grow 
for  the  succeeding  twenty  years.  Then  it  began  to  die,  and  in  another 
twenty  years  was  dead.  As  the  difi'erent  railroads  penetrated  the  interior, 
touching  the  different  points  on  the  great  watercourse,  its  commerce  began 
to  wither,  and  it  became  evident,  to  those  who  watched  the  trend  of  events, 
that  river  transportation  could  not  compete  successfully  with  the  cheaper 
and  more  rapid  method. 

Then  came  the  war  of  1861,  causing  the  loss  of  many  boats,  and  driving 
others  out  of  the  river,  the  presence  of  the  guerrilla  rendering  navigation 
even  more  hazardous  thart  it  had  been.  A  few  boats  remained,  but  even 
they,  for  the  most  part,  went  higher  up  the  river,  to  escape  competition 
with  the  railroads,  and  ran  between  Sioux  City  and  Fort  Benton. 

In  1862  gold  was  discovered  in  Montana, '"^  and,  as  usual  in  such  discover- 
ies, a  great  rush  of  population  began  to  flow  into  that  country.  As  the  only 
means  of  transportation  was  by  way  of  the  Missouri  river,  this  unexpected 
demand  caused  a  wonderful  revival  in  steamboating.  There  were  but  few 
regular  boats  on  the  Missouri  at  that  time,  but  others  began  to  crowd  in 
from  every  stream  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  side-wheelers,  stern-wheelers, 
and  old  tubs.i'^    fhe  voyage  to  Fort  Benton,  the  nearest  point  to  the  mines, 

Note  175. —  Montana  Historical  Society  Contributions,  vol.  2. 

Note  176.— The  Montana  Historical  Society  publishes,  in  its  first  volume  of  Contributions, 
p.  317,  a  list  of  steamboat  arrivals  at  Fort  Benton  and  vicinity  during  the  years  1859  to  1874. 
The  following  totals,  obtained  from  the  list,  will  show  the  rise  and  fall  of  this  period  of  up-river 
navigation  :  1859,  1 ;  1860,  2  ;  1861,  none :  1862,  4 :  1863,  2  ;  1864.  4  ;  1865,  8  ;  1866.  31 ;  1867,  39  ;  1868, 
35;  1869,  24;  1870,  8  ;  1871.  6;  1872,  12;  1873,  7;  1874,  6. 


294  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

was  2200  miles,  and  it  was  beset  with  danger,  both  in  the  navigation  and 
from  the  Indians. 

This  trade,  which  was  of  short  duration,  proved  to  be  exceedingly  profit- 
able, as  the  rates  demanded  and  paid  were  exorbitant.  The  usual  rate  on 
freight  was  from  ten  to  fifteen  cents  per  pound,  and  a  first-class  passage  to 
Fort  Benton  cost  $300.  Enormous  profits  were  made  by  some  of  the  boats. 
On  one  trip  the  St.  John  cleared  $17,000,  the  Lacomy  $16,000,  and  the  Oc- 
tavia  $40,000.  The  W.  J.  Lewis,  a  new  boat  built  in  1865,  went  to  Fort 
Benton  in  1866,  and  when  she  returned  to  St.  Louis,  after  an  absence  of 
sixty  days,  had  cleared  her  cost,  which  was  $60,000.  The  Peter  Balen,  an 
old  tub,  not  worth  over  $15,000,  but  a  good  carrier,  made  a  profit  of  $80,000 
on  one  trip. 

But  this  rich  harvest  only  continued  ten  years,  for,  like  a  Nemesis,  the 
railroad  pursued  the  steamboat.  In  1873  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad 
reached  Bismarck,  i""  and  for  a  second  time  the  steamboat  was  forced  to 
surrender  to  its  invincible  enemy.  It  was  the  last  stand  of  the  steamboat 
on  the  Missouri  river,  in  its  battle  with  the  railroad. 

There  is  not  to-day  a  single  steamboat  engaged  in  navigating  the  Mis- 
souri river.  All  are  gone.  The  glory  of  the  past  is  gone.  The  evolution 
is  complete.  The  Indian  canoe,  the  pirogue,  the  bateau,  the  keel-boat, 
the  mackinaw  boat,  the  steamboat,  have  all  passed  away,  and  there  now 
remains,  on  what  was  once  the  great  commercial  thoroughfare  of  the  West, 
only  the  original  navigator,  the  little  blue-winged  teal.  The  recollection  of 
steamboating  on  the  Missouri  river  is,  to  the  old  steamboat  man,  but  a 
pleasant  dream  of  the  past. 

Note  177. —  "In  July  of  this  year  [1873]  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad  was  put  into  opera- 
tion as  far  west  as  the  Missouri  river."  —  Goodspeed's  Province  and  the  States,  vol.  6,  p.  267. 


A  History  of  the  Missouri  River.  295 


MISSOURI  RIVER  STEAMBOATS. 

The  list  following,  embracing  the  names  of  more  than  700  steamboats 
that  navigated  the  Missouri  river  during  the  period  of  steam  navigation  on 
that  stream,  has  been  compiled  by  Phil.  E.  Chappell,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. 
It  is  not  complete,  as  many  names  have  doubtless  been  omitted,  but  it  is  per- 
haps the  most  complete  hst  that  has  been  preserved.  ^ 

The  first  steamboat  to  ascend  the  Missouri  river  was  a  boat  called  the 
Independence.  She  came  up  as  high  as  the  mouth  of  the  Chariton  river  in 
the  spring  of  1819,  and  thus  demonstrated  that  the  river  was  navigable  by 
steamboats.  There  were  few  steamboats,  however,  on  the  river  previous  to 
1840,2  owing  to  the  sparsely  settled  condition  of  the  country  and  the  limited 
demands  of  commerce.  Those  that  were  built  for  the  trade  during  this  early 
period  were  small,  lubberly  craft,  exceedingly  slow  and  of  heavy  draft. 
They  were  single-engine,  one-boiler  side-wheelers,  without  the  modern 
cabin,  and  had  no  conveniences  for  the  comfort  and  safety  of  the  passen- 
gers. With  the  rapid  increase  of  population  along  the  lower  river,  in  the 
decade  from  1830  to  1840  came  an  increased  demand  for  additional  transpor- 
tation facilities;  larger  boats  were  built;  the  modern  cabin  was  adopted; 
and  additional  improvements  were  made,  both  in  the  hull,  so  as  to  lessen 
the  draft,  and  in  the  machinery,  to  increase  the  speed.  These  improvements 
kept  pace  with  the  trade  as  it  increased  until  the  '50 's,  when  the  boats  built 
for  the  lower  river  during  the  decade  from  1850  to  1860  were  veritable  float- 

NoTE  1.—  Sources  of  information  concerning  steamboats  ;  the  figures  following  descriptions 
of  boats  refer  to  this  list: 

1.  Lloyd's  Steamboat  Directory,  1856. 

2.  Early  Steamboat  Navigation  on  the  Missouri  River,  Chittenden,  2  v..  1903. 

3.  Life  and  Travels  of  Father  De  Smet,  Chittenden  and  Richardson,  4  v.,  1905. 

4.  Annals  of  Platte  County,  Missouri,  Paxton,  1897. 

5.  History  of  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  1881. 

6.  History  of  Kansas  City,  Mo..  Case,  1888. 

7.  History  of  Buchanan  County  and  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  1881. 

8.  American  Fur  Trade  of  the  Far  West,  Chittenden,  3  v.,  1902. 

9.  Historical  Collections  of  Montana,  vols.  1-3. 

10.  Western  Journal.  St.  Louis,  1850. 

11.  Nebraska  Historical  Collections,  2d  ser.,  vol.  1. 

12.  Atchison  Champion,  1859. 

13.  Early  Western  Travels,  Thwaites. 

14.  Early  files  of  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City  papers. 

Note  2.  — The  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  has  among  its  records  of  Gen.  William  Clark 
a  diary  kept  at  headquarters,  in  St.  Louis,  beginning  writh  May,  1826,  and  ending  July,  1829.  It 
covers  such  topics  as  the  temperature,  wind,  condition  of  the  weather,  stage  of  river,  the  arrival 
and  departure  of  steamboats,  and  the  arrival  and  departure  of  members  of  various  Indian  tribes. 
There  was  a  constant  coming  and  going  of  Kickapoos,  Kansas,  Sacs,  and  Shawnees.  The  river 
was  stationary  but  a  day  or  two  at  a  time  —  seems  to  have  been  constantly  rising  and  falling. 
There  is  no  mention  of  a  steamboat  to  or  from  the  Missouri  river.  Trade  was  then  limited  to  the 
upper  Mississippi  and  with  New  Orleans.  Louisville  was  the  most  prominent  boating  point; 
occasionally  a  boat  came  from  Pittsburg.  The  following  boats  are  frequently  mentioned  :  Me- 
chanic, Marietta,  Sciota.  Lawrence,  Tuscumbia,  Plough  Boy,  Indiana,  Eclipse.  Pittsburgh,  Helen 
McGregor,  Brown,  Muskingum,  Decatur,  Magnet.  Virginia,  Columbus,  General  Hamilton,  Lib- 
erator, Cleopatra,  Hercules.  America,  William  Penn,  Oregon,  Courtland,  Maryland,  Rover,  Ve- 
locipede, Criterion,  Josephine.  Pilot,  Missouri.  Mixed  in  with  the  statements  of  the  condition 
of  the  river,  movements  of  the  boats  and  Indians,  the  diary  contains  many  things  of  general  in- 
terest, samples  being  herewith  given  : 

"January  21,  1827.-  Captain  Patrick  Ford,  agent  for  the  lowas,  died  last  night  at  Doctor  Tif- 
fany's. 

"February  11,  1827. —  House  boat  sunk  to-day. 

"February  18,  1827.—  On  this  day  George  R.  Clark,  son  of  General  Clark,  when  hunting  with 
Henry  (a  yellow  fellow),  by  accident  was  wounded  under  the  right  eye  by  the  discharge  of  Hen- 
ry's gun. 

"  March  1,  1827.—  Four  inches  of  snow  fell.  R*in  and  hail  for  an  hour  on  the  6th  :  rain  on  the 
7th  ;  rain  on  the  12th  ;  snow  on  the  14th  ;  very  cold  on  the  18th ;  ice  in  the  river  April  12. 

"April  30. 1827.— 'Mississippi  and  Missouri,  both  of  them,  above  their  junction,  higher  at  this 
time  than  they  have  been  since  the  recollection  of  the  oldest  inhabitant.  At  Prairie  du  Chien 
the  people  have   been  obliged  to  desert  the  town.     At  Fort  Crawford  the   troops   have  been 


296  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

ing  palaces,  and  were  unsurpassed  in  speed,  splendor  and  luxurious  furnish- 
ings by  any  inland  water  craft  in  the  world. 

It  was  during  this  period  (1859),  when  the  Missouri  river  steamboat  had 
reached  its  perfection,  and  the  business  its  highest  degree  of  prosperity 
(there  being  not  less  than  100  boats  on  the  river) ,  that  the  railroads  invaded 
the  country  tributary  to  the  lower  Missouri,  and  sounded  the  death-knell  of 
steamboating.  The  contest  which  ensued  between  the  two  rival  methods  of 
transportation  was  short  and  decisive,  and  it  soon  became  apparent  to  the 
steamboat-owner  that  he  could  not  compete  successfully  with  this  modern 
competitor  for  the  commerce  of  the  West. 

After  1860,  for  a  period  of  two  or  three  years,  there  were  but  few  steam- 
boats on  the  river.  The  competition  with  the  railroads,  together  with  the 
general  depression  of  the  country,  caused  by  the  civil  war,  drove  many  of 
them  into  the  Mississippi.  Even  those  that  remained,  for  the  most  part,  re- 
treated further  up  the  river,  and  sought  new  trades  from  St.  Joseph,  Omaha 
and  Sioux  City  to  upper-river  points.  It  was  during  this  period  (1862)  that 
gold  was  discovered  in  Montana.  There  were  no  railroads  in  that  day  ex- 
tending so  far  up  the  river,  and  the  cheapest  and  most  practicable  route  to 
the  mines  was  by  way  of  the  Missouri  river.  A  great  rush  of  miners  and 
adventurers  to  this  new  El  Dorado  set  in  at  once,  which  caused  an  unexpected 
demand  for  transportation.  There  were  no  boats  on  the  Missouri  to  supply 
this  demand,  but  it  was  not  long  before  they  came  crowding  in  from  every 
stream  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  There  were  many  strange  craft,  but  for 
the  most  part  they  were  small  stern-wheelers  from  the  Ohio  and  other 
streams,  ill  adapted  to  the  navigation  of  the  tortuous  channel  and  strong 

obliged  to  evacuate  the  cantonment  and  go  into  tents  some  distance  back  of  the  fort.  The 
Missouri  has  washed  away  entirely  the  trading  establishment  of  a  Mr.  Chouteau,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Kansas  (or  a  little  below  i.  Tlie  First  regiment,  on  the  Missouri,  have  been  obliged  to  leave 
their  garrison. 

"  May  12,  1827.— The  river  wants  twenty  inches  of  being  up  to  the  door  of  General  Clark's 
stable. 

"July  23,  1827.— The  Kaskaskias  arrive.  The  whole  remnant  of  that  great  nation  consists  at 
this  time  of  thirty-one  soles —  fifteen  men,  ten  women,  and  six  children. 

"August  7,  1827.—  Earthquake  last  night. 

"September  8,  1827.— Party  of  Shawonees  set  out  for  the  Kanzas.  Two  families  of  the 
Shawonee  nation  of  Indians  renounced  their  intention  of  emigrating  to  the  Kanzas,  and  set  off 
in  return  to  their  former  residence  in  Ohio. 

"April  22,  1828.- The  steamboat  Plough  Boy  arrived  this  morning  from  Louisville.  Also 
steamboat  Jubilee,  from  New  Orleans.  This  night  at  eleven  o'clock,  by  this  boat  is  received  the 
melancholy  intelligence  of  the  loss  of  twenty-four  lives  by  the  bursting  of  the  boiler  of  the 
steamboat  Car  of  Commerce.  It  is  further  ascertained  that  two  of  the  aforesaid  twenty- four  en- 
counterers  of  an  untimely  fate  were  the  first  and  second  engineer.  The  Egyptian  mummy,  from 
the  pyramids,  supposed  to  be  3000  years  old,  is  brought  by  this  boat,  the  Jubilee,  and  is  intended 
for  e.xhibition,  when  many  of  our  fair  citizens  will  be  gratified  by  a  sight  of  one  of  these  rare 
relics  of  antiquity,  it  being  the  first  one  that  has  ever  honored  our  city  with  a  visit. 

"May  18,  1828.-  Gen.  M.  G.  Clark  departs  for  the  Kanzas  river. 

"June  21,  1828.— The  Jubilee,  Captain  Hinckle,  arrived  from  New  Orleans;  freight,  1462 
packages  dry-goods  ;  passengers,  160.  By  the  arrival  of  this,  boat  the  Catholics  of  the  city  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  Right  Reverend  Bishop  Rosate,  appointed  to  oflSciate  in  this  place. 

"December  31,  1828.- Beautiful  morning  ;  fine  day  and  pleasant.  Here  the  year  1828  ends  and 
a  new  year  commences;  consequently  we  shall  begin  on  a  new  page,  for  which  turn  over  a  new 
leaf,  and  change  our  ways  for  the  better. 

"to  the  diarists. 
"Turn  over  here  a  leaf  again 
Together  with  a  year  ; 
Fill  leaf  and  year  without  profane. 
For  time  and  paper  's  dear. 

"January  1,  1829.—  New  Year's  day.     Fine  morning,  summer  heat.     Fine  evening. 

"March  5.  1829.— The  explosion  of  the  steamboat  Helen  McGregor  took  place  at  Memphis,  on 
her  passage  from  New  Orleans  to  Nashville,  on  the  25th  of  February,  by  the  bursting  of  her 
boilers,  at  which  it  is  supposed  between  50  and  100  persons  were  killed  and  wounded.  ( In- 
formation by  Messrs.  Maginnis  and  Wm.  P.  Clark,  who  were  passengers  on  the  boat.)  Those 
who  perished  principally  deck  passengers." 


List  of  Missouri  Rive?^  Steamboats. 


297 


current  of  the  Missouri.  They  were  in  strange  contrast  to  the  magnificent 
side-wheel  steamers  built  for  the  lower  river  during  the  palmy  days  of 
steamboating. 

The  nearest  point  to  the  mines  on  the  Missouri  river  was  Fort  Benton, 
the  head  of  navigation.  It  was  a  distance  of  2200  miles,  and  the  voyage 
consumed  most  of  the  boating  season.  It  was  a  voyage  attended  with  great 
danger,  both  from  the  savages  along  the  shore  and  the  many  obstacles  nec- 
essary to  be  overcome  in  navigating  a  treacherous  stream,  even  the  channel 
of  which  was  unknown  to  the  most  experienced  and  skilful  pilot.  As  will 
be  seen  from  the  number  of  wrecks  in  the  accompanying  list,  many  a  boat 
went  up  the  river  during  this  period  never  to  return. 

The  dates  indicate  the  years  in  which  the  boats  ran  the  river. 


1855-'56.  A.  B.  Chambers  (No.  11.  Alex 
Gilham,  master.  Sunk  near  Atchison,  Kan., 
in  1856.  See,  also.  "The  Kansas  River  — its 
Navigration,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume; 
also  7. 

1860.  A.  B.  Chambers  (No.  2).  Sunk  near 
St.  Charles  on  her  first  trip,  September  24, 
1860.  Both  of  these  boats  were  named  for  the 
editor  of  the  Missouri  Republican. 

.     A.  C.   Bacon.     Sunk  in   the  Missouri 

river.     7. 

1870-'75.  A.  C.  Bird.  Captain,  Burris.  A 
small  boat.  Sunk  at  Liberty  Landing,  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Kaw.     See,  also,  7. 

1854-'57.     A.  C.  Goddin.    Jack  Ivers,  master. 
A  popular  boat  in  her  day.     She  sunk  at  Bon- 
homme  island,  above  St.  Charles,  April  20,  1857. 
1845-'47.    Admiral  (  No.  1).    Sunk  near  Wes- 
ton, Mo.     See,  also,  6. 

1853-'58.  Admiral  (No.  2).  Another  boat 
of  the  same  name.  Brooks,  master.  Both  of 
these  boats  were  side-wheelers,  in  the  lower 
river. 

1860-'65.  Admiral  (No.  3).  C.  K.  Baker, 
master.  Sunk  by  the  ice  at  St.  Louis,  Decem- 
ber 16,  1865. 

1880-'85.   Aggie.   Perren  Kay  and  Alex  Stew- 
art, masters.     Sunk  at  Kansas  City  in  1885. 
1866.     Agnes.     2. 

1857.  Aleonia.  Made  one  trip,  in  1857. 
1835-'40  Alert.  Sunk  in  Alert  bend,  above 
Fisher's  Landing,  near  Hermann,  Mo  ,  in  1840. 
1860-'66.  Alex  Majors.  Built  in  1860.  and 
then  called  "Mink,"  on  account  of  her  color, 
which  was  brown.  She  was  afterwards  painted 
white,  and  her  name  was  changed.  Sunk  at 
Grand  river,  in  1866  ;  raised,  and  burned  at  St. 
Louis.  See  "The  Kansas  River  —  its  Naviga- 
tion," by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume. 

1847-'49.  Algoma.  Miller,  master.  Sunk  be- 
low Lexington,  Mo  ,  in  1849. 

.     Algomar.     7. 

1845-'49.  Alice  ( No.  1).  Lower-river  packet. 
Burned  at  St   Louis,  May  17,  1849. 

18fi2-'65.  Alice  (No.  2).  Built  for  Joe  Kin- 
ney ;  ran  the  lower  river. 

1870-'75.  Alice  Gray.  A  small  boat.  Ex- 
ploded her  boiler  and  sunk  at  Rocheport,  Mo., 
December  16,  1875.  The  captain's  wife,  who 
was  an  expert  swimmer,  jumped  overboard 
and  swam  ashore. 

1855.  Alma.  Was  on  the  river  in  1855.  Ton- 
nage, 311.     1. 

1888-'89.  A.  L.  Mason.  One  of  the  three 
boats  built  by  the  Kansas  City  Packet  Com- 
pany in  the  last  effort  to  restore  navigation  on 


the  river ;  she  was  lost  on  the  lower 
sippi.  below  Memphis. 

1864.  Alone.  This  was  one  of  the  boats  sent 
into  the  Yellowstone  by  General  Sully  with  ra- 
tions and  material  for  a  new  post  which  it  was 
proposed  to  establish  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Powder  river.    2. 

1856-'63.  Alonzo  Child.  J.  B.  Holland,  mas- 
ter. A  large  side-wheel  passenger  packet  on 
the  lower  river.  She  was  taken  into  the  lower 
Mississippi  in  1859,  with  many  other  fine  boats. 
On  the  fall  of  Vicksburg.  she,  with  twenty- 
three  other  steamers,  was  taken  by  the  Con- 
federates into  the  Yazoo  river  and  burned,  to 
prevent  them  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
Union  army.  Before  she  was  destroyed,  how- 
ever, her  machinery  was  removed  and  hauled 
overland  to  Selma,  Ala.,  on  the  Alabama  river, 
where  it  was  placed  in  the  Confederate  gun- 
boat Tennessee.  This  boat  was  afterward 
captured  by  Farragut,  at  Mobile.  Governor 
Pinchback,  governor  of  the  state  of  Louisiana 
during  the  reconstruction  period,  was  steward 
of  the  Alonzo  Child  when  she  ran  the  Missouri 
river.  He  was  a  mulatto.  Ex- Gov.  George  W. 
Click  and  wife  came  to  Kansas  on  this  boat 
about  March  14,  1859.     7. 

1847.  Alton.  Measurement,  344  tons.  Built 
for  the  St.  Louis  trade.    10. 

1850-'53.  Alton.  A  transient  boat.  Noth- 
ing known.   1. 

1866.  Amanda.  A  small' boat  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  War  Department,  on  the  upper 
river.     2. 

1837-47.  Amaranth  (No.  1).  George  W. 
Atchison,  master.  A  lower-river  packet,  built 
in  1837. 

1867-'68.  Amaranth  (No. 2).  SunkatSmith's 
bar.  1868.     Used  in  upper-river  trade.     7,  9. 

1842.     Amazon. 

1855-'56.  Amazon.  McLean,  master.  Sunk 
at  mouth  of  Missouri  in  1856. 

1855-'62.  A.  McDowell.  Edds,  master.  A 
fine  side-wheel  boat:  she  sank  at  Murdock's, 
below  Washington,  Mo.  The  A.  McDowell 
Wm.  Wilcox,  then  commander )  was  one  of  the 
three  steamboats  that  were  sent  up  the  river 
to  Jeflferson  City,  a  day  or  two  before  the  cap- 
ture of  Camp  Jackson  (May  10,  1861).  loaded 
with  gunpowder  for  Confederate  forces,  then 
called  "The  Missouri  State  Guard."  This  pow- 
der was  from  the  firm  of  Laflin-Rand  Powder 
Company,  of  St.  Louis,  and.  it  has  been  said, 
was  never  paid  for.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
boats  the  powder  was  distributed  in  the 
country  in  wagons,  where  it  was  hidden  away 
in  old  barns  and  .secluded  spots  until  the  ar- 
rival of  Gen.  F.  P.  Blair  and  the  abandonment 
of  the  capital  by  General  Price,  when  the  most 


298 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


of  it  was  dumped  into  the  Missouri  river,  to 
prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Union 
forces.  Just  before  the  evacuation  of  the 
capital  ( June  13.  1861 )  the  three  steamboats 
were  run  across  the  river  to  Cedar  City  and 
tied  up  and  abandoned  by  their  officers.  The 
writer,  in  whose  care  they  were  left,  surren- 
dered them  to  General  Blair  on  the  evening  of 
the  15th. 

1846-'49.  Amelia.  Built  in  St.  Louis  in  1846, 
by  Emerson,  and  cost  $12,000.  Thomas  Miller, 
master.  A  side- wheel  steamer  ;  measured  150 
tons.  Sunk  near  Glasgow,  Mo.,  in  1849.  She 
■was  owned  in  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  and  named 
for  Miss  Amelia  Cordell,  a  belle  of  that  city 
in  her  day.  Captain  Miller  used  to  tell  the 
following  story  illustrative  of  one  of  the  pe- 
culiarities of  the  Indian  race  —  their  stoical  in- 
difference to  danger.  He  said  :  "On  one  trip 
of  the  Amelia  to  the  mountains  she  had  on 
board  fifteen  or  twenty  Indians  who  were  re- 
turning from  Washington  city,  where  they  had 
been  to  visit  their  'great  father,'  and  were  on 
their  way  to  the  upper  river.  They  were  not 
allowed  in  the  cabin,  nor  even  on  the  lower 
deck,  on  account  of  the  peculiar  odor  that  al- 
ways hangs  around  an  Indian,  but  were  re- 
quired to  remain  on  the  hurricane  roof,  where 
they  could  have  the  full  benefit  of  the  breeze. 
There  they  sat,  perched  over  the  skylight, 
with  their  red  blankets  wrapped  around  them, 
from  morning  till  night,  like  a  flock  of  red 
birds  sitting  on  a  limb.  Not  a  word  did  they 
speak  to  any  one,  nor  was  a  word  spoken  to 
them,  as  they  sat  there  seemingly  oblivious  to 
what  was  going  on  around  them.  When  the  boat 
had  ascended  the  river  to  about  the  mouth  of 
the  La  Mine  she  caught  fire  one  day  in  the  hold. 
The  cabin  was  at  once  filled  with  smoke  and  a 
panic  ensued  among  the  passengers,  for  a  fire 
was  always  extremely  dangerous  on  a  steam- 
boat. The  hatches  were  battened  down,  the 
steam  turned  into  the  hold,  and  the  fire  soon 
became  extinguished.  In  the  meantime,  how- 
ever, as  a  matter  of  precaution,  the  boat  was 
run  along  shore  beside  a  dense  forest  and  made 
fast  to  a  tree.  The  Indians  had  shown  no  alarm 
during  all  the  excitement,  but  no  sooner  had 
the  gangplank  been  run  out  than  an  old  chief, 
who  seemed  to  be  the  leader,  jumped  up,  and 
with  a  grunt  of  disgust,  '  Ugh.'  walked  ashore 
with  the  others  at  his  heels.  Not  a  word  was 
spoken,  but  they  struck  off  through  the  tall 
timber  in  single  file,  and  never  looked  back  to 
see  what  had  become  of  the  boat.  They  were 
never  heard  from  afterwards." 

1844  Anawan.  Ascended  river  to  Platte 
City  during  flood  of  1844.   4. 

1835-'36.  Antelope.  An  American  Fur  Com- 
pany boat. 

1847-'51.  Anthony  Wayne.  Built  for  the 
lower-river  trade,  in  184'7.  Sunk  at  Liberty 
Landing,  below  Kansas  City.  March  25.  1851. 

.     Anthony   Wayne.      Sunk  near   Blair, 

Neb.   7. 

1853-'56.  Arabia.  Captain.  John  S.  Shaw.  A 
side-wheeler.  Sunk  below  Parkville.  Mo., 
August  10.  1856.  She  was  said  to  have  had  a 
cargo  of  whisky  on  board,  and  an  effort  was 
made  to  find  the  wreck,  but  failed.  Measure- 
ment. 222  tons.     See,  also.  7. 

1868.  Arabian.  A  stern-wheeler.  Sunk 
near  Atchison.  May  4,  1868. 

.     Archer.    7. 

1838.  Archimedes.  A  government  snag 
boat  on  the  lower  river.     2. 

1835-'37.  Arrow.  Another  early  boat,  com- 
manded by  James  McCord.  Captain  McCord 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  early 
steamboat  men    on    the    Missouri.       He    was 


father  of  Capt.  John  T.  McCord.  of  St.  Louis, 
who  was  blown  up  on  the  Gold  Dust. 

.     A.  Saltzman.     Built  at  St.  Joseph.     7. 

1857-'60.  Asa  Wilgus.  Ash  Hopkins,  mas- 
ter. A  good  side-wheeler.  Sunk  at  Bates's 
wood-yard,  below  Hermann,  in  1860. 

1835-'40.  A.S.Bennett.  An  early  fur-com- 
pany boat,  named  for  the  captain  of  the  first 
Yellowstone. 

1832-'35.  Assiniboine.  Captain,  Pratt.  Am- 
erican Fur  Company  boat,  one  of  the  first  to  go 
the  Yellowstone.  She  was  burned  on  the  up- 
per river,  near  Bismarck.  Dak..  June  1,  1835. 
Maximilian's  Travels  in  North  America,  vol- 
ume 23  of  Early  Western  Travels,  Thwaites, 
page  178.  _has  this  note  concerning  the  skin,  of 
a  stag:  "Unfortunately  this  fine  skin,  which, 
with  much  trouble,  I  got  to  Fort  Clarke,  was 
lost  when  the  Assiniboine  steamer  was  burnt, 
in  the  summer  of  1834."  See.  also.  8  and  10.— 
New  York  Tribune.  1849.— The  steamer  As- 
siniboine (no  doubt  another  boat),  up  to  a  year 
in  the  later  '40's,  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  hav- 
ing reached  the  highest  point  ever  before  made 
by  a  steamboat  on  the  Missouri  river.  The 
trip  made  by  this  boat  was  quite  a  noted  one 
in  those  early  days,  notwithstanding  it  proved 
disastrous  to  its  owners.  Unfortunately,  the 
steamer  on  this  trip  was  frozen  in.  and  before 
the  end  of  winter  entirely  broken  up,  proving 
a  total  loss. 

1837-'40.  Astoria.  James  McCord.  master. 
An  early  fur-company  boat.  She  was  wrecked 
in  Astoria  chute,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Blue 
river,  in  1840. 

1853-'58.  Australia.  McMullin.  master.  A 
large  side-wheeler  belonging  to  the  Lightning 
line.  Burned  at  St.  Louis,  April  1,  1858.  Built 
in  1853.     Tonnage,  289. 

1848.  Balloon.  John  McClay,  master.  A 
lower-river,  side-wheeler  boat.  She  sunk  be- 
low Augusta,  Mo.,  in  1848. 

1852-'55.  Banner  State.  J.  S.  Nanson,  mas- 
ter. A  good  side-wheeler  in  the  lower  river. 
Sunk  in  Brick-house  bend,  below  St.  Charles, 
April  11,  1855. 

.     Bartram.     A   mountain   boat.     Sunk 

above  Omaha  in  1864.   7. 

1849-'52.  Bay  State.  Nanson,  master.  Built 
in  1849.     A  popular  boat  on  the  lower  river. 

1839-'40.  Bedford.  A  side- wheel,  single-en- 
gine boat  on  the  lower  river.  On  April  25, 
1840.  she  struck  a  snag  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri,  which  knocked  a  Urge  hole  in  her, 
and  she  sank  in  about  a  minute  to  the  hurri- 
cane deck.  Fourteen  passengers  were  lost, 
and  among  them  one  who  had  in  his  trunk 
$6000  in  gold.     The  boat  was  built  in  1839. 

1855.  Bee.  A  boat  which  came  from  St. 
Louis  and  ran  between  Kansas  City  and  Fort 
Riley,  on  the  Kansas  river. 

1850-'52.  Belle  Creole.  A  lower-river  side- 
wheeler.__  The  people  along  the  shore  called 
her  the  "Owl,"  a  corruption  of  "Creole"  or 
"Creowl." 

1875-'80.  Belle  of  St.  Louis.  A  large  side- 
wheel  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City  packet-line 
steamer. 

1861.  Bellemont.  A  ferry  boat.  Captain, 
Walker.  Sunk  opposite  Charles  street.  St. 
Joseph,  in  midriver.  in  1861.    7. 

18.50-'55.  Ben  Bolt.  Ran  on  the  lower  river 
in  the  '50's.  She  conveyed  the  survivors  of 
the  wreck  on  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad,  at 
Gasconade  bridge,  November  1,  1855,  back  to 
St.  Louis. 

1865-'69.  Ben  Johnson,  Ben  Johnson, 
owner.     A   large    side-wheel   boat  in  the  St. 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


299 


Louis  and  Omaha  trade.  In  1868  she  sunk  in 
Sonora  chute,  near  Portland,  Mo.,  but  was 
raised,  and  on  March  29,  1869.  burned  at  the 
St.  Louis  wharf. 

1851-'5.5.  Ben  West.  A.  Reeder,  master.  A 
side-wheel  boat.  Sunk  in  Augusta  bend,  be- 
low Washington.  Mo..  August  10,  1855. 

1860-'64.  Ben  W.  Lewis.  A  splendid  lower- 
river  passenger  boat.  Built  by  Tom  Brierly, 
in  1860.  She  was  driven  out  of  the  river  by  the 
railroads  and  finally  blew  up  on  the  lower 
Mississippi,  in  1864.  and  killed  twenty-three 
people,  among  whom  were  her  commander. 
Captain  Nanson,  and  clerk.  Jack  Robinson. 

1852.  Bennett.  A  government  wrecking 
boat.  Was  herself  wrecked  in  1852,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kaw,  while  going  to  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Dacotah,  near  Peru.  Neb. 

1869.  Benton  (No.  1).  An  upper-river 
boat.  She  was  wrecked  near  Sioux  City,  May 
19,  1869. ; 

1875-77.  Benton  (No.  2).  Sunk  near  Wash- 
ington, Mo.  She  was  one  of  Custer's  fleet  in 
his  expedition  against  the  Sioux  on  the  Yel- 
lowstone, in  1876. 

1895.  Benton  (No.  3).  Sunk  near  Glasgow, 
Mo.  All  three  of  the  Bentons  were  stern- 
wheel  boats. 

1868-'72.  Bertha.  Struck  a  St.  Joseph 
bridge  pier  and  sank  in  1872.     7. 

1840-'45.  Bertrand.  Yore,  master.  Sunk  in 
Bertrand  bend,  at  Portage  La  Force.  Neb. 

1840-'45.  Big  Hatchie.  A  large  stern-wheel 
boat ;  one  of  the  few  on  the  river  in  her  day. 
On  July  25,  1845,  she  exploded  her  boiler,  near 
Hermann.  Mo.,  causing  the  loss  of  many  lives. 

1841.  Big  Horn  (No.  1) .  An  early  fur-com- 
pany boat.     Lost  on  the  upper  river. 

1864-'66.  Big  Horn  (  No.  2).  Sunk  by  ice  in 
St.  Louis  in  1866. 

1872-'73.  Big  Horn  (  No.  3  ).  A  stern- wheel 
boat  built  by  Joe  La  Barge  for  the  mountain 
trade  in  1872.  She  was  wrecked  on  Bayou 
Bartholomew,  La.,  in  1873. 

1882-'83.  Big  Horn  (  No.  4).  Sunk  on  upper 
river,  near  Poplar  river.  May  8,  1883. 

1865.  Bishop.  Sunk  near  Peru,  Neb.,  about 
1865,  several  people  being  drowned.     7. 

1867.  Bishop.  Swamped  in  an  eddy  caused 
by  new  cut-off  on  the  river.     2. 

1860-'62.  Black  Hawk.  Lower-river  side- 
wheeler.     Sunk  near  Weston.  Mo.,  in  1862. 

1850.     Blue  Wing.     A  small  tramp  steamer. 

1853.  Bluff  City.     Nothing  known. 

1834-'36.  Boonslick.  Named  for  the  Boon- 
slick  settlement,  opposite  Boonville.  Mo.,  the 
first  Anglo-American  settlement  on  the  river 
( 1810).  Collided  with  the  Missouri  Belle,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1834.     See  Missouri  Belle. 

1836-'37.  Boonville.  Sunk  in  Kaw  bend, 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw,  in  November, 
1837. 

1845-'46.  Boreas  (  No.  1 ).  Side-wheel,  lower- 
river  boat;  double  engines.  She  burned  at 
Hermann,  Mo.,  in  1846.  while  bound  down- 
stream. She  had  a  large  amount  of  Mexican 
bullion  and  silver  dollars  on  board,  which  were 
lost.  The  boat  was  supposed  to  have  been  set 
on  fire  to  cover  up  the  theft  of  the  money. 

1847-'49.  Boreas  (  No.  2  ).  Bernard,  master. 
Another  boat  of  the  same  name.  Burned  at 
St.  Louis.  May  17,  1849. 

1840-'42.  Bowling  Green.  John  J.  Roe,  mas- 
ter. Built  in  1840.  Sunk  in  Osage  chute,  De- 
cember 12, 1842.  The  wreck  can  be  seen  to  this 
day  in  low  water. 


I  1856-'57.  Brazil.  A  side-wheeler  on  the 
lower  river.  See,  also,  "The  Kansas  River  — 
its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  vol- 
ume. 

;  1882-'83.  Bright  Light.  David  Silver,  mas- 
ter.    A  large  stern-wheel  boat,  250  feet  long. 

I    She  ran    the  lower   river,   and   was   wrecked 
June  30,  1883,  on  Boonville  bridge. 
1854.     Bunker  Hill.     Nothing  known. 

I        .     Caliope.     7. 

1862-'65.     Calypso.     A.    S.    Bryan,    master. 

I    Sunk  at  St.  Louis,  by  ice.  December  16,  1865. 

[    She  was  a  small  side-wheeler. 

1        1830-'33.     Cambria.     Nothing  known. 

!        1859.     Cambridge.     12. 

1839.  Camden.  Side-wheel  boat.  Sunk  at 
Patton's  point,  above  Washington,  Mo.,  in  1839. 

1871-'75.  Capital  City.  She  was  a  large  side- 
wheel  boat,  and  was  one  of  the  eight  boats  con- 
stituting the  Missouri  River  Packet  Company, 
which  ran  to  Kansas  City  in  1872-'73.  In  1872 
these  boats  carried  53,000  tons  of  freight  down- 
stream and  38,000  tons  up-stream. 

1830-'32.  Car  of  Commerce.  Reed,  master. 
A  single-engine,  side-wheel  boat.  Sunk  at 
Musick's  ferry,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
May  6,  1832. 

1850.  Caraway.  A  small  side-wheeler.  Ran 
the  lower  river. 

1853-'58.  Carrier.  W.  C.  Postal,  master. 
Small  side-wheel  boat.  Sunk  in  Penn's  bend, 
above  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  in  1858.  Measurement, 
ninety-eight  tons.  '„ 

1840.  Carroll  (No.  1).  Meath, master.  Sunk 
at  the  mouth  of  Grand  river  in  1840.  She  was 
a  stern- wheeler  —  one  of  the  first  on  the  river. 

1856.     Castle  Garden.     Nothing  known. 

1851-'57.  Cataract.  Marshall,  master.  Built 
in  1851.  Large  side-wheel  passenger  steamer 
in  the  Lightning  line.  She  blew  up  in  1857  and 
killed  fifteen  people.  Mrs.  Miriam  Davis  Colt, 
author  of  "  Went  to  Kansas."  made  the  jour- 
ney from  St.  Louis  to  Kansas  City  on  this  boat 
in  April,  1856.     See,  also,  6. 

1836.  Chariton.  Ramsey,  master.  A  side- 
wheel,  single-engine,  one-boiler  boat  on  the 
lower  river,  running  in  the  trade  from  St. 
Louis  to  Independence.  Mo.  She  was  named 
for  the  Chariton  river,  at  the  mouth  of  which 
a  town  was  laid  out  about  that  time,  which  it 
was  then  thought  would  be  the  metropolis  of 
Missouri.  The  boat  was  ill-fated  from  the 
time  she  was  launched.  She  first  sunk  at  the 
mouth  of  the  G.^sconade.  but  was  raised,  and 
sunk  the  second  time  at  Wayne  City,  the  land- 
ing for  Independence,  Mo.,  but  was  again 
raised.  On  July  28,  1837,  she  exploded  her  boiler 
while  lying  at  the  levee  in  St.  Louis,  killing  ten 
or  twelve  people  ;  but  a  new  boiler  was  put  in 
and  she  again  started  up  the  river,  where  she 
finally  sunk,  in  Euphrasie  bend,  below  Glas- 
gow. Mo..  October  12,  1837.  Her  dimensions 
were  160  by  25  feet. 

1840.  Charles  H.  Green.  Sunk  at  Franklin, 
Mo.; 

1832-'36.  Chian.  A  fur-company  boat.  Sunk 
in  Euphrasie  bend,  below  Glasgow,  Mo.,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1836,  when  going  down-stream  with  a 
valuable  cargo  of  furs.  Her  name  was  a  cor- 
ruption of  "Cheyenne." 

1859.  Chippewa.  Captain  Crabtree.  owner. 
A  light  boat,  chartered  by  the  American  Fur 
Company.     2. 

1864.  Chippewa  Falls.  This  was  one  of  the 
boats  sent  into  the  Yellowstone  by  General  Sully 
with  rations  and  material  for  a  new  post  which 


300 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


it  was  proposed  to  build  on  the  Yellowstone 
near  the  mouth  of  Powder  river.     2. 

.     Chouteau.     7. 

18.51-'56.  Clara  (No.  1).  J.  Cheever,  mas- 
ter. A  side- wheel,  lower-river  passenger  boat. 
Her  measurement  was  248  tons.  Sunk  by  ice 
at  St.  Louis  in  1856. 

l&58-'60.  Clara  (No.  2).  Burk,  master.  A 
large  side-wheel  passenger  packet  belonging 
to  the  famous  Lightning  line.  She  sunk  at 
Owsley's  Landing,  above  Washington,  Mo., 
May  24,  1860. 

1858.  Clark  H.  Green.  Ferry-boat  at  Glas- 
gow, Mo.     Sunk  January  28,  1858. 

1853.    Clipper.    Nothing  known  except  name. 

1855-'57.  Col.  Grossman.  Captain,  Cheever. 
Large  lower-river  boat.  Exploded  at  New 
Madrid,  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  in  the  winter 
of  1857,  with  terrible  loss  of  life. 

1842-'44.  Colonel  Woods.  Knox,  master. 
Ascended  river  to  Platte  City  during  flood  of 
1844.    4. 

186.3-'64.  Colorado.  A  large  side- wheel 
steamer,  on  the  river  in  1863-'64. 

1878-'80.  Colossal.  Burned  at  St.  Louis 
wharf. 

.     Colossal.    Captain,  Hickman.    Burned 

at  Carondelet.    7. 

1847-'49.  Columbia  (No.  1).  Lower-river 
boat.  Built  in  1847.  Sunk  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Missouri  river  in  1849. 

1867-'69.  Columbia  (No.  2).  Draff  en,  mas- 
ter.    Sunk  at  Napoleon,  Mo. 

1868-'70.  Columbian.  Barnes,  master.  A 
large  side-wheeler.  Sunk  at  mouth  of  Grand 
river,  Missouri,  June  23,  1870. 

1840-'45.  Columbiana.  A  single-engine  side- 
wheeler.     Sunk  at  Lexington,  Mo.,  1845. 

1855.  Commerce.  A  side- wheeler.  Sunk  in 
Wolf's  bend,  above  Sandy  Hook,  Mo.,  on  her 
first  trip  up  the  river,  in  1855. 

1847-'49.  Consignee.  Built  in  1847,  and  ran 
the  lower  river  for  a  year  or  two. 

1847- '48.  Cora.  Was  the  last  boat  to  touch 
at  Weston  during  the  two  years  1847  and  1848. 
10. 

1850-'51.  Cora  (No.  1).  Frank  Dozier,  mas- 
ter. A  lower-river,  side-wheel  boat.  She  sunk 
in  Howard's  bend,  above  St.  Charles,  in  the 
lower  river.  April  17,  1851. 

1860-'65.  Cora  (No.  2).  Brewster,  master. 
A  good  stern-wheel  boat.  After  the  burning 
of  the  Osage  and  Gasconade  bridges  by  the 
Confederates,  in  June,  1861,  she  ran  from 
Hermann  to  Jefferson  City,  and  cleared  $40,000 
in  three  months.  She  sunk,  in  1865,  near 
Omaha.  She  was  built  by  Capt.  Joe  Kinney,  of 
Boonville,  Mo.,  and  named  for  his  daughter. 

1868-'69.  Cora  (No.  3).  A  side-wheel  boat 
in  the  Fort  Benton  trade.  Sunk  in  Bellefon- 
taine  bend,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  August 
13,  1869.   See,  also,  4. 

1852-54.  Cornelia  (No.  1).  D.  C.  Adams, 
master.  A  side-wheeler  on  the  lower  river  in 
1852-'54.     See,  also,  7. 

1865-'73.  Cornelia  ( No.  2).  C.  K.  Baker, 
master.  Large  side-wheeler  in  the  Omaha 
trade.     Burned  at  New  Orleans. 

1860.  Cornelia.  Sunk  by  ice  above  St.  Louis 
in  the  '60's.   7. 

1840-'42.  Corvette.  A  side- wheeler,  180  feet 
long.  Ran  the  lower  river.  Sunk  up  to  her 
hurricane  roof,  near  Eureka  Landing,  below 
Providence,  Mo.,  in  1842,  and  was  a  total  loss. 

1857-'59.      Council    Bluffs.      Captain,  Sam. 


Lewis.      A    side-wheel    boat  in    the    Council 
Bluffs  trade.     Went  south  in  1859. 

1880-'85.  C.  R.  Suter.  Government  snag 
boat. 

1835-'40.  Cumberland  Valley.  Sunk  in  the 
Kaw  bend  in  1840.  The  five  last-mentioned 
boats  were  among  the  early  boats  in  the  lower 
river  of  which  but  little  is  known  except  their 


1865.     Cutter.   2. 

1856-59.  C.  W.  Sombart.  Sunk  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Saline  river  in  1859.  She  carried  a  cargo 
of  merchandise  and  a  large  sum  of  gold  and 
silver  money,  which  was  never  recovered.  She 
now  lies  beneath  a  large  farm.  This  boat  was 
built  by  C.  W.  Sombart,  a  wealthy  German  mil- 
ler, Capt.  Henry  McPherson,  Capt.  Joseph  L. 
Stephens,  father  of  ex-Gov.  Lon  V.  Stephens, 
and  other  business  men  of  Boonville.  Captain 
McPherson,  who  commanded  the  boat,  still  lives 
at  Boonville.  She  was  a  good  side- wheel  packet 
and  ran  on  the  lower  river ;  never  fast,  but  a 
good  carrier  and  money-maker. 

1840.  Dacota.  Finch,  master.  An  early 
fur-company  boat. 

1848-'52.  Dacotah  (No.  1).  Aside-wheeler. 
Wrecked  at  Peru,  Neb.,  in  1852. 

1884.  Dacotah  ( No.  2 ) .  A  large  stern- 
wheel  freight  boat  in  the  lower-river  trade. 
She  sunk  at  Providence,  Mo.,  September  17, 
1884,  but  was  raised,  and  went  into  the  lower 


.     D.  A.  Crawford.     Sunk    near  Arrow 

Rock.     7. 

1857-'64.  D.  A.  January.  M.  Oldham,  mas- 
ter. Same  type  of  boat  as  the  Duncan  S. 
Carter,  described  below.  She  sunk  at  Chester, 
111.,  on  the  Mississippi;  was  raised,  and  con- 
verted into  a  hospital  boat,  and  her  name 
changed  to  Ned  Tracy.  She  was  finally 
wrecked  on  the  lower  Mississippi. 

1876.  Damsel.  A  circus  boat.  Sunk  in 
Onawa  bend,  near  the  town  of  Onawa,  Iowa, 
in  1876. 

1852-'58.  Dan  Converse.  Built  in  1852.  A 
stern-wheel  boat  in  the  lower  river  ;  she  sunk 
near  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  November  15,  1858. 

.     Daniel  Boone.     Made  but  one  trip  on 

the  Missouri  river,  being  too  large.     7. 

1856-'62.  Daniel  G.  Taylor.  Reeder.  master. 
A  large  side-wheel  boat,  built  for  the  moun- 
tain trade.  Sunk  July  5,  1856,  near  Roche- 
port,  Mo.  ;  was  raised,  and  finally  burned  at 
Louisville,  Ky. 

1838.  Dart.  Cleveland,  master.  A  side- 
wheel  boat.    Sunk  below  Glasgow.  Mo.,  in  1838. 

.     D.  A.  Russell.     7. 

1887.  David  R.  Powell.  Burned  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi in  1887.     7. 

1855-'60.  David  Tatum.  A  large  side-wheel, 
lower-river  boat ;  in  1859,  she  sunk  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Gasconade,  but  was  raised. 
The  writer  was  on  board  when  she  sunk. 
Governor  Reeder  came  up  on  this  boat.  May  5, 
1856,  in  four  days,  from  St.  Louis. 

1872-'78.  De  Smet.  A  side-wheeler,  built 
for  the  mountain  trade,  by  Capt.  Joe  La  Barge, 
in  1872.  She  was  named  for  the  famous  In- 
dian missionary.  Father  De  Smet.  See  St. 
Ange. 

1850-'57.  Delaware.  Captain,  Baker.  Sunk 
at  Smith's  bar,  above  Atchison,  Kan.,  in  1857. 
The  first  two  locomotives  that  ever  came  up 
the  Missouri  river  were  on  this  steamer,  for 
the  west  end  of  the  H.  &  St.  J.  R.  R.  The 
boat  passed  the  Quindaro  landing  on  the 
morning  of  June  9,  1857.     "The  names  of  the 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


301 


iron  steeds  were  "Buchanan"  and  "St.  Jo- 
seph." Frank  A.  Root  saw  this  from  the  up- 
per story  of  the  Chindowan  office,  located  on 
the  levee,  a  few  rods  from  the  river. 

1865.  Denver  No.  2.  Ferry-boat.  Sunk  by 
ice  at  Bismarck,  N.  Dak.   7. 

1860.  Dew  Drop.  Burned  at  the  mouth  of 
Osage  in  1860. 

.     Diadem.   7. 

1834-'36.  Diana.  Belonged  to  the  American 
Fur  Company.  Sunk  in  Diana  bend,  above 
Rocheport,  Mo.,  October  10,  1836,  with  a  val- 
uable cargo  of  furs.  Had  previously  sunk  be- 
low Lexington. 

1877.  Don  Cameron.  Stern-wheeler.  A  gov- 
ernment boat  built  for  the  Yellowstone.  Sunk 
in  the  Yellowstone  river.  May  17,  1877. 

1876-'78.  Dugan,  R.  W.  J.  Kinney,  master. 
Sunk  at  De  Witte.  Mo.,  October  21,  1878. 

1856-'58.  Duncan  S.  Carter.  Large  side- 
wheel  boat,  221  by  33  feet,  in  the  lower  river. 
She  sunk  in  Augusta  bend,  below  Washing- 
ton, Mo.  John  J.  Ingalls  came  to  Kansas  on 
this  boat,  in  October,  1858. 

1878-'81.  Durfee,  E.  H.  A  large  stern- 
wheel  freight  boat.  Sunk  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Gasconade,  from  being  overloaded.  May  21, 
1881. 

1850-'52.  Durock.  John  McCloy,  master. 
Side-wheeler  in  the  lower  river.  Sunk  in  St. 
Charles  bend  in  1852. 

1849-*52.  Eagle.  Built  and  owned  by  John 
Chappell  and  J.  T.  Rogers.  She  sunk  near 
Jeffersoi.  City.  Mo.,  in  1852. 

1855-'60.  E.  A.  Ogden.  Baldwin,  master; 
Phil.  E.  Chappell,  clerk.  Side-wheel  packet  in 
lower  river,  built  in  1855.  Sunk  in  Murray's 
bend,  above  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  on  February 
22,  1860.     See,  also,  7,  8, 

.     Ebenezer.     A  ferry,  converted  into  a 

gunboat  in  1862.    7. 

1862.  Ed.  F.  Dix.  St.  Louis  and  Glasgow 
packet.  Large  side-wheeler;  burned  at  St. 
Louis  wharf  in  1862. 

1853-'59.  Edinburgh.  Blount,  master.  Built 
by  Dan  Abel  in  1853.  A  Lightning  line  packet. 
See,  also,  6,  7. 

1850.     Editor.    Transient;  nothing  known. 

1840-'42.  Edna.  Jas.  McCord,  master.  Ran 
in  the  packet  trade  between  St.  Louis  and  Glas- 
gow, Mo.  Exploded  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
July  3,  1842,  and  killed  about  100  people,  the 
most  of  whom  were  German  immigrants.     See, 

1849.  Edward  Bates.  This  boat  was  built  at 
St.  Louis,  in  1848.  and  was  of  300  tons  measure- 
ment.    Burned  at  St.  Louis,  May  17,  1849.    2. 

1863-'67.  Effie  Deans.  A  small  steamboat 
in  the  Fort  Benton  trade.  In  1864  the  Effie 
Deans  made  the  most  remarkable  voyage  of 
which  there  is  any  record  in  the  annals  of 
steamboating.  She  left  St.  Louis  in  April  and 
went  to  Fort  Benton  and  back,  a  distance  of 
4500  miles.  On  her  return  she  was  sent  down 
the  Mississippi  and  around  the  Gulf,  and  up 
the  Alabama  river  to  Montgomery.  She  made 
the  return  voyage  in  the  same  season,  and  ar- 
rived at  St.  Louis  without  an  accident.  The 
distance  traveled  was  as  follows :  From  St. 
Louis  to  Fort  Benton  and  back,  4500  miles ;  from 
St.  Louis  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  back,  2500: 
then  across  the  Gulf  to  Mobile  and  back,  600 
miles;  and  from  Mobile  to  Montgomery,  Ala., 
and  back,  676  miles.  The  whole  distance  was 
about  8276  miles.  No  other  steamboat  ever 
made  so  long  a  voyage  on  inland  waters,  in- 
•cluding  a  sea  voyage,  in  one  season.     The  Effie 


Deans  belonged  to  McCune,  Jaccard,  and  La- 
Barge,  and  burned  at  the  St.  Louis  wharf  in 
the  spring  of  1867. 

1850-'55.  El  Paso.  T.  H.  Brierly,  master; 
John  Durack,  captain.  Dimensions  180  by  28 
feet.  Went  to  the  mountains  in  1850.  and 
reached  a  point  350  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Yellowstone,  June  20,  1850.  Sunk  in  the 
bend  below  Boonville,  April  10,  1855.    2,  10,  11. 

1837-'38.  Elk.  A  single-engine  side-wheeler. 
Built  by  the  American  Fur  Company.  She 
sunk  at  Massie's  wood-yard,  below  Hermann, 
Mo.,  in  1838. 


1840.     Ella.     An  early  boat ;  nothing  known. 

1849.  Ella  Stewart.  Isaac  McKee,  master. 
An  early  lower-river  boat.  Burned  at  St. 
Louis,  May  17.  1849. 

1851-'55.  Elvira.  James  Dozier,  master.  A 
side-wheel  boat  in  the  lower  river.  She  was 
the  first  of  several  fine  boats  built  by  the  Do- 
ziers,  a  noted  family  of  steamboat  men.  See, 
also,  7. 

1849.     Embassy.     Built  in  1849 ;  transient. 

1850-'53.  E.  M.  Clendenin.  Smith,  master. 
A  fine  side-wheel  passenger  packet,  in  the 
lower-river  trade.  She  sunk  above  St.  Charles 
in  1853. 

1842.     Emeline. 

1858-'59.  Emigrant.  Capt.  William  Terrill, 
master.  A  Missouri  river  packet;  large  side- 
wheel  boat.  Burned  at  Dozier's  Landing  above 
St.  Charles,  in  1859.     See.  also,  6,  7. 

1840-'42.  Emilie  (No.  1).  Keiser,  master. 
Small  side-wheel,  single-engine  boat,  built  for 
the  fur  trade  by  Pierre  Chouteau  and  John  W 
Keiser  in  1840,  and  named  for  Mrs.  Chouteau. 
She  sunk  in  Emilie  bend,  above  Washington 
Mo.,  in  1842. 

1859-'68.  Emilie  (No.  2).  Joseph  La  Barge, 
master.  This  boat  was  one  of  the  most  famous 
on  the  river ;  was  225  feet  long,  32  feet  beam, 
with  a  hold  six  feet  deep,  and  could  carry  500 
tons.  Was  a  side-wheeler,  built  on  the  most-ap- 
proved lines,  and  was  designed  and  built  by 
Mr.  La  Barge,  and  set  out  on  her  first  voyage 
on  October  1, 1859.  It  was  named  for  one  of  his 
daughters.  The  boat  was  run  in  the  service  of 
the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  railroad,  and  made 
trips  as  far  up  as  Fort  Randall.    2.    See,  also,  9. 

1870-'74.  Emilie  La  Barge.  Joe  La  Barge, 
mastei-.  A  side- wheel,  upper-river  boat.  Sunk 
at  Sandy  Hook,  Mo.,  June  5,  1874. 

1858.  Emily.  Burke,  master.  Large  lower- 
river  boat. 

1885.  Emily  (No.  2).  A  government  boat ; 
sunk  at  Atchison.  Kan.,  in  1885. 

1858-'62.  Emma.  Cheever,  master.  Lower- 
river  boat.     7, 

1855.  Emma  Harmon,  A  boat  used  in  the 
Kansas  trade.  See  "The  Kansas  River  —  its 
Navigation."  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume. 

1849-'.56.  Empire  State.  A  lower-river  boat. 
Measurement,  303  tons. 

1858-'59.  E.  M.  Ryland.  Captain  Blount, 
master.  A  side- wheel  boat  on  the  lower  river. 
See,  also,  7. 

1849.  Endors.  Burned  at  St.  Louis,  Mav  17 
1849.     2. 

1825-'30.  Enterprise.  Built  in  1825 ;  nothing 
further  known.  She  was  one  of  the  earliest 
boats  on  the  river. 

1857.  Equinox.  Sam.  Boyce,  master.  Tran- 
sient. 

1865-'69.     Estella.     John  P.  Keiser.  master. 


302 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Large  lower-river,  side- wheel  boat.  Burned  at 
St.  Louis  wharf. 

1835-'40.  Euphrasie.  Sunk  in  Euphrasia 
bend,  below  Glasgow,  Mo.,  September  17,  1840. 
The  first  of  several  boats  wrecked  in  this  bend. 

.     Eutaw.     Captain,   Larzalere.      Built 

for  a  ferry.  Failed  to  get  a  license,  and  was 
sold  and  taken  away  about  1852.     7. 

1862-'69.  Evening  Star.  Side-wheel,  lower- 
river  boat.  Burned  at  St.  Louis  wharf,  August 
24,  1869. 

1855-'56.  Excel.  An  Osage  river  boat.  Sunk 
in  1856.  See,  also,  "The  Kansas  River  — its 
Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume; 
also,  5. 

1819.  E.xpedition.  Captain,  Craig.  Meas- 
urement, 150  tons.  She  was  one  of  the  four 
boats  constituting  the  Yellowstone  expedition 
of  1819,  and  was  the  second  steamboat  to  as- 
cend the  river  as  high  up  as  the  Kaw. 

1850-'55.  Express.  Sunk  near  Leavenworth, 
June  15,  1855.  The  Ashland  colony  came  to 
Kansas  City  on  this  boat  in  March,  1855.  This 
colony  was  composed  of  about  sixty  persons, 
and  they  located  about  the. mouth  of  McDowell 
creek,  in  Riley  county.  Henry  J.  Adams, 
Franklin  G.  Adams,  Matthew  Weightman.  and 
William  H.  Maekey,  sr. ,  and  wife,  of  Junction 
City,  were  in  this  party.     See,  also,  5. 

1840.     Falcon.     Ran  the  lower  river  in  1840. 

1868-'73.  Fannie  Barker.  Captain,  Hall. 
Sunk  below  Leavenworth  in  1873.     7,  9. 

1856-'59.  Fannie  Lewis.  A  Urge  side-wheel 
packet  on  the  lower  river.  Owned  by  parties 
at  Glasgow,  Mo.,  and  named  for  the  wife  of 
Maj.  James  Lewis.     7. 

1863-'67.  Fannie  Ogden.  Joe  Kinney  and 
Joe  La  Barge,  masters.  A  mountain  boat. 
Burned  at  St.  Louis  wharf  in  1867.     7. 

1834- '36.  Far  West.  Built  at  the  mouth  of 
Bonne  Femme  creek,  below  Boonville,  Mo., 
and  launched  October  11,  1834.  She  was  a 
typical  boat  of  that  period,  and  was  of  the 
following  dimensions  :  One  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  long,  twenty  feet  beam,  and  six  feet  hold. 
She  had  but  one  engine,  and  was  a  side- 
wheeler.    She  sunk  at  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  in  1836. 

1876-'83.  Far  West.  Grant  Marsh,  master. 
This  was  a  stern-wheel  boat,  190  feet  by  33 
feet,  and  belonged  to  Custer's  expedition 
on  the  Yellowstone  (1876).  She  brought  the 
wounded  from  the  Little  Big  Horn  battle  to 
Fort  Lincoln,  a  distance  of  920  miles,  in  54 
hours,  a  most  remarkable  run.  She  afterward 
ran  in  the  lower-river  trade,  and  sunk  at  Mul- 
lanphy's  island,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
October  20,  1883.     Dodd,  master. 

1845-'47.  Faraway.  Small  boat  on  the  lower 
river. 

1863-'66.     Favorite.    2. 

1836-'43.     Fawn.     Ran  the  river  in  the  '40's. 

1848.  Fayaway  (?).  Built  in  St.  Louis  in 
1848  ;  of  102  tons  measurement,     10. 

1882.  Fearless.  A  large  stern-wheel  boat, 
belonging  to  the  Kansas  City  barge  line.  She 
sunk  on  her  first  trip  up  the  river,  at  Bon- 
homme  island,  near  the,  mouth  of  the  river, 
August  26,  1882. 

1863-'60.  Felix  X.  Aubrey.  Brierly,  master. 
Built  in  1853.  A  popular  side-wheeler  in  the 
lower  river.  She  sunk  near  Hermann,  Mo.,  in 
1860,  and  her  machinery  was  taken  off  the 
wreck  and  placed  in  the  Arago.  Felix  X. 
Aubrey,  for  whom  this  boat  was  named,  in 
1853  made  the  most  celebrated  horseback  ride 
ever  made  on  this  continent.  For  a  wager  of 
$5000,  he  rode  from  Santa  Fe  to  Westport  (now 
Kansas  CityJ,  Mo.,  a  distance  of  775  miles,  in 


five  days  and  thirteen  hours.  Of  course,  he 
had  a  relay  of  horses.  He  was  a  Frenchman, 
and  a  small  wiry  fellow.  He  was  finally  killed 
in  a  drunken  brawl,  in  Santa  Fe,  by  Major 
Wightman,  who  afterward  commanded  the 
celebrated  Wightman's  battery  in  the  Confed- 
erate army.  The  boat  bore  on  her  hurricane 
roof,  aft  of  the  pilot-house,  the  figure  of  a  man 
riding  at  full  speed  on  horseback.    See,  also,  6. 

1849.  Financier.  A  tramp.  Made  three  or 
four  trips  in  1849. 

1855.  Financier.  See,  also,  "The  Kansas 
River— its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in 
this  volume. 

1854-'58.  Fire  Canoe.  "The  Indians  always 
called  the  steamboat  the  "fire  canoe";  hence 
the  name.  She  was  a  stern- wheel  boat.  Sunk 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw,  November  13, 
1858.  Her  bell  was  taken  off  the  wreck  and 
placed  in  the  old  Gillis  House,  in  Kansas  City. 
Measurement,  166  tons.     See,  also,  7. 

1850-'56.  Florence  (No.  1).  Throckmorton, 
master.  A  light-draft  side-wheeler  in  the 
lower  river.  She  first  went  down  in  Augusta 
bend,  below  Washington,  Mo.,  in  1854,  but  was 
finally  lost  near  PortWilliams.  Atchison  county, 
Kansas,  in  1856. 

18  -'64.  Florence  (No. 2).  Captain.  Throck- 
morton.    Sunk  near  Sumner,  Kan.,  in  1864.    7. 

1850-'58.  Florilda.  Smith,  master.  A  simi- 
lar boat  to  the  Florence.     1. 

1855.  Forest  Rose.  A  tramp.  Made  two 
trips  in  1855. 

1856.  Fulton.  Made  three  trips  up  the  river 
in  1856. 

1866-'67.     Gallatin.     2. 

1840.     Gem.     Sunk  in  lower  river. 

1866-'68.  Gem.  Captain,  Beabout.  Sunk 
near  Nebraska  City  about  1868.     7. 

1842-'43.  General  Brady.  Hart,  master. 
Sunk  opposite  Hermann,  Mo.,  in  1843. 

1845-'46.  General  Brooks.  Throckmorton, 
master.     An  early  fur-company  boat. 

.     General  Gaines.     Taken  to  St.  Joseph 

for  a  ferry.  Sunk  near  Elwood  point  about 
1857.     7. 

1865.     General  Grant.     2. 

1850-'52.  General  Lane.  Isaac  McKee,  mas- 
ter. All  of  the  above  boats,  from  the  General 
Brady  down,  were  single-engine  side-wheelers, 
and  ran  the  lower  river. 

1840-'42.  General  Leavenworth.  White, 
master.  Named  for  the  government  oflficer 
who  established  Fort  Leavenworth. 

.      General     McNeil.      Sunk    above    St. 

Charles.    7. 

1892.  General  Meade.  Sunkbelow  St.  Charles 
in  1892.     7. 

1830.  General  W.  H.  Ashley.  James  Swee- 
ney, captain.  Named  for  the  famous  fur- 
trader.  She  was  wrecked  at  Femme  Osage, 
near  St.  Charles,  in  1830. 

1840-'45.  GenevaKNo.  1).  Sunk  in  lower 
river. 

1850.  Geneva  (No.  2).  Captain, Throckmor- 
ton.    Sunk  near  Nebraska  City.     7. 

1855-'57.  Genoa.  Sunk  near  Nebraska  City 
in  1857. 

1825-'26.  George  Washington.  One  of  the 
earliest  steamboats  on  the  river.  She  sunk  at 
the  mouth  of  the  La  Mine  in  1826. 

1840.     Georgetown.     Sunk  in  lower  river. 

1862-'73.  Glasgow.  La  Moth,  master.  A 
large  side- wheeler  in  the  lower  river.  She  was 
wrecked  on  Bayou  Sara,  La.,  February  23, 1873. 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


1833.  Glaucus.  Field,  master.  Nothing 
known. 

lS50-'52.  Glencoe.  J.  Lee.  master.  A  fine 
side-wheel  passenger  steamer.  On  the  3d  of 
April,  1852,  just  at  dusk,  as  the  Glencoe  was 
being  moored  to  the  levee  at  St.  Louis,  all 
three  of  her  boilers  exploded,  with  the  most 
appalling  result.  The  sound  of  the  explosion 
was  heard  all  over  the  city,  and  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  levee  the  shock  was  so  great 
that  it  was  like  an  earthquake.  The  boat  was 
crowded  with  people,  many  of  whom  had  just 
come  aboard,  and  the  force  of  the  explosion 
drove  the  wreck  far  out  into  the  river.  As 
usual  in  such  disasters,  what  remained  of  the 
cabin  immediately  caught  fire,  and  as  the  boat 
fioated  down  stream  many  of  the  people  were 
seen  to  throw  themselves  overboard  to  escape 
the  flames.  The  fire  burned  fiercely  and 
rapidly,  and  the  spectacle  was  presented  of 
people  running  with  frenzical  gestures  from 
one  side  of  the  boat  to  the  other  seeking  some 
means  of  escape  from  the  horrible  death  that 
confronted  them.  Five  bodies  were  found  on 
the  deck  of  the  Cataract,  another  Missouri 
river  boat,  that  lay  alongside,  and  several  on 
the  Western  World.  A  piece  of  the  iron  boiler 
was  blown  high  up  in  the  air  and  came  down 
on  the  roof  of  a  house  on  the  levee,  with  such 
force  as  to  break  through  and  kill  a  woman 
who  was  sitting  in  a  chair  in  the  room  below. 
It  was  never  known  how  many  lives  were  lost 
in  this  disaster,  but  the  number  was  great. 

1830.  Globe.  Captain  Wineland,  master. 
Made  a  trip  for  the  government  in  1830.     4. 

1840-'44.  Gloster.  Williams,  master.  Noth- 
ing known. 

1870-'75.     Gold  Dust.     Gould  and  John  T. 

McCord,  masters.  A  lower  Mississippi  river 
boat  which  ran  for  a  time  on  the  lower  Mis- 
souri ;  she  finally  blew  up  on  the  Mississippi, 
in  1875,  causing  great  loss  of  life.  Captain  Mc- 
Cord being  one  of  the  victims.    7. 

1866.     Gold  Finch.     2. 

1855-'57.  Golden  State.  Trip  in  spring  of 
1855  from  St.  Louis,  with  several  hundred  Mor- 
mons and  their  freight,  bound  for  Salt  Lake 
via  Fort  Leavenworth  ;  low  water,  eight  days' 
trip  ;  many  cases  of  cholera  and  deaths  on 
board.  See  Kan.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  7,  p.  326. 
Burned  at  St.  Louis  about  1857.     7. 

1867-'68.     Guidon.    3. 

1864-'67.  G.  W.  Graham.  Length.  249  feet ; 
one  of  the  largest  boats  ever  on  the  upper  Mis- 
souri.   2,  3. 

1840- '46.  Haidee.  Sunk  at  Charbonier  island, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  in  1846.  Percival 
G.  Lowe,  of  Leavenworth,  author  of  "Five 
Years  a  Dragoon,"  and  ex-president  of  the 
Kansas  State  Historical  Society,  in  December, 
1849,  started  up  the  river  on  this  boat,  or 
another  of  the  same  name.  The  boat  was 
frozen  in  at  Portland,  Mo.,  and  the  party  of 
recruits  had  to  march  overland  from  there  to 
Leavenworth,  arriving  at  the  fort  December 
25,  1849.  They  made  a  march  of  300  miles,  and 
the  whole  country  was  covered  with  ice  and 
snow. —  Five  Years  a  Dragoon,  p.  13. 

1832-'34.  Halcyon.  Shepherd,  master.  Sunk 
at  Charbonier  island,  November  14,  1834. 

1830.  Hancock.  Succeeded  the  Otoe  as  a 
regular  boat  on  the  Missouri. 

1844.  Hannibal.  Built  at  Elizabeth,  Pa., 
and  fini.shed  at  St.  Louis.  Measurement,  460 
tons.    10. 

1850.  Hannibal.  Ran  the  lower  river  in  the 
•50's. 

1850.     Hartford.     Nothing  known. 


1855.  Hartford.  See  '  The  Kansas  River  — 
its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this 
volume. 

1862-'65.  Hattie  May.  Hays,  master.  A 
small  side-wheeler  in  the  lower  river.  She 
burned  at  the  St.  Louis  levee,  December  16, 
1865. 

1866.     Helena.     2. 

1838.  Heliopolis.  A  government  snag  boat 
on  the  lower  river.     2. 

1854-'56.  Henry  Lewis.  A.  Emerson,  mas- 
ter. Measurement,  480  tons.  Nothing  further 
known. 

1868-'69.  Henry  S.  Turner.  Pat  Yore,  mas- 
ter. Ran  in  the  St.  Louis  and  Kansas  City 
Packet  Company. 

.     Hensley.     Captain,  Ford.     7. 

1852-'54.  Herald.  Joseph  S.  Nanson,  mas- 
ter. A  St.  Louis  and  Weston  packet.  Meas- 
ment,  295  tons. 

1845-'46.  Herman.  Tom  Baker,  master. 
Side-wheel,  lower-river  packet.  Sunk  at  St. 
Charles,  in  1846. 

1857-'59.  Hesperian.  F.  B.  Kercheval,  mas- 
ter. Built  in  1857.  A  large  side-wheel  packet 
in  the  lower  river.  Burned  at  Atchison,  on  the 
the  east  side  of  the  river,  opposite  the  foot  of 
Commercial  street,  on  a  Sunday  evening  in 
1859.  After  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  railroad 
was  finished  and  opened  with  a  monster  cele- 
bration at  St.  Joe,  February  23.  1857,  this  boat 
ran  as  a  passenger  steamer  in  connection  with 
trains  from  St.  Joe  to  Kansas  City.  On  Wed- 
nesday, September  27,  1859,  Hon.  Anson  Bur- 
lingame  passed  Atchison  going  down  the  river 
on  the  Hesperian  to  Leavenworth,  where  he 
spoke  the  following  evening.  This  boat  was 
owned  by  John  W.  Foreman,  Jas.  Foreman,  A. 
B.  Symns,  and  Captain  Kercheval.  Symns  was 
clerk.  These  parties,  excepting,  possibly.  Cap- 
tain Kercheval,  resided  at  Doniphan,  Kan. 

1855-'58.  Hiawatha.  Built  in  1855  for  the 
lower  river,  and  ran  in  that  trade  for  several 
years.  She  was  a  large  side-wheel  passenger 
steamer. 

1856.  Highflyer.  See  "  The  Kansas  River  - 
Its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this 
volume. 

1848-'53.  Highland  Mary.  Baldwin,  master. 
Built  at  St.  Louis  in  1848.  A  splendid  side- 
wheel  boat  in  her  day. 

1853-'56.     Hindoo.     Ran  the  lower  river. 

1852-'53.  Honduras.  Lew  Morris,  master. 
Sunk  near  Doniphan,  Kan.,  in  1853.  Measure- 
ment, 296  tons. 

1838.  Howard.  Sunk  at  Aux  Vasse,  near 
Portland,  Mo.,  in  1838. 

1866.  Huntsville.     2. 

1840-'42.     Huntsville.     Nothing  known. 

1842-'45.  latan  (No.  1).  John  W.  Keiser  (the 
father  of  John  P.  Keiser) ,  master.  She  was  a 
side-wheel  boat  and  ran  to  Council  Bluff's. 

1858-'60.  latan  (No.  2).  Eaton,  master. 
A  side-wheel  boat  in  the  lower  river. 

1866-'70.  Ida.  Large  side-wheel  Kansas 
City  and  St.  Louis  packet. 

1868-'71.  Ida  Reese.  A  mountain  boat.  Was 
sunk  by  ice  at  Yankton  in  1871.    7  and  9. 

1867.  Ida  Stockdale.   2. 

1819.  Independence.  Nelson,  master.  She 
was  the  first  steamboat  to  enter  the  mouth  of 
the  river.  She  left  St.  Louis  May  15,  1819,  and 
went  up  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Chariton, 
whence  she  returned  to  St.  Louis  on  June  5, 
1819.  She  was  a  small  single-engine,  no-cabin, 
side- wheel  boat,  and  exceedingly  slow. 


304 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


1843-'45.  lone.  Ran  between  St.  Louis  and 
Weston.   4. 

1848.  Iowa.  Built  in  St.  Louis  in  1848. 
Measurement,  455  tons.    10. 

1866.     Iron  City.   2. 

1860-'63.  Isabel.  A  side-wheeler.  Ran  to 
Sioux  City. 

1858-'64.  Isabella  (  No.  1 ).  John  P.  Keiser, 
master.  Large  passenger  boat  in  the  lower 
river. 

1869-'70.  Isabella  (No.  2).  Dozier,  master. 
Ran  from  St.  Louis  to  Omaha. 

1864.  Island  City.  This  boat  was  one  of 
three  sent  to  the  Yellowstone  by  General  Sully. 
It  had  all  the  forage  for  the  animals  on  board, 
and  was  wrecked  just  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone  river.  This  occurrence  caused 
the  abandonment  of  a  contemplated  establish- 
ment on  the  Yellowstone  at  this  time  by  Gen- 
eral Sully.   2;  see,  also,  7. 

1870-'64.  Izetta.  Simms.  master.  In  the 
lower  river.  See,  also,  "The  Kansas  River  — 
its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this 
volume. 

.     Jacob  Sass.     7. 

1856-'60.  James  H.  Lucas.  Tom  Brierly, 
master.  She  was  one  of  the  largest,  finest, 
and,  probably,  the  fastest  boat  ever  on  the 
Missouri  river.  She  made  the  run  from  St. 
Louis  to  St.  Joseph,  a  distance  of  600  miles,  in 
sixty  hours  and  fifty-seven  minutes.  She  was 
finally  dismantled,  and  her  machinery  was 
placed  in  the  G.  W.  Graham,  a  large  Fort  Ben- 
ton boat.  "The  James  H.  Lucas  collapsed  a 
flue  to-day  (June  17)  somewhere  above  Kansas 
City.  The  cook  was  killed  and  five  persons  se- 
riously wounded.  The  boat  is  not  much  injured. 
At  the  time  the  collapse  occurred  there  was 
much  excitement  and  immense  alarm  on  board. 
The  women  and  children  were  taken  on  the 
hurricane  deck,  it  is  said,  through  the  tran- 
som-light spaces.  The  Lucas  is  a  good  boat, 
and  everybody  is  sorry  for  her  and  her  kind 
officers."  — Letter  in  St.  Louis  Republican, 
June  22,  1856,  signed  H.  C.  P.  Webb  Scrap- 
books,  vol.  13,  p.  69.     See.  also,  7  and  11. 

1848-'49.  James  Monroe.  An  old  side- wheel 
boat.  In  1849  she  came  up  the  river  loaded 
with  California  emigrants.  On  arriving  at 
Jefferson  City,  the  cholera  broke  out  among 
them,  and  the  loss  of  life  was  so  great  that  the 
boat  was  abandoned  by  the  officers  and  crew, 
who  fled  from  the  pestilence,  and,  after  lying 
there  several  months,  the  ill-fated  vessel  was 
taken  back  to  St.  Louis. 

.   James  Watson.   Taken  South  in  1879.   7. 

18  -'97.  J.  B.  McPherson.  A  government 
boat.     Sunk  near  Sioux  City  in  1897.     7. 

1861.     J.  C.  Swan.     Large  Mississippi   river 
side- wheeler.     She  was  one  of  the  fleet  of  boats 
which  conveyed  Gen.  Prank  P.  Blair's  troops 
from  St.  Louis  to  Boonville,  June  19,  1861. 
1866.     Jennie  Brown.    2. 

1860-'69.  Jenny  Lewis.  A  large  side-wheel 
boat,  belonging  to  the  Miami  Packet  Company. 
Burned  at  the  St.  Louis  levee,  March  30,  1869. 
Henry  McPherson  commanded  her  at  the  time 
she  was  burned. 

1855-'60.  J.  H.  Dickey.  Large  boat  in  the 
lower  river. 

1857-'59.  i.  H.  Oglesby.  E.  T.  Herndon, 
master.  A  large  side- wheeler,  225  by  35  feet. 
She  ran  in  the  lower-river  trade,  and  on  the  10th 
of  October,  1859,  struck  a  sawyer  in  Euphrasie 
bend,  below  Glasgow,  Mo.,  and  was  lost.  Capt. 
Edward  T.  Herndon  was  a  typical  Missouri 
river  steamboat  man  of  the  olden  days.  Phys- 
ically he   was  of  medium  size,  but  lithe  and 


supple,  and  seemed  to  have  a  constitution  of 
iron.  He  was  a  man  of  energy  and  nerve,  and, 
being  a  strict  disciplinarian,  was  tireless  in 
watching  every  department  of  his  boat.  Cap- 
tain Herndon  went  on  the  river  as  a  clerk  of 
the  E.  M.  Clendenin  in  1850,  when  twenty 
years  old,  and  remained  on  the  river  as  long  as 
navigation  on  that  stream  continued.  He  soon 
"  learned  the  river."  as  it  was  called,  and  be- 
came one  of  the  most  skilful  pilots  that  ever 
turned  a  wheel.  He  built  several  of  the  finest 
boats  on  the  river,  and  on  these  he  usually 
served  in  the  dual  capacity  of  captain  and 
pilot.  On  more  than  one  occasion,  when  pilots 
could  not  be  procured,  he  took  a  boat  from  St. 
Louis  to  St.  Joseph  and  back  by  himself,  per- 
forming the  labor  of  three  men  —  captain  and 
two  pilots.  On  these  trips  he  stood  at  the 
wheel  twenty  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four, 
and  never  left  the  pilot-house,  even  for  his 
meals,  which  were  brought  to  him.  He  would 
stand  a  watch  from  daylight  until  midnight, 
and  would  then  run  into  a  wood-yard,  and. 
while  the  boat  was  being  "  wooded  up,"  would 
throw  himself  down  on  a  cot  in  the  pilot-house 
and  snatch  a  few  hours'  sleep.  He  knew 
the  river  perfectly  —  every  sand-bar,  crossing, 
bend,  chute,  towhead.  cut-ofl'.  snag,  and  wreck 
—  and  could  determine  the  location  of  his  boat 
on  the  darkest  night  from  the  outlines  of  the 
shore.  Often  has  the  writer  stood  with  him  at 
the  wheel  on  a  black,  stormy  night,  going 
down  stream  at  a  speed  of  twenty  miles  an 
hour,  when  nothing  could  be  seen,  even  of  the 
shore-line,  except  by  the  flashes  of  lightning. 
After  a  strenuous  life  Captain  Herndon  passed 
away  in  St.  Louis  in  1904,  almost  the  last  sur- 
vivor of  the  "old  guard." 

.     J.  H.  Raymond.     7. 

1850-'53.  J.  M.  Clendenin.  Henry  Smith, 
master  ;  E.  T.  Herndon,  clerk.  A  typical  boat 
of  her  period.  Sunk  at  Bates's  wood-yard,  be- 
low Hermann,  Mo.,  November,  1853. 

1854-'59.  J.  M.  Converse.  A  large  lower- 
river  passenger  steamer.  It  was  on  this  boat 
that  Governor  Reeder,  of  Kansas,  made  his 
escape  in  the  disguise  of  a  wood-chopper,  fi-om 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  May  24,  1856.  Governor 
Reeder's  diary,  in  full  for  the  month  of  May, 
1856,  giving  details  from  the  time  of  his  escape 
from  Lawrence  to  avoid  service  of  subpoena 
until  his  arrival  at  Alton,  111.,  is  printed  in  Kan- 
sas Historical  Collections,  vol.  3.  pp.  205-223. 
He  was  secreted  from  Sunday  morning.  May 
11,  until  Saturday,  the  24th,  in  Kansas  City, 
by  Shaler  W.  Eldridge  and  Kersey  Coates  and 
their  wives.  "  Life  Pictures  in  Kansas,  1856." 
MS.  on  file  with  the  Kansas  Historical  Society, 
in  telling  of  the  coming  of  James  H.  Carruth 
and  family  to  Kansas,  says  that  they  arrived 
at  Kansas  City  May  21,  1856,  on  the  steamboat 
J.  M.  Converse.  This  boat  was  a  Missouri 
packet.     6. 

1865-'66.  Joe  Irwin.  See  "The  Kansas 
River  — its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in 
this  volume. 

1840-'45.  John  Aull.  Same  type  of  boat  as 
the  John  Hancock.  Named  for  a  prominent 
merchant  of  Lexington,  Mo.  Sunk  near  Ar- 
row Rock.     See,  also,  7. 

186-.  John  B.  Eaton.  Sunk  above  St. 
Charles,  in  the  "big  eddy,"  during  the  war.   7. 

.     John  Baird.    Sunk  below  Waverly.    7. 

1861.  John  Bell.  A  government  boat.  Sunk 
in  Howard's  bend,  above  St.  Charles,  in  1861. 

1856-'58.  John  Campbell.  A  small  side- 
wheel  boat  on  the  Kaw  river. 

1858-'69.  John  D.  Perry.  Davis,  master. 
Was  built  at  Jefl'ersonville,  Ind.,  by  George  W. 
Davis,  Logan  D.  Dameron,  Moses  Hillard,  Phil. 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


305 


E.  Chappell,  and  others,  in  1857,  and  ran  the 
lower  river  until  1861,  when  she  was  driven 
into  the  lower  Mississippi,  with  many  other 
boats  of  her  class,  by  the  strong  competition 
of  the  railroads ;  she  continued  to  run  in  the 
lower  river  until  April  4, 1869,  when  she  burned 
at  Duvall's  Bluff,  on  White  river.  For  the 
purpose  of  showing  the  depreciation  in  steam- 
boats, it  may  be  stated  that  the  Perry  cost 
$50,000.  In  February.  1859,  she  was  valued  at 
$36,000;  in  June,  1860,  at  $30,000;  in  March, 
1862,  at  $20,000;  and  at  the  time  she  was 
burned,  at  $10,000.  She  was  one  of  the  best 
boats  ever  built  for  the  Missouri  river,  and 
one  of  the  most  successful.  As  will  be  ob- 
served, she  lived  beyond  the  years  allotted  to 
the  Western  steamboat.  Her  dimensions  were 
as  follows:  Length,  220  feet;  beam,  33  feet; 
hold,  6  feet;  her  measurement  was  382  tons, 
but  her  capacity  was  more  than  500  tons. 

1845-'46.  John  Golong.  Throckmorton,  mas- 
ter. Side-wheel,  single-engine  boat ;  sunk  in 
Malta  bend,  above  Miami,  Mo.,  in  1846.  The 
owner,  a  St.  Louis  man,  found  some  difficulty  in 
selecting  a  name.  He  had  a  friend  named  John 
who  was  in  the  habit  of  coming  round  every 
day  and,  in  a  teasing  manner,  suggesting 
names.^  The  owner,  at  last  becoming  annoyed, 
said:  "John,  go  long."  The  name  was  sug- 
gestive, and  when  the  boat  was  completed  she 
bore  on  her  wheelhouse  the  name  John  Golong. 

1840.  John  Hancock.  Single-engine  side- 
wheeler.  Sunk  in  Brick-house  bend,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  in  1840. 

1886.  John  L.  Roach.  Sunk  near  Frankfurt, 
Mo.,  a  little  German  town  just  above  Lexing- 
ton, in  1886.     7. 

1877.  John  M.  Chambers.  Built  by  Capt. 
Joseph  La  Barge,  and  named  for  the  infant  son 
of  B.  M.  Chambers,  of  St.  Louis.  This  boat 
was  used  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Custer  cam- 
paign on  the  upper  river  to  carry  government 
supplies  to  Camp  Buf  ord,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone,  on  account  of  its  being  a  light- 
draft  boat.  It  ascended  the  Yellowstone  to  the 
mouth  of  Tongue  river.     2. 

1856-'64.  John  Warner.  A  lower-river  pas- 
senger boat.  Went  into  the  lower  Mississippi 
in  1861,  and  was  burned  at  Memphis  during  the 
war. 

1872-'82.  Joseph  Kinney.  George  Keith, 
commander.  A  splendid  side-wheel  boat,  230 
feet  long,  built  by  Joseph  Kinney,  of  Boon- 
ville.  Mo.  She  ran  in  the  St.  Louis  and  Kansas 
City  trade.  She  was  first  wrecked  on  the  Boon- 
ville  bridge  ;  the  second  time,  she  collided  with 
the  Kansas  City  bridge  and  lost  a  wheel  over- 
board ;  and,  finally,  on  April  13,  1882,  ran  into 
the  Glasgow  bridge  and  became  a  total  loss. 
She  was  valued  at  $30,000.  Captain  Keith  is 
one  of  the  few  old  Missouri  river  boatmen  left. 
He  resides  in  St.  Louis. 

1876-1906.  Josephine.  This  boat  was  on  the 
Yellowstone  for  years,  was  well  known  to  the 
army,  and  is  the  only  one  of  the  old  fleet  that 
still  survives  —  now  being  used  by  the  govern- 
ment as  a  snag  boat  on  the  upper  river,  in 
keeping  it  free  from  obstructions.     2. 

1854.  J.  S.  Chenoweth.  John  Johnson,  mas- 
ter.    Ran  the  lower  river. 

1854-'57.  J.  S.  Pringle.  A  transient  boat. 
Made  three  trips  up  the  river  in  1857.  Built  in 
1854,  at  Brownsville,  on  Ohio  river. 

1847-'49.  Julia  (No.  1).  J.  M.  Converse,  mas- 
ter. A  large  side-wheel  boat.  Sunk  in  Belle- 
fontaine  bend,  just  above  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  in  1849. 

1863-'67.  Julia  (No.  2).  John  McCloy,  mas- 
ter.    A  large  boat  in  the  lower  river. 

1836-'37.    Kansas  ( No.  1 ) .    A  side- wheel  boat 

-20 


in  the  lower  river.  Built  in  1836.  Jos.  La 
Barge  was  pilot.  2. 

1847.  Kansas  (No.  2).  Measurement,  276 
tons.     Built  at  St.  Louis  by  Clark  &  King.     10. 

.     Kansas  Valley.   7.     See  "  The  Kansas 

River  —  its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in 
this  volume. 

1847-'53.  Kanzas.  Henry  McPherson,  mas- 
ter. Sunk  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nishnabotna, 
April  25.  1853. 

1855-'56.  Kate  Cassel.  Made  three  trips  on 
in  1855  and  sixteen  in  1856.     Nothing 

1857-'59.  Kate  Howard.  Joseph  S.  Nanson, 
master.  Was  a  splendid  and  popular  lower- 
river  packet.  She  sunk  in  Osage  chute,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Osage,  August  11,  1859.  Cap- 
tain Nanson,  now  an  old  man,  resides  in  St. 
Louis.  His  brother,  also  a  captain,  was  killed 
on  the  Ben  Lewis. 

1865.  Kate  Kearney.  Capt.  John  La  Barge, 
master.   2. 

1864-'72.  Kate  Kinney  (No.  1).  Large  side- 
wheel  boat  in  the  "O"  (Omaha)  line.  She 
burned  at  New  Albany,  Ind.,  in  November, 
1872. 

1880-'83.  Kate  Kinney  (No.  2).  A  large 
stern-wheel  boat,  built  in  1880,  burned  at 
Shreveport,  La.,  in  1883.  These  two  boats,  as 
well  as  the  Cora  (Nos.  1  and  2  ),  Alice,  and  Jo- 
seph Kinney,  were  built  by  Capt.  Joe  Kinney, 
of  Boonville,  Mo.,  one  of  the  most  successful 
steamboat  men  ever  on  the  river,  and  were 
named  for  his  daughters  and  himself.  His 
name  deserves  to  be  remembered,  for  he  made 
the  most  persistent  fight  against  the  railroads 
of  any  one  ever  connected  with  the  navigation 
of  the  Missouri  river.  He  died  on  his  farm 
opposite  Boonville.  Mo.,  a  few  years  ago.  See, 
also,  7. 

1849-'55.  Kate  Swinney.  P.  Chouteau,  mas- 
ter, A  splendid  side-wheel  boat,  200  by  30 
feet.  She  sunk  in  Kate  Swinney  bend,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Vermilion  river  ( upper  Mis- 
souri), on  August  1,  1855,  while  on  atrip  to 
the  mountains.  Her  crew  started  down  the 
river  overland,  were  followed  and  attacked  by 
Indians,  and  killed.  See  "The  Kansas  River — 
its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  vol- 
ume. 

.    Keokuk.    7. 

1853-'56.  Keystone.  Thomas  I.  Goddin,  mas- 
ter. Made  four  trips  in  the  lower  river  in 
1855  and  si.xteen  in  1856.  Nothing  further 
known.  Measurement,  307  tons.  Colonel  Bu- 
ford's  party  of  Southern  emigrants  left  St. 
Louis  on  this  boat  for  Kansas,  April  23,  1856. 
John  W.  Geai-y,  the  third  territorial  governor 
of  Kansas,  came  on  the  Keystone,  landing 
at  Fort  Leavenworth.  September  9,  1856. 

.  Keystone  State.  Burned  at  St.  Jo- 
seph in  1849.     7. 

1848-'49.  Kit  Carson.  N.  J.  Eaton,  master. 
Ran  in  the  lower  river  in  1848  and  1849.  Burned 
at  St.  Louis,  May  17,  1849. 

1857.  Lacon.  _  A  small  side-wheeler,  built  at 
Lacon,  111.  See  "  The  Kansas  River  —  its  Navi- 
gation," by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume. 

1847.     Lake-of-the- Woods.     Ran  the  river  in 
1847. 
.    Last  Chance.    7. 

1858.  Leavenworth.     A  ferry-boat.     4. 
1840-'42.     Lehigh.     Pume,  master.     Nothing 

known.  It  was  a  small  single-engine  side- 
wheeler.  No  other  kind  of  boats  was  built 
for  the  Missouri  river  during  the  early  days 
of  steamboating. 


306 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


1842-'49.  Lewis  F.  Linn.  Named  for  an 
early  United  States  senator.  She  was  a  popu- 
lar side-wheel  packet  in  the  lower  river,  and 
was  commanded  by  Capt.  Wm.  C.  Jewett,  who 
will  never  be  forotten  by  those  who  knew  him. 
The  Linn  was  built  in  1842,  and  ran  the  river 
until  1849,  when  she  was  sunk  in  Penn's  bend, 
above  St.  Charles.  In  1850  Captain  Jewett  lost 
the  Rowena  in  the  same  place  (see  Rowena, 
No.  1). 

1844-'46.  Lexington.  Ascended  the  river  to 
Platte  City  during  the  flood  of  1844.  Sunk  at 
Frankfurt,  Mo.,  in  1846.     See,  also,  4. 

.  Libby  Congo.  Excursion  boat  at  Kan- 
sas City.     Destroyed  by  cyclone. 

1830-'31.  Liberty.  J.  B.  Monssett,  master. 
Sunk  in  Brick-house  bend,  below  St.  Charles, 
Mo.,  October  24,  1831. 

1847.  Lightfoot.  A  transient  boat.  See 
"The  Kansas  River— its  Navigation,"  by  A. 
R.  Greene,  in  this  volume. 

1866.     Lillie  Martin.     2. 

1845.  Little  Mail.  Sunk  at  Mount  Vernon, 
Mo.,  below  Rocheport,  in  1845. 

1845-'50.  Little  Missouri.  Built  by  Capt. 
"Bob"  Wright.  Sunk  at  Frankfurt,  Mo.,  in 
1850. 

1838-'40.  Little  Red.  Price,  master.  Named 
for  United  States  Senator  David  Barton,  the 
first  senator  elected  from  Missoui'i,  whose  so- 
briquet was  "Little  Red,"  from  the  color  of 
his  hair.  She  sunk  at  Loutre  island,  opposite 
Hermann,  Mo.,  in  1840. 

1856.  Lizzie.  A  transient  boat.  See  "The 
Kansas  River  — its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R. 
Greene,  in  this  volume. 

.     Lizzie.     Ferry-boat  at  Kansas  City.    5. 

1864.  Louisa.  Will  H.  Wood,  master.  A 
small  side-wheel  boat  in  the  lower  river.  She 
was  loaded  with  hemp,  and  caught  fire  and 
was  scuttled  and  sunk  at  South  Point,  in  1864. 

1864.  Louisville.  Sunk  above  Omaha  in 
1864.     7. 

1857.  Low  Water.  A  stern-wheeler.  Sunk 
at  Hill's  Landing,  below  Lexington,  Mo.,  No- 
vember 27,  1857. 

1866.     Luella.     2. 

1865-'69.  Luna.  A  Mississippi  river  boat. 
Came  into  the  Missouri  in  1869. 

1840-'42.  Lynchburg.  Sunk  in  Pitman's 
bend,  above  St.  Charles.  March  27,  1842. 

1864.  Magenta.  Frank  Dozier,  master.  A 
fine,  large  side-wheeler,  lost  at  De  Witte,  Mo., 
May  10.  1864.  on  her  first  trip  up  the  Missouri. 

1864.  Magers.  Made  regular  trips  in  1864 
between  Kansas  City  and  Weston,  laden 
chiefly  with  railroad  iron.    4. 

1862?.     Maggie.     Mentioned.     2. 

1841-'42.  Malta.  Throckmorton,  master.  An 
American  Fur  Company  boat  of  the  usual  de- 
scription ;  that  is,  side  wheel,  single  engine, 
etc.  On  August  8,  1842,  when  ascending  the 
river,  in  Malta  bend,  just  above  Miami,  Saline 
county,  Missouri,  she  struck  a  sawyer,  which 
tore  the  entire  bottom  out  of  her.  and  she  sunk 
to  the  hurricane  roof  in  a  little  over  a  minute. 
Probably  no  boat  ever  went  to  the  bottom  so 
quickly  on  the  river.  The  town  of  Malta  Bend, 
Mo.,  took  its  name  from  the  locality. 

1847-'49.  Mandan.  Harry  Blees,  master. 
Built  in  1847,  at  St.  Louis,  by  Primus  Emerson. 
She  sunk  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gasconade  river, 
but  was  raised,  and  finally  was  lost  in  the  great 
St.  Louis  fire  of  May  17,  1849. 

1840-'42.     Manhattan.     Dohlman,  master. 

1860.  Mansfield.  A  St.  Joseph  and  Omaha 
packet  boat.    7. 


1860-'64.  Marcella.  Fitzgerald,  master.  A 
side-wheel  boat  belonging  to  the  Lightning 
line  ;  she  ran  in  the  St.  Louis  and  Omaha  trade, 
and  in  1860  went  into  the  lower  Mississippi,  as 
did  many  other  boats  of  her  class. 

1847-'49.  Martha.  Joe  La  Barge,  master.  A 
mountain  boat  of  180  tons.  Burned  at  St. 
Louis,  May  17,  1849. 

1852-'55.  Martha  Jewett.  W.  C.  Jewett. 
master.  One  of  the  finest  and  most  popular 
boats  on  the  river  in  her  day.  Captain  Jewett 
built  several  boats  besides  the  Martha  Jewett. 
Wilson  Shannon,  second  territorial  governor, 
arrived  at  Wesport  Landing  on  the  Martha 
Jewett,  August  31,  1855.    7. 

1840-'50.  Mary  Blane.  A  lower-river,  single- 
engine  boat.     Burned  at  St.  Louis.     10. 

1873.  Mary  E.  Forsyth.  Sunk  in  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  in  1873.  while  going  from  New  Or- 
leans to  Mobile. 

1870-'73.  Mary  McDonald.  George  Keith, 
master.  A  splendid  lower-river,  side-wheel 
boat.  She  burned  near  Waverly,  Mo.,  June  12, 
1873,  while  lying  at  the  shore. 

1838-'40.     Mary  Stone.     Built  in  1838. 

1841-'45.  Mary  Tompkins.  Beers,  master. 
Built  in  1841.  A  very  popular  boat  on  the 
lower  river  in  her  day.  Advertised  regular 
trips  between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Joseph.     4. 

1873.  Matamora.  Sunk  at  Kinney  bend  in 
1873.    7. 

1871-'75.  Mattie  Belle.  Lower-river  short 
trade.     A  small  side-wheeler. 

.     Meffew.     Sunk  during  the  war.     7. 

1859.     Messenger.     12. 

1857-'69.  Meteor.  Draffin,  master.  A  lower- 
river  passenger  boat.  She  was  built  in  1857, 
and  dismantled  at  St.  Louis  in  1869.   See,  also,  7. 

1855-'58.  M.  S.  Mepham.  A  typical  passen- 
ger boat  of  her  day.  She  burned  at  the  St. 
Louis  levee  in  1858. 

1866-'67.     Miner.     2  and  9. 

1860-'66.  Mink.  (See  Alex  Majors.)  She 
was  first  called  the  Mink  on  account  of  her 
color,  which  was  brown.  She  was  sold  and 
painted  white,  and  her  name  changed  to  Alex 
Majors.  She  sunk  at  Grand  river  in  1866,  but 
was  raised  and  finally  burned  while  lying  at 
the  St.  Louis  levee.  Alex  Majors  was  the  old 
Santa  Fe  trader,  of  Russell,  Majors  &  Waddell. 

1857-'60.  Minnehaha.  Woolfolk,  master.  A 
large  passenger  packet  in  the  lower  river.  She 
finally  burned  on  the  Tennessee  river. 

1830-'35.  Missouri  (No.  1).  Built  by  James 
McCord.     Ran  the  lower  river. 

1835-'40.  Missouri  (No.  2).  Built  by  James 
McCord.  Both  of  the  above  boats  were  built 
by  James  McCord,  of  St.  Louis,  a  well-known 
steamboat  man  on  the  river  in  the  early  days. 

.     Missouri  (No.  3).     Blew  up  near  Ev- 

ansville  in  1866.     7. 

1869.  Missouri  (No.  4).  Bennett,  master.  A 
side-wheel,  single-engine  boat.  Sunk  at  Fish- 
ing river,  opposite  Sibley,  Mo.,  in  1869. 

1880-'85.  Missouri  (No.  5).  A  boat  in  the 
employ  of  the  government.  Joseph  La  Barge 
was  pilot  from  1880  to  1885.     2. 

1884-'88.  Missouri  (No.  6).  An  upper-river 
boat.  She  went  to  Fort  Benton  in  1888.  and 
was  the  last  steamboat  to  land  at  that  place. 
She  landed  there  September  12,  1888. 

1830-'34.  Missouri  Belle.  Built  in  1830  by 
Captain  Littleton.  She  was  the  first  boat  to 
introduce  the  steam-whistle  on  the  Missouri 
river.  It  was  customary  in  the  days  of  steam- 
boating  on  the  Missouri  river  for  the  boats  to 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


307 


retire  from  the  river  late  in  the  season,  when 
the  water  became  low,  and  seek  other  trades 
in  the  lower  Mississippi  and  its  southern  tribu- 
taries. In  the  fall  of  1834  the  Missouri  Belle 
and  Boonslick,  both  Missouri  river  packets, 
went  into  the  Mississippi.  On  October  24  the 
Missouri  Belle  left  New  Orleans,  bound  for  St. 
Louis.  When  fifteen  miles  up  the  river  she  col- 
lided with  the  Boonslick,  which  was  bound 
down-stream.  The  latter  sustained  but  little 
damage,  but  the  Missouri  Belle  was  so  injured 
that  she  sunk,  and,  as  the  water  was  very  deep, 
she  went  down  to  her  hurricane  roof.  The 
Boonslick  rounded  too,  and  steered  for  the 
wreck,  none  of  which  however  remained  above 
water  except  a  part  of  the  roof.  To  this  the 
surviving  passengers  were  clinging,  and  a  line 
was  thrown  to  them  and  they  were  taken  off 
in  the  yawl.  There  were  about  130  persons  on 
board,  30  of  whom  were  drowned.  See,  also,  1. 
1858.  Missouri  Mail.  A  side-wheel  boat. 
Sunk  above  Atchison  in  1858. 

1880-'84.  Mittie  Stephens.  Henry  McPher- 
son,  master.  Named  for  the  daughter  of  Capt. 
J.  L.  Stephens,  of  Boonville,  Mo.,  now  Mrs. 
Abiel  Leonard,  of  Marshall,  Mo.  Capsized  and 
sunk  near  Boonville  in  1881.  and  afterwards 
raised.  She  was  finally  wrecked  atSibley,  Mo., 
August?,  1884.  After  leaving  the  south  shore 
and  entering  the  chute  at  Sibley,  and  while 
crowding  an  upper  reef  and  headed  for  the 
bight  of  the  bend,  she  ran  away  from  the 
reef,  took  a  sheer  on  the  pilot,  and  ran  into 
a  nest  of  snags ;  a  large  sawyer  struck  her 
amidship,  causing  her  to  make  water  rapidly, 
and  she  went  down  in  less  than  five  minutes. 
There  were  several  lives  lost. 

1840.  Mobile.  Sunk  in  Mobile  chute,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  in  1840.  But  little  is  known 
of  this  boat  except  the  name,  and  the  fact  that 
she  ran  the  lower  river  in  the  '40's. 

.     Mollie  Abel.    Sunk  near  Rocheport.    7. 

1865-'66.  Mollie  Dozier.  Fred  Dozier,  mas- 
ter. A  side-wheeler,  225  feet  by  34  feet.  Was 
sunk  at  Berry's  Landing  in  1865.  After  being 
raised  she  sunk  again  in  Chamois  chute,  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Osage,  October  1,  1866.  The 
name  of  this  boat  appears  in  a  list  of  steamboat 
arrivals  at  Fort  Benton,  June  1 ,  1866,  published 
by  the  historical  society  of  Montana,  vol.  1, 
1876,  page  318.   7. 

.     Mollie  Moore.     7. 

.     Monsoon.     7. 

1862-'65.  Montana  (No.  1).  A  large  side- 
wheel  boat,  built  by  Joseph  W.  Throckmorton. 
Sunkjiy  .ice  at  St.  Louis,  December  16,  1865.  ^ 
"T8T9-'84.  Montana  (No.  2).  George  Keith, 
master.  A  large  stern-wheeler.  Wrecked  on 
the  St.  Charles  bridge,  June  22,  1884. 

.     Montauk.   7. 

1856-'59.  Morning  Star.  A  lower-river  pas- 
senger packet.  She  was  227  by  34  feet,  and 
was  built  by  Tom  Brierly  at  a  cost  of  $45,000. 
She  burned  at  Bissell's  point,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, near  St.  Louis.  See  "The  Kansas 
River  —  its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in 
this  volume. 

1848.  Mountaineer  (No.  1 ).  J.  R.  Spriggs, 
master.     A  lower-river  boat  in  the  '40's. 

1866-'73.  Mountaineer  (No.  2).  A  large 
side-wheeler,  built  at  a  cost  of  $51,000.  She 
belonged  to  the  Missouri  River  Packet  Com- 
pany, and  ran  to  Omaha. 

.     M.  S.  Mepham. 

1835.  Mustang.  Sunk  in  the  lower  river  in 
1835. 

1840.  Naomi.  James  McCord,  master.  A 
side-wheel  boat.     She  sunk  at  the  mouth  of 


Grand  river  in  1840,  and  her  wreck,  which  lies 
buried  in  the  sand,  is  now  five  miles  from  the 
present  channel  of  the  river. 

1855.  Ne  Plus  Ultra.  A  tramp  steamer.  In 
the  spring  of  1849  Charles  Robinson  and  party 
traveled  on  a  boat  of  this  name  from  Pittsburg 
to  Kansas  City  on  their  way  to  California. 

1854-'58.  Nebraska.  An  upper-river  boat, 
built  in  1854. 

1869.  Nebraska  City.  Captain.  Blackiston. 
A  ferry-boat.    Sunk  above  Amazonia  in  1869.  7. 

.     Ned  Tracy.     Used  as  a  hospital  boat 

during  the  war.     7. 

1864.  Nellie  Rogers.  2. 
1866.  Nevada.  Burned  at  St.  Louis.  2. 
1854-'55.  New  Georgetown.  A  government 
boat  in  the  Fort  Leavenworth  trade.  She  sunk 
in  Bellefontaine  bend,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  May  11,  1855,  when  on  a  trip  to  Fort 
Leavenworth  loaded  with  government  stores. 

.     New  Haven.     7. 

1852-'57.  New  Lucy.  H.  Johnson,  master. 
A  large  lower-river  packet.  Burned  opposite 
the  town  of  De  Witte,  Mo.,  November  25,  1857. 
Tonnage.  417.  Robert  J.  Walker,  territorial 
governor  of  Kansas,  came  up  the  river  on  the 
New  Lucy.  The  boat  reached  Quindaro  late 
on  Sunday  afternoon,  May  24. 1857,  and  tied  up 
a  few  minutes  at  the  landing.  It  was  soon 
noised  around  that  the  new  governor  was  on 
the  boat,  and  the  crowd  of  citizens  waiting  at 
the  landing  at  once  called  for  Governor  Walker. 
The  governor  appeared  on  the  upper  deck  and 
made  a  brief  speech,  his  first  address  to  a  Kan- 
sas audience.  Hon.  Henry  Wilson,  senator 
from  Massachusetts,  was  also  a  passenger  on 
the  same  boat,  and  stopped  off  at  the  Quindaro 
House,  where  he  stayed  all  night,  and  on  Mon- 
day morning,  from  the  steps  of  the  hotel,  made 
his  first  Kansas  speech  to  a  Quindaro  audience. 
Frank  A.  Root,  of  Topeka,  one  of  the  Kansas, 
pioneers,  and  then  residing  at  Quindaro,  saw 
both  parties  and  heard  both  speeches.  The 
New  Lucy  was  one  of  the  Lightning  line  pas- 
senger steamers  running  in  connection  with 
the  fast  trains  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  road  from 
Jefferson  City  to  Weston,  in  the  spring  of  1857. 
1855-'57.  NewMonongahela.  Ran  the  lower 
river. 

1852-'57.  New  St.  Paul.  Bissell,  master. 
A  similar  boat  to  the  New  Lucy,  but  smaller. 
She  sunk  at  St.  Aubert,  August  19,  1857.  Ton- 
nage, 225. 

.     Nile. 

1840-'44.  Nimrod.  Captain,  Dennis.  A  fur- 
company  boat.  She  made  a  trip  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Yellowstone  in  1844. 

1856.  N.  J.  Eaton.  Joseph  S.  Nanson,  mas- 
ter. Sunk  in  Augusta  bend,  below  Washing- 
ton, Mo.,  April  9,  1856,  when  on  her  maiden  trip 
up  the  river.  She  was  a  new  side-wheel, 
lower-river  boat. 

.     N.  J.  Hultz.     Wrecked  in   the  lower 

river. 

1840-'44.  Nodaway.  John  J.  Roe,  master. 
An  early  side-wheel  boat,  145  by  24  feet.  She 
was  wrecked  at  the  mouth  of  the  Aux  Vasse 
in  1844.  Captain  Roe  afterwards  became  a 
wealthy  pork-packer,  of  St.  Louis. 

1847.     North   Carolina.     Built    in    1847,   and 
ran  the  lower  river. 
1859.     Northerner.     12. 

1867.  Nymph.  Blew  up  at  Nemaha  bar. 
Was  repaired,  and  sunk  at  Sibley.     7. 

1836-'43.  Oceana.  Miller,  master.  An  Ameri- 
can Fur  Company  boat.  Father  De  Smet  came 
up  the  river  from  St.  Louis  to  Westport  on  this 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


boat  in  seven  days,  starting  April  30,  1841.    3  ;  8, 
p.  1002 ;  13,  V.  27,  p.  194. 

1834.     O'Connell.     An  early  lower-river  boat. 

186G-'68.  Octavia.  Captain,  La  Barge.  One 
of  a  new  line  of  steamers  running-  between  St. 
Louis  and  Weston.  Sold  to  the  government. 
Was  wrecked.     See,  also.  4  and  7. 

1850.  Oddfellow.  A  stern-wheeler.  Sunk 
near  Weston,  Mo.,  August,  1850. 

.     Ogden.     6. 

1856-'5S.  Omaha.  Joseph  B.  Holland,  mas- 
ter. A  side-wheel  boat  in  the  Omaha  trade. 
Frank  A.  Root  came  up  the  river  on  this  boat 
on  his  second  trip  to  Kansas,  in  the  fall  of 
1858.  Chester  Thomas,  jr.,  was  also  a  passen- 
ger. The  boat  was  snagged  one  night  on  the 
trip  and  delayed  several  hours  while  the  neces- 
sary repairs  were  being  made.  The  boat  was 
frequently  stuck  on  sand-bars.  Mr.  Root  paid 
fifteen  dollars  passage  from  St.  Louis  to  Doni- 
phan, and  was  nine  days  on  the  boat. 

1843-'44.  Omega.  Joseph  A.  Sire,  master  ; 
Joseph  La  Barge,  pilot.  In  the  fur  trade.  A 
mountain  boat.  John  James  Audubon  and 
party  went  up  the  river  in  this  boat  in  the 
spring  of  1843.  For  log-book  of  this  trip,  see 
History  of  the  American  Fur  Trade,  Chitten- 
den, vol.  3,  p.  985 ;  also,  2,  p.  141. 

1863-'65.  Ontario.  Of  450  tons  burden.  Sunk 
near  Nebraska  City,  1865.  7.  Father  De  Smet 
gives  a  complete  description  of  this  boat  in  his 
Life  and  Travels,  Chittenden  and  Richardson, 
1905,  vol.  3,  p.  846. 

1845-'48.  Osage.  Wrecked  at  Bonhomme 
island,  on  the  lower  river,  1848. 

1840-'42.  Osage  Valley.  Young,  master.  In 
lower-river  trade. 

1857-'58.  _Otis  Webb.  A  side- wheeler,  of  100 
tons.  See  "The  Kansas  River  —  its  Naviga- 
tion." by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume. 

1830-'33.  Otoe.  James  B.  Hill,  captain.  Boat 
was  in  service  of  Sublette  &  Campbell,  who 
were  competitors  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany. Was  the  first  regular  boat  on  the  Mis- 
souri.    2,  4. 

1841-'43.  Otter.  James  Hill,  master.  An 
American  Fur  Company  boat.  This  boat  ran  to 
Fort  Union,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone. 

.     Paragon.     7. 

1851-'53.  Patrick  Henry.  D.  C.  Adams, 
master.     An  early  side-wheel  boat. 

1848-'56.  Paul  Jones.  J.  B.  Dales,  master. 
Built  in  1848.  First  sunk  below  Independence 
Landing,  raised,  and  finally  wrecked  at  St. 
Louis  by  the  ice,  February  27,  1856.     7. 

1858-'65.  Peerless.  Bissell,  master.  A 
splendid  passenger  steamer  on  the  lower  river, 
belonging  to  the  Missouri  River  Packet  Com- 
pany. She  finally  burned  on  the  lower  Missis- 
sippi. 

1879.  Peerless  (No.  2).  A  towboat.  Was 
sunk  near  St.  Charles  in  1879.     7. 

1848.  Pekin.  Built  in  St.  Louis  in  1848. 
Measurement,  108  tons.     10. 

.  Peoria.  Captain,  David  Silvers.  Burned 

on  the  Mississippi  river.     7. 

.     Peoria  City. 

1866-'69.  Peter  Balen.  A  large  stern-wheel 
boat  in  the  mountain  trade.  She  went  to  Fort 
Benton  in  1866  and  cleared  $80,000  on  the  trip, 
being  the  most  profitable  trip  ever  made  on  the 
Missiiuri  ri  vor.  She  caught  fire  and  burned  at 
[):ni|.liiii  rapids.  Mont.,  July  22.  1869.  The 
1  '•  I  (  1  !:al>n  was  an  old  tub,  and  had  come  into 
the  Missuuii  river  from  the  Ohio  during  the 
flush  times  on  the  upper  river.  She  was  not 
-valued  at  more  than  $15,000.  but  during  the 


time  she  was  in  the  Fort  Benton  trade  paid  for 
herself  several  times  over.  Besides  having 
made  the  most  profitable  trip  on  the  river,  she 
bears  the  distinction  of  having  ascended  the 
river  to  a  higher  point  than  any  other  steam- 
boat. On  June  16,  1866,  she  went  to  the  mouth 
of  Belt  river,  six  miles  below  Great  Falls,  and 
thirty  miles  above  Fort  Benton,  Mont. 

1877-'86.  Phil.  E.  Chappell.  J.  A.  Ware, 
master.  Built  at  Grafton,  111.,  in  1877.  She 
ran  the  lower  river  until  1883,  when  she  was 
converted  into  a  cotton  boat  and  taken  into  the 
Red  river,  where  she  burned  in  1886. 

1840-'42.  Pirate.  A  fur-company  boat. 
Wrecked  at  Bellevue,  Neb.,  1842.     8,  p.  988. 

1838- '42.  Platte.  Hughes,  master.  A  moun- 
tain boat,  but  ran  the  lower  river.  She  sunk 
about  thirty  miles  below  St.  Louis,  while  on 
her  way  to  Bayou  La  Fourche,  La. 

1858-'65.  Platte  Valley.  W.  C.  Postal,  mas- 
ter. Went  into  the  St.  Louis  and  Memphis 
Packet  Company  in  1860,  and  burned  in  Red 
river  in  1865.  She  was  one  of  the  finest  boats 
ever  on  the  Missouri  river.  In  the  spring  of 
1859  she  ran  between  St.  Joseph  and  Kansas 
City  as  a  passenger  boat  for  the  Hannibal  & 
St.  Joe  railroad.  Captain  Postal  now  lives  in 
Charlotte,  N.  C.  A  boat  of  this  name.  Captain 
Throckmorton,  master,  was  used  as  a  govern- 
ment transport  during  the  war.     7. 

1880.  Plattsmouth.  Captain  Davis,  master. 
A  small  steamer,  with  which  her  captain  pro- 
posed to  make  regular  visits  to  Platte  City.  4. 
1848-'53.  Plow  Boy  (  No.  1 ).  Built  by  Isaac 
McKee.  in  1848.  She  was  a  side-wheel  boat, 
165  by  32  feet,  and  cost  $19,000.  She  sunk  at 
Sandy  Hook,  above  Jeflferson  City,  Mo.,  1853, 
and  the  people  started  the  village  by  building 
the  first  house  out  of  the  cabin. 

1875-'77.  Plow  Boy  ( No.  2 ).  A  small  stern- 
wheel  boat.  She  gunk  at  Arrow  Rock,  Mo., 
July  7,  1877. 

1887.  Plow  Boy  (No.  3).  Another  stern- 
wheel  boat  by  the  same  name.  She  was 
wrecked  near  the  mouth  of  Grand  river,  April 
10,  1887. 

1835-'40.  Pocahontas  (  No.  1).  McCord,  mas- 
ter. Sunk  in  Pocahontas  bend,  near  Rock  Bluff, 
Mo.,  on  the  lower  river,  in  1840. 

.   Pocahontas  (No.  2).    Sunk  above  Sioux 

City  in  the  '60's.     7. 

1865-'66.  Pocahontas  (No.  3).  A  side- 
wheeler.  180  by  32  feet.  She  was  in  the  Fort 
Benton  trade,  and  sunk  at  Pocahontas  island, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Platte,  on  the  upper 
river,  August  10,  1866.  There  was  a  Poca- 
hontas bend  and  a  Pocahontas  island. 

1852-'58.  Polar  Star.  Conley,  master.  She 
was  built  in  1852  by  Tom  Brierly,  and  was  one 
of  the  finest  and  most  popular  boats  ever  on 
the  Missouri  river.  She  was  also  e.xceedingly 
fast,  and  in  1853  made  the  run  from  St.  Louis 
to  St.  Joseph  (600  miles)  in  sixty  hours,  the 
fastest  time  ever  made  on  the  river.  See,  also, 
7  and  11.  Thos.  H.  Webb,  secretary  of  the 
New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company,  closes 
a  letter,  dated  Boston,  September  18,  1854,  as 
follows:  "In  closing  I  would  state  the  singu- 
lar and  significant  coincidence  that  our  pioneer 
party  of  New  Englanders  crossed  Lake  Erie 
in  the  Mayflower,  and  went  up  the  Missouri 
river  in  the  Polar  Star." —  141.  book  1.  In 
April,  1855,  a  native  of  Bucks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, 104  years  of  age.  made  the  trip  on 
this  boat  to  settle  in  Kansas  with  a  number  of 
descendants.  August  Bondi,  of  Salina,  came 
to  Kansas  on  the  Polar  Star,  March  26,  1855. 
He  was  a  revolutionist  in  Vienna,  Austria,  in 
1848,  and  before  coming  to  Kansas  stopped  at 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


309 


St.  Louis  a  few  years,  where  he  aided  Thos. 
H.  Benton  and  Frank  P.  Blair.  He  soldiered 
with  John  Brown  in  Kansas.  Dr.  Rufus  Gill- 
patrick,  a  noted  free-soil  pioneer  and  fighter 
in  the  neig-hborhood  of  Osawatomie,  came  to 
Kansas  with  Bondi  on  this  boat.  Pardee 
Butler  made  his  way  out  of  the  territory  on 
the  Polar  Star  after  his  shipment  from  Atchi- 
son on  a  raft.  He  took  the  boat  at  Weston 
about  the  middle  of  August,  1855,  and  met  B. 
Gratz  Brown,  who  came  on  at  Jefferson  City. 
E.x-Senator  John  Martin,  of  Topeka,  came  to 
Kansas  on  this  boat  in  March,  1855. 

1850-'52.  Pontiac.  Thomas  Baker,  master. 
Sunk  near  Doniphan,  Kan.,  April  10,  1852.  Is 
said  to  have  had  a  large  cargo  of  whisky  on 
board.   7. 

1861.  Portsmouth.  Sunk  below  Weston  in 
1861.   7. 

1865-'70.  Post  Boy.  A  side-wheeler.  She 
ran  from  St.  Louis  to  Omaha,  and  belonged  to 
the  Missouri  River  Packet  Company.  See, 
also,  7. 

.     Powhattan. 

.     Prairie  Rose.   7. 

.     Prairie  State.    7. 

1840.  Preemption.  Harris,  master.  Noth- 
ing known. 

.  Princess.  Sunk  on  the  lower  Missis- 
sippi.  7. 

1866-'75.  P.  T.  Miller.  Ferry-boat  at  Jeffer- 
son City,  Mo.     Sunk  by  ice. 

1846.  Radnor.  J.  T.  Douglas,  master.  A 
side-wheeler.  Sunk  above  the  mouth  of  the 
La  Mine  in  1846.  She  was  bound  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, loaded  with  government  stores.  Rev. 
Jas.  Wheeler  left  the  Wyandot  nation  in  this 
boat.  May  5,  1846. 

1858-'59.  Raymond.  On  the  lower  river  in 
the  -SO's. 

.     Red   Cloud.      Captain,    Ben   Howard. 

Sunk  at  the  mouth  of  Milk  river,  1868.     7. 

1836-'39.  Rhine.  James  McCord,  master. 
She  was  a  small  side-wheel,  single-engine  boat, 
125  feet  long  and  21  feet  beam.  She  ran  from 
St.  Louis  to  Weston  and  latan. 

1864-'68.  R.  J.  Lockwood.  A  large  side- 
wheeler  on  the  lower  river.  She  exploded  near 
Cairo,  111.,  in  1868. 

1840-'45.  R.  M.  Bishop.  Wrecked  on  the 
lower  river. 

1819.  R.M.Johnson.  Captain, Colfax.  One 
of  Col.  Henry  Atkinson's  Yellowstone  fleet.  She 
came  up  the  river  in  1819  as  far  as  Cow  island, 
below  Atchison,  where  she  wintered,  and  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis  in  the  spring  of  1820. 

1S49  '56.  Robert  Campbell  (No.  1).  Wm. 
Edds.  master.  A  large  side-wheeler,  named 
for  Col.  Robert  Campbell,  the  noted  fur  trader, 
of  St.  Louis. 

1863-'70.  Robert  Campbell  (No.  2).  La 
Barge,  master.  A  stern-wheel,  mountain 
boat.     Burned  at  St.  Louis. 

1882-'83.  Robert  Campbell  (No.  3).  Another 
stern-wheel  boat  in  the  upper-river  trade.  She 
burned  at  the  St.  Louis  levee,  October  15,  1883. 

.     Robert  Emmet.     Sunk  near  Portland. 

7. 

1835-'42.  Roebuck.  Miller,  master.  In  the 
lower  river. 

1847-'50.  Rowena(No.  1).  W.  C.  Jewett, 
master.  Two  hundre<i  and  thirty  tons  meas- 
urement. Built  for  St.  Louis  trade.  A  fine  and 
popular  lower-river  packet.  She  sunk  in  Penn's 
bend,  above  St.  Charles,  March  14,  1850.  10. 
Capt.  William  C.  Jewett  was  the  most  popular 
steamboat  commander  ever  on   the  Missouri 


river.  He  was  a  dapper  little  fellow,  exceed- 
ingly handsome,  and  always  dressed  in  the 
height  of  fashion.  He  was  a  universal  favorite 
among  the  shippers,  and,  being  a  bachelor  and 
a  great  gallant,  was  especially  popular  with 
the  ladies.  His  cabin  was  always  full  of  pas- 
sengers and  the  deck  of  his  boat  loaded  to  the 
guards  with  freight.  Captain  Jewett  built 
and  commanded  several  of  the  finest  boats  on 
the  river,  among  which,  besides  the  Rowena, 
were  the  Lewis  F.  Linn  and  the  Martha  Jewett. 
He  died  in  St.  Louis  with  the  cholera  in  1855.    8. 

1858-'59.  Rowena  (No.  2).  John  T.  Dozier. 
master.  Another  fine  side-wheel  boat  on  the 
lower  river.  She  was  named  for  Miss  Rowena 
Dozier,  now  Mrs.  Caswell  Mason,  of  St.  Louis. 
Captain  Mason  was  blown  up  and  killed  on  the 
Sultana,  of  which  he  was  master,  near  Vicks- 
burg.  Miss,  in  1865.  This  was  the  most  terrible 
marine  disaster  in  the  world's  history ;  there 
were  over  1500  lives  lost. 

1897.  RoyLynds.  Ferry-boat.  Sunk  at  Lex- 
ington, Mo.,  February  5,  1897. 

1855-'58.  Rubicon.  A  stern-wheel  circus 
boat.  She  had  on  her  the  first  steam  calliope 
that  came  up  the  river. 

1855.     Rudolph.     Ran  the  lower  river  in  1855. 

1859.     Ryland,  E.  M.     See,  also,  12. 

1848-'49.  Sacramento.  Robert  Beckers,  mas- 
ter. Aside-wheeler.  Sunk  at  the  mouth  of  the 
La  Mine  in  1849.  On  April  21,  1849,  this  boat 
arrived  at  St.  Joseph  with  cholera  on  board, 
having  had  one  death  in  her  journey  up  the 
river.  — U.  S.  Report  Cholera  Epidemic  of  1873, 
p.  617.     See,  also,  6. 

1849-'53.  St.  Ange.  Joe  La  Barge,  master. 
This  boat  was  "built  entirely  complete  upon  the 
ways."  The  following  item  regarding  her  trip 
of  1850  is  copied  from  the  St.  Louis  Reptiblic, 
July  20, 1850  :  "  The  Quickest  Trip  on  Record.— 
The  fine  steamer  St.  Ange  landed  at  the  wharf 
yesterday,  only  ten  days  from  Fort  Union,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone.  .  .  .  The  St. 
Ange  left  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  or 
Fort  Union,  on  the  9th  inst.  The  river  was 
then  swelling  slightly  from  recent  heavy  rains, 
with  a  fair  stage  of  water  all  the  way  down. 
.  .  .  The  boat  left  this  city  on  the  13th  of 
June.  She  reached  the  place  of  her  destination 
on  the  8th  of  July.  Started  to  return  the  9th, 
and  reached  this  city  about  one  P.  M.  yesterday, 
making  the  run  in  thirty-six  days,  being  the 
quickest  voyage  ever  made  going  or  returning, 
and  the  entire  trip  in  nearly  twenty  days'  less 
time  than  it  was  ever  performed  before." 
She  went  again  to  the  Yellowstone  in  1851,  and 
afterward  ran  the  lower  river.  On  this  last 
trip  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  she  had 
on  board  about  100  passengers,  among  whom 
were  two  distinguished  Jesuit  missionaries — 
Father  Christian  Hoecken  and  Father  De  Smet. 
The  cholera  broke  out  after  the  boat  had  got- 
ten above  St.  Joseph,  and  among  the  many 
who  fell  victims  to  the  scourge  was  Father 
Hoecken,  June  19,  1851.  It  was  determined  that 
his  body  should  be  taken  back  to  St.  Louis,  in- 
stead of  being  buried  in  the  wilderne.=s.  and  a 
rough  coffin  was  constructed  in  the  following 
manner:  A  cottonwood  log  was  split  in  twain, 
and  each  half  was  hollowed  out  in  the  shape  of 
a  trough  ;  within  the  cavity  the  body  was  de- 
posited, and  the  seams  of  the  log  were  caulked 
with  pitch  and  oakum,  so  as  to  render  it  air- 
tight;  the  stick  of  timber  was  then  squared 
and  stripped  with  hoop-iron,  and  thus  interred 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Little  Sioux.  On  the  return  of  the  boat  from 
the  mountains,  shortly  afterward,  the  unique 
casket  was  exhumed,  taken  to  St.  Louis,  and 
delivered  to  the  Jesuit  fathers,  by  whom  it  was 
given  proper  sepulcher.     This  boat  was  named 


310 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


for  Louis  St.  Ange  de  Bellerive.  the  French 
officer  who  accompanied  Bourgmont  in  Kan- 
sas in  1724.  He  was  long  in  the  service  of  the 
French  government,  and  in  176-5  surrendered 
Fort  Chartres  to  the  British,  and  transferred 
the  French  capital  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he 
remained  in  authority  until  1770.  Here  he  died, 
at  the  home  of  Madam  Chouteau,  December 
27,  1774,  aged  73  years. —  Magazine  of  Western 
History,  vol.  2,  p.  60.     2,  3. 

183S-'40.  St.  Anthony  (No.  1).  A  fur-com- 
pany boat.  Went  to  the  Yellowstone  in  1838 
and  1840. 

1849-'51.  St.  Anthony  (No.  2).  Gunsaulus, 
master.  She  sunk  nearSt.  Charles,  Mo.,  March 
25,  1851.  Both  of  the  St.  Anthonys  were  small 
side-wheelers. 

1835-'36.  St.  Charles.  An  early  lower-river 
packet  She  burned  opposite  Lexington,  Mo., 
July  2,  1836. 

1840.  St.  Croix  (No.  1).  Ran  the  lower 
river  in  the  '40's. 

1844.  St  Croix  (No.  2).  Built  by  Murrav. 
of  St.  Louis,  in  1844.  Cost  $15,000,  and  was  of 
150  tons  measurement.     1. 

1866.     St.  John.     2. 

1847-'50.  St.  Joseph  (No.  1).  William  Baker, 
master.     An  upper-river  boat. 

1860-'62.  St.  Joseph  (No.  2).  An  Omaha 
packet. 

1847.  St.  Louis  Oak.  James  Dozier,  master. 
A  small  side-wheel  boat.  She  sunk  in  How- 
ard's bend,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  in 
1847.  She  was  the  first  of  many  steamboats 
built  and  owned  by  the  Dozier  family,  of  which 
James  Dozier  was  the  father. 

1866-7.5.  St.  Luke.  Joe  Kinney,  master.  A 
large  side-wheeler  belonging  to  the  Star  line, 
in  the  lower  river.  Sunk  at  St.  Charles  bridge. 
May  2,  1875.     Nine  lives  lost. 

1854-'58.  St.  Mary.  La  Barge,  master.  Side- 
wheel  mountain  boat.  Sunk  at  Haney's  Land- 
ing, at  the  mouth  of  Big  Tarkio,  below  Ne- 
braska City,  September  4,  18.58,  when  bound  for 
Fort  Union,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone. 

1852.  St.  Paul.^  J.L.  Bissell,  master.  Sunk 
at  Wayne  City,  the  landing  for  Independence, 
Mo.,  in  1852. 

1837-'38.  St.  Peters.  Chouteau,  master.  An 
American  Fur  Company's  boat.  It  was  this 
boat  that  communicated  the  smallpox  to  the 
upper-river  tribes  in  1837,  which  caused  the 
loss  of  half  their  number. 

1858.  Sallie  West.  A  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe 
railroad  boat.  Sunk  at  Kickapoo,  Kan.,  in 
1859.     See,  also.  7. 

1846-'52.  Saluda.  A  double-engine,  two- 
boiler,  side-wheel  boat,  built  at  one  of  the  Ohio 
boat-yards  in  1846,  and  finished  in  St.  Louis. 
Measured  233  tons.  She  exploded  at  Lexing- 
ton, Mo.,  April  9,  1852,  and  killed  more  than 
100  people.  It  was  the  most  fatal  accident 
that  ever  occurred  on  the  Missouri  river.  See, 
also,  1. 

1851-'56.  Sam  Cloon.  John  McCloy,  master. 
Sunk  at  St.  Louis  levee  by  ice  in  1856.  Meas- 
urement, 300  tons. 

1853-'68.  Sam  Gaty.  Frank  Dozier.  master. 
Built  in  1853:  she  was  captured  in  1864  by 
guerrillas  near  Sibley,  Mo.,  and  several  pas- 
sengers were  killed.  She  finally,  after  a 
checkered  career,  burned  near  Arrow  Rock, 
Mo.,  June  20,  1868.  In  April.  1861.  at  Leaven- 
worth, this  boat  hoisted  the  Confederate  flag. 


but  was  compelled  to  lower  it  and  raise  the 
stars  and  stripes.     4. 

1857.     Sam  Kirkman.    A  stern-wheel  tramp. 

1847-'49.  San  Francisco.  Mortimer  Ken- 
nett,  master.  She  was  one  of  the  twenty- 
three  boats  burned  at  the  St.  Louis  wharf  in 
the  great  fire  of  May  17,  1849.  This  was  the 
most  destructive  conflagration  that  has  ever 
occurred  west  of  the  AUeghanies,  except  the 
fire  in  Chicago  in  1871.  "The  fire  broke  out 
about  ten  o'clock  P.  M.  on  the  levee  at  the 
corner  of  Locust  street,  and  soon  spread  over 
many  blocks  along  the  now  river  front,  de- 
stroying property  to  the  value  of  $5,000,000. 
During  the  night  the  conflagration  extended 
to  the  steamboats  moored  at  the  levee,  first 
being  communicated  to  the  White  Cloud,  a 
large  New  Orleans  packet.  Among  the 
twenty-three  boats  burned  were  eight  Mis- 
souri river  steamers.  Besides  the  San  Fran- 
cisco, the  list  includes  the  Alice,  Boreas  ( No. 
3  ),  Ella  Stewart,  Kit  Carson,  Mandan,  Martha, 
and  Timour  (No.  1). 

1880-'82.  Sandy.  Henry  McPherson,  mas- 
ter.    A  small  boat,  in  the  lower  trade. 

1853.    Saranac  (No.  1).     Dismantled  in  1853. 

1853-'55.  Saranac  (No.  2).  Burned  at  St. 
Louis  in  1855. 

.     S.  C.  Pomeroy.     Ferry-boat  at  Kansas 

City. 

1840-'42.  Shawnee.  Clifford,  master.  A  fur- 
trade  boat. 

1869-'72.  S.  H.  Long.  A  snag  boat,  which, 
in  July,  1869,  tried  to  open  the  channel  of  the 
Missouri  river  opposite  Weston,  but  effected 
nothing.     4. 

1828.  Shoal  Water.  One  of  the  earliest 
boats  on  the  river.  She  sunk  in  Brick-house 
bend,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  in  1828. 

1853-'57.  Silver  Heels.  Captain,  Barrows.  A 
beautiful  side-wheel  boat  in  the  lower  river, 
but  she  was  an  unfortunate  investment  for 
her  owners.     See,  also,  6  and  7. 

1856.  Silver  Wave.  McMullin.  master.  Noth- 
ing further  known. 

18.58-'63.  Sioux  City  (No.  1).  C.K.Baker, 
master.  A  large  side-wheel  boat  in  the  lower 
river. 

1872-'73.  Sioux  City  (No.  2).  C.  K.  Baker, 
master.  Side-wheel  boat,  160  by  30  feet.  She 
was  in  the  mountain  trade,  and  sunk  by  being 
cut  down  by  ice  at  Fort  Sully,  S.  Dak.,  March 
19,  1873.  Captain  Baker  died  in  Kansas  City  in 
1890. 

1855-'58.  Skylark.  Robert  Sousley,  master. 
A  passenger  packet  in  the  lower  trade  ;  went 
into  the  lower  Mississippi.  Captain  Sousley 
died  in  Nebraska  City  several  years  ago. 

1851-'56.  Sonora.  Terrill,  master.  A  side- 
wheel  boat.  Sunk  near  Portland,  Mo.,  Febru- 
ary 26,  1856,  in  Sonora  chute. 

1858-'65.  Sou th wester  (  No.  1).  De  Haven, 
master.  A  fine  side-wheeler.  Sunk  at  Cairo 
by  ice  in  February,  1865.  Owned  at  Boonville, 
Mo 

1868-'69.  Southwester  (No.  2).  Leaven- 
worth, master.     Ran  in  the  upper-river  trade. 

1855-*63.  Sovereign.  A  large  side-wheel 
passenger  packet  in  the  lower  river.  She  was 
driven  out  of  the  Missouri  river  by  competition 
of  the  railroads  in  1860,  and  went  into  the 
lower  Mississippi,  and  was  one  of  the  twenty- 
three  steamboats  taken  up  the  Yazoo  and 
burned  by  the  Confederates  after  the  fall  of 


Note  3. —  Many  of  the  early  steamboat  men  on  the  upper  Missouri  were  French  Catholics ; 
hence  we  find  the  names  of  their  patron  saints  given  to  their  boats. 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


311 


Vicksburg-.  (See  Alonzo  Child.)  Robert  E. 
Ballard,  still  living  in  Allegheny  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, was  second  engineer  on  the  Sovereign, 
in  1859,  when  she  ran  on  the  Missouri  be- 
tween St.  Louis  and  St.  Joseph.  Mr.  Ballard 
served  over  forty  years  on  the  Ohio  and  the 
lower  Mississippi.     7. 

.     Spangler.     Sunk  at  Berry's  Landing 

in  1865.     7. 

1857-'63.  Spread  Eagle  (No.  1).  Chas.  P. 
Chouteau,  master.  Sunk  at  Bates's  wood- 
yard,  above  Washington,  Mo.,  in  1863.     2. 

1862-'65.  Spread  Eagle  (No.  2).  Captain, 
Ben  Johnson.  Painted  on  either  side  of  the 
wheelhouse  was  a  large  eagle  and  the  words 
"E  Pluribiis  Unum."  On  being  asked  the 
meaning  of  the  phrase,  the  captain  replied : 
"Every  tub  must  stand  upon  its  own  bot- 
tom."   7. 

1854-'58.  Star  of  the  West.  Parkinson, 
master.  A  Missouri  river  packet.  Ran  the 
lower  river  in  1858.  Was  a  large  side-wheel 
boat.  She  landed  at  Kansas  City  April  12, 
1856,  with  100  emigrants  from  Georgia.  Ala- 
bama, South  Carolina,  and  Kentucky.  Prom 
the  following  quotation,  her  guests  on  the  next 
trip  were  of  a  different  political  complexion  : 
"The  Star  of  the  West,  as  we  learn  from  the 
Edinburgh,  is  having  trouble  with  her  passen- 
gers. When  the  Edinburgh  passed  down,  the 
boat  was  lying  at  Weston  with  the  whole  crowd 
on  board,  and  with  no  prospectof  landing  them 
at  any  point.  The  passengers  on  board,  it  is 
known,  are  abolitionists,  and,  after  having  had 
their  arms  taken  from  them  at  Lexington,  the 
boat  proceeded  to  Weston,  but  on  her  arrival 
ther*  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  and  sur- 
rounding country  refused  to  allow  them  to 
come  on  shore ;  and  the  only  alternative  now 
left  is  for  the  boat  to  bring  them  back  and  land 
them  where  she  got  them,  which  we  learn  will 
be  done." — St.  Louis  Intelligencer,  June  28, 
1856  ;  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  13,  p.  211.  Capt. 
William  H.  Parkinson  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1814,  and  was  in  command  of  a  steam- 
boat on  the  Ohio  river  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 
In  1842  he  came  on  the  Missouri  river  and  be- 
came a  pilot,  captain,  and  owner.  He  con- 
tinued on  the  Missouri  until  1858,  when  he 
retired  and  removed  to  Colorado.  In  Novem- 
ber of  that  year  he  assisted  in  laying  out  the 
city  of  Denver,  where  he  lived  for  several 
years.  In  1864  he  removed  to  Boulder,  Mont., 
and  passed  away  on  August  12, 1892. 

1888-'89.  State  of  Missouri ;  State  of  Kan- 
sas. These  twin-sister  boats,  with  the  A.  L. 
Mason,  constituted  the  Kansas  City  Packet 
Company.  They  were  the  last  boats  built  for 
the  Missouri,  in  the  vain  attempt  to  compete 
with  the  railroads,  and  having  failed  on  the 
Missouri  river  they  were  taken  into  the  lower 
Mississippi,  where  they  were  all  lost.  The  State 
of  Missouri  was  burned  on  the  Ohio.  The  capi- 
tal stock  of  this  company  was  $133,000,  every 
dollar  of  which  was  lost. 

1880-'90.  Static  Fisher.  Built  and  owned  by 
Jefferson  City  Ferry  Company.  Phil.  E.  Chap- 
pell,  president ;  Joseph  Fisher,  secretary. 
Sunk  by  ice  in  1890. 

1854.     Stella  Blanch.    Ran  the  river  in  1854. 

1865-'69.  Stonewall.  McKinney.  master.  A 
large  side-wheel,  lower  Mississippi  boat  which 
came  into  the  Missouri.  On  October  29,  1869, 
she  exploded  her  boilers  near  Ste.  Genevieve, 
on  the  Mississippi,  causing  the  loss  of  125  lives. 
Among  those  lost  on  the  Stonewall  were  many 
laborers  en  route  from  St.  Louis  to  New  Or- 
leans to  work  on  the  sugar  plantations  of  Lou- 
isiana, who  were  deck  passengers.  When  their 
bodies  were  recovered,  as  they  were  when  they 
came  to  the  surface,  several  thousands  of  dol- 


lars were  found.  As  there  was  no  way  to 
identify  their  bodies  or  to  find  out  who  their 
friends  were,  the  money  was  paid  into  the  state 
treasury  of  Missouri,  as  directed  by  the  law. 
For  several  years  it  was  carried  on  the  books 
of  the  treasurer  in  an  account  called  "  victims 
of  the  Stonewall  disaster,"  but,  never  having 
been  claimed,  was  finally  carried  to  the  general 
school  fund  of  the  state  by  the  writer,  when,  in 
1881,  he  became  state  treasurer.  See,  also,  7. 
1882.     Sully.      Sunk    above    St.    Charles    in 


1854-'57.  Sultan.  Large  lower- river  boat. 
Sunk  in  Sultan  bend,  above  Amazonia,  Mo.,  in 
1857.     See,  also,  7. 

1866-67.  Sunset.  Sunk  near  Omaha  in  1867. 
7.9. 

1872-'73.  Susie  Silver.  David  Silver,  master. 
A  lower-river  boat. 

.   Sutton.   Sunk  in  the  Missouri  river.    7. 

1866.     Tacony.     2. 

1830-'40.     Talleyrand.    A  lower-river  packet. 

1846.  Tamerlane.  A  boat  of  this  name,  of 
125  tons  measurement,  was  built  at  St.  Louis, 
by  Miller,  in  1846,  and  cost  $12,000.     10. 

1848.  Tamerlane.  Measurement.  220  tons. 
Sunk  at  Wakenda,  near  Carrollton,  Mo.,  in  1848. 

1837.  Tempest  (No.  1).  Ran  the  river  in 
1837. 

1865.  Tempest  ( No.  2 ) .  A  side- wheel  boat 
on  the  upper  river.  Sunk  at  Bonhomme  island. 
South  Dakota,  in  1865.  There  was  another 
Bonhomme  island  near  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
Both  were  dangerous  localities. 

1840-'42.  Thames.  Dennis,  master.  A  side- 
wheeler. 

1855-'64.  Thomas  E.  TTutt.  John  Dozier, 
master.  A  large  lower-river  packet,  named 
for  Thomas  E.  Tutt,  the  banker,  of  St.  Louis. 

1819.  Thomas  Jefferson.  Orfurt,  master. 
One  of  Colonel  Atkinson's  Yellowstone  fleet. 
She  sunk  at  the  mouth  of  the  Osage,  in  coming 
up,  in  July,  1819,  being  the  first  boat  wrecked 
on  the  Missouri  river. 

1869-'77.  Thomas  Stevens.  Sunk  in  Osage 
chute,  at  the  mouth'  of  Osage  river.  Ran  to 
Fort  Benton.     See,  also,  7,  9. 

1868.  Tidy  Adula.  Captain,  Blackiston. 
Ferry-boat.     Sunk  at  Elwood  point  in  1868. 

1847-'49.  Timour  (No.  1).  Burned  at  St. 
Louis,  May  17,  1849,  in  the  great  fire. 

1850-'54.  Timour  (No.  2).  Ed  Dix,  master. 
Sheexploded  just  below  Jefferson  City,  August 
26,  1854,  causing  the  loss  of  many  lives.  The 
timbers  of  her  hull  can  yet  be  seen  in  low 
water.  The  writer,  as  a  barefooted  boy,  was 
an  eye-witness  to  the  explosion  of  the  Timour. 
It  was  on  Saturday,  about  two  P.  M.,  that  I 
was  standing  on  the  levee  at  Jefferson  City, 
waiting  to  be  crossed  over  the  river  to  my 
home,  which  was  on  the  opposite  shore.  My 
eyes  were  resting  on  the  boat—  watching  her 
as  she  was  ascending  the  river  —  when  there 
came  a  loud  report  as  of  a  tremendous  blast, 
and  the  boat  was  enveloped  in  a  great  cloud 
of  steam  and  smoke.  In  a  moment  the  cloud 
had  blown  away,  but,  alas  !  the  boat  had  dis- 
appeared. The  ferryman  and  I  at  once  realized 
what  had  occurred,  and,  jumping  into  a  skiff, 
rowed  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  the  wreck, 
which  was  about  three  miles  distant.  We  were 
the  first  to  arrive,  and  what  a  horrible  scene 
met  our  gaze.  All  of  the  boilers  of  the  boat  — 
three  in  number  — had  exploded  simultane- 
ously, wrecking  the  entire  forward  part  of  the 
boat,  and  causing  the  hull  to  sink  aft  of  the 
forecastle.     The   shrieks    and    groans   of  the 


312 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


dying,  and  their  piteous  appeals  that  they  be 
put  immediately  out  of  existence,  to  end  their 
BuiTerings,  were  heartrending,  and  resound 
in  my  ears  to  this  day,  although  more  than 
a  half-century  has  passed.  Many  lives  were 
lost  — how  many  was  never  known,  as  many 
bodies  were  blown  into  the  river  and  never 
recovered  Those  still  alive  were  so  badly 
scalded  as  to  have  but  little  resemblance  to 
human  beings.  Among  the  dead  were  Cap- 
tain Dix  and  his  brother  Charles,  and  Charles 
Eckler,  the  clerk.  The  wounded  were  re- 
moved to  Jefferson  City,  where  many  of  them 
died. 

1857.  T.  L.  Crawford.  Sunk  near  Boonville 
in  1857. 

1857-'70.  T.  L.  McGill.  A  large  lower-river 
freight  boat.  She  brought  the  first  locomotive 
for  the  Missouri  Pacific  railroad  to  Kansas 
City.  Burned  in  Shoo  Fly  bend,  with  great  loss 
of  life.     See,  also,  7. 

1841-'46.  Tobacco  Plant.  James  Patrick, 
master.  Built  in  1841.  She  was  a  famous 
boat  on  the  lower  river  in  her  day.  The  puflSng 
from  her  escape-pipes  could  be  heard  for  sev- 
eral miles  down  the  river  before  she  came  in 
sight. 

.     Tompkins.     7. 

1837-'43.  Trapper.  P.  Chouteau,  master. 
Belonged  to  the  American  Fur  Company.  A 
boat  by  this  name  is  mentioned  on  the  river 
in  the  log  of  the  steamer  Omega  in  1843. — Chit- 
tenden's American  Fur  Trade,  pp.  995,  1001 ; 
La  Barge,  p.  149. 

1832-'33.  Trenton.  A  fur-company  boat. 
Sunk  above  St.  Charles,  April  3,  1833. 

1845.  Tributary.  Last  boat  to  touch  at 
Weston  in  1845.     10. 

1843.     Troja.     8. 

1853-'57.  Tropic.  Joe  S.  Nanson,  master. 
A  Lightning  line  packet.  Sunk  at  Waverly, 
Mo.,  October  14,  1857.     Several  lives  lost. 

1867.  Trover.  Wrecked  240  miles  below 
Fort  Benton.     2. 

1819.     Tuscumbia.     2. 

1860-'65.  Twilight.  J.  P.  McKinney,  master. 
A  lower- river,  side- wheel  boat,  180  by  32  feet. 
She  sunk  near  Napoleony  Mo.,  in  September, 
1865.  Twenty  years  after  she  sunk  a  search 
was  made  for  the  wreck,  and  it  was  found,  and 
some  of  her  cargo  recovered,  but  no  whisky. 

1855.     Twin  City.     A  transient  boat. 

1840.     Undine.     Nothing  known. 

-.     Viola  Belle. 

1846.  Wakenda.  Sunk  at  Fishing  river,  op- 
posite Sibley,  Mo.,  on  the  lower  Missouri,  April 
2.  1846.  But  little  is  known  of  these  early 
boats  except  their  names  and  the  fact  that  they 
were  on  the  river. 

1840-'45.  Wapello.  N.  J.  Eaton,  master. 
Sunk  by  ice  at  St.  Louis  in  1845. 

1858-'69.  War  Eagle.  A  lower-river  packet 
of  the  type  of  the  period.  She  burned  at  St. 
Louis,  August  24,  1869.     See,  also,  7. 

1832-'33.  Warrior.  Captain  Throckmorton, 
master.  Carried  government  supplies  to  Prairie 
du  Chien  during  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  re- 
turned to  St.  Louis  later.     2. 

1840-'46.  Warsaw.  Sunk  at  Bonhomme,  near 
mouth  of  the  river,  in  1846. 

1837-'40.  Washington.  Burned  at  Bates's 
wood-yard,  above  Portland,  Mo.,  in  1840. 

1857.  Washington  City.  John  Fisher,  cap- 
tain.    Nothing  known.     7. 

1851-'58.  Watossa.  A  very  fast  stern- wheeler. 
She  was  wrecked  near  St.  Joseph,  September 
26,  1858. 


1866-'67.  Waverly.  John  P.  Keiser,  master. 
A  side- wheeler,  200  feet  long  and  34  feet  beam. 
Ran  to  Fort  Benton,  and  cleared  $50,000  on  one 
trip.  Sunk  at  Bowling  Green  bend,  below 
Brunswick,  Mo.,  November  25.  1867. 

1829.  W.  D.  Duncan.  A  small  side-wheel 
boat.  She  commenced  a  regular  packet  trade 
to  Fort  Leavenworth  in  1829.     2. 

— -.     Welcome.     7. 

1858-'64.  West  Wind.  A  large  side-wheel 
boat.  Burned  by  the  Confederates  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Glasgow,  Mo.,  October  16, 1864.  See,  also,  7. 

1819.  Western  Engineer.  Boat  built  for  ex- 
pedition of  Maj.  S.  H.  Long,  at  Pittsburgh, 
She  was  a  small  stern-wheeler,  seventy-five 
feet  long  and  twenty  feet  beam,  and  had  a 
measurement  of  fifty  tons.  It  is  believed  that 
she  was  the  first  stern-wheel  boat  built  for  the 
Western  rivers.  She  ascended  the  Missouri  as 
high  as  Council  Bluffs  in  1819.  being  the  first 
boat  to  ascend  that  far.  (See  description 
elsewhere.) 

1843.  Weston.  Littlejohn,  master.  Ran  the 
lower  river,  and  burned  near  St.  Charles  in  1843. 
8,  p.  985. 

1830  (?).  W.  H.  Ashley.  Named  for  Gen- 
eral Ashley,  a  successful  fur  trader,  lieutenant- 
governor  of  Missouri,  brigadier-general  of 
state  militia,  member  of  Congress,  and  in  his 
day  the  most  popular  man  in  Missouri.  His 
remains  are  interred  on  the  banks  of  the  Mis- 
souri river,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Lamine 
river,  ten  miles  above  Boonville,  Mo.,  in  a  for- 
gotten and  unmarked  grave.     Such  is  fame. 

1855.  W.  H.  Denny.     Nothing  known. 
1845-'48.    Whirlwind.     Dodge,  master.    Was 

180  by  30  feet,  and  5  feet  hold.  She  had  double 
engines,  and  was  the  first  boat  of  that  kind  to 
come  up  the  Missouri  river. 

1858-'69.  White  Cloud.  Wm.  Conley,  master. 
A  large  lower-river  boat,  built  in  1858.  She 
conveyed  Gov.  C.  F.  Jackson  and  other  state 
officers  of  Missouri  from  Jefferson  City  to 
Boonville,  on  June  19,  1861,  when  they  left  the 
state  to  join  the  Southern  Confederacy.  Gen- 
eral Pope  on  this  steamboat  destroyed  ferry- 
boats at  a  number  of  points  of  the  Missouri  in 
July,  1861.     See,  also,  4  and  7. 

1858-'60.  W.  H.  Russell.  Kinney,  master. 
A  large  lower-river  boat,  similar  to  others  of 
that  period.     Went  into  the  Mississippi. 

1850.  Wild  Wagoner.  A.  C.  Goddin,  master. 
She  burned  on  the  lower  river;  place  not 
known. 

1866-'73.  W.  J.  Lewis  ( No.  1 ).  E.  T.  Hern- 
don,  master.  A  side-wheel  boat,  built  for  the 
upper  river  trade.  She  cleared  $60,000  on  her 
first  trip  to  Fort  Benton,  in  1866.  Wrecked  at 
Grand  Tower,  below  St.  Louis,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi river,  April  3,  1873. 

1874-'75.  W.  J.  Lewis  (No.  2).  A  small 
stern-wheel  mountain  boat.  Sunk  at  Chester, 
111.,  March  16,  1875.     See,  also,  7  and  9. 

1855-'58.  Wm.  Baird.  A  stern-wheel  boat. 
Sunk  at  Waverly,  Mo.,  in  1858. 

1856.  William  Campbell.  Captain,  Tom 
Scott.     6,  7. 

1856-'58.  Wm.  Campbell.  Wm.  Edds,  mas- 
ter. A  lower-river  boat.  Lost  on  the  upper 
river.  One  hundred  free-state  emigrants  left 
St.  Louis  on  this  boat  May  5,  1856.  They  were 
from  Vermont,  New  York,  and  Wisconsin. 

1867-'68.  Wm.  A.  Moflnt.  Fuqua,  master. 
Ran  in  the  St.  Louis  and  Omaha  trade. 

1866.  William  Osborn.  Used  for  ferry-boat 
at  Atchison.  Built  at  Brownsville,  Pa.,  and 
reached  Atchison  May  9,  1866,  with  150  tons  of 
rails  for  the  Atchison  &  Pike's  Peak  railroad 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


313 


forty-four  days  in  trip  from  Brownsville  to 
Atchison. 

1836-'38.    Wilmington.   A  fur-company  boat. 

1847-'55.  Winona.  Built  in  1847.  Side- 
wheeler.  Sunk  in  Murray's  bend,  near  Jeffer- 
son City,  Mo.,  November  10,  1855. 

1847.     Wyandotte.     Moore,  master. 

1875-'80.  Wyoming.  A  large  stern-wheel 
freight  boat,  built  for  the  lower-river  trade. 


1831-'33.  Yellowstone.  Bennett,  master. 
Built  by  the  American  Fur  Company.  She 
was  the  first  boat  to  go  as  high  up  the  river 
as  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  was  a 
side- wheeler  of  the  following  dimensions,  viz.: 
130  feet  long,  19  feet  beam,  and  6  feet  hold. 
She  had  a  single  engine  and  cabin  in  the  hull. 
Prince  Maximilian  came  up  the  river  in  this 
boat  in  the  spring  of  1833.     See  13,  vol.  22. 

1840.  Yucatan.  S.  Banks,  master.  An  early 
boat  on  the  lower  river. 


UPPER   MISSOURI   RIVER   STEAMBOATS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  steamboats  on  the  upper  Missouri  river  from 
1862  to  the  end  of  navigation,  in  1888.  They  generally  ran  to  Fort  Benton, 
the  head  of  navigation,  and  were  engaged  in  transporting  passengers  and 
freight  to  the  gold-mines  in  Montana.  Many  of  these  boats  made  only 
one  or  two  trips  and,  as  will  be  observed,  a  great  number  of  them  were 
lost.  The  particulars  of  the  disasters,  and  sometimes  even  the  localities 
where  they  occurred,  have  been  omitted  for  want  of  space.  With  few  ex- 
ceptions they  were  small  stern-wheelers,  built  for  other  rivers,  and  were  ill 
adapted  to  the  strong  current  and  tortuous  channel  of  the  Missouri. 

Sunk  June  2,  1868,  near  Sioux 


Abeona,  1867. 

Abeond.  1867. 

Abner  O'Neal.  Sunk  near  Bismarck,  in  the 
upper  river,  July  19,  1892. 

Agnes,  1866. 

Ajax. 

Alex  Kendall. 

Alice.     Sunk  at  St.  Charles. 

Alone.  1863. 

Amanda.     Burned  above  Omaha  in  1867. 

Amaranth.     Lost  at  Sioux  City  in  1869. 

Amelia  Poe.     Sunk  in  1868. 

Andrew  Ackley,  1868.     9. 

Andrew  S.  Bennett.  Ferry-boat  at  Sioux 
City.     Sunk  by  ice  in  1888. 

Anna  Lee.     Sunk  at  Glasgow  in  1881. 

Antelope,  1867-'68.     7,  9. 

Antelope  (No.  2).  Sunk  at  Bonhomme.  S. 
Dak.,  in  1869. 

Argonaut.  Sunk  at  the  mouth  of  Missouri, 
1865. 

Arkansas. 

Ashland. 

Bachelor.  Sunk  at  Fort  Pierre,  S.  Dak.,  in 
1884. 

Bannock  City,  1865. 

Bart  Able. 

Bedford  (No.  2),  1879. 

Belle  of  Jefferson.  Exploded  at  mouth  of 
Osage,  July  7,  1875.     Several  persons  killed. 

Belle  Peoria.     Sunk  on  upper  river. 

Belle  St.  Louis,  1873. 

Ben  Johnson.  1867.     7,  9. 

Benton,  1864. 

Benton,  1887.     9. 

Bertha.     Sunk  near  St.  Joe,  June  25,  1872. 

Bertrand.    Sunk  above  Omaha  in  1865. 

Big  Horn,  1866.  This  boat,  or  another  of  the 
same  name,  continued  in  service  until  1878. 


Bishop.     Capsized  and  wrecked  in   1867  at 
Nishnabotna. 

Black  Hills,  1882.     Sunk  at  Yankton.     9. 


Bridgeport. 
City. 

Bright  Star,  1873. 

Butte.  Burned  at  Fort  Peck,  on  upper  river, 
in  1883. 

Carrie.     Sunk  above  Omaha,  April  13,  1868. 

Carrie  V.    Kountz.      Burned  at   St.  Louis, 
March  29,  1869. 

Carroll,  1877.     Burned  near  Fort  Randall  in 
1877. 

C.   C.   Carroll.     Sunk  at  Chapman's  Land- 
ing, above  Glasgow,  Mo.,  in  1886. 

Champion.     Sunk  at  Portland,  Mo.,  in  1864. 

Chippewa,    1859.      Burned  at  Poplar  river, 
Montana,  May  10,  1861. 

City  of  Pekin. 

C.  K.  Peck,  1877.     9. 

Clipper. 

Coleman.      Exploded  and  sunk  near  Roche- 
port.  Mo.,  in  1882. 

Colona,  1858.    See  "The  Kansas  River  -  its 
Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume. 

Colonel  McCloud,  1878.    Sunk  near  Bismarck, 
on  upper  river,  in  1879. 

Colonel  Parr.     7. 

Colossal. 

Coosa. 

Cornelia.  1870. 

C.  P.  Huntington.     A  transfer  boat. 

Cutler. 

Cutter,  1864.    9. 

C.  W.  Mead.  1875. 

Dakotah,  1881.     7. 

Dallas.    Sunk  below  Brownsville,  Neb.,  in 
1870. 

Daniel  Boone. 

David  R.  Powell. 

David  Watts,  1866. 

De  Bussy,  1873. 

De  Smet.  1873. 

Deer  Lodge.  1866. 

Dells.    Sunk  at  White  Cloud  in  1878. 

Denver  (No.  1).     Burned  at  St.  Joseph,  May 
16,  1867. 


314 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Denver  (No.  21.  Sunk  at  Fort  Lincoln  in 
1880. 

Dora. 

Dorcas.     Sunk  below  Hermann,  Mo. 

Eclipse.  Sunk  near  Sioux  City,  September 
3,  1887. 

Edgar.     Sunk  at  Omaha  in  1884. 

Effie  Deans.     1864-'65.     7,  9. 

E.  H.  Durfee,  1872-78.    7,  9. 

E.  Hensley. 

Elkhorn  (No.  2),  1873. 

Ella.     Built  at  Leavenworth. 

Ella  Kimbrough,  1865.  Sunk  near  St.  Charles. 

Emma.     Built  at  Leavenworth. 

Emma  (No.  2).     Sunk  above  Omaha  in  1873. 

E.  O.  Stanard.  Sunk  below  Sioux  City.  See 
"The  Kansas  River  — its  Navigation,"  by  A. 
R.  Greene,  this  volume. 

Esperanza,  1872.  Burned  at  Prophet's  is- 
land, Dakota.  October  23.  1874. 

Eureka.  1860.  Built  for  the  Kansas  river. 
See  "The  Kansas  River  —  its  Navigation,"  by 
A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume. 

Fanchon,  1877. 

Fanny  Barker. 

Fanny  Lewis,  1871, 

Fanny  Scott.  Burned  at  St.  Louis,  March 
29,  1869. 

Fanny  Tatum,  1877. 

Far  West,  1871. 

Favorite,  1866. 

Flirt,  1871. 

Florence  Meyer. 

Fontenell.  Sunk  in  Amazonia  bend,  above 
St.  Joe,  August  21.  1871. 

F.  Y.  Batchelor,  1885.     9. 
Galatia. 

Gallatin,  1866.  Sunk  at  mouth  of  Sioux  in 
1868. 

Gate  City,  1874. 

G.  A.  Thompson,  1867. 

General  Bragg.     Sunk  near  Hermann,  Mo. 

General  C.  H.  Tompkins,  1878. 

General  Custer,  1877.  Sunk  at  Rush  bottom, 
opposite  Rulo,  Neb.,  in  1879. 

General  D.  H.  Buckner.  1878. 

General  Dix.     Burned  at  St.  Louis. 

General  Gaines. 

General  Grant.     Sunk  below  Bellevue. 

General  McCook. 

General  McNeil.  Sunk  in  Howard's  bend, 
lower  river,  in  1860. 

General  Mead.  1880.  Sunk  at  Pelican  island, 
upper  river,  in  1888.     ( See  page  236.) 

General  Perry,  1887.     9. 

General  Terry.     Sunk  at  Omaha  in  1888. 

Geo.  C.  Wolf.  Sunk  in  Bowling  Green  bend, 
below  Brunswick,  Mo.,  May  3,  1874. 

George  Lee.  Ferry-boat  at  Rocheport,  Mo. 
Sunk  February  14,  1883. 

George  Spangler.     Sunk  at  Portland  in  1879. 

Georgia. 

Gerard  B.  Allen.  Burned  at  St.  Louis.  March 
SO.  1869. 

Gladiator. 

Glencoe  (No.  2).     Sunk  at  Nebrasksa  City 


Gold  Dust.  1877. 

Gold  Finch,  1866. 

Gov.  Allen.     Sunk  in  Malta  bend  in  1877. 

Grafton. 

Gray  Cloud. 

Great  Western.     7. 

Guidon. 

Gus  Linn.  Sunk  below  Sioux  City  in  1865. 
See,  also,  "The  Kansas  River  —  its  Naviga- 
tion," by  A.  R.  Greene  in  this  volume. 

G.  W.  Graham.  Went  to  Fort  Benton  in 
1867.  She  was  the  largest  boat  that  ever  went 
that  high  up  ;  her  dimensions  were  249  by  40 
feet.     She  burned  at  St.  Louis  in  1869. 

Gypsey. 

H.  D.  Bacon.     Burned  at  St.  Loui.s. 

Helena  (No.  1),  1866.  Sunk  at  Bonhomme 
island,  on  lower  river,  near  the  mouth,  October 
31,  1868. 

Helena  ( No.  2).  Sunk  at  Bonhomme  island, 
S.  Dak.,  in  1887. 

Henry  Adkins,  1868. 

Henry  M.  Shreve,  1869. 

Hilman.     Sunk  in  Miami  bend. 

Hiram  Wood  (No.  1),  1868.  Sunk  at  Rose 
Bud,  on  the  upper  river,  in  1873.     7,  9. 

Hiram  Wood  (No.  2).  Ferry-boat  at  Sioux 
City. 

H.  M.  Shreve,  1869. 

Hope.     Went  to  Fort  Benton  in  1880. 

Huntsville  (No.  2),  1867. 

Huron.  Sunk  at  St.  John's  island,  near 
Washington,  Mo.,  in  1871. 

Ida  Fulton,  1867.    9. 

Ida  Reese.     Sunk  at  White  river  in  1871. 

Ida  Stockdale.     Sunk  at  Bismarck  in  1871. 

Imperial,  1867.  Sunk  at  Bonhomme  island, 
Dakota,  1868.     See  9. 

Importer,  1868. 

lone.    Sunk  at  mouth  of  Saline. 

Irene.     Sunk  in  the  lower  river. 

Iron  City,  1866. 

Island  City.     Sunk  at  Fort  Buford  in  1864. 

Jacob  Sass,  1865.  See,  also.  "The  Kansas 
River— its  Navigation."  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in 
this  volums. 

James  D.  Rankin.  Wrecked  on  the  Yellow- 
stone in  1877. 

James  Lyons.  Sunk  at  Bonhomme,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  in  1882. 

J.  C.  Irvine.     Built  at  Leavenworth. 

Jennie. 

Jennie  Brown,  1867.     7,  9. 

J.  F.  Frazier. 

J.  F.  Joy,  1875. 

J.  H.  Lacy.  Sunk  at  mouth  of  Nodaway 
river  in  1867. 

J.  H.  Peck.     7. 

J.  M.  Chambers,  1878. 

John  Warren.  1859. 

Josephine.  A  small  stern-wheeler.  In  1876  she 
went  up  the  Yellowstone  ten  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  Powder  river,  being  the  highest  point 
ever  reached  by  a  steamboat  on  that  river. 

Judith,  1886.  Sunk  at  Pelican  island,  below 
St.  Charles.  July  30.  1888.  There  were  two 
Pelican  islands. 

Kate  Kearney,  1871. 


List  of  Missouri  River  Steamboats. 


315 


Kate  Kinney,  1877. 

Katie  P.  Kountz,  1872.  Sunk  at  Blackbird 
Hills,  Neb.,  on  upper  river,  in  1878. 

Key  West,  1860-'62. 

Lacon.  Captain,  John  Lynds.  Sunk  near 
Arag-o,  Neb.,  about  1883.     7.  9. 

Lady  Grace,  1867.  Burned  at  Omaha,  Janu- 
ary 3,  1870. 

Lady  Lee.  Sunk  at  Fishing  river,  opposite 
Sibley,  Mo.,  March  29,  1882. 

Lancaster.  Sunk  at  Smith's  Landing,  near 
St.  Aubert,  Mo.,  in  1864. 

Leni  Leoti.     Sunk  near  Omaha  in  1868. 

Leodora.  Burned  at  Ponca  Landing,  S.  Dak.. 
in  1867. 

Lexington. 

Lillie,  1867.  Sunk  at  Rulo,  Neb.,  October 
24,  1868. 

Lillie  Martin,  1866. 

Little  Blue. 

Little  Rock,  1867. 

Live  Oak. 

Livingston.  Sunk  at  Running  Water,  on 
upper  river,  in  1868. 

Lizzie  Campbell.  Sunk  near  Nebraska  City. 
Transfer  boat  at  Nebraska  City. 

Lizzie  Gill.     Burned  at  St.  Louis. 

Louisville.  Sunk  at  Pratt's  cut-off,  above 
Nebraska  City,  in  1864. 

Lucile. 

Lucy  Bertrand. 

Luella,  1866. 

Mansfield. 

Mariner.  Sunk  in  Onawabend,  nearOnawa, 
Iowa,  in  1867. 

Marion.  Sunk  below  Fort  Benton,  in  upper 
river,  in  1866.     See,  also,  9. 

Mars.  Sunk  at  Fishing  river,  below  Kansas 
City,  in  1865. 

Mary  Bennett.     Sunk  at  Sioux  City  in  1869. 

Mary  Lowry. 

Mary  McDonald.  1872. 

Mary  McGee.  Sunk  at  Plattsmouth,  Neb., 
in  1877. 

Mattie  Lee.  Sunk  in  Murray's  bend,  near 
Jefferson  City,  in  1893. 

May  Bryan. 

Metamora.  Sunk  near  Boonville,  Mo.,  Sep- 
tember 27,  1875. 

Michigan. 

Milwaukee. 

Miner,  1866. 

Minneola. 

Minnesota. 

Minnie.     Sunk  at  Leavenworth. 

Minnie  Belle.  A  Kaw  river  boat.  See  "The 
Kansas  River  —  its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R. 
Greene,  in  this  volume. 

Minnie  Herman.     Sunk  at  Sioux  City. 

Missouri.  This  was  the  last  steamboat  to 
land  at  Fort  Benton,  and  her  voyage  marks  the 
termination  of  steamboat  navigation  on  the 
upper  Missouri,  She  landed  there  September 
12.  1888.— Historical  Society  of  Montana,  vol.  3. 

MoUie  Herbert. 

Mollie  Moore.  Sunk  at  mouth  of  White 
river,  on  upper  river,  in  1881. 

Monitor. 

Monongahela.  Sunk  at  Leavenworth  in  1870. 


Montana,  1879. 

Moses  Green. 

Mountaineer,  1867. 

Nadine.  Sunk  at  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri, 
September  10,  1878.     Several  lives  lost. 

Ned  Tracy. 

Nellie  Peck,  1871-'80.    9. 

Nellie  Rogers,  1866. 

Neut.     Sunk  at  Port  William,  Kan. 

Nick  Wall.  Sunk  on  the  upper  river,  April 
25,  1869. 

Nile,  1867. 

Niobrara. 

Nora.     Sunk  at  Pratt's  cut-off,  Nebraska. 

North  Alabama,  1868.  Sunk  at  mouth  of 
Vermilion  river,  on  upper  Missouri,  in  1870. 
Telegram  in  the  New  York  Tribune,  July  12, 
1906:  "Vermillion,  S.  Dak.,  July  11, 1906. -The 
river  steamer  North  Alabama,  which  sank  in 
the  Missouri  river  six  miles  below  here  in  1870, 
strangely  rose  to  the  surface  yesterday,  and 
to-day  crowds  of  spectators  line  the  banks. 
The  boat  carried  a  cargo  of  flour  and  whisky 
for  the  Yellowstone  district.  The  fifty  barrels 
of  thirty-si.x-year-old  whisky  have  attracted 
lovers  of  good  liquor,  and  already  a  scramble 
to  find  the  prize  has  begun.  As  yet  it  has  not 
been  reached,  owing  to  the  quantities  of  mud 
accumulated  over  the  lower  decks." 

Nugget.  Sunk  on  upper  river,  in  Onawa 
bend,  in  1866. 

Nymph.  Sunk  in  Jackson  bend,  above  Sib- 
ley, March  4,  1868. 

Octavia,  1867. 

Omaha.     Sunk  by  ice  at  St.  Louis  in  1865. 

Ohio.     Sunk  below  Omaha. 

Onawa.  Sunk  in  Onawa  bend,  Iowa,  in  1880. 
The  town  of  Onawa  took  its  name  from  the 
bend,  and  the  bend  from  the  boat.  A  similar 
case  to  the  town  of  Malta  Bend,  Mo.  There 
are  nine  wrecks  in  Onawa  bend. 

Only  Chance,  1866-'69.     2,  7,  9. 

Ontario.     Sunk  near  Omaha  in  1866. 

Orion.  Sunk  in  Eureka  bend,  above  Jeffer- 
son City. 

Oronaka. 


Osceola.  Her  cabin  was  blown  overboard  on 
the  Yellowstone  in  1878.  and  her  hull  was 
towed  down  the  river,  and  sunk  near  Kansas 
City  by  striking  a  snag. 

Paragon,  1865. 

Paris. 

Pawnee. 

Peninah,  1868.  Wrecked  at  Sioux  City,  April 
6.  1875. 

Peoria  Belle.  Sunk  in  Cheyenne  bend,  at 
mouth  of  the  Cheyenne,  on  the  upper  river,  in 
1864. 

Peoria  City. 

Petrel.     Lost  at  South  Point,  Mo.,  in  1883. 

Pin  Oak.     Lost  at  Sandy  Hook.  1896. 

Portsmouth.  Sunk  below  Weston,  Mo.,  in 
1861. 

Prairie  State. 

Prima  Donna. 

Princess.  Sunk  at  Napoleon,  Mo.,  May  31, 
1868. 

Progress. 

Red  Cloud.  Sunk  at  Red  Cloud  bend,  Mont., 
in  1882. 


316 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Rialto.     Sunk  at  Weston.  Mo.,  in  1864. 

Richmond,  1867. 

Roanoke.^    Sunk  at  Pratt's  cut-oflf  in  1867. 

Rob  Roy. 

Robert  Campbell  (  No.  2).  Was  on  the  river 
in  1863. 

Robert  Emmet.  Sunk  at  St.  Aubert,  Mo., 
in  1869. 

Rose  Bud,  1878.  Sunk  at  Bismarck,  May  25, 
1880. 

Rubicon  (No.  2). 

Rucker.     7. 

St.  Johns,  1865. 

St.  Joseph. 

St.  Luke,  1868.     9. 

Sallie.  1868. 

Seitz.    Sunk  in  Onawa  bend,  Iowa. 

Senator.     Bunk  at  Yankton. 

Seventy-six.  Sunk  near  Spring  House,  above 
St.  Charles,  in  1876. 

Shamrock.  Sunk  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
in  1863. 

Shreveport,  1861-'63.  Owned  by  La  Barge, 
Harkness  &  Co.,  and  ran  on  the  upper  river. 
A  small,  light-draft  boat.     9. 

Silver  Bar,  1869. 

Silver  Bow,  1869.  Sunk  by  ice  at  St.  Louis  in 
1872. 

Silver  City.     Was  on  the  river  in  1866. 

Silver  City,  1877. 

Silver  Lake,  1868-'71.     7,  9. 

Silver  Wave.  Sunk  at  Columbus,  Ky.,  in 
1873. 

Sioux  City  (  No.  2 ) .  Lost  by  ice  at  St.  Louis, 
December  16,  1865. 

Sioux  City,  1872. 

Stephen  Decatur. 

Success,  1868. 

Sully.  Sunk  near  Doniphan,  Kan.,  October 
22,  1869. 

Sunset.  Sunk  at  the  mouth  of  Sioux  river, 
July  18,  1869. 

Sunshine. 

Tacomy.     Sunk  at  Fort  Peck,  Montana. 

Tacony,  1866. 


Tennessee.  Sunk  above  Sioux  City,  April 
25,  1869. 

Thomas  Morgan.  Sunk  near  Parkville,  Mo., 
February  5,  1866.  See,  also,  "The  Kansas 
River— its  Navigation,"  by  A.  R.  Greene,  in 
this  volume. 

Tidal  Wave. 

Trover.  Sunk  at  Trover  Point,  on  upper 
river,  in  1867. 

T.  T.  Hillman.     Sunk  near  Grand  river. 

Tyler.     Sunk  above  St.  Charles  in  1879. 

U.  S.  Mail.     Sunk  on  the  lower  river. 

Urilda.  1868-'69.  Sunk  in  Kate  Sweeney 
bend,  near  Vermillion,  in  upper  river,  April 
24,  1869. 

Utah,  1869. 

Victoria. 

Vienna.     Sunk  at  Washington,  Mo.,  in  1889. 

Vint.  Stillings.     Sunk  at  Sioux  City. 

Viola  Belle.  Sunk  near  Doniphan,  Kan.,  Au- 
gust 28,  1871.     9. 

Violet.  See  "The  Kansas  River  —  its  Navi- 
gation," by  A.  R.  Greene,  in  this  volume. 

Walk-in-the-Water.  Sunk  in  Malta  bend, 
above  Miami,  Mo.,  in  the  '80's. 

Walter  B.  Dance,  1866.  Ran  to  Fort  Benton, 
and  afterward  put  in  the  Miami  Packet  Com- 
pany, in  the  lower  river. 

Washington,  1871. 

Watson.  Sunk  in  Amazonia  bend,  above  St. 
Joseph. 

Waverly,  1866. 

Welcome.     Burned  at  St.  Louis  in  1863. 

Western,  1872-''78.     9. 

Western.  Sunk  at  Yankton,  Dak.,  March 
29,  1881. 

Wild  Duck. 

W.  J.  Behan. 

W.  W.  Walker.  Sunk  at  Plattsmouth,  Neb., 
in  1874. 

Wyoming.     7. 

Yellowstone  (  No.  2  ' .  A  small  stern-wheeler, 
on  the  upper  river  in  the  '60's.  Sunk  on  the 
Yellowstone  river  in  1867. 

Yellowstone  (  No.  3  ),  1872-'78. 

Yorktown,  1867. 

Zephyr.  A  small  stern-wheel  boat.  Sunk 
at  Sibley,  Mo.,  July  21,  1870. 


Note  4  —About  June  1,  1865,  the  Roanoke,  near  Fort  Benton,  on  the  upper  Missouri,  en- 
countered so  many  buffalo  crossing  the  water  that  its  passage  was  blockaded.  The  buffalo  were 
in  sight  for  700  miles,  and  thousands  perished  in  the  quicksands  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  When 
they  would  emerge  from  the  water  they  would  immediately  sink  into  the  quicksands  and  go  out 
of  sight,  others  coming  on  top  of  them.  The  officers  of  the  boat  say  that  a  mass  of  buffalo  five  or 
six  miles  square  could  be  seen,  and  that  millions  of  them  crossed  the  river  at  that  time. —  Buffalo 
clipping,  Kansas  City  Star.  October  31,  1904.     ( See  page  236.) 


The  Kansas  River— Its  Navigation.  317 


THE   KANSAS  RIVER-ITS  NAVIGATION. 

Written  by  Albert  R.  Greene,'  of  Portland,  Ore.,  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

rpHE  following  paper,  compiled  from  a  variety  of  sources  believed  to  be 
-*-  authentic,  being  largely  newspaper  clippings,  extracts  from  private 
letters  and  diaries  of  immigrants,  and  reminiscences  of  early  settlers,  is  con- 
tributed to  the  Historical  Society  in  the  interest  of  the  most  picturesque  and 
potential  epoch  ever  known  in  Kansas. 

Coincident  with  the  efforts  to  make  an  artery  of  trade  of  this  stream,  the 
Kansas  struggle  between  freedom  and  slavery  began  and  ended;  John 
Brown's  soul  marched  on  into  history;  gaunt  famine  stalked  through  every 
cabin  door  and  threatened  every  household;  the  lurid  fires  of  civil  war  were 
kindled  and  extinguished;  the  caravans  of  the  desert,  the  pony  express,  the 
overland  coach,  filled  the  public  eye  for  a  time  and  faded  away  forever.  All 
these  and  the  mighty  strife  for  the  commercial  domination  of  the  new  West, 
with  two  lines  of  railroad  racing  across  the  plains,  presented  a  spectacle  to 
be  seen  but  once  in  the  life  of  a  nation,  and,  once  seen,  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  navigation  of  the  Kansas  was  a  part  of  this  whole  period,  inter- 
woven with  its  events,  and  properly  accredited  with  a  share  of  their  impor- 
tance in  the  concrete  results  which  have  made  for  the  greatness  of  the 
state.  Of  the  importance  of  this  river  as  a  line  of  commerce,  it  need  only 
be  said  that  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  railroads  ( and  this  after  a  score  of 
steamboats  had  demonstrated  its  navigability)  was  to  debauch  a  legislature 
into  a  declaration  of  its  unnavigability,  in  order  that  it  might  be  lawfully 
obstructed  by  bridges  and  destroyed  as  a  competitor.-' 

Few  steamers  were  ever  built  expressly  for  the  Kansas  river  trade.  The 
opening  of  the  territory  to  settlement  by  an  act  of  Congress  which  con- 
veyed a  challenge  to  the  North  and  South  alike  to  assemble  on  her  prairies  for 
the  titanic  struggle  that  should  settle  there  and  forever  the  desultory  conflict 
had  which  raged  with  varying  fortunes  for  half  a  century  precipitated  a  rush 
that  left  no  time  for  preparation.  All  that  could  be  done  was  to  utilize  such 
facilities  for  transportation  as  were  at  hand.  Steamboats  flocked  to  the 
Missouri  from  all  the  rivers  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  like  white  winged-gulls 
to  their  banquet  on  the  generous  table  of  the  sea.  Many  of  the  smaller  ones 
and  not  a  few  of  the  intermediate  in  size  entered  the  Kansas  river,  and  it 
must  be  said  in  all  truthfulness  that  they  made  a  remarkably  good  showing 

Note  1.—  Biographical  sketch  in  vol.  8,  p.  1. 

Note  2. — "Let  me  say  one  word  of  Kansas  streams  and  rivers.  I  have  seen  more  than 
twenty  of  its  streams  and  its  solitary  river  —  the  Kaw,  or  Kansas,  at  a  dozen  different  points 
from  its  mouth  to  ten  miles  above  Topeka  —  and  can  speak,  therefore,  with  personal  knowledge 
concerning-  them.  For  all  purposes  of  navigation  they  are  utterly  useless.  No  boat  ever  sailed 
up  or  down  one  of  these  streams,  and  never  will  until  boats  can  sail  over  snags  and  bars,  dry 
places,  and  against  strong  and  rapid  currents.  No  one  —  even  shareholders  in  towns  on  their 
banks  —  ever  pretends  that  the  streams  can  be  made  navigable,  and  no  experienced  river  navigator 
will  say  that  the  Kansas  is  worth  anything  for  the  purpose  of  commerce.  The  bed  of  the  Kan- 
sas, like  that  of  the  Missouri,  is  quicksand,  ever  changing  and  ever  dangerous,  while  the  water 
will  not  average  over  two  feet  in  depth  at  any  place  for  a  distance  of  500  feet  along  its  banks.  If 
the  bottom  was  rock  and  the  banks  precipitous,  a  line  of  steamers  would  pay  well ;  but,  as  it  is, 
no  sensible  capitalist  will  invest  his  money  in  a  single  boat.  Kansas  is  destined  by  nature  to  be 
the  railroad  state.  The  Kansas  and  its  tributaries  are  only  useful  as  drains,  suppliers  of  pure 
water,  and  feeders  of  mills."—  Leavenworth  letter  to  St.  Louis  Democrat,  November  IS,  1855, 
signed  J.  R.     Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  7,  p.  8. 


318  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

towards  establishing  its  navigability  until  the  strong  hand  of  the  state  drove 
them  away. 

As  a  side  light  showing  something  of  the  volume  of  business  done  on  the 
Missouri  at  the  height  of  the  "flush  times, "  a  large  proportion  of  which  was 
the  immigration  to  Kansas,  I  quote  from  a  letter  of  a  passenger  on  the 
steamer  David  Tatum,  published  in  the  Chicago  Press,  under  date  of  April 
15,  1856: 

"  The  amount  of  business  done  on  the  Missouri  river  is  immense.  There 
are  upwards  of  sixty  boats  now  running  between  St.  Louis  and  the  different 
ports  on  the  river,  and  they  are  all  filled  with  passengers  and  freight.  They 
are  built  of  light  draught  from  necessity,  as  the  water  at  most  seasons  of 
the  year  will  not  admit  of  heavy  boats;  but  it  is  astonishing  what  a  load  they 
will  carry.  The  absence  of  the  heavy  engines  and  boilers  necessary  in  a  low- 
pressure  boat,  and  which  these  Missouri  river  steamers  do  not  need,  gives 
the  latter  class  a  great  advantage  over  the  former  in  their  capacity  for  carry- 
ing freight.  Most  of  these  steamers  run  as  high  as  St.  Joseph,  about  600 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  Some  of  them  proceed  as  far  as  Council 
Bluffs,  775  miles.  Emigrants  to  Nebraska  generally  stop  at  this  point  and 
proceed  up  the  valley  of  the  Platte  river  from  Omaha  City.  Above  this 
point  the  river  is  only  navigable  by  boats  of  still  lighter  draught.  But  there 
is  a  brisk  tide  of  emigration  far  beyond  this.  Steamers  of  light  burden,  but 
crowded  with  passengers  and  loaded  down  with  freight,  proceed  to  Fort 
Union,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  river,  which,  if  my  memory  is  not 
culpably  at  fault,  is  more  than  2200  milesabove  the  junction  of  the  Missouri. 
More  than  this,  our  captain  informed  me  that  when  the  water  of  the  upper 
Missouri  was  highest,  which  frequently  embraces  a  period  of  some  two  or 
three  months,  boats  run  up  3000  miles.  Let  our  English  brethren  put  this 
fact  in  their  pipes  and  smoke  it,  that  one  of  the  tributaries  of  a  river  in 
America  is  navigable  with  steamers  of  light  draught  for  3000  miles. ' ' 

The  following  is  believed  to  be  a  correct  list  of  the  boats  which  first  and 
last,  in  greater  or  less  degree,  participated  in  the  era  of  Kansas  river  navi- 
gation: 

Pirogues  and  keel-boats  of  trappers  and  traders 1804-1854 

Steamer  Excel,  Capt.  Charles  K,  Baker,  sr 1854 

Steamer  Bee 1855 

Steamer  New  Lucy 1855 

Steamer  Hartford,  Captain  Millard 1855 

Steamer  Lizzie 1855-1864 

Steamer  Emma  Harmon,  Capt.  J.  M.  Wing 1855 

Steamer  Financier  No.  2,  Capt.  Matt  Morrison 1855 

Steamer  Saranak,  Captain  Swift 1855 

Steamer  Perry,  Captain  Perry'' 1855,  1856 

Steamer  Lewis  Burns 1856 

Note  3.  — John  Deleney,  of  Atchison,  writes  the  Historical  Society  as  follows:  "As  I  recol- 
lect, in  1855  and  1856,  the  Perry  made  three  trips  to  Fort  Riley,  loaded  with  commissary  and 
quartermaster  supplies.  She  was  commanded  by  a  man  from  Weston.  Mo.  Mr.  Perry  was  a 
merchant  in  Weston,  and  was  owner  of  a  pork-house  there.  I  forget  Mr.  Perry's  first  name.  In 
addition  to  his  pork-house,  he  and  Lawrence  Cody  purchased  hemp  and  shipped  it  to  St.  Louis 
and  other  parts.  Mr.  Cody  was  Buffalo  Bill's  uncle.  Two  other  boats  went  up  the  Kansas  river 
in  1856,  namely,  the  Lewis  Burns  and  a  stern-wheeler  named  Far  West.  All  these  were  tied 
up  at  Silver  Lake,  in  the  Kaw  river.  At  that  time  the  cholera  was  raging  at  Fort  Riley,  and  it 
was  claimed  that  the  Perry  was  infected  with  the  disease.  The  boat  took  fire,  or  was  set  on  fire. 
She  was  burned  to  the  water's  line.  The  other  two  boats  were  badly  damaged  in  the  fire.  The 
Lewis  Burns  did  service  afterwards  as  a  ferry-boat  on  the  Missouri  river.  The  stern-wheeler 
got  down  as  far  as  Lawrence  and  went  out  of  service.  The  captain  of  the  Perry,  in  conversation 
with  his  friends  in  Weston,  said  the  rocky  ford  at  Lawrence  was  the  worst  part  of  the  Kaw  to 
navigate,  and  thii  ks  the  fire  was  caused  by  some  of  the  roving  bands  that  then  infested  the  ter- 
ritory. The  Far  West  and  Burns,  on  a  number  of  trips  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  unloaded  a  lot  of 
small  houses  at  Leavenworth  City.  They  were  framed  on  the  Ohio  river,  and  were  very  cheap 
and  easy  to  rebuild.     Some  of  them  are  still  standing  in  west  Leavenworth  City." 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  319 

Steamer  Far  West 1856 

Steamer  Brazil,  Captain  Reed 1856 

Flat-boat  Pioneer 1856 

Steamer  Lightfoot,  Capts.  W.  F.  M.  Amy  and  Matt  Morrison 1857 

Steamer  Violet 1857 

Steamer  Lacon,  Captain  Marshall 1857 

Steamer  Otis  Webb,  Captain  Church 1857,  1858 

Steamer  Minnie  Belle,  Capt.  Frank  Hunt 1858 

Steamer  Kate  Swinney,  Capt.  A.  C.  Goddin 1858 

Steamer  Silver  Lake,  Captain  Willoughby 1859 

Steamer  Morning  Star,  Capt.  Thomas  F.  Brierly 1859 

Steamer  Gus  Linn,  Capt.  B.  F.  Beasley 1859 

Steamer  Adelia 1859 

Steamer  Colona,  Captain  Hendershott 1859 

Steamer  Star  of  the  West,  Capt.  G.  P.  Nelson 1859 

Steamer  Kansas  Valley,  Capt.  G.  P.  Nelson 1859,  1860 

Steamer  Eureka 1860 

Steamer  Izetta 1860 

Steamer  Mansfield 1860 

Steamer  Tom  Morgan,  Capt.  Tom  Morgan 1864 

Steamer  Emma 1864 

Steamer  Hiram  Wood 1865 

Steamer  Jacob  Sass 1865 

Steamer  E.  Hensley,  Captain  Burke 1865 

Steamer  Alexander  Majors 1866 

From  the  time  of  the  successful  application  of  steam  power  to  machinery 
until  railroads  superseded  them  as  a  means  of  interior  communication,  a 
period  of  more  than  half  a  century,  the  river  steamboat  afforded  an  ideal 
mode  of  travel;  a  well-merited  distinction,  which  was  only  surrendered  upon 
the  demand  for  more  rapid  transit,  in  the  evolution  of  business  methods. 

The  advance  from  the  keel-boat  or  the  scow,  propelled  by  sails,  or  from 
the  canal-boat  drawn  by  horses,  to  the  river  steamer,  was  as  great  an  inno- 
vation as  the  change  from  the  stage-coach  of  100  years  ago  to  the  palace- 
car  of  to-day.  Furthermore,  during  the  supremacy  of  the  steamboat,  the 
traveling  public  witnessed  as  great  an  improvement  in  the  appointments, 
comfort  and  speed  of  the  vessels,  proportionately,  as  has  been  seen  in  the 
transition  from  the  lumbering  local  trains  of  the  earlier  attempts  at  rail- 
roading to  the  magnificently  equipped  limited  flyer  of  the  present  time. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  primitive  means  of  communication  of  but  little 
more  than  100  years  ago,  which  were,  nevertheless,  regarded  as  an  achieve- 
ment in  luxurious  traveling,  I  quote  from  a  newspaper  called  the  Sentinel 
of  the  Northwest  Territory,  published  in  Cincinnati,  under  date  of  January 
11,  1794,  as  follows: 

"Ohio  River  Boats.— Two  boats,  for  the  present,  will  start  from  Cin- 
cinnati for  Pittsburg,  and  return  to  Cincinnati  in  the  following  manner,  viz. : 

"First  boat  will  leave  Cincinnati  this  morning  at  eight  o'clock,  and  re- 
turn to  Cincinnati  so  as  to  be  ready  to  sail  again  in  four  weeks  from  this 
date. 

"Second  boat  will  leave  Cincinnati  on  Saturday,  th6  30th  instant,  and  re- 
turn to  Cincinnati  as  above. 

'  'And  so  on  regularly,  each  boat  performing  the  voyage  to  and  from  Cin- 
cinnati and  Pittsburg  once  in  every  four  weeks. 


320  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

' '  The  proprietors  of  these  boats,  having  maturely  considered  the  many 
inconveniences  and  dangers  incident  to  the  common  method  hitherto  adopted 
of  navigating  the  Ohio,  and  being  influenced  by  a  love  of  philanthropy  and 
a  desire  of  being  serviceable  to  the  public,  have  taken  great  pains  to  render 
the  accommodations  on  board  the  boats  as  agreeable  and  convenient  as  they 
could  possibly  be  made. 

' '  No  danger  need  be  apprehended  from  the  enemy,  as  every  person  on 
board  will  be  under  cover,  made  proof  to  rifle-  or  musket-balls,  and  conven- 
ient port-holes  for  firing  out.  Each  of  the  boats  is  armed  with  six  pieces, 
carrying  a  pound  ball,  also  a  good  number  of  muskets,  and  amply  supplied 
with  ammunition,  strongly  manned  with  choice  hands,  and  the  master  of  ap- 
proved knowledge. 

"A  separate  cabin  from  that  designed  for  the  men  is  partitioned  off  in 
each  boat  for  the  accommodation  of  ladies  on  their  passage.  Conveniences 
are  constructed  on  each  boat  so  as  to  render  landing  unnecessary,  as  it  might 
at  times  be  attended  with  danger. 

"Passengers  will  be  suppHed  with  provisions  and  liquors  of  all  kinds,  of 
the  first  quality,  at  the  most  reasonable  rates  possible.  Persons  desirous  of 
working  their  passage  will  be  admitted  on  finding  themselves,  subject,  how- 
ever, to  the  same  order  and  direction  from  the  master  of  the  boat  as  the 
rest  of  the  working  hands  of  the  boat's  crew. 

"An  office  of  insurance  will  be  kept  at  Cincinnati,  Limestone,  and  Pitts- 
burg, where  persons  desirous  of  having  their  property  insured  may  apply. 
The  rates  of  insurance  will  be  moderate." 

In  the  journal  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  the  following  mention  is  made  of 
meeting  French  trappers  returning  from  a  trip  up  the  Kansas  river: 

" .  .  .  At  eleven  o'clock  brought  too  a  small  caisee  [raft  made  of  two 
canoes  tied  together]  in  which  was  two  Frenchmen,  from  eighty  leagues  up 
the  Kansias  [Kanzas]  R.,  where  they  wintered,  and  caught  a  great  quan- 
tity of  beaver,  the  greater  part  of  which  they  lost  by  fire  from  the  prairies. 
Those  men  inform  [us]  that  the  Kansas  nation  are  now  out  in  the  plains 
hunting  buff  alow.     They  hunted  last  winter  on  this  river. ' '  * 

As  the  distance  of  the  river  from  the  mouth  to  the  junction  of  the  Re- 
publican and  Smoky  Hill  forks  was  estimated  to  be  243  miles,  80  leagues,  or 
240  miles,  would  locate  the  camp  of  these  trappers  not  far  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Republican. 

In  "Peck's  Guide  to  Emigrants,"  a  book  bearing  date  of  1831,  the  Kan- 
sas is  characterized  as  "A  large,  bold,  navigable  river,  although  its  fickle 
channel  and  numerous  snags  must  forever  endanger  commerce. ' ' 

Hon.  Golden  Silvers,  who  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  having  been  one  of 
the  earliest  white  settlers  of  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  once  stated  to  the 
writer  that  in  early  times  it  was  no  unusual  sight  to  see  flotillas  of  keel- 
boats  ascending  the  Missouri  river  with  stocks  of  goods  to  exchange  with 
the  Indians  for  furs  and  peltries.  He  said  some  of  these  expeditions  were 
absent  from  civilization  for  two  years  or  more  before  they  disposed  of  their 
wares  and  reloaded  their  boats  for  the  return  trip.  One  of  the  headquarters 
for  these  traders  was  Chouteau's  trading-post,  on  the  Kansas  river,  ten 
miles  above  its  mouth.  During  the  spring  floods,  when  the  principal  freight- 
ing was  done,  the  Missouri  river  boats  brought  cargoes  direct  from  St.  Louis 
to  Chouteau's,  which  was  a  formidable  rival,  as  a  depot  of  supplies,  of  West- 
port  Landing,  now  Kansas  City.  These  annual  trips,  a  few  miles  above  its 
mouth,  were  undoubtedly  the  first  attempts  to  navigate  the  Kansas  with 
steamboats,  but  it  must  be  left  for  some  chronicler  of  the  Missouri's  boat- 
ing days  to  give  us  the  names  of  the  boats  and  their  history. 

Note  4.—  Original  Journals  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition,  Thwaites.  1904,  vol.  1,  p.  40. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  321 

One  of  the  Boones,  Daniel  Morgan,  I  believe,  was  farmer  for  the  Kan- 
sas Indians,  and  established  a  base  of  operations  at  the  mouth  of  Stone- 
house  creek, 5  on  the  Kansas  river,  in  1827.  This  point  is  about  ten  miles 
above  Lawrence  and  a  few  miles  below  Lecompton,  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river.  The  remains  of  this  settlement  were  plainly  visible  a  few  years 
ago  when  Prof.  Henry  Worrall  and  I  visited  the  site  and  sketched  it  for 
the  Historical  Society.  The  supplies  for  the  Boone  colony  were  brought 
up  the  Kansas  in  keel-boats,  mention  of  which  is  made  in  the  reports  of 
Boone  to  the  government. 

Another  trading-post  on  the  Kansas  river  was  located  at  the  mouth  of 
Mission  creek,"  not  far  from  the  present  town  of  Valencia,  in  Shawnee 
county,  and  was  owned  by  Fred.  Chouteau,  a  brother  of  the  one  operating 
nearer  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  supplies  for  this  post  also  were  brought 
up  by  keel-boats.''  So  that,  considering  the  activity  in  trafficking  with  the 
Indians  for  their  robes  and  peltries  which  characterized  the  first  half  of 
the  last  century,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  Kansas  was  recognized 
as  an  important  artery  of  commerce  in  those  days  of  the  keel-boats,  with 
their  square  sails  spread  to  the  breeze  and  the  shores  resounding  with  the 
boatman's  song. 

The  keel-boat  of  that  time  was  built,  as  the  name  indicates,  on  a  keel, 
with  ribs  and  cross-beams,  and  was  decked  over  fore  and  aft.  It  was  cigar- 
shaped,  after  the  manner  of  the  pirogue  of  the  French  and  Canadian  voy- 
aguer,  pointed  at  either  end,  and  was  propelled  by  a  square  sail  and  oars, 
and,  in  cases  of  necessity,  by  setting  poles  and  a  tow-line.  The  length 
varied  from  forty  to  seventy-five  feet;  the  width,  eight  to  eighteen  feet; 
and  the  depth  of  hold,  three  to  six  feet.  The  capacity,  of  course,  was  gov- 
erned by  the  stage  of  the  water,  some  of  the  largest  boats  being  from  forty 
to  fifty  tons  burden.  8 

I  am  loath  to  leave  this  picturesque  period  of  the  dawn  of  civilization 
along  the  banks  of  the  Kansas.  The  stateliness  of  the  majestic  forests,  un- 
touched by  the  vandal  hand  of  man;  the  glimpses  of  green  prairies  and  the 
bending  hills  beyond,  the  home  of  the  buffalo  and  the  timid  antelope,  as  the 
woods  were  the  habitat  of  the  deer,  the  bear,  and  the  beaver;  at  wide  in- 
tervals small  groups  of  cabins  intermingled  with  the  teepees  of  the  Indians; 
a  store,  an  elementary  schoolhouse,  and  a  rude  cross  surmounting  a  chapel 
of  logs.  Over  all  a  Kansas  sky,  bright,  restful,  beautiful.  The  early  trap- 
pers were  fascinated  by  it,  and  the  immigrants  passing  through  the  country 
spoke  of  its  beauty,  and  if  surviving,  wherever  they  may  be,  treasure  the 
scene  as  a  joy  forever.  In  the  superlative  language  of  an  early  settler, 
"Doubtless  God  might  have  made  a  prettier  country,  but  doubtless  He  never 
did." 

The  first  steamer  to  ascend  the  Kansas  river  any  distance  was  the  Excel," 

Note  5. — A  newspaper  account  of  this  agency  was  published  in  the  Kansas  City  Journal 
at  the  time  of  the  quarter-centennial  at  Bismarck  grove,  Lawrence,  in  September,  1879. 

Note  6.  — The  Chouteaus  did  use  pirogues  on  both  the  Missouri  and  Kansas  rivers.  In  1838 
I  was  visiting  my  sister,  Mrs.  Wm.  Johnson,  a  missionary  among  the  Kaw  Indians,  when  the 
Chouteaus  brought  a  pirogue  to  the  mouth  of  Mission  creek.  Everybody  living  near  there, 
whites  and  Indians,  went  to  see  it.— Joseph  S.  Chick,  in  May,  1906. 

Note  7.— Reminiscences  of  Frederick  Chouteau,  in  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.8, 
p.  428. 

Note  8. —  Reminiscences  of  Frederick  Chouteau,  in  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  p, 
423;  also,  Chittenden's  American  Fur  Trade,  vol.  1,  p.  32. 

Note  9.—  The  E.\cel  was  built  at  McKeesport.  in  1851,  and  was  rated  at  seventy-nine  tons. 

-21 


322  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

in  the  spring  of  1854.  In  the  Worcester  (Mass.)  Spy  of  March  of  that  year 
is  an  article  setting  forth  the  inducements  to  immigrants  in  the  following 
language: 

"The  steamer  Excel  has  been  bought  for  a  packet  in  the  Kansas  river 
trade,  which  will  be  the  pioneer  steamer  of  the  territory,  to  ply  between 
Kansas  City  at  the  mouth  and  '  as  high  as  she  can  get.' "  i" 

This  was  while  the  bill  for  the  creation  of  the  territory  was  pending  in 
Congress  and  more  than  two  months  before  it  became  a  law. 

Maj.  E.  A.  Ogden,  U.  S.  A.,  had,  by  authority  of  the  Congress  and  sec- 
retary of  war,  selected  a  point  at  the  confluence  of  the  Republican  and 
Smoky  Hill  rivers  for  a  military  post.  Contracts  for  its  construction  were 
let,  based  upon  wagon  transportation  for  the  foreign  materials,  and  it  was 
not  until  later  that  water  transportation  was  found  to  be  practicable.  The 
first  trip  of  the  Excel  was  in  April,  and  she  carried  1100  barrels  of  flour, 
belonging  to  Perry  &  Young,  of  Weston,  Mo.,  government  contractors, 
from  Weston  to  the  site  of  Fort  Riley.  H.  D.  McM-eekin,  a  member  of  the 
Pawnee  legislature  of  1855,  and  later  noted  as  the  prince  of  Kansas  landlords, 
was  a  passenger,  and  thus  describes  the  trip: 

"The  Excel  was  a  stanch  little  stern- wheeler,  drawing  about  two  feet 
of  water,  with  a  cargo  of  100  tons,  and  had  remarkably  strong  engines.  We 
were  two  days  on  the  trip  from  Weston  to  Fort  Riley,  and  found  no  more 
difficulty  in  navigating  the  Kansas  than  we  did  the  Missouri.  Our  pilot  ran 
by  surface  indications  altogether,  and  never  ran  the  boat  on  a  snag  or  a 
sand-bar.  We  were  obliged  to  land  several  times  a  day  to  get  wood,  and,  as 
we  had  to  fell  trees  and  chop  them  up,  we  were  considerably  delayed.  We 
occasionally  appropriated  rails  from  the  Indians'  truck-patches,  but  most 
always  cut  down  trees  for  our  fuel.  At  St.  Mary's  Mission,  Father  Duerinck  ^i 
heard  that  we  were  coming,  and  hauled  up  two  loads  of  rails  and  had  them 
chopped  up,  ready  for  our  use  on  our  arrival. 

"There  was  simply  a  large  camp  at  Fort  Riley,  but  times  were  lively, 
and  preparations  for  building  the  fort  were  organized  on  a  grand  scale. 

"We  discharged  our  cargo,  and  the  boat  got  back  to  Weston  as  easily  as 
it  had  come  up,  and  subsequently  made  two  more  trips  with  lumber,  glass, 
nails,  etc.,  for  the  fort.  It  made  a  trip  in  June  as  far  as  Fort  Riley,  and 
then  abandoned  the  river  and  went  South. ' ' 

Trip  up  the  Kansas  River.— Extract  from  correspondence  of  Geo.  S. 
Park,  in  the  Herald  of  Freedom,  October  21,  1854: 

' '  In  compliance  with  an  invitation  from  Captain  Baker  and  C.  A.  Perry, 
Esq.,  the  enterprising  owners  of  the  fine  little  steamer  Excel,  we  stepped 
on  board  at  Parkville  on  the  16th  of  June  as  one  of  the  party  up  the  Kan- 
sas river.  And  here  let  us  say  that  too  much  praise  cannot  be  awarded 
to  these  gentlemen  for  the  successful  efforts  they  have  made,  and  are  still 
making,  to  find  the  channel  and  establish  the  navigation  of  the  Kansas 
river.  They  have  already  accomplished  some  half  a  dozen  trips  to  Fort 
Riley,  have  delivered  there  all  necessary  government  freight  with  a  speed, 
care  and  saving  of  expense  hitherto  unknown;  and  they  have  further  con- 
cluded to  keep  their  fleet  little  craft  on  that  river  for  the  purpose  of  aiding 
settlers  to  reach,  with  comfort  and  convenience,  the  places  of  their  des- 
tination in  the  beautiful  Kansas  country,  so  long  as  the  stage  of  water  will 
admit.  Our  party  was  a  most  agreeable  one,  consisting  of  Doctor  Ham- 
mond, U.  S.  A.,  and  lady;  Miss  Nisbet,  of  Philadelphia,  sister  of  Mrs. 
Hammond;  Mr.  Perry  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker,  with  their  families;  Mr. 
Mills,  paymaster's  clerk;    Mr.  Castelman,  of  Delaware;   Mr.  Murdock,  of 

Note  10.—  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  1,  p.  2. 

Note  11. —  Father  John  Baptist  Duerinck,  the'second  superior  at  St.  Mary's  Mission.—  The 
Dial.  April,  1891.  p.  121. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  323 

New  York;  Mr.  McCann,  of  Virginia,  and  our  gentlemanly  officers,  Messrs. 
Baker,  Dixon,  and  Perry. 

"The  Excel  made  a  shoi't  trip  up  the  Smoky  Hill.  Lieutenant  Sargent, 
from  the  fort,  accompanied  us.  We  had  an  exciting  time.  The  constant 
announcement  from  the  man  who  heaved  the  lead  was,  '  no  bottom. '  The 
river  was  full,  and  the  current  strong,  but  we  had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
around  the  short  bends.  It  keeps  up  the  course  of  the  main  Kansas,  coming 
a  little  more  from  the  southwest.  A  little  way  up  we  saw  a  band  of  Fox 
Indians  crossing  over,  going  north  on  a  buffalo  hunt;  and  their  motley  pro- 
cession stretched  over  the  prairies  for  miles.  Here  and  there  in  the  party 
was  carried  a  pole  with  a  swan's  neck  and  eagle's  head  and  tail  stuck  upon 
it  for  a  flag.  They  had  with  them  about  500  horses,  all  of  which  looked 
well.  Great  was  the  surprise  at  seeing  the  Excel  in  these  waters;  but, 
poor  fellows,  the  startling  scream  of  the  shrill  steam-whistle  and  the  im- 
petuous snorting  of  the  iron  horse  will  soon  scare  away  t  he  buff  alo  and  other 
game  from  your  hunting-grounds,  to  return  no  more.  You,  too,  must  follow 
in  the  trail,  or  succumb  to  the  irresistible  influence  of  civilization. 

"The  difficulty  of  navigating  the  Smoky  Hill  with  a  stern-wheeler 
steamer  of  such  length  as  the  Excel  prevented  Captain  Baker  from  ventur- 
ing up  so  far  as  he  otherwise  would.  A  shorter  side- wheel  steamer,  of  very 
light  draught,  adapted  to  the  navigation  of  these  interior  rivers,  will  soon 
be  put  on  the  trade.  We  left  Fort  Riley  on  our  return  trip  on  Wednesday 
morning,  and  came  down  'kiting';  passing  rapidly  in  view  the  splendid 
scenery  of  which  we  have  attempted  to  make  hasty  memoranda,  we  entered 
the  Missouri  river  about  daylight  the  next  morning." 

On  another  of  her  trips,  the  Excel  ran  from  Fort  Riley  to  Kansas  City, 
a  distance  estimated  at  the  time  to  be  243  miles,  in  twenty-four  hours,  and 
made  thirty  landings. 

Among  the  passengers  on  her  last  trip  was  James  Graham,  who  left  the 
boat  at  St.  Mary's  Mission.  He  landed  there  on  June  17,  1854,  and  has  re- 
mained in  the  vicinity  ever  since.  When  the  civil  war  broke  out  he  enlisted 
in  the  Sixth  Kansas  cavalry  and  became  a  first  sergeant,  and  later  a  lieuten- 
ant of  company  L  of  that  regiment.  Afterward  he  became  lieutenant  of 
company  M,  Nineteenth  cavalry,  and  finished  out  his  military  career  as  lieu- 
tenant-colonel of  the  Twenty-second  Kansas  infantry  in  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can war. 

In  the  Independence  (Mo.)  Messenger  of  June  24,  1854,  is  the  following 
editorial : 

"The  great  problem  is  now  solved;  the  Kansas  river  can  now  be  navi- 
gated, if  the  right  sort  of  steamboats  are  used,  for  at  least  three- fourths  of 
the  year.  Through  the  agency  of  Maj.  E.  A.  Ogden,  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 
this  has  been  mainly  brought  about,  and  we  are  glad  to  see  that  his  efforts 
have  not  been  unavailing.  The  Kansas  is  a  stream  of  more  importance  than 
many  are  aware  of,  and  although  it  partakes  much  of  the  character  of  the 
Missouri,  in  the  changes  of  current  and  flowing  through  a  similar  soil,  yet 
it  only  requires  an  acquaintance  with  its  channel  to  render  it  as  good,  as  far 
as  it  goes,  as  the  Osage,  and  much  better  than  the  Platte,  whose  sources 
are  at  the  base  of  the  mountains  to  the  west  of  us.  The  experiment,  which 
is  now  no  longer  an  experiment,  of  navigating  the  river  by  steam,  just  at 
this  crisis  will  tell  wonderfully  upon  the  tide  of  immigration  now  pouring  in 
upon  us  and  will  be  the  means  of  determining  many  to  settle  down  in  the 
fertile  valleys  of  the  Kansas  and  its  tributaries,  who  would  otherwise  never 
have  thought  of  it.  Those  of  us  interested  here  are  now  no  longer  in  the 
extreme  West.  In  imagination,  if  not  in  reality,  we  see  towns  and  cities 
springing  up  nearer  the  setting  sun  than  we  are,  and  a  great  people  will  in- 
habit regions  now  uncultivated  and  unexplored.  Fifty  years  hence  we  will 
hardly  know  ourselves;  for  as  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Ohio  are  to  us,  so  will 
we  be  then  to  Kansas,  Utah,  and  New  Mexico  We  understand  it  is  the  in- 
tention of  some  of  the  New  Mexican  traders,  another  year,  to  convey  their 


324  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

freight  up  the  Kansas  river,  thereby  saving  land  carriage  and  shortening 
the  distance  to  Santa  Fe  200  or  250  miles. ' ' 

When  the  Excel  made  its  last  trip  immigration  to  the  territory  was  just 
commencing,  and  as  there  were  no  railroads  west  of  the  Mississippi,  it  was 
of  the  first  importance  to  utilize  all  navigable  rivers.  Steamboats  swarmed 
from  all  western  rivers  to  the  Missouri,  and  many  of  the  smaller  ones,  being 
encouraged  by  the  experience  of  the  Excel,  decided  to  run  on  the  Kansas, 
advertising  for  freight  and  passengers  for  all  points  on  the  river  as  far  up 
as  Pawnee,  the  site  of  the  prospective  capital,  and  just  inside  the  present 
limits  of  the  military  reservation  of  Fort  Riley.  This  meant  that  the  new 
land  to  which  thousands  were  rushing  could  be  penetrated  for  150  miles,  as 
the  crow  flies,  and  nearly  200  by  river,  by  steamers,  carrying  the  immigrant 
with  his  effects  into  the  heart  of  the  ' '  sun-bright  wilderness ' '  that  was  to 
be  his  home. 

The  Excel,  upon  leaving  the  Kansas,  went  into  the  Missouri  river  trade, 
and  finally  sank,  March  23, 1856,  near  the  head  of  Howard  chute,  a  few  miles 
below  Jefferson  City. 

Capt.  Chas.  K.  Baker  died  a  few  years  ago  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Chas. 
K.  Baker,  jr.,  near  Rosedale,  Kan.,  and  his  remains  were  taken  to  Bellfon- 
taine  cemetery,  St.  Louis,  for  interment.  He  was  said  to  be  one  of  the 
most  skilful  pilots  that  ever  turned  a  wheel,  and  used  to  make  ten  miles  an 
hour  in  the  night  on  the  Kansas  river. 

Herald  of  Freedom,  January  27,  1855:  "We  are  informed  by  General 
Pomeroy  that  the  steamer  Bee  is  advertised  to  leave  St.  Louis  early  next 
March  with  the  first  party  from  the  East,  to  bring  them  up  the  river  to  this 
city  [Lawrence].  The  Bee  will  be  on  the  river  as  long  as  it  can  be  navi- 
gated, plying  between  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Fort  Riley,  which  is  120  miles 
above  this  point.  He  also  informs  us  that  two  other  small  steamers  will  be 
put  upon  the  Kansas  river  next  spring." 

Parkville  (Mo.)  Luminary:  "Navigation  on  the  Missouri  river  will  open 
soon  this  year;  at  the  moment  of  writing  this  it  looks  as  if  the  river  would 
not  freeze  up  at  all.  Already  are  preparations  making  for  the  early  spring 
business,  and  there  are  two  steamers  at  St.  Louis  up  for  the  Kansas  river 
on  the  first  chance  to  navigate.  They  are  the  Bee  No.  2  and  Emma  Her- 
mann [Harmon]." 

Herald  of  Freedom,  March  10,  1855:  "The  Emma  Harmon,  a  beautiful 
steamer  of  light  draft  for  the  Kansas  trade,  is  now  ready  for  passage, 
and  only  waits  a  telegraphic  dispatch  that  the  Kansas  is  navigable.  We 
think  she  would  be  safe  in  leaving  port  immediately,  as  the  river  has  at 
least  two  feet  and  a  half  of  water  in  the  channel  on  the  ripples  opposite  this 
place." 

The  New  York  Tribune  published  a  letter  from  its  special  correspondent 
in  Kansas,  presumably  Colonel  Phillips,  in  which  occurs  the  following  lan- 
guage: 

"  Steamer  New  Lucy,'-  Kansas  river,  April  1,  1855.  On  this  boat  are  a 
hundred  men  from  the  interior  of  Missouri,  who  are  returning  from  the 
election,  many  of  them  seriously  ill  from  the  effects  of  whisky  and  exposure. " 

It  is  possible  this  steamer  had  made  a  trip  up  the  Kansas  river  to  carry 
-the  ballot-box  stuff ers  of  that  year,  but  if  so  I  do  not  recall  that  I  ever  heard 
of  it  from  any  other  source  than  might  be  inferred  from  this  letter,  which, 
I  confess,  reads  like  an  April-fool  joke.     I  think  it  is  more  likely  that  the 

Note  12.—  The  New  Lucy  was  built  at  St.  Louis,  in  1852.  and  was  rated  at  417  tons. 


The  Kansas  River— Its  Navigation.  325 

boat  had  taken  these  men  aboard  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  preparatory 
to  carrying  them  down  the  Missouri  to  their  homes,  than  that  she  made  a 
trip  up  the  Kansas  river,  but  there  is  the  statement  from  this  correspondent 
that  the  New  Lucy  was  on  the  Kansas  river.  This  was  one  of  the  favorite 
boats  of  the  Missouri,  among  which  were  the  Tropic,  James  H.  Lucas,  Polar 
Star,  and  Silver  Heels,  noted  racers.  She  was  a  large,  elegant  side- wheeler 
of  model  hull,  and  drew  five  or  six  feet  of  water.  Even  if  there  had  been  a 
depth  of  channel  in  the  Kansas  sufficient  for  her  safe  passage,  there  could 
have  been  no  inducement  for  her  to  give  up  a  lucrative  trade  on  the  Missouri 
for  an  experiment  on  the  smaller  stream,  with  the  probability  of  failure. 
The  New  Lucy  was  burned  opposite  the  town  of  De  Witt,  Mo.,  on  November 
25,  1857.  She  was  caught  in  a  sudden  freeze  up  of  the  river  and  left  in  charge 
of  a  watchman,  who,  through  carelessness,  allowed  the  boat  to  catch  fire  and 
be  destroyed. 

The  first  glimpse  of  the  territory,  obtained  from  the  deck  of  a  steamer 
ascending  the  Missouri,  was  at  Wyandotte,  where  the  Kansas  river  emerges 
from  the  bluffs  and  mingles  its  clear  waters  with  the  turbid  and  tawny 
flood  of  the  greater  stream.  That  was  Kansas,  the  New  England  of  the 
West,  and  the  immigrant  in  his  enthusiasm  as  gladly  gave  up  the  Missouri 
for  the  Kansas  as  he  exchanged  the  land  of  sloth,  superstition  and  slavery 
for  the  heritage  of  freedom  and  honest  labor  The  writer  speaks  from  ex- 
perience. My  father's  family  had  been  nearly  ten  days  in  coming  from 
Peoria,  111,  the  most  of  the  time  on  an  overcrowded  boat  on  the  Missouri 
river,  and  when  the  clerk  of  the  boat,  the  A.  B.  Chambers,  Mr.  J.  S.  Chick, 
since  prominent  in  the  history  of  Kansas  City,  pointed  out  a  yellow  hillside 
with  a  few  unpainted  shanties  scattered  along  a  winding  road  that  led  from 
the  river  to  the  dense  oak  woods  at  the  top,  and  said,  "That 's  Kansas,"  it 
seemed  good  to  us.  We  were  dumped  out  on  the  sandy  shore  of  the  river 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  and  pitched  our  tent  among  a  community  of 
immigrants  similarly  situated,  and  waited  for  the  promised  boat  to  carry  us 
and  our  effects  up  the  river.  A  number  of  boats  came  down  the  river  dur- 
ing the  two  weeks  that  we  waited,  but  none  ascended  the  river  while  we 
stayed  there.  Our  experiences  in  this  camp  dispelled  in  a  large  measure  the 
romantic  illusions  received  through  the  magnifying  lenses  of  immigration 
literature.  The  gales,  which  kept  the  sand  in  constant  motion  and  de- 
posited a  portion  of  it  regularly  in  the  cooking  utensils  around  the  camp- 
fire  ;  the  numerous  muscular  mosquitos  that  paid  us  nightly  visits ;  the 
carousals  of  grog-soaked  Indians,  who  made  informal  calls  on  us  daily ;  the 
betrayal  of  confidence  in  a  fellow  immigrant,  by  which  we  suffered  the 
loss  of  the  family  pictures,  a  wooden-wheel  clock,  a  grindstone,  and  Butter- 
worth's  Concordance  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  etc.,  all  tended  to  the  conclusion, 
that  life  in  Kansas  was  not  all  an  elysian  dream.  My  pleasantest  recol- 
lection of  that  camp  is  a  wonderful  spring  that  issued  from  the  base  of 
the  cliff  and  poured  its  clear,  cold  waters  into  a  basin  in  the  yellow  clay,  and 
brimming  over  which  it  trickled  down  the  bank  into  the  Kansas  river.  Many 
a  time  I  went  there,  a  disappointed,  half  sick,  lonesome  boy,  and  played  that 
this  was  the  same  old  spring  that  had  bathed  the  butter  crocks  in  the  milk- 
house  at  our  Illinois  home,  and  the  fancy  brought  a  pleasure  that  warms 
my  heart  to-day. 

The  A.  B.  Chambers  was  one  of  the  best  boats  on  the  Missouri  river,  and 
coined  money  in  the  Kansas  rush.     Her  owner  and  commander  was  Capt. 


326 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  327 

Alexander  Gilham,  of  Kansas  City,  and  when  he  died  his  remains  were 
buried  in  the  front  yard  of  his  old  home  on  McGee  street,  between  Four- 
teenth and  Fifteenth,  but  were  subsequently  removed.  The  old  manse  is 
now  a  Christian  Science  headquarters,  but  looks  just  as  it  did  when  the 
captain  occupied  it.  His  magnificent  steamer  once  sank  at  Rushville,  below 
St.  Joseph,  but  was  raised,  and  reentered  the  trade.  She  found  her  grave 
at  last  in  Cora  chute,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  where,  at  seasons  of 
very  low  water,  her  remains  may  still  be  seen.  Cora  chute  was  so  named 
after  the  boat  Cora,  which  sank  there.  This  was  one  of  Capt.  Joseph  Kin- 
ney's favorite  boats,  and  was  named  for  his  daughter  Cora,  now  Mrs.  Doctor 
Hurt,  of  Boonville,  Mo. 

The  river  continued  to  fall  and  the  skies  gave  no  token  of  rain,  and  the 
returning  boats  reported  that  no  more  boats  would  go  up  during  the  season, 
and  so  my  father  concluded  to  try  land  transportation.  He  bought  an  ox 
team  and  a  wagon  and,  loading  the  family  and  the  more  necessary  of  the 
goods,  struck  out  for  the  interior.  We  crossed  the  Kansas  at  the  "free 
ferry,"  six  miles  above  the  mouth,  one  of  the  earliest  devices  of  Leaven- 
worth to  circumvent  Kansas  City,  by  opening  a  direct  route  to  the  interior 
without  passing  through  the  Missouri  town.  A  short  distance  from  this 
ferry  a  steamboat  was  stuck  on  a  sand-bar  and  the  crew  were  wading  around 
it,  with  fence-rails  in  their  hands,  trying  to  pry  the  craft  into  the  channel 
I  think  this  boat  was  the  Lightf oot.     ( See  p.  326. ) 

The  transient  boats  were  found  to  be  too  large  for  a  crooked,  shallow 
stream  like  the  Kansas,  and  schemes  were  set  on  foot  to  build  special  lines 
of  boats  adapted  to  the  new  highway.  The  "Cincinnati  &  Kansas  Land 
Company"  was  the  first  undertaking  with  this  for  its  object,  and  organized 
at  Cincinnati  in  the  fall  of  1854,  with  the  following  members:  Col.  J.  J. 
Davis,  A.  J.  Mead,  Geo.  Miller,  Hiram  Palmer,  Dr.  J.  L,  Watier,  Judge 
John  Pipher,  and  Captain  Millard. 

On  April  26,  1855,  the  Hartford,  ^-^  a  flat-bottomed,  stern-wheel  steam- 
boat, costing  $7000,  left  Cincinnati  ' '  for  the  junction  of  the  Smoky  Hill  and 
RepubHcan  rivers."  This  was  the  first  boat  chartered  expressly  for  the 
Kansas  river;  it  proved  to  be,  if  possible,  less  adapted  for  the  service  than 
any  craft  that  ever  vexed  its  waters.  The  boat  had  a  cargo  of  100  tons,  a 
fair  complement  of  passengers,  and  started  under  the  most  flattering  cir- 
cumstances. Captain  Millard  was  her  master,  and  Judge  John  Pipher  was 
a  passenger.  In  six  days  the  boat  reached  St.  Louis.  There  the  cholera 
broke  out  among  the  passengers,  and  the  "abolition  boat,"  as  she  was 
called,  received  a  great  amount  of  gratuitous  advertising.  There  was  no 
lack  of  passengers,  however,  for  the  Kansas  fever  was  raging,  and  for  ev- 
ery one  taken  away  by  the  cholera  two  others  were  brought  aboard  by  the 
greater  contagion.  Much  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  a  pilot,  and 
one  was  only  obtained  by  paying  the  exorbitant  price  of  $700  for  the  trip  to 
Kansas  City. 

The  boat  left  St.  Louis  on  the  3d  of  May  with  100  passengers  and  their 
effects  and  100  tons  of  freight,  destined  for  "the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Kansas  river."  The  pilot  proved  to  be  unfamiliar  with  the  channel  of  the 
Missouri,  and  was,  therefore,  obliged  to  tie  up  the  boat  for  the  night.  This 
prolonged  the  passage  for  nine  days,  and  intensified  the  horrors   of   the 

Note  13.—  The  Hartford  was  built  at  Monongahela,  in  1851,  and  was  rated  at  144  tons. 


328  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

dread  scourge  that  again  appeared  among  the  passengers.  A  number  died, 
and  were  buried  on  the  bank  at  which  the  boat  laid  up  for  the  night. 
Graves  were  hurriedly  dug  in  the  sand,  and  the  bodies  of  the  unfortunate 
immigrants  who  had  gone  to  "an  undiscovered  country,"  httle  thought  of  a 
few  hours  before,  were  laid  away  by  the  light  of  torches  under  the  shadow 
of  the  solemn  woods. 

The  Hartford  reached  Kansas  City  May  12,  and  remained  until  May  20, 
when  it  started  up  the  Kansas  river.  The  Financier  No.  2  and  the  Emma 
Harmon  preceded  the  Hartford  a  few  days.  These  boats  had  lumber  and  a 
number  of  passengers,  also  bound  for  "the  head  of  navigation." 

Herald  of  Freedom,  May  26,  1855:  "The  steamer  Emma  Harmon,  Capt. 
J,  M.  Wing,  was  made  fast  at  our  levee  on  Sunday  last  at  about  five  o'clock 
p.  M. ,  it  being  the  first  steamer  which  was  ever  at  our  wharf.  She  had  on 
board  about  fifty  passengers,  besides  a  large  quantity  of  freight.  The  Emma 
Harmon  is  a  stern-wheel  boat,  with  two  engines  of  180  horse-power.  When 
light  she  draws  fourteen  inches  of  water,  and  will  carry  fifty  tons  and  100 
passengers  on  twenty  inches  of  water.  The  steamer  left  for  Fort  Riley  and 
intermediate  points  on  Monday  morning. 

"The  steamer  Financier  No.  2,  Captain  Morrison,  arrived  at  our  levee  on 
the  21st,  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  She  is  a  fine,  well-built  boat,  and,  like  the 
Emma  Harmon,  is  designed  to  be  continued  on  this  river.  Her  accommoda- 
tions for  passengers  are  very  excellent,  and,  with  the  large  amount  of  trade 
along  this  river,  she  must  be  sustained.  She  had  a  large  amount  of  freight 
on  board  for  this  port,  among  which  was  a  frame  building  ready  to  be  put 
together. 

"The  Hartford,  belonging  to  the  Manhattan  company,  arrived  from  Cin- 
cinnati at  about  one  o'clock  p.  M.  the  same  day,  heavily  loaded  with  passen- 
gers and  freight,  for  their  new  settlement  at  the  junction  of  the  Smoky  Hill 
and  Republican  fork  of  the  Kansas,  five  miles  above  Fort  Riley.  She  was 
much  more  heavily  loaded  than  either  of  the  other  steamers,  and,  like  them, 
experienced  no  difficulty  for  want  of  water. 

' '  The  present  rates  between  this  point  and  Kansas  City,  Mo. ,  are  seventy- 
five  cents  per  hundred  for  freight  and  four  dollars  for  passengers  up  and 
three  dollars  down  stream." 

On  the  3d  of  June  the  Hartford, '"i  having  declined  all  oflFers  of  Lawrence, 
Douglas,  Lecompton,  Tecumseh  and  Topeka  to  unload  and  settle  the  mooted 
question  in  their  favor,  ran  aground  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue, 
where  she  lay  for  a  month,  waiting  for  the  river  to  rise.  Pending  this  de- 
tention, the  " Cincinnati  &  Kansas  Land  Company"  accepted  overtures  from 
the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company,  and  located  at  Manhattan. '^  A 
few  days  afterward,  the  boat,  having  gotten  off  the  bar.  dropped  down  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Big  Blue  and  discharged  her  cargo.    A  portion  of  this  consisted 

Note  14.— Isaac  Goodnow,  "  Personal  Reminiscences  and  Kansas  Emigration,  1855,"  in  His- 
torical Collections,  vol,  4,  p.  250. 

Note  15.— In  the  "  Report  of  the  Special  Committee  to  Investigate  the  Troubles  in  Kansas,'' 
p.  1035,  appears  the  affidavit  of  Isaac  S.  Hascall.  He  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort 
Riley  m  1854.  The  affidavit  is  dated  June  5,  1856.  He  speaks  of  boats  as  follows:  "This  com- 
pany (meaning  the  Emigrant  Aid  Company),  in  connection  with  a  Cincinnati  company,  mobbed 
Osborne  and  drove  him  off  his  claim.  There  was  a  company  who  came  from  Cincinnati,  charter- 
ing a  boat  by  the  name  of  Hartford,  and  called  themselves  the  Cincinnati  Land  Company.  They 
were  free-state  men.  Osborne  came  on  and  made  a  claim  near  the  mouth  of  the  Blue  river,  and 
they  said  that  unless  they  ousted  him  immediately  he  could  hold  his  claim  by  law.  They  al- 
leged against  him  that  he  was  a  pro-slavery  man  ;  that  they  never  could  associate  with  him  ; 
that  they  must  get  rid  of  him  soon  or  he  would  hold  his  claim  by  law,  and  consequently  they 
would  use  force  to  make  him  go.  .  .  .  Osborne  did  not  go  on  the  claim  until  after  Russell 
left ;  and  there  was  no  conflict  that  I  know  of  between  Osborne  and  Russell.  The  company  col- 
lected in  a  force  of  thirty  or  forty-five  men  and  went  upon  the  claim  where  he  was  at  work,  and 
forcibly  seized  him  and  took  him  off.  Before  they  gathered  this  force  I  was  down  near  where 
the  boat  Hartford  lay,  in  the  Kansas  river,  and  I  heard  this  man  Lincoln  (agent  of  the  Emigrant 
Aid  Company )  advise  the  men  generally  to  mob  him,  as  that  was  the  only  way  to  get  rid  of  him. 
The  substance  of  their  desire  to  get  rid  of  him  was,  that  he  was  not  a  man  of  their  stripe,  and 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  329 

of  ' '  Cincinnati  houses, ' '  an  architectural  freak  now  happily  obsolete.  Speak- 
ing of  this  style  of  houses,  Noble  L.  Prentis  once  said: 

"In  the  days  of  very  new  Kansas,  a  Cincinnati  firm,  or  company,  did  a 
rustling  business  in  building  frame  houses  in  Cincinnati,  knocking  them 
down  after  the  manner  of  household  furniture,  and  sending  them  by  boats 
to  points  on  the  Missouri  river.  This  house-building  company  came  into 
possession  of  a  tract  of  land  adjoining  Leavenworth,  and  on  it  hundreds  of 
their  ready-made  one-  and  two-story  houses  were  put  up,  and  that  portion 
of  Leavenworth  is  known  to  this  day  as  'Cincinnati.' " 

These  houses  were  to  be  rendered  impervious  to  the  weather  by  a  coat- 
ing of  some  sort  of  cement,  one  of  the  principal  ingredients  being  alcohol, 
two  dozen  demijohns  of  which  formed  a  part  of  the  cargo  of  the  Hartford. 
One  Sunday,  while  Judge  Pipher  was  preaching  in  the  ladies'  cabin.  Cap- 
tain Millard  was  inaugurating  an  Indian  policy  on  the  forecastle.  The  next 
day  river  water  was  substituted  for  alcohol  in  mixing  the  cement. 

In  the  course  of  another  month  or  so  the  river  rose  again,  and  the  boat, 
having  proved  too  large  for  the  river,  was  headed  down-stream  with  the 
intention  of  entering  her  in  the  Missouri  river  trade.  At  a  point  opposite 
St.  Mary's  Mission  the  boat  ran  aground  again,  and  while  waiting  for  an- 
other rise  the  captain  began  a  thorough  overhauling  and  repainting  of  the 
craft.  While  the  crew  were  thus  employed  the  captain  bought  a  cow  from 
an  Indian  and  had  a  quantity  of  hay  put  up  for  its  feed.  One  day  two  Potta- 
watomie Indians  came  on  the  boat  and  demanded  tobacco.  They  were  referred 
to  the  clerk,  who  very  promptly  kicked  them  off  the  boat.  A  few  minutes 
later  the  hay  on  the  river  bank  and  then  the  boat  were  on  fire,  and,  almost 
before  the  rascally  Indians  were  out  of  sight,  both  were  consumed.  Thus 
ended  the  career  of  the  Hartford,  in  the  fall  of  1855.  The  owners,  in  Cin- 
cinnati, were  negotiating  a  sale  when  the  news  reached  them  that  the  boat 
had  been  burned. 

One  of  the  boilers  was  sold  to  the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company,  and 
was  used  in  a  sawmill  in  Lawrence.  The  other  boiler  and  the  engines  and 
machinery  were  left  on  the  bank  until  1859,  when  Josiah  Simpson,  of  Wyan- 
dotte, acquired  title,  and  undertook  to  get  possession  of  the  property  and 
remove  it.  Securing  the  assistance  of  Capt.  G.  P.  Nelson,  an  old  river  cap- 
tain, who  had  made  a  record  on  the  Illinois  a  quarter  of  a  century  before, 
and  who  had  been  on  a  river  boat  all  his  life,  Simpson  got  a  wrecking  boat, 
and,  with  it  in  tow  of  the  steamer  Star  of  the  West,  Captain  Nelson  com- 
manding, started  for  the  scene  of  the  wreck.  At  a  point  near  Lecompton 
the  steamer  ran  hard  aground,  and  Simpson  was  obliged  to  cast  loose,  and 
proceed  with  his  wrecking  boat,  by  means  of  sail  and  setting  pole,  for  the 
remainder  of  the  distance.  Arrived  at  the  wreck  of  the  Hartford,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  remaining  boiler  and  the  engines  and  machinery  out 
of  the  wreck,  but  the  low  stage  of  water  precluded  his  shipping  them  down 
the  river  on  his  flatboat.     Accordingly,  he  buried  the  engines  and  machinery 

they  did  not  want  any  such  man  there.  I  think  there  were  five  preachers  in  the  crowd  who  had 
a  hand  in  getting  this  up— four  Methodists  and  one  Presbyterian.  After  seizing  Osborne  and 
taking  him  by  force  down  to  the  boiat,  they  kept  him  a  prisoner  for  a  while  and  then  let  him  off. 
They  told  him  that  if  he  left,  and  did  not  show  his  head  again,  his  neck  would  be  safe,  but  if  he 
did  come  back  again  they  would  do  something  serious  to  him.  Osborne  had  a  friend  by  the  name 
of  Garrett,  living  up  on  Blue  river,  and  he  went  up  there.  Garrett's  brother  wae  a  clerk  on  the 
boat  Financier,  which  lay  above  in  the  river.  He  went  up  to  that  boat,  and  when  on  his  vvay 
back  they  arrested  him  without  claiming  to  have  any  legal  warrant  to  arrest  him  upon  any  crim- 
inal charge.  They  made  an  allegation  against  him,  as  a  reason  for  arresting  him  the  second  time, 
that  he  had  threatened  the  life  of  Captain  Miller  for  the  proceedings  the  day  before." 


330  Kansas  State  Historical  Society, 

in  the  dry  sand  of  the  river  bank,  and  left  the  boiler  on  top  of  the  ground 
where  the  Indians  had  set  fire  to  the  boat,  and,  with  the  wheel-shaft  as  the 
only  freight  on  his  boat,  dropped  down  the  river  to  Topeka,  where  the  shaft 
was  sold.  This  shaft  was  of  two  or  three  tons  weight,  and  was  of  wrought 
iron. 

When  Simpson  reached  Kansas  City,  he  had  so  completely  failed  in  his 
undertaking  that  he  was  obliged  to  let  Nelson  have  the  wreck  of  the  Hart- 
ford for  services  and  money  advanced.  The  boiler  disappeared,  and  the 
cache  of  the  engines  is  unknown. 

Letter  in  New  York  Times,  signed  "Randolph"  (William  Hutchinson): 

"Lawrence,  K.  T.,  March  27,  1856.— I  doubt  whether  there  is  any  better 
prospect  now  than  there  was  the  1st  of  March  for  navigating  the  Kansas 
at  present.  The  Lizzie,  which  ran  upon  a  bar  some  thirty  miles  below  here 
last  summer,  remains  there  still,  from  last  report,  while  the  water  is  at  least 
five  feet  above  low-water  mark.  This  shows  that  she  should  have  been  run 
down  to  Kansas  City  long  ere  this,  had  the  manager  desired  to  do  so,  but  I 
have  reasons  for  distrusting  the  intentions  of  the  whole  Missouri  boat  craft, 
and  for  believing  that  they  only  wished  to  humbug  us,  and  give  us  no  boats. " 

Mr.  Joseph  S.  Chick,  referred  to,  who  came  to  Kansas  City,  or  Westport 
Landing  as  it  was  then  called,  in  1843,"  owned  the  steamer  Lizzie,  i"  which  was 
used  in  the  Missouri  and  Kansas  river  trade.  In  his  testimony  in  the  federal 
court  in  Kansas  City  recently,  in  a  suit  brought  to  determine  the  status  of 
the  Kansas  river,  he  stated  that  the  Lizzie  drew  nearly  three  feet  of  water, 
that  she  made  the  trip  from  Kansas  City  to  Lawrence  in  about  twenty-four 
hours,  and  that  he  shipped  merchandise  to  Lawrence  by  boat,  and  when  the 
railroad  was  completed  to  Lawrence  the  boat  was  taken  off  the  river,  is 

Although  the  navigation  progress  was  started  by  the  builders  of  the 
Hartford,  the  Emma  Harmon  i'*  is  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
steamboat  to  ascend  the  river  after  the  white  settlement  began, =»  being  one 
day  in  advance  of  Financier  No.  2,  and  five  days  ahead  of  the  Hartford. 

Note  16.—  In  a  letter  to  Geo.  W.  Martin,  under  date  of  May  3,  1906,  Mr.  J.  S.  Chick  says:  "I 
was  born  in  Howard  county,  Missouri,  August  3,  1828  ;  arrived  in  Westport,  Mo.,  March  7,  1836, 
and  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  December,  1843.  .  .  .  Kansas  City's  corporate  limits  extended  south 
from  the  river  about  one-half  mile.  Since  then,  by  various  expansions,  it  has  taken  in  the  town 
of  Westport ;  therefore,  I  can  claim  residence  in  the  present  Kansas  City  from  March  7,  1836." 

Note  17.—  G.  W.  Brown,  editor  of  the  Herald  of  Freedovi,  Lawrence,  makes  the  following 
statement  in  regard  to  the  destruction  of  his  printing-office.  May  21,  1856 :  "  Petitioner  had  on 
said  day  (  21st  May,  1856  ),  lying  on  the  levee,  recently  landed  from  the  steamer  Lizzie,  a  steam- 
engine,  boiler,  and  fixtures,  intended  for  running  the  said  power  press.  It  was  only  landed  there 
on  the  Friday  before  said  21st  of  May."—  Kansas  Claims,  1861,  p.  897. 

Note  18.— 21st  [August,  1855]— The  little  steam  ferry-boat  Lizzie  was  here  to-day.  How 
we  wish  some  enterprising  capitalist  would  build  some  boats  with  a  draft  of  only  ten  or  twelve 
inches  without  load,  such  as  are  used  upon  the  California  waters.  Every  day  we  might  hear  the 
shrill  steam-whistle,  telling  of  active  business  life,  and  a  means  of  communication  between  us 
and  the  rest  of  the  world.  Then  the  freights,  which  have  to  be  brought  forty-five  miles  by  land, 
on  wagons,  could  more  easily  be  transported  into  the  territory,  and  passengers  would  find  the 
journey  much  less  tedious.  Now,  if  a  mill  gives  way  —  any  part  of  the  machinery  breaking  — 
nothing  in  all  Missouri,  this  side  of  St.  Louis,  can  be  found  for  repairs  ;  and  all  these  heavy 
freights  have  to  be  brought  by  land  from  Kansas  City.  A  boat  briskly  plying  on  the  river  would 
add  much  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  territory. —  Sara  T.  D.  Robinson,  "Kansas  —  its 
Interior  and  Exterior  Life."  4th  ed.,  p.  86. 

Note  19.— The  Emma  Harmon  was  built  at  Clarksville  in  18.54.  and  was  rated  at  125  tons. 

Note  20.- C.  Casselle,  of  Horton,  October  1, 1888,  wrote  the  Historical  Society  :  "The  follow- 
ing is  a  short  sketch  of  my  experience  on  the  Kaw  river,  in  1855,  on  the  steamer  Emma  Harmon  : 
The  Emma  Harmon  was  a  stern-wheel  boat  of  150  tons  burden,  with  an  open  hold.  She  was 
built  on  the  upper  Ohio,  and  ovrned  by  General  Knox,  of  Knoxville.  111.  Her  crew  were :  Job 
Wing,  master;  General  Knox,  acting  clerk  ;  Lewis,  engineer;  Smith,  carpenter;  Putney,  mate ; 
Casselle,  watchman,  and  second  clerk  in  port.  We  left  St.  Louis  the  first  week  in  May,  bound 
for  Fort  Riley,  with  a  trip  of  government  stores.  I  cannot  give  particulars  of  the  first  trip,  as  I 
had  to  go  to  St.  Joe  on  some  business  of  my  own.  I  started  on  the  second  trip  from  Kansas  City. 
When  about  five  miles  above  the  mouth  our  pilot  piled  us  out  hard  and  fast,  where  the  boat  lay 
till  September.     I  think  it  was  about  the  6th  when  a  four-foot  rise  came  and  set  us  afloat  again. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  331 

On  the  afternoon  of  May  19,  1855,  this  boat,  a  small  stern-wheeler,  left 
Kansas  City  "for  Topeka  and  way  landings."  There  were  twenty  or  thirty 
passengers  aboard,  among  the  number  George  W.  Deitzler,  Gaius  Jenkins, 
John  Speer  and  family,  Mr.  Gleason,  wife,  son,  and  daughter,  the  latter 
afterwards  being  Mrs.  Hubbell,  of  Lawrence,  Brinton  W.  Woodward,  Phihp 
Woodward,  Mr.  DeLand  and  family,  L.  P.  Lincoln,  and  John  W.  Stevens, 
the  latter  with  a  printing-office  to  start  a  paper  at  Manhattan.  The  entire 
party  was  supphed  with  firearms,  and  Deitzler  had  100  Sharp's  rifles. -^ 
The  river  was  high  and  the  boat  made  good  headway,  but  as  a  precaution 
the  pilot  ordered  her  tied  up  for  the  night  when  they  reached  Chouteau's 
Landing,  a  distance  of  ten  miles  from  the  mouth. 

Either  just  before  or  just  after  leaving  Kansas  City,  a  negro  was  taken 
from  this  boat  by  a  party  of  men  who  thought  him  to  be  a  runaway  slave, 
but  he  proved  to  be  a  free  man  and  was  turned  loose.  Eastern  papers  made 
much  of  the  incident. 

The  next  day  the  boat  was  off  with  the  first  gleam  of  light,  and  as  the 
sun  rose  with  a  perfect  day,  the  passengers  thronged  the  upper  deck,  eager 
to  enjoy  the  beauty  of  the  scene;  the  ever-changing  panorama  of  the  wind- 
ing river,  dotted  with  islands,  among  which  the  boat  turned  this  way  and  that 
in  its  course  against  the  current;  the  stately  cotton  woods  shining  in  the 
glory  of  their  new  fohage;  the  rock-bound  bluffs;  ghmpses  of  emerald  prai- 
ries in  the  distance,  and,  over  all,  the  soft  skies  of  early  summer.  Occasion- 
ally an  Indian  cabin  was  to  be  seen,  with  its  occupants  ranged  in  silent 
wonderment  near  it,  but  these  were  the  only  signs  of  civilization,  and  the 
forests  were  as  silent  and  pathless  as  the  river.  About  noon  the  boat  went 
to  the  bank  to  get  a  supply  of  wood,  and  the  passengers  gathered  their  first 
wild  strawberries  of  the  season.  Shortly  after  starting  again  they  were 
hailed  by  an  Indian,  who  made  them  understand  that  he  wanted  a  flatboat 
towed  up  the  river.  The  steamer  was  accordingly  brought  alongside  and  made 
fast  to  the  flatboat,  and  then  proceeded  on  its  journey.  This  Indian  proved 
to  be  an  intelligent  Shawnee  named  Tooley,--  who  had  built  the  craft  for 
a  ferry-boat  for  Bluejacket's  crossing  -■'  on  the  Wakarusa,  in  anticipation  of 

During  the  summer  Captain  Wing  went  to  St.  Louis  and  had  crabs  and  a  crew  sent  to  the  boat 
to  build  ways  under  her  to  launch  her  into  the  water,  which  was  100  feet  from  where  she  settled 
in  the  spring.  When  the  rise  came  it  washed  the  ways  from  under  her  forward  and  aft,  leaving 
her  amidship.  This  broke  her  fore  and  aft  chains  and  caused  her  to  fill  with  water,  and  also 
caused  us  three  days'  and  nights'  pumping,  at  which  all  hands  took  their  turn,  watch  and  watch. 
General  Knox,  a  man  of  sixty  years,  taking  his  turn  with  the  rest  of  us.  We  finally  got  her  in 
trim  again  by  hauling  her  to  a  creek,  where  we  coupled  her  chains  again  by  hauling  her  head  on 
one  bank  of  the  creek  and  her  stern  on  the  other.  After  we  had  everything  shipshape,  we  gath- 
ered wood  to  take  us  out  of  the  river,  and  we  left  the  following  morning.  The  Financier,  Capt. 
Matt  Morrison,  did  all  the  work  that  we  should  have  done.  She  did  not  get  into  port  till  long 
after  we  did.  As  for  the  other  boats.  I  know  nothing  about  them  except  the  Lacon.  She  was 
built  for  the  Illinois  river.  There  was  a  boat  called  Lizzie,  a  side- wheeler,  passed  up  and  down 
during  the  summer  I  was  on  the  Emma  Harmon." 

Note  21. —  "  Within  an  hour  after  his  [Geo.  W.  Deitzler's]  arrival  in  Boston  he  had  an  order 
for  100  Sharp's  rifles,  and  in  forty-eight  hours  the  rifles  were  on  their  way  to  Lawrence.  They 
were  shipped  in  boxes  marked  'books.'"  —  Cordley,  History  of  Lawrence,  p.  37.  In  the  Re- 
port of  the  Special  Committee  to  Investigate  the  Troubles  in  Kansas  (  William  A.  Howard,  John 
Sherman,  and  Mordecai  Oliver),  p.  11,56.  is  the  affidavit  of  Samuel  F.  M.  Salters,  dated  June.  11, 185(5 
(  Salters  settled  in  June.  1854).  in  which  appears  this  statement:  "About  the  1st  of  June,  1855, 
a  boat,  I  think  the  Emma  Harmon,  landed  at  Lawrence,  and  three  or  four  large  boxes  were  put 
off,  and  a  Mr.  Simpson,  I  think,  took  charge  of  them.  They  were  marked  'books.'  I  saw  them 
opened,  and  found  them  to  be  Sharp's  rifles." 

Note  22.—  This  name  is  given  as  "Tula  "  in  "The  Friends'  Establishment  in  Kansas  Terri- 
tory," by  Dr.  Wilson  Hobbs  (  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  255),  and  as  "Tooly  "  In  Indian  Af- 
fairs, Laws,  and  Treaties,  Washington,  1904,  vol.  2,  pp.  624,  625. 

Note  23.—  Bluejacket's  crossing  was  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  12,  Eudora  town- 
ship. 


332  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  immigration  to  the  territory.  It  being  Sunday,  the  passengers  engaged 
in  religious  worship,  and  Tooley  joined  them,  offering  a  fervent  prayer  in  his 
own  tongue.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Wakarusa  the  tow-lines  were  cast  off  and 
the  passengers  waved  a  parting  salute  to  the  red  man,  who  proceeded  to 
"pole"  his  ungainly  craft  up  the  smaller  stream. 

Just  before  sunset  of  May  20  the  Harmon  reached  Lawrence  and  landed 
at  the  foot  of  New  Hampshire  street.  It  was  a  great  day  in  the  history  of 
the  town,  and  everybody  hurried  to  the  river  bank  to  greet  the  unexpected 
but  welcome  visitor.  The  passengers  and  officers  of  the  boat  were  given  an 
ovation,  and  every  available  vehicle  was  used  to  convey  them  to  the  city, 
chief  among  the  number  being  a  spring  wagon  belonging  to  Mrs.  Samuel  N. 
Wood. 

Before  leaving  the  boat,  the  passengers  organized  a  meeting  and  passed 
resolutions  congratulating  the  officers  upon  the  success  of  the  trip.  Of  this 
meeting  Gaius  Jenkins  was  chairman  and  John  Speer  was  secretary,  the 
latter  drawing  up  the  resolutions  in  the  usual  language  of  superlative  degree 
and  Jenkins  securing  their  adoption  without  a  dissenting  voice. 

The  boat  remained  at  Lawrence  for  a  few  days  and  then  proceeded  up 
the  river.  A  town  site  a  few  miles  above  Lawrence  was  designated  by  a 
sawmill  and  unfinished  levee  and  a  shingle  nailed  to  a  tree  on  the  river  bank, 
with  the  word  "Douglas,"  and  a  hand,  pointing  into  the  wood,  painted 
thereon. 

At  Lecompton  the  citizens  gave  the  officers  and  passengers  a  reception, 
which  was  handsomely  reciprocated  by  a  ball  and  supper  on  the  boat. 

At  Tecumseh  the  boat  broke  a  shaft,  and  laid  up  a  day  for  repairs.  The 
passengers  went  on  a  hunt  and  killed  a  wildcat. 

When  the  boat  reached  Topeka  the  river  had  begun  to  fall,  and  the  cap- 
tain decided  to  return.  Accordingly  the  upper-river  freight  was  discharged, 
to  be  taken  by  the  next  boat,  and  the  Harmon  went  back  to  Wyandotte. 

The  next  trip  of  this  boat  is  thus  referred  to  by  the  Lawrence  paper 
upon  its  arrival  at  that  town: 

Herald  of  Freedom,  June  2,  1855.  —  "On  Thursday  last  our  levee  pre- 
sented a  business  aspect  which  we  hardly  expected  it  to  assume  during  the  pres- 
ent season.  The  Emma  Harmon  discharged  upwards  of  a  hundred  tons  of 
freight  on  our  wharf  that  day,  among  which  we  saw  a  large  quantity  of 
merchandise  for  the  Lawrence  merchants.  If  she  continues  to  deposit  as 
large  a  quantity  of  freight  here  at  each  regular  trip  she  makes  to  our  port, 
but  a  short  time  will  elapse  until  our  town  will  put  on  airs  equal  to  some  of 
the  great  cities  along  the  Missouri. ' ' 

Herald  of  Freedom,  June  2,  1885.  — "We  learned  that  E.  C.  K.  Garvey, 
Esq.,  late  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  arrived  in  our  city  on  Wednesday  evening 
last,  on  board  the  steamer  Emma  Harmon,  and  has  a  view  of  locating  per- 
manently if  everything  is  satisfactory." 

Captain  Wing  exerted  himself  to  build  up  a  trade,  and  made  several 
trips  to  Lawrence,  where  he  became  very  popular.  However,  there  was 
little  or  nothing  to  ship  out,  one  cargo  of  merchandise  being  sufficient  to 
last  the  town  for  the  year,  and  there  was  little  encouragement  for  trans- 
portation facilities.  No  freight  of  any  kind  was  refused.  These  were  the 
days  of  small  things,  and  every  httle  helped.  Charlie  Garrett  used  to  say 
that  the  lightest  trip  the  Emma  Harmon  ever  made  was  when  she  took  his 
boots  to  Kansas  City  to  have  them  half-soled.     He  said  the  return  trip  was 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  333 

made  at  night,  and  that  while  walking  ahead  to  carry  the  boat's  lantern  and 
find  the  channel,  the  damp  night  air  nearly  gave  him  his  death  cold. 

Of  the  fate  of  the  Emma  Harmon,  I  am  unable  to  speak  definitely.  Prob- 
ably a  lack  of  freight  and  water,  and  a  surplus  of  political  trouble,  scared 
her  out  of  the  country. 

Advertisement  in  Herald  of  Freedom:  "Kansas  River  Packet. —The 
light- draft,  fourteen-inch  steamer,  Financier  No.  2,  will  ply  regularly  be- 
tween Kansas  City  and  Fort  Riley,  touching  at  all  intermediate  landings. 
Having  fine  accommodations  for  passengers,  public  patronage  is  respectfully 
solicited,  and  shippers  can  rely  upon  the  Financier's  punctuality.  For  freight 
or  passage,  apply  to  Captain  Morrison,  on  board;  J.  Riddlesbarger  &  Co., 
Kansas  City;  or  C.  H.  Manning,  Herald  of  Freedom  office,  Lawrence  City, 
K.  T.     May  12,  1855." 

Extract  from  a  letter  signed  ' '  Sigma, ' '  published  in  Herald  of  Freedom, 
April  19,  1855:  "On  our  way  down  from  Kansas  City  the  first  day  we  met 
several  steamers,  among  which  was  the  Financier  No.  2,  bound  for  the  Kan- 
sas river,  and  I  hope  she  will  find  a  sufficiency  of  water  in  that  river  to 
continue  to  run  through  the  season— probably,  ere  this  reaches  you,  she 
will  have  arrived  in  Lawrence.  .  .  .  We  laid  to  in  the  evening  just  above 
Washington.  In  the  morning  we  met  Captain  Swift,  in  command  of  the 
Saranak,-^  bound  for  the  Kansas  river.  Success  to  him  and  his  enterprise; 
if  he  succeeds  as  he  expects,  his  first  arrival  at  Lawrence  will  be  a  day  bril- 
liant with  hope  for  the  future  prospects  of  that  city. ' ' 

The  Financier  No.  2  was  a  side-wheeler  of  125  tons  burden,  and  accommo- 
dations for  fifty  first-class  passengers.  She  arrived  at  Lawrence,  May  21, 
1855,  and  received  a  cordial  welcome.  Proceeding  up  the  river,  she  ran 
aground  at  Grasshopper  bar.^s  opposite  Lecompton,  and  again  at  Tecumseh 
island,  and  was  three  days  in  making  the  run  from  Lawrence  to  Topeka,  a 
distance,  by  the  river,  of  forty  miles.  At  the  latter  point  she  took  on  the 
freight  for  upper-river  points  discharged  by  the  Emma  Harmon,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  her  way. 

Upon  arriving  at  Fort  Riley  and  discharging  her  freight  she  proceeded 
up  the  Republican  a  distance  of  forty  miles,  as  an  experiment,  returning  in 
safety  the  following  day.  This  would  make  the  highest  point  reached  by 
the  only  steamer  that  ever  navigated  the  Republican  about  where  Clay 
Center  now  stands.  Seven  years  after  this  the  writer  was  employed  on 
extra  duty  while  a  soldier  in  finishing  the  cavalry  stables  at  Fort  Riley. 
The  lumber  furnished  was  native  Red  cedar,  and  when  inquiry  was  made  as 
to  where  it  was  obtained,  the  answer  was  that  it  was  sawed  from  trees 
found  along  the  Republican  a  few  miles  up  that  stream,  and  was  brought 
down  from  the  mill  on  a  boat.  The  lumber  was  old  and  weather  beaten, 
and  looked  as  if  it  might  have  been  sawed  for  a  number  of  years.  Since 
having  learned  of  the  trip  of  the  Financier  No.  2  up  the  Republican,  I  have 
wondered  whether  this  might  not  have  been  the  boat  which  brought  this 
lumber  to  the  fort. 

The  boat  proved  to  be  too  large  for  the  Kansas,  and  upon  her  return  to 

Note  24.—  The  Saranak  was  built  at  Brownsville  in  1851,  and  was  rated  at  352  tons. 

Note  2b.  — Herald  of  Freedom,  May  27. 1855  :  "  The  steamer  Financier  No.  2  is  apround  on  the 
Grasshopper  bar,  opposite  Lecompton,  and  has  been  for  three  days.  She  has  fifty  tons  of  freight 
and  ten  passengers.  The  Emma  Harmon  has  reached  Tecumseh  ;  she  carries  two  engines  of  ISO 
horse-power.  The  Hartford  is  aground  at  Douglas."  O.  H.  Drinkwater,  still  living  in  Chase 
county,  and  his  brother,  Delos  F.  Drinkwater,  came  up  the  Missouri  on  the  Financier,  landing  at 
Kansas  City  April  9,  1855.  They  took  the  boat  for  the  Kansas  river,  but  at  that  time  the  stage 
of  water  was  not  satisfactory.  O.  H.  Drinkwater  hauled  the  first  printing-press  from  Kansas 
City  to  Topeka,  belonging  to  E.  C.  K.  Garvey. 


334  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  mouth  of  the  river  she  sought  business  elsewhere.     What  her  fate  was 
I  have  been  unable  to  learn. 

St.  Louis  Intelligencer,  June  8,  1856  :  "For  a  delightful  trip,  with  pleas- 
ant officers,  we  would  recommend  the  fair  ladies  and  pleasure-seeking  gen- 
tlemen who  read  this  to  step  on  board  the  good  steamer  Brazil, -«  Captain 
Reed,  and  proceed  with  that  boat  to  the  Kansas  river.  She  leaves  this 
evening,  and  will  proceed,  if  found  practicable,  to  Fort  Riley,  some  two  or 
three  hundred  miles  from  the  mouth.  The  traveler  on  this  route  will  have 
the  opportunity  of  seeing  some  of  the  finest  land  on  the  face  of  the  globe; 
wild  and  unsettled,  to  be  sure,  but  more  interesting  on  that  account." 

This  was  a  small  side-wheeler,  and  made  a  few  trips  on  the  Kansas  in 
1856,  but,  on  account  of  low  water  and  a  lack  of  patronage,  abandoned  the  un- 
dertaking. I  do  not  think  she  went  higher  than  Topeka,  but  one  trip 
higher  than  Lecompton.     Of  her  fate  I  am  not  informed. 


St.  Louis  Evening  News,  March  10,  1856:  "The  business  men  of  St.  Louis 
are  becoming  alarmed  less  the  trade  of  Kansas  should  be  diverted  from  this 
city  in  consequence  of  the  troubles  on  the  river.  To  counteract  the  dis- 
position of  the  people  of  Kansas  to  trade  with  other  cities,  it  is  the  duty  of 
our  merchants  to  use  all  means  to  conciliate  and  break  down  their  repugnance 
to  our  state  and  city. ' ' 

A  Meeting  of  River-men. —  A  meeting  of  the  officers. of  Missouri  river 
packets  was  held  Saturday,  March  22,  1856,  in  the  interests  of  the  trade  for 
St.  Louis.  One  hundred  thousand  immigrants  to  Kansas  were  expected 
during  the  year.  Capt.  Thomas  L  Goddin,  of  the  steamer  Keystone,  pre- 
sided. A  letter  dated  Chicago,  March  17,  and  signed  "H.  W.,"  asked  the 
following  questions: 

"Will  the  owners  and  masters  of  Missouri  river  packets  carry  free-state 
immigrants  to  Kansas  this  season? 

' '  Will  they  afford  them  such  protection  from  insult  and  violence  as  though 
their  political  sentiments  were  more  in  accordance  with  the  prevailing 
opinions  of  western  Missouri? 

"Will  there  be  any  difference  made  on  the  part  of  said  owners  and 
masters  between  passengers  from  the  Northern  and  Southern  states,  pro- 
vided both  conduct  themselves  peaceably  and  properly? 

' '  Will  immigrants  from  the  free  states,  in  your  opinion,  probably  meet 
with  opposition  and  violence  in  Weston,  Parkville,  Leavenworth,  etc.,  while 
passing  through  to  the  territory,  provided  they  avoid  as  much  as  possible 
any  expression  of  political  opinion? 

' '  Would  you  advise  these  immigrants  to  take  the  Missouri  river  route, 
in  preference  to  the  passage  through  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  as  a  matter  of 
personal  safety  and  convenience?" 

The  letter  was  indorsed  by  B.  Gratz  Brown  and  af  strong  appeal  made 
to  the  steamboat  men  in  behalf  of  the  trade  for  St.  Louis.  The  following 
is  Captain  Goddin's  answer: 

"Steamboat  Keystone,  March  24,  1856. 

"B.  Gratz  Brown:  Dear  Sir— Your  note  of  this  morning  and  letter  ac- 
companying were  duly  received  and  contents  of  letter  noted. 

"In  reply,  permit  to  say  that  Missouri  packets  will,  I  am  confident,  not 
make  any  difference  between  consignments  from  the  North  and  South,  but 
charge  all  alike;  and  either  will,  if  they  demean  themselves  properly,  be 
protected  from  insult.  True,  there  is  a  good  deal  of  excitement  in  western 
Missouri,  but  I  do  not  think  the  citizens  there  will  offer  violence  to  any  one 
who  may  go  to  Kansas,  unless  provoked  to  it  by  imprudent  conduct  or  con- 

NoTE  26.—  The  Brazil  was  built  at  McKeesport  in  1854.  and  was  rated  at  211  tons. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  335 

versation.  My  opinion  is,  however,  that  Northern  immigrants  had  better 
come  in  small  parties,  as  coming  in  that  way  they  will  not  create  any  alarm 
in  western  Missouri.  I  would  by  all  means  advise  all  immigrants  to  take 
the  Missouri  route,  as  being  the  quickest,  most  comfortable,  and  certain. 

"Hoping  my  answer  will  prove  satisfactory  in  giving  an  intimation  at 
least  of  the  purpose  of  the  Missouri  river  packet  captains,  permit  me  to 
subscribe  myself.  Very  respectfully  yours,        Thomas  I.  Goddin. 

"P.  S.  — In  a  meeting  of  the  association  Saturday  this  matter  was  talked 
of,  and  an  agreement  come  to,  to  take  immigrants  to  Kansas  for  twelve 
dollars  apiece  during  the  season — say  to  August  1st.— T.  I.  G."-" 

The  poHtical  disturbances  in  Kansas  and  the  offensive  attitude  of  the 
Missourians  and  Missouri  river  steamboat  officers  towards  free-state  immi- 
grants greatly  retarded  the  navigation  of  the  Kansas  river  at  this  period. 
While  the  ruffians  of  Buford  and  similar  characters  interested  in  foisting 
slavery  on  the  territory  were  given  every  facility  and  encouragement  in 
their  passage  up  the  Missouri,  immigrants  suspected  of  holding  opposite 
political  opinions  were  discriminated  against  in  every  possible  way— in  the 
assignment  of  quarters  on  the  boats  and  seats  at  meals,  and  in  any  and 
every  contemptible  and  petty  manner  their  hatred  could  suggest.  Baggage 
was  opened  and  searched,  and  in  some  cases  seized  and  destroyed.  Even 
this  was  less  serious  than  the  systematic  detention  of  freight  destined  for 
interior  points  in  Kansas.  It  was  almost  impossible  for  Leavenworth,  Law- 
rence and  Topeka  merchants  to  get  goods  shipped  within  a  reasonable  time. 
Public  and  private  appeals  were  made  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  St. 
Louis,  and  to  the  wholesale  merchants  of  that  city,  but  in  vain.  Finally  a 
public  meeting  was  held  in  Lawrence  and  a  movement  set  on  foot  for  the 
establishment  of  an  independent  line  of  boats  from  Leavenworth  and  Law- 
rence to  Alton,  111.     Following  is  the  call  for  the  meeting : 

"Public  Meeting.— A  meeting  of  the  merchants  and  other  citizens  of 
Kansas  is  hereby  called  at  the  Free  State  hotel,  in  Lawrence,  on  Friday 
next,  the  27th  inst.,  at  two  o'clock  p.  M.,  to  take  into  consideration  the  con- 
dition to  which  we  are  subjected  by  the  acts  of  an  organized  band  of  lawless 
men  along  the  Missouri  river,  by  whom  our  goods  are  broken  open  and 
searched,  our  property  stolen,  and  our  persons,  as  well  as  immigrants,  sub- 
jected to  a  surveillance  degrading  to  humanity,  humiliating  to  us,  and  un- 
known in  a  civilized  country;  also,  the  imposition  of  an  unreasonable  and 
oppressive  tax,  by  the  combination  of  boat-owners  on  the  Missouri,  of 
twenty- five  cents  per  hundred  pounds  on  goods  to  Leavenworth,  in  addition 
to  the  rates  to  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  with  a  view  to  the  establishment  of  a  line 
of  steamers  direct  between  Alton,  111.,  and  Leavenworth  and  Lawrence,  Kan, 

"Lawrence,  Kan.,  March  24,  1856. "^^ 

This  call  was  signed  by  sixty-eight  business  houses  of  Lawrence. 

The  following  day  the  leading  merchants  and  business  men  of  Kansas 
City  issued  a  card  to  the  public  denouncing  the  outrages  to  which  certain 
passengers  and  shippers  on  the  Missouri  had  been  subjected,  in  the  following 
language : 

"Kansas  City,  Mo.,  March  25,  1856. 

"A  Card  to  the  Vhbiac  — Whereas,  The  occurrence  at  our  wharf  of 
the  unlawful  seizure  and  breaking  open  of  a  box  or  package,  consigned  to 
one  of  our  shipping  merchants,  has  caused  an  impression  unfavorable  to  our 
good  name;  and 

"Whereas,  We  deem  it  but  just  to  ourselves  and  to  the  public  that  such 

Note  27. -Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  10,  p.  175. 
Note  28.-  Id.,  vol.  11,  p.  26. 


336  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

impression  should  be  contradicted,  a  meeting  of  the  merchants  and  shippers 
of  Kansas  was  called,  which  meeting  submits  the  following: 

"The  box  was  opened  by  persons  from  Lexington  and  Independence,  who 
came  up  on  the  boat,  unknown  to  our  citizens,  and  the  act  performed  be- 
fore even  all  the  people  on  the  wharf  were  aware  of  an  intent  so  to  do. 
The  box  contained  a  pianoforte  and  bore  no  evidence  of  anything  else  what- 
ever. It  was  consigned  to  Messrs.  Simmons  &  Leadbeater;  the  latter  only 
being  in  town,  and  being  a  comparative  stranger  here,  did  not  feel  able  to 
resist. 

"We  condemn  the  act  as  unlawful  and  sinister,  and  believe  it  to  have 
been  premeditated  on  the  part  of  those  inimical  to  our  interests  and  jealous 
of  our  prosperity,  and  by  some  largely  interested  in  removing  trade  from 
this  place  to  Leavenworth  and  other  towns ;  and  we  hereby  declare  that 
property  consigned  to  us  shall  be  protected  from  undue  or  improper  moles- 
tation, and  that  at  the  peril  of  our  lives  this  declaration  shall  be  maintained 
and  made  good. 

Robert  Charles.  J.  Riddlesbarger  &  C0.29 

Franklin  Conant.  Walker  &  Chick. 

Simmons  &  Leadbeater.        J.  A.  Inslee. 

J.  W.  Ammons.  West,  James  &  House. 

R.  G.  Russell.  Isaac  M.  Ridge. 

J.  G.   BOARMAN.  J.  &  D.   M.  Jarboe. 

J.  B.  Lester.  Wm.  E.  Proctor. 

James  A.  Frame.  F.  H.  Jarboe." 

W.  J.  Jarboe. 

It  was  a  great  joke  to  allege  that  the  people  of  Leavenworth  had  con- 
spired with  the  people  of  Lexington  and  Independence  to  injure  Kansas  City. 

The  particular  incident  referred  to  was  one  of  a  series  of  similar  acts  of 
outlawry  which  characterized  the  times  on  the  Missouri  river.  The  excuse 
for  this  act  was  that  the  river  pirates  had  found  a  box  of  rifles  a  short  time 
before,  and  proposed  to  monopolize  the  sending  of  guns  to  Kansas.  David 
S.  Hoyt,  in  a  trip  to  Leavenworth  with  Sharp's  rifles,  met  with  opposition 
of  this  nature.  He  was  a  passenger  on  the  steamer  Arabia,  Capt.  John  S. 
Shaw,  in  March,  1856,  and,  through  some  mischance,  dropped  or  had  stolen 
from  him  a  letter  to  his  mother,  telling  her  of  his  success  with  guns  and 
ammunition  up  to  that  time.  The  captain  read  the  letter  to  the  passengers, 
who  immediately  demanded  that  the  arms  be  thrown  overboard,  and  the 
owner  with  them.  After  some  discussion  and  an  examination  of  the  rifles, 
it  was  decided  to  allow  Hoyt  to  go  on,  but  the  surrender  of  the  guns  was 
insisted  upon.  This  Hoyt  refused  to  do,  and  upon  the  arrival  of  the  boat  at 
Lexington,  a  Qommittee  came  on  board  and  a  conference  was  held  in  the 
texas.  As  a  result,  the  arms  were  landed  and  held  subject  to  the  order 
of  Governor  Shannon,  of  Kansas,  or  his  successor  in  office,  and  Hoyt  was 
allowed  to  proceed  to  Kansas  City.  He  afterward  went  to  St.  Louis  and 
collected  from  the  Arabia  over  fifty  per  cent,  more  than  the  cost  of  the 
goods,  and  in  1857  Governor  Geary  gave  an  order  for  the  guns,  and  such  as 
were  not  destroyed  were  recovered.  ^^ 

The  St.  Louis  Democrat  of  March  13  says:  "It  turns  out  that  the  arms 
seized  are  United  States  property  destined  for  Fort  Leavenworth." 

Hartford  (Conn.)  Courant,  March  27,  1856:  "If  Missourians  rob  the 
steamboats  of  arms  sent  to  the  settlers  of  Kansas,  there  will  at  once  be  an 
effort  made  to  find  a  passage  to  that  territory  across  Iowa.      It  will  be 

Note  29.— Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  11,  p.  22. 

Note  30.-"David  Starr  Hoyt."  by  William  B.  Parsons,  in  Kansas  Magazine,  July,  1872,  p.  42. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation,  337 

asked  whether  such  a  state  can  expect  assistance  from  free-state  men  in 
Congress  in  their  important  project  of  a  Pacific  railway." 

A  few  days  after  the  "carpenter  tools  "  episode  another  boat  was  stopped 
at  Lexington  and  a  suspicious-looking  box  seized  for  detention.  The  cap- 
tain of  the  boat  interfered,  whereupon  the  "committee"  took  passage  on 
the  boat  to  Kansas  City,  and  as  soon  as  the  boat  discharged  the  box  it  was 
opened,  and  found  to  contain  a  piano  for  a  lady  at  Osawatomie.  This  was  the 
occasion  of  the  Kansas  City  manifesto. 

Letter  in  St.  Louis  Evening  Post:  "St.  Louis,  March  20,  1856.  — I  leave 
on  the  A.  B.  Chambers  this  day  for  Kansas  in  company  with  about  300,  the 
largest  portion  of  whom  are  bound  for  Kansas.  We  have  also  some  seventy 
or  eighty  cases  of  rifles  for  Southern  people.  You  know  a  man  from  Mis- 
sissippi was  in  New  York  buying  rifles  some  time  ago.  I  presume  these  are 
the  same.  You  will  see  by  a  slip  of  curious  paper  which  I  send  you  what  is 
said  of  these  suspicious  boxes." 

St.  Louis  Neivs,  March  21,  1856:  "The  Highflyer,  in  this  morning  from 
Louisville,  brought  between  fifty  and  sixty  slaves  belonging  to  families  on 
their  way  from  Kentucky  to  Kansas.  Since  the  opening  of  the  river  full 
500  slaves  have  arrived  from  the  Ohio  river  on  their  way  to  Kansas.  The 
J.  H.  Lucas  took  up  nearly  100,  the  Star  of  the  West  100,  the  A.  B.  Cham- 
bers 50  or  75,  and  almost  every  boat  that  has  started  up  the  Missouri  river 
since  the  opening  of  the  river  has  taken  up  a  larger  or  smaller  number. 
The  slaves  are  in  almost  every  case  taken  in  the  cabin,  while  poor  white 
families  going  to  the  same  place  take  passage  on  deck. ' ' 

Letter  in  St.  Louis  Republican,  dated  Westport,  April  8,  1856:  "We  ar- 
rived at  Kansas  City  on  Saturday  afternoon,  about  two  o'clock,  the  Lucas 
having  made  a  quick  trip,  considering  that  she  broke  a  wheel  and  grounded 
twice,  being  thus  detained  about  ten  hours.  Notwithstanding  this  detention 
and  the  fact  that  the  Morning  Star,  Captain  Brierly's  new  boat,  left  nine 
hours  before  the  Lucas,  the  latter  beat  her  to  Kansas  City  by  nearly  eight 
hours.  After  writing  you  on  the  way,  we  discovered  one  abolitionist  on 
board.  We  knew  him  first  by  his  talk;  secondly,  by  his  eyes;  and  thirdly, 
by  his  eyelashes.  He  could  not  say  cotv ;  he  could  not  look  you  '  plumb  in  , 
the  eye';  and  his  eyelashes  were  as  white  as  cotton,  although  his  head  was 
not  gray.  After  he  found  out  our  '  plan  for  curing  abolitionists, '  he  became 
as  'wise  as  a  serpent  and  as  harmless  as  a  dove.'  H.  C.  P." 

Kansas  City  Enterprise,  April  12,  1856.  — "The  First  Flatboat:  The 
flatboat  Pioneer  has  arrived  from  the  Kansas  river  with  the  first  load  of 
merchandise  ever  shipped  in  that  description  of  craft.  It  was  freighted  at 
Lawrence,  and  opens  a  new  chapter  in  the  territory  of  Kansas.  In  this  age 
of  steamboats  and  locomotives,  people  are  apt  to  overlook  humble  beginnings, 
but  those  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  times  cannot  fail  to  appreciate  the 
importance  of  this  branch  of  trade.  It  is  important  from  another  view — 
Kansas  has  commenced  exporting,  a  fact  which  people  in  the  older  states 
have  not  even  dreamed  of,  afi^ording  evidence  of  the  wonderful  growth  of  the 
territory  and  of  the  energy  and  enterprise  which,  amid  the  political  excitement 
of  the  last  year,  have  been  silently  but  effectively  at  work." 

New  Line  of  Steamers  on  the  Missouri  River.  — "Alton,  III.,  May 
2,  1856.  The  committee  appointed  by  the  Kansas  and  Alton  Transportation 
Company  to  establish  a  line  of  steamers  between  this  city  and  Kansas,  for 
the  transportation  of  passengers  and  merchandise  direct,  have  completed 
their  arrangements,  and  a  circular  will  soon  be  issued  to  apprise  immigrants 
and  forwarders  of  the  increased  facilities  offered  by  the  company.  It  is  as 
yet  uncertain  how  soon  the  boats  will  commence  their  trips.  "  —  Webb,  vol. 
12,  p.  41. 

Emigration  to  Kansas.- Missouri  Democrat,  May  8,  1856:  "Meetings 
were  lately  held  at  Alton  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  the  practicability  of 
establishing  a  line  of  packets  between  that  city  and  points  on  the  Missouri 

-22 


338  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

river,  in  order  to  enable  the  free-state  immigrants  to  escape  from  some  real 
or  imaginary  ill  treatment  suffered  by  them  on  boats  which  make  St.  Louis 
the  starting-point  on  their  trips.  There  does  not  appear  to  be  any  likelihood 
of  an  early  establishment  of  the  contemplated  line,  but  an  agent  is  making 
arrangements  with  steamers  that  leave  here  to  go  to  Alton  in  order  to  take 
them  on  board  there.  The  David  Tatum  got  a  large  number  of  passengers 
under  this  arrangement  a  few  days  ago,  and  the  Keystone  went  up  yester- 
day to  receive  on  board  500  persons  bound  for  Kansas.  We  believe  that  large 
numbers  of  men  are  arriving  daily  at  Alton  bound  for  Kansas,  and  that  at 
least  five  boats  will  call  there  weekly  for  some  time  to  come,  to  carry  them 
to  their  destination." 

St.  Louis  Intelligencer,  June  28,  1856:  "The  Star  of  the  West,  as  we 
learn  from  the  Edinburg,  is  having  trouble  with  her  passengers.  When  the 
Edinburg  passed  down,  the  boat  was  lying  at  Weston  with  the  whole  crowd 
on  board,  and  with  no  prospect  of  landing  them  at  any  point.  The  passen- 
gers on  board,  it  is  known,  are  abolitionists,  and  after  having  their  arms 
taken  from  them  at  Lexington,  the  boat  proceeded  to  Weston,  but  on  her 
arrival  there,  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  and  surrounding  country  refused 
to  allow  them  to  come  on  shore;  and  the  only  alternative  left  is  for  the 
boat  to  bring  them  back  and  land  them  where  she  got  them,  which  we  learn 
will  be  done." 

According  to  the  St.  Louis  Republican  of  June  30,  the  party  reached 
Kansas  City  about  dayhght  the  next  morning  after  they  had  been  disarmed 
at  Lexington,  ■'!  where  the  steamer  was  awaited  by  General  Jones,  with  a 
company  of  thirty  South  Carolinians.  General  Atchison,  General  Stringfel- 
low  and  W.  H.  Russell  came  aboard  the  boat.  A  committee  was  appointed 
from  Leavenworth  and  Kansas  City  to  escort  the  party  out  of  the  river. 
About  forty  were  put  off  at  the  nearest  point  in  Illinois  and  the  remainder 
were  taken  to  St.  Louis.  On  the  way  down  the  Star  of  the  West  met  the 
Sultan  with  forty  more  immigrants  belonging  to  the  same  company.  These 
people,  upon  learning  the  fate  of  the  first  detachment,  desired  to  return  with 
them,  but  their  request  was  not  granted.  It  was  said  these  immigrants  had 
been  "sold"  by  the  Chicago  society  [Kansas  National  Committee,  H,  B, 
Hurd,  secretary]. 

Governor  Robinson  was  a  passenger  on  the  Star  of  the  West,^^  and  took 
the  boat  at  Kansas  City  without  registering.  On  the  arrival  of  the  steamer 
at  Lexington  a  small  company  of  citizens  searched  the  boat  and  took  Rob- 
inson off.  He  was  charged  with  going  away  to  avoid  arrest  for  treason. 
Mrs.  Robinson  remained  with  the  governor. 


The  steamer  Lightf  oot  was  the  first  boat  built  in  Kansas,  and  bore  across 
the  stern,  above  the  wheel,  this  legend,  ' '  Lightf  oot,  of  Quindaro. "  W.  F, 
M.  Arny  and  Matt  Morrison  commanded  in  the  order  named. 

It  was  a  stern-wheeler  of  100  feet  in  length  and  24  feet  beam,  with  a 
hold  of  3  or  4  feet  and  had  no  texas;  the  pilot-house  being  the  only 
structure  above  the  hurricane  deck,  and  this  extending  but  a  few  feet  above; 
the  remainder  being  below,  and  the  floor  of  it  but  a  few  feet  above  that  of 

Note  81.  -  March  10,  1856,  the  St.  Louis  Evening  News  says  the  business  men  of  St.  Louis 
are  becoming  alarmed  lest  the  trade  of  Kansas  should  be  diverted  from  that  city  in  consequence 
of  the  troubles  on  the  river.  To  counteract  the  disposition  of  the  people  of  Kansas  to  trade  with 
other  cities,  the  News  says  it  is  the  duty  of  merchants  in  St.  Louis  to  use  all  means  to  conciliate 
and  break  down  their  repugnance  to  our  state  and  city.—  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  10,  p.  76. 
July  19,  1856.— A  St.  Louis  merchant  bitterly  bewails  the  disastrous  effect  upon  the  business  of 
that  city,  and  adds  :  "  If  you  abolitionists  would  take  a  few  hundred  men  and  a  steamer  or  two 
and  go  up  the  river  and  wipe  Lexington  out  of  existence,  there  would  be  no  tears  shed  in  St. 
Louis."-Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  15,  p.  48. 

Note  32. -The  Star  of  the  West  was  built  at  McKeesport  in  1855,  and  was  rated  at  435  tons. 


The  Kansas  River— Its  Navigation.  339 

the  cabin.  There  were  a  few  staterooms,  and  the  freight  capacity  of  the 
boat  was  probably  seventy-five  tons,  on  a  draft  of  eighteen  inches.  It 
was  built  by  Thaddeus  Hyatt,  of  New  York  city,  who  was  an  enthusiastic 
friend  of  Kansas  and  always  ready  to  spend  his  great  wealth  in  any  way  for 
her  advancement. 

The  first  and  only  trip  of  this  boat  on  the  Kansas  river  began  at  Wyan- 
dotte April  4,  1857,  and  ended  May  9  of  the  same  year.  The  run  to  Lawrence, 
a  distance  of  sixty  miles  by  the  river,  occupied  three  days,  owing  to  a  low  stage 
of  water  and  high  winds.  At  De  Soto  the  smoke-stacks  ran  afoul  of  the  ferry 
rope,  and  this  and  the  gale  of  wind  wrenched  them  down  to  the  deck,  a  fur- 
ther occasion  for  the  delay. 

John  Speer  was  a  passenger  on  his  way  home  to  Lawrence  from  an  East- 
ern trip  in  the  interest  of  free  Kansas.  The  following  facts  are  gleaned 
from  an  account  of  the  trip  published  in  the  Lawrence  Tribune,  of  which  he 
was  the  editor: 

April  7,  1857,  the  steamboat  Lightfoot,  built  expressly  for  the  Kaw  river 
trade,  arrived  at  the  Lawrence  landing,  at  the  foot  of  New  Hampshire  street, 
loaded  down  with  freight  and  passengers.  It  was  considered  at  the  time 
a  great  event  in  the  history  of  Lawrence,  and  Captain  Bickerton  was  on 
hand  with  his  favorite  cannon,  "Old  Sacramento,"  to  fire  a  national  salute 
in  honor  of  the  formal  opening  of  steamboat  navigation  on  the  Kaw.  Several 
steamboats  larger  than  the  Lightfoot  had  made  trips  up  the  river  at  differ- 
ent times  before  this,  but  it  was  given  out  that  the  Lightfoot  had  been  built 
expressly  to  run  on  the  river  from  Kansas  City,  Wyandotte  and  Quindaro 
to  Lawrence,  and  the  people  flattered  themselves  that  Lawrence  was  about 
to  become  almost  a  seaport,  or  at  least  a  port  of  entry  for  cheaply  freighted 
goods.  We  are  truly  sorry  that  we  have  not  preserved  a  full  list  of  the  pas- 
sengers who  came  up  on  that  historic  steamboat,  but  we  do  recollect  a 
goodly  number  of  them,  some  of  whom  were  coming  as  fresh  immigrants 
to  the  territory,  and  others  returning  to  it  from  a  visit  to  the  East.  Among 
the  latter  we  remember  Gen.  C.  W.  Babcock,  then  postmaster  at  Lawrence; 
Gen.  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  then  an  agent  of  the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  So- 
ciety; Paul  R.  Brooks,  then  a  prominent  merchant;  Mrs.  C.  I.  H.  Nichols, 
then  and  since  well  known  as  a  writer  and  lecturer,  accompanied  by  her  two 
sons  and  a  daughter;  Miss  Bernecia  Carpenter,  a  highly  educated  and  ac- 
complished young  lady  who  strongly  attracted  the  attentions  of  the  enthu- 
siastic young  poet,  Richard  Realf ;  Horace  A.  W.  Tabor,  his  brother  John  F. 
Tabor,  and  sister,  Mrs.  Moye,  the  brothers  bringing  each  a  young  wife  fresh 
from  the  hills  of  Vermont.  W.  F.  M.  Arny  was  the  chief  manager  of  the 
Lightfoot;  in  fact,  he  seemed  to  have  full  charge  of  the  boat  in  every  de- 
partment. He  was  supercargo  and  bottle-washer,  everywhere  present,  and 
bound  to  shine. 

The  voyage  from  Wyandotte  to  Lawrence  lasted  three  days,  partly  in 
consequence  of  a  strong  head-wind  which  blew  down  the  steamer's  smoke- 
stacks and  forced  her  to  remain  tied  up  to  a  big  walnut  tree,  not  far  from 
De  Soto,  all  day  Sunday,  giving  Mr.  Arny  a  good  opportunity  to  display  his 
talents  as  chaplain,  which  he  improved  to  the  utmost. 

The  boat  remained  at  Lawrence  a  few  days  and  then  undertook  the  re- 
turn trip  to  Wyandotte,  which,  owing  to  low  water  and  ignorance  of  the 
channel,  consumed  the  time  until  May  9,  as  has  been  stated,  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  being  spent  on  sand-bars.     Upon  reaching  Wyandotte  the 


340  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

boat  abandoned  the  Kansas  and  entered  the  Missouri  river  trade,  but  of  her 
ultimate  fate  I  am  not  advised. 

The  Violet  was  a  side-wheeler,  disproportionately  wide  for  its  length,  be- 
ing some  thirty  feet  beam  and  not  to  exceed  eighty  or  ninety  feet  in  length, 
and  was  rated  at  100  tons.  It  was  built  at  Pittsburg,  expressly  for  the  Kan- 
sas river,  and  reached  Kansas  City  April  7,  1857,  well  loaded  with  freight 
and  passengers.  David  Martin  and  family,  among  the  number  the  lad  who 
in  his  splendid  manhood  has  since  honored  the  state  in  many  useful  and 
prominent  positions  and  the  present  secretary  of  the  Historical  Society, 
were  passengers  on  this  steamer.'"  J.  N.  Deamer,  1945  Vermont  street, 
Lawrence,  was  also  a  passenger  on  the  Violet,  taking  the  boat  at  Pittsburg. 
The  boat  reached  Lawrence  on  April  9  and  concluded  to  go  no  higher, 
owing  to  the  rapidly  falling  river  and  the  shallowness  of  the  channel.  After 
discharging  its  load,  the  return  trip  was  undertaken,  and  consumed  just  a 
month,  the  boat  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  on  May  10,  where  the 
writer  saw  it  scraping  its  way  over  the  bars  to  get  into  the  Missouri. 

With  this  disheartening  experience  the  owners  of  the  Violet  decided  to 
place  her  in  the  trade  of  the  Southern  rivers,  and  accordingly  she  carried  in- 
dividual crops  of  cotton  from  the  St.  Francis,  Cache,  White  and  Arkansas 
rivers  to  New  Orleans,  paying  for  herself  many  times  over  in  the  following 
three  or  four  years. 

Whether  it  is  still  in  vogue  or  not  I  am  unable  to  state,  but  in  the  days 
before  the  war  it  was  a  favorite  custom  for  the  planters  along  the  Southern 
rivers  to  charter  a  steamboat  to  take  the  season's  crop  of  cotton  to  market, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  convey  the  planter's  family  to  the  metropolis  for  a 
touch  of  high  life.  The  winter  rains  brought  all  the  rivers,  bayous  and 
sloughs  to  a  fine  boating  stage,  so  that  an  ordinary-sized  steamer  had  no 
difficulty  in  reaching  the  family  mansion,  which  was  usually  built  near  some 
watercourse,  and  taking  on  the  freight  and  passengers  with  the  greatest 

Note  33. —  David  Martin  was  born  in  county  Antrim,  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  December  1, 
1814,  and  brought  to  America  in  1819.  Mary  Howell  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  in  1822.  They 
were  married  in  Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania,  September  16,  1840.  The  following  editorial, 
entitled  "Our  First  Night  in  Kansas,"  was  published  in  the  Junction  City  Union.  April  14. 1887: 

"On  the  17th  of  March,  1857,  the  editor  of  the  Union,  then  fifteen  years  old,  left  HoUidays- 
burg.  Pa.,  with  his  father's  family,  for  Kansas.  We  came  down  the  Ohio  river  to  St.  Louis  on 
the  steamer  Cambridge.  At  St.  Louis  we  found  a  small  boat  called  the  Violet,  advertised  for  all 
points  on  the  Kansas  river.  The  paterfamilias,  having  spent  1855  and  1856  in  Kansas,  was 
already  filled  with  the  idea  that  nothing  was  impossible  with  Kansas,  and.  of  course,  the  Kansas 
river  was  navigable  ;  so  passage  was  taken  on  the  Violet,  a  little  stern- wheeler,  for  Lecompton, 
&  point  where  a  number  of  Pennsylvanians  had  located.  There  was  a  great  rise  in  the  Missouri, 
and  the  Violet  was  hardly  equal  to  the  task  of  moving  upwards  against  the  current  of  a  flood.  We 
were  two  weeks  exactly  in  reaching  Kansas  City.  At  various  points  along  the  Missouri  where 
the  boat  landed  large  crowds  of  people  would  gather  and  make  insulting  remarks  about  the 
'damned  Yankees,'  which  meant  at  that  time  any  Northern  person,  and  speculate  about  the 
number  of  Sharp's  rifles  we  had,  how  many  niggers  we  had  stolen,  etc.  The  impression  left  on 
our  mind  is  that  they  were  a  hard-looking  lot  of  citizens,  and  we  recollect  that  they  roiled  our 
temper  considerably. 

"At  Kansas  City  the  first  thing  that  caught  our  eyes  was  a  printing-office,  and  m  a  few  mm- 
utes  after  the  gangplank  landed  we  were  looking  around  in  the  office  of  the  Kansas  City  Enterprise. 
We  obtained  a  copy  of  the  paper  from  a  man  who  said  his  name  was  R.  T.  Van  Horn  ( since 
known  to  fame),  and  that  he  was  from  Indiana  county.  Pennsylvania.  Two  of  the  party  left  the 
boat  in  the  afternoon  and  walked  to  Westport,  four  miles  out,  with  the  view  of  starting  from 
there  the  next  morning  for  Lecompton.  After  dark  we  started  for  Westport  also,  accompanied 
iby  two  boys  of  our  own  age  from  St.  Louis,  and  an  uncle.  William  Martin,  from  Indiana  county, 
leaving  the  remainder  of  the  family  on  the  boat  to  make  the  trip  up  the  Kansas  river.  We 
passed  through  a  line  of  camp-fires  from  the  levee  to  Westport.  We  joined  the  party,  and  the  next 
morning  started  on  our  first  walk,  six  of  us.  for  Lecompton,  where  we  arrived,  very  footsore, 
the  evening  of  the  second  day.     This  was  the  9th  of  April,  thirty  years  ago. 

"A  raw,  cold  wind  prevailed,  and  prairie  fires  burned  all  around  us.  We  dined  on  crackers. 
Night  overtook  us,  and  the  wind  blew  harder  and  colder,  and  the  prairie  fires  looked  more  wonder- 
ful to  us.  Some  one  had  told  us  there  was  a  place  to  stop  ahead  on  the  road  called  Fish's  hotel. 
We  reached  there  about  nine  o'clock.  We  entered  and  found  eight  or  ten  men  sitting  around  the 
fireplace.  We  asked  if  we  could  stop  over  night.  One  of  the  party  replied  he  guessed  so,  and. 
without  any  further  attention,  they  proceeded  with  their  talk.     A  bench  on  one  side  of  the  room 


The  Kansas  River  — Its  Navigation.  341 

ease.  The  trip  was  usually  planned  about  the  time  of  the  social  season,  and 
upon  arriving  at  New  Orleans  the  proceeds  of  the  year's  crop  were  largely 
spent  in  the  festivities  of  Mardi  Gras  and  its  attendant  pleasures,  the  steamer 
affording  a  home  for  the  family  in  the  meantime  and  being  the  scene  of  many 
receptions  and  parties.  When  the  season  was  ended  the  boat  would  convey 
the  planter  and  his  family  and  a  year's  supplies  back  to  the  plantation  and 
the  old  mansion  under  the  live-oaks  festooned  with  Spanish  moss  and  sur- 
rounded with  a  groop  of  negro  quarters,  where  the  home-coming  would  be 
vociferously  celebrated  by  a  reception  given  by  the  blacks  which  made  up 
in  cordiality  what  it  might  lack  in  formality. 

So,  it  turned  out  that  the  little  steamer  which  had  been  built  to  promote 
the  ends  of  freedom  and  free  Kansas  drifted  away  from  her  christening 
vows,  and  spent  her  life  in  Dixie.  When  the  civil  war  came  on,  she  was 
employed  by  the  Confederates  as  a  transport  on  the  Arkansas  river,  where 
she  was  found  disabled,  by  the  Union  army,  at  the  time  of  the  Van  Buren 
raid,  lying  against  the  bank  at  the  landing  at  that  town.  Three  other  boats, 
the  Frederick  Notrebe,  Key  West,  and  Rose  Douglas,  were  captured  while 
trying  to  escape  down  the  river,  and  were  brought  back  and  burned,  and 
from  these  the  Violet  caught  fire,  and  was  consumed  also. 

The  steamer  Lacon,  a  little  side-wheeler,  was  built  E^t  Lacon,  111. ,  for  the 
Kansas  river,  and  left  on  her  maiden  trip  in  March,  1857.  It  had  been  the 
intention  of  my  father  and  family  to  take  this  boat  at  Peoria  for  Lawrence 
direct,  but  we  could  not  get  ready  in  time  to  do  so.  The  boat  made  several 
trips  as  far  as  Lawrence,  reaching  there  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  but 
finally  found  it  advisable  to  abandon  the  Kansas  and  seek  business  on  the 
Missouri,  and  later  found  her  way  back  to  Illinois. 

An  account  of  the  first  trip  of  the  Lacon  to  Lawrence  is  contained  in  a 
set  of  congratulatory  resolutions  adopted  by  the  passengers,  and  presented 
to  the  oflficers  of  the  boat,  extolling  the  boat's  appointments— barring  its 
bar— commending  the  management,  and  recounting  the  loveliness  of  the 

was  unoccupied,  and  without  being  asked  we  ventured  to  sit  down.  We  were  entertained  for 
fully  half  an  hour  with  stories  of  a  killing  here  and  a  killing  there,  several  fights  at  various  other 
places,  and  of  prospective  fights  in  the  next  few  days  by  the  dozen.  There  was  nothing  to  cheer 
in  our  reception.  We  were  nearly  dead  from  our  day's  walk,  but  all  we  could  do  was  to  await 
developments.  Suddenly  the  gang  all  got  up  and  walked  out  without  saying  a  word.  Then  we 
were  certain  we  were  in  a  deadfall  of  some  kind  and  that  it  was  time  to  say  our  prayers.  We 
will  never  forget  the  relief  the  party  all  experienced  when  a  man  opened  the  door,  threw  in  a 
buffalo-robe,  and,  with  a  cordiality  and  hospitality  unbounded,  said,  'Go  to  bed.'  [  'Fish's  ho- 
tel, ...  a  stopping-place  to  which  the  free-state  settlers  were  always  cordially  welcomed  by 
the  Shawnee  proprietor.'  — Cutler's  History  of  Kansas.  1883,  p.  308.  This  hotel  was  in  Eudora 
township,  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  8,  nearly  five  miles  from  the 
eastern  line  of  Douglas  county,  on  the  Westport  road.]  A  buffalo-robe  and  the  bare  floor  for 
six  !  It  was  better  than  being  massacred  or  lying  out  in  the  wind.  It  was  all  so  ludicrous  that 
we  had  some  fun  out  of  it,  and  we  worked  quite  a  while  to  stretch  the  robe.  We  put  in  the  night 
the  best  we  could,  and  started  the  next  morning,  without  bi-eakfast,  leaving  the  landlord  and  the 
cook  growling  because  the  latter  had  not  made  biscuits  enough  for  the  crowd.  At  noon  we 
reached  Lawrence,  and  we  remember  consuming  a  section  of  gingerbread  for  our  dinner. 
The  walk  from  Lawrence  to  Lecompton  was  simply  awful,  and  we  rolled  on  the  prairie  every 
half-mile. 

"We  arrived  at  our  destination  at  four  or  five  in  the  evening.  We  put  up  at  Locknane's 
boarding-house.  As  soon  as  possible  we  hunteil  the  post-office.  A  Hollidaysburger  named  An- 
drew Rodrigue  was  postmaster.  We  found  acopy  of  the  Hollidaysburg  S^a/irfrorf.  It  contained 
a  notice  concerning  the  Rev.  D.  X.  Junkin,  D.  D.,  in  whose  church  we  had  been  raised,  which 
provoked  Rodrigue  to  a  terrific  tirade  of  abuse  of  the  doctor.  The  morning  we  left  home  the  doc- 
tor was  there  as  early  as  four  o'clock,  having  prayers  with  the  family  :  he  packed  most  of  the 
luggage  to  the  depot ;  and  he  had  written  our  carriers' address  but  three  months  before.  We 
had  war  in  a  minute.  It  breaks  us  up  to  this  day  to  think  of  that  old  man.  We  were  not  as 
calm  and  mild  mannered  then  as  we  are  to-day,  and  we  had  not  ranged  around  the  canal  in  our 
hoodlum  period  without  gathering  some  lip  ;  so  we  vindicated  the  good  doctor  to  our  own  satis- 
faction.    Rodrigue  was  killed  a  year  or  so  later  in  a  fight  with  a  man  named  Thompson. 

"The  family  spent  another  week  on  the  Violet  in  reaching  Lawrence,  where  they  disem- 
barked and  employed  some  wagons  to  drive  them  out  to  the  claim,  about  twelve  miles,  fully  con- 
vinced that  the  Kaw  river  was  not  navigable." 


342  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

river  scenery,  all  published  in  the  Herald  of  Freedom.  Mrs.  C.  K.  HoUiday 
was  a  passenger  on  the  boat  on  this  trip. 

The  year  1857  was  the  dryest,  up  to  that  date,  ever  known  in  the  history 
of  the  territory,  and  the  rivers  were  all  unusually  low.  During  the  summer 
of  that  year  it  was  safe  to  ford  the  Kansas  at  almost  any  point,  and  several 
of  its  largest  tributaries  dried  up  or  became  mere  rivulets.  The  Missouri 
was  navigated  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  and  only  the  immense  profits  of 
the  Kansas  rush  made  it  practicable  to  navigate  it  at  all. 

The  Otis  Webb,  Captain  Church,  1857-'58,  was  a  side-wheeler  of  100  tons 
burden,  and  was  built  at  Wellsville,  Ohio,  in  the  summer  of  1857,  by  Gov. 
Charles  Robinson,  Otis  Webb,  Fielding  Johnson,  and  Col.  George  W.  Veale. 
She  was  brought  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  and 
entered  service  in  the  following  spring,  making  regular  trips  from  Leaven- 
worth to  Topeka.  Johnson  and  Veale  had  a  store  at  the  site  of  the  present 
government  building  in  Topeka,  and  all  the  goods  for  this  store  were  brought 
up  the  river  on  the  Webb.  She  drew  twenty-six  inches  of  water,  and  cost 
$7000.  One  of  her  cargoes  was  a  sawmill  outfit  for  the  Emigrant  Aid  Com- 
pany, if  I  mistake  not.  This  boat  finally  found  it  more  profitable  to  run  in 
the  Missouri  river  trade,  and  had  a  route  from  Quindaro  and  Parkville  to 
Fort  Leavenworth.  It  once  essayed  a  trip  on  the  Little  Platte  of  Missouri, 
and  struck  a  snag.     Its  bones  are  there  yet. 

The  Minnie  Bell  was  built  in  Pittsburg,  in  1858,  by  a  company  of  which 
Judge  Mark  W.  Delahay  was  a  member  and  a  principal  stockholder.  Cap- 
tain, Frank  Hunt. 

Lawrence  Republican,  February  25,  1858:  "The  steamer  Minnie  Bell, 
that  will  ply  upon  the  Kansas  river  as  soon  as  navigation  opens,  draws  nine 
inches  light  and  fourteen  inches  with  fifty  tons.  She  now  has  eighty-five 
tons  and  draws  seventeen  inches." 

Wilder 's  Annals  of  Kansas:  "The  steamer  Minnie  Bell  first  arrived  at 
Lawrence  March  12,  1858;  on  the  24th  of  April  she  had  made  three  trips  to 
Lawrence.     In  September  she  made  a  trip  to  Manhattan." 

The  Minnie  Bell  left  for  Lawrence  with  50,000  feet  of  pine  lumber  aboard. 

The  Journal  of  July  15,  1858,  contains  a  gossipy  letter  from  a  passenger 
on  the  Minnie  Bell  returning  from  Manhattan.  She  speaks  of  meeting  two 
large  flatboats  propelled  by  sails— the  Hazel  Dell,  off  Louisville  island,  and 
the  Broad  Horn,  at  Tecumseh  island.  The  latter  failed  to  signal  the  steamer 
and  a  collision  came  near  being  the  result.  On  the  9th  of  July  she  laid  up 
at  Lecompton  all  day  on  account  of  a  heavy  storm.  On  the  15th  of  July 
she  again  left  Kansas  City  for  Manhattan  with  eighty  tons  of  freight.  On 
the  25th  of  July  the  drawbridge  at  Topeka  ■'*  had  been  washed  away  by  a 
flood,  and,  on  August  17,  J.  S.  Chick  came  down  the  Kansas  valley  by  stage 
and  reported  the  Minnie  Bell  aground  ten  miles  below  Manhattan.  On 
August  26  Mons  Bordeau  arrived  at  Kansas  City  with  the  first  news  of  gold 
at  Pike's  Peak,  and  advised  miners  to  take  the  Arkansas  river  route,  as 
"the  Kansas  is  destitute  of  timber  and  water."  In  September  the  steamer 
ran  from  Lecompton  to  Kansas  City,  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles  by 
river,  in  seven  hours,  and  made  seven  landings.  The  above  data  will  serve 
to  illustrate  the  great  fluctuations  of  the  stage  of  water  in  that  river  during 
a  boating  season. 

Note  34.— This  boat  is  remembered  by  old  settlers  in  Topeka.  The  boat  landing  in  this  city 
was  at  the  foot  of  Kansas  avenue,  just  east  of  the  present  Melan  bridge,  between  the  bridge  and 
where  is  now  Wolff's  packing- house.    The  water  was  deep  there.— Mrs.  J.  W.  Farnsworth. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  343 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1858  the  Minnie  Bell  made  her  last  trip,  Ed.  Monroe, 
of  Lawrence,  piloting  her  from  Lawrence  to  Kansas  City.  At  the  latter 
place  she  was  attached  for  debt,  laid  up,  and  lost  to  view. 

Early  in  1858,  probably  in  May,  the  Kate  Swinney,  a  lower  Missouri 
river  boat  of  600  tons  burden,  brought  300,000  feet  of  pine  lumber  to  Law- 
rence as  an  experiment.  It  was  a  piece  of  temerity  to  bring  so  large  and 
fine  a  boat  into  the  Kansas  river,  and  the  astonishment  of  the  citizens  at 
seeing  her  forging  up  the  river  as  though  it  had  been  her  favorite  route  for 
years  was  beyond  expression.  The  boat  remained  at  the  foot  of  New 
Hampshire  street  for  several  days,  while  the  owners  of  the  lumber  were 
disposing  of  it,  before  it  was  finally  decided  not  to  go  on  up  to  Topeka.  As 
the  boat  was  one  of  the  largest  craft  in  the  lower  Missouri  trade,  a  side- 
wheeler  drawing  about  six  feet  of  water,  the  stage  of  the  river  may  be  im- 
agined. It  was  the  highest  water  since  the  great  flood  of  1844,  up  to  that 
date,  and  was  never  exceeded  since  until  1903.  The  lumber  was  sold  to  Mr. 
Robert  Morrow  for  $100  per  thousand  feet. 

When  the  cargo  was  unloaded,  the  steamer  returned  to  the  Missouri 
with  ease. 

The  Kate  Swinney  was  a  magnificent  craft,  and  was  peculiar  in  that  she 
had  a  "captain's  house"  detached  from  the  texas  at  the  edge  of  the 
hurricane  deck.  She  sank  on  the  upper  Missouri,  but  just  where  I  am  un- 
able to  state. 

The  abundance  of  water  in  the  river  in  1858  and  the  successful  trip  of 
the  Kate  Swinney  inspired  great  hopes  in  the  Lawrence  people  that  the 
Kansas  would  be  found  navigable  as  far  up  as  their  city.  From  a  private 
letter  from  Capt.  John  G.  Haskell,  of  Lawrence,  I  quote  the  following: 

"Lawrence  cherished  high  river-navigation  hopes— we  had  a  rock  levee 
( now  under  the  dam) .  Pinckney  street  was  expected  to  be  the  wholesale 
commercial  street.  Its  lots  faced  the  levee  reservation  from  Kimball's  old 
foundry  to  a  point  east  of  the  present  paper-mill. 

' '  Pinckney  street  lots  constituted  the  cream  of  the  'drawings. '  Massachu- 
setts street  lots  south  of  Winthrop  were  too  remote  to  be  reckoned  as  valu- 
able for  business." 

Kansas  City  Journal,  March  17,  1859:  "The  elegant  little  steamer  Silver 
Lake  leaves  for  the  Kansas  river  this  evening.  She  seems  to  have  every 
requisite  for  successfully  navigating  the  Kansas,  combining,  as  she  does, 
light  draft  with  great  power.  With  an  ordinary  stage  of  water,  she  will 
doubtless  make  regular  trips  a  greater  portion  of  the  season." 

It  was  the  intention  of  this  boat  to  go  as  far  up  as  Manhattan,  and  the 
Journal  encouraged  the  enterprise  by  stating  that  large  consignments  of 
freight  awaited  the  boat  at  Lecompton,  Tecumseh,  Topeka,  St.  George, 
Manhattan,  etc.,  and  advised  merchants  at  Grasshopper  Falls,  Ozawkie,  In- 
dianola,  Willow  Springs  and  Superior  to  order  their  goods  to  the  nearest 
point  on  the  Kansas  river. 

Kansas  City  Journal,  April  1,  1859:  "The  steamer  Silver  Lake  returned 
yesterday  from  Topeka  after  a  most  successful  trip,  loaded  with  corn  and 
hides  for  Colonel  Nelson,  J.  S.  Chick  &  Co.  It  is  gratifying  to  see  the 
great  piles  of  corn  and  hides  piled  up  on  the  levee,  the  first  shipment  by 
steamboat  ever  made  of  the  products  of  Kansas. 

"On  April  16  the  Silver  Lake  returned  from  her  second  trip  to  Topeka, 
having  made  the  run  from  Kansas  City  to  Tecumseh  in  twenty-seven  hours. 

"On  May  19  this  boat  ran  from  Lawrence  to  Kansas  City,  a  distance  by 
river  of  sixty  miles,  in  five  hours,  and  made  six  landings,  carrying  2300 
bushels  of  corn  and  twenty  passengers. 


344 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


River  scene  at  Lecompton  in  1855,  according  to  a 


"On  May  31  she  arrived  from  Lawrence,  bringing  800  sacks  of  corn. 
"On  June  3  she  left  for  Lawrence  with  sixty  tons  of  freight,  a  part  of 
which  was  200  grindstones. 

"On  June  21  she  left  for  another  trip  to  Lawrence." 

On  June  26  the  Kansas  City  Journal  replies  to  an  article  in  the  Lawrence 
Republican  alleging  that  excessive  charges  are  made  for  freight  on  the 
Kansas  river  destined  for  Ridgeway,  Osage  county,  Kansas.  The  Lawrence 
editor  says  that  a  through  rate  and  a  bill  of  lading  was  given  from  St.  Louis 
to  Lawrence,  but  that  the  goods  were  taken  from  the  Missouri  river  boat  at 
Kansas  City  and  loaded  on  the  Col.  Gus  Linn,  an  independent  boat  on  the 
Kansas  river,  and  reshipped  at  local  rates,  drayage  charges  included,  "when 
the  Silver  Lake,  a  boat  of  the  line,  would  have  brought  them  to  Lawrence 
at  a  saving  of  eighteen  dollars  to  the  shipper."  The  Journal  replies  that 
there  are  no  regular  lines  on  the  Kansas  river,  and  that  one  boat  is  as  much 
entitled  to  the  freight  as  another. 

On  May  29  Captain  Willoughby  published  a  card  in  the  Journal  in  his 
own  vindication  concerning  an  unfortunate  accident  at  Delaware  crossing, 
by  which  a  ferryman  lost  his  life.  He  states  that  the  pilot  sounded  the 
proper  signal  for  the  ferry,  but  the  man  in  charge  failed  to  act  promptly  in 
lowering  the  cable  for  the  boat  to  pass  over.  When  the  steamer  was  but  a 
short  distance  away  the  ferryman  climbed  out  on  the  cable,  sliding  a  heavy 
weight  before  him,  to  sink  it  for  the  boat  to  pass  over.  He  was  too  late. 
The  cable  caught  on  the  boat  and  the  utmost  confusion  ensued,  as  the  upper 
deck  was  in  danger  of  being  torn  off.  In  the  emergency.  Captain  Willoughby 
ordered  the  cable  cut,  which  was  done,  and  the  ferryman  was  precipitated 
into  the  river.  A  yawl  was  immediately  lowered,  but  the  unfortunate  man 
had  been  carried  under  the  boat  and  drowned.     Captain  Willoughby  gives  it 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  345 


Mw' 


K;J 


beautiful  lithographed  real-estate  map  of  that  period. 

as  his  opinion  that  several  lives  would  have  been  lost  if  he  had  not  cut  the 
cable. 

The  last  trip  of  the  Silver  Lake  to  Lawrence  ended  July  10,  1859. 

"Old  Willoughby,"  as  he  was  called  by  river-men,  not  a  term  of  endear- 
ment, but  rather  in  aversion,  was  noted  for  his  vociferous  and  shocking  pro- 
fanity. He  had  no  peer  or  pretended  rival  even  among  the  blasphemous 
deck  officers,  who  swore  with  every  breath.  Willoughby  distrusted  his 
officers,  and  refused  to  allow  the  clerk  to  handle  the  boat's  money  or  put  it 
in  the  safe,  and  carried  it  about  with  him  stowed  away  in  his  clothes.  When 
last  heard  from,  he  was  eking  out  an  existence  down  at  Memphis  catching 
catfish. 

Kansas  City  Journal,  April  4,  1859:  "  The  steamer  Morning  Star,  for  the 
Kansas  river,  arrived  at  this  port  yesterday. ' ' 

This  is  the  only  mention  of  this  boat  I  have  been  able  to  find  in  any  of 
the  papers  of  the  time.  There  was  a  boat  in  the  Missouri  river  trade  of 
this  name  about  that  time,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  route  of  the  boat 
was  changed  from  the  Kansas  to  the  Missouri  without  making  any  attempt 
to  navigate  the  former  stream. 

I  am  bound  to  believe  that  the  boat  referred  to  was  none  other  than 
Tom  Brierly's  floating  palace,  the  famous  Morning  Star,  since  I  never 
heard  of  a  second  boat  of  the  name.  No  more  elegant  steamer  ever  floated 
on  the  Missouri  river,  if,  indeed,  on  any  Western  river.  The  excellence  of 
her  table  is  spoken  of  to  this  day,  and  the  style  of  her  waiters,  who  wore 
evening  suits  when  serving  dinner,  including  white  gloves  with  stars  on  the 
gauntlets.  What  ever  possessed  Captain  Brierly  to  take  such  a  boat  up  the 
Kansas,  or  to  seriously  contemplate  such  a  trip,  is  beyond  my  comprehension. 


346  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Come  to  think  of  it,  the  undertaking  was  not  much  wilder  than  the  trip  of 
that  other  magnificent  craft,  the  Kate  Swinney,  to  Lawrence. 

The  Morning  Star  was  burned  at  Bissell's  Point,  on  the  Mississippi,  just 
above  St.  Louis,  when  laid  up  for  the  winter. 

Poor  Captain  Brierly,  one  of  the  "big"  river-men  of  his  time  !  He  "lost 
out"  in  the  final  shuffle  and  died  down  on  the  Yazoo. 

Pittsburg  Gazette,  April  11,  1859:  "Capt.  B.  F.  Beasley  has  just  finished 
a  boat  in  this  city  expressly  for  the  Kansas  river.  This  boat  draws  eight 
inches  light,  is  135  feet  long  on  deck,  28  feet  beam,  2  feet  hold,  and  carries 
300  tons.  Her  cylinders  are  11  inches,  with  a  3-foot  stroke;  she  has  2  boilers. 
She  has  fine  accommodation  for  passengers,  and  expects  to  go  within  150 
miles  of  Pike's  Peak.     The  name  of  the  steamer  is  Col.  Gus  Linn." 

Pittsburg  Furnace,  April  12,  1859:  "The  Kansas  river  packet.  Col.  Gus 
Linn,  made  a  trial  trip  yesterday.  She  is  the  lighest-draft  steamer  ever 
built,  drawing  but  six  inches  aft  and  seven  inches  forward.  She  leaves  for 
the  Kansas  to-morrow,  and  has  quite  a  number  of  passengers  for  Pike's 
Peak  at  $130  fare.  They  will  go  in  stages  beyond  Buddville,  the  head  of 
navigation." 

Kansas  City  Journal,  May  5,  1859:  "Captain  Beasley,  of  the  Gus  Linn, 
made  a  trip  up  the  Kansas  on  the  Excel  as  far  as  Fort  Riley  in  1854,  and 
considers  it  a  boatable  stream.  He  built  the  Linn  expressly  for  it  and  is 
sanguine  of  success." 

Kansas  City  Journal,  May  7,  1859:  "The  steamer  Gus  Linn  arrived  at 
this  port  yesterday  morning.  From  Charles  P.  Budd,  the  clerk,  we  learn 
that  she  brought  sixty  passengers,  and  will  engage  in  transferring  govern- 
ment freight  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Riley,  the  former  having  been 
abandoned  as  a  military  post. ' ' 

Kansas  City  Journal,  May  10,  1859:  "The  Linn  left  for  the  Kansas  river 
this  morning  with  100  tons  of  freight,  drawing  fifteen  inches  of  water. 
Col.  R.  H.  Nelson  is  a  passenger." 

Leavenworth  Times,  May  28,  1859  (special  correspondence):  "On  Board 
Col.  Gus  Linn,  Fort  Riley,  K.  T.,  May  17,  1859.— As  a  matter  of  consid- 
erable interest  to  your  home  and  river  readers,  I  herewith  enclose  you  the 
'log'  of  the  new  Kansas  river  packet.  Col.  Gus  Linn,'^  from  Kansas  City 
to  Fort  Riley: 

"May  10,  eleven  o'clock  a.  m.— Left  Kansas  City  with  a  full  complement  of  passengers  and 
a  miscellaneous  cargo,  consisting  of  lumber,  groceries,  hardware,  etc.,  140  tons,  three-fourths  of 
which  is  for  Manhattan  and  the  fort.  Among  the  passengers  are  Col.  R.  H.  Nelson,  of  Kansas 
City,  and  J.  D.  Chestnut,  of  Wyandotte,  both  influential  citizens,  bound  on  a  prospecting  tour. 
The  Linn  draws  twenty-three  inches  forward  and  eighteen  inches  aft.  At  two  o'clock,  passed 
the  draw  in  the  Wyandotte  bridge,  five  feet  in  the  channel.  At  De  Soto,  thirty-five  miles  up, 
broke  rock  shaft  and  were  detained  several  hours. 

"May  11.  — Arrived  at  Lawrence  at  seven  A.  M.  Discharged  several  tons  of  hardware  for 
Allen  &  Gilmore. 

Note  35.—  "We  promised  last  week  to  say  something  further  concerning  Capt.  Sidney  Scudder, 
whom  we  met  at  Galveston.  The  captain  was  clerk  of  the  steamboat  which  landed  at  Junction 
City  in  April,  1859,  which  we  believe  was  the  first  and  only  instance  in  our  history  when  our 
wharf  was  honored  with  a  steamboat.  The  boat  was  commanded  by  a  Captain  Millard  [Captain 
Beasley].  We  learn  that  the  name  of  the  boat  was  the  Gus  Linn.  The  only  freight  it  delivered 
was  the  shingles  used  on  P.  Z.  Taylor's  house,  corner  of  Sixth  and  Washington.  Among  the 
passengers  was  Dr.  William  A.  Hammond,  during  the  rebellion  surgeon-general  of  the  federal 
army.  To  touch  the  town  site  of  Junction  City  was  regarded  as  a  great  feat,  and  the  determina- 
tion and  enthusiasm  of  the  party  to  do  it,  inspired  by  the  fluid  of  that  day,  was  such  that  they 
were  indifferent  whether  the  boat  got  back  to  Fort  Riley  or  not.  Captain  Scudder  says  that  the 
boat  landed  very  close  to  a  sawmill,  which  agrees  with  the  tradition  we  have.  Panton's  steam 
grist-mill  occupies  the  spot  to-day.  The  boat  was  one  whole  day  in  making  the  trip  from  Fort 
Riley  to  Junction  City  and  back.  The  windings  of  the  Smoky  Hill,  seen  through  uncorked  bot- 
tles, made  great  confusion  among  the  party,  as  very  frequently  the  head  of  the  boat  led  directly 
toward  the  port  they  had  .iust  left.  The  feat  accomplished  of  having  touched  a  point  further 
west  than  any  other  boat,  the  return  to  the  fort  was  characterized  by  a  first-class  drunk,  with 
the  single  exception  of  our  friend  in  Texas.  Bob  Wilson  and  an  army  officer,  whose  name  we 
cannot  learn,  were  so  overcome  that  they  were  left  on  this  side  of  the  Republican  for  the  purpose 
of  fighting  a  duel.  The  boat  left  them,  their  ardor  cooled,  the  ferryman  would  not  put  them 
across  the  river,  which  compelled  them  to  wade.  The  government  sawmill  was  then  located 
right  in  the  forks  of  the  two  rivers.  William  Cuddy,  then  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Junction 
Statesman,  was  one  of  the  party  who  made  the  trip,  and  he  wrote  a  long  and  enthusiastic  accouiit 
of  it  for  the  Statesman."  —  Junction  City  Union. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  347 

"May  12.— Left  Lawrence  at  nine  a.  m.,  amid  shouts  of  a  large  crowd  of  people.  Weather 
beautiful.  Navigation  all  that  could  be  desired.  At  1:30  p.m.,  passed  the  Silver  Lake  hard 
aground,  bound  down.  We  were  delayed  by  having  to  land  frequently  and  cut  wood  for  fuel. 
Lecompton,  three  P.  M.  Here  we  were  met  by  a  delegation  of  citizens ;  among  them  were  Col- 
onel Heminway,  of  the  Rowena  hotel,  D.  S.  Mcintosh,  and  others,  who  entertained  the  officers 
and  passengers  for  two  hours. 

"May  13,  ten  o'clock  a.  m. — Arrived  at  Tecumseh,  county-seat  of  Shawnee  county,  situated 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  100  miles  from  its  mouth.  Laid  up  three  hours  to  repair  broken 
rudder.     Arrived  at  Topeka  at  seven  p.  m. 

"May  14,  six  o'clock  a.  m.  — Left  Topeka  and  ran  aground  half  a  mile  above  town.  Sparred 
off  without  serious  detention.  At  12: 15  o'clock,  captain  shot  a  large  wolf  on  the  shore.  Excel- 
lent stage  of  water  all  day.     Average  speed,  five  miles  per  hour. 

"  May  15,  four  o'clock  p.  M. —  Reached  St.  Mary's  Mission,  Pottawatomie  reserve.  The  set- 
tlement contains  about  4000  Indians,  half-breeds,  and  whites,  and  is  under  charge  of  Father 
Schultz. 

"May  16,  ten  o'clock  A.  M. —  Reached  Wabaunsee.  This  place  contains  a  store  and  fifteen 
houses.  It  is  a  county-seat  and  the  prospective  terminus  of  an  important  railroad.  It  claims 
the  finest  town  site  in  the  territory.  Passing  the  embryo  city  of  St.  George,  ten  miles  above,  we 
reached  the  junction  of  the  Kansas  and  Blue  rivers  and  moored  in  full  view  of  the  flourishing 
city  of  Manhattan.  Here  we  found  Hon.  A.  J  Mead,  Col.  W.  M.  Snow,  Rev.  Mr.  Blood,  and 
others,  waiting  to  receive  us.  News  of  our  arrival  spread  like  wild-fire,  and  within  fifteen 
minutes  the  boat  was  taken  by  storm.  Though  somewhat  depressed  at  the  effects  of  the  tor- 
nado of  the  day  before,  the  citizens  expressed  themselves  as  delighted  with  the  arrival  of  the 
boat.     A  ball  was  conducted  in  the  cabin  until  after  midnight. 

"May  17. —  River  rising  rapidly.  Have  just  arrived  at  the  fort.  Officers  of  the  Colonel  Gus 
Linn :  Captain,  Benjamin  F.  Beasley ;  William  Morris,  mate ;  Charles  P.  Budd,  clerk  ;  George 
Davis,  pilot ;  Dan  Watkins,  bartender.  E.  P.  H." 

Kansas  City  Journal,  May  22,  1859:  "The  Kansas  river  packet.  Col.  Gus 
Linn,  arrived  last  night  at  seven  o'clock  with  41  passengers  and  2300  sacks 
of  com  shipped  from  Junction  City,  fully  demonstrating  that  the  Kansas  is 
navigable  for  boats  of  light  draft  in  an  ordinary  stage  of  water.  Colonel 
Nelson  is  an  old  river-man,  having  run  boats  on  the  Illinois  in  1829-'33.  He 
says  the  Kansas  resembles  the  Illinois,  but  is  a  better  stream." 

This  boat  ran  from  Junction  City  to  Kansas  City,  243  miles,  in  26  hours, 
and  made  30  landings,  on  the  trip  referred  to. 

Kansas  City  Journal,  May  26,  1859:  "The  steamer  Col.  Gus  Linn  leaves 
to-day  for  Manhattan,  Junction  City,  and  way  landings." 

Kansas  City  Journal,  June  17,  1859 :  ' ' The  Col.  Gus  Linn,  the  favorite 
boat,  whose  gentlemanly  officers  have  won  for  themselves  and  their  boat 
hosts  of  friends  both  here  and  at  various  points  on  the  river,  arrived  quite 
late  last  Wednesday  evening.  She  left  here  on  May  26,  taking  up  quite  a 
large  quantity  of  freight  and  a  number  of  passengers.  Mr.  C.  P.  Budd  has 
favored  us  with  a  perusal  of  the  'log'  book,  and  from  it  we  glean  some  in- 
cidents of  the  trip. 

"The  first  coal-bank  is  ten  miles  above  the  mouth  and  yields  an  inferior 
quality  of  coal.  They  were  five  days  in  reaching  Fort  Riley.  Returning, 
she  took  2200  bushels  of  corn  at  Manhattan  and  500  sacks  at  Topeka,  a  por- 
tion of  which  she  was  obliged  to  leave  on  the  bank  to  lighten  over  bars.  On 
the  14th  they  met  the  Star  of  the  West  hard  aground.  She  is  described  as 
a  model  little  boat:  forty  feet  keel,  twenty  feet  beam,  with  a  railroad  engine 
and  upright  boiler,  and  draws  twenty-six  inches  with  twelve  tons  of  freight. 
She  was  built  for  the  Wisconsin. 

' '  Captain  Beasley  regards  the  Kansas  river  as  a  good  stream  for  naviga- 
tion, and  thinks  there  will  not  be  near  the  trouble  when  the  water  gets  lower 
and  the  channel  more  clearly  defined.  The  Linn  will  start  on  another  trip 
to-day  with  a  full  load  of  freight. 

"Mr.  Budd  informs  us  that  while  the  boat  was  aground  near  Topeka  some 
of  the  deck  hands  washed  several  particles  of  gold  from  the  sand  in  the  bed 
of  the  river.  No  claims  have  yet  been  sold,  but  it  is  really  said  that  there 
is  to  be  a  daily  express  started  from  Leavenworth  next  week  to  the  new 
diggings.     The  gold  is  a  fact. " 

Kansas  City  Journal,  June  29,  1859:  "The  Col.  Gus  Linn  left  for  the 
Kansas  river  last  evening  with  100  tons  of  freight  and  as  many  passengers 
as  she  could  accommodate. 

Topeka  Tribune,  June  29,  1859:  "While  the  little  Kansas  river  steamer. 
Col.  Gus  Linn,  was  lying  at  the  Lecompton  wharf  recently,  there  was  a  great 


348  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

stir  made  in  the  ladies'  cabin.  A  doctor  was  sent  for  and  in  a  very  short  time 
after  his  arrival  there  was  another  passenger  added  for  the  trip.  In  other 
words,  a  lady  on  board,  a  Mrs.  Kelly,  of  Junction  City,  was  made  a  mother. 
The  babe,  a  girl,  was  immediately  named  Gusta  Linn.  The  mother  and 
child  were  doing  finely  when  the  steamer  left  for  Manhattan." 

Many  stories  are  told  by  the  old  residents  along  the  Kansas  of  the 
strenuous  efforts  of  Captain  Beasley  to  control  the  traffic  of  the  river.  He 
took  all  the  freight  he  could  stow  on  his  boat  without  sinking  her,  even  if 
he  had  to  unload  a  part  of  it  to  get  over  the  bars  to  accommodate  the  next 
that  offered.  Once  in  coming  up  the  river  his  boat  ran  aground  just  above 
Rising  Sun,  a  rival  of  Lecompton,  and  directly  opposite  that  town.  Capt. 
Jerome  Kunkle,  who  lived  in  Rising  Sun  at  the  time  and  a  number  of  years 
after  steamboating  had  ceased  on  the  river,  told  me  the  story  of  what  hap- 
pened. It  was  in  July,  and  the  river  was  getting  low,  but  the  Col.  Gus 
Linn  used  to  start  up  with  her  guards  dragging  in  the  water  and  accommo- 
date her  draft  to  the  condition  of  the  channel  by  landing  enough  freight 
on  the  bank,  every  time  she  grounded,  to  get  over  the  bar  and  on  up  to  the 
next  one.  When  the  boat  ran  on  the  bar  above  Rising  Sun,  Captain  Beasley 
unloaded  1500  sacks  of  flour  in  a  papaw  patch  on  the  bank,  and,  leaving  a 
deck-hand  to  guard  it  until  the  next  trip,  went  on  up  the  river. 

Every  alternate  house  in  Rising  Sun  was  a  saloon,  and  the  inevitable 
happened.  The  deck-hand  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  village,  and  razor- 
backed hogs  of  the  Delaware  Indians  took  care  of  that  flour.  Kunkle  said 
the  papaw  bushes  looked  as  if  they  had  been  whitewashed. 

Judge  John  Pipher  told  me  of  his  experiences  on  the  last  trip  of  the  Gus 
Linn  from  Manhattan  to  Kansas  City.  He  said  the  boat  started  from  Man- 
hattan with  every  pound  of  freight  she  could  reasonably  expect  to  carry  over 
the  bars,  but  Captain  Beasley  took  all  that  was  offered  at  points  below,  even 
though  he  had  to  land  it  again  as  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight  of  the  town. 
As  the  river  was  falling,  it  was  necessary  to  hustle,  and  so  the  captain 
impressed  all  the  male  passengers  into  the  service  as  roustabouts,  regardless 
of  the  fact  that  they  had  paid  first-class  fare. 

At  Topeka  several  thousand  bushels  of  corn  were  taken  aboard,  and  the 
boat  went  down  to  her  guards.  The  passengers  remonstrated,  but  to  no 
avail.  Captain  Beasley  said  he  proposed  to  control  the  river,  and  shut  out 
all  other  boats.  Just  above  Tecumseh,  this  corn  was  landed  to  make  room 
for  a  consignment  from  that  town,  and  this,  in  turn,  was  dumped  out  on  the 
bank  above  the  Coon  Creek  bar,  to  make  room  for  a  lot  more  at  Lecompton. 
When  the  boat  reached  the  wharf  at  Lecompton,  the  bank  was  piled  high 
with  sacks  of  corn,  and  Uncle  George  Zinn,  one  of  the  largest  farmers  in 
Douglas  county  at  the  time,  was  there  with  a  force  of  men  to  load  it  on  the 
boat.  This  reenforcement  of  fresh  laborers  afforded  the  captain  and  pas- 
sengers an  opportunity  to  take  in  the  town.  Judge  Pipher  preferred  to 
remain  at  the  boat  and  watch  the  loading  of  the  corn. 

When  the  boat  was  ready  to  sail,  the  captain  was  found  in  a  saloon  up 
town,  blind  drunk,  and  assisted  back  to  his  craft.  Coming  to  Judge  Pipher, 
sitting  on  the  bank  near  the  boat,  he  invited  him  to  go  to  Kansas  City  as 
his  "guest,"  an  invitation  which  the  judge,  loving  a  joke,  thankfully  ac- 
cepted. A  few  miles  below  the  town  the  boat  grounded  good  and  hard, 
and,  as  was  the  custom  for  the  trip,  all  the  male  passengers  were  called  on 
to  carry  freight  ashore.     Pipher  said  it  was  as  comical  as  anything  he  ever 


The  Kansas  River  ^  Its  Navigation.  349 

saw,  when  the  captain  graciously  approached  him,  and,  in  the  blandest  man- 
ner possible,  apologized  for  the  necessity  of  calling  upon  him  to  assist  in 
relieving  the  boat  of  her  surplus  freight,  not  recognizing  him  as  one  of  the 
passengers  who  had  worked  his  passage  all  the  way  from  Manhattan. 

Kansas  City  Journal,  July  17,  1859:  "Friday  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
shaking  hands  with  Captain  Beasley,  of  the  steamer  Col.  Gus  Linn.  He 
informed  us  that  his  boat  was  lying  about  three  miles  below  Lecompton, 
waiting  for  high  water  before  she  attempts  to  descend.  She  has  on  board 
1500  sacks  of  corn  for  this  place,  and  the  captain  says  that  not  less  than 
10,000  bushels  are  awaiting  shipment  along  the  banks  of  the  river.  The 
captain  is  sanguine  that  the  Kansas  can  be  navigated  for  several  months 
in  the  year.  He  expects  to  return  to  his  boat  again  in  the  course  of  eight 
or  ten  days,  and  hopes  to  land  the  'Gus'  at  our  levee  before  two  weeks." 

Kansas  City  Journal,  August  11,  1859:  "The  steamer  Col.  Gus  Linn  at 
last  accounts  was  lying  at  Lecompton  on  the  levee,  indisposed. ' ' 

Kansas  City  Journal,  September  21,  1859:  "Yesterday  afternoon  the 
steamer  Col.  Gus  Linn,  a  Kaw  river  packet,  put  off  1300  bushels  of  corn  at 
our  levee,  which  was  grown  in  the  Kaw  valley.  We  learned  from  the  offi- 
cers of  that  boat  that  at  Manhattan,  Topeka,  Tecumseh,  Lecompton  and 
Lawrence  there  is  not  less  than  40,000  bushels  of  corn  awaiting  shipment. 
We  shall  look  for  this  corn  down  on  the  first  rise  in  this  new  stream  of 
Western  commerce." 

On  one  of  her  trips  the  Col.  Gus  Linn  met  a  steamer  named  the  Adelia,-'" 
near  Lawrence,  bound  up.  This  was  May  21,  1859.  Like  the  Morning  Star, 
I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  further  mention  of  this  boat  or  learn  any- 
thing of  her  history. 

Kansas  City  JowrwaZ,  July  24,  1905:  '' To  the  Journal:  The  steamer  Gus 
Linn  was  built  expressly  to  navigate  the  Kaw  river,  by  Captain  Beasley, 
in  1858.  She  made  several  trips  from  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  to  Manhattan 
and  Fort  Riley.  On  her  last  trip  down  the  river,  the  river  fell  so  fast  that 
navigation  was  suspended,  and  prevented  the  Gus.  Linn  from  reaching  her 
destination,  Kansas  City.  She  lay  hard  aground  between  Lawrence  and 
Lecompton,  Kan.,  during  the  summer  of  1858.  The  quartermaster's  re- 
port will  show  that  the  government  sent  several  steamboats  from  St.  Louis 
to  Fort  Riley,  for  several  years  previous  to  1858.  Capt.  Joseph  S.  Chick 
should  refresh  his  memory  and  tell  all  about  the  navigation  of  the  Kaw 
river  fifty  years  ago.  If  the  government  had  expended  half  as  much  money 
removing  obstructions  and  building  wing-dams  on  the  Kaw  river  as  was  ap- 
propriated for  the  improvement  of  the  Osage  river,  the  Kaw  river  would 
have  been  navigated  for  the  past  fifty  years. —  Capt.  S.  O.  Hemenway.  " 

Of  the  fate  of  the  Col.  Gus  Linn,  the  boat  that  did  more  to  demonstrate 
the  practicability  of  the  navigation  of  the  Kansas  than  any  one  of  the  score 
or  more  which  made  the  attempt,  I  have  no  knowledge.  Probably  she,  too, 
went  South  and  joined  the  Confederacy.'" 

Kansas  City  Journal,  May  24,  1859:  "The  steamer  Colona,  for  the  Kan- 
sas river,  or  as  it  is  inscribed  on  her  wheel-houses,  'Kansas  City  and  Law- 
rence Packet,'  arrived  at  our  levee  yesterday.  She  is  a  stanch  little 
side-wheeler,  built  on  the  Ohio  by  Captain  Hendershot,  and  makes  the  third 
regular  packet  now  running  on  that  river." 

Kansas  City  Journal,  May  31,  1859:  "The  steamer  Colona  arrived  from 
Topeka  last  evening.  She  brought  a  fair  trip  of  passengers  and  freight, 
and  made  the  run  from  Lawrence  to  this  city  in  four  hours  and  forty-five 
minutes.  She  had  no  difficulty  anywhere,  and  found  eight  feet  of  water  on 
the  bars." 

Note  36.— The  Adelia  was  built  at  California,  in  1853,  and  was  rated  at  127  tons.     1. 
Note  37.— See  Gus  Linn,  in  list  of  upper  Missouri  river  steamboats,  this  volume,  p.  314. 


350  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Kansas  City  Journal,  June  11,  1859:  "The  Colona  is  advertised  to  make 
an  excursion  up  the  Kansas  river  to-day.  Those  of  our  citizens  who  have 
never  taken  a  trip  on  the  Kansas  have  the  opportunity  of  a  day's  enjoy- 
ment on  one  of  the  safest  and  best  boats  on  the  river. ' ' 

The  run  of  this  boat  from  Lawrence  to  Kansas  City  in  four  hours  and 
forty-five  minutes,  is,  I  beheve,  the  best  time  that  was  ever  made  by  a 
boat  between  those  points,  if  indeed  it  was  ever  exceeded  anywhere  on  the 
Kansas  river.  I  have  been  interested  to  learn  more  of  this  boat,  but  have 
been  unable  to  do  so,  and  know  nothing  of  her  fate. 

Kansas  City  Journal,  June  11,  1859:  "The  Star  of  the  West,  built  for 
the  Kansas,  passed  up  last  evening  to  Wyandotte." 

Topeka  Commomvealth,  August  10,  1877:  "In  the  fall  of  1859  a  small 
steamer,  called  the  Star  of  the  West,  was  brought  into  the  Missouri  river, 
on  her  way  to  Denver  City;  the  owner  having  been  fully  persuaded  that 
the  Platte  could  be  navigated  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains  with  a  craft  of 
so  light  draft.  By  the  time  he  had  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw,  how- 
ever, other  steamboat  men  convinced  him  that  no  steamboat  could  float  on 
the  Platte.  He  therefore  sold  his  Star  of  the  West  to  Capt.  G.  P.  Nelson, 
of  Wyandotte,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  many  of  the  particulars  given 
in  this  article." 

This  boat  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  one  of  the  same  name  which 
ran  on  the  Missouri  river  and  had  trouble  with  a  load  of  "abolitionists"  in 
1856. 

Captain  Nelson  made  a  trial  trip  with  the  Star  of  the  West  in  the  Kansas 
river  in  the  fall  of  1859.  He  came  near  Lecompton, where  his  craft  grounded 
and  remained  all  winter.  Becoming  convinced  that  the  Kaw  could  be  navi- 
gated only  by  boats  of  remarkably  light  draft.  Captain  Nelson  then  com- 
menced the  construction,  at  Wyandotte,  of  a  new  hull  for  the  machinery  of 
the  Star  of  the  West. 

It  is  related  by  old  citizens  of  Lecompton  that  this  boat,  which  towed  the 
wrecking  boat  to  be  used  in  recovering  the  remains  of  the  Hartford,  and 
grounded  in  an  attempt  to  get  its  tow  over  the  bar  at  Lecompton,  was  loaded 
with  whisky,  and  that,  during  the  time  of  its  retention  by  low  water  and  ice 
at  Lecompton,  this  cargo  was  sold  at  the  ante-war  price  of  twenty-five  cents 
a  gallon. 

In  the  fall  of  1859,  the  St.  Louis  Democrat  caused  a  sensation  by  the  pup- 
lication  of  an  editorial  of  five  columns  in  length,  entitled  "Let  Us  Make  a 
River  to  the  Mountains. ' ' 

The  scheme,  which  was  elaborated  at  great  length,  was  to  turn  the  waters 
of  the  Arkansas  into  the  Smoky  Hill,  by  a  canal  from  Big  Bend  (Great  Bend ) , 
in  a  northeasterly  course,  to  the  south  bend  of  the  Smoky  Hill,  southwest  of 
Salina,  and  the  Platte  into  the  Republican  in  Nebraska,  where  the  two  rivers 
approach  within  about  twenty  miles  of  each  other,  also  by  a  canal. 

If  the  author  of  that  article  had  been  acquainted  with  the  character  of 
the  earth  through  which  he  proposed  to  construct  his  canals,  he  would  as 
soon  have  thought  of  carrying  milk  to  market  in  a  sieve,  not  to  mention  the 
objection  that  during  the  season  when  the  canals  would  be  needed  there 
would  be  no  water  in  either  river  to  divert  for  the  purposes  of  navigation. 

The  steamer  Kansas  Valley  was  built  in  1860,  out  of  the  materials  of  the 
Star  of  the  West,  largely,  and  was  completed  in  June  of  the  "  dry  year," 

Topeka  Commonwealth,  August  10,  1877:  "The  new  boat  was  called  the 
Kansas  Valley.     When  finished,  ready  for  cargo,  this  boat  drew  only  nine 


The  Kansas  River— Its  Navigation.  351 

inches  of  water.  Instead  of  a  lead  and  line,  she  was  provided  with  a  two- 
foot  rule  for  soundings.  She  landed  her  first  cargo  of  freight  at  Tecumseh 
in  June,  1860.  By  that  time  the  famous  '  dry  season '  had  fully  set  in,  and 
a  nine-inch-draft  boat  was  entirely  too  much  for  the  waters  of  the  Kaw  for 
the  balance  of  the  year. 

"Early  in  the  spring  of  1861  Captain  Nelson  entered  the  'rehef  service 
with  the  Kansas  Valley,  and  shipped  from  Atchison  to  Wyandotte  eight  car- 
goes of  relief  goods  consigned  by  General  Pomeroy  to  the  people  of  central 
and  southern  Kansas.  His  last  trip  was  a  forty-ton  cargo,  with  which  he 
started  out  from  Atchison  for  Topeka  and  the  Kansas  valley  in  the  latter 
part  of  March,  1861,  and  landed  at  the  foot  of  Kansas  avenue,  in  Topeka. 
She  had  been  obliged,  however,  on  account  of  'low  water,'  to  discharge 
half  of  her  freight  at  Lawrence.  .  .  .  Captain  Nelson  made  several 
trips  up  the  Kaw  to  Lawrence  and  below  during  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1861.  .  .  .  The  little  Kansas  Valley  was  a  side-wheeler,  and  was,  it  is 
believed,  the  lightest-draft  boat  that  ever  floated  on  Western  waters.  She 
cost  Captain  Nelson  $2400.  He  sold  her  in  the  fall  of  1862  to  Captains 
Ford,  Burke,  Horn  and  Nicely  for  $5000.  He  had  made  money  in  running 
her  and  sold  her  for  a  good  margin  of  profit.  The  purchasers,  ten  months 
after,  sold  the  boat  for  $6000,  having  realized  $11,000  during  the  time  they 
had  owned  her.  She  was  employed  in  carrying  military  goods  to  and  from 
Fort  Leavenworth  during  the  war.  She  sank  at  Omaha  in  1865.  She  was 
the  first  steamboat  built  at  Wyandotte." 

The  steamer  Eureka  was  still  another  small  steamer  built  for  the  Kansas 
in  1860,  but  it  was  the  year  of  the  drought,  and  one  trip  to  Lawrence  satis- 
fied the  owners  that  the  navigation  of  the  river  must  be  deferred  until  there 
was  some  water  in  it.  Old  residents  will  recall  that  during  the  torrid  days 
of  that  awful  summer  the  Kansas  ceased  running  at  Topeka  during  the  day- 
time, although  a  rivulet  emerged  from  the  sand  during  the  night,  when  the 
evaporation  was  less  than  during  the  daytime. 

The  steamer  Izetta  was  a  small  boat  built  in  1860  for  the  Kansas  river, 
but  in  consequence  of  the  extremely  low  water  of  that  year  was  soon  com- 
pelled to  abandon  the  project  of  its  navigation.  The  boat  made  a  trip  as 
far  as  De  Soto,  loaded  with  the  iron  for  the  Douglas  county  jail,  at  Law- 
rence. Owing  to  sand-bars  and  other  tribulations  the  cargo  was  discharged 
and  the  boat  returned  to  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  materials  for  the  jail 
were  afterwards  hauled  on  wagons  to  Lawrence. 

The  steamer  Mansfield  ^s  was  another  illustration  of  the  follies  of  boat- 
men on  the  Kansas  that  year  — 1860.  No  water,  no  freight,  nobody  coming 
up  the  river,  nobody  with  money  to  pay  fare  down  the  river,  and  compelled 
to  return  to  the  Missouri  for  business. 

The  Tom  Morgan  was  built  by  Thomas  Morgan  and  John  Hall  in  1864  for 
the  Kansas  river  trade,  but  the  Missouri  river  trade  proved  the  more  lucra- 
tive and  she  entered  that  service.  She  sank  in  1865  below  Leavenworth. 
The  boat  had  made  a  trip  up  the  Little  Platte  and  sank  in  the  Missouri,  pre- 
sumably by  striking  a  snag;  but  as  she  was  abandoned  in  the  ice,  the  exact 
cause  was  never  known. 

The  steamer  Emma,  1864,  captain,  G.  P.  Nelson,  was  another  venture  of 
Captain  Nelson's,  and  was  placed  temporarily  in  the  Missouri  river  trade, 
although  she  was  designed  for  the  Kansas.  She  sank  the  same  year  she 
was  built. 

The  steamer  Joe  Irwin,  1865,  was  also  a  Wyandotte  product  and  was  de- 
signed for  the  Kansas  river,  although  the  immense  profits  of  the  Missouri 

Note  38.—  The  Mansfield  was  built  at  Belle  Vernon  in  1854,  and  was  rated  at  166  tons. 


352  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

river  trade  drew  her  temporarily  to  that  service.  After  the  war  she  drifted 
to  the  South  and  sank  in  the  Tennessee  river  in  1866. 

The  steamer  Hiram  Wood  was  built  in  1865,  as  a  result  of  the  phenomenal 
profits  of  steamboating  on  the  Missouri  river  during  the  war,  and  was  in- 
tended to  be  placed  in  whatever  trade  would  pay  the  best  when  the  rush  was 
over.  She  was  built  at  Wyandotte,  equipped  at  Leavenworth,  and  was  used 
for  a  number  of  years,  after  the  great  profits  had  ceased,  as  a  ferry  at 
Yankton. 

The  steamer  Jacob  Sass,  like  her  immediate  predecessor,  was  a  Wyandotte 
product,  and  was  equipped  at  Leavenworth  in  1865.  She  was  of  a  type  adapted 
to  the  Kansas  or  the  coast  trade  of  the  Missouri,  although  she  remained  in 
the  latter  river  to  the  day  of  her  death,  which  occured  on  a  snag  between 
Omaha  and  Sioux  City  in  1867  or  1868. 

Leavenworth  Conservative,  August  15,  1865:  "New  Boats.— Two  new 
boats  have  just  been  built  here  this  season  and  are  nearly  completed.  They 
were  built  under  the  direction  of  Captain  Burke,  of  the  Emilie,  one  of  which 
he  owns.  Their  size  is  about  the  same,  130  feet  long,  22  feet  breadth  of 
beam,  and  250  tons  burden.  One  is  named  E.  Hensley  and  the  other  Jacob 
Sass,  the  latter  being  owned  by  Sass  &  Packard.  The  machinery  was  made 
by  the  Western  Foundry,  of  Wilson  &  Estis,  of  this  city,  and  is  of  the  best. 
The  Ijoats  are  both  beautifully  and  elegantly  furnished  with  the  latest  boat 
improvements.  There  have  been  a  large  number  of  boats  built  at  Leaven- 
worth within  the  past  few  years  and  these  are  the  finest  of  them  all." 

The  steamer  E.  Hensley,  Captain  Burke,  while  a  Missouri  river  boat, 
nevertheless,  made  several  trips  as  far  as  Lawrence  on  the  Kansas  river,  in 
1865.  This  was  just  as  the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad  was  being  constructed, 
and  before  it  was  prepared  to  handle  the  immense  amount  of  freight  offer- 
ing for  the  West.  Lawrence  had  been  quite  an  outfitting  point  for  the 
trade  of  the  plains,  and  it  was  with  goods  for  this  trade  that  the  Hensley 
came  loaded. 

The  following  account,  written  by  Ed.  P.  Harris,  and  published  in  the 
Lawrence  Tribune  of  August  18,  1865,  refers  to  a  trip  of  the  steamer  Hens- 
ley made  at  a  time  when  the  Kansas  river  floods  had  carried  away  the  rail- 
road bridge  across  that  river  at  Wyandotte: 

"On  Tuesday  last  Messrs.  Ridenour,  Grovenor,  Seibert  and  others  went 
to  Leavenworth  and  succeeded  in  chartering  the  new  boat,  E.  Hensley,  just 
completed  there,  to  make  at  least  one  trip  to  Lawrence.  She  got  up  steam 
on  Wednesday  afternoon  and  came  down  to  Wyandotte  the  same  evening, 
loaded,  and  left  for  this  port  yesterday  morning,  arriving  here  last  evening. 
She  was  loaded  with  freight  for  the  following  gentlemen: 

"Ridenour  &  Baker,  527  packages  of  merchandise,  435  sacks  of  flour; 
Pearce,  Mayberry  &  Co.,  68  packages;  F.  W.  Read,  4  cases;  G.  W.  Seibert 
&  Co.,  577  sacks  of  flour,  13  packages  tobacco;  Guilding  &  Co.,  6  barrels; 
J.  Moreland,  42  barrels  of  apples;  H.  H.  Sawyer  &  Co.,  50  barrels  fruit 
and  5  packages;  Kimball  Brothers,  12  packages;  G.  Grovenor,  50  doors, 
10,000  feet  of  lumber,  28,000  laths;  P.  McCurdy,  15  cases;  S.  B.  Catts,  3 
cases. 

"The  Hensley  was  built  entirely  at  Leavenworth  and  is  owned  by  Capt. 
Sam  Burke,  E.  Hensley,  and  John  Nicely.  Charles  Staflford  was  her  builder. 
She  is  officered  as  follows:  Sam  Burke,  captain;  John  Hanna,  clerk;  Law- 
son  Cloud,  mate;  Antoine  Cabney,  first  engineer;  Richard  Kingsley,  second 
engineer. 

"Her  engine  and  boilers  are  entirely  new,  and  were  built  by  Wilson  & 
Estes,  of  Leavenworth.  She  is  forty-five  feet  in  length,  twenty-four  feet 
beam,  four  and  one-half  feet  in  hold,  two  boilers  and  two  engines,  sixteen- 
inch  cylinders,  carrries  250  tons,  and  draws  three  feet  of  water. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation.  353 

"Her  officers  are  gentlemen,  and  we  can  assure  freighters  and  passen- 
gers that  they  will  be  courteously  treated  in  every  respect.  Sixty  passen- 
gers came  up  on  the  Hensley  yesterday,  most  of  whom  had  been  waiting  at 
Wyandotte  for  the  cars.  Captain  Burke  himself  acted  as  pilot,  and  ran  the 
river  like  an  old  master,  as  he  is.  No  detention  of  any  kind  occurred  on 
the  trip,  not  experiencing  even  the  common  fate  of  river  boats— snags  and 
sand-bars.  The  stream  is  now  in  excellent  condition,  and  at  present  can  be 
navigated  by  any  ordinary  Missouri  river  boat.  Many,  fears  were  enter- 
tained that  Captain  Burke  would  not  be  able  to  pass  the  railroad  bridge 
above  Wyandotte,  as  only  a  small  portion  of  the  structure  is  carried  away, 
leaving  but  a  narrow  passage,  and  the  stream  here  rushes  down  in  a  fear- 
ful torrent.  He  held  his  boat  in  perfect  control,  and  she  rode  the  waters 
like  a  bird,  obeying  the  elements  readily.  The  sight  of  a  steamboat  in  the 
Kaw  river  was  a  delightful  novelty,  both  to  white  people  and  Indians,  and 
all  along  the  stream,  from  Wyandotte  to  Lawrence,  the  river  was  lined  with 
astonished  beholders.  No  stop  was  made  except  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Stran- 
ger, where  a  small  quantity  of  freight  was  put  off  for  Mr.  Duncan.  Here 
quite  a  crowd  had  assembled,  and  many  were  the  dusky  maidens  of  the  for- 
est who  looked  on  with  wonder.  They  were  clothed  with  the  usual  amount 
of  dirt  and  bright-colored  calico. 

"The  Hensley  is  quite  a  fast  boat.  She  made  the  trip  from  Leaven- 
worth to  Wyandotte  in  two  hours  and  twenty  minutes.  Her  time  from 
Lawrence  to  Wyandotte  will  be  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  hours.  We 
understand  she  will  continue  in  the  Kansas  river  trade  as  long  as  the  stage 
of  the  water  continues  good  and  freights  offer." 

The  Jacob  Sass  and  Hensley  looked  very  much  alike.  They  were  small 
side- wheelers.  Captain  Burke,  who  built  them,  was  pilot  of  the  Helen  Marr 
when  she  ran  on  the  Ohio  river  in  1852,  and  when  Col.  R.  T.  Van  Horn, 
afterwards  founder  of  the  Kansas  City  Journal,  was  her  clerk. 

The  following  advertisement  appears  in  the  Kansas  Tribune  of  August 
1,  1865: 

"To  Travelers:  The  railroad  bridge  is  up  again;  steamer  Emelie  is  re- 
paired, and  through  communication  is  open  again  between  this  city  and  Lon- 
don. Those  wishing  a  good  start  will  take  the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  Eastern 
Division,  and  the  nice  steamer  Emelie.  If  there  is  any  route  over  which 
persons  can  travel  and  receive  proper  attention,  it  is  over  this  one.  No  con- 
ductor takes  more  pains  and  succeeds  better  than  does  friend  Brinkerhoff,^^ 
and  as  for  the  steamer  Emelie,  all  who  have  traveled  on  that  boat  know  that 
the  gentlemanly  clerk,  J.  Nicely,  can't  be  beat,  and  no  man  need  try  to  fill 
the  place  better.  Persons  traveling  with  him  once  are  willing  to  take  the 
route  again.     Such  conductors  and  clerks  will  draw  the  custom. ' ' 

In  the  spring  of  1866  the  floods  carried  away  the  railroad  bridge  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kansas,  and  the  company  chartered  the  Alexander  Majors,  a 
big  side-wheeler,  to  run  on  the  Kansas  river  as  far  as  Lawrence  until  the 
bridge  could  be  rebuilt.  This  relieved  the  freight  congestion  and  gave  Law- 
rence much  of  her  old  time  prestige  as  a  transfer  point. 

Lew.  Hanback  came  to  Lawrence  on  one  of  these  trips  of  the  Majors, 
and  he  always  grew  eloquent  afterwards  as  he  spoke  of  his  first  impressions 
of  Kansas  obtained  from  the  deck  of  that  steamer. 

This  was  the  last  of  steamboating  on  the  Kansas  river.  The  railroads 
early  secured  the  passage  of  a  little  bill  in  the  Kansas  legislature  which  was 
intended  to  put  a  quietus  on  that  enterprise  forevermore.     It  is  as  follows: 

Note  39.— Mr.  Jacob  O.  Brinkerhoff.  living  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  at  present  and  for  many- 
years  past  superintendent  of  the  Kansas  division  of  the  Union  Pacific  railway. 

-23 


354  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

An  Act  declaring  the  Kansas,   Republican,   Smoky  Hill,  Solomon  and  Big 

Blue  rivers  not  navigable,  and  authorizing  the  bridging  of  the  same. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas: 

Section  1.  That  the  Kansas,  Repubhcan,  Smoky  Hill,  Solomon  and  Big 
Blue  rivers,  within  the  limits  of  the  state  of  Kansas,  are  hereby  declared 
not  navigable  streams  or  rivers. 

Sec.  2.  Any  railroad  or  bridge  company  having  a  charter  under  any  gen- 
eral or  special  law  of  the  state  of  Kansas  shall  have  the  same  right  to 
bridge  or  dam  said  rivers  as  they  would  have  if  they  never  had  been  de- 
clared navigable  streams. 

Sec.  3.  All  acts  and  parts  of  acts  m  conflict  with  this  act  are  hereby  re- 
pealed. 

Approved  February  25,  1864.  "o 

This  law  became  effective  by  publication  in  the  Laws  of  1864,  and  was 
advocated  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  the  building  of  railroads,  of  which 
the  state  stood  in  grievous  need. 

Probably  it  was  the  most  expensive  piece  of  legislation,  considered  from 
an  economic  standpoint,  that  was  ever  put  on  a  Kansas  statute-book. 

Of  course,  nobody  but  Jim  Lane  ever  supposed  that  the  Republican, 
Smoky  Hill,  Solomon,  Big  Blue  and  other  small  rivers  of  the  state  were 
navigable,  and  he  only  about  campaign  times;  but  the  Kansas  might  easily 
have  been  made  navigable  as  far  as  Lawrence,  when  not  obstructed  by  ice, 
and  for  several  months  in  the  spring  and  early  summer  as  high  as  Topeka. 
The  bridges  built  without  draws  and  the  dam  at  Lawrence,  as  a  result  of 
the  law  referred  to,  were  a  crime  against  the  public  welfare  of  Kansas. 
This  is  not  my  opinion  alone,  but  the  opinion  of  disinterested  judges  who  are 
far  more  competent  to  judge  of  the  far-reaching  and  pernicious  effects  of 
this  legislation. 

Under  date  of  January  8,  1879,  J.  D.  McKown,  assistant  engineer,  U.  S. 
A.,  submitted  a  report  to  his  department  of  an  examination  of  the  Kansas 
river  from  its  mouth  to  Junction  City,  Kan.  From  this  I  make  the  follow- 
ing extracts: 

' '  The  general  course  of  the  Kansas  river  is  nearly  east,  and  empties  into 
the  Missouri  at  Kansas  City,  about  190  miles  from  Fogarty's  mill  [at  Junc- 
tion City].  The  distances  here  given,  as  well  as  those  hereafter,  are  by  the 
river. 

"The  river  passes  through  one  of  the  finest  agricultural  districts  in  the 
state  of  Kansas.  The  counties  bordering  on  the  river  are  Davis,  Riley,  Wa- 
baunsee, Pottawatomie,  Shawnee,  Jefferson,  Douglas,  Leavenworth,  John- 
son, and  Wyandotte. 

"The  bed  of  the  river  is  of  a  sandy  nature,  sand-bars  and  snags  being 
the  principal  natural  obstructions  to  contend  with,  although  there  are  a  few 
rocks  in  the  way.     The  other  obstructions  are  bridges  and  a  mill-dam. 

' '  The  best  method  of  improvement  for  a  river  of  this  character  is  to  con- 
tract the  channel  by  the  use  of  dams  or  dykes  built  of  brush  and  stone.  .  .  . 

' '  There  are  a  number  of  snags  scattered  through  the  length  of  the  river, 
and  in  some  few  places  so  plentiful  as  to  be  a  serious  impediment  to  naviga- 
tion. The  approximate  cost  of  removing  those  in  the  way  will  average  about 
$150  per  mile. 

Note  40.-  Laws  of  Kansas,  1864,  chapter  97,  p.  180. 


The  Kansas  River — Its  Navigation. 


355 


"The  following  approximate  estimate  of  the  cost  of  improving  the  river 
from  Junction  City  to  its  mouth  is  respectfully  submitted: 


Locality. 

Cost  of 
dam. 

Cost  of 

taking  out 

rock. 

Cost  of 

taking  out 

snags. 

Total  cost. 

$4,500  00 
54,000  00 
30.375  00 
23,062  50 
31,500  00 
67.500  00 
72,000  00 
58,500  00 
31,500  00 

$937  50 
3,600  00 
2,025  00 
1,537  50 
2,100  00 
4,875  00 
5.587  50 
4,575  00 
3,300  00 

Republican  river  to  Manhattan  [24  miles] 

57  600  00 

Manhattan  to  St.  George  [13Vi  miles] 

$3,000  00 

35,400  00 

Wamego  to  St.  Marys  [  14  miles] 

5,000  00 

38  600  00 

72,375  00 

Lawrence  to  Tiblow  [30V.  miles] 

63  075  00 

Tiblow  to  mouth  of  river  [2OV2  miles] 

Totals 

$372,937  50 

$8,000  00 

$28,537  50 

$409  475  00 

40,525  00 

Grand  total 

$450,000  00 

"The  foregoing  estimate  is  made  with  a  view  of  giving  a  channel  of  four 
and  one-half  feet  in  depth  from  Topeka  to  the  mouth,  and  of  three  and  one- 
half  feet  from  Junction  City  to  Topeka. 

"In  the  above  estimate  I  have  not  taken  into  consideration  the  cost  of 
altering  the  bridges  or  of  the  work  necessary  to  be  done  at  the  Lawrence  dam, 

"Between  Wamego  and  St.  Marys  a  section  and  discharge  of  the  river 
were  taken.  The  result  shows  the  passage  of  2500  cubic  feet  of  water 
per  second.  The  stage  of  water,  as  near  as  could  be  ascertained,  was  four- 
tenths  of  a  foot  above  low  water.     .     .     . 

"The  opening  of  the  Kansas  river  to  navigation  would  be  of  the  greatest 
benefit  to  the  people  of  that  part  of  the  state  through  which  it  flows,  and  I 
would  respectfully  suggest  that  an  appropriation  for  that  purpose  be  rec- 
ommended. 

"As  an  appendix,  I  enclose  herewith  the  statement  of  Mr.  Gray,  secre- 
tary of  the  Kansas  Board  of  Agriculture. 

"Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  D.  McKov^^N,  Assistant  Engineer." 

In  submitting  this  report  to  chief  of  engineers,  Gen.  A.  A.  Humphreys, 
Maj.  Charles  R.  Suter,  the  superior  officer  of  McKown,  says: 

"The  Kansas  is  one  of  the  largest  tributaries  of  the  Missouri,  and  had  in 
former  days  considerable  commerce,  but  in  its  present  condition  it  is  abso- 
lutely impassable  owing  to  the  artificial  obstructions  placed  in  it.  There  is 
a  mill-dam  at  Lawrence,  forty-nine  miles  from  the  mouth,  and  scattered 
along  the  190  miles  of  river  examined  there  are  no  less  than  ten  bridges  unpro- 
vided with  draws  and,  of  course,  impassable  for  boats.  Until  these  structures 
are  removed  or  altered,  it  is  useless  to  undertake  the  improvement  of  the 
navigation. 

"From  Junction  City  to  Topeka,  104  miles,  the  least  low- water  depth  is 
twelve  inches,  and  thence  to  the  mouth,  eighty-six  miles,  it  is  not  less  than 
twenty-four  inches. 

"Throughout  its  whole  length  the  river  is  much  obstructed  by  snags, 
which  are  constantly  falling  in  from  the  caving  banks,  and  by  shifting  sand- 
bars similar  to  those  of  the  Missouri. 

"To  give  a  least  depth  of  four  and  one-half  feet  from  Topeka  to  the 
mouth,  and  of  three  and  one-half  feet  from  Junction  City  to  Topeka,  by 
contracting  the  width  of  channel  and  protecting  the  banks,  about  $400,000 
will  be  required,  and  the  removal  of  snags  and  rocks  from  the  channel  will 
require  about  $50,000  more. 

".  .  .  If  the  bridges  were  provided  with  draws,  and  a  short  canal 
with  a  lock  were  built  around  the  dam  at  Lawrence,  the  removal  of  snags 
would  enable  small  steamers  to  navigate  the  stream  at  all  but  the  lowest 
stages  of  water,  and  would  probably  be  of  much  benefit  to  the  people  living 
along  the  stream." 


356  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

On  February  9,  1893,  Suter,  who  had  meantime  been  promoted  to  lieuten- 
ant-colonel of  engineers  and  made  president  of  the  Missouri  River  Commis- 
sion, made  another  report  on  the  Kansas  river,  which  is  strangely  at  variance 
with  his  former  views.     In  his  later  report  he  says: 

"The  low-water  depth  from  the  mouth  to  Topeka,  seventy-four  miles, 
available  for  navigation,  is  about  twelve  inches;  above  that  point,  about  six 
inches.  The  bars  are  of  sand,  constantly  shifting  in  position,  and  the  banks 
are  easily  eroded,  thereby  constantly  adding  to  the  supply  of  snags.  In  early 
days  this  river  was  navigated.  Just  when  navigation  ceased  I  have  not  been 
able  to  find  out,  but  it  probably  followed  the  construction  of  the  Kansas  Pa- 
cific railroad  and  the  dam  at  Lawrence.  In  1864  the  state  legislature  of 
Kansas  declared  the  stream  unnavigable,  and  authorized  bridges  to  be  built 
over  it  and  dams  to  be  constructed,  as  on  any  other  unnavigable  stream. 
This  law  has  not  been  sustained  by  the  United  States  courts,  but  the  bridges 
have  been  built,  nevertheless,  as  before  stated. 

' '  When  the  report  of  1879  was  submitted  it  was  thought  that  a  substan- 
tial improvement  by  means  of  contraction  works  was  possible.  Costly  ex- 
perience at  home  and  abroad  obtained  since  that  date  has,  however,  convinced 
me  that  an  open-river  improvement  on  a  stream  of  such  high  slope  and 
small  volume  is  impossible,  and  that  canalization,  with  locks  and  either  fixed 
or  movable  dams,  would  be  the  only  feasible  method.  The  cost  of  such  an  im- 
provement would  be  very  great,  and,  when  added  to  the  cost  of  altering  all  the 
existing  bridges,  would  run  up  into  figures  which  would  not  be  justified  by 
any  possible  benefit  that  could  be  conferred  at  the  present  time.  From  all 
that  I  can  ascertain,  a  desire  to  reduce  railroad  rates  by  introducing  water 
competition  is  the  basis  of  the  present  movement.  Bearing  in  mind  that  the 
distance  by  river  is  only  176  miles,  by  land  135  miles,  and  that  there  is 
practically  a  continuous  line  of  railroad  on  both  banks,  it  will  be  seen  that 
nothing  but  extraordinarily  favorable  conditions  of  navigation  would  render 
such  competition  possible. 

"These  conditions  do  not  exist  naturally,  and  could  only  be  supplied  ar- 
tificially at  great  cost.  In  any  case,  as  long  as  the  Missouri  cannot  be 
profitably  navigated  as  far  up  as  Kansas  City,  it  would  seem  useless  to  ex- 
pend money  on  a  tributary  entering  above  that  point.  After  the  Missouri 
below  the  junction  of  the  Kansas  river  has  been  improved  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  through  water  transportation  can  be  given,  it  is  possible  that  the 
case  may  present  a  different  aspect;  but  as  it  now  stands,  I  am  compelled 
to  state  that,  in  my  opinion,  the  Kansas  river  is  not  at  the  present  time 
worthy  of  improvement  by  the  general  government. ' ' 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  figures  in  the  two  reports  do  not  agree, 
although  manifestly  the  only  authority  for  giving  any  figures  at  all  was 
contained  in  the  former  report,  mide  by  McCown.  For  example,  the  dis- 
tance from  Junction  City  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  is  given  as  190  miles 
in  the  first  report;  in  the  latter,  as  176  miles.  The  depth  of  water  from 
Junction  City  to  Topeka  is  given  at  12  inches,  and  from  Topeka  to  the 
mouth  at  24  inches,  in  the  first  report;  in  the  latter,  it  is  given  as  6  inches 
from  Junction  City  to  Topeka,  and  12  inches  from  Topeka  to  the  mouth. 

Suter  says  the  act  of  the  legislature  declaring  the  Kansas  unnavigable 
has  not  been  sustained  by  the  United  States  courts,  and  it  is  well  known 
that  Congress  regards  it  as  a  navigable  stream,  and  that  the  dam  and 
bridges  without  draws  are  maintained  in  violation  of  law;  and  yet  he  says 
"the  cost  of  altering  all  the  existing  bridges  would  run  up  into  figures 
which  would  not  be  justified  by  any  possible  benefit  that  could  be  conferred 
at  the  present  time."  Does  he  suppose  that  the  general  government  would 
bear  the  expense  of  altering  all  the  existing  bridges,  which  have  been  built 
and  are  being  maintained  in  violation  of  law? 

The  unnavigable  condition  of  the  Missouri  is  referred  to.     Probably,  if 


The  Kansas  River— Its  Navigation.  357 

the  Missouri  River  Commission  had  been  as  anxious  to  improve  the  naviga- 
tion of  that  stream  as  they  seemed  to  be  to  protect  railroad  property  along 
its  banks,  the  condition  of  the  river  w^ould  not  be  as  deplorable  as  it  is  to- 
day. 

The  bare  possibility,  however,  of  navigating  the  Missouri  river  is  alleged 
and  set  up  by  the  railroads  as  the  occasion  for  using  it  as  a  basing  point  for 
freight  rates.  Whether  a  flimsy  pretext,  or  not,  it  is  used  effectively  for 
this  purpose,  and  has  been,  to  the  tremendous  injury  of  the  people  of  Kansas. 
Take  the  rate  on  sugar,  for  example.  It  was,  and  I  presume  still  is,  con- 
tended, that  the  practice  of  charging  a  less  rate  for  the  longer  haul  from 
the  Pacific  coast  points  to  the  Missouri  river  than  to  interior  points  in 
Kansas  is  justified  by  "water  competition."  As  a  result,  a  car  of  sugar 
from  San  Francisco  to  Salina  would  be  billed  through  to  Kansas  City,  and 
then  rebilled  back,  over  the  same  route,  to  Salina,  the  wholesale  dealer  being 
compelled  to  pay  the  proportion  of  the  through  rate  from  Sahna  to  Kansas 
City,  and  the  whole  of  the  local  rate  back  to  Salina,  unjustly,  and  as  a  tribute 
to  the  Missouri  river  town,  for  the  fiction  of  "water  competition."  No 
boats  are  running  on  the  Missouri  to  Kansas  City.  There  is,  in  fact,  no 
water  competition,  but  the  bugaboo  is  there,  and  the  railroads  find  it  con- 
venient to  get  scared,  and  keep  scared,  by  it.  And  the  pity  of  it  is,  that  the 
Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  with  apparent  indifference  to  Kansas' 
interests,  justifies  the  practice. 

Now,  if  this  is  to  be  the  policy,  why  not  the  people  of  Kansas  have  a  little 
bugaboo  of  their  own,  or,  rather,  undertake  to  make  the  contention  of  the 
railroads  an  established  fact,  rather  than  let  it  continue  as  a  fiction  and  a 
myth?  What 's  a  half -million  dollars  or  so  to  the  government,  if,  by  the 
expenditure  of  that  sum,  several  millions  of  its  citizens  in  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
Oklahoma  and  Colorado  are  to  be  permanently  benefited?  This  would  be 
accomplished  by  moving  the  basing  point  to  Junction  City,  or  even  Topeka. 
It  is  not  a  local  question;  it  is  one  for  every  citizen  of  the  state  to  consider; 
and,  for  this  reason,  the  Kansas  delegation  ought  to  unite,  and  work  in 
harmony  for  the  opening  of  the  Kansas  river  to  navigation.  The  work 
might  well  be  undertaken  in  sections;  as,  for  instance,  to  Lawrence  at  first, 
then  to  Topeka,  and  so  on,  up  as  high  as  Junction  City.  The  advantages 
would  not  be  confined  to  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  passage  of 
boats,  but  the  cleaning  out  of  the  river  and  the  protection  of  the  banks 
from  erosion  would  immensely  benefit  the  farmers  in  the  valley,  and  minify 
the  danger  from  floods.  This  is  a  subject  upon  which  Dudley  C.  Haskell*' 
spent  much  time  and  study,  and  it  was  his  opinion  that  the  navigation  of 
the  river  was  altogether  practicable.  If  he  had  lived,  Lawrence  would  have 
had  navigation  long  ago,  and  the  benefit  of  Missouri  river  rates.  John  A. 
Anderson  *2  h^d  in  mind  the  same  project,  and  the  improvement  of  the  river 
to  Manhattan,  believing  that  coal,  structural  iron,  implements  and  all  heavy 
and  bulky  articles  of  commerce  might  advantageously  be  brought  to  that 
point  by  water.  With  a  large  and  influential  delegation  demanding  recogni- 
tion in  the  river  and  harbor  bill,  the  necessary  funds  would  be  forthcoming 
at  once.  Kansas  congressmen  have  been  voting  millions  to  improve  in- 
significant streams  throughout  the  country,  Kansas  excepted,  and  it  might 

41.  Member  of  Congress,  second  congrressional  district,  1877-'81. 

42.  Member  of  Congress,  fifth  congressional  district,  1879-'91. 


358  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

be  well  to  ask  the  beneficiaries  of  these  schemes  to  reciprocate  now,  by  help- 
ing improve  a  real  river,  and  control  its  energies  and  turn  them  to  good 
account. 

Before  the  first  cargo  had  reached  Lawrence  the  railroads  would  suddenly 
discover  the  injustice  of  their  present  discriminations  against  interior  Kan- 
sas points  and  readjust  their  rates. 

This  article  is  written  in  Portland,  Ore.,  a  long  way  from  Kansas  and 
Kansas  conditions,  but  where  the  benefits  for  which  I  am  contending  are  il- 
lustrated, and  exist,  as  a  result  of  precisely  the  policy  here  urged.  The 
Willamette  river  is  navigable  for  about  100  miles  above  Portland.  That  is, 
it  is  navigable  for  small  boats  throughout  the  year  as  far  as  Salem,  some  fifty 
miles,  and  for  one-half  of  the  year  to  Corvallis,  the  head  of  navigation. 
The  Yamhill  is  a  stream  about  as  large  as  the  Delaware  at  Lecompton,  and 
is  navigable  for  a  distance  of  some  twenty  miles.  The  boats  on  these  rivers 
draw  about  two  feet  of  water  when  loaded  to  their  capacity,  but  continue 
to  run  as  long  as  there  is  one  foot  of  water  on  the  bars  and  they  can  handle 
one-third  of  a  load.  The  towns  along  these  rivers  are  served  by  one  and  in 
most  instances  by  two  lines  of  railroad,  although  not  in  competition  with 
each  other,  and  the  rates  are  one-half  less  than  those  at  towns  equally  dis- 
tant from  Portland,  not  on  navigable  streams,  but  also  served  by  one  or  two 
lines  of  railroad.  The  conclusion  is  irresistible  that  the  lesser  rate  is  made 
because  of  water  competition,  and  it  is  equally  conclusive  that  the  rates  at 
non-competitive  points  are  excessive  or  based  upon  the  piratical  maxim  of 
charging  "all  the  commodity  will  bear,"  regardless  of  whether  it  is  fair  or 
not.  Now,  for  one-half  of  the  year  there  are  few  or  no  boats  in  the  upper 
Willamette,  but  the  low  rates  are  maintained  whether  the  boats  are  run  or 
not,  just  as  low  rates  are  made  to  Kansas  City  points  on  account  of  water 
competition,  when  there  is  no  water  competition.  The  reason  for  this  is, 
that  the  railroads  which  serve  the  communities  realize  the  importance  of 
making  concessions  for  twelve  months  for  the  profits  they  will  get  from  the 
whole  traffic  for  six  months;  retaining  meanwhile,  the  good  will  of  the  com- 
munities, without  which  no  transportation  company  can  permanently  prosper. 
I  am  under  lasting  obligations  for  data  furnished  for  this  article  to  Dr. 
W.  L.  Campbell,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  who  in  his  vigorous  young  man- 
hood was  a  sucessful  pilot  on  the  Missouri,  and  who  knows  steamboating  all 
the  way  from  choking  a  cottonwood  on  the  bank  to  entertaining  the  most 
select  assembly  in  the  ladies'  cabin;  and  to  George  W.  Martin,  secretary  of 
the  State  Historical  Society,  for  his  magnificent  exhibition  of  Christian  for- 
bearance when  he  ransacked  the  Society's  library  for  the  balance  of  the  stuff". 


V. 

Statecraft. 


A 


THE  KANSAS  STATE  SENATE  OF  1865  AND  1866- 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society,  by  Edwin  C.  Manning,'  of  Winfield. 

N  invitation  to  write  of  the  Kansas  senate  of  forty  years  ago  carries 
me  back  to  the  days  when  the  boys  were  coming  home  from  the  war. 
The  war  was  still  on  when  the  first  session  assembled,  and  peace  had  arrived 
when  the  second  session  answered  roll-call  in  the  "Old  Constitution  Hall," 
January  9,  1866. 

It  was  upon  the  floor  of  this  same  senate  chamber  that  Col.  Edwin  V. 
Sumner,  of  the  First  United  States  cavalry,  which  was  in  camp  at  Topeka 
at  the  time,  appeared  in  the  uniform  of  a  federal  soldier,  and,  by  order  of 
President  Franklin  Pierce,  dispersed  the  senate  branch  of  the  first  free-state 
legislature,  on  the  4th  day  of  July,  1856.2 

Between  the  two  sessions  of  the  legislature  of  which  I  write  the  ' '  better 
time  "  had  come,  of  which  John  G.  Whittier  had  written  ten  years  previously. 

Note  1.— For  sketch  of  Edwin  C.  Manning,  see  seventh  volume  Kansas  Historical  Collec- 
tions, p.  202. 

Note  2.— Arthur  S.  Lake,  a  correspondent  of  the  Historical  Society,  at  Shenandoah,  Iowa, 
September  27,  1904,  made  this  inquiry:  "In  volume  8,  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  p.  346, 
foot-note,  it  is  stated  that  when  the  address  of  Col.  E.  V.  Sumner  to  the  legislature  reached  Jef- 
ferson Davis,  secretary  of  war,  Sumner  was  superseded,  from  which  statement  I  infer  that  the 
address  expressing  regret  was  the  cause  of  his  removal.  In  volume  6,  page  300,  Governor  Robin- 
son says  both  the  president  and  secretary  of  war  disowned  the  dispersion  of  the  legislature  by 
Sumner.  After  reading  these  two  statements  I  am  led  to  ask  you  as  to  the  cause  of  Colonel 
Sumner's  removal —  the  sentiments  in  the  address  or  his  act  in  dispersing  the  legislature?"  In 
response  the  secretary  wrote,  September.30.'1904  :  "  I  do  not  find  any  expression  showing  that  the 
president  and  secretary  of  war  disowned  the  job.  One  of  the  biographers  of  Sumner  says:  '  He 
was  in  command  of  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  in  1856,  where  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the 
secretary  of  war  and  was  removed.'  Sumner's  personal  sympathies  were  with  the  free-state 
party.  On  the  23d  of  June  Governor  Shannon  wrote  to  Colonel  Sumner :  '  Should,  therefore, 
this  pretended  legislative  body  meet  as  proposed,  you  will  disperse  them,  peacefully  if  you  can, 
forcibly  if  necessary.  Should  they  reassemble  at  some  other  place,  you  will  take  care  that 
they  are  again  dispersed.  (Kan.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  3.  p.  316.)  'Then  follows  a  statement  that 
the  civil  authorities  will  be  instructed  to  help.  On  the  4th  of  July  Acting  Governor  Wood- 
son issued  a  proclamation  forbidding  all  persons  claiming  legislative  power  and  authority  to  as- 
semble (  Kan.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  3,  p.  320),  and  quoting  from  a  proclamation  by  President  Pierce 
that  'such  plan  for  the  determination  of  the  future  institutions  of  the  territory,  if  carried  into 
action,  will  constitute  the  fact  of  such  insurrection,' and  would  'require  the  forcible  interposi- 
tion of  the  whole  power  of  the  general  government.'  (  Kan.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  5,  p.  259.)  In  dis- 
persing the  legislature.  Colonel  Sumner  made  the  following  statement :  '  The  proclamation  of  the 
president,  and  the  orders  under  it,  require  me  to  sustain  the  executive  of  the  territory  in  execu- 
ting the  laws  and  preserving  the  peace.'  (  Kan.  Hist.  Coll.,  vol.  3,  p.  320.)  Colonel  Sumner  was 
surely  acting  under  orders,  and  if  the  president  and  secretary  of  war  had  desired  to  disown  the 
job  they  would  have  rebuked  the  governor  and  secretary  of  the  territory."  There  is  no  contro- 
versy as  to  the  words  used  by  General  Sumner  to  the  legislature,  the  last  being :  "  I  repeat,  that 
this  is  the  most  painful  duty  of  my  life."  The  following  is  the  correspondence,  stripped  of 
official  verbiage,  found  in  volume  4,  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  pp.  446-453  : 

Col.  E.  V.  Sumner  to  Acting  Governor  Daniel  Woodson,  June  28,  18.56:  "I  am  decidedly  of 
opinion  that  that  body  of  men  ought  not  to  be  permitted  to  assemble.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say 
that  the  peace  of  the  country  depends  upon  it.  In  this  affair  it  is  proper  that  the  civil  authori- 
ties should  take  the  lead,  and  I  would  respectfully  suggest,  whether  it  will  not  be  better  ( if  you 
find  they  are  bent  on  meeting)  to  have  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  the  marshal  in  person  join 
Major  Sedgwick,  and  have  writs  drawn  and  served  on  every  one  of  them  the  moment  they  get 

(359) 


360  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

in  his  poem  on  "The  Burial  of  Barber,"  one  of  the  victims  of  the  slavery 
crusade: 

"You  in  suffering,  they  in  crime, 
Wait  the  just  award  of  time. 

Wait  the  vengeance  that  is  due; 
Not  in  vain  a  heart  shall  break, 
Not  a  tear  for  freedom's  sake 
Falls  unheeded;  God  is  true. 

"While  the  flag,  with  stars  bedeck 'd. 
Threatens  where  it  should  protect 

And  the  Law  shakes  hand  with  Crime 
What  is  left  ye  but  to  wait. 
Match  your  patience  to  your  fate. 

And  abide  the  better  time?" 

Some  of  the  members  of  that  senate  had  seen  the  beginning  and  were  to 
see  the  ending  of  that  struggle  which  first  took  sanguinary  form  on  the 
soil  of  Kansas  and  grew  to  a  conflict  which  convulsed  the  nation  from  ocean 

together.  I  suppose  it  would  be  a  bailable  offense.  If  you  think  there  is  a  possibility  of  having 
any  difficulty  in  carrying  out  this  measure,  I  will  thank  you  to  apprise  me  of  it  in  time  for  me  to 
get  there  ;  for  it  is  right  that  I  should  take  all  the  responsibility  whenever  we  have  to  use  force." 

Colonel  Sumner  to  Adjt.-gen.  S.  Cooper,  July  1,  1856 :  "  I  enclose  a  letter  from  the  acting 
governor,  with  my  reply  thereto.  I  shall  march  in  a  few  hours  to  Topeka.  If  they  persist  in 
assembling  as  a  legislature,  and  should  be  supported  by  any  considerable  number  of  people,  it 
will  be  a  difficult  and  delicate  operation  to  disperse  them.  I  shall  act  very  warily,  and  shall  re- 
quire the  civil  authorities  to  take  the  lead  in  the  matter  throughout.  If  it  is  possible  to  disperse 
tliAm  without  violence,  it  shall  be  done." 

Acting  Governor  Woodson  to  Colonel  Sumner,  June  30,  1856:  "jYour  dispatch  of  the  28th 
came  to  hand  last  evening.  There  is  now  no  ground  to  doubt  that  the  bogus  legislature  will  at- 
tempt to  convene  on  the  4th  proximo,  at  Topeka,  and  most  extensive  preparations  are  being  made 
for  the  occasion.  The  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Topeka  is  represented  to  be  filled  with  strangers, 
who  are  making  their  way  towards  that  point  from  all  directions.  Last  evening  I  received  in- 
formation, through  a  gentleman  residing  in  Lawrence,  that  a  dispatch  had  been  received  in  that 
place  the  night  previous,  to  the  effect  that  General  Lane  was  on  his  way  to  Topeka  with  a  very 
large  force,  and  was  then  somewhere  between  that  place  and  the  Nebraska  line." 

Colonel  Sumner  to  Adjutant-general  Cooper,  July  7,  1856 :  "I  concentrated  five  companies  of 
my  regiment  at  Topeka  on  the  3d  inst.,  and  brought  up  two  pieces  of  artillery  on  that  night.  I 
was  informed  on  my  arrival  that  the  legislature  would  not  meet  if  I  would  give  an  order  forbid- 
ding it.  I  said  that  that  was  the  province  of  the  governor,  and  that  he  would  issue  a  proclama- 
tion to  that  effect,  and  that  I  was  particularly  anxious  that  they  should  yield  to  it,  and  not  compel 
me  to  use  force.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th  the  proclamation  (enclosed)  was  read  to  the  people 
by  the  marshal,  and  also  that  from  the  president.  A  part  of  the  members  complied  with  them 
and  did  not  assemble  ;  but  a  number  of  both  houses  determined  to  meet  at  all  hazards,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  march  my  command  into  the  town  and  draw  it  up  in  front  of  the  building  in  which  the 
legislature  was  to  meet.  I  then  went  into  the  house  of  representatives,  which  had  not  organized, 
and  said  to  them  that,  under  the  proclamations  of  the  president  and  the  governor,  the  Topeka 
legislature  could  not  assemble,  and  must  disperse.  They  had  the  good  sense  to  yield  at  once,  and 
to  say  that  they  should  not  array  themselves  against  the  authorities  of  the  United  States.  I  then 
went  into  the  upper  house,  or  council,  and  made  a  few  remarks  to  them,  and  they  at  once  coin- 
cided with  the  lower  house,  and  thus  the  Topeka  government  was  brought  to  an  end.  There  were 
about  500  men  present,  and  it  was  a  more  delicate  affair  from  the  fact  that  it  happened  amidst 
the  festivities  of  the  Fourth  of  July." 

Colonel  Sumner,  July  7,  reported  his  return  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  his  action  at  Topeka, 
upon  which  Jefferson  Davis  indorsed  as  follows,  July  19 :  "The  communication  of  Colonel  Sum- 
ner and  the  proclamation  enclosed  indicate  that  circumstances,  not  disclosed  in  previous  report, 
existed  to  justify  him  in  employing  the  military  force  to  disperse  the  assembly  at  Topeka.  Though 
thus  indicated,  it  is  not  yet  made  fully  to  appear  that  the  case  was  one  in  which,  by  his  instruc- 
tions, he  was  authorized  to  act,  viz.,  that  the  governor  had  found  the  ordinary  course  of  ju- 
dicial proceedings,  and  the  powers  vested  in  the  United  States  marshal,  inadequate  to  effect  the 
purpose  which  was  accomplished  by  the  employment  of  the  troops  of  the  United  States.  Colonel 
Sumner  will  be  called  upon  to  communicate  upon  this  point." 

Colonel  Sumner,  Oneida  Lake,  N.  Y.,  to  Adjutant-general  Cooper.  August  4,  1856:  "The 
free-state  legislature  of  Kansas,  elected  and  organized  without  law,  was  considered  by  the  gov- 
ernor and  myself  as  'insurrectionary,'  and,  under  the  president's  proclamation  of  February  last, 
we  felt  bound  to  suppress  it.  If  it  had  been  suffered  to  go  on  it  must  have  led  to  the  moit  seri- 
ous consequence.s.  Even  if  they  had  not  attempted  to  put  their  Uw»  in  force,  the  very  enact- 
ment of  them,  together  with  the  other  proceedings  of  an  organized  legislature,  v/ould  have 
encouraged  the  free-state  party  in  a  still  more  decided  resistance  to  the  laws  that  the  president 
had  determined  must  be  maintained.  Under  these  circumstances,  I  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  main- 
tain the  proclamation  of  Acting  Governor  Woodson.  The  marshal  was  sent  into  Topeka  to  read 
this  proclamation  and  also  the  president's,  and  I  had  previously  informed  the  people  that  I  was 
anxious  that  they  should  comply  with  them,  and  not  compel  me  to  display  force  on  the  occasion. 
When  the  marshal  returned  to  my  camp  he  reported  to  me  that  the  legislature  would  assemble 


The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866.  361 

to  ocean,  and  vibrated  through  all  the  dominions  of  man.  They  were  now 
assembling  in  the  twilight  of  a  new  destiny. 

On  the  7th  day  of  February,  1865,  the  senate  adopted  by  unanimous  vote 
senate  concurrent  resolution  No.  42,  as  follows : 

"Concurrent  resolution  ratifying  certain  proposed  amendments  to  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States  abolishing  slavery. 

"Whereas,  The  Congress  of  the  United  States  has  submitted  the  fol- 
lowing proposed  amendments  to  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  to 
the  legislatures  of  the  several  states  for  ratification,  namely: 
"article  xiii. 

"Section  1.  Neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servitude,  except  as  a  punishment  for  crime 
whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted,  shall  exist  within  the  United  States,  or  any 
place  subject  to  their  jurisdiction. 

"Sec.  2.   Congress  shall  have  power  to  enforce  this  article  by  appropriate  legislation, 

"Therefore,  be  it  resolved  by  the  Senate,  the  House  of  Representatives 
concurring  therein.  That  the  foregoing  proposed  amendments  be  and  they 
are  hereby  ratified. 

''Resolved,  That  the  governor  of  the  state  of  Kansas  is  hereby  requested 

in  defiance  of  the  proclamation.  I  knew  there  was  a  large  body  of  men  there  to  sustain  this  act. 
I  was  therefore  compelled  to  march  a  command  into  the  town  and  say  to  the  members  of  the  leg- 
islature that  they  could  not  organize  and  must  disperse.  A  convention,  or  mass  meeting,  was  in 
session  there  at  the  time,  and  a  committee  waited  upon  me  to  inquire  if  I  intended  to  disperse 
them.  I  said,  '  No,  by  no  means ;  our  citizens  have  a  right  to  assemble  in  convention  whenever 
they  please.  It  is  only  the  illegal  legislative  body  with  which  I  have  anything  to  do.'  I  regret 
that  I  have  been  misunderstood  by  the  government.  From  beginning  to  end  I  have  known  no 
party  in  this  affair.  My  measures  have  necessarily  borne  hard  against  both  parties,  for  both 
have,  in  many  instances,  been  more  or  less  wrong.  The  Missourians  were  perfectly  satisfied  so 
long  as  the  troops  were  employed  exclusively  against  the  free-state  party ;  but  when  they  found 
that  I  would  be  strictly  impartial,  that  lawless  mobs  could  no  longer  come  from  Missouri,  and 
that  their  interference  with  the  affairs  of  Kansas  were  brought  to  an  end,  then  they  immedi- 
ately raised  a  hue  and  cry  that  they  were  oppressed  by  the  United  States  troops." 

Indorsement  on  the  foregoing  by  Jefferson  Davis,  secretary  of  war,  dated  August  27,  1856: 
"If  the  ' serious  consequences '  anticipated  by  the  colonel  commanding  First  cavalry  from  the 
convention  of  the  free-state  legislature  of  Kansas  had  been  realized,  it  might  have  been  neces- 
sary for  him  to  use  the  military  force  under  his  command  to  suppress  resistance  to  the  execu- 
tion of  the  laws,  and  he  would  have  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  his  authority,  both  in  the 
president's  proclamation  and  in  the  letter  of  instructions  which  accompanied  it.  But  if  the  exi- 
gency was  only  anticipated,  it  is  not  perceived  how  authority  is  to  be  drawn  from  either,  or  both, 
to  employ  a  military  force  to  disperse  men  because  they  were  'elected  and  organized  without 
law.'  The  reference  to  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  Missourians  seems  to  be  wholly  inappropriate 
to  the  subject  under  consideration,  and  the  department  is  at  a  loss  to  understand  why  that  refer- 
ence is  made ;  the  more  so  because,  in  answer  to  an  inquiry  from  Colonel  Sumner,  he  was  dis- 
tinctly informed,  by  letter  of  26th  of  March,  1856,  that  the  department  expected  him.  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duty,  to  make  no  discrimination  founded  on  the  section  of  the  country  from 
which  persons  might  or  had  come." 

Colonel  Sumner  to  Adjutant-general  Cooper,  AugTist31, 1856  :  "I  received  yesterday  your  letter 
of  the  28th  instant,  with  the  secretary  of  war's  indorsement  on  my  letter  in  reference  to  the  disper- 
sion of  the  Topeka  legislature.  In  reply,  I  would  respectfully  refer  to  my  remark  in  that  letter, 
that  both  Acting  Governor  Woodson  and  I  did  consider  the  Topeka  government '  insurrectionary  ' 
under  the  proclamation  of  the  president,  and  under  that  proclamation  we  felt  bound  to  suppress 
it.  Surely,  were  we  not  bound  to  consider  it  so,  when  the  principal  officers  of  the  Topeka  govern- 
ment had  been  arrested  for  treason  by  the  highest  judicial  authority  in  the  territory,  and  were 
still  held  as  prisoners  under  that  charge,  with  the  sanction  of  the  government  ?  It  is  true  we 
might  have  waited  till  the  action  of  this  legislature  had  led  to  some  overt  act  of  treason  ;  but  as 
I  understood  the  letter  of  instructions  of  February  18.  1856,  it  was  expected  that  peace  would  be 
maintained  in  the  territory  by  the  moral  force  of  the  presence  of  the  troops  ;  and  in  order  to  do 
this,  it  was  necessary  to  be  very  vigilant  in  anticipating  combinations  that  would  have  become 
uncontrollable.  When  the  circumstances  arose  that  compelled  Governor  Shannon  to  issue  his 
proclamation  placing  himself  between  the  two  parties,  and  calling  upon  me  to  maintain  it,  I  dis- 
persed immediately  several  large  armed  bodies  of  both  parties,-  and  that,  too,  when  they  were 
on  the  point  of  coming  into  collision.  Under  that  proclamation  all  things  had  become  quiet,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  brigands,  belonging  to  no  party,  who  were  prowling  about  the  territory. 
All  this  was  done  by  the  moral  influence  of  the  troops  alone,  for  happily  not  a  shot  was  fired.  I 
supposed  that  my  letter  of  the  11th  instant  would  be  satisfactory;  but  as  it  is  not.  I  would  re- 
spectfully refer  to  the  proclamation  of  Acting  Governor  Woodson,  a  copy  of  which  was  forwarded 
to  the  War  Department,  and  which  was  issued  expressly  to  prevent  the  assembling  of  the  Topeka 
legislature,  declaring,  among  other  things,  that  this  unlawful  legislative  movement  was  insur- 
rectionary. He  made  no  written  requisition  upon  me  to  enforce  it  to  which  I  can  refer,  for  the 
reason  that  he  was  personally  present  in  my  camp,  desiring  the  interposition  of  the  troops,  as  the 
marshal  had  returned  and  informed  us  that  he  had  read  the  proclamations  to  the  people,  and 
that  they  would  be  disregarded.  Under  these  circumstances,  could  I  have  acted  differently  with- 
out a  palpable  violation  of  my  letter  of  instructions  of  February  18,  1856,  which  requires  the  com- 
manding officer  to  interpose  the  troops  whenever  called  on  by  the  governor  to  do  so?  " 

Colonel  Sumner  to  Acting  Governor  Woodaon,  March  27,  1857  (Kan.  Hist.  Coll..  vol.  4.  p. 


362  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

to  transmit  to  the  president  of  the  United  States,  the  president  of  the  senate, 
and  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives  in  Congress,  a  copy  of  the  fore- 
going resolutions,  duly  certified  by  the  presiding  officers  of  the  two  houses 
and  the  chief  clerks  thereof,  Frederick  William  Potter, 

President  pro  tempore  of  the  Senate. 
Jacob  Stotler, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
"I  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  resolution  originated  in  the  senate 
on  the  6th  day  of  February,  A.  D.  1865,  and  passed  the  senate  on  the  7th  day 
of  February,  A.  D.  1865,  unanimously.  A.  Smith  Devenney, 

Secretary  of  the  Senate. 
"I  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  resolutions  passed  the  house  of  rep- 
resentatives on  the  7th  day  of  February,  A.  D.  1865,  unanimously. 

D.  B.   Emmert, 
Chief  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
S.  J.  Crawford, 
Governor  of  Kansas. ' ' 

The  original  copy  of  this  resolution  is  found  in  the  office  of  the  secretary 
of  state.  For  some  reason  it  was  never  published  in  either  the  journals  or 
the  laws. 

Kansas  was  thus  among  the  very  first  states  in  the  Union  to  approve  the 
amendment  to  the  national  constitution  proposed  by  Congress,  even  before 
the  close  of  the  war. 

The  legislature  assembled  at  noon  on  the  10th  day  of  January,  1865.  At 
least  seven  of  its  members  had  been  engaged  in  the  field  as  soldiers  in  Kan- 

745):  "General  Smith  is  absent,  and  he  gave  me  no  instructions  when  he  left,  and  I  feel 
obliged,  under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  to  forward  your  requisition  to  the  general-in- 
chief.  I  trust  that  no  evil  will  result  from  this  short  delay  ;  and  I  would  respectfully  suggest 
whether  it  would  not  be  safer  to  pause  a  little  in  military  matters  until  we  know  the  policy 
of  the  new  administration.  If  difficulties  should  again  arise  similar  to  those  of  last  year,  I  do 
hope  that  the  government  will  either  put  an  iron  grasp  upon  the  territory,  that  will  secure 
every  man  in  all  his  rights  land  this  is  practicable),  or  else  withdraw  every  soldier  from  the 
territory  and  let  the  people  settle  their  own  difficulties  in  their  own  way." 

Gazette  and  Courier  and  American  Republic  (  no  location  ),  August  11, 1856:  "The  president 
sent  a  message  to  the  senate  on  Tuesday,  stating,  in  reply  to  a  resolution,  that  no  order  was  issued 
from  the  War  Department  to  any  officer  commanding  in  Kansas  to  disperse  any  unarmed  meet- 
ing of  the  people  of  the  territory,  or  prevent  them  by  military  power  from  assembling.  From 
the  correspondence  transmitted,  it  appears  that  the  secretary  is  not  satisfied  that  the  circum- 
stances were  such  as  to  justify  Colonel  Sumner  in  employing  military  force  to  disperse  the  as- 
sembly at  Topeka,  and  has  called  upon  him  to  communicate  upon  that  point,  it  not  fully  appearing 
that  the  case  was  one  upon  which  by  his  instructions  he  was  authorized  to  act.  We  have  no 
words  with  which  to  express  our  contempt  of  an  act  like  this  by  President  Pierce.  Colonel 
Sumner  is  an  old  soldier,  and  knows  what  it  is  to  be  a  strict  constructionist.  He  undoubtedly 
has  obeyed  his  instructions  to  the  letter.  But  the  act  performed  by  him  is  deprecated  by  the 
people,  and,  besides,  the  act  is  doing  damage  to  Mr.  Buchanan  :  therefore  the  president  must 
perform  an  unparalleled  act  of  meanness,  by  attempting  to  take  the  bundle  of  infamy  from  his 
own  shoulders  and  cast  it  upon  the  brave  man  who,  while  obeying  instructions,  declared  it  to  be 
'the  most  painful  duty  of  his  life.' " — Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  16,  p.  6. 

Letter  in  the  New  York  Times,  dated  Buffalo,  August  9,  1856,  and  signed  "Lawrence": 
"What  are  we  to  understand  by  the  'ordinary  course  of  judicial  proceedings,  and  the  power 
vested  in  the  United  States  marshal'?  Nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  calling  out  of  the  terri- 
torial militia  by  the  governor  and  summoning  of  another  posse  comitatus  similar  to  the  one  in 
May  last,  at  Lawrence,  by  the  marshal  ! 

"It  is  well  known  that,  for  the  purpose  of  dispersing  the  Topeka  legislature,  no  territorial 
troops  or  marshal's  posse  were  called  out.  Had  the  attempt  been  made  with  such  a  force  as  assem- 
bled at  Lawrence,  nothing  would  have  been  more  certain  than  a  bloody  collision  at  Topeka  on  the 
Fourth  of  July.  The  free-state  men  were  prepared  for  such  force,  but  were  unwilling  to  resist 
United  States  troops.  If  Secretary  Davis  publishes  all  the  instructions  that  had  been  issued  to 
any  military  officer  in  command  in  Kansas,  by  what  authority  did  Colonel  Sumner  disperse  and 
drive  out  armed  parties  of  Missourians  ?  The  latter  did  not  form  an  '  insurrectionary  combination, ' 
nor  offer  '  armed  resistance  to  the  execution  of  the  law.'  "  —  Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  16,  p.  37. 

Richmond  Enquirer.  September  5,  1856 :  "The  timely  action  of  the  president  has  discon- 
certed these  plans  and  put  a  new  face  on  affairs.  The  army  is  still  on  foot  in  Kansas,  and  we 
are  glad  to  see  that  Colonel  Sumner,  the  abolition  commander  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  has  gotten 
leave  of  absence  from  the  seat  of  troubles,  which  we  hope  is  of  indefinite  duration.  Lane  and 
Brown,  and  their  army  of  lazzaroni  and  thieves,  will  have  to  face  the  federal  troops  on  one  side, 
while  the  infuriated  pro-slavery  men,  who  are  mustering  by  thousands  to  avenge  themselves, 
will  attack  them  in  the  rear.  They  have  sowed  the  whirlwind  ;  let  them  reap  the  storm."— Webb 
Scrap-books,  vol.  16,  p.  248. 


The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866.  363 

sas  regiments  and  having  recently  returned  home  had  been  elected  to  the 
senate,  namely:  D.  W.  Houston,  Wm.  Weer,  Thomas  E.  Milhoan,  M.  Quigg, 
Charles  P.  Twiss,  Frank  H.  Drenning,  and  E.  C.  Manning.  Now  they  were 
to  take  up  the  work,  with  Gov.  S.  J.  Crawford,  who  had  been  elected  while 
in  command  of  his  regiment  in  the  field,  of  ameliorating  the  conditions  in- 
cident to  a  ten  years'  struggle  in  the  battle  of  human  rights,  and  adjusting 
the  national  constitution  to  liberty  without  distinction.  These  men  met  the 
champions  of  slavery  on  field  and  forum,  and  the  longed-for  finish  was  close 
at  hand. 

The  names  of  the  men  who  answered  to  the  roll-call  forty-one  years  ago 
this  January  were:  Oliver  Barber,  W.  K.  Bartlett,^  G.  A.  Colton,  F.  H. 
Drenning,  A.  Danford,  C.  V.  Eskridge,  Henry  Foote,  0.  J.  Grover,  W.  P. 
Gambell,  D.  W.  Houston,  Daniel  H.  Home,  J.  H.  Jones,  James  F.  Legate, 
J.  T.  Lane,  Thos.  Murphy,  T.  E.  Milhoan,  E.  C.  Manning,  F.  W.  Potter, 
M.  Quigg,  John  Speer,  Samuel  Speer.  A.  H.  Smith,  Charles  P.  Twiss,  and 
Wm.  Weer. 

James  McGrew  was  lieutenant-governor  and  president  of  the  senate,  and 
was  an  excellent  presiding  officer.  He  was  a  merchant  at  Wyandotte,  whose 
general  assortment  store  faced  and  looked  down  upon  the  navigation  of  the 
Missouri  river,  and  maintained  the  fragrance  of  calico  in  its  front  end,  and 
the  odors  of  tobacco,  coal-oil  and  molasses  at  the  rear  end  of  the  storeroom. 
In  personality,  he  was  a  large  man,  with  black  hair,  heavy  black  whiskers, 
of  bilious  complexion,  and  gentle  mien;  but  he  looked  as  though  he  might 
be  an  "ugly  man  in  a  row." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  collect  into  the  higher  branch  of  the  legislative 
assembly  of  any  state  in  this  Union  so  heterogeneous  a  group  of  individuals  as 
composed  this  assembly.  In  their  veins  were  strains  of  all  the  rebellious 
bloods  of  Europe.  All  were  a  little  above  the  average  citizen  in  energy  and 
intelligence— some  of  them  markedly  so.  Concededly  the  ablest  lawyer  and 
the  smallest  man,  physically,  was  W.  P.  Gambell,  a  Democrat  from  Leaven- 
worth; C.  V.  Eskridge  was  the  most  versatile;  Col.  Wm.  Weer  was  the  most 
brutal  and  aggressive;  John  Speer  the  most  sentimental;  A.  Danford  and 
Henry  Foote  the  best  groomed  and  classical.  D.  W.  Houston  established 
his  forensic  fame  by  paraphrasing  Pope's  lines  as  follows:  "  Lo,  the  poor 
Indian,  whose  untutored  mind  clothes  him  before  and  leaves  him  bare  behind, ' ' 

Note  3.— William  K.  Bartlett  settled  in  Junction  City  in  1859.  He  belonged  to  a  crowd 
of  Maine  boys,  of  whom  Hon.  E.  S.  Stover,  at  one  time  noted  in  Kansas,  but  now  of 
Albuquerque,  N.  M.,  was  one.  His  feet  were  about  the  shape  of  a  horse's  hoof,  with  a  slight  toe 
turning  backwards.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  mental  power,  of  the  strictest  integrity,  with  but 
little  education,  and  the  end  showed  that  his  mind  was  almost  as  badly  warped  as  his  feet.  He 
was  gifted  with  great  originality  and  picturesqueness  in  abuse,  and  when  the  boys  wanted  some 
music  they  would  gather  in  his  place  and  start  him  on  the  Democratic  party,  or  some  other  equally 
inspiring  theme.  The  frontiersmen  for  miles  off  trusted  their  money  with  him  without  the 
scratch  of  a  pen.  He  kept  a  little  store,  a  bolt  of  calico,  some  groceries,  and  occasionally  he 
would  kill  a  beef  for  the  accommodation  of  the  settlement.  He  served  as  postmaster  for  several 
years,  and  in  1864  was  elected  state  senator.  He  was  elected  to  vote  for  Jim  Lane,  and  his  popu- 
larity was  such  that  the  Republicans  had  to  nominate  him  to  save  themselves  that  year.  Bart- 
lett represented  the  twentieth  district,  which  included  Wabaunsee  and  all  west  except  Riley.  In 
the  four  counties  of  Wabaunsee.  Geary,  Dickinson,  and  Saline,  the  vote  stood :  W.  K.  Bartlett, 
382 ;  R.  S.  Miller,  225 :  total,  598.  In  the  four  counties  named,  in  1904,  there  were  13.667  votes  cast 
for  president.  For  three  years  Bartlett  paid  the  salary  of  William  S.  Blakely  while  he  was  a 
printer  working  on  the  Junction  City  Union.  He  finally  abandoned  his  little  store,  built  a  big 
stone  building,  started  a  sawmill,  and  he  went  the  sawmill  route.  He  was  practically  insane  for 
a  couple  of  years,  and  it  cost  the  county  $100  a  month  to  take  care  of  him.  We  were  a  witness 
once  to  a  settlement  he  made.  He  gave  a  man  his  note  for  $1100  for  sawlogs.  As  the  man  de- 
parted, Bartlett  heaved  an  awful  sigh,  and  remarked  :  "  Thank  God,  there  is  another  debt  paid." 
It  came  from  a  man  who  was  naturally  honest,  but  he  was  taken  down  with  the  sawmill  disease, 
which  was  notorious  in  the  early  days  for  ending  men  financially.  He  played  a  strong  hand  in 
all  public,  political  and  business  affairs.  He  was  a  big-hearted,  generous  man.  He  lies  in  a  lost 
grave,  plowed  over  in  a  corn-field.     He  deserved  better.     He  died  about  1869. 


364  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

while  discussing  some  measure  relative  to  Indian  reservations.  James  F. 
Legate  was  mentally  a  great  man,  but  not  in  the  class  whose  death  inspires 
the  granite  to  impulsively  leave  the  quarry  to  stand  guard  above  his  resting- 
place.  F.  W.  Potter  was  the  most  eloquent.  I  have  heard  most  of  our 
orators  of  national  fame  since  1860,  but  few,  if  any,  could  stir  the  human 
emotions  as  could  Potter  when  aroused.  A.  Smith  Devenney  was  secretary; 
M.  M.  Murdock,  docket  clerk;  L.  M.  Benedict,  engrossing  clerk;  Ira  H. 
Smith,  journal  clerk;  and  W.  B.  Bowman,  enrolling  clerk— all  of  whom  have 
been  Kansas  history-builders.  The  legislature  held  its  sessions  in  the  second 
story  of  a  two-story  brick  block  which  stood  on  the  west  side  of  Kansas 
avenue,  opposite  the  present  federal  building  in  Topeka. 

The  governor's  message  was  received  on  the  11th  day  of  January,  1865.^ 
From  it  we  learned  that:  "The  reelection  of  Abraham  Lincoln  is  the  peo- 
ple's declaration  that  the  war  is  not  a  failure,  but  that  it  shall  be  vigorously 
prosecuted  until  the  last  vestige  of  American  slavery  is  extirpated ' ' ;  that 
"the  Kansas  soldiers  have  reared  a  proud  monument  to  her  fame";  that 
"there  are  in  attendance  in  the  colleges,  select  and  common  schools  24,793 
scholars";  that  "there  are  eight  persons  confined  in  the  state  peniten- 
tiary"; that  "the  amount  of  state  taxes  collected  in  1864  was  $149,963.14." 
I  note  that  the  state  taxes  for  the  year  1905  are  $2,229,171.45. 

On  the  12th  day  of  January,  and  the  third  day  of  the  session,  the  two 
branches  of  the  legislature  met  in  joint  convention  to  elect  a  United  States 
senator.  On  the  night  previous  a  final  eflfort  had  been  made  to  concentrate 
the  open  and  slumbering  opposition  to  James  H.  Lane  upon  some  one  man 
as  a  candidate  before  the  joint  convention  to  meet  the  next  day,  and  Gen. 
Thos.  Ewing  was  decided  upon.  A  member  of  the  recent  state  administra- 
tion obtained  private  interviews  with  the  lukewarm  followers  of  Lane  and 
oflCered  them  $1000  in  cash  each  to  cast  their  votes  for  Ewing  the  next  day. 
But  there  was  no  concentration  of  votes  in  that  direction,  and  when  the  roll 
was  called  at  two  p.  M.,  just  after  a  squadron  of  United  States  cavalry  and  a 
battery  of  artillery  had  assembled  in  the  street  below  the  windows  of  Repre- 
sentative hall,  in  which  the  convention  assembled.  Lane  received  82  votes; 
W.  A.  Phillips,  7;  W.  C.  McDowell,  4;  C.  B.  Brace,  2;  W.  Y.  Roberts,  2; 
B.  M.  Hughes,  1;  and  Lane  was  declared  elected.  A  white  handkerchief 
fluttered  out  the  window  of  the  chamber,  the  cannon  boomed,  the  band 
played,  the  cavalry  wheeled  into  marching  column,  and  the  military  disap- 
peared down  the  avenue  to  the  tune  of  "Hail  to  the  Chief."  •'' 

Note  4.— During  the  senate  of  1865-'66,  the  executive  officers  were:  Governor,  S.  J.  Cr&vf- 
f  ord ;  lieutenant-governor,  James  McGrew  ;  secretary  of  state,  R.  A.  Barker ;  auditor,  J.  R. 
Swallow;  treasurer,  William  Spriggs  ;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  I.  T.  Goodnow;  at- 
torney-general, J.  D.  Brumbaugh. 

Note  5.— The  legislature  of  1864,  elected  in  the  fall  of  1863,  met  in  joint  convention  for  the 
election  of  a  United  States  senator  at  two  P.  M.,  February  9,  1864,  and  voted  as  follows  for  a 
United  States  senator  for  the  term  beginning  March  4,  1865  :  For  Thomas  Carney.  68  ;  "against 
a  fraud,"  1;  excused  and  declined  to  vote.  27;  blank,  2.  — House  Journal  1864,  p.  289.  The 
spirit  of  the  premature  election  of  1864  was  anti-Lane.  In  the  Senate  Journal  of  1864,  pp. 
175-179,  is  printed  a  protest  signed  by  the  following  senators:  Abram  Bennett.  R.  G.  Elliott,  M. 
R.  Leonard,  James  McGrew,  Rufus  Oursler,  F.  W.  Potter,  S.  M.  Strickler,  and  D.  M.  Valentine. 
The  same  protest  is  printed  in  the  House  Journal,  1864,  p.  504,  signed  by  the  following  house 
memljers:  M.  Barnes,  J.  C.  Batsell,  H.  Cavender,  G.  F.  Donaldson,  William  Draper.  C.  V.  Esk- 
ridge,  J.  M.  Evans,  Josiah  Frost,  B.  E.  Fullington,  O.  J.  Grover,  A.  K.  Hawks.  D.  M.  Johnston, 
James  Kennor.  B.  M.  Lingo.  Wm.  J.Oram,  T.  J.  Sternberg,  J.  Throckmorton,  John  Wakefield, 
and  J.  W.  Williams.  "The  Annals  of  Kansas  "says  that  Governor  Carney  never  claimed  the 
office,  but  this  action  of  the  legislature  was  the  cause  of  a  very  violent  political  campaign  in  1864. 
The  "Annals"  further  says  that  it  was  the  Price  raid  occurring  in  the  campaign  of  1864  that 
elected  Lane. 


The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866.  365 

Thursday,  January  19,  the  legislature  adjourned  until  the  following  Mon- 
day, having  by  joint  resolution  accepted  the  invitation  of  "John  D.  Perry, 
Esq.,  president  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  Company,  to  a  free  ride  from 
Topeka  to  Wyandotte  and  back  again,  on  Friday  and  Saturday,  January  20 
and  21. "  As  the  ' '  Union  Pacific  Railway ' '  was  only  constructed  as  far  west 
as  Lawrence  at  that  time,  that  portion  of  the  "free  ride"  between  Topeka 
and  Lawrence  had  to  be  accomplished  by  horse  conveyance  or  on  foot.  The 
invitation  included  state  officers,  supreme  court,  attach<^s,  and  citizens,  con- 
stituting alltogether  about  200  individuals.  To  this  end,  Lawrence,  Topeka, 
and  the  trail  between,  including  Lecompton,  were  ransacked  for  convey- 
ances. The  cavalcade  embraced  every  then  known  style  of  wheel  vehicle, 
from  a  Concord  stage-coach  to  a  "one-horse  shay."  Gaily  rode  the  200  on 
that  crisp  January  day.  Some  of  those  who  started  last  arrived  at  Law- 
rence first.  The  speed  depended  largely  upon  the  "ozone"  furnished  the 
driver.  The  ride  was  free,  the  air  freer,  the  Jehu  the  freest.  At  Lawrence 
the  cars  were  awaiting  our  arrival,  and  soon,  for  the  first  and  only  time  in 
Kansas  history,  the  whole  state  administration— legislative,  executive,  judi- 
cial, and  military,  with  an  enthusiastic  social  accompaniment— was  being 
hustled  towards  the  Missouri  border. 

A  furbelow  spasm  shook  Capitol  square 

When  the  Flora  McFlimseys  who  'd  nothing  to  wear 

learned  of  the  "going  event, "  and  the  question  of  "who  's  who"  rocked  the 
foundations  of  society.     "  'T  was  ever  thus. " 

At  Wyandotte  the  doors  were  taken  off  their  hinges  and  revelry  began, 
for— 

"Kansas'  capital  had  gathered  then 
Her  beauty  and  her  chivalry," 
(of  which  Col.  John  Ritchie  was  one— or  two)  and— 

"Soft  eyes  looked  love  to  eyes  which  spake  again." 

The  Wyandotte  reception  included  a  grand  ball  and  banquet  given  in  a 
large,  two-story  warehouse  which  stood  on  the  levee.  Gen.  Samuel  R.  Cur- 
tis, commander  of  the  military  department,  was  a  participant,  and  with  his 
bedazzling  staff  added  martial  glory  to  the  commingling  of  civil,  social  and 
military  representatives  who  had  gathered  to  celebrate  the  forging  of  the 
first  link  in  the  chain  which  was  to  bind  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw  to  the  Golden 
Gate.  Such  a  gathering  in  old  Scotland  would  have  inspired  Scott  to  im- 
mortalize the  scene  with— 

' '  Where  the  wonderful  waters  and  warriors  and  women 
Poured  down  from  the  highlands  to  meet  on  the  border, ' '  etc. 

But  in  these  days  such  occasions  are  numerous  and  Homers  are  rare. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  "Senator  Eskridge  introduced  senate  concurrent 
resolution  No.  48,  relating  to  Daniel  W.  Boutwell, "  asking  Congress  to  re- 
ward him  for  his  heroism  in  carrying  dispatches  through  the  enemy's  lines 
from  General  Curtis  to  General  Pleasanton,  at  the  time  Price's  army  was 
moving  towards  Kansas  City,  in  October,  1864.  It  was  a  gallant  deed,  and 
the  state  should  have  rewarded  him  for  the  service.  Boutwell  and  the  claim 
are  still  alive. 

On  February  20,  after  having  been  in  session  forty  days,  the  senate  ad- 
journed without  date,  listening  in  its  expiring  moments  to  a  panegyric  on 


366 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


the  death  of  slavery  from  Senator  Daniel  H.  Home,  who  was  temporary 
chairman,  of  which  the  following  are  extracts: 

"It  leaves  behind  in  Kansas  crumbling  fragments  of  disappointed  ambi- 
tion; it  also  leaves  behind  dark,  living  monuments  carved  by  the  hand  of 
God,  to  enlighten  unborn  millions,  to  inform  them  that  slavery  is  black  trea- 
son and  death.     .     .     .  " 

"And  as  its  lingering  twilight  fades  away 
The  Southern  sky  doth  blacken; 
Then  pull  for  freedom,  both  young  and  grey, 
'On  it'  and  never  slacken." 


On  the  9th  day  of  January,  1866,  at  twelve  M.,  the  second  session  of  the 
senate  assembled,  and  A.  R.  Banks  was  chosen  secretary.  Between  the 
first  and  second  sessions  of  the  senate  there  occurred  some  changes  in  the 
personnel  of  that  body.  Sol.  Miller,  from  Doniphan,  in  place  of  Lane; 
Joshua  Wheeler,  from  Atchison,  in  place  of  Thomas  Murphy;  Eugene  L. 
Akin,  from  Douglas,  in  place  of  John  Speer;  D.  B.  Emmert,  from  Fort 
Scott,  in  place  of  Addison  Danford;  David  Anderson,  from  Miami,  in  place 
of  G.  A.  Colton,  and  Reuben  Riggs  from  Marion  Center.  ^ 


Note  6. —  As  far  as  can  be  learned,  the  following  members  of  the  senate  and  house  for  1865 
and  1866  are  still  living :  Senate,  1865 :  James  McGrew,  Frank  H.  Drenning,  D.  W.  Houston,  E. 
C.  Manning,  John  Speer  ;  and  M.  M.  Murdock,  docket  clerk.  House,  1865 :  A.  W.  Callen,  Geo. 
W.  Glick,  Cyrus  Leland,  James  R.  Mead,  Joel  Moody,  Frank  B.  Swift ;  and  Thomas  Archer,  ser- 
geant-at-arms,  and  C.  T.  K.  Prentice,  doorkeeper.  Senate,  1866:  James  McGrew,  Frank  H. 
Di-enning,  D.  W.  Houston,  E.  C.  Manning,  John  Speer ;  and  A.  R.  Banks,  secretary.  House, 
1866 :  John  T.  Burris,  speaker ;  J.  H.  Bonebrake,  W.  S.  Cain,  A.  W.  Callen,  R.  C.  Foster,  Geo.  W. 
Glick,  Wm.  Mai-tindale,  John  K.  Rankin,  F.  Wellhouse;  and  Thomas  Archer,  sergeant-at-arms, 
and  C.  T.  K.  Prentice,  doorkeeper. 

There  were  six  sessions  of  the  territorial  legislature,  1855-'61 ;  the  first  in  1855,  the  second  in 
1857,  and  annually  thereafter;  and  two  special  sessions  — 1857  and  1860.  There  have  been,  in- 
cluding that  of  1905,  thirty-six  sessions  of  the  state  legislature  (1861-1905)— seventeen  annual 
sessions  (1861-18771,  fourteen  biennial  sessions  (1879-1905),  and  five  special  sessions  (1874,  1884, 
1886,  1898-'99,  and  1903. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those  who  have  served  as  senators  and  members  of  the  house  of 
representatives  three  sessions  or  more.     The  letter  "  s  "  indicates  service  in  the  senate : 
Elder,  P.  P.,  1861s,  68s,  75,  76,  77,  83,  91 ;  speake 

in  1877  and  1891. 
Pierce.  A.  C,  1861,  69,  81. 


Woodard.  Levi,  1861.  66, 

Abbott,  J.  B.,  1861,  67s,  68s. 

McGrew,  James,  1861,  62,  63s,  64s. 

Legate,  J.  F.,  1861,  65s,  66s,  71,  75.  79,  81,  89. 

Osborn,  T.  A.,  1861s,  62s,  89s.  91s. 

Lappin,  Samuel,  1861s,  62s,  69. 

Grimes,  W.  H.,  1861,  69s,  70s,  73s,  74s. 

Jones.  J.  H..  1861,  63,  65s,  663. 

Broadhead.  J.  F.,  1861s,  62s,  63,  65,  69s,  70s. 

Gambell,  W.  P.,  1861,  65s,  66s.  68. 

Kunkle,  Jerome,  1861,  66,  77. 

Scott,  J.  W.,  1861,  67s.  68s. 

Humber,  N.,  1861,  66,  69. 

Barber,  Oliver,  1861.  65s,  66s. 

Wood,  S.  N..  1861s,  62s,  64,  66,  67s,  76,  77;  speaker 

in  1877. 
Rice,  H..  1862,  65,  81. 
Potter,  F.  W.,  1862.  63s,  65s,  66s,  74. 
Plumb,  P.  B.,  1862,  67,  68;   speaker  in  1867. 
Eskridge,  C.  V.,  1862,  63.  64.  65s,  66s,  72,  76. 
Fishback,  W.  H.  M.,  1862,  63s,  64s. 
Grover,  O.  J..  1862,  64,  65s,  66s,  69s,  70s,  74,  83. 
Valentine,  D.  M.,  1862.  63s,  64s. 
Medill,  James,  1862.  63,  74. 
Murphy,  Thomas,  1862,  65s,  70. 
Leonard,  M.  R.,  1862,  63s,  64s,  79. 
Russell.  Ed..  1862,  63,  65,  81. 
Miller,  Sol.,  1862,  63s,  64s,  66s,  71s,  72s,  853.  87s. 
Maxson,  P.  B.,  1862,  63s.  64s.  67s.  68s. 
Wells,  Welcome,  1862,  72,  77s,  79s. 
Kellogg,  Josiah,  1863,  64,  66,  69.  70,  71s,  72s,  73, 
77;  speaker  in  1863,  64,  and  73. 


Snyder,  S.  J.  H.,  1863,  65.  70s. 
Underbill,  D.,  1863.  67s,  68s. 
Stratton,  C.  H.,  1863,  64.  65. 
Rogers,  James,  1863,  64,  67s,  69. 
Page,  F.  R..  1863,  65,  71. 
Baker,  T.  H.,  1863s,  64s,  71,  73. 
Johnson,  J.  P.,  1863,  64,  85,  87. 
Glick,  G.  W.,  1863,  64,  65,  66,  68,  76,  81. 
Campbell,  D.  G.,  1863,  64,  65s,  68,  75,  76. 
Clark,  N.  C,  1863.  67s,  68s. 
Foster.  R.  C,  1863,  65,  66,  67s,  68s. 
Fitzwilliam,  F.  P.,  1863s,  64s,  75. 
Johnson,  D.  M.,  1863,  64,  68. 
Hollinsburg,  G.  H.,  1863,  64,  66,  67. 
Lacock,!.  J.,  1863,  64.  66. 
Wheeler.  Joshua.  1863s.  64s.  66s. 
Throckmorton,  Job,  1864.  65.  67. 
Rodgers,  D.,  1864,  66,  67. 
Drenning,  F.  H..  1864.  65s,  66s,  74. 
Draper,  Wm.,  1864,  65.  67. 
Williams.  B.  W.,  1864,  68,  75s,  76s. 
Mead,  J.  R.,  1865,  69s.  70s. 
Fletcher,  James,  1865,  66.  68. 
Manning.  E.  C,  1865s,  66s,  71s,  72s. 
Kohler,  Conrad,  1865,  66,  70,  85s,  87s. 
Stotler,  Jacob,  1865,  66,  70,  71s,  72s ;  speake 

1865  and  1870. 
Callen,  A.  W.,  1865,  66,  79. 
Leland.  Cyrus,  jr.,  1865,  1903.  05. 
Martindale,  William,  1865.  66,  73s,  74s,  75s.  ' 
Harvey,  J.  M..  1865,  66,  67s,  68s. 
Speer,  John,  1865s,  66s,  83. 
Moody,  Joel,  1865,  81,  89s,  91s. 
Parker,  C.  E..  1866,  67,  71,  74. 
Bauserman,  J.  P.,  1866,  75s,  76s. 


The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866. 


367 


Graham,  George,  1866,  67s.  68s. 
Drake,  Charles,  1866,  69,  70,  72. 
Moore,  A.  A.,  1866,  67,  68s. 
Brandley,  Henry,  1867,  73s,  74s. 
Price,  J.  M.,  1867s,  68s,  71s,  72s,  79, 
Evans,  B.  D.,  1867,  77s,  79s. 
Jenkins,  E.  J.,  1867,  68,  69s,  70s. 
Tucker,  Edwin,  1867,  68,  69s.  70s,  8£ 
Haas,  H.  C,  i867s,  68s,  71s,  72s. 
Mobley,  R.  D.,  1867,  68,  75. 


71,  77s;  speaker  in 


Blakely,  W.  S.,  1867s,  68s.  73. 
Simpson,  B.  F.,  1867s, 

1871. 
Cooper,  S.  S.,  1867s.  68s,  87. 
Veale,  G.  W.,  1867s,  68s.  71,  73,  77,  83,  87,  89,  95. 
Thompson,  G.  W.,  1867.  68,  69. 
Stover.  E.  S..  1867,  71s.  72s. 
Rockefeller,  Philip.  1868,  71s,  72s. 
Butler.  T.  H.,  1868,  69,  70. 
"Williams.  H.  H.,  1868,  69s,  70s. 
Finney,  D.  W.,  1868,  75s,  76s,  77s,  79s. 
Matheny.  W.  M.,  1868s,  73s,  74s. 
Snoddy,  J.   D.,  1868,   69,   70.   71s,   72s,   81,   83; 

speaker  in  1883. 
Guthrie,  John,  1868,  69.  70. 
Wright,  J.  K.,  1868,  70,  76.  89s.  91s. 
Kelley.  Harrison,  1868,  81s,  83s. 
Carpenter.  J.  C,  1869s,  70s,  77s,  93s,  95s,  1901s, 

03s. 
Logan,  Joseph.  1869,  70,  72s. 
West,  R.  P.,  1869,  70,  76. 

Murdock.  M.  M..  1869s,  70s,  71s,  72s,  73s,  74s. 
Mowry.  A.  J.,  1869,  70,  74,  76. 
Wood.  G.  W..  1869,  71,  72. 
Fitzpatrick,  W.  H.,  1869s,  70s,  71s.  72s. 
Simpson,  Wm.,  1869,  73s.  74s. 
Prescott.  J.  H.,  1869s,  70s,  72s. 
Osborn.  W.  F..  1869,  70,  71,  81.  99. 
Cobb,  S.  A.,  1869s,  70s,  72  ;  speaker  in  1872. 
Whitford.  J.  H.,  1870.  72,  85s. 
Webb.  W.  C,  1870,  71,  91. 
Langdon,  S.  J.,  1870.  72,  73. 
Halderman.  J.  A.,  1870,  75s,  76s. 
Topping,  E.  H.,  1870,  71s,  72s,  73s,  74s. 
Pinkerton,  J.  H.,  1870,  71,  72. 
Butler,  C.  B..  1871,  72,  73s,  74s. 
Hogeboom,  G.  W.,  1871,  72s,  77. 
Fenlon,  T.  P.,  1871,  72,  74. 
Griffin,  S.  P.,  1871,  75s,  76s. 
Wilson.  J.  C,  1871,  72,  73s. 
Benedict,  S.  S.,  1872,  75,  76,  77s,  79s,   81s,  95, 

1905s  ;  will  hold  over  1907s. 
Robinson,  Charles,  1872,  75s,  76s,  77s,  79s. 
Hutchinson,  C.  C,  1872,  73,  74. 
Edwards.  J.  H.,  1872,  73,  74s. 
Hackney.  W.  P..  1872,  74,  76,  81s.  83s,  1905. 
Collins.  I.  F.,  1872,  77,  81s,  83s. 
Haskell,  D.  C,  1872,  75,  76;  speaker  in  1876. 
Kellogg,  C.  M..  1872,  77s,  79s. 
Nichols.  R.  H.,  1872,  77s,  79s. 
Rogers,  J.  W.,  1872,  73s.  74s. 
Allen.  E.  B.,  1873,  75,  83. 
Ely,  A.  F.,  1873s,  74s,  75s.  77. 
Sexton.  J.  Z.,  1873.  81,  83s. 
Morrill,  E.  N.,  1873s.  74s,  77s,  79s. 
Bishop,  G.  S.,  1873,  77,  79. 
Buchan,  W.  J..  1873,  75,  77s,  79s,  81s,  83s,  85s, 

87s.  89s,  91s. 
Funston,  E.  H.,  1873,  74,  75,  81s,  83s  ;   speaker 

in  1875. 
Crichton,  J.  H.,  1874s,  75s.  76s.  83. 
Judd,  Byron,  1873s,  74s,  75s,  76s. 
Martin,  C.  S.,  1873s,  74s,  75s,  76s. 
Gillespie,  G.  W.,  1873.  75s,  76s. 
Simons,  W.  L.,  1873s,  74s,  75s,  76s. 
Pestana,  H.  L.,  1874,  1901s,  03s. 
Dow,  H.  P.,  1874,  75s,  76s,  77s. 
Maltby,  W.  W.,  1874,  75s.  76s. 
Haff.  Sanford.  1874.  75.  76. 
Horton.  J.  C.  1874,  75s.  76s. 
Bissell.  John,  1874,  79,  83. 
Edmonds.  Matt,  1875,  85s,  87s. 
Smith,  A.  W.,  1875.  77,  87;  speaker  in  1887. 
Loy,  J.  W.,  1875,  76,  79. 


Brown,  C.  J.,  1875.  77s,  79s. 

Wright,  R.  M.,  1875,  76,  77.  79,  81. 

Taylor,  T.  T.,  1875,  76,  87. 

Jaquins,  Edward,  1875,  97.  99. 

Cooper,  Horace.  1875s,  76s,  77. 

Hallowell.  J.  R.,  1876,  77s,  79s. 

Kelly,  John,  1876,  77s,  85s,  87s. 

Johnston,  W.  A„  1876.  77s,  79s. 

Kirk.  L.  K.,  1876,  77s,  79s,  87s. 

Stewart,  J.  J.,  1876,  77,  79. 

Biddle.  W.  R.,  1876,  77.  79. 

Congdon,  W.  M.,  1877,  79,  85s,  87s. 

Murdock,  T.  B.,  1877s,  79s,  89s,  91s. 

Williams.  R.  M.,  1877s,  79s,  81s,  83s. 

Smith,  W.  W.,  1877,  85s,  87s. 

Metsker.  D.  C.  1877s,  79s,  81s,  83s. 

Mohler,  J.  G.,  1877.  89s,  91s. 

Donahue,  Joseph,  1877,  79,  87. 

Gabriel,  G.  W.,  1877,  83,  99,  1901s,  03s. 

Humphrey.  L.  U..  1877.  85s,  87s. 

Kellogg,  L.  B.,  1877,  85s,  87s. 

Myers,  L.  A.,  1877s,  79s,  83. 

Hewins,  Edwin,  1877,  79.  85s.  87s. 

Breyfogle.  L.  W.,  1879.  81s,  83s. 

Clark,  A.  B.,  1879.  81s.  83s. 

Clogston,  J.  B.,  1879.  81,  83,  85,  87. 

Briggs,  L.  M.,  1879,  81s,  83s. 

Gable,  F.  M.,  1879.  89,  91. 

SluES.  H.  C,  1879s,  81s.  83s. 

Seaton,  John,  1879,  81,  83,  91,  93,  95,  97,  99. 1901. 

Bradbury,  Leonard,  1879s,  81s.  83s. 

Anderson,  T.  J.,  1879,  81,  99s. 

Finch,  L.  E.,  1879s,  81s,  83s. 

Gillespie,  J.  S.,  1879,  85,  89. 

Ware,  E.  F.,  1879s,  81s,  83s. 

Drought,  E.  S.  W.,  1881,  83.  85. 

Bolinger,  Wiley,  1881,  85,  87. 

Blue.  R.  W..  1881s,  83s,  85s.  87s. 

Hargraves.  John,  1881,  83,  87. 

Cloyes,  F.  E.,  1881,  83,  85. 

Thacher,  S.  O.,  1881s,  83s,  93s,  95s. 

Crane.  R.  M.,  1881s,  83s.  85s,  87s. 

Benson,  A.  W.,  1881s,  83s,  1905. 

Robbins,  H.  F.,  1881,  93s,  95s. 

Case.  G.  H.,  1881s,  83s,  85s,  87s. 

McTaggart.  Daniel,  1883,  85,  87,  89s.  91s,  93s,  95s. 

Street,  W.  D.,  1883,  89,  95,  97;   speaker  in  1897. 

Carroll,  Edward,  1883,  85,  87,  89s.  91s. 

Lingenfelter,  W.  J..  1883.  85s.  87s. 

Stewart,  S.  J.,  1883,  85,  1901s,  03s. 

Schilling,  John,  1883,  89s,  91s. 

Simpson,  J.  M.,  1883,  85,  87. 

Burton,  J.  R  ,  1883,  85,  89. 

Barker.  G.  J.,  1885s,  87s,  97,  1901,  03;  speaker 

in  1901. 
Hogue,  T.  L.,  1885,  99,  1901. 
Kelley,  M.  C.  1885s,  87s.  89s.  91s. 
Martin.  J.  W..  1885.  87.  89. 
Rush.  J.  W..  1885s.  87s.  89s,  91s.      • 
King,  L.  P.,  1885,  87,  89s,  91s,  93s,  95s,  97s.  99s, 

1901s.  03s. 
Gillett.  F.  E..  1885.  87.  89s.  91s. 
Weilep.  E.  C.  1885,  97,  1901. 
Kimball,  C.  H..  1885s.  87s.  89s,  91s. 
Harkness,  F.  P.,  1885s,  87s,  89s,  91s. 
Kelly,  H.  B.,  1885s,  87s,  89s,  91s. 
Young,  L  D.,  1885s,  87s,  1905s;  will  hold  over 

1907s, 
Miller,  J.  D.,  1887,  89.  1903. 
Richter.  H.  E.,  1889s,  91s,  93. 
Kirkpatrick,  S.  S.,  1889s,  91s,  1903. 
Loomis,  E.,  1889,  97,  99. 
Johnson.  C.  F..  1889s.  91s.  97s,  99s. 
Atherton,  O.  L.,  1889.  91.  93. 
Stocks,  F.  A.,  1889,  97s,  99s. 
Douglass,  G.  la.,  1889,  91,  93  ;  speaker  in  1893. 
Williamson,  J.  D.,  1889,  91,  93s.  95s. 
Smith.  H.  J..  1889.  1905s ;  will  hold  over  1907s. 
Campbell,  W.  M.,  1899,  91,  93,  95. 
White,  H.  B.,  1889,  1901s.  03s. 
Remington.  J.  B..  1891,  93.  95,  99,  1901. 
Hopkins,  W.  R..  1891,  93.  95. 
Helmick,  Jason,  1891.  93s,  95s,  97s,  99s. 


368 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Lobdell,  C.  E.,  delegate  in  1891 ;  member  1893, 

95.  97  ;  speaker  in  1895. 
Smith,  G.  E.,  1891,  93s,  95s. 
Lupfer.  A.  H..  1891,  93.95,  97s,  99s,  1905. 
Newman,  A.  A..  1891,  93,  95. 
Rodgers,  Wm.,  1891,  93s,  953. 
Cobun,  M.  W.,  1891,  93,  1901. 
Reid,  H.  M.,  1891,  93s,  95s. 
Pratt,  Alfred,  1891,  93,  95. 
McKinnie,  G.  H.,  1891,  93,  95. 
Dumbauld,  Levi.  1891.  93s.  95s. 
Armstrong,  John,  1893s,  95s,  97s.  99s. 
Cubbison,  J.  K.,  1893,  1895,  97,  1901s,  03s. 
Taylor,  Edwin,  1893s,  95s.  97. 
Jumper,  H.  G.,  1893s,  95s,  97s.  99s. 
Sterne.  W.  E.,  1893s.  95s,  97s. 
Pritchard,  Levi,  1893,  97s,  99s. 
Bucklin,  J.  A..  1893,  95,  1901,  03. 
Ryan,  W.  H.,  1893,  97s,  99s. 
Benefiel,  F.  M.,  1893.  95.  99. 
Hackbusch,  H.  C.  F.,  1893.  95,  97. 
Householder.  M.  A.,  1893s,  95s,  97s.  99s.  1901s, 

03s. 
Cooke,  A.  S..  1893s,  95s,  97s.  99s. 
Forney,  A.  G.,  1893s,  95s,  97s,  99s. 
Helm,  W.  B..  18938,  95s,  97s,  99s. 
Morrow,  J.  C.,  1895,  97s,  99s,  1901s,  03s. 
Simons,  R.  T.,  1895.  1901s.  03s.  05s ;  will  hold 

over  1907s. 
Smith.  F.  H.,  1895,  97,  1901,  03. 
Schlyer.  John,  1895,  1901.  03. 
Seaver,  L.  H..  1897*  99.  1905. 
Caldwell,  J.  N..  1897s,  99s,  1901s,  03s. 
Henley,  Albert,  1897,  99.  1901s,  03s. 
Giessler,  H.  F.,  1897,  99,  1901. 


05s;  will  hold 


05s ;  will  .hold 


McKeever.  E.  D.,  1897,  99,  1901. 
Adams,  J.  W.,  1899,  1903,  05. 
Hayden,    G.    P.,   1899.    1901,   03, 

over  1907s. 
Wright,  L.  R.,  1899,  1901s,  03s. 
Francis,  John,  1899,  1901,  03. 
Finley,  W.  S.,  1899,  1901,  03. 
Ward.  R.  B..  1899s,  1901s,  03s. 
Godshalk.  A.  J.,  1899,  1901,  03. 
Adams,  J.  B.,  1899,  1901.  C3. 
Conrad.  H.  W.,  1899,  1901s,  03s. 
Fitzpatrick,  W.  S.,   1901s,  03s. 
over  1907s. 
Betts,  J.  B.,  1901,  03,  05s;  will  hold  over  1907s. 
Schermerhorn.  E.  B..  1901.  03,  05. 
Fulton,  E.  R.,  1901s,  03s,  05s;  will  hold  over 

1907s. 
Griffin,  U.  S.,  1901,  03,  053  ;  will  holdover  19073. 
Miller,  H.  B.,   1901s,  03s.  05s;  will   hold  over 

1907s. 
Porter,   E.  F.,  1901s.  03s 

1907s. 
Mead,  A.  G.,  1901,  03,05. 
Pralle,  F.  H..  1901.  03,  05. 
Noftzger.  T.  A.,  1901s.  03 

1907s. 
Smith.    F.   D.,  1901s.  03s,  05s;  will  hold  over 

1907s. 
Buschow.  Charles,  1901s,  03s,  05s;    will   hold 

over  1907s. 
Waggener.  B.  P..  1903, 05s;  will  hold  over  1907s. 
Tucker,  G.  E..  1903,  05s;  will  hold  over  1907s. 
Peck.  C.  N.,  1903,  05s ;  will  hold  over  1907s. 
DoUey,  J.  N.,  1903,  05s  ;  will  hold  over  1907s. 
Martin,  J.  L.,  1903,  05s;  will  hold  over  1907s. 


05s ;  will  hold  over 


i ;  will  hold  over 


Sol.  Miller's  fame  as  a  writer  had  been  acknowledged  even  beyond  state 
boundaries,  and  his  individuality  was  a  matter  of  interest.  Clad  in  gray- 
blue  suit  of  factory  cloth,  he  was  of  medium  height,  heavy  build,  slightly 
stooped,  and  had  a  smoothly  shaven  countenance,  from  which  drowsy  look- 
ing gray-blue  eyes  peered  indifferently  out  upon  the  world  from  under  a 
slouch  hat.  Such  was  his  personality.  His  smile  was  even  simple  in  ex- 
pression. There  was  nothing  about  him  to  indicate  the  keen  satire  of  his 
pen.  The  most  striking  figure  among  the  newcomers  was  Reuben  Riggs, 
from  the  buffalo  range,  a  typical  and  honest  frontiersman,  Missouri  bred, 
born,  and  branded.  Huge,  raw-boned,  stoop-shouldered,  shambling  in  gait, 
and  taciturn  in  manner,  he  increased  the  Democratic  minority,  but  was 
highly  esteemed,  and  introduced  one  bill  during  the  session. 

In  his  message  to  the  legislature  Governor  Crawford  expressed  gratitude 
for  the  final  and  successful  issue  of  the  war  to  preserve  the  Union,  and 
commended  to  this  state  and  the  nation  its  defenders  and  the  families  of  the 
fallen.  He  also  recounted  the  fact  that,  notwithstanding  the  state  had  fur- 
nished more  than  its  quota  of  troops  for  the  field  under  all  the  calls  for  vol- 
unteers, the  United  States  provost  marshal  general  had,  on  December  19, 
1864,  ordered  a  draft  on  Kansas  for  more  troops,  and  that  when  the  gov- 
ernor assumed  the  office,  in  January,  1865,  that  draft  order  was  still  pending, 
and  being  enforced.^     After  preparing  himself  with  statistics  as  to  the 


Note  7.— The  following  is  a  copy  of  an  unsigned  letter  in  the  archives  department  of  the 
Historical  Society,  evidently  the  first  draft  of  a  letter  vsrritten  by  Gov.  Samuel  J.  Crawford  to 
General  Fry: 

"TOPEKA,  February  10,  1865. 
"Brig.-gen.  James  B.  Fry,  Provost  Marshal  General,  Washington,  D.  C.  : 

"  Sir  —  In  addition  to  the  data  and  arguments  presented  in  my  communication  of  the  31st  ult., 
showing  why  Kansas  should  not  be  subjected  to  the  operations  of  a  draft  under  the  call  of  De- 
cember 19,  1864,  for  300,000  troops,  and  why  that  call  was  unjust  and  oppressive,  and  should  be 
withdrawn,  I  desire  respectfully  to  submit  the  following  considerations  in  justification  of  the 
correctness  and  conclusions  there  ascertained. 

"The  accompanying  statement  marked  'AA'  shows  the  number  of  men  called  for  by  the 


The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866.  369 

president  of  the  United  States  during-  the  entire  progress  of  the  rebellion,  giving-  the  date  of 
each  call,  the  number  of  each  call,  the  length  of  service,  and  the  aggregate  of  all  services  reduced 
to  the  three-year  standard. 

"This  statement  gives  an  aggregate  of  2,163,998  three-year  men  demanded  by  the  government. 
In  this  aggregate  I  have  omitted  the  call  of  October  17,  1863,  for  300,000  men,  inasmuch  as  that 
call  was  afterwards  incorporated  in  the  call  of  February  1,  1864,  for  500,000  men. 

"  I  also  omit  the  call  for  100,000  ninety-day  militia,  distributed  as  follows,  to  wit :  To  Penn- 
sylvania, 50,000 ;  West  Virginia,  10,000  ;  Maryland,  10,000  ;  and  New  York,  30,000,  for  two  reasons : 
First,  you  do  not  reckon  for  time  where  the  service  rendered  is  less  than  six  months  ;  and  second, 
if  you  did  so  reckon,  Kansas  would  have  a  large  exhibit  on  that  account,  far  more  than  offsetting 
any  charges  against  us,  as  our  militia  have  been  almost  constantly  on  service  during  the  progress 
of  the  rebellion  protecting  the  eastern  and  southern  borders  of  our  state  or  defending  the  fron- 
tier settlement  against  the  encroachments  of  plains  Indians.  I  need  but  particularize  a  single 
instance.  In  October  last  the  entire  militia  of  our  own  state  was  out  for  a  period  of  thirty  days 
cooperating  with  the  federal  forces,  under  Generals  Curtis  and  Rosecrans,  in  vanquishing  a 
large  army  of  the  public  enemy,  under  the  command  of  General  Price  ;  and  to  their  timely  co- 
operation and  valuable  assistance  defeat  was  averted  and  the  victory  of  the  Union  arms  rendered 
decisive  and  complete. 

"While  we  claim  no  credit  for  this  service  of  our  militia,  yet  they  should  of  course  operate  to 
prevent  the  assignment  of  quotas  under  similar  calls  in  other  states  being  made  against  Kan- 
sas. They  should  also  operate  to  secure  for  Kansas  a  favorable  hearing  and  the  considerate 
judgment  of  your  office. 

"I  desire  now  to  make  an  inquiry,  in  order  to  ascertain  what  the  sum  of  the  quotas  of  Kan- 
sas should  be  upon  any  basis  of  apportionment  which  may  be  chosen.  I  will  select  the  three 
most  probable  methods,  the  first  and  last  of  which  are  recognized  both  by  laws  of  Congress  and 
by  the  practice  of  your  office.  These  are,  first,  congressional  districts ;  second,  the  popular  vote  ; 
third,  population. 

"First. —  By  section  4  of  the  conscription  act,  so  called,  it  is  provided:  'That  for  greater 
convenience  in  enrolling,  calling  out  and  organizing  the  national  forces,  and  for  the  arrest  of  de- 
serters and  spies  of  the  enemy,  the  United  States  shall  be  divided  into  districts,  of  which  the 
District  of  Columbia  shall  constitute  one,  each  territory  of  the  United  States  shall  constitute  one 
or  more,  as  the  president  shall  direct,  and  each  congressional  district  of  the  respective  states,  as 
fixed  by  a  law  of  the  state  next  preceding  the  enrolment,  shall  constitute  one.' 

"The  number  of  districts  in  the  loyal  states  of  the  Union,  and  upon  which  these  national 
levies  are  made  to  apply,  is  194,  as  more  fully  appears  from  the  accompanying  tabular  statement 
marked  'BB.'  In  this  I  omit  to  enumerate  any  from  Tennessee.  Arkansas,  or  Louisiana,  and  all 
more  rebellious  states.  Dividing  the  aggregate  of  calls,  2,163,998  three-year  men,  by  this  aggre- 
gate of  congressional  districts,  194,  and  it  gives  the  entire  allotment  to  Kansas  of  troops  to  be 
furnished  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  up  to  December  19,  1864,  at  11,154  three-year  men. 

"  The  settlement  made  with  Kansas  by  Captain  Maynadier  under  date  of  May  3,  1864,  shows 
an  aggregate  of  14,403  three-year  men  credited  to  our  state.  By  the  official  statement  of  Cap- 
tain Clarke,  acting  assistant  provost  marshal  general  for  Kansas,  now  on  file  in  this  office,  and 
dated  January  28,  1865,  we  have  credits  as  follows,  to  wit : 

From  March  31,  1864,  to  July  18,  1864 834 

From  July  18,  1864,  to  December  31,  1864.  29  for  one  year  =  10;  3  for 

twoyears  =  2;  314  for  three  years  =  314 +2 +  10 326 

Credit  May  3,  1864 14.403 

Aggregate  credits 15,563 

"Thus  15,563  three-year  men  show  the  aggregate  of  Kansas  credits  as  exhibited  by  your 
oflSce  up  to  December  19,  1864. 

"Deducting  the  aforesaid  11,154,  the  proportionate  allotment  of  this  congressional  district 
under  all  calls  from  this  aggregate  of  15,563  credits,  and  it  leaves  a  balance  of  4409  three-year 
men  to  be  applied  upon  our  quota  of  December  19, 1864. 

"The  total  number  of  men  furnished  by  the  state  of  Kansas,  as  shown  by  the  records  of  the 
adjutant-general's  oflice  of  this  state  (see  foregoing  statement  marked  ' '),  is  21,806.  De- 
ducting 1009  for  the  difference  of  three-months  men  reduced,  and  it  leaves  a  balance  of  20,797 
three-year  men  ( note  if  the  whole  number  of  three-months  men  were  thrown  out  it  would  only 
lessen  the  foregoing  figures  96).  If  from  this  aggregate  of  credits,  as  claimed  by  this  office,  we 
deduct  the  congressional  allotment  of  11,154,  and  it  leaves  Kansas  an  excess  of  9643  three-year 
men  to  apply  upon  the  quota  of  our  state  under  the  call  for  December  19,  1864,  as  shown  by  the 
records  of  this  office. 

"Second. — The  vote  polled  at  the  recent  presidential  election  in  what  are  denominated  the 
'loyal  states,'  and  subject  to  furnish  men  upon  the  requisitions  of  the  president,  was  4,034,789. 
Add  to  this  only  65,211  per  the  territorial  vote,  equally  liable  to  furnish  their  due  proportion  of 
men  for  the  federal  service,  and  it  gives  an  aggregate  of  4,100,000  votes.  The  vote  of  Kansas  at 
the  recent  election  was  17,494.  Therefore,  if  the  aggregate  vote  of  all  the  loyal  states  —  4.100,000 
—  produced  2,163,998  three-year  men  for  the  federal  service,  the  17,494  votes  from  Kansas  ought 
to  have  produced  9233  three-year  men  for  that  service.  But  instead  of  that,  by  the  records  of 
yoiir  office,  before  referred  to,  it  is  shown  that  Kansas  has  furnished  15,563  three-year  men,  or 
6330  three-year  men  more  than  our  proportion  under  the  popular  vote  ;  or  6330  three-year  men  to 
apply  upon  our  quota  under  the  call  of  December  19,  1864.  And  by  the  records  of  this  office,  it  is 
shown  that  Kansas  has  furnished  20,797  three-year  men,  or  11,564  three-year  men  more  than  our 
proportion  under  the  popular  vote,  or  11,564  three-year  men  to  apply  upon  our  quota  under  the 
call  of  December  19,  1864. 

"  Third.—  By  the  census  of  1860,  the  population  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  '  loyal  states'  (ex- 
cluding the  territories,  which  ought  to  be  counted  ),  rejecting  Tennessee,  Louisiana,  and  Arkan- 
sas, amounted  to  22,621,467.  By  the  same  census  the  population  of  Kansas  was  ascertained  to  be 
107,110.  Therefore,  if  the  aggregate  population  of  the  loyal  states  — 22,621,467  —  produced  for  the 
federal  service  2,163,998  three-year  men,  the  107,110  population  of  Kansas  should  produce  10.246 
three-year  men  ;  instead  of  which,  as  shown  by  the  records  of  your  office,  Kansas  has  furnished 
15,563  three-year  men,  or  5317  three-year  men  more  than  her  proportion  by  population  ;  or  5317 
three-year  men  to  apply  upon  the  quota  of  our  state  under  the  call  of  December  19,  1864  ;  and,  as 

-24 


370  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

shown  by  the  records  of  the  adjutant-general's  office  of  this  state,  Kansas  has  furnished  20,797 
three-year  men,  being  10,551  three-year  men  more  than  her  proportion  by  population,  or  10,551 
three-year  men  to  apply  upon  the  quota  of  our  state  under  the  call  of  December  19,  1864. 

"As  an  illustration  of  the  correctness  of  the  foregoing  conclusions,  I  desire  to  call  your  at- 
tention to  its  application  in  the  several  states.  Take  two  instances — one  east  and  the  other  west 
—  as  presented  in  the  recent  messages  of  Governor  Andrews,  of  Massachusetts,  and  of  Governor 
Morton,  of  Indiana,  to  the  legislatures  of  their  respective  states. 

"In  Massachusetts  the  number  of  congressional  districts  is  ten ;  the  number  of  troops  fur- 
nished, 123,888.  This  would  give  12,388  as  the  number  furnished  by  each  congressional  district 
in  that  state,  and  consequently  the  number  which  should  be  furnished  by  the  congressional  dis- 
trict of  Kansas.  Instead  of  which  the  congressional  district  of  Kansas  has  furnished  15,563 
three-year  men,  as  shown  by  the  records  of  your  office,  or  20,797  three-year  men,  as  shown  by  the 
records  of  this  office. 

"Again,  the  popular  vote  of  Massachusetts  at  the  recent  election  was  175,487 ;  the  vote  of 
Kansas  was  17,494.  Therefore,  if  the  vote  of  Massachusetts,  175.487,  produced  123,888  men,  the 
vote  of  Kansas,  17,494,  ought  to  have  produced  12,355  men.  Instead  of  which,  as  shown  by  your 
office,  we  have  furnished  15,563  men,  or,  as  shown  by  this  office,  we  have  furnished  20,797  men. 

"Again,  the  population  of  Massachusetts  was,  in  1860,  1,231,066 ;  of  Kansas,  107,110.  There- 
fore, if  1.231,066  of  population  in  Massachusetts  produced  123,888  men  for  the  service,  then  the 
107,110  of  population  in  Kansas  ought  to  produce  10,778  men  for  the  service.  Instead  of  which, 
as  shown  by  your  office,  we  have  furnished  15,563  men,  or,  as  shown  by  this  office,  we  have  fur- 
nished 20,797  men. 

"Again,  the  popular  vote  of  Indiana  at  the  recent  election  was  280,655  ;  the  vote  of  Kansas, 
17,494.  If,  therefore,  the  vote  of  280,655  in  Indiana  produced  165,314  men  for  the  service,  the  vote 
of  17,494  in  Kansas  ought  to  have  produced  10,300  men  for  the  service.  Instead  of  which,  by  your 
records,  we  have  furnished  15,563,  and  by  our  records  we  have  furnished  20,797. 

"Again,  the  population  of  Indiana  in  1860  was  1,350,941  ;  the  population  of  Kansas,  107,110. 
If,  therefore,  1,350,941  of  population  in  Indiana  produced  165,314  men,  then  the  107,110  of  popula- 
tion in  Kansas  ought  to  have  produced  13,106.  Instead  of  which,  by  the  records  of  your  office, 
we  have  furnished  15,563,  and  by  the  records  of  this  office  we  have  furnished  20,797. 

"It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  illustration  that  the  number  of  men  which  should  have 
been  furnished  by  Kansas,  whether  the  estimates  be  made  upon  the  congressional  district,  upon 
the  popular  vote,  or  upon  the  population,  ranges  from  9233  to  11,154.  To  indicate  the  correctness 
of  this  statement,  the  instances  of  Massachusetts  and  Indiana,  already  cited,  are  sufficient.  In 
these  states,  upon  the  basis  of  congressional  districts,  popular  vote,  or  population,  the  number 
of  men  that  Kansas  should  have  furnished  upon  all  the  calls  of  the  president  would  amount  to 
from  10,306  to  13,106,  and  makes  the  aggregate  of  those  states,  respectively,  fifty  per  cent,  less 
than  the  number  of  troops  furnished  by  Kansas,  by  your  records,  and  only  about  half  the  num- 
ber furnished  by  Kansas  as  determined  by  our  records,  in  proportion  to  the  popular  vote  and 
population  of  the  states  considered. 

"  Please  bear  in  mind  that  the  instances  that  I  have  cited  claim  special  consideration  for  the 
promptness  with  which  they  have  responded  to  all  calls ;  and  that  I  have  not,  as  I  would  be  justi- 
fied in  doing,  by  reason  of  our  situation  upon  the  border,  referred  to  the  fact  that  Minnesota, 
with  double  the  population  and  vote  of  Kansas,  has  furnished  less  than  half  as  many  troops ;  or 
that  Iowa,  with  a  population  and  vote  eight  times  as  great,  and  six  congressmen,  has  furnished 
only  three  times  the  number  of  troops,  and  yet  is  exonerated  from  the  demand  under  the  call  of 
December  19,  1864. 

"How,  then,  does  it  happen  that  Kansas  is  brought  in  debt  1222  men,  under  the  call  of  De- 
cember 19,  1864,  when  by  the  records  of  your  office  we  have  a  credit  of  15,563  three-year  men ; 
and  by  the  records  of  this  office  we  claim  a  credit  of  20,797  three-year  men? 

"I  am  well  aware  that  the  following  deductions  are  not  data  such  as  your  office  is  governed 
by  in  keeping  its  accounts  with  the  several  states  ;  but  they  certainly  present  the  case  of  Kansas 
in  so  wide  a  contrast,  when  compared  with  other  states,  as  to  awaken  the  most  serious  inquiry 
concerning  the  accuracy  of  your  assignment  to  this  state  under  the  call  of  December  19,  1864. 

"  I  have  given  you  statements  of  the  number  of  men  Kansas  should  have  furnished  upon  the 
basis  of  congressional  districts,  popular  vote  and  population  of  the  loyal  states ;  and  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  same  when  applied  to  individual  states,  as  Massachusetts  and  Indiana.  Permit 
me  now  to  show  by  counter-proposition  the  aggregate  number  of  troops  the  federal  government 
would  have  received  had  each  state  done  as  well  as  Kansas  has  done  in  furnishing  troops  for  the 
service. 

"  By  the  statistics  of  your  office,  before  referred  to,  Kansas  has  a  credit  ofI15,563  three-year 
men.  If  each  loyal  congressional  district  had  done  equally  well,  the  federal  service  would  have 
received,  under  all  calls,  the  large  number  of  3,019,222  three-year  men,  or  about  fifty  per  cent, 
more  than  it  has  obtained.  By  the  statistics  of  this  office,  and  which  we  claim  as  our  legitimate 
credit,  Kansas  has  furnished  20,797  three-year  men.  Had  each  congressional  district  done  as 
well,  the  aggregate  would  amount  to  4,034.618  three-year  men,  or  nearly  double  the  amount  that 
has  been  embraced  in  all  calls  up  to  December  19,  1864. 

"Again,  by  the  statistics  of  your  office,  Kansas  has  furnished  15.563  three-year  men  for  the 
federal  .service.  Upon  the  basis  of  the  recent  popular  vote,  if  the  loyal  states  had  done  as  well 
as  Kansas,  they  would  have  furnished  3,653,155  three-year  men  to  the  service  during  the  progress 
of  the  rebellion;  and,  by  the  same  showing,  upon  the  statistics  of  this  office,  they  would  have 
furnished  4,874,111  three-year  men  to  the  service  during  that  time. 

"Again,  by  the  statistics  of  your  office,  Kansas  has  furnished  15,563  three-year  men  for  the 
service.  Upon  the  basis  of  population,  if  all  the  loyal  states  — omitting  the  territories,  Arkansas, 
Tennessee,  and  more  disloyal  states —  had  done  as  well  as  Kansas,  they  would  have  furnished  an 
aggregate  of  3,286,880  three-year  men  to  the  service :  and,  by  the  same  reckoning,  upon  the  statistics 
of  this  office,  they  would  have  furnished  an  aggregate  of  4,392,294  three-year  men  for  the  service. 

"Again,  to  api)ly  this  process  of  reckoning  to  the  states  already  referred  to  in  this  communi- 
cation, Massachusett.s  and  Indiana,  and  we  obtain  the  following  results,  to  wit:  Upon  the  popu- 
lar vote,  had  Massachusetts  furnished  in  proportion  to  Kansas,  the  15,563  conceded  by  your 
office,  and  the  20,797  claimed  by  this  office,  in  Kansas,  would  represent  156,116  and  214,336,  re- 
spectively, in  Massachusetts ;  and  upon  the  population,  the  15,563  and  20,797  in  Kansas  would 
represent  178,878  and  238,096,  respectively,  in  Mas.sachusetts.  And  so  with  Indiana :  Upon  the 
popular  vote,  had  Indiana  furnished  in  proportion  to  Kansas,  the  15,563  conceded  by  your  office. 


The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866.  371 

amount  of  soldiers  entering  the  service  from  Kansas,  he  went  to  Washing- 
ton city,  February  21,  1865,  immediately  upon  adjournment  of  the  legisla- 
ture, and  after  experiencing  considerable  difficulty  he  obtained  an  order 
from  Provost  Marshal  General  Fry  discharging  the  men  who  had  been 
drafted  and  assembled  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kan. ;  but  before  the  order 
was  executed  120  of  the  men  had  been  sent  to  the  front  and  assigned  to  the 
Tenth  Kansas  infantry,  at  that  time  with  Gen.  Edward  R.  S.  Canby  in  the 
Red  River  country,  where  they  remained  until  the  Confederate  flag  was 
furled. » 

The  period  of  time  covering  the  close  of  1865  and  advent  of  1866  was  any- 
thing but  propitious  in  conditions  in  Kansas.  The  population  of  the  state 
May  1,  1866,  was  140,179.-'  The  energies  of  its  people  had  been  devoted  to 
war,  and  not  to  industries.  The  indecision  and  lassitude  following  a  pro- 
longed tension  of  mind  and  physical  endeavor  in  the  effort  of  self-preserva- 
tion was  the  pervading  atmosphere.  The  government  no  longer  furnished  a 
market  for  hay,  corn,  pork,  and  flour.  There  were  no  railroads  to  tempt  a 
surplus  from  the  soil  by  furnishing  transportation  to  market.  Many  of  the 
men  who  had  entered  the  army  and  survived  its  fortunes  sought  homes  and 
opportunity  in  the  South  or  turned  their  faces  further  West.  The  develop- 
ment of  the  state  seemed  at  a  standstill.  Thaddeus  H.  Walker,  lo  for  instance, 
had  250,000  acres  of  land  located  in  different  sections  of  the  state,  and,  for 
lack  of  purchasers,  he  was  borrowing  money  to  pay  taxes  thereon,  and  pay- 

and  the  20,797  claimed  by  this  office,  in  Kansas,  would  represent  243,953  and  333,072,  respectively, 
in  Indiana ;  and,  upon  the  population,  the  15,563  and  20,797  in  Kansas  would  represent  196.290 
and  262,305,  respectively,  in  Indiana. 

"While,  as  I  before  remarked,  these  views  and  deductions  do  not  assume  the  magnitude  and 
importance  of  positive  data,  yet  they  do  have  the  effect  to  awaken  inquiry  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain how  this  large  deficiency  of  Kansas  had  been  made  to  appear,  and  induce  the  conclusion 
that  this  assignment  of  1222  under  call  of  December  19,  1864,  should  not  only  not  have  been  made 
against  our  state,  but  that  Kansas  has  sufficient  excess  over  all  calls,  including  that  of  Decem- 
ber 19,  1864,  to  fill  our  quota  under  still  another  call  of  from  300,000  to  500,000  men. 

"I  beg  to  insert  here  what  should  have  been  included  in  my  communication  of  the  31st  ult.: 
That  a  single  reference  to  the  number  of  regiments  raised  in  Kansas  must  satisfy  your  office  that 
the  credits  that  you  have  allowed,  15,563,  must  fall  far  short  of  the  actual  numbers  enlisted  in 
Kansas,  and  must  go  far  to  establish  the  correctness  of  our  claim  of  21,806  of  all  services ;  or 
20,797  of  three- year  men  : 

Number  of  regiments,  three  years'  service 16 

Number  of  regiments,  three  months'  service 1 

Number  of  regiments,  100  days'  service 1 

Number  of  batteries,  three  years'  service 4 

"Most  of  the  foregoing  regiments  were  cavalry,  and  composed  of  twelve  companies  each. 
To  consider  each  of  those  regiments  as  embracing  an  average  of  only  1250  men  —  original  enlist- 
ments and  recruits  —  will  reduce  them  to  as  low  numerical  standard  as  are  to  be  found  in  the 
regiments  in  the  army  of  the  states.  Sixteen  regiments  of  three-year  men,  therefore,  at  1250 
to  the  regiment,  will  produce  an  aggregate  of  20,000  three-year  men.  The  regiment  of  three- 
months  men,  and  the  regiment  of  100-day  men.  together  with  the  four  batteries,  will  certainly 
swell  the  aggregate  to  the  amount  we  claim  —  20,797  three-year  men. 

"  Kansas  has  not  been  wanting  in  the  past,  nor  will  she  in  the  future,  in  evidences  of  earnest 
devotion  to  the  republic,  and  in  contributing  her  best  men  and  bravest  soldiers  in  the  suppression 
of  the  rebellion,  and  w^ith  it  the  cause  that  produced  the  rebellion.  She  has  not  in  the  past,  nor 
will  she  in  the  present,  permit  any  state  to  go  beyond  her  in  furnishing  troops  for  the  federal 
service.  But  in  consideration  of  all  her  surroundings,  as  a  border  and  frontier  state,  she  asks 
your  liberal  recognition  of  her  claims  for  the  past  services,  and  the  cordial  cooperation  of  the 
Department  of  War  with  our  state  authorities  in  obtaining  troops  for  the  future." 

Note  8.— The  Kansas  Adjutant-general's  Report  for  1861-'65  gives  the  names  of  120  drafted 
men  and  substitutes,  on  three  different  lists,  in  volume  1,  pages  646,  989.  ard  993.  the  first  being 
attached  to  the  Seventh  cavalry  ;  the  two  last  to  companies  C  ard  D,  Tenth  regiment.  These 
men  enlisted  during  January,  February,  and  March,  1865. 

NoteI9.—  State  census,  in  Senate  Journal  186P,  p.  104. 

Note  10.— Thaddeus  H.  Walker  was  born  in  Salem,  Washington  county.  New  York,  about 
the  year  1832.  He  was  educated  at  the  Troy  Conference  Academy,  in  Poultney.  Vt.  In  1853  he 
settled  in  Troy,  N.  Y..  and  opened  a  law  office.  In  a  couple  of  years  he  developed  a  taste  for 
speculation  and  large  enterprises,  and  returned  to  his  native  town,  and.  making  it  his  head- 
quarters, launched  out  in  the  business  world,  and  by  industry  ard  judicious  investments  swelled 
his  limited  means  to  quite  a  fortune.  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Republican  party  in 
New  York,  and  was  a  member  of  the  New  York  legislature  in  1858.    He  came  to  Kansas  in  1860 


372  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

ing  a  high  rate  of  interest  therefor.  His  land  was  ruining  him.  Under 
these  conditions  the  second  session  of  the  senate  assembled.  There  had  been 
some  companies  organized  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  railroads,  but  it 
was  difficult  to  obtain  capital  for  the  purpose. 

In  the  light  of  those  conditions  and  the  subsequent  results,  no  single  act 
of  that  session  conduced  so  much  to  the  general  welfare  of  the  state  as  the 
bill  dividing  the  500,000  acres  of  land  donated  to  the  state  for  internal  im- 
provements among  four  projected  railroad  enterprises  which  were  dormant. 
It  resulted  in  the  construction  of  the  road  from  St.  Joseph  west  through 
what  was  known  as  the  northern  tier  of  counties;  of  the  road  from  Junction 
City  down  the  Neosho  valley;  of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston 
road,  and  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf.^i  Their  construction,  coinci- 
dent with  the  construction  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  and  the  Central 
Branch  from  Atchison  westward,  both  of  which  received  aid  from  the  federal 
government,  gave  zest  and  stability  to  agriculture  and  commerce  at  a  crit- 
ical period  in  the  state's  development. 

At  the  time  this  act  was  passed,  and  frequently  since  then,  much  adverse 
criticism  has  appeared  concerning  the  disposition  of  the  land.  Having  been 
the  author  of  the  original  bill  dividing  the  land  among  these  railroad  com- 
panies, it  may  be  well  to  recite  some  history  on  that  subject.  The  LInited 
States  Congress,  by  section  8  of  an  act  approved  September  4,  1841,  enti- 
tled "An  act  to  appropriate  proceeds  of  sales  of  public  lands  and  the  grant- 
ing of  preemption  rights,"  granted  to  each  state  then  and  thereafter  to  be 
admitted  into  the  Union  "500,000  acres  of  land  for  purposes  of  internal  im- 
provement. ' '  Up  to  the  year  1864,  the  several  states  had  disposed  of  their 
respective  donations  in  various  ways.  Those  of  our  citizens  who  claimed  that 
the  500,000  acres  of  land  belonged  to  the  public-school  fund  based  their  as- 
sumption upon  the  words  in  section  7  of  the  ordinance  which  is  the  prelude 
to  the  Wyandotte  constitution,  under  which  Kansas  became  a  state.  That 
ordinance  attempted  to  name  the  terms  upon  which  Kansas  would  relinquish 
the  right  to  tax  government  land  after  state  sovereignty  was  established; 
and  two  of  those  conditions  were  set  forth  in  sections  5  and  7— that  "all 
mines,  with  the  lands  necessary  for  their  full  use,  shall  be  granted  to  the 
state  for  works  of  pubhc  improvement, "  and  "that  the  500,000  acres  of  land 
to  which  the  state  is  entitled  under  the  act  of  Congress  entitled  'An  act  to 
appropriate  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  public  lands  and  grant  preemption 
rights,'  approved  September  4,  1841,  shall  be  granted  to  the  state  for  the 
support  of  common  schools,  "i- 

To  the  conditions  thus  set  forth  in  the  ordinance  Congress  did  not  assent, 

and  invested  in  land  so  extensively  that  he  was  probably  the  largest  landovi^ner  in  the  history  of 
the  state.  He  obtained  this  land  by  private  entry  in  1859  and  1860  on  military  bounty  land-war- 
rants. For  years,  because  of  the  war,  there  was  no  use  for  land,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  immigration  began,  it  was  made  up  mostly  of  discharged  soldiers  who  sought  government 
homestead  land  ;  so  Mr.  Walker  struggled  for  years  with  the  ubiquitous  athlete,  the  tax-gatherer. 
He  was  a  fine  scholar,  an  elegant  gentleman,  and  a  good  public  speaker.  In  18fi7,  on  his  own  re- 
sponsibility, he  made  a  thorough  canvass  of  the  state  against  woman  suffrage.  Susan  B.  Anthony 
and  George  Francis  Train  led  the  fight  for  the  amendment.  It  was  a  picturesque  campaign.  At 
Skaneateles,  N.  Y.,  September  27, 1870,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  E.  Otis.  In  1872  he  was 
the  Greeley  Liberal  Republican  candidate  for  governor.  He  was  defeated  by  a  vote  of,  Thomas 
A.  Osborn,  66,715 ;  Thaddeus  H.  Walker,  .34,608.  He  resided  for  years  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
Tenth  and  Harrison  streets,  in  Topeka.  In  1876  he  returned  to  New  York,  and  made  his  home 
at  Glens  Falls.  He  died  at  Glens  Falls,  November  13,  1905,  and  was  buried  at  Salem,  Washington 
county,  the  place  of  his  birth. 

Note  11.  — A  history  of  the  building  of  these  roads,  all  of  which  were  completed  through 
Kansas  by  the  close  of  1871,  is  given  in  Cutler's  History  of  Kansas,  1883,  pp.  246-251. 

Note  12.— General  Statutes  of  Kansas,  1901,  p.  34. 


The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866.  373 

but  in  section  3  of  the  act  of  admission  whereby  Kansas  became  a  state  is 
found  these  words:  "Nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  construed  as  an  assent  by 
Congress  to  all  or  any  of  the  propositions  or  claims  contained  in  the  ordinance 
of  said  constitution  of  the  people  of  Kansas,  .  .  .  but  the  following 
propositions  are  hereby  offered  to  the  said  people  of  Kansas  for  their  free 
acceptance  or  rejection,  which,  if  accepted,  shall  be  obligatory  on  the  United 
States  and  upon  the  said  state  of  Kansas,  to  wit,"  and  here  follow  six  dif- 
ferent propositions  and  conditions,  but  none  of  them  include  the  500,000  acres 
of  land  given  by  the  act  of  September  4,  1841,  for  internal  improvements. 
And  the  fact  that  Kansas  was  organized  as  a  state  under  this  act  of  Con- 
gress forever  barred  the  ordinance  interpretation  as  to  the  disposal  of  the 
500,000  acres  of  land,  and  by  inference,  therefore,  the  state  must  have 
accepted  it  for  "internal  improvements."  The  building  of  railroads  is  to 
such  an  extent  pubhc  enterprise  and  "internal  improvements  "  as  to  be  under 
legislative  control,  and,  therefore,  worthy  of  state  and  municipal  aid. 

That  this  had  been  the  accepted  interpretation  by  others  in  Kansas  prior 
to  the  introduction  of  the  bill  dividing  it  among  certain  railroads  is  evident 
from  the  fact  that  bills  had  been  introduced  in  previous  legislatures  to 
dispose  of  the  land  for  internal-improvement  purposes,  especially  for  the 
construction  of  highway  bridges. 

In  fact,  on  the  11th  day  of  January,  1866,  at  this  same  session,  and  on 
the  third  day  thereof.  Senator  Legate,  of  Leavenworth,  introduced  senate 
bill  No.  14,1-5  authorizing  the  sale  of  the  500,000  acres,  and  devoting  the  pro- 
ceeds to  the  construction  of  highway  bridges  over  the  Missouri  river  at 
Leavenworth  and  over  the  Kaw  river  at  Wyandotte,  De  Soto,  Lawrence, 
and  Topeka. 

Senate  bill  No.  49,  i*  introduced  by  Senator  Manning,  "An  act  donating 
the  500,000  acres  of  land  donated  by  Congress  to  the  state  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  certain  railroads,"  was  introduced  on  the  17th  day  of  January, 
1866,  and  experienced  a  stormy  history.  It  had  its  origin  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  senate  and  house  from  northeastern  Kansas. 

The  original  Pacific  railroad  bill  which  finally  passed  Congress  in  July, 
1862,  provided  for  the  extension  of  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  railroad  from  St. 
Joseph  to  Atchison,  and  for  a  continuation  of  the  line  in  Kansas  by  the  build- 
ing of  the  Atchison  &  Pike's  Peak  railroad,  now  the  Central  Branch.  This 
section  of  the  bill  was  adverse  to  the  sentiments  of  the  Kansans  of  the 
northern  tier,  who  had  .hoped  to  have  a  railroad  built  directly  west  from  St. 
Joseph  through  the  counties  of  Doniphan,  Brown,  Nemaha,  Marshall,  and 
Washington,  to  connect  with  the  Kaw  valley  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific 
railroad,  which  was  to  have  gone  up  the  Republican  river  to  a  junction  with 
the  Platte  Valley  hne  near  the  100th  meridian.  To  still  give  the  people  of 
the  northern  tier  a  chance  for  their  road.  Senator  John  B.  Henderson,  of  Mis- 
souri, made  an  amendment  to  the  bill  in  the  senate,  which  provided  that  if 
an  actual  survey  should  render  it  desirable,  and  the  consent  of  the  Kansas 
legislature  could  be  obtained,  the  road  should  be  continued  directly  west 
from  St.  Joseph.  15  This  amendment  failed  to  secure  the  much-courted  rail- 
road, and  great  indignation  existed  therefrom.    These  northern  tier  members 

Note  13.—  Senate  Journal  1866,  p.  39. 

Note  14.— Id.,  p.  92. 

Note  15.— United  States  Statutes  at  Large,  vol.  12,  p.  496  ;  Cong.  Globe,  37th  Cong.,  2d  sess., 
pt.  3,  p.  2839. 


374  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

of  the  Kansas  legislature  made  a  combination  with  the  senators  and  repre- 
sentatives from  the  counties  along  the  Neosho  river,  from  Junction  City 
southward,  and  the  border  tier,  from  Kansas  City  southward,  and  passed  the 
Manning  bill  through  the  senate,  dividing  the  500,000  acres  among  three  rail- 
road companies.  18 

The  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  &  Galveston  railroad  enterprise  was  a  slum- 
bering project,  gasping  for  life,  and  its  friends  wanted  a  portion  of  the  land. 
Lawrence  at  that  time  was  the  center  of  cultured  civic  conscience  and  con- 
stitutional construction,  and  a  public  meeting  of  leading  citizens  assembled 
and  protested  against  the  passage  of  the  bill.  The  proceedings  of  the  meet- 
ing, containing  startling  headlines  and  denouncing  the  unconstitutional  raid 
upon  the  public-school  lands,  etc.,  were  published  in  John  Speer's  Tribime,'^'' 
and  a  large  bundle  of  these  papers  was  sent  to  Topeka  to  be  distributed 
among  the  members.  It  happened,  however,  that  the  members  of  the  leg- 
islature who  were  opposed  to  the  measure  had,  on  the  same  evening,  as- 
sembled in  caucus,  and  by  getting  the  two  members  from  Topeka  to  join 
them  they  obtained  a  majority  of  the  house  members,  who  agreed  never  to 
vote  for  this  bill  disposing  of  the  500,000  acres  or  for  any  such  disposition  of 
the  same. 

The  members  who  lived  along  the  line  of  the  proposed  L.  L.  &  G.  rail- 
road were  a  part  of  this  caucus.  Before  daylight  the  managers  of  the  bill 
conceded  to  cut  the  lands  into  four  parts  and  let  the  L.  L.  &  G.  railroad 
company  in,  all  of  which  news  did  not  get  to  Lawrence  until  Speer's  Trib- 
une had  been  under  way  to  Topeka  on  the  train.  As  soon  as  Speer  learned 
of  the  turn  taken  he  telegraphed  to  Topeka  to  have  his  extra  Tribunes  sup- 
pressed, extinguished  or  destroyed  before  they  could  be  delivered  to  their 
intended  destination,  which  was  done.  Speer  hired  a  horse  and  came  over- 
land on  horseback,  arriving  not  long  after  the  train  did,  to  assist  in  adjust- 
ing the  unconstitutional  act  to  the  constitutional  scruples  of  the  Lawrence 
objectors;  the  condition  being  that  the  Lawrence  railroad  was  to  get  one- 
fourth  of  the  land,  which  it  did.  Thus  did  that  land  breathe  the  breath  of 
life  into  four  railroad  enterprises,  and  the  constitutional  objectors  were  the 
minority  who  lived  off  the  lines  of  the  railroads  benefited. 

If  the  contention  is  tenable  that  the  500,000  acres  belong  to  the  state  for 
school  purposes  under  the  terms  of  the  ordinance  clause  of  the  Wyandotte 

Note  16.— One  of  the  innumerable  stories  illustrating  the  characteristics  of  James  H.  Lane 
is  told  in  connection  with  this  amendment  of  Henderson's.  In  support  of  his  motion  to 
amend  in  favor  of  Atchison,  Pomeroy  asserted  that  Atchison  was  directly  west  of  St.  Joseph. 
Kansas  geography  was  then  very  vague,  but  the  New  England  senators  were  inclined  to  doubt 
this  statement.  Senator  Pomeroy  called  upon  his  colleague,  who  would  confirm  what  had  been 
said.  Senator  Lane  arose  and  began  an  impassioned  speech,  in  his  usual  frontier  style.  He 
never  referred  to  the  relative  location  of  the  two  towns,  but  made  much  of  the  favors  to  the 
pro-slavery  rebels  of  Missouri  in  the  St.  Joseph  proposition,  and  the  hard  luck  of  the  free-state 
men  interested  in  Atchison.  He  waved  the  free-state  flag  before  Charles  Sumner,  Henry  Wil- 
son and  that  class  in  the  wildest  sort  of  eloquence  :  he  unbuttoned  his  vest,  loosened  his  neck- 
tie, opened  his  collar  and  shirt  front,  and  his  arms  were  going  like  a  windmill.  James  F.  Legate 
and  John  Speer  were  in  the  gallery,  and  they  mutually  exclaimed  :  "  Look  at  him  ;  he  thinks  he 
is  in  Baldwin  City."     But  Atchison  won  the  Central  Branch. 

"...  To-day  the  senator  from  Massachusetts  is  endeavoring  to  aid  a  town  in  Missouri 
at  the  expense  of  a  Kansas  town,  that  has  to  be  kept  in  subjection  by  an  army  of  the  troops  of 
the  United  States  ;  to  discriminate  against  loyal  Atchison  in  favor  of  disloyal  St.  Joseph.  That 
is  the  position  which  the  senator  from  Massachusetts  occupies  to-day.  and  I  do  deeply  regret  it, 
for  I  i<now  that  he  has  been  as  true  to  the  interests  of  freedom  and  to  Kansas  as  any  senator 
upon  this  floor.  I  know,  Mr.  President,  that  the  noble  defense  of  that  senator  upon  this  floor  of 
struggling  Kansas  well  nigh  cost  him  his  life."—  Speech  of  Senator  James  H.  Lane  on  Pacific 
railroad  bill,  in  United  States  senate,  June  20,  1862,  in  Congressional  Globe,  pt.  3,  1861-'62,  p. 
2838. 

Note  17.—  The  Tribune  of  January  25  and  26  contains  stirring  editorials  on  this  subject. 


The  Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866. 


375 


constitution,  then  the  mines  i^  in  the  state  belong  to  the  state  for  "internal- 
improvement  ' '  purposes. 

The  original  senate  bill  dividing  land  among  three  railroad  companies  was 
defeated  in  the  house,  and  subsequently,  February  2,  Senator  Barber,  from 
Lawrence,  introduced  a  new  bill,  senate  bill  No.  105,  dividing  the  land  among 
four  railroads,  of  which  the  L.  L.  &  G.  was  one,  and  that  bill  became  the 
law,  and  the  roads  were  all  built,  i'' 

The  second  session  also  made  provision  for  the  erection  of  the  east  wing 
of  the  state  capitol  building,  thus  determining  the  permanent  location  of  the 
seat  of  government  and  giving  faith  in  investments  in  real  estate  and  busi- 
ness in  and  about  Topeka. 

Note  18.  — "Sec.  5.  That  all  salt  springs,  not  exceeding  twelve  in  number,  with  six  sec- 
tions of  land  adjacent  to  each,  together  with  all  mines,  with  the  lands  necessary  for  their  full 
use,  shall  be  granted  to  the  state  for  works  of  public  improvement."—  Ordinance,  section  5; 
General  Statutes  of  Kansas,  1901,  p.  34. 

Note  19.—  Session  Laws  1866,  ch.  61,  pp.  142-146. 


The  Shawnee  Indian  Mission,  erected  by  Thomas  Johnson,  Methodist  missionary,  in  1830-'31. 
From  a  drawing  made  by  C.  P.  Bolmar,  from  a  description  furnished  by  W.  H.  Chick,  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.  Col.  A.  S.  Johnson  was  born  in  this  house,  July  11.  1832.  It  was  located  about  seven 
miles  westerly  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  what  is  now  Wyandotte  county,  Kansas,  near  the  town  of 
Turner.  W.  H.  Chick  and  J.  S.  Chick,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Joseph  Smith,  of  Gilliam.  Mo.,  are 
probably  the  only  white  persons  living  who  ever  saw  the  building.     (See  page  160  et  seq.) 


376 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


CHARLES  ROBINSON. 
First  Governor  of  Kansas. 


GENEALOGY  OF  CHARLES  ROBINSON. 


Robert  "the  Strong,"  d.  866,  a.  d.  (Invested 
with  the  County  of  Paris,  in  861, 
by  "  Charles  the  Bold,"  grandson 
of  Charlemagne.) 


William,  m.  Margaret  Smyth. 

John,  m.  Joan  Smyth,  dau.  of  William  Smyth,  above. 
Walter,  son  Thomas,  Vicar  General,  1535. 
Katharine  Cromwell,  m.  Morgan  Williams. 


The  Carlovingian  House.    ( Fisher's  Oatlines 
^  of  History,  p.  233.) 

Pepin  of  Heristal,  d.  714. 

I 
Charles  Martel,  d.  741. 

Pepin  the  Short.    (  King  752-768.) 

Charlemagne,  768-814.     (Emperor  800.) 

Louis  the  Pious,  814-840. 

1 
Louis  the  German,  843-876. 

I 
Carloman,  d.  880. 

! 
Arnulf,  King  of  Germany,  887-899.     (Emperor  896.) 

I 
daughter  m. . 


Thomas. 
John  Williams. 

Richard  Williams. 

I 
John  Williams. 


i 
Sir  Richard  Williams.* 

Sir  Henry  Williams,  alias  Cromwell. 

Robert  Cromwell. 

Oliver  Cromwell. 


William  Williams,  m.  Jane  Woodward. 

Richard  Williams,  of  Taunton,  m.   Frances  Dighton. 


Samuel. 

Thomas. 

Seth. 

Jonathan. 

David, 

m. 

Elizabeth. 

Williams,  m.  Jonathan  Robinson. 
Jonathan  Robinson,  m   Hulda  Woodward. 


Chaeles  Robinson. 


Sir  Richard  Williams 
changed  his  name  to 
Cromwell  in  honor  of 
his  uncle,  Thomas 
Cromwell,  vicar  een- 
eral  under  Henry  VIII, 
and  wrote  his  name 
"William,  olia/t  Crom- 
well," as  did  his  son 
Henry,  grandson  Rob- 
ert, and  great-grand- 
son, Oliver  Cromwell, 
in  his  youth.    (1620.) 


GENEALOGY  OF  CHARLES  ROBINSON. 


'the  Strong,"  d.  866,  A.  D.  (Invested 
with  the  County  of  Paris,  in  861. 
by  "Charles  the  Bold,"  grandson 
of  Charlemagne.) 


the  Great,  d.  956,  m.  3. 
1  Capet,  987-996. 
rt  1.  996-1031. 


The  Carlovingian  House.    (  Fisher'-^ 
_  of  Histor 

Pepin  of  Heristal,  d,  714. 

Charles  Martel,  d.  741. 

Pepin  the  Short.    (  King  752-768.) 

Charlemagne,  768-814.     (Emperor  800.) 

Lonis  the  Pious,  814-840, 

Louis  the  German,  843-876, 

Carloman,  d.  880. 

Arnulf,  King  of  Germany.  H,«-899.     (Em 

daughter  m. . 

Henry  I  of  Germany,  918-936, 

•ied  Hedwiga. 


I,  1031-1060. 
I  I,  1060-1108,  m.  Bertha,  dan.  of  Florence  I,  Count  of  Holland, 

Vi;  1108-1137  (styled  "  Louis  le  Qros  "  ). 
.  Lord  of  Courtenay  (  fifth  son  of  Louis  VI). 
III.    .ignew  Taillefer,  Count  of  Angonleme. 

King  of  England,  m.  IsABELLE  OF  Angooleme.  m.  Count  de 


H.Mir: 


III. 


Edward  II, 

Edward  III. 

Duke'of  York. 

Earl  of  Cambridge, 

Ihike  of  Yorli. 

E.lward  IV, 

Elizabeth,  m,  Henry  VII. 

Margaret,  m,  James  IV,  King  of  Scots. 

James  V,  King  of  Scots, 

Mary,  Queen  of  Scot^. 

Elizabeth,  m,  Frederick,  Elector  of  Palatine. 
8oi>hia,m.  Ernest  Augustus,  Elector  of  Hanover. 


IV  Fred,.rick.  Pril 

ly.  George  III. 

a).  Duke  of  Kent, 

-I.  Victoria, 

22.  Edward  VII. 


Isabella,  Baroness. 

Thomas,  Lord  Berkeley. 
Margaret,  Lady  Bassett. 

Bassett, 

Bassett, 

Bassett. 

Sir  Symond  Bassett, 

Robert  Bassett, 

Gyles  Bassett. 

Robert  Bassett. 

William  Bassett, 

Edward  Bassett, 

Jane  Dighton, 

Frances  Dighton,  m.  Richard  Williai 

Thomas. 

Jonathan. 

Elizabeth. 


Samuel 

Seth. 

David, 


Jonathan  Robinson,  m.    Pbebe  Williams. 

Jonathan  Robinson,  m.    Hnlda  Woodwar 
Chakles  Robinson. 


f  England.     Son,  Henry  III 


(■(1)  King  John 
Angouleme,  m.  J  ^^1  <..onnt  de  la  Mafche  of  Fran 

*  Valence,  Earl    of    Pembroke), 

sister  "of  Henry  III. 
Manr: 


Isabeile,  m.  Ma 

Thomas,  Lord  Berkeley,  m.  Jane 
Margaret  Berkeley,  m.  Sir  Ansel) 
Bassett. 


{ 
de  Creoun,  a  baron  of  no 
5  Berkeley,  d.  April,  12S1. 


!  Ferress.  Earl  of  Derby. 


Sir  Henry  Furnealx.  Walter  Rawley  [  Raleigh  ]  m.  Jane,  the  Lord  Bo 

Sir  Matthew Furnealx m.     .    Maud  Rawley. 

Sir  John  Bytton,    m.  Avis  Furneals. 


Bassett. 

Bassett. 

Sir  Symond  Bassett m Maud  Bytton. 

Robert  Bassett,  m.  Margaret  Harwell. 

Gyles  Bassett,  m.  Jane  Davis. 

Robert  Bassett,  m.  Anne  Spycer. 

Williim  Bassett,  m,  Jane,  dau.  of  John  of  Ashe,  of  Yewley. 

Edward  Bassett,  m.  Elizabeth,  dau.  of  Henry  Sygon,  of  Yewley. 

Jane  Bassett,  m.  Dr.  John  Dighton,  of  Gloucester,  England,  emin 

Frances  Dighton,  m.  Richard  Williams,  both  of  Gloucester,  Engl 


irgeon,  of  3t.  Nicholas  par 


Alden  de  Cromwell,  1066. 


Ralph. 
Ralph. 


Ralph. 

Ralph, 

Ralph. 

Ralph. 

Dlker. 

Richard. 

John. 

Robert.    Dau.  Margaret,  m.  William  Smyth,  bro.  of  Margaret. 

William,  m.  Margaret  Smyth. 

John.  m.  Joan  Smyth,  dau.  of  William  Smyth,  above. 

Walter,  son  Thomas,  Vicar  General.  1B36. 

Katherine  Cromwell,  m.  Morgan  Williams. 


Sir  Richard  William 
Sir  Henry  Williams, 
Robert  Cromwell. 


Thomas. 
John  Williams. 
Richard  Williams. 
John  Williams.  Oliver  Cro 

William  Williams,  m.  Jane  Woodward. 
Richard  Williams,  ot  Taunton,  m.  Frances  Dighton 
•«  I ' , 

Samuel.  Thomas. 

Seth.  Jonathan. 

David,     m.      Elizabeth. 


Williams,  m.  Jonathan  Robinson. 
Jonathan  Robinson,  m  Hnlda  Woodward. 
Chables  Robinson. 


changed  his  name  to 
Cromwell  in  honor  of 
his  uncle,  Thomas 
Cromwell,  vicar  gen- 
eral under  Henry  VIII, 
and  wrote  his  name 
"William,  aHn«  Crom- 
well," as  did  his  son 
Henry,  grandson  Rob- 
and   great-grand - 


,  Oli' 


■  Cromwell, 


1  his  youth.    (1620.) 


378  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


THE  ADMINISTRATIONS  OF  JOHN  P.  ST.  JOHN. 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  I.  O.  Pickering.'  Olathe.  Kan. 

TT  is  true  as  it  is  fortunate,  that  the  good  accomplished  in  the  world  through 
-»■  the  efforts  and  achievements  of  strong  natures  in  the  cause  of  humanity, 
and  in  the  promotion  of  civic  virtue,  becomes  the  common  heritage  of  the 
people.  The  measure  of  liberty,  the  perfection  of  organized  government  we 
enjoy,  represents  the  sum  total  of  the  labors  and  achievements  of  mankind 
who  have  wrought  for  us  with  hand  and  brain  to  that  end. 

Kansas  is  and  has  been  most  fortunate  in  the  high  character  and  ability 
of  the  men  chosen  from  time  to  time  to  be  her  chief  executives  and  admin- 
istrators of  her  laws.  By  their  advanced  standards,  their  recommendations, 
and  their  approval  and  firm  execution  of  the  laws  enacted  in  the  interest 
and  for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  they  have  maintained  the  position  of  our 
beloved  state  in  the  forefront  of  the  great  sisterhood  of  states,  and  justified 
her  inspiring  motto:    "Ad  astra  per  aspera." 

John  Pierce  St.  John  was  the  eighth  governor  of  Kansas. 2  When  first 
elected  governor,  in  1878,  he  was  forty-five  years  of  age,  in  the  prime  of 
life  and  vigor  of  manhood.  Governor  St.  John  was  of  Huguenot  stock,  and 
was  born  in  the  state  of  Indiana,  near  Brookville,  February  25,  1833.  His 
parents  came  to  Indiana  from  their  native  state  of  New  York. 

Note  1.— Isaac  O.  Pickering  was  born  at  Freeport,  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  February  18, 
1842,  and  was  reared  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  until,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Kansas,  arriving  in  this  state  June  6,  1859.  He  first  settled  in  Johnson  county, 
and  later  removed  to  Woodson  county,  where  he  lived  on  a  farm.  He  taught  school  near  the  town 
of  Winterset,  Iowa,  in  the  winter  of  1860-'61.  In  the  summer  of  1861  he  enlisted  in  the  organiza- 
tion known  as  Gen.  James  H.  Lane's  brigade,  in  which  he  served  until  November,  1861,  when  he 
was  regularly  mustered  in  as  a  private  volunteer  soldier  in  company  F,  Ninth  Kansas  volunteer 
cavalry.  He  was  promoted  in  1864  to  first  lieutenant  and  commissary  of  subsistence  of  his  regi- 
ment, but  thereafter  served  almost  wholly  on  detached  and  staff  duty  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
His  period  of  service  covered  nearly  four  years.  July  10,  1866,  Mr.  Pickering  was  married,  at 
Olathe,  Kan.,  to  Miss  Celona  H.  Weaver,  eldest  daughter  of  Col.  John  T.  Weaver,  by  whom  he 
has  six  children.  His  wife  and  all  his  children  are  living.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  at  Leavenworth,  and  later  in  the  livery  and  hotel  business  at  Olathe. 
In  1869  he  purchased  a  half-section  of  land,  near  the  center  of  Labette  county,  and  engaged  in 
farming.  For  several  years  he  had,  in  connection  with  his  other  pursuits,  appHed  himself  to 
the  study  of  the  law,  a  portion  of  the  time  in  the  office  of  Judge  John  T.  Burris,  at  Olathe,  and 
in  February,  1872,  he  was  duly  admitted  to  practice  in  the  district  court  of  Labette  county.  He 
returned  to  Olathe,  in  1873,  where  he  has  continued  to  reside  to  this  date.  He  was  elected  as- 
sistant chief  clerk  of  the  house  of  representatives  in  1875.  He  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon. 
John  P.  St.  John,  June  7,  1875,  and  was  associated  with  him  in  the  practice  of  the  law  and  in 
other  business  for  nearly  twenty-five  years.  He  was  city  attorney  and  mayor  of  Olathe,  com- 
mencing in  1878  and  serving  in  one  or  the  other  of  said  offices  for  seven  years  continuously.  Mr. 
Pickering  was  one  of  the  Republican  electors  for  Kansas  in  1884,  and  made  an  active  canvass  of 
the  state  that  year  for  the  Republican  ticket,  and  later,  as  president  of  the  state  electoral  col- 
lege, cast  the  vote  of  Kansas  for  Blaine  and  Logan  for  president  and  vice-president  of  the  United 
States.  He  has  always  been  actively  identified  with  the  temperance  cause,  and  in  1892,  and 
and  again  in  1894,  was  the  nominee  of  the  Prohibition  party  of  the  state  for  governor,  and  as 
such  canvassed  a  large  part  of  the  state,  making  public  speeches  in  most  of  the  counties.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  is  still  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Olathe. 

Note  2.— John  P.  St.  John  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  in  1872  by  the  following  vote: 
John  P.  St.  John.  1772  ;  Lewis  F.  Greene,  1245.  August  28,  1878,  the  Republican  state  convention 
nominated  him  as  a  candidate  for  governor.  First  ballot  — John  A.  Martin,  119;  George  T.  An- 
thony, 116;  John  P.  St.  John,  56.  Seventeenth  ballot,  August  30— John  P.  St.  John,  156:  John 
A.  Martin,  128.  Election  day,  1878,  the  vote  was:  John  P.  St.  John,  74,020;  John  R.  Goodin, 
37.208 ;  D.  P.  Mitchell,  27,057.  September  1,  1880,  he  was  nominated  for  a  second  term,  as  follows : 
John  P.  St.  John,  220;  John  C.  Carpenter,  39;  T.  C.  Henry,  40.  At  the  ballot-box  the  vote  was: 
John  P.  St.  John,  115,204;  Edmund  G.  Rosa,  63,5.56;  H.  P.  Vrooman,  19,477.  August  9,  1882,  he 
was  nominated  for  a  third  term,  as  follows :  John  P.  St.  John,  287;  S.  O.  Thacher.  62  ;  J.  B. 
Johnson,  13.  A  minority  protested  against  the  third  term.  The  vote  was  as  follows :  John  P. 
St.  John,  75,158  ;   George  W.  Click,  83,237;   Charles  Robinson.  20,933. 


The  Administrations  of  John  P.  St.  John. 


379 


JOHN  P.  ST.  JOHN, 
Eighth  Governor  of  Kansas. 


A  brief  outline  of  the  environments  and  career  of  Mr.  St.  John  will  serve 
to  illustrate  the  active,  strenuous  life,  not  uncommon  in  the  lives  of  men  on 
the  frontier,  which  had  a  potent  influence  in  the  development  of  those  char- 
acteristics which,  when  called  by  the  people  as  the  executive  head  of  a  great 
state,  made  his  administrations  notably  conspicuous^ among  those  both  pre- 
ceding and  following. 

Governor  St.  John  was  born  on  a  farm,  where  he  continued  to  live  until 
he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  Like  most  farmers'  sons,  he  early  assumed 
his  full  share  of  the  work  incident  to  farm  life.  In  1848  he  removed,  with 
his  parents,  to  Olney,  111.,  where  both  his  parents  subsequently  died.  In 
1852,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  young  St.  John  accepted  the  position  of 
conductor  of  an  ox  team,  which  he  successfully  piloted  across  the  plains  to 
California,  where  he  began  the  life  of  a  miner  for  gold.  At  that  time  the 
facihties  and  methods  used  in  the  mining  and  separation  of  gold  were  of  the 
most  crude  and  primitive  kind.  His  success  in  mining  was  indifferent,  but  this 
could  not  discourage  a  man  of  the  energy  and  resourcefulness  of  St.  John. 


380  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

He  was  used  to  labor  with  his  hands  and  was  ready  to  engage  in  any  honor- 
able occupation,  which  presented  itself  to  him  at  this  time  in  the  form  of  a 
contract  which  he  entered  into  to  chop  and  deliver  1000  cords  of  wood.  This 
he  faithfully  accomplished,  principally  with  his  own  hands.  While  engaged 
in  mining  and  other  work  in  California,  St.  John  bought  law-books  from  a 
lawyer  in  Sacramento,  and  at  night,  in  his  cabin,  read  them,  and  thus  began 
the  study  of  the  law. 

While  on  the  Pacific  coast  he  enlisted  and  fought  against  the  hostile 
Modoc  Indians  of  California  and  southern  Oregon,  being  in  several  engage- 
ments, in  which  he  was  twice  wounded.  He  still  bears  in  his  body  the  point 
of  a  flint  arrow-head  as  a  memento  and  reminder  of  the  skill  and  ability  of 
these  wild  savages  to  shoot  from  a  vantage  place,  an  ambush  of  rocks  or 
trees. 

In  1873  these  untamed  savages  were  removed  by  the  United  States 
government  to  a  reservation  in  the  Indian  Territory,  south  of  Kansas,  be- 
cause of  the  treacherous  murder  of  Gen.  Edward  R.  S.  Canby  and  Dr.  E. 
Thomas,  in  April,  while  engaged  with  other  commissioners  in  arranging  a 
peaceful  solution  of  the  difficulties  between  that  tribe,  the  Klamaths,  and 
the  United  States.  The  chief.  Captain  Jack,  and  three  other  leaders  of  the 
attack  were  tried  by  court  martial  and  executed  within  the  year.^  The 
tribe  was  naturally  industrious  and  soon  became  docile. 

During  his  administration  Governor  St.  John  met  and  greeted  the  chief. 
Scar-faced  Charley,  in  his  semicivilized  condition,  sans  war  paint  and  feathers, 
his  appearance  illustrating  the  changes  wrought  in  a  quarter  of  a  century 
by  the  resistless  onward  march  of  civilization. 

After  visiting  and  exploring  several  of  the  Hawaiian  group  of  islands, 
Mr.  St.  John  returned  to  California  and  from  there  to  Charleston,  111.,  where 
he  concluded  his  legal  studies  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law. 

He  enlisted  in  company  C,  Sixty-eighth  Illinois  volunteer  infantry,  shortly 
after  the  beginning  of  the  war,  in  1862,  and  was  elected  captain  of  his  com- 
pany. He  was  afterwards  promoted  for  meritorious  and  gallant  service  to 
the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- third  regiment 
Illinois  volunteer  infantry.^ 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Independence,  Mo., 
and  took  up  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Here  his  intense  loyalty,  his 
fearless  denunciation  of  unrepentant  and  still  rebellious  adherents  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy  and  his  outspoken  advocacy  of  Republicanism  drew 
upon  him  the  deadly  hatred  of  this  element  of  the  population,  which  pre- 
dominated at  that  time  at  Independence  and  in  Jackson  county,  Missouri. 

Mr.  St.  John  removed  to  Olathe,  Kan.,  in  1869,  where  he  resumed  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  and  from  the  first  was  recognized  by  all  as  among  the 
foremost  and  most  successful  lawyers  in  his  part  of  the  state.  He  immedi- 
ately became  an  important  factor  in  public  affairs,  and  in  1872  was  elected 
to  the  state  senate.  He  was  offered  (but  decHned)  a  renomination  to  this 
office.  As  state  senator  he  was  the  originator  of  several  laws  of  permanent 
value  to  the  people,  one  of  which,  known  as  the  stock-killing  law,  being 
chapter  94  of  the  Session  Laws  of  1874,  is  still  in  force.  This  law  makes 
every  railroad  corporation  and  every  assignee  and  lessee  of  such  corporation 

Note  3.— Report  United  States  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  1873.  pp.  13,  74-82. 
Note  4.—  Report  Adjutant-general  of  Illinois,  1861-'66,  vol.  2,  pp.  191,  673. 


The  Administrations  of  John  P.  St.  John.  381 

liable  to  pay  the  owner  of  any  stock  killed  or  injured  in  the  operation  of 
such  road  the  full  value  of  such  stock,  irrespective  of  whether  the  company 
was  or  was  not  negligent  in  the  operation  of  its  road,  together  with  costs  and 
attorney's  fees  for  the  claimant  in  all  cases  where  a  recovery  against  the 
railroad  company  is  obtained.  These  corporations  could  only  defend  them- 
selves against  such  action  by  showing  that  the  railroad  was  enclosed  with 
a  good  and  lawful  fence  to  prevent  the  animals  from  coming  on  their  tracks. 

This  law  for  the  first  time  made  it  possible  for  the  farmer  and  the  owner 
of  stock  which  had  been  killed  or  injured  in  the  operation  of  railroads  to 
contest  with  the  companies  in  the  courts  for  the  recovery  of  the  value  of 
their  stock  on  anything  like  equal  terms.  It  is,  perhaps,  not  claiming  too 
much  to  say  that  the  enactment  of  this  law  has  saved  and  is  saving  to  the 
farmers  and  stockmen  of  Kansas  many  thousands  of  dollars  annually. 

In  all  the  state  and  national  campaigns  subsequent  to  his  settlement  in 
this  state,  Colonel  St.  John,  as  he  was  first  known  to  Kansans,  was  a  recog- 
nized power  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  He  was  even  then  an  orator  and 
public  speaker  of  unusual  ability  and  force,  and  time  and  again  spoke  to  de- 
lighted audiences  of  his  fellow  citizens  in  almost  every  city  and  village  in 
this  state.  The  simple  announcement  that  Colonel  St.  John  was  to  speak 
was  sufficient  to  insure  a  packed  house. 

From  the  day  of  his  arrival  in  Kansas  he  was  known  as  an  uncompromi- 
sing foe  of  the  liquor  traffic,  and  was  soon  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
powerful  champions  of  the  temperance  cause.  In  his  place  as  state  senator, 
on  the  platform  before  the  people,  and  in  private  conversation,  he  never  lost 
an  opportunity  to  express  his  abhorrence  of  the  liquor  traffic  with  its  train 
of  crime-breeding  evils. 

The  sophistical  plea  that  an  evil  can  be  regulated  and  controlled  by  law, 
but  the  same  evil  cannot  be  prohibited  or  suppressed  by  law,  never  appealed 
to  him.  Neither  was  he  impressed  with  the  trite  and  hackneyed  argument 
that  no  law  can  be  enforced  that  is  opposed  to  local  public  sentiment.  The 
same  public  sentiment  that  secures  the  enactment  of  a  law  will  inevitably, 
when  intelligently  invoked,  secure  its  enforcement.  Upon  any  question 
which  is  a  proper  subject  of  legislation,  a  law,  when  once  enacted,  is  the 
crystallization  of  public  sentiment.  If  a  moral  subject,  the  law  is  the  public 
conscience  in  concrete  form.  It  is  none  the  less  so  because  some  who  do 
not  believe  in  the  wisdom  or  utility  of  the  law  see  fit  to  evade  or  openly  vio- 
late it.  But  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  active  evasion  or  open  violation  of 
law  is  as  demoralizing  or  hurtful  to  the  state  and  society  as  that  conscious 
or  unconscious  anarchism  which,  with  ceaseless  iteration,  declares  the  im- 
possibility of  enforcing  the  law.  The  timid,  ignorant  and  cowardly  would- 
be  violator  of  the  law  hesitates  and,  in  most  cases,  would  not  dare  to  incur 
the  risk  of  its  penalties,  but  takes  courage  from  the  continually  repeated  as- 
sertion by  men  of  better  minds  and  more  respectable  station,  that  the  law 
cannot  be  enforced.  Who,  then,  is  most  guilty,  the  active  violator  of  law, 
or  the  man  of  superior  intellect  and  position  who  incites  and  encourages 
him  by  the  assurance  that  the  law  cannot  be  enforced,  and,  consequently, 
that  he  incurs  no  risk  of  suffering  the  penalties  provided  for  its  violation  ? 

In  his  first  message  to  the  legislature,  at  its  session  in  January,  1879,  ^ 

Note  5. — House  Journal  1879,  pp.  64-81.  A  joint  convention  was  held  and  Governor  St.  John 
read  this  message.  George  T.  Anthony  in  1877  read  his  message  to  a  joint  convention.  Pre- 
viously the  message  from  the  governor  was  received  by  each  house  and  read  by  the  clerk. 


382  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Governor  St.  John  stated  on  the  subject  of  temperance,  in  part,  as  follows: 

"The  subject  of  temperance,  in  its  relation  to  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors  as  a  beverage,  has  occupied  the  attention  of  the  people  of  Kansas  to 
such  an  extent  that  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  call  your  attention  to  some  of  its 
evils,  and  suggest,  if  possible,  a  remedy  therefor.  Much  has  been  said  of 
late  years  about  hard  times,  and  extravagant  and  useless  expenditures  of 
money;  and,  in  this  connection,  I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact 
that  here  in  Kansas,  where  our  people  are  at  least  as  sober  and  temperate 
as  are  found  in  any  of  the  states  of  the  West,  the  money  spent  annually  for 
intoxicating  liquors  would  defray  the  entire  expenses  of  the  state  government, 
including  the  care  and  maintenance  of  all  its  charitable  institutions.  Agri- 
cultural College,  Normal  School,  State  University,  and  Penitentiary — and  all 
for  something  that,  instead  of  making  mankind  nobler,  purer,  and  better, 
has  not  only  left  its  dark  trail  of  misery,  poverty,  and  crime,  but  its  direct 
effects,  as  shown  by  the  official  report,  has  supplied  our  state  prison  with 
105  of  its  present  inmates. 

' '  Could  we  but  dry  up  this  one  great  evil  that  consumes  annually  so  much 
wealth,  and  destroys  the  physical,  moral  and  mental  usefulness  of  its  victims, 
we  would  hardly  need  prisons,  poorhouses,  or  police." 

This  was  before  the  people  had  adopted  the  amendment  to  the  consti- 
tution "  known  as  the  prohibitory  amendment.     He  recommended  in  the  mes- 

NOTE  6. —  At  this  time  it  might  be  interesting-  to  note  the  different  constitutional  amend- 
ments which  have  been  adopted  at  various  times  since  the  admission  of  the  state : 

1861.  Sec.  7,  Art.  13.  Banks  shall  not  issue  circulating  notes  for  less  than  one  dollar.  (Laws 
of  1861.  p.  112.     Vote  for  amendment,  3733  ;  against,  3343.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1861,  p.  22.) 

1864,  Sec.  3,  Art.  5.  Voting  of  soldiers,  sailors,  students,  paupers,  etc.,  in  relation  to  their 
residence.  (  Laws  of  1864,  p.  81.  Vote  for  amendment,  10,756;  against,  329.  Report  Secretary 
of  State,  1864,  p.  33.) 

1864.  Sec.  12,  Art.  2.  Bills  may  originate  in  either  house  but  be  amended  or  rejected  by  the 
other.  ( Laws  of  1864,  p.  82.  Vote  for  amendment,  8708 ;  against,  626.  Report  Secretary  of 
State,  1864,  p.  33.) 

1867.  Sec.  2,  Art.  5.  No  insane,  no  felon,  no  soldier  or  sailor  dishonorably  discharged,  no  per- 
son giving,  receiving  or  offering  a  bribe,  etc.,  shall  vote,  i  General  Statutes  1868,  p.  64.  Vote  for 
amendment,  16,860  ;  against,  12,165.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1867,  p.  7.) 

1868.  Sec.  It,  Art.  15.  Office  of  state  printer  created.  ( House  Journal  1868,  p.  551.  Vote 
for  amendment,  13,471 ;  against,  5415.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1868,  p.  27.) 

1873.  Sec.  2,  Art.  2.  Fixing  the  number  of  representatives  and  senators.  (  Laws  of  1873,  p. 
249.     Vote  for  amendment.  32,240  ;  against,  29,189.     Report  Secretary  of  State.  1873,  p.  11.) 

1875.  Sec.  25,  Art.  2.  Biennial  legislature  and  place  of  meeting.  (Laws  of  1875,  p.  207.  Vote 
for  amendment,  43,320  ;  against,  15,478.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1875.  p.  51.) 

1875.  Sec.  3,  Art.  11.  Legislature  empowered  to  raise  revenue  to  defray  current  expenses  of 
the  state.  ( Laws  of  1875,  p.  207.  Vote  for  amendment,  43,052  ;  against,  15,293.  Report  Secre- 
tary of  State.  1875,  p.  51.) 

1875.  Sec.  29,  Art.  2.  Representatives  elected  for  two  years,  senators  for  four  years.  ( Laws 
of  1875,  p.  207.  Vote  for  amendment,  42,724 ;  against,  15,509.  Report  Secretary  of  State,  1875, 
p.  51.) 

1876.  Sec.  2U,  Art.  2.  No  money  to  be  drawn  from  the  state  treasury  except  upon  specific  ap- 
propriations, etc.  (  Laws  of  1876,  p.  299.  Vote  for  amendment,  95,430  ;  against,  1768.  Report 
Secretary  of  State,  1876,  p.  93.) 

1876.  Sec.  S,  Art.  9.  Term  of  office  for  county  officials  fixed.  (  Laws  of  1876,  p.  299.  Vote  for 
amendment,  93.138  ;  against,  1985.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1876,  p.  93.) 

1880.  Sec.  10,  Art.  15.  Amendment  relating  to  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating 
liquors.  (  Laws  of  1879,  p.  293.  Vote  for  amendment,  92,302  ;  against,  84,304.  Report  Secretary 
of  State,  1879-'80,  p.  178.  A  majority  for  this  amendment  of  7998.  There  were  24,353  less  votes 
cast  for  it  than  for  president,  and  22.230  less  than  for  governor.) 

1888.  Sec.  17,  Bill  of  Rights.  Amendment  concerning  the  purchase,  enjoyment  and  descent 
of  property.  (Laws  of  1887,  p.  340.  Vote  for  amendment,  220,419;  against,  16,611.  Report  Sec- 
retary of  State.  1887-'88,  p.  118.) 

1888.  Sec.  1,  Art.  A'.  To  strike  out  the  word  "white"— militia  service.  (Laws  of  1887,  p. 
339.     Vote  for  amendment,  223,474  ;   against.  22.251.     Report  Secretary  of  State.  1887-'88,  p.  118.) 

1900.  Sec.  2,  Art.  3.  The  judicial  amendment  to  the  constitution,  increasing  the  justices 
from  three  to  seven.  ( Laws  of  1899,  p.  518.  Vote  for  amendment,  123,721 ;  against.  35,474. 
Report  Secretary  of  State.  1899-1900.  p.  114.) 

1902.  Sec.  2,  Art.  -',.  Biennial-election  amendment  to  the  constitution.  (  Laws  of  1901,  p.  765. 
Vote  for  amendment,  144,776  ;   against,  78,190.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1901-'02,  p.  98.) 

1904.  Sec.  IJ,,  Art.  2.  Veto  amendment  to  the  constitution.  (  Laws  of  1903,  p.  817.  Vote  for 
amendment,  162,057;  against,  60,148.     Report  Secretary  of  State.  1903-'04,  p.  141.) 

1904.  Sec.  J,,  Art.  15.  An  amendment  relating  to  the  state  printer.  ( Laws  of  1905,  p.  909. 
Vote  for  amendment,  169,620;   against,  52,363.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1903-'04,  p.  141.) 


The  Administratio7is  of  John  P.  St.  John.  383 

sage  the  amendment  of  the  old  dram-shop  act  by  striking  out  the  proviso 
which  permitted  the  councils  of  cities  of  the  first  and  second  class  to  dis- 
pense by  ordinance  with  the  petition  requiring  the  signatures  of  a  majority 
of  the  citizens,  both  male  and  female,  of  the  ward  where  such  dram-shop 
was  to  be  conducted,  so  that  before  any  one  could  operate  a  dram-shop  in 
any  ward  of  any  city  in  the  state  of  Kansas,  he  must  first  secure  such 
petition,  which  could  not  be  done  except  in  a  few  localities  in  some  of  the 
cities  of  the  state. 

The  same  legislature,  with  the  active  and  sympathetic  assistance  of 
Governor  St.  John  and  other  temperance  workers,  passed  and  submitted  to 
the  people  of  Kansas  a  joint  resolution  providing  an  amendment  to  the 
constitution,  by  adding  to  article  15  a  tenth  section,  as  follows: 

"The  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  shall  be  forever  pro- 
hibited in  this  state,  except  for  medical,  scientific  and  mechanical  pur- 
poses."'' 

After  the  passage  of  this  joint  resolution  by  the  legislature,  Governor 
St.  John  was  at  once  recognized  as  its  especial  and  most  able  advocate  and 

Note  6—  continued.— The  following  amendments  have  been  rejected  : 

1867.  Sec.  1,  Art.  5.  Striking  out  the  word  "  white."  (  House  Journal  1867,  p.  326.  Vote  for 
amendment  10,483  ;  against,  19,421.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1867,  p.  7.) 

1867.  Sec.  1,  Art.  5.  Striking  out  the  words  "white  male."  (House  Journal  1867,  p.  326. 
Vote  for  amendment,  9070 ;  against,  19,857.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1867,  p.  7.) 

1880.  Sec.  1,  Art  11.  Relating  to  property  exempt  from  taxation.  ( Laws  of  1879,  p.  292. 
Vote  for  amendment,  38.442  ;  against,  140.020.     Report  Secretary  of  State.  1879-'80,  p.  180.) 

1886.  Sec.  2,  Art.  3.  Judicial  amendment,  increasing  the  number  of  justices  from  three  to 
five.  ( Laws  of  1885,  p.  327.  Vote  for  amendment,  81.788 ;  against,  132,535.  Report  Secretary 
of  State,  1885-'86,  p.  116.) 

1890.  Sees.  3,  25,  Art.  2.  Changing  time  of  meeting  of  legislature  and  increasing  time  of  sit- 
ting. ( Laws  of  1889.  p.  418.  Vote  for  amendment,  52,463  ;  against,  140,041.  Report  Secretary  of 
State,  1889-'90,  p.  102.) 

1890.  Sec.  2,  Art.  3.  Judicial  amendment,  increasing  the  number  of  justices  from  three  to 
seven.  ( Laws  of  1889,  p.  419.  Vote  for  amendment,  66,601 ;  against,  121,636.  Report  Secretary 
of  State.  1889-'90,  p.  102.) 

1894.  Sec.  1,  Art.  5.  Equal- suffrage  amendment.  ( Laws  of  1893,  p.  274.  Vote  for  amend- 
ment, 95,302  :  against,  130,139.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1893-'94,  p.  65.) 

1902.  Sec.  3,  Art.  2.  "Amendment  of  the  constitution  relating  to  the  compensation  of  the 
members  of  the  legislature."  (Laws  of  1901,  p.  764.  Vote  for  amendment,  92,090 ;  against, 
140,768.     Report  Secretary  of  State,  1901-'02,  p.  98.) 

A  proposition  for  a  constitutional  convention  has  twice  been  submitted  to  the  people : 

1880.   Voted  against  constitutional  convention.    Vote,  22,870  for,  and  146,279  against. 

1892.  Voted  against  constitutional  convention.  Vote.  118,491  for,  and  118,957  against  —  466 
majority  against.  On  the  proposition  of  a  constitutional  convention  there  were  cast  13,570  more 
votes  than  for  president,  and  11,588  more  than  were  cast  for  governor.  ; 

The  following  amendments  are  pending,  and  to  be  voted  on  at  the  general  election  of  1906  : 

Sec.  2,  Art.  12.  "Amendment  to  the  constitution  relating  to  the  individual  liability  of  stock- 
holders."    (  Laws  of  1905,  p.  906.) 

Sec.  17,  Art.  2.  "Amendment  to  the  constitution  relating  to  the  laws  and  their  construction 
by  the  courts."     (Laws  of  1905,  p.  907.) 

Sec.  8,  Art.  3.     "The  probate  judge  amendment  to  the  constitution."     (Laws  of  1905,  p.  908.) 

Note  7.— Dr.  Charles  M.  Sheldon,  in  an  address  delivered  in  February,  1906,  made  the  fol- 
lowing statements  of  facts  and  conditions  in  Kansas,  which  he  claims  to  be  attributable  to  the 
presence  of  the  prohibitory  liquor  law  upon  our  statute-books  : 

"It  may  be  well,  also,  to  note  some  economical  facts  connected  with  the  prohibitory  law  in 
Kansas  during  the  last  twenty-five  years.  Here  are  some  facts  which  the  government  itself 
furnishes,  and  which  no  one  can  deny  :  Two  years  ago  total  amount  of  taxes  paid  to  govern- 
ment in  Kansas  for  liquor  licenses,  including  druggist  permits  to  sell  on  prescription,  was  $115,- 
483.  In  Nebraska,  which  is  a  high-license  state,  and  which  has  one-third  less  population  than 
Kansas,  the  amount  was  $2,776,900.  In  Missouri,  another  high-license  state,  adjoining  Kansas  on 
the  east,  the  entire  amount  of  taxes  paid  to  government  was  $5,576,945.  Of  fermented  liquors, 
there  were  shipped  into  Kansas  two  years  ago,  9022  barrels  :  into  Nebraska.  255,972  barrels  ;  into 
Missouri  the  same  year,  2,699,778  barrels.  There  is  only  $1  paid  to  the  national  government  for 
license  tax  in  Kansas  to  more  than  $40  in  Nebraska  and  $140  in  Missouri.  And  in  addition  to  this, 
it  may  be  stated  without  fear  of  contradiction  that  the  liquor  laws  of  Nebraska  and  Missouri  are 
violated  more  times  than  the  prohibitory  law  in  Kansas.  As  an  economic  statement  of  what 
prohibition  has  done  for  Kansas,  this  is  one  item  out  of  scores  of  others.  Of  105  counties  in 
Kansas,  only  21  have  any  paupers  in  them  ;  25  have  no  poorhouses  ;  35  have  their  jails  absolutely 
empty  ;  37  have  no  criminal  cases  on  their  dockets." 


384  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

champion  before  the  people.  At  the  ensuing  RepubUcan  state  convention, 
he  was  renominated  for  governor  upon  a  platform  pledging  the  party  to 
the  policy  of  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic/  and  made  the  fight  on  that 
issue  before  the  people. 

Out  of  a  total  vote  of  176,606  on  the  amendment,  it  was  carried  by  a 
majority  of  7998,  and  the  governor  was  reelected  by  a  much  larger  majority 
than  in  1878. 

Much  against  his  personal  wishes  and  judgment,  but  finally  yielding  to 
the  insistence  of  his  friends,  Governor  St.  John  accepted,  at  the  hands  of 
his  party,  in  1882,  the  unprecedented  honor  of  a  nomination  for  a  third  term 
as  governor  of  Kansas.  He  was  defeated  only  by  a  slender  plurality  of 
about  8000.  His  opponent  and  successor  was  the  Hon.  Geo.  W.  Glick,  of 
Atchison,  an  excellent  gentleman  of  much  legislative  experience,  and  justly 
esteemed  on  account  of  his  ability  and  high  personal  character.  Regard  for 
the  unwritten  law  which  limits  the  tenure  of  the  office  of  governor  in  Kansas 
to  two  terms,  and  the  defection  of  about  25,000  Republican  voters  for  that 
reason,  and  their  unwillingness  to  accept  prohibition  as  the  permanent  policy 
of  the  state,  operated  to  produce  that  result. 

In  his  second  biennial  message  to  the  legislature,  in  1881, »  Governor  St. 
John  stated,  among  other  things,  the  following: 

"This  [prohibitory]  amendment  being  now  a  part  of  the  constitution  of 
our  state,  it  devolves  upon  you  to  enact  such  laws  as  are  necessary  for  its 
rigid  enforcement. 

"There  are  but  few  citizens  to-day  in  Kansas  who  will  not  admit  that 
'  dram-shops '  are  a  curse  to  any  people.  More  crime,  poverty,  misery  and 
degradation  flow  from  them  than  from  all  other  sources  combined.  The  real 
difference  of  opinion  existing  in  relation  to  them  is  not  so  much  as  to  whether 
they  are  an  evil  or  a  blessing,  but  rather  as  to  what  course  should  be  pur- 
sued toward  them.  Some  have  contended  that  they  should  be  licensed;  but 
it  seems  to  me  that  if  they  are  an  evil  no  government  should  give  them  the 
sanction  of  the  law.  They  should  be  prohibited,  as  we  prohibit  all  other 
acknowledged  evils.  It  has  been  urged,  as  an  argument  in  favor  of  licensing 
dram-shops,  that  under  that  system  a  large  revenue  is  derived.  Granting 
this  to  be  true,  I  insist  that  we  have  no  right  to  consider  the  question  of 
revenue  at  a  cost  of  the  sacrifice  of  principles.  All  the  revenue  ever  received 
from  such  a  source  will  not  compensate  for  a  single  tear  of  a  heart-broken 
mother  at  the  sight  of  her  drunken  son  as  he  reels  from  the  door  of  a  licensed 
dram-shop.     .     .     . 

"The  people  of  Kansas  have  spoken  upon  the  whole  question  in  language 
that  cannot  be  misunderstood.  By  their  verdict  the  license  system,  as  it  re- 
lates to  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage,  has  been  blotted  from 
the  statute-books  of  the  state.  ...  No  step  should  be  taken  backward. 
Let  it  not  be  said  that  any  evil  exists  in  our  midst  the  power  of  which  is 
greater  than  the  people. ' ' 

The  four  years  from  January,  1879,  to  January,  1883,  covering  the  period 
of  the  administrations  of  Governor  St.  John,  were  crowded  with  problems 
affecting  the  welfare  of  the  people  and  the  administration  of  the  law,  re- 
quiring a  high  order  of  executive  ability  successfully  to  meet  and  adjust. 

Note  8.—  "  Eleventh.  That  we  hold  it  to  be  a  solemn  obligation  of  the  electors  of  Kansas  to 
be  earnest  in  securing-  election  to  all  positions  of  public  trust  men  of  honesty  and  conscience, 
who  will  faithfully  administer  the  laws  ;  to  the  legislature,  men  who  will  represent  upon  all 
questions  the  best  sentiment  of  the  people,  and  who  will  lalsor  earnestly  for  the  enactment  of 
such  laws  as  the  best  interest  of  society,  temperance  and  good  order  shall  demand."  —  From  Re- 
publican platform,  1880,  campaign  broadside. 

Note  9. —  House  Journal  1881,  pp.  .'55-69 :  A  resolution  for  a  joint  convention  to  hear  this  mes- 
sage was,  on  motion  of  James  D.  Snoddy,  indefinitely  postponed. 


The  Administrations  of  John  P.  St.  John. 


385 


Events,  some  of  which  had  their  origin  in  past  ages,  before  the  territory 
or  the  state  of  Kansas  had  a  place  upon  the  map  of  the  world,  and  many 
generations  before  the  existence  of  the  heroic  men  and  women  whose  lives 
and  deeds  have  enriched  the  pages  of  our^  history,  transpired  here  and  as- 
sumed tangible  form  during  this  period. 

It  is  not  at  all  strange  that  the  reputation  of  a  state  which  produced  "Old 
John  Brown  of  Osawatomie, "  the  state  on  whose  soil  began  the  great  con- 
flict which  resulted  in  freeing  a  race  from  more  than  two  centuries  of 
bondage,  should  have  so  fired  the  imagination  of  the  former  negro  slaves  of 
the  South  that  their  concerted  movement  to  this  state  was  there  called 
"the  negro  exodus"  and,  by  many  in  Kansas,  "the  negro  invasion."  ^^ 


"PAP"  SINGLETON, 
father  of  the  exodus. 


Note  10.— The  exodus  of  negroes  from  the  South  to 
Kansas  began  in  1878,  and  attracted  not  only  national  but 
world-wide  attention  until  the  spring  of  1882.  Benjamin 
Singleton,  of  Morris  county,  was  president  of  an  "  invi- 
tation committee  in  sunny  Kansas,"  and  it  was  his  cir- 
culars that  stirred  the  ex-slaves  of  the  South.  Singleton 
was  from  Tennessee,  and  began  his  agitation  in  1869-'70. 
All  told,  he  moved  about  8000  colored  people  out  of  Ten- 
nessee. His  favorite  argument  was:  "  Hyar  you  is,  a- 
pottering  around  in  politics,  and  trying  to  get  into  offices 
that  you  aint  fit  for,  and  you  can't  see  that  these  white 
tramps  from  the  North  is  simply  usin'  you  for  to  line 
their  pockets,  and  when  they  git  through  they  will  drop 
you,  and  the  rebels  will  come  into  power,  and  then  where 
will  you  be?"  Public  meetings  were  held  in  St.  Louis, 
Chicago,  Boston,  and  New  York,  and  contributions  were 
made  at  all  points  to  aid  the  colored  people  and  to  avoid 
suffering.  Meetings  were  held  at  various  points  in  the 
South  to  take  steps  to  prevent  the  movement  of  labor 
from  the  South  to  Kansas.  Philip  D.  Armour  made  a 
trip  to  Kansas  City  to  investigate  conditions,  and  im- 
mediately gave  $1200  for  their  aid,  and  announced  to  his 
friends  that  he  would  receive  and  disburse  funds  for 
them.  April  22,  1879,  Senator  Ingalls  moved  an  appro- 
priation of  $100,000,  to  be  expended  by  the  secretary  of 
war  for  their  relief.  This  he  did  upon  the  suggestion 
of  the  mayor  of  Wyandotte  (now  Kansas  City,  Kan.), 
where  large  numbers  were  landed.  Governor  St.  John 
wrote  Laura  S.  Haviland,  as  follows,  June  17.  1879 : 

"It  seems  as  if  the  North  is  slow  to  wake  up  to  the 
importance  and  magnitude  of  this  movement  of  the  col- 
ored people.  No  longer  ago  than  last  Saturday  I  had  a 
call  from  a  delegation  of  100  leading  colored  men  from  the 
states  of  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  who  are  here  canvass- 
ing Kansas  and  other  Northern  states  with  a  view  of  migrating  this  coming  fall  and  spring.  I  had 
a  talk  with  them  for  nearly  an  hour  in  the  Senate  chamber,  in  which  I  gave  them  a  full  and  fair 
understanding  of  the  condition  of  things  in  Kansas,  and  what  they  may  and  may  not  expect  by 
coming  here.  They  answered  me  that  they  had  borne  their  troubles  until  they  had  become  so  op- 
pressive on  them  that  they  could  bear  them  no  longer  ;  that  they  had  rather  die  in  the  attempt 
to  reach  the  land  where  they  can  be  free  than  to  live  in  the  South  any  longer." 

A  dispatch  from  Natchez.  Miss.,  dated  May  3,  says :  "I  have  just  reached  this  point  after  a 
journey  of  several  days  by  wagon  in  Tensas  and  Concordia  parishes.  The  negroes  in  these  par- 
ishes are  very  much  disturbed  and  anxious  to  leave  for  Kansas,  but  cannot  obtain  transportation. 
I  visited  a  camp  of  150,  two  miles  above  Waterproof,  in  Tensas.  I  asked  the  negroes  why  they 
were  so  anxious  to  go?  They  answered,  without  exception,  that  Tensas  was  not  a  safe  place  for 
them  to  live  in.  They  were  not  afraid  of  being  interfered  with  at  present,  but  they  believed 
there  would  be  more  bloodshed  at  the  presidential  election,  and  they  desired  to  be  away  before 
that  time.  They  told  me  that  thousands  were  working  in  the  fields  on  day  wages,  contrary  to 
their  usual  custom,  and  only  waited  for  a  boat  to  carry  them  in  order  to  flock  to  the  river  and  go 
off.  They  would  throw  down  their  hoes  at  a  moment's  warning  if  they  could  hear  the  whistle 
calling  them.  But  the  boats  will  not  take  them.  The  negroes  have  been  waiting  two  weeks, 
and  have  been  refused  passage  by  nearly  every  captain  on  the  river,  either  directly  or  indirectly. 
The  captains  shoot  past  the  landings  they  occupy.  One  captain  going  down  was  asked  when  he 
would  come  back  ?  'In  three  months.' he  replied.  It  is  not  a  question  of  money.  Those  who  have 
abundance  of  money  cannot  obtain  passage." 

The  "  Kansas  Preedmen's  Relief  Association  "  was  incorporated  May  8,  1879,  and  the  follow- 
ing directors  appointed  for  the  first  year :  John  P.  St.  John,  Albert  H.  Horton,  P.  I.  Bonebrake, 
John  Francis.  Bradford  Miller.  N.  C.  McFarland,  A.  B.  Jetmore.  Willard  Davis.  J.  C.  Hebbardi 
L.  U.  Humphrey.  James  Smith.  A.  B.  Lemmon,  C.  G.  Foster,  T.  W.  Henderson,  and  John  m! 
Brown.  The  library  of  the  State  Historical  Society  contains  annual  reports,  etc.,  of  the  Freed- 
men's  Relief  Association,  and  in  its  manuscript  collections  can  be  found  the  account-books, 
monthly  statements  of  the  treasurer,  and  other  memoranda. 

Laura  S.  Haviland  and  Elizabeth  L.  Comstock,  philanthropists  from  the  East,  came  to  Kan- 

-25 


386  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

These  lately  liberated  negro  slaves  poured  into  our  state  by  hundreds, 
coming  mostly  from  the  states  of  Louisiana  and  Mississippi,  ^i  until  within 
the  period  of  a  few  weeks  or  months  several  thousand  of  them  were  huddled 
together  in  temporary  camps  and  rude  shanties.  They  were  for  the  most 
part  ragged  and  poor,  and  destitute  of  the  common  necessities  of  life. 
Many  good  and  influential  citizens  of  Kansas  became  alarmed,  and  looked 
upon  this  negro  invasion  as  a  public  calamity.  It  appeared  to  them  that  it 
was  only  the  beginning  of  a  general  movement  of  practically  the  entire  negro 
population  of  the  Southern  states  to  Kansas.  Accordingly,  great  pressure 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  Governor  St.  John  to  use  all  the  power  vested  in 
him  as  governor  to  arrest  this  disastrous  flood  of  negro  paupers  in  its  flow 
to  Kansas.  He  was  asked  to  issue  a  proclamation  to  that  effect.  He  there- 
upon made  a  personal  investigation  of  the  matter,  resulting  in  the  conviction 
on  his  part  that  the  negroes  were  peaceable  and  law-abiding,  and  that  their 

sas  and  were  active  ia  looking  after  the  wants  of  the  helpless  negroes.  An  interesting  account 
of  their  work  is  found  in  their  biographies,  in  the  library  of  the  State  Historical  Society. 

The  senate  of  the  United  States,  in  1880,  appointed  a  committee  to  investigate  the  causes  of 
the  emigration  of  negroes  from  the  Southern  to  the  Northern  states,  composed  of  Daniel  W. 
Voorhees,  Zebulon  B.  Vance,  Geo.  H.  Pendleton,  William  Windom,  and  Henry  W.  Blair.  The 
committee  printed  1667  pages  of  testimony,  to  be  found  in  senate  reports  Nos.  671  to  725  and  693. 
volumes  7  and  8,  first  and  second  sessions  Forty-sixth  Congress.  Of  course,  there  were  two  re- 
ports from  this  committee,  occasioned  by  the  suspicion  that  negroes  were  being  imported  into 
Indiana  to  carry  that  state  in  the  presidential  election.  There  were  about  fifty  witnesses  taken 
to  Washington  from  Kansas.  An  attempt  was  made  to  prove  that  Governor  St.  John  had  in- 
vited the  negroes,  but  a  negro  from  Texas  in  his  testimony  quoted  a  letter  from  Governor  St. 
John,  as  follows  : 

"Your  letter  is  received,  and  in  reply,  if  your  people  are  desirous  of  coming,  I  advise  you  to 
come  in  your  private  conveyances  and  bring  your  household  goods  and  plows.  You  in  Texas  can 
come  easily  overland  ;  but  I  want  to  impress  this  one  fact  on  your  people  who  are  coming  to 
Kansas,  that  you  must  not  expect  anything,  as  we  hold  out  no  inducements  to  whites  or  blacks  ; 
but  you  will  find  here  a  good  soil  and  free  Kansas.  If  your  people  come  here  under  destitute 
circumstances,  they  will  be  thrown  on  the  charity  of  the  people,  and  bring  discredit  on  you,  and 
the  charge  that  you  are  coming  here  as  paupers." 

The  majority  of  the  senate  committee  thought  it  clear  that  Northern  politicians  were  re- 
sponsible, while  the  minority  thought  it  absurd  that  700  or  800  should  be  taken  from  North  Caro- 
lina, of  which  the  Republicans  had  some  hope,  to  Indiana,  and  move  25,000  to  Republican  Kansas. 
Six  months'  time  was  occupied  by  the  examination,  159  witnesses  examined,  and  $30,000  ex- 
pended. 

There  is  no  definite  statement  anywhere  of  the  number  of  negroes  included  in  the  exodus,  or 
what  became  of  all  of  them.  The  Missouri  river  towns  in  Kansas,  as  well  as  Topeka,  were 
greatly  burdened  with  them,  and  each  point  had  committees  at  work  locating  them  in  other 
towns  or  upon  farms.  However,  in  the  June  [1880]  number  of  Scribner's  Magazine  is  an  article  by 
Henry  King,  at  that  time  postmaster  at  Topeka.  but  now  editor  of  the  St.  Louis  Globe- Democrat, 
in  which  appears  this  : 

"There  are,  at  this  writing  [April  1,  1880],  from  15,000  to  20,000  colored  people  in  Kansas 
who  have  settled  there  during  the  last  twelve  months  —  thirty  per  cent,  of  them  from  Mississippi, 
twenty  per  cent,  from  Texas,  fifteen  per  cent,  from  Tennessee,  ten  per  cent,  from  Louisiana,  five 
per  cent,  each  from  Alabama  and  Georgia,  and  the  remainder  from  the  other  Southern  states.  Of 
this  number,  about  one-third  are  supplied  with  teams  and  farming  tools,  and  may  be  expected  to 
become  self-sustaining  in  another  year  ;  one-third  are  in  the  towns,  employed  as  house  servants 
and  day-laborers,  and  can  take  care  of  themselves  so  long  as  the  market  for  their  labor  is  not 
overcrowded:  the  other  one-third  are  at  work  in  a  desultory  fashion  for  white  farmers  and  herd- 
ers, and  doing  the  best  they  can,  but  powerless  to  '  get  ahead  '  and  achieve  homes  and  an  as- 
sured support  without  considerable  assistance.  The  poverty  of  these  people  cannot  be  too 
strongly  dwelt  upon,  for  that  has  been  their  stumbling-block  from  the  start,  and  is  to-day  the 
one  paramount  consideration  of  the  exodus.  .  .  .  The  area  of  land  bought  and  entered  by  the 
freedmen  during  their  first  year  in  Kansas  is  about  20,000  acres,  of  which  they  have  plowed  and 
fitted  for  grain-growing  3000  acres.  They  have  built  some  300  cabins  and  dugouts,  counting 
those  which  yet  lack  roofs  and  floors  :  and  in  the  way  of  personal  property,  their  accumulations, 
outside  of  what  has  been  given  to  them,  will  aggregate  perhaps  $30,000.  It  is  within  bounds  to  say 
that  their  total  gains  for  the  year,  the  surplus  proceeds  of  their  efforts,  amount  to  $40,000,  or  about 
$2.25  per  capita.  This  calculation  includes  those  in  the  towns  and  all  those  at  work  for  daily  and 
monthly  wages,  as  well  as  those  who  are  settled  on  the  public  lands  and  trying  to  make  farms. 
But  it  does  not  take  into  account  the  exceptional  cases  — one  in  twenty,  at  a  guess  -  where 
families  that  started  with  next  to  nothing  now  own  little  homesteads  and  are  really  prosperous." 

The  Historical  Society  has  a  large  scrap-book  on  the  subject  of  the  exodus,  from  Horatio  G. 
Rust,  who  was  active  in  the  matter.  Mr.  Rust  now  lives  at  Pasadena,  Cal.  It  also  has  '  Pap  ' 
Singleton's  scrap-book,  containing,  in  addition  to  much  newspaper  clipping,  several  of  his  hand- 
bills and  circulars,  printed  both  in  Tennessee  and  in  Kansas  ;  also  the  account-books  from  John 
D.  Knox,  who  was  the  treasurer  of  the  Kansas  association. 

Note  11.— U.  S.  Senate  Report  No.  693,  46th  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  p.  xvii. 


The  Administrations  of  John  P.  St.  John.  387 

only  offense,  so  far  as  he  could  learn,  was  their  extreme  poverty.  The 
governor  thereupon  promptly  refused  to  do  any  act  which  would  discriminate 
between  them  and  any  other  law-abiding  citizens  who  might  seek  to  better 
their  condition  by  coming  to  Kansas.  On  the  contrary,  he  made  an  appeal 
to  the  charitable  people  of  the  country  generally  for  temporary  aid  for  these 
negroes,  which  appeal  met  with  such  generous  response  that  their  most 
pressing  needs  were  relieved,  and  actual  suffering  among  them  was  averted 
or  reduced  to  the  minimum.  Subsequent  events  fully  justified  the  acts  of 
the  governor,  as  these  negroes  soon  found  employment  and  homes  in  the 
state,  becoming  a  part  of  its  industrial  population,  and,  for  the  most  part, 
they  have  proved  to  be  peaceable,  industrious,  and  self-supporting  citizens. '- 

Thus  the  refusal  of  Governor  St.  John  to  yield  to  the  demands  of  many 
citizens  to  use  his  office  for  the  exclusion  of  these  negro  immigrants  saved  Kan- 
sas from  the  reproach  of  discriminating  between  them  and  other  immigrants 
because  of  their  color  and  dire  pqverty,  which  would  have  been  inconsistent 
with  all  the  traditions  and  former  history  of  the  state. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  in  1865,  and  particularly  during  the  decade 
preceding  the  election  of  St.  John  as  governor,  there  had  been  an  unprece- 
dented emigration  to  Kansas.  Thousands  of  families  came  in  search  of 
cheap  lands  for  homes,  bringing  no  capital  but  strong  arms  and  a  will  to 
endure  the  privations  of  frontier  life  until  they  could  make  for  themselves 
comfortable  homes.  Many  of  these  immigrants  took  up  claims  and  ob- 
tained contracts  for  lands  from  the  railroads  in  the  western  and  northwest- 
ern part  of  the  state.  Unfortunately,  there  had  been  for  several  years  in 
some  of  the  newer  counties  an  almost  total  failure  of  crops.  The  people 
were  in  distress,  and  word  was  sent  to  the  governor,  in  the  winter  of  1880, 
that  many  of  them  were  in  a  suffering  condition,  and  that  some  were 
actually  starving.  An  appeal  like  this  resulted  in  immediate  action  on  the 
part  of  the  governor.  He  went  in  person  to  the  nearest  railroad  points, 
procured  conveyance,  and,  taking  provisions  for  temporary  relief  with  him, 
visited  and  inspected  the  condition  of  the  people  in  their  sod  houses  and 
dugouts.  He  found  their  condition  most  deplorable— even  worse  than  it 
had  been  reported.  Returning,  he  at  once  made  a  personal  appeal  to  Jay 
Gould,  who  was  at  the  time  president  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, and  others,  in  behalf  of  these  suffering  people  who  had  settled  along 
the  fine  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  This  appeal  was  immediately  ef- 
fective. Mr.  Gould  authorized  the  governor  by  telegraph  to  draw  on  him 
for  $5000,  which  was  done. '^  Provisions  and  clothing  were  purchased,  taken 
and  distributed  to  the  destitute  famiUes  under  the  personal  supervision  of 
the  governor.  Every  dollar  contributed  was  expended  in  the  purchase  of 
provisions,  clothing  and  necessaries  for  these  destitute  people,  all  of  which 
was  delivered  to  them  without  diminution  of  the  fund  on  account  of  costs 
of  disbursement.  In  the  expenditure  of  these  funds,  the  governor,  as  was 
his  habit  in  all  such  cases,  exacted  and  received  from  every  person  who 
furnished  provisions,  merchandise  or  supphes  of  any  kind  a  voucher  or  re- 
ceipt for  the  money  given  in  payment  thereof,  so  that  every  dollar  expended 

Note  12.— The  New  York  Outlook,  of  May  14,  1904,  contains  an  article  by  Booker  T.  Washing- 
ton, entitled  "A  Negro  Potato  King,"  the  story  of  the  enterprise  and  accomplishment  of  two 
negro  emigrants  from  Kentucky,  Junius  G.  Groves  and  his  wife,  of  Edwardsville.  Kan. 

Note  13.  — "January  19.  1880,  Jay  Gould  gives  $5000  for  the  needy  settlers  along  the  line  of 
the  Kansas  Pacific  road."— Wilder's  Annals  of  Kansas,  2d  ed.,  p.  836. 


388  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

was  accounted  for  by  a  proper  voucher.  This  destitution  on  the  frontier 
continued  through  1880,  and  the  Kansas  legislature  of  1881  appropriated 
$25,000  for  general  relief,  i* 

That  year  the  rains  came,  and  the  settlers  who  remained,  with  others  who 
arrived,  continued  that  transformation  of  the  desert  to  productive  garden 
and  field  which  stands  as  a  marvelous  achievement  in  an  age  of  almost 
miraculous  development. 

The  frequent  incursions  of  predatory  bands  of  Indians  across  the  western 
and  southern  borders  of  the  state  had  made  both  the  property  and  life  of  the 
citizens  in  the  western  frontier  settlements  of  the  state  insecure.  Up  to 
and  including  the  year  1878,  hardly  a  year  had  passed  since  the  first  settle- 
ment of  the  territory  of  Kansas  began  that  a  greater  or  less  number  of 
settlers  had  not  been  murdered  and  their  property  stolen  or  destroyed  by 
roving  and  marauding  bands  of  Indians,  i^ 

In  September  and  October,  1878,  a  band  of  about  200  Northern  Cheyenne 
Indians  left  their  reservation  near  Fort  Reno,  and,  crossing  the  southern 
line  of  the  state,  continued  their  march  northward,  killing  and  murdering, 
and  stealing  and  destroying  the  property  of  the  settlers.  Thus  they  marched 
through  the  entire  state  from  south  to  north.  About  thirty-two  settlers 
were  killed,  many  women  were  brutally  ravished  and  much  property  stolen 
and  destroyed  by  them.  At  that  time  the  protection  of  the  settlers  against 
these  savages  seemed  to  have  been  almost  wholly  entrusted  to  the  troops 
of  the  regular  army.  Gen.  John  Pope  was  in  command  of  all  the  United 
States  forces  in  Kansas,  with  headquarters  at  Fort  Leavenworth.  Tele- 
graphic dispatches  were  received  by  Gov.  Geo.  T.  Anthony  from  citizens  of 
Dodge  City,  Ellis,  Wa  Keeney  and  other  places  to  the  effect  that  the  Indians 
were  killing  and  murdering  the  citizens  and  burning  and  destroying  property. 
The  governor  at  once  notified  General  Pope,  requesting  him  to  send  troops 
at  once  to  protect  the  settlers  and  capture  the  Indians.  General  Pope  in 
turn  advised  the  governor  that  he  was  thoroughly  posted  as  to  the  move- 
ments of  hostile  Indians;  that  less  than  seventy-five  Indians  were  off  their 
reservation,  and  so  the  reports  of  citizens  to  the  effect  that  so  large  a  num- 
ber as  200  or  300  was  committing  the  outrages,  as  stated,  were  not  credited 
by  him.  The  result  was  that  these  savages  were  for  eighteen  days  unopposed, 
and  marched  unmolested  through  the  entire  state,  leaving  death  and  destruc- 
tion to  mark  their  trail,  i** 

Note  14.— See  note  on  page  37  of  this  volume.  I.  N.  Holloway,  of  Woodson  county,  was  ap- 
pointed relief  commissioner,  February  16.  1881,  to  administer  this  fund. 

Note  15.— The  adjutant-general  turned  over  to  the  archives  department  of  the  Historical 
Society,  in  1905,  a  large  mass  of  correspondence  from  the  settlers  and  officials  relative  to  these 
Indian  raids.     These  papers,  now  arranged  by  years  and  counties,  are  easily  accessible. 


Note  16.- 


"  Guthrie,  Okla.,  January  4,  1906. 


"Geo.  W.  Martin,  Topeka,  Kan.: 

"Dear  Sir  —  1  have  your  favor  of  January  2.  I  have  a  very  vivid  recollection  as  to  the  raid 
of  the  Cheyenne  Indians  in  1878,  but  made  no  written  memorandum  of  the  points  over  which  the 
raid  took  place.  I  doubt  seriously  if  the  body  of  the  raiding  Cheyennes  touched  even  the  south- 
west corner  of  Barber  county,  but  they  came  very  close  to  it.  I  do  not  think  any  resident  of  Bar- 
ber county  was  killed,  but  just  over  in  the  edge  of  Comanche  county  there  were  a  number  killed, 
and  in  the  territory  south  of  the  southwest  part  of  Barber  county  there  were  at  least  two  per- 
sons killed  ;  one  of  them  was  named  Colcord,  and  was  a  nephew  of  W.  R.  Colcord  and  a  cousin  of 
C.  F.  Colcord.  now  a  prominent  banker  of  Oklahoma  City.  At  one  of  the  camps  of  the  Coman- 
che county  pool,  two  persons  were  wounded,  but  this  ranch  was  certainly  in  Comanche  county. 
A  young  child  was  shot  across  the  breast:  the  ball  buried  itself  in  the  flesh  over  each  breast  and 
came  to  the  surface  in  the  center  of  the  breast.  The  other  party  was  shot  across  the  back  of  the 
head,  but  not  deep  enough  to  make  the  wound  fatal  or  dangerous.  From  there  the  Indians  pur- 
sued almost  a  due  west  course  and  shot  and  wounded  and  killed  different  ones.    A  call  was  made 


The  Administrations  of  John  P.  St.  John.  389 

St.  John  was  first  elected  governor  at  the  general  election  in  November, 
1878.  The  events  just  mentioned  had  spread  fear  and  consternation  through- 
out the  state.  Settlers  in  the  western  counties  felt  that  they  were  unsafe, 
and  liable  at  any  time  to  lose  their  lives  and  property  at  the  hands  of  these 
savage,  blanketed  Indians. 

In  his  first  message  to  the  legislature  which  convened  in  January,  1879, 
Governor  St.  John  stated  the  facts  and  recommended  prompt  and  vigorous 
measures  to  prevent  a  repetition  of  the  horrors  of  another  such  raid,  as 
follows : 

"I  regret  the  existence  of  the  fact  that  during  the  months  of  last  Sep- 
tember and  October  a  band  of  Cheyenne  Indians,  variously  estimated  from 
100  to  200  in  number,  raided  the  western  border  of  our  state,  makes  it  my 
duty  to  call  your  attention  to  this  matter;  and,  without  stopping  to  discuss 
the  causes,  if  any  existed,  that  led  to  this  raid,  it  is  sufficient  to  be  able  to 
state,  from  a  personal  investigation  of  the  facts,  that  no  citizen  of  Kansas, 
nor  any  other  person  within  our  state,  gave  the  slightest  provocation  for 
the  brutal  outrages  committed  by  this  roving  band  of  murderers. 

"It  is  a  fact,  no  less  humiliating  than  true,  that  about  twenty-five  days 
elapsed  from  the  time  these  Indians  crossed  the  southern  boundary  of  our 
state  until  they  reached  the  county  of  Decatur,  on  its  northern  limit;  mov- 
ing in  their  line  of  march  northward  along  the  western  borders  of  the  frontier 
settlements,  making  incursions  into  the  sparsely  settled  districts,  where  the 
people  were  wholly  unable  to  protect  themselves,  killing  as  they  did  about 
forty  citizens,  destroying  and  carrying  away  large  amounts  of  property,  and 
committing  outrages  upon  defenseless  women  and  children  so  brutal,  hei- 
nous and  revolting  in  their  nature  as  to  never  be  forgiven  or  forgotten.  In 
declining  to  discuss  the  question  touching  the  effort  made  by  our  state  and 
national  authorities  to  protect  the  settlers  against  the  outrages  committed 
by  this  lawless  band  of  savages,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  casting 
any  unjust  reflection  upon  any  one. 

' '  The  duty  of  the  hour  is  not  so  much  to  deal  with  the  past,  but  to  look 
to  the  future  with  a  determination  that  a  repetition  of  these  outrages  shall 

for  volunteers  at  Medicine  Lodge  and  other  points  in  Barber  county,  and  I  think  at  least  thirty 
persons  congregated  at  this  camp,  but  a  great  many  felt,  as  the  Indians  had  got  far  beyond  the 
boundary-lines  of  our  county,  their  duty  did  not  call  them  further.  As  I  now  remember  it,  there 
were  about  twelve  persons  joined  in  the  pursuit  of  the  Indians  and  followed  them  along  the  trail 
through  Clark  county  and  over  into  Meade  county,  where  we  overtook  them  and  had  an  all-day 
skirmishing  battle  with  them.  This  battle  took  place  on  a  creek  called  Sand  creek,  almost  south 
of  Dodge  City.  There  were  about  140  soldiers  and  about  60  civilians  called  cowboys  in  the  en- 
sagement.  Whether  any  fatalities  occurred  that  day  or  not  is  not  known.  None  of  our  party 
were  seriously  hurt ;  one  or  two  were  touched  with  Indian  bullets,  and  a  horse  was  wounded, 
but  not  fatally.  Up  to  that  time  we  had  counted  seventeen  killed,  commencing  on  the  Yellow- 
stone creek,  in  the  Indian  territory,  and  along  the  trail  through  Comanche,  Clark  and  Meade 
counties. 

"Capt.  Joseph  Rendlebrock  was  in  command  of  the  United  States  troops.  The  Indians  had  for- 
tified themselves  at  the  head  of  a  canyon  which  had  eaten  back  in  at  the  point  of  a  horseshoe 
bend  on  Sand  creek,  making  a  deep  canyon,  with  at  least  an  acre  of  level  ground  in  the  head  of 
the  canyon.  There  were  three  strata  of  red  rock  along  the  sides  of  the  canyon,  and  on  each 
stratum  the  Indians  had  dug  back  in  and  thrown  up  breastworks  of  dirt.  In  this  canyon  they 
had  driven  a  number  of  cattle  and  sheep  and  their  own  ponies.  Around  a  bluff,  both  above  and 
below  the  canyon,  numerous  holes  had  been  dug  and  rocks  eighteen  to  twenty-five  inches  high 
had  been  piled,  making  it  a  very  strong  location  for  a  fight.  Our  boys  were  better  armed  than 
the  Indians,  and  we  fired  from  under  cover  from  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  four  in 
the  afternoon,  at  which  time  we  had  driven  all  of  the  Indians  into  the  main  fort.  At  this  hour 
Captain  Rendlebrock  ordered  the  soldiers  to  retire,  and  the  cowboys  were  so  disgusted  that  they 
no  longer  maintained  the  commanding  points  of  advantage  they  had  secured,  and  the  Indians 
fled  to  the  north,  crossing  the  Arkansas  river  somewhere  near  where  Cimarron  City  is  located. 
The  big  massacre  on  Prairie  Dog  and  Sappa  creeks  occurred  later  by  this  same  band  of  Cheyenne 
Indians,  but  our  party  returned  to  Barber  county,  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the  management 
of  this  campaign.  We  were  within  fifty  miles  of  Dodge  City,  and  had  the  Indians  where  they 
could  not  have  escaped  without  a  total  loss  to  them,  and  we  could  have  sent  for  a  cannon  and 
shelled  them  out  without  loss  to  us. 

"I  think  I  can  remember  the  names  of  all  the  Barber  county  citizens  who  followed  up  and 
were  engaged  in  the  Sand  creek  fight,  and  give  you  the  same  as  I  now  remember  them  :  Chas. 
NeLson,  C.  T.  Rigg,  D.  Vanslyke,  E.  W.  Iliff,  Troy  Stockstill,  R.  T.  Lee,  John  Melrose,  Ben 
Walker,  Jim  Lusk,  Deaf  McCartney,  L.  C.  Ferris,  and  myself. 

"Trusting  this  information  may  be  of  some  value  to  you,  I  remain.     Yours  very  truly, 

J.  W.  McNeal." 


390  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

never  again  occur  in  our  state.  ...  It  becomes  an  imperative  duty  of 
our  state  to  protect  the  lives  and  property  of  these  citizens  against  every 
invasion  by  predatory  bands  of  lawless  savages  who  attempt  or  threaten  to 
deprive  them  of  either,  and  to  administer  to  such  bands,  within  our  borders, 
prompt  and  merited  punishment,  and  delay  the  settlement  of  all  technical 
questions  that  may  be  interposed  until  after  the  safety  of  the  citizen  has 
been  fully  secured.  ...  I,  therefore,  respectfully  recommend  that  an 
appropriation  be  made  as  a  military  contingent  fund  sufficient  in  amount 
(should  circumstances  at  any  time  require  it)  to  uniform,  mount,  equip  and 
pay  a  limited  number  of  reliable,  discreet  men,  under  command  of  an  effi- 
cient officer,  whose  duty  it  shall  be,  at  such  times  and  places  as  may  be  deemed 
advisable,  to  act  as  a  patrol  on  the  frontier,  and  promptly  give  warning  of 
every  approach  of  danger,  and  thus  the  citizen,  having  due  notice,  and 
promptly  aided  in  his  defense  by  the  state,  could  be  made  secure  in  the  en- 
joyment of  his  life  and  property. 

' '  Such  an  appropriation  should  have  thrown  around  it  such  stringent  safe- 
guards, as  would  require  strict  accountability  from  every  officer  or  person 
having  charge  of  the  disbursement  of  any  portion  of  such  funds. 

"And  I  further  recommend  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  ascertain 
the  extent  of  the  damage  sustained  by  citizens  from  the  raid  by  said  Indians, 
to  the  end  that  necessary  steps  be  taken  to  secure  the  payment  thereof." 

The  appropriation  as  recommended  by  Governor  St.  John  was  promptly 
voted  by  the  legislature  and  made  immediately  available.  The  means 
adopted  by  the  governor  and  its  complete  and  perfect  success  in  preventing 
a  recurrence  of  the  unspeakable  horrors  of  the  autumn  of  1878  are  best  told 
in  his  own  words,  in  his  second  biennial  message  to  the  legislature,  in  1881, 
as  follows. 

"Under  the  act  of  March  12,  1879,  $20,000  was  appropriated  to  be  used 
for  the  purpose  of  protecting  settlers  on  the  frontier  against  Indian  depreda- 
tion. In  April,  1879,  by  virtue  of  this  act,  I  organized  and  thoroughly 
equipped  a  patrol  guard  of  about  forty  men,  and  kept  them  on  the  south- 
western border,  patrolling  a  line  from  Barber  county  west  about  100  miles, 
thus  rendering  it  impossible  for  any  considerable  number  of  hostile  Indians 
to  invade  the  state  without  notice  thereof  being  promptly  conveyed  to  not 
only  the  settlers  exposed  to  such  danger,  but  to  both  state  and  national 
authorities,  so  that  a  sufficient  additional  force  might  be  quickly  added  to 
the  patrol  guard  to  successfully  resist  any  such  invasion,  and  furnish  ample 
protection  to  the  lives  and  property  of  the  citizens.  This  guard  was  kept  on 
the  frontier  until  the  15th  of  November,  when  the  men  were  relieved  from 
duty  and  paid  off. 

"In  order  to  establish  permanent  means  of  protection  where  it  seemed 
to  be  needed,  I  caused  independent  companies  of  both  cavalry  and  infantry 
to  be  organized  all  along  the  line  of  our  western  frontier  settlements  from 
the  southern  to  the  northern  line  of  the  state,  and  furnished  them  with 
necessary  arms  and  ammunition.  I  also  completed  the  organization  of  two 
regiments  of  infantry  in  the  interior  of  the  state,  to  be  ready  for  active 
service  promptly,  should  they  be  required.  I  have  also,  except  during  the 
winter  months,  employed  special  scouts,  who,  being  furnished  with  govern- 
ment passports  through  the  territory,  have,  by  remaining  a  greater  portion 
of  the  time  in  the  territory,  and  being  on  the  Indian  reservations,  and  in 
their  camps,  been  in  a  position  to  obtain  reliable  information  in  relation  to 
the  Indians,  thus  making  a  hostile  movement  on  their  part  impossible  without 
our  full  knowledge. 

"It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  state  that  during  the  past  two  years  the 

Eeople  on  our  exposed  borders  have  not  in  a  single  instance  been  molested 
y  hostile  Indians,  but  on  the  contrary  have  been  permitted  to  remain  quietly 
at  their  homes,  feeling  secure  in  their  hves  and  property. 

"With  the  existing  means  for  the  defense  of  the  frontier,  and  a  small 
appropriation,  say  $1000  a  year  for  the  next  two  years,  to  secure,  if  deemed 
necessary,  the  services  of  an  efficient  and  reliable  detective  to  remain  in 


The  Administrations  of  John  P.  St.  John.  391 

the  territory  among  the  Indians  to  give  warning  of  any  indication  of  danger 
from  that  direction,  we  may  feel  secure  from  Indian  raids  in  the  future. '' 

'  'A  full  statement  of  the  receipts  and  disbursements  connected  with  this 
matter  is  given  in  the  report  of  the  adjutant-general,  which  is  herewith  trans- 
mitted." 

There  has  not  been  a  single  instance  of  the  loss  of  life  or  property  at  the 
hand  of  predatory  bands  of  Indians  since  that  of  September  and  October, 
1878.  To  the  thoroughness  and  efficiency  of  the  measures  recommended  and 
carried  into  effect  by  Governor  St.  John,  credit  may  be  given  for  the  peace 
and  security  of  the  settlers  in  western  Kansas,  who  have  been  permitted  to 
go  forward  in  the  prosecution  of  their  business  and  the  development  of  their 
country,  not  as  formerly,  with  fear  and  trembling,  but  with  confidence  and 
hope. 

Many  public  improvements  already  commenced  were  completed,  and 
many  others  were  inaugurated  and  carried  to  completion,  during  the  four 
years  of  St.  John's  administration.  An  enumeration  of  these  would  include 
the  west  wing  of  the  state-house; '»  the  rebuilding  of  the  Normal  School,  at 
Emporia;  of  the  State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Osawatomie,  the  executive 
building  having  burned  March  8,  1880;  extensive  additions  to  the  State  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane  at  Topeka;  important  additions  for  the  Institution  for 
the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  at  Olathe;  the  Reform  School,  at  Topeka;  opening  of 
the  coal-mines  at  the  Penitentiary,  at  Lansing;  new  buildings  for  the  State 
University,  at  Lawrence,  and  other  public  improvements,  involving  the  ex- 
penditure of  great  sums  of  public  money.  With  all  this  there  never  was  a 
suspicion  of  graft  or  a  charge  of  dishonesty  on  the  part  of  any  member  of 
the  state  government  during  St.  John's  administration.  Even  among  his 
detractors  and  political  enemies,  none  ever  had  the  temerity  to  charge  him 
with  public  or  private  peculations  or  dishonesty. 

No  person  was  appointed  to  office  by  him  at  any  time  as  a  result  of  a 
preconvention  or  preelection  promise,  bargain,  or  agreement,  and  every 
clerk  appointed  by  him  as  a  part  of  his  executive  force,  including  the  ad- 
jutant-general and  the  governor's  private  secretary,  held  office  through  both 
terms  and  during  his  entire  administration. 

Rigid  compliance  with  law  was  exacted  from  every  accounting  officer  and 
from  every  person  who  in  any  manner  had  the  handling  of  public  funds. 

The  administration  of  Governor  St.  John  was  preeminently  one  of  prog- 

NoTE  17.—  During  the  years  1881  and  1882,  Governor  St.  John  employed  C.  M.  Scott,  an  experi- 
enced scout,  to  spend  his  time  on  the  plains  watching  the  Indians.  In  his  report  for  1881  Mr. 
Scott  says  :  "I  will  not  at  this  time  attempt  to  give  any  statement  of  the  exposure  of  the  whites 
in  Kansas.  There  are  in  the  Indian  Territory  more  than  75,000  Indians.  Of  these,  the  Kiowas 
have  1120;  Comanches,  1600;  Apaches,  344;  Cheyennes,  3298;  Arapahoes,  2676;  and  Osages, 
2361  ( 11,399  in  all ),  who  are  known  as  the  wild  tribes,  and  liable  to  make  disturbance  at  any  time. 
The  United  States  military  posts,  both  in  the  territory  and  in  Kansas,  rarely  have  men  enough 
to  spare  any  in  case  of  an  emergency,  and  the  militia  of  the  state  don't  receive  encouragement 
sufficient  to  keep  the  organization  in  good  working  order.  Of  these  11,399,  fully  one-third  are 
fighting  men.  I  need  hardly  specify  men,  for  the  squaws,  properly  armed,  make  about  as  much 
resistance  as  the  men,  and  are  frequently  known  to  lead  in  a  fight.  Such  a  thing  is  probable 
that  3000  warriors  could  be  enlisted  or  persuaded  to  take  to  the  war-path,  if  the  provocation  is  suf- 
ficient; and  I  don't  see  that  they  need  lack  for  provocation,  inasmuch  as  the  last  Congress  gave 
ample  reasons  for  a  general  outbreak  when  they  endeavored  to  starve  them,  and,  as  General 
Pope  says,  'endeavored  to  compel  them  to  starve  in  peace.'  But  instead  of  3000  say  300  warriors 
should  attempt  to  go  north  to  their  old  hunting-grounds.  I  don't  know  of  any  impediment  to 
their  march  from  the  time  they  stole  away  from  their  camps  until  they  reached  the  end  of  their 
journey." — Adjutant-general's  Report,  1882,  p.  23.  For  further  material  on  this  raid,  see  the  re- 
port of  Adjt.-gen.  Peter  S.  Noble,  1876-'78;  his  second  report,  1879-'80,  pp.  52-65  ;  Report  of  Com- 
missioners on  Losses  from  Indian  Raid  of  1878,  published  in  1879 ;  and  Message  of  Gov.  George 
T.  Anthony,  1879,  pp.  36-44. 

Note  18.— Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  7,  p.  510;   vol.  8,  p.  350. 


392  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

ress,  development  and  absolute  cleanness  and  freedom  from  the  suspicion 
or  taint  of  dishonesty  or  even  irregularity  in  the  discharge  of  public  duties 
or  in  the  disbursement  of  public  moneys.'-' 

I  wish  at  this  time  to  correct  a  widely  spread  error  as  to  the  severing  by 
St.  John  of  his  political  affiliations  with  the  Republican  party,  and  I  do  this 
from  an  intimate  personal  knowledge  of  the  facts.  It  has  been  said  that 
St.  John  renounced  his  political  allegiance  to  and  affiliation  with  the  Re- 
publican party  immediately  or  soon  after  his  defeat  for  the  office  of  governor 
for  the  third  term,  in  1882.  This  is  positively  untrue.  He  made  public 
speeches  in  the  second  congressional  district  of  Kansas  in  1883  in  support 
of  Hon.  E.  H.  Funston,  who  was  nominated  by  the  Republican  party  of 
this  district  to  succeed  the  Hon.  Dudley  C.  Haskell,  deceased,  for  the  un- 
expired term. 

He  had  remained  with  the  party  of  his  youth  and  manhood.  He  had  cast 
his  first  vote  for  the  "pathfinder,"  John  C.  Fremont,  and  in  succession  for 
Lincoln,  in  1860  and  1864;  for  Grant  in  1868  and  1872;  for  Hayes  in  1876, 
and  for  Garfield  in  1880.  He  had  received  the  unexampled  personal  com- 
pliment of  the  nomination  for  the  third  time  for  governor  of  his  state,  upon 
a  platform  of  his  party  pledging  it  to  the  policy  of  prohibition  of  the  liquor 
traffic.  Kansas  had  previously  adopted  prohibition  as  a  part  of  the  funda- 
mental law;  the  RepubHcan  states  of  Ohio,  Iowa  and  North  and  South  Da- 
kota, had  voted  overwhelmingly  for  prohibition,  and  it  appeared  to  him  and 
many  others  that  a  tidal-wave  of  prohibition  sentiment,  irresistible  in  vol- 
ume, was  sweeping  over  the  land,  and  that  the  party  of  Lincoln,  which  had 
been  named  "The  God  and  Morality  Party"  by  its  Democratic  opponents, 
was  to  be  its  champion. 

Thus  it  was  that,  in  the  spring  of  1884,  the  name  of  St.  John  as  one  of 
the  foremost  advocates  of  prohibition  had  passed  beyond  the  boundaries  of 
his  state,  and  the  eyes  of  the  Prohibitionists  of  the  nation  were  turned  to 
him  as  their  most  available  candidate  for  president  of  the  United  States, 
if  he  would  only  accept  their  nomination. 

The  national  Prohibition  party  was  to  meet  in  May,  and  St.  John  was 
urged  to  sever  his  connection  with  the  Republican  party  and  become  its 
candidate,  but  he  refused. 

The  national  Republican  convention  was  to  meet  in  Chicago  June  4.  He 
expressed  his  conviction  that  his  party  would  declare  itself  unequivocally  on 
the  right  side  of  the  question  of  the  suppression  of  the  liquor  traffic.  So 
confident  was  he  that  this  would  be  the  result,  that  he  prevailed  upon  the 
national  committee  of  the  Prohibition  party  to  recall  the  date  of  the  meet- 
ing of  their  convention,  assuring  them  that  the  cause  of  prohibition  was 
about  to  have  as  its  champion  and  defender  the  greatest  political  party  of 
any  age  or  country.  But  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  On  June  4, 
1884,   sitting  in  his  law  office  in  Olathe,   he  received  the  dispatches  from 

Note  19.— During-  the  administration  of  J.  P.  St.  John  the  executive  officers  were,  in  1879: 
Lieutenant-g-overnor,  L.  U.  Humphrey;  secretary  of  state.  James  Smith:  auditor,  P.  I.  Bone- 
brake  ;  treasurer,  John  Francis  ;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  A.  B.  Lemmon  ;  attorney- 
jreneral,  Willard  Davis ;  state  printer,  Geo.  W.  Martin ;  superintendent  of  insurance,  Orrin  T. 
Welch  ;  secretary  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  Alfred  Gray  ;  secretary  State  Historical  Society, 
Franklin  G.  Adams ;  state  librarian.  Rev.  David  Dickinson  ;  adjutant-general,  P.  S.  Noble.  In 
1881  there  -were  the  following  changes  :  Lieutenant-governor,  D.  W.  Finney  ;  superintendent  of 
public  instruction,  Henry  C.  Speer ;  attorney-general,  William  A.  Johnston  ;  state  printer  (  July 
1,  1881),  T.  D.  Thacher;  secretary  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  J.  K.  Hudson;  state  librarian, 
Hamilton  J.  Dennis. 


The  Administrations  of  John  P.  St.  John.  393 

Chicago  that  the  platform  committee  of  his  party  had  utterly  refused  to 
recognize  the  question,  or  to  commit  the  party  in  any  manner  to  the  doc- 
trine or  policy  of  prohibition  of  the  liquor  traffic.  A  petition,  signed  by 
more  than  200,000  names  was  presented  to  the  committee  on  resolutions  by 
Frances  E.  Willard  and  others  asking  for  at  least  a  resolution  of  sympathy 
for  the  cause,  but  they  were  hardly  accorded  courteous  treatment  and  their 
appeal  was  rejected. 

Then  and  there,  on  June  4,  1884,  before  the  nomination  of  Blaine  and 
Logan  had  been  made,  St.  John  severed  his  connection  with  the  Republican 
party  and  declared  that  he  would  no  longer  act  politically  with  any  party 
which  did  not  have  the  courage  to  act  up  to  its  moral  convictions,  and  de- 
clared himself  in  favor  of  the  policy  and  principles  advocated  by  the  national 
Prohibition  party.  At  this  convention  the  Republican  party  nominated  its 
favorites,  Blaine  and  Logan,  both  of  whom  were  almost  idolized  by  their 
party  throughout  the  nation. 

The  Democrats  nominated  Cleveland  and  Hendricks.  Following  the  Chi- 
cago Republican  national  convention,  the  national  Prohibition  convention 
met,  at  which  Ex-Governor  St.  John  was  unanimously  nominated  for  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States. 

St.  John  assumed  the  leadership  of  the  Prohibition  party  of  the  nation 
and  threw  himself  into  the  campaign  with  his  usual  vigor  and  effectiveness. 
The  total  vote  of  that  party  hitherto  had  not  risen  above  a  total  of  about 
12,000  votes  in  the  entire  nation;  St.  John's  vote  was  over  150,000,  of  which 
25,000  votes  were  from  the  state  of  New  York.  The  Democrats  carried 
New  York  that  year  by  less  than  1200  plurality.  New  York  was,  in  1884, 
the  pivotal  and  decisive  state,  and  Blaine  and  Logan  were  defeated  in  the 
electoral  college. 

When  the  result  of  the  national  election  was  known,  St.  John  was  the 
subject  of  unmeasured  abuse  and  denunciation  by  many  superserviceable 
and  overzealous  Republicans.  In  their  estimation  he  had  committed  po- 
litical treason  by  daring  to  accept  the  nomination  for  president  of  the  United 
States  from  the  Prohibition  party,  but  they  failed  in  their  political  heat  to 
reflect  that  it  was  by  their  own  action,  very  largely,  that  he  had  been  driven 
from  the  party  that  had  claimed  a  lifetime  allegiance,  and  to  which  he  had 
always  given  the  full  measure  of  his  talents  and  ability  in  support  of  its 
principles. 

The  student  of  history  is  continually  reminded  of  the  strange  vicissitudes 
of  prominent  men  in  civil  and  military  life  and  the  manner  in  which  events 
in  their  individual  hves  are  affected  by  the  actions  of  others— effects  felt  at 
the  time  but  without  any  conception  of  the  reason  therefor.  The  per- 
spective of  time  brings  to  view  the  relation  of  events  that  have  been  instru- 
mental in  producing  the  effects  mentioned. 

Gen.  John  A.  Logan  was  a  colossal  figure  in  the  nation.  His  greatest 
fame  was  won  upon  the  battle-fields  of  the  South,  and  the  genius  and  bravery 
of  his  leading  and  command  of  armies  is  worthy  of  all  praise,  and  will  en- 
dure as  long  as  the  republic.  Logan  was  a  veritable  Saul  of  Tarsus,  a  Demo- 
crat of  Democrats,  with  all  that  the  name  implied,  in  ante-bellum  days. 
Then  the  "abolitionist"  was  an  abomination  to  Logan;  he  "smote  them  hip 
and  thigh";  he  was  the  reputed  author  of  what  was  familiarly  known  as  the 
"Logan  black  laws"  of  Illinois,  being  "An  act  to  prevent  the  immigration 


394  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

of  free  negroes  into  this  state."  (Session  Laws,  February  12,  1853,  p.  57.) 
This  law  provided  severe  penalties  for  any  one  who  brought  to  or  harbored 
in  the  state  of  Illinois  a  free  negro.  But  the  first  flash  of  the  cannon  at 
Fort  Sumter,  in  April,  1861,  awoke  the  nation  to  its  peril  and  was  a  "great 
light"  to  Logan.  The  "black  eagle  of  Illinois"  soon  became  a  leader  of 
the  Union  armies  in  the  field,  and  a  terror  to  the  armed  rebels  of  the  South. 
Thereafter,  Logan  used  his  wonderful  powers  of  speech  and  sword  in  pro- 
mulgating the  gospel  of  "indestructible  states  in  an  indissoluble  union,"  and 
of  "liberty  and  union,  one  and  inseparable." 

In  1862,  young  Capt.  John  P.  St.  John,  returning  from  the  field  to  his 
home  in  Charleston,  111.,  brought  with  him  into  the  state  a  colored  servant, 
and  harbored  and  cared  for  him  at  his  home  while  temporarily  there.  For 
this  he  was  promptly  indicted  under  the  "Logan  black  laws,"  aforesaid,  and 
was  tried  for  a  violation   thereof,  but  was  acquitted. 

In  1881,  during  the  administration  of  Governor  St.  John,  the  large  terri- 
tory in  western  Kansas  known  as  Wallace  county  was  divided  by  act  of  the 
legislature,  and  at  the  same  time  it  conferred  upon  St.  John  the  honor  of 
naming  the  eastern  half  of  what  had  been  Wallace  county  St.  John  county. 

In  1887,  following  the  administration  of  Gov.  Geo.  W.  Glick,  the  Republicans 
had  again  elected  their  state  ticket,  including  a  large  majority  of  Republi- 
cans in  both  houses  of  the  legislature.  Notwithstanding  nearly  three  years 
had  elapsed  since  the  defeat  of  Blaine  and  Logan,  in  1884,  certain  statesmen 
determined  to  put  upon  St.  John  what  they  intended  as  a  personal  humilia- 
tion, by  changing  the  name  of  St.  John  county,  and  so  wiping  it  off  the  map  of 
the  state,  thus  punishing  him  for  his  so-called  political  treason  in  1884. 
This  change  of  name  was  accomplished  amid  the  jubilation  and  self- 
congratulation  of  the  leaders  of  this  political  movement,  and  the  name  of 
Logan  was  given  to  the  county  instead  of  St.  John.  20  Beyond  the  personal 
gratification  of  those  chiefly  interested  in  procuring  this  change  of  name, 
this  action  of  the  legislature  was  singularly  barren  of  results.  The  people 
of  Kansas  continued  to  recognize  and  honor  their  former  heroic  governor  as 
a  man  of  high  personal  character,  great  ability  in  the  conduct  of  public  af- 
fairs, devotion  to  principle  and  of  unimpeachable  integrity. 

Such  is  a  brief  account  of  the  administration  of  Gov.  John  P.  St.  John, 
of  Kansas,  to  whom  history  will  award  the  honor  of  a  constructive  execu- 
tive, always  true  to  his  convictions  of  right,  brave  and  honest,  a  "Chevalier 
Bayard,  without  fear  and  without  reproach." 

Note  20.— The  county  of  St.  John  was  created  out  of  Wallace  county.— Chapter  48.  page  131, 
Session  Lawa  of  1881.  St.  John  county  was  changed  to  Logan  county.— Chapter  173,  page  255, 
Session  Laws  of  1887. 


I 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society.  395 


THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  GEORGE  W.  GLICK/ 

Written  by  James  Humphrey,^  of  Junction  City,  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

HAVE  been  asked  to  prepare  a  memoir  of  the  leading  political  and  ad- 
ministrative events  connected  with  the  administration  of  Gov.  George  W. 
Glick.  The  first  unique  fact  to  be  accounted  for  was  his  election,  in  1882, 
to  the  office  of  governor  of  Kansas.  It  is  true  that  George  W.  Glick  was  at 
that  time  a  well-recognized  public  character,  with  a  wide  acquaintance  among 
the  people  of  the  state;  that  his  ability,  his  knowledge  of  public  affairs,  his 
personal  probity  and  devotion  to  public  interests  furnished  admirable  quali- 
fications for  that  office,  yet  he  was  the  nominee  and  candidate  of  a  party 
which  was  then  and  always  had  comprised  but  a  small  minority  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  state. 

His  election  did  not  signify  the  overthrow  of  the  dominant  party.  He 
alone  among  the  candidates  on  the  Democratic  ticket  was  elected  by  the 
people,  and  he  was  elected,  notwithstanding  he  was  known  to  be  a  Democrat 
of  the  straightest  sect,  because  he  represented  two  questions  which  were 
then  uppermost  in  the  public  mind.  Those  questions  were,  first,  opposition  to 
the  policy  of  prohibition  in  respect  to  the  liquor  traffic ;  and,  second,  the  adop- 
tion by  the  state  of  a  system  of  state  regulation  of  railroads.  These  formed 
the  chief  topics  for  discussion  during  the  political  campaign  of  1882. 

In  order  to  present  a  statement  of  the  manner  in  which  these  matters 
were  dealt  with  by  the  ensuing  administration,  it  will  be  necessary  to  set 
forth  the  conditions  which  gave  rise  to  their  agitation,  and  which  culmi- 
nated in  the  election  of  a  Democrat  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the 
state  to  the  chief  executive  office.  And  first  as  to  the  all-absorbing  subject 
of  prohibition. 

Prior  to  1881,  the  policy  of  the  state  in  respect  to  the  regulation  of  the 
liquor  traffic  had  been  founded  upon  a  law  which  delegated  to  each  munici- 
pal body  in  the  state  the  power  to  grant  licenses  to  sell  liquor,  under  cer- 
tain restrictions  and  limitations,  or  to  withhold  such  licenses,  at  its  dis- 
cretion. The  law  contained  various  provisions  to  regulate  the  manner  in 
which  the  business  should  be  conducted,  with  a  view  to  preserve  public 
order  and  minimize  the  evils  which  might  follow  from  the  traffic;  and  to 
enforce  responsibility  for  such  evils  as  arose  out  of  the  violation  of  the 
regulations,  the  law  exacted  a  penal  bond  from  the  persons  licensed.    Under 

Note  1. —  Ninth  governor  of  Kansas,  serving  for  the  years  1883  and  1884.  Elected  November, 
1882,  as  follows:  George  W.  Glick,  83,237;  John  P.  St.  John,  75,158:  Charles  Robinson,  20,933. 
Vote  for  lieutenant-governor,  same  election,  viz.:  D.  W.  Finney,  Republican,  98,166;  Frank 
Bacon,  Democrat,  61,547;  J.  G.  Bayne,  23,300.  Mr.  Glick  was  elected  to  the  house  of  representa- 
tives, in  1862.  by  the  following  vote  :  Geo.  W.  Glick,  203  ;  C.  W.  Edgar.  6 ;  W.  C.  Smith,  25.  In 
1863,  Geo.  W.  Glick.  189  :  Jacob  Saqui.  6.  In  1865,  Geo.  W.  Glick,  185  ;  E.  K.  Blair,  165.  In  1867,  Geo. 
W.  Glick,  323  ;  W. W.  Guthrie.  163.  In  1875.  Geo. W.  Glick.  568  ;  Edward  Fleischer.  466.  In  1881.  Geo. 
W.  Glick,  657;  H.  C.  Brune,  628.  In  the  legislature  of  1863  he  was  on  the  judiciary  and  public  institu- 
tions committees  ;  in  1864,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  county-seats  and  county  lines  ;  and  in 
the  sessions  of  1865.  1866  and  1868  he  was  chairman  of  the  judiciary.  He  served  as  president  of 
the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  was  a  Centennial  commissioner,  a  member  of  the  board  of  mana- 
gers of  the  Columbian  Exposition,  and  president  of  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Omaha  Ex- 
position. He  served  as  pension  commissioner  during  both  terms  of  President  Cleveland.  He 
settled  in  Atchison  in  1859. 

Note  2.— James  Humphrey  settled  in  Manhattan  in  1857.  For  sketch,  see  volume  7,  page 
382,  Kansas  Historical  Collections. 


396 


KafLsas  State  Historical  Society. 


GEORGE  W.  GLICK, 
Ninth  Governor  of  Kansas. 


the  license  system  as  thus  outhned,  penalties  were  also  provided  for  the 
punishment  of  those  who  engaged  in  the  sale  without  a  license,  similar  to 
those  which  prevail  under  the  prohibitory  law.  This  was  termed  local 
option,  since  each  city  and  community  had  the  right  to  determine  for  itself 
whether  the  Hquor  traffic  should  be  carried  on  in  its  midst,  and  to  what  ex- 
tent, and  to  whom  should  be  entrusted  the  license,  or  whether  the  traffic 
should  be  wholly  prohibited  in  such  localities.-* 

The  fundamental  difference  between  the  operation  of  the  license  system 
and  the  prohibitory  law  is  that  under  the  first  local  option  is  exercised  under 
the  sanction  of  the  law,  while  under  the  latter  it  is  exercised  in  violation  of 
the  law. 

The  legislature  of  1879  submitted  to  the  voters  of  Kansas  a  proposition 
to  amend  the  constitution,  or  rather  to  add  to  it  a  clause,  to  be  voted  on  at 
the  next  general  election,  the  object  of  which  was  to  abolish  the  system  and 

Note  3.— Dram-shop  act  (General  Statutes  of  1868.  ch.  35,  p.  399,  and  Dassler's  Statutes, 
1879,  p.  386). 


The  Administration  of  George  W,  Glick.  397 

prohibit  the  traffic  in  liquors,  except  for  medical,  mechanical  and  scientific 
purposes. 

Although  the  question  thus  submitted  did  not  elicit  a  full  vote,  the  majority 
of  those  voting  upon  it  declared  for  its  adoption.  The  policy  of  prohibition 
thus  became  engrafted  upon  the  constitution  of  the  state,  and  the  legislature 
of  1881  enacted  appropriate  laws  to  give  it  effect.  * 

Notwithstanding  these  elaborate  preparations  to  create  a  new  order  of 
things,  the  liquor  traffic  remained  stubbornly  unconscious  that  there  had 
been  any  change  in  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  realm.  It  was  soon 
sought  to  awaken  this  consciousness  by  vigorous  prosecutions  instituted  in 
different  parts  of  the  state,  which  were  attended  for  the  most  part  with 
nugatory  results.  When  it  came  to  be  discovered  that  the  people  had  not 
regenerated  themselves  by  a  popular  vote,  but  had  brought  in  a  policy  which 
tended  to  stir  up  strife,  agitation,  and  bitter  but  futile  lawsuits,  rather  than 
to  sensibly  diminish  the  liquor  traffic  and  its  evils,  many  who  had  unwittingly 
committed  themselves  to  this  policy  desired  to  retract. 

Governor  St.  John,  who  at  this  time  occupied  the  gubernatorial  chair,  by 
his  persistent  advocacy  of  the  prohibition  policy,  his  zealous  attitude  towards 
the  prosecution  of  offenders  under  it,  and  his  buoyant  confidence  in  the  suc- 
cessful operation  of  the  law,  became  the  recognized  champion  of  the  cause. 

This  fact  seemed  to  point  to  that  gentleman  as  the  most  available  candi- 
date of  the  Republican  party  for  reelection  to  the  same  office.  While  his 
renomination  was  distasteful  to  many  Republicans,  he  commanded  the  situa- 
tion, and  opposition  to  him  became  feeble  within  the  ranks  of  the  party. 

Now  that  the  policy  of  prohibition  was  on  trial  and  was  encountering  de- 
termined opposition,  and  it  had  been  espoused  by  the  Republican  party  and 
was  clearly  in  the  teeth  of  the  tenets  of  the  Democratic  party,  it  became  in- 
evitable that  the  friends  and  the  opponents  of  prohibition  would  measure 
their  strength  at  the  ensuing  election. 

The  candidates  of  the  two  parties  truly  represented  the  opposite  sides  of 
that  question,  for  George  W.  Glick  was  as  avowedly  opposed  to  prohibition 
as  John  P.  St.  John  was  its  champion. 

At  the  ensuing  election  Glick  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  upwards  of  8000 
votes.  The  rest  of  the  Republican  ticket  was  elected,  and  the  complexion 
of  the  legislature  was  largely  Republican. 

After  his  election,  the  first  official  act  of  note  done  was  the  presentation 
of  his  message  to  the  legislature. 

In  this  he  dealt  with  the  subject  of  prohibition,  especially  the  constitu- 
tional feature  of  it,  at  considerable  length,  and  with  a  temperate  and  sus- 
tained reasoning  which  it  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  refute.  Our  space 
will  not  permit  more  than  meager  quotations  from  the  message  ^  on  this  sub- 
ject, but  we  will  extract  enough  to  show  its  spirit  and  purpose. 

After  pointing  out  that  the  operation  of  the  law  had  been  so  far  attended 
with  numerous  evils,  with  none  of  the  predicted  compensating  good,  the 
message  proceeds: 

"It  was  premature,  and  indeed  unfortunate,  to  have  engrafted  into  the 
fundamental  law  of  the  state  a  policy  which  from  its  nature  was  an  ex- 
periment of  doubtful  utility  and  of  uncertain  success,  and  which  has  proved  a 

Note  4.— Session  Laws  of  1881,  ch.  128,  pp.  232-244  ;  Laws  of  1885,  ch.  149,  pp.  236-249;  Laws 
of  1887,  ch.  165,  pp.  233-245. 

Note  5.—  Senate  Journal  1883,  pp.  15-53 ;  House  Journal,  pp.  45-83. 


398  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

failure  wherever  tried  in  other  states.  Whatever  mutations  attend  the 
ordinary  statute  law,  it  is  of  the  first  importance  that  the  body  of  con- 
stitutional laws  should  be  permanent  and  inflexible  in  its  character.  It  is 
the  compass  and  rudder  of  the  ship  of  state,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  always 
a  mistake— if  not  indeed  a  perversion  of  constitutional  forms  and  instru- 
mentalities—to insert  therein  matters  which  more  strictly  pertain  to  police 
regulations;  regulations  the  character  and  effectiveness  of  which  depend 
upon  a  variety  of  circumstances  and  social  conditions,  and  which,  to  reach 
and  subserve  the  best  public  good,  must  be  adapted  to  each  set  of  circum- 
stances and  social  conditions  as  they  exist  at  different  times  and  localities. 

"The  exercise  of  that  portion  of  the  police  power  that  relates  to  the 
maintenance  of  public  decency  and  social  order  cannot  be  restricted  within 
the  limits  of  a  uniform  and  inflexible  rule  without  greatly  impairing  its 
efficiency,  and  in  many  instances  rendering  it  nugatory.  The  policy  of  pro- 
hibition may  be  practicable  and  beneficial  in  some  localities  wherein  the 
conditions  conducing  to  success  are  favorable  and  sustained  by  a  large  pre- 
ponderance of  popular  sentiment;  but  in  others,  wherein  the  public  senti- 
ment is  inimical  to  the  policy,  and  a  strong  public  sentiment  and  interest 
oppose  it,  notwithstanding  it  may  have  received  the  strong  sanction  of 
adoption  as  part  of  the  constitution,  the  laws  creating  the  policy  and  those 
enacted  to  enforce  it  fall  into  disrepute  and  contempt.  In  such  a  condition 
of  affairs  it  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  magnitude  of  the  evils  that  must  en- 
sue. The  demoralization  consequent  upon  habitual  disobedience  to  con- 
stitutional and  legal  obligations  existing,  when  the  line  of  policy  indicated 
is  impracticable  and  disregarded,  must  necessarily  exert  an  unfavorable  in- 
fluence throughout  the  state. ' ' 

Whatever  benefits  might  be  derived  from  the  prohibitory  law  were  with 
as  much  facility  obtainable  under  the  local-option  law,  without  inflicting 
upon  the  state  the  overbalance  of  evils  which  flow  from  impracticable  and 
unenforced  regulations.     This  idea  is  expressed  in  the  message  as  follows : 

"Whatever  benefit  may  be  claimed  to  accrue  to  such  portions  of  the 
state  wherein  prohibition  measures  are  more  strictly  enforced  or  more 
generally  observed,  it  is  obtained  at  the  expense  of  those  localities  wherein 
they  are  inoperative,  and  the  same  benefits  were  attainable  on  the  one  hand 
through  the  appropriate  exercise  of  the  police  power  unvexed  by  constitu- 
tional restrictions,  without  entailing  the  great  overbalance  of  evils  on  the 
other  hand  from  futile  attempts  to  impose  uniform  and  unadaptive  regu- 
lations. It  is  not  a  sufficient  answer  to  this  to  say  that  the  increased  meas- 
ure of  evils  suffered  in  localities  where  the  prohibition  laws  are  disregarded  is 
simply  a  consequence  of  their  disobedience;  for  while  this  may  be  true,  and 
disregard  of  any  law  is  a  matter  to  be  deprecated,  it  is  no  less  true  that  a 
body  of  people  do  not  change  their  habits,  customs,  sentiments,  opinions  and 
modes  of  life,  which  they  do  not  admit  or  believe  to  be  bad,  at  the  behests 
of  would-be  reformers,  or  even  constitutions  or  statutes." 

It  is  further  pointed  out  that  disregard  of  one  law,  long  continuing,  "de- 
grades the  popular  sense  in  respect  to  the  binding  force  of  legal  obligations, 
and  generally  impairs  the  efficiency  of  that  function  of  the  law  that  is  con- 
cerned in  impressing  the  moral  sense,  and  preserving  the  spirit  of  loyalty 
and  obedience  among  the  people." 

These  and  other  reasons  urged  in  the  message  for  a  modification  of  these 
laws  fell  upon  unheeding,  or  at  least  unwilling,  ears,  and  successive  legisla- 
tures since  then  have  been  exercising  their  ingenuity  in  devising  methods  to 
render  the  prohibition  law  more  effectual. 

The  prohibitory  liquor  law  has  now  been  on  the  statute-book  twenty-four 
years.  During  all  of  that  time  the  constant  cry  has  been  "enforce  the 
law,"  and  it  has  become  the  fashion  for  religious  bodies  and  temperance 
societies   to   pass  resolutions  calling  upon  the  governor  and  other  public 


The  Administration  of  George  W.  Glick.  399 

officials  to  enforce  this  law.  There  is  no  anxiety  manifested  respecting  the 
enforcement  of  any  other  law.  Prosecuting  officers  and  other  public  offi- 
cials witness  the  unmistakable  evidences  of  its  violation  every  day  with 
utter  indifference.  Although  in  every  considerable  town  in  the  state  the 
open  and  habitual  sale  of  various  kinds  of  intoxicating  liquors  in  violation  of 
the  laws  of  the  state  is  as  common  as  the  selling  of  dry-goods  and  groceries, 
yet  nobody  seems  to  be  alarmed.  If  every  sale  of  beer  and  whisky  made  in 
violation  of  the  prohibitory  law  must  be  accounted  a  crime,  then  Kansas  is 
the  most  criminal  state  in  the  Union.  Yet,  when  the  people  of  Kansas  are 
referred  to  as  a  people  or  community,  they  are  regarded  as  being  as  upright, 
as  moral,  as  orderly  and  law-abiding  as  the  people  of  any  of  the  American 
states.  If  the  penal  laws  of  other  states  where  prohibitory  liquor  laws  do 
not  prevail  were  subjected  to  the  strain  of  such  frequent  violations  as  is 
suffered  by  the  prohibitory  liquor  law  of  Kansas,  it  would  argue  the  over- 
throw of  social  order  and  the  dissolution  of  society.  Yet,  in  Kansas,  not- 
withstanding that  law  is  habitually  violated,  and  for  the  most  part  with 
impunity,  life  and  property  are  as  safe,  and  those  laws  which  have  respect  to 
the  rights  of  individuals  are  as  strictly  enforced  and  as  well  observed,  as  in 
any  of  the  American  states. 

This  may  suggest  that,  in  circumscribing  human  conduct  by  prohibitory 
liquor  laws,  we  have  invented  a  crime  rather  than  defined  one. 

This  indeed  has  been  the  conclusion  of  nearly  all  the  states  which  have, 
by  actual  experiment,  demonstrated  the  failure  of  prohibitory  liquor  laws; 
for  it  can  scarcely  be  imagined  that  they  would  have  been  repealed  if  they 
had  been  aimed  at  the  suppression  of  crime,  and  not  simply  at  a  species  of 
personal  indulgence  which  is  either  harmless,  or  an  individual  and  self- 
regarding  vice  if  carried  to  excess. 

Society  has  at  different  times  interfered  with  the  self-regarding  con- 
duct of  its  members  in  many  ways  under  various  pretexts,  chiefly  to  pro- 
mote individual  welfare  and  the  good  of  the  state. 

It  has  prescribed  the  religious  opinions  which  it  was  legally  permissible 
to  entertain  and  profess;  the  mode  of  public  worship  to  be  adopted;  it  has 
proscribed  nearly  all  public  amusements  as  harmful,  and  interfered  in  other 
ways  with  personal  liberty,  and  all  with  the  sincere  desire  to  promote  indi- 
vidual and  public  welfare,  and  under  the  mistaken  belief  that  this  could  be 
best  accomplished  through  the  agency  of  the  law. 

Prohibitory  liquor  laws  belong  to  the  same  class.  It  is  attempted  through 
this  means  to  coerce  men  into  prudence  and  temperance. 

Social,  moral  and  political  progress  has  been  attained  mainly  by  casting 
off  these  restraints  and  enlarging  the  sphere  of  individual  freedom,  thus 
casting  upon  the  individual  the  responsibility  for  his  own  welfare.  A  return 
to  this  species  of  legislation  signifies  a  retrograde  movement,  and  must  in 
the  nature  of  things  prove  more  impracticable  than  was  the  case  with  simi- 
lar laws  in  a  less  enlightened  and  more  tyrannical  age. 

John  Stuart  Mill,  in  his  work  on  ' '  Liberty, ' '  speaking  on  this  subject,  says  : 
"If  there  be  among  those  whom  it  is  attempted  to  coerce  into  prudence  and 
temperance  any  of  the  material  of  which  vigorous  and  independent  charac- 
ters are  made,  they  will  infallibly  rebel  against  the  yoke." 

Mr.  P.  C.  Young,  representative  from  Wilson  county,  and  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  temperance  of  the  last  house,  is  reported  recently  in  the 
Topeka  Capital  as  having  said,  since  the  joints  are  closed  in  his  locality  : 


400  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

"The  glass-blowers  and  smelter  men  send  in  their  beer  by  the  case,"  and  he 
believes  that  "there  is  more  drunkenness  than  when  the  joints  are  open," 
but  maintains  that  the  law  should  be  enforced  and  the  joints  closed. 

While  this  legislation  remains  upon  the  statute-book  the  public  authorities 
are  justified  in  using  whatever  means  the  law  has  provided  in  an  attempted 
enforcement  of  it;  even  to  the  disfranchisement  of  cities  and  the  political 
disintegration  of  the  state.  If  the  people  don't  like  the  process,  then  repeal 
the  law. 

Experience  has  shown  that  during  spurts  of  enthusiasm  for  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  prohibitory  law,  which  at  times  overtake  the  people  indifferent 
localities,  a  number  of  saloonists  are  arrested  and  convicted  and  there  is  a 
temporary  closing  up,  followed  by  a  period  of  rest,  during  which  the  illicit 
business  is  resumed.  In  the  meantime  it  usually  happens  that  those  streams 
of  the  liquor  traffic  which  the  prosecution  has  stanched  break  out  into  a 
large  number  of  smaller  streams  which  give  more  perplexity  than  the  larger 
ones. 

It  is  impossible  to  keep  up  the  enthusiasm  of  a  community  at  white  heat 
all  the  time  in  the  business  of  hauling  loafers  out  of  grog-shops. 

Governor  Andrew,  of  Massachusetts,  told  the  legislature  of  his  state  that 
he  could  enforce  the  prohibitory  law  if  the  constitution  was  abolished,  and 
they  would  constitute  him  a  despot;  otherwise  he  would  decline  the  quixotic 
undertaking.  They  were  not  ready  to  abolish  the  constitution;  so  they  re- 
pealed the  prohibitory  law. 

We  suppose  that  the  idea  that  underlies  the  prohibitory  law  is  the  reforma- 
tion of  the  habits  and  customs  of  men  in  respect  to  the  use  of  liquor.  This 
law  can  have  no  other  rational  purpose.  But  you  cannot  dry  up  the  streams 
of  the  liquor  traffic,  by  which  you  seek  to  render  it  impossible  for  men  to 
obtain  it,  by  closing  a  few  grog-shops.  There  is  a  door  wide  open  200  miles 
wide  along  our  eastern  border  through  which  there  is  a  never-failing  supply. 
You  cannot  reasonably  expect  to  accomplish  this  purpose  under  these  condi- 
tions, and  the  law  does  little  else  than  to  establish  an  arena  for  the  display 
of  legal  gymnastics. 

Governor  Glick's  recommendations  respecting  railroad  legislation  fared 
better  at  the  hands  of  the  legislature.  The  message  deals  with  this  subject 
in  very  plain  terms.  While  it  points  to  the  fact  that  the  railroads  have 
been  very  largely  instrumental  in  building  up  and  enhancing  the  prosperity 
of  Kansas,  it  shows  with  what  a  liberal  hand  the  public  has  dealt  out  help 
to  encourage  railroad  building.  Besides  government-guaranteed  bonds 
amounting  to  the  sum  of  $27,806,000,  large  amounts  of  local  municipal  bonds 
and  millions  of  acres  of  public  domain  were  granted  to  aid  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  railroads  of  the  state.  As  a  return  for  this  generosity,  the 
people  had  a  right  to  expect  at  least  fair  treatment.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
is  claimed  in  the  message  that,  taking  advantage  of  a  law  authorizing  the 
railroad  companies  to  consolidate  and  lease  their  roads,  they  proceeded  to 
put  an  end  to  fair  and  healthy  competition  among  themselves  by  pooling 
common  points,  and,  by  parceling  out  the  state  into  distinct  territories,  ap- 
portioning to  each  railroad  system  a  certain  field,  they  maintained  their 
rates  at  a  high  figure.     Says  the  message: 

"Steadily  have  these  corporations  invaded  the  rights  of  the  people. 
They  have  taken  advantage  of  the  necessities  of  business  and  commerce; 
they  have,  upon  the  flimsiest  pretext,  presumed  to  do  high-handed  and  out- 


The  Administration  of  George  W.  Glick.  401 

rageous  things;  they  have  ignored  the  real  interest  of  the  state,  and  have 
simply  used  the  state  and  its  resources  to  the  detriment  and  injury  of  its  ag- 
ricultural, commercial  and  manufacturing  interests,  so  that,  by  a  systematic 
and  thoroughly  organized  method  of  'poohng  their  earnings,'  by  unjust  dis- 
criminations against  localities  and  individuals,  by  excessive  and  exorbitant 
freight  and  passenger  rates,  by  drawbacks  secretly  allowed,  thus  defrauding 
other  patrons,  as  well  as  by  an  arrogant  and  intolerant  policy,  they  have 
made  it  practically  impossible  for  our  merchants  and  manufacturers  to  com- 
pete with  the  same  classes  in  adjoining  states.  The  result  of  this  has  been 
to  make  it  unprofitable  to  develop  the  manufacturing  resources  of  our  state. " 

A  further  evil  from  which  the  state  was  suffering,  it  is  pointed  out,  con- 
sisted in  constantly  discriminating  against  the  wholesale  merchants  of  this 
state  and  in  favor  of  the  same  class  in  other  states.     It  is  said: 

"The  dire  effects  of  this  system  of  discrimination  are  also  seen  in  check- 
ing the  growth  and  prosperity  of  all  the  towns,  villages  and  cities  of  the 
state.  These  towns  are  thus  injured,  their  business  crippled,  their  indus- 
tries embarrassed,  their  development  rendered  expensive  and  difficult,  the 
prices  of  all  commodities  unduly  enhanced;  and  all  this  is  endured  while 
towns  and  cities  in  adjoining  states  are  being  rapidly  built  up  at  our  ex- 
pense." 

This  is  a  pretty  severe  indictment  to  present  against  the  one  most  power- 
ful factor  in  the  business  interests  of  the  state,  and  to  be  launched  at  high 
noon  upon  the  legislative  body.  But  the  indictment  is  not  yet  complete. 
The  message  adds: 

' '  In  addition  to  these  oppressive  discriminations  against  localities  and 
individuals,  these  corporations  have  for  ten  years  persistently  defied  the 
law  in  refusing  to  comply  with  the  enactment  requiring  them  to  establish 
and  keep  their  general  offices  within  the  state,  but  have  removed  them  be- 
yond our  limits,  and  even  now  deny  and  defy  the  jurisdiction  of  our  courts, 
thus  violating  the  will  of  the  people  in  this  regard.  And  perhaps  one  of 
the  worst  features  of  this  vexed  railway  problem  is  the  constant  tendency 
on  the  part  of  railroad  managers  to  manipulate  the  p»litics  of  the  state— to 
seek  not  only  to  control  conventions,  to  make  platforms,  to  nominate  and 
elect  candidates,  but  also  to  improperly  influence  legislation  by  subsidizing 
and  establishing  newspapers,  and  by  employing  paid  lobbyists  to  defeat 
proper  legislation,  so  that  corporate  greed  may  still  override  and  oppress 
the  people." 

But,  governor,  if  the  railroads  had  already  parceled  out  the  state 
amongst  themselves,  to  each  a  distinct  portion,  was  not  the  election  and 
control  of  the  legislature  a  part  of  its  province  ? 

But  the  indictment  proceeds  relentlessly  to  the  bitter  end,  thus: 

"The  public  is  aware  that  in  the  states  of  Minnesota  and  Iowa  a  serious 
complication,  growing  out  of  an  attempt  to  control  and  apportion  territory 
to  a  particular  railroad,  has  just  been  adjusted  between  the  parties  to  such 
a  compact.  Two  similar  transactions  have  occurred  in  this  state  within  the 
past  ninety  days.  By  this  method  of  apportioning  territory  to  a  particular 
railroad,  the  building  of  new  roads,  even  when  they  are  needed  in  self-de- 
fense, either  by  competing  lines  or  the  public,  is  entirely  prevented,  or  made 
exceedingly  difficult,  so  that  the  remote  towns  and  cities  and  agricultural 
districts  are  deprived  of  railroad  facilities,  obtainable  but  for  such  combina- 
tions made  to  render  competition  impossible,  and  the  business  of  such  un- 
fortunate districts  thereby  made  unprofitable." 

The  governor  next  calls  to  his  aid  some  authentic  figures  from  a  Kansas 
railroad  report,  which  furnished  him  with  a  powerful  illustration  of  the  jus- 
tice of  his  criticism  and  the  recommendation,  or  rather  demands,  he  is 
-26 


402  Kavsas  State  Hist&riccU  Society. 

about  to  make  upon  the  legislature  on  behalf  of  the  people.     The  message 
proceeds: 

"I  call  your  attention  to  the  recently  published  statement  of  the  earnings 
of  «ne  the  leading  railroads  of  the  state,  which  published  statement  has  not 
been  denied,  so  far  as  I  am  aware.  The  earnings  of  this  road  for  the  fiscal 
year  ending  November  1,  1882,  are,  as  given  in  round  numbers,  $14,500,000, 
with  a  net  earning  of  over  $6,000,000.  Allowing  this  railroad  to  represent 
one-third  of  the  entire  mileage  of  the  state  (which  it  does  not) ,  on  the  same 
basis  of  earnings,  the  entire  mileage  of  the  state  (3967  miles)  would  be  over 
$45,000,000;  and,  upon  the  same  basis  of  profit  earned  by  the  road  referred 
to,  the  total  net  profit  of  the  entire  mileage  of  the  state  would  be  over  $18,- 
000,000— a  sum  that  in  two  years  would  amount  to  more  than  the  assessed 
value  of  the  entire  railroad  property  of  the  state;  or,  in  other  words,  taking 
this  one  road,  representing  less  than  one-third  of  the  mileage  of  the  state 
(whose  published  earnings  we  have  just  quoted),  as  a  basis,  the  entire  mile- 
age of  the  state,  after  deducting  all  the  running  expenses,  pays  for  itself  once 
every  two  years,  besides  paying  all  operating  expenses. 

"It  is  shown  by  the  report  of  the  railroad  assessors  that  the  total  as- 
sessed value  of  the  railroad  property  in  the  state  is  $25,088,156.46,  and  the 
average  assessed  rate  per  mile  is  $6786.43.  If  the  gross  earnings  of  the 
roads  are  $45,000,000,  the  average  earning  per  mile  is  over  $14,000— a  sum 
more  than  twice  the  assessed  value.  When  we  contemplate  the  magnitude 
of  these  figures,  and  that  the  burdens  they  indicate  have  been  borne  by  the 
people,  it  shows  a  patient  submission  that  enlists  our  sympathy,  and  a  re- 
cuperative power  and  industry  on  their  part  that  challenges  the  admiration 
of  all." 

It  should  be  remarked  that  the  figures  given  above,  to  wit,  $45,000,000, 
as  representing  the  total  earnings  of  the  railroads  for  the  year  1882,  is  the 
result,  as  will  be  seen,  from  calculations  drawn  from  the  single  report  of 
one  of  the  roads.  It  was  slightly  above  the  actual  figures,  but  suflSciently 
close  to  preserve  the  integrity  of  the  illustration.  The  $14,000  per  mile 
cited  above  is  a  mistake,  arising,  doubtless,  from  a  division  of  the  total 
earnings  of  the  railroads  operating  in  the  state,  one-half  of  whose  then 
mileage  was  beyond  the  limits  of  the  state,  among  the  mileage  within  the 
state. 

But  the  railroads  were  still  not  satisfied  with  this  fine  showing  as  to 
earnings.  The  state  having  so  far  forborne  to  interfere  with  them  or  to 
place  a  limit  to  their  exactions  had  emboldened  them  to  commit  still  greater 
wrongs.     The  message  proceeds  : 

"For  example,  when  it  was  ascertained  that  our  wheat  and  corn  crops 
of  1882  were  a  certainty,  the  railroads  of  the  state  at  once  advanced  the 
rate  of  freight  above  the  rate  of  last  year  to  such  an  extent  as  to  place  an 
additional  burden  upon  the  wheat  and  corn  crops  amounting  to  over  $1,500,- 
000;  so  that,  as  we  increase  the  agricultural  products  of  Kansas,  the  rail- 
roads adopt  the  unnatural  policy  of  advancing  their  rates,  thus  preventing 
a  good  crop  from  returning  any  more  money  to  the  producer  than  a  poor 
one." 

Having  set  forth  the  grounds  that  called  for  appropriate;  legislation  in 
the  interest  of  the  people  of  the  state,  the  governor  proceeds  to  outline  what 
in  his  judgment  should  be  done  to  afford  relief.  The  passenger  fares  should 
be  reduced  from  four  to  three  cents  per  mile,  and  a  fair  and  just  maximum 
rate  of  freight  for  coal,  wheat,  corn,  oats,  broom-corn,  cattle,  sheep,  hogs 
and  lumber  established;  that  the  railroads  be  prohibited  from  pooling,  and 
from  charging  more  for  a  short  than  is  charged  for  a  longer  haul;  and  finally 
that  the  roads  be  placed,  together  with  the  telegraph  and  express  companies. 


The  Administration  of  George  W.  Glick.  403 

under  the  control  of  a  state  commission  with  adequate  powers  to  protect 
the  people  from  railroad  aggression. 

We  shall  now  inquire  how  this  clear  and  trenchant  message  was  responded 
to  by  the  legislature. 

A  bill  was  introduced  into  the  legislature  which  reduced  the  passenger 
fares  to  three  cents  per  mile  from  four.  It  provided  for  a  Board  of  Railroad 
Commissioners  to  be  appointed  by  the  Executive  Council  of  the  state,  armed 
with  general  supervisory  powers,  to  hear  complaints  from  shippers  and 
others;  and  whenever  complaints  should  be  preferred  by  the  mayor  and 
council  of  a  city,  or  the  trustee  of  a  township,  that  the  rates  on  freight 
charged  at  the  locality  whence  the  complaints  came  were  excessive,  to  in- 
quire into  the  reasonableness  of  the  rates  thus  complained  of,  and  to  de- 
termine what  were  reasonable  and  proper  rates  in  place  of  those  complained 
of,  and  that  the  rates  so  found  by  the  board  to  be  reasonable  should  be  ac- 
cepted by  the  railroads.  There  were  also  provisions  against  unjust  discrimi- 
nations and  against  pooling  between  different  railroads. 

It  was  popularly  believed  at  the  time  that  the  bill  was  an  extremely  mild 
measure,  and  conferred  the  minimum  of  power  upon  the  railroad  board. 
This  belief  was  shared  by  members  of  the  legislature  and  by  the  railroad 
officials. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  board  appointed  by  the  Executive 
Council,  complaints  came  to  the  board  from  several  municipal  bodies,  charg- 
ing that  the  rates  were  excessive  and  unreasonable  at  such  points,  which 
the  board  proceeded  to  investigate,  and  which  it  found  to  be  unreasonable, 
as  charged,  and  the  board  prescribed  rates  on  a  lower  scale  in  place  of  those 
complained  of. 

In  deciding  the  first  case  of  this  kind  that  came  before  it,  the  board  gave 
a  construction  to  another  section  of  the  statute,  which  imparted  to  its  ac- 
tion in  changing  the  rates  at  a  given  point  a  far-reaching  effect  and  conse- 
quence. In  the  last  clause  of  section  10  of  the  first  railroad-commissioner 
law  it  is  provided  that  "a  railroad  company  shall  not  charge  more  for  trans- 
porting freight  from  any  point  on  its  line  than  a  fair  and  just  proportion  of 
the  price  it  charges  for  the  same  kind  of  freight  transported  from  any  other 
point."  It  was  held  that  when  the  rates  at  a  given  point  are  reduced  by 
the  action  of  the  board  for  the  reason  that  the  same  are  excessive,  but  that 
they  are  in  fair  proportion  to  all  other  rates  on  the  same  line  of  railroad,  all 
other  rates  along  the  road  must  be  in  like  manner  reduced  in  order  to  main- 
tain that  fair  and  just  proportion  in  the  rates  upon  the  schedule  designed 
for  the  whole  road. 

It  was  seen  by  the  railroads  at  once  that,  if  this  was  a  correct  rendering 
of  the  law,  the  board  possessed  the  power  under  it  to  reduce  every  rate  in 
the  state.  This  interpretation  of  the  statute  was  not  impugned,  but  the  ac- 
tion of  the  board  was  strongly  opposed  on  the  ground  that  the  rates  were 
not  unreasonable.  This  led  to  a  prolonged  and  bitter  contest,  which,  how- 
ever, resulted  in  a  general  reduction  of  all  the  freight  rates  in  the  state. 

This  was  abundantly  justified,  for  an  examination  showed  that  the  freight 
rates  were  higher  than  upon  any  of  the  railroads  in  any  of  the  adjoining 
states;  enough  higher,  indeed,  to  justify  the  strong  criticism  contained  in 
the  governor's  message. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  see  what  was  the  immediate  fruit  of  the  action 


404  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

of  the  governor  and  the  legislature  in  the  legislation  on  this  one  subject  at 
that  session  of  the  legislature. 

At  the  behest  of  the  governor  the  legislature  reduced  passenger  fares 
from  four  to  three  cents  a  mile.  What  was  the  saving  to  the  people  on  this 
reduction?  There  are  no  precise  figures  from  which  an  exact  statement  is 
deducible,  but  there  are  enough  data  to  enable  us  to  form  a  close  estimate. 

In  the  first  report  of  the  railroads  to  the  board,  in  1883,  the  total  number  of 
miles  of  road  operated  by  the  companies  whose  roads  in  whole  or  in  part  were 
within  the  state  was  9417  miles.  Of  this  mileage,  4750  miles  were  within 
the  state— a  httle  more  than  one-half.  On  the  basis  of  mileage  and  passenger 
earnings  for  that  year,  the  absolute  saving  to  the  people  of  this  state  in 
reduced  passenger  fares  was  $1,727,955.  The  average  reduction  of  freight 
rates  by  the  board  during  Governor  Click's  administration  was  thirteen  per 
cent.,  which  effected  an  additional  saving  to  the  people  per  annum  of 
$1,843,310.  This  makes  an  annual  saving  to  the  people  in  reduced  fares  and 
freights  upon  Kansas  railroads  during  this  administration  of  $3,571,265.  In 
addition,  there  was  an  instrumentality  created  through  which,  as  occasion 
should  arise,  other  reductions  might  be  effected. 

After  this,  railroad  building  in  the  state  went  on  with  accelerated  speed, 
and  within  six  years  from  the  date  of  these  events  the  mileage  in  Kansas 
had  nearly  doubled. 

The  two  subjects  reviewed  were  of  prime  importance,  but  other  matters 
which  deeply  concerned  the  public  interest  occupied  the  thought  and  the 
energy  of  this  practical  man,  which  we  will  proceed  briefly  to  present. 

It  may  seem  a  singular  oversight  on  the  part  of  the  public  authorities 
that  up  to  the  beginning  of  Governor  Glick's  administration  there  had  been 
no  system  proposed  to  protect  the  live-stock  interests  of  Kansas  from  the 
inroads  and  spread  of  contagion  and  infectious  diseases— diseases  the  origin 
of  which  was  obscure,  and  the  spread  of  which  was  most  rapid  and  destruct- 
ive. 

Governor  GHck  called  special  attention  to  this  very  important  subject  in 
his  message,  in  a  brief  but  forcible  manner.     He  said: 

' '  I  learn  from  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  our  State  Board  of  Agriculture 
that  at  the  present  time  there  are  in  our  state  1,404,488  head  of  neat  cattle, 
valued  at  $49,192,408;  swine,  1,228,683  head,  valued  at  $12,286,830;  sheep, 
980,767  head,  valued  at  $2,942,301.  This  vast  number  of  meat-producing  ani- 
mals is  not  a  tithe  of  what  our  state  is  capable  of  producing.  This  interest  is 
capable  of  being  increased  to  such  vast  proportions,  and  of  being  the  foundation 
of  so  much  wealth  and  prosperity,  that  it  is  important  that  it  should  have  what- 
ever legislative  encouragement  and  protection  can  be  given  to  it,  so  that 
it  shall  be  protected  against  contagious,  epizootic  or  other  infectious  dis- 
eases." 

The  governor  recommended  that  the  legislature  should  provide  by  law  for 
the  appointment  of  a  state  veterinary  surgeon,  who  should  be  charged  with 
the  duty  of  looking  after  and  aiding  the  people  in  protecting  the  live  stock 
against  contagious  diseases;  of  warning  them  of  their  approach,  and  adopt- 
ing proper  sanitary  measures  to  stamp  out  and  prevent  the  spread  of  all 
diseases  dangerous  to  live  stock. 

It  would  seem  that  a  measure  so  timely  and  wise  would  have  met  with 
prompt  support  trom  the  lawmaking  body  in  a  state  wherein  was  such  a  vast 
live-stock  interest,  which  in  a  very  few  years  would  more  than  double,  and 
continue  to  increase  for  many  years  to  come.     A  bill  framed  to  carry  out 


The  Administration  of  George  W.  Glick.  405 

the  governor's  recommendations  passed  the  house  of  representatives  but  en- 
countered determined  opposition  in  the  senate,  and  especially  from  Senator 
Harrison  Kelley,  a  leading  farmer  and  stockman. 

His  argument  appeared  to  be  that  the  live  stock  of  Kansas  was  in  no 
danger  from  contagious  and  infectious  diseases,  which,  on  account  of  the 
purity  of  the  Kansas  atmosphere,  could  not  become  epidemic.  He  was 
wholly  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  the  purity  of  the  atmosphere  had  nothing 
to  do  with  it.  His  opposition  was  not  due  solely  to  ignorance  of  the  nature 
of  diseases  to  which  live  stock  were  exposed,  but  rather  to  his  intense  preju- 
dice towards  any  recommendation  emanating  from  a  Democrat.  At  that 
time  he  believed  that  a  Democrat  was  as  much  out  of  place  as  governor  of 
Kansas  as  the  king  of  Timbuctoo  would  be  in  a  kingdom  of  saints  and  flow- 
ers. He  was  subsequently  pried  out  of  this  particular  prejudice  by  the 
Populist  insurrection,  but  his  new  attitude  led  him  to  regard  his  late  Re- 
publican associates  as  incorrigible  rogues  who  deserved  to  be  hanged. 

In  this  instance  Senator  Kelley  was  soon  to  meet  his  Nemesis.  Within 
two  weeks  of  the  adjournment  of  the  legislature  in  which  he  had  defeated 
this  wise  and  necessary  measure  for  the  protection  of  the  very  interests  he 
was  supposed  to  chiefly  represent  in  that  body,  a  virulent  and  fatal  disease 
attacked  the  cattle  in  the  vicinity  of  Neosho  Rapids,  within  the  senator's 
district,  which  spread  rapidly  from  herd  to  herd  in  that  community.  The 
people  saw  their  cattle  stricken  with  the  fatal  disease  and  dying  in  large 
numbers,  but  knew  neither  the  nature  of  the  disease  nor  how  to  treat  it, 
nor  what  measures  to  take  to  protect  uninfected  herds.  The  people  in  fear 
and  panic  called  a  public  meeting,  which  they  asked  Governor  Glick  to  at- 
tend. He  went  and  inspected  the  infected  herds  and  found  them  in  a  most 
horrible  condition.  They  asked  him  what  they  should  do.  He  advised  them 
to  consult  Senator  Kelley,  who  was  present,  and  who  in  his  superior  wisdom 
had  just  defeated  a  bill  in  the  legislature  which  provided  for  such  assistance 
as  that  which  they  were  now  in  sore  need  of. 

The  meeting  now  by  resolution  asked  the  governor  to  reconvene  the  leg- 
islature in  special  session  **  to  pass  the  bill,  or  a  similar  one,  to  that  Mr. 
Kelley  had  opposed.     They  also  required  Mr.  Kelley  to  support  it. 

The  legislature  was  convened,  and  a  bill  conforming  to  the  governor's 
recommendation  was  speedily  passed  and  became  a  law. 

In  the  meantime,  however.  Governor  Glick  was  exerting  himself  with 
the  general  government  to  have  one  of  its  veterinary  surgeons  detailed  to 
the  scene  of  the  trouble  to  take  measures  to  arrest  its  spread  and  to  stamp 
it  out.  In  this  way  he  secured  the  services  of  Dr.  A.  A.  Holcombe,  who,  on 
investigation,  pronounced  the  disease  the  foot-and-mouth  disease.  Doctor 
Holcombe  at  once  took  measures  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease.  The 
precautions  taken  were  so  effectual  as  to  confine  the  disease  to  the  then  in- 
fected herds  and  to  finally  stop  its  ravages. 

Doctor  Holcombe  was  prevailed  upon  to  resign  his  position  in  the  army  and 
take  the  position  of  veterinary  surgeon  for  Kansas.  A  Board  of  Live-stock 
Sanitary  Commissioners  was  provided  for  in  the  law,  and  the  first  commis- 
sioners appointed  under  it  were  W.  A.  Harris,  J.  W.  Hamilton,  and  J.  T. 
White,  experienced  stockmen. 

Note  6.  — Special  session  of  the  legislature,  commencing:  March  18,  1884,  and  ending  March 
25,  1884.  (  Senate  and  House  Journals  of  1885,  fore  part  of  books.)  Acts  passed  to  be  bound  at 
end  of  Session  Laws  of  1885.     Proclamation  for  special  session,  dated  March  13,  1884. 


406  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  this  disease  did  not  originate  in  this  state, 
and  it  became  an  interesting  question  how  it  was  brought  to  Kansas.  This 
was  carefully  investigated,  and  it  was  found  that  two  men  at  Colony,  Kan., 
who  were  breeders  of  fine  cattle,  had  imported  about  a  dozen  head  from 
England  and  landed  them  at  Bangor,  Me.  There  were  some  work  cattle  at 
that  place  affected  with  the  foot-and-mouth  disease  that  had  been  driven 
along  the  streets  of  that  city,  and  the  imported  cattle  had  been  driven  over 
the  same  street.  The  disease  developed  first  among  cattle  which  had  been 
bought  in  the  vicinity  where  these  imported  cattle  had  been  unloaded  from 
the  railroad  and  driven.  Thus  it  became  certain  that  the  disease  had  been 
brought  by  the  imported  cattle  from  Bangor,  where  they  were  first  landed, 
and  that  the  germs  of  the  disease  which  had  been  gathered  from  the  dust 
of  the  streets  of  that  city  had  rapidly  infected  other  cattle  in  Kansas. 

Kansas  had  already  passed  several  laws  to  protect  cattle  against  losses 
caused  by  Texas  or  splenic  fever.  It  was  a  criminal  offense  to  bring  South- 
ern or  Texas  cattle  into  the  state,  except  during  the  winter  months,  but 
it  was  found  difficult  to  secure  convictions.  It  was  hard  to  prove  the  of- 
fense against  the  owners  of  the  cattle.  They  kept  out  of  the  state  or  changed 
their  abode  so  often  that  proof  of  guilt  was  not  obtainable.  Often  men 
in  charge  of  cattle  claimed  they  were  only  herdmen,  citizens  of  Kansas, 
and  knew  nothing  of  where  the  cattle  came  from.  The  cattle  were  shipped 
by  railroad  and  unloaded  at  small  stations  and  quickly  driven  to  their 
places  of  destination  at  night,  and  if  prosecution  was  expected  quick  changes 
of  location  were  made  across  county  lines.  In  those  days,  with  the  open 
grazing  country  south  of  Kansas  in  Oklahoma,  the  stock  interests  of  Kan- 
sas were  subject  to  menace  with  practically  no  protection,  and  against 
that  dreaded  disease  it  had  no  security  until  the  settlement  of  Oklahoma 
and  the  passage  of  the  quarantine  law.  Constant  complaint  was  made  to 
the  governor  of  the  devastation  made  to  native  cattle.  With  no  funds  ap- 
propriated for  the  use  of  the  first  Board  of  Sanitary  Commissioners,  it  was 
practically  impossible  to  do  anything  for  the  protection  of  this  vast  cattle 
industry.  The  governor,  as  a  final  effort,  called  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Sanitary  Commissioners  and  invited  the  managers  of  the  railroads  entering 
the  territory  south  and  west  of  Kansas,  that  were  engaged  in  handling 
Southern  cattle,  to  meet  with  them.  The  meeting  was  held  and  the  proof 
of  the  loss  to  the  cattle  industry  shown  to  the  railroad  managers,  and  the 
consequent  loss  of  freight  to  their  companies.  The  impossibility  of  suc- 
cessfully prosecuting  parties  under  the  law,  as  it  then  existed,  was  fully 
explained  to  them.  After  a  full  discussion  of  the  matter,  the  railroad  man- 
agers agreed  that  their  roads  would  ship  no  more  Southern  cattle  to  points 
in  Kansas,  and  only  through  to  stock-yards.  This  was  a  long  and  most  ef- 
fective stride  for  the  protection  of  the  cattle  interests  of  the  state.  This 
policy  of  the  roads  was  carried  out  during  Mr.  Click's  term  of  office,  and 
it  secured  practically  the  protection  of  the  cattle  interests  against  the  rav- 
ages of  the  Texas  fever.  It  was  the  inauguration  of  a  policy  that  has  be- 
come permanent  in  the  West  during  the  "closed  season."" 

Early  in  July,  1884,  the  governor  received  a  message  by  wire  from  a  town 
in  western  Kansas  saying  that  Indians  were  seen  near  there,  and  the  people 
were  becoming  alarmed.     This  message  was  followed  quickly  by  many  others 

Note  7.  — The  closed  season  is  "between  the  1st  day  of  February  and  the  1st  day  of  Decem- 
ber" of  any  year.  — General  Statutes  of  Kansas,  1901,  §7420. 


The  Administration  oj  George  W.  Glick.  407 

urging  and  calling  for  protection,  saying  there  was  an  Indian  raid,  as  many 
Indians  had  been  seen.  These  dispatches  were  supplemented  by  letters  say- 
ing that  the  settlers  were  much  alarmed  and  were  going  to  the  towns  on 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  The  govenor  laid  all  the  information  he  had  be- 
for  Maj.-gen.  John  Pope,  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  who  was  then  in  command 
of  the  military  department  which  included  Kansas,  and  invoked  his  aid  and 
assistance.  Before  the  interview  closed  General  Pope  ordered  two  com- 
panies of  cavalry  from  Fort  Riley  to  the  western  part  of  the  state,  with  full 
instructions  to  drive  out  all  hostile  Indians  and  protect  the  settlers,  but  with 
orders  to  give  out  no  information  concerning  their  trip  or  destination. 
These  two  companies  scouted  over  the  western  part  of  Kansas,  or  the  country 
in  which  the  Indians  were  seen  or  were  supposed  to  have  been.  No  hostile 
Indians  were  found.  The  cavalry  found  a  few  small  bands  of  friendly 
Indians  who  were  camping  along  the  streams,  hunting  and  fishing.  They  in- 
formed the  cavalry  oflRcers  that  there  were  no  hostile  Indians  in  the  country 
and  that  they  knew  of  no  hostile  feeling  of  any  Indians  against  the  whites. 
In  ten  days  the  cavalry  were  back  at  Fort  Riley,  with  the  regret  that  they 
failed  to  have  a  little  brush  with  the  redskins.  It  was  a  source  of  great 
satisfaction  to  the  governor  that  the  scare  ended  as  peacefully  as  it  did. 

In  the  early  summer  of  1883,  the  people  of  Dodge  City  were  divided  into 
two  hostile  parties,  the  gamblers  and  tough  element  on  one  side  and  the 
law-abiding  people  on  the  other.  A  gambler  by  the  name  of  Short  was 
charged  with  some  off'ense.  The  people  were  so  incensed  that  they  organ- 
ized for  the  purpose  of  hanging  him,  while  the  roughs  armed  themselves, 
ready  for  a  fight  if  Short  was  molested  or  hanged.  The  officers  had  to  pro- 
tect Short  from  the  angry  citizens  who  were  threatening  to  hang  him  and 
the  roughs  who  were  endeavoring  to  release  him.  While  this  condition  was 
prevailing  telegrams  and  letters  were  coming  to  the  governor  every  few 
minutes,  describing  a  terrible  condition  of  affairs  and  appealing  for  military 
aid,  each  side  claiming  that  the  other  was  the  aggressor. 

The  governor  at  once  sent  Adjt.-gen.  Thomas  Moonlight,  with  instruc- 
tions to  prevent  rioting  and  bloodshed  and  to  keep  him  fully  advised  by  wire 
and  letter.  General  Moonlight  was  a  very  brave  and  discreet  man  and  the 
governor  had  implicit  confidence  in  his  judgment  and  discretion,  and  hence 
could  rely  on  his  reports.  The  general  found  the  excitement  so  intense  that 
he  asked  that  a  company  of  militia  be  sent  to  his  assistance.  The  governor 
did  not  like  this  idea  of  sending  a  company  of  soldiers  to  quell  the  disturb- 
ance, but  to  be  on  the  safe  side  ordered  a  company  at  Great  Bend  to  hold 
themselves  ready  for  duty  if  required.  The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
railroad  company  had  a  locomotive  and  car  ready  to  take  the  company  to 
Dodge  City  in  a  few  hours. 

In  the  meantime,  a  committee  of  twelve  citizens  of  Dodge  City  called  on 
the  governor  and  gave  him  their  theory  of  the  trouble.  They  said  Short 
should  be  hanged,  along  with  any  others  aiding  in  his  relief.  The  governor 
told  them  what  he  had  done  in  sending  General  Moonlight  to  Dodge  City, 
and  that  he  had  a  company  of  soldiers  ready  to  go  there  at  a  moment's  notice, 
but  that  there  must  be  no  hanging  or  violence,  and  that  the  law  must  take 
its  course,  even  though  it  became  necessary  to  order  the  soldiers  to  aid  the 
officers  in  enforcing  the  law  and  preserving  the  peace.  He  advised  them  to 
go  home  as  soon  as  possible,  and  aid  General  Moonlight  in  quieting  the  peo- 
ple, so  that  the  necessity  of  sending  soldiers  to  enforce  order  would  be  avoided. 


408  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

When  the  committee  returned  home  General  Moonlight  had  secured  promises 
from  the  peaceably  disposed  that  Short,  with  others  who  were  charged  with 
crime,  should  be  tried  by  the  courts,  and,  if  found  guilty,  should  suffer  the 
penalty  of  the  law.  The  people  rejoiced  at  the  peaceable  ending  of  the 
trouble.  8 

There  had  been  general  complaint,  even  prior  to  this  administration,  es- 
pecially from  members  of  the  bar,  that  judges  were  too  frequently  candidates 
for  Congress.  The  governor  called  attention  to  this  vicious  practice  in  his 
message,  from  which  we  extract: 

"For  the  purpose  of  securing  the  advantages  of  a  pure  judicial  system, 
as  contemplated  by  the  constitution,  and  securing  the  confidence  and  support 
of  the  people,  it  is  important  that  this  end  should  be  secured  by  such  legis- 
lation as  will  effectually  keep  the  judiciary  and  the  courts  above  reproach. 
To  this  end,  I  deem  it  a  matter  of  the  highest  importance  that  you  provide 
by  law  that  all  ballots  cast  for  a  person  holding  the  office  of  judge  be  de- 
clared absolutely  void  (except  for  a  judicial  office) ;  that  such  vote  shall  not 
be  canvassed,  and  that  no  certificate  of  election  shall  be  issued  by  any  board 
of  canvassers  to  any  person  holding  a  judicial  oflSce,  except  the  one  excepted 
by  the  constitution." 

A  few  days  after  the  organization  of  the  legislature.  Col.  William  P. 
Hackney,  state  senator,  called  on  the  governor  and  asked  him  to  prepare  a 
bill  embodying  this  recommendation  in  relation  to  district  judges.  He  said: 
"Down  in  my  part  of  the  state,  as  soon  as  we  elect  a  judge  he  commences 
to  run  for  Congress.  Prepare  the  bill  and  I  will  see  that  it  passes."  The 
bill  was  prepared  and  was  presented  by  Senator  Hackney,  passed  both  houses 
unanimously,  and  is  now  in  force.  *•  Since  the  passage  of  that  law  the  num- 
ber of  candidates  for  Congress  has  been  reduced  and  the  character  of  the 
state  judiciary  is  on  a  much  higher  plane. 

Governor  Click  sought  to  introduce  a  reform  in  the  government  of  the 
state  institutions,  educational,  charitable,  and  reformatory,  by  eliminating 
the  element  of  party  politics  and  spoils  from  the  appointments  for  places  in 
the  administration  of  these  institutions.  He  recommended  that  a  law  be 
passed  which  would  place  these  institutions  above  the  reach  of  the  hungry 
and  clamoring  horde  who  hang  upon  the  verge  of  the  government  for  bread. 
The  message  on  this  subject  says: 

"Minorities  have  rights  as  well  as  majorities,  and  they  have  the  same 
duties  to  perform  to  the  public,  and  have  the  same  interest  in  the  econom- 
ical and  prudent  administration  of  the  affairs  of  our  state  institutions,  and 
should  share  some  of  the  responsibilities.  These  public  institutions,  edu- 
cational, charitable,  and  reformatory,  should  be  brought  as  near  the  whole 
body  of  the  people  as  possible,  in  order  that  such  generous  support  be  given 
them  as  the  duties  of  common  humanity  and  the  interest  of  the  state  de- 
mand. The  inmates  of  these  institutions  are  pensioners  on  all  the  taxpayers 
of  the  state,  and  not  on  any  party  or  faction.  Their  care,  control,  and  guid- 
ance, and  the  disbursements  of  the  vast  sums  of  public  funds  taken  from 
the  people  annually  for  their  support  should  be  under  the  control  of  repre- 
sentative men,  called  not  from  one  party,  but  from  all  parties,  and  thus  be 
removed  from  mere  party  control,  and  not  appointed  or  selected  in  the  inter- 
ests of  any  party  or  faction.  The  affairs  of  these  institutions  should  not  be 
party  spoil,  or  subject  to  change  by  mere  party  success." 

Note  8.— Ford  County  Globe.fDodge  City,  March  1,  1883;  also.  Dodge  City  Times.  May  17 
and  24.  1883. 

Note  9.— Senate  bill  No.  143  was  introduced  by  Senator  Hackney,  January  20,  1883,  and  is  to 
be  found  in  the  Session  Laws  of  1883,  ch.  108,  p.  162. 


The  Administration  of  George  W.  Glick.  409 

He  concludes  his  observations  and  recommendations  for  legislation  on  this 
point  as  follows: 

"  But  whether  you  in  your  judgment  so  amend  the  law  or  not,  the  course 
indicated  will  govern  the  present  executive  in  his  actions  and  appointments, 
so  that  none  of  our  state  institutions  shall  be  run  in  the  interests  of  any 
party  or  faction,  or  turned  into  a  pohtical  machine." 

In  appointing  the  members  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities,  Governor 
Glick  adopted  another  idea  in  the  better  interests  of  the  unfortunate  in- 
mates. In  those  institutions  there  were  Germans  who  could  not  understand 
our  language,  and  some  Catholics,  and  the  governor  wisely  determined  that 
there  should  be  a  German  and  a  Catholic  on  the  board  of  management.  The 
inmates  greatly  appreciated  this  concession  to  them  and  took  pleasure  in 
talking  in  their  language  in  confidence  to  the  German  or  Catholic  member. 
This  policy  soon  had  a  good  effect  on  the  disposition  of  the  patients.  They 
seemed  to  feel  much  better  and  more  cheerful  after  a  friendly  talk  with  the 
German  or  Catholic  member.  The  superintendents  and  the  board  were 
equally  pleased  at  the  beneficial  results.  No  Catholic  priest  had  ever  been 
permitted  to  enter  the  Penitentiary  and  preach  to  the  Catholic  inmates. 
Governor  Glick  called  the  attention  of  the  directors  and  warden  of  the  Peni- 
tentiary to  this  and  secured  a  change  of  policy.  He  got  an  order  allowing 
a  Catholic  priest  to  preach  every  fourth  Sunday,  and  to  attend  confessionals 
when  a  dying  prisoner  requested  it. 

It  is  enough  to  add  that  Governor  Glick  steadfastly  adhered  to  this  line 
of  policy  throughout  his  term,  and  with  the  best  results  so  far  as  the  manage- 
ment of  these  institutions  was  concerned.  But  in  making  these  recom- 
mendations and  inaugurating  this  policy,  so  wise  and  just,  he  was  clearly  in 
advance  of  his  time.  His  Republican  successors  soon  turned  the  thing  back 
into  the  old  rut,  where  it  has  remained  ever  since. 

There  have  been  great  strides  made  in  recent  years  in  the  progress  of 
reform  applied  to  the  civil  service  of  the  general  government,  with  most 
beneficial  results  upon  the  purity  and  efficiency  of  the  public  service.  This 
reform  is  based  upon  the  idea  that  the  public,  which  pays  for  the  service  and 
for  whose  benefit  it  is  provided,  has  a  right  to  be  served  by  the  average  of 
ability  and  faithfulness  existing  in  the  community.  This  kind  of  service 
cannot  be  had  by  leaving  the  appointments  to  a  set  of  politicians  whose 
principal  business  it  is  to  perpetuate  themselves  in  place  and  power;  men 
who  come  to  regard  themselves  as  the  very  pivot  of  patriotism,  to  conserve 
which  it  is  necessary  to  create  bosses,  and  political  machines  for  the  bosses  to 
operate.     The  boss  cannot  exist  without  spoils— they  are  his  stock  in  trade. 

The  civilized  method  of  appointing  men  to  fill  the  administrative  offices 
in  the  state  has  not  yet  reached  Kansas.  These  offices  continue  to  be 
thrown  in  as  job  lots  to  the  faction  or  party  which  wins  the  election,  and, 
as  a  consequence,  the  people  periodically  amuse  themselves  by  breaking  up 
one  machine  to  build  up  another.     What  grand  politics  ! 

Mr.  Glick  tried  to  reform  this  and  bring  the  service  of  the  state  back  to 
the  people,  but  the  people,  it  seems,  were  not  ready  to  forego  this  fine 
amusement.  Under  this  amusing  system  of  spoils,  it  generally  happens  that 
the  men  most  strenuously  recommended  for  these  subordinate  offices  are 
those  whose  low  cunning  renders  them  most  perniciously  active  in  local 
politics,  and  who  are  generally  unfit  for  any  useful  or  honorable  pursuit. 


410  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Prior  to  Governor  Click's  administration  it  had  been  the  practice  for  the 
treasurers  of  educational  institutions  of  the  state  to  draw  out  of  the  state 
treasury  the  full  amount  of  the  appropriation  made  for  its  maintenance  for 
the  year,  and  the  management  and  disbursement  of  the  fund  thus  taken 
from  the  public  treasury  was  confided  to  the  local  treasurer  of  the  institu- 
tion. Losses  had  been  occasioned  by  this  method,"  to  which  the  attention 
of  the  legislature  was  called  and  a  cure  for  this  evil  suggested.  As  the 
governor's  suggestion  led  to  a  reform  of  this  abuse  and  to  the  adoption  of  a 
law  which  brought  about  a  change  in  the  policy  of  the  state  in  this  regard, 
we  cannot  do  better  than  to  quote  the  pertinent  suggestions  of  the  governor 
in  his  message  to  the  legislature  on  this  subject,  which  led  to  the  change. 
Quoting  from  the  message: 

"All  public  funds  should  be  under  the  control  of  the  state,  where  it  is 
easy  to  fix  responsibility  and  to  secure  a  more  faithful  administration  of 
them  than  when  scattered  over  the  state  and  their  management  entrusted 
to  so  many  hands.  The  concentration  of  financial  management  and  control 
in  the  hands  of  trusted  officials  of  the  state  lessens  the  temptation  to  abuse 
trusts  and  reduces  the  risk  of  loss.  Where  the  funds  are  in  the  hands  of 
business  men,  as  must  be  the  case  when  intrusted  to  local  treasurers,  there 
is  a  constant  temptation  to  maintain  large  balances  in  cash  of  funds  which 
ought  to  be  invested  and  become  productive.  The  lodgment  in  the  hands 
of  a  local  treasurer,  who  is  engaged  in  business,  of  a  large  amount  of  inter- 
est-bearing bonds  and  securities,  subjects  them  to  the  danger  of  being 
pledged,  in  case  of  financial  straits,  as  collateral  to  private  uses.  The 
importance  of  placing  funds  where  they  will  remain  secure  and  protected 
from  loss  is  a  matter  to  which  I  ask  your  serious  attention.  The  loss  of 
the  funds  of  other  institutions  should  admonish  you  of  the  danger  of  placing 
the  funds  of  any  institution  in  any  hands  outside  of  the  state  treasury." 

This  was  doubtless  good  advice,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
then  state  treasurer  was  Samuel  T.  Howe,  and  the  governor  had  a  right  to 
expect  that  the  people  of  Kansas  would  be  suflJiciently  careful  to  select  men 
of  his  stamp  to  succeed  him,  in  which  case  the  treasury  would  remain  im- 
pregnable to  all  kinds  of  graft. 

It  would  not  comport  with  the  purpose  of  this  sketch,  nor  could  we  with- 
in the  limits  assigned  to  this  paper,  narrate  the  numerous  incidents  and  occur- 
rences connected  with  this  administration  of  the  executive  oflRce  for  the  two 
years  ending  in  January,  1885.  It  is  designed  in  the  main  to  confine  it  to  a 
statement  of  those  matters  which  have  become  truly  historical— such  mat- 
ters suggested  in  his  messages  as  have  entered  into  the  permanent  policy  of 
the  state. 

The  brief  review  already  made  will  serve  to  show  that  the  administration 
of  Governor  Glick  gave  rise  to  more  important  measures,  which  had  for  their 
object  the  protection  of  the  larger  and  more  vital  interests  of  the  people  of 
Kansas,  than  will  be  found  in  a  single  administration  of  any  other  governor 
of  the  state,  with  the  exception  of  the  first  governor,  who,  besides  having  to 
superintend  the  change  in  the  organization  of  the  state  government  from 
the  territorial  r^gimO,  was  met  with  war  conditions— in  the  raising  and  organi- 
zation of  new  military  forces. 

The  following  incident  relating  to  state  finance  is  worthy  of  record.  It 
will  serve  to  illustrate  the  vigilance  and  skill  of  the  governor,  state  treasurer, 
and  attorney-general. 

Note  10. —  In  another  part  of  the  message  the  governor  says  :  "It  will  also  be  recollected 
that  already  there  has  been  a  direct  known  loss  to  the  school  funds  by  the  defalcations  of  county 
treasurers  of  $37,000.  and  to  the  funds  of  the  Emporia  Normal  School  of  $10,000." 


The  Administration  of  George  W.  Glick.  411 

About  the  15th  of  May,  1884,  the  governor  received  a  dispatch  from  Don- 
nell,  Lawson  &  Simpson,  a  company  of  New  York  brokers,  who  were  the 
fiscal  agents  of  the  state,  that  their  firm  had  failed.  An  investigation  of 
the  state  records  showed  that  the  agency  held  $132,000  of  state  funds,  and 
also  $42,000  of  funds  belonging  to  school  districts.  A  consultation  was  at  once 
held  with  the  state  treasurer,  Samuel  T.  Howe,  and  Atty. -gen.  William  A. 
Johnston,  and  it  was  at  once  decided  that  the  governor  and  the  two  state  of- 
ficers named  should  go  to  New  York  and  see  what  could  be  done  to  save  the 
state  from  this  threatened  loss.  After  reaching  there  the  situation  looked 
hopeless. 

The  men  composing  this  brokerage  firm  went  to  New  York  in  1879  from 
St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  with,  it  is  said,  about  half  a  million  dollars,  and  in  the 
short  space  of  five  years  found  their  fortune  gone  and  the  firm  hopelessly 
bankrupt.  They  had  had  friends  in  the  Kansas  legislature  who  thought  to 
strengthen  the  credit  of  this  firm  in  their  new  start  in  the  East  by  constitu- 
ting the  firm  the  fiscal  agents  of  Kansas  in  New  York. 

In  the  course  of  their  investigation  these  state  officers  learned  that  this 
firm  had  had  large  dealings  with  the  First  National  Bank  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  and  that  the  bank  held  a  large  amount  of  the  securities  placed 
with  it  by  Donnell,  Lawson  &  Simpson  to  secure  loans  and  advances 
made  to  them.  The  state  officers  suggested  to  Donnell,  Lawson  &  Simpson 
that  perhaps  some  of  those  bonds  and  securities  might  be  saved  for  Kansas 
after  the  bank  had  saved  itself  from  loss.  This  suggestion  was  approved  by 
the  firm.  They  then  sought  the  president  of  the  bank,  Mr.  Baker,  who  en- 
tered into  the  proposal,  and,  after  ascertaining  the  market  value  of  the  se- 
curities and  the  amount  of  the  bank's  lien  on  them,  informed  the  state 
officers  that  if  Donnell,  Lawson  &  Simpson  would  consent  that  the  bank  should 
manage  the  securities,  he  could  pay  the  claim  of  the  state  of  Kansas  in  full. 
To  this  Mr.  Donnell  gave  his  consent.  Treasurer  Howe  took  the  receipt  of 
the  bank  for  $132,000  of  state  money  and  for  $42,000  of  school  money,  and 
the  three  state  oflftcers  constituted  the  First  National  Bank  the  fiscal  agent 
of  the  state,  having  authority  so  to  do. 

Governor  Glick  was  required  to  act  on  a  Price  raid  commission,  ii    That 

Note  11. — The  first  commission  on  the  Price  raid  claims  was  appointed  by  act  of  legislature 
approved  February  11,  1865  (Session  Laws  1865,  p.  124  ),  and  consisted  of  the  secretary  of  state, 
adjutant-general,  and  attorney-general,  who  were  R.  A.  Barker,  T.  J.  Anderson,  and  J.  D. 
Brumbaugh.  This  commission  audited  and  allowed  Price  raid  claims  to  the  amount  of  $342,145.99. 
By  act  of  1867  (  Session  Laws  1867,  p.  63  )  these  claims  were  assumed  by  the  state  of  Kansas,  and 
scrip,  to  be  known  as  "union  military  scrip,"  was  directed  to  be  issued  to  the  claimants,  dated 
June  1,  1867,  and  bearing  interest  at  seven  per  cent.  This  act  further  provided  that  before  any 
of  these  claims  should  be  settled  or  adjusted  they  should  again  be  referred  to  a  special  committee 
of  three  disinterested  persons  ;  therefore,  under  the  act,  a  second  commission  was  appointed, 
consisting  of  W.  H.  Hanley,  W.  H.  Fitzpatrick.  and  D.  E.  Ballard  :  they  reduced  the  amount  of 
claims  audited  by  the  first  commission  to  $240,258.77.  A  third  commission  was  appointed  under 
an  act  approved  February  17,  1869  ( Session  Laws  1869.  p.  159 ),  to  audit,  settle  and  assume  Price 
raid  claims  rejected  by  the  two  previous  commissions.  The  members  of  this  commission  were 
Levi  Woodard,  David  Whitaker,  and  T.  J.  Taylor;  they  allowe<l  claims  amounting  to  $61,221.87. 
The  legislature  of  1873  ( Session  Laws  1873,  p.  207  )  created  a  fourth  commission,  composed  of  the 
treasurer  and  auditor  of  state,  who  were  to  audit  and  allow  the  claims  of  certain  persons  named 
therein,  the  field  and  staff  officers  of  certain  regiments,  and  such  other  persons  as  might  come 
before  the  commission  whose  claims  had  not  been  already  audited ;  this  commission  audited 
claims  amounting  to  $1360.35.  The  legislature  of  1879  (  Session  Laws  1879.  p.  245 )  appointed  a 
fifth  commission,  to  consist  of  the  governor,  secretary,  auditor  and  treasurer  of  state,  and  the 
attorney-general.  This  commission,  changed  by  successive  elections,  continued  its  work  until 
the  appointment  of  a  commissioner,  J.  C.  Caldwell,  in  1887  i  Session  Laws  1887,  p.  264),  who  was 
to  make  a  "  full  and  complete  statement  in  detail  of  all  the  Price  raid  claims  which  are  unpaid 
and  which  have  been  audited  and  allowed  by  any  commission  heretofore  appointed  by  the  legis- 
lature of  Kansas,  and  upon  which  union  military  scrip  has  been  heretofore  issued,  and  also  all 
claims  not  heretofore  audited  which  may  be  presented  to  him."  In  addition  to  this,  he  was  di- 
rected to  ascertain  and  report  what  claims  would  be  likely  to  be  assumed  and  paid  by  the  United 
States  government.     (  See  Price  Raid  Claims.  Report  of  Auditing  Commissioner,  1887,  pp.  iii,  iv.) 

Under  act  of  Congress  approved  February  2,  1871,  the  secretary  of  war  detailed  three  army 


412  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

commission,  during  his  administration,  passed  upon  a  very  large  number  of 
claims,  and  allowed  and  certified  to  claims  amounting  to  $350,000.  The  gov- 
ernor went  to  Washington,  and  submitted  the  claims  allowed  to  the  secretary 
of  war,  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  who  made  an  examination  of  them  and  promised 
to  submit  them  to  Congress,  with  his  recommendation  advising  payment. 
This  is  the  nearest  the  Price  raid  claims  ever  came  to  being  settled. 

There  was  considerable  building  connected  with  the  public  institutions  of 
the  state  going  on  during  this  administration,  which  required  executive 
supervision— the  foundation  for  the  central  part  of  the  capitol  building,  ad- 
ditions to  the  Insane  Asylum  at  Topeka,  and  the  Blind  Asylum,  at  Olathe, 
the  water-works  at  the  Penitentiary,  and  the  macadam  road  to  the  city  of 
Leavenworth. 

During  this  same  administration  there  arose  a  conflict  between  settlers 
on  the  public  domain  along  the  line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  rail- 
road. Numerous  complaints  came  to  the  governor  from  that  region  to  the 
effect  that  the  railroad  contracts  for  the  sale  of  lands  covered  very  many 
tracts  of  land  which  were  not  included  in  the  grant  to  that  road.  Many  were 
being  embarrassed  in  consequence  in  their  preemption  and  homestead  filings. 
These  matters  were  brought  to  the  attention  of  ex-Governor  Crawford,  the 
ever  watchful  and  faithful  state  agent  of  Kansas  in  Washington,  who 
promptly  took  up  the  matter,  and  secured,  through  the  secretary  of  the 
interior,  a  readjustment  of  the  railway  company's  land  grant,  with  the  re- 
sult of  restoring  to  the  public  domain  1,300,000  acres  of  land  which  the  com- 
pany was  claiming  and  selling. '^ 

The  grant  to  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  was  also  sifted  in  the  same  man- 
ner, and  22,000  acres  which  had  been  claimed  by  that  company  as  a  part  of 
their  grant  was  also  restored  to  the  public  domain. 

During  his  administration  Governor  Glick  made  frequent  visits  to  the 
different  state  institutions,  and  kept  in  close  touch  with  every  part  of  the 
executive  government  of  the  state. 

His  position  was  an  unusual  and  singular  one,  in  that  the  legislature  and 
the  members  of  the  p]xecutive  Council,  who  were  his  associates  in  the  ex- 
ecutive government,  were  Republican,  At  first  the  legislature  manifested 
marked  unfriendliness  and  distrust. 

In  the  making  of  executive  appointments,  which  required  confirmation 
by  the  senate,  that  body  at  first  endeavored  to  control  him.i^    They  refused 

officers,  namely.  Gen.  J.  A.  Hardie.  Col.  J.  D.  Bingham,  and  Col.  T.  H.  Stanton,  to  act  as  a  com- 
mission to  examine  and  audit  the  Price  raid  claims,  and  to  report  the  amount  due  on  the  same. 
In  this  report  the  commission  allowed  no  claims  for  damages,  finding  a  balance  due  the  state  for 
"enrolling,  equipping,  arming,  subsisting,  transporting  and  paying"  of  $337,054.38.  which  sum 
was  appropriated  by  Congress  under  act  of  June  8,  1872,  and  paid  to  the  state,  and  was  dis- 
bursed by  the  state  treasurer,  who,  according  to  the  commissioner's  report,  1887,  did  not  confine 
his  payments  to  the  list  of  claimants  made  by  the  Hardie  commission,  but  paid  $46,414.36  of 
claims  not  allowed,  and  left  unpaid  $19,352.44  of  claims  allowed. 

The  amount  appropriated  under  the  report  of  the  Hardie  commission  is  the  only  appropria- 
tion made  by  the  general  government  for  the  payment  of  the  Price  raid  claims  proper.  (See  re- 
port of  S.  J.  Crawford,  state  agent,  for  the  years  1884.  '88,  '90,  and  '92.)  Other  civil  war  and 
Indian  hostilities  claims  have  been,  for  the  most  part,  adjusted  and  settled  by  the  general  gov- 
ernment, with  the  exception  of  losses  in  Quantrill  raid. 

The  legislature  of  1903  ( Session  Laws  1903,  p.  83  )  provided  for  the  appomtment  of  a  com- 
mission to  examine  and  audit  Price  raid  claims,  and  J.  L.  Allen  was  appointed,  but  no  action 
was  taken  upon  his  report.— John  Francis. 

Note  12.-  Report  of  Samuel  J.  Crawford,  November  28.  1884,  p.  12 ;  1886,  p.  12. 

Note  13.— The  only  difficulty  the  governor  had  with  the  senate,  after  it  found  that  the  offices 
filled  by  his  predecessor  had  become  vacant,  was  over  the  appointment  of  a  member  of  the  State 
Board  of  Charities.  This  became  at  the  time  a  subject  of  good-natured  gossip.  Charles  E. 
Faulkner,  of  Salina,  who  had  been  a  member  of  that  board,  wished  to  be  reappointed.  This  the 
governor  declined  to  do.     The  names  of  four  reputable  German  Republicans  were  sent  to  the 


The  Administration  of  George  W.  Glick.  413 

to  confirm  a  number  of  his  appointments,  not  because  they  were  unfit,  but 
because  many  of  them  thought  that  a  Democrat  had  no  right  to  assume  to 
exercise  the  functions  of  governor,  notwithstanding  the  people  had  conferred 
upon  him  the  powers  of  that  office.  They  intimated  to  him  that  they  were 
willing  to  confirm  persons  whom  they  should  name,  but  he  declined  to  play 
the  puppet.  He  told  them  that  they  would  have  to  confirm  such  nomina- 
tions as  his  judgment  required  him  to  send  in  or  the  offices  would  be  vacant. 
He  adhered  to  this  decision  with  firmness  and  the  senate  finally  conceded 
his  right.  With  the  Republican  members  of  the  Executive  Council  the 
governor's  relations  were  harmonious  and  even  cordial,  and  remained  so  to 
the  end  of  his  term.'-* 

By  profession  Governor  Glick  was  a  lawyer,  and  pursued  the  practice  of 
that  profession  for  many  years  with  honor  and  success;  but  he  was  also  a 
farmer  and  stock-raiser,  in  Atchison  county.  His  interests  and  sympathies 
were  with  the  people,  whom  he  sought  earnestly  to  serve.  He  did  not 
spend  his  time  in  coining  fine  phrases  for  the  amusement  of  the  multitude; 
he  was  direct,  plain,  and  eminently  practical,  and  devoted  himself  to  those 
things  which  made  for  human  well-being  and  contentment. 

senate  in  succession,  and  Mr.  Faulkner  secured  their  rejection.  A  committee  of  senators' 
whether  self-appointed  or  not  the  g-overnor  did  not  know,  called  upon  him  and  urged  the  ap- 
pointment of  Mr.  Faulkner.  At  this  interview  the  governor  called  their  attention  to  the  rejec- 
tion of  four  leading  German  Republicans  in  the  interest  of  a  man  who  appeared  to  be  running 
the  senate  and  was  trying  to  force  his  own  reappointment.  The  governor  told  the  committee 
that  he  was  willing  and  anxious  to  please  the  senators  and  work  in  harmony  with  them  at  all 
times  when  the  interests  of  the  state  were  involved  and  the  dignity  of  the  executive  office  was 
not  involved,  but  that  neither  the  interest  of  the  charitable  institutions  nor  the  self-respect  of 
the  governor  would  permit  him  to  appoint  Mr.  Faulkner.  After  this  interview  the  senate 
passed  a  resolution  asking  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Faulkner.  The  governor  replied  to  this  sub- 
stantially as  he  did  to  the  committee.  Then  another  committee  of  three  senators  called  to  re- 
argue the  matter.  The  governor  finally  told  them  that  he  would  not  under  any  circumstances 
appoint  Faulkner,  and  that  he  would  send  to  the  senate  the  name  of  some  respectable  German 
as  fast  as  one  was  rejected  until  he  had  exhausted  the  names  of  the  German  population  of  the 
state.  Several  senators  then  called  on  the  governor  and  said  that  they  recognized  the  high 
character  of  the  first  appointee  rejected,  and  asked  that  his  name,  August  Bondi,  be  again  sent 
to  the  senate.  The  governor  replied  that  that  would  be  disrespectful  to  the  senate  after  it  had 
rejected  him.  Frank  Schmidt,  an  ex-state  senator,  with  two  other  senators,  called  upon  the 
governor  and  said  that  the  rejection  of  four  reputable  German  Republicans  was  making  trouble, 
and  was  prejudicing  Germans  against  the  Republican  party,  and  asked  that  the  committee  and 
the  governor  might  suggest  a  German  who  would  be  satisfactory.  The  governor  said  he  would 
do  anything  to  please  the  senators,  but  that  the  appointee  must  be  a  German.  Mr.  Schmidt 
then  asked  if  August  Hohn,  of  Marysville,  would  suit.  The  governor  said  "Yes,"  and  Mr. 
Hohn's  name  was  sent  to  the  senate,  and  he  was  unanimously  confirmed.  He  was  a  very  excel- 
lent member  of  the  board. 

Friendly  relations  were  soon  established  between  the  legislative  members  and  the  governor. 
At  the  close  of  the  session,  had  the  body  been  composed  of  the  governor's  political  friends,  no 
Tnore  kindly  feeling  or  profession  of  friendship  could  have  been  manifested.  A  futile  attempt 
■tvas  also  made  to  make  trouble  in  the  Executive  Council,  composed  of  the  governor  and  other 
state  officers.  The  most  amicable  relations,  however,  were  maintained  between  the  governor 
and  the  other  members  of  the  Executive  Council.  The  governor  afterwards  declared  that  had 
all  the  members  been  Democratic  he  could  not  have  been  treated  more  kindly  or  with  more  con- 
sideration. This  was  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  when  the  new  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners 
was  to  be  elected  by  the  Executive  Council  the  Republican  members  proposed  that  the  governor 
be  given  the  privilege  of  naming  a  Democrat,  and  he  named  Hon.  James  Humphrey  as  such 
member.  The  governor  then  proposed  that  he  would  not  vote  in  the  selection  of  the  two  Repub- 
lican members  until  after  some  gentleman  had  received  three  votes,  it  taking  four  votes  to 
elect.  After  several  days'  effort  outside  of  the  council,  and  without  the  vote  of  the  governor, 
the  Republican  members  agreed  on  the  gentlemen  to  be  elected,  and  on  the  final  vote  the  gov- 
ernor voted  with  the  Republicans,  so  that  each  man  elected  should  receive  the  unanimous  vote 
of  the  council. 

Note  14.—  During  the  administration  of  G.  W.  Glick  the  executive  officers  were  :  Lieutenant- 
governor,  D.  W.  Finney ;  secretary  of  state,  James  Smith  ;  auditor,  E.  P.  McCabe ;  treasurer,  S. 
T.  Howe ;  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  H.  C.  Speer  ;  attorney-general,  W.  A.  Johnston  ; 
state  printer,  T.  D.  Thacher ;  secretary  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  Wm.  Sims  ;  secretary  State 
Historical  Society,  F.  G.  Adaros ;  superintendent  of  insurance,  O.  T.  Welch ;  state  librarian,  H. 
J.  Dennis  ;  adjutant-general,  Thomas  Moonlight. 


414  Kansas  StaU  Historical  Society. 


THE  ADMINISTRATIONS  OF  LYMAN  U.  HUMPHREY.  ^ 

Written  by  D.  O.  McCray,^  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

DURING  the  past  seventeen  years  the  people  of  Kansas  have  witnessed 
many  changes  in  the  poHtical  and  material  life  of  the  state.  It  is  my 
pleasing  privilege  to  write  of  conditions  which  prevailed  during  the  years 
1889,  1890,  1891,  and  1892,  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  state  government. 
I  desire  that  this  paper  shall  recite  facts.  The  man  of  whom  I  write  be- 
lieves in  the  unwritten  war-cry  of  the  Republican  party— "Do  right  and 
take  the  consequences."  The  world  is  the  school  in  which  Lyman  U. 
Humphrey  graduated.  His  tutors,  his  professors,  have  been  the  books,  the 
periodicals,  and  the  press.  His  young  manhood  was  inspired  by  the  heroic 
deeds  of  the  men  who  led  victorious  armies  in  the  civil  war,  and  as  a  citizen 
he  has  been  a  student  of  the  statesmen  who  have  advanced  great  American 
policies.  As  a  Kansan  his  name  will  be  inscribed  among  those  who  have 
contributed  much  to  the  material  welfare  of  the  state.  The  private  and 
official  life  of  Governor  Humphrey  has  been  both  useful  and  honorable. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  paper,  I  have  endeavored  to  perform  the  task 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  historian;  so  that,  instead  of  writing  in  the  spirit 
of  eulogy,  I  have  attempted  simply  to  put  on  record,  in  permanent  and  con- 
nected form,  a  plain,  thoughtful  and  impartial  statement,  covering  the  four 
years  of  Governor  Humphrey's  administrations,  based  on  facts  and  data 
scattered  here  and  there  throughout  the  official  records  of  the  years  above 
mentioned.  This  remark  is  due  by  way  of  premise,  because  it  was  my 
pleasure,  during  the  time  covered  by  this  sketch,  to  hold  a  position  of  trust 
and  confidence  in  the  governor's  official  family,  giving  me  peculiar  oppor- 
tunities to  become  familiar  with  the  events  of  his  official  life;  with  his  mul- 

NOTE  1. —  The  eleventh  governor  of  Kansas,  serving  two  terms,  from  1889  to  1893.  He  was 
elected  governor  in  1888,  by  a  vote  as  follows :  Lyman  U.  Humphrey,  180,841 ;  John  Martin,  107,- 
480 ;  P.  P.  Elder,  35,837 ;  J.  D.  Botkin,  6439.  In  1890  the  vote  for  governor  was  as  follows :  L.  U. 
Humphrey.  115,025;  J.  F.  Willits,  106.962;  Charles  Robinson,  71,357:  A.  M.  Richardson,  1230.  In 
1878  he  was  elected  lieutenant-governor  —  Lyman  U.  Humphrey,  76,742  ;  George  Ummethun,  35,- 
447;  Alfred  Taylor,  26,735.  He  was  president  of  the  senate  in  1879.  In  1871  he  was  defeated  for 
the  legislature,  securing  475  votes  to  523  for  B.  F.  Devore,  his  defeat  being  occasioned  by  his  op- 
position to  an  issue  of  $200,000  of  railroad  bonds.  In  1876  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature  by 
the  people  of  Montgomery  county  by  a  vote  of.  Lyman  U.  Humphrey.  625 ;  W.  A.  McCuIley,  373  ; 
L.  B.  Hosford,  97.  In  1884  he  received  2919  votes  for  state  senator  to  2317  for  W.  A.  McCulley 
and  323  for  Gilbert  Domini.  In  1892  Mr.  Humphrey  was  a  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  third 
district,  and  was  defeated,  receiving  a  vote  of  21,594.  to  23,998  for  T.  J.  Hudson.  At  the  same 
election  Wm.  J.  Bryan  received  the  electoral  vote  of  the  state  by  a  plurality  of  about  5800.  Gov- 
ernor Humphrey  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio,  July  25,  1844.  He  had  just  entered  the  high 
school  at  Massillon,  when  the  war  interrupted  his  studies.  October  7,  1861,  he  was  mustered  as 
a  private  in  company  I,  Seventy-sixth  Ohio  infantry,  and,  after  service  in  companies  D  and  E  of 
the  same  regiment,  was  mustered  out  July  15,  1865,  as  first  lieutenant  of  company  I.  Upon  his  re- 
turn from  the  army  he  entered  Mount  Union  College,  and,  shortly  after,  the  law  department  of 
the  University  of  Michigan.  In  1868  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of  Ohio.  He  lived 
for  a  short  time  in  Shelby  county,  Missouri,  and  assisted  in  editing  a  Republican  paper.  On  ar- 
riving in  Kansas  he  opened  a  law  office  at  Indtpendence,  and  became  interested  in  the  Independ- 
ence Tribune.     December  25,  1872,  he  married  Miss  Amanda  Leonard. 

Note  2.— David  Owen  McCray  was  born  in  Caldwell  county,  Missouri,  March  10,  1855.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  his  native  place.  He  served  an  apprenticeship 
to  the  printing  business,  and  in  1877  settled  in  Lyon  county,  Kansas,  and  began  the  publication 
of  the  Hartford  Enterprise.  In  a  few  months  he  moved  to  Parkerville,  Morris  county,  and  pub- 
lished the  Enterprise.  July  1,  1878,  he  established  the  MoPherson  County  Ereeman.  In  1887-'89 
he  was  managing  editor  of  the  Topeka  Capital.  From  1889  to  1893  he  was  executive  clerk  to 
Governor  Humphrey.  Since  1893  he  has  represented  various  Eastern  newspapers  as  Kansas 
correspondent.  For  five  years  past  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Text-book  Commission. 
He  was  married  at  Hamilton,  Caldwell  county,  Missouri,  to  Miss  Carrie  L.  Stevens.  Their  home 
is  in  Topeka. 


The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humphrey.  415 


LYMAN  U.  HUMPHREY. 
Eleventh  Governor  of  Kansas. 


tiplied  difficulties  and  experiences,  care  and  responsibility,  in  the  performance 
of  perplexing  duties  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  chief  executive  of  a  great 
state,  as  he  contends  to-day  with  the  selfishness,  arrogance  and  ambitions 
of  politicians  in  the  exercise  of  appointing  power,  and  to-morrow  with  the 
unreasonable  importunities  of  interested  friends  in  connection  with  the  par- 
doning power,  and  the  general  run  of  state  affairs  that  bring  their  daily 
round  of  trying  and  perplexing  tasks  to  the  governor's  office. 

To  one  who  has  had  my  opportunity  to  observe  these  experiences  at 
close  range  behind  the  scenes,  the  number  of  one-term  governors  is  not  sur- 
prising. Neither  is  there  anything  strange  in  the  fact  that  most  of  them, 
at  the  end  of  their  official  career,  lay  down  the  burden  gladly,  but  with  a 
feeling  of  disappointment  and  wonder  that  they  should  have  ever  striven 
for  the  honor  of  the  place  at  such  a  cost  of  toil  and  trouble.  The  governor's 
office  is  anything  but  a  bed  of  roses. 

It  may  be  observed  by  way  of  introduction,  because  not  generally  known, 
that,  though  elected  governor  in  his  forty-fourth  year.  Governor  Humphrey 


416  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

brought  to  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  office  a  long  and  honorable  ex- 
perience in  public  affairs— including  four  years,  from  seventeen  years  of  age 
to  twenty-one  years  of  age,  in  the  army  with  Grant  and  Sherman,  attaining 
the  rank  of  first  lieutenant,  commanding  a  company;  two  years'  service  as 
member  of  the  house  of  representatives;  four  years  in  the  state  senate; 
four  years  as  lieutenant-governor;  which,  with  his  four  years  as  governor, 
makes  a  total  of  eighteen  years  of  public  duty  faithfully  performed.  As 
history  and  biography  are  inseparable,  it  may  be  proper  here  to  mention 
that,  though  he  never  boasted  of  his  military  service,  probably  no  man  in 
Kansas  has  a  more  brilliant  army  record,  considering  the  fact  that  his  four 
years  of  army  service  were  completed  with  the  close  of  the  war  and  before  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  majority.  With  his  splendid  regiment,  the  Seventy- 
sixth  Ohio  volunteer  infantry,  first  brigade,  first  division,  fifteenth  army 
corps,  he  participated  in  twenty-seven  battles,  sieges,  and  minor  engage- 
ments, including  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas 
Post,  Jackson,  Champion  Hills,  Black  River  Bridge,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg, 
the  forced  march  from  Memphis  to  Chattanooga,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  and  Ringgold  (where  he  was  wounded),  Resaca,  New  Hope 
Church,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  the  battle  of  Atlanta  (July  22,  1864),  Ezra 
Chapel,  Jonesboro,  Lovejoy  Station,  the  march  to  the  sea.  Savannah,  the 
campaign  through  the  Carolinas,  ending  with  the  battle  of  Bentonville,  the 
surrender  of  Johnston's  army,  and  the  close  of  the  war.  Entering  the  service 
as  a  seventeen-year-old  boy,  without  influence,  sending  his  monthly  wages 
home  to  support  his  widowed  mother,  by  faithful  service  he  was  rapidly  pro- 
moted to  first  sergeant  of  his  company,  and,  on  the  special  recommendation 
of  his  colonel,  later  promoted  to  second  and  first  lieutenant,  commanding  a 
company,  as  evidenced  by  the  two  commissions  from  Gov.  John  Brough,  of 
Ohio,  hanging  on  the  walls  of  his  library  at  Independence,  the  first  one  dated 
during  his  nineteenth  year. 

I  have  here  recorded  this  most  creditable  statement  of  facts  because 
not  generally  known,  especially  to  the  younger  people  and  politicians  of  the 
state,  and  never  exploited  by  the  governor  himself,  either  publicly  or  other- 
wise, whose  modesty  and  retiring  disposition  are  peculiar  traits  of  his  charac- 
ter well  known  to  his  intimate  friends.  As  a  boy  soldier  he  faced  the  perils 
of  battle  on  many  fields,  and,  later,  equally  trying  duties  in  civil  life  as  an 
editor,  lawyer,  legislator,  and  governor,  without  fiinching  or  faltering. 
Governor  Humphrey  never  boasted,  seldom  alluded  to  his  long  and  honorable 
service,  never  exploited  his  record,  never  broke  into  the  newspapers,  em- 
ployed no  press  agents,  shrinking  from  that  publicity  so  fondly  courted  by 
others;  in  fact,  has  avoided  public  functions  so  completely  that  he  has  not 
visited  Topeka  since  quitting  office,  in  1893.  His  voluntary  and  complete  re- 
tirement from  public  affairs  and  public  notice  has  subjected  him  to  unjust 
and  disparaging'criticisms  on  the  part  of  flippant  newspaper  paragraphers, 
without  retort  or  reply,  feeling  that  in  time  the  record  of  his  life  in  war  and 
peace  would  do  him  justice. 

Governor  Humphrey  was  nominated  as  the  Republican  candidate  for 
governor  on  July  25,  1888,3  hjg  forty-fourth  birthday  and  (the  coincidence  is 
worth  mentioning)  was  elected  November  6,  of  the  same  year,  being  his 
mother's  birthday.     His  associates  on  the  state  ticket  were :    William  A, 

Note  3.—  Nominated  on  the  third  ballot,  by  a  vote  of  226  to  192  for  several  others.  The  first 
ballot  stood  111  for  Humphrey  and  SOhis  for  A.  W.  Smith. 


The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humphrey.  'ill 

Johnston,  associate  justice;  Andrew  J.  Felt,  lieutenant-governor;  William 
Higgins,  secretary  of  state;  James  W.  Hamilton,  treasurer  of  state;  Tim. 
McCarthy,  auditor  of  state;  L.  B.  Kellogg,  attorney-general;  George  W. 
Winans,  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  The  opposing  candidates  for 
governor  were:  John  Martin,  Democrat;  P.  P.  Elder,  Union  Labor;  J.  D. 
Botkin,  Prohibition.  It  being  a  national  campaign,  Benjamin  Harrison  was 
the  Republican  candidate  for  president  against  Grover  Cleveland,  Democrat. 
After  a  most  thorough  and  vigorous  canvass  of  the  state,  in  which  the  tariff 
question  was  the  leading  issue,  aside  from  state  questions.  Governor  Hum- 
phrey was  elected  by  the  largest  plurality  ever  given  to  a  candidate  in  Kan- 
sas before  or  since,  carrying  every  county  in  the  state  except  two,  Leaven- 
worth and  Ellis.  His  exact  plurality  was  73,361,  and  his  majority  over 
Martin,  Elder,  and  Botkin,  was  31,080.  Thirty-nine  of  the  forty  state  sen- 
ators elected  in  1888  were  Republicans,  and  only  two  counties— Leavenworth 
and  Ellis— returned  Democratic  members  of  the  house.  Governor  Humphrey 
was  duly  inaugurated,  with  the  usual  ceremonies,  January  15,  1889. 

The  legislature  had  convened  a  week  prior  to  the  induction  into  office  of 
the  new  governor,  something  that  had  never  before  occurred  in  the  state's 
history,  resulting  from  the  peculiar  provision  of  the  constitution  on  that 
subject,  as  interestingly  explained  in  the  opening  paragraph  of  Governor 
Humphrey's  first  message,  as  follows: 

"To  the  Legislature:  The  provisions  of  the  constitution  fix  the  second 
Monday  in  January  as  the  commencement  of  the  executive  term,  and  the 
second  Tuesday  in  January  as  the  day  on  which  the  legislature  shall  convene 
in  regular  session;  contemplating  that  the  two  events  shall  always  occur  on 
consecutive  days.  By  reason  of  an  exceptional  and  unforeseen  condition  of 
things,  the  order  of  the  dates  thus  fixed  has  this  year  been  reversed,  and 
you  have  been  in  session  six  days.  The  duty  also  enjoined  by  the  constitu- 
tion upon  the  executve  at  the  commencement  of  each  session,  to  communi- 
cate information  and  recommend  such  measures  as  he  may  deem  expedient, 
has  been  performed  by  my  immediate  predecessor,  whose  term  expired  but 
yesterday. 

' '  Such  an  event  has  not  occurred  before  under  like  conditions  in  the 
state's  history.  The  incident  of  dates  occurred  in  1867,  but  the  governor 
then  elect  was  his  own  successor,  and  in  1895  a  condition  similar  to  the  pres- 
ent will  exist  unless  the  then  governor  shall  succeed  himself.^  This  unan- 
ticipated state  of  affairs  is  suggestive  of  the  need  of  constitutional  revision, 
and  prompts  the  inquiry,  whether  it  would  not  be  well  to  provide  by  law  that 
the  outgoing  governor  shall,  in  all  cases,  prepare  and  leave  with  his  succes- 
sor, to  be  delivered  to  the  legislature,  a  message  reviewing  the  condition  of 
state  affairs  since  the  last  preceding  regular  session  of  that  body,  with  such 
suggestions  and  recommendations  as  he  may  deem  expedient.  His  experi- 
ence necessarily  gives  him  a  familiarity  with  the  various  interests  of  the 
commonwealth,  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  condition  and  business  re- 
quirements of  its  institutions,  and  thoroughness  of  information  in  all  matters 
of  public  concern.  This  information  should  be  communicated  to  the  legisla- 
ture as  early  as  possible  after  its  organization,  and  it  would  seem  appropriate 
to  devolve  that  duty  upon  the  retiring  governor.  For  this  practice  we  have 
a  precedent  in  the  valuable  retiring  message  of  my  distinguished  predeces- 

NoTE  4.  — This  coincidence  mnst  happen  occasionally,  according  to  the  calendar.  In  1867, 
Gov.  Samuel  J.  Crawford  was  his  own  successor.  In  1901  it  happened,  and  William  E.  Stanley 
was  his  own  successor.  In  1895  the  legislature  met  on  the  8th  of  January,  and  on  the  9th  Gov.  L.  D. 
Lewelling  delivered  his  message  (pages  22  to  47,  House  Journal).  Monday,  the  14th  of  January, 
Gov.  E.  N.  Morrill  was  inaugurated,  and  on  the  15th  delivered  a  message.  (  House  Journal,  pp. 
89-116.)  January  16,  1879,  Gov.  John  P.  St.  John  sent  a  message  to  the  legislature  ( pages  64-8l] 
House  Journal )  and  on  the  6th  of  February  he  submitted  a  message  from  Gov.  George  T.  An- 
thony, the  retiring  executive.     ( House  Journal,  pp.  306-326.) 

-27 


418  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

sor,  Gov.  George  T.  Anthony,  transmitted  to  the  legislature  on  the  7th  day 
of  February,  1879,  by  his  successor— a  precedent  that  should  have  the  sanc- 
tion of  law.'"' 

On  January  16  the  governor  sent  his  first  message  to  the  legislature. 
Governor  Martin,  whose  term,  as  above  explained,  overlapped  the  legis- 
lative session  by  one  week,  had  delivered  a  message  of  his  own,  so  that, 
with  two  messages  before  them,  one  from  the  retiring  and  the  other  from 
the  incoming  executive,  the  legislature  was  abundantly  supplied  with  rec- 
ommendations and  suggestions  touching  the  work  before  them.  Governor 
Humphrey's  long  service  in  the  Kansas  legislature  and  as  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor had  made  him  familiar  with  the  duties  of  the  office  and  the  general 
affairs  of  state.  The  message  was  completed  at  Independence,  in  his  own 
hand,  before  coming  to  Topeka,  except  some  slight  amendments  and  alter- 
ations made  at  the  capitol  before  sending  it  to  the  printer.  The  original 
copy  is  still  preserved  as  an  answer  to  the  cheap  and  antiquated  jest  of  cer- 
tain cynics  about  governors'  messages  being  written  by  others.  Governor 
Humphrey  needed  no  one  to  do  this  work  for  him.  With  his  legislative 
service,  his  editorial  experience,  and  twenty  years'  practice  as  a  lawyer, 
few  men  excelled  him  in  ability  to  write  good,  strong,  clear  English,  as  his 
messages  and  state  papers  abundantly  prove. 

This  message  was  a  thorough  and  comprehensive  review  of  state  affairs, 
with  many  recommendations  in  the  way  of  new  legislation,  showing  a  strong 
grasp  of  the  duties  of  his  office,  derived  from  his  long  public  service  and 
consequent  familiarity  with  everything  pertaining  to  his  position,  which  be- 
came apparent  from  the  first  day  that  he  assumed  office,  with  all  of  its  try- 
ing tasks  and  responsibilities.  Among  other  topics  more  or  less  important, 
the  message  recommended  legislation  in  behalf  of  labor;  in  further  restraint 
of  trusts  and  monopoly ;  a  reduction  of  interest  rates  and  the  prevention  of 
usury;  in  the  interest  of  soldiers  and  sailors  of  Kansas;  in  further  support 
of  prohibition  as  the  settled  policy  of  the  state;  a  more  rigid  supervision  of 
state  charitable  institutions,  with  power  in  the  governor  of  summary  sus- 
pension and  removal  of  officers  connected  with  such  institutions  in  case  of 
gross  neglect  or  proved  misconduct;  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  taxa- 
tion for  the  support  of  municipal  government  was  the  only  burden  of  which 
the  people  have  just  cause  to  complain,  the  state  tax  being  merely  nominal 
and  scarcely  appreciable.  The  governor,  in  most  vigorous  terms,  urged  the 
legislature  to  restrict  the  power  of  municipalities  to  vote  bonds  in  aid  of 
railroads  and  other  like  purposes,  and  to  minimize,  so  far  as  possible,  the 
growing  evil  of  excessive  local  taxation.  This  was  a  question  of  so  great 
importance  to  the  people,  because  of  the  wild  and  reckless  voting  of  bonds 
in  aid  of  railroads  and  other  corporations,  that  I  quote  from  Governor 
Humphrey's  message,  as  follows: 

"All  this  criticism  of  municipal  government  and  taxation  must  not  go 
without  important  qualification,  complimentary  to  the  generosity,  enterprise, 
and  intelligence,  if  not  to  the  prudence  and  foresight,  of  the  people,  who 
have  absolute  control  in  all  these  matters  of  local  concern.  The  10,000  free 
schools  and  magnificent  schoolhouses  account  for  a  very  considerable  share 
of  this  local  taxation,  of  which  no  Kansan  ever  complains,  nor  offers  a  word 
in  extenuation.  The  9000  miles  of  railroad  in  opei?al  ion  in  the  state  tell  of 
millions  and  millions  of  bonds  voted  in  aid  of  their  construction.     These  rail- 

NOTE  5. —  Gov.  John  A.  Martin's  message  ( pages  36  to  63,  House  Journal  1889) ;  Governor 
Humphrey's  message  ( pages  126  to  154,  House  Journal  1889). 


The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humphrey.  419 

roads  the  Kansan  regards  as  an  educational  force,  operating  on  parallel 
lines  with  the  schoolhouse,  the  press,  and  the  telegraph,  stimulating  inter- 
course and  activity  in  the  multiplied  fields  of  human  endeavor  among  a 
people  widely  dispersed  over  a  territory  an  empire  in  extent.  But  our  just 
pride  in  this  direction  is  tempered  by  a  glance  at  our  receipts  for  local 
taxes,  a  semiannual  reminder  of  that  inflexible  law  of  compensation  that 
runs  throughout  all  the  relations  of  life,  politics  included." 

The  governor,  in  this  message,  calls  attention  for  the  first  time  to  the 
laxness  of  our  law  relating  to  the  organization  of  corporations  and  the  re- 
sulting abuses,  and  advises  corrective  measures  on  the  subject,  including  a 
corporation  franchise  tax,  except  corporations  for  religious,  charitable  or 
educational  purposes.  It  remained,  however,  for  a  Populist  legislature, 
several  years  later,  to  carry  this  wise  recommendation  into  effect.  The 
governor's  message  was  also  the  origin  of  our  state  banking  law,  a  most 
important  and  valuable  act  of  legislation  to  the  business  interests  of  the 
state.  The  legislature,  at  its  next  session,  followed  the  governor's  message 
urging  the  passage  of  a  state  banking  law,  providing  for  a  thorough  and 
effective  supervision  of  state  banks,  with  the  appointment  of  a  state  bank 
commissioner,  to  which  position  the  governor  appointed  Charles  F.  Johnson, 
of  Oskaloosa. 

The  message  urged  the  legislature  to  strengthen  the  hands  of  the  rail- 
road commissioners  by  conferring  on  that  board  additional  powers;  also,  to 
reduce  the  cost  of  state  printing;  further  safeguarding  the  lives  and  health 
of  miners;  to  revise  the  law  relating  to  capital  punishment;  for  the  relief 
of  the  supreme  court,  through  a  constitutional  amendment  increasing  the 
number  of  judges,  which  has  since  been  wisely  done. 

A  glance  at  the  Session  Laws  of  1889  will  show  that  the  legislature  of 
that  year  was  an  able  and  industrious  body.  In  addition  to  the  election  of  a 
state  printer  and  United  States  senator,  by  returning  P.  B.  Plumb,  and 
aside  from  the  usual  and  apparently  inevitable  grist  of  purely  local  or 
special  measures,  it  enacted  many  valuable  and  important  laws  of  a  general 
character.  It  gave  careful  heed  to  the  message  of  the  governor,  passing 
laws  covering  many  of  his  recommendations,  and  others,  of  course,  not 
recommended. 

As  a  body,  the  legislature  of  1889  ranks  well  in  ability  and  fidelity  to 
duty  with  the  best  in  the  state's  legislative  history,  and  a  glance  at  the 
personnel  of  its  members  will  disclose  many  who  have  since  attained  to 
higher  positions— legislative,  judicial,  state,  and  federal. 

It  is  worthy  of  special  mention  that,  from  the  beginning  of  his  admin- 
istration to  the  end,  the  relation  between  the  governor's  office  and  the  leg- 
islature, as  well  as  the  supreme  court,  constituting  the  coordinate  branches 
of  the  state  government,  were  most  cordial,  on  the  basis  of  mutual  respect 
and  confidence  that  should  ever  exist  between  them.  Not  a  single  appoint- 
ment of  Governor  Humphrey's  failed  of  confirmation  by  the  senate  during 
his  two  terms.  The  same  cordial  relations  likewise  existed  between  the 
governor  and  his  associate  officers,  and  their  deliberations  as  members  of 
the  Executive  Council  were  always  pleasant  and  free  from  personal  or  fac- 
tional divisions  and  strife.  There  were  no  "boss  busters"  then;  there  was 
no  "machine";  the  only  "faction"  in  Kansas  was  the  Republican  party, 
and  it  was  aggressive  and  progressive. 

Appointments.— As   with  every  new    administration.    Governor   Hum- 


420  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

phrey  began  early  to  consider  and  dispose  of  appointments  to  the  numerous 
positions  in  connection  with  the  state  government  as  fast  as  vacancies  oc- 
curred. With  the  apparently  inevitable  aftermath  of  disappointments, 
criticism  and  faultfinding  among  the  unsuccessful  applicants  and  their 
friends,  with  a  few  cases  of  ingratitude  or  indifference  on  the  part  of  fa- 
vored ones,  the  exercise  of  appointing  power  is  ever  a  fruitful  source  of 
care  and  perplexity  to  every  chief  executive,  no  matter  how  carefully  or 
conscientiously  he  may  perform  the  unwelcome  task.  It  is  the  rock  on  which 
more  than  one  otherwise  promising  administration  has  been  wrecked. 

The  legislature  of  1889  created  six  new  judicial  districts,  to  accommodate 
the  large  population  which  had  recently  settled  in  the  western  portion  of  the 
state.  This  called  for  the  appointment  of  six  district  judges  at  once  for  the 
newly  created  districts.  With  from  two  or  three  to  half  a  dozen  candidates 
for  each  of  these  appointments,  and  all  of  them  present  in  Topeka,  each 
with  his  active  supporters  also  on  the  ground,  zealously  urging  the  claims 
of  their  favorites,  one  can  readily  imagine  the  trouble  and  trials  that  fell  to 
the  lot  of  the  governor  until  the  six  new  judges  had  been  appointed.  One 
or  two  vacancies  on  the  district  bench  occurred  by  resignation  or  death  in 
other  parts  of  the  state,  and  new  courts  had  been  created  by  the  legislature 
in  several  of  the  larger  cities,  like  Topeka,  Wichita,  and  Kansas  City,  Kan., 
calling  for  as  many  more  judicial  appointments  by  the  governor,  to  which 
must  be  further  added  the  appointment  of  three  supreme  court  commission- 
ers, making,  in  all,  nearly  a  dozen  important  judicial  appointments  in  the  very 
beginning  of  his  administration.  As  a  lawyer  himself,  the  governor  exer- 
cised great  care  in  these  appointments,  and  it  is  sufficient  proof  of  the  ex- 
cellence of  his  judgment  in  these  matters  to  state  that  of  these  numerous 
appointees  to  the  district  bench  or  the  courts  specially  created,  as  above 
stated,  the  appointees  selected  in  every  instance  were  in  due  time  nominated 
and  elected  by  the  people  in  their  several  districts,  with  the  single  exception 
of  John  H.  Ritter,  of  the  eleventh  judicial  district,  who,  though  nominated 
by  the  Republicans,  was  beaten  by  J.  D.  McCue,  supported  by  a  fusion  of 
the  entire  opposition  to  the  Republican  party,  then,  and  for  some  years  later, 
in  a  hopeless  minority  in  that  district.  Most  of  the  judges  so  appointed  held 
their  places  for  a  long  time,  some  of  them  being  still  on  the  bench,  while 
others  have  been  promoted  to  higher  honors  in  the  service  of  the  state  or 
the  United  States.  Theo.  Botkin,  after  he  had  been  appointed  and  later 
elected,  and  after  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  impeach  him  before  the  senate, 
sitting  as  a  court  of  impeachment,  resigned  voluntarily  after  his  acquittal, 
and  William  E.  Hutchison  was  appointed  in  his  place,  which  he  still  holds. 
During  Governor  Humphrey's  first  term,  J.  W.  Hamilton,  state  treasurer, 
resigned,  and  WiUiam  Sims  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy.  D.  W.  Wilder 
completed  his  term  of  office  as  superintendent  of  insurance  during  Governor 
Humphrey's  term,  and  W.  H.  McBride  was  appointed  to  succeed  him. 

Though  out  of  its  order  in  point  of  time,  it  may  here  be  stated  that  the 
unfortunate  death  of  Senator  Plumb  during  the  governor's  second  term  de- 
volved upon  him  the  most  trying  duty  of  appointing  a  successor,  which  was 
done  in  the  choice  of  Bishop  W.  Perkins.  It  was  out  of  the  question  for  the 
governor  to  consider  the  choice  of  a  successor  until  the  remains  of  the  de- 
ceased senator  had  been  brought  to  Emporia  from  Washington  for  inter- 
ment, which  occupied  fully  a  week  of  time.  Meanwhile,  however,  half  a 
dozen  or  more  candidates  had  actively  entered  the  field,  opening  headquar- 


The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humphrey.  421 

ters  at  Topeka,  which  soon  took  on  all  the  features  of  an  animated  contest, 
to  the  sore  regret  and  embarrassment  of  the  governor,  heightened  by  the 
fact  that  the  list  of  applicants  included  several  of  his  most  intimate  per- 
sonal and  political  friends  of  distinguished  ability  and  merit,  so  that  the  se- 
lection of  either  meant  the  chagrin  and  bitter  disappointment  of  others. 
Though  he  was  not  an  applicant,  and  was  earnestly  urging  the  appointment 
of  Maj.  J.  K.  Hudson,  who  was  not  appointed,  the  governor  inclined  strongly 
to  the  selection  of  George  R.  Peck,  on  the  score  of  his  eminent  ability  and 
the  long  and  close  friendship  between  them  from  the  early  days  of  Inde- 
pendence, where  they  had  located  in  1871  as  young  lawyers,  starting  together 
in  search  of  fortune  and  whatever  of  honor  and  fame  might  come  to  them. 
In  fact,  the  governor  tendered  the  place  to  Mr.  Peck,  who  declined  it  on  the 
ground  of  his  professional  engagements  as  a  lawyer,  which  he  could  not  af- 
ford to  abandon  even  for  the  senatorship,  however  tempting  it  had  been  in 
his  earlier  ambitions.  The  governor  realized  that  the  appointment  of  either 
Hudson,  Ady,  Morrill  or  any  other  of  the  applicants  would  have  been  well 
justified  in  point  of  ability  and  character;  but  only  one  could  be  chosen,  and 
after  the  most  careful  and  conscientious  consideration  of  the  situation,  he 
finally  appointed  Judge  Bishop  W.  Perkins,^  not  from  personal  choice  nor 
from  consideration  of  pohtical  advantage  to  himself,  but  in  view  of  his  long 
experience  on  the  bench  and  in  Congress,  eminently  quahfying  him  to  serve 
the  people  of  Kansas  in  the  senate.  If  ever  a  governor  yielded  to  the  wishes 
of  the  majority,  as  was  evidenced  in  the  support  of  Judge  Perkins,  Governor 
Humphrey  did,  for  I  personally  know  that  if  he  had  followed  his  own  desires 
in  the  matter,  another  would  have  been  named  for  United  States  senator. 

In  due  time  all  the  appointments  incident  to  the  inauguration  of  a  new 
state  administration  were  made.  Despite  the  inevitable  criticism  and  dis- 
appointments in  such  cases,  a  glance  at  the  personnel  of  some  of  the  list  of 
the  Humphrey  administration  will  disclose  that,  as  a  rule,  the  men  were 
wisely  chosen,  with  a  view  to  their  character  and  fitness  for  the  duties  they 
were  to  discharge;  in  which  regard,  as  in  others,  comparison  may  be  freely 
invited  with  any  state  administration  before  or  since.  With  ex-Governor 
Anthony,  Judge  James  Humphrey,  and  A.  R.  Greene,  railroad  commis- 
sioners; Gen.  J.  C.  Caldwell  at  the  head  of  the  Board  of  Pardons;  D.  W. 
Wilder  and,  later,  W.  H.  McBride,  superintendent  of  insurance;  J.  N. 
Roberts,  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war  and  a  splendid  business  man,  adjutant- 
general;  William  Martindale,  D.  E.  Cornell,  W.  H.  McBride,  J.  S.  Gilmore, 
H.  V.  Rice,  directors,  and  George  H.  Case,  warden,  in  charge  of  the  Peni- 
tentiary; L.  K.  Kirk,  W.  W.  Miller,  T.  F.  Rhodes,  R.  F.  Bond,  H.  B. 
Kelly,  and  W.  T.  Yoe,  managing  the  state  charitable  institutions;  M.  C. 
Kelley,  oil  inspector;  Charles  F.  Johnson,  bank  commissioner;  T.  A.  Mc- 
Neal,  J.  S.  McDowell,  and  others,  in  charge  of  the  State  Reformatory; 
John   Stewart,  mine  inspector;  Charles    S.  Gleed,  Charles    F.  Scott,  D.  A. 

Note  6.— Bishop  W.  Perkins  was  born  at  Rochester,  Lorain  county.  Ohio,  October  18.  1842. 
He  attended  Knox  ColleKe.  at  Galesburg.  111.,  for  two  years.  In  1860  he  went  to  Colorado  and 
engaged  in  mining-  at  California  Gulch.  He  made  a  tour  through  New  Mexico,  was  engaged  as 
a  laborer,  and  in  the  grocery  business  at  Fair  Play  diggings.  In  January,  1862.  he  returned  to 
Illinois,  and,  in  July,  enlisted  in  company  D,  Eighty-third  Illinois  infantry,  and  served  until  May. 
1866.  He  studied  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  July,  1867.  In  April,  1869,  he  moved  to 
Kansas  and  settled  at  Oswego.  In  November,  1867,  he  was  elected  probate  judge,  and  reelected 
in  1872.  February,  1873,  Governor  Osborn  appointed  him  judge  of  the  eleventh  judicial  district, 
in  which  position  he  served  ten  years,  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  the  forty-eighth  Congress,  serv- 
ing through  the  forty-ninth,  fiftieth,  and  fifty-first.  He  served  as  United  States  senator  two 
years.     He  died  June  20,  1894. 


422  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Valentine,  C.  R.  Mitchell,  and  others,  regents  of  the  State  University;  A. 
P.  Forsythe,  Jno.  E.  Hessin,  Joshua  Wheeler,  and  others,  regents  of  the 
State  Agricultural  College;  S.  H.  Dodge,  C.  W.  Hull,  H.  D.  Dickson,  and 
others,  regents  of  the  State  Normal  School.  These  are  a  few  of  the  ap- 
pointees to  various  positions  under  the  Humphrey  administrations.  It  may 
be  said  that  all  those  connected  with  the  state  government  were  men  of  the 
highest  standing  for  integrity  and  ability,  which  was  an  assurance  of  a 
clean  and  faithful  administration  of  affairs.  The  gratifying  result  was  that 
during  Governor  Humphrey's  entire  four  years  the  institutions  of  the  state 
were  conducted  in  a  dignified  and  business-like  manner,  without  the 
slightest  friction,  and  absolutely  free  from  scandal  and  abuses. 

Prohibition.  —  Regarding  Governor  Humphrey's  attitude  on  the  subject 
of  temperance  in  general  and  prohibition  in  particular,  it  may  be  said  that, 
while  he  never  indulged  in  loud  professions,  he  stood  rigidly  for  the  enforce- 
ment of  the  prohibitory  liquor  law  as  well  as  all  others  on  the  statute-books. 
As  a  member  of  the  legislature,  he  supported  all  measures  looking  to  prac- 
tical temperance  reform  without  hypocritical  cant  or  ostentation.  In  both 
of  the  campaigns  for  governor,  the  platform  declared  openly  for  prohibition. 
In  his  campaign  speeches,  while  not  making  it  the  leading  feature,  he  always 
referred  to  it  with  emphatic  approval,  without  dodging  or  flinching,  and  in 
his  legislative  messages  he  declared  "prohibition  is  the  settled  policy  of  the 
state,"  adding  that  "resubmission  as  an  issue  in  Kansas  is  as  dead  as 
slavery,  and  the  saloon  as  a  factor  in  our  state  politics  has  been  outlawed 
and  made  a  fugitive  and  vagabond  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  so  far  as 
Kansas  is  concerned." 

Police  Commissioners.— As  a  member  of  the  state  senate  from  1884  to 
1888,  Governor  Humphrey  had  supported  the  act  to  place  the  police  affairs 
of  all  cities  of  the  first  class  in  the  hands  of  police  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  governor,  and  removable  at  his  pleasure.''  The  first  act  of  the  kind 
left  it  optional  with  the  governor  whether  to  appoint  such  boards  or  not. 
Governor  Humphrey,  on  assuming  office,  found  that  his  predecessor  had  ex- 
ercised this  power  in  Leavenworth  and  Wichita  only.  He  had  supported 
the  measure  in  the  senate  on  general  principles,  believing  it  to  be  the  best 
way  of  governing  such  cities.  It  was  and  is  in  force  in  the  cities  of  many 
other  states,  and  was  not,  as  some  erroneously  supposed,  invented  here  for 
the  special  purpose  of  enforcing  prohibition  in  Kansas.  Accordingly,  early 
in  his  first  term  he  declared  his  purpose  to  apply  the  law  without  discrimi- 
nation to  all  cities  of  the  first  class,  on  the  broad  ground  that  if  good  for 
one  it  should  be  for  the  others,  and  proceeded  to  appoint  police  commis- 
sioners for  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  Topeka,  Atchison,  and  Fort  Scott,  in  addition 
to  Wichita  and  Leavenworth,  thereby  incurring,  as  he  expected,  the  hos- 
tility of  the  so-called  liberal  element  in  such  cities,  knowing  also  full  well 
that  it  meant  the  loss  of  the  so-called  whisky  vote  in  such  cities,  which,  in 
fact,  occurred  in  the  election  of  1890.  In  Topeka  the  board  consisted  of  P.  I. 
Bonebrake,  Dr.  F.  S.  McCabe,  and  Charles  F.  Spencer,  who  governed  the 
police  affairs  of  this  city  four  years  so  efficiently  and  smoothly  as  to  attract 
favorable  comment  throughout  the  country.  Many  visitors  from  other  states 
to  Topeka  during  Governor  Humphrey's  term  told  me  this  was  the  cleanest 

Note  7.—  The  metropolitan  police  system  was  established  by  the  legislature  of  1887  (Session 
Laws  of  1887,  ch.  100,  p.  142  ).  It  was  abolished  by  the  special  session  of  1898  (Session  Laws  of 
1898,  ch.  5,  p.  22). 


The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humphrey.  423 

and  best  policed  city  of  its  size  in  the  world.  The  same  was  in  a  measur 
true  of  Fort  Scott,  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  and  Atchison,  but  in  Leavenworth 
and  Wichita  local  sentiment  was  so  generally  hostile  to  prohibition,  and  the 
police  boards  encountered  such  vigorous  opposition  in  their  efforts  to  sup- 
press liquor-selling,  gambling  and  kindred  offenses  that  the  plan  of  govern- 
ing these  cities  by  the  police-board  system  was  in  the  main  unsuccessful, 
although  the  governor's  appointees  on  such  boards  were  men  of  the  highest 
integrity  and  standing  in  the  communities,  and  well-known  friends  of  law 
enforcement.  These  included  the  names  of  ex-Governor  Stanley  and  Doctor 
Lewis,  of  Wichita;  J.  L.  Abernathy,  George  A.  Eddy,  WilHam  Fairchilds, 
and  Col.  D.  R.  Anthony,  of  Leavenworth. 

The  police  affairs  of  all  these  cities  of  the  first  class  were  by  this  plan 
brought  into  the  governor's  office,  and  the  constant  friction  and  wrangling 
resulting  from  the  attempt  to  enforce  prohibition  there  was  a  source  of 
more  trouble  and  vexation  of  spirit  to  the  governor  than  from  any  other 
cause,  making  him  the  target  of  much  unjust  complaint  from  the  enemies  of 
prohibition,  and  many  times  from  its  friends,  who  took  no  heed  of  the  almost 
insuperable  difficulties  of  his  task  nor  of  the  vigorous  effort  he  was  making 
to  do  his  whole  duty.  Much  sentiment  grew  up  in  these  larger  cities  de- 
manding the  repeal  of  the  police-commission  law,  and  the  governor  could  by 
joining  in  this  demand  have  secured  such  repeal  and  saved  himself  a  world 
of  trouble,  but  he  constantly  opposed  such  action,  recommending  legislation 
to  strengthen  the  act,  and  persistenly  clung  to  his  purpose  to  enforce  the 
law.  In  pursuing  this  straighforward  course  Governor  Humphrey  realized 
the  loss  of  votes  it  meant  to  him  in  the  ensuing  campaign.  In  this,  as  in  all 
other  matters,  his  duty  to  the  people  and  his  conscientious  regard  for  his 
oath  of  office  were  obligations  which  outweighed  any  personal  interest  or'desire- 

Governor  Humphrey's  efforts  to  enforce  the  prohibitory  liquor  law,  like 
other  laws,  were  not  confined  to  the  cities,  but  extended  throughout  the 
state,  and  with  gratifying  success  for  the  first  two  years  of  his  adminis- 
tration. During  these  years  he  had  the  valuable  assistance  of  Attorney- 
general  Kellogg,  an  able  lawyer  and  earnest  friend  of  prohibition,  and  dur- 
ing these  two  years  the  reports  of  Attorney-general  Kellogg  show  that  in 
nearly  every  county  the  jails  were  full  of  convicted  violators  of  liquor  and 
gambling  laws,  as  well  enforced  as  during  any  period  before  or  since.  The 
unfortunate  defeat  of  Kellogg,  in  1890,  by  the  combined  vote  of  Populists 
and  Democrats,  though  the  rest  of  the  Republican  ticket  was  elected,  tended 
greatly  to  hamper  the  governor  in  his  efforts  to  enforce  prohibition  during 
his  second  term,  because  Attorney-general  Ives,  elected  to  succeed  Kellogg, 
was  known  to  be  hostile  to  the  prohibition  policy,  having  been  chosen  with 
that  understanding.  In  fact,  while  Populists  had  been  generally  friends  of 
prohibition,  their  leading  politicians  discouraged  it  as  an  issue  and  disparaged 
all  effort  to  give  it  its  former  prominence.  As  a  result,  the  last  two  years 
of  Governor  Humphrey's  administration  witnessed  a  marked  faUing-off  in 
popular  support  of  prohibition,  its  efficient  enforcement,  of  course,  depend- 
ing, as  it  must,  upon  public  sentiment  behind  it. 

Original-package  Invasion. —The  opposition  in  Kansas  to  prohibition  at 
this  time  was  greatly  encouraged  when,  in  April,  1890,  the  United  States  su- 
preme court  announced  a  decision  which  at  first  seemed  a  severe  blow  at 
prohibitory  legislation.     It  in  substance  held  that  the  state  could  not  prohibit 


424  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

the  importation  and  sale  of  liquors  in  original  packages.  This,  in  effect, 
nullified  the  prohibitory  laws  of  Kansas,  and  thoroughly  aroused  the  friends 
of  prohibition  throughout  the  state.  On  the  other  hand,  the  liquor-dealers 
of  Missouri  proceeded  at  once  to  come  into  Kansas  and  set  up  "original- 
package  saloons"  in  every  town.  The  governor  urged  state  and  county 
officers  to  resist  the  new  invasion  from  Missouri.  Numerous  arrests  of 
these  original-package  vendors  were  made,  but  they  were  promptly  released 
on  habeas  corpus  proceedings  in  the  federal  courts.  The  federal  courts  for 
Kansas,  at  the  instance  of  the  liquor-dealers,  finally  enjoined  the  county  at- 
torney for  Shawnee  county  from  further  prosecution  of  cases  pending  against 
these  original-package  dealers,  and  the  governor  as  promptly  ordered  the 
attorney-general  to  appear  for  the  state  in  such  cases  in  place  of  the  county 
attorney,  and  for  a  time  there  was  threatened  a  serious  conflict  of  state  and 
federal  jurisdiction.  On  call  of  the  governor  and  others,  3000  accredited 
delegates  met  in  Topeka  in  June  to  register  the  popular  protest  against 
the  "  Missouri  whisky  invasion, "  which  was  done  in  an  address  to  the  people 
and  most  vigorous  resolutions  on  the  subject. 

Finally,  in  August,  1890,  the  so-called  Wilson  bill  passed  Congress,  which 
in  turn  nullified  the  original-package  decision.  At  first  the  effect  was  to 
close  the  original-package  saloons  over  the  state,  but  the  business  was  soon 
resumed  on  the  strength  of  a  decision  rendered  in  October  by  Judges  C.  G. 
Foster  and  John  F.  Philips,  sitting  as  the  United  States  court  at  Topeka, 
holding  that  the  original-package  decision  by  the  United  States  supreme 
court,  in  April,  nullified  and  invalidated  the  prohibitory  legislation  of  Kansas 
unless  the  same  should  be  reenacted  by  the  Kansas  legislature.  From  this 
decision  of  Judges  Foster  and  Philips  the  state  appealed  to  the  supreme 
court  of  the  United  States,  which  soon  thereafter  decided  the  question, 
reversing  the  decision  of  Judges  Foster  and  Philips,  and  holding  in  sub- 
stance that  the  Kansas  prohibition  law  was  valid,  and  needed  no  reenact- 
ment.8  In  all  this  contest,  which  thoroughly  aroused  the  law-abiding  people 
of  Kansas,  involving,  as  it  did,  the  very  existence  of  our  prohibitory  legis- 
lation, the  governor  energetically  conducted  himself  for  the  state,  ably  sec- 
onded by  Attorney-general  Kellogg,  who,  with  his  usual  fidelity,  performed 
much  extra  labor  in  the  courts.  He  was  ably  assisted  by  R.  B.  Welch, 
county  attorney  for  Shawnee  county,  and  others. 

Campaign  of  1890.— Although  the  state  government  inaugurated  in  Janu- 
ary, 1889,  had  run  smoothly,  and  the  actual  practical  business  of  the  state 
was  never  more  efficiently  or  satisfactorily  managed,  the  campaign  of  1890 
was  perhaps  the  most  angry  and  stormy  in  the  history  of  Kansas  politics. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Governor  Humphrey  had,  as  no  governor  has 
done  since,  adhered  to  the  police-commission  system  of  governing  cities  of 
the  first  class,  and  had  done  all  in  his  power  to  observe  his  official  oath  to 
enforce  prohibition  with  the  other  criminal  laws;  and  the  further  fact  that 
he  had  in  so  doing  incurred  the  hostility  of  the  self-styled  liberal,  or  whisky, 
element  in  the  larger  cities,  and  that,  as  a  consequence,  the  resubmission 
element  had  openly  rebelled  and  entered  politics  as  a  poHtical  organization— 
despite  all  these  considerations,  the  Prohibitionists,  in  the  fall  of  1890,  con- 
vened in  state  convention  and  nominated  a  ticket,  headed  by  A.  M.  Rich- 
ardson, for  governor.     So  ill-advised  was  this  action  considered  by  many 

Note  S.— In  re  Rahrer,  140  U.  S.  545,  and  cases  therein  cited. 


The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humphrey.  425 

leading  members  of  the  Prohibition  party,  that  they  openly  repudiated  the 
action  of  their  state  convention  and  supported  Governor  Humphrey.  The 
resubmissionists,  by  reason  of  the  governor's  energetic  enforcement  of  the 
prohibitory  lav^,  had  begun  in  1889  to  organize  clubs  over  the  state,  w^hich 
eventuated  in  a  state  political  organization  in  1890,  In  the  early  months  of 
that  year  they  held  a  convention  in  Topeka,  to  demand  that  the  governor 
should  call  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  to  resubmit  the  prohibitory 
question  to  the  people,  w^hich  the  governor,  after  respectful  consideration, 
refused  to  do.  Later  in  the  year  they  held  a  convention  at  Wichita,  and 
resolved  to  support  the  Democratic  state  ticket,  on  a  platform  which  in- 
cluded all  they  asked  for,  resubmission  being  the  chief  issue,  in  their  opin- 
ion. The  Democratic  state  convention,  meeting  at  the  same  time  and  place, 
nominated  ex-Gov.  Charles  Robinson,  on  a  platform  chiefly  devoted  to  anti- 
prohibition.  The  Republican  state  convention  met  at  Topeka,  September  3, 
1890,  and  renominated  Governor  Humphrey  by  acclamation,  on  a  platform 
orthodox  Republican,  including  an  emphatic  indorsement  of  prohibition  and 
a  general  commendation  of  his  administration. 

The  Farmers'  Alliance  and  Populist  Party.— On  August  13,  1890, 
the  People's  party  met  in  convention  at  Topeka  and  nominated  its  first  state 
ticket,  headed  by  John  F.  Willits,  on  a  platform  containing  a  number  of 
most  radical  demands  on  Congress  for  legislation,  including  fi-ee  silver, 
more  paper  money,  the  abolition  of  national  banks,  government  ow^nership 
and  control  of  railroads,  etc.  Their  platform  contained  no  serious  complaint 
involving  the  state  administration,  and,  as  will  be  seen,  all  its  proposed  re- 
forms and  grievances  contemplated  legislation  by  Congress.  The  Populist 
party  in  Kansas,  so  far  from  being  a  Kansas  party  and  an  organized  protest 
or  revolt  against  the  conduct  of  state  aff'airs,  was,  in  fact,  part  of  a  gen- 
eral movement  over  the  country,  especially  in  the  South  and  West.  In 
the  election  of  1890  this  new  party  elected  its  state  ticket  and  numerous 
other  officers  in  half  a  dozen  states,  sent  thirty  or  forty  members  to  Con- 
gress, including  several  United  States  senators ;  a  result  too  wide  and  gen- 
eral to  be  attributed  in  any  degree  to  discontent  with  the  state  administration 
in  Kansas,  as  some  ignorant,  careless  or  unfriendly  alleged  political-history 
writers  in  this  state  have  asserted.  Some  of  these  have  seemingly  pursued 
this  course  of  misrepresentation  with  the  only  purpose  in  view  of  creating 
the  impression  that  the  defeat  of  the  Republican  party  in  1892,  as  far  as 
Kansas  was  concerned,  was  a  rebuke  to  the  state  administration,  and  not  a 
general  movement  over  the  country,  in  which  national  questions  over- 
shadowed everything  else,  as  has  been  shown.  The  Republican  party  was 
never  stronger  or  more  harmoniously  united  than  in  the  campaign  of  1892. 
It  was  in  this  campaign  that  A.  W.  Smith,  of  McPherson,  polled  more  votes 
for  governor  than  was  ever  given  a  Republican  candidate  before.  The  ag- 
gressive, united  and  harmonious  conditions  among  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
party  during  that  campaign  fully  refute  the  foolish  assertions  of  a  few 
critics  and  cheap  space-fillers  above  referred  to. 

The  Populist  party  was  in  truth  the  outgrowth  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance, 
which,  originating  in  the  South,  soon  spread  throughout  the  country,  ab- 
sorbing and  assimilating  the  state  Granges  and  similar  organizations.  The 
Farmers'  Alliance,  intended  only  to  promote  in  a  general  way  and  by  the 
usual  force  of  organization  and  agitation   the  interest  of  agriculture,  grew 


426  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

rapidly  in  all  the  states,  so  that,  having  been  in  existence  here  less  than 
two  years,  it  began  the  year  1890  with  100,000  members.  With  this  strength 
developed  into  the  Populist  party  in  the  1890  campaign,  it  is  little  wonder 
that  it  made  so  strong  a  showing  in  Kansas  politics  for  several  years,  draw- 
ing largely  from  the  Republican  and  almost  absorbing  the  Democratic  party 
bodily. 

It  is  true  that  when  Polk  and  Livingston,  national  organizers,  came  from 
the  South  to  this  state  in  1890  to  promote  the  Farmers'  Alliance  organiza- 
tion, as  they  had  been  doing  in  other  Western  and  Southern  states,  they 
found  Kansas  a  fruitful  field  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  reaction  had 
just  set  in  from  the  great  boom  period  in  Kansas  from  1884  to  1888,  a  period 
during  which  twenty-four  new  counties  had  been  organized  in  western  Kan- 
sas, where  a  quarter-million  new  citizens  had  made  homes.  Nearly  5000 
miles  of  new  railroad  had  been  added  in  that  short  time,  towns  and  cities 
grew  like  magic,  and  a  general  spirit  of  speculation  in  all  kinds  of  real 
estate  seized  the  people,  stimulated  by  the  abundance  of  cheap  Eastern  money 
seeking  investment  here,  especially  in  farm  loans  and  city  property.  Of 
course,  the  end  came  to  this  riotous  condition  after  four  years.  Pay-day  ar- 
rived and  began  to  pinch  improvident  borrowers,  the  inevitable  reaction  set 
in  early  after  the  election  of  1888,  foreclosures  multiplied  on  court  dockets, 
imaginary  fortunes  in  city  property  and  farm  lands  were  swept  away,  and 
a  season  of  depression  and  hard  times  succeeded  the  long  period  of  specula- 
tion and  false  expectations,  so  that  when,  in  1890,  the  Farmers'  Alliance, 
with  100,000  members,  launched  out  as  a  political  party,  it  was  formidable 
from  the  start.  It  appealed  to  the  debtor  as  a  possible  means  of  assisting 
to  tide  him  over  his  difficulties,  through  the  remedies  proposed  by  the  new 
party,  however  visionary  and  impracticable. 

In  addition  to  this  new  and  formidable  party  and  the  opposition  of  the 
active  organization  of  resubmissionists.  Congress  had  enacted  the  McKinley 
tariff  act,  to  take  effect  October  1,  1890;  an  act  at  first  so  roundly  abused 
and  misunderstood  as  to  seriously  worry  the  Republican  party  in  that  cam- 
paign. Under  these  discouraging  and  adverse  conditions  the  Republican 
campaign  was  vigorously  prosecuted  and  finally  won.  The  Populists  di- 
rected their  fire  especially  at  Senator  Ingalls,  who  was,  in  January  follow- 
ing, succeeded  by  William  A.  Peffer,  proving  further  that  their  only  serious 
complaints  concerned  national  and  not  state  affairs.  The  campaign  in  Kan- 
sas was  unique  in  character.  Its  history,  with  Mary  E.  Lease,  Jerry 
Simpson,  W.  A.  Peffer,  B.  H.  Clover  and  others  as  leaders,  has  been  so 
frequently  written  that  I  will  not  attempt  here  to  repeat  what  has  become 
an  old  story  in  Kansas.  It  may  be  said  in  truth,  however,  that  no  governor 
of  Kansas  was  ever  confronted  with  such  conditions  as  was  Governor 
Humphrey  during  the  campaigns  of  1890  and  1892.  In  the  face  of  this  Popu- 
list storm  Governor  Humphrey  never  flinched,  but  stood  squarely  for  sound 
Republican  doctrine  and  for  prohibition.  He  had  faith  in  the  people,  and  in 
his  public  speeches  he  appealed  to  them  to  stand  for  the  honor,  the  integrity 
and  good  name  of  Kansas. 

Second  Term.— Governor  Humphrey  was  sworn  in  for  his  second  term 
on  January  11,  1891,  his  associate  state  officers  being  as  in  the  first  term, 
except  that  Charles  M.  Hovey  succeeded  T.  McCarthy  as  auditor;  S.  G. 
Stover  succeeded  William  Sims  as  treasurer,  Sims  having  been  appointed 


The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humphrey.  427 

for  the  unexpired  term  of  J.  W.  Hamilton,  resigned;  John  N.  Ives  suc- 
ceeded L.  B.  Kellogg  as  attorney-general. 

The  supreme  court,  under  this  second  term,  consisted  of  Albert  H.  Hor- 
ton,  W.  A.  Johnston,  and  D.  M.  Valentine.  Albert  H.  Horton  was  chief 
justice.  George  S.  Green,  J.  C.  Strang  and  B.  F.  Simpson  were  supreme 
court  commissioners  by  appointment  of  the  governor.  Green  and  Strang 
succeeded  J.  B.  Clogston  and  Joel  Holt.  Few  changes  were  made  in  ap- 
pointive officers. 

The  new  legislature  assembled  January  13,  1891,  and  organized  with 
Lieut. -gov.  A.  J.  Felt,  president  of  the  senate,  and  P.  P.  Elder,  speaker  of 
the  house.  The  Republicans  held  the  senate,  but  the  great  majority  of 
Populists  in  the  house  enabled  that  party  to  control  the  legislature  on  joint 
ballot.  One  of  the  most  important  results  was  the  election  of  Peffer  to 
succeed  Ingalls  in  the  United  States  senate,  already  alluded  to.  It  is  only 
fair  to  here  record  the  statement  that  the  Populist  members,  though  un- 
skilled by  lack  of  experience  in  legislation,  were  generally  good,  honest,, 
well-meaning  members,  and,  as  regards  character  and  sincerity  of  purpose, 
this  legislature  personally  and  as  a  body  ranks  well  up  to  the  average,  as 
will  be  seen  by  the  work  appearing  on  a  glance  at  the  Session  Laws  of  1891. 

Governor  Humphrey's  message  to  this  legislature,  like  the  first,  was  a 
careful,  comprehensive  document,  and  received,  as  it  deserved,  the  most  re- 
spectful consideration."  It  graphically  described  the  boom  of  1885  to  1888, 
its  collapse,  and  the  consequent  depression  in  1889  and  1890,  resulting  in  the 
Populist  upheaval  of  the  latter  year;  calling  attention,  however,  to  the  fact 
that,  aside  from  the  speculative  and  inflated  features  of  the  boom,  there  was 
in  truth  during  the  period  mentioned  a  very  remarkable  and  substantial 
growth  in  the  material  resources  of  the  state.  It  reviewed  the  state's 
finances,  which  were  in  a  healthy  condition;  called  attention  to  the  con- 
tinued increase  in  municipal  indebtedness,  despite  the  warning  in  former 
messages,  and  to  the  fact  that  the  great  burden  of  taxation  is  for  local  pur- 
poses, and  self-imposed  for  various  objects  of  local  government  too  compli- 
cated and  expensive.  The  message  advises  liberal  appropriations  for  state 
institutions  of  higher  education,  and  congratulates  the  legislature  on  the 
very  satisfactory  condition  of  all  the  state  institutions— educational,  chari- 
table, and  penal— whose  management  during  his  entire  official  term  was 
economical,  efficient,  and  without  trace  of  friction  or  scandal  of  any  kind; 
also  calling  attention  to  the  successful  organization  and  location  of  the  In- 
dustrial School  for  Girls,  provided  for  during  his  administration.  The  message 
urges  still  further  legislation  to  extend  the  powers  and  increase  the  efficiency 
of  the  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners;  to  make  prohibition  still  more 
effective;  advises  a  general  revision  of  the  laws;  recommends  that  the  pen- 
alty against  bribery  should  include  the  bribe-taker  as  well  as  the  bribe- 
giver. Other  and  various  recommendations  of  new  legislation  included  relief 
of  the  supreme  court  by  a  constitutional  amendment  increasing  the  number 
of  judges,  which  has  since  been  done. 

Governor  Humphrey  urged  the  passage  of  a  law  making  the  first  Monday 
of  September,  Labor  day,  a  legal  holiday,  which  was  promptly  done,  and  it 
is  pleasing  to  know  that  most  of  the  states  of  the  Union  have  followed  Kan- 
sas in  this  matter.    Governor  Humphrey  was  the  first  chief  executive  of  the 

Note  9.— Senate  Journal  1891,  pp.  18-59. 


428  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

United  States  to  thus  speak  in  behalf  of  labor,  and  he  holds  letters  from 
President  Gompers  recognizing  this  action. 

The  message  renewed  the  governor's  former  recommendation  of  a  state 
banking  law,  which  was  passed  at  this  (1891)  session.  The  recommendation 
in  this  and  the  governor's  former  message  of  some  wholesome  restriction, 
including  a  franchise  tax,  on  the  organization  of  corporations  for  commercial 
and  business  purposes,  was  likewise  enacted  by  a  subsequent  legislature. 

In  addition  to  the  usual  special  and  local  legislation,  a  great  deal  of  gen- 
eral legislation  was  enacted  that  has  proven  to  be  wise  and  timely.  Among 
some  of  the  general  acts  may  be  mentioned  one  restricting  the  right  of 
non-resident  ahens  to  acquire  and  hold  real  estate  in  Kansas;  others  relating 
to  assessment  and  taxation;  several  affecting  cities  of  the  first  class;  several 
relating  to  the  code  of  civil  procedure;  creating  special  courts  for  Wichita, 
Topeka,  and  Kansas  City,  Kan.;  the  taxation  of  corporations;  furnishing 
seed  grain  to  needy  farmers;  relating  to  oil  and  gas  leases;  relating  to  home 
for  disabled  soldiers  and  sailors;  the  inspection  and  grading  of  grain;  and 
many  other  laws  of  value  to  the  state  and  people.  The  legislature  of  1891 
was  an  industrious  body,  and  will  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  best  and 
most  useful  in  the  history  of  the  state. 

The  inspection  of  grain  thus  established  was  the  first  in  the  history  of 
the  state.  Prior  to  this  all  grain  inspection  was  done  by  Missouri  oflficials, 
who  came  three  and  four  miles  into  Kansas  territory  to  do  the  work. 
Governor  Humphrey  appointed  W.  W.  Haskell,  of  Wyandotte  county,  one 
of  the  most  capable  and  reputable  business  men  of  the  two  Kansas  Citys, 
state  grain  inspector  under  the  law.  Mr.  Haskell  proved  very  successful 
in  organization,  and  he  placed  Kansas  inspection  on  a  high  plane,  so  that 
a  Kansas  certificate  passed  in  all  the  grain  markets  of  this  country  and 
Liverpool  without  question  as  to  the  quality  of  grain  represented.  He 
ignored  local  influences  and  sought  the  most  expert  men  in  such  work  to 
be  found,  thus  bringing  the  great  bulk  of  the  grain  business  west  of  the 
state  line,  because  of  more  reliable  inspection.  But  the  Populist  wave  came, 
and  the  business  efficiency  started  by  Governor  Humphrey  gave  way  to 
local  favorites  for  inspectors,  regardless  of  qualification,  from  rural  points 
in  the  state. 

Some  state  administrations  are  best  remembered  for  the  events  out  of 
the  ordinary,  such  as  squabbles  between  the  executive  and  the  legislature, 
or  quarrels  between  the  governor  and  associate  state  officers  constituting 
the  Executive  Council,  or  strikes  and  other  like  violent  demonstrations  that 
challenge  the  public  imagination.  Governor  Humphrey  endeavored  to  avoid 
notoriety  of  this  character,  preferring  to  make  a  record  that  should  in  time 
be  best  remembered  for  its  total  exemption  from  such  troubles.  Be  it  said 
to  his  credit  that  he  did  not  run  his  administration  with  a  brass  band  and 
fireworks.  He  did  not  consider  that  the  people  elected  governors  for  grand- 
stand purposes,  but  honestly,  faithfully  and  modestly  to  conduct  the  busi- 
ness of  the  state.  Governor  Humphrey's  ambition  was  to  make  a  record 
that  should  be  meritorious  rather  than  notorious,  useful  rather  than  spec- 
tacular; that  should  be  remembered  as  a  quiet  and  faithful  endeavor  to  per- 
form each  day's  duties  aright,  rather  than  a  noisy  display  of  the  brief 
authority  vested  in  the  chief  executive  of  the  state. 

During  the  last  two  years  of  Governor  Humphrey's  administration,  as 
during  the  first  two  years,  the  affairs  of  state  moved  along  peacefully  and 


The  Administrations  of  Lyman  U.  Humyhrey.  429 

prosperously.  He  hated  sham  and  pretense,  and  tried  without  pomp  or  pa- 
rade to  do  his  duty  quietly  and  efficiently.  During  his  four  years  as  governor 
he  was  absent  from  the  state  only  twice— once  for  a  short  trip  in  Colorado, 
and  once  to  attend  a  reunion  of  his  old  regiment  in  Ohio.  He  collected  at 
one  time  $61,000'"  from  the  general  government,  the  refunding  of  the  direct 
tax  paid  in  1861,  instead  of  doing  it  through  the  state  agent,  thus  saving  the 
state  $6000  commission,  and  the  fact  never  even  found  its  way  into  the  news- 
papers. He  was  so  sparing  of  the  contingent  fund  that  he  did  not  travel  a 
mile  during  his  entire  two  terms  at  the  state's  expense,  and  annually  turned 
the  bulk  of  the  fund  back  into  the  treasury.  When  it  became  necessary  to 
change  the  fiscal  agency,  though  he  had  never  been  in  New  York,  he  re- 
mained in  his  office,  sending  the  auditor  and  treasurer  to  New  York  to  make 
the  transfer.  Though  he  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  the  boards  in  control, 
he  personally  and  frequently  visited  the  several  state  institutions  to  satisfy 
himself  as  to  their  conduct  and  management,  and  this  he  did  quietly  and 
without  ostentation.  As  a  result,  these  institutions  were  conducted  during 
his  entire  four  years  without  the  brawls,  abuses  and  scandals  that  have  too 
often  attracted  the  attention  of  the  entire  state.  Save  and  except  some 
county-seat  troubles  in  Seward,  Gray,  and  Garfield,  which  were  promptly 
suppressed  by  the  national  guard  under  the  discreet  direction  of  Adjutant- 
general  Roberts,  there  were,  during  Governor  Humphrey's  administration, 
no  strikes,  riots  or  violent  outbreaks  of  any  kind  to  disturb  the  general  peace 
of  the  commonwealth.  Strict  and  regular  monthly  examinations  of  the 
treasury  were  made.  During  his  first  term  the  governor  accepted  the  resig- 
nation of  J.  W.  Hamilton,  state  treasurer,  and  appointed  William  Sims  as  his 
successor.  A  rather  serious  irregularity  was  developed  in  the  office  of  the 
superintendent  of  insurance,  due  entirely  to  the  misconduct  of  the  deputy, 
which  was,  like  the  Hamilton  matter,  very  promptly  adjusted  without  any 
fuss  or  notoriety. 

The  governor  exercised  the  pardoning  power  freely,  but  discreetly.  As 
a  lawyer,  he  instructed  the  Board  of  Pardons  to  assume  in  every  case  that 
the  party  had  had  a  fair  trial  and  been  justly  convicted;  that  the  governor 
was  not  a  tribunal  of  last  resort  to  review  cases  and  overrule  the  courts; 
that  the  pardoning  power  must  proceed  solely  on  considerations  of  mercy 
and  clemency,  where  the  facts  and  circumstances  freely  warranted  such  ac- 
tion. 

In  his  appointments  he  freely  recognized  those  Republicans  who  had  opposed 
his  nomination  in  1888,  as  well  as  those  who  had  been  for  him,  thus  avoiding 
the  existence  of  cliques,  rings,  machines,  boss  busters,  feuds  and  factions 
within  the  party,  which  unfortunately  in  latter  times  have  distui'bed  the 
harmony  and  solidarity  of  the  party,  and  imperiled  its  success  in  subsequent 
campaigns.  While  ever  ready  to  listen  to  the  advice  of  his  friends,  and 
grateful  to  those  who  had  been  exceptionally  serviceable  in  his  behalf,  he 
resented  the  slightest  attempt  at  dictation  or  bossism  so  emphatically  that 
early  in  his  first  term  a  few  disappointed  politicians  declared  that  the  gov- 
ernor had  already  "gone  back  on  his  friends."  Having  assumed  his  office 
without  any  lofty  pretensions  or  high-sounding  promises  of  reform,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  perform  the  duties  of  the  place  efficiently,  honestly,  and  modestly. 

Note  10.-  Report  of  Kansas  State  Treasurer.  1891-'92,  p.  5. 


430  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

under  all  of  the  many  trying  and  perplexing  circumstances  of  his  four  years' 
tenure. 

On  the  back  of  an  old  muster-roll  of  the  company  commanded  by  Gov- 
ernor Humphrey,  then  a  boy  in  his  teens,  after  the  long  and  arduous  Atlanta 
campaign  and  march  to  the  sea,  I  have  observed  this  report  of  the  inspecting 
officer:  "Discipline,  good;  instruction,  good;  military  appearance,  good; 
arms  and  accouterments,  good;  clothing,  very  bad."  This  is  a  silent  yet 
eloquent  tribute  to  the  character  of  the  young  man  commanding  a  company 
in  the  performance  of  the  stern  duties  of  a  soldier. 

Among  the  treasured  letters  in  Governor  Humphrey's  possession  is  one 
written  by  Gen.  William  T.  Sherman  soon  after  the  governor's  first  election, 
from  which  I  quote  this  paragraph: 

"New  York,  December  26,  1888. 

"I  can  hardly  return  to  Columbus,  Indianapolis,  Chicago,  Springfield  or 
St.  Louis  without  being  torn  to  pieces  for  relics  of  '  Uncle  Billy. '  I  am  sure 
I  could  not  survive  'Topeka, '  with  your  73,000  plurality,  and  you  the  gov- 
ernor, with  a  million  of  loyal  people  at  your  back.  Indeed,  am  I  proud  that 
Ben.  Harrison  is  to  be  our  president;  that  Foraker,  Hovey,  Fifer  and 
Humphrey  are  governors  of  the  great  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and 
Kansas— all  'my  boys.'  You  yourself  raised  in  a  school  of  patriotism  and 
discipline  under  Gens.  Chas.  R.  and  Wm.  B.  Woods;  so  that  I  may  lay  down 
in  absolute  security  that  the  Union  we  fought  for  is  safe  for  four  more 
years,  and,  as  we  believe,  forever." 

The  same  quiet  but  determined  courage  and  devotion  to  duty,  however 
hazardous,  that  sustained  this  youthful  soldier  in  war  is  equally  manifest 
throughout  his  career  in  all  the  varied  relations  of  life,  both  public  and 
private.  As  with  Grant  and  Sherman  he  bravely  stood  on  the  blazing  battle- 
line  at  Donelson,  Shiloh,  and  Vicksburg,  or  joined  in  the  assaulting  columns 
that  swept  on  to  victory  up  the  rocky  steeps  above  the  clouds  at  Lookout 
Mountain  and  the  bloody  slopes  of  Missionary  Ridge,  so  with  like  fidelity  to 
duty  did  he  serve  the  state  of  Kansas  as  chief  executive— and  in  these  days 
of  thrifty  politicians,  prostituting  public  place  for  private  gain,  it  is  refresh- 
ing to  reflect  that  Governor  Humphrey  closed  his  fourteen  years  of  public 
service  in  Kansas  poorer  in  purse  than  when  he  began,  richer  only  in  a 
record  unsmirched  by  even  the  breath  of  scandal  or  suspicion,  and  unchal- 
lenged as  to  honesty  and  integrity,  even  by  his  political  antagonists.  ^  ^ 

Note  11.  — The  various  department  and  other  official  reports  and  publications  of  the  state 
covering  this  administration  have  been  consulted  to  verify  the  facts  set  forth  in  this  paper. 


VI. 

The  Soldiers  of  Kansas. 


COMPANY  A,  ELEVENTH  KANSAS  REGIMENT,  IN  THE 
PRICE  RAID. 

Written  by  H.  E.  Palmer  '  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

TN  all  accounts  of  personal  connection  with  war  events,  the  commanding 
■*-  officer  who  writes  of  his  own  command  must  necessarily  use,  to  an  im- 
modest extent,  possibly,  the  personal  pronoun  "I"  — "I  did  this";  "I  did 
that."  I  beg  to  disclaim  that  I  did  more  than  any  other  company  com- 
mander should  or  possibly  would  have  done  under  like  circumstances.  I  was 
not  a  "Samson  with  a  jaw-bone"  during  the  war.  I  fail  to  remember 
that  I  ever  did  anything  that  entitled  me  to  a  medal  from  Congress.  Par- 
ticipating, during  my  four  and  one-half  years'  service  in  twenty-four  gen- 
eral engagements  with  the  enemy,  in  only  two  of  these  battles  am  I  credited 
with  the  death  of  a  foeman.  In  more  than  twenty  battles  I  never  fired  a 
shot;  always  had  enough  to  do  to  see  that  my  men  were  doing  their  duty. 
I  ask  that  all  credit  imphed  and  indicated  in  this  article  by  the  pronoun  "I" 
be  credited  to  company  A,  Eleventh  Kansas  volunteer  [cavalry,  and  not  to 
myself,  and  tagged  excusable  as  necessary  for  the  completion  of  the  story. 
October,  1864,  was  a  strenuous  month  for  Missouri  and  Kansas.  Sterling 
Price,  2  major-general  in  the  Confederate  army,  ex-governor  of  Missouri, 

Note  1.-  Henry  E.  Palmer  was  born  in  Lake  county,  Ohio,  July  31,  1841.  When  he  was 
twelve  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Wisconsin.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
that  state.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  moved  further  west,  and  when  the  war  broke  out  he  was 
in  Ck)lorado.  He  arrived  at  Fort  Leavenworth  July  30,  1861.  The  next  day  he  was  mustered  in, 
and  October  7  following  he  was  made  a.  second  lieutenant  of  artillery,  for  gallantry  in  the  battle 
of  Drywood.  He  went  to  Wisconsin  to  get  recruits  for  Lane's  brigade,  but  the  governor  of 
that  state  refused  to  permit  the  men  to  leave,  and  assigned  them  to  the  First  Wisconsin  cavalry, 
in  which  Palmer  was  made  a  first  lieutenant.  This  he  resigned  to  become  a  captain  on  the  staff 
of  James  H.  Lane,  and,  by  a  consolidation  of  the  Third  and  Fourth  Kansas  regiments,  he  found 
himself,  in  April,  1862,  again  a  civilian.  Securing  another  recruiting  commission,  he  raised 
company  A,  Eleventh  Kansas  infantry.  He  was  made  second  lieutenant,  and  as  such  com- 
manded the  company  in  the  battles  of  Marysville.  Cane  Hill.  Boston  Mountains,  Prairie  Grove, 
and  Van  Buren.  December  31,  1862,  he  was  advanced  to  first  lieutenant,  and  March  24, 1863,  was 
made  captain  of  the  company.  The  Eleventh  regiment  was  mounted,  and  for  over  a  year  Cap- 
tain Palmer  fought  Quantrill  and  the  notorious  guerrillas  of  Misiouri.  In  August,  1864.  he  was 
sent  out  on  the  plains,  and  on  the  Little  Blue,  in  Nebraska,  he  had  a  "  brush  "  with  Cheyenne 
Indians.  After  his  experience  in  the  Price  raid  he  was  ordered  to  Fort  Riley,  and  in  February, 
1865,  from  thence  to  Fort  Kearney,  Nebraska.  He  was  active  in  Indian  affairs  in  the  Powder 
River  country  until  muster-out,  September  26,  1865.  He  declined  a  commission  in  the  regular 
army.  He  was  a  pioneer  and  miner  in  Montana.  In  1868  he  settled  at  Plattsmouth,  Neb.,  and  in 
1889  removed  to  Omaha.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  insurance  men  of  the  West,  and  has  led  a  very 
strenuous  life  in  Masonry,  politics,  and  Grand  Army  affairs.  He  was  department  commander  in 
Nebraska  of  the  G.  A.  R.  for  1884  and  1885,  commander  of  the  Loyal  Legion  in  1895  and  1896, 
grand  high  priest  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  in  that  state  for  1884  and  1885.  Captain  Palmer  is  at 
present  postmaster  of  the  city  of  Omaha. 

Note  2.—  For  a  history  of  General  Price's  earlier  effort  to  save  Missouri  to  the  Confederacy 
up  to  and  including  the  battle  of  Wilson  Creek,  read  Thos.  L.  Snead's  "The  Fight  for  Missouri." 
Scribnrt-.  1886.  The  author,  though  one  of  Price's  men.  treats  General  Lyon's  work  for  the 
Union  in  that  state  and  his  success  with  kindness  and  impartiality. 

(431) 


432  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

and  ex-brigadier-general  of  the  Mexican  war,  started  north  from  Arkansas 
about  the  1st  of  September  to  free  Missouri  from  federal  rule  and  punish 
Kansas,  the  hotbed  of  abolition  sentiment,  the  home  of  Lane,  Montgomery, 
Anthony,  and  Jennison.  Price  had  a  splendid  veteran  army— the  trans-Mis- 
sissippi division  of  the  Confederacy— made  up  of  Texans,  Arkansans,  and 
Missourians.  The  Missouri  contingent  were  the  best  sons  of  that  state,  who 
had  followed  the  rebel  governor,  Claib.  Jackson,  to  the  southland  in  1861. 
Generals  Marmaduke,  Cockrell,  Cabell,  Rains,  Fagan,  and  the  famous  Joe 
Shelby  (the  Phil  Sheridan  of  the  South),  with  his  brigade  of  daredevil  riders, 
led  the  advance.  It  was  the  finest  army  for  an  invasion  or  raid  that  could 
be  gathered  for  that  purpose.  ^  The  20,000  Missourians  in  this  division  were 
going  home,  many  of  them  for  the  first  visit  in  over  three  years.  ^  They 
knew  every  road,  by-path,  and  trail;  no  commander  was  better  equipped 
for  such  a  raid,  and  Price  should  have  accomplished  all  he  was  expected 
to  do,  namely:  Capture  St.  Louis,  destroy  the  many  million  dollars'  worth  of 
stores  there  and  at  Camp  Jackson,  burn  the  steamboats  at  the  wharf,  de- 
stroy East  St.  Louis  and  the  railroad  shops  in  both  cities,  capture  Jefferson 
City,  the  capital  of  the  state,  and  take  every  town  en  route  to  Kansas  City; 
capture  Leavenworth  City  and  Fort  Leavenworth,  with  more  than  five  mil- 
lion dollars'  worth  of  stores,  burn  the  fort  and  city,  destroy  all  that  Quantrill 
had  left  of  Lawrence,  burn  Topeka,  and  all  the  towns  in  southern  Kansas, 
Including  Emporia  and  Fort  Scott,  and  then  safely  return  to  the  south  side 
of  the  Arkansas  river  within  the  rebel  lines;  and  he  should  have  gathered  at 
least  10,000  good  recruits  and  equipped  all  with  captured  arms.  He  crossed 
the  Arkansas  line  with  over  20,000  men;  he  should  have  returned  200  miles 
west  with  at  least  40,000  men.  St.  Louis  was  practically  unprotected.  There 
were  not  10,000  Union  soldiers  in  the  state  of  Missouri  that  could  meet  him 
in  battle-line.  In  all  Kansas  there  were  less  than  7000  soldiers.  The  army 
of  the  Tennessee  was  so  far  away  that  this  flank  movement  of  the  trans-Mis- 
sissippi army  against  our  right  wing,  if  vigorously  and  actively  pushed,  would 
have  resulted  in  a  disastrous  defeat  for  the  Union  forces  in  Missouri  and 
Kansas. 

If  Joe  Shelby,  Marmaduke,  Cockrell,  Cabell  or  Fagan  had  been  in  com- 
mand, rather  than  ' '  Old  Pap  Price, ' '  the  raid  would  have  been  a  success  in- 
stead of  a  failure,  and  Kansas  would  have  been  devastated  and  set  back  at 
least  ten  years.  Price  made  a  mistake  soon  after  crossing  the  line.  He 
stopped,  September  26  and  27,  to  fight  Ewing,  at  Pilot  Knob.  He  could 
have  flanked  Ewing;  should  have  left  him  undisturbed,  and  pushed  on  rapidly 
with  his  cavalry  and  light  batteries  straight  for  St.  Louis.     Nothing  could 

Note  3.  —  Claiborne  Fox  Jackson,  merchant,  banker,  politician,  and  governor.  John  Sap- 
pington  Marmaduke,  son  of  Gov.  Meredith  M.  Marmaduke,  of  Missouri ;  graduate  of  Yale,  Har- 
vard, and  West  Point ;  second  lieutenant  in  Seventh  United  States  infantry  in  Utah  expedition 
of  1857  :  resigned  his  commission  in  1861,  and  organized  the  Missouri  state  guard  ;  general  in  the 
Confederate  service  ;  railroad  commissioner  and  governor  of  Missouri.  Francis  Marion  Cockrell, 
lawyer,  soldier,  and  United  States  Senator.  Edvirard  Carrington  Cabell,  lavi^yer  ;  graduate  of 
Washington  College  and  University  of  Virginia;  congressman  for  Florida,  1846-'53  ;  removed  to 
St.  Louis  in  1860 ;  in  staffs  of  Generals  Price  and  Kirby  Smith  in  civil  war.  Gen.  James  F.  Rains. 
Joseph  Orville  Shelby,  soldier,  brigadier-general  in  Confederate  army  ;  after  close  of  war  he 
marched  his  1000  men  to  Mexico  to  enlist  in  service  of  Maximilian,  but  was  forced  to  disband  them 
by  Maximilian,  who  was  suspicious  ;  was  then  a  freight  contractor  in  Mexico  until  1867,  when  he 
returned  to  Missouri ;  appointed  United  States  marshal  of  the  western  district  of  Missouri  in 
1893.     James  F.  Fagan,  major-general  of  Arkansas  troops. 

Note  4.— General  Price,  in  his  report  of  this  expedition,  dated  Washington,  Ark.f  Decem- 
ber 28,  1864,  says:  "On  the  19th  of  September  ...  I  entered  Missouri  with  nearly  12,000 
men,  of  whom  8000  were  armed,  and  fourteen  pieces  of  artillery."—  Official  Record  of  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  serial  No.  83,  p.  623. 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  433 

have  prevented  his  taking  that  city.  His  infantry  need  not  have  approached 
within  fifty  miles  of  St.  Louis,  but  should  have  obliqued  to  the  left  and  first 
touched  the  Missouri  river  at  Jefferson  City;  then  a  rapid  march  to  Lexing- 
ton, Kansas  City,  and  into  Kansas.  By  the  10th  of  October  he  could  have 
been  at  Kansas  City.  He  loitered  by  the  wayside;  gave  his  20,000  Mis- 
sourians  two  weeks'  leave  of  absence  to  scatter  all  over  the  state,  visiting 
their  homes.  In  the  meantime,  with  some  cavalry,  he  kept  up  a  semblance 
of  an  army— enough  to  let  the  Union  forces  understand  that  Price  was  in 
Missouri. 

Gen.  W.  S.  Rosecrans  was  in  command  of  St.  Louis.  Our  right  wing  was 
dangerously  threatened.  Kansas  was  sure  of  destruction.  Price's  halting 
gave  us  a  chance.  Troops  weregathered  from  every  available  source.  Gen. 
A.  J.  Smith  and  Gen.  Joseph  A.  Mower,  with  10,000  infantry  and  three 
or  four  batteries  of  artillery,  and  Gen.  Alfred  Pleasanton,  with  12,000 
cavalry  from  the  army  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  were  sent  to  St.  Louis 
as  fast  as  steam-trains  and  steamboats  could  haul  them.  Every  man  in 
Kansas  capable  of  bearing  arms  was  enrolled  to  help  defend  their  homes. 
October  10,  1864,  Rosecrans  telegraphed  Maj.-gen.  S.  R.  Curtis,  at  Leaven- 
worth, Kan.,  as  follows: 

"Price's  movements  are  not  known,  but  he  has  avowed  his  intention  to 
go  to  Leavenworth.  If  he  will  try  this  it  will  enable  our  columns  under 
Mower  and  Smith  and  our  cavalry  to  get  between  them  and  the  Osage,  and 
they  will  suffer.  They  spread  and  stretch  out  for  subsistence;  therefore, 
your  cavalry  can  boldly  strike  the  head  of  their  columns,  and  hurt  and  retard 
their  march.  The  telegraph  lines  are  so  interrupted  it  will  be  difficult  to 
communicate  with  you.  W.  S.  Rosecrans,  Major-greneraL  " 

For  sixteen  months  prior  to  this  date  I  had  been  kept  busy  chasing  bush- 
whackers, scouting  the  country— over  every  road  and  by-path  in  Jackson, 
Lafayette,  Johnson,  Cass  and  Bates  counties,  and  down  the  Kansas  border 
as  far  as  Fort  Scott.  My  company,  A,  Eleventh  Kansas  volunteer  cavalry, 
had  been  kept  recruited  to  its  maximum,  or  nearly  so,  and  all  were  well- 
trained  veterans,  good  hunters  and  trailers  for  the  most  formidable  foe  that 
ever  harassed  an  army— the  Missouri  bushwhackers  or  guerrillas,  com- 
manded by  Quantrill,  and  ably  assisted  by  such  desperadoes  as  Bill  Ander- 
son, Arch  Clements,  Bill  Todd,  Jesse  and  Frank  James,  Cy  Porter,  Coon 
Thornton,  Thrailkill,  Upton  Hayes,  Cole  Younger,  Si  Gordon,  and  Dick 
Yeager.  Before  the  war  these  guerrillas  were,  many  of  them,  plainsmen, 
Indian  fighters,  border  toughs— others  wayward  sons  of  good  families  in  Mis- 
souri—reckless daredevils  all.  The  service  and  drill  necessary  to  success- 
fully meet  such  a  foe  had  made  my  company  A  fairly  known  along  the 
border,  especially  to  military  commanders. 

October  10,  1864,  found  me  in  camp  at  Aubrey,  Johnson  county,  Kansas, 
with  fully  ninety-five  good  and  true  men,  soldiers  of  company  A,  ready  for 
duty.  During  the  afternoon  of  that  day  I  received  an  order,  direct  from 
Maj.-gen  S.  R.  Curtis's  headquarters  at  Leavenworth,  instructing  me  to 
take  twenty  of  my  best  men,  disguise  them  as  bushwhackers,  make  a  long 
march  to  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  and  beyond,  if  possible,  and  do  my  best  to 
locate  Price's  army.  If  I  should  find  it,  I  was  to  do  my  best  to  learn  how 
large  a  force  of  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery  he  had;  how  many  wagons 
were  in  his  train;  then  I  was  to  stay  on  the  enemy's  front  until  further  orders, 
and  to  keep  him.  General  Curtis,  posted,  by  message  over  wire  when  I  could 
-28 


434  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

reach  a  telegraph  hne  or  by  special  courier.  At  this  time  the  Missouri  Pa- 
cific's western  terminus  was  near  Tipton.  The  telegraph  hne  was  through 
to  Kansas  City.     I  had  two  civilian  telegraph  operators  with  my  command, 

both  brave  boys.     I  was  advised  by  this  dispatch  that  Major would 

follow  me  closely  as  supporting  column,  with  seventy-five  men  of  my  com- 
pany, and  with  companies  B,  F  and  D  of  the  Eleventh  Kansas  cavalry— in  all 
nearly  300  men. 

Nothing  interesting  occured  until  we  were  within  about  six  miles  of  War- 
rensburg,  when  we  met  a  country  carryall  about  ten  P.  M.,  in  which  were 
two  apparently  very  intelligent  ladies,  an  old  darky  driving.  They  said  they 
were  just  from  Warrensburg;  that  a  portion  of  Price's  army  had  reached 

the  town  and  were  foraging  for  food.     Major being  only  half  a  mile  in 

my  rear,  I  detained  the  ladies,  and  waited  with  my  twenty  men  until  he 
came  up  that  he  might  question  them  and  understand  fully  the  situation. 
This  was  a  mistake  on  my  part,  for  when  Major learned  that  a  por- 
tion of  the  rebel  army  was  only  six  miles  away,  he  said  he  would  go  no 
farther,  but  would  retreat  in  good  order.  No  amount  of  persuasion  would 
induce  him  to  advance  and  feel  of  the  enemy,  not  even  when  I  told  him  that 
I  must  and  would  go  on  to  Warrensburg  alone  if  he  failed  to  support  me,  as 

Major-general  Curtis  had  ordered.     Major ' '  about-faced ' '  and  marched 

back  toward  the  Kansas  line  and  I  stubbornly  continued  on  toward  Warrens- 
burg. 

When  I  reached  a  point  within  one-half  mile  of  a  tributary  of  the  Black- 
water,  where  I  knew  there  was  a  covered  bridge  about  one-half  mile  from 
town,  I  halted  and  told  my  trusty  Sergeant  Baker  that  I  would  go  ahead  on 
foot  to  reconnoiter;  that  he  should  wait  about  five  minutes,  and  then  move 
on  at  a  slow  walk  until  the  sentry,  that  I  knew  must  be  posted  on  the  bridge, 
should  halt  him;  then  to  obey  his  orders,  and  wait  my  modest  whistle  for  the 
action  he  knew  was  necessary.  I  left  my  horse  to  be  led  by  a  trooper,  and 
skipped  along  lightly  on  foot  over  the  country  road  ahead  of  the  command, 
and  when  I  could  see  the  dark  line  of  the  timber — it  was  a  dark  night,  no 
moon— I  left  the  road,  climbed  the  fence,  and  skulked  through  a  pasture  to 
a  point  only  a  few  yards  from  the  mouth  of  the  bridge;  then  over  the  fence 
and  up  the  bank  as  quietly  as  a  cat.  Only  a  few  feet  from  me  stood  a 
sentinel,  with  gun  and  fixed  bayonet  in  hand.  Just  at  this  moment  he  heard 
the  tramp  of  horses'  feet  and  had  sung  out  the  challenge,  "Who  goes 
there?"  The  noise  of  his  own  voice  caused  him  to  be  oblivious  to  my  foot- 
steps just  behind  him.  With  my  left  hand  grasping  his  shirt  collar,  and  my 
right  over  his  mouth,  I  said  in  a  low  but  firm  voice:  "Drop  that  gun  if  you 
wish  to  live.  Say  nothing.  You  are  my  prisoner."  The  gun  fell  from  his 
hands,  and  the  poor  fellow  dropped  to  his  knees  badly  scared.  I  picked  up 
his  gun  and  whistled,  one  soft  whistle,  and  Baker  and  the  squad  rode  up. 
We  found  that  there  were  no  rebels  in  Warrensburg— only  Union  militia,  who 
were  trying  to  protect  themselves,  and  preparing  to  march  out  of  the  coun- 
try. They  knew  nothing  of  the  enemy.  I  pushed  on  about  five  miles,  and 
camped  for  rest  and  breakfast.  Some  time  after  breakfast  we  marched  on 
to  Knobnoster,  about  ten  miles  east  of  Warrensburg,  and  by  sundown  of 
the  11th  we  reached  Sedalia,  and  the  next  day  continued  the  march  towards 
Tipton.  On  the  13th  I  met  the  advance-guard  of  Joe  Shelby's  army  moving 
towards  Sedalia.  My  men  were  all  drilled  by  signs  and  signals— a  code  of 
my  own— so  that  I  could  communicate  with  them  even  in  the  presence  of  the 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  435 

enemy,  or  wherever  we  might  be,  when  it  was  best  to  give  orders  by  signs, 
rather  than  by  word  of  command. 

Crossing  a  stream  and  riding  through  the  bordering  stretch  of  timber  to 
the  prairie  edge,  I  saw  ahead  of  us,  coming  over  the  hill  on  the  same  road, 
a  column  of  rebel  cavalry.  A  signal  from  me  caused  my  men  to  quickly 
check  their  horses.  Riding  back  some  distance,  we  turned  our  horses  over 
to  four  men  to  hold  them.  The  balance  of  my  command  advanced  about  100 
yards  under  cover  of  the  brush  and  "waited  a  time  with  patience"  for  the 
enemy  to  appear.  They  came  on  unconscious  of  danger.  After  receiving  the 
contents  of  eighteen  carbines,  they  hastily  retreated.  Again  they  advanced 
more  cautiously,  and  again  received  our  fire.  Their  charge  on  the  third  at- 
tack found  us  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  and  again  they  got  the 
worst  of  it.  We  delayed  the  march  at  least  an  hour  and  made  them  throw 
a  few  shells  to  get  us  out  of  the  timber. 

From  that  time,  October  14  to  October  18,  we  were  constantly  on  Joe 
Shelby's  front  or  flank,  constantly  annoying  him  night  and  day,  and  he  was 
keeping  at  least  500  men  quite  busy  trying  to  catch  us.  During  all  that  time, 
night  and  day,  we  had  to  keep  awake.  We  managed  to  tap  a  telegraph 
line  quite  often  to  wire  General  Curtis  of  the  enemy's  movements.  We  had 
to  ride  around  on  the  right  and  left  flanks  at  intervals,  and  once  quite  in  the 
rear,  to  ascertain  the  number  of  troops  and  strength  of  the  artillery.  Shelby 
was  moving  towards  Lexington,  but  very  slowly,  in  order,  apparently,  for 
Price  to  get  his  furloughed  men  together,  and  line  them  up  against  Curtis 
and  Blunt,  as  he  did  on  October  19  at  Lexington. 

When  I  reached  Lexington,  and  reported  to  General  Blunt  on  the  evening 
of  October  18,  I  was  so  sleepy  and  tired  that  I  felt  utterly  unable  to  do  any- 
thing; but  Blunt  told  me  where  my  company  was  camped,  and  said  to  me: 
' '  Take  your  company,  together  with  your  twenty-two  scouts,  and  company 
F  of  your  regiment,  J.  F.  Lindsey,  commanding;  Capt.  Wm.  Green,  with 
company  E  of  the  Second  Colorado  cavalry,  and  sixty-five  men  of  a  Missouri 
cavalry  regiment— in  all,  about  250  men— and  go  out  on  the  road  to  Dover, 
say  three  miles,  and  hold  that  position  as  long  as  you  can.  Don't  mind  the 
fight  anywhere  else.  You  are  to  hold  the  Dover  town  road  until  ordered  to 
retreat.     I  shall  depend  upon  you,  Palmer.  "^ 

The  command  was  in  light  marching  order,  every  man  loaded  down  with 
ammunition,  two  days'  rations— crackers  and  raw  bacon  in  our  saddle-bags 
—all  other  storage  room,  even  in  the  inside  of  our  ponchos  and  the  one  blan- 
ket fastened  to  the  saddle— full  of  cartridges.  The  three-mile  march  was 
completed  by  one  A.  M.,  October  19.  We  then  waited  paitently  by  the  road- 
side until  daybreak,  and  then  had  our  breakfast  of  hardtack  and  bacon,  with 
coffee  made  in  individual  tin  cups.  After  this  bountiful  repast  I  put  the  men 
at  work  leveling  fences  over  about  600  acres  of  territory,  so  that  we  could 
have  a  clear  field  to  fight  in.  About  ten  A.  M.  we  heard  firing  to  our  right, 
near  the  fair-grounds,  and  soon  after  the  boom  of  artillery,  and  about  this 
time  the  enemy  appeared  in  our  front.  We  met  their  column  with  a  charge 
that  developed  the  fact  that  the  force  opposed  to  us  was  stronger  numerically 

Note  5.—  Reprint,  page  216,  Military  History  of  Kansas  Regiments,  Adjutant-general's  Re- 
port. 1861-'65,  states:  "Captain  Palmer,  company  A,  Eleventh  Kansas  cavalry,  commanded  the 
picket  on  the  Dover  road,  composed  of  his  own  company  and  company  F,  of  the  Eleventh.  I  am 
particular  in  mentioning  these  facts,  because  much  credit  is  due  these  companies  for  maintain- 
ing their  position  and  holding  the  rebel  advance  in  check  as  long  as  they  did."  See,  also.  Official 
Records,  War  of  the  Rebellion,  serial  No.  83,  p.  594.  (  Moonlight.when  he  made  the  above  report, 
did  not  know  that  I  had  four  companies,  as  above  stated.—  H.  E.  P.) 


436  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

than  we,  yet  we  were  able  to  drive  them  back  to  the  timber  three  times 
before  five  P.  M.  Until  then  we  had  been  constantly  skirmishing  or  fighting. 
During  our  first  impetuous  charge  we  captured  seventeen  prisoners,  and 
learned  from  them  that  we  had  before  us  a  regiment  of  about  500  cavalry 
who  were  ordered  to  keep  us  engaged  and  drive  us  back,  if  possible. 

At  about  three  p.  m.  the  din  of  battle  grew  so  loud  on  our  right,  only  about 
two  miles  away,  that  we  could  easily  understand  that  the  contending  forces 
were  closely  engaged.  I  sent  a  messenger  to  General  Blunt  advising  that  I 
was  holding  the  road,  but  could  see  no  use  in  staying  where  I  was.  Could  I 
not  do  better  service  elsewhere?  No  answer  was  received  by  me  in  reply  to 
this  message,  and  two  other  messengers  sent  by  me  failed  to  return.  At 
about  four  p.  M.  I  could  hear  the  firing  from  the  rebel  side  more  than  double 
its  volume.  The  rattle  of  the  musketry  was,  as  the  Arkansas  woman  said, 
after  listening  to  the  Pea  Ridge  fight,  "like  pouring  beans  into  a  tin  pan." 
About  five  p.  M.  the  cannonading  had  ceased;  the  battle  was  over.  From 
the  desultory  firing  I  knew  that  our  force  had  been  driven  back,  and  quite 
rapidly,  too.  The  sound  of  the  retreating  shots  came  from  miles  away.  I 
was  left  in  the  rear.  I  knew,  too,  that  men  from  the  army  of  Price  and 
Shelby  were  certainly  between  us  and  the  federal  command,  and  had  by  this 
time  entered  the  city  of  Lexington.  On  my  left  was  the  Missouri  river, 
only  a  short  distance  away,  impassable;  in  front  was  the  rebel  cavalry  that 
I  had  been  fighting  all  day;  and  to  my  right  was  Price's  army,  only  a  por- 
tion of  which  had  participated  in  the  battle.  I  was  surrounded.  It  was 
time  to  about-face  and  march  toward  Blunt's  retreating  army,  without  or- 
ders even. 

I  called  the  seventeen  prisoners  into  line,  made  them  swear  that  they 
would  not  serve  against  us  until  exchanged,  then  paroled  them,  and  moved 
toward  Lexington  in  column  by  fours,  marching  at  a  walk.  The  rebel  force 
that  we  had  been  fighting  all  day  drew  out  of  the  timber,  which  had  helped 
to  protect  them  against  our  repeated  charges,  and  followed  us  in  column 
fours,  and  also  at  a  walk.  I  afterward  learned  that  the  commander  of  this 
force  thought  that  we  were  going  to  Lexington,  which  city  we  both  knew 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  to  surrender.  I  thought  I  would  feel  the 
enemy  before  surrendering.  To  surrender  meant  a  long,  weary  walk— a  ter- 
rible task  for  a  cavalryman— to  Texas  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  mighty 
little  grub,  and  that  of  the  poorest  quality,  to  sustain  life  on  the  march.  For 
my  part,  death  was  preferable,  and  I  knew  from  the  serious  faces  of  my 
men  (glancing  at  them  as  I  was  riding  to  the  rear  and  back  to  the  front  of 
my  column)  that  more  than  half  of  them  felt  as  I  did.  I  said  to  the  boys 
as  I  rode  along  beside  the  line:  "Load  your  revolvers  and  carbines,  if  they 
are  not  loaded,  and  shoot  only  when  you  hear  me  fire  the  first  shot  at  the 
head  of  the  column."  Captain  Green,  of  the  Second  Colorado,  rode  out 
from  the  head  of  his  company  to  chat  with  me.  He  was  much  worried  as 
to  what  I  was  going  to  do.  He  said:  "You  must  know  that  full  half  of 
Price's  army  are  between  us  and  Blunt's  command."  He  admitted  that  we 
could  not  go  east,  as  the  command  following  us  was  certainly  only  the  ad- 
vance-guard of  a  strong  infantry  force;  that  we  could  not  go  south,  as 
Price's  main  army  was  within  a  mile  of  our  column;  that  the  Missouri  river 
north  of  us  cut  off  our  retreat  in  that  direction,  and  that  Lexington,  only  a 
short  distance  away,  must  certainly  be  full  of  rebels.  "Must  we  sur- 
render? "  said  Captain  Green.     He  was  a  brave  officer,  and  had  seen  much 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  437 

service;  was  perfectly  cool  and  self-possessed.  I  answered:  "No,  captain, 
not  until  we  are  invited  to  hand  over  our  shooting-irons.  If  you  hear  us  fire 
in  front  ( the  first  twenty  men  in  front  were  my  bushwhackers,  all  in  half- 
butternut  federal  dress) ,  tell  your  men  to  shoot  to  the  right  and  to  the  left, 
and  keep  'closed  up.'  "  Lieutenant  Lindsey,  company  F,  Eleventh  Kansas 
volunteer  cavalry,  rode  up  to  me  and  asked  what  we  were  going  to  do.  I 
said:  "Lindsey,  I  cannot  tell  you  just  now,  until  I  see  what  is  before  us. 
We  will  do  something.  Keep  cool,  old  boy,  and  don't  do  anything  to  excite 
the  men.  We  may  fight  and  we  may  not.  We  will  see."  Lindsey  turned 
and  galloped  back  to  his  company,  about  the  center  of  the  column,  and 
shouted  out  to  his  men  as  he  rode  down  the  line:  "Keep  cool  boys;  for  God's 
sake,  keep  cool."  He  was  so  excited  that  all  of  his  men  noticed  his  condi- 
tion and  were  smiling  at  his  actions.  He  really  quieted  the  men,  reflecting, 
as  they  did,  on  his  showing  of  fear. 

When  we  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  city  of  Lexington,  some  women 
saw  our  guidons  and  recognized  the  federal  colors.  They  shouted:  "That's 
right,  you  old  Lincolnites,  come  in  and  surrender;  we  welcome  you."  When 
I  reached  the  head  of  Main  street,  I  saw  a  row  of  stacked  infantry  arms 
along  the  whole  street.  It  was  no  place  for  cavalry  to  ride,  over  that  fence 
of  guns  with  bayonets  attached.  So  I  turned  through  an  alley  to  Market 
street,  and  saw  that  the  street  was  clear  except  for  hundreds  of  rebels 
crossing  and  recrossing  the  street.  I  comprehended  at  a  glance  that  the  rebel 
division  or  brigade  (it  was  Pagan's  division)  had  entered  the  city  after  the 
last  federal  had  retreated,  and  that,  as  it  was  late  in  the  day,  the  men  had 
stacked  their  arms  and  had  been  dismissed,  to  enable  them  to  get  something 
to  eat.  The  men  were  foraging  for  grub,  and  there  was  no  organized  force 
to  stop  me  from  going  through  the  city  by  breaking  through  their  lines.  I 
ordered  Edward  A.  Slane,  my  bugler,  who  was  riding  by  my  side,  to  first  sound 
the  trot;  this  kicked  up  a  dust  that  fairly  covered  my  column  and  hid  our  flags 
from  view.  We  commenced  passing  men,  who  naturally  took  us  to  be  a  rear 
cavalry  force  going  forward  to  help  drive  the  fleeing  federals.  They  shouted 
to  us:  "Give  them  hell,  boys."  I  believe  I  could  have  trotted  through  the 
town.  My  twenty  men  in  front,  dressed  in  half  rebel  attire,  were  about  the 
only  men  who  could  be  seen.  I  was  riding  on  the  left  of  the  front  file.  The 
man  on  the  right  of  this  leading  file  was  private  Geo.  W.  Edwards,  of  my 
company.  A  rebel  major,  mounted  on  a  horse,  rode  up,  calling  on  us  to  halt. 
He  was  a  staff  officer,  and  probably  General  Pagan  had  instructed  him  to 
ascertain  what  command  this  was.  He  shouted  "Halt !  "  waved  his  hand  to 
me,  and  attempted  to  ride  across  our  front  to  my  side  of  the  column.  Ed- 
wards ran  into  him.  He  could  have  swept  the  major  from  his  saddle,  but 
the  temptation  to  kill  a  rebel  officer  became  so  strong  that  Edwards  forgot 
his  orders  and  good  discipline,  and,  poking  his  revolver  into  the  major's  side, 
shot  him  dead.  This  was  the  signal.  I  could  not  stop  the  rain  of  bullets 
that  came  from  my  column  to  the  right  and  left.  I  shouted  to  Bugler  Slane: 
"Sound  the  charge,"  and  our  horses,  fairly  fresh  and  in  good  condition, 
sprang  into  a  run.  We  were  going  through  the  heart  of  the  city,  over  a 
stone  macadam.  Rebel  soldiers  and  officers  were  dodging  in  every  direc- 
tion, tumbling  over  stone  fences,  behind  buildings,  getting  out  of  the  way, 
the  only  sensible  thing  for  them  to  do,  and  we  were  out  of  the  city  gallop- 
ing on  the  river  road  to  the  Sni  bridge,  about  three  or  four  miles  away. 

We  had  passed  through  General  Pagan's  division  of  7000  men  without  the 


438  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

loss  of  a  single  man  and  no  one  wounded.  I  halted  the  column,  and,  slowing 
down  into  a  walk,  ordered  the  men  to  again  load  their  revolvers  and  car- 
bines. They  were  all  feeling  tip-top,  full  of  jokes  and  kind  greetings  to 
me.  I  jollied  the  boys  to  keep  them  in  good  humor.  It  was  after  sundown, 
growing  dark.  The  Sni  bridge,  two  and  a  half  miles  away,  was  our  only 
gateway  of  escape.  It  was  a  covered  bridge.  The  Sni  at  this  point  was 
impassable  on  account  of  mud  and  quicksand.  We  must  get  across  it  on  the 
bridge.  I  could  hear  the  artillery  and  musketry  firing  very  hot  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  bridge.  I  rightfully  guessed  that  Blunt's  army  had  crossed 
over  on  their  retreat,  and  were  now  trying  to  prevent  the  rebels  from  cross- 
ing. How  could  we  get  through  this  rebel  line;  and  if  we  could,  how  would 
we  let  our  friends,  Blunt's  army,  know  who  we  were,  and  thus  prevent 
their  batteries  and  riflemen  strung  along  the  river-bank  above  and  below 
the  bridge  from  mowing  us  down?  That  was  the  question.  After  dark, 
when  we  could  see  the  flashes  of  rifles  and  artillery  only  one-half  mile  away,  I 
halted  my  command  and  rode  along  the  company's  front  and  said  to  the  men: 
"Boys,  we  are  going  through  that  crowd  ahead,  going  to  Blunt's  army,  and 
will  take  breakfast  with  our  boys.  When  the  head  of  this  column  reaches 
the  rebel  lines,  we  will  yell  like  hell,  and  don't  you  forget  to  follow  suit. 
Shoot  and  shout;  don't  stop  to  catch  your  breath,  even.  The  boys  will  hear 
us;  the  rebel  fire  will  slacken  when  we  are  going  through  their  lines.  We 
will  be  doing  the  shooting  and  they  the  dodging.  Our  artillerymen  and  the 
boys  across  the  creek  will  hear  the  racket;  they  will  recognize  the  Kansas 
yell,  and  they  will  open  the  gates;    so  don't  fret." 

We  then  resumed  our  march,  first  a  trot,  then  a  gallop,  and,  as  we  came 
upon  the  rebels,  we  rode  much  faster;  and  oh,  how  we  yelled  and  shot;  it 
was  confusion  upon  confusion  with  the  rebels.  In  less  than  three  minutes 
we  were  on  the  bridge  and  passed  the  two  Parrott  guns  in  the  opposite 
end  of  the  bridge.  Our  cannoneers  had  to  hustle  to  get  out  of  the  way. 
"  What  command  is  this?  "  was  shouted  from  all  sides.  "Palmer's  com- 
mand," said  one  of  my  riders,  and  the  word  was  shouted  ahead  by  the  thou- 
sand men  or  more  who  were  holding  the  rear  of  Blunt's  army.  A  few 
moments  later  the  bridge  was  on  fire,  and  our  force  fell  back,  keeping 
enough  riflemen  in  the  timber  to  prevent  the  enemy  putting  out  the  fire.  I  had 
to  ride  to  the  left  of  the  shouting  column  of  Blunt's  men,  who  were  ringing 
out  their  welcome  to  the  250  boys,  "my  rough  riders,"  who  had  been  re- 
ported captured  more  than  four  hours  previously. 

General  Blunt  headed  me  off,  shouting  my  name;  I  responded.  He  rode 
up  and  shook  my  hand  warmly,  and  could  not  believe  I  had  lost  no  men.  He 
was  very  complimentary,  and  ordered  me  to  take  the  head  of  the  column, 
which  meant  an  all-night  ride  to  the  Little  Blue  before  I  could  halt  for  rest 
and  food  for  my  men  and  beasts.  There  we  got  a  ration  of  shelled  corn  for 
our  horses  from  a  train,  some  hardtack  and  ammunition  for  the  men,  and  a 
short  sleep.  8 

Note  6.—  Page  336,  Military  History  of  Kansas  Regiments,  Moonlight's  report,  says :  "  Com- 
panies A,  B  and  F  occupied  advanced  positions  on  the  line  of  rebel  approach  to  the  city,  and 
held  them  until  surrounded,  and  then  fought  their  way  out  and  rejoined  the  command  after  they 
had  been  given  up  as  entirely  lost." 

(Memo,  by  the  author.—  Moonlight  was  my  bitter  enemy  during  the  entire  term  of  our 
service  in  the  same  regiment.  He  was  anxious  to  be  colonel  instead  of  lieutenant-colonel.  The 
majority  of  the  officers,  upon  the  organization  of  the  regiment,  favored  Thomas  Ewing,  then 
chief  justice  of  the  state  of  Kansas.  I  had  served  with  Moonlight  in  the  artillery  service  a  year 
previous,  enlisting  with  him  in  July,  1861,  and  had  learned  to  dislike  him  ;  and,  as  second  lieu- 
tenant, company  A,  dating  from  August  20,  1862,  regularly  mustered  August  27,  1862,  I  was  the 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  439 

October  20  was  spent  by  our  command  in  abattis  work,  felling  trees  to 
block  the  road,  by  this  means  hoping  to  delay  the  enemy  as  long  as  possible 
at  the  Little  Blue. 

About  nine  A.  M.,  October  21,  the  enemy  appeared.  I  had  been  awake 
but  a  few  ninutes  and  was  trying  to  sew  up  a  big  rent  in  my  pants,  made 
in  riding  through  the  brush.  I  had  to  jump  for  my  horse  and  see  that  my 
men  were  promptly  in  line  of  battle,  and,  having  no  time  to  put  on  my  pants, 
threw  them  across  my  saddle  and  went  into  the  fight.  It  was  a  sorry  fight. 
They  kept  us  busy  for  an  hour  or  two,  trying  to  prevent  their  crossing  the 
Little  Blue  river.  Under  a  sharp  fire  we  ran  a  wagon-load  of  hay  into  the 
bridge  and  set  it  on  fire.  But  it  was  all  to  no  particular  effect,  so  far  as 
stopping  the  enemy,  for  the  stream  was  not  a  bad  one  to  cross,  there  being 
fords  near  the  bridge,  above  and  below,  and  we  soon  felt  the  sting  of  the 
enemy's  bullets  on  our  right  and  left  flanks.  We  had  to  hustle  to  the  rear, 
which  we  did  in  good  order. 

About  two  and  a  half  miles  from  where  the  first  attack  was  made,  we 
saw  the  Second  Colorado  battery  of  six  fine  Parrott  guns  crossing  a  field  on 
our  right  as  we  were  retreating.  The  guns  were  too  heavy  for  the  plowed 
land  and  the  teams  stalled.  The  rebel  advance  was  within  400  or  500  yards 
of  the  battery.  Quick  work  must  be  done  to  save  the  guns,  worth  a  thou- 
sand men  to  us.  Colonel  Moonlight,  commanding  our  brigade,  came  gallop- 
ing down  the  line  to  my  company.  We  were  the  rear-guard.  He  ordered 
me  to  countermarch  and  charge  the  enemy  with  my  eighty-eight  men  in  a 
column  of  eight  fronts  We  charged  down  the  road,  passing  the  Little  Blue 
church,  straight  for  the  enemy.  I  saw  ahead  of  me  a  brick  house,  just  where 
the  road  turned  from  a  northerly  course  straight  east,  a  stone  fence  dead 
ahead  of  us,  and  a  brick  house  and  stone  fence  to  the  right.  The  rebel  cav- 
alry fell  back,  but  a  line  of  infantry  occupied  the  house  and  were  down  be- 
hind the  fence.  About  150  yards  south  of  the  house,  between  us  and  the 
enemy,  was  a  hollow  that  for  a  moment  or  two  kept  us  out  of  sight  and 
range  of  their  guns. 

As  we  reached  the  brow  of  the  hill,  a  thought  flashed  through  my  mind 
that  the  first  line,  in  which  I  was  riding,  with  seven  soldiers  to  my  left,  would 
be  shot  as  soon  as  we  came  in  sight.  I  clutched  the  pommel  of  my  saddle 
and  threw  myself  almost  flat  on  the  horse.  The  volley  of  bullets  came,  as 
I  expected.  I  felt  my  horse  going  down,  swung  my  feet  clear  of  the  stir- 
rups, and  fell  on  my  horse's  neck,  unhurt.  Geo.  W.  Edwards,  who  fired  the 
first  shot  when  we  were  charging  through  Lexington  the  day  before,  fell  on 
my  back,  dead.  My  men  saw  me  fall  and  thought  I  was  killed.  They  re- 
treated back  into  the  hollow.  I  jumped  up  and  ran  after  them,  a  perfect 
hail-storm  of  bullets  buzzing  past  me.  I  ordered  the  men  to  dismount. 
Every  man  left  his  horse  in  the  road.     We  then  jumped  the  fence  into  an 

first  officer  in  the  regiment  and  in  command  of  the  camp.  During  this  time  I  circulated  a  peti- 
tion asking  Governor  Robinson  to  appoint  Ewing  colonel.  I  took  this  petition  to  Governor 
Robinson,  at  Lawrence,  Kan.,  making  a  night  ride,  delivering  it  to  him  before  breakfast.  He 
promptly  issued  the  commission  to  Ewing,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  handing  it  to  him.  This 
act  on  my  part  was  never  forgotten  or  forgiven  by  Moonlight,  and  because  of  this,  undoubtedly, 
he  never  mentioned  my  company  or  myself  for  any  service  rendered  unless  forced  to  do  so.  As 
acting  assistant  adjutant-general  of  the  district  of  the  plains,  in  1865,  it  became  my  duty,  by 
command  of  Gen.  P.  E.  Connor,  to  issue  an  order  directing  Moonlight  to  turn  over  his  command 
at  Fort  Laramie  and  report  to  Fort  Kearney  for  muster  out  of  the  service.  July  17,  1865.) 

Note  7  —  Page  207  (reprint ),  Military  History  of  Kansas  Regiments.  Adjutant-general's  Re- 
port: "Company  A  made  a  brilliant  charge  unmounted,  down  a  narrow  lane,  early  in  action, 
clearing  it  of  rebels."  (  Note  mistake;  we  charged  mounted,  and  dismounted  ourselves,  as  stated 
in  my  article.) 


440  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

orchard  and  charged  the  brick  house,  and  took  it,  driving  the  enemy  out; 
then  charged  the  stone  fence  and  took  that.  Of  course,  there  was  no  hope  of 
saving  my  men  without  aid  from  our  army.  At  this  moment  I  heard  the 
yells  of  400  or  500  men.  Maj.  J.  Nelson  Smith,  ^  with  the  first  and  third  bat- 
talions of  the  Second  Colorado  cavalry,  was  charging  the  enemy  to  save  us, 
and  right  before  us  this  gallant  officer  fell  dead  at  the  head  of  his  command. 
I  had  a  chance  now  to  fall  back,  and  found  my  horses  in  the  hollow  where  I 
had  left  them.  The  animals  showed  "horse  sense"  enough  to  remain  where 
they  were  safe  from  the  bullets.  This  little  diversion,  costly  to  my  company, 
saved  the  Colorado  battery.  The  Second  Colorado  cavalry  fell  back  in  good 
order,  and  our  army  continued  their  retreat  on  a  walk,  passed  through  In- 
dependence, eight  miles  west  of  Little  Blue,  and  camped  on  the  Big  Blue  for 
the  night. 

When  my  horse  was  shot,  on  the  charge  just  described,  one  of  my  men, 
riding  in  the  rear  file,  turned  his  horse  and  rode  rapidly  to  the  rear,  and  did 
not  stop  until  he  reached  Westport,  nearly  twenty  miles  away.  He  went  to 
my  house  in  Westport  and  told  my  wife  I  was  killed— he  saw  me  fall.  Lieut. - 
col.  WilHam  Rosenthall  and  Lieut. -col.  Andrew  S.  Hughes,"  both  personal 
friends  of  mine,  serving  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Carney,  of  Kansas,  who 
was  making  his  headquarters  at  my  house,  were  ordered  by  the  governor  to 
ride  to  the  front,  full  fifteen  miles,  to  learn  the  facts,  and,  if  I  was  killed,  to 
recover  the  body.  They  met  me  just  east  of  Independence,  at  the  head  of 
my  company.  Learning  from  them  that  my  wife  was  nearly  prostrated, 
and  wild  with  grief,  I  secured  permission  from  Colonel  Plumb,  commanding 
my  regiment,  to  ride  on  to  Westport,  on  the  promise  that  I  would  report  for 
duty  before  daylight  next  day. 

During  the  afternoon  of  October  22  our  command  was  employed  cutting 
timber  and  constructing  abbatis  work,  blocking  the  roads  and  trails  and  all 
the  crossings  of  the  Big  Blue  from  its  mouth  to  Byram's  ford,  and  south  of 
that  point  a  mile  or  more.  In  the  afternoon  the  enemy  appeared  at  several 
points  and  made  a  determined  attack,  and  forced  a  crossing  at  Byram's  ford, 
kilHng  many  of  our  men,  and  capturing  a  few  home-guard  troops  from 
Topeka.  This  flanking  movement  forced  us  to  abandon  the  fortifications 
we  had  hastily  made  between  Kansas  City  and  Independence  and  fall  back 
to  Westport  and  to  Shawnee  Mission,  on  the  Kansas  line. 

My  company  held  the  rear  of  Moonlight's  brigade,  and  reached  Westport 
about  two  P.  M.,  the  rebel  cavalry  following  us  closely,  we  firing  and  falling 
back.  I  rode  up  to  the  gate  of  my  home,  a  large  two  story  brick  house 
which  belonged  to  my  father-in-law.  In  the  yard  and  on  the  porch  were  at 
least  twenty  women  and  children.  My  wife,  her  mother  and  two  sisters 
were  in  the  party,  some  screaming  with  fright.  I  sprang  from  my  horse, 
caught  up  my  wife  in  my  arms,  ordered  all  into  the  spacious  cellar  under  the 
house,  and  took  my  wife  to  the  empty  ice-house,  down  the  ladder,  and  set  her 
down  on  a  pile  of  sawdust,  some  ten  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
She  was  so  badly  frightened  and  excited  that  she  could  scarcely  speak.  I 
kissed  her  good-by,  climbed  the  ladder  and  pulled  it  up,  so  that  she  could  not 
come  out  until  after  the  battle  was  over,  when  she  could  make  herself  heard. 

Note  8.— Williams's  History  of  the  Second  Colorado,  p.  97. 

Note  9.—"  Lieut-col.  'Andy '  S.  Hughes  was  the  son  of  Gen.  Bela  M.  Hughes,  general  coun- 
sel of  Ben  Holladay's  Overland  Mail  Line.  Colonel  Hughes  lives  at  Denver,  Colo.,  and  is  the 
general  traffic  manager  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  railroad."— H.  E.  P. 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  441 

I  found  my  men  had  made  a  stand  in  front  of  my  home,  holding  the  enemy 
in  check  until  I  could  resume  my  duties.  We  retreated  through  the  town. 
The  rebels  did  not  shell  Westport,  as  I  had  feared  they  would. 

Near  Shawnee  Mission,  on  the  prairie  south  and  east,  we  made  a  grand 
final  stand,  and  there  3000  cavalry  charged  the  rebels.  It  was  a  grand 
charge  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  participating  in  command  of  my  company. 
The  result  was  only  the  delay  we  caused  the  enemy  in  concentrating  their 
forces  to  drive  us  back.  They  were  trying  to  flank  us  on  our  right;  to  pocket 
us  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  and  then  capture  our  entire  force.  We  could 
not  have  escaped,  as  there  was  no  bridge  at  Kansas  City  across  the  Kaw  or 
Kansas  river— only  a  ferry;  no  bridge  across  the  Missouri. 

We  bivouacked  near  Shawnee  Mission,  and,  after  the  command  was 
asleep,  I  stole  out  of  the  camp  through  the  brush,  past  our  double  line  of 
pickets,  into  Westport,  which  town  was  occupied  by  the  enemy,  visited  my 
wife,  sitting  in  the  parlor  in  the  dark.  About  two  A.  M.  a  squad  of  rebels 
attacked  the  front  door,  and  a  party  started  around  to  the  rear  of  the  house. 
I  jumped  out  of  a  back  window  and  lay  down  behind  some  currant  bushes. 
Two  rebels  passed  within  three  feet  of  me.  They  searched  the  house,  while 
I  was  crawling  and  creeping  back  to  camp  to  get  a  little  sleep  and  dream  of 
the  morrow.  We  were  resting  and  waiting  for  the  battle  that  was  sure  to 
come  the  next  day,  October  23,  and  which  all  knew  would  be  decisive.  I 
felt  that  there  was  no  hope;  and  without  relief  there  was  no  hope;  and  I 
knew  of  no  promised  relief.  The  battle  of  October  23,  1864,  ought  to  be  a 
memorial  day  for  Kansas  City.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  gallant  and  des- 
perate fighting  of  all  our  7000  men,  who  had  harassed  the  enemy  and  held 
them  in  check  to  that  extent  that  in  five  days  they  had  marched  less  than 
fifty  miles— 7000  men  against  35,000— Kansas  City  would  have  been  destroyed 
October  23,  1864.  The  day  opened  bright  and  clear.  From  sunrise  until 
afternoon  our  entire  line  was  engaged  at  one  point  about  half  a  mile  south  of 
Westport,  in  what  was  known  as  "bloody  lane." 

About  four  p.  M.  our  brigade,  the  last  to  fall  back,  was  passing  through 
an  orchard  into  a  lane.  Colonel  Moonlight  rode  up  and  ordered  me  to  place 
my  company  in  line  of  battle  and  hold  the  enemy  in  check  until  he  could 
draw  off  his  brigade.  While  performing  this  duty  under  a  heavy  fire,  I  became 
possessed  of  an  idea  that  we  would  all  be  killed  or  captured,  and  that  those 
captured  would  be  taken  to  a  Texas  prison.  I  felt  that  I  wanted  to  see  my 
wife  before  going  South— only  a  severe  wound  would  keep  me  in  the  country 
probably— so  I  held  my  left  arm  as  high  as  I  could  comfortably  hold  the 
reins  and  expected  to  get  a  bullet  through  my  arm.  My  men  were  waver- 
ing. I  had  to  ride  back  and  forth  along  the  rear  of  the  firing-line  and  call 
on  the  men  to  "Quit  your  dodging!  Keep  on  firing!  Fire  low!  We  will 
whip  them  yet! "  While  doing  this  I  ran  across  the  member  of  my  company 
who  had  fled  two  days  before  at  Little  Blue  and  rode  to  my  home  to  tell  my 
wife  that  I  was  shot.  I  felt  very  bitter  towards  this  fellow,  who  had  deserted 
the  fight  and  without  authority  absented  himself  for  nearly  twenty-four 
hours.  He  was  in  line  now.  I  rode  up  to  him  and  called  him  to  account. 
Why  had  he  run  away?  He  tried  to  explain,  when  a  bullet  struck  him  in 
the  chest  and  he  fell  from  his  horse  dead.  A  moment  afterwards  Leander 
R..Hull,  one  of  my  good  soldiers,  dropped  his  gun.  A  bullet  had  passed 
through  his  right  arm.  I  got  off  my  horse,  picked  up  his  carbine,  placed  it 
on  his  saddle  in  front  of  him,  and  told  him  to  go  to  the  rear.     About  five 


442  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

minutes  later,  as  I  was  returning  from  the  left  of  the  line,  I  saw  this  same 
man,  Hull,  trying  to  fire  off  his  carbine  with  his  left  hand.  I  rode  toward 
him  to  repeat  my  order  to  go  to  the  rear,  when  the  boy  (he  was  only 
eighteen  years  old)  was  shot  through  the  left  arm,  and  again  I  had  to  pick 
up  his  carbine  from  the  ground  and  strap  it  to  his  saddle,  and  again  order 
this  brave  soldier  to  the  rear.  He  stubbornly  stayed  with  his  comrades  until 
we  all  fell  back,  and  to-day,  forty  years  later,  is  living  at  Winchester, 
Jefferson  county,  Kansas. 

At  five  P.  M. ,  when  our  whole  line  had  fallen  back  and  there  seemed  to 
be  no  hope,  we  heard  cannonading  at  Byram's  ford,  four  miles  east.  The 
rebel  army  was  being  vigorously  attacked  in  the  rear.  What  could  it  mean? 
"Who  has  come  to  our  rehef?"  was  the  cry  from  the  men  and  from  the 
officers,  for  only  a  few  of  the  generals  and  colonels  on  our  side  knew  that 
troops  were  marching  to  our  relief,  A  staff  officer  rode  up  and  called  for 
me,  saying  that  General  Curtis  was  near  the  mission,  and  that  I  must  take 
my  twenty  scouts,  who  had  been  with  me  for  thirteen  days'  constant  work, 
and  go  to  Byram's  ford  to  take  a  message  to  Gen.  Alfred  Pleasanton.  I 
had  to  go  via  Westport,  down  Brush  creek.  There  I  found  Pleasanton  at 
the  head  of  an  army  of  12,000  cavalry,  and  learned  that  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith  was 
then  at  Hickman's  Mills,  about  fourteen  miles  from  Westport,  with  10,000 
infantry.     There  were  several  batteries  of  artillery  in  each  command. 

Price  was  forced  to  make  a  sudden  change  in  his  plans.  Instead  of  push- 
ing Blunt  and  Curtis,  he  suddenly  started  on  a  trot,  which  soon  increased  to 
a  run,  down  the  line  between  Kansas  and  Missouri,  for  the  Arkansas  river. 
We  followed  in  hot  pursuit.  Colonel  Moonlight,  with  his  brigade,  in  which 
were  all  the  men  of  my  regiment  save  the  twenty  men  with  me,  pushed 
out  on  our  right  flank,  to  head  off  any  rebel  movement  into  Kansas.  I  was 
ordered  by  General  Pleasanton  to  keep  with  his  command. 

That  night  late,  about  eleven  o'clock  P.  M.,  we  reached  a  point  near  Trad- 
ing Post,  on  the  Kansas  line,  and  I  was  ordered  to  let  the  main  column  of 
our  cavalry  pass.  For  hours,  until  daylight,  an  unbroken  line  of  cavalry  a 
column  of  fours  closed  up,  was  passing  without  a  halt.  It  was  raining 
from  eleven  P.  M.  until  nearly  daylight;  a  cold,  nasty  rain.  We  could  not 
unsaddle  and  rest  our  horses  or  ourselves,  but  had  to  sit  down  on  the  road- 
side in  the  mud,  keep  awake,  and  take  our  medicine.  It  was  an  awful  night; 
wet  to  the  skin,  teeth  chattering  horribly. 

October  24  we  passed  Trading  Post,  following  the  enemy  into  Kansas, 
and  found  they  had  burned  every  house  and  barn  in  reach  of  their  command, 
after  robbing  and  plundering  the  same,  taking  clothing  from  the  women, 
even  to  the  dresses  they  had  on,  and  wraps  from  the  helpless  infants,  and 
that  they  had  shot  old  men  and  boys.  The  Apaches  or  any  band  of  West- 
em  Indians  could  not  have  made  any  plainer  trail  of  desolation  and  murder 
than  this  retreating  rebel  army  made  while  they  were  marching  only  a  few 
miles  in  Kansas.  They  made  us  understand  by  the  wrecks  and  ruins  left 
behind  what  they  had  intended  to  do  if  they  had  got  as  far  north  as  Leaven- 
worth, and  could  have  swept  down  through  Kansas  as  they  had  planned. 
But  they  found  to  their  sorrow  that  the  old  war  phrase  that  they  had  learned 
from  Kansas  men  at  Springfield  and  at  Prairie  Grove,  "Kansas  is  pizen  to 
the  hull  on  'em,"  was  no  joke.  We  bivouacked  another  night  on  their  trail. 
Next  day,  October  25,  about  noon,  we  overtook  a  large  force  of  rebels 
trying  to  cross  Mine  creek.     They  were  in  Kansas,  some  three  or  four  miles 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  443 

west  of  the  line.  Our  advance  saw  the  situation  at  a  glance  and  charged, 
every  man  following.  About  3000  men  made  a  wild  run  for  the  rebels.  It 
was  a  grand,  inspiring  sight.  I  shall  never  forget  it.  We  captured  over  a 
thousand  men,  nine  pieces  of  artillery,  and  many  officers,  General  Cabell 
and  General  Marmaduke.  I  saw  General  Marmaduke  get  off  his  horse,  for 
he  was  surrounded,  and  give  up  his  sword.  One  of  my  men  said:  "General, 
are  you  hungry?  If  so,  I  have  some  hardtack."  The  general  accepted  the 
proffered  food  and  ate  heartily. 

After  this  disaster  General  Price  burned  most  of  his  wagons  and  fled  as 
fast  as  he  could  for  the  Arkansas  border,  finally  crossing  the  Arkansas  river 
"with  about  25,000  men. 

October  25  was  my  fifteenth  day  of  activity,  fighting  every  day,  and 
actually  having  no  sleep  for  five  days  of  this  time. 

The  story  of  these  fifteen  days'  work  is  certainly  enough  to  prove  that 
these  were  "strenuous  times"  for  Missouri  and  Kansas. 


THE  BATTLE  ON  BEAVER  CREEK. 

Written  by  George  B.  Jenness  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

THE  Indian  depredations  on  the  Kansas  frontier  during  the  spring  of  1867 
early  developed  the  inadequacy  of  the  regular  army  efficiently  to  pro- 
tect so  great  a  range  of  country  as  was  then  exposed  upon  the  Kansas 
border.  After  repeated  and  most  urgent  solicitation  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, Gov.  S.  J.  Crawford  finally  received  authority  to  raise  and  muster 
five  companies,  which  were  to  be  armed  and  equipped  by  the  general  gov- 
ernment. ^  Under  the  call,  each  volunteer  furnished  his  own  horse,  and, 
within  two  weeks  from  the  date  of  the  governor's  proclamation  [July  1, 
1867],  four  companies  of  fine  men  were  in  camp,  mounted  upon  horses  well 
used  to  frontier  duty  and  considered  in  every  way  equal  to  the  Indian  ponies. 
Owing  to  the  exigencies  of  the  situation  and  the  immediate  demand  for 
troops,  it  was  thought  proper  not  to  attempt  the  organization  of  the  fifth 
company,  but  to  push  the  battalion  of  four  companies  already  in  camp  im- 
mediately into  the  field.-  Upon  consultation  with  Gen.  Phil.  H.  Sheridan, 
the  territory  to  be  guarded  by  the  volunteers,  respectively,  was  duly  agreed 
upon,  and  under  the  efficient  command  of  Maj.  Horace  L.  Moore,  of  Law- 
rence, the  Kansas  battalion  was  ordered  into  service.     The  companies,  A, 

Note  1.— Eighteenth  Kansas  Volunteer  Battalion.— During  the  month  of  July  a  bat- 
talion of  four  companies  was  orKanized,  by  authority  from  Lieutenant-general  Sherman,  to  pro- 
tect the  Western  settlements,  to  guard  the  employees  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  Eastern 
Division,  and  the  travel  on  the  great  highways  leading  to  the  West  and  Southwest.  The  bat- 
talion was  commanded  by  Maj.  H.  L.  Moore,  of  Lawrence,  formerly  lieutenant-colonel  Fourth 
Arkansas  cavalry;  company  A  by  Capt.  Henry  C.  Lind.sey.  of  Topeka.  with  Lieuts.  Thomas  Hughes 
and  John  H.  Wellman  ;  company  B  by  Capt.  Edgar  A.  Barker,  with  Lieuts.  John  W.  Price  and 
Samuel  Hybarger  (succeeded  by  Francis  M.  Stahl);  company  C  by  Capt.  Geo.  B.  Jenness,  with 
Lieuts.  Peler  Thomas  and  Jamea  Reynolds ;  company  D  by  Capt.  David  L.  Payne,  with  Lieuts. 
John  M.  Cain  and  Henry  Hegwer.  The  battalion  consisted  of  3.58  officers  and  enlisted  men. 
They  were  organized  for  a  period  of  four  months.  They  discharged  their  duties  faithfully 
and  received  the  commendation  of  the  otlicers  of  the  regular  army  as  good  and  faithful  soldiers. 
About  ten  per  cent,  of  their  number  fell  during  their  short  term  of  service.  The  expenses  in- 
curred in  tlie  organization  of  this  battalion,  and  not  paid  by  the  United  States  government,  will 
be  found  in  the  accompanyinc  report  of  Colonel  Haskell,  quartermaster-general  of  the  state.— 
Adjutant-general's  Report.  1867,  p.  6. 

Note  2.— The  rolls  of  the  Eighteenth  Kansas  volunteer  cavalry  are  printed,  together  with 
those  of  the  Third,  Fourth  and  Nineteenth  Kansas  volunteer  regiments,  in  the  Thirteenth  Bien- 
nial Report  of  the  Adjutant-general.  This  portion  of  the  report  has  also  been  repaged  and  bound 
separately. 


444  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

B,  C,  and  D,  were  commanded,  respectively,  by  Capt.  Henry  C.  Lindsay, 
A;  Capt.  Edgar  A.  Barker,  B;  Capt.  Geo.  B.  Jenness,  C;  and  Capt.  David 
L.  Payne,  D. 

The  first  experience  was  not  very  encouraging  for  the  future  usefulness 
of  the  battalion,  for  while  in  camp  at  Fort  Harker  the  Asiatic  cholera  broke 
out  among  the  troops  and  came  very  nearly  demoralizing  the  command. 
Each  company  lost  more  or  less  men  by  death,  while  desertion  through 
panic  became  altogether  too  common.  Company  C  alone,  in  two  weeks,  lost 
thirteen  men  who  died  from  cholera,  ^  and  seven  deserters.  Finally,  upon 
moving  camp,  the  cholera  disappeared,  and  the  campaign  began  in  earnest. 
Several  weeks  were  spent  in  scouting  between  the  Arkansas  and  Saline 
rivers  before  the  companies  were  separated.  Companies  B  and  C  were 
ordered  to  Fort  Hays,  and  about  the  18th  of  August  were  directed  to  pre- 
pare for  a  grand  scout  toward  the  head  waters  of  the  Solomon  and  Republi- 
can rivers,  where  a  large  body  of  Cheyenne  and  Arapahoe  Indians  were 
reported  to  be  encamped.  This  expedition  was  to  be  participated  in  by 
company  F,  Tenth  United  States  cavalry,  and  companies  B  and  C,  Eigh- 
teenth Kansas,  the  whole  under  command  of  Brevet  Maj.  George  A.  Armes, 
of  the  Tenth. 

Starting  from  Fort  Hays  on  the  20th  of  August,  and  with  but  few 
wagons  and  two  ambulances,  the  company  provisions  mostly  carried  on  pack 
mules,  the  force  marched  rapidly  in  a  northwesterly  direction.  On  the 
evening  of  the  21st  the  command  camped  on  the  Solomon  [Prairie  Dog] 
river,  about  eighty-five  miles  northwest  of  Hays,  and  at  a  point  twelve 
miles  from  the  Republican,  the  two  streams  running  almost  parallel.^  In- 
dian signs,  fresh  and  clear,  had  been  discovered  during  the  day,  and  that 
night  a  bright  light  was  visible  some  distance  to  the  East.  Captain  Jenness 
volunteered  to  take  a  file  of  men  and  investigate  this  matter,  and,  this  meet- 
ing the  approval  of  Major  Armes,  he  selected  Sergeant  Stringer  and  Cor- 
poral Campbell,  and  started  in  the  direction  of  the  light,  the  distance  to 
which  proved  greater  than  was  at  first  supposed,  it  being  nearly  midnight 
before  they  approached  near  enough  to  investigate  the  cause.  It  was  then 
discovered  to  be  an  old  log  burning,  where  the  Indians  had  evidently  stopped 
the  day  before.  Turning  back,  the  party  became  bewildered  in  the  dark- 
ness, and  finally,  giving  up  all  hope  of  finding  the  trail,  they  bivouacked  for 
the  remainder  of  the  night  on  the  open  prairie. 

Early  in  the  morning  they  were  in  the  saddle,  and,  traveling  in  a  north- 
erly direction,  they  soon  reached  the  river,  perhaps  eight  miles  below  the 
camp  from  which  they  had  started.     From  a  high  hill  here  they  discovered  the 

Note  3.—  A  pathetic  reminder  of  this  scourge  was  found  among  the  correspondence  rela- 
tive to  this  regiment,  turned  over  to  the  archives  department  by  Adjutant-general  Hughes,  in  a 
little  packet  of  letters  relating  to  the  death  of  Alphonse  Eugene  Colbrant,  whose  mother  lived  at 
Fontainebleau,  France.  They  say  he  had  served  in  the  rebellion  as  major  of  the  Second  United 
States  colored  cavalry,  1862-'65,  had  joined  the  Eighteenth  Kansas  cavalry  in  July,  1867,  and  had 
died  at  Fort  Harker  of  the  cholera  on  the  24th  of  the  same  month.  His  name  appears  in  the 
printed  rolls  as  Augustus  E.  Colbrant,  private,  enrolled  in  company  D,  Eighteenth  Kansas,  July 
7 ;  residence,  Leavenworth. 

Note  4.—  James  A.  Hadley,  a  corporal  of  company  A,  Eighteenth  Kansas,  has  published  in 
the  Farm  and  Home  Sentinel.  Indianapolis,  Ind..  a  series  of  articles  on  the  Kansas  Indian  cam- 
paign of  1867,  including  this  running  fight.  His  localities  are  obtained  from  Allison  J.  Pliley,  a 
scout  of  the  expedition,  now  living  at  Kansas  City,  who  states  that  the  fight  was  on  the  Prairie 
Dog,  and  not  on  the  Solomon  and  its  branches,  and  that  the  incidents  occurred  in  northwest  Phillips 
county.  The  author  says  that  Pliley's  share  in  this  fight  "brought  him  the  approval  of  General 
Sheridan,  and  a  captaincy  a  little  later.  It  was  his  courage  and  clear  judgment  [  the  last  of 
which  Captain  Jenness  was  wise  enough  to  follow]  that  saved  the  little  party  from  annihilation 
and  brought  fifty  per  cent,  through  alive  and  untouched,  though  he  was  himself  suffering  from 
two  painful  wounds." 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  445 

camp  of  the  wagon-train,  which  had  been  ordered  to  move  parallel  to  the 
command,  some  three  miles  further  down  the  river.  This  opportunity  to 
breakfast  was  not  to  be  missed;  so,  galloping  thither,  they  were  soon  enjoy- 
ing a  bountiful  supply  of  rations.  The  train  was  guarded  by  thirty  men,  un- 
der Lieut.  John  W.  Price,  of  company  B,  Eighteenth  Kansas,  a  very  efficient 
and  brave  officer.  Upon  learning  of  the  Indian  signs,  he  made  preparations 
to  continue  his  march  with  due  caution.  Captain  Jenness,  being  joined  by 
private  Thomas  G.  Masterson,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Fort  Hays  with  the 
mail,  left  the  train  at  about  eight  o'clock  and  pushed  up  the  river  to  rejoin 
the  main  command.  He  reached  the  camp  about  noon,  to  find  the  troops 
gone,  and  after  a  short  rest  crossed  the  river  and  proceeded  to  follow  the 
trail.  Here  he  was  met  by  three  dismounted  men,  sent  back  by  Major 
Armes  to  join  the  wagon-train.  Not  thinking  it  safe  to  allow  them  to  con- 
tinue in  the  face  of  the  many  Indian  signs,  he  ordered  them  to  follow  him 
forward.  The  day  was  exceedingly  warm,  and  all  the  men  had  taken  off 
their  coats,  those  mounted  strapping  theirs  behind  their  saddles.  No  par- 
ticular order  was  maintained,  and  no  immediate  danger  apprehended. 

Proceeding  in  this  way  for  about  three  miles,  they  were  suddenly  startled 
by  hearing  the  most  unearthly  yells  ever  dropped  on  mortal  ears,  and  looking 
up  to  the  west  they  saw  about  500  Indians  swooping  down  on  them  from  a 
ridge  about  a  half-mile  away.  At  the  same  time  they  saw,  to  their  intense 
relief,  a  party  of  cavalry,  twenty  men  and  a  sergeant,  coming  towards  them 
from  the  direction  of  the  command.  Putting  their  horses  on  a  gallop,  after 
taking  up  the  dismounted  men,  they  formed  a  junction  with  the  sergeant 
and  his  squad  just  as  the  Indians  had  approached  within  300  yards.  Captain 
Jenness  assumed  command,  dismounted  his  men,  formed  a  hollow  square  in 
the  time  it  takes  to  tell  it,  and  they  began  to  pour  volley  after  volley  into 
the  Indians  from  their  Spencer  carbine  seven-shooters. 

The  Indians  began  the  fight  by  forming  a  complete  circle  around  the  de- 
tachment and  just  within  range  of  the  guns.  They  were  promiscuously 
armed  with  Springfield  and  Mississippi  rifles,  shotguns,  and  bows  and  arrows. 
Had  they  been  armed  as  well  as  Indians  generally  were  several  years  later,  not 
a  white  man  would  have  escaped.  Their  tactics  appeared  to  be  to  stampede 
our  horses,  and  the  shaking  of  blankets  and  lances  with  streamers  attached, 
and  their  unearthly  whoops  and  yells  as  they  circled  around,  were  well  cal- 
culated to  make  the  horses  uneasy.  As  they  continued  riding,  each  alter- 
nate Indian  would  from  time  to  time  wheel  his  horse  inside  their  circle,  rein 
up,  and  discharge  his  piece  at  the  square.  After  the  formation  of  the  square 
of  skirmishers  by  Captain  Jenness,  the  horses  were  wheeled  "fours  right" 
into  column,  and  each  set  of  fours  put  in  charge  of  No.  4  of  each  file,  and 
under  a  determination  to  push  on  and  attempt  to  reach  the  main  command, 
which  Sergt.  George  W.  Carpenter  reported  about  four  miles  north,  in  the 
bottom  lands  of  Beaver  creek,  we  started  forward.  We  moved  slowly,  keep- 
ing up  a  constant  firing  on  the  Indians,  who  also  continued  a  perfect  shower 
of  balls  and  arrows.  Occasionally  we  would  be  compelled  to  halt  for  a  mo- 
ment or  so,  and  at  such  times  squads  of  Indians  would  dismount,  creep  up 
behind  prairie-dog  hills  and  buffalo-wallows,  and  pour  in  flight  after  flight 
of  arrows.  Several  of  the  men  were  struck  with  arrows,  while  scarcely  a 
horse  remained  which  had  not  been  wounded.  As  for  the  execution  from  the 
square,  many  Indians  were  seen  to  fall  from  their  ponies,  while  others  would 
drop  on  one  side  of  their  saddles  or  topple  backwards,  as  though  fatally  hit, 


446  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

but  were  tied  to  their  horses.  This  plan  of  strapping  themselves  to  their 
trappings  is  a  common  one  with  Indians,  as  in  case  of  being  shot  their  bodies 
will  be  borne  off  with  their  party  and  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  their  enemies. 

Occasionally  Indians  would  rally  in  a  squad  of  100  or  more,  suddenly  face 
the  whites,  and  come  dashing  down  on  a  full  charge.  At  such  critical  times 
the  threatened  side  of  the  square  would  be  reenforced  by  running  up  each 
alternate  man  from  the  other  side  of  the  square,  when  this  front  would 
kneel  down  and  empty  the  full  seven  shots  of  their  carbine  magazines  into 
the  approaching  Indians.  The  red  devils  had  never  before  encountered  troops 
armed  with  seven-shooters,  and  these  repeated  volleys  without  any  percepti- 
ble intermission  for  reloading  would  stagger  them  before  they  reached  the 
square,  and  they  would  break  and  retreat  in  all  directions,  yelling  like  de_ 
mons.  The  rapid  succession  of  shots  appeared  to  work  upon  their  supersti- 
tious notions,  and  after  each  such  charge  they  would  draw  off  and  huddle 
together,  as  though  for  consultation  over  the  strange  phenomenon.  Many 
Indians  could  be  seen  to  fall,  and  at  one  time  eleven  dead  bodies  were  counted 
lying  in  the  track  of  their  futile  charge.  In  one  of  their  most  daring  charges 
one  Indian,  mounted  upon  a  splendid  white  animal,  led  his  band.  He  never 
looked  behind,  but  with  a  revolver  in  hand  dashed  on,  giving  encouraging 
commands  to  his  warriors  until  within  pistol  range,  when  he  opened  fire. 
At  this  point  his  followers  were  staggered  by  a  telling  volley  from  the 
square,  and,  wavering  for  a  moment,  broke  and  ran.  The  chief,  however, 
came  on,  dashing  his  spurs  into  his  horse  and  flourishing  his  revolver.  He 
rode  over  one  man  who  essayed  to  stop  him,  to  the  square,  and  on  to  the  far- 
ther side.  Probably  fifty  shots  were  fired  at  him,  but  all  were  apparently 
ineffectual.     He  bore  a  charmed  life  and  had  made  a  most  daring  ride. 

The  detachment  carried  200  rounds  of  ammunition  per  man  and  no  fears 
were  felt  for  our  safety  upon  that  score. 

After  advancing  about  half  a  mile  in  this  manner,  fighting  incessantly. 
Scout  Allison  J.  Pliley  informed  the  commander  that  another  and  still  larger 
body  of  Indians  could  be  seen  through  his  glass  on  the  hills,  and  between 
us  and  where  the  main  command  was  supposed  to  be.  At  the  time  all 
thought  them  to  be  warriors,  but  subsequently  we  learned  that  they  con- 
stituted the  inactive  force  of  the  camp  —  squaws,  old  men,  and  children. 
Being  then  satisfied  that  they  were  fighting  men,  and  having  no  hopes  of 
being  able  to  cut  our  way  through  them,  the  plan  of  joining  Major  Armes 
was  given  up. 

Upon  consultation  with  Scout  Pliley,  Captain  Jenness  determined  to  re- 
turn to  the  river  and  there  erect  a  breastwork  of  driftwood,  etc. ,  and  pre- 
pare for  the  coming  darkness.  Changing  the  front  and  turning  the  horses 
around  caused  something  of  a  halt,  during  which  the  Indians  redoubled  their 
firing  and  showers  of  arrows,  until  only  four  horses  remained  unwounded. 
Many  had  been  killed  and  all  except  those  four  were  badly  hurt  and  fairly 
bristling  with  arrows.  They  were  restless  and  enraged  and  it  took  more 
men  to  care;for  them  than  could  be  spared  from  the  lines.  Under  this  con- 
dition of  affairs,  it  was  decided  to  kill  all  but  the  four  whole  animals,  and 
as  they  were  turned  out  of  the  square,  they  were  shot  by  men  selected  for 
the  purpose.  At  this  point  Corp.  James  H.  Towell  received  seven  balls  in 
his  body  and  Thos.  G.  Masterson  was  also  mortally  wounded.  This  was  the 
man  who  had  brought  out  the  mail  from  Fort  Hays  to  the  wagon-train. 
One  of  the  Tenth  cavalry,  the  dismounted  man  who  was  picked  up  at  the 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  447 

river,  was  killed  instantly.  Mounting  five  badly  wounded  men,  who  were 
too  badly  hurt  to  be  able  to  use  their  arms,  the  return  movement  was  begun. 
Before  killing  the  horses  all  the  saddle  pockets  containing  the  ammunition 
had  been  taken  off,  and  these  the  men  carried  across  their  shoulders.  Leav- 
ing the  high  ground  the  detachment  entered  a  ravine,  and  for  the  first  time 
since  the  beginning  of  the  battle  the  men  here  got  water. 

Three  hours  of  constant  fighting,  with  the  nervous  system  strained  to 
the  utmost,  had  almost  exhausted  the  energies  of  even  these  hardy  West- 
erners. The  fearful  odds  against  them  and  knowledge  that  no  quarter 
was  ever  given  by  those  red  devils  had  created  a  desperate  energy  which 
made  each  man  perform  the  deeds  of  five.  Add  to  this  their  intense  thirst, 
for  by  some  oversight  on  the  part  of  Major  Armes  the  canteens  of  all  the 
men  sent  to  meet  Captain  Jenness  were  empty,  and  you  have  some  concep- 
tion of  the  condition  of  the  men  when  they  left  the  ridge  and  entered  the 
ravine.  Already  fourteen  men  were  wounded,  two  of  them  mortally.  Nine 
of  these  were  so  severely  shot  that  they  were  unable  to  use  their  guns.  Of 
these,  five  were  mounted  upon  the  four  remaining  horses,  and  their  intense 
groans  increased  the  gloom  of  the  situation. 

Upon  entering  the  deep  ravine  before  mentioned,  a  fine  spring  was  dis- 
covered, and,  regardless  of  the  rapid  and  close-range  firing  of  the  Indians 
gathered  on  the  high  ground  surrounding,  the  men  broke  in  disorder  for 
drinks  and  to  fill  their  canteens.  The  ground  was  so  broken  that  the  squad 
was  protected  from  a  charge  of  the  hostiles,  and  as  fast  as  a  man  satisfied 
his  thirst  he  would  retake  his  position  and  resume  firing  with  redoubled 
vigor. 

The  sun  was  sinking  slowly  in  the  west,  and  upon  marching  farther  down 
the  ravine,  here  cut  by  the  little  stream  running  from  the  spring,  the  men 
found  cover  among  a  stunted  growth  of  cottonwoods  and  willows.  From 
this  time  until  dark  we  remained  in  the  same  position,  having  a  good  range 
at  the  Indians,  and  not  another  man  wounded. 

After  dark  the  savages  drew  off,  and  the  firing  suddenly  ceased.  The 
rest  from  combat  was  a  grateful  one,  and  gave  us  time  and  opportunity  to 
care  for  the  wounded  men.  Taking  those  from  the  horses,  the  captain  tore 
up  the  shirts  and  blankets,  washed  and  dressed  all  the  wounds  as  well  as 
possible,  and  gave  the  sufferers  a  short  rest  upon  the  remaining  blankets. 

A  reconnoissance  made  by  Scout  Pliley  and  Sergeant  Carpenter  proved 
the  position  to  be  a  short  distance  from  the  river.  They  also  reported 
another  little  stream  running  into  the  river  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east,  which 
appeared  to  run  from  the  northeast  and  in  a  line  parallel  to  the  river. 

Scout  PHley  had  been  twice  shot  through  the  calf  of  his  left  leg,  the  balls 
passing  through  within  three  inches  of  each  other.  Captain  Jenness  had 
received  a  large  ball  in  his  right  thigh,  but,  binding  it  up  with  a  handker- 
chief twisted  tight  with  a  piece  of  a  gun-wiper,  continued  on  foot,  though 
his  boot  full  of  blood  would  squash  as  though  he  had  waded  in  water. 
Pliley,  notwithstanding  his  two  wounds,  heroically  kept  his  feet,  and  was 
ever  ready  to  second  the  plans  of  the  commander.  The  balance  of  the 
wounded  men,  including  Sergt.  Henry  H.  Campbell,  who  was  shot  in  the 
shoulder,  and  Sergeant  Carpenter,  shot  in  the  left  arm,  showed  a  valor  sel- 
dom equaled  by  any  men. 

As  full  darkness  fell  upon  the  squad,  the  signals  of  the  Indians  could  be 


448  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

heard  upon  every  side— now  the  yelp  of  the  coyote,  and  again  the  hoot  of 
the  owl,  showing  that  they  were  posting  their  videttes. 

Just  before  entering  the  ravine,  which  we  had  followed  down  to  this 
point,  and  after  leaving  the  body  of  the  colored  man  of  the  Tenth  cavalry, 
who  had  been  instantly  killed,  the  Indians  had  taken  his  scalp,  tied  it  to  a 
lance,  and,  giving  it  to  one  daredevil,  sent  him  as  close  as  he  dared  come,  to 
insult  us.  He  would  flount  it  at  the  men  and  yell  out:  "This  is  the  way  we 
will  serve  you  all."  Others  spoke  good  English,  and  would  shout  insulting 
epithets  from  time  to  time  during  the  fight.  Said  one:  "We  have  killed  all 
the  balance  of  your  men  and  propose  to  have  you."  Upon  no  occasion  did 
they  get  the  best  of  the  brave  boys,  for  they  would  reply  as  spiritedly  as 
though  a  thousand  men  were  present. 

At  no  time  could  any  firing  be  heard  from  the  direction  of  the  main  com- 
mand; but  as  the  wind  blew  from  the  south  it  bore  our  firing  to  them,  as 
we  subsequently  learned.  The  silence,  however,  from  the  main  force  was 
ominous  to  us,  and  fears  were  entertained  that  the  boasts  of  the  Indians,  or 
the  white  men  with  them,  might  be  true.  Everything  combined  to  make 
the  situation  desperate,  but  still  there  was  a  fixed  determination  to  fight  to 
the  last. 

Resting  in  the  cottonwoods  until  about  ten  o'clock,  with  pickets  thrown 
out  to  guard  against  surprise,  time  was  given  to  decide  upon  the  next  step 
for  escape  from  the  unpleasant  dilemma.  An  examination  made  by  Pliley 
discovered  a  buffalo  path  leading  from  the  ravine  in  which  we  were  situated 
through  a  dry  creek-bed  out  to  the  little  stream  before  mentioned  as  running 
parallel  with  the  river.  This  path  ran  through  quite  thick  underbrush,  and 
the  steep,  stony  bluffs  upon  either  side  were  inaccessible  to  the  Indians.  From 
the  top  of  the  bluff,  where  their  pickets  could  be  heard,  this  path  could  not 
be  seen.  Evidently  the  Indians  knew  nothing  of  it,  and  had  no  videttes  sta- 
tioned to  guard  it.  Upon  consultation,  it  was  decided  to  avail  ourselves  of 
this  avenue  to  gain  the  river,  and  perhaps  get  to  the  wagon-train.  Muf- 
fling the  feet  of  the  horses  with  shirts  torn  into  suitable  strips  to  prevent 
the  noise  of  their  iron  shoes  striking  the  stones,  and  covering  one  white 
horse  with  a  blue  blanket,  we  prepared  to  move.  The  nine  men  who  were 
badly  wounded  were  mounted  on  the  four  horses— three  on  the  first,  three 
on  the  second,  two  on  the  third,  and  Tommy  Masterson,  who  was  already 
slowly  dying,  upon  the  fourth,  and  a  dreary  march  was  begun.  The  suffer- 
ing men,  agonized  under  the  smarting  of  their  wounds,  shut  their  teeth  and 
most  heroically  abstained  from  groaning  during  the  whole  of  this  midnight 
march.  Scout  Pliley  and  Captain  Jenness,  leaning  upon  each  other  for  sup- 
port—one wounded  in  the  left  leg,  the  other  in  the  right,  and  each  using  a 
carbine  for  a  cane— led  the  file;  five  men  followed;  then  came  the  horses, 
led  by  careful  comrades,  and  the  balance  of  the  detachment  followed,  Ser- 
geants Carpenter  and  Campbell  acting  as  rear-guard.  Silently  they  crept 
forward,  keenly  watching  the  flanks,  and  whispering  encouraging  words  to 
each  other  and  the  wounded  boys.  Tommy  Masterson,  with  all  hope  gone, 
was  whispering  his  dying  message  for  his  mother  to  Corp.  John  A.  Kirkland, 
who  walked  by  his  side.  It  was  a  solemn  procession,  yet  hopeful  of  the  end. 
For  over  two  miles  this  silence  and  strain  were  maintained;  and  then,  feel- 
ing that  the  Indian  videttes  had  been  successfully  passed,  a  more  cheerful 
spirit  took  possession  of  the  party.  Even  Masterson  brightened  up,  and 
Corporal  Towell,  with  seven  wounds,  talked  of  our  future  plans.     On  crept 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  449 

the  file,  until  five  or  six  miles  had  been  traveled,  when  the  rippling  waters 
of  the  Solomon  were  heard  upon  the  right.  Turning  towards  the  welcome 
sound,  the  squad  soon  stood  upon  its  banks.  In  the  dim  moonlight  the  high 
bluffs  on  the  opposite  side  could  be  seen,  and  thinking  that  they  would  af- 
ford a  better  protection  in  case  of  another  attack,  the  detachment  found  a 
shallow  place  and  crossed  over.  Here  a  small  canyon  was  selected— one 
which  had  the  appearance  of  a  natural  redoubt— and  the  wounded  men  were 
taken  from  their  horses  and  laid  upon  blankets,  and  as  comfortably  fixed  as 
possible  under  the  circumstances.  The  balance  of  the  command,  tired  be- 
yond endurance,  refused  all  duty  and  threw  themselves  upon  the  ground  for 
rest.  Sergeant  Carpenter  was  the  only  man  who  could  be  induced  to  re- 
main awake,  and,  posting  him  upon  an  elevation  to  the  east  of  the  position, 
Captain  Jenness  himself  ascended  the  slope  on  the  west  to  keep  a  lookout 
until  morning.  Scout  Pliley  was  left  in  charge  of  the  men,  and  busied  him- 
self assisting  the  wounded.  This  solemn  vigil  was  kept  until  the  east  be- 
came tinged  with  red,  when,  by  great  exertion,  the  men  were  aroused  to 
eat  the  remnants  in  their  haversacks.  While  assigning  the  men  positions, 
and  making  suitable  preparations  for  another  fight,  the  Indians  were  dis- 
covered in  full  force  upon  the  north  side  of  the  river.  There  was  but  one 
hope  under  the  circumstances.  Pliley,  who  knew  the  country,  must  find 
the  wagon-train  and  bring  reenforcements,  or,  if  that  was  captured,  go  to 
Fort  Hays.  Mounting  the  best  of  the  remaining  horses,  he  bravely  set  out, 
going  down  a  ravine  leading  south  and  out  of  sight  of  the  Indians.  In 
twenty  minutes  from  his  departure  we  were  again  surrounded  by  the  de- 
moniacally yelling  savages,  who  appeared  to  fairly  cover  the  hills  upon 
every  side.  Our  ammunition  was  still  plentiful,  and  an  active  fire  soon 
began. 

Covered  as  the  detachment  was  by  the  friendly  canyon,  the  random, 
though  quite  rapid,  fire  of  the  Indians,  was  wholly  ineffectual.  The  men, 
though  confident  of  an  ample  supply  of  cartridges,  were  careful  in  their 
firing  and  never  wasted  a  shot.  Whenever  an  Indian  presented  his  form 
above  the  summit  of  the  high  ridges  surrounding  us  he  received  a  shot. 
There  were  no  means  of  knowing  whether  such  firing  was  anyways  effect- 
ual, but  as  the  men  were  all  Westerners,  and  many  of  them  fine  marksmen, 
it  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  Indians  lost  quite  a  number  during  this  morn- 
ing's fight. 

About  eight  o'clock  the  attention  of  the  captain  was  called  to  a  column 
of  men  moving  toward  us  on  the  high  ground  to  the  south.  At  first  this 
new  force  was  supposed  to  be  another  body  of  Indians,  but  as  they  came 
more  plainly  into  view  two  cavalry  guidons  could  be  seen.  As  this  was  re- 
ported a  loud  and  joyful  cheer  broke  from  the  men,  and  as  hearty  a  three 
times  three  as  we  ever  heard  echoed  among  those  sterile  hills  and  doubt- 
less startled  the  savages  themselves.  They  had  seen  the  newcomers  also, 
and,  quickly  withdrawing,  the  next  we  saw  of  them  was  in  the  stunted  tim- 
ber on  the  river-bank  and  broken  ground  beyond. 

Coming  into  sight  for  a  few  moments  only,  the  friendly  guidons  disap- 
peared. We  waited  anxiously  for  another  hour,  when  a  few  rapid  volleys 
below  us  and  towards  the  river  called  our  attention  in  that  direction.  A 
few  of  the  Indans  broke  from  the  underbrush  upon  this  side,  and  soon  a  dis- 
mounted detachment  led  by  Pliley,  our  faithful  scout,  still  on  his  horse,  was 
-29 


450  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

in  our  midst.  Handshaking  and  the  warmest  congratulations  ensued.  They 
were  a  part  of  the  main  force  under  Major  Armes  and  had  been  sent  to  our 
reUef.  It  appeared  that  the  Indians  had  surrounded  his  command  at  about 
the  same  time  they  attacked  the  detachment  of  Captain  Jenness,  and  had 
been  fighting  them  every  hour  of  daylight  since.  The  command  had  just 
fallen  back  to  the  river  and  joined  the  wagon-train,  which,  unbeknovm  to  us, 
was  camped  a  mile  west  of  where  we  had  taken  position  in  the  canyon. 

Pliley,  after  wandering  around  through  the  bleak  hills  for  several  hours, 
eluding  the  Indians,  had  finally  struck  the  trail  of  the  wagons,  and  follow- 
ing it  up  reached  it  but  a  few  minutes  before  Major  Armes  came  in.  As 
quickly  as  possible  he  had  secured  a  detachment  and  had  come  to  the  relief 
of  the  badly  demoralized  party  in  the  canyon.  As  soon  as  practicable,  the 
wounded  men  were  mounted  on  horses  and  a  line  of  march  taken  up  for  the 
train.  The  fresh  men  formed  a  large  square  around  their  worn-out  com- 
panions, and  in  this  way  they  proceeded  to  the  train.  The  Indians,  with 
reckless  bravado,  would  ride  out  from  their  cover  in  the  timber  and  attempt 
to  scare  the  squad.  Several  brisk  little  skirmishes  took  place  in  this  way, 
but  no  one  was  hurt  upon  the  side  of  the  soldiers.  Reaching  the  train,  there 
ensued  a  scene  of  cordial  greeting  such  as  is  experienced  nowhere  except 
among  comrades  in  battle.  The  detachment  under  Captain  Jenness,  and 
especially  himself  and  the  two  men  with  whom  he  had  originally  started,  had 
been  given  up  for  lost.  Their  firing  had  been  heard  on  the  day  before  until 
nightfall,  when  it  had  suddenly  ceased,  and  it  was  supposed  the  entire  de- 
tachment had  been  massacred.  Their  escape  had  indeed  been  miraculous. 
Their  fighting,  29  men  against  500  or  600  Indians,  was  unparalleled  in  the 
history  of  Indian  fighting  on  the  plains.  That  it  was  desperate  the  wounded 
evinced— fourteen  men  wounded  and  one  killed  out  of  twenty-nine.  Tommy 
Masterson  breathed  out  his  life  a  half-hour  after  the  train  had  been  reached, 
while  Jimmy  Towell  only  lived  to  be  taken  back  to  Fort  Hays  two  days 
afterwards. 

During  the  interchange  of  congratulations,  the  Indians,  emboldened  by 
the  fact  that  no  attack  was  made  upon  their  stronghold,  came  out  in  small 
detachments  and  surrounded  the  little  valley  in  which  the  train  was  parked. 
As  soon  as  possible  a  systematic  line  of  picket  skirmishers  was  organized 
and  thrown  out,  and  a  large  party,  to  be  mounted  on  the  best  horses,  was 
selected  for  a  charge  upon  the  hostiles. 

In  the  meantime  it  became  necessary  to  procure  water  from  the  river, 
now  held  by  the  Indians,  and  for  this  purpose  volunteers  were  called  for 
from  the  dismounted  men.  A  sufficient  number  were  soon  secured,  and 
they,  led  by  Ed  Paramore,  company  clerk  of  F  troop,  who  volunteered  to 
conduct  this  perilous  duty,  deployed  in  line  and  advanced  cautiously,  under 
a  heavy  fire,  which  was  briskly  returned.  Reaching  the  outskirts  of  the 
timber,  Paramore  saw  that  his  men,  some  fifteen  or  sixteen,  were  taken  at 
a  disadvantage  by  Indians  from  behind  a  tree,  and  gave  the  order  for  a 
charge.  This  movement  was  executed  gallantly,  and  sent  the  Indians  flying 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The  water  here  was  very  shallow  and  the 
stream  narrow,  though  the  river-bed  itself  was  150  feet  wide.  Our  boys 
reached  the  bank  with  but  one  man  slightly  wounded,  and  while  the  water 
squad  filled  their  kettles  the  others  kept  the  Indians  on  the  other  side  com- 
pletely under  cover  in  the  small  growth  of  timber.  The  water  squad  re- 
turned in  safety  with  an  ample  supply  for  all  immediate  purposes,  and  the 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  451 

company  cooks  began  the  preparation  of  the  first  regular  meal  the  command 
had  eaten  for  three  days. 

Soon  after  dinner  Major  Armes  organized  his  party  for  a  charge  upon 
the  Indian  lines.  The  savages  were  posted  upon  the  high  ground  and  nearly 
surrounded  the  canyon  in  which  the  troops  were  situated.  Upon  a  gentle 
slope  to  the  west  was  their  main  body  of  warriors.  The  air  was  so  clear 
that  almost  every  command  of  their  chiefs  could  be  distinctly  heard.  At  in- 
tervals some  of  them  who  spoke  good  English  would  yell  out,  "Come  out  of 
that  hole,  you  white  s— s  of  b— s,  and  give  us  a  fair  fight, "  or  other  insulting 
expressions.  At  one  time  three  of  their  warriors  on  foot  came  down  towards 
the  troops  bearing  a  white  flag.  They  were  dismounted  and  apparently  un- 
armed. Thinking  that  they  wanted  a  conference,  Charlie  Cadaro,  a  half-breed 
who  was  with  the  command  in  the  capacity  of  a  scout  and  spoke  several  In- 
dian dialects,  was  sent  out  towards  them.  Cadaro  was  up  to  Indian  tricks, 
and  carried  a  Spencer  carbine  beneath  his  overcoat.  Advancing  slowly  and 
cautiously  towards  the  now  stationary  savages,  he  had  no  sooner  approached 
within  good  range  than  they  threw  aside  their  blankets,  leveled  their  guns, 
and  fired.  Cadaro  saw  their  motion  and,  anticipating  their  shot,  dropped 
quickly  to  the  ground.  Uncovering  his  carbine,  he  poured  seven  shot  after 
the  now  fleeing  savages,  finally  bringing  one  of  them  to  the  ground.  The 
wounded  Indian's  companions  returned  to  him  quickly,  slung  him  over  the 
back  of  the  tallest,  and  again  made  off.  Cadaro,  unfortunately,  had  no  more 
cartridges  with  him,  and  his  carbine  being  empty,  nothing  remained  for 
him  but  to  return.     This  httle  episode  put  a  stop  to  flags  of  truce. 

When  Major  Armes  had  formed  his  picked  squad,  he  ordered  an  advance 
toward  the  river,  with  a  view  to  cover  his  intention  of  an  assault  upon  the 
hill  where  their  main  body  was  stationed.  The  advance  caused  a  very  per- 
ceptible commotion  among  the  hostiles  along  the  river,  and,  as  Armes 's 
move  threatened  their  left  flank  and  rear,  they  could  be  seen  running  back 
and  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Finally,  he  reached  a  proper  distance 
on  the  left  of  their  position  on  the  hill,  and,  giving  the  order  to  change  front, 
the  men  came  into  line  on  a  gallop,  and,  heading  for  the  summit  of  the  hill, 
they  went  up  the  slope  with  a  hearty  cheer  and  in  gallant  style.  The  steady 
and  regular  volleys  from  the  carbines  were  too  much  for  the  random  and 
slow  firing  of  the  Indians,  and  they  soon  broke  and  fled  in  all  directions. 
Their  fleet  ponies  and  their  scattered  condition  rendered  pursuit  impossible. 
As  soon  as  the  squad  would  make  a  dash  for  a  knot  of  Indians,  another 
party  of  hostiles  would  rally  in  their  rear,  and  thus  threaten  to  cut  them  off 
from  the  train.  After  an  hour  or  so  of  this  ineffectual  skirmishing,  Major 
Armes  withdrew  to  the  canyon,  and  the  Indians  could  be  seen  gathering  at 
one  point.     Here  they  remained  until  darkness  hid  them  from  our  view. 

Thus  ended  the  battle  of  Beaver  Creek,  for  the  next  morning  the  Indians 
were  gone. 

The  command,  after  sending  out  a  few  scouting  parties  to  scour  the 
country,  soon  got  under  way  for  a  return  to  Fort  Hays.  The  wounded  who 
were  unable  to  mount  their  horses  were  crowded  into  the  two  ambulances. 
Tommy  Masterson,  who  had  died  the  day  before  [August  22],  was  that 
night  buried  in  a  bank  by  the  river.  The  men,  in  the  absence  of  spades,  dug 
out  the  dirt  to  a  sufficient  depth  with  their  sabers,  and  here  was  left  the 
body  from  which  had  flown  as  brave  a  soul  as  ever  actuated  the  drawing  of 
a  saber.     A  week  afterwards  Captain  Jenness  visited  the  scene  of  the  bat- 


452  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

tie,  and  found  that  this  grave  and  that  of  one  of  the  Tenth  cavalry,  who 
died  from  his  wounds  the  same  day,  were  desecrated.  The  body  of  Master- 
son  had  been  disinterred  and  most  fiendishly  mutilated.  Another  and  a  bet- 
ter resting-place  was  prepared  for  the  body,  and  the  remains  of  brave 
Tommy  were  left  alone  amid  the  wild  grandeur  of  those  rugged  cliffs. 
James  H.  Towell  died  of  lockjaw  in  the  hospital  at  Fort  Hays,  on  [August 
28]  the  third  day  after  the  return.  His  body  was  interred  in  the  post  ceme- 
tery, and  a  neat    headboard,  cut  out  by  his  captain,  marked  the  quiet  spot. 

This  properly  concludes  the  battle  of  Beaver  Creek,  as  participated  in  by 
the  detachment  under  Captain  Jenness.'' 

The  official  report  of  this  fight  gives  the  following  mortality  of  this  small 
command  in  this  miraculous  escape  from  such  an  overpowering  force  of  In- 
dians: One  man,  company  C,  Eighteenth  K.  V.  C,  killed;  one  man,  company 
F,  Tenth  U.  S.  C,  killed;  six  men,  company  C,  Eighteenth  K.  V.  C,  wounded; 
four  men,  company  B,  Eighteenth  K.  V.  C,  wounded;  four  men,  company 
F,  Tenth  U.  S.  C,  wounded;  Allison  J.  Phley,  scout,  wounded;  Capt.  George 
B.  Jenness,  company  C,  Eighteenth,  wounded— out  of  a  total  engaged  of 
twenty-nine  enhsted  men,  one  scout,  one  commissioned  officer,  leaving  only 
twelve  men  unhurt.  The  men,  with  no  exception,  displayed  coolness  and 
bravery,  and  were  prompt  and  willing  in  the  execution  of  every  command. 

Notes.—  "New  Fort  Hays,  Kan.,  August  24,  1867. 

"  Capt.  H.  C.  Corbin,  Thirty-eighth  United  States  Infantry,  Commanding  Post,  Netv  Fort  Hays  : 

"  Sir  —  I  have  the  honor  to  report,  in  obedience  to  G.  O.  No.  71,  dated  headquarters.  New 
Fort  Hays,  Kan.,  August  12.  1867,  I  assumed  command  of  companies  B  and  C,  first  battahon 
Eighteenth  Kansas  cavalry,  and  F  company.  Tenth  United  States  cavalry.  Marched  to  the 
Saline  river  and  followed  the  course  of  the  stream  west  until  I  met  Major  Moore,  commanding 
companies  A  and  D.  Eighteenth  Kansas  cavalry,  coming  down,  about  four  o'clock  on  the  14th. 
We  decided  to  march  to  the  Solomon.  Major  Moore  went  to  the  northwest  and  I  to  the  north- 
east ;  we  were  to  meet  each  other  on  the  Solomon.  I  followed  the  Solomon  forty  (40)  miles,  ex- 
amining ail  the  tributaries  thoroughly  Failing  to  find  Major  Moore,  I  took  a  southwest  course, 
intending  to  come  by  Monument  station  and  scout  down  the  Smoky,  but  on  the  17th,  finding  a 
very  large  trail  running  northwest,  I  followed  it.  After  coming  to  the  Saline  I  halted  my  com- 
mand forty-five  miles  from  Fort  Hays,  and  rode,  with  three  men  as  an  escort,  into  Fort  Hays, 
and  ordered  my  four  wagons  with  forage  and  one  with  rations,  and  took  twenty-two  dismounted 
cavalry  as  guard  to  train.  Rejoined  my  command  on  the  eve  of  the  18th  inst.,  and  on  the  19th 
started  on  the  trail,  which  I  followed  to  Beaver  creek,  seventy  miles.  I  then  halted  to  wait  for 
Captain  Jenness  and  several  scouts  whom  I  had  sent  out  to  look  for  Indians'  signs.  Reached 
Beaver  creek  nine  a.  m.  on  the  21st ;  while  eating  breakfast  one  of  my  videttes  was  attacked  by 
one  Indian.  Supposing  more  to  be  near,  I  at  once  pushed  on,  leaving  my  wagons  in  charge  of 
Lieutenant  Price  with  sixty-five  men  of  the  Eighteenth  Kansas,  and  sent  Sergeant  Johnson,  F 
company.  Tenth  cavalry,  and  Sergeant  Corbin,  Eighteenth,  with  twenty  men,  back  with  instruc- 
tions to  follow  Beaver  creek  down  eight  miles  before  they  crossed.  Before  they  had  proceeded 
three  miles  they  met  Captain  Jenness,  Eighteenth  Kansas  cavalry,  and  scouts  whom  I  had  sent 
out  that  morning.  Captain  Jenness  assumed  command  of  the  party  (  twenty-nine  men  )  ;  seeing 
the  Indians  circling  around,  he  decided  to  attempt  overtaking  me,  but  failed,  as  he  was  attacked 
by  too  many  Indians.  I  was  attacked  about  three  P.  M.  by  between  200  and  300  Indians.  I  sent 
Captain  Barker  to  the  left  with  B  company,  half  of  the  command,  to  make  a  charge  on  the  largest 
portion.  Before  he  had  proceeded  ICO  yards  I  discovered  reenforcements  of  Indians  coming  from 
the  northwest,  and  found  it  necessary  to  place  my  animals  in  the  nearest  ravine  and  throw  my 
men  to  the  right,  left  front,  and  the  rear,  which  was  done  only  in  time  to  save  my  stock  by  re- 
pelling a  charge  of  the  Indians  made  just  as  I  dismounted.  The  Indians  fought  me  from  three  to 
nine  o'clock.  Sa-tan-ta,  in  full  uniform,  on  a  beautiful  gray  horse,  sounded  the  charge  with  his 
bugle  at  least  a  dozen  times,  whooping  and  yelling  and  endeavoring  to  get  his  men  to  charge  into 
the  ravine,  but  only  getting  them  near  enough  to  have  at  least  twenty  of  his  saddles  emptied  at 
a  volley,  or  a  dozen  ponies  killed  or  wounded.  During  the  fight  eight  of  my  men  were  severely 
wounded.  Under  the  cover  of  darkness  I  attempted  to  find  the  rest  of  the  command.  Reaching 
Beaver  creek  at  four  o'clock  a.  m  ,  the  22d.  and  seeing  no  signs  of  wagons,  I  halted  until  sunrise 
to  rest  my  exhausted  men,  then  followed  the  creek  up  two  miles,  and  found  Lieutenants  Price 
and  Thomas,  Eighteenth  Kansas  volunteers,  with  the  wagons,  encamped  in  a  ravine,  all  safe,  but 
entirely  surrounded  by  Indians,  in  groups  of  fifty  or  more." 

The  above  is  a  copy  of  an  unsigned  manuscript  turned  over  by  Adjutant-general  Hughes  to 
the  archives  department,  and  is  apparently  a  portion  of  the  report  of  Maj.  Geo.  A.  Armes,  of 
this  expedition,  including  the  movements  of  his  own  immediate  command  to  the  morning  of 
August  22,  and  furnishes  what  is  wanting  to  complete  Captain  Jenness's  paper. 

In  Hadley's  article,  above  quoted,  he  states  that  Major  Armes  would  neither  go  himself  nor 
allow  Captain  Baker  to  go  to  the  relief  of  Jenness's  little  command,  though  he  was  at  liberty  to 
move,  and  the  firing  of  the  small  party  was  distinctly  heard.  He  even  arrested  Captain  Baker 
for  disobeying  him  by  accompanying  Pliley  on  the  morning  of  August  22  to  bring  Jenness's  com- 
mand into  the  camp  of  the  wagon-train. 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas. 


453 


BEECHER  ISLAND  MONUMENT. 

THIS  monument  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  $5000,  on  Beecher  island,  seven- 
teen miles  south  of  Wray,  in  Yuma  county,  Colorado,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1905,  by  the  states  of  Colorado  and  Kansas,  in  memory  of  Gen.  George 
A.  Forsyth  and  his  brave  band  of  government  scouts,  who  fought  and  won 
the  battle  of  Beecher  Island  on  September  17,  1868,  from  a  band  of  Cheyenne 
Indians,  assisted  by  the  Ogallalah,  Brule  Sioux,  and  Dog  Soldiers,  to  the  num- 
ber of  about  1000  warriors,  i  The  Indians  were  commanded  by  the  Cheyenne 
chief,  Roman  Nose,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle.  Lieut.  Fred  H.  Beecher, 
Third  United  States  infantry,  Surg,  J.  H.  Mooers  and  Scouts  Louis  Farley, 
G.  W.  Culver  and  WiUiam  Wilson  were  killed  in  the  battle,  and  are  buried  on 
the  island.     ( See  page  454. )     The  following  inscriptions  tell  the  story : 

NORTH  SIDE. 

Battle  of  Beecher  Island,  fought  September  17,  18,  and  19,  A.  D.  1868.  between 
Col.  Geo.  A.  Forsyth's  company  of  citizen  scouts,  numbering  fifty-one  men,  and  a 
large  party  of  Indians,  comprising  Northern  Cheyennes,  Ogallalah,  and  Brule  Sioux, 
and  Dog  Soldiers,  commanded  by  the  noted  war  chief.  Roman  Nose.  The  scouts  were 
surrounded  and  held  on  this  island  for  nine  days,  subsisting  on  horse  and  mule  meat. 
Indians  killed,  seventy-five;  wounded,  unknown.  Here  Roman  Nose  and  Medicine 
Man  fought  their  last  battle. 

SOUTH  SIDE. 

The  first  night  Stillwell  and  Trudeau,  crawling  out  on  hands  and  knees,  started 
for  relief,  and,  hiding  days  and  traveling  nights,  reached  Fort  Wallace.  The  third 
night  Donovan  and  Pliley  started.  Arriving  at  the  fort,  Donovan,  with  four  others, 
immediately  started  back ;  and,  coming  upon  Colonel  Carpenter's  command,  on  the 
south  fork  of  the  Republican,  guided  them  in  a  twenty-mile  dash,  reaching  the  island 
at  ten  a.  m.  the  ninth  day,  twenty-six  hours  in  advance  of  Colonel  Bankhead,  with 
Scouts  Stillwell  and  Trudeau.  The  return  to  Fort  Wallace  was  begun  September  27, 
the  wounded  being  carried  in  government  wagons. 


WEST  SIDE. 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  those  who  fought  and  died  here. 


KILLED. 
Lieut.  Fred.  H.  Beecher,  U.  S.  A. 
J.  H.  Mooers,  Surgeon,  U.  S.  A. 
G.  W.  Culver. 
L.  Farley. 
W.  Wilson. 


WOUNDED. 
Col.  Geo.  A.  Forsyth,  U 


W.  Armstrong. 
G.  B.  Clark. 
T.  K.  Davis. 
H.  Davenport. 
B.  Day. 
H.  L.  Farley. 
R.  Gantt. 
J.  Haley. 


.  A. 

F.  Harrington. 
L.  A.  McLoughlin. 
W.  H.  McCall. 
H.  Morton. 
T.  O'Donnell, 
H.  H.  Tucker. 
F.  Vilott. 


T.  Alderdice. 
M.  Burke. 
J.  Donovan. 
A.  J.  Eutsler. 
A.  Dupont. 
J.  Hurst. 
A.  T.  Grover. 
G.  Green. 
J,  Lyden. 
M.  R.  Lane. 


UNINJURED. 

3.  Lane. 

M.  R.  Mapes. 

T.  Murphy. 

H.  T.  McGrath. 

C.  B.  Nichols. 

G.  Oakes. 

C.  C.  Piatt. 

A.  J.  Pliley. 

W.  Reily. 

T.  Ranahan. 


C.  Smith. 
J.  S.  Stillwell. 
S.  Shlesinger. 
E.  Simpson. 
W.  Stewart. 
I.  Thayer. 
P.  Trudeau. 
C.  P.  Whitney. 
W.  Wilson. 

E.  ZlEGLER. 


EAST  SIDE. 

To    ever   keep   green   in   memory  those   who  fought  'here,  this  monument  was 
erected  by  the  states  of  Colorado  and  Kansas,  a.  d.  1905. 


Note  1.— Session  Laws  of  1905,  eh.  61,  p.  95.     The  story  of  the  battle  < 
6,  pages  346-357,  Kansas  Historical  Collections. 


be  found  in  volume 


454 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  455 


THE  BLACK-FLAG  CHARACTER  OF  WAR  ON 
THE  BORDER. 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  Capt.  H.  E.  Palmer, 
Eleventh   Kansas  cavalry. 

A  SOLDIER'S  first  duty  is  obedience  to  orders  from  his  superior  oflScer. 
Little  did  I  think  when  I  first  heard  of  the  firing  on  Fort  Sumter,  nearly 
three  months  after  the  dastardly  act  was  committed,  that  I  should  ever  vol- 
unteer or  that  my  service  would  be  needed.  I  thought  all  traitors  would  be 
promptly  arrested  and  hanged.  I  was  in  far-off  Colorado,  and  there  were 
no  railroads  or  telegraph  lines  west  of  the  Missouri.  Coming  to  Denver  about 
July  7,  1861,  I  learned  that  war  had  been  declared  and  75,000  volunteers 
were  wanted.  Colorado  had  not  been  asked  for  help.  I  met  two  young  men 
unemployed,  Crawford  and  Goodrich,  and  proposed  that  if  they  would  go  with 
me  to  the  states  and  enlist  I  would  "pay  the  freight."  They  accepted,  and 
on  July  9,  1861,  we  left  Denver  in  a  light  wagon  drawn  by  two  mules,  driven 
by  a  Missourian  homeward  bound.  We  made  a  remarkably  quick  trip,  only 
eighteen  days  from  Denver  to  Leavenworth,  Kan.  We  tried  to  enlist  at 
Fort  Kearney,  Nebraska,  where  there  were  two  companies  of  regular  troops, 
but  were  refused,  and  advised  that  our  nearest  enlistment  station  was  at 
Leavenworth. 

At  Marysville,  Kan.,  Crawford  and  myself,  being  in  splendid  physical 
condition,  having  averaged  about  eight  miles  a  day  on  foot,  and  fearing  that 
the  war  would  be  over  before  we  could  reach  Fort  Leavenworth,  left  the 
wagon  at  four  p.  M.,  just  after  our  Missouri  teamster  had  camped  for  the 
night,  and  pushed  on  on  foot,  walking  and  trotting,  until  3  A.  M.  We  then 
laid  down  on  the  prairie  for  sleep  and  rest.  Having  no  overcoats  or^blankets, 
two  hours'  exposure  was  all  we  could  stand.  Then  we  double-quick ed^about 
eight  miles  to  the  first  ranch,  where  we  received  a  good  breakfast  and  two 
hours'  rest  and  sleep;  then  until  three  p.  M.  we  tried  to  outwalk  and  outrun 
each  other.  A  good  dinner  and  three  hours'  rest  at  an  Indian|agency  gave 
us  strength  for  an  all-night  rapid  march  to  Atchison,  Kan.— 127Imiles  in 
forty  consecutive  hours,  feet  blistered,  and  tired  beyond  description. 

A  short  steamboat  ride  brought  us  to  Leavenworth  on  the  eve  of|July 
30.  By  ten  A.  M.  on  the  31st  day  of  July,  1861,  my  twentieth  birthday,  I 
enlisted,  and  was  mustered  out  November  2,  1865,  Crawford  joining  with  me, 
and  Goodrich  a  few  days  later,  on  his  arrival.  If  I  had  dreamed  that  my 
four  years,  three  months  and  three  days'  service  was  to  be  all  the  time  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  on  the  border,  on  the  extreme  right  wing  of  our  great 
army;  that  obedience  to  orders  and  soldierly  duty  would  deprive  me  of  the 
glory  of  the  army  of  the  Tennessee,  the  Atlanta  campaign,  the  army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  the  march  in  the  grand  review;  that  the  twenty- four  general 
engagements  and  hundreds  of  bushwhacking  fights  in  which  I  participated 
were  to  be  comparatively  insignificant,  to  be  barely  mentioned  in  the  history 
to  be  written  of  the  great  struggle— if  I  had  but  dreamed  of  the  possibility 
of  such  a  fate,  I  would  have  walked  to  Washington  before  enlisting.  "! 

Within  four  days  I  participated  in  the  fight  at  Independence,  Mo.,  and 


456  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

only  a  few  weeks  later  in  a  fierce  little  battle  at  Morristown,  Mo.,  where  I 
learned  my  first  lesson  of  the  horrors  of  what  was  then  called  the  ' '  border 
war."  In  a  charge  upon  the  rebels  commanded  by  Gen.  James  S.  Rains, 
Col.  Hampton  P.  Johnson,  a  gallant  officer  of  the  Fifth  Kansas  cavalry,  was 
killed.  We  won  the  fight  and  captured  several  Confederates,  seven  of  whom 
were  called  before  a  drumhead  court-martial  and  sentenced  to  death.  Their 
graves  were  dug  and  they  were  compelled  to  kneel  down  by  the  edge  of  the 
grave,  when  they  were  blindfolded,  and  shot  by  a  regularly  detailed  file  of 
soldiers;  the  graves  were  then  filled  up  and  we  marched  away.  It  was  a 
sickening  evidence  that  we  were  fighting  under  the  black  flag.  This  execu- 
tion was  in  retaliation  for  the  murder,  only  a  few  days  previous,  of  seven 
men  of  our  command. 

The  story  of  the  cowardly  murder  that  caused  this  revenging  retaliatory 
act  is  thus  told  by  the  brilliant  editor,  author,  and  rebel  soldier,  John  N. 
Edwards,  who  used  his  masterly  pen  to  paint  Quantrill  a  hero  in  his  book 
entitled  "Noted  Guerrillas,  or  the  Warfare  of  the  Border." 

"A  military  execution  is  where  one  man  kills  another;  it  is  horrible.  In 
battle  one  does  not  see  Death.  He  is  there  surely— he  is  in  that  battery's 
smoke,  on  the  crest  of  that  hill  fringed  with  the  fringe  of  pallid  faces,  un- 
der the  hoofs  of  the  horses,  yonder  where  the  blue  or  the  gray  line  creeps 
onward,  trailing  ominous  guns— but  his  cold,  calm  eyes  look  at  no  single 
victim.  He  kills  there— yes,  but  he  does  not  discriminate.  Harold  the 
Dauntless,  or  Robin  the  Hunchback— what  matters  a  crown  or  a  crutch  to 
the  immortal  reaper? 

"The  seven  prisoners  rode  into  Missouri  from  Shawneetown  puzzled; 
when  the  heavy  timber  along  the  Big  Blue  was  reached  and  a  halt  was  had 
they  were  praying.  Quantrill  sat  upon  his  horse  looking  at  the  Kansans.  His 
voice  was  unmoved,  his  countenance  indifferent,  as  he  ordered:  'Bring  the 
ropes;  four  on  one  tree— three  on  another! '  All  of  a  sudden  Death  stood  in  the 
midst  of  them  and  was  recognized.  One  poor  fellow  gave  a  cry  as  piercing 
as  the  neigh  of  a  frightened  horse.  Two  trembled,  and  trembling  is  the  first 
step  toward  kneeling.  They  had  not  talked  any  save  among  themselves  up 
to  this  time,  but  when  they  saw  Blunt  busy  with  some  ropes  one  spoke  up 
to  Quantrill:  'Captain,  just  a  word;  the  pistol  before  the  rope  — a  soldier's 
before  a  dog's  death.  As  for  me,  I'm  ready.'  Of  all  the  seven  this  was 
the  youngest;  how  brave  he  was! 

"The  prisoners  were  arranged  in  line,  the  guerrillas  opposite  to  them. 
They  had  confessed  to  belonging  to  Jennison,  but  denied  the  charge  of  kill- 
ing and  burning.  Quantrill  hesitated  a  moment.  His  blue  eyes  seaixhed 
each  face  from  left  to  right  and  back  again,  and  then  he  ordered:  'Take 
six  men,  Blunt,  and  do  the  work.  Shoot  the  young  man  and  hang  the  bal- 
ance.' 

"Hurry  away!  The  oldest  man  there— some  white  hairs  were  in  his 
beard— prayed  audibly.  Some  embraced.  Silence  and  twilight,  as  twin 
ghosts,  crept  up  the  river-bank  together.  Blunt  made  haste,  and  before 
Quantrill  had  ridden  far  he  heard  a  pistol  shot.  He  did  not  even  look  up;  it 
affected  him  no  more  than  the  tapping  of  a  woodpecker.  At  daylight  the 
next  morning  a  wood-chopper  going  early  to  work  saw  six  stark  figures 
swaying  in  the  early  breeze.  At  the  foot  of  another  tree  was  a  dead  man 
and  in  his  forehead  a  bullet  hole— the  old  mark." 

I  was  a  member  of  the  original  First  Kansas  battery,  then  equipped  with 
one  twelve-pound  brass  cannon  and  a  mountain  howitzer.  We  were  attached 
to  the  Fourth  Kansas  infantry,  commanded  by  Col.  William  Weer.  The 
Third  Kansas,  then  part  infantry  and  part  cavalry,  was  with  us,  and  was 
commanded  by  Col.  James  Montgomery,  a  border  warrior  since  1856.  We 
had  also  part  of  the  Fifth  and  Sixth  Kansas  cavalry  with  us,  all  commanded 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  457 

by  United  States  Senator  "General"  James  H.  Lane,  and  called  "Lane's 
brigade. ' ' 

The  battle  of  Drywood,  Mo.,  east  of  Fort  Scott,  Kan.,  September  2, 
1861,  was  a  dash  by  Colonel  Montgomery  with  about  1200  men  and  our 
mountain  howitzer,  then  known  as  "Moonlight's  battery,"  against  over 
5000  rebels,  with  six  Parrott  guns,  the  famous  Bledsoe  battery,  the  Confed- 
erate force  commanded  by  Gen.  James  S.  Rains.  So  bold  and  determined 
was  our  assault  that  Rains  was  content,  after  he  had  shaken  us  off,  to  move 
on  south  without  trying  to  capture  Fort  Scott,  as  he  had  intended  to  do. 

At  Ball's  Mill,  August  28,  we  charged  upon  Col.  Thos.  H.  Rosser's  Con- 
federate regiment,  about  600  men,  and  whipped  them  badly.  Here  I  saw  a 
man  escaping  through  a  corn-field.  Being  on  horseback,  I  gave  chase  and 
soon  came  up  with  him.  He  threw  himself  on  his  knees  and  prayed  for  life. 
Though  he  was  nearly  six  feet  high,  yet  he  was  only  a  sixteen-year-old  boy, 
son  of  Colonel  Rosser,  his  home  being  at  Westport,  Mo.  He  had  just 
reached  his  father's  command  with  letters  and  clothing  sent  by  his  mother. 
I  took  him  to  General  Lane,  then  at  Fort  Lincoln,  and,  having  won  General 
Lane's  friendship  and  commendation  for  services  rendered  at  Drywood,  I 
persuaded  him  to  let  young  Rosser  go  to  his  home  and  mother  out  of  what 
he  thought  was  the  jaws  of  hell.  For  this  act  Rosser,  seven  months  later, 
saved  my  life  by  preventing  my  capture  by  Dick  Yeager's  band  of  guerrillas. 

September  22,  1861,  we  captured  Osceola,  Mo.,  defeating  a  large  force 
of  rebels,  securing  about  400  mules  and  a  large  amount  of  stores  gathered 
for  the  Confederate  army.  Among  these  supplies  were  several  wagon-loads 
of  liquors  stored  in  a  brick  building.  Our  men  were  dangerously  thirsty. 
Some  officers  and  men,  myself  among  the  number,  were  detailed  to  break 
in  the  heads  of  the  barrels  and  spill  this  stock  of  "wet  goods,"  to  prevent 
the  men  from  indulging  too  freely.  The  "mixed  drinks' '  filled  the  side-hill 
cellar  and  ran  out  of  a  rear  door  down  a  ravine,  where  the  boys  filled  their 
canteens  and  "tanks"  with  the  stuif,  more  deadly  for  a  while  than  rebel 
bullets,  and  nearly  300  of  our  men  had  to  be  hauled  from  town  in  wagons 
and  carriages  impressed  into  the  service  for  that  purpose.  Had  the  rebels 
then  rallied  and  renewed  the  fight  we  would  have  been  captured  and  shot. 
The  town  was  fired  and  was  burning  as  we  left. 

After  Osceola  we  camped  at  West  Point,  Mo.,  on  the  Kansas  line.  I 
was  on  duty  as  sergeant  of  the  guard  on  picket  nearly  a  mile  from  the  main 
camp.  It  had  been  raining  all  night— a  cold,  drizzly  October  rain.  At  ten 
A.  M.  we  saw  a  woman  approaching  from  down  the  dreary,  uninhabited 
roadway.  She  was  on  foot  and  was  carrying  a  baby  hugged  to  her  breast, 
with  four  little  children  also  walking— two  boys  and  two  girls,  the  oldest  a 
girl  of  seven  years.  All  were  in  their  nightclothes  and  all  wet  to  the  skin; 
children  crying  and  sufl'ering  with  cold  and  hunger.  We  soldiers  quickly 
shed  our  coats  to  shelter  them  from  the  storm  and  gave  them  our  dog-tent 
by  the  rail  camp-fire.  The  babe  was  dead.  I  sent  for  a  wagon  and  soon 
we  had  them  in  camp.  The  mother  died  from  this  exposure  within  thirty- 
six  hours.  The  four  children  were  sent  to  four  different  homes  by  friendly 
officers  and  soldiers. 

The  story  told  by  the  woman  before  her  death  revealed  the  fact  that 
her  husband  had,  as  a  member  of  the  Missouri  legislature  of  '60  and  '61, 
bitterly  fought  the  secession  scheme.  He  was  a  rich  man— owned  500  acres 
of  improved  land,  fine  house,  barn  and  other  outbuildings,  and  owned  several 


458  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

slaves;  yet  he  loved  the  flag  and  was  for  the  Union.  In  January,  1861,  he 
freed  his  slaves,  and  then  his  neighbors  damned  him  as  a  "black  aboli- 
tionist." They  finally,  in  July,  1861,  drove  him  from  his  home.  The  Union 
army  was  the  only  safe  resort;  so  he  joined  Montgomery's  Kansas  regi- 
ment, and  was,  on  this  October  day,  110  miles  south  of  West  Point.  Bush- 
whackers had  at  divers  times  robbed  his  home  until  every  head  of  stock  had 
been  driven  away  save  a  yoke  of  old,  worn-out  oxen.  His  wife  with  one  old, 
black  aunty  had  remained  at  the  persecuted  home,  and  during  her  confine- 
ment, in  August,  no  friends  came  to  see  her,  only  the  old  slave  woman,  who 
would  not  accept  her  freedom,  being  left  to  help  her.  On  this  cold,  dreary 
October  night  the  bushwhackers  came  for  their  last  damnable  raid,  burst  in 
the  doors  suddenly,  drove  her  and  her  children  out  into  the  storm,  and  set 
fire  to  the  house,  barn,  and  other  outbuildings.  The  burning  home  gave  gen- 
erous heat  until  morning,  when  the  old  colored  woman  yoked  the  oxen  to  an 
old  wagon,  filled  the  box  with  straw,  loaded  in  the  children,  and  started  for 
Kansas.  Within  four  miles  of  our  camp  a  band  of  bushwhacking  fiends 
rode  out  of  the  brush  and  asked:  "Where  are  you  going?  "  Answer:  "To 
Kansas."  "Go  on,  and  give  our  compliments  to  your  husband."  With 
this  reply  they  shot  the  oxen  and  rode  away,  leaving  a  helpless  mother  and 
five  children,  near  no  habitation,  to  walk  in  the  rain  and  mud  to  our  camp. 
When  the  soldier  husband  and  father  heard  the  news,  only  four  survivors  of 
his  once  happy  family  were  left,  and  they  in  four  diif erent  homes  widely 
separated.     Did  he  thirst  for  revenge  ? 

In  October,  1863,  Mr.  Lawrence,  a  Virginian,  a  rebel  sympathizer,  nearly 
sixty  years  old,  feeble  and  weak,  unable  to  do  harm  to  anybody,  was  living 
near  the  Big  Blue,  in  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  three  miles  from  my  head- 
quarters, where  I  had  130  men  specially  detailed  to  fight  the  guerrilla  chief, 
Quantrill.  Lawrence  owned  a  fine  home,  was  a  slaveholder  before  the  war, 
and  reputed  quite  wealthy.  It  was  a  lonesome  neighborhood,  and  he  lived 
quite  alone  with  his  wife  and  two  daughters,  between  twenty-five  and  thirty 
years  old,  and  two  or  three  old  darky  servants.  An  unmarried  son  about 
thirty-five  years  old  lived  in  New  Mexico,  serving  as  clerk  for  Jesus  Perea, 
at  Cimarron.  He  had  gone  to  New  Mexico  some  years  before  the  war,  and 
at  this  time,  October,  1863,  had  not  taken  sides  in  the  struggle.  Capt. 
Joseph  B.  Swain,  commanding  company  K  of  the  Fifteenth  Kansas  cavalry, 
which  regiment  was  then  commanded  by  Col.  C.  R.  Jennison,  late  com- 
mander of  the  Seventh  Kansas  cavalry— "Jayhawkers"— with  seven  of  his 
squadron,  made  a  night  raid  on  Mr.  Lawrence  on  the  very  day  of  the  death 
by  disease  of  Mrs.  Lawrence.  Mr.  Lawrence  was  ordered  to  produce  his 
money  and  silver  plate,  to  which  he  answered  that  his  money  and  silver 
were  in  a  bank  in  Canada.  Captain  Swain's  party  dragged  old  rhan  Law- 
rence into  the  orchard  in  front  of  his  home  and  three  times  hung  him  to  a 
tree,  to  force  him  to  produce  the  money  and  valuables  wanted.  Lawrence 
had  told  the  truth,  and  his  persecutors,  leaving  him  nearer  dead  than  alive, 
commenced  a  search  of  the  house,  opening  drawers  with  an  ax  when  locked, 
emptying  trunks  upon  the  floor,  and  ripping  open  bedticks.  Passing  from 
room  to  room,  they  had  passed  the  cofl!in  containing  the  remains  of  Mrs. 
Lawrence,  resting  on  chairs  in  the  parlor.  One  fellow,  Beardsley,'  sug- 
gested that  maybe  money  was  hid  in  the  coflJin,  and  with  that  he  knocked 

Note  1.— This  man's  name  does  not  appear  on  any  published  muster-roll  of  this  company. 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  459 

off  the  lid  of  the  casket  and  searched  for  gold.  A  ring  on  the  finger  of  the 
dead  woman  attracted  his  attention,  and  whipping  out  his  bowie-knife  he 
cut  off  the  finger  to  release  the  ring.  Before  leaving,  this  gallant(?)  party 
of  Union  defenders  said  to  the  two  terror-stricken  daughters:  "If  you  want 
to  plant  the  old  lady,  drag  her  out,  for  we  are  going  to  fire  the  ranch." 
Unaided  they  dragged  the  coffin  from  the  burning  home,  nursed  their  father 
back  to  life,  and  watched  for  the  dawn  of  day.  A  colored  servant  came  to 
tell  me  the  story  early  next  morning.  I  did  all  I  could  to  relieve  their  dis- 
tress, tried  to  locate  the  villains,  but  did  not  for  over  a  year  learn  who  the 
night  raiders  were.  My  vote,  as  a  member  of  a  court-martial  held  in  March, 
1865,  helped  to  give  this  same  captain  a  dishonorable  dismissal  from  the 
service,  which  he  had  from  the  first  disgraced.  Young  Lawrence  came 
home  from  New  Mexico  and  joined  Quantrill  for  revenge.  In  fact,  "re- 
venge" was  the  watchword  from  the  north  line  of  Kansas  south  on  the  line 
between  Kansas  and  Missouri  into  Arkansas.  Old  scores  from  the  early 
Kansas  troubles  had  to  be  settled.  The  war  was  not  commenced  at  Fort 
Sumter;  it  started  in  Kansas  in  1855,  and  the  fires  had  been  kept  bright 
until  the  Fort  Sumter  breeze  had  fanned  the  entire  border  counties  into  a 
flame. 

Thus,  from  early  spring  until  October,  1861,  Lane's  brigade  fought  under 
the  black  flag  the  rebels  opposed  to  us.  Upton  Hayes,  General  Rains, 
Davidson,  Standwatie  and  his  Choctaw  and  Chickasaw  Indians,  Coon  Thorn- 
ton (the  worst  daredevil  of  them  all),  Quantrill,  Thrailkill,  Bill  Anderson, 
Arch  Clements,  Jesse  James  (who  made  Missouri  notorious  after  the  war), 
his  brother  Frank,  Cole  Younger,  Si  Porter,  Cy.  Gordon,  Bill  Todd,  Dick 
Yeager— all  officers  under  Quantrill,  commanding  guerrilla  bands— started  in 
under  the  war  cry:    "No  surrender  except  in  death! " 

The  Kansans  under  Lane,  Montgomery,  Blunt,  Jennison,  Anthony,  Hoyt 
and  others  accepted  the  challenge,  and,  until  General  Fremont,  in  October, 
1861,  issued  his  order  ~  against  this  retaliatory  work  and  forced  a  reorgani- 
zation of  Lane's  brigade,  which  forced  Lane  out  of  the  army  and  back  to  the 
senate,  there  was  no  pretension  to  the  common  amenities  of  civilized  war, 
and,  in  fact,  with  the  guerrillas  and  bushwhackers,  there  was  no  quarter 
given  or  taken  until  the  surrender  of  Lee.  It  was  a  fight  to  the  death  on 
both  sides  all  through  the  war.  The  bushwhackers,  who  were  the  demon 
devils  of  this  border  war,  personally  more  for  plunder  and  daredevil  notoriety 
than  for  patriotic  impulses,  were  led  by  men  holding  roving  commissions 

Note  2.—  The  proclamation  given  below  is  the  nearest  approach  to  the  order  mentioned  by 
Captain  Palmer,  printed  in  the  Official  Records,  and  is  contained  in  series  1.  volume  3,  on  pages 
563,  564.  Col.  D.  Hunter,  having  relieved  General  Fremont  early  in  November,  1861,  counter- 
manded this  proclamation  for  various  reasons,  which  he  cites. 

"proclamation. 
"'  To  all  peaceablf/ldisposed  Citizens  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  greeting  : 

"  Whereas,  A  solemn  agreement  has  been  entered  into  by  and  between  Major-generals 
Fremont  and  Price,  respectively  commanding  antagonistic  forces  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  to  the 
effect  that  in  the  future  arrests  or  forcible  interference  by  armed  or  unarmed  parties  of  citizens 
within  the  limits  of  said  state  for  the  mere  entertainment  of  expression  of  political  opinions 
shall  hereafter  cease,  that  families  now  broken  up  for  such  causes  may  be  reunited,  and  that 
the  war  now  progressing  shall  be  exclusively  confined  to  armies  in  the  field  : 

i; Therefore,  be  it  known.  To  all  whom  it  may  concern: 

"I.  No  arrests  whatever  on  account  of  political  opinions,  or  for  the  merely  private  expression 
of  the  same,  shall  hereafter  be  made  within  the  limits  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  all  persons  who 
may  have  been  arrested  and  are  now  held  to  answer  upon  such  charges  only  shall  be  forthwith 
released  ;  but  it  is  expressly  declared  that  nothing  in  this  proclamation  shall  be  construed  to  bar 
or  interfere  with  any  of  the  usual  and  regular  proceedings  of  the  established  courts  under 
statutes  and  orders  made  and  provided  for  such  offenses. 

"  II.  All  peaceably  disposed  citizens  who  may  have  been  driven  from  their  homes  because 
of  their  political  opinions,  or  who  may  have  left  them  from  fear  of  force  and  violence,  are  hereby 


460  Kansas  State  Historical  Societij. 

from  the  Confederate  government.  They  paid  and  supported  themselves  by 
robbery,  by  plundering  homes  and  villages,  wrecking  and  robbing  trains, 
attacking  weakly  protected  supply-trains  and  ambushing  soldiers.  In  fights 
with  Union  men  they  were  treated  as  pirates  should  be— no  quarter  was 
given,  and,  of  course,  our  men  expected  like  treatment  from  them.  Two  of 
my  troopers  were  scalped  by  Quan trill's  men,  and  I  saw  five  of  his  men  hung 
on  the  present  site  of  the  new  Coates  House,  Kansas  City. 

This  demoralized,  inhuman  condition  of  affairs  in  the  district  of  the 
border  was  not  confined  to  one  side.  The  Seventh  Kansas  cavalry,  organ- 
ized October  28,  1861,  commanded  by  Charles  R.  Jennison,  gained  under 
Jennison's  control  a  world-wide  reputation  as  the  "Jayhawkers."  Return- 
ing from  their  first  raid  into  Missouri,  they  marched  through  Kansas  City 
nearly  all  dressed  in  women's  clothes,  old  bonnets  and  outlandish  hats  on 
their  heads,  spinning-wheels  and  even  gravestones  lashed  to  their  saddles ; 
their  pathway  through  the  country  strewn  with  (to  them)  worthless  house- 
hold goods,  their  route  lighted  by  burning  homes.  This  regiment  was  little 
less  than  an  armed  mob  until  Jennison  was  forced  to  resign.  May  1,  1862. 
As  might  be  inferred,  this  man  Jennison  brought  only  disgrace  to  Kansas 
soldiery.  He  was  a  coward  and  a  murderer,  and  for  shooting,  while  he  was 
commanding  the  Fifteenth  Kansas  cavalry,  four  brave  Kansas  state  militia- 
men, October  23,  1864,  was  tried  in  June,  1865,  by  a  court-martial,  of  which 
Maj.-gen.  George  Sykes,  of  Antietam  fame,  was  president  and  myself  the 
junior  member.  The  death  sentence  was  changed  by  the  commander  of  the 
department  to  imprisonment  for  life,  and  finally,  through  the  great  influence 
of  Senator  James  H.  Lane  with  President  Andrew  Johnson,  to  simply  a  dishon- 
orable dismissal  from  the  service.  ■' 

William  Clark  Quan  trill,  ^  the  bravest,  most  successful  guerrilla  of  the 
war  of  the  rebellion,  and  chief  bushwhacker  of  the  border  war,  was  born 
in  Canal  Dover,  Ohio,  in  1837.     His  father,  Thomas  H.  Quantrill,  was  princi- 

advised  and  permitted  to  return,  upon  the  faith  of  our  positive  assurances  that  while  so  return- 
ing they  shall  receive  protection  from  both  the  armies  in  the  field,  wherever  it  can  be  given. 

"  III.  All  bodies  of  armed  men  acting  without  the  authority  or  recognition  of  the  major-gen- 
erals before  named,  and  not  legitimately  connected  with  the  armies  in  the  field,  are  hereby  or- 
dered at  once  to  disband. 

"  IV.  Any  violation  of  either  of  the  foregoing  articles  shall  subject  the  offender  to  the  pen- 
alty of  military  law.  according  to  the  nature  of  the  offense. 

"In  Testimony  Whereof,  The  aforesaid  Maj.-gen.  John  Charles  Fremont,  at  Springfield, 
Mo.,  on  this  1st  day  of  November,  a.  d.  1861,  and  Maj.-gen.  Sterling  Price,  at  Cassville,  Mo.,  on 
this  5th  day  of  November.  A.  d.  1861,  have  hereunto  set  their  hands,  and  hereby  mutually  pledge 
their  earnest  efforts  to  the  enforcement  of  the  above  articles  of  agreement  according  to  their 
full  tenor  and  efl;ect,  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

J.  C.  Fremont,  Major-general  Commanding. 
Sterling  Price,  Major-general  Commanding." 

Note  3. —  "Jennison  was,  if  possible,  a  more  malignant  enemy  of  Lane  than  either  Halleck 
or  McClellan.  but  for  different  reasons.  Jennison  was  a  wild  man,  who  considered  Lane  too  con- 
servative :  Halleck  and  McClellan  considered  him  the  extreme  of  radicals.  ...  It  must  not, 
however,  be  imagined  that  Jennison  ever  got  even  with  the  rebels  of  western  Missouri  in  bar- 
barity. He  was  a  gallant  and  heroic  man  ;  but  he  was  not  a  cooperator  with  Lane,  nor  did  he 
recognize  his  command  ;  and  most  of  the  depredations  charged  to  him  were  committed  after  the 
diabolical  provocations  of  the  Quantrill  massacre,  when  Lane  had  no  command  whatever,  and  was 
almost  constantly  in  the  senate."  —  John  Speer's  Life  of  Gen.  James  H.  Lane,  pp.  252,  253. 

Note  4.— As  a  general  note  to  this  paper,  it  is  necessary  to  say  something  of  the  life  of  Quan- 
trill in  Kansas. 

Quantrill's  mother  was  born  at  or  near  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  not  Hagerstown,  Md..  as  stated  ; 
his  father  was  born  at  Hagerstown.  Quantrill's  parents  married  in  Pennsylvania,  and  moved 
immediately  to  Canal  Dover,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born.  He  was  the  eldest  child  ;  so  that  his  story 
of  having  been  robbed  by  Kansas  men  while  on  the  way  to  California  with  an  elder  brother  was 
wholly  untrue. 

Quantrill  never  took  a  homestead  nor  preemption  claim  in  Kansas.  He  worked  for  Colonel 
Torrey,  in  Lykins  (now  Miami)  county,  and  Torrey  had  him  bid  in  a  quarter-section  of  land  at 
the  sales  held  at  Paola.  Quantrill  did  not  buy  this  land  for  himself,  and  in  Kansas,  where  the 
facts  were   known,  he  never  pretended  to  have  done  so.      He  settled  on  a  claim   in  Johnson 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  461 

pal  of  the  Canal  Dover  public  schools.  Both  parents  were  from  Hagerstown, 
Md.  The  elder  Quantrill  was  a  Whig,  and  a  religious,  enthusiastic  educator. 
Young  Quantrill  enjoyed  the  best  advantages  and  was  under  strict  religious 
training.  At  sixteen  he  taught  a  country  school,  and  in  1857,  in  his  twentieth 
year,  he  came  to  Kansas  to  secure  a  homestead.  Being  under  age  he  was 
compelled  to  trust  a  supposed  friend,  who  proved  false.  This  embittered 
the  young  man,  and  from  that  time  it  seems  he  lost  control  of  the  moral  in- 
stincts that  should  be  the  guiding  star  of  true  manhood.  For  two  or  three 
years  he  taught  school  in  Kansas;  between  terms  worked  with  the  immortal 
John  Brown,  who  was  stealing  slaves  from  Missouri,  and,  as  slaves  were 
chattels,  he  also  took  horses,  mules  and  anything  else  of  value  to  compen- 
sate himself  and  companions  for  the  risk  incurred  and  to  supply  the  sinews 
of  war  for  the  freedom  of  a  suppressed  and  benighted  race.  John  Brown 
could  pray,  shoot,  steal  slaves  or  horses,  and  really  thought  he  was  serving 
God  in  his  almost  single-handed  war  against  slavery,  an  institution  supported 
by  the  laws  of  our  country  and  enforced  by  the  courts  and  the  army,  but 
not  a  dollar's  worth  of  Brown's  captured  booty  was  used  by  him  for  selfish 
purposes.  Quantrill 's  experience  with  his  false  friend  embittered  his  mind 
and  caused  him  to  start  with  his  elder  brother,  in  1860,  for  California  by 
team.  They  were  attacked  by  Jayhawkers  on  the  Little  Cottonwood,  in 
Kansas,  when  the  brother  was  killed.  Young  Quantrill,  badly  wounded,  es- 
caped to  the  brush,  and  after  the  robbers  left  with  the  horses  and  provisions 
he  crawled  to  the  creek  and  laid  there  for  nearly  three  days,  when  a  friendly 
Indian  found  him  and  nursed  him  back  to  health  and  strength.  From  this 
date  Quantrill  became  one  of  the  most  cruel  and  desperate  robbers  and  mur- 
derers that  ever  lived.  He  was  a  blonde-haired,  handsome,  mild-mannered 
man,  with  nothing  indicating  the  desperado  or  robber  in  appearance.  ^ 

Edwards,  in  his  "Noted  Guerrillas,  or  the  Warfare  of  the  Border, "  tells 
of  Quan trill's  interview,  in  Richmond,  Va.,  with  the  Confederate  secretary 
of  war,  in  November,  1861,  after  Quantrill  had  been  for  more  than  seven 

county,  Kansas,  but  quarreled  with  his  associates,  young  men  of  his  acquaintance  from  Canal 
Dover,  and  left  the  camp.  He  never  tried  to  perfect  the  claim ;  and  the  war  coming  on,  the 
others  returned  to  Ohio  and  enlisted  in  the  Union  army. 

Quantrill's  letters,  now  in  my  collections,  show  that  he  committed  crimes  of  a  serious  nature 
before  he  came  to  Kansas,  and  he  was  not  twenty  when  he  arrived  here. 

There  is  not  a  word  of  evidence  that  Quantrill  even  knew  John  Brown,  or  that  he  ever  saw 
Brown.  The  enemies  of  Brown  have  asserted  that  Quantrill  was  with  him  ;  these  assertions 
were  made  for  the  sole  purpose  of  bringing  discredit  upon  the  life  of  John  Brown  in  Kansas. 
Such  assertions  are  malicious  and  entitled  to  no  consideration. 

Quantrill  taught  one  term  of  school  in  Lykins  county,  Kansas.  That  constitutes  his  whole 
career  as  teacher  in  this  state. 

Quantrill  had  nothing  but  the  best  of  treatment  in  Kansas.  He  had  no  reason  to  complain 
of  any  Kansas  man,  but  many  Kansas  men  had  reason  to  complain  of  Quantrill  from  the  day 'of 
his  arrival  in  Kansas.  He  led  a  life  of  crime  from  the  first,  as  the  Collections  of  the  State  His- 
torical Society  show.  (See  pp.  212-229,  vol.  7;  p.  324,  vol.  8.)  In  my  private  collections  there  is 
indisputable  evidence  of  many  other  crimes  committed  by  him  long  before  he  went  from  Kansas 
to  Missouri. 

Quantrill  left  Kansas  in  the  execution  of  a  plot  to  betray  and  murder  his  companions. 
Blacker  treachery  was  never  known.  He  murdered  one  of  his  companions  and  aided  in  the  mur- 
der of  all  the  others.  This  was  the  Morgan  Walker  expedition.  To  find  some  excuse  to  plead  to 
the  Missouri  people,  he  invented  the  false  stories  of  his  brother's  death  at  the  hands  of  the  Kan- 
sas people  and  the  other  false  stories  about  his  treatment  in  Kansas.  He  had  to  tell  some  story 
in  justification,  for  even  the  people  of  Independence  and  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  gathered  to 
lynch  him  for  the  action  at  Walker's  and  the  circumstances  surrounding  it. 

All  the  evidence  shows  that  Quantrill  was  a  cruel  and  unnatural  child  ;  that  he  was  a  de- 
generate ;  and  that  he  was  a  criminal  from  childhood  from  choice.  There  is  not  a  single  redeem- 
ing action  to  his  credit  in  Kansas,  and,  for  that  matter,  none  at  any  time  or  place.  His  sack  of 
Lawrence,  and  murder  there  of  near  200  helpless  and  inoffensive  Kansas  citizens,  men,  women, 
and  children,  constitutes  the  blackest  crime  recorded  in  American  history.  — William  E.  Con- 
NELLEY,  Topeka,  Kan.,  July  20,  1906. 

Note  5. —  "Part  of  the  above  story  is  strongly  vouched  for,  especially  as  to  his  birth  and  the 
respectability  of  his  parents.    The  start  for  California  with  an  elder  brother  in  1860,  fight  with 


462  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

months  murdering  his  Kansas  neighbors  and  comrades  in  the  name  and  be- 
half of  the  Southern  cause,  which  he  had  so  suddenly  and  so  unexpectedly 
espoused.  I  quote  the  interview  as  reported  to  Edwards  and  written  up  by 
him  in  his  laudatory  work  of  showing  Quantrill  as  a  hero,  a  patriot,  a  chiv- 
alrous Southern  soldier,  who  was  willing  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the  South, 
as  was  Gushing,  who  sunk  the  Albemarle: 

"His  interview  at  Richmond  with  the  Confederate  secretary  of  war  was 
a  memorable  one.  Gen.  Louis  T.  Wigfall,  then  a  senator  from  Texas,  was 
present,  and  described  it  afterwards  in  his  rapid,  vivid,  picturesque  way, 
Quantrill  asked  to  be  commissioned  as  a  colonel  under  the  partizan-ranger 
act,  and  to  be  so  recognized  by  the  department  as  to  have  accorded  to  him 
whatever  protection  the  Confederate  government  might  be  in  a  condition  to 
exercise.  Never  mind  the  question  of  men;  he  would  have  the  complement 
required  in  a  month  after  he  reached  western  Missouri.  The  warfare  was 
desperate,  he  knew,  the  service  desperate,  everything  connected  with  it  was 
desperate;  but  the  Southern  people,  to  succeed,  had  to  fight  a  desperate  fight. 
The  secretary  suggested  that  war  had  its  amenities  and  its  refinements,  and 
that  in  the  nineteenth  century  it  was  simply  barbarism  to  talk  of  a  black  flag. 

"  '  Barbarbism  ! '  and  Quantrill 's  blue  eyes  blazed  and  his  whole  manner 
and  attitude  underwent  a  transformation ;  '  barbarism,  Mr.  Secretary, 
means  war  and  war  means  barbarism.  Since  you  have  touched  upon  this 
subject,  let  us  discuss  it  a  little.  Times  have  their  crimes  as  well  as  men. 
For  twenty  years  this  cloud  has  been  gathering;  for  twenty  years,  inch  by 
inch  and  little  by  little,  those  people  called  abolitionists  have  been  on  the 
track  of  slavery;  for  twenty  years  the  people  of  the  South  have  been 
robbed,  here  of  a  negro  and  there  of  a  negro;  for  twenty  years  hates  have 
been  engendered  and  wrathful  things  laid  up  against  the  day  of  wrath. 
The  cloud  has  burst.     Do  not  condemn  the  thunderbolt. ' 

"The  war  secretary  bowed  his  head.  Quantrill,  leaving  his  own  seat  and 
standing  over  him  as  it  were  and  above  him,  went  on:  'Who  are  these  peo- 
ple you  call  Confederates?  Rebels,  unless  they  succeed— outcasts,  traitors, 
food  for  hemp  and  gunpowder.  There  were  no  great  statesmen  in  the  South 
or  this  war  would  have  happened  ten  years  ago;  no  inspired  men,  or  it  would 
have  happened  fifteen  years  ago.  To-day  the  odds  are  desperate.  The 
world  hates  slavery;  the  world  is  fighting  you.  The  ocean  belongs  to  the 
Union  navy.  There  is  a  recruiting  officer  in  every  foreign  port.  I  have 
captured  and  killed  many  who  did  not  know  the  English  tongue.  Mile  by 
mile  the  cordon  is  being  drawn  about  the  granaries  of  the  South.  Missouri 
will  go  first,  next  Kentucky,  next  Tennessee,  by  and  by  Mississippi  and  Ar- 
kansas, and  then  what?  That  we  must  put  gloves  on  our  hands  and  honey 
in  our  mouths  and  fight  this  war  as  Christ  fought  the  wickedness  of  the 
world ! ' 

"The  war  secretary  did  not  speak.  Quantrill,  perhaps,  did  not  desire 
that  he  should.  '  You  ask  an  impossible  thing,  Mr.  Secretary.  This  seces- 
sion, or  revolution,  or  whatever  you  call  it,  cannot  conquer  without  violence, 
nor  can  those  who  hate  it  and  hope  to  stifle  it  resist  without  vindictiveness. 
Every  struggle  has  its  philosophy,  but  this  is  not  the  hour  for  philosophers. 
Your  young  Confederacy  wants  victory,  and  champions  who  are  not  judges. 
Men  must  be  killed.  To  impel  the  people  to  passion  there  must  be  some 
slight  illusion  mingled  with  the  truth;  to  arouse  them  to  enthusiasm  some- 
thing out  of  nature  must  occur.  That  illusion  should  be  a  crusade  in  the 
name  of  conquest,  and  that  something  out  of  nature  should  be  the  black 

Indians,  etc..  is  a  doubtful  proposition.  Quantrill's  biographer  and  a  few  friends  who  may  have 
read  the  story  are  about  the  only  persons  who  vouch  for  this  false  friend  and  massacre  busi- 
ness as  the  only  shadow  of  an  excuse  for  Quantrill's  becoming  the  most  unmerciful,  meanest, 
cowardly  murderer  that  ever  disgraced  Missouri  and  Kan.saa  by  his  presence.  I  know  of  but 
one  redeeming  feature  in  his  make-up.  that  was,  he  was  not  a  drinking  man  —  it  was  the  devil  in 
him  and  not  whisky  that  helped  to  influence  him  to  commit  the  terrible  crimes  chargeable  to  him. 
"  I  might  say,  also,  that  it  is  a  disputed  question  about  Quantrill  being  in  any  way  connected 
with  John  Brown.  It  is  true  that  Quantrill  boasted  of  this  connection  while  on  a  sick-bed  in  Sa- 
line county,  Missouri,  in  September,  1868,  just  after  the  Lawrence  raid.  A  man  who  could  com- 
mit murder  as  unmindful  of  consequences,  moral  or  otherwise,  as  could  this  man,  could  lie  and 
swear  falsely  without  any  serious  compunctions  of  conscience." — H.  E.  P. 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  463 

flag.  Woe  be  unto  all  of  you  if  the  federals  come  with  an  oath  of  loyalty 
in  one  hand  and  a  torch  in  the  other!  I  have  seen  Missouri  bound  hand  and 
foot  by  this  Christless  thing  called  conservatism,  and  where  to-day  she  should 
have  200,000  heroes  fighting  for  liberty,  beneath  her  banners  there  are  scarcely 
20,000.' 

"  'What  would  you  do,  Captain  Quantrill,  were  yours  the  power  and  the 
opportunity  ? ' 

"  'Do,  Mr.  Secretary?  Why,  I  would  wage  such  a  war  and  have  such  a 
war  waged  by  land  and  sea  as  to  make  surrender  forever  impossible.  I 
would  cover  the  armies  of  the  Confederacy  all  over  with  blood.  I  would  in- 
vade. I  would  reward  audacity.  I  would  exterminate.  I  would  break  up 
foreign  enlistments  by  indiscriminate  massacre.  I  would  win  the  independ7 
ence  of  my  people  or  I  would  find  them  graves!' 

' '  'And  our  prisoners,  what  of  them  ? ' 

"'Nothing  of  them;  there  would  be  no  prisoners.  Do  they  take  any 
prisoners  from  me?  Surrounded,  I  do  not  surrender;  surprised,  I  do  not 
give  way  to  panic;  outnumbered,  I  rely  upon  common  sense  and  stubborn 
fighting;  proscribed,  I  answer  proclamation  with  proclamation;  outlawed,  I 
feel  through  it  my  power;  hunted,  I  hunt  my  hunters  in  turn;  hated  and 
made  blacker  than  a  dozen  devils,  I  add  to  my  hoofs  the  swiftness  of  a 
horse,  and  to  my  horns  the  terrors  of  a  savage  following.  Kansas  should 
be  laid  waste  at  once.  Meet  the  torch  with  the  torch,  pillage  with  pillage, 
slaughter  with  slaughter,  subjugation  with  extermination.  You  have  my 
ideas  of  war,  Mr.  Secretary,  and  I  am  sorry  they  do  not  accord  with  your 
own,  nor  the  ideas  of  the  government  you  have  the  honor  to  represent  so 
well.'  And  Quantrill,  without  his  commission  as  a  partizan  ranger,  or  with- 
out any  authorization  to  raise  a  regiment  of  partizan  rangers,  bowed  him- 
self away  from  the  presence  of  the  secretary  and  away  from  Richmond." 

Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  while  in  command  of  the  district  of  the  border, 
headquarters  at  Kansas  City,  Mo,,  detailed,  June  17,  1863,  my  company.  A, 
Eleventh  Kansas  cavalry,  and  fifty  picked  men  from  ten  companies  of  cav- 
alry, to  trail  and  hunt  Quantrill,  who  had  become  the  terror  of  the  country. 
His  men  were  mostly  toughs  and  desperadoes  from  the  plains,  northern 
Texas,  and  the  Kansas  border.  They  were  dead  shots  and  the  best  riders  in 
the  world,  and  while  he  could  concentrate  in  a  day  or  two  500  men,  he  gen- 
erally moved  in  small  squads  of  from  ten  to  forty  men,  and  occupied  the 
timber  and  brush  of  every  border  county  south  of  the  Missouri  river  to  the 
Boston  mountains,  of  Arkansas.  He  was  enabled  by  his  daring,  dashing  and 
unexpected  attacks  to  keep  4000  federal  cavalry  busy  for  three  years,  be- 
sides 4000  or  5000  of  our  infantry  guarding  towns,  trains,  and  supply-depots. 
The  hairbreadth  escapes  of  this  guerrilla  chief,  the  wonderful  experiences 
of  his  men,  and  the  daily  adventures  of  our  men  in  his  pursuit,  who  were 
lost  in  wonderment  if  we  failed  to  have  half  a  dozen  fights  with  his  bush- 
whackers each  week;  our  miles  of  night  riding,  skulking  through  wooded 
ravines,  by-roads,  and  cow-paths,  hunting  for  an  enemy  worse  than  Indians; 
the  houses,  villages  and  cities  sacked  and  burned  by  guerrillas,  and  the  re- 
taliatory acts  of  our  commanders,  resulted  in  a  perfect  "hell  of  a  war." 

The  following  incidents  come  before  my  mind  as  a  panorama,  vivid  as 
life,  a  story  that  can  never  be  told,  the  record  of  which  would  fill  a  hundred 
volumes  of  intensely  interesting  matter,  and  one  never  to  be  forgotten  by 
any  one  of  the  men  who  were  active  witnesses  of  the  sickening  details: 
Sterling  Price's  first  march  to  the  South,  and  his  several  attempts  to  wrest 
Missouri  from  the  Union;  Joe  Shelby's  raids  up  to  Price's  last  disastrous 
raid,  in  September  and  October,  1864;  Quantrill 's  Lawrence  raid,  August  21, 
1863,  when  he  slaughtered  in  cold  blood  142  unarmed  non-combatants,  and 


464  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

sacked  and  burned  that  undefended  city;  how  this  sack  and  massacre 
might  have  been  averted  had  it  not  been  for  a  mistake  of  judgment  on  the 
part  of  one  of  our  best  and  most  loyal  officers;  Quantrill's  escape  from 
eighty  men  of  Pomeroy's  command,  the  Ninth  Kansas,  when  they  had  him 
and  five  of  his  men  surrounded  in  a  burning  house;  the  ambuscade  and 
cowardly  murder  of  eighteen  of  Capt.  Henry  Flesher's  men,  company  E  of 
the  Ninth  Kansas  cavalry,  June  17,  1863,  by  Bill  Todd,  at  Brush  creek,  within 
a  mile  of  Westport,  then  a  military  station;  Bill  Anderson's  wreck  and 
capture  of  a  railroad-train  on  the  North  Missouri  railroad,  at  Centralia,  in 
November,  1861,  and  slaughter  of  eighty  unarmed  and  wounded  soldiers; 
the  massacre  of  Blunt's  staff,  escort  and  teamsters  at  Baxter  Springs,  Octo- 
ber 6,  1863;  Capt.  Charles  Cleveland's  desertion,  with  several  of  company 
H,  Seventh  Kansas  black  horse  cavalry,  his  turning  highwayman,  and  how 
it  took  nearly  2000  cavalry  four  months  to  disperse  his  band  and  kill  him; 
the  resignation  of  Geo.  H.  Hoyt,  captain  company  K,  Seventh  Kansas  cav- 
alry, to  raise  a  band  of  over  300  redlegs,  an  organization  sworn  to  shoot 
rebels,  take  no  prisoners,  free  slaves,  and  respect  no  property  rights  of 
rebels  or  of  their  sympathizers;  our  chase  for  Quantrill  from  the  Missouri 
river  to  Arkansas  and  back  before  and  after  the  Lawrence  raid;  the  final 
driving  of  Quantrill  and  his  men  beyond  the  Mississippi,  and  his  death  at 
the  military  prison  hospital  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  June  6,  1865,  from  wounds 
received  at  his  capture  near  Taylorsville,  Ky.,  May  10,  1865. 

I  have  thus  cited  a  few  instances  to  show  a  bare  outline  of  the  border 
war  near  the  Kansas  and  Missouri  line— a  war  that  forced  fully  eighty  per 
cent,  of  the  male  population  of  that  region  between  the  ages  of  fifteen  and 
fifty  into  the  army,  made  mourners  in  every  household,  and  left  monuments 
of  desolation  and  war  in  burned  homes  marked  only  by  stone  and  brick  chim- 
neys, from  the  north  to  the  south  line  of  the  district  covered. 

The  two  incidents  cited  near  the  beginning  of  this  story  are  given  as  ex- 
tremely aggravated  cases,  not  as  every-day,  commonplace  affairs.  With 
the  exception  of  the  Seventh  and  Fifteenth  Kansas  cavalry,  there  were  no 
better  disciplined  or  better  behaved  troops  in  the  Union  army  than  the  Kan- 
sas men.  The  First  Kansas  infantry,  organized  in  May,  1861,  fought  like 
regulars  under  General  Lyon  at  Wilson  Creek,  and  lost  in  that  fight,  August 
10,  1861,  fifty-one  per  cent,  of  the  entire  regiment  in  killed  and  wounded,  and 
stood  their  ground  to  the  end  and  won  the  fight.**  The  seventeen  Kansas 
regiments,  three  batteries,  and  three  colored  regiments,  with  the  exceptions 
above  noted,  gave  the  enemy  no  good  cause  for  guerrilla  warfare,  but  all 

Note  6. —  "  The  Union  army  did  leave  in  good  order,  but  it  left  in  a  hurry ;  and  Price,  instead 
of  being  driven  from  the  field,  was  still  holding  the  line  that  he  had  taken  at  the  beginning  of 
the  battle,  nor  had  he  been  driven  back  100  yards  from  this  line  at  any  time  during  the  entire  day. 

"Lyon  had  not  fought  and  died  in  vain.  Through  him  the  rebellion  which  Blair  had  organ- 
ized, and  to  which  he  had  himself  given  force  and  strength,  had  succeeded  at  last.  By  captur- 
ing the  state  militia  at  Camp  Jackson,  and  driving  the  governor  from  the  capital  and  all  his 
troops  into  the  uttermost  corner  of  the  state,  and  by  holding  Price  and  McCuUoch  at  bay,  he  had 
given  the  Union  men  of  Missouri  time,  opportunity  and  courage  to  bring  their  state  convention 
together  again  ;  and  had  given  the  convention  an  e.xcuseand  the  power  to  depose  Governor  Jack- 
son and  Lieutenant-governor  Reynolds,  to  vacate  the  seats  of  the  members  of  the  general  as- 
sembly, and  to  establish  a  state  government  which  was  loyal  to  the  Union,  and  which  would  use 
the  whole  organized  power  of  the  state  — its  treasury,  its  credit,  its  militia,  and  all  its  great  re- 
sources—to sustain  the  Union  and  crush  the  South.  All  this  had  been  done  while  Lyon  was 
boldly  confronting  the  overwhelming  strength  of  Price  and  McCulloch.  Had  he  abandoned 
Springfield  instead  and  opened  to  Price  a  pathway  to  the  Missouri ;  had  he  not  been  willing  to 
die  for  the  freedom  of  the  negro  and  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  none  of  these  things 
would  have  then  been  done.  By  wisely  planning,  by  boldly  doing,  and  by  bravely  dying,  he  had 
won  the  fight  for  Missouri."— Snead's  Fight  for  Missouri,  p.  302. 


The  Soldiers  of  Kansas.  465 

left  good  records  for  brave  and  soldierly  conduct,  and  the  Seventh  fully  re- 
deemed itself  under  Colonel  Lee  with  Sherman's  army,  1862  to  1864. ' 

The  guerrillas  who  fought  with  Quantrill  under  the  black  flag,  executing 
their  bloodthirsty  acts  as  deeds  of  revenge,  charged  the  first  cause  to  acts 
committed  before  the  war,  1856  to  1861,  and  to  the  early  campaigning  of 
Lane,  Montgomery,  and  Jennison,  to  October,  1861.  As  all  the  guerrillas 
were  outlawed  by  that  time,  there  was  no  possible  way  of  ending  their 
crimes  except  in  annihilation.  While  our  men  had  become  desperate  hunters 
of  desperate  criminals,  and  had  for  years  given  and  asked  no  quarter,  yet 
when  Gens.  Sterling  Price  and  Joe  Shelby  led  their  armies  into  our  field  they 
were  met  and  fought  with  as  much  chivalry  and  soldierly  courtesy  as  was 
accorded  to  the  regular  Confederate  army  by  our  men  on  the  Potomac. 
When  General  Marmaduke,  General  Cabell  and  seven  Confederate  colonels 
surrendered  with  over  1000  men  at  Mine  Creek,  Kan.,  in  October,  1864,  some 
of  their  captors  were  Kansas  men  of  my  company  and  regiment,  who  were 
prompt  in  according  them  fair  treatment,  manifesting  no  spirit  of  revenge. 
Our  men  divided  the  contents  of  their  haversacks  with  the  hungry  rebels. 
So  at  Prairie  Grove,  Van  Buren,  Newtonia,  Westport,  and  wherever  and 
whenever  we  met  the  regular  Confederate  army,  wearing  the  gray,  and  carry- 
ing their  flag,  no  Confederate  soldier  had  cause  to  complain  of  ungenerous 
or  unkind  treatment  from  Kansas  soldiers. 

I  might  tell  of  deeds  of  individual  heroism  and  bravery,  of  devoted  loyalty 
to  our  country  and  our  flag,  and  of  loyalty  to  a  wrong  and  losing  cause,  suf- 
ferings in  camp  and  on  the  march,  short  rations,  no  medicine,  and  poor  sur- 
geons,«  of  the  1100  miles  tramped  on  foot  by  my  regiment  in  ten  months 
before  we  were  mounted,  of  five  days'  and  nights'  scout  of  myself  and 
twenty  men  on  the  front  and  flank  of  Joe  Shelby's  command,  in  October, 
1864,  with  no  sleep  except  in  the  saddle— and  yet  we  were  not  at  Vicks- 
burg,  at  Donelson,  Nashville,  Gettysburg,  or  in  any  of  the  great  battles  of 
the  war,  save  only  at  Wilson  Creek,  Pea  Ridge,  Cane  Hill,  Prairie  Grove, 
Van  Buren,  the  two  Lexington  fights.  Little  Blue,  Big  Blue,  Westport, 
Mound  City,  and  Newtonia. 

We  were  regularly  mustered  and  drew  our  pay;  wore  the  blue  and  fought 
the  gray;  obeyed  orders,  and  after  Lee's  surrender  fought  Indians  from  the 
Missouri  river  to  the  crest  of  the  Rockies  and  north  to  the  Yellowstone. 
The  soldiers  constituting  the  large  armies  east  of  the  Mississippi  were  in- 
deed fortunate  in  comparison  with  troops  in  the  army  of  the  frontier 
and  district  of  the  border,  detailed  on  the  fearful  and  thankless  duty  of 
fighting  bushwhackers.  Were  the  former  killed  in  battle  and  left  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  an  honorable  burial  and  unmutilated  body  were  awarded 
them;  were  they  wounded,  medical  aid  and  care  were  bestowed  upon  them; 
if  captured,  the  prospect  of  an  exchange  of  prisoners  was  ever  before  them. 
Contrast  this  treatment  with  the  unfortunate  fate  of  the  Union  soldier  on 
the  border,  in  the  hands  of  the  guerrillas.  If  killed,  their  poor,  inanimate 
bodies  were  outraged  and  mutilated;  if  wounded,  they  were  often  forced  to 
suicide,  or  torture  and  death  in  the  end.    There  were  practically  no  captures. 

Note  7.— See  "History  of  the  Seventh  Kansas,"  by  Gen.  S.  M.  Fox,  in  volume  8,  Kansas  His- 
torical Collections. 

Note  8.—  Fully  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  amputations  at  and  immediately  after  the  battle  of 
Prairie  Grove.  Arkansas,  December  7,  1862,  wore  fatal. 

-30 


466  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

for  surrender  meant  death;  no  battle-stained  flags,  no  heroic  pages  in  his- 
tory, no  honor  or  special  credit.  ' '  Murdered  by  bushwhackers, "  "  killed  by 
Indians,"  is  the  brief  record  to  be  found  in  the  adjutant-general's  office. 
Don't  forget  that  our  enemy  was  as  often  clad  in  the  Union  blue  as  in  the 
butternut  or  rebel  gray.  We  met  sometimes  face  to  face,  with  hands  on 
our  weapons,  both  parties  in  doubt;  some  short  questioning,  a  faltering  an- 
swer, a  sign,  a  move,  draw,  fire !  and  let  the  dead  bite  the  dust.  ] 
I  quote  again  from  Quantrill's  historian,  Edwards : 

"From  Jackson  county  to  the  Arkansas  line,  the  whole  country  was 
swarming  with  militia,  and  but  for  the  fact  that  every  guerrilla  was  clad  in 
federal  clothing  the  march  would  have  been  an  incessant  battle.  As  it 
was,  it  will  never  be  known  how  many  isolated  federals,  mistaking  Quan- 
trill's men  for  comrades  of  other  regiments  not  on  duty  with  them,  fell  into 
traps  that  never  gave  up  their  victims  alive.  Near  Cassville,  in  Barry  county, 
twenty-two  were  killed  thus.  They  were  coming  up  from  Cassville  and  met 
the  guerrillas,  who  were  going  south.  The  order  given  by  Quantrill  was  a 
most  simple  but  a  most  murderous  one.  By  the  side  of  each  federal  in  the 
approaching  column  a  guerrilla  was  to  range  himself,  engage  him  in  conver- 
sation, and  then  at  a  given  signal  blow  his  brains  out.  Quantrill  gave  the 
signal,  shooting  the  militiaman  assigned  to  him  through  the  middle  of  the 
forehead,  and  where  upon  their  horses  twenty-two  confident  men  laughed 
and  talked  in  comrade  fashion  a  second  before,  there  were  now  twenty-two 
dead  men." 

Edwards  in  his  laudatory  history  of  the  guerrillas  says,  on  page  327, 
speaking  of  Arch  Clements,  who  succeeded  to  the  command  of  Anderson's 
guerrillas,  that  on  one  raid  lasting  but  a  few  days  he  kept  an  accurate  diary 
of  each  day's  work  killing  federals  :  Those  shot  to  death,  152;  killed  by  hav- 
ing their  throats  cut,  20;  hung,  76;  shot  and  scalped,  33;  shot  and  muti- 
lated, 11;  a  grand  total  of  292— a  ten  days'  job  for  60  men,  something  worth 
boasting  of. 

In  the  same  book,  in  describing  183  engagements  by  the  bushwhackers 
with  federals  on  the  border,  Edwards  reports  a  grand  total  of  6388  federal 
and  Union  sympathizers  killed.  The  reports  of  these  engagements  are 
Quixotic  in  the  extreme.  The  actual  number  killed  by  the  bushwhackers 
could  not  have  been  more  than  2000  to  2500— bad  enough— and  fully  seventy 
per  cent,  of  those  killed  are  among  the  unknown  dead;  a  picture  of  the 
horrors  of  border  warfare  as  painted  by  the  enemy. 

We  saved  Kansas  and  Nebraska  from  the  rebel  horde;  saved  our  West- 
ern settlements  from  Gen.  Albert  Pike's  Christian  scheme  of  annihilation  by 
his  Indian  allies;  kept  open  and  comparatively  safe  communication  with  the 
Pacific  coast,  and  preserved  the  proper  alignment  of  the  right  wing  of  that 
grand  phalanx  of  army  corps  that  extended  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  crest 
of  the  Rockies;  served  where  we  were'commanded  to  serve,  and  have  the 
consciousness  of  having  done  our  duty. 

Kansas  furnished  for  the  war  in  defense  of  the  Union  20,097  soldiers 
out  of  a  population  of  140,179— more  than  one  out  of  eight  a  soldier.  The 
census  of  1860  shows  107,206.  Enlistments  from  Kansas  were  3443  more 
than  the  quota. »  The  proportion  of  deaths  in  action  or  from  wounds  was 
2.79  per  cent,  more  than  that  of  any  other  of  the  twenty- four  loyal  states, 
and  25.91  per  cent,  above  the  average  of  all  the  states. 

Note  9.—  Kansas  Adjutant-general's  Report.  1861-'65,  vol.  1,  pp.  xxvii,  l.  See  also  note  on 
draft  in  Kansas,  pages  368  to  371  of  this  volume.  Census  of  1865,  by  counties  and  races,  in  Kansas 
State  Senate  Journal  1866.  p.  104. 


VII. 

Miscellaneous  Papers. 


THE  RAILROAD  CONVENTION  OF  1860. 

Written  by  George  W.  Click,  of  Atchison.,  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

TO  write  or  speak  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Kansas  opens  up  such  a  field 
of  thought,  such  a  variety  of  subjects,  such  vast  and  varied  recollec- 
tions, that  those  who  came  with  the  first  and  are  here  yet  are  overwhelmed 
in  the  attempt  by  an  avalanche  of  reminiscences  and  memories  which  crowd 
upon  each  other  so  rapidly  that  the  mind  is  dazed  in  an  effort  to  recall  the 
early  life  and  the  long  train  of  events  following  down  to  the  magnificent 
present. 

The  first  settlers  of  Kansas  were  not  rich  in  large  sums  of  money  or  an 
abundance  of  worldly  possessions,  but  were  rich  in  energy,  tenacious  of  per- 
sonal liberty,  industrious,  and  ambitious.  They  were  scrupulously  honest, 
fearless  in  the  expression  of  their  opinions,  and  always  brave  enough  and 
manly  enough  to  accord  the  same  honesty  of  purpose  and  the  same  privi- 
leges to  others.  The  ambition  of  the  early  pioneers  was  to  found  homes 
for  themselves,  provide  for  their  families,  and  then  to  aid  in  laying  the 
foundation  of  a  magnificent  commonwealth  that  would  insure  to  them  and 
to  their  posterity  protection  against  violence  and  wrong,  the  comfort  of 
peaceful  homes,  and  the  advantages  of  educational  facilities. 

The  civic  and  commercial  development  of  Kansas  was  not  overlooked. 
The  territory  was  divided  into  counties;  and  towns  were  located  and  after- 
wards made  the  seats  of  justice  in  the  newly  organized  counties.  Roads 
were  laid  out  and  worked,  and  thus  avenues  of  trade  established.  The  pio- 
neers of  Kansas  did  not  wait  for  the  demands  of  society  and  business  to  in- 
dicate the  wants  of  the  country.  They  were  provided  in  advance  and  often 
far  in  advance  of  the  settlers.  Many  new  towns  were  also  projected,  mapped 
and  exploited  by  Eastern  speculators,  who,  to  make  a  show  of  residents, 
gave  lots  to  all  who  would  pay  them  for  making  a  deed.  This  kind  of  lot 
speculation  was  exclusively  an  Eastern  industry.  The  Kansas  pioneers  were 
engaged  in  more  substantial  and  useful  business  efforts.  They  were  look- 
ing into  the  future,  studying  the  needs  and  resources  of  their  new  home, 
planning  for  the  development  of  enterprises  that  would  subserve  the  public 
welfare  and  aid  in  the  development  of  the  state,  making  it  a  good  place  in 
which  to  live. 

The  territorial  legislature,  as  well  as  the  legislature  of  the  new  state, 
provided  for  the  building  of  railroads.  But  in  the  early  days  all  railroad 
schemes  were  projected  in  the  interest  of  some  town  or  locality,  without 
reference  to  the  welfare  of  the  general  public.  They  were  organized  with 
millions  of  capital  stock,  but  with  no  cash,  no  assets,  and  no  office. 

(467) 


468 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


The  volumes  of  territorial  laws  are  full  of  charters  granted  to  build  rail- 
roads. Every  town  and  village  and  scores  of  paper  towns  had  railroads 
projected  to  run  from  them  as  initial  points,  while  the  other  end  of  the  line 
was  located,  in  the  imagination  of  the  projector,  at  a  point  on  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  or  the  Pacific  ocean.  In  their  infatuation  they  expected  and  be- 
lieved that  the  great  lines  of  railroad  from  the  East  all  pointed  to  and  would 
terminate  at  their  particular  young  and  growing  city  of  the  plains. 

In  the  fall  of  1860,  the  Tqpeka  Record,  edited  by  Edmund  G.  Ross,  sug- 
gested the  calling  of  a  territorial  convention  to  plan  and  devise  a  scheme  for 
securing  a  practical  railroad  system  for  the  then  anticipated  state  of  Kansas, 
The  suggestion  for  the  convention  was  taken  up  and  advocated  by  the  Atchi- 
son Champion,  edited  by  the  late  Gov.  John  A.  Martin.  It  met  with  hearty 
and  enthusiastic  approval  by  the  people,  and  the  following  call  was  prepared 
and  circulated  for  signers  by  Col.  C.  K.  Holliday,  of  Topeka,  who  was  one 
of  its  most  enthusiastic  advocates: 


"RAILROAD  CONVENTION. 

"A  convention  will  be  held  at  Topeka,  Kan.,  on  Wednesday,  the  17th  day 
of  October,  1860,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  a  system  of  railroad  land  grants 
for  the  territory,  to  be  petitioned  for  at  the  next  session  of  Congress.  A 
full  representation  from  all  parts  of  the  territory  is  earnestly  solicited. ' ' 


Topeka. 

C.  K.  Holliday. 
Jacob  Safford. 
M.  C.  Dickey. 

Lecompton. 

Wilson  Shannon. 
R.  S.  Stevens. 

Atchison. 

P.  T.  Abell. 
B.  F.  Stringfellow. 
L.  C.  Challiss. 
G.  H.  Fairchild. 

Carlisle,  Allen  County. 
John  W.  Scott. 

Junction  City. 
F.  N.  Blake. 
F.  Patterson. 
S.  B.  White. 
Jas.  R.  McClure. 

Louisville. 

L.  R.  Palmer. 

Wyandotte. 
E.  R.  Smith. 
W.  McAlpine. 
H.  C.  Long. 
Silas  Armstrong. 
W.  Y.  Roberts. 
John  McAlpine. 
Isaiah  Walker. 
James  R.  Parr. 
Wm.  P.  Overton. 
Hugh  McKee. 
Joseph  Speck. 


D.  H.  Home. 
T.  G.  Thornton. 
F.  L.  Crane. 


Wm.  Leamer. 
D.  S.  Mcintosh. 


S.  C.  Pomeroy. 
J.  A.  Martin. 
W.  H.  Grimes. 


John  W.  Stewart. 


J.  P.  Downer. 
Geo.  Montague. 
S.  B.  Garrett. 
P.  Z.  Taylor. 


A.  P.  Smith. 


Byron  Judd. 
Daniel  Keller. 
Jas.  W.  H.  Watson. 
William  McKay. 
James  McGrew. 
Dr.  J.  Moon. 
Luther  Wood. 
A.  B.  Bartlett. 
J.  N.  White. 
Jas.  H.  Harris. 
L.  Chaffee. 


E.  G.  Ross. 
W.  W.  Ross. 


D.  T.  Mitchell. 
John  Pickering. 

F.  G.  Adams. 
Robert  Graham. 
H.  L.  Davis. 


W.  K.  Bartlett. 
R.  C.  Whitney. 
N.  S.  Gilbert. 
Abraham  Barry. 

J.  L.  Wilson. 


Frederick  Speck. 
Rev.  R.  S.  Nash. 
T.  J.  Barker. 
Dr.  E.  J.  Bennett. 
A.  C.  Davis. 
P.  S.  Post. 
T.  T.  Abrams. 
C.  Cobb. 

William  Stephens. 
A.  D.  Downs. 
Frank  McHenry. 


The  Railroad  Convention  of  1860. 


469 


Wyandotte. 

William  Cook. 
M.  Mudeater. 
M.  R.  Walker. 
William  McHenry, 
Robert  Halliford. 
William  Walker. 
J.  B.  Wood. 
James  Cruise. 
R.  S.  Emerson. 
John  S.  Click. 
C.  Christler. 
N.  McAlpine. 
P.  Washington. 

C.  S.  Click. 
S.  S.  Sharp. 
William  Weer. 

D.  R.  Smith. 
Lewis  Cox. 

Auburn. 
H.  Fox. 
J.  W.  Brown. 

Grasshopper  Falls. 
Azel  Spaulding. 

Pottawatomie  county. 

C.  Jenkins. 

Superior  City. 
J.  M.  Winchell. 

Emporia. 

P.  B.  Plumb. 

E.  P.  Bancroft. 
J.  R.  Swallow. 

Agnes  City. 

A.  I.  Baker. 

E.  Coddard. 

Wathena. 

B.  Harding. 

Wabaunsee. 

Chas.  B.  Lines. 

Quindaro. 

F.  Johnson. 
John  H.  Mattoon. 
E.  F.  Root. 

M.  P.  Downs. 
R.  Robitaille. 

E.  D.  Browne. 
John  Stewart. 
Alfred  Gray. 
John  W.  Wright. 
John  B.  Dexter. 
Ceo.  W.  Veale. 

F.  C.  Fish. 

J.  B.  Welborn. 
Michael  Youngman. 
Phillip  Conrad. 

Leavenworth. 

D.  R.  Anthony. 


J.  P.  Root. 

D.  A.  Bartlett. 
O.  B.  Gunn. 

S.  A.  Cobb. 
S.  F.  Mather. 
J.  S.  Stockton. 
William  Sozier. 
J.  E.  Zeits. 
Horatio  Waldo. 
Eben  Smith. 
Francis  House. 
W.  P.  Winner. 

B.  Gray. 

E.  T.  Hovey. 
J.  P.  Ulden. 

C.  Stuckslagger. 
L  D.  Heath. 

J.  D.  Simpson. 

A.  T.  Reynolds. 
C.  C.  Moore. 


Azel  W.  Spaulding. 
J.  Cotrell. 


C.  V.  Eskridge. 
J.  Stotler. 


L  B.  Segur. 
J.  L.  French. 


H.  S.  Creal. 

J.  M.  Hubbard,  jr. 

Amer  K.  Gray. 

G.  E.  Upson. 

Wm.  W.  Dickinson. 

A.  Robinson. 

A.  Tuttle. 

E.  Sorter. 

E.  O.  Fane. 

N.  M.  Tarrtt. 

Wm.  Totten. 

A.  J.  Totten. 

C.  Chadwell. 

J.  Howard  Carpenter. 

Eli  Mayer. 

John  Francis. 


J.  L.  McDowell. 


W.  F.  Simpson. 
Geo.  P.  Nelson. 

C.  Van  Fossen. 
W.  L.  McHenry. 
S.  D.  McDonald. 
R.  B.  Taylor. 

T.  J.  Darling. 

D.  B.  Hadley. 
Lewis  Blatchley. 
H.  H.  Sawyer. 
John  Brevator. 
J.  W.  Dyer. 

A.  G.  Walcott. 
Matthias  Splitlog. 
T.  J.  Williams. 
Henry  West. 
F.  S.  Korka. 


D.  B.  Emmert. 
R.  Steos. 


A.  C.  Hall. 


L  E.  Perley. 
S.  G.  Brown. 


R.  M.  Ruggles. 
J.  W.  Stewart. 


Wm.  Oldham. 
C.  Morash. 
Joseph  A.  Bartles. 
Theodore  Bartles. 
Francis  Kesler. 
Wm.  Taylor. 
Rev.  S.  D.  Storrs. 
Benj.  F.  Farthing. 
H.  Collins. 
Jacob  Bartles. 
Wm.  Stevens. 
Jno.  A.  Johnson. 
Fred  Arms. 
E.  B.  Stevens. 


470 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Manhattan. 

A.  J.  Mead.  S.  G.  Hoyt. 

C.  F.  de  Vivaldi.  James  Kness. 

Jesse  Ingraham.  Ambrose  Todd. 

W.  C.  Dunton.  S.  D.  Houston. 

Fort  Riley. 

Robt.  Wilson. 

Lawrence. 

C.  Robinson.  S.  N.  Simpson. 

N.  Cobb.  M.  F.  Conway. 

Big  Springs. 

Isaac  N.  Roberts.  0.  E.  Dole. 

J.  W.  Roberts,  A.  S.  Roberts. 

A.  L.  Wightman.  A.  A.  Miller. 

Council  Grove. 

S.  M.  Hays.  C.  G.  Akins. 

M.  Conn.  J.  J.  Howard. 

S.  N.  Wood.  T.  S.  Huffaker. 

G.  W.  Simcock.  A.  C.  Stewart. 

Thos.  White.  Allen  Crowley. 

A.  J.  Collier.  J.  P.  Mathews. 

Robt.  Parham.  F.  E.  Smith. 

H.  J.  Espy.  J.  H.  Bradford. 

Geo.  Biglin.  J.  A.  Robins. 

A.  James  Chipman.  S.  E.  Wright. 

J.  J.  Hawkins.  Wm.  Mansfield. 

Olathe. 

J.  P.  Campbell.  John  T.  Quarles. 

Josiah  E.  Hayes.  Wm,  Holmes. 

John  T.  Burris.  J,  B,  Hovey, 

L.  S.  Corn  well,  A.  B.  Squires. 

John  T.  Barton.  Chas.  Sims. 

P.  Craig.  Robert  Mann. 

C.  A.  Osgood.  Pat.  Cosgrove, 

E.  S.  Nash.  C,  B.  McRoberts. 

S.  F.  Hill.  John  Lockhart. 

C.  J.  Coles.  A.  Payne. 

J.  B.  Mohoffle.  A.  Slaughter, 

S.  B.  Myrick.  J.  J.  Ford. 

L.  True.  D.  C.  Francis. 

John  W.  Mathews.  G.  M.  Waugh, 

Ashland. 

N.  B.  White.  C.  M.  Barclay. 

E.  G.  Robinson.  H.  V.  Williams, 
M.  D.  Fisher. 

Sac  and  Fox  Aagency. 
Perry  Fuller. 

Ottumwa. 

John  T.  Cox.  James  Harris.  E.  M.  Hoult. 

J.  M.  Singer.  W.  E.  Casson.  J.  G.  Shaubell. 

"Other  signatures  will  be  added  as  authority  to  do  so  is  received."  • 

I  include  the  list  of  the  signers  of  this  call,  so  that  we  can  see  who  the 
men  were  who  took  an  interest  in  projecting  a  railroad  system  that  would 
meet  the  wants  of  the  people— one  that  would  subserve  the  interests  of  the 

Note  1.—  Copied  from  the  Kansas  State  Record,  Topeka,  September  29,  1860. 


John  Pipher. 
M.  L.  Essick, 
J.  W.  Robinson, 


J.  H.  Lane, 


J,  B.  Miller. 
Wm.  R.  Frost. 
C.  Antrem. 


A.  T.  Lane. 
J.  Dunlap. 
H.  Allen. 
E.  Mosier. 
June  Baxter. 
Wm.  Downing. 
Wm.  Lane. 
A.  S.  Pollard. 
Chas.  Columbia. 
Christop'r  Columbia. 
Wm.  Phinney. 


D.  Martin. 
C.  L.  Dilley. 
John  Evarts. 
J.  J.  Judy. 
John  Hamilton. 
Jas.  H.  Nanham. 
M.  P.  Randall. 
M.  J.  P.  Drake. 
Jas.  Green. 
I.  J.  Turpin. 
F.  S.  Wilkinson. 
Wm.  Ray. 
John  M.  Giffen. 


J.  W.  Brown. 
R.  Reynolds. 


The  Railroad  Convention  of  1860.  471 

young  state,  as  well  as  lay  the  foundation  of  a  system  which  would  answer 
the  future  needs  of  a  well-settled  and  prosperous  commonwealth.  The 
names,  too,  recall  many  pleasant  recollections  of  those  early  pioneers,  and 
revive  memories  of  hardships  and  friendships  that  are  only  forgotten  because 
the  cerements  of  the  tomb  securely  hide  from  the  present  the  friends  of 
the  past,  endeared  to  us  by  a  multitude  of  kindly  actions.  The  Atchison 
Champion  published  this  call,  and  in  an  able  and  patriotic  article  drew 
attention  to  it  in  the  following  appeal : 

"State  Railroad  Convention,^— We  publish  this  week  a  call,  numer- 
ously signed  by  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  all  parts  of  the  territory,  for 
a  state  railroad  convention,  to  be  held  at  Topeka,  on  the  17th  day  of  October 
next.  The  object  of  this  convention  is  to  harmonize,  if  possible,  the  diverse 
and  conflicting  interests  of  different  towns  and  sections,  and  unite  upon 
some  general  plan  for  railroad  grants  which  shall  be  urged  upon  Congress, 
and  a  favorable  action  had  by  that  body.  The  object,  at  least,  will  com- 
mend itself  to  every  one  who  has  the  interests  of  the  territory  at  heart. 
Whether  a  plan  can  be  devised  that  will  be  pretty  nearly  generally  satisfac- 
tory, the  meeting  alone  can  demonstrate.  We  think,  and  we  certainly  most 
earnestly  hope,  that  such  a  plan  can  be  originated,  so  that,  by  a  consolidated, 
united  effort,  we  may  extort  those  rights  from  Congress  which  have  been 
and  will  be  denied  us  as  long  as  we  continue  to  neutraHze  the  efforts  of  one 
another  by  petty  jealousy  and  unmanly  rivalry.  Each  section,  each  town, 
should  go  down  to  the  convention  prepared  to  sacrifice  something  for  the 
general  good  of  the  territory.  Conciliation,  harmony,  unity,  should  be  the 
motto  of  those  who  meet  there  to  determine  what  may  be  so  pregnant  with 
either  weal  or  woe  to  Kansas.  We  are  satisfied  that  could  the  people  of 
Kansas  unite  upon  some  general  system  of  railroad  grants,  Congress  would 
accede  to  their  demands.  It  must,  or  bear  the  reproach  of  being  animated 
by  a  petty  desire  to  avenge  itself  upon  our  people  for  fancied  injuries  they 
have  inflicted  upon  the  dominant  party  in  the  national  legislature.  But  as 
long  as  we  are  divided  into  utterly  diverse  parties  and  sentiments,  each 
laboring  with  fanatical  zeal  to  prevent  the  success  of  the  other.  Congress 
will  quietly  ignore  us,  and  we  have  nothing  to  expect  and  nothing  to  hope  for 
at  their  hands. 

"Let  us,  then,  act  like  men  who  have  the  good  of  the  whole  territory 
more  at  heart  than  the  success  of  a  few  little  dirt-eating  paper  cities.  Let 
us  endeavor  to  obtain  harmony  and  united  action  by  conciliation  and  united 
desire  for  the  general  good.  We  can  all  afford  to  give  up  something ;  we 
can  all  afford  to  sacrifice  something  for  Kansas,  and  no  one  knows  better 
how  much  she  needs  it  than  her  own  citizens.  Cannot  all  sections  afford  to 
be  magnanimous  and  great-hearted  enough  to  lay  down  some  portion  of 
their  ends  to  secure  for  the  territory  unlimited  prosperity  and  infinite  de- 
velopment ?  We  assume  to  speak  for  the  citizens  of  our  town  and  county  at 
least,  when  we  say  that  there  will  be  none  who  will  be  more  conciliatory  in 
their  actions  in  the  convention;  none  who  will  be  more  earnestly  desirous  of 
its  harmonious  action;  and  none  who,  when  that  unity  of  purpose  shall  have 
been  established,  will  be  more  active  or  more  untiring  in  their  efforts  and 
exertions  to  procure  for  it  at  the  hands  of  Congress  a  successful  determina- 
tion than  they. 

"Atchison  enters  into  the  movement  with  heart  and  soul.  The  laboring, 
indefatigable  men  whose  efforts  have,  unaided  by  any  outside  assistance,  given 
her  an  Eastern  railroad  communication,  will  be  at  Topeka  to  aid  by  their 
counsels,  to  assist  by  their  presence,  to  advance,  if  needs  be,  by  their  energy 
and  their  means,  any  scheme  which  will  bring  our  territory  out  of  her  diffi- 
culties and  place  her  upon  the  highway  to  prosperous  success  and  unlimited 
greatness.  Will  all  who  come  there  meet  us  in  the  same  spirit  of  fraternal 
kindness  and  sacrificing  generosity?  " 

The  convention  was  held  at  the  time  and  place  designated.     Nineteen 

Note  2.  —  Freedom's  Champion,  Atchison,  Aiisrust  18.  1860. 


472  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

counties  were  represented,  as  follows :  Atchison,  Allen,  Breckinridge  ( now 
Lyon),  Doniphan,  Davis  (now  Geary),  Jackson,  Lykins  (now  Miami), 
Leavenworth,  Morris,  Anderson,  Coffey,  Clay,  Douglas,  Riley,  Osage,  Jef- 
ferson, Wabaunsee,  Wyandotte,  and  Shawnee.  These  were  the  counties  in 
which  the  greater  number  of  people  then  resided  and  practically  the  settled 
portion  of  the  territory.  When  we  ^consider  the  fact  that  there  were  no 
public  facilities  for  travel  and  that  some  of  those  attending  the  convention 
had  to  come  long  distances  in  private  conveyances  at  large  expense,  it  will 
be  conceded  that  the  convention  was  a  grand  success,  and  its  results  far  be- 
yond the  most  sanguine  anticipations  of  the  most  enthusiastic  delegate 
present. 

It  would,  perhaps,  be  too  tedious  to  give  the  entire  proceedings  of  the 
convention,  as  in  all  such  bodies  many  things  occur  that  are  not  germane  to 
the  purposes  sought  to  be  obtained.  Such  matters  will  be  omitted  from 
this  paper. 

I  have  not  given  the  reasons  for  and  against  the  different  motions,  as  I 
think  they  will  suggest  themselves  as  the  propositions  are  submitted.  The 
principal  details  of  the  convention  are  given  as  they  occurred. 

1 5  "State  Railroad  Convention. —The  convention  of  the  people  of  Kan- 
sas, called  for  the  purpose  of  devising  some  means  for  securing  for  the 
territory  from  Congress  grants  of  land  for  the  construction  of  railroads,  as- 
sembled at  Museum  hall,  in  the  city  of  Topeka,  at  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  on 
Wednesday,  the  17th  of  October,  1860,  and  was  called  to  order  by  Samuel 
C.  Pomeroy,  of  Atchison,  who,  after  a  few  preliminary  remarks,  nominated 
E.  G.  Ross,  of  Topeka,  for  temporary  president.     The  motion  was  adopted. 

"On  motion  of  C.  K.  Holliday,  of  Topeka,  John  A.  Martin,  of  Atchison, 
and  J.  F.  Cummings,  of  Topeka,  were  appointed  temporary  secretaries. 

"After  a  short  discussion  on  the  mode  of  procedure  by  C.  K.  Holliday, 
S.  C.  Pomeroy,  and  W.  F.  M.  Arny,  a  motion  was  made  by  P.  T.  Abell,  of 
Atchison,  that  a  committee  consisting  of  five  members  be  appointed  by  the 
chair  on  credentials  and  permanent  organization. 

"J.  E.  Jones,  of  Douglas  county,  moved  to  amend  the  motion  by  making 
the  number  thirteen. 

"W.  Y.  Roberts,  of  Wyandotte,  moved  to  further  amend,  by  making 
the  committee  consist  of  seven  members,  to  report  on  credentials,  appor- 
tionment, and  permanent  organization.  The  amendment  was  adopted,  and, 
on  the  question  recurring  on  the  motion  as  amended,  it  was  adopted. 

"William  Weer,  of  Wyandotte,  moved  that  the  committee  be  instructed 
to  report  as  an  accredited  delegate  to  this  convention  every  bona  fide  resi- 
dent here  present  of  any  county  which  has  failed  to  appoint  delegates. 

"George  W.  Glick,  of  Atchison,  moved  to  lay  the  motion  upon  the  table. 
Carried. 

"Charles  Robinson  moved  to  instruct  the  committee  to  make  the  basis  of 
apportionment  the  population  of  the  territory. 

"George  W.  Glick  moved  to  lay  the  motion  on  the  table.     Carried. 

"The  chair  appointed  the  following  men  as  the  committee:  B.  F.  String- 
fellow,  of  Atchison;  James  McGrew,  of  Wyandotte;  W.  F.  M.  Arny  of  An- 
derson; Joel  Huntoon,  of  Shawnee;  George  S.  Hilly er,  of  Jefferson;  Thos. 
Means,  of  Leavenworth  county;  Amory  Hunting,  of  Riley  county. 

"On  motion,  the  convention  adjourned  until  1:30  o'clock  P.  M. 

"Afternoon  Session.  — Meeting  called  to  order  by  the  president. 

"General  Stringfellow,  on  behalf  of  the  committee  on  credentials,  appor- 
tionment, and  permanent  organization,  presented  the  following  report:  'That 
your  committee  find  the  following  counties  represented:  Allen,  Atchison, 
Anderson,  Breckinridge,  Doniphan,  Davis,  Jackson,  Lykins,  Leavenworth, 
Morris,  Coffey,  Clay.  Douglas,  Osage,  Riley,  Jefferson,  Wabaunsee,  Wyan- 
dotte, Shawnee.  They  recommend  the  following  basis  of  representation: 
That  the  delegates  from  each  county  represented  in  this  convention  shall  be 


The  Railroad  Convention  oj  1860.  473 

entitled  to  cast  one  vote  on  all  questions  before  the  convention,  and  when 
such  delegates  shall  divide  on  any  question,  such  votes  shall  be  divided  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  delegates  voting  from  such  county  as  they  re- 
spectively represent.  They  recommend  as  permanent  officers  of  this  con- 
vention a  president,  seven  vice-presidents,  and  three  secretaries,  and 
recommend:  For  president,  W.  Y.  Roberts;  for  vice-presidents,  W.  F.  M. 
Amy,  Samuel  Medary,  P.  T.  Abell,  Charles  Robinson,  Thos.  Ewing,  jr.,  A. 
J.  Mead,  W.  A.  Ella;  for  secretaries,  John  A.  Martin,  J.  F.  Cummings,  C. 
F.  de  Vivaldi. ' 

"Thomas  Means,  of  Leavenwoth,  offered  a  minority  report  (verbally), 
fixing  the  representation  in  the  convention  at  one  vote  for  every  county,  one 
additional  vote  for  every  thousand  population  and  every  fraction  of  500  and 
upwards. 

"WilHam  Weer,  of  Wyandotte,  moved  that  that  portion  of  the  report 
referring  to  the  permanent  organization  of  the  convention  be  adopted.  The 
motion  was  carried,  and  the  chair  appointed  General  Stringf  ellow  and  Judge 
Means  to  conduct  Governor  Roberts  to  the  chair. 

"W.  Y.  Roberts,  on  taking  his  seat,  made  an  eloquent  address,  urging 
concession  and  harmony. 

"Thomas  Means  moved  that  the  minority  report  be  adopted. 

' '  Mr.  McGrew  moved  to  amend  by  inserting  '  majority. ' 

"George  M.  Beebe  called  for  the  reading  of  the  list  of  delegates  as  re- 
ported by  the  committee. 

"The  list  was  read,  as  follows: 

Atchison  county.  — S.  C.  Pomeroy,  B.  F.  Livingston,  John  A.  Martin,  R.  L. 
Pease,  R.  McBratney,  S.  D.  Northway,  G.  W.  Glick,  L.  C.  Challiss,  J.  C. 
Crall,  H.  L.  Davis,  B.  F.  Stringfellow,  P.  T.  Abell,  J.  P.  Carr,  John  M. 
McClun,  D.  0.  Keef,  A.  J.  McCausland. 

"Breckinridge  county.  — P.  B.  Maxson,  E.  P.  Bancroft. 

"Allen  county.— John  W.  Scott,  C.  P.  Twiss. 

"Doniphan  county.— John  Stiarwalt,  Sewall  Hardy,  Doctor  Wheeler, 
Wilmoth,  Chas.  Wakeman. 

"Davis  county.— James  Streeter,  P.  Z.  Taylor,  J.  R.  McClure,  John  San- 
derson. 

"Jackson  county.  — Byron  Jewell. 

"Lykins  county.  — O.  C.  Brown. 

"Leavenworth  county.-J.  L.  McDowell,  J.  H.  McDowell  A.  M.  Sawyer, 
Thos.  Ewing,  jr.,  A.  C.  Wilder,  John  Tams,  Thos.  Means,  Henry  Still,  J.  M. 
Hillman,  John  C.  Douglass. 

"Morris  county. -Thos.  White,  T.  S.  Huffaker,  Chas.  Columbia. 

"Anderson  county.— W.  F.  M.  Arny. 

"Coffey  county. -John  T.  Cox,  W.  A.  Ella. 

"Clay  county.  — S.  D.  Houston,  substitute. 

"Douglas  county. -H.  W.  Petriken,  J.  E.  Jones,  G.  M.  Beebe,  S.  Medary, 
C.  Robinson,  G.  W.  Deitzler,  Josiah  Miller,  G.  W.  Smith,  C.  W.  Babcock, 
Levi  Woodard,  S.  O.  Thacher,  Henry  Baricklow,  Lyman  Allen,  G.  F.  Warren, 
William  Hutchinson,  Wilson  Shannon,  R.  S.  Stevens,  William  Brindle,  Oliver 
Barber,  Alford  Curtis. 

"Riley  and  adjacent  counties.— A.  J.  Mead,  W.  C.  Dunton,  D.  L.  Chand- 
ler, A.  Hunting,  D.  Wilson,  C.  F.  de  Vivaldi. 

"Osage  county. -S.  R.  Canniff,  D.  L  Rooks,  C.  D.  Welch,  S.  A.  Fair- 
childs. 

"Jefferson  county. -Ed.  Lynde,  D.  L.  Lakin,  G.  D.  Hillyer,  J.  Kunkle. 

"Wabaunsee  county.— Chas.  B.  Lines.  H.  M.  Seldon,  C.  W.  Dalby. 

"Wyandotte  county.— James  McGrew,  George  Russell,  William  Weer, 
A.  G.  Walcott,  Robert  Halford,  A.  C.  Davis,  A.  Bacon,  W.  Y.  Roberts,  V. 
J,  Lane,  William  Woodbury.  Frank  Kessler,  William  Levitt,   Alfred  Gray, 

"Shawnee  county.  — C.  K.  Holliday,  J.  F.  Cummings,  E.  G.  Ross,  W.  E. 
Bowker,  Joel  Huntoon,  J.  Safford,  T.  G.  Thornton,  G.  B.  Holmes,  L.  C. 
Wilmoth,  H.  C.  Hawkins,  F.  W.  Giles,  M.  K.  Smith,  D.  H.  Home,  J.  B. 
Billings,  M.  C.  Dickey,  C.  C.  Kellam. 

"The  amendment  offered  by  James  McGrew  was  discussed  by  General 
Stringfellow,  Judge  Means,  Colonel  Abell,  Lyman  Allen,  Governor  Robinson, 


474  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

General  Weer,  Governor  Medary,  W.  F.  M.  Arny,  J.  E.  Jones,  Judge  Ewing, 
Geo.  M.  Beebe,  General  Davis,  John  McDowell,  M.  J.  Parrott,  and  others. 

"General  Weer  then  moved  the  previous  question. 

"Judge  Arny  moved  that  M.  J.  Parrott,  of  Leavenworth,  who  was  pres- 
ent, be  invited  to  a  seat  in  the  convention  and  participate  in  the  proceed- 
ings.    Carried. ' ' 

The  discussion  on  the  matter  of  apportionment  was  fully  and  ably  main- 
tained on  both  sides.  Thomas  Means,  an  attorney  and  ex-judge,  made  the 
principal  argument  in  favor  of  his  verbal  minority  report,  and  incidentally 
on  the  railroad  interests  and  needs  of  Kansas.  He  argued  that  Leaven- 
worth city  was  the  metropolis  of  Kansas ;  the  great  port  of  entry  on  the 
Missouri  river  ;  that  all  roads  led  to  that  city  and  the  outlying  counties  had 
to  go  there  for  their  supplies,  and  hence  should  consult  her  interests  and 
aid  her  in  her  demands.  He  said  it  was  wrong,  an  unjustifiable  wrong,  for 
counties  that  scarcely  have  any  population,  whose  delegates  represent  noth- 
ing but  prairie  sod,  to  assume  the  same  voting  power  in  the  convention. 
Judge  Means  spoke  for  nearly  an  hour.  His  speech  was  eloquent,  argu- 
mentative, and  sometimes  bitter  and  vindictive  towards  the  sparsely  settled 
counties.  This  caused  irritation  among  delegates  who  thought  they  were 
the  subject  of  his  remarks. 

B.  F.  Stringfellow,  an  attorney,  and  formerly  attorney-general  of  the 
state  of  Missouri,  made  reply  to  Judge  Means.  General  Stringfellow  argued 
that,  instead  of  those  sparsely  settled  counties  being  under  any  obligations 
to  Leavenworth,  the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  that  city  would  be  de- 
pendent on  those  counties  for  support  and  business.  He  said  that  those 
counties  are  rapidly  settling  up;  that  while  their  delegates  to-day  are  only 
representatives  of  "prairie  sod,"  as  claimed  by  Judge  Means,  the  day 
was  not  far  off  when  those  counties  would  have  large  populations,  with  im- 
proved farms,  furnishing  train-loads  of  producefor  the  markets  of  the  world; 
that  it  ought  to  be  the  interest  of  that  city  to  aid  in  getting  railroads  to  all 
parts  of  those  counties  to  transport  the  products  of  the  soil  to  that  city,  to 
enable  her  to  become  in  fact  a  metropolis  of  our  territory;  that  it  was  busi- 
ness that  made  a  metropolis,  and  not  efforts  to  destroy  the  country  that 
furnished  the  articles  of  commerce  for  business  and  transportation. 

The  speech  of  General  Stringfellow  seemed  to  strike  a  responsive  senti- 
ment in  the  minds  of  the  delegates  and  all  but  two  counties  voted  to  adopt 
the  report  on  apportionment. 

"The  motion  was  adopted,  and  the  [question  being  put  on  the  amend- 
ment of  Mr.  McGrew,  to  strike  out  the  minority  and  insert  the  'majority,' 
Thomas  Ewing,  jr.,  of  Leavenworth,  moved  that  the  roll  be  called  and  the 
question  be  taken  by  yeas  and  nays,  but  subsequently  withdrew  it;  and  the 
question  being  put  to  the  meeting,  it  was  carried,  and  the  original  motion  as 
amended  was  adopted. ' ' 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  the  delegation  from  Leavenworth 
county,  and  all  but  J.  E.  Jones,  from  Douglas  county,  left  the  convention, 
giving  as  a  reason  their  disagreement  with  the  majority  on  the  question  of 
apportionment  and  representation.  C.  B.  Lines,  of  Wabaunsee,  J.  R.  Mc- 
Clure,  of  Davis,  and  E.  P.  Bancroft,  of  Breckinridge,  also  withdrew  for  the 
same  reason. 

"William  Weer  moved  that  the  chair  appoint  a  committee  of  one  from 
each  county  on  schedule.     Carried. 

"The  chairman  appointed  the  following  committee:   William  Weer,  of 


The  Railroad  Convention  of  1860.  475 

Wyandotte  county;  C.  K.  Holliday,  of  Shawnee  county;  T.  S.  Huffaker, 
of  Morris  county;  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  of  Atchison  county;  J.  E.  Jones,  of 
Douglas  county;  J.  W.  Scott,  of  Allen  county;  W.  F.  M.  Arny,  of  Ander- 
son county;  S.  D.  Houston,  of  Clay  county;  C.  W.  Dally,  of  Wabaunsee 
county;  Ed.  Lynde,  of  Jefferson  county;  Byron  Jewell,  of  Jackson  county; 
O.  C.  Brown,  of  Lykins  county;  P.  B.  Maxson,  of  Breckinridge  coiinty; 
J.  T.  Cox,  of  Coffey  county;  L.  D.  Chandler,  of  Riley  county;  C.  H.  Welch, 
of  Osage  county. 

"The  committee  retired,  and,  in  their  absence,  Samuel  Medary,  W.  Y. 
Roberts,  A.  C.  Davis  and  G.  M.  Beebe  favored  the  convention  with 
speeches.  After  which  General  Weer,  from  the  committee,  submitted  the 
following  report,  and  the  whole  report,  as  amended,  was  unanimously 
adopted,  as  follows: 

"Schedule  as  Adopted. —i?esoZved,  That  a  memorial  be  presented  to 
Congress  asking  an  appropriation  of  public  lands  to  aid  in  the  construction 
of  the  following  railroads  in  Kansas:  First,  a  railroad  from  the  western 
boundary  of  the  state  of  Missouri  where  the  Osage  Valley  &  Southern  Kan- 
sas railroad  terminates,  westwardly,  by  the  way  of  Emporia,  Fremont,  and 
Council  Grove,  to  the  Fort  Riley  military  reservation;  second,  a  railroad  from 
the  city  of  Wyandotte  (connecting  with  the  P.  G.  R.  railroad  and  the  Pacific 
railroad)  up  the  Kansas  valley,  by  way  of  Lawrence,  Lecompton,  Tecumseh, 
Manhattan,  and  the  Fort  Riley  military  reservation,  to  the  western  boundary 
of  the  territory;  third,  a  railroad  running  from  Lawrence  to  the  southern 
boundary  of  Kansas,  in  the  direction  of  Fort  Gibson  and  Galveston  bay; 
fourth,  a  railroad  running  from  Atchison,  by  way  of  Topeka,  through  the 
territory  in  the  direction  of  Santa  Fe;  fifth,  a  railroad  from  Atchison  to  the 
western  boundary  of  Kansas. 

"C.  K.  Holliday,  of  Topeka,  offered  the  following  resolutions: 

"That  there  be  a  committee  of  five  appointed  to  memorialize  Congress 
in  behalf  of  the  railroad  schedule  recommended  by  this  convention,  and  that 
the  delegates  representing  each  of  the  respective  routes  contemplated  in  the 
schedule  nominate  a  member  of  said  committee.  Said  committee  shall  also 
issue  an  address  to  the  people  of  Kansas  upon  the  subject  of  railroad  grants. 

' '  Resolved,  That  a  standing  committee  of  five  be  appointed  by  the  chair, 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  adopt  such  measures  as  they  may  deem  best,  by 
the  appointment  of  subcommittees  or  otherwise,  to  obtain  the  signatures  of 
the  people  of  Kansas,  to  be  presented  to  Congress  in  favor  of  the  schedule 
of  roads  adopted  by  this  convention,  and  adopt  such  other  measures  as  they 
may  deem  best  calculated  to  carry  out  the  objects  of  this  convention. 

"The  vote,  being  called  by  counties,  was  carried  unanimously. 

"John  A.  Martin,  of  Atchison  county,  offered  the  following  resolution: 

'  'Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  convention  be  entrusted  to  Hon. 
M.  J.  Parrott,  our  delegate  in  Congress,  and  that  he  be  requested  to  pre- 
sent the  plan  of  railroads  and  memorial  adopted  to  that  body  for  their  fa- 
vorable consideration. 

"The  vote,  being  called  by  counties,  was  carried  unanimously. 

"The  different  delegations  present,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  chair,  nomi- 
nated the  following  members  of  the  committee  contemplated  by  C.  K.  Hol- 
liday's  resolutions. 

"Committee  on  Memorial.— W.  Y.  Roberts,  Kansas  Central  railroad; 
C.  K.  Holliday,  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad ;  John  T.  Cox,  Jef- 
ferson City  &  Neosho  Valley  railroad ;  D.  W.  Houston,  Lawrence  &  Fort 
Gibson  railroad ;  B.  F.  Stringfellow,  Atchison  &  Pike's  Peak  railroad. 

"Executive  Committee.— C.  F.  de  Vivaldi,  Kansas  Central  railroad; 
E.  G.  Ross,  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad;  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  Atchi- 
son &  Pike's  Peak  railroad;  James  Blood,  Lawrence  &  Fort  Gibson  rail- 
road ;  W.  F.  M.  Arny,  Jefferson  City  &  Neosho  Valley  railroad. 

"  B.  F.  Livingston  moved  the  adoption  of  the  following  resolution,  which 
was  carried  unanimously: 

''Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  convention  be  tendered  to  the  presi- 
dent and  secretaries  for  the  faithful  and  impartial  manner  in  which  they 
have  discharged  the  duties  of  their  respective  positions. 


476  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

"A.  C.  Davis  moved  that  the  papers  of  the  territory  be  requested  to 
publish  the  record  of  this  convention.     Carried. 
"On  motion,  the  convention  adjourned  sine  die  J 
John  A.  Martin,  W.  Y.  Roberts,  President. 

C.  F.  DE  Vivaldi, 

J.   F.  CUMMINGS, 

Secretaries. ' ' 

The  memorial  to  Congress  was  prepared  by  General  Stringfellow.  It 
was  a  full,  complete  and  masterly  presentation  of  the  subject,  with  reasons 
and  arguments  showing  the  importance  of  the  roads  named  in  the  schedule 
and  the  necessity  for  their  construction. 

In  1862  Congress  made  a  grant  of  lands  and  United  States  bonds  to  aid 
in  the  construction  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  including  a  grant  for  the 
Kansas  division,  which  was  to  connect  with  the  Union  Pacific  in  Nebraska 
by  way  of  the  valley  of  the  Republican  river.  ^  This  law  was  changed  so 
that  the  Kansas  division  could  build  direct  to  Denver,  and  connect  with  the 
Union  Pacific  at  Cheyenne,  Wyo.^  This  system  has  now,  with  its  branches 
in  Kansas,  2962.74  miles,  the  Kansas  mileage  being  950.36.'  Similar  aid  to 
that  given  the  Union  Pacific  was  also  given  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  rail- 
road to  enable  it  to  extend  its  line  west  from  the  city  of  Atchison  for  100 
miles  to  a  connection  with  the  Kansas  branch  of  the  Union  Pacific  in  the 
Republican  valley. »  This  road  afterward  assigned  its  rights  to  the  Atchison 
&  Pike's  Peak  Railroad  Company,  now  known  as  the  Central  Branch  Union 
Pacific.  This  branch  was  built  the  100  miles  to  Waterville  by  January  20, 
1868,  and  has  since  been  extended  so  that  the  main  line  and  its  branches 
give  transportation  facilities  to  the  most  of  the  counties  in  northern  Kansas, 
giving  that  magnificent  country  railroad  connection  with  all  parts  of  the 
United  States.     It  has  388.19  miles  of  road.^ 

The  Atchison  &  Topeka  railroad,  having  now  the  word  Santa  Fe  added  to 
its  name,  was  another  line  recommended  by  the  convention.  This  system  has 
now  4674.44  miles  in  all,  ^^  with  the  main  line  and  branches  in  Kansas  aggre- 
gating 2605. 17  miles.  It  received  a  grant  of  land  to  aid  in  its  construction,  but 
no  bonds. ' '  In  1864  the  writer,  then  a  member  of  the  Kansas  legislature, 
introduced  and  secured  the  passage  of  a  memorial  to  Congress  asking  for  a 
land  grant  to  this  company,  i-  Senator  Pomeroy,  by  whose  efforts  the  grant 
was  secured,  told  the  writer  that  this  memorial  and  the  one  previously  pre- 
pared by  General  Stringfellow  materially  aided  him  in  securing  the  pas- 
sage of  this  grant. 

The  railroad  from  Lawrence  south,  now  called  the  Southern  Kansas  rail- 

NoTE  4. —  These  proceedings  of  the  convention  were  published  in  Freedom's  Champion  of 
October  22, 1860. 

Note  5.— Laws  37th  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  ch.  120,  approved  July  1,  1862. 

Note  6.— Laws  39th  Cong..  1st  sess..  ch.  159.  §  1.  approved  July  3,  1866. 

Note?.— Report  United  States  Statistics  of  Railways.  1904.  p.  278;  Report  Kansas  State 
Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners,  1904,  p.  R2. 

Note  8.— Laws  37th  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  ch.  120,  g  13  ;  treaty  with  the  Kickapoo  (Indians,  June 
28, 1862,  in  United  States  Laws  and  Treaties,  1904,  p.  836. 

Note  9. -Report  of  Kansas  State  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners,  1904,  p.  47.  This  volume 
gives  a  brief  history  of  all  Kansas  roads  now  in  operation. 

Note  10.— Report  of  Kansas  State  Board  of  Railroad  Commissioners.  1904,  p.  16;  United 
States  Statistics  of  Railways,  1904,  p.  278. 

Note  11.— Laws  37th  Cong.,  3d  sess..  ch.  98,  approved  March  3, 1863. 

Note  12. — Journal  Kansas  House  of  Representatives,  1864,  p.  450. 


The  Railroad  Convention  of  1860. 


477 


478  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

road,  secured  a  grant  of  land  in  the  name  of  the  Leavenworth,  Lawrence  & 
Galveston  company,  but  the  public  land  was  already  mostly  taken  by  set- 
tlers, and  the  grant  was  not  large,  i^  This  road  also  received  a  grant  of 
about  125,000  acres  of  the  500,000  acres  ceded  to  Kansas  for  public  schools, 
or,  as  it  was  claimed,  for  public  improvement.'^  The  railroad  on  the  north 
line  of  the  state  (now  known  as  the  St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island) ,  the  Missouri, 
Kansas  &  Texas  and  the  road  from  Kansas  City  to  Fort  Scott  (now  called 
the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco)  got  the  rest  of  the  500,000  acres. '^ 

The  writer  earnestly  opposed  this  disposition  of  the  500,000  acres  of  land, 
for  the  reason  that  he  regarded  the  act  as  a  violation  of  the  constitution  of 
the  state,  and,  though  he  still  holds  the  same  belief,  he  has  no  hesitation, 
now,  forty  years  after  the  act  was  passed,  in  saying,  what  he  has  often  said 
before,  that  the  donation  was  of  vast  benefit  to  our  state.  The  people  have 
condoned  the  breach  made  in  our  constitution. 

The  first  line  of  road  mentioned  in  the  schedule  adopted  by  the  convention 
seems  to  have  had  no  friends  after  the  convention  adjourned,  though  the 
country  traversed  by  its  imaginary  line  is  now  well  supplied  by  various 
roads. 

With  this  exception,  the  results  of  that  first  great  railroad  convention  in 
Kansas  have  proven  the  prophetic  wisdom  and  foresight  of  the  men  who 
signed  the  call  as  well  as  of  those  who  participated  in  its  proceedings.  Few 
of  them  may  now  be  living,  but  the  desire  of  the  writer  in  submitting  this 
paper  is  in  a  measure  to  help  perpetuate  the  names  of  those  men  who  helped 
lay  the  foundation  for  the  great  railroad  system  of  Kansas.  They  have 
erected  a  monument  to  themselves  which  time  only  can  efface.  It  would 
gladden  the  hearts  of  those  delegates  who  have  passed  beyond  could  they 
break  away  from  the  cerements  of  the  tomb  to  view  the  grand  results  of 
their  handiwork— the  great  continental  lines  of  railroad  which  have  made 
Kansas  famous,  and  connected  her  with  the  entire  railroad  system  of  the 
United  States. 

It  is  only  justice  to  say  that  Kansas  is  greatly  indebted  to  B.  F.  String- 
fellow,  Ed.  G.  Ross,  C.  K.  Holliday  and  W.  Y.  Roberts  for  the  magnificent 
results  secured  by  that  convention,  and  to  the  work  and  efforts  of  Senators 
Pomeroy  and  Lane  in  the  United  States  senate  for  making  that  work  effective 
by  the  forms  of  law. 

While  the  original  Pacific  Railroad  bill  was  pending  in  the  senate.  Senator 
Henderson,  of  Missouri,  amended  it  in  the  form  of  a  proviso  so  as  to  allow, 
with  the  consent  of  the  legislature  of  Kansas,  what  is  now  the  Central 
Branch  Union  Pacific  railroad  to  be  constructed  from  the  city  of  St.  Joseph 
to  a  junction  with  the  Union  Pacific  from  Omaha.  This  amendment  was  on 
its  face  so  fair  that  the  Kansas  senators  could  not  prevent  its  adoption.  It 
was  known  as  the  Henderson  amendment,  i"  and  was  a  source  of  great  con- 

NOTE  13.— Laws  37th  Cong.,  3d  sess.,  ch.  98,  sec.  1. 

Note  14.—  Ordinance  to  Kansas  constitution,  sec.  7.  See  a  statement  of  this  controversy  by 
Col.  E.  C.  Manning,  pp.  372  and  373.  this  volume. 

Note  15.  — Kansas  Session  Laws,  1866,  p.  142. 

Note  16.— "Sec.  13.  And  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad 
Company,  of  Missouri,  may  extend  its  road  from  St.  Joseph,  via  Atchison,  to  connect  and  unite 
with  the  road  through  Kansas,  upon  filing  its  assent  to  the  provisions  of  this  act,  upon  the  same 
terms  and  conditions,  in  all  respects,  for  one  hundred  miles  in  length  next  to  the  Missouri  river, 
as  are  provided  in  this  act  for  the  construction  of  the  railroad  and  telegraph  line  first  mentioned, 
and  may  for  this  purpose  use  any  railroad  charter  which  has  been  or  may  be  granted  by  the  leg- 
islature of  Kansas ;  provided,  that  if  actual  survey  shall  render  it  desirable,  the  said  company 


The  Railroad  Convention  of  1860.  479 

cern  to  the  people  of  northern,  southwestern  and  eastern  Kansas.  If  the 
Kansas  legislature  had  consented  to  this  change,  the  road  would  have  been 
constructed  from  the  city  of  St.  Joseph  to  the  northwest  and  would  scarcely 
have  touched  our  state,  thus  seriously,  if  not  permanently,  injuring  the 
magnificent  railroad  system  now  existing  in  northern  and  western  Kansas, 
and  might  have  greatly  crippled  the  business  interests  of  that  part  of  the 
state. 

The  contest  waged  to  transfer  this  railroad  terminal  from  Atchison  to  St. 
Joseph  was  made  during  the  session  of  1863.  Edward  Russell,  then  a  repre- 
sentative from  Doniphan  county,  led  the  contest  for  St.  Joseph,  and  the 
writer  was  selected  to  champion  the  interests  of  Kansas  and  resist  the  trans- 
fer of  the  initial  point  of  this  proposed  railroad  from  Atchison  to  that  city. 

Caucuses  were  held  by  the  friends  of  each  side,  and  efforts  made  to  ascer- 
tain the  intentions  of  the  various  members  of  the  house,  which  failed  with 
many  outside  of  those  whose  immediate  interests  were  involved.  Those  from 
Leavenworth  and  Douglas  counties,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  gave  their 
influence  and  votes  to  the  scheme  to  construct  the  road  northwest  from  St. 
Joseph.  The  resolution  purposing  to  give  the  consent  of  the  legislature  for 
the  transfer  got  only  seventeen  votes.  The  negative  had  the  rest.  This 
contest  was  waged  with  great  vigilance  and  earnestness,  but  engendered  no 
bitterness  or  ill  feeling.  The  defeat  of  the  "consent"  resolution  ended  all 
railroad  controversies  in  the  state.  The  railroad  systems  and  lines  projected 
by  the  pioneers  of  1859  and  1860  have  given  Kansas  her  magnificent  railroad 
system,  the  pride  of  our  state,  affording  transportation  and  business  facili- 
ties to  almost  every  town  and  village  that  dots  the  prairies  of  our  beautiful 
Kansas. 

Looking  over  the  list  of  delegates  to  that  railroad  convention,  it  will  be 
seen  that  it  contains  the  names  of  our  most  eminent  men— those  who  laid 
the  foundation  broad  and  deep  for  the  state  we  are  pleased  to  call  home, 
our  own  beloved  Kansas.  They  were  among  the  foremost  of  those  whose 
wisdom  and  energy  started  her  on  the  road  to  prosperity  and  greatness,  with 
the  result  that  our  towns  and  villages  are  bedecked  with  churches  and  school- 
houses,  while  our  broad  prairies  are  covered  with  farms,  the  pride  and  glory 
of  our  young  commonwealth. 

The  list  contains  the  names  of  three  territorial  governors  of  Kansas— 
Wilson  Shannon,  Samuel  Medary,  George  M.  Beebe;  three  men  who  became 
governors  of  Kansas— Charles  Robinson,  John  A.  Martin,  and  George  W. 
Glick;  two  who  became  United  States  senators— Samuel  C.  Pomeroy  and 
Edmund  G.  Ross;  one  who  became  the  first  lieutenant-governor  of  Kansas 
—James  McGrew;  two  became  judges  of  the  Kansas  supreme  court— Thomas 
Ewing,  jr.,  and  Jacob  Safford;  two  were  attorneys-general  of  the  territory 
of  Kansas— William  Weer  and  A.  C.  Davis.  Thomas  Ewing,  jr.,  William 
Weer,  John  A.  Martin  and  G.  W.  Deitzler  became  colonels,  and  did  active 
service  in  the  civil  war,  while  Thomas  Ewing,  jr.,  and  G.  W.  Deitzler  were 
made  brigadier-generals;  A.  C.  Wilder  became  a  member  of  Congress;  Mar- 
cus J.  Parrott  was  then  the  delegate  in  Congress  from  the  territory  of  Kan- 
may  construct  their  road,  with  the  consent  of  the  Kansas  legislature,  on  the  most  direct  and 
practicable  route  west  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  so  as  to  connect  and  unite  with  tlie  road  leading 
from  the  western  boundary  of  Iowa  at  any  point  east  of  the  one  hundredth  meridian  of  west 
longitude,  or  with  the  main  trunk  road  at  said  point :  but  in  no  event  shall  lands  or  bonds  be  given 
to  said  company  as  herein  directed  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  their  said  road  for  a  greater  dis- 
tance than  one  hundred  miles."  — 37th  Cong.,  2d  sess.,  eh.  120,  approved  July  1,  1862. 


480  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

sas;  Solon  O.  Thacher  became  a  judge  of  a  district  court,  and  a  state  senator; 
Edmund  G.  Ross  was  a  major,  and  served  during  the  civil  war,  and  in  1885 
was  appointed  governor  of  New  Mexico  by  President  Cleveland;  James  R. 
McClure  was  a  captain  in  the  civil  war,  did  gallant  service,  and  was  crippled  for 
life;  G.  W.  Smith  was  a  member  and  speaker  of  the  Kansas  house  of  represen- 
tatives; R.  S.  Stevens  and  G.  M.  Beebe  became  members  of  Congress  from 
New  York;  Mr.  Stevens  built  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroad  while 
a  resident  of  Kansas;  W.  Y.  Roberts  was  an  ex-lieutenant-governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania; .V.  J.  Lane  was  a  member  of  the  Kansas  house  of  representatives, 

and  the  editor  of  the  Wyandotte  Herald  for  the  past  forty  years;  James  L. 
McDowell  was  the  first  United  States  marshal  of  Kansas;  John  Stiarwalt, 
Wm.  Hutchinson,  S.  D.  Houston,  E.  G.  Ross  and  S.  O.  Thacher  helped  to 
make  the  constitution  of  our  state;  C.  F.  de  Vivaldi  was  made  a  consul  to  a 
South  American  port;  W.  F.  M.  Arny  served  as  secretary  and  acting  gover- 
nor of  New  Mexico;  P.  B.  Maxson,  P.  Z.  Taylor,  and  many  others  whose 
names  I  cannot  now  recall,  served  in  our  legislature,  and  as  officers  and 
privates  in  the  civil  war. 

Samuel  C.  Pomeroy  worked  and  secured  the  passage  of  every  land  grant 
made  to  a  Kansas  railroad  during  his  first  term  as  senator.  The  work  and 
labors  of  Mr.  Pomeroy  have  been  worth  millions  to  Kansas.  Every  im- 
portant line  of  railroad  in  Kansas  owes  a  lasting  debt  of  gratitude  to  him. 

Great  credit  is  due  to  Cyrus  K.  Holiday  for  his  work  in  the  organization 
of  the  company  to  build  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad.  By  his 
efforts  the  construction  of  that  great  railroad  was  started,  and  his  useful- 
ness to  that  company  was  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  he  was  one  of 
its  directors  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  did  much  to  secure  the  con- 
struction of  our  state  capitol. 

There  was  no  politics  in  that  convention.  Democrats,  Republicans,  free- 
state  and  pro-slavery  men  composed  its  personnel,  and  all  worked  together 
in  one  patriotic  and  harmonious  body  for  the  welfare  and  the  future  glory 
of  Kansas. 


THE  DROUGHT  OF  1860. » 

Written  by  George  W.  Click,  of  Atchison,  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

THE  drought  of  1860,  in  a  way,  has  given  Kansas  a  reputation  that  it  does  not  deserve.  All 
countries  are  at  times  subject  to  droughts.  Kansas  is  not  subject  to  such  visitations  more 
than  the  other  states  of  this  Union,  or  other  countries.  Each  recurring  year  has  its  drought  in 
some  parts  of  our  large  and  extended  domain.  It  will  be  recollected  that  in  1894,  following  the 
Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago,  the  country  east  of  the  Mississippi  river  was  visited  with 
one  of  the  most  severe  and  long-time  droughts  that  ever  occurred  in  this  country.  The  dry 
weather  set  in  in  the  latter  part  of  May  and  lasted  till  the  2d  day  of  September,'  and  during  that 
time  not  a  drop  of  rain  fell  in  Chicago  for  a  period  of  eighty-three  days. 

The  frequent  rains,  the  genial  sunshine,  the  large  crops  harvested  annually  for  the  past 
forty-five  years,  have  blotted  out  of  the  history  of  Kansas  that  hated  term  "droughty  Kansas." 
The  frequent  and  refreshing  showers  have  washed  the  remembrance  of  the  dry  spell  of  1860  out 

Note  l.-This  story  of  the  drought,  filed  by  Governor  Click  among  the  manuscripts  of  the 
Historical  Society,  is  here  printed  as  showing  the  conditions  existing  in  Kansas  at  the  time  of 
the  sitting  of  this  railroad  convention. 

Note  2.— "  The  great  drought  of  1894,  so  far  as  it  concerns  agriculture,  has  been  but  the 
cumulation  of  a  long  period  of  deficient  rainfall  .  .  .  since  the  1st  of  Jannary."— Monthly 
weather  review,  August,  1894.  "The  weather  was  very  favorable  for  the  plowing  and  seeding 
of  wheat  and  barley.  The  drought  was  generally  broken  about  the  middle  of  the  month."  —  Id.. 
September.  1894. 


The  Drought  of  1860.  481 


of  the  memory  of  the  pioneers  of  that  year,  and  those  who  have  come  to  Kansas  since  that  time 
cannot  believe  the  stories  told  of  that  unfortunate  year.  Now  Kansas  gets  her  full  share  of 
rain,  and  her  fertile  soil  and  bounteous  crops  are  mute  and  willing  witnesses  that  the  clouds 
floating-  over  Kansas  do  not  forget  the  needs  of  her  soil  and  of  her  industrious  and  patriotic 
people.  But  newspapers  and  some  thoughtless  people  have  made  so  much  of  the  dry  summer 
of  1860  as  to  indelibly  associate  the  experiences  of  that  year  with  the  name  of  Kansas,  to  the 
great  disadvantage  of  our  state. 

The  drought  alone  was  credited  with  bringing  great  suffering,  and  visiting  the  inhabitants 
of  the  then  territory  with  calamitous  conditions  that  made  the  good  and  kindly  disposed  people 
in  the  eastern  part  of  our  country  shudder  for  the  unfortunate  condition  of  our  people.^ 

During  the  fall  and  winter  of  lS59-'60  but  little  rain  fell.  There  were  one  or  two  heavy 
snows  that  did  much  towards  putting  the  ground  in  good  tilth  for  farming  on  lands  that  had 
been  already  tilled.  The  spring  of  1860  was  dry,  with  no  rain,  and  the  dry  weather  and  hot  sum- 
mer continued  until  late  in  the  fall,  almost  six  months  without  rain,  except  a  shower  on  the  4th 
of  July,  at  Atchison  and  vicinity.  That  was  a  summer  thunder-shower.  I  do  not  know  how  far  it 
extended,  but  I  think  in  the  river  counties  only  —  Doniphan,  Atchison,  Leavenworth,  and  Wyan- 
dotte.    The  ground  was  so  dry  and  hard  that  it  did  but  little  good.* 

That  there  was  great  suffering  that  year  there  can  be  no  doubt,  but  it  was  greatly  aided  and 
induced  by  other  conditions  that  were  equally  as  potential  in  their  effects  as  the  drought. 

There  was  some  immigration  to  the  territory  in  the  fall  of  1859,  and  a  large  immigration  in 
1860.= 

The  new  settlers  took  claims  or  farms  on  the  prairies,  and,  as  is  well  known  now,  farming 
the  first  year  on  a  prairie  claim  will  rarely  yield  a  living  to  the  most  industrious,  and  suffering  is 
the  result,  unless  the  immigrant  has  the  means  to  provide  for  subsistence  for  the  first  year's 
residence  on  a  quarter-section  of  prairie  sod. 

The  great  majority  of  the  immigrants  at  that  time  were  poor.  Many  expected  to  make  their 
living  the  first  year  of  their  residence  from  their  unimproved  claims.  These  expectations  would 
not  have  been  realized  even  in  an  average  year.  Many  laborers  and  mechanics  then  coming  to 
the  territory  were  in  the  same  financial  straits,  and  of  course  suffered  in  like  manner.  But 
settlers  who  had  lived  on  their  claims  for  two  or  three  years  along  the  Missouri  river  did  not 
suffer  aiiy  of  the  inconveniences  or  hardships  of  the  newcomers.  In  1860  I  had  a  garden  in 
Atchison,  in  which  I  raised  a  good  lot  of  potatoes,  corn  and  various  kinds  of  vegetables.  I  had 
all  I  needed,  and  besides  supplied  two  neighbors  with  what  they  needed. 

There  was  much  anxiety  felt  by  the  well-to-do  people  of  Kansas  who  were  able  to  provide 

Note  3.— An  appeal  for  help,  dated  October  30,  1860,  and  signed  by  Rev.  Daniel  Foster,  of 
Nemaha  county,  and  five  others,  citizens  of  Shawnee,  Douglas,  Miami,  Riley  and  Lyon  counties, 
makes  the  following  statements : 

"During  the  year  preceding  the  1st  inst,  a  terrible  drought  has  prevailed  throughout  the 
interior  of  Kansas.  A  narrow  strip  bordering  on  the  Missouri  river  has  had  occasional  showers, 
and  has  yielded  a  fair  crop.  Some  other  small  and  isolated  districts  have  also  had  light  showers, 
and  raised  a  part  of  a  crop.  But  residing  as  we  do  in  widely  separated  localities,  we  believe  that 
four-fifths  of  the  cultivated  land  in  the  territory  has  not  yielded  the  smallest  crop  of  any  kind, 
except  a  little  corn-fodder. 

"The  inhabitants  have  not  old  crops  on  which  to  rely  for  bread.  Last  year's  vegetables,  of 
course,  are  consumed.  The  wheat  was  either  used  for  seed  or  ground  for  food.  Nearly  all  the 
old  corn  has  been  fed  out,  or  was  sold  last  spring  at  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  cents  a  bushel. 
Not  one  farmer  in  twenty  has  a  peck  of  old  grain. 

"  Nor  is  there  money  to  buy  bread.  Our  people  have  expended  all  available  means  in  making 
improvements.  The  commercial  disaster  of  1857  left  us  stranded.  .  .  .  Now  comes  the  loss 
of  our  crops,  and  with  it  goes  our  hope  of  returning  prosperity. 

"This  drought  is  an  exception  in  Kansas.  To  this  fact  we  have  the  explicit  testimony  of 
missionaries  who  have  lived  there  from  fifteen  to  thirty  years." 

Note  4.  — John  Glancy,  of  Hawthorn.  Atchison  county,  came  to  Kansas  in  March,  1857,  and 
preempted  160  acres  of  land.  In  1860,  when  few  farmers  in  that  vicinity  planted  potatoes  be- 
cause they  thought  it  was  too  dry  to  raise  any,  he  put  in  a  crop,  and  dug  350  bushels,  getting 
$2.50  a  bushel  for  them.— Atchison  Globe,  January  5,  1906. 

Note  5. —  Another  circular  signed  by  Daniel  Foster,  "general  agent  of  the  Northeast  Kansas 
Relief  Committee,"  says : 

"  The  population  of  Kansas  was  109,000  last  June.  .  .  .  A  severe  and  unbroken  drought 
of  nine  months,  commencing  in  September.  1859,  cut  off  entirely  the  winter  and  spring  wheat  in 
Kansas.  During  the  summer  there  were  showers  in  the  Missouri  valley,  which  made  a  partial 
crop  of  corn,  so  that  31,000  people,  the  number  m  that  valley,  were  partially  supplied  with  food. 
I  was  in  interior  Kansas,  and  know  that  the  drought  in  all  Kansas,  away  from  the  river,  con- 
tinued through  the  summer,  so  that  all  the  crops  failed,  leaving  78,000  people  in  a  state  of  fearful 
destitution.  In  Centralia,  my  own  home,  we  planted  1200  acres  —  and  replanted  again  and  again, 
but  we  did  not  get  the  seed  back.  .  .  .  Our  population  was  330,  and  the  1st  of  last  September 
we  had  only  four  weeks' supply,  reckoning  in  all  our  money  and  food.  .  .  .  It  is  estimated  by 
the  best  informed  that  30,000  have  left  the  state  of  Kansas  to  winter  elsewhere,  taking  their 
stock  with  them  ;  that  would  leave  48,000  needing  relief  until  next  July.  They  need  food,  cloth- 
ing, and  seed." 

-31 


482  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


for  themselves  and  their  families  during  the  coming  winter  for  those  whose  condition  appealed 
to  their  benevolent  feelings  and  generous  impulses. 

A  meeting  was  called,  at  Lawrence,  for  November  14,  1860,  which  was  well  attended,  to  con- 
sider ways  and  means  to  care  for  those  who  might  need  assistance  and  support  during  the  com- 
ing winter  of  1860  and  1861. 

Plans  were  devised  for  appeals  to  the  people  of  the  prosperous  states.  An  address  written 
by  Hon.  Marcus  J.  Parrott,  then  our  delegate  in  Congress,  was  issued.  It  was  heartrending  and 
pathetic  in  its  appeal  for  aid  and  assistance  to  prevent  the  great  suffering  and  threatened  star- 
vation. The  needs  and  necessities  of  the  people  were  depicted  in  such  a  manner  that  no  one  who 
had  a  spark  of  human  kindness  in  his  nature  but  would  take  it  as  a  personal  appeal.  It  was  ex- 
travagant in  its  descriptions,  and  made  the  statement  that  "  many  people  were  then  living  on 
acorns  and  were  clothed  in  bark."  ° 

Gen.  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  at  this  meeting,  was  made  the  receiving  agen*  for  such  contributions 
and  donations  as  might  be  made.  Atchison  was  named  as  the  receiving  point,  and  was  selected 
because  it  was  the  only  point  in  Kansas  reached  by  a  railroad.^ 

In  many  ways  the  word  went  out  to  the  world  that  there  was  great  suffering  in  Kansas,  and 
the  generous  people  from  all  parts  of  our  great  country  responded  nobly  and  abundantly  in  flour, 
meal,  and  other  provisions,  in  clothing,  seed  grain,  and  money. 

General  Pomeroy  devoted  his  whole  time  to  this  benevolent  work,  and  no  man  could  have 
been  more  vigilant,  industrious  and  faithful  than  he  in  the  discharge  of  the  onerous  and  trying 
duties  assigned  to  him. 

Provisions  and  articles  did  not  all  come  at  once,  but  were  coming  in  small  quantities  almost 
daily.  This  condition  was  a  source  of  constant  and  daily  annoyance  to  General  Pomeroy,  and 
subjected  him  to  abuse  and  censure  from  many  thoughtless  and  greedy  fellows.  There  would 
often  be  fifty  persons  asking  aid,  with  only  five  sacks  of  flour,  500  pounds  of  corn-meal  and  a  few 

Note  6. —  In  a  pamphlet  addressed  to  E.  G.  Ross,  in  1872,  Thaddeus  Hyatt,  of  New  York, 
then  in  London,  says  that  the  Kansas  famine  fund  was  a  thing  of  his  own  devising,  and  grew 
out  of  a  startling  letter  from  Mound  City,  Kan.,  in  the  summer  of  1860,  shortly  after  his  release 
from  the  American  bastile,  where  he  had  been  placed  because  of  his  refusal  to  comply  with  the 
demands  of  the  United  States  senate  committee  who  were  investigating  the  John  Brown  raid. 
"  I  started  for  Kansas  with  my  compatriot.  Judge  Arny  [one  of  the  most  faithful  and  unselfish 
friends  that  Kansas  had  in  her  early  times],  determined  to  learn  by  personal  examination  the 
actual  state  of  the  case."  They  went  to  Atchison  and  urged  S.  C.  Pomeroy  to  join  them,  but  he 
was  incredulous,  as  everything  along  the  Missouri  looked  green,  corner  lots  included.  He  told 
Hyatt,  "You  know  how  everybody  who  had  anything  to  do  with  the  aid  funds  four  years  ago 
were  talked  about.  You  know,  too,  that  I  mean  to  be  a  candidate  for  the  United  States  senate. 
If  any  money  is  raised  for  these  people  here,  and  you  mix  me  up  in  it,  it  will  kill  my  political 
prospects.  They  will  accuse  me  of  stealing  the  relief  funds."  But  they  got  him  to  go  along, 
and  made  a  twenty-five  days'  trip  into  southern  Kansas,  returning  by  Topeka.  By  the  time 
they  reached  Atchison  again,  Pomeroy's  views  of  the  situation  were  changed,  and  he  was  willing 
to  risk  his  reputation  for  the  good  of  the  people.  He  was  soon  afterwards  elected  general  relief 
agent,  with  headquarters  at  Atchison.  Hyatt  then  went  East  to  "attempt  to  prevent  a  famine." 
He  prepared  a  pamphlet  of  sixty-eight  pages,  having  the  following  title:  "The  prayer  of 
Thaddeus  Hyatt  to  James  Buchanan,  president  of  the  United  States,  in  behalf  of  Kansas,  asking 
for  a  postponement  of  all  the  land  sales  in  that  territory,  and  for  other  relief ;  together  with 
correspondence  and  other  documents  setting  forth  its  deplorable  destitution  from  drought  and 
famine.  Submitted  under  oath,  October  29,  1860.  Washington,  1860."  Of  this,  5000  copies  were 
distributed.  President  Buchanan  gave  him  a  check  for  $100,  which  was  printed  in  full  in  the 
New  York  Tribune,  and  relief  began  moving  towards  Kansas,  "which  dear,  skinny  old  brother 
Amy,  camping  by  the  side  of  a  railway  depot  in  Illinois,  kept  shoving  right  along,  and  which,  I 
ought  to  add,  my  friend  Pomeroy,  in  Atchison,  standing  to  the  work  night  and  day,  handed  over 
to  the  settlers  through  their  own  appointed  agents." 

Note  7.—  The  wife  of  Senator  Pomeroy  — Lucy  Gay  lord  —  had  been  an  invalid  for  years,  and 
had  but  recently  followed  her  husband  to  the  territory,  when,  gaining  in  strength  temporarily, 
she  joined  with  him  in  the  relief  work.     To  a  friend  she  wrote : 

"Atchison,  December  3,  1860. —  Many  thanks  for  money  received  in  your  last.  It  will  help 
in  the  great  work.  More  and  more  do  I  feel  the  magnitude  of  what  we  have  undertaken.  All 
the  while  S.  is  borne  down  with  it.  Many  have  moved  into  town,  hoping  to  get  work,  and  the 
people  all  seem  willing  to  help.  There  are  now  fifty  teams  camped  here,  waiting  for  some  corn 
or  wheat  to  arrive  before  they  can  return  to  their  suffering  friends.  We  now  see  the  benefit  of 
a  railroad  to  Atchison.  God  foresaw  our  necessities  and  prepared  for  them.  I  know  of  no  way 
by  which  our  wants  could  have  been  met  if  this  road  had  not  been  finished.  Now  it  will  save 
Kansas  from  utter  depopulation." 

In  the  "Memoir  to  Mrs.  Pomeroy,"  prepared  by  her  husband's  sister,  Mrs.  Ruth  P.  Boscom, 
Mrs.  C.  I.  H.  Nichols  writes  as  follows;  "It  seemed  to  her,  as  well  as  to  others,  that  fearful  win- 
ter, very  remarkable  that  her  health  was  such  as  to  allow  such  increased  labor.  .  .  .  From 
30  to  100  letters  arrived  daily.  These  she  opened,  laid  aside  the  money  contained,  glanced  rapidly 
over  the  contents,  and  labeled  each  letter  with  the  name  of  the  clerk  to  whose  department  it  re- 
ferred. ...  "To  the  more  general  correspondence,  in  which  three  or  four  clerks  were  often 
employed,  she  devoted  all  the  rest  of  her  time,  and  very  few  letters  had  to  be  referred  to  the 
general  agent.  Probably  the  immense  amount  of  work  she  accomplished  wore  not  so  heavily  on 
her  health  and  spirits  as  the  daily  sight  of  ragged,  starving,  and,  often,  half-frozen  men,  women, 
and  children  too,  who  thronged  our  streets.  She  listened  to  their  sad  stories  with  her  usual 
sympathy  and  undisturbed  patience,  then  gave  them  orders  to  some  relief  department,  accord- 
ing to  their  need." 


The  Drought  of  1860. 


beans  at  the  warehouse.  The  general  tried  to  find  out  the  condition  of  each  applicant,  the 
number  of  needy  people  represented  by  each  one,  and  the  distance  they  had  come.  Then  an 
effort  was  made  to  divide  the  produce  on  hand  fairly  among  the  parties  present.  The  amount 
that  could  be  given  to  each  was  sometimes  small,  and  the  result  woujd  be  growling,  faultfinding, 
swearing,  and  abuse  of  the  general.  But  he  never  lost  his  temper,  seemed  always  cheerful,  and 
ready  and  anxious  to  do  the  best  possible  thing  under  these  trying  conditions.  I  have  seen  as 
many  as  a  hundred  persons  insisting  on  a  distribution  when  there  was  not  flour  on  hand  to  make 
bread  enough  to  feed  those  in  attendance  for  one  day. 

General  Pomeroy  and  his  employees  were  often  engaged  all  night  in  waiting  on  applicants 
for  aid.  While  this  had  to  be  attended  to.  the  goods  that  were  coming  in  had  to  be  taken  care  of. 
They  had  to  be  ferried  or  hauled  over  the  Missouri  river,  teams  hired,  bills  paid,  and  the  goods 
opened  and  assorted  and  arranged  in  the  warehouse  for  their  speedy  disposition. 

The  trying  time  through  which  General  Pomeroy  passed,  his  devotion  to  duty,  his  effort  to  be 
fair  and  just  to  all.  were  never  fully  appreciated  except  by  those  who  saw  him  at  his  daily  task. 
Those  who  were  recipients  of  the  aid  knew  little  of  the  work  and  labor  that  he  was  doing  for 
them  without  reward  and  with  but  few  thanks. 

The  winter  of  1860-'61  was  a  cold,  disagreeable  one,  weather  changeable,  considerable  snow, 
the  roads  at  times  in  a  horrible  condition,  feed  for  teams  scarce,  and  those  who  came  to  Atchison 
with  teams  often  suffered  for  feed  for  hours.  These  teams  had  to  be  provided  with  feed.  The 
people  who  came  and  expected  aid  had  to  be  furnished  the  necessary  food  and  sleeping-place 
while  waiting  for  the  expected  supplies.  General  Pomeroy  furnished  two  large  rooms  for  sleep- 
ing-places for  the  waiting  people  and  kept  them  warm  and  comfortable.  Often  for  days  no  aid 
came,  and  then  in  a  rush  would  come  large  quantities  of  flour,  meal,  beans,  a  little  salt  meat,  and 
considerable  comfortable,  though  cast-off,  clothing.  This  last  was  received  gratefully  by  many 
who  were  in  sore  need  of  clothing.  At  times  a  whole  car-load  of  aid,  and  sometimes  two,  would 
come  in  at  once.  It  took  time  to  unload,  assort  and  arrange  the  goods  ready  to  hand  over  to  the 
waiting  crowd.  It  was  a  sad  sight  to  see  some  of  the  different  phases  of  humanity  at  such 
times.  Some  were  patient,  and  content  to  await  their  turn  to  be  helped  ;  others  were  greedy  and 
importunate  and  wanted  all  in  sight,  showing  a  swinish  nature  that  was  not  willing  to  divide  the 
shipment  with  those  more  needy  than  themselves.  They  would  grumble,  find  fault  and  often 
exhaust  the  lexicon  of  profanity  because  they  did  not  get  all  the  provisions  in  sight. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  seed- wheat,  seed-corn,  buckwheat,  and  all  kinds  of  garden  seeds  were 
sent  to  Kansas  —  plenty  for  all  who  needed  and  could  use  them.  The  railroads  made  no  charge 
for  transportation.  Everything  east  of  the  Missouri  river  came  over  the  then  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe 
railroad  to  St.  Joe.  and  from  there  to  Winthrop.  just  across  the  river  from  Atchison,  by  the 
Atchison  &  St.  Joe  railroad,  built  and  owned  by  the  people  of  Atchison  with  some  little  aid  east 
of  that  city.  When  the  Missouri  river  was  not  frozen  over  the  goods  were  ferried  over;  when 
closed  by  ice,  the  goods  had  to  be  hauled  to  the  warehouse  provided  by  General  Pomeroy  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  many  persons  got  much  more  than  they  deserved.  General  Pomeroy 
did  not  know  all  who  applied  for  aid,  and  often  had  to  take  the  word  of  the  applicant.  Knowing 
this,  many  took  advantage,  by  greed  and  falsehood,  and,  claiming  to  represent  others,  demanded 
aid  for  them.  Through  it  all  General  Pomeroy  was  careful,  discreet,  and  pleasant,  but  firm  as  a 
rock  when  he  had  to  be  ;  so  that  the  work  was  well  managed,  much  suffering  avoided,  and  the 
great  bulk  of  the  aid  went  to  the  needy  and  worthy.  Though  small  and  insufficient  quantities  of 
provisions  had  to  be  given  out  at  times  to  those  who  had  come  long  distances  for  it,  the  man  was 
less  than  human  who  saw  all  the  conditions  and  embarrassments  to  which  General  Pomeroy  was 
subjected,  and  who  in  the  end  did  not  rise  up  and  bless  him  for  the  work  he  did. 

The  distribution  of  aid  was  continued  to  about  the  1st  of  April,  when  most  of  the  provisions 
had  been  exhausted,  but  the  distribution  of  field  and  garden  seeds  was  continued  for  some  time 
afterwards.  There  was  an  abundance  of  this  class  of  aid,  and  it  was  of  great  benefit  to  those  in 
need  of  seed,  and  was  greatly  appreciated." 

Note  8.— Report  of  the  Kansas  Relief  Committee,  to  and  Including  March  15, 
1861.— At  the  regular  meeting  of  the  Kansas  Relief  Committee  for  March,  1861,  held  at  Atchison. 
March  6.  it  was  voted  that  a  complete  statement  of  the  business  of  the  committee,  in  all  depart- 
ments, be  prepared  for  publication.  Messrs.  W.  W.  Guthrie,  P.  P.  Baker  and  C.  B.  Lines  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  prepare  such  a  statement,  with  instructions  to  report  a  series  of  reso- 
lutions, setting  forth  such  facts  connected  with  the  relief  movement  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
committee,  should  be  made  known  to  the  public.  The  committee  submitted  the  following: 
REPORT. 
Showing  the  amount  of  provisions,  etc..  received  and  distributed  by  the  Kansas  Relief  Com- 
mittee prior  to  January  1.  1861,  and  from  January  1  to  March  15,  1861.  inclusive: 

Total  of  receipts  prior  to  January  1 1,062,552  lbs. 

ToUl  of  receipts  since  January  1 7,028,399    " 

Total  receipts 8,090.951  lbs. 


484 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Tabular  statement  showing  amount  of  general  relief  distributed  to  the  various  counties 
prior  to  and  since  January  1 : 

Total  general  distribution  prior  to  January  1 494,832  lbs. 

Total  special  distribution  prior  to  January  1 222,652    " 

Total 717,484  lbs. 

Total  of  general  distribution  since  January  1 5,245,515 

Total  of  special  distribution  since  January  1 773.425    " 

Total  distribution  at  Atchison  (exclusive  of  branch  depots ) 6,736,424  lbs. 

STATEMENT  OF  GENERAL  RELIEF   DISTRIBUTED.  Between 

Prior  to  Between  Jan.  1  Mar.  1  and 

Counties.                                                                            Jan.  1.  and  Mar.  1.  Mar.  15. 

Allen 31,050  lbs.  147,060  lbs.  121,255  lbs. 

Anderson 20.850     "  136,345     "  92,300     " 

Atchison 28,233     "  105,802     "  110,980    " 

Arapahoe 9,600     " 

Breckinridge 38,146  lbs.  124,532  lbs.  128,620    " 

Bourbon 17,765    "  132,945     "  21,850    " 

Brown 16,850     "  63,870     "  102,720    " 

Butler 8,440    "  33,550    "  11,640    " 

Coffey 17.520    "  93,720    "  83,615     " 

Chase 11,470    "  43,505     "  5,800     " 

Clay 3,725    "  3,210     "  15,700     " 

Douglas 17,253    "  201,556     "  123,755     " 

Doniphan 2,220     "  33,760     "  102,770     " 

Davis 11,990     "  27,110     " 

Dickinson 10.720     "  28,930     " 

Franklin 5,800  lbs.  96.050     "  54,200     " 

Greenwood 30,445     "  54.250     "  60,765     " 

Hunter 4,010     "  *  4,000     "  10,040     " 

Jackson 18,605     "  75,325    "  102,820     " 

Jefferson 20,670    "  120.379    "  107.875     " 

Johnson 12,820     "  80.204     "  30,070     " 

Lykins 15,225     "  107,905     "  15,745     " 

Linn 9,850     "  27,595     "  7,000     " 

Leavenworth 54,425    "  25.420     " 

Madison 11.895  lbs.  63.990    "  21,380     " 

Marshall 19,735     "  46.810    "  88,400     " 

Marion 600     "  2,310     "              

McGee 630     "              

Morris 5.700  lbs.  24.510    "  31.620  lbs. 

Nemaha 16,750     "  77.635     "  104,200     " 

Ottawa 2,100     "  4,210     "  4,700     " 

Osage 14,305    "  52,165     "  55,070     " 

Otoe 7.200     "  8,250    "  4,500     " 

Pott'wat'mie 15.095     "  116,555     "  105.560     " 

Riley 7.075     "  17.320     "  54.975     " 

Shawnee  t 36,045     "  179,170     "  145,950     " 

Saline 820     "  9.080    "  9.080     " 

Washington 1.150    "  10.450    "  31.650     " 

Waubonsee 14.615    "  37,635     "  46,870     " 

Woodson 10.190     "  95.200     "  33.600     " 

Wyandott 1.100    "  12,705     "  3.300     " 

*  Special  train  sent  to  Hunter,  Butler  and  Otoe  counties. 

t  Including  supplies  sent  to  depot  at  Topeka. 

In  addition  to  the  above  amount  distributed  at  Atchison,  the  committee  have  forwarded  to 
Leavenworth  and  Wyandott,  for  distribution  at  those  points,  provisions  and  seed  weighing,  as 
per  bills  of  lading,  437,190  pounds,  making  a  total  of  7,173.614  pounds  provisions  and  seed  dis- 
tributed by  the  committee,  up  to  and  including  March  15.  1861. 

This  statement  does  not  include  clothing,  medicines,  and  garden  seeds,  of  which  large  quan- 
tities have  been  distributed.     .     .     . 

FINANCIAL  REPORT. 

WTiole  amount  of  cash  received,  subject  to  order  of  committee,  from  October  1,  1860,  to 

March  15,  1861.  inclusive $83,869  52 

Amount  expended  to  same  time $78,446  24 

Balance  in  treasurer's  hands 5,423  28 

Expended  and  on  hand $83,869  52 

I  hereby  certify  that  the  balance  reported  by  S.  C.  Pomeroy  in  the  above  statement  ($5423.28) 

is  correct.  G.  H.  Fairchild, 

Treasurer  Kansas  Relief  Fund. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

Resolved.  That  our  confidence  in  the  ability,  integrity  and  impartiality  of  Gen.  S.  C.  Pomeroy, 
in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  general  superintendent,  remains  unimpaired,  notwithstanding 
the  assaults  that  have  been  made  upon  him.  and  that  his  labours  have  been  exceedingly  arduous, 
and  his  powers  of  endurance  under  such  constant  application  most  surprising,  and  we  do  feel 
that,  in  place  of  abuse,  he  is  entitled  to  the  lasting  gratitude  of  our  people,  and  of  the  friends  of 
humanity  everywhere,  for  his  most  faithful  and  untiring  services.  -^^  ^    Guthrie 

F.P.  Baker, 
C.  B.  Lines, 

Coimnittee. 


Foreign  Immigration  Work  for  Kansas.  485 

General  Pomeroy  worked  and  labored  for  the  early  pioneers  of  Kansas  for  nearly  five  months 
without  pay,  except  the  pay  that  an  approving  conscience  gives  to  him  who  works  for  humanity 
in  a  good  and  worthy  cause. 

General  Pomeroy  was  the  man  for  the  place.  I  do  not  believe  that  there  was  in  Kansas  an- 
other man  who  could  have  filled  it  as  wisely,  discreetly  and  as  humanely  as  he  did. 

General  Pomeroy  was  a  good  man ;  honest,  kind-hearted,  and  generous  to  a  fault.  He  was 
loyal  to  his  friends  and  to  Kansas,  and  did  more  for  Kansas  in  her  early  days,  and  for  her  people 
in  the  early  '60's,  than  any  other  man  who  lived  within  her  borders. 

It  is  forty-five  years  since  I  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  General  Pomeroy.  I  knew  him 
socially ;  I  knew  him  as  his  attorney  for  many  years ;  I  knew  him  as  a  citizen  of  the  territory 
and  of  the  state  of  Kansas.  He  was  always  kind,  generous,  and  loyal  to  his  friends,  and  loyal  to 
Kansas  and  all  her  interests.  He  has  passed  to  the  unknown  world,  and  if  he  had  faults  I  hope 
they  may  be  forgotten  and  forgiven  by  those  who  knew  his  goodness  of  heart  and  his  loyalty  to 
Kansas. 


REMINISCENCES   OF  FOREIGN   IMMIGRATION  WORK 
FOR  KANSAS. 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  C.  B.  Schmidt.  '  formerly  Commissioner  of 
Immigration  of  the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway. 

EVERY  state  of  the  Union,  at  some  period  in  its  history,  has  put  forth 
strong  efforts  to  attract  foreign  settlers.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  one 
of  the  strongest  advocates  of  foreign  immigration,  and  the  American  home- 
stead law,  the  enactment  of  which  he  urged  so  strongly,  has  acted  as  a 
strong  incentive  to  foreign  immigration.-  Thousands  upon  thousands  of 
European  immigrants,  who  came  to  this  country  during  the  years  of  the 
civil  war,  and  were  sent  from  the  emigrant  ships  direct  to  the  battle-fields 
in  the  South,  where  quantity  counted  and  not  quality,  after  the  war  took 
advantage  of  the  homestead  act  and  established  farms  in  the  West.  What 
Lincoln's  homestead  law  did  for  the  valleys  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri, 
Roosevelt's  national  irrigation  law  is  destined  to  accomplish  for  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  the  arid  sections  of  the  country,  but  it  will  take  a  very 
much  longer  time  to  secure  the  same  results  if  we  restrict  immigration  too 
much. 

In  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  we  want,  besides  farmers,  laborers  in  the 
sugar-beet  fields,  in  the  mines,  in  the  smelters,  and  in  other  industrial  plants. 

Note  1.— Carl  Bernhard  Schmidt  was  born  September  7,  1843,  in  Dippoldisvalde,  Sax- 
ony, the  eldest  of  seven  children.  His  father  was  architect  to  the  king  of  Saxony.  The  son  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Queen  Anna's  College,  at  Dresden.  He  chose  a  commercial 
career,  and,  after  a  two-year  course  at  the  Dresden  Commercial  College,  went  to  Hamburg  in 
1863.  Here  he  obtained  a  position  as  foreign  correspondent  in  a  commercial  house,  which  he 
held  for  eight  months.  In  August  following  he  sailed  for  New  York,  landing  on  his  twenty-first 
birthday.  September  7,  1864,  after  only  a  week's  stay  in  New  York,  and  notwithstanding  many 
tempting  ofl:ers  of  bounty  to  serve  as  a  substitute  in  the  army,  he  started  west,  stopping  at  St. 
Louis.  In  this  city  he  taught  music  and  worked  in  a  mercantile  house.  In  August,  1866,  at  St. 
Louis,  he  married  Miss  Mattie  Fraim,  a  native  of  Kentucky.  In  1868  he  came  to  Kansas,  and 
lived  in  Lawrence  for  five  years.  He  worked  for  Wilder  &  Palm,  and  finally  established  himself 
in  the  grocery  business.  He  was,  while  in  Lawrence,  an  active  correspondent  for  newspapers 
in  Germany,  and  this  led  to  his  appointment  as  commissioner  of  immigration  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad,  and  his  removal  to  Topeka,  in  January,  1873.  He  remained  in  this 
position  until  the  lands  were  practically  all  sold.  He  then  went  to  Omaha  and  took  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Equitable  Trust  Company.  In  1880  he  established  the  London  office  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  keeping  charge  of  it  for  three  years.  Since  189.5  Mr.  Schmidt  has  resided  in 
Pueblo,  Colo.,  as  manager  of  the  Suburban  Land  and  Investment  Company  and  director  of  the 
Bessemer  irrigating  ditch.  During  his  forty-two  years  of  residence  in  the  United  States  he  has 
crossed  the  Atlantic  thirty-seven  times  in  the  development  interests  of  the  West.  He  is  in  Europe 
to-day  in  the  interest  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company. 

Note  2.— The  Republican  party  in  Kansas  was  organized  at  Osawatomie,  May  18,  1859.  The 
convention  resolved  as  follows  :  "  That  the  passage  of  a  liberal  homestead  bill,  giving  160  acres 
of  land  to  every  citizen  who  will  settle  upon  and  improve  it,  would  be  a  measure  just  in  princi- 
ple, sound  in  policy,  and  productive  of  the  greatest  good  to  the  people  of  the  nation."  The 
homestead  bill  was  passed  by  Congress  in  1860.  and  on  the  22d  day  of  June  James  Buchanan  ve- 
toed it.  In  the  senate  it  failed  to  pass  over  the  veto  and  was  lost.  May  20,  1862,  the  homestead 
bill  became  a  law,  with  the  signature  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


486  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


C.  B.  SCHMIDT. 

The  fruit  growers  in  the  Pacific  Coast  states  already  complain  that  their 
Chinamen  are  getting  gray-headed  and  too  old  to  work;  no  new  Chinamen 
coming  in,  who  is  to  take  their  place  to  prevent  the  orchards  from  becoming 
unprofitable  and  ruined  ? 

Among  the  southern  Europeans  who  now  come  to  this  country  in  such  great 
numbers  there  are  doubtless  many  who  should  not  be  admitted,  because  of 
their  moral  degeneracy,  criminal  record,  or  contagious  diseases.  But  the 
application  of  an  educational  test  is,  in  my  judgment,  of  doubtful  justification 
when  the  requirements  of  this  Western  country  are  considered.  Illiteracy 
may  last  for  one  generation,  but  the  second  is  sure  to  produce  good  American 
citizens,  thanks  to  our  efficient  free-school  system.  In  Pueblo  county,  Colo- 
rado, there  are  several  hundred  Italian  market-gardeners,  property-owners, 
many  of  whom  cannot  read,  write,  or  speak  the  English  language;  yet  they  are 
prosperous  and  law-abiding  citizens,  and  their  children  are  the  brightest  stu- 
dents in  the  country  schools.  Take  our  smelters  and  coal-mines,  and  the  men 
who  do  the  rough,  hard  work  are  the  Slavs  and  Italians,  while  the  native  Ameri- 
cans hold  the  positions  of  foremen,  engineers  and  other  higher  places,  in 
which  the  brain  and  the  tongue  are  more  essential  than  muscle. 

The  most  active  and  most  successful  colonizers  in  America  have  been  the 
land-grant  railroads.  It  has  ever  been  a  disputed  question,  whether  the 
granting  of  public  lands  to  encourage  the  building  of  railroads  through  un- 
developed regions  of  the  country  was  a  sound  economical  measure,  or 
whether  it  was  to  be  contemned  as  a  profligate  policy.     Some  land  grants 


Foreign  Immigration  Work  for  Kansas.  487 

have  been  admirably  husbanded  by  the  beneficiaries,  while  others  were  neg- 
lected or  squandered,  or  their  development  left  to  chance.  I  have  heard  at 
least  one  railroad  manager  make  the  statement  that  it  would  not  pay  his 
company  to  "peddle  out"  its  land  grant  to  individual  settlers;  he  preferred 
to  sell  it  in  large  tracts  at  a  low  price  to  capitalists  or  syndicates.  Fortu- 
nately, however,  railroad  managers,  as  a  rule,  know  the  value  of  a  densely 
settled  agricultural  country,  and  they  have  striven  to  develop  their  land 
grants,  even  if  the  price  obtained  for  the  land  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  pay 
for  the  cost  of  procuring  the  settlers.  A  quarter-section  of  land  in  grain 
will  produce  eight  car-loads  of  freight,  while  a  quarter-section  left  in  grass 
will  generally  produce  no  traffic  for  the  railroad,  or  at  best,  a  car-load  of 
cattle. 

It  was  a  fortunate  thing  for  the  state  of  Kansas  when  the  national  gov- 
ernment relinquished  a  strip  of  land  from  its  public  domain,  equal  to  twenty 
miles  of  average  breadth  across  the  state,  in  alternate  sections,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Boston  syndicate  which  undertook  the  construction  of  a  rail- 
road and  telegraph  line  from  the  Missouri  river  to  the  western  state  line. 
The  completion  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railway  from  Atchison 
to  the  Colorado  line,  about  the  end  of  1872,  proved  an  important  period  in 
the  development  history  of  Kansas.  By  that  feat  the  railroad  company  had 
earned  its  magnificent  land  grant  of  3,000,000  acres,  and  an  extensive  sys- 
tem of  immigration  and  colonization  machinery  was  at  once  set  in  motion 
by  the  able  and  far-sighted  managers  of  the  property. 

When  the  land  grant  had  been  surveyed  from  end  to  end,  and  appraised 
section  by  section,  its  management  was  entrusted  to  A.  E.  Touzalin.  This 
gentleman,  a  native  of  the  island  of  Jamaica,  had  established  a  great  repu- 
tation on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  railroad  as  a  passenger  traffic 
manager  and  intelligent  advertiser.  At  the  age  of  thirty-three  Mr.  Touzalin 
came  to  Kansas  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  manhood,  with  a  rich  fund  of  experi- 
ence and  a  tremendous  energy  that  promised  great  things  for  his  new  field 
of  operations— the  southern  half  of  Kansas.  He  acted  in  the  double  capacity 
of  general  passenger  agent  and  land  commissioner  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  railroad. 

With  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  importance  of  a  rapid  settlement  of  the 
lands  tributary  to  the  railroad,  Mr.  Touzalin  set  about  at  once  to  organize 
an  army  of  land  agents,  scattering  them  throughout  the  eastern  and  middle 
states,  some  with  stationary  offices  at  centers  of  population,  and  others  itin- 
erant. Each  agent  was  amply  suppHed  with  attractive  literature,  descrip- 
tive of  the  country  tributary  to  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad, 
its  agricultural  and  pastoral  resources,  its  commercial  and  industrial  oppor- 
tunities. A  system  of  effective  newspaper  advertising  was  inaugurated, 
which  soon  brought  to  headquarters  an  enormous  daily  volume  of  inquiries 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  four-story  building  at  the  corner  of 
Kansas  avenue  and  Sixth  street  in  Topeka,  which  was  then  occupied  by  the 
passenger  and  land  departments  of  the  company,  became  a  veritable  bee- 
hive of  clerks,  correspondents,  land-agents,  newspaper  repoi'ters,  advertis- 
ing solicitors,  and  land-seekers.  Mr.  Touzalin,  the  king  bee  of  the  hive, 
tolerated  no  drones.  With  remarkably  quick  perception  of  individual  capac- 
ity, he  selected  for  each  place  in  his  departments  the  man  best  fitted  for  it, 
and  by  his  extraordinary  personal  magnetism  he  instilled  into  every  one  of 


488  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

his  subordinates  his  own  enthusiasm  for  the  work  of  building  up  a  common- 
wealth. 

One  of  the  most  important  and  most  interesting  features  of  the  land  de- 
partment was  the  foreign  immigration  department,  the  organization  and 
conduct  of  which  was  placed  in  my  hands.  From  a  small  beginning  it  grew 
to  extensive  proportions;  with  headquarters  at  Topeka,  its  ramifications  ex- 
tended from  the  Ural  mountains,  on  the  eastern  confines  of  Europe,  to  the 
American  Pacific  coast.  The  prosperous  German,  Austrian,  Swiss  and  Men- 
nonite  settlements  in  those  parts  of  Kansas  which  are  tributary  to  the  Santa 
Fe  system  are  the  fruits  of  this  foreign  immigration  work.  Their  founda- 
tion, gradual  growth  and  influence  have  been  duly  recorded  and  described  in 
the  "Annals  of  Kansas"  and  in  the  public-school  "History  of  Kansas,"  as 
marking  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  this  state. 

The  most  important  achievement  of  the  foreign  immigration  department 
was  the  transplanting  of  some  15,000  Russo-German  Mennonites  from  south- 
ern Russia  to  Kansas;  important,  because  they  were  all  professional  farmers, 
with  ample  means,  and  because  they  came  in  large  companies,  usually  each 
company  filling  one  Atlantic  liner  by  themselves.  What  induced  these  peo- 
ple to  leave  their  opulent  homes  in  the  Crimea  and  along  the  coasts  of  the 
Black  sea  and  the  Sea  of  Azof  in  such  numbers  is  a  question  which  I  have 
often  been  asked.  The  answer  involves  a  recital  of  their  romantic  history, 
dating  back  to  the  days  of  the  German  reformation. 

The  Mennonites  are  a  denomination  of  Protestants  who  reject  infant  bap- 
tism and  baptize  adult  persons  only,  and  then  on  a  profession  of  faith.  Non- 
resistance  and  abstinence  from  oaths  are  tenets  of  their  faith.  They  thus 
combine  some  of  the  leading  principles  of  the  Baptists  with  some  of  the 
distinctive  views  of  the  Friends,  although  historically  they  preceded  both. 

Their  first  church  was  organized  A.  D.  1525,  at  Zurich,  in  the  German 
Switzerland.  They  called  themselves  "  Taeuf er  "  (baptizers),  while  their 
opponents  dubbed  them  "Anabaptists."  In  Switzerland  the  sect  grew  very 
rapidly,  being  most  numerous  at  St.  Gall.  Persecution  soon  drove  many  of 
them  to  southern  Germany,  where  Augsburg  and  Strassburg  became  their 
strongholds.  Here  also  persecution  broke  out,  and  more  than  3000  of  them 
suffered  martyrdom.  They  found  refuge  in  Moravia,  where  they  greatly 
increased  until  the  thirty  years'  war  broke  out.  Their  doctrine  of  non-re- 
sistance and  non-combativeness  was  the  principal  cause  of  their  persecution 
in  that  warlike  age.  About  1530  the  Roman  Catholic  priest  and  religious 
reformer,  Menno  Simons,  reorganized  and  more  fully  indoctrinated  the  sect 
in  Holland,  and  from  that  time  on  they  were  called  "Mennonites."  The 
history  of  the  Dutch  Mennonites  is  written  in  blood.  About  6000  of  them 
suffered  martyrdom  under  the  rule  of  Philip  II  of  Spain  during  the  time  of 
the  secession  of  the  Netherlands.  William  of  Orange  favored  them,  but 
other  leaders  of  the  reformed  party  opposed  them,  and  it  was  not  till  1651 
that  toleration  was  secured  to  them  by  a  general  law.  At  present  the 
Mennonites  are  scattered  in  small  communities  through  Switzerland,  southern 
Germany,  east  Friesland,  the  province  of  West  Prussia  and  other  parts  of 
northern  Germany. 

When  in  1783  the  Crimea,  with  the  adjoining  provinces,  was  ceded  by  the 
Turks  to  Russia,  the  empress,  Catherine  II,  herself  a  German  princess,  in- 
vited the  Mennonites  to  colonize  in  her  newly  acquired  southern  province  of 
Taurida.     She  knew  them  to  be  excellent  farmers,  and  hoped  that  they 


Foreign  Immigration  Work  for  Kansas.  489 

would  intermarry  with  the  natives  and  improve  the  race.  By  way  of  in- 
ducement, important  concessions  were  made  to  them,  such  as  immunity 
from  mihtary  service,  religious  freedom,  their  own  local  administration,  a 
community  grant  of  land  equal  to  65  desjadines— about  160  acres— to  each 
family.  These  privileges  were  guaranteed  to  the  colonists  for  100  years,  and 
then  each  family  was  to  get  title  in  fee  simple  for  65  desjadines.  Under 
this  paternal  treatment  the  Mennonite  colonies  in  southern  Russia  became 
quite  populous  and  wealthy.  The  original  settlements  along  the  Dnieper 
had  spread  in  the  Crimea  and  eastward,  near  the  coast  of  the  Sea  of  Azof 
and  along  the  Kuban  river,  at  the  foot  of  the  Caucasus.  Other  settlements 
were  made  along  the  Volga,  near  the  cities  of  Saratov  and  Samara,  and 
also  in  the  provinces  of  Volhynia  and  Bessarabia.  These  German  colonies 
in  southern  Russia  grew  in  wealth  and  opulence ;  wheat  was  their  staple 
product,  and  the  cities  of  Odessa,  Kherson,  Berdiansk  and  Taganrog  rapidly 
grew  in  importance  as  the  ports  whence  English  ships  carried  the  wheat  to 
Liverpool  and  London.  The  annual  supply  of  South  Russian  wheat  governed 
the  price  of  that  staple  in  the  world's  market.  The  expectation  of  Cath- 
erine, the  imperial  colonization  agent,  that  the  Mennonites  would  inter- 
marry with  the  Tartar  and  Russian  natives,  proved  a  disappointment ;  they 
employed  them  during  harvest-time,  but  after  that  they  sent  them  home 
again  to  their  wretched  villages  on  the  interior  steppes. 

In  view  of  the  growing  wealth  and  the  exclusiveness  of  the  German 
colonists,  and  owing  to  the  special  privileges  enjoyed  by  them,  a  very  strong 
feeling  of  jealousy  and  enmity  gradually  developed  among  the  natives  and 
national  Russians.  The  government  was  importuned  to  withdraw  these 
privileges,  but  that  could  not  be  done  before  the  end  of  the  century  limit, 
the  year  1883,  had  been  reached.  The  Franco-German  war  of  1870-'71,  how- 
ever, seemed  to  present  to  the  Russian  government  a  way  out  of  its  press- 
ing dilemma.  Russia  remained  neutral  during  that  war  on  certain  conditions 
imposed  on  Germany,  one  of  which  was  that  the  German  government  should 
withdraw  its  political  guardianship  which  it  had  exercised  over  all  German 
colonists  in  the  Russian  empire.  Bismarck  accepted  that  condition  upon  the 
counter-condition  that  these  colonists,  of  whom  there  were  some  three 
millions,  including  the  Mennonites,  should  be  allowed  a  period  of  ten  years 
within  which  to  emigrate,  if  they  did  not  wish  to  become  full-fledged  Russian 
subjects.  This  counter-condition  was  also  agreed  to  by  Russia.^  The  Men- 
nonites were  kept  in  ignorance  of  this  international  agreement  which  was  of 
so  much  consequence  to  them.     They  paid  no  attention  to  politics,  and  most 

Note  3. —  Noble  L.  Prentis,  who  became  interested  in  the  Mennonites  through  his  work  as  a 
newspaper  reporter  in  Topeka  at  the  time  of  their  sojourn  here,  gives  in  his  "A  Day  with  the 
Mennonites,"  written  in  1882,  after  a  second  visit  to  one  of  their  Kansas  communities,  the  fol- 
lowing statement  regarding  their  Russian  experiences  : 

"After  supper,  Mr.  Richert,  his  son  and  the  visitors  had  a  long  talk  about  Russia.  The 
treatment  accorded  the  Mennonites  by  the  Russian  government  up  to  1871  was  all  that  could  be 
desired.  The  agreements  made  in  the  days  of  the  Empress  Catherine,  what  Mr.  Richert  called 
the  ■  privilegium,'  were  faithfully  kept.  The  Mennonites  did  not  own  the  lands,  but  leased  them 
on  the  condition  of  cultivating  them  ;  the  improvements  were  their  own.  The  Mennonites  had, 
in  fact,  very  little  to  do  with  the  imperial  government;  each  of  the  fifty  villages  had  its  burgo- 
master, and  a  chief  burgomaster  was  elected  by  the  people.  The  government  transacted  its 
business  with  the  Mennonites  through  a  council  consisting  of  three  Russian  officials,  and  these 
performed  their  duty  honestly  — a  rare  thing  in  Russia.  The  Mennonites  were  industrious, 
peaceable,  and  loyal ;  the  Mennonite  was  the  richest  man  in  the  Crimea,  and  one  of  the  wealthi- 
est in  Russia.  Everything  went  well  until  the  government,  in  1871,  announced  its  intention  of  en- 
forcing a  universal  conscription.  Against  this  the  Mennonites  protested.  Ten  years  was  given 
them  to  yield  or  leave.  Thousands  left.  In  1881  the  government  revoked  the  '  privilegium,' 
compelled  the  remaining  Mennonites  to  take  lands  in  severalty,  and  began  to  introduce  the  Rus- 
sian language  into  the  Mennonite  schools.  Russia's  loss  is  our  gain."— Prentis's  "Kansas  Mis- 
cellanies," p.  163. 


490  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

of  them  did  not  know  that  a  European  war  was  in  progress.  They  read  no 
newspapers,  except  their  own  denominational  pubhcations.  They  would 
have  found  themselves  ten  years  later  as  Russian  subjects,  their  children 
compelled  to  go  to  Russian  schools  under  control  of  the  orthodox  church,  and 
their  sons  drafted  into  the  imperial  army,  had  it  not  been  for  one  man,  Herr 
Cornelius  Jansen,  Prussian  consul  at  the  city  of  Berdiansk,  a  Mennonite 
himself,  but  owing  to  his  official  position  fully  in  touch  with  the  outside 
world.  Herr  Jansen  realized  the  consequences  of  the  agreement  between 
the  two  governments,  and  explained  it  to  his  coreligionists,  thereby  causing 
the  greatest  excitement  throughout  the  Mennonite  colonies.  He  strongly 
advised  emigration  to  America,  where  absolute  religious  freedom  would  be 
guaranteed  them.  The  agitation  became  known  to  the  government,  and  the 
Jansen  family  were  expelled  from  the  country,  where  they  had  accumulated 
considerable  property,  of  which  they  could  dispose  only  at  a  great  sacrifice. 
They  came  to  America,  where  they  were  received  with  open  arms  by  the 
Mennonite  communities  of  Lancaster  and  Montgomery  counties,  Pennsylvania, 
and  those  in  Maryland  and  Canada;  communities  which  were  then  200  years 
old,  the  oldest  one  being  Germantown,  near  Philadelphia,  founded  by  Dutch 
Mennonites  about  1680. 

The  arrival  of  Cornelius  Jansen  in  this  country  was  about  the  time  when 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  began  its  colonization 
campaign,  and  soon  I  came  in  touch  with  that  gentleman.  He  visited  Kan- 
sas during  the  summer  of  1873,  and  together  we  traveled  for  a  week  over 
the  company's  land.  A  party  of  Mennonites  were  already  on  the  long,  over- 
land journey  which  was  to  consume  nine  months,  the  expenses  being  de- 
frayed by  the  government.  These  three  delegates  were  to  report  their 
findings  to  the  colonists  upon  their  return.  Under  these  conditions  I  deemed 
it  advisable  to  undertake  a  journey  to  Russia  myself  in  the  interest  of  Kan- 
sas and  the  Santa  Fe  railroad.  The  Mennonites  of  Gnadenau,  Marion  county, 
and  Hoffnungsthal  approved  of  my  plan  and  provided  me  with  about  a  hundred 
letters  of  introduction  to  their  friends  in  West  Prussia  and  South  Russia. 

After  procuring  in  Washington  my  American  passport,  a  precaution  very 
necessary  in  those  times,  especially  for  travel  in  Russia,  I  embarked  early 
in  February,  1875,  in  New  York,  on  the  old  Inman  liner.  City  of  London, 
for  Liverpool.  The  passage  consumed  thirteen  days,  and  was  the  roughest 
of  thirty- six  voyages  to  follow.  After  a  visit  among  the  wealthy  Mennonites 
in  West  Prussia,  near  the  cities  of  Danzig  and  Marienburg,  whence  later  on 
we  received  a  very  valuable  immigration,  I  crossed  the  Russian  frontier, 
between  Eydtkuhnen,  on  the  German,  and  Wirballen,  on  the  Russian,  side. 
On  the  platform  at  the  Wirballen  station  a  dozen  or  more  tall  frontier  gens 
d'armes  loomed  up  threateningly  through  the  driving  snow-storm  in  their 
long  gray  coats,  spiked  helmets,  and  guns  with  fixed  bayonets  over  their 
shoulders.  The  travelers  were  ushered  into  a  smoky  room  for  examination 
as  to  their  business  and  scrutiny  of  their  passports.  Fortunately,  I  escaped 
an  examination  of  my  person  and  the  danger  of  discovery  of  my  many 
letters  of  introduction,  which  I  had  strung  on  a  tape  and  tied  around  my 
body  underneath  my  clothes.  If  they  had  been  discovered,  my  mission  would 
have  been  nipped  in  the  bud. 

Then  followed  a  tedious  railway  journey  of  about  a  week's  duration,  over 
a  wintry  landscape  of  plain  and  forest.  Ten  miles  an  hour  was  about  the 
average  speed,  owing  to  deep  snows  and  frequent  blockades.     Fortunately 


Foreign  Immigration  Work  for  Kansas.  491 

the  first-class  carriages  were  elegantly  fitted  up  and  every  possible  comfort 
provided.  All  were  transformed  into  sleepers  at  night.  In  fact  the  Rus- 
sian railway  carriages,  even  at  that  time,  were  not  behind  our  present  most 
luxurious  Pullmans.  At  every  station  elegant  dining-halls  were  provided 
for  the  traveling  public,  handsomely  fitted  up  and  decorated  with  tropical 
plants,  the  tables  spread  with  the  finest  linen  and  costly  tableware.  Ex- 
cellent meals  were  served  there  prepared  by  Tartar  cooks  and  served  by 
Tartar  waiters  in  spotless  white  clothes.  A  feature  in  every  dining-hall  is 
a  long  counter  filled  with  glass  tumblers,  each  containing  two  lumps  of 
sugar  and  a  slice  of  lemon,  and  the  traveler  helps  himself  to  a  glass  of  de- 
licious tea  from  the  samovars,  one  of  which  stands  at  each  end  of  the 
counter.  The  tea  is  of  the  celebrated  China  product  which  comes  in  brick 
form  overland  from  Maimatschin,  by  way  of  Kiachta. 

My  route  took  me  through  the  cities  of  Vilna,  Minsk,  Smolensk,  Orel, 
Kursk,  Kharkov  and  Lasovaia  to  Alexandrovsk,  the  last  named  being  the 
railway  station  nearest  the  large  German  colonies.  My  traveling  compan- 
ions along  the  route  were  chiefly  army  officers  on  their  way  to  distant  gar- 
risons and  noblemen  traveling  to  their  estates  in  the  Caucasus  or  in  South 
Russia.  Card  playing  and  champagne  drinking  constituted  their  occupation 
en  route.  All  of  them  could  speak  French,  and  some  of  them  even  English 
and  German.  Their  American  traveling  companion  who  traveled  through 
Russia  in  winter-time,  unable  to  understand  or  speak  a  word  of  the  Russian 
language,  was  a  curiosity  to  them,  and  they  showed  me  many  courtesies. 
One  Russian  prince,  dressed  picturesquely  in  silks  and  furs,  who  had  boarded 
our  train  at  Smolensk,  expressed  great  interest  in  American  agriculture.  He 
owned  a  large  estate  at  the  foot  of  the  Caucasus  and  was  then  on  his  way 
there.  Before  we  parted  at  the  city  of  Kursk,  where  we  were  held  for  a 
day  and  a  night  by  a  snow  blockade,  he  requested  me  to  buy  for  him,  on  my 
return  home,  three  American  harvesting-machines,  which  I  had  described 
to  him. 

At  the  station  of  Lasovaia,  the  junction  point  of  the  railway  lines  from 
St.  Petersburg,  Moscow,  the  Caucasus,  and  the  Crimea,  I  found  a  company 
of  German  colonists  on  their  return  home  from  Moscow.  They  were  a  God- 
send to  me,  as  they  proved  a  rich  source  of  information  about  the  Men- 
nonite  and  other  German  colonies  in  southern  Russia.  I  gladly  joined  them 
in  their  second-class  coach  for  the  remainder  of  my  railway  journey  to 
Alexandrovsk,  which  was  also  their  destination.  We  arrived  there  in  the 
evening  of  the  same  day,  and  my  companions  were  met  by  sleighs,  each 
hitched  with  four  horses  abreast  and  amply  supplied  with  fur  rugs.  Two 
hours  of  rapid  sleigh-ride  brought  us  to  the  village  of  Friedrichsfeld,  the 
northernmost  of  the  German  colonies,  consisting  of  Lutherans.  The  Lu- 
theran colonists  were  not  affected  by  the  emigration  fever,  but  they  knew 
about  the  proposed  movement  among  their  Mennonite  neighbors  to  the 
south,  and  were  personally  acquainted  with  many  of  the  persons  to  whom  I 
had  letters  of  introduction. 

On  the  following  morning  my  missionary  campaign  began  in  good  earnest. 
An  all-day  sleigh-ride  brought  me  from  Friedrichsfeld  to  Alexanderwohl,  the 
first  Mennonite  village.  Here  lived  a  Mennonite  merchant  of  much  influ- 
ence with  the  St.  Petersburg  government  and  with  the  colonists,  who 
looked  up  to  him  as  a  sort  of  oracle,  to  be  consulted  in  all  their  difficulties. 
This  man  was  childless  and  rich,  and  therefore  not  in  sympathy  with  the 


492  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

emigration  movement.  For  this  reason  the  Mennonites  already  in  Kansas 
had  thought  it  important  that  I  should  call  on  him  first  and  try  to  win  him 
over  to  their  cause,  because  then  I  should  have  clear  sailing  in  the  colonies. 
The  letter  which  I  presented  to  him  from  his  brethren  in  Kansas,  however, 
procured  me  but  scant  courtesy,  and  I  saw  at  once  that  my  call  at  his  house 
was  a  mistake.  He  assured  me  that  there  was  no  more  emigration  to  be  ex- 
pected, the  dissatisfied  element  had  departed,  and  those  who  remained  were 
satisfied  with  their  condition,  and  why  should  they  not  be  ?  The  czar  loved 
them  and  treated  them  as  a  father.  Only  a  few  weeks  ago  General  von 
Todtleben,  the  friend  of  the  emperor,  Alexander  II,  and  a  German  by  descent, 
had  been  traveling  through  the  settlements  as  special  ambassador  of  the 
tsar  to  assure  the  Mennonites  of  his  majesty's  interest  in  their  welfare,  and 
to  prevail  upon  them  not  to  give  up  their  homes.  The  general  had  held 
meetings  at  every  one  of  the  villages  and  convinced  the  people  that  they 
would  make  a  great  mistake  if  they  would  emigate  to  America.  My  host 
further  assured  me  that  I  should  only  waste  my  time  if  I  were  to  continue 
to  pursue  my  evident  object  in  inciting  the  people  to  emigrate,  and  it  might 
bring  me  in  conflict  with  the  authorities  of  the  province.  This  was  cold 
comfort  indeed,  but  I  determined  not  to  be  bluffed  in  that  way.  After  as- 
suring my  host  that  I  should  return  to  Germany  after  delivering  just  a  few 
family  letters  in  the  next  village,  I  went  to  bed  and  planned  my  future  cam- 
paign. The  following  morning  a  sleigh  team  was  placed  at  my  disposal  to 
take  me  to  the  neighboring  estate  of  a  wealthy  Mennonite  family,  who 
already  had  friends  in  Kansas.  The  very  driver  of  my  team  told  me  that 
hundreds  of  families  were  preparing  to  go  to  America,  and  that  he  himself 
was  one  of  them;  that  Herr  Klaassen,  whose  house  we  had  just  left,  was  to 
blame  for  the  difficulty  the  intending  emigrants  had  in  securing  the  neces- 
sary passports,  and  that  I  must  be  very  careful,  because  Klaassen  would 
lose  no  time  in  informing  the  governor  at  Simferopol  of  my  presence. 

Attaching  little  importance  to  this  caution,  I  pursued  my  journey  through 
the  fifty-six  Mennonite  villages,  which  constitute  what  is  known  as  the 
Molotschna  (Milk  river)  colony.  My  reception  was  cordial  everywhere,  my 
visit  having  already  been  announced  by  letters  from  Kansas.  Large  crowds 
of  men,  women  and  children  greeted  me  at  the  schoolhouses  and  other  meet- 
ing-places, and  the  most  intense  interest  was  shown  in  all  I  had  to  say  about 
conditions  in  Kansas.  Many  unexpected  questions  were  asked,  as  for  in- 
stance, What  protection  is  there  in  Kansas  against  the  Indians,  the  Indian 
Territory  being  so  near  the  state?  "Soldiers  must  certainly  be  needed 
there,  and  we  do  not  bear  arms."  I  assured  them  there  was  a  provision  in 
the  constitution  of  Kansas  exempting  from  militia  duty  all  those  who  had 
religious  scruples,  and  this  aided  greatly  in  attracting  the  Mennonites  to 
Kansas.  4 

My  desire  to  transplant  to  Kansas  as  many  of  these  people  as  possible 
increased  as  I  traveled  through  those  thrifty  and  handsome  villages.  The 
dwelling-houses  were  large  brick  structures  with  tile  roofs,  a  flower-garden 
between  the  street  and  the  house,  and  well-kept  vegetable-garden  and  or- 
chard in  the  rear.  The  stables  were  filled  with  splendid  work-horses  of 
heavy  build,  and  the  sheds  with  vehicles  of  all  descriptions,  among  them 
comfortable  family  coaches  and  all  kinds  of  American  farming  machinery. 

Note  4.— Section  1,  article  8,  of  the  constitution  ;  section  4032,  General  Statutes  of  1901. 


Foreign  Immigration  Work  for  Kansas.  493 

They  were  certainly  the  best  appointed  farming  communities  I  had  seen 
anywhere.  Scattered  over  the  country  were  large,  isolated  estates,  with 
buildings  reminding  one  of  the  feudal  baronial  castles  of  western  Europe. 
Their  owners  were  millionaire  Mennonites,  who  had  acquired  large  tracts  of 
land  by  private  purchase.  I  was  entertained  by  one  of  them,  who  had  the 
reputation  of  being  the  largest  sheep  owner  in  Europe.  When  I  asked  him 
how  many  sheep  he  owned  he  could  not  tell,  but  said  he  had  3000  shepherd- 
dogs  taking  care  of  his  flock.  A  httle  figuring  developed  that  he  owned 
over  half  a  million  sheep,  scattered  in  flocks  all  along  the  coast  of  the  Black 
sea. 

As  I  proceeded  on  my  journey  I  became  more  and  more  convinced  that 
the  emigration  fever  was  very  strong,  and  that  thousands  of  families  were 
arranging  their  affairs  with  a  view  to  leaving  as  soon  as  possible.  When 
my  presence  in  the  colonies  became  generally  known,  the  people  came  from 
every  direction  in  order  to  see  me  as  soon  as  possible.  For  about  a  month 
I  traveled  through  the  Molotschna  colony,  holding  meetings  two  and  three 
times  a  day,  till  at  last  my  voice  gave  out.  Rumors  had  reached  me  at  dif- 
ferent places  that  I  was  being  hunted  by  mounted  gens  d'armes,  and  a  report 
had  gained  ground  that  I  had  been  captured  and  was  on  my  way  to  Siberia 
with  other  prisoners.  I  was  not  alarmed  by  these  reports,  but,  for  the  sake 
of  a  little  rest,  I  left  the  agricultural  colonies  and  proceeded  by  wagon  to 
the  seaport  city  of  Berdiansk,  seventy  versts  south  of  the  Molotschna  col- 
ony. Berdiansk  is  the  seaport  for  the  largest  of  the  Mennonite  colonies,  and 
among  its  inhabitants  are  many  well-to-do  Mennonites,  engaged  in  trade, 
milling,  and  shipping.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  it  had  about  25,000  inhabit- 
ants, of  a  great  variety  of  nationalities— Russians,  Turks,  Tartars,  Bulgarians, 
Armenians,  Greeks,  English,  and  Germans.  It  was  from  this  port  that,  four 
months  after  my  visit,  a  Red  Star  Line  steamer  carried  a  full  cargo  of 
household  goods,  farm  implements,  and  wagons,  the  personal  property  of 
400  Mennonite  families  from  the  Molotschna  colonies,  to  Philadelphia,  con- 
signed to  Newton,  Kan.,  and  carried  all  the  way  at  the  expense  of  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company.  It  was  here,  also,  where  a  Mennonite  bishop 
entrusted  me  with  80,000  rubles  ($56,000)  in  the  form  of  a  draft  on  Ham- 
burg, with  the  request  to  invest  that  sum  in  land-grant  bonds  of  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  which  then  could  be  bought  at 
sixty-five  per  cent,  of  their  face  value,  but  were  accepted  at  par  by  the 
company  in  payment  for  land. 

My  stay  at  Berdiansk  was  limited  to  three  days,  one  of  them  a  Sunday, 
pleasantly  spent  in  a  circle  of  refined  Mennonite  families,  many  of  whom  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  later  in  Kansas.  My  host,  the  proprietor  of  a 
large  flouring-mill,  furnished  me  with  a  team  and  driver  for  the  drive  to 
another  large  inland  colony,  where  I  resumed  my  missionary  work,  preach- 
ing the  gospel  of  emigration  to  Kansas  from  village  to  village,  and  earning 
among  the  Mennonites  the  title  of  their  Moses.  The  people  in  this  colony 
were  all  surprised  to  see  me  amongst  them,  because  they  had  what  they 
considered  reliable  information  that  I  had  been  arrested  and  deported  to 
Siberia.  One  gossip  had  seen  me  amid  a  troop  of  convicts,  escorted  by 
Cossacks,  on  the  road  to  Orenburg.  The  evidences  of  pursuit  at  last  be- 
came so  alarming  that  I  thought  it  best  to  hasten  my  work,  and  as  soon  as 
possible  seek  the  protection  of  the  nearest  American  consulate,  which  was 
at  Odessa.     One  evening,  while  driving  from  Mariawohl,  where  I  had  held  a 


494  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

meeting,  back  to  Ruckenau,  where  I  had  come  from  in  the  morning,  a  man 
on  horseback  at  a  gallop  caught  up  with  the  carriage  and  asked  the  driver, 
my  Ruckenau  host,  whether  I  was  in  the  carriage.  He  had  just  been  at 
Mariawohl  in  quest  of  me  and  had  been  told  that  I  was  on  my  way  back  to 
Ruckenau.  He  was  a  messenger  sent  by  my  Berdiansk  friends  to  put  me 
on  my  guard.  Three  mounted  gens  d'armes  were  at  my  heels  and  would 
probably  be  at  Ruckenau  that  night.  The  miller  with  whom  I  had  stopped 
at  Berdiansk  had  been  arrested  and  imprisoned  for  showing  me  hospitality 
and  pretending  to  be  unable  to  give  information  as  to  my  whereabouts. 

This  news  alarmed  my  Ruckenau  host  so  much  that  he  concluded  not  to 
take  me  back  to  his  house.  He  put  me  off  at  a  blacksmith  shop  outside  the 
village,  until  he  had  made  sure  that  the  coast  was  yet  clear.  In  a  short 
time  he  came  back  for  me;  and,  after  a  hasty  supper,  I  started,  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night,  with  an  escort  of  two  strapping  young  Mennonites,  on  a 
springless  wagon,  to  which  four  horses  were  hitched  abreast,  for  Melitopol, 
the  nearest  railway  station,  about  seventy  miles  away.  The  roads  were 
terrible !  The  streets  through  which  we  had  to  pass  were  well  enough,  be- 
ing covered  with  a  bed  of  straw,  but  upon  the  high  steppes  the  roads  were 
yet  covered  with  snow  in  deep  ruts.  It  was  a  night  ride  that  I  shall  never 
forget.  By  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  had  reached  the  village  of  Ter- 
pinje.  Here  I  had  a  letter  to  deliver  to  a  prominent  Mennonite,  Mr.  War- 
kentin,  from  his  son,  already  in  Kansas.  The  old  gentleman  had  been 
looking  for  me  for  many  days,  but  had  finally  given  me  up  when  he  had 
been  informed  of  my  supposed  arrest.  He  had  also  written  this  information 
to  his  son  in  Kansas,  and  when  I  so  unexpectedly  turned  up  he  was  greatly 
delighted,  and  would  not  allow  me  to  proceed  on  my  flight.  He  assured  me 
of  my  safety  under  his  roof,  and  in  Terpinje,  which  was  an  exclusively 
Russian  town,  with  himself  as  the  chief  magistrate.  "Here  I  am  the  tsar," 
he  said,  "and  no  gens  d'armes  will  dare  touch  my  guest."  And  right  he 
was;  no  officers  came  near  me.  I  had  a  delightful  rest  for  a  few  days  and 
the  first  leisure  to  write  home  of  my  safety  thus  far.  It  was  certain  that 
young  Warkentin,  when  he  received  his  father's  letter  informing  him  of  my 
supposed  Siberian  expedition,  would  communicate  the  news  to  the  railroad 
officials  at  Topeka  and  to  my  family.  This  was  actually  the  case,  and  be- 
fore my  first  letter  reached  Topeka  steps  had  been  taken  by  the  railroad 
company,  through  the  government  in  Washington,  to  procure  my  liberation. 

Mr.  Warkentin  was  one  of  the  three  delegates  who  had  been  in  eastern 
Siberia  and  the  Amur  valley  to  explore  that  region  with  a  view  to  possible 
Mennonite  colonization.  He  had  but  recently  returned,  and  assured  me  that 
no  Mennonite  would  go  there,  because  the  journey  was  too  long  and  difficult, 
there  being  no  railroad  then,  and  there  would  be  no  market  there  for  agri- 
cultural products.  In  his  opinion,  the  emigration  would  all  turn  to  America. 
He  himself  later  on  joined  me  in  Germany  and  accompanied  me  for  a  visit 
to  Kansas,  where  he  attended  the  marriage  of  his  son  and  set  him  up  in  the 
business  of  milling  at  Newton.  The  Newton  Milling  and  Elevator  Com- 
pany, with  Bernhard  Warkentin,  president,  is  to-day  a  very  large  concern, 
with  branch  mills  in  surrounding  Kansas  and  Oklahoma  towns. 

On  leaving  Terpinje,  Mr.  Warkentin  himself  drove  me  to  the  railroad 
town  of  Melitopol,  where  he  had  a  large  flour  store.  There  I  took  the  train 
to  Odessa,  where  I  had  my  passport  indorsed  by  the  only  American  consul 


Foreign  Immigration  Work  for  Kansas.  495 

in  southern  Russia,  in  order  to  guard  against  any  possible  trouble  when 
crossing  the  frontier  at  Podwolociska,  the  gateway  to  Austria-Hungary. 

After  this  interesting  campaign  in  Russia  I  spent  two  months  more  in 
Austria,  Germany,  and  Switzerland,  appointing  agents  for  my  immigration 
department,  thus  completing  my  first  European  mission,  which,  however, 
was  by  no  means  my  last. 

Although  my  work  in  Russia  was  cut  short  by  the  threatening  attitude 
of  the  authorities,  the  result  was  exceedingly  satisfactory.  The  first  ar- 
rival of  Mennonites  in  Kansas  that  same  year  consisted  of  400  families,  1900 
people,  who  brought  with  them  two  and  a  quarter  million  dollars  in  gold, 
and  purchased  60,000  acres  of  land  in  the  counties  of  Marion,  McPherson, 
Harvey,  and  Reno.  They  arrived  simultaneously  with  the  grasshoppers, 
but  outstayed  them. 

For  four  weeks,  pending  the  selection  of  their  lands,  these  400  families 
were  quartered  at  Topeka,  in  the  King  bridge  shops,  which,  about  that  time, 
had  been  purchased  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company 
for  car  shops,  and  were  not  yet  fitted  up  with  machinery,  but  consisting  merely 
of  an  immense  brick  enclosure  of  several  acres  of  ground,  safely  roofed. 
During  that  period  the  merchants  of  Topeka  did  a  thriving  trade  with  these 
newcomers.  Processions  of  Mennonite  men,  women  and  children  were  con- 
stantly passing  between  the  stores  on  Kansas  avenue  and  the  bridge  shops, 
carrying  purchased  articles  for  the  prospective  households  on  the  prairies. 
Finally,  the  tradespeople  estabhshed  themselves  temporarily  in  booths  and 
tents  near  the  bridge  shops,  and  a  regular  fair  was  in  progress  there. 
Farmers  for  hundreds  of  miles  around  Topeka,  who  had  no  feed  for  their 
stock,  owing  to  the  protracted  grasshopper  visitation,  brought  horses,  cows, 
calves,  pigs  and  poultry  to  this  market,  and  the  new  settlers  bought  what 
they  wanted  at  ridiculously  low  prices,  thus  profiting  by  the  scourge.  ^ 

Before  their  departure  from  Topeka  to  their  new  homes  in  the  counties 
of  Marion,  McPherson,  Harvey,  and  Reno,  the  governor  extended  to  the 
Mennonites  an  invitation  to  visit  him  at  the  state  capitol,  and  most  of  the 
1900  men,  women,  and  children,  in  their  none  too  elaborate,  but  strange- 
looking  costumes,  filed  through  the  imposing  halls  and  offices  of  the  stately 
capitol  building,  shaking  hands  with  the  governor  and  other  state  officers; 
my  genial  friend,  Mr.  Jake  Smith,  who,  for  that  occasion,  had  assumed  the 
name  of  "Jakob  Schmidt,"  acted  as  master  of  ceremonies.  This  "levee" 
was  perhaps  the  most  picturesque  ever  held  at  Topeka,  and  the  governor's 
hospitality  was  sincerely  appreciated  by  the  guests. 

By  the  year  1883  about  15,000  of  these  people  had  settled  on  the  lands  of 
the  Santa  Fe  road,  and  since  then  they  have  increased  to  at  least  60,000. 
Branch  settlements  have  been  established  by  them  in  Oklahoma  and  in  the 
Arkansas  valley  of  Colorado.  Their  mass  movement  from  Russia  had  the 
effect  of  starting  a  Mennonite  emigration  also  from  South  Germany,  Switzer- 
land, and  West  Prussia. 

Note  5.—  Wilder's  Annals,  second  edition,  gives  the  following'  facts  relating  to  this  emigra- 
tion :  "August  5.  1873.—  Five  Mennonite  leaders  visit  Harvey,  Sedgwick,  Reno,  Marion  and  Mc- 
Pherson counties  to  select  land  for  a  colony  from  Russia.  March  19,  1874.  -An  act  e.xempting 
Mennonites  and  Friends  from  military  service.  September  8,  1874.— Six  hundred  Mennonites 
arrive  in  Topeka.  September  2.3,  1874.—  Eleven  hundred  Mennonites  arrive  at  Topeka.  October 
14,  1874.-  Buy  100,000  acres  of  land  of  the  A.  T  &  S.  F.  Railway  Company.  January  2,  1875.- 
Two  hundred  Mennonites  arrive  at  Great  Bend,  direct  from  Russia.  August  10,  1875.  —A  train  with 
201  Mennonites  arrives  at  Topeka  and  leaves  for  the  southwest.  July  15,  1877.— C.  B.  Schmidt 
says  that  more  than  6000  Mennonites  are  now  living  in  the  Arkansas  valley.  February  2,  1884.  — 
Two  townships  of  land  in  Reno  county  bought  by  Mennonites." 


496  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

They  have  brought  out  bleeding  Kansas  with  flying  colors;  they  made  it 
the  banner  wheat  state  by  "plowing  the  dew  under. "  They  have  made  their 
section  of  Kansas  a  garden  of  affluence  and  contentment.  They  have  built 
a  college  •^  in  Kansas  and  missions  among  the  Indians  in  the  Indian  Territory. '^ 
They  have  brought  the  Cheyennes  and  Arapahoes  to  their  farms,  and  taught 
them,  not  only  to  work,  but  to  read  and  write  English  and  German,  and  to 
live  hke  Christians. 

An  incident  in  the  Mennonite  emigration  from  Russia  led  to  diplomatic 
correspondence  between  Washington  and  St.  Petersburg  in  1880. 

Among  the  Mennonites  in  southern  Russia  there  were  a  number  of  very 
wealthy  men,  owning  extensive  tracts  of  land,  acquired  by  private  purchase, 
and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  sheep.  These  people  would  have  been  sub- 
jected to  great  sacrifices  of  property  if  they  had  left  the  country.  They 
tried  every  means  to  avoid  emigration,  and  remain  in  Russia  as  foreign 
colonists  under  the  protection  of  some  foreign  power.  They  had  petitioned 
the  Swiss  government  for  citizenship,  with  the  privilege  of  residing  in  Rus- 
sia, but,  of  course,  were  refused.  The  ten-year  emigration  privilege  was 
drawing  to  a  close,  and  something  had  to  be  done.  In  their  desperation  they 
fell  victims  to  the  cupidity  of  corrupt  government  officials. 

In  the  fall  of  1879  a  Mennonite  preacher  in  McPherson  county  received  a 
letter  from  one  of  those  wealthy  colonists  informing  him  that  he  and  seven 
other  families  had  found  a  way  to  avoid  emigration  and  to  continue  to  enjoy 
their  special  privileges  as  foreign  colonists.  For  the  payment  of  4000  rubles 
for  each  family  they  had  secured  American  citizenship  papers,  and  they 
considered  it  cheap.  All  they  had  to  do  was  to  apply  to  the  governor  of  the 
province  for  these  papers  and  he  procured  them  from  the  consul,  upon  pay- 
ment of  4000  rubles  each.  This  letter  was  sent  to  me,  with  the  request  to 
lay  it  before  the  government  in  Washington.  I  sent  a  translation  to  the 
Department  of  State,  at  the  same  time  informing  the  secretary,  Mr.  Wm. 
M.  Evarts,  that  I  expected  to  start  for  Europe  soon  and  would  bring  the 
original  letter  to  Washington  with  me,  if  he  desired  to  see  it.  Mr.  Evarts 
promptly  requested  me  by  wire  to  call  at  the  department  with  the  letter  on 
my  way  through  Washington.  I  complied  with  the  request,  but  on  arriving  at 
Washington  I  found  that  Mr.  Evarts  had  gone  to  Boston.  Col.  John  Hay, 
then  first  assistant  secretary  of  state,  knew  of  the  matter,  and  he  went  with 
me  to  the  White  House  and  introduced  me  to  the  president,  Mr.  Rutherford 
B.  Hayes.  Mr.  Hayes  was  intensely  interested  in  the  affair,  when  I  related 
to  him  the  history  of  the  Mennonites  and  their  immigration  to  Kansas.  In- 
quiry developed  the  fact  that  there  was  only  one  American  consulate  in 
southern  Russia,  and  that  in  Odessa.  Consul  Smith  stood  high  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  State  Department,  and  the  idea  that  he  could  be  implicated  in 
the  fraud  was  not  entertained  for  a  moment.  The  president,  upon  learning 
that  I  was  then  on  my  way  to  Europe,  suggested  that  I  proceed  to  Russia 
as  a  special  agent  of  the  government  to  investigate  the  case.  I  should  have 
been  glad  to  accept  this  mission,  in  the  hope  of  securing  to  Kansas  so  valua- 

NOTE  6.— The  Mennonites  of  Kansas  have  founded  but  one  college.  Bethel,  at  Newton,  but 
several  small  preparatory  schools  have  been  maintained  in  some  congrregations,  and  in  very 
many  churches.     So-called  parochial  schools  exist  were  German  is  taught."— C.  H.  Wedel. 

Note  7. — Daniel  K.  Cassel's  "History  of  the  Mennonites,"  Philadelphia,  1888,  relates  largely 
to  their  settlements  in  the  United  States.  Pages  126-128  contain  a  report  by  Rev.  S.  S.  Haury  of 
his  mission  vsrork  among  the  Arapahoe  and  Cheyenne  Indians  at  Darlington  and  Cantonment, 
Okla.,  begun  in  1880  at  the  instance  of  John  D.  Miles,  of  Lawrence,  Kan.,  then  agent  to  these 
tribes. 


Edward  Grafstrom,  a  Hero  of  the  Flood  of  1903.         497 

ble  an  immigration  as  those  Mennonite  millionaires  would  have  been,  but 
the  directors  of  the  Santa  Fe  road,  in  Boston,  refused  their  consent. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  abroad  I  read  in  the  London  Times  an  account  of 
the  oflficial  attempt  in  Russia  to  prevent,  by  fraud  and  misrepresentation, 
the  emigration  of  the  wealthy  Mennonites,  and  that  the  eight  families,  upon 
representation  of  the  matter  by  the  American  minister  at  St.  Petersburg, 
had  been  refunded  the  money  paid  by  them  for  their  spurious  American 
citizenship. 

Fearing  that  the  Mennonite  emigration  might  assume  still  greater  pro- 
portions, and  desiring  to  retain  such  valuable  settlers  in  the  empire,  the 
Russian  government  finally  granted  them  a  continuation  of  their  special 
privileges,  such  as  immunity  from  military  service,  religious  liberty,  and 
German  schools  and  churches.  This  concession  checked  the  mass  emigration 
of  the  Mennonites  from  Russia. 


EDWARD  GRAFSTROM,  A  HERO  OF  THE  FLOOD 
OF  1903. 
A  LARGE  number  of  friends  met  in  the  Hall  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
-^"^  tives,  Saturday  afternoon,  June  2,  1906,  to  witness  the  presentation 
to  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  of  a  bronze  tablet  in  honor  of  Ed- 
ward Grafstrom.  The  tablet  is  of  elegant  design  and  perfect  workmanship, 
3  feet  by  4  feet  9J  inches  in  size,  and  bears  the  following  inscription: 

"In  memory  of  Edward  Grafstrom,  son  of  Col.  Carl  Axel  and  Cecilia 
Grafstrom.  Born  in  Motola,  Sweden,  December  19,  1862.  He  was  edu- 
cated at  Orebro  University,  and  at  Boras  Institute  of  Technology,  where, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  received  the  degree  of  mechanical  engineer,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  was  chief  mechanical  engineer  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railway.  During  the  great  flood  of  June,  1903,  which 
swept  over  North  Topeka,  he  designed  and  built  a  small  side-wheel  steamer, 
in  which,  with  a  volunteer  crew  of  six  men,  he  rescued  hundreds  of  people. 
While  making  the  last  trip,  on  the  night  of  June  2,  1903,  the  boat  was  cap- 
sized and  Mr.  Grafstrom  was  drowned.  His  noble  personality  endeared  him 
to  all.  This  tablet  is  erected  in  grateful  appreciation  of  his  heroic  sacrifice 
in  giving  up  his  Hfe  to  save  others." 

Mr.  Charles  S.  Gleed,  of  Topeka,  presided.  A  quartette  composed  of 
Mrs.  George  W.  Parkhurst,  Mrs.  Florence  Thatcher,  Mr.  James  Moore,  and 
Mr.  Harry  Pribble,  accompanied  by  Miss  Gertrude  Tracy,  sang  "Beauteous 
Morn." 

Mr.  Gleed  said: 

"This  tablet  has  been  given  to  the  state  of  Kansas  by  a  committee  of 
railroad  men,  in  Chicago  and  elsewhere,  as  an  expression  of  their  admiration 
for  the  late  Edward  Grafstrom.  The  pedestal  supporting  the  tablet  was  de- 
signed by  the  state  architect,  John  Stanton,  and  built  by  Mr.  John  Purcell 
and  his  assistants,  in  the  shops  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Company 
in  this  city.  We  are  honored  to-day  by  the  presence  of  the  chief  executive 
of  the  state.  Governor  Hoch,  who,  on  behalf  of  the  state,  will  accept  this 
tablet." 

Gov.  Edward  W.  Hoch  spoke  as  follows: 

"No  more  certain  is  it  true  that  all  the  world  loves  a  lover  than  is  it  true 
that  all  the  world  loves  a  brave  man.  Deny  it  as  we  may,  and  often  do,  it 
is  true,  nevertheless,   that  to  a  large  extent  we  are  all  hero-worshipers. 

-32 


498 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


mmm 


f7\ 


I^K- 


i:-'  v/' 


r      r      .      i      1/ 


Bronze  tablet,  3  feet  x  4  feet  O'l..  inches,  cdntnl.utcd  It,  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society 
collections  in  honor  of  Edward  Graf  strom  by  the  railroad  mechanical  engineers  of  the  United 
States. 


Edward  Grafstrom,  a  Hero  of  the  Flood  of  1903.         499 

Deeds  of  valor  command  our  admiration,  and  we  yield  instinctive  homage  to 
those  who  lift  themselves  above  the  common  level  by  acts  of  heroism.  In 
all  the  realm  of  human  endeavor,  in  all  the  field  of  fierce  conflict,  in  military 
and  civil  walks  alike,  noble  spirits  have  appealed  to  this  innate  love  of  the 
courageous  within  us.  All  our  hearts  beat  faster  when  we  think  of  Spartan 
valor  at  Thermopylae ;  of  the  desperate  daring  of  the  Light  Brigade;  of  Pick- 
ett's historic  charge;  of  Lawrence  of  "Don't  give  up  the  ship"  fame;  of 
Nelson  and  the  world's  greatest  naval  battle;  of  Farragut,  lashed  to  the 
rigging  of  his  flag-ship.  Or,  in  civil  realms,  of  General  Gordon  in  the  Sou- 
dan; of  Livingstone,  struggling  merely  to  continue  an  existence  against  a 
fatal  disease  until  certain  explorations  could  be  completed;  of  Grant,  under 
similar  circumstances,  battling  against  his  last  and  final  enemy,  an  incurable 
disease,  beating  back  the  foe  only  long  enough  to  complete  his  '  Memoirs  ';  of 
the  Irish  patriot,  Emmet,  flinging  defiance  in  the  face  of  his  accusers.  These 
and  an  innumerable  host  of  other  immortals  thrill  us  with  a  record  of  lives 
heroic. 

"A  great  and  grateful  people  have  just  honored  themselves  in  honoring 
the  memory  of  the  noble  men  and  women  whose  services  and  sacrifices, 
whose  heroic  valor,  preserved  to  posterity  this  government  'of  the  people, 
by  the  people,  for  the  people.'  Memorial  day  is  heroes'  day;  but  not  all  of 
earth's  heroes  have  worn  uniforms  and  carried  guns  and  earned  our  ad- 
miration and  gratitude  on  crimson  fields,  made  red  in  war's  red  carnage. 
Peace  hath  her  heroes  and  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than  war.  For  it 
must  ever  be  true  that  he  that  conquereth  himself  is  greater  than  he  that 
taketh  a  city.  True  courage  does  not  always  lurk  in  the  gun  muzzles,  or 
ghtter  from  saber  points.  The  brave  fireman,  who  cHmbs  the  treacherous 
ladder  and  battles  with  smoke  and  fire  in  topmost  story;  the  locomotive  en- 
gineer, with  hand  on  throttle,  standing  at  his  post,  in  face  of  impending 
collision;  the  sea  captain,  unmoved  and  unmastered  by  storm;  the  faithful 
nurse,  ministering  to  the  dying  in  times  of  pestilence;  the  patriot  in  state 
and  nation,  incurring  ostracism  and  obloquy  for  honest  convictions;  the 
martyr  in  religion,  sacrificing  his  life  for  the  sake  of  truth— all  these  heroes 
are  as  worthy  of  our  admiration  as  those  who  win  their  laurels  'mid  smoke 
and  battle. 

' '  We  have  met  to-day  to  honor  the  memory  of  one  of  these  heroes  in  pri- 
vate  Hfe,  whose  splendid  courage  and  noble  spirit  was  a  rich  possession  of 
this  community,  and  whose  memory  is  a  heritage  of  honor  to  Topeka.  Ed- 
ward Grafstrom  had  heroic  blood  in  his  veins.  He  was  the  son  of  Col.  Carl 
Grafstrom,  a  distinguished  officer  of  the  Swedish  army,  and  was  for  awhile 
himself  in  the  Swedish  navy,  where  another  brother  still  holds  an  important 
official  position.  He  was  born  at  Motola,  Sweden,  December  19,  1862.  He 
was  finely  educated,  a  remarkable  linguist,  and  possessed  a  rare  knowledge 
and  love  of  art.  Of  a  mathematical  trend  of  mind,  he  graduated  from  a  school 
of  mining  and  mechanical  engineering.  He  was  long  engaged  as  master 
mechanic  with  the  railroads  of  this  country,  chiefly  with  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka &  Santa  Fe  Raih'oad  Company,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  chief 
mechanical  engineer  of  this  great  company.  He  was  largely  a  designer  of 
the  heavy  style  of  locomotives,  the  flnest  in  the  world,  now  the  property  of 
this  company.  He  was  a  splendid  type  of  a  magnificent  people,  for  no  country 
on  the  face  of  the  earth,  perhaps,  has  adorned  the  pages  of  human  history 
with  greater  luster  than  the  Scandinavian  peninsula;  the  peninsula  which 
was  really  the  cradle  of  liberty;  the  real  birthplace  of  constitutional  govern- 
ment; the  peninsula  where  the  percentage  of  illiteracy  is  least,  and  the 
ownership  of  homes  by  the  common  people  exceeds  that,  it  is  said,  of  any 
spot  on  earth;  the  peninsula  which  is  rich  in  great  names  of  artists  like 
Thorwaldsen,  of  warriors  like  Gustavus  Adolphus,  of  philosophers  like 
Swendenborg,  of  writers  like  Tegner,  Bremer,  and  Bjornson,  and  of  night- 
ingales like  Jenny  Lind  and  Christine  Neilson. 

"There  are  philosophers  who  contend  that  character  is  largely  a  product 
of  climate  and  of  physical  environment.  There  are  those  who  believe  that 
the  sturdy  character  of  the  American  Puritan  is  really  a  contribution  from 
the  barren  rocks  and  bleak  shores  and  wintry  blasts  and  sterile  fields  of  the 
Plymouth  land,  whence  sprung  this  stalwart  people ;  that  the  necessity  for 


500  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

struggle  in  their  environment  is  the  secret  of  their  character.  By  the  same 
process  of  reasoning,  it  is  beHeved  by  many  that  the  rocks  and  snows  and  se- 
vere conditions  account  for  the  splendid  character  of  the  Swedish  people.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  it  is  certain  that  America  welcomes  no  higher  class  of  immi- 
grants than  that  of  which  Edward  Grafstrom  was  a  typical  representative. 

"The  desire  to  be  remembered  is  a  universal  desire,  and  the  fear  of  for- 
getfulness  is  a  universal  fear.  The  pyramids,  erected  at  an  immense  cost 
of  treasure  and  life,  and  every  tombstone  in  every  cemetery,  alike  attest 
this  universal  fact.  It  is  a  spark  of  the  divinity  within  us  all.  It  is  a  reflex 
of  the  principle  of  immortality.  Perhaps  the  best  argument  for  immortality 
is  the  universal  desire  and  demand  for  it.  No  normal  mind  desires  extinc- 
tion; no  sane  person  wishes  to  be  blotted  out  of  existence;  and  as  science 
has  discovered  nowhere  in  nature  a  demand  without  a  supply,  this  universal 
demand  for  immortality,  I  say,  is  the  best  evidence  of  it,  and  is  in  accord 
with  highest  science  and  best  philosophy.  The  desire  to  be  remembered  and 
the  effort  to  perpetuate  memories  are  reflex  evidences  of  the  divine,  of  the 
immortal  within  us.  This  innate  principle  calls  us  to  this  Representative 
hall  to-day  and  inspires  these  beautiful  ceremonies. 

"Three  years  ago  to-day  the  Kansas  river  from  source  to  mouth  was  a 
terrible  torrent  of  angry  waters.  History  was  eclipsed  and  legend  taxed  in 
this  awful  overflow.  Witnesses  of  the  terrible  scenes  can  never  forget 
them.  The  valleys  became  a  part  of  the  great  raging  stream;  the  overflow- 
ing waters  crept  far  up  on  the  hillsides;  houses  were  swept  from  their 
foundations  and  became  floating  debris  upon  the  bosom  of  the  rushing  cur- 
rent; people  found  refuge  in  trees,  and  the  piteous  cries  for  help  that 
pierced  the  darkness  of  that  awful  night  will  never  cease  echoing  in  the 
memories  of  those  who  heard  them.  In  times  like  these  the  best  and  the 
worst  in  human  nature  are  developed.  Ghouls  there  were,  preying  upon  the 
unfortunate;  but,  thank  God,  heroes  were  more  numerous,  risking  life  that 
the  lives  of  others  might  be  saved,  and  their  deeds  of  daring  would  make 
an  immortal  book. 

"Such  a  hero  was  Edward  Grafstrom.  All  his  great  ability  and  all  his 
splendid  courage  was  devoted  to  the  noble  task  of  rescuing  the  perishing. 
Many  owe  their  lives  to  his  heroic  efforts,  but  without  irreverence  it  may 
be  said  of  him,  as  was  said  of  the  Ideal  Man,  he  saved  others,  but  himself 
he  could  not  save.  Of  the  list  of  lives  lost  in  that  awful  deluge,  none 
brought  more  tears  to  the  weeping  eyes  or  more  pain  to  the  aching  hearts 
of  the  people  of  Topeka  than  the  loss  of  this  fair-haired,  tender-hearted, 
courageous  son  of  Scandinavia,  Edward  Grafstrom,  and  in  token  alike  of 
our  admiration  for  his  character  and  our  gratitude  for  his  noble  acts  in  that 
great  crisis  of  the  city's  history,  and  of  the  love  with  which  we  cherish  his 
memory,  we  place  this  enduring  tablet  to  his  memory  in  the  historic  cham- 
bers of  our  state  capitol,  here  forever  to  remain,  as  a  simple  token  of  our 
love  and  affection,  and  as  an  inspiration  to  nobler  lives  on  the  part  of  all 
who  may  hereafter  stand  in  the  presence  of  this  memorial  of  a  manly  man. 

The  quartette  sang  "Silent  Night." 

Mr.  Gleed  said:  "The  nearest  neighbor  and  one  of  the  closest  friends  of 
Mr.  Grafstrom  was  the  former  lieutenant-governor  of  the  state,  Hon. 
James  A.  Troutman.  Mr.  Troutman  will  speak  to  us  of  his  personal  knowl- 
edge of  Mr.  Grafstrom." 

Mr.  Troutman  spoke  as  follows: 

' '  Near  the  city  of  Cracow,  the  old  capital  of  independent  Poland,  stands 
an  unique  and  significant  monument,  250  feet  high.  It  was  erected  by  a 
grateful  people  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  General  Kosciusko,  known 
everywhere  in  history  as  'Thaddeus  of  Warsaw.'  It  is  composed  exclu- 
:  sively  of  earth  brought  in  contribution  from  the  numerous  battle-fields  upon 
which  the  valor  and  heroism  of  Polish  soldiery  had  been  displayed.  There 
was  no  inspiration  in  the  physical  act  of  gathering  those  contributions  of 
earth  from  historic  battle-grounds,  but  back  of  it  all  was  a  principal  of  uni- 
versal  philosophy  and   love  as  old  as  the  human  race.     "That  monument 


Edward  Grafstrom,  a  Hero  of  the  Flood  of  1903.         501 

means  what  every  monument  and  every  tablet  means— love  and  gratitude 
for  men  who  lived  and  died  for  others. 

"This  is  not  a  meaningless  ceremonial  here  to-day.  It  exemplies  the 
adoration  of  friends  and  neighbors  for  a  heroic  life,  and  typifies  their  sorrow 
for  a  tragic  death.  This  tablet  will  commemorate  a  day  of  sadness  and  deso- 
lation in  this  community,  but  the  circumstances  of  that  fateful  hour  make 
Edward  Grafstrom's  death  an  exaltation  and  the  sorrow  of  family  and  friends 
noble  and  triumphant. 

"The  anxiety  of  that  night  of  gloom  will  never  be  effaced  from  my 
memory.  How  the  neighbors  gathered  in  groups  about  the  family  home- 
stead and  in  subdued  voices  asked  for  hopeful  tidings.  As  footseps  or  car- 
riages were  heard  on  Greenwood  avenue,  noiseless  sentinels  would  hasten  to 
meet  them  with  a  lingering  hope  that  a  messenger  was  bringing  the  news 
that  our  friend  and  neighbor  still  lived.  Hours  lengthened  into  days  and 
buoyancy  and  hope  were  superseded  by  despondency  and  despair. 

"The  receding  waters  left  no  trace  of  the  missing  man.  But  after  the 
lapse  of  days,  some  of  us  still  believed  that  he  would  yet  return.  After  the 
boat  went  down,  his  six  companions,  all  of  whom  had  found  refuge  in  trees 
or  other  places  of  safety,  saw  him  swimming  in  the  turbulent  waters  beyond 
the  timber-line. 

"Powerful  in  physique,  self- poised  in  all  emergencies,  a  skilful  athlete 
and  an  expert  swimmer,  we  hoped  that  he  had  reached  some  place  of  safety 
where  communication  was  impossible.  Mrs.  Troutman  responded  to  tele- 
phone calls  at  our  house  for  ten  days,  momentarily  expecting  a  message  to 
be  repeated  to  Mrs.  Grafstrom  that  her  husband  was  alive.  But  hope  van- 
ished, and  a  whole  neighborhood  was  in  tears  and  a  city  in  mourning.  In- 
comparable havoc  had  been  wrought  all  along  the  valley,  a  pall  rested  over 
a  thousand  homes,  and  the  very  skies  were  clad  in  the  habiliments  of 
mourning.  And  rising  above  it  all,  like  a  pyramid  in  the  solitude  of  gloom, 
was  the  vicarious  sacrifice  of  the  fife  of  this  good  man. 

"There  are  no  degrees  of  personal  grief  when  death  enters  the  home. 
The  tears  in  the  hovel  are  just  as  bitter  as  those  in  the  palace.  A  legend 
comes  to  us  from  the  early  hterature  of  Asia,  which  tells  of  a  woman  who 
presented  herself  to  Buddha  and  implored  him  to  bring  back  the  life  of  her 
dead  child.  'Go,  my  daughter,'  the  great  man  said,  'and  bring  me  a 
mustard  seed  from  a  house  into  which  Death  has  never  entered,  and  I  will 
do  as  thou  hast  bidden  me. '  Impelled  by  a  glimmering  hope,  she  ran  from 
house  to  house  in  town  and  country  in  her  search  for  a  home  that  was  a 
stranger  to  death.  Finally,  in  her  despair  and  isolation,  she  came  to  krow 
the  meaning  of  Buddha's  words.  She  was  impressed  with  the  truth  that  her 
personal  grief  was  but  her  part  of  the  common  sorrow  of  the  human  race, 
Buddha's  philosophy  dispelled  the  illusion  in  this  woman's  mind  that  hers 
was  a  distinct  type  of  bereavement.  No  chemist  can  analyze  tears  of  tribu- 
lation and  tell  whether  they  come  from  rich  or  poor,  high  or  low.  But  so- 
ciety's loss  is  impersonal  and  is  commensurate  with  a  man's  standing  and 
computed  by  what  he  represented  in  the  community. 

"Edward  Grafstrom  was  a  man  of  rare  culture,  unusual  attainments,  of 
commanding  influence  among  his  fellows,  and  just  upon  the  threshold  of  a 
brilliant  career.  Conscious  of  his  power  to  do  more  than  the  ordinary  man 
to  alleviate  the  suffering  and  rescue  the  perishing,  he  was  anxious  to  do  his 
full  duty,  and  designed  and  constructed  a  launch  that  would  do  the  work  of  a 
dozen  of  the  small  and  crude  boats  improvised  and  used  by  others.  He  oper- 
ated it  himself  and  had  made  several  successful  trips,  rescuing  more  than  a 
hundred  people,  when  it  struck  a  tree  and  went  down.  It  is  one  of  the  in- 
explicable freaks  of  fate  that  the  only  man  lost  was  the  designer  of  this 
life-saving  craft. 

"The  extraordinary  character  of  the  man  and  the  beneficent  mission 
which  resulted  in  his  death  invest  this  occasion  with  a  legitimate  public 
interest. 

"Some  sage  said  that  he  would  rather  coming  generations  would  inquire 
why  no  monument  was  erected  over  his  grave  than  to  ask  why  one  was 
erected.     No  one  in  all  this  city  familiar  with  that  deluge  of  three  years 


502  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

ago  will  ever  ask  why  this  tablet  was  erected  to  the  memory  of  Edward 
Grafstrom. 

"Mr.  Grafstrom  had  developed  a  type  of  Kansas  and  Topeka  loyalty  that 
was  one  of  his  marked  characteristics.  When  he  first  came  to  Topeka  he 
wrote  to  his  wife  that  he  believed  the  Lord  had  directed  him  here,  and  that 
he  could  see  great  opportunities  in  the  future.  Only  a  few  evenings  before 
the  flood  he  and  his  wife  came  over  to  our  house,  and  he  told  us  in  confidence 
that  he  had  received  a  tempting  offer  from  a  railroad  company  in  Australia, 
with  headquarters  at  Melbourne.  His  reputation  was  not  limited  to  our 
national  boundaries,  and  this  offer  came  from  a  company  that  was  looking 
for  the  highest  grade  of  skill  and  service.  He  talked  about  the  attractive 
features  of  the  proposition,  but  repeatedly  expressed  his  reluctance  t«  leav- 
ing this  city,  and  said  that,  wherever  he  might  go,  Topeka  would  be  his 
permanent  home.  Here  he  remained,  and  here  he  sleeps  in  an  unknown 
sepulcher. 

"He  had  reached  that  period  in  life  which  some  one  has  designated  as 
'the  old  age  of  youth  and  the  youth  of  old  age  '—forty.  He  was  taken  away 
at  the  dividing  line  between  young  and  mature  manhood,  when  his  plans 
were  necessarily  incomplete  and  his  proficiency  in  its  beginning.  But  no 
man  can  say  at  the  end  of  his  life  that  he  has  accomplished  all  he  desired. 
The  allotted  span  of  life  may  be  given  to  man,  he  may  scale  the  heights  of 
renown,  and  be  the  recipient  of  the  world's  homage,  and  yet  there  will 
always  be  something  more  that  he  would  like  to  accomplish  before  he  dies. 
While  he  lived  scarcely  long  enough  to  accomplish  great  things,  Edward 
Grafstrom's  life  was  well  rounded  and  complete.  I  knew  him  in  the  social 
walks  of  life;  I  knew  him  in  business.  I  knew  him  in  the  hammock  in  the 
front  yard,  and  with  the  hoe  in  his  garden:  I  knew  him  in  the  parlor  and 
dining-room,  the  kitchen  and  the  coal-house;  I  knew  him  before  breakfast 
and  after  supper;  and  he  was  a  polished,  symmetrical  gentleman  at  all  times 
and  under  all  circumstances. 

"Permit  me,  in  conclusion,  to  appropriate  the  words  of  Mark  Antony,  as 
he  stood,  in  mournful  adoration,  over  the  Hfeless  body  of  his  friend  Brutus: 
"  'This  was  the  noblest  Roman  of  them  all; 


His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 

So  mixed  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up 

And  say  to  all  the  world,  This  was  a  man.' " 

The  quartette  sang  "My  Heavenly  Home." 

Mr.  Gleed  said:  "A  position  for  this  tablet  has  been  selected  where  the 
light  for  it  will  be  perfect,  and  where  the  busy  throngs  who  constantly  pass 
through  the  capitol  may  readily  inspect  it." 


THE  STORY  OF  A  FENCELESS  WINTER- WHEAT  FIELD. 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  T.  C.  Henry.  ' 

T  WAS  reared  on  a  limestone  farm  adjoining  Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y.  My 
-*-  father  was  an  intelligent,  thoroughgoing  farmer.  His  specialty  was 
winter  wheat,  to  which  the  old  farm  was  particularly  adapted.  To  this  day 
no  agricultural  product  so  interests  and  attracts  me  as  that  cereal.  The 
land  was  hard  to  work.  Nearly  every  rod  of  the  fencing  was  stone,  gath- 
ered from  the  fields  enclosed.     The  frost  heaved  new  supplies  to  the  surface. 

Note  1. —  Theodore  C.  Henry  was  born  in  Ontario  county.  New  York.  He  was  reared  on 
a  farm,  and  received  a  thorough  academical  and  classical  education.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
was  principal  of  the  high  school  in  the  village  of  Clifton  Springs.  N.  Y.  After  the  close  of  the 
war,  in  1865,  he  went  to  Alabama  and  tried  the  experiment  of  raising  cotton  by  the  use  of  North- 
ern methods.  Impaired  health  and  financial  reverses  made  the  experiment  a  failure.  He  built 
the  first  schoolhouse  for  the  education  of  negro  children  in  central  Alabama.  He  returned  to  his 
native  stat«,  and,  in  1867,  came  to  Kansas,  settling  at  Abilene     In  1868  he  was  quite  a  contractor 


A  Fenceless  Winter-wheat  Field.  503 

which  were  regularly  harvested  after  each  plowing.  I  never  succeeded  in 
doing  a  furrow  turn  without  striking  a  buried  limestone  boulder.  My  young 
hips  were  bruised  all  seeding-time  by  the  handles  jerked  beyond  my  strength 
and  control,  as  the  plow  encountered  those  hidden  bumpers.  For  that 
reason,  and  some  others,  shortly  after  attaining  my  majority,  I  struck  out 
for  the  West.     I  never  intended  to  farm  another  acre  of  land. 

I  still  carry  the  impression  those  great  prairies  of  central  Illinois  made 
upon  me  when  I  first  saw  them,  from  the  Alton  line,  in  October,  1865.  They 
were  as  fertile  as  I  saw  they  were  black.  Thousands  of  cattle  were  feeding 
upon  the  ungathered  corn-fields,  and  not  a  stone  as  large  as  a  hazlenut  on 
10,000  acres!  I  decided  if  the  worst  ever  again  came  to  the  worst,  and  I 
had  to  go  back  to  farming,  I  should  abide  thereabouts. 

A  futile  attempt  to  add  to  my  exchequer  by  growing  cotton  in  Alabama 
at  a  cost  of  twenty  cents  per  pound,  and  marketing  it  in  Montgomery  at 
seven  and  one-third  cents,  cost  me  my  patrimony,  and  eventually  determined 
my  removal  to  Abilene,  Kan.,  in  1867.  There  I  purchased  quite  a  tract  of 
land,  adjoining  the  town,  at  $6.25  per  acre,  which  twenty  years  afterward  I 
sold  for  $150,000— nearly  $270  per  acre.  So,  after  all,  I  became  a  farmer— 
a  Kansas  farmer.  I  soon  "caught  on,"  however.  Within  two  years  I  cap- 
tured a  county  office  and  became  a  real-estate  broker.  My  two  partners 
were  both  county  officers,  and  all  together,  including  some  deputyships,  we 
held  about  four-fifths  of  what  there  was  of  them  in  sight.  Having  success- 
fully organized  what  the  envious  termed  "the  court-house  ring, "we  gained 
a  second  term.  Meantime  I  was  steadily  adding  to  my  land  holdings.  By 
1872  I  had  bought  out  my  partners  and  my  competitors,  gaining  practically 
a  monopoly  of  the  real-estate  business  in  Dickinson  county. 

Alternating  seasons  of  drought  by  that  time  had  convinced  me  that  com 
could  not  be  relied  upon  for  a  safe  and  leading  crop.  Spring  wheat  was  no 
more  successful.  Diversified  and  specialized  crops  were  not  favored  in  that 
frontier  era  of  agriculture.  Sporadic  attempts  to  grow  winter  wheat  had 
been  made  in  the  county,  but  with  irregular  and  precarious  results.  Boy- 
hood predilections  deepened  my  interest  and  influenced  my  systematic  ob- 
servations. In  1873  I  was  ready  to  introduce  my  system  of  winter-wheat 
culture,  mainly  based  upon  changes  of  methods,  and  then  began  operations. 

In  Franklin's  autobiography  is  an  account  of  his  demonstrations  of  the 
value  of  phosphate  of  lime  (plaster)  as  a  fertihzer  applied  to  common  clover. 
Those  of  us  who  are  familiar  with  its  use  in  the  East  know  how  astonishing 
the  improvement  is.  Franklin  selected  a  field  in  the  suburbs  of  Philadelphia 
and  sprinkled  the  lime  on  the  clover  spelled  out  in  great  letters:  "This  Has 
Been  Plastered."  Very  soon,  of  course,  this  unique  display  could  be  seen 
and  read  of  all  men.  The  advertising  feature  to  me  was  quite  as  desirable 
as  any  possible  direct  returns.  The  ingeniousness  of  Franklin's  expedient 
appealed  to  me;  so  I  chose  the  Smoky  Hill  valley,  east  of  Abilene  a  couple 
of  miles,  alongside  the  Union  Pacific  railway,  for  the  site  of  my  winter-wheat 

in  hay.  In  1869  he  became  associated  with  James  B.  Shane  in  the  real-estate  business,  and  his 
firm  had  the  aarency  for  the  sale  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  railway  lands.  In  1SH9  he  was  elected 
rejcister  of  deeds  of  Dickinson  county,  and  reelected  in  1871,  holdinK  the  office  for  four  years.  In 
1870  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Abilene,  being  the  first  one  to  enjoy  that  official  distinction.  In  1873 
he  retired  from  public  life  and  commenced  wheat  farming  on  an  extended  scale,  and  that  year 
had  500  acres  broken  and  seeded  to  wheat.  In  1877  he  had  4000  acres  in  the  same  crop.  In  1876 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  Centennial  commissioners  for  Kansas.  In  1877  he  was  appointed  a 
regent  of  the  State  Agricultural  College.  In  1878  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  from  the 
thirtieth  senatorial  di»trict.  In  1880  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  nomination  of  governorlbefore 
the  Republican  state  convention. 


504  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

farm  project.  I  thought  that  a  few  hundred  acres  area,  returning  but  a 
moderate  average,  would  be  a  far  more  effective  spectacle  than  a  small  acre- 
age, however  extraordinary  its  yield.  Therefore,  I  broke  up  500  acres. 
This  was  mostly  done  with  Texas  oxen,  six-yoke  teams  drawing  twenty- 
inch  Moline  plows,  rigged  to  self -hold.  The  herd-law  statute  just  enacted 
dispensed  with  the  need  of  fencing.  In  August  the  seed,  the  Early  Red  May, 
or  Little  Red  May,  a  soft,  amber-colored,  small,  symmetrical  berry,  was 
broadcasted  on  the  sod  and  covered  by  common  Scotch  harrows,  drawn  by 
ox-teams.  The  ground  was  so  dry  and  hard  that  each  wing  of  the  harrow, 
in  order  to  get  results,  was  weighted  by  a  mowing-machine  wheel.  When 
the  seeding  was  completed  those  harrow-teeth  were  mere  stubs,  all  but  worn 
away.  My  processes  were  purposely  primitive  and  inexpensive,  merely  ad- 
equate for  an  example.  The  opulent  Kansas  wheat  farmer  of  to-day  cannot 
comprehend  the  economic  straits  which  beset  his  predecessor  thirty  years 
ago. 

The  drought  and  grasshopper  year  of  1874  is  famous  in  the  annals  of 
Kansas.  Crops  of  all  kinds  were  nearly  a  total  failure.  Great  distress, 
particularly  in  the  frontier  counties,  followed.  But  my  500-acre  "fenceless  " 
wheat-field,  a  veritable  oasis,  advertised  itself,  like  Franklin's  clover.  Its 
proud  and  surprised  owner  became  famed  as  "the  Kansas  wheat  king." 
Two  Marsh  harvesters  and  a  Weylich  header  were  purchased  to  harvest  the 
crop.  The  harvesters  were  quite  like  the  present  machines,  without  the 
self-binding  attachments.  Two  men  rode  upon  them  and,  standing,  bound 
the  cut  grain  as  it  was  elevated.  But  the  hot  winds  so  ripened  the  grain 
that,  in  forty-eight  hours  from  the  time  we  began,  the  brittle  straw  bands 
would  break  and  we  could  use  the  harvester  no  further.  There  were  more 
than  400  acres  still  left  unsecured.  I  had  never  seen  a  header  work.  I  was 
induced  to  purchase  one  through  the  representations  of  Mr.  G.  B.  Sealy, 
a  leading  merchant  of  Abilene,  who  had  headed  wheat  in  Illinois  before 
coming  to  Kansas.  But  for  that  single  header  I  should  have  lost  the  major 
portion  of  that  wheat  crop.  We  ran  it  with  team  relays  night  and  day  for 
about  ten  days.  At  first  it  happened  to  be  moonHght  and  we  could  operate. 
Later,  a  man  on  a  white  horse,  dressed  in  white,  carrying  a  light  just  ahead 
of  the  machine,  rode  along  the  edge  of  the  uncut  grain  to  guide  the  pilot. 
Finally  we  rigged  a  lamp  and  reflector,  fastened  to  a  reel-post,  and  by  that 
device  successfully  accomplished  our  object. 

The  yield  was  a  trifle  under  twenty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  was  sold  for 
about  ninety  cents  per  bushel.  It  was  thrashed  by  a  steam-engine  and 
thrasher.  Both  that  and  the  header  used,  so  far  as  I  know,  were  the  first 
brought  into  Kansas.  All  the  work  was  done  by  contract,  and  it  become 
known  as  the  * '  contract  system ' '  of  growing  wheat.  I  paid  three  dollars  an 
acre  for  breaking  the  prairie,  twenty  cents  an  acre  for  each  harrowing; 
ten  cents  an  acre  for  the  broadcast  seeding,  and  forty  cents  later,  when  we 
used  drills.  The  price  for  heading  and  stacking  ranged  from  $L50  to  $2 
per  acre.  About  six  cents  per  bushel  was  paid  for  thrashing,  and  the  price 
for  hauling  the  grain  varied  according  to  the  distance  of  the  haul,  from  three 
to  six  cents  per  bushel.  On  the  basis  of  twenty  bushels  to  the  acre,  the 
cost  was  between  forty  and  fifty  cents  per  bushel.  My  boast  was  that  "I 
farmed  in  kid  gloves,  without  horse  or  hoe. ' ' 

In  the  spring  of  1874  I  broke  700  acres  adjoining  the  other.  The  fall  was 
very  favorable  for  seeding.     In  1875,  which  was  a  wet  year,  my  1200-acre 


A  Fenceless  Winter-wheat  Field.  505 

field,  all  adjoining  the  railroad,  attracted  great  attention,  and  was  as  widely 
advertised  as  it  certainly  merited.  The  yield  averaged  nearly  twenty-five 
bushels  to  the  acre.  One  half-section  grew  more  than  thirty-five  bushels 
to  the  acre.  The  crop  was  grown  and  harvested  by  the  contract  system,  as 
before,  and  done  mainly  by  M.  D.  Thisler,  still  a  prosperous  and  respected 
citizen  of  Dickinson  county.  The  price  realized  on  the  railroad-track  at 
Abilene  ranged  from  $1.05  to  $1.21  J  per  bushel,  and  the  crop  was  sold  to 
Leavenworth  millers.  It  was  No.  1,  a  grade  never  again  equaled  in  my 
wheat  growing. 

The  late  Henry  Worrall,  of  Topeka,  a  man  whose  unique  public  services 
Kansas  should  honor,  was  sent  by  a  Chicago  newspaper  to  interview  me, 
and  write  up  and  illustrate  my  wheat-field.  We  had  never  met.  He  was 
directed  to  my  modest  little  cottage  in  town  and  inquired  of  me  where  he 
could  find  Mr.  Henry.  I  told  him  I  presumed  I  was  the  man,  ' '  Oh,  no  ! "  he 
said,  "I  want  to  see  Farmer  Henry,"  "But,"  I  urged,  "I  am  that  party." 
As  I  was  then  in  my  early  '30's,  and  looked  anything  but  a  hornyhanded  son 
of  the  soil,  only  those  who  knew  Professor  Worrall  can  comprehend  his  as- 
tonishment and  characteristic  expression.  He  had  expected  to  see  an  old 
hayseed  farmer,  living  on  a  ranch  with  the  usual  environments— but  merely 
on  a  large  scale. 

My  wheat-farming  operations  were  rapidly  enlarged,  reaching  the  maxi- 
mum of  nearly  10,000,  acres  scattered  over  the  county.  There  were  about 
5000  acres  in  the  main  field,  extending  from  Abilene  five  miles  east  to  De- 
troit, through  the  center  of  which  ran  the  railroad.  In  those  years  the 
trainmen  were  instructed  to  call  out  to  the  passengers:  "We  are  coming  to 
Henry's  wheat-field."  It  was  truly  an  attractive  sight,  particularly  when 
the  harvesting  was  going  on.  All  this  spread  the  story  of  my  success.  The 
example  became  contagious.  Dickinson  for  some  years  was  the  banner 
wheat  county  in  the  state;  and  by  1876  Kansas  surpassed  every  state  in  the 
Union  in  the  production  of  winter  wheat,  a  supremacy  maintained  to  this 
day.  The  fame  of  our  fields  became  national.  In  1876  Colonel  Anderson,  a 
staff  correspondent,  was  sent  out  by  the  New  York  Herald  to  write  up  the 
wheat  industry.  He  called  on  me.  Just  before  sunset  we  drove  to  an  ele- 
vation northeast  of  Abilene,  overlooking  the  valley.  The  yellow  grain, 
nearly  ripe,  stretched  afield  for  miles  to  the  east,  bordered  by  the  deep 
green  verdure  of  the  prairies  on  either  side.  The  setting  sun  gave  bril- 
liancy to  the  contrasting  hues.  My  companion  caught  inspiration  from  the 
scene,  and  exclaimed:  "What  a  magnificent  golden  belt!"  Such  was  the 
origin  of  the  well-known  and  appropriate  term. 

I  spread  my  winter-wheat  propaganda.  No  evangelist  was  ever  more 
active.  I  answered  hundreds  of  letters,  sent  out  thousands  of  circulars, 
wrote  treatises,  and  delivered  addresses.  No  town-site  boomer  in  the  West 
ever  overlapped  me.  As  I  recall  some  of  my  alluring  wheat  literature,  I 
am  sure  I  was  more  poet  all  those  years  than  farmer. 

After  1878  I  began  to  diversify  crops,  and  gradually  diminished  my  wheat 
acreage.  Finally,  I  removed  to  Colorado  in  1883,  where  for  some  years  my 
wheat-growing  and  general  farming  operations  were  even  more  extensive 
than  in  Kansas. 

I  have  often  wondered  who  introduced  the  Red  May  wheat  into  Kansas, 
and  where  it  originated.  My  first  seed  was  grown  by  James  Bell  on  his 
farm   adjoining   Abilene  on    the   south.     This    wheat  did  not  give  a  large 


506  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

yield.  It  was  tender  to  heavy  frosts.  I  experimented  with  other  varieties. 
The  Fultz  was  introduced  from  Pennsylvania.  It  was  very  promising  at 
first,  but  also  proved  to  be  too  tender.  I  brought  the  Clawson  from  New 
York,  a  beautiful,  soft,  white  wheat,  but  it  could  not  withstand  the  cold, 
dry  winter  winds.  Finally,  my  attention  was  directed  to  the  Turkey  or 
Red  Russian  variety.  It  was  a  hard  wheat,  and  at  first  regarded  as  much 
inferior  to  the  Red  May,  but  it  proved  very  hardy  and  yielded  prolifically. 
I  substituted  it,  I  think,  in  1877.  It  became  widely  popular,  and  it  is  still 
mainly  grown  in  Kansas  and  in  the  great  trans-Missouri  West.  I  know 
nothing  as  to  its  origin.  The  wheat  farmers  of  Kansas  should  offer  a  prize 
for  that  information. 

This  leads  me  to  suggest,  in  conclusion,  that  an  association  composed  of 
practical  Kansas  wheat  farmers  should  be  organized,  and  confine  its  investiga- 
tions to  that  product,  with  a  view  to  preserving  its  welfare.  Kansas,  no  more 
than  California,  can  indefinitely  grow  wheat  and  not  exhaust  the  virgin  fer- 
tility. The  average  yield  in  California,  as  compared  with  forty  years  ago, 
is  now  barely  more  than  one-third,  and  yet  there  are  no  more  naturally  fer- 
tile valleys  in  the  world  than  the  Sacramento  and  the  San  Joaquin. 


WHERE  KANSANS  WERE  BORN. 

Compiled  by  Daniel  W.  Wilder  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

AUTHORS  and  editors,  not  a  few  of  them  persons  of  note,  have  long 
been  saying  and  causing  to  be  printed  statements  in  regard  to  the 
native  states  of  the  people  of  Kansas  that  are  incorrect.  They  can  be 
officially  corrected  only  by  the  census  reports  made  by  the  United  States 
government.  An  incomplete  attempt  to  use  that  source  was  made  by  the 
present  writer,  and  was  published  in  volume  6  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Col- 
lections. But  that  was  in  a  past  century.  The  need  of  giving  publicity  to 
the  birth  state  of  all  Kansans  was  last  made  conspicuous  by  the  publication, 
in  1903,  of  the  "Autobiography  of  the  late  George  F.  Hoar,"  long  a  United 
States  senator  of  Massachusetts;  a  great  man,  and  a  good  man,  very  ear- 
nest in  his  work  to  keep  our  territory  and  state  free  from  the  curse  of 
slavery. 

It  seems  incredible,  impossible,  that  a  man  of  Senator  Hoar's  familiarity 
with  all  of  the  efforts  of  the  North  to  make  this  soil  free  could  believe,  dur- 
ing nearly  half  a  century,  that  "The  people  of  Kansas  are  very  largely  of 
Massachusetts  origin"  (vol.  2,  p.  83,  Autobiography).  There  has  never 
been  a  sixtieth  of  a  minute  when  that  assertion  was  true.  In  the  books 
containing  similar  opinions  there  has  usually  been  a  personal  bias  in  favor 
of  the  author's  state,  and  the  author  himself  has  not  been  unwilling  to  be 
known  as  a  savior  of  Kansas. 

The  old  ' '  Bay  State ' '  had  few  of  her  sons  and  daughters  here  during  the 
territorial  period,  and  has  not  many  now;  but  she  gave  birth  to  Channing, 
Garrison,  Emerson,  Lowell,  Phillips,  Whittier  and  other  great  souls  who 
continue  to  inspire  mankind. 

I  have  been  greatly  assisted  in  this  compilation  by  Miss  Zu  Adams,  the 
daughter  of  Judge  F.  G.  Adams,  a  New  Englander,  of  the  family  of  Presi- 
dents John  Adams  and  John  Quincy  Adams,  and  George  A.  Root,  newspaper 
clerk  with  the  Historical  Society. 


Where  Kansans  Were  Born. 


507 


THE   STATES   KANSAS   PEOPLE   WERE   BORN   IN. 


Alabama 

Arizona 

Arkansas 

California 

Colorado 

Connecticut 

Delaware 

District  of  Columbia. . . 

Florida 

Georgia 

Idaho 

Illinois 

Indiana 

Indian  Territory 

Iowa 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Louisiana 

Maine 

Maryland 

Massachusetts 

Michigan 

Minnesota 

Mississippi 

Missouri 

Montana 

Nebraska 

Nevada 

New  Hampshire 

New  Jersey 

New  Mexico 

New  York 

North  Carolina 

North  Dakota 

Ohio 

Oklahoma 

Oregon  

Pennsylvania 

Rhode  Island 

South  Carolina 

South  Dakota 

Tennessee 

Texas 

UUh 

Vermont 

Virginia 

Washington 

West  Virginia 

Wisconsin 

Wyoming 

Alaska 

Hawaii 

United  States  at  large. 

Indians 

At  sea 

Territories 

Porto  Rico 

Abroad 

Total  native  born . . 
Foreign  countries 

Total  population. . . 


1860. 
240 


9,367 
9,945 


4,008 

10.997 

6,556 

114 

728 

620 

1,282 

1,137 

76 

128 

11,356 


466 
499 


6,331 
1,2.34 


1870. 

718 

2 

2,087 

208 

154 

1,402 

307 

204 

28 

789 

12 

35,588 

30,953 

456 

13,073 

63,321 

15,918 

408 

1,837 

2,067 

2,894 

4,466 

708 

519 

29,775 

37 

32 

1,158 
1,845 

69 
18.558 
3.612 

17 


364 
404 


1880. 

1,605 

12 


2,791 

567 

300 

103 

1,.579 

28 

106,992 

77,096 

685 

55,972 

233,066 

32,978 

1,782 

3,538 

4,431 

5,395 

13,012 

2,784 

3,452 

60,228 

150 

4,350 

82 

2.088 

4,631 

106 

42,779 

5,709 

132 


[See  North  Dakota. 
569  6,209 

108  975 

75 
302  2,370 

187  9,906 

11 


4.128 
7 
4 


15.649 

4,057 

126 

4,914 

15,336 

48 

3.644 

15,016 

51 


94,513 
12.691 


316,007 

48.392 


1890. 

1,607 
48 

3,196 
936 

1,615 

2,366 
573 
364 
132 

91 

137,903 

98,138 

1,132 

66,148 

487.093 

39.783 

1,367 

3,040 

5,224 

4,999 

13.775 

3.441 

2,644 

84,016 

247 

11,128 

122 

1.735 

4,617 

232 

40,635 

5,825 

355 

116.671 

27 

292 

62,064 

657 

874 

244 

17,963 

3.750 

137 

16.982 

122 

6,627 

14,125 

116 

5 


886,010 
110,086 


1.279,258 
147,838 


1900. 

2,183 

134 

5,098 

1,276 

3,725 

1,648 

415 

309 

159 

1,591 

222 

113,704 

75,390 

2,889 

88,158 

630,321 

31,364 

1,209 

2,127 

3,908 

3,433 

10,462 

2,961 

2.465 

100,814 

275 

19,075 

95 

1,140 

3,268 

471 


2,756 

663 

47,013 

392 

743 

928 

14,790 

4.330 

214 

3,117 

12.251 

555 

6,568 

11,719 

263 

8 

1 


1,343,810 
126.685 


508 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 


Census  of  the  territory  of  Kansas  for  January  and  February,  1855,  as 
compiled  by  Louis  A.  Reese,  by  states,  from  the  returns  published  in  the 
' '  Report  of  the  Howard  Congressional  Committee  to  Investigate  the  Troubles 
in  Kansas  in  1856,"  pp.  72-100: 


SOUTH. 

NORTH. 

FOREIGN. 

Alabama 

5 

Connecticut 

12 

Belgium 

2 

Arkansas 

17 

Delaware 

2 

Canada 

7 

District  of  Columbia. . 

2 

Illinois 

. . .       203 

Denmark 

3 

Georgia 

18 

Indiana 

...       100 

England 

12 

Kentucky 

.       112 

Iowa 

. . .       120 

France 

5 

Louisiana 

5 

Maine 

31 

Germany 

38 

Maryland 

13 

Massachusetts 

...       115 

Holland 

3 

Mississippi 

3 

Michigan 

19 

Hungary 

2 

Missouri 

.    1,386 

Minnesota 

9 

Ireland 

30 

New  Mexico. 

2 

14 

Italy 

2 

North  Carolina 

6 

New  Jersey 

4 

Prussia 

3 

South  Carolina 

1 
36 

New  York 

QQ 

Scotland 

Switzerland 

Tennessee 

Ohio 

...       147 

3 

2 

Wales 

54 

Rhode  Island 

5 

Unclassified 

30 

Total..... 

.    1,662 

Vermont 

Wisconsin 

11 
21 

Total 

145 

Total 

...    1,031 

Grand  total.. 

..   2,838 

The  census  shows  a  majority  of  the  settlers  to  have  emigrated  from 
slave  states.  A  percentage  of  those  from  Missouri,  Kentucky  and  Tennes- 
see were  free-state  men,  but  there  was  not  a  sufficient  number  of  these  to 
destroy  the  pro-slavery  majority.  There  was  general  complaint  in  Missouri 
that  Governor  Reeder  had  ordered  the  census  in  midwinter,  when  many 
Missourians  who  had  staked  out  claims  the  preceding  fall  were  spending  the 
winter  at  home,  and  hence  were  excluded  from  the  enumeration.  The  im- 
migration from  the  North  during  the  months  of  February  and  March,  1855, 
though  considerable,  did  not  equal  that  from  Missouri.  The  aid  company 
conducted  but  one  spring  party  to  the  territory  prior  to  the  election  of 
March  30,  1855.  These  figures  and  facts  prove  that  if  the  election  had  been 
left  solely  to  the  bona  fide  settlers  of  the  territory,  the  pro-slavery  party 
would  have  secured  a  majority  in  the  legislature. 


In  April,  1856  (Webb  Scrap-books,  vol.  11,  p.  116),  the  New  York  Herald  made  the  following 


statement  of  emigration  to  Kansas : 


FROM   THE   SOUTH. 

Missouri                    ..    . 

1  100 

South  Carolina 

230 

North  Carolina 

120 

Georgia 

100 

Alabama 

30 

Tennessee 

120 

Kentucky 

100 

50 

50 

Total 

.  1,900 

FROM   THE   NORTH. 

Massachusetts 350 

Connecticut 120 

Rhode  Island 30 

Vermont 20 

New  York 300 

Ohio 250 

Pennsylvania 50 

New  Jersey 40 

Indiana 60 

Illinois 130 

Total 1,350 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society.  509 


VOTING  FOR  LINCOLN  IN  MISSOURI  IN  1860. 

Written  by  D.  P.  HoUGLAND,  of  Olathe,  Kan.,  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

I  WAS  born  May  8,  1833,  at  Barlow,  Washington  county,  Ohio.  My  father, 
John  Hougland,  was  born  December,  1802,  on  the  same  farm,  and  I 
beHeve  in  the  same  brick  house,  said  to  be  the  first  ever  built  in  the  town- 
ship, if  not  in  the  county.  My  grandfather,  Cornelius  Hougland,  was  born 
November  23,  1773,  in  Hampshire  county,  Virginia.  My  grandfather  on  my 
mother's  side,  Nathan  Proctor,  was  born  September  18,  1764,  in  Danvers, 
Mass.  When  a  boy  I  attended  a  school  taught  by  D.  C.  Pery.  My  father 
was  unfortunate  and  lost  his  property  and  the  old  home  place,  and  had  some 
debts  hanging  over  him  as  a  reminder.  He  moved  to  Cabell  county,  Vir- 
ginia (now  West  Virginia),  in  1847. 

I  attended  Marshall  Academy  one  term.  In  1852  my  father  moved  to 
Fort  Madison,  Iowa.  I  learned  the  carpenter  trade  and  worked  at  it  for 
eight  years.  When  Fremont  was  nominated  for  president  I  was  working  in 
Springfield,  111. ,  and  went  to  Fort  Madison  to  give  my  first  vote  for  him.  I 
was  working  in  Springfield  for  Warwick  &  Ball,  who  were  remodeling  Lin- 
coln's old  home,  and  I  thought  there  was  no  man  like  Lincoln,  and  have  never 
yet  changed  my  mind. 

I  came  to  Kansas  in  1857  to  get  a  home  for  myself  and  parents,  landing 
in  Kansas  City  in  April  with  $3.75  in  my  pocket,  and  a  good  kit  of  tools. 
My  trunk  was  sent  to  the  Gillis  House.  When  I  asked  what  they  charged, 
they  replied:  "Four  dollars  a  day,  or  ten  dollars  by  the  week."  I  thought 
I  had  better  go  by  the  week,  and  hustled  out  to  see  what  I  could  get  to  do. 
I  asked  who  was  the  best  carpenter  in  town,  and  some  one  told  me  a  Mr. 
Johnston.  I  went  to  his  shop  and  found  him  looking  over  some  plans,  and 
asked  if  he  wanted  a  hand.  He  glanced  up  at  me  and  asked  if  I  had  a 
kit  of  tools.  When  I  told  him  I  had,  he  asked  if  I  could  work  from  draw- 
ings. I  responded  that  I  had,  and  could  try  again.  He  said  to  send  my 
chest  up  and  go  to  work  in  the  morning,  and  if  I  suited  he  would  give  me 
$2.50  a  day;  if  not,  he  didn't  want  me.  I  went  back  to  the  hotel  feeling 
better.  I  guess  I  suited,  for  two  weeks  after  he  said:  "I  want  you  to  go  out 
and  take  charge  of  the  Gilham  cottage,  and  I  will  give  you  three  dollars  a 
day. ' '  I  replied  that  I  would  if  I  could  get  a  good  place  to  board  close  by. 
He  took  me  out  to  a  Mrs.  Evans,  a  sister  of  Milt.  McGee,  who  said  she 
would  board  me  for  five  dollars  a  week.  That  was  my  home  for  some  time. 
It  was  the  brick  house  that  stood  in  the  old  fair-ground,  now  Dundee  Place, 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Some  time  afterwards  I  made  a  claim  on  a  quarter-section  about  three 
miles  west  of  Oxford,  and  put  up  a  little  plank  house,  thinking  I  would  stay 
on  it  enough  to  hold  it,  and  work  at  my  trade  in  the  city.  After  a  while  I 
went  to  Lecompton  to  file  on  my  claim.  They  told  me  at  the  land-office  that 
it  was  on  military-reserve  land. 

In  the  winter  of  1857-'58  I  put  up  a  house  for  Mr.  Absten,  in  New  Santa 
Fe.  Oxford  was  in  Johnson  county,  Kansas,  and  New  Santa  Fe  across  the 
line  in  Missouri.     Mr.  Absten  was  from  old  Virginia,  but  had  moved  first 


510  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

to  Cabell  county,  Virginia,  and  then  to  Missouri.  He  wanted  to  let  his 
house  by  contract.  I  thought  if  I  could  get  the  contract  it  would  be  con- 
venient for  me  to  keep  an  eye  on  my  claim.  I  put  in  my  bid.  He  quizzed 
me  closely  to  find  where  I  was  from.  I  thought  I  could  see  how  the  land 
lay,  and  so  I  said  Cabell  county,  Virginia.  He  asked  me  if  I  knew  any  one 
there,  and  I  told  him,  "Oh,  yes;  F.  G.  L.  Beuhring's  wife  is  my  cousin; 
and  I  went  to  school  to  Josiah  Pogue  at  Marshal  Academy."  In  the  con- 
versation he  said  something  about  Epa  Owens,  and  I  responded:  "I  have 
eaten  old  Aunt  Luty's  suppers  many  a  time  and  gone  coon  hunting  with  the 
boys."  It  seemed  to  please  the  old  man.  There  was  no  more  said  about  a 
contract,  but  he  gave  me  some  money,  and  said  he  would  send  a  couple  of 
black  men  down  with  teams  and  for  me  to  get  what  lumber  I  wanted. 

I  went  to  the  city  to  finish  up  some  work,  when  I  got  word  that  the 
shanty  on  my  claim  had  been  burned,  and  that  the  claim  would  be  jumped. 
I  had  a  load  of  lumber  taken  out,  and  commenced  to  restore  the  shanty.  A 
man  by  the  name  of  Ducate,  from  Weston,  Mo.,  was  on  one  corner  of  the 
quarter  in  a  covered  wagon.  Pretty  soon  he  and  four  or  five  others  came 
galloping  down  on  me  with  guns  and  revolvers  and  ordered  me  off  in  a 
hurry.  I  told  them  that  I  had  friends  over  in  Santa  Fe  and  I  didn't  pro- 
pose to  go.  We  had  a  pleasant  little  chat  for  a  while,  and  finally  agreed  to 
arbitrate  the  next  day,  each  to  pick  a  man,  and  they  a  third.  I  went  over 
to  Santa  Fe  that  night,  told  my  tale,  and  eight  men  agreed  to  go  with  me 
the  next  day.  When  we  got  to  the  claim,  Ducate  had  seven  men;  so  I  was 
one  ahead.  The  thing  seemed  to  be  going  my  way,  and  Ducate  began  to 
get  up  a  quarrel.  He  called  Tom  Vaughn,  who  had  come  with  me,  a  liar. 
Quick  as  a  flash  Vaughn  pulled  a  gun  on  him  and  fired.  McPhearson 
knocked  the  gun  up,  so  it  missed  him.  Ducate  was  holding  a  horse,  with 
which  he  was  trying  to  get  up  a  race.  He  leaped  on  the  horse  and  was  off 
like  a  shot.  Vaughn  had  a  big  gray  mule,  which  he  quickly  mounted,  and 
was  after  Ducate  under  full  speed,  firing  at  every  jump.  The  crowd 
laughed  and  whooped.  It  was  a  new  experience  for  me.  I  had  never  had 
or  shot  a  revolver  in  my  life,  and  my  father  had  whipped  me  once  because 
I  had  a  little  fisticuff  with  a  schoolboy. 

But  I  then  saw  the  only  way  to  stand  straight  on  the  border  was  to  have 
a  revolver  and  know  how  to  use  it ;  so  I  got  an  Allen's  revolver  that  night 
of  Jim  Stewart.  I  have  never  seen  one  as  large  since,  and  it  is  the  only 
one  I  have  ever  seen  that  would  shoot  with  any  accuracy.  I  shot  it  a  few 
time  to  get  the  hang  of  it,  loaded  it  up,  and  put  it  in  a  pair  of  saddle-bags  with 
my  dinner  when  I  went  over  to  put  up  my  shanty.  I  rode  a  pretty  fiery 
horse  and  lariated  him  close  by,  and  went  to  work.  I  had  gotten  two  sides 
of  the  house  up,  had  my  saddle  and  my  saddle-pockets  with  the  revolver  in 
them  against  one  of  the  sides,  and  was  driving  a  nail  when  Ducate  rode  up 
to  me  with  a  revolver  in  his  belt  and  a  double-barreled  shotgun  in  his  hand, 
and  told  me  I  had  to  get  off  of  the  claim ;  that  they  had  run  him  off  the  day 
of  the  arbitration,  and  now  I  had  to  go.  I  talked  to  him  kind  of  nice  and 
sat  down  on  my  saddle  and  kept  working  my  hand  for  my  revolver.  Just 
then  my  horse  pulled  up  the  picket-pin  and  away  he  went.  This  took  Du- 
cate's  attention,  and  when  he  looked  around  I  had  the  revolver  on  him  and 
told  him  to  drop  his  gun  and  bring  my  horse  back,  which  he  did  very  kindly. 

I  found  I  could  n't  hold  a  claim  there  and  work  at  my  trade;  so  I  sold  my 
claim  to  Pat  Stewart  for  seventy-five  dollars.     What  the  object  was  at  the 


Voting  for  Lincoln  in  Missouri  in  1860.  511 

land-office  in  telling  me  that  a  military  reservation  would  cover  the  land,  I 
never  knew. 

Some  time  in  February,  1858,  a  young  Doctor  Ritchey  wanted  to  go  to 
Butler,  Bates  county,  Missouri,  too  look  for  a  location,  and  Henry  Godsey, 
a  train  boss  for  Majors  &  Russell,  wanted  to  go  to  Harrisonville  to  look 
after  some  cattle,  and  they  asked  me  to  go  along.  McKnight  &  Eldridge 
had  been  wanting  to  trade  me  a  shingle  machine  and  sawmill  fixtures;  so  I 
thought  I  would  go  along  and  see  if  I  could  find  a  location  for  a  mill  that 
would  pay.  We  started  one  pleasant  day  horseback,  and  went  to  Pleasant 
Hill  that  night.  The  weather  changed  in  the  afternoon  and  commenced  to 
spit  snow.  The  next  morning  it  was  snowing  and  blowing,  and  the  other 
two  backed  out  from  going  any  farther.  I  concluded  to  go  as  far  as  Butler 
anyway.  I  inquired  of  the  landlord  at  Pleasant  Hill  about  the  timber  in 
that  vicinity,  and  asked  if  he  thought  I  could  get  to  stay  all  night  with  some 
one  on  the  road  to  Harrisonville  who  would  be  interested  in  having  a  shingle 
machine  or  sawmill  put  in.  He  thought  he  could  tell  me  of  the  man  and 
directed  me  how  to  go.  About  two  and  a  half  or  three  miles  out  of  Pleas- 
ant Hill  I  was  to  cross  the  bridge  over  Big  creek ;  there  the  roads  forked, 
and  he  told  me  which  road  to  take.  But  when  I  reached  the  forks  I  couldn't 
say  whether  it  was  the  right  or  left  road  he  told  me  to  follow;  so  I  hung 
the  bridle-reins  over  the  saddle-horn  and  let  the  horse  choose  the  road.  It 
took  the  right  hand,  and  I  have  kind  of  believed  in  destiny  ever  since;  for  a 
mile  from  the  forks  of  that  road  I  not  only  found  the  location  I  was  looking 
for,  but  one  of  the  best,  truest  wives  a  man  ever  had,  Sarah  J.  Farmer.  I 
found  afterwards  that  the  left-hand  road  was  the  one  I  was  directed  to  take, 
and  he  expected  me  to  stay  all  night  at  Col.  Thomas  Thomas's  (the  Tom 
Thompson  of  ' '  Dorr  Morrison's  Ride, ' '  by  Martin  Rice,  in  ' '  Rural  Rhymes  ") . 

I  think  the  horse's  selection  of  a  road  changed  the  course  of  my  future 
life.  I  found  that  I  could  get  what  timber  I  wanted  on  Big  creek,  two  miles 
from  Pleasant  Hill.  I  ran  the  shingle  machine  in  connection  with  a  sawmill 
during  the  fall  of  1858  and  winter  of  1859,  and  made  money.  On  June  7, 
1859,  I  was  married  to  Sarah  J.  Farmer. 

When  it  was  announced  that  Abraham  Lincoln  had  been  nominated  for 
president,  I  told  my  wife  that  I  was  going  to  vote  for  him  sure,  and  she 
said  that  I  could  if  I  wanted  to.  I  commenced  to  boost  him,  but  soon  found 
I  was  the  one  that  would  get  "boosted"  instead  of  Lincoln.  The  night  be- 
fore the  election  a  note  was  slipped  under  the  front  door,  telling  me  that 
any  one  casting  a  vote  for  Lincoln  would  be  tarred  and  feathered,  and  rid- 
den out  of  town  on  a  rail. 

Two  others  had  promised  me  to  vote  for  Lincoln.  I  waited  till  afternoon 
of  election  day  for  them  to  appear,  but  concluded  they  were  not  coming.  A 
Mr.  John  Hon  came  by  on  his  way  to  vote,  and  I  asked  him  to  hold  on  and  I 
would  go  over  with  him.  I  got  my  horse  out  and  I  saw  that  Mr.  Hon  looked 
uneasy.  He  said  to  me:  "I  don't  want  you  to  go  if  you  are  going  to  vote 
for  Lincoln,  for  I  know  you  will  get  into  trouble.  I  haven't  anything 
against  you,  personally,  but  I  don't  Hke  your  politics,  and  I  don't  want  to 
see  you  get  into  trouble."  I  replied:  "Mr.  Hon,  if  you  don't  want  to  go 
with  me,  go  ahead,  and  I  will  go  alone."  But  he  waited  and  rode  with  me, 
and  tried  to  talk  me  out  of  voting  that  way,  while  I  tried  to  convince  him 
that  Lincoln  was  the  best  man  ever  nominated,  and  that  I  had  a  right,  as  a 


512  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

free-born  American,  to  vote  for  him.  When  we  got  to  Pleasant  Hill  he  had 
to  see  a  man  at  the  other  end  of  town. 

They  voted  through  the  window  of  a  tailor  shop,  a  little  back  of  the  side- 
walk. A  crowd  lined  each  side  of  the  way  up  to  the  window  and  along  the 
sidewalk.  There  was  a  post  in  front  of  the  voting-place.  I  rode  up  and 
hitched  to  the  post.  There  was  an  ominous  silence.  I  stepped  in  front  of 
my  horse,  opened  my  overcoat,  put  my  right  hand  on  my  breast,  and  looked 
every  man  square  in  the  face  as  I  walked  to  the  window.  I  took  the  Mis- 
souri Democrat,  and  had  cut  the  Republican  national  and  the  Missouri  Union 
tickets  out  of  the  paper.  These  were  a  column  in  length,  and  I  had  the  slip 
in  my  left  hand.  Fount  Freeman  took  the  ticket  at  the  window,  I  handed 
him  the  ticket.  He  asked:  "How  do  you  vote?"  I  said,  "There  is  my 
ticket."  He  let  it  roll  out,  and  glancing  at  it  said,  "It  is  a  damned  black 
Republican  ticket."  He  dropped  it  and  stamped  his  foot  on  it.  Feeling 
Henley,  one  of  the  clerks,  said :  ' '  Pick  that  up.  Fount ;  it  has  to  be  counted. ' 
That  was  the  different  make-up  of  the  two  men. 

I  turned  and  walked  back  to  my  horse,  saying  by  my  looks  all  I  knew 
how:  "Keep  your  hands  off  of  me. "  Everything  was  still  until  I  got  on  my 
horse,  when  some  one  called  out,  "How  did  he  vote?"  Freeman  stuck  his 
head  out  of  the  window  and  said,  "  It  was  a  damned  black  Republican  vote. " 
Then  the  howl  began;  but  I  still  had  my  right  hand  in  my  bosom  —  there  was 
nothing  there  but  my  hand,  but  they  did  n't  know  it.  A  number  of  them 
knew  I  was  a  good  shot.  I  had  practiced  especially  for  the  effect  it  might 
have. 

I  lived  there  till  the  following  June.  But  such  a  life  !  I  got  a  notice  un- 
der the  door  one  morning  not  to  come  to  Pleasant  Hill  again,  and  Mr.  Hon 
told  me  that  John  Duley  said  if  he  ever  caught  me  in  town  he  would  whip 
me  within  an  inch  of  my  life.  I  had  never  spoken  to  Duley,  and  he  had  no 
reason  to  suppose  I  knew  him ;  but  I  did  know  him  to  be  considered  the 
bully  of  the  place.  Two  weeks  later  I  had  to  go  town  on  business.  My 
wife  wanted  me  to  take  my  revolvers— I  had  two  good  Colt's  navy.  I  told 
her  No  ;  I  thought  it  a  bluff,  and  I  did  n't  want  any  blood  shed  if  I  could  help 
it.  I  went,  and  called  at  Jim  and  Andy  Aliens'  store.  Andy  was  at  a  desk 
that  was  on  a  short  counter  at  the  back  end  of  the  store.  I  asked  him  to 
look  up  my  account.  While  he  was  looking  over  the  books  some  one  came 
into  the  store,  and  as  Allen  looked  up  1  saw  that  he  turned  pale.  I  knew 
something  was  wrong.  There  was  a  hatchet  lying  on  the  counter  by  me. 
I  picked  it  up  and  turned  around  quick.  Bill  Palmer  was  walking  toward 
me  and  John  Duley  was  standing  in  the  door.  I  looked  Palmer  in  the  face 
and  felt  of  the  edge  of  the  hatchet.  He  stopped  and  sat  down  on  the  coun- 
ter running  to  the  door.  I  knew  whatever  was  done  had  to  be  done  quickly. 
I  started  with  the  hatchet  in  my  hand,  and  then  laid  it  down,  and,  appearing 
to  arrange  a  pistol  in  my  breast  pocket,  walked  as  far  as  Palmer  and  slightly 
halted;  looking  him  square  in  the  face,  but  saying  nothing.  When  I  got  to 
the  door,  Duley  was  standing  in  it,  with  his  side  against  one  jamb  and  his 
hand  against  the  other  jamb,  cracking  nasty  jokes  with  some  fellows  out- 
side. I  tapped  him  on  the  arm  and  said  :  ' '  Please  let  me  pass. ' '  He  partly 
turned  round,  and  I  stepped  by,  but  kept  a  side  glance  on  his  moves.  See- 
ing his  right  hand  coming  down  on  my  shoulder,  I  turned  around  and  faced 
him.  He  said:  "See,  here;  I  understand  you  have  threatened  my  Hfe."  I 
asked  him  who  he  was,  and  told  him  I  did  not  threaten  men  I  didn't  know. 


Voting  for  Lincoln  in  Missouri  in  1860.  513 

He  said:  "I  am  John  Duley,  a  little  the  best  man  in  this  town,  and  you 
can't  come  to  this  town."  I  said:  "That  may  be;  but  don't  you  put  your 
hand  on  me  when  I  do  come. ' '  I  backed  to  my  horse  and  mounted.  Some 
said  Allen  kept  Duley  from  shooting  me  as  I  rode  away,  but  I  doubt  if  he 
had  the  nerve  to  chance  it.     I  did  not  have  a  weapon  of  any  kind. 

Two  weeks  later  I  had  to  go  to  the  drug-store  for  some  medicine  for  my 
wife,  but  I  went  prepared  for  war  that  time.  I  put  a  navy  in  each  pocket 
of  my  overcoat.  It  was  Saturday,  and  the  drug-store  was  full  when  I  weHt 
in.  I  saw  Duley  and  Palmer  standing  by  the  stove  at  the  back  end  of  the 
room.  I  walked  to  the  counter,  told  the  druggist  what  I  wanted,  but  kept 
my  hand  on  my  revolver,  full  cocked,  with  the  determination  to  empty  every 
barrel  before  any  man  should  lay  a  hand  on  me.  No  one  molested  me  by 
look  or  word. 

Some  time  after  that,  I  was  on  my  knees  running  a  screw  in  a  hinge  of 
our  front  gate.  I  heard  a  swish,  saw  something  stick  into  the  plank  just 
above  the  hinge,  and  then  heard  the  report  of  a  gun— the  first  time  I  was 
fully  convinced  that  a  ball  discharged  from  a  gun  traveled  faster  than  the 
report.  The  ball  went  between  my  ear  and  head,  shaved  off  some  of  the 
hair,  and  skinned  the  ear.  There  was  a  forty-acre  corn-field  across  the  road 
opposite  the  gate.  I  suppose  some  one  was  shooting  at  game  in  there,  and 
the  ball  came  my  way. 

Some  time,  I  think,  in  May,  1861,  they  were  trying  to  get  up  a  company 
to  defend  the  state,  and  I  was  told  that  I  would  have  to  join  it.  My  wife 
was  a  cousin  of  the  wife  of  Robert  Brown,  near  Harrisonville,  at  that  time 
a  Union  candidate  for  the  constitutional  convention.  I  had  business  at  Har- 
risonville, and  went  to  Brown's  and  stayed  all  night.  He  and  I  rode  into 
Harrisonville  the  next  day,  and  soon  saw  that  some  excitement  was  up. 
Representative  Briscoe  was  up  from  Jefferson  City,  and  was  going  to  speak 
at  the  court-house.  I  went  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say.  He  had  a  fearful 
story  to  tell  about  Camp  Frost, ^  Lyon  and  his  Dutch  Hessians,  and  how  a 
Dutch  officer  had  run  a  brave  little  boy  through  with  his  sword  at  St.  Louis 
because  he  had  made  sport  of  them.  I  soon  saw  it  was  not  the  best  place 
for  me.  The  Harrisonville  paper  had  published  my  name  as  one  of  Lincoln's 
hirelings,  and  intimated  that  I  had  better  be  notified  to  leave  the  county; 
so  I  slipped  out  as  quietly  as  possible,  and  went  home,  I  told  my  wife  it 
wouldn't  do  for  me  to  stay  there  while  the  flurry  was  on;  that  they  would 
be  after  me  to  join  a  company,  and  that  I  never  would  do,  and  fight  the 
government,  and  that  that  was  what  it  would  come  to.  So  I  left  that  night. 
A  young  man  by  the  name  of  Henry  Bell,  who  was  working  for  me,  went 
with  me.  He  afterwards  became  a  captain  in  the  Union  army.  We  went 
to  Lawrence  and  worked  for  Col.  Shaler  W.  Eldridge,  on  a  farm  west  of 
town.  I  think  the  farm  belonged  to  Governor  Reeder.  We  worked  there 
two  weeks,  and  thought  by  that  time  that  the  company  would  have  been 
organized  and  gone,  and  that  perhaps  we  might  return  to  stay. 

We  reached  old  man  Judy's,  at  the  head  timber  of  Big  creek,  about  sun- 
down. The  old  man  was  Union.  He  had  hauled  slabs  and  shingles  from 
my  mill,  and  I  had  found  he  would  say  more  to  me  than  he  dared  talk  out. 
Two  of  his  sons  were  killed  a  mile  east  of  Olathe  in  September,  1862,  by 

Note  1.— Camp  Jackson,  St.  Louis,  where  the  state  militia  was  encamped  under  the  com- 
mand of  Daniel  M.  Frost. 

-33 


514  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Quantrill's  men,  in  their  raid  on  that  town.  The  old  man  was  excited  when 
he  saw  us  ride  up,  and  rushed  us  and  our  horses  back  to  the  barn  and  out  of 
sight.  He  told  me  there  was  a  patrol  along  that  road  every  night  watching 
for  me;  that  it  was  reported  that  I  had  gone  for  Montgomery  and  Jennison, 
and  was  coming  back  to  clean  things  up.  He  advised  me  not  to  go  home. 
I  told  him  I  must  see  my  wife,  and  he  responded  that  a  guard  was  kept  in 
front  of  my  house  at  night.  Bell  and  I  kept  the  timber  road  down  the  creek 
and  left  our  horses  in  the  thick  brush.  The  house  was  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Pleasant  Hill  and  Harrisonville  road,  and  an  old  rail  worm  fence  ran  from 
the  timber  to  the  back  of  the  house.  The  house  had  an  ell,  and  an  upper  and* 
lower  porch  in  the  angle.  We  put  an  old  ladder  up  to  the  upper  porch  and 
I  went  up  and  Henry  kept  watch.  I  slipped  quietly  into  my  wife's  room- 
it  was  about  one  o'clock— and  put  my  hand  over  her  mouth  and  held  it  tight 
till  I  got  her  to  know  who  I  was.  She  told  me  that  a  guard  paced  up  and 
down  the  road  every  half -hour  in  the  night,  and  that  they  had  terrible  tales 
out  about  me,  and  that  I  could  n't  stay  there  if  I  would  n't  fight  for  my  state. 

I  arranged  things  the  best  I  could  with  my  wife,  and  Henry  and  I  left 
the  way  we  came.  We  got  to  Judy's  about  daylight.  He  told  us  when  the 
patrol  left,  fed  our  horses,  and  got  our  breakfast.  There  was  but  one  house 
on  the  prairie  then  from  Judy's  to  the  Kansas  line;  so  we  had  clear  sailing. 

Bell  said  he  had  enough  of  it,  and  went  to  Leavenworth  and  enlisted  in 
the  First  or  Second  Kansas,  a  three  months'  man.  I  stayed  in  Kansas  till  I 
heard  the  companies  had  left,  and  then  I  thought  maybe  I  could  go  back  home 
and  stay.  I  went  back  and  stayed  a  few  days,  for  all  I  met  seemed  friendly. 
But  soon  one  of  the  companies  came  back,  and  one  Sabbath  morning  in  the 
latter,  part  of  June  some  one  called  me  up  about  sunrise.  I  looked  out  of 
the  window  and  saw  Mr.  Hon,  Mr.  Neal,  and  Sam  Beard,  my  closest  neigh- 
bors. I  went  out  to  them.  They  said  they  wanted  to  talk  to  me,  and  advise 
me  as  friends  that  I  would  have  to  enlist  in  a  company  and  help  defend  the 
state  I  lived  in.  I  told  them  I  was  as  willing  to  help  defend  the  state's  rights 
as  any  of  them,  whenever  the  state's  rights  were  encroached  upon;  that  the 
government  had  never  encroached  upon  the  state's  rights,  and  that  when  it 
did  I  would  defend  them  as  soon  as  I  would  those  of  any  other  state  in  the 
Union.  They  said  the  time  had  come  when  the  ways  parted,  and  that  I 
would  have  to  make  my  choice.  I  replied  that  I  never  would  enlist  to  fight 
against  the  government,  but  if  they  would  pay  me  half  the  worth  of  what  I 
had  I  would  go  gladly.  Mr.  Neal  spoke  up  and  said  that  there  was  no  ne- 
cessity for  them  to  buy  me  out;  that  I  would  have  to  go  anyway.  I  turned 
and  walked  into  the  house,  and  they  went  to  Beard's,  a  short  distance  up 
the  road. 

In  a  little  while  a  company  of  men  filed  out  of  Beard's  barn  with  arms, 
and  drew  up  in  line  in  the  road,  and  a  man  with  an  orderly  sergeant's  chev- 
ron on  his  coat  galloped  to  my  front  gate  and  called  me  out.  He  pulled  a 
roll  out  of  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  me  over  the  gate  and  said:  "I  want 
you  to  sign  this."  I  unrolled  it  and  saw  it  was  a  company  roll.  I  handed  it 
back  to  him  and  said:  "Not  for  your  life,  Roary. "  He  was  a  mean  cuss 
from  New  York,  and  had  worked  for  me,  and  I  didn't  like  him,  and  paid 
him  ofl^.  He  seemed  to  feel  lordly  in  his  new  position,  and  I  could  see  that 
it  did  him  good  to  lord  it  over  me.  It  would  have  helped  my  feelings  about 
then  to  have  wiped  the  earth  up  with  him.     He  stuck  the  roll  in  his  pocket, 


Voting  for  Lincoln  in  Missouri  in  1860.  515 

and  threw  a  letter  in  the  yard  and  said :  ' '  You  can  look  at  that. ' '  I  picked  it 
up,  took  it  in  the  house,  and  read  it  to  my  wife.  This  it  what  it  contained : 
"Mr.  Hougland: 

"  Sir— We  consider  you  one  of  our  worst  enemies,  and  deem  it  our  duty  to 
notify  you  and  yours  to  be  gone  by  eleven  o'clock  this  day,  or  the  conse- 
quences to  you  and  yours  will  be  evil." 

No  name  was  signed,  but  it  was  well  written.  I  looked  at  my  wife  and 
she  looked  at  me.  She  spoke  first,  and  said:  "We  won't  go.  We  have  a 
good  double-barreled  shotgun,  a  rifle,  two  revolvers,  and  there  is  old  Bu- 
cephalus. It  is  good  for  twenty  of  them  the  first  shot !  Let  them  come." 
That  was  a  name  we  had  given  an  old  musket.  A  man  from  Michigan  on 
his  way  to  Pike's  Peak  took  sick  in  his  wagon  and  died  at  my  house.  He 
had  the  barrel  of  an  old  musket  banded  eight  or  ten  inches  up  from  the 
breech  with  heavy  iron  bands  to  kill  Indians  or  buffalo,  and  the  widow  left 
it  with  me  when  she  returned  to  Michigan.  It  was  a  holy  terror  to  get  in 
front  of,  with  twenty  or  thirty  buckshot  as  a  load,  and  they  knew  it,  as 
some  of  them  had  borrowed  it  to  shoot  wild  geese.  I  said:  "All  right; 
'Barkis  is  willin'." 

We  looked  up  the  road  and  saw  a  man  coming  toward  the  house.  I  told 
my  wife  to  have  everything  handy,  and  I  would  go  out  and  see  what  he  had 
to  say.  I  walked  out  to  the  front  fence  by  the  garden  paling,  a  navy  re- 
volver in  each  hand.  As  he  came  I  saw  he  had  two  revolvers  in  his  belt. 
Just  as  he  approached  I  laid  both  of  my  revolvers,  full  cocked,  on  top  of  the 
fence,  and  said:  "Larkin,  what  will  you  have?"  He  stopped  short  and 
seemed  kind  of  bashful,  but  finally  he  said  he  wanted  to  have  a  friendly 
chat  and  save  me  some  trouble.  But  he  went  back  soon  with  me  holding 
the  fort.  That  was  Larkin  Skaggs,  the  only  one  of  Quantrill's  band  killed 
at  the  sacking  of  Lawrence. 

A  man  that  was  in  the  crowd  when  he  started  to  come  told  me  afterward 
that  Larkin  said  he  did  n't  want  a  better  job  than  killing  that  damned  negro 
lover;  and  that  his  brother  Willis  caught  him  by  the  arms  and  told  him  he 
shouldn't  go,  but  that  others  pulled  him  loose  and  said:  "Let  him  go;  it  will 
save  a  lot  of  trouble." 

My  wife  and  I  got  ready  to  give  them  a  warm  welcome.  But  two  of  her 
aunts  came,  crying,  and  the  Rev.  Henry  Farmer,  her  uncle,  the  man  who 
had  married  us,  and  begged  me  to  go;  that  they  would  take  care  of  my 
wife  and  baby,  three  months  old;  that  I  would  get  killed  if  I  stayed,  and 
that  it  would  get  them  all  into  trouble;  that  they  had  always  liked  me,  but 
could  n't  save  me  now,  and  that  they  wished  me  to  go  for  their  sakes.  So 
I  said  I  would  go;  but  my  wife  said  if  I  went  she  was  going,  too.  I  had 
three  horses  and  a  mule  in  the  barn.  We  backed  the  wagon  up  to  the  house, 
and  they  loaded  in  some  things,  and  hitched  the  four  to  the  wagon.  I  in- 
tended to  go  one  mile  south  on  the  Harrisonville  road  and  then  through  the 
prairie  west  to  Aubrey,  Kan.,  but  just  as  I  was  about  to  start  a  little  boy 
that  played  at  our  house  a  good  deal,  and  always  seemed  to  like  to  come, 
came  along  on  a  pony.  He  was  crying,  and  said:  "Don't  go  that  way,  Mr. 
Hougland;  four  men  have  gone  that  way  and  they  are  going  to  kill  you  out 
on  the  prairie.  I  heard  them  say  so."  I  then  turned  and  took  the  road  to- 
ward Pleasant  Hill,  then  an  old-time  timber  road  across  Big  creek,  and 
came  out  on  the  Kansas  City  road  at  the  old  Union  Baptist  church  west  of 
Pleasant  Hill.     I  drove  off  of  the  road  that  night  east  of  the  Little  Blue, 


516  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

and  got  to  stay  with  a  Covenanter.  He  seemed  kind  of  curious  about  me, 
and  finally  asked  if  my  name  was  Hougland.  I  thought  he  was  all  right, 
and  I  said  "  Yes. "  He  said  he  kept  sweet-potato  plants  for  sale  at  the  Hill, 
and  "I  heard  about  you  and  thought  you  would  have  to  leave.  Our  de- 
nomination don't  take  any  part  in  politics."  I  thought:  "Well,  if  you 
think  slavery  wrong  you  should  take  part." 

The  next  night  we  camped  on  Tomahawk  creek,  five  or  six  miles  east  of 
Olathe.  We  fixed  to  sleep  under  the  wagon  the  best  we  could.  It  had  no 
cover.  In  the  night  a  thunder-storm  came  up  and  the  rain  poured  down.  In 
the  morning  everything  was  drenched  through.  The  Bible  says :  ' '  Vengeance 
is  mine;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord."  I  believe  that,  but  I  felt  that 
morning  that  I  would  give  a  good  deal  to  do  some  of  the  repaying  myself, 
there  and  then. 

In  the  morning  we  drove  on  about  two  miles  and  came  to  a  house.  I 
went  in  and  asked  if  we  could  get  breakfast  and  do  up  some  washing.  They 
said:  "Yes;  come  right  in."  When  they  saw  the  fix  we  were  in,  the  woman 
said:  "You  must  have  been  run  out  of  Missouri."  I  repHed,  "That  is 
what 's  the  matter. ' '  I  will  never  forget  their  kindness  to  us.  We  stayed 
till  the  next  day,  in  time  to  drive  to  Olathe. 

When  we  drove  into  Olathe  we  must  have  looked  like  'way-backers.  I 
stopped  on  the  south  side  of  the  square  and  inquired  for  a  house.  There 
seemed  to  be  none  to  let.  A  man  by  the  name  of  F.  S.  Hill  was  interested 
in  the  looks  of  things,  and  came  out  to  the  wagon  and  asked  me  what  was 
the  matter— how  did  I  come  to  be  in  that  shape?  I  told  him  I  had  voted  for 
Lincoln  in  Missouri,  and  that  was  all  the  matter.  He  said:  "Drive  into  my 
barn;  there  is  room  for  your  horses  and  wagon,  and  I  will  see  if  I  can't  get 
a  house  for  you  in  the  morning. "     I  will  never  forget  him,  for  he  was  a  man. 

The  next  day  John  Judy  heard  of  my  being  in  town  and  came  to  see  me.  He 
said  his  father  had  told  him  about  me,  and  thought  that  I  would  have  to  leave 
Missouri;  that  Mr.  J.  E.  Hayes,  their  representative,  would  be  home  soon, 
and  he  thought  he  could  let  me  have  some  rooms.  Mr.  Hayes  came  in  a  day 
or  two  and  Judy  came  up  and  introduced  me  to  him,  and  told  him  what  he 
had  heard  from  his  father.  Hayes,  afterwards  colonel  and  state  treasurer, 
told  me  I  could  have  two  rooms  up-stairs  in  his  house,  the  stone  hotel  in 
Olathe,  and  that  my  wife  could  cook  on  their  stove;  so  there  was  a  friend  in 
need.  When  we  got  fixed  in  our  rooms,  and  sat  down  to  supper  on  an  im- 
provised table,  and  the  baby  looking  as  though  there  was  no  trouble  in  the 
world,  my  wife  actually  kissed  me,  and  said  she  felt  better  than  she  had  for 
a  year.     She  felt  as  though  she  could  get  up  and  shout,  she  was  so  relieved. 

After  that  Colonel  Hayes  got  up  a  company,  and  told  me  if  I  would  help 
recruit  it  he  thought  he  could  get  a  lieutenancy  for  me.  He  got  the  com- 
pany recruited,  and  I  got  word  from  friends  at  Pleasant  Hill  that  they 
thought  my  wife  could  come  back  and  look  after  things.  She  concluded  she 
would  go,  as  they  wouldn't  molest  a  woman;  so  I  fixed  up  to  take  her  back. 
.Mr.  Thavis,  father  of  the  Washington  correspondent,  said  he  would  go  with 
■me  and  see  what  they  looked  like  down  there.  We  got  there  about  night 
and  met  no  one  near  home. 

Thavis  and  I  started  back  the  next  morning;  drove  close  by  Sam  Beard's, 
.and  saw  three  or  four  men  standing  around.  Thavis  said:  "I  will  make 
them  think  I  am  Jennison,  and  they  will  keep  quiet."  I  spoke  pleasantly  to 
them,  but  Thavis  sat  up  straight  and  looked  as  though  he  was  ready  to  shoot 


Voting  for  Lincoln  in  Missouri  in  1860.  517 

with  both  hands  at  once.  Sure  enough,  they  did  take  him  for  Jennison,  and 
sent  my  wife  back  to  Olathe  the  next  day.  They  told  her  I  had  brought 
Jennison  down  to  spy  out  the  land  and  get  revenge,  and  she  would  have  to 
go  with  me.  They  would  n't  have  me  coming  back  there.  I  told  Hayes  I 
couldn't  go  in  his  company  and  leave  my  wife  that  way. 

Some  time  in  the  summer  or  fall  I  heard  that  Col.  Andrew  G.  Nugent 
and  Major  Dean  had  formed  a  company  of  home  guards  at  Austin,  Cass 
county,  and  that  the  rebels  had  them  surrounded  west  of  Harrisonville,  and 
that  Colonels  Weer  and  Van  Horn  were  on  the  way  through  Aubrey  to  re- 
lieve them.  I  thought  I  would  overtake  them  and  help  if  I  could,  and 
might  get  some  stock  or  stuff  I  had  down  there  brought  out.  I  overtook  a 
squad  of  our  men  at  the  crossing  of  the  Mormon  fork  of  Grand  river,  where 
they  halted.  One  of  them,  a  tall,  fine-looking  fellow,  except  that  his  eyes 
were  a  cold,  cruel,  steel-blue  gray,  rode  up  to  me  and  asked  where  I  was 
going.  I  said:  "To  see  Colonel  Weer  or  Van  Horn."  He  inquired:  "Do 
you  know  either  of  them?"  I  replied:  "I  know  Van  Horn."  We  rode  to 
the  front  and  up  to  Van  Horn,  who  recognized  me.  After  chatting  a  little. 
Van  Horn  asked  me  if  I  belonged  to  any  of  the  companies.  I  told  him 
"No";  that  I  had  just  overtaken  them  to  see  if  I  could  do  them  any  good. 
He  called  the  man  up  and  said:  "He  is  all  O.  K.  Give  him  a  Sharp's  rifle, 
and  keep  him  with  you."  That  man  was  Cleveland,  a  captain  under  Jenni- 
son. I  made  up  my  mind  when  I  got  through  that  trip  that  they  both 
deserved  shooting.  I  have  heard  Jennison  lauded  above  Montgomery.  I 
afterwards  met  and  had  some  transactions  with  Montgomery.  He  was  a 
noble,  big-minded  man;  of  the  other,  I  have  said  all  that  is  necessary. 

In  January,  1862,  I  got  a  letter  from  Colonel  Nugent,  saying  he  had  au- 
thority to  raise  a  battalion  of  state  militia  that  would  be  well  armed,  and 
would  be  kept  on  the  border  to  protect  our  homes,  and  wanted  I  should  join 
them.  I  went  to  Harrisonville  and  enlisted,  the  12th  day  of  February,  1862. 
Shortly  afterwards  some  wagons  that  were  bringing  us  some  supplies  from 
Kansas  City  were  captured  and  some  of  the  men  killed  at  the  crossing  of 
the  Little  Blue.  Nugent  called  me  into  his  office  and  wanted  I  should  take 
a  dispatch  to  the  city,  and  go  to  Quindaro  and  recruit  some  men  that  were 
to  be  mustered  out  of  the  three  months'  Kansas  regiment.  We  furnished 
our  own  horses,  and  I  had  a  good  one.  Nugent  thought  I  knew  the  lay 
of  the  land  as  well  or  better  than  any  of  them;  so  the  next  morning  I 
started  early.  I  kept  on  the  prairie  all  I  could  and  away  from  the  road;  left 
the  Little  Blue  to  my  right,  and  aimed  for  a  crossing  of  the  Big  Blue  that 
I  knew  of,  at  a  distance  from  any  road.  This  took  me  a  little  nearer  a 
grove  on  the  high  prairie  which  had  surrounded  the  house  of  Dick  Berry  than 
I  wished  to  go.  This  house  had  been  burned  by  Jennison.  I  scanned  the 
grove  well  and,  seeing  no  one,  thought  I  would  follow  up  a  swale  in  the  prairie 
till  I  got  a  little  beyond  it  before  crossing  the  ridge.  When  I  came  upon 
the  ridge  I  was  a  little  closer  than  I  had  expected.  I  kept  on  the  lookout 
and  bore  away  from  the  grove,  but  soon  saw  four  men  lead  out  their  horses 
and  start  toward  me  on  the  jump.  I  concluded  to  go  on  the  jump  also,  and 
outjumped  them,  their  shots  falling  wild.  I  had  to  angle  toward  Aubrey  to 
get  away;  so  I  made  for  Olathe,  thinking  the  road  from  Olathe  the  safest 
to  go  to  the  city. 

I  stayed  at  Olathe  that  night,  and  started  to  the  city  in  the  morning.  A 
heavy  sleet  had  fallen  in  the  night  and  the  road  was  covered  with  ice.     I 


518  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

had  no  gloves,  my  hands  got  cold,  and  I  hung  the  rein  over  the  horn  of  the 
saddle.  I  had  gone  but  a  little  way  when  my  horse  slipped  and  seemed  to 
catch  her  hind  shoe  on  her  front  one,  for  she  came  down  like  she  had  been 
shot,  falling  on  my  right  leg  and  breaking  it  in  three  places.  Oliver  Gregg 
found  me,  got  a  team  and  helped  me  to  Olathe,  where  my  wife  was. 

I  afterwards  joined  the  command,  and  was  mustered  out  at  St.  Louis. 
The  government  sent  us  to  Leavenworth  over  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph 
railroad.  I  met  my  wife  there.  I  rented  Judge  Delahay's  farm,  on  the 
Big  Stranger,  and  was  living  there  at  the  time  of  the  Lawrence  massacre— 
the  most  ungodly  crime  ever  committed  by  white  men.  One  little  incident 
happened  here  that  kind  of  amused  me.  A  man  lived  on  the  Stranger,  close 
by  me,  who  always  had  a  doleful  victory  for  the  rebels— he  was  so  sorry  the 
Union  men  were  all  cut  to  pieces.  He  was  from  Johnson  county,  Missouri, 
and  I  thought  he  would  bear  watching.  He  happened  to  go  to  Lawrence  the 
day  before  the  night  of  the  massacre,  and  put  up  at  the  Whitney  House. 
He  awoke  at  the  noise,  and  looked  out  of  the  front  window.  Seeing  men 
being  shot  down  on  the  street,  he  jumped  out  of  the  back  window  onto  the 
lean-to  part  of  the  nouse,  and  from  there  to  the  ground,  and  made  for  the 
river-bank.  Some  one  saw  him  and  shot  at  him,  and  took  his  thumb  off.  He 
got  home  the  next  day  afoot,  and  thought  "that  was  no  way  to  do;  that 
they  were  as  liable  to  shoot  a  friend  as  a  foe. ' ' 

I  had  bought  200  acres  of  Indian  land  in  1861,  in  Johnson  county,  Kan- 
sas, my  present  home.  As  there  were  so  many  troops  on  the  border  in  the 
spring  of  1864,  I  thought  I  would  move  onto  it  and  begin  its  improvement. 
But  we  found  it  quite  shaky,  as  some  one  was  reported  raided  or  killed 
every  once  in  awhile  along  the  border,  and  my  wife  began  to  wish  we  had 
stayed  on  the  Delahay  place  till  the  war  was  over. 

I  was  living  one  mile  west  of  Olathe  at  the  time  of  Quantrill's  raid,  in 
September.  1862,  and  still  confined  to  the  house  with  a  broken  leg.  Mrs. 
Judy  told  my  wife  that  Quantrill's  men  inquired  for  me  when  they  took  John 
and  Jim  off  and  shot  them;  that  my  living  a  mile  west  instead  of  a  mile  east 
of  town  was  all  that  saved  me;  all  of  which  made  my  wife  somewhat  uneasy. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  I  had  my  nerves  shaken  up  somewhat  one  night.  We 
had  an  old  cow  that  would  get  into  the  yard  sometimes  and  play  hookey. 
One  bright,  moonlight  night  I  heard  a  noise  in  the  yard  and,  supposing  it 
was  the  cow,  I  jumped  out  of  bed,  rushed  out  of  doors,  and  ran  into  a  squad 
of  men  with  "Present  arms  !  "  and  an  order  to  halt,  which  I  did,  thinking  my 
time  had  come.  They  inquired  for  a  man  who  was  stopping  there,  and  or- 
dered me  to  go  in  and  bring  him  out.  I  told  them  I  was  the  only  man  there. 
They  said  they  knew  better,  for  a  man  wearing  a  soft,  black  hat  over  a 
straw  hat  had  been  seen  to  stop  there  just  at  night,  and  they  wanted  him. 
I  told  them  that  was  Dr.  Wm.  M.  Shean,  of  Gardner,  who  had  come  to  see 
a  sick  child  just  at  night  and  had  on  that  kind  of  a  hat.  They  apologized  for 
disturbing  me,  and  I  found  they  were  Union  soldiers,  to  my  great  relief. 

Some  time  in  May  of  1864,-  I  think  it  was  the  24th  or  25th,  a  cyclone 
completely  demolished  the  house  I  was  living  in,  and  destroyed  most  every- 
thing in  it,  which  seemed  a  good  deal  to  me' at  that  time,  as  I  had  just  got- 
ten back  from  Kansas  City  the  night  before  with  provisions  to  do  half  the 

Note  2.— Dr.  Hugh  D.  Fisher,  in  his  volume  "The  Gun  and  the  Gospel,"  page  220.  tells  of 
another  cyclone  which  occurred  in  Atchison  county  during  his  ministry  there  in  1859-'61,  which 
demolished  his  farmhouse  without  seriously  injuring  any  of  the  six  occupants. 


Voting  for  Lincoln  in  Missouri  in  1860.  519 

summer.  One  thing  that  was  destroyed  I  have  missed  ever  since,  and  that 
was  a  pocket  diary.  I  had  kept  one  written  up  every  night  since  I  was 
twenty  years  old.  I  had  commenced  keeping  one  for  the  express  purpose 
of  seeing  how  I  spent  my  money,  and  if  there  was  any  way  of  curtaihng  ex- 
penses that  would  be  of  no  profit  or  honor,  and  had  noted  anything  I  thought 
of  interest  at  the  time.  I  could  fix  the  dates  of  many  things  positively  if  I 
had  it,  that  now  I  can  only  guess  at.  After  the  storm  I  put  up  a  frame  of 
three  rooms,  enclosed  one  room,  laid  down  a  loose  floor,  and  my  wife  and 
baby  moved  in.     I  finished  up  the  house  that  summer. 

One  little  incident  occurred  some  time  that  summer  or  fall  which  I  often 
recall,  and  always  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  a  good  thing  for  a  man 
to  have  a  wife  that  is  smarter  than  himself.  One  bright,  moonlight  night 
some  time  after  midnight,  some  one  hallooed  in  front  of  the  house.  I  jumped 
up  and  started  to  go  to  the  door.  My  wife  jumped  out  and  grabbed  me,  and 
whispered  to  me  not  to  go  to  the  door  without  a  pistol.  I  picked  up  a  Colt's 
navy  and,  peeking  through  the  window-curtains,  saw  a  man  on  a  big  gray 
horse  just  in  front  of  the  door  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand.  I  went  to  the  door 
quietly,  opened  it  a  little  way,  and  thrust  my  right  arm  out  with  the  pistol 
in  my  hand,  full  cocked,  pointed  straight  at  him,  and  said:  "  What  do  you 
want?  "  He  laughed  aloud  and  said:  "  You  don't  calculate  to  be  taken  un- 
awares, do  you?"  I  said:  "No,  I  don't."  He  asked  how  far  it  was  to 
Olathe,  and  if  there  were  any  troops  there.  I  saw  another  man  a  short  dis- 
tance behind  him  on  a  fine-looking  black  horse.  As  they  rode  off  they 
both  seemed  to  be  superbly  mounted.  In  a  day  or  two  I  heard  there  had 
been  some  robbing  done  and  a  man  or  two  killed  somewhere  west  on  the 
Santa  Fe  road  that  night.     I  lived  on  that  road. 

Everything  went  on  smoothly  and  peaceably  that  summer  till  some  time 
in  the  fall.  I  had  leased  some  grass  land  of  an  Indian  south  of  the  mission, 
and  had  an  agreement  with  Col  Kersey  Coates  to  take  what  hay  I  could  cut 
at  seven  dollars  a  ton  in  the  bunch  or  cock  on  the  prairie.  I  had  cut  long 
enough  to  get  my  machines  paid  for,  and  thought  I  was  in  good  shape  to 
make  some  money,  when  a  deputy  sheriff  came  and  notified  me  that  I  must 
go  to  Olathe  and  enroll  in  the  militia  instanter,  or  Price  would  get  there 
before  I  did.  That  put  an  end  to  the  hay  profits.  When  I  got  to  Olathe  the 
bees  were  swarming,  I  saw  quite  a  number  of  queens  around,  but  not  much 
appearance  of  a  king  about;  but  after  a  while  they  got  me  into  a  Captain 
Dowdell's  company.  Occasionally  a  man  would  come  in  from  towards  the 
line  with  his  hat  gone  (supposed  to  have  been  shot  off )  and  a  fearful  report 
of  what  was  coming. 

On  a  Sunday  morning,  I  think  about  the  20th  or  23d  of  October,  Captain 
Dowdell  was  ordered  to  take  some  men  and  get  as  near  the  enemy  as  possible, 
and  watch  their  movements  and  send  back  word.  I  think  he  took  about 
twelve  men,  and  of  them  I  was  one.  He  took  us  about  three  miles  towards 
the  Missouri  line  and  stopped  by  the  side  of  a  stone  fence  on  the  high  prai- 
rie. He  then  ordered  one  of  the  men  to  climb  on  top  of  an  old  shed  or  bam 
and  report  what  he  could  see.  The  man  reported  that  he  could  see  smoke 
towards  Westport.  A  young  man  and  myself  wanted  we  should  go  on  till  we 
could  see  what  was  doing.  He  said  he  was  responsible  for  his  men  and  he 
didn't  think  it  right  for  him  to  take  them  any  further.  We  asked  him  to 
let  us  two  go  and  we  would  report  back.  He  finally  let  us  go.  We  went 
till  we  saw  they  were  fighting  south  of  Westport.     We  climbed  a  tree  and 


520  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

watched.  I  soon  saw  a  cloud  of  dust  rising  east  of  the  Blue,  towards  Hick- 
man's Mills.  I  watched  it  a  little  while,  and  learned  it  was  going  rapidly 
towards  the  south.  I  told  the  fellow  they  were  retreating  as  fast  as  possible; 
for  us  to  hurry  to  Olathe  that  word  might  be  sent  to  Fort  Scott,  and  they  be 
headed  off  and  got  between  two  fires. 

We  went  back  as  fast  as  our  horses  would  carry  us,  but  our  squad  was 
gone  when  we  got  there,  and  we  asked  ourselves,  "Where  are  all  our  men 
gone?"  and  echo  answered,  "Where?"  In  the  course  of  the  day  they  be- 
gan to  come  straggling  in.  Word  had  gotten  around  that  Price  was  on  the 
retreat,  and  that  some  of  the  militia  had  gone  in  pursuit.  A  soldier  I  was  ac- 
quainted with,  that  belonged  to  Colonel  Cloud's  regiment,  came  into  Olathe 
in  the  afternoon  on  his  way  from  Leavenworth  to  Fort  Scott.  He  said 
Cloud  had  sent  him  to  Leavenworth  with  a  dispatch.  I  know  he  thought 
Cloud  the  best  fighter  in  the  army.  He  wished  Cloud  was  there  with  5000 
or  6000  men,  and  they  would  lick  the  whole  posse  of  them.  He  thought  it 
best  for  us  to  overtake  the  army  in  pursuit;  so  I  went  with  him.  We  caught 
up  with  the  rear  end  of  the  army  before  we  got  to  Trading  Post.  We 
slept  in  a  fence  corner  part  of  the  night.  In  the  morning  we  passed  a  man 
hanging  to  a  log  sticking  out  of  an  old  building.  At  Trading  Post  I 
came  across  Colonel  Keeler,  Mr.  Cramer  and  one  or  two  others  that  be- 
longed to  the  militia  at  Olathe.  They  were  fighting  at  Mine  creek.  We  got 
there  in  time  to  see  Marmaduke  and  a  squad  of  rebels  in  the  bull  pen. 
They  were  certainly  good  goers.  I  followed  till  south  of  Fort  Scott,  and 
my  horse  was  about  played  out,  and  I  thought  I  could  do  no  good  and  turned 
back. 

I  finally  got  home,  and  found  my  wife  glad  to  see  me.  We  lived  happily 
together  till  she  died,  June  8,  1878.  She  was  generous  to  a  fault;  one  of 
God's  noble  women,  if  she  was  born  in  Tennessee  and  raised  in  Missouri. 
I  have  a  warm  side  for  the  South  with  all  her  faults.  Slavery  was  a  corner- 
stone of  dynamite  to  build  a  state  or  nation  on. 

I  have  always  been  glad  that  I  cast  my  first  vote  for  a  Republican  presi- 
dent. The  history  of  the  Republican  party  is  one  that  any  American  might 
be  proud  of;  but  the  first  and  the  last  president  elected  by  the  party  hold 
rather  the  highest  niche  in  my  dome,  as  men.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  all 
RepubUcan  candidates,  and  some  that  get  the  nomination  and  even  are 
elected  on  the  strength  of  the  "grand  old  party,"  don't  deserve  a  niche  in 
the  basement. 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society.  521 


KAW  AND  KANSAS:  A  MONOGRAPH  ON  THE  NAME 
OF  THE  STATE. 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  Robert  Hay,  in  1882. 

SOME  months  ago  the  attention  of  the  writer  was  called  to  some  notes 
prepared  by  the  esteemed  secretary  of  the  Historical  Society,  Franklin 
G.  Adams,  on  the  subject  of  the  various  orthography  of  the  name  of  the 
river  and  Indian  tribe  from  which  our  state  derives  its  name,  and,  at  his  re- 
quest, promised  some  time  to  take  up  the  investigation  and  complete  it.  He 
(the  writer)  has  been  enabled  to  devote  some  time  to  it  this  month,  and 
by  the  kind  assistance  of  Judge  Adams  and  that  of  Mr.  Dennis,  the  state 
librarian,  he  has  been  enabled  to  collect  a  mass  of  evidence  which,  while  it 
does  not  pretend  to  include  every  work  which  has  mentioned  the  name  of 
our  state  or  river— which  would  be  an  impossibility— does  include  every 
variety  of  literary  work  likely  to  bear  on  the  subject  at  all,  viz.,  history, 
travels,  biography,  acts  of  Congress  and  acts  of  legislatures,  fiction,  trea- 
ties, original  documents,  and  compiled  works,  the  latter  including  encyclo- 
pedias and  gazetteers. 

From  a  careful  reduction  of  the  evidence  used,  I  am  enabled  definitely  to 
say  what  is  the  usage  of  the  writers  consulted,  not  only  individually  but  in 
periods,  and  generally  usage  decides  all  questions  of  orthography  and  pro- 
nunciation. 

The  orthography  of  the  name  of  the  state  as  we  now  have  it  is  settled  by 
law.  The  act  of  Congress  of  1861  admitting  this  territory  into  the  roll  of 
the  states  spells  the  name  Kansas.  Seven  years  earlier,  the  act  creating  our 
territorial  government  has  the  same  orthography.  Territorial  laws  (e.  g., 
those  of  1858)  have  the  same  spelling  for  our  river  Kansas;  and  state  laws 
( 1861)  also  repeat  this  name,  "the  Kansas  river."  The  United  States  Con- 
gress has  also  named  the  river  Kansas  as  far  back  as  1820,  in  the  act  admit- 
ting the  state  of  Missouri  (approved  March  6  of  that  year),  in  which  the 
meridian  of  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river  is  declared  to  be  the  western 
boundary  of  that  state.  For  the  river,  however,  the  shorter  name  Kaw  is 
much  used  by  modern  writers,  and  for  reasons  to  be  afterwards  mentioned 
it  might  be  desirable  if  that  designation  ( Kaw )  were  retained  permanently, 
and  if  necessary  made  the  legal  designation  of  our  noble  stream. 

The  state  derived  its  name  from  the  river;  the  river,  from  the  tribe  of 
Indians  that  for  ages  has  lived  on  its  banks  and  between  it  and  that  part 
of  the  Missouri  river  which  forms  the  northeast  boundary  of  our  state. 
This  tribe,  which  at  the  beginning  of  this  century  had  by  an  apparently 
carefully  made  census  1565  persons,  has  now  dwindled  to  about  300.  Wri- 
ters of  from  thirty  to  fifty  years  ago  describe  them  as  amongst  the  most  mis- 
erable and  degraded  of  the  Indian  tribes.  Recent  reports  of  the  Indian 
agents  speak  of  them  as  having  made  decided  improvements  in  agriculture 
and  other  arts  of  civilization,  but  it  is  hardly  likely  that  they  will  long  be 
able  to  preserve  their  tribal  identity,  if  even  they  do  not  become  utterly  ex- 
tinct. In  official  documents  (treaties)  as  far  back  as  1815  they  are  desig- 
nated Kansas  Indians,  and  the  name  similarly  spelt  is  used  in  the  Indian 


522  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

commissioner's  report  to  secretary  of  the  interior  for  1861.  But  since  the 
last  date  a  new  custom  has  grown  up,  for  in  the  reports  of  1871,  1873,  1875 
and  1880  the  name  Kaw  and  its  plural,  Kaws.  are  used  constantly,  and  the 
longer  name,  Kansas,  is  only  used  occasionally;  thus,  "Kaws  or  Kansas  In- 
dians." The  name  Kaw  appears  to  be  a  legitimate  abbreviation  of  the 
tribal  name  as  pronounced  by  the  Indians  themselves.  It  would  seem, 
therefore,  the  best  name  to  be  recognized  legally,  and  we  therefore  com- 
mend the  action  of  Agent  Mahlon  Stubbs,  who  always  dates  his  reports  from 
the  "Kaw  Indian  Agency." 

But  if  the  tribe  is  doomed  to  extinction,  the  name  Kaw  will  go  with  it, 
unless  applied  to  something  else.  I  therefore  suggest  that  the  Historical 
Society,  public  corporations,  the  state  press  and  the  legislature  do  uniformly 
use  the  name  K-a-w  (Kaw)  for  the  stream  which  from  Fort  Riley  to  the 
Missouri  turns  the  mills,  drains  the  fields  and  gladdens  the  eye  of  the  sons 
of  sunny  Kansas. 

The  French  explorer,  Marquette,  about  the  year  1673,  appears  to  have 
been  the  first  to  hear  of  the  tribe  of  Indians  of  whom  we  have  been  wri- 
ting; but  not  having  access  to  original  accounts  of  his  journey,  we  are  not 
able  to  give  the  orthography  he  uses.  In  1682  La  Salle  visited  a  tribe  down 
the  Mississippi,  of  whom  he  had  heard  before,  whom  he  calls  the  Akansa 
(using  this  word  as  the  plural).  We  afterwards  get  s  added  for  the  plural 
and  cedilla  c  for  the  initial  of  the  last  syllable.  Hennepin,  about  the  time  of 
La  Salle,  saw  the  same  people  and  used  similar  orthography.  These  are  the 
tribes  of  the  Arkansas  or  Arkansaw  Indians  whom  the  Spanish  explorer,  De 
Soto,  called  Kappaws,  and  the  Sieur  de  Tonty,  a  companion  of  La  Salle, 
called  Cappas,  and  whom  we  now  call  Quapaws.  The  orthography  for  our 
river  tribe,  among  the  French  explorers,  varies.  We  have  both  Kanzas  and 
Canceas.  We  have  various  authorities  about  1720  to  1760,  many  of  which 
are  cited  in  Paris  documents  published  to  illustrate  New  York  colonial  his- 
tory, and  we  have  translations  of  De  Bourgmont  and  Charlevoix,  both  of  the 
first  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  appears  from  some  of  these 
documents  that  the  French  of  Canada  did  not  always  distinguish  between 
the  two  tribes  whose  names  they  knew  as  those  of  "very  distant  nations." 
From  the  documents  of  which  we  have  translations  we  are  not  always  sure 
that  we  have  the  orthography  used  by  the  explorers  themselves.  The  poet 
Bryant  judiciously  remarks  on  this  in  his  history,  that  such  was  their  spell- 
ing "or  that  of  their  French  printers."  But  allowing  for  this  source  of 
error,  we  find  that  there  was  wide  latitude  of  orthography,  and  sometimes  we 
see  how  copyists  increased  the  number  of  ways  of  spelling  through  sheer 
blundering.  For  instance.  La  Salle  is  credited  with  the  two  words  Akansea 
and  Dakansea.  The  latter  is  manifestly  nothing  but  the  French  genitive 
case  for  the  former,  with  the  apostrophe  omitted.  This  fact  puts  us  on  the 
track  of  understanding  why  the  French  of  Canada  sometimes  confused  the 
names  of  the  two  tribes.  One  of  the  oldest  maps  names  our  river  as  "R. 
of  the  Cansez. "  This  phrase  ' '  of  the  Cansez, "  is  a  translation  of  the  French 
"des  Cansez,"  which  careless  chirography  might  easily  make  something  like 
La  Salle's  "Dakansea." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Kauzau  is  the  way  our  tribe  pronounced  their 
own  name.  How  the  n  came  in  the  first  syllable  in  our  modern  name  is  not 
very  easy  to  see.     It  possibly  entered  the  spelling  of  the  French  explorers 


Kaw  and  Kansas.  523 

and  writers,  owing  to  the  ease  with  which  their  nasal  n  combines  with  the 
broad  vowel  represented  in  our  language  by  aw." 

In  the  spelling  of  eighty  years  ago,  we  have  manifestly  attempts  to  keep 
the  broad  vowel  sound  in  both  syllables.  We  have  Konza  and  Conzon.  It 
is  worthy  of  remark  that  Pike  of  Pike's  Peak  always  spells  it  Kans— or 
was  it  his  printer?     The  same  explorer  gives  Tetau  for  Teton. 

Our  river  has,  however,  had  one  other  name  not  belonging  to  the  name 
of  the  Kaw  tribe.  Charlevoix,  whose  letters  to  a  French  lady  began  to  be 
written  from  Canada  in  1720,  locates  the  tribe  of  Paducas  near  the  head 
waters  of  the  Smoky  and  Republican,  and  his  map  names  our  stream  the 
' '  Paducas  ' '  river.  The  year  that  Charlevoix  began  to  write,  another  French- 
man, Du  Tisne,  actually  passed  up  our  river,  and  was  probably  the  first 
white  man  who  saw  its  waters  or  marveled  at  its  beauty.  De  Bourgmont, 
who  saw  it  four  years  later,  was  enraptured  with  it;  and  his  English  trans- 
lator of  1763  has  this  passage:  "The  10th,  they  continued  to  pass  over  a 
similar  landskip,  the  beauties  of  which  were  never  cloying."  In  our  time 
"the  winding  Kaw"  has  been  the  theme  of  eloquent  description  and  the 
burden  of  poetic  measure. 

Schoolcraft,  with  others,  says  the  Kaws  are  related  to  the  Osages  and 
derived  from  them.  It  is  claimed,  also,  that  their  name  should  be  pro- 
nounced Wausache.  There  is  one  name,  formerly  applied  to  the  Kaws,  that 
may  have  in  it  something  of  the  history  of  this  connection.  It  is  Okanis. 
We  also  stumble  across  the  name  Ozaws,  but  the  identity  of  this  tribe  is 
doubtful.  Schoolcraft,  while  generally  calling  our  tribe  Kansas,  once  has 
it  Kasas,  which  shows  his  appreciation  of  the  correct  pronunciation. 

The  term  Kaw  as  an  abbreviation  is  modern,  unless  Pike's  "Kans"  was 
meant  for  it.  It  is,  however,  largely  used  by  the  travelers  who  visited  the 
territory  during  the  decade  of  the  Kansas  troubles.  Horace  Greeley  used 
it,  as  also  did  Richardson,  Gladstone,  Tomhnson,  Mrs.  Robinson,  Mrs.  Roper, 
Holloway,  and  Doctor  Gihon.  The  form  "Konza"  is  used  by  Major  Long 
and  George  Catlin. 

I  have  found  twenty-four  forms  of  the  word  applied  to  the  Indians,  or 
to  the  river,  or  to  both,  and  ten  forms  of  Arkansas,  as  follows,  nearly  in 
chronological  order  i^ 

Kansies. 

Cansi's. 

Canzon. 

Kanzon. 

Kans. 

Kanses. 

Konza. 

Konzas. 

Note  1.—  It  might  also  be  suggested  that  the  first  u  in  Kauzau  might  have  been  mistaken 
for  an  n  by  some  early  printer,  and  the  name  became  popularized  in  that  form. 

Note  2. —  Mr.  Hay  has  given  no  authority  for  these  various  spellings  :  a  limited  search  reveals 
the  follovying  :  1,  Morse's  Report  on  Indian  Affairs,  1822.  p.  203  ;  American  State  Papers,  vol.  2,  p. 
588  :  De  Smet's  Indian  Sketches,  1843,  p.  64  ;  Shea's  Discovery  and  Exploration  of  the  Mississippi, 
1903.  p.  268.  2,  Documents  Relative  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the  State  of  New  York.  1855,  vol.  9, 
p.  673.  3,  Delisle's  map  in  French's  History  of  Louisiana,  vol.  2.  4,  Map  in  Charlevoix's  America, 
1763.  5,  Probably  the  Arkansas  ;  Documents  Relative  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  1855,  vol.  5,  p.  622.  7,  Margry,  vol.  6,  pp.  387  and  419 ;  also  written  with  grave  accent,  see 
Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  456.  10.  Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  290  ;  Shea,  in  his  Charlevoix's  History  of  New  France, 
vol.  5,  p.  142,  uses  grave  accent.  13,  Pike's  Expedition,  1805-'07,  1810.  14,  Margry,  vol.  6,  pp.  v 
and  vi.    15  and  16,  Long's  Expedition,  vol.  1,  p.  108.    18  and  19,  Isaac  McCoy.  Register  of  Indian 


1. 

Kanzas. 

9. 

2. 

Canceas. 

10. 

3. 

Cansez. 

11. 

4. 

Kansez. 

12. 

5. 

Acansias. 

13. 

6. 

Canzas. 

14. 

7. 

CanzC'S. 

15. 

8. 

Okanis. 

16. 

17. 

Kasas. 

18. 

Kauzau. 

19. 

Kauzaus. 

20. 

Kansaws. 

21. 

Kaws, 

22. 

Kaw. 

23. 

Kanzan. 

24. 

Canzan. 

524  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

1.  Arkansa.  6.  Arkansas. 

2.  Akansea.  7.  Arkansaw. 

3.  Dakansea.  8.  Acansa. 

4.  Akansas.  9.  Ah  Kan  Zau, 

5.  Akancas.  10.  Akamsea. 

Some  of  these  forms  are  merely  the  plurals  of  others.  The  z  sound  of 
the  fourth  letter  of  the  modern  name  is  certainly  correct,  and  Edward 
Everett  Hale  sought  to  retain  it  in  the  spelling,  in  spite  of  the  authority  of 
Congress,  for  in  his  book  he  prints  the  act  organizing  the  territory  and  in- 
serts z  for  the  fourth  letter. 

The  writer  has  consulted  nearly  eighty  different  authors,  including  a  few 
modern  French  and  English.  Out  of  this  number  very  few  think  it  worth 
while  to  dwell  on  the  matter  of  orthography.  These  few  are,  however,  of 
authority,  and  we  shall  quote  from  them  in  the  order  of  their  dates,  and 
then  conclude. 

In  1828  Isaac  McCoy,  a  Baptist  missionary  to  the  Indians,  was  in  this 
region,  and  in  a  series  of  letters  to  the  government  described  the  condition 
of  the  various  tribes.  These  letters,  or  reports,  were  published  in  1840.  He 
spells  the  name  of  our  tribe  Kauzau,  and  Kauzaus  for  the  plural,  using  also 
the  singular  form  for  the  name  of  the  river  and  of  the  language.  In  1835 
Mr.  McCoy  published  an  "Annual  Register,"  in  which  he  uses  the  same 
name,  and  has  this  note:  "Different  persons  have,  at  various  times,  written 
the  name  of  this  tribe  differently,  as  suited  the  fancy  of  each.  We  have 
chosen  to  adhere  to  the  pronunciation  of  the  natives  themselves,  which  is 
Kau-zau.  We  have  been  the  more  inclined  to  do  this  from  the  supposition 
that  its  resemblance  to  the  name  of  the  Southern  tribe  (supposed  to  have 
been  exterminated),  from  which  Arkansas  river  derived  its  name,  the 
proper  pronunciation  of  which  is  Ah-kau-zau,  might  lead  to  a  development 
of  facts  relative  to  the  origin  of  these  people  which  would  be  a  benefit  to 
the  future  historian."  Notwithstanding  its  defective  grammar,  this  is 
valuable  evidence,  for  Mr.  McCoy  knew  whereof  he  affirmed,  and  Judge 
Adams  informs  me  that  a  member  of  the  Chouteau  family,  whose  long  resi- 
dence on  the  border  enabled  him  to  know  personally,  confirmed  the  state- 
ment of  McCoy. 

Edward  E.  Hale,  in  1854,  refers  to  several  of  the  old  methods  of  spelling 
the  name,  and  then  adheres  to  Kanzas. 

Richardson,  in  "  Beyond  the  Mississippi,"  page  29,  under  date  of  1857,  has 
the  following: 

'  'A  morning  walk  of  two  miles    .     .     .    brought  me  to  the  Kansas,  or  Kaw 

Affairs,  1835,  p.  27.  21  and  22.  Indian  Affairs.  Laws,  and  Treaties,  vol.  1,  p.  1121.  24,  Patrick  Gass, 
Journal,  1807,  p.  19.  To  Mr.  Hay's  list  can  also  be  added  :  Kansa  (  Marquette's  map  of  the  Missis- 
sippi river ;  Indian  Affairs,  Laws,  and  Treaties,  vol.  2,  p.  919  ;  W.  J.  McGee.  Fifteenth  Annual 
Report  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  p.  162).  Kanse  (Marg-ry,  vol.  6,  p.  365 1.  Kanzes.  Karsea.  Cancez, 
Kah.  Kances  (  Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clark,  1905.  p.  480).  Kanees  (  Perrin  du  Lac,  Travels  Through 
the  Two  Louisianas,  pp.  56  and  57) .  Cances  (  Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  457) .  Kansea  ( French's  Louisiana, 
vol.  2,  p.  228).  Chanzes  (  Joutel's  Journal  of  La  Salle's  Last  Voyage,  1684-'87, 1906,  p.  127).  Kansas 
(  Margry,  vol.  6,  p.  vi :  Morse's  Report  on  Indian  Affairs,  1822,  p.  203 :  Brackenridge,  Views  of 
Louisiana,  1814,  p.  5;  Thwaites'  Lewis  and  Clarke,  1905,  p.  480).  Quans  ( Margry.  vol.  6,  p.  393  ). 
J.  V.  Brower,  in  his  Missouri  River  and  its  Utmost  Source,  1897,  p.  165.  gives,  besides  some  above 
mentioned,  the  following  list  of  names  and  authorities:  Canchez  (Le  Page  du  Pratz,  Hist. 
Louisiana,  vol.  II,  p.  251,  1758).  Cansa  (Harris,  Collection  of  Voyages  and  Travels  [map],  1705). 
Canse  ( Iberville  [1702],  in  Margry's  Decouvertes,  vol.  IV,  p.  601,  1880).  Canze  (Bienville  [1722], 
in  Margry,  vol.  VI,  p.  387).  Kamse  ( N.  Y.  Col.  Docs.,  vol.  IX,  p.  1057  [Doc.  of  1736]).  Kancas 
(  La  Potherie,  Hist.  Amerique,  vol.  II,  p.  271. 1753).  Kansae  ( Coxe,  Carolana,  p.  11, 1741).  Kan- 
ses  ( Iberville  [1702],  in  Margry,  vol.  IV,  p.  599, 1880 ).  Kaus  ( Johnson  and  Winter,  Route  across 
Rocky  Mountains,  p.  13,  1846).     Konzo  ( Long's  Expedition  [James'  ed.],  vol.  I.  p.  Ill,  1823). 


Kaw  and  Kansas.  525 

river.,  Kansas,  signifying  '  smoky, '^  is  the  name  of  a  degraded  and  nearly 
extinct  Indian  tribe.  Lewis  and  Clark,  and  all  other  early  explorers,  spelled 
it  as  pronounced,  with  a  '  z. '  It  was  first  familiarized  to  American  ears  by 
the  bill  of  Senator  Douglas  repealing  the  Missouri  compromise — that  little 
fire  which  kindled  so  vast  a  conflagration.  Then  many  official  documents 
and  newspapers  followed  the  early  orthography,  and  to  this  day  a  few  jour- 
nals spell  it  'Kanzas, '  but  the  later  mode  is  irrevocably  established." 

J.  N.  Holloway,  in  his  history  bearing  date  1868,  uses  the  usual  spelling, 
Kansas,  and  on  page  87  has  these  words: 

"The  name  Kansas,  signifying  'smoky,'  is  derived  from  the  chief  river 
running  from  the  east  through  the  center  of  the  state,  the  name  of  the  river, 
having  been  derived  from  that  of  the  tribe  of  Indians  inhabiting  its  borders 
towards  its  mouth.  It  is  variously  spelled  by  early  writers  Cansan,  Kanson, 
and  Kanzas,  but  since  the  organization  of  the  territory  it  has  been  written 
Kansas.  The  Kansas  Indians  are  sometimes  called  Kaws— a  nickname  given 
them  by  the  French." 

This  hint  about  a  nickname  corroborates  the  evidence  of  McCoy,  and 
doubtless  points  to  the  origin  of  the  abbreviation,  for  from  the  unaccented 
Kauzau  nothing  would  be  easier  for  a  French  trader  than  to  drop  off  the 
last  syllable,  and  the  degraded  Kaws  would  accept  it,  as  the  writer  has  evi- 
dence to  show  they  did. 

In  pursuing  this  investigation  the  writer  has  found  much  interesting 
matter  on  the  customs  and  migrations  of  this  Indian  tribe,  and  on  the  geog- 
raphy of  our  river,  but  this  must  be  omitted,  as  well  as  information  respect- 
ing books  that  would  be  desirable  to  have  in  our  libraries;  but  he  would 
remark  that  though  originally  the  name  Kansez  (or  other  form)  was  applied 
to  the  entire  length  of  the  stream  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Smoky,  and 
the  Saline  and  Solomon  were  spoken  of  as  forks  of  the  Cansez,  yet  it  is  to 
be  regretted  that  such  a  work  as  Johnson's  Cyclopedia  should  not  have  rec- 
ognized that,  at  least,  since  the  time  of  Richardson,  the  Kaw  river  com- 
mences at  the  junction  of  the  Republican  and  Smoky  Hill  rivers,  at  Fort 
Riley. 

In  1873  a  poem  was  written  which  interwove  the  flow  of  our  river  with 
the  flo  7i  of  its  numbers.  It  appeared  in  the  Kansas  Farmer,  October  13, 
1875.  It  may  have  little  merit  as  a  poem,  but  it  will  not  be  an  inappropriate 
thing  to  introduce  here  a  few  lines  to  close  our  article  on  the  Kaw,  Kaws, 
and  Kansas.  This  poem  has  nine  stanzas  of  unequal  length.  It  is  entitled 
an  "Epithalanium,"  an  imitation  of  the  style  of  Spenser.  We  give  the 
fifth,  seventh  and  part  of  the  ninth  verses: 

V. 

"And  though  I  cannot  sing  as  Spenser  sang 

And  armed  knights  have  not  to  praise. 
Yet  she  who  weds  to-day,  the  fair  among 

Is  of  the  fairest,  and  my  most  gentle  lays 
Shall  speak  her  gentle;  and  her  knight 
Is  hke  my  Sidney,  for  he  has  fought  for  men. 
And.  like  the  thrice  great  Roman,  his  sword  has  made  a  plow, 
And  as  I  meditate  their  praise  upon  their  banks,  do  thou 
Help  me  to  sweetness,  fulness,  fervor,  as  I  stroll  along 
And  murmur  music,  Kaw,  until  I  end  my  song. 

Note  3. — The  meaning  of  Kansas  is  given  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  173. 


526  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

VII. 

'  *  Broad  Kaw,  from  sunset  lands  thou  comest, 

And  eastward  still  dost  go, 
Seeking  the  morning  dawn 

With  never-ceasing  flow; 
And  in  the  great  Missouri  downward, 
Going  still  thou  loses  self,  and  noonward, 
Going  still,  the  Father  of  Waters  in  his  breast 
Enfolds  thee,  and  with  thee  goes  to  rest 
Where  the  ocean  ever  gleameth  the  isles  of  Ind  among 
So  smoothly  flow,  broad  Kaw,  until  I  end  my  song. 

IX. 

' '  But  for  the  twain  made  one 
Old  time  move  gently  on, 
Still  brightly  shine,  fair  sun, 
Fringe  all  their  grief  with  gladness. 
And  if  there  must  be  sadness 
Let  it  be  all  on  earth  and  so  be  ended. 
And  then  eternally  their  bliss  prolong- 
Broad  Kaw,  flow  grandly  on,  for  now  I  end  my  song." 


TWO  CITY  MARSHALS. 

THOMAS  JAMES  SMITH,  OF  ABILENE. 

TOM  SMITH,  the  marshal  who  conquered  the  cowboys,  was  fittingly 
honored  by  the  people  of  Abilene  on  Memorial  day.  May  30,  1904.  He 
was  marshal  from  May  until  November,  1870,  and  received  the  largest  salary 
ever  paid  to  an  Abilene  officer  —  $225  a  month  and  half  of  the  fines  —  all  of 
which  he  earned.  He  was  murdered  while  making  an  arrest  and  laid  away 
in  an  obscure  part  of  what  is  now  the  Abilene  cemetery.  Under  the  leader- 
ship of  J.  B.  Edwards,  the  movement  was  started  to  erect  a  monument  to 
his  memory.  Mr.  Edwards  secured,  in  Oklahoma,  a  natural  boulder  and 
had  it  shipped  to  Abilene  and  placed  on  the  new  lot  given  by  the  city,  in  a 
more  prominent  part  of  the  cemetery,  to  which  the  marshal's  body  had  been 
lately  removed.  Through  the  glass  in  the  metal  casket,  Smith's  features 
were  as  distinct  as  when  he  died.  On  the  monument  is  a  bronze  plate  read- 
ing: 

"Thomas  J.  Smith,  marshal  of  Abilene,  1870.  Died  a  martyr  to  duty, 
November  2,  1870;  a  fearless  hero  of  frontier  days,  who  in  cowboy  chaos 
established  the  supremacy  of  law." 

Early  in  the  day  the  public  gathered  about  the  monument,  and,  after 
some  ceremony,  William  S.  Stambaugh,  in  behalf  of  the  committee,  pre- 
sented the  stone  to  the  city. 

Mayor  S.  R.  Cowan  accepted  the  monument  in  the  following  words : 

"On  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Abilene,  I  most  gladly  accept  this  trust,  and 
pledge  the  good  name  of  the  city  that  henceforth  this  stone  shall  be  pre- 
served and  kept  sacred  to  the  memory  of  our  pioneer  citizen  and  benefactor, 
Thomas  J.  Smith,  who  died  a  martyr  to  the  establishment  of  law  and  order 
in  the  early  days  of  our  fair  city. 

' '  We  recognize  law  as  a  divine  institution,  and  he  who  dies  in  its  defense 
dies  for  God.  This  tribute  to  the  worth  of  one  of  the  law's  defenders  is 
tardily  paid,  but  it  is  far  better  to  be  late  in  expressing  our  gratitude  than 


Two  City  Marshals.  527 

to  shirk  its  acknowledgment  entirely.  His  life  was  eloquent  with  courage. 
We  boast  of  it  to-day.  He  impressively  illustrated  courage,  that  cardinal 
virtue  that  constitutes  one  of  the  foundation  stones  upon  which  the  grand 
superstructure  of  our  republic  stands.  He  is  one  of  the  uncrowned  heroes. 
He  never  feared  to  meet  his  enemies  face  to  face;  their  number  and  the 
strength  of  their  position  never  disturbed  him.  He  had  confidence  in  him- 
self and  in  his  cause.  He  hazarded  everything  in  defense  of  what  he 
thought  was  right,  and  was  bent  on  doing  his  duty  or  finding  his  grave  in 
the  attempt.  Never  before  or  since  have  we  had  an  officer  of  the  law  more 
valuable  or  more  efficient.  He  contributed  his  full  share  to  the  establish- 
ment of  decency  and  order  in  our  city,  and  we  are  the  beneficiaries  of  his 
work.  Abilene  is  a  clean  town,  a  law-abiding  town,  largely  because  of  what 
this  man  accomplished.  To-day  the  city  expresses  its  deep  and  sincere  re- 
gard for  the  man  and  his  work. 

"As  the  mayor  of  the  city,  and  in  the  name  of  the  city,  I  thank  you,  one 
and  all.  who  have  contributed  to  the  erection  of  this  stone.  The  stone's 
very  ruggedness  speaks  eloquently  of  him  who,  in  his  rough,  rugged,  honest 
way  helped  so  largely  in  rescuing  our  city  from  the  distempers  and  griefs 
of  a  frontier  settlement.  Your  appreciation  is  timely.  Your  money  has 
been  generously  and  wisely  expended." 

By  two  o'clock  p.  M.  the  people  had  filled  Seelye's  theater.  About  100  old 
soldiers  sat  on  the  stage,  which  was  ornamented  with  flags  and  bunting.  In 
the  audience  were  scores  of  old  settlers  who  had  come  from  all  parts  of  the 
county  to  hear  about  the  frontier  days.  John  Johntz  presided,  and  a  double 
quartette  furnished  music.  T.  C,  Henry,  of  Denver,  the  first  mayor  of  Abi- 
lene, and  holding  that  office  when  Smith  was  marshal,  was  the  first  speaker, 
and  devoted  his  address  chiefly  to  Smith's  employment  and  his  service.  He 
said: 

"Again  we  assemble  to  renew  our  tribute  to  the  heroes,  living  and  dead, 
by  whose  valor  the  integrity  of  this  republic  exists  unimpaired.  Lips  far 
more  eloquent  than  mine  have  many  times  before  told  the  story  of  the  strug- 
gle out  of  which  has  grown  a  political  entity  whose  grandeur  is  unrivaled  in 
all  the  history  of  nations.  No  words  I  can  summon  are  adequate  to  tell  the 
heroism  or  measure  the  services  which  saved  the  sacred  cause  of  human 
Uberty.  Nor,  soldiers  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  can  I  voice  the 
unfathomable  gratitude  we  cherish  for  your  preservation  of  that  glorious 
flag  which  symbolizes,  we  trust,  the  everlasting  principles  of  Christian 
government.  May  the  generations  following  you  ever  espouse  with  like  ardor, 
and  prowess,  if  need  be,  the  cause  of  right,  of  justice,  and  of  humanity,  and 
thereby  righteously  merit  the  imperishable  heritage  won  for  them  by  your 
patriotism,  by  y«ur  sacrifices,  and  by  your  courage. 

"But  'peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than  war.'  It  is  our 
privilege  this  day  and  here  to  pay  double  honor— honor  to  those  who  pre- 
served the  institutions  of  liberty  planted  by  our  forefathers;  and  honor  to 
one  whose  unsurpassed  bravery  subdued  disorder,  conquered  lawlessness,  and 
made  clear  the  way  for  the  blessings  of  peace  and  prosperity,  whose  fruition 
you  people  of  Abilene  the  beautiful,  and  Dickinson  the  grand,  enjoy. 

"Thomas  James  Smith  was  born  in  New  York  city  about  the  year  1840. 
His  parents  were  of  Irish  birth.  His  Celtic  origin  showed  in  physiognomy 
and  build.  In  temperament,  character  and  bearing  he  was  thoroughly  Ameri- 
can. He  was  nearly  five  feet  and  eleven  inches  in  height,  weighed  170 
pounds,  was  broad-shouldered,  erect,  athletic— physically  superb.  Of  fair 
complexion,  auburn  hair,  and  light  mustache,  his  gray  eyes  of  a  bluish  tint 
were  his  most  expressive  feature  when  aroused.  His  manners  were  gentle, 
unobtrusive,  and  simple,  his  voice  low-toned  and  evenly  modulated,  and  his 
language  plain  and  direct.  In  the  presence  of  his  official  superiors  he  was 
deferential,  almost  diffident. 

"He  was  fairly  well  educated,  reared  a  Catholic,  and  was  clean  of 
speech.  I  never  heard  him  utter  a  profane  word  or  employ  a  vulgar  phrase. 
He  neither  gambled,  drank,  nor  was  in  the  least  dissolute  otherwise.     He 


528  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

was  singularly,  and  perhaps  significantly,  reticent  as  to  his  early  life.  I 
cannot  learn  that  he  ever  mentioned  his  family;  nor  was  it  ever  known  that 
he  had  any  living  relatives.  He  had  been  well  bred,  and  good  blood  coursed 
in  his  veins.  Some  sorrow  or  tragedy,  mayhap,  early  drove  him  from  home 
and  friends,  out  alone  into  the  far  West.  It  is  nearly  authenticated  that 
he  was  a  victim  in  the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre,  in  Utah,  in  1857,  and 
left  for  dead.     Certainly,  a  little  later  he  was  in  western  Utah  and  Nevada. 

"Perhaps,  in  a  general  way,  I  should  here  briefly  refer  to  the  Texas 
cattle  trade,  and  its  relation  to  Abilene.  The  eloquent  speaker  who  is  to 
follow  will  detail  more  vividly  than  I  can  the  scenes  and  events  which  made 
Abilene  the  most  famed  and  godless  little  city  on  this  continent  a  third  of  a 
century  ago. 

"Among  the  numerous  trans-Missouri  railroads  projected  was  the  line, 
now  known  as  the  Union  Pacific,  which  was  built  to  and  passed  beyond  Abi- 
lene in  the  spring  of  1867— the  first  to  penetrate  Kansas.  There  were  then 
practically  no  railroads  west  of  the  Mississippi  south  of  the  Missouri,  save 
the  Missouri  Pacific;  not  a  single  mile  in  all  Texas.  Isolated  and  remote 
from  markets,  that  state  from  the  first  had  made  cattle-raising  its  chief  in- 
dustry. Federal  possession  of  the  Mississippi  during  the  war  had  shut  in  • 
Texas,  and  an  enormous  cattle-holding  had  accumulated  there.  The  genius, 
foresight  and  enterprise  of  one  man,  Joseph  G.  McCoy,  of  Springfield,  111., 
conceived  the  idea  of  trailing  those  cattle  to  the  nearest  railway  available, 
and  thence,  by  shipment,  placing  them  on  the  markets  of  the  East.  Accord- 
ingly, the  '  Chisholm '  '  trail,  from  the  Rio  Grande,  was  extended  from  Okla- 
homa to  Abilene.  Here  were  built  by  the  McCoy  brothers  the  shipping 
yards,  and  the  traffic  opened  in  the  fall  of  1867.'- 

"The  first  two  seasons  no  effort  was  made  to  control  the  disorder  and 
suppress  the  brazen  lawlessness  of  the  rough  element  gathered  here.  On 
September  6,  1869,  the  probate  court  of  Dickinson  county  granted  a  petition 
to  incorporate  Abilene,  and  named  J.  B.  Shane,  T.  C.  Henry,  Thos.  Sher- 
ran,  Timothy  F.  Hersey  and  J.  G.  McCoy  as  trustees.  The  board  organized, 
and  I  was  chosen  chairman,  with  the  duties  corresponding  to  mayor.  We 
adopted  ordinances,  but  the  season  was  so  nearly  closed  by  that  time  that 
active  government  was  not  attemped.  The  spring  following  the  board  reor- 
ganized, myself  again  chairman  and  W.  Fancher  secretary.  Thirty-two  sa- 
loons were  licensed,  closing  hours  were  enforced,  dives  and  inmates  forced 
out  and  back  from  the  business  center,  and  the  more  flagrant  crimes  pun- 
ished. Gambling  and  minor  vices  were  disregarded,  for  at  best  barely  more 
than  a  semblance  of  decency  was  hoped  for. 

"Such  laws  as  were  half  tentatively  ventured,  of  course,  required  exe- 
cutive enforcement.  The  office  of  town  marshal  was  created,  charged  with 
that  function.  The  ordinances  were  published,  and  the  fact  proclaimed  that 
law  and  order  thereafter  should  govern.  The  usual  ordinance  prohibiting 
the  carrying  of  firearms  within  the  town  limits  was  adopted,  and  large  bul- 
letin-boards were  erected  at  the  main  roadways  entering  the  town,  upon 
which  it  was  conspicuously  lettered.  That  Abilene  was  to  be  reduced  to  a 
'peace  footing'  was  heralded  from  the  mountains  to  the  Gulf. 

Nearly  the  very  first  applicant  for  the  marshalship  was  Tom  Smith  him- 
self. He  came  down  from  Kit  Carson,  Colo.  He  was  indorsed  by  a  repu- 
table citizen  of  Abilene,  who  knew  of  him  as  the  accredited  leader  of  the 
famed  Bear  River  riot,  in  Wyoming.  Although  Smith's  personal  appear- 
ance belied  his  reputation,  and  his  credentials  were  acceptable,  the  idea  of 
inaugurating  the  reign  of  good  government  through  the  agency  of  such  a 
person  seemed  inconsistent  and  objectionable.  His  application  was  re- 
jected, and  our  choice  was  made  from  home  talent.  It  was  truly  surprising 
what  a  supply  of  self-proclaimed  material  was  ready  at  hand !  One  after 
another  was  appointed  and  successively  failed  us.  Conditions  grew  steadily 
worse.  Disdain  for  the  law  and  its  officers  increased.  As  the  active  ex- 
ecutive head  of  the  town  government,  I  was  the  recipient  of  ridicule  and 

Note  1. — A  sketch  of  this  trail  is  given  in  Kansas  Historical  Society  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  176. 

Note  2.—"  Historic  Sketches  of  the  Cattle  Trade  of  the  West  and  Southwest,"  by  Joseph  G. 
McCoy,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  1874.  James  Parkinson  McCoy  was  the  name  of  the  second  member  of 
the  firm. 


Two  City  Marshals.  529 

abuse.  Threatening  letters  were  sent  me  anonymously.  The  blinds  pro- 
tecting my  office  windows  were  torn  and  broken.  My  business  associate, 
Captain  Shane,  an  ex-Kentucky  Union  officer,  a  fearlessly  resolute  man, 
was  particularly  outraged  by  slurs  and  threats,  presumably  emanating  fron 
those  who  had  been  '  on  the  other  side. ' 

"  Growing  cowboy  insolence  was  exhibited  in  various  ways— some  ludicrous 
and  laughable.  The  posted  ordinances  were  viewed  with  a  mixture  of  awe 
and  curiosity  at  the  outset,  and  gradually  their  significance  and  purpose  were 
comprehended.  Finally  our  failure  to  enforce  order  was  contemptuously  and 
concretely  celebrated  by  the  cowboy  horsemen  taking  shots  at  the  abortive 
fire-arms  ordinance  as  they  galloped  by,  until  the  city  fathers  themselves 
could  not  have  retraced  the  lineaments  of  this  municipal  offspring. 

' '  Of  course,  we  had  to  provide  a  calaboose.  A  central  site  was  chosen  and 
we  began  to  build  of  stone.  When  the  walls  were  nearly  up,  the  cowboys 
made  a  raid  and  tore  it  down.  By  the  aid  of  a  guard  day  and  night,  we  re- 
paired it  and  bolted  on  the  roof.  The  first  occupant  was  a  colored  boy 
cook  from  one  of  the  cattle  camps  up  on  Mud  creek,  eight  or  ten  miles  out. 
He  was  disorderly,  firing  off  his  pistol,  etc.  His  camp  companions,  learning 
of  this  affront,  rushed  to  town,  frightened  away  the  marshal,  or  marshals, 
perhaps,  blew  off  the  jail  lock,  opened  the  door,  and  freed  their  greatly 
wronged  prisoner  friend.  The  band,  pretendingly  outraged  by  such  official 
pusillanimity  and  insult,  then  directed  the  business  houses  to  close,  in  some 
instances  enforcing  the  mandate  by  mounted  invasion  of  the  premises.  This 
laudable  performance  accomplished,  the  squad,  yelling  and  shooting  their 
pistols  in  the  air,  rode  past  the  little  office  on  Buckeye  street,  opposite  the 
present  site  of  the  Union  Pacific  hotel,  occupied  by  Captain  Shane  and  my- 
self, and  on  to  the  stock-yards  half  a  mile  east.  We  hurriedly  gathered  an 
armed  posse  of  citizens  at  our  office,  and  awaited  the  expected  return  of  the 
outlaws,  fully  determined  to  call  their  halt.  Fortunately  they  took  another 
route  to  camp.  We  then  mounted  horses  and  started  out  to  capture  the 
gang.  Word  of  our  purpose  was  sent  ahead  by  some  confederate,  but  we 
brought  back  several  of  them.  The  negro  cook  and  the  ringleader  escaped 
and  never  reappeared  in  Abilene.  The  proposition  to  hang  our  captives  was 
finally  voted  down. 

' '  The  episode,  however,  was  soon  forgotten  and  disorder  resumed  its 
sway.  Successive  marshals  were  tried,  failed,  and  in  turn  resigned.  The 
chief  of  police  of  St.  Louis  was  implored  to  send  us  a  couple  of  men  compe- 
tent to  run  the  town  for  us.  In  a  few  days  they  appeared,  vouched  for,  to 
fill  our  order.  Their  identity  and  mission  were  soon  known  over  town. 
Every  device  lawless  deviltry  could  contrive  was  let  loose  that  day.  The 
brace  of  '  tenderf eet, '  without  tendering  their  farewell  compliments,  took 
the  return  midnight  train  for  Missouri ! 

"It  had  become  evident  by  this  time  that  neither  the  home  brand  nor  the 
imported  Eastern  article  was  adapted  to  our  stress.  We  had  been  foiled  by 
our  prerequisite  standard  of  moral  and  personal  worth  demanded.  Our 
primal  instincts,  instead  of  'turning  the  other  cheek,'  etc.,  etc.,  now  craved 
a  couple  of  eyes  for  one  eye;  several  teeth  for  one  tooth.  We  hungered  for 
some  one  who  could,  to  paraphrase  a  rule  of  David  Harum's  ethics,  do  to 
others  what  was  doing  to  us,  and  to  do  them  first.  Therefore,  I  wired  Tom 
Smith  to  come. 

It  was  one  Saturday  morning,  late  in  May,  1870,  that  Smith  reappeared 
at  my  office.  I  related  briefly  the  story  of  our  troubles,  and  intimated  that 
he  had  better  first  look  over  the  situation,  for  possibly  he  might  not  care  to 
undertake  the  job.  He  smiled  rather  grimly,  but  without  a  word  proceeded 
on  my  hint. 

"It  was  nearly  sundown  when  I  saw  Smith  coming  back.  I  stood  bare- 
headed in  my  office  doorway  as  he  approached.  He  declined  to  come  in,  and 
remained  outside,  but  removed  his  hat.  I  inquired  what  he  thought.  He 
said  he  believed  he  could  handle  the  town.  '  What  plans  do  you  propose  to 
accomplish  that?'  I  asked,  curious  to  get  his  ideas  and  to  size  him  up.  He 
replied  that  firearms  must  be  given  up;  that  whisky  and  pistols  were  a 
combination  beyond  control;  'As  well  contend,'  he  said,  'with  a  frenzied 
maniac  as  an  armed  and  drunken  cowboy. '     His  logic  was  well  grounded, 

-34 


530  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

but  the  image  of  that  ordinance  obliterated  by  bullets  was  equally  impres- 
sive; besides,  my  recent  study  of  cowboy  nature  and  training  had  matured 
my  convictions  respecting  the  inherent  difficulty  of  determining  whether  a 
cowboy  and  his  gun  were  separate  elements  even  under  normal  conditions. 
But  I  mastered  my  rising  skepticism,  and  inquired  if  he  really  thought  he 
could  enforce  that  ordinance.  'Yes, '  he  said,  'I  think  I  can.'  'When  do 
you  want  to  begin?'     'As  well  at  once,'  he  quickly  replied. 

"Then  I  recited  the  oath  of  office  to  him  as  we  stood  there  alone.  How 
well  I  recall  the  scene  at  that  moment !  I  was  about  a  foot  above  the 
ground,  facing  northwesterly.  The  bright  gleams  of  the  setting  sun  athwart 
Smith's  square  right  shoulder,  struck  me  in  the  face.  As  he  raised  his  hand 
for  the  oath  in  response  to  my  own,  the  blinding  glimmer  of  the  rays  made 
me  lift  my  other  to  shield  my  eyes  as  I  peered  searchingly  into  his  own.  If 
I  could  but  picture  vividly  as  the  kinetograph  the  full  perspective  spread 
before  my  vision  then,  what  a  priceless  treasure  for  your  archives  it  would 
be! 

"Silently  he  moved  off,  and  I  watched  him  with  misgivings  disappear 
down  town,  a  third  of  a  mile  away. 

"Almost  immediately  he  encountered  'Big  Hank,'  a  cowboy  desperado, 
who  had  made  himself  particularly  obnoxious  to  former  marshals,  and  was 
loudest  in  his  boast  that  no  one  could  disarm  him.  Wearing  a  belted  re- 
volver, he  approached  Smith  and  tauntingly  asked  him  if  he  was  the  man 
who  proposed  to  run  the  town.  Smith  said  he  was  employed  as  marshal  and 
that  he  should  try  to  maintain  order  and  enforce  the  law.  '  What  are  you 
going  to  do  about  that  gun  ordinance?  '  '  See  that  it  is  obeyed, '  replied 
Smith;  and  then  quietly  added:    '  I  must  trouble  you  to  hand  me  yours.' 

"With  a  coarse  oath  this  was  refused.  Characteristically  cool,  Smith 
again  made  the  demand  and  again  was  met  with  profanity  and  abuse.  In- 
stantly he  sprang  forward  and  landed  a  terrible  blow  which  placed  '  Big 
Hank '  hors  de  combat.  The  marshal  took  away  the  pistol  and  ordered  its 
owner  at  once  to  leave  for  camp,  a  command  heeded  with  crestfallen  alacrity. 

"The  news  of  this  encounter  before  midnight  was  heralded  over  a  radius 
of  many  miles.  The  unique  punishment  employed  was  wholly  new  to  cow- 
boy warfare,  and  every  phase  of  the  combat  was  debated.  In  a  camp  out 
on  a  branch  of  Chapman  creek  a  wager  was  laid  by  a  big,  burly  brute,  that 
he  could  go  to  town  and  defy  the  surrender  of  his  gun.  Promptly  next 
morning,  Sunday,  '  Wyoming  Frank  '  was  on  hand  to  fulfil  his  boast.  Smith 
was  rather  late  in  appearing.  The  desparado,  impatient  and  drinking,  be- 
gan vaunting  that  the  marshal  had  probably  heard  that  he  was  in  town  and 
he  'reckoned  that  he  had  lighted  out.'  Finally  Smith  came  quietly  down 
the  middle  of  the  street,  as  was  his  wont,  and  presently  confronted  the  ad- 
vancing bully.  Like  Big  Hank  the  evening  before,  he  began  chaffing  in- 
solently, with  the  idea  of  involving  Smith  in  a  quarrel  as  an  excuse  for 
resisting  the  demand  he  knew  would  be  made.  Divining  his  purpose.  Smith 
guardedly  requested  the  surrender  of  the  gun  purposely  displayed.  Of 
course  this  was  refused,  but  somewhat  daunted  by  the  peculiar  steely  glint 
of  Smith's  eye  Frank  began  backing  as  Smith  advanced  quietly  calling  for 
his  gun.  Frank  steadily  retired,  maneuvering  for  time  and  space  in  which 
to  draw  his  pistol,  and  thus  have  the  drop  on  Smith.  But  he  was  balked  by 
the  latter's  close  reach.  Finally  they  backed  into  a  large  saloon,  where  the 
crowd  attracted  gathered  around  them.  In  the  center  Frank  came  to  a 
stand  facing  Smith.  To  his  courteous  but  firm  demand,  Frank  exploded  an 
insulting  oath  and  vile  epithet.  Quick  as  a  flash  Smith  vaulted,  and  with  a 
terrific  double  blow  sent  his  antagonist  prone  to  the  floor,  and  with  the  un- 
belted pistol  vigorously  belabored  the  brute's  body.  Then,  standing  over 
him,  he  said:  'I  give  you  five  minutes  to  get  out  of  this  town,  and  don't 
you  ever  again  let  me  set  eyes  on  you. '  The  latent  demon  in  Smith  blazed 
defiance,  and  every  spectator  saw  why  Tom  Smith  was  leader  in  the  bloody 
Bear  River  riot. 

"For  an  instant  all  stood  dazed  and  speechless,  whereupon  the  saloon 
proprietor  stepped  from  behind  the  bar  and  said  to  Smith:  'That  was  the 
nerviest  act  I  ever  saw.  You  did  your  duty,  and  that  coward  got  what  he 
deserved.     Here  is  my  gun.     I  reckon  I'll  not  need  it  so  long  as  you  are 


Two  City  Marshals.  531 

marshal  of  this  town. '  That  was  a  signal.  Every  one  pushed  forward  proffer- 
ing Smith  pistols  and  overwhelming  him  with  a  profusion  of  compliments, 
expressions  of  admiration,  etc.  He  quietly  thanked  them  and  said:  'Hand 
your  guns  to  the  bartender  to  keep  until  you  want  to  go  out  to  camp.' 
From  that  moment  Tom  Smith  was  master.  The  cowboys,  as  a  tribute  to 
his  marvelous  nerve  and  gentlemanly  self-command,  were  his  allies  and 
loyal  friends.  No  guns  thereafter  were  openly  worn  on  the  streets  of  Abilene, 
nor  was  Smith  ever  again  publicly  affronted.  Of  course,  there  were  drunken- 
ness and  quarreling;  dens  of  iniquity  flourished  and  some  murders  even  oc- 
curred; but  his  tact,  courage  and  good  judgment  were  always  adequate  to 
minimize  consequences,  and  without  resistence.  Smith  was  alike  popular 
with  merchants,  gamblers,  citizens,  and  saloon-keepers.  In  a  short  time 
he  ruled  practically  without  oversight. 

"Sunday,  October  23,  1870,  on  Chapman  creek,  Andrew  McConnell  shot 
and  killed  John  Shea.  Shea  snapped  a  pistol  twice  at  McConnell,  and  while 
attempting  to  cock  it  for  the  third  time  McConnell  shot  and  killed  him.  An 
investigation  resulted  in  the  discharge  of  McConnell  on  the  plea  of  self- 
defense.  But  the  neighbors  were  not  satisfied,  and  legal  measures  of  a  differ- 
ent character  were  instituted,  and  warrants  for  the  arrest  of  McConnell  and 
another  man,  named  Miles,  were  given  to  Marshal  Smith  to  serve.  Wednes- 
day, the  2d  day  of  November,  accompanied  by  a  deputy  named  McDonald, 
Marshal  Smith  went  to  the  dugout  on  Chapman  to  make  the  arrest.  Mc- 
Connell was  informed  that  he  was  under  arrest,  when  he  instantly  shot  at 
Smith.  A  scuffle  ensued,  and  Smith  was  killed.  A  vigorous  fusillade  fol- 
lowed between  McConnell  and  Miles  and  Deputy  McDonald.  The  murderers 
secured  the  horses  of  the  officers  and  started  off,  but  while  McDonald  went 
to  arouse  the  neighbors  they  returned  to  the  dugout  and  with  an  ax  severed 
Smith's  head  from  the  body.  For  this  crime  McConnell  and  Miles  served 
fourteen  years  in  the  penitentiary.  ^ 

"The  members  of  the  town  government  convened  the  next  morning  after 
his  death  and  adopted  resolutions  of  esteem  for  our  'valued  citizen,  esteemed 
friend,  and  brave  executive  officer,  Thomas  J.  Smith. '  November  4  a  pub- 
lic funeral  took  place.  Business  was  entirely  suspended,  and  every  mani- 
festation of  profound  grief  was  exhibited.  Slowly  the  long  concourse  of 
citizens,  led  by  '  Silverheels, '  Smith's  favorite  saddle-horse,  followed  the  re- 
mains to  the  spot  which  this  occasion  consecrates. 

"  Smith  served  at  one  time  on  the  police  force  of  New  York.  I  have 
shadowy  details  of  his  wanderings  over  Utah  and  Nevada.  Thence  he  re- 
turned to  Iowa  with  wagon-trains,  hauling  railroad  material  westward.  Next 
he  appears  on  the  frontier  of  Nebraska,  employed  in  various  capacities,  fol- 
lowing the  Union  Pacific  construction.  What  a  world  of  experience  such 
rugged  schooling  brought  him!  Finally,  and  authentically,  he  was  engaged 
with  a  large  contracting  firm  whose  headquarters  in  1868  were  at  Bear  river, 
Wyoming,  where  many  hundred  employes  were  congregated.  The  business 
men  there  had  organized  a  'town'  government,  so  called,  adopted  laws  of 
their  own  and  appointed  a  marshal.  Naturally,  many  outlaws  and  desperate 
characters  collected  and  crime  and  lawlessness  abounded. 

"A  young  man  from  Smith's  camp,  his  friend,  merely  disorderly  under 
the  influence  of  liquor,  was  placed  in  jail  where  there  were  three  others  who 
had  just  before  garroted  and  robbed  a  couple  of  men  in  open  day.  The  ex- 
asperated citizens  incited  by  a  fugitive  newspaper,  housed  in  a  tent  on  the 

Note  3. — W.  S.  Stambaugh,  a  prominent  lawyer  in  Dickinson  county  at  that  time,  but  now 
living  in  Farg'o,  N.  Dak.,  said  that  Smith  rode  through  Detroit  and  asked  him  the  way  to  McCon- 
nell's  dugout.  Mr.  Stambaugh  had  eaten  dinner  with  McConnell  a  few  days  before  at  the  Detroit 
hotel,  and  he  warned  Smith  of  the  mood  of  the  murderer.  "  Smith."  said  Stambaugh.  "  rode  on 
to  the  dugout.  In  an  hour  a  young  man  rode  into  Detroit,  saying  that  McConnell  had  murdered 
him.  I  jumped  on  a  horse  and  rode  to  the  McConnell  dugout.  It  was  built  into  a  hillside,  and  the 
door  was  at  the  end  of  a  sort  of  ditch.  Smith  entered  alone  and  what  happened  no  one  knows. 
Two  shots  were  heard  ;  McConnell  was  .shot  through  the  hand.  Smith  in  the  breast.  They 
grappled  and  struggled  into  the  open  air,  Smith,  with  a  mortal  wound,  giving  McConnell  a  fear- 
ful battle.  Smith  got  McConnell  down  and  was  either  getting  the  handcuffs  out  of  his  pocket  or 
attempting  to  put  them  on  his  prisoner,  when  Miles,  who  was  McConnell's  partner,  came  up  be- 
hind and  taking  an  ax  buried  its  blade  in  Smith's  head,  striking  three  blows,  and  almost  severing- 
the  head  from  the  body.  The  two  men.  Miles  and  McConnell,  then  fled.  Smith's  assistant, 
named  McDonald,  had  exchanged  shots  with  Miles  on  the  outside  of  the  dugout,  and  McDonald 
fled  to  Abilene  for  reinforcements." 


532  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

outskirts  of  the  town,  organized  a  vigilance  committee,  made  wholesale  ar- 
rests and  locked  the  prisoners  in  jail.  Smith's  camp  companions  invaded  the 
town,  destroyed  the  newspaper  plant,  and,  after  releasing  the  prisoners, 
proceeded  to  burn  the  jail,  when  Smith  himself  came  on  the  scene. 

"The  vigilance  committee  had,  in  the  meantime,  armed  and  gathered  in 
a  log  storeroom,  about  fifty  yards  away.  Smith,  roused  to  fury,  ran  to  the 
very  front  of  the  store,  and  emptied  both  his  revolvers  into  the  barricaded 
vigilantes,  but  fortunately  killed  no  one,  although  he  received  several  shots 
from  the  vigilantes.  Despite  several  fearful  wounds,  he  coolly  marched  off 
to  a  friend's  house,  a  block  or  so  away,  where  for  a  time  his  life  hung  in  the 
balance.  Troops  from  Fort  Bridger  were  summoned,  and  the  town  itself  was 
soon  abandoned,  as  the  road  moved  on.^ 

"That  Smith's  motives  and  conduct  in  the  premises  were  generally  justi- 
fied is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  quickly  upon  his  recovery  he  was  chosen 
marshal  of  the  next  town,  and  so  on  continuously  as  towns  were  successively 
located  and  abandoned,  as  the  Union  Pacific  progressed,  until  it  was  com- 
pleted, the  following  year. 

"The  life  and  character  of  Tom  Smith  typify  the  virtue  near  at  hand. 
He  instinctively  trusted  that.  It  is  doubtful,  in  the  presence  of  danger,  if 
his  thoughts  turned  to  his  weapons.  Indeed,  I  never  saw  them  while  he  was 
on  duty.  'Wild  Bill,'  his  successor,  on  the  contrary  never  forgot  that  he 
was  armed  and  could  shoot  first.  The  latter's  bearing  and  bravery  were  of 
a  far  lower  type. 

"Early  in  February,  1872,  the  following  circular,  indited  by  myself,  was 
signed  by  four-fifths  of  the  citizens  and  sent  out  broadcast  over  Texas  and 
the  West: 

"  '  We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  Farmers'  Protective  Association, 
and  officers  and  citizens  of  Dickinson  county,  Kansas,  most  respectfully  re- 
quest all  who  have  contemplated  driving  Texas  cattle  to  Abilene  the  coming 
season  to  seek  some  other  point  for  shipment,  as  the  inhabitants  of  Dickin- 
son will  no  longer  submit  to  the  evils  of  the  trade. ' 

"Not  another  herd  was  driven  into  the  county.  Abilene  became  quiet, 
—  painfully  quiet.  Its  mortuary  fame  was  nearly  as  celebrated  as  its  'live' 
infamy  had  been  before. 

"What  a  transformation  of  these  broad  prairies  and  fertile  plains  since 
then!  What  an  empire  one  generation  of  men  has  already  built  here!  What 
grand  institutions  have  been  reared!  The  innumerable  churches  and  school- 
houses  are  evidence  that  this  magnificent  development  has  been  more  than 
merely  industrial  and  material— the  moral  forces  have  played  a  prominent 
part.  And,  moreover,  you  are  a  homogeneous  people  all  the  way  to  the  Rio 
Grande.  Change  raiment,  and  the  Texan  might  be  taken  for  a  Kansan  now. 
Texas  is  the  Kansas  of  the  South;  and  Kansas  typifies  the  loftiest  Ameri- 
canism." 


THOMAS  ALLEN  CULLINAN,  OF  JUNCTION  CITY. 

"Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  Geo.  W.  Martin,  Secretary. 

I  AM  annoyed  because  I  did  not  learn  of  the  death  of  Thomas  Allen  CuUi- 
nan,  marshal  of  Junction  City,  until  the  morning  after  his  burial,  and  I 
am  still  more  annoyed  that  I  did  not  get  a  complete  write-up  of  his  life,  an 
intention  that  has  been  in  my  mind  for  a  year  or  two  past.  A  most  re- 
markable story  of  a  turbulent  and  useful  life  has  been  lost.  Periodically  we 
read  the  stories  of  extraordinary  public  officials  in  the  tough  and  riotous 
■  days  of  frontier  development,  but  none  exceed  that  which  might  be  told  of 
"Tom  Allen,"  as  he  was  generally  known.  He  died  in  a  hospital  at  Kansas 
•City,  Mo.,  Saturday,  June  18,  1904. 

I  have  observed,  as  secretary  of  the  State  Historical  Society,  that  it  is  a 
.common  failing  for  men  to  defer  things  just  as  though  death  was  not  a  defi- 

NOTE  4.  —  C.  G.  Coutant's  History  of  Wyoming,  1889,  p.  683,  gives  an  account  of  this  affair. 


Tivo  City  Marshals.  533 

nition  or  synonym  of  certainty.  Procrastination  is  not  only  the  thief  of 
time,  but  it  steals  also  many  good  purposes.  I  have  in  mind  a  dozen  men, 
old-timers  in  Kansas,  now  tottering  on  the  edge  of  the  grave,  who  have  as- 
sured me  that  they  would  deposit  with  the  State  Historical  Society  articles 
of  value  and  great  historical  significance,  but  who  defer  doing  so  just  as 
though  they  owned  all  time.  They  will  drop  some  day.  Their  descendants 
may  not  know  of  their  purpose;  they  may  not  know  or  appreciate  the  value 
or  significance  of  the  articles  desired  to  be  preserved  from  extinction  or  ob- 
livion, and  the  identity  of  the  treasures  may  be  lost,  and  thus  the  desire  of 
a  lifetime,  instead  of  being  gratified  for  ages  in  the  inspiration  of  others, 
will  go  into  the  grave. 

And  now,  through  my  carelessness,  Tom  Allen  will  not  get  a  proper  tribute. 
What  I  may  say  is  from  memory  and  not  from  definite  data,  but  is  inspired 
by  a  thirty- five-year  acquaintance,  and  two  years'  very  intimate  connection 
with  Tom  while  he  was  marshal  and  I  was  mayor  of  the  town.  His  wonder- 
ful power  and  judgment  as  an  officer,  the  unlimited  trust  reposed  in  him  by 
the  property-owners  of  Junction  City,  and  the  absolute  and  unquestioned  sway 
given  him  by  the  city  oflRcers  backed  by  public  sentiment,  so  many  years, 
in  his  peculiar  administration  of  the  duties  of  his  oflfice,  strongly  attest  the 
force  born  in  him.  The  fact  that,  after  more  than  fifty  years  of  as  tough  a  life 
as  was  ever  allotted  to  man,  he  ended  his  days  without  a  scratch,  and  without 
having  met  a  man  to  "down  him,"  pictures  Tom  as  an  extremely  excep- 
tional case,  in  these  days  of  lurid  literature. 

Tom  by  no  means  made  his  way  on  his  modesty,  yet  he  never  made  a 
threat  or  a  promise  or  had  a  duty  that  he  did  not  perform  to  the  letter.  He 
never  had  a  single  trouble  of  his  own  seeking,  and  very  rarely  were  those  he 
had  on  his  own  account.  I  think  his  success  or  good  fortune  in  escaping 
trouble  was  due  to  his  extraordinary  judgment,  his  total  and  complete 
ignorance  of  what  fear  was,  and  his  sense  of  fairness,  right,  and  justice. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  been  marshal  of  Junction  City,  excepting 
a  few  years  on  a  farm  and  in  the  service  of  the  Metropolitan  Street  Rail- 
way Company  in  Kansas  City,  since  1871,  being  either  elected  by  the  people 
or  appointed.  During  this  time  he  served  under  some  sixteen  or  eighteen 
diff"erent  mayors,  representing  all  sorts  of  political  sentiment,  and  by  the 
common  consent  of  the  people  was  trusted  to  do  all  police  duty  in  his  own 
way. 

Several  times  during  his  career  the  city  council  was  pestered  with  propo- 
sitions to  perform  the  duties  of  marshal  for  a  nominal  figure,  but  the  busi- 
ness men  always  petitioned  that  Tom  be  retained  at  a  good  salary. 

There  has  never  been  any  petty  pilfering  or  house-breaking  in  Junction 
City— this  class  of  gentlemen  usually  resumed  their  travels  on  the  first 
train;  while  no  man  or  dozen  men  have  ever  painted  the  town.  Every  town 
has  its  peculiarities,  and  a  town  adjoining  a  military  post  enjoys  some  special 
peculiarities  in  its  police  affairs. 

Thomas  Allen  Cullinan,  more  generally  known  as  Tom  Allen,  left  Kilrush, 
county  Clare,  Ireland,  in  1849,  aged  eleven  years,  to  go  to  sea.  His  family 
were  well  fixed,  and  all  the  boy  had  to  do  was  to  go  to  school.  He  served 
three  years  in  the  English  revenue  service,  doing  duty  along  the  coasts  of 
France  and  the  British  Isles,  and  in  the  Mediterranean.  He  visited  all  the 
seaport  towns  of  England,  Ireland,  and  Wales,  and  made  several  trips  to 


534  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Hamburg,  and  voyages  to  the  East  and  West  Indies  and  South  America.  He 
was  in  the  Crimea  in  1854.  The  captain  with  whom  he  first  went  to  sea  of- 
fered him  a  course  in  navigation  at  Ipswich,  and  afterwards  to  give  him 
charge  of  his  vessel. 

In  1855  he  became  engaged  on  a  passenger  vessel  between  Liverpool  and 
New  York,  and,  after  his  second  voyage,  concluded  to  locate  in  this  country. 
He  made  two  trips  to  Wisconsin,  via  the  lakes,  and  was  shipwrecked  on 
Lake  Erie.  He  engaged  in  lumbering  on  the  Mississippi  river,  and  in  1856 
was  a  pilot  at  $150  per  month.  That  year  he  came  to  Kansas,  stopping  at 
White  Cloud  and  Atchison.  In  1857  he  went  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the 
employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company,  ranging  from  the  Yellowstone  on 
the  north  to  Taos  valley  on  the  south.  He  turned  up  next  at  the  ranch  of 
Lucius  Maxwell,  on  the  Cimarron,  where  he  spent  the  summer  of  1858. 
Maxwell  and  Kit  Carson  offered  him  500  cows  if  he  would  remain  with 
them,  they  at  the  end  of  five  years  to  have  500  cows  back.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  moved  north,  locating  where  Denver  now  is. 

His  career  in  Colorado  was  unusually  active,  and  whether  as  a  miner,  ex- 
plorer, or  pugnacious  gentleman  taking  care  of  his  own  rights,  always  uni- 
versally successful.  In  the  early  history  of  Denver  he  became  involved  with 
the  town  company  in  a  contest  over  a  quarter-section  of  land.  Three  others 
were  interested.     The  four  built  a  log  house  with  port-holes  on  four  sides. 

A  company  of  eighty  men  one  day  rode  up  to  dislodge  them.  One  of  their 
number  was  permitted  to  approach  for  talk.  He  inspected  the  inside  and 
reported  to  the  "  command  "  that  the  boys  were  so  well  fixed  and  armed 
that  if  they  made  an  attack  not  one  of  them  would  be  left  to  tell  the  tale. 
Several  public  meetings  were  held  and  great  excitement  prevailed,  during 
which  the  boys  were  offered  $3000  for  their  claim,  but  it  all  collapsed,  and 
Tom  disposed  of  the  land  for  a  trifle  to  Francis  J.  Marshall,  of  Kansas 
territorial  fame,  after  whom  Marshall  county  in  this  state  was  named. 
Those  familiar  with  Denver  may  know  where  this  tract  is  when  we  say  that 
the  Central  Presbyterian  Church  is  located  near  the  center  of  it. 

While  in  Denver  Tom  became  involved  in  a  row  with  a  bully  who  had 
slapped  a  woman.  He  had  no  knowledge  of  the  affair  or  the  parties,  but 
shortly  after  the  slap  came  across  the  woman  crying  and  the  bully  bluster- 
ing. It  was  a  rough  and  tumble  fight,  lasting  one  hour  and  twenty  minutes. 
A  similar  instance  in  the  mines  gave  him  the  sobriquet  of  "Yellow  Tom." 
He  was  never  very  dudish,  but  his  buckskin  suit  becoming  dirty,  he  obtained 
some  yellow  ocher  and  painted  it.  As  he  never  made  a  mark  on  dress 
parade  this  attire  failed  of  attention  until  the  "Terror  of  the  Gulch"  opened 
his  sluice  and  took  his  water.  He  tried  reason  with  the  "Terror,"  and  the 
' '  Terror ' '  indulged  in  a  bluff.  Tom  told  him  it  would  therefore  have  to  be 
settled  in  a  rough  and  tumble,  or  according  to  the  rules  of  the  ring.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  gulch  were  amazed  at  the  temerity  of  the  Irishman,  and 
the  excitement  reached  the  remotest  settler.  He  gave  the  "Terror"  such 
a  drubbing  that  he  left  the  settlement  in  the  night. 

In  the  summer  of  1860,  accompanied  by  David  Thompson  and  Jack  Men- 
zies,  two  of  his  companions  in  the  stockade  on  the  Denver  town  site,  he  ex- 
plored the  Colorado  river  eight  years  before  Major  Powell.  They  were  in 
the  employ  of  the  merchants  of  Denver,  and  by  them  furnished  letters  of 
credit  sufficient  to  convey  the  party  through  to  California  and  around  by 


Ttvo  City  Marshals.  535 

New  York  and  return.  They  followed  the  river  250  miles,  when  they  were 
taken  in  by  the  Utes.  ^ 

Here  occurred  one  of  those  instances  illustrating  his  judgment  and  cool- 
ness in  the  face  of  danger.  An  Indian  pulled  Tom's  ear,  and  Tom  knocked 
him  over.  It  was  his  time  now  to  bluff.  He  approached  the  chief  and  told 
him  in  Spanish  of  his  acquaintance  with  the  prairie  Indians;  how  he  had 
heard  that  the  Utes  could  whip  the  prairie  Indians  three  to  one,  but  he 
thought  the  Utes  were  cowards,  and  that  he  could  whip  the  best  Indian  of 
the  tribe.  It  won.  The  chief  was  pleased,  and  turned  the  party  loose  the 
second  day.  In  the  winter  of  1860  he  returned  from  Colorado  to  Leaven- 
worth. 

When  the  war  broke  out  he  became  a  scout,  serving  with  St.  Clair  and 
' '  Red ' '  Clark  in  Tennessee,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Missouri,  and  Kansas.  In 
1862  or  1863,  during  the  administration  of  H.  B.  Denman  as  mayor,  the 
redlegs  took  the  town  of  Leavenworth,  overpowering  the  police.  The 
marshal  was  run  out  and  two  policemen  shot.  The  authorities  urged  Tom 
to  take  the  position  of  chief  of  police.  He  did  so,  and  in  thirty  days  cleared 
the  town,  resigning  as  soon  as  quiet  was  restored. 

In  1866  he  had  charge  of  an  Indian  contract  at  Fort  Laramie  for  Mat 
Ryan  and  Chester  Thomas.  He  came  to  Junction  City  in  the  fall  of  1866, 
and  was  a  partner  with  H.  D.  McMeekin  in  a  beef  contract  at  Fort  Riley. 
In  1867  and  1868  he  had  the  contract  himself.  In  1869  and  1870  he  supplied 
with  meat  the  camps  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  M.  K.  &  T.  rail- 
road. In  the  fall  of  1870  he  had  a  subcontract  to  supply  the  troops  at 
Wallace  with  beef.  In  November,  1871,  he  returned  to  Junction  City, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death,  with  the  exception  of  a  couple  of  years 
in  Kansas  City. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  marshalship  of  Junction  City  has 
not  been  a  sinecure.     The  proximity  of  Fort  Riley,  with  the  constant  changes 

Note  1.—  Maj.  J.  W.  Powell  made  his  trip  of  exploration  down  the  Colorado  river  in  August, 
1869.  But  for  the  Ute  Indians,  Thomas  Allen  Cullinan  would  have  been  the  first  explorer  of  the 
Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado,  In  the  December  number  of  Lippincott's  Magazine,  1868,  page 
588,  there  is  a  story  entitled  "A  Terrible  Voyage,"  giving  an  account  of  a  trip  through  the  Grand 
Canyon,  by  James  White,  in  August,  1867,  two  years  before  Powell.  The  article  was  written  in 
the  Junction  City  Union  office  by  a  tramp  printer  named  William  J.  Beggs.  In  the  month  of 
April,  1867,  three  men,  Capt.  Charles  Baker,  formerly  of  St.  Louis,  George  Strobe,  also  from  St. 
Louis,  and  James  White,  of  Kenosha,  Wis.,  determined  to  make  the  trip  down  the  Colorado. 
White  had  been  a  gold-miner  in  California  and  a  soldier  in  the  Fifth  California  cavalry.  They 
started  on  the  river  August  24,  1867.  Captain  Baker  was  killed  by  the  Indians  on  the  25th  of 
August.  At  sunrise  the  next  morning  Strobe  and  White  resumed  the  trip  down  the  river.  In 
going  through  the  Grand  Canyon  Strobe  lost  his  life.  White  floated  over  a  succession  of  cas- 
cades and  cataracts  for  500  miles,  emerging  from  the  canyon  on  the  evening  of  September  6.  He 
was  rescued  by  Captain  Wilburn,  in  command  of  a  barge.  Upon  recovering  from  a  delirium. 
White  gave  a  detailed  account  of  his  wonderful  voyage  to  James  Ferry,  United  States  quarter- 
master's agent  at  Colville.  White  became  a  mail-carrier  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Mohave. 
William  J.  Palmer,  of  Colorado  Springs,  is  mentioned  as  having  heard  his  story.  William  J. 
Beggs  wrote  considerable  for  the  magazines  over  the  nom  de  plume  of  John  Gierke.  He  walked 
into  Junction  City  from  the  West,  and  was  about  the  most  ragged  and  dirty  fellow  on  the  road. 
The  writer  put  him  at  work,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  sheriff  arrested  him  on  a  telegram  from 
Salina  for  stealing  a  horse.  No  one  coming  for  him  on  the  first  train,  I  interceded  and  put  him 
to  work  again.  Saturday  night  I  took  him  into  a  store  and  clothed  him  from  head  to  foot,  which 
put  him  about  thirty-six  dollars  ahead.  Monday  morning  he  was  about  the  drunkest  man  I  had 
seen  for  years.  He  remained  several  months,  worked  out  his  indebtedness,  was  a  fine  printer,  a 
smart  man,  and  afforded  much  amusement  to  the  town.  I  knew  he  received  a  check  occasionally 
for  magazine  article.s  and  correspondence,  which  only  increased  his  libations.  But  another 
printer  in  the  office.  William  L.  Snyder,  now  a  prominent  lawyer  and  literary  man  in  New  York, 
knew  the  nature  of  Beggs's  work  and  gave  year.s  to  searching  for  his  Colorado  river  article.  He 
found  it  in  the  Astor  library.  New  York,  and  called  my  attention  to  it  last  January.  Beggs,  or 
"John  Gierke,"  says  the  "article  is  written  in  the  frontier  town  which  is  my  present  temporary 
abiding-place."  Beggs  edited  a  paper  in  the  territory  of  Washington,  and,  for  criticizing  Indian 
affairs,  was  challenged  by  an  army  officer  to  fight  a  duel.  He  went  to  a  drug-store,  obtained  a 
dose  of  strychnine,  and  enclosed  it  in  an  envelope,  with  a  note,  saying :  "If  this  will  not  answer 
your  purpose,  I  will  hire  an  Indian."— Secretary. 


536  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

of  troops,  the  irresponsibility  of  many  private  soldiers,  the  buzzards  and  loose 
women  who  flock  around  on  pay-days,  and  the  fact  that  the  cross  railroads 
make  a  dumping-ground  of  Junction  City  for  tramps,  has  called  for  the  very 
best  police  duty.  The  residents  may  be  managed  by  a  very  effeminate  serv- 
ice, but  no  tenderfoot  can  deal  with  troublesome  soldiery.  I  never  heard 
of  another  single  officer  who  could  corral  or  lock  up  a  gang  of  six  or  seven 
men  at  once  without  aid.     Tom  Allen  did  it  frequently. 

One  evening,  a  number  of  years  ago,  six  men  came  from  a  hay  camp  at 
Riley  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  time.  The  marshal  warned  them  not  to 
attempt  it.  They  started  along  the  street  overturning  boxes  and  disturbing 
everybody.  He  overtook  them,  and  in  less  time  than  I  can  tell  it,  four  of 
them  lay  on  the  ground.  Another  time  he  took  without  assistance  six  sol- 
diers out  of  a  gang  of  eight,  shooting  two  of  them  slightly.  In  all  this  serv- 
ice he  never  killed  a  man,  although  suffering  at  times  great  aggravation 
and  taking  desperate  chances.  A  great  many  funny  stories  might  be  told 
illustrating  Tom's  idea  of  dealing  with  the  cattle  for  whom  policemen  are 
provided.  Loaded  with  budge,  a  certain  individual  once  cleaned  out  a  house, 
and  was  out  in  the  street  with  a  rock  in  each  hand  when  Tom  arrived. 
"Looking  for  a  fight,  are  you?"  remarked  the  peace  officer,  as  he  gave 
him  a  swipe  on  the  jaw,  knocking  him  down  and  punishing  him  severely. 
This  individual  has  never  drank  a  drop  since,  and  he  has  thanked  Tom  re- 
peatedly for  that  thrashing.  Tom  had  previously  loaded  this  man  in  a 
wagon  and  sent  him  home;  he  had  locked  him  up  and  fined  him;  and  his 
judgment  that  the  fellow  needed  only  a  licking  was  confirmed. 

A  "bad  man,"  a  recruit  in  one  of  the  troops  at  Riley,  once  came  over  to 
lick  the  marshal.  He  was  accompanied  by  some  twelve  or  fifteen  soldiers. 
The  "bad  man"  went  home  in  an  ambulance,  the  affair  occurring  in  the 
midst  of  his  friends.  About  the  first  thing  of  this  kind  happening  to  Tom 
was  in  a  saloon  under  Brown's  hall,  on  Sixth  street.  Eight  soldiers  were 
having  a  great  time  when  Tom  entered.  He  knocked  seven  of  them  down 
and  dragged  them  off  one  at  a  time,  and  the  next  morning  went  over  to 
Riley  and  got  the  eighth.  The  sergeant  reported  to  the  captain  in  command 
that  the^marshal  of  Junction  City  wanted  a  man.  When  Tom  was  presented 
the  captain  exclaimed:  "Great  Scott,  that's  the  man  who  licked  my  ser- 
geant at  Wallace;    he  can  have  him." 

In  the  '70's  and  the  '80's,  when  the  town  was  more  turbulent  than  it  has 
been  of  late  years— although  it  was  but  a  year  or  two  ago  when  a  crazy  or 
drunken  soldier  killed  two  policemen  in  a  few  minutes,  it  being  Tom's  for- 
tune to  be  off-duty— he  enforced  the  law  in  his  own  way,  with  the  hearty  ap- 
proval of  the  entire  population.  That  is,  if  Tom  deemed  it  proper,  he  could 
take  a  man  before  the  police  court,  or  lock  him  up,  and  it  was  all  right;  if 
he  deemed  it  proper  to  administer  the  law  by  walloping  the  earth  with  a 
loafer,  that^^too  was  deemed  all  right.  He  could  smell  a  criminal  the  mo- 
ment he  touched  the  town  site,  and  he  had  a  remarkably  effective  way  of 
telling  them  to  leave  town,  and  the  order  of  their  going  was  the  first  train 
out. 

He  was  sent  for  by  some  women  one  day  in  a  hurry.  He  arrived  in  time 
to  see,  with  his  own  eyes,  a  six-foot  tramp  offer  a  beastly  offense  to  a  little 
girl.  He  addressed  the  tramp  in  his  own  vernacular  and  in  his  gentlest 
tone  (which  was  something  like  a  cyclone).     The  sum  and  substance  of  his 


Two  City  Marshals.  537 

remarks  were  that  if  he  took  him  before  the  police  court,  he  would  have  to 
take  some  of  the  women  and  children  along  to  testify;  that  he  would  prob- 
ably be  fined  ten  dollars;  that  he  would  no  doubt  not  have  the  ten  dollars, 
and  that  the  city  would  have  to  lock  him  up  and  feed  him;  and  the  result  of 
the  argument  was,  that  Tom  gave  him  a  tremendous  thrashing.  The  dig- 
nity of  the  law  was  vindicated  without  poppycock  or  sensation,  and  with  no 
humiliation  for  the  women. 

One  day,  while  mayor,  I  was  standing  on  the  street  corner,  with  a  stran- 
ger near  by.  Tom  came  trotting  across  the  street  toward  us,  I  supposed  on 
some  business  with  myself.  He  stuck  his  index  finger  in  the  stranger's 
face  and  said:  "I  want  you  to  get  out  of  town  on  the  first  train."  "What 
do  you  mean?"  "I  mean  just  what  I  say."  "You  must  be  mistaken." 
"No,  I  am  not  mistaken,"  replied  Tom;  I  know  who  you  are,  and  you  will 
get  hurt  if  you  remain  here  after  the  first  train  goes. ' '  The  stranger  de- 
parted, and  he  is  now  in  the  Penitentiary  for  a  murder  committed  a  few 
weeks  after  Tom  told  him  to  move  on. 

Tom's  reputation  as  a  fighting  man  was  quite  extended.  If  he  had  entered 
the  prize  ring  he  would  have  made  a  great  record.  He  had  a  fist  with  which 
he  could  split  an  inch  board,  and  he  always  gave  a  lick  under  the  left  jaw 
which  never  failed  to  lay  a  man  out.  While  he  always  carried  a  gun,  he 
preferred  to  use  his  fist.  He  was  afraid  of  the  gun,  because  he  never  wanted 
to  kill,  or  to  take  the  chance  there  was  in  a  gun.  In  his  early  days  as  mar- 
shal, bullies  frequently  visited  Junction  City  to  test  him,  and  they  invariably 
departed  with  a  good  licking. 

One  Saturday  noon,  in  1884,  a  fine-looking,  six-foot,  red-headed  man  came 
to  town  from  the  direction  of  Clay  Center.  Tom  knew  he  was  a  fighter, 
and  that  he  came  to  pick  a  quarrel.  In  the  afternoon  he  made  a  row  in  a 
store,  brandishing  a  pistol,  and  frightening  people.  Tom,  being  called,  told 
the  fellow  when  the  next  train  left  town,  and  that  he  must  go,  and  save 
trouble.  In  the  night  he  made  another  racket,  and  the  people  called  for 
Tom,  who  gave  him  a  second  warning  that  a  train  was  about  to  leave,  and 
if  he  remained  he  would  surely  get  hurt.  Sunday  noon  Tom  was  wanted 
badly  at  the  Bartel  House,  and  here  was  his  friend  again,  making  a  rough 
house.  He  was  warned  that  a  train  passed,  going  east,  in  thirty  minutes, 
and  that  he  must  go  or  take  the  consequences.  Instead  of  going  to  the  depot, 
he  turned  up  at  the  Pacific  House,  and  the  marshal  was  again  called.  ' '  Now, ' ' 
said  Tom,  ' '  I  will  take  you  in. ' '  On  their  way  to  the  old  city  jail,  at  the  corner 
of  Ninth  and  Washington  streets,  the  fellow  stopped  and  told  Tom  he  wasn't 
man  enough  to  take  him,  and  slapped  Tom  in  the  mouth.  Tom  pulled  his 
gun  and  cut  that  fellow's  scalp  over  the  front  of  his  head  in  tatters.  A 
couple  of  hours  later,  in  time  for  the  train  going  west,  I  was  called  to  the 
jail.  Tom  told  me  he  had  a  fellow  who  was  no  good;  he  had  no  money;  it 
was  useless  to  feed  him,  and  he  wanted  me  to  authorize  him  to  turn  the  fel- 
low loose  so  that  he  could  ship  him  out  of  town.  I  replied  that  if  that  was 
his  judgment  he  could  do  so.  The  bully  came  out.  I  never  saw  such  a 
sight.  He  was  a  mass  of  dried  and  clotted  blood  from  the  top  of  his  head 
to  his  waist.  There  was  some  loose  cement  in  the  jail,  and  he  had  some  of 
that  in  his  ornamentation.  The  man  said  he  would  like  to  go  somewhere 
and  clean  up.  Tom  replied  that  he  could  not  clean  up  in  the  town— that  he 
must  get  on  the  train  just  as  he  was— and  he  did.  I  think  this  was  his  last 
experience  with  amateur  prize-fighters  who  came  to  test  his  mettle. 


538  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

In  those  days  Junction  City  was  noted  for  the  famous  hostelry  of  Madam 
Blue,  who  had  statesmen  do  her  homage— she  was  a  Swede,  smart,  and  a 
*'beaut"— and  her  name  appeared  in  fifth  district  and  legislative  politics. 
To  all  appearances  the  house  was  as  quiet  and  orderly  as  a  house  could  be. 
Tom  was  mighty  particular  in  suppressing  signs  of  lewdness  on  the  streets. 
His  watch-tower  was  generally  in  front  of  the  Bartell  House,  while  south, 
on  the  opposite  side,  in  the  next  block,  was  the  madam's  resort.  A  fresh 
or  green  girl  came  to  town  and  put  up  at  the  madam's.  In  the  evening  she 
was  out  swinging  on  the  front  gate.  Tom  walked  over  and  informed  her 
that  that  was  not  allowed;  that  if  she  wanted  to  play  she  must  go  in  the 
back  yard.  She  did  it  a  second  night  and  he  stopped  her;  she  did  it  a  third 
night,  when  Tom  went  into  the  house,  found  her  trunk  in  a  second-story 
room,  threw  it  through  the  window,  sash  and  glass,  into  the  street,  and 
made  her  go  down  to  the  depot  and  wait  for  a  train. 

About  1884  there  was  a  shortage  in  the  accounts  of  the  quartermaster  at 
Fort  Riley,  which  was  occasioned  by  the  pilfering  of  a  sergeant,  who  sub- 
sequently deserted.  Tom  Allen  was  charged  with  having  purchased  a  few 
yards  of  government  cloth,  a  bridle,  some  rope  and  overshoes  from  this  ser- 
geant. The  offense  is  a  very  serious  one,  and  the  United  States  grand  jury 
indicted  him.  Tom  was  deputy  United  States  marshal,  and  the  marshal 
sent  the  warrant  to  Tom  to  serve  on  himself,  and  a  subpoena  for  all  the 
government  witnesses.  A  dozen  of  the  best  citizens  went  to  Topeka  to 
swear  to  Tom's  character.  An  examination  developed  the  fact  that  the 
bridle  was  his  own  property,  used  in  taking  to  the  fort  a  stolen  horse  he 
had  recaptured.  The  rope  was  borrowed  to  move  a  corn-crib,  and  returned 
without  use,  because  it  was  too  small.  The  overshoes  proved  to  be  a  myth, 
and  the  story  simmered  down  to  the  purchase  of  three  yards  of  cloth,  which 
was  admitted,  the  sergeant  assuring  Tom  that  he  had  authority  to  sell.  It 
was  shown  that  the  negro  soldier  who  made  the  complaint,  and  who  was 
the  only  one  who  knew  of  the  overshoe  transaction,  boasted  that  he  had 
Tom  Allen  in  a  tight  place  and  would  "swear  him  into  hell,"  because,  as 
marshal,  he  had  frequently  pulled  a  couple  of  prostitutes,  whose  fines,  it 
seemed,  were  coming  out  of  the  soldiers.  The  jury  was  out  just  seven 
minutes,  when  they  returned  a  verdict  of  not  guilty.  And  thus  ended  the 
only  complaint  lodged  against  Tom  Allen  in  a  court  of  record  in  over  fifty 
years  of  such  a  tumultuous  life. 

During  his  residence  in  Kansas  City  he  was  constantly  beseeched  by  the 
people  of  Junction  City  to  return  and  be  their  marshal.  He  came  over  to 
Kansas  City,  Kan.,  to  talk  with  me  about  it.  I  urged  him  all  I  could  not  to 
go  back— that  in  such  a  life  as  that  it  was  only  a  question  of  time  when  he 
would  die  with  his  boots  on.  He  returned  to  the  old  job,  and,  thank  God, 
he  died  in  bed  of  a  natural  cause.  But  while  in  Kansas  City  he  was  not  out 
of  service.  The  Metropolitan  company  was  troubled  with  a  bully  who 
terrorized  motormen  and  conductors,  never  paying  his  fare,  and  raising  a 
rough  time  every  time  he  got  on  a  car.  Tom  was  handling  transfers  at 
Fifteenth  and  Grand  avenue.  Hearing  much  talk  one  day  about  the  fellow, 
Tom  remarked:  "Steer  him  up  against  me  and  let  me  size  him  up."  He 
beat  the  cussedness  out  of  that  fellow,  and  the  Holmes  boys  raised  his 
salary. 

At  the  presidential  election  of  1856,  when  he  was  only  eighteen  years 


Two  City  Marshals.  539 

old,  Tom  voted  for  John  C.  Fremont,  at  a  town  on  the  Mississippi  river,  in 
Iowa.  He  was  on  a  raft  of  logs  going  down  the  river  with  a  large  gang  of 
men,  all  foreigners.  They  were  continually  abusing  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  and  all  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  Tom  thought  it  mon- 
strous that  a  lot  of  foreigners  should  indulge  in  such  abuse  and  at  the  same 
time  have  a  vote  to  control.  He  urged  them  all  to  go  back  to  Germany  or 
Ireland,  and  from  their  actions  he  reasoned  that  all  the  friends  of  the  govern- 
ment were  on  the  other  side,  and  so  he  began  with  Fremont  to  vote  the 
Republican  ticket.  There  was  not  a  legal  vote  in  the  bunch.  Tom  was 
among  the  first  Know  Nothings. 

Tom  was  a  true  joker,  willing  to  take  as  well  as  give.  Another  historic 
character  in  the  town  was  G.  F.  Gordon— who  was  nearly  always  a  justice 
of  the  peace  and  police  judge.  Gordon  was  a  first-class,  good  and  true 
man,  but  about  as  peculiar  as  they  make  them.  The  colored  people  had  a 
revival  meeting,  and  they  had  some  trouble,  requiring  the  services  of  the 
marshal.  Tom  was  at  the  front  with  the  minister,  and  Gordon  was  sitting 
on  a  pile  of  wood  at  the  rear.  In  the  course  of  the  services  the  minister 
called  for  some  one  to  lead  in  prayer.  No  one  responded.  Tom  whispered: 
"Call  on  Brother  Gordon. ' '  The  minister  did  so,  but  Gordon  failed.  "  He  is  hard 
of  hearing;  call  louder,"  suggested  Tom.  The  minister  did  so,  but  Gordon's 
wrath  precluded  any  possibility  of  prayer.  Tom  had  the  minister  call  with 
greater  voice,  a  third  time,  and  Gordon's  nervousness  caused  him  to  twist 
around  a  little,  when  he  upset  the  wood-pile  and  rolled  down  on  the  floor. 
He  threatened  to  have  Tom  arrested  for  disturbing  a  religious  meeting. 

But  Gordon's  chance  came  in  a  short  time.  Tom  was  chasing  a  tramp, 
and  the  tramp  shot  at  him,  the  ball  grazing  his  head.  Tom  got  his  lick  in 
before  a  second  shot,  and  marched  his  man  before  Police  Judge  Gordon. 
Complaint  was  made,  Tom  told  the  story,  and  the  prisoner  made  his  state- 
ment. The  court  said :  "I  will  fine  you  one  dollar  and  costs,  and  I  will  throw 
off  my  costs."  Tom  jumped  up  and  said:  "I  will  be  as  clever  as  you,  and 
throw  off"  my  costs."  The  fellow  paid  his  dollar  and  walked  out.  Tom  re- 
marked that  that  was  pretty  tough  to  fine  a  man  a  dollar  for  shooting  at  an 
officer,  and  Gordon  rephed:  "I  think  a  dollar  enough  for  missing  a  damned 
Irishman."  The  humor  then  was  as  strenuous  as  the  service.  These  two 
men  now  lie  beside  each  other  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  plat,  in  Highland  ceme- 
tery. 

From  this  sketch  it  will  be  seen  that  Tom  Allen  was  not  the  policeman  to 
whom  the  traditional  joke  might  apply  that  he  was  never  around  when  there 
was  a  row.  In  my  time  he  was  absolutely  the  guardian  of  the  town,  not 
alone  preserving  order,  enforcing  the  law,  and  all  that,  but  I  have  known 
him  to  advise  families  about  their  boys  and  girls,  with  great  advantage  in 
some  instances.  He  did  everything  for  the  good  and  for  the  best,  and  he 
succeeded  in  doing  lots  of  good  where  men  without  his  roughness  would  have 
failed. 

Of  course,  no  one  need  get  the  impression  from  this  sketch  that  Tom  was 
an  angel,  and  yet  he  had  an  abundance  of  the  finest  qualities  of  the  heart. 
He  was  wholly  and  absolutely  trustworthy  under  all  circumstances  and  at 
all  times;  he  was  genial,  pleasant  and  useful  to  his  neighbors  and  fellow 
men;  a  "stayer"  with  all  his  friends,  and  frank  and  outspoken,  without  the 
slightest  guile  or  hypocrisy.     He  had  not  drunk  a  drop  of  spirits,  not  even 


540  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

cider,  since  1870,  and  outside  of  the  line  of  duty  he  had  had  a  quarrel  with 
but  one  man  since  he  married,  and  that  was  at  Fort  Wallace.  He  had  the 
utmost  confidence  in  his  ability  to  take  care  of  himself  in  any  sort  of  quar- 
ters, and  yet  when  we  remember  his  exploits  with  bushwhackers  in  Missouri 
while  a  scout,  and  his  Indian  experience  on  the  plains,  all  far  exceeding  the 
gory  heroes  of  border  literature,  his  modesty  is  apparent  in  the  fact  that  he 
had  but  little  newspaper  mention  during  his  surprising  career. 

I  have  sometimes  thought  there  was  a  vein  of  higher  law  running  through 
Allen's  make-up.  As  an  officer  he  trusted  a  great  deal  to  his  judgment  and 
sense,  and  took  responsibilities  and  administered  justice  frequently  regardless 
of  either  the  letter  or  the  spirit  of  the  law ;  and  yet  again  he  was  very  scrupulous 
in  following  both.  When  the  United  States  marshal,  through  unbounded  con- 
fidence, sent  him  a  warrant  for  his  own  arrest,  and  subpoenas  for  the  wit- 
nesses against  him,  he  would  have  served  them  if  the  Penitentiary  door  was 
open  before  him. 

On  the  other  hand,  I  might  instance  his  first  duty  as  a  marshal  in  1871. 
He  had  been  mainly  responsible  for  the  election  of  an  easy-going  old  granny 
to  the  office  of  marshal.  The  marshal  was  soon  in  trouble  and  Tom  volun- 
teered to  straighten  things  up  if  the  marshal  would  deputize  him.  He  was 
deputized,  and  his  first  duty  was  to  subpoena  witnesses  in  impeachment  pro- 
ceedings before  the  council  against  the  marshal.  He  had  sacrificed  all 
claims  on  Tom's  friendship,  but  Tom  thought  of  his  wife  and  daughter.  He 
drove  all  the  witnesses  out  of  town,  and  by  night  had  the  marshal's  resig- 
nation. He  saw  no  public  good  or  justice  sufficient  to  prevent  him  from  pro- 
tecting his  friend's  family  from  scandal  and  humiliation. 

Tom's  life  will  never  be  used  for  Sunday-school  purposes;  and  yet  his 
life  was  given  him  with  all  its  strangeness  and  power.  No  man  can  say 
that  he  ever  pretended  to  be  what  he  was  not,  or  that  he  did  not  use  his 
clear  brain  and  wonderful  will  and  physical  power  in  behalf  of  the  good. 
With  many  his  life  will  always  be  appreciated;  but  there  are  others  who 
could  not  see,  beyond  his  roughness,  his  sacrificing  devotion  to  duty  and  his 
interest  in  that  which  was  fair  and  good  to  all  men. 


DISPERSION  OF  THE  TERRITORIAL  LEGISLATURE 
OF  1856. 

Talk  given  by  Abby  Huntington  Ware,'  before  the  State  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  held 
in  Topeka,  May.  1905. 

TN  every  romance  there  are  two  elements,  one  leading  toward  the  goal,  the 
-^  other  away  from  it;  and  it  is  the  struggle  between  these  two  opposing 
forces  that  makes  the  story  and  commands  our  interest  and  attention.  The 
novelist  keeps  us  carefully  in  suspense  as  to  which  force  will  be  victorious; 
whether  or  not  the  hero  will  win  the  heroine,  or  the  knight  will  kill  the 
dragon.  If  the  goal  is  reached,  we  call  it  a  romance;  if  it  is  not,  we  call  it 
tragedy.  It  is  the  same  in  real  life,  and  we  wait  with  breathless  interest 
for  the  climax  of  events. 

These  two  opposing  forces  struggled  hard  and  well  in  the  romantic  his- 
tory of  Kansas.     They  were  the  pro-slavery  and  free-state  elements  of  the 

Note  1.  —  Miss  Ware,  the  daughter  of  Eugene  F.  Ware,  of  Topeka,  was  married  to  Dr.  Fred- 
erick Harold  Nies,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  June  20,  1906. 


Dispersion  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  of  1856.         541 

territory  and  nation,  and  the  goal  was  the  winning  of  the  state.  The  strug- 
gle was  bitter  and  to  the  sword.  Within  the  state  and  without  there  was 
no  one  who  did  not  feel  deeply  in  the  matter.  The  whole  country  was 
watching  breathlessly,  for  here  was  the  beginning  of  a  great  conflict  which 
might  at  any  time  involve  the  Union.  The  pro-slavery  element  seemed  the 
more  powerful.  Missourians  had  come  over  into  the  territory  and  fraudu- 
lently carried  elections,  which  resulted  in  a  pro-slavery  legislature  with 
stringent  pro-slavery  laws.  The  administration  at  Washington  thoroughly 
sympathized  with  them,  and  sent  a  pro-slavery  governor,  Wilson  Shannon, 
who  would  not  recognize  any  opposition  to  the  pro-slavery  legislature  and 
laws.     The  goal  of  winning  the  state  for  slavery  seemed  near  at  hand. 

The  free-state  forces,  however,  had  been  in  the  meantime  quietly  work- 
ing, and  an  election  was  held  for  a  convention  to  meet  in  Topeka  for  the 
purpose  of  framing  a  constitution,  preparatory  to  the  admission  of  Kansas 
into  the  Union  as  a  state.  Only  free-state  men  participated.  In  accordance 
with  this  constitution  the  free-state  men  elected  a  legislature,  which  was  to 
convene  in  Topeka,  July  4,  1856.  Fearing  pro-slavery  opposition,  some  400  or 
500  free-state  men  gathered  in  Topeka  from  various  parts  of  the  state  for 
the  nominal  purpose  of  "seeing  the  legislature  convene,"  but  in  reality  to 
protect  the  legislature  in  case  of  attack.  It  was  rumored  that  a  large  mob 
of  border  ruffians  from  Missouri  were  coming  to  forcibly  disperse  the  legis- 
lature. The  day  before  the  convening,  July  3,  found  the  city  full  of  guests. 
A  long  line  of  farm  wagons,  extending  from  Fifth  to  Seventh  street,  on 
Jackson,  were  apparently  filled  with  hay  and  provisions,  but  underneath 
these  lay  arms  and  ammunition,  to  be  used  should  emergency  arise.  The 
city  presented  a  gala  appearance;  but  back  of  the  smiling  faces  and  friendly 
greetings  were  suppressed  excitement  and  anxious  hearts. 

Late  on  that  memorable  4th  of  July  morning,  a  large  crowd  of  Topeka 
and  other  Kansas  citizens  assembled  in  front  of  Constitution  hall,  where  the 
legislature  was  to  meet  at  twelve,  ready,  if  need  be,  for  our  guests.  I  might 
add  that  Constitution  hall  is  still  standing,  no  longer  isolated  in  a  sparsely 
settled  part  of  town,  but  huddled  in  between  stores,  making  it  appear  almost 
insignificant.  It  is  located  almost  opposite  the  post-office,  on  the  west  side 
of  Kansas  avenue,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets.  The  cause  of  the  early 
gathering  of  the  crowd  was  to  listen  to  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration,  and 
witness  the  presentation  of  the  silk  flags  made  by  the  ladies  of  the  town  to 
the  two  companies  of  Topeka  Guards.  They  had  just  finished  listening  to  a 
solo  of  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner,"  sung  by  a  young  woman  who  is  still  a 
resident  of  Topeka,'-  when  the  news  spread  that  Col.  E.  V.  Sumner,  after- 
wards a  noted  general  of  the  civil  war,  with  orders  from  President  Pierce 
and  Governor  Shannon,  was  coming  with  a  squad  of  cavalry  to  disperse  the 
legislature.  The  colonel's  anger  ran  high,  because  he  had  been  informed 
that  the  Topeka  Guards  were  armed  to  resist  the  United  States  troops,  and 
that  the  flag  presentation  ceremonies  were  merely  a  subterfuge. 

Colonel  Sumner  was  then  in  camp  on  the  Shunganunga,  just  north  of 
Tenth  street.  With  his  cavalry  he  dashed  across  the  open  country,  now  the 
thickly  populated  district  east  of  the  avenue,  and  halted  his  men  long 
enough  to  place  two  cannon  on  the  spot  where  Rowley  &,  Snow's  drug-store 
now  stands,  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Kansas  avenues.     The  cannon  were 

Note  2.  — Mrs.  Maria  Merrill  Martin,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Samuel  E.  Martin. 


542  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

pointed  down  the  avenue  toward  Constitution  hall ;  the  gunners  were  at 
their  posts  and  the  fuse  was  burning,  all  ready  for  firing.  With  his  squad 
of  cavalry,  their  revolvers  in  hand,  the  colonel  galloped  on  to  Constitution 
hall.  One  division,  ordered  to  "file  right,"  swept  the  Topeka  Guards  to  the 
east,  past  the  present  post-office.  The  other  advanced  and  halted  in  front 
of  the  hall,  while  Colonel  Sumner  dismounted  and  proceeded  to  the  assembly- 
rooms. 

He  was  given  a  seat  on  the  platform  while  the  house  was  called  to  or- 
der, and  the  members  responded  to  the  roll-call.  Then  he  delivered  his  dis- 
persion message.  After  a  deep  pause  a  member  asked:  "Colonel,  are  we 
to  understand  that  the  legislature  is  dispersed  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet?" 
Colonel  Sumner  replied:  "I  shall  use  all  the  forces  in  my  command  to  carry 
out  my  orders."     At  this  the  members  dispersed. 

Colonel  Sumner  then  proceeded  to  the  senate,  which  had  not  yet  been 
called,  although  the  hour  had  arrived.  He  ordered  them  to  disperse  with- 
out even  permitting  them  to  convene.  One  of  the  senators  broke  the  em- 
barrassing silence  with  the  dignified  response:  "Colonel  Sumner,  we  are  in 
no  condition  to  resist  the  United  States  troops;  and  if  you  order  us  to  dis- 
perse, of  course  we  must  disperse."  This  voiced  the  sentiment  of  the  sen- 
ate. 

As  Colonel  Sumner  mounted  his  horse  to  withdraw,  three  cheers  were 
given  for  him,  and  three  for  John  C.  Fremont,  the  then  Republican  candi- 
date for  president  of  the  United  States.  There  also  rang  into  the  surprised 
ears  of  the  departing  dragoons  three  cheers  for  the  Topeka  convention  and 
state  legislature,  and  three  groans  for  President  Pierce,  through  whose  or- 
ders it  had  been  dispersed. 

There  could  be  no  resistance  to  the  United  States  army;  so  the  free-state 
legislature  dispersed  in  a  quiet  and  orderly  manner.  Had  the  Missourians 
come  as  rumored,  a  clash  of  arms  would  have  resulted;  but  the  free-state 
men  could  only  obey  the  national  government.  The  pro-slavery  adherents 
half  hoped  there  would  be  an  open  conflict  with  the  United  States  troops; 
then  the  free-state  men  could  be  treated  as  in  rebellion.  But  the  fortunes 
of  the  free-state  men  were  at  low  enough  ebb,  and  to  an  observer  it  would 
seem  that  the  climax  had  already  passed,  and  the  goal  of  a  pro-slavery  state 
would  soon  be  reached.  A  free-state  historian  of  that  time  ends  his  story 
here  and  calls  it  "The  Conquest  of  Kansas."  But  the  final  untying  of  the 
knot  in  the  Kansas  drama  is  not  what  the  onlooker  expects.  It  is  not  a 
tragedy  that  he  has  been  witnessing.  A  year  later,  when  elections  occurred, 
armed  guards  at  the  polls  kept  the  Missourians  from  voting  and  the  elec- 
tions were  carried  by  free-state  men.^  And  from  then  on  the  free-state 
citizens  with  lessening  opposition,  tended  victoriously  toward  the  free-state 
goal. 

Although  the  dramatic  dispersion  of  the  territorial  legislature  of  1856 
may  not  have  been  far-reaching  in  its  political  or  historical  results,  yet  it 
may  be  said  to  mark  the  climax  in  the  Kansas  drama,  when  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  tell  which  opposing  force  would  win. 

Note  3.—  September  25,  1857,  Gen.  W.  S.  Harney  issues  instructions  to  troops  for  guarding- 
polling- places  in  Kansas  territory  in  the  election  of  October  6,  1857.— Kansas  Historical  Collec- 
tions, vol.  5,  p.  303. 


Dispersion  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  of  1856.         543 
James  Redpath,  in  Chicago  Tribune: 

ToPEKA,  July  4,  1856,  eleven  P.  M.— Naturally  a  more  beautiful,  politically  a  more  important, 
day  never  rose  in  Kansas  than  the  present  4th  of  July.  Cannon  in  the  camp  of  the  cavalry 
announced  its  advent.  Yesterday  afternoon  and  during  the  night  the  free-state  men  received 
accessions  to  their  strength.  About  800  men  were  in  the  city  this  morning.  Of  this  number,  500 
at  least  had  arms  and  were  drilled.  Flags  floated  in  the  breeze  from  every  public  building  and 
in  front  of  every  tent.  Five  companies  of  dragoons,  under  Colonel  Sumner,  were  encamped 
southeast  of  the  town,  and  five  companies  from  Fort  Riley,  under  Major  Merrill,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  about  two  miles  northwest  of  Constitution  hall. 

The  mass  convention  *  met  at  eight  o'clock.  Speeches  were  delivered  by  Colonel  Phillips, 
Judge  Wakefield,  Colonel  Allen,  Judge  Schuyler,  Rev.  Pardee  Butler,  Mr.  Chapman,  Mr.  Collyer, 
Mr.  Wm.  Hutchinson.  Mr.  Samuel  C.  Smith,  Mr.  Watson,  of  Leavenworth,  and  others.  The  sub- 
ject of  debate  was  the  propriety  of  the  legislature  convening,  notwithstanding  the  intimation 
received  from  Colonel  Sumner  that  he  would  disperse  that  body  at  all  hazards.  We  had  a  clique 
of  Buchanan  intriguers  in  the  convention,  who  were  endeavoring  to  induce  it  to  pass  resolutions 
by  which  the  Democracy  might  be  saved  from  defeat  at  the  approaching  presidential  election. 

About  ten  o'clock  a  gentleman  moved  that  the  business  of  the  convention  be  temporarily 
suspended  for  the  purpose  of  listening  to  a  proclamation  from  Marshal  Donaldson.  The  motion 
was  adopted,  and  Marshal  Donaldson  mounted  to  the  platform.  He  is  a  tall,  lanky  gentleman  of 
forty-five  or|  fifty  years,  with  a  fair  complexion  and  iron-gray  whiskers.  He  was  dressed  in  jeans 
pants,  vest,  and  coat,  and  wore  a  shocking  bad  and  very  dirty  straw  hat.  He  said,  as  any  judge 
of  human  nature  could  see,  that  he  was  not  good  at  speaking,  and  called  on  Judge  Elmore  to  read 
the  proclamation.  Judge  Elmore  arose  and  took  out  the  official  parchment.  He  read  the 
proclamation  of  Franklin  Pierce,  "president  of  the  Southern  portion  of  the  United  States," 
issued  in  February  last;  then  the  proclamation  of  Wilson  Shannon  ;  thirdly,  another  proclama- 
tion, dated  July  4,  issued  by  Daniel  Woodson,  secretary  of  the  territory  and  acting  governor ;  and, 
lastly,  a  note  from  Colonel  Sumner,  addressed  to  the  legislature,  announcing  his  determination 
to  execute  the  command  of  Woodson  (  for  the  legislature  to  disperse)  "at  all  hazards  "  There  was 
only  one  copy  of  Woodson's  proclamation  and  Sumner's  note  permitted  to  be  taken,  and  a  gentle- 
man carried  it  off  before  any  of  the  reporters  could  transcribe  it.     It  will  be  published. 

As  soon  as  the  proclamations  were  read,  the  business  of  the  convention  was  resumed,  as  if  no 
interruption  had  occurred.  Marshal  Donaldson  remained.  He  looked  as  a  countryman  looks  at 
a  railroad  for  the  first  time— utterly  amazed,  apparently,  at  the  conduct  and  coolness  of  the  con- 
vention. He  left.  On  reaching  the  camp  he  told  the  officers  there  must  be  a  fight.  Colonel 
Sumner,  excited  by  the  news,  ordered  his  men  to  prepare  for  battle.  Two  field-pieces  were 
charged  with  grape-shot  and  the  dragoons  loaded  their  carbines  and  revolvers.  Shortly  after- 
wards they  were  ordered  to  march.  The  convention  was  informed  of  the  fact  as  soon  as  they  be- 
gan to  move,  but  proceeded  quietly  with  its  business  and  continued  to  discuss  the  resolution 
before  it,  even  after  it  was  surrounded  by  the  troops. 

As  Colonel  Sumner,  riding  at  the  head  of  his  men  —  about  200  — turned  round  the  Garvey 
House  and  entered  Kansas  avenue,  company  G,  Topeka  Guards,  under  Messrs.  Mitchell  and 
Haynes,  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  Constitution  hall  for  the  purpose  of  being  presented  with  a 
banner  by  the  ladies  of  the  city. 

Colonel  Sumner,  both  by  his  manner  and  tone,  indicated  that  he  was  determined  to  obey 
orders,  and  expected  to  fight.  Several  of  the  officers  and  men  have  informed  us  that  such  was 
the  expectation  of  every  soldier  when  they  entered  the  town.  Colonel  Sumner,  by  a  series  of 
rapid  movements,  stationed  his  men,  with  admirable  skill,  in  three  divisions  —  one  drawn  up  in 
front  of  Constitution  hall ;  another  in  line  with  it,  but  further  up  the  street;  athird  several  paces 
back  and  between  the  first  and  third  divisions.  There  was  no  intention  of  resisting  the  United 
States  troops ;  and,  therefore,  the  colonel  could  easily  station  his  forces  in  the  most  formidable 
position.  If  the  people  had  intended  to  fight  him,  he  never  would  have  been  permitted  to  enter 
Topeka.  The  drummer  of  company  G,  Topeka  Guards,  was  beating  when  the  troops  entered 
town.  He  kept  on  and  the  company  stood  firm,  even  when  the  dragoons  were  riding  toward 
them.     The  drummer  plied  his  sticks  regularly  until  the  head  of  the  horse  of  the  first  file  touched 

Note  4.— "As  the  4th  of  July  approached,  day  after  day  witnessed  some  new  effort  of  the 
pro-slavery  party  to  prevent  the  state  legislature  from  assembling  at  that  time.  Several  mem- 
bers of  that  body  were  languishing  in  state  prisons,  and  others  had  to  keep  in  places  of  conceal- 
ment to  avoid  arrest.  Governor  Robinson,  the  life  and  the  soul  of  the  free-state  men,  was  in 
prison. 

"Many  active  and  influential  free-state  men  exerted  themselves  to  induce  all  the  free-state 
men  in  the  territory  to  assemble  at  Topeka  on  the  3d  of  July.  For  this  purpose  a  mass  conven- 
tion of  the  people  was  called  to  deliberate  at  that  time  and  place  on  the  condition  of  the  terri- 
tory."—Phillips's  Conquest  of  Kansas,  1856,  p.  392. 


544  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

him.  He  made  one  step  forward  and  then  stood  still.  So  with  the  others ;  none  moved  till  the 
horses  of  the  troops  could  go  no  further  without  stepping  on  them,  and  then  they  made  only  one 
step  forward  and  immediately  "dressed  left."  Colonel  Sumner  looked  at  them  half  angrily,  half 
admiringly.  The  drummer  still  kept  on,  and  did  not  desist  until  requested  to  do  so  by  the  colonel. 
On  the  banner  of  the  company  the  ladies  had  inscribed  :    "Our  lives  for  our  rights." 

As  soon  as  the  troops  were  stationed,  a  committee  appointed  bv  the  convention  waited  on 
Colonel  Sumner  and  informed  him  that  the  citizens  had  no  intention  of  resisting  the  United 
States  troops,  and  asked  him  whether  he  proposed  to  disarm  them  or  disperse  the  convention.  If 
he  had  attempted  to  do  either  he  would  have  been  resisted  by  the  free-state  men.  As  he  was  en- 
tering the  town,  some  one  moved  that  the  companies  lay  down  their  arms  and  parade  without 
them.  Mr.  Watson,  of  Leavenworth,  said  :  "  Gentlemen,  in  every  city  in  the  United  States  to- 
day companies  of  armed  men  are  parading.  We  have  the  same  right  to  carry  arms  that  they 
have.  If  Colonel  Sumner  attempts  to  disarm  these  companies,  he  supersedes  his  authority,  and 
does  so  at  his  peril.     I  shall  stand  among  the  boys."    This  brief  speech  was  loudly  cheered. 

To  return  :  Colonel  Sumner  replied  that  he  did  not  intend  to  break  up  the  convention  or  dis- 
arm the  volunters  ;  he  had  come  there  to  prevent  the  legislature  from  convening,  and  would  do 
so  if  they  attempted  to  assemble  ;  but  if  they  did  not,  he  would  remain  in  town  until  after  twelve 
—  the  hour  to  which  the  legislature  had  adjourned  —  and  then  retire  to  his  camp.  Three  cheers 
were  proposed  and  given  to  Colonel  Sumner.  I  did  n't  see  exactly  what  this  waste  of  breath  was 
for,  and  proposed  three  cheers  for  Governor  Robinson,  a  man,  in  my  opinion,  more  deserving  of 
the  honor.  They  were  given  with  the  wildest  enthusiasm,  the  boys  waving  their  hats  and  cheer- 
ing in  front  of  the  armed  "  instruments"  of  the  slave  power.  One  of  the  officers,  a  pro-slavery 
man,  looked  concentrated  razors  at  me  for  so  doing,  but,  after  casting  a  few  essence-of-meat-ax 
glances  at  him,  he  finally  bestowed  his  eyes  on  other  individuals.  Three  cheers  were  proposed 
and  given  for  freedom  in  Kansas. 

Colonel  Sumner  dismounted  and  entered  the  chamber  of  the  house  of  representatives.  He 
was  very  much  agitated.  The  man  appeared  to  be  ashamed  of  the  soldier.  Colonel  Sumner  is  a 
true  gentleman ;  but  he  is  the  tool  of  Pierce,  and  is  he  not  to  be  pitied  ?  I  would  have  given 
three  tears  for  him,  if  I  had  the  feminine  accomplishment  of  producing  salt  water  at  pleasure; 
but  to  the  servant  of  F.  Pierce,  No!  by  Jove,  no  cheers.  Mrs.  Gaines,  of  Lawrence,  and  another 
lady  went  up  to  Sumner  and  extended  their  "  snowy  digits."  "How  do  you  do.  Colonel  Sum- 
ner," said  the  ladies.  He  took  each  of  them  by  the  hand  and  said,  in  a  confused  tone :  "  Ladies,  I 
am  sorry  to  interrupt  you,  but  I  must  attend  to  my  duty."  "Stop,  colonel,"  said  one  of  the  la- 
dies, as  he  was  going  off,  "these  gentlemen  (pointing  to  the  Topeka  Guards)  met  here  to  re- 
ceive a  banner  from  the  ladies  of  Topeka,  on  the  day  of  our  would-be  independence."  "You 
shall  be  independent,"  said  the  soldier,  as  he  suddenly  left  them.  I  don't  see  any  point  in  this 
conversation ;  but.  as  conversations  with  the  fair  sex  are  often  pointless,  I  merely  state  it  as 
one  of  the  incidents  of  the  day. 

The  colonel  entered  the  chamber  of  the  house  of  representatives,  his  sword  hanging  by  his 
side,  with  a  stern  but  agitated  expression  of  countenance.  He  went  up  to  the  platform.  The 
chamber  was  densely  crowded.  A  deep  silence  ensued,  unbroken  till  the  soldier  entered  into  a 
private  conversation  with  gentlemen  around  him.  At  noon  Samuel  F.  Tappan,  assistant  clerk, 
in  the  absence  of  the  speaker  and  the  chief  clerk,  called  the  house  to  order,  and  proceeded  to  call 
the  roll  of  members  with  as  much  coolness  and  regularity  as  if  Colonel  Sumner  had  been  at  Leav- 
enworth and  Franklin  Pierce  a  myth.  Twice  the  roll  was  called  over.  Caleb  S.  Pratt  called  it  the 
third  time.  Seventeen  members  answered  to  their  names.  There  were  thirty-four  members  in 
town,  and,  as  the  people  had  decided  that  the  legislature  should  proceed,  Mr.  Tappan  arose  and 
ordered  the  sergeant-at-arms  to  go  after  absent  members. 

Colonel  Sumner  immediately  rose  from  his  seat,  apparently  much  affected,  and  said  :  "  Gentle- 
men, I  am  called  upon  this  day  to  perform  the  most  painful  duty  of  my  life.  Under  the  author- 
ity of  the  president's  proclamation,  I  am  here  to  disperse  this  legislature,  and  I  therefore  inform 
you  that  you  cannot  meet.  I  therefore,  in  accordance  with  my  orders,  command  you  to  disperse. 
God  knows  that  I  have  no  party  feeling  in  this  matter,  and  will  have  none  as  long  as  I  hold  my 
present  position  in  Kansas.  I  have  just  returned  from  the  borders,  where  I  have  been  sending 
home  companies  of  Missourians.  and  now  I  am  ordered  here  to  disperse  you.  Such  are  my  orders, 
that  you  must  disperse.  I  repeat,  that  this  is  the  most  painful  duty  of  my  life  — but  you  must 
.disperse."  Judge  Schuyler:  "Are  we  to  understand  that  the  legislature  is  dispersed  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet?  "  Colonel  Sumner :  "  I  shall  use  all  the  forces  under  my  command  to  carry 
out  my  orders."     Colonel  Sumner  then  sat  down  and  the  house  and  audience  dispersed. 

After  the  chamber  was  cleared,  the  old  soldier  went  out  and  mounted  his  horse.  A  law-and- 
order  man  went  up  to  him  and  suggested  that  the  senate  should  also  be  dispersed.  Colonel  Sum- 
ner dismounted  and  entered  the  senate  chamber.  He  delivered  nearly  the  same  speech  as  he 
addressed  to  the  house  of  representatives.     The  senators  stood  in  a  semicircle  about  him,  and  the 


Experiences  of  Oscar  G.  Richards  in  1856.  545 

chamber  was  densely  crowded.  After  Colonel  Sumner  concluded  his  remarks  an  unbroken 
silence  prevailed.  Colonel  Sumner,  feeling  the  embarrassment,  said:  "Gentlemen,  do  I  under- 
stand that  you  consider  yourselves  dispersed  ?  "  Mr.  Thornton,  of  Topeka,  president  of  the  senate, 
stepped  forward  and  coolly  replied  :  "I  cannot  answer,  nor  can  any  other  member  of  the  senate. 
The  senate  is  not  in  session. ' '  Colonel  Sumner  felt  that  his  situation  was  exceedingly  embarrass- 
ing. After  reflecting  for  a  few  moments  —  his  brows  knit,  his  eyes  cast  on  the  ground  — the 
senate  was  addressed  by  Marshal  Donaldson,  who  said :  "Gentlemen,  I  want  a  pledge  from  each 
of  you  that  you  will  not  assemble  again  ;  if  you  don't  give  it,  I  will  arrest  every  member  of  the 
senate."  This  unparalleled  impudence  on  the  part  of  the  marshal  was  received  with  the  silent 
contempt  it  deserved.  Who  ever  heard  before  of  a  conditional  arrest  ?  If  the  marshal  had  writs 
to  serve,  it  was  his  duty  to  execute  them.  He  had  none,  and  his  threats  were  at  once  uncalled 
for,  insulting,  and  childish. 

"Will  the  colonel,"  asked  Mr.  Thornton,  "give  us  time  to  converse,  in  order  that  the  de- 
cision of  the  senate  may  be  known  ?  "  Sumner  answered,  "No!  my  orders  command  me  to  pro- 
hibit you  from  convening.  I  must  command  you  not  to  assemble,  and  the  senate  must  consider 
itself  dispersed." 

As  Colonel  Sumner  was  coming  down  stairs  he  recognized  Colonel  Phillips,  of  the  New  York 
Tribune,  and  nodded  to  him.  "Colonel,"  said  Phillips,  "you  have  robbed  Oliver  Cromwell  of  his 
laurels."  Sumner  did  not  speak,  but  the  expression  of  his  eye  clearly  indicated  what  he  thought. 
He  looked  startled  at  first,  then  serious,  angry,  and  agitated.  He  evidently  saw  at  once  the  full 
enormity  of  the  orders  he  had  been  compelled  to  obey  ;  and  how  odious  his  act,  even  although 
unwillingly  executed,  would  appear  in  the  annals  of  American  history.  He  mounted  his  horse 
and  gave  orders  to  march.  Three  cheers  were  given  for  Colonel  Sumner,  as  he  put  his  foot  in  the 
stirrup,  in  order  to  convince  him  that,  although  the  people  allowed  the  act  he  had  committed, 
they  did  not  regard  him  as  responsible  for  it.  "Forward,  march!"  shouted  the  officer,  in  a 
strong,  ringing,  but  agitated,  voice.  "Three  cheers  for  John  C.  Fremont!  "  cried  a  voice  in  the 
crowd.  Three  loud,  prolonged  and  enthusiastic  cheers  were  given  for  the  Republican  candidate. 
The  troops  heard  it,  and  I  saw  the  free-state  officers  smile  as  they  rode  along.  "Three  groans 
for  Franklin  Pierce!  "  cried  another  squatter.  An  effort  was  made  to  suppress  this  demonstra- 
tion of  disrespect,  lest  the  officers  should  suppose,  as  they  were  now  some  distance  off,  that  it 
was  intended  for  them.  But  it  was  too  late,  and  three  heartily  given  groans  were  heard  in  the 
streets. 

I  had  forgotten  to  add  that  as  Sumner  came  out  of  Constitution  hall  a  new  American  flag 
was  hoisted  over  it.     Three  cheers  were  given  for  this  star-spangled  banner. 

The  mail  is  preparing  to  start.  I  enclose  a  letter  from  Colonel  Sumner  to  a  committee  ap- 
pointed by  the  convention ;  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  people ;  a  couple  of  speeches  ;  a  com- 
munication from  the  prisoners  at  Lecompton  ;  and  the  memorial  to  Congress. 

The  outrage  I  have  endeavored  to  describe  was  perpetrated  on  the  4th  of  July,  by  command 
of  the  president. 


KANSAS  EXPERIENCES  OF  OSCAR  G.  RICHARDS,' 
OF  EUDORA,  IN  1856. 

Read  by  O.  G.  Richards  before  the  Lawrence  Annual  Convention  of  "  '56ers,"  October  25,  1902. 

I  CAME  to  Kansas  territory  in  the  summer  of  1856,  from  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  by  what  was  known  as  the  overland  route,  through 
northern  Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Nebraska,  down  to  Topeka.  Capt.  William 
Strawn,  son  of  Jacob  Strawn,  of  Jacksonville,  111.,  organized  the  company 
I  belonged  to,  at  Ottawa,  in  that  state,  in  May,  1856,  just  after  the  sacking 
of  Lawrence.  There  wei'e  about  fifty  members  of  the  company.  We  were 
furnished  with  Sharp's  rifles  and  revolvers  for  firearms,  which  were  pur- 
chased by  Captain  Strawn.     Six  of  our  number,  including  myself,  were  se- 

NoTE  1. —  Oscar  Grinman  Richards  was  born  January  12,  183(5,  at  Napoleon.  Jackson 
county.  Michigan.  His  father  was  Xenophon  Richards,  and  was  prominent  in  the  Indian  wars; 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  His  mother  was  Semantha  Whaley.  daughter  of  Ohio 
pioneers.  Mr.  Richards  drove  the  first  team  over  "  Lane's  road,"  and  planted  the  first  stakes. 
He  later  became  a  lawyer,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Douglas  county  bar  in  1869.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  from  that  county  in  18'78,  and  has  held  offices  in  the 
city  of  Eudora. 

-35 


546  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

lected  to  come  the  overland  route,  to  bring  such  things  as  had  been  donated 
to  the  free-state  cause,  such  as  provisions,  clothing,  blankets,  farm  imple- 
ments, etc.  The  rest  of  our  company  came  by  water,  by  way  of  St.  Louis, 
and  up  the  Missouri  river  to  Leavenworth.  On  arriving  at  Leavenworth  the 
men  were  taken  prisoners  by  Buford's  men,  and  put  on  board  of  a  boat  and 
sent  back  down  the  river  to  Alton,  111.,  except  Captain  Strawn,  who  made 
his  escape  by  hiding  under  a  bed  in  a  hotel.  Later  on  he  went  north  to  Iowa, 
where  he  met  the  free-state  party  and  then  came  through  with  us. 

Those  of  us  that  came  the  overland  route  joined  Captain  Cutter's  com- 
pany, from  Massachusetts,  at  Iowa  City  and  came  through  with  his  company 
to  Nebraska  City,  where  we  found  several  other  companies.  General  Lane 
and  John  Brown  were  with  us  and  seemed  to  have  charge  of  the  whole  free- 
state  forces  from  Iowa  City  to  Topeka.  Colonel  Eldridge,  general  agent  of 
the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company,  was  also  with  us  on  the  route.  He 
had  charge  of  the  commissary  and  general  supply  department,  and  furnished 
us  the  sinews  of  life,  and  it  can  be  truthfully  said  of  him  that  he  never  al- 
lowed us  to  go  hungry  in  camp  or  on  the  march.  On  our  arriving  in  Topeka, 
our  party  was  immediately  ordered  to  Washington  creek,  in  this  county, 
without  waiting  hardly  long  enough  to  get  dinner.  At  Washington  creek 
we  went  into  camp  a  day  or  two,  drilling  and  preparing  to  capture  the  pro- 
slavery  men  at  Fort  Saunders.  While  camping  at  Washington  creek,  a 
party  of  us  drove  out  to  a  corn-field  near  by,  and  took  up  the  body  of  Col. 
David  S.  Hoyt,  who  had  been  killed  a  few  days  before  by  the  pro-slavery 
men.  We  gave  him  a  more  decent  interment  than  those  fellows  had.  After 
burying  Colonel  Hoyt  we  advanced  on  Fort  Saunders,  as  it  was  called,  Au- 
gust 15,  and  make  an  attack  on  it,  but  found  that  all  the  pro-slavery  men  had 
fled,  leaving  only  a  colored  man  to  hold  the  fort.  The  fort  was  simply  a 
double  log  house  located  on  a  hill,  with  port-holes  in  it,  with  an  embank- 
ment of  dirt  thrown  up  around  the  building.  After  securing  provisions  and 
firearms  left  by  the  absconding  border  ruffians,  we  burned  the  building.  I 
remember  very  well  of  hearing  General  Lane  call  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice 
for  us  to  get  away  from  the  building,  as  there  might  be  a  large  quantity  of 
powder  about  the  premises  and  its  explosion  might  kill  some  of  us.  He  also 
cautioned  us  not  to  drink  the  water  from  the  well,  as  it  might  be  poisoned. 
There  was  supposed  to  be  about  forty  or  fifty  persons  in  the  fort,  and  per- 
haps more,  but  on  seeing  us  coming,  which  they  could  some  distance  away, 
they  all  fled  to  the  woods. 

General  Lane's  mode  of  attacking  these  log  blockhouses  used  as  forts 
was  to  put  a  load  of  hay  on  a  wagon  and  back  the  wagon  up  to  the  build- 
ing, the  hay  serving  as  breastworks,  and  then  follow  up  with  another  wagon 
just  behind  with  a  barrel  of  tar  or  pitch,  throw  the  tar  on  the  hay  and  then 
set  fire  to  it  and  burn  them  out,  without  endangering  the  lives  of  our  men. 
That  was  the  mode  adopted  at  Fort  Saunders,  but  not  carried  out,  for  the 
reason  that  our  enemies  had  fled,  as  I  have  said  before. 

After  destroying  the  fort  and  securing  provisions,  arms,  etc.,  we  returned 
to  camp,  cooked  and  ate  our  supper,  and  took  up  the  line  of  march  for  Titus's 
fort,  near  Lecompton.  We  marched  until  some  time  after  midnight,  and 
then  went  into  camp  about  a  mile  west  of  Judge  Wakefield's  place,  on  the 
California  road.  Just  before  going  into  camp  we  ran  into  a  gang  of  horse- 
thieves,  who  turned  out  to  be  some  of  Titus's  men,  and  captured  several  of 


Experiences  of  Oscar  G.  Richards  in  1856.  547 

them.  At  break  of  day,  August  16,  Capt.  Henry  J.  Shombre,  who  had  been 
with  us  from  Nebraska  City,  and  perhaps  longer,  came  around  and  awoke 
us,  saying  if  he  could  raise  sixty  cavalrymen  he  could  take  Titus's  fort.  The 
number  of  men  was  soon  raised  and  away  they  went  to  Fort  Titus,  which 
was  about  three  miles  distant,  without  even  waiting  for  their  breakfast. 
The  rest  of  our  men  took  breakfast  and  then  took  up  the  line  of  march  to 
Fort  Titus,  but  before  we  had  reached  there  a  messenger  on  horseback  from 
Shombre's  men  came  back  and  urged  us  to  hurry  up  with  our  cannon,  the 
"Old  Sacramento, "  saying  that  Captain  Shombre  and  several  other  men  wei-e 
shot.  It  seemed,  we  learned  afterwards,  that  Captain  Shombre  and  others 
of  his  men  had  ridden  up  in  front  of  the  fort  and  demanded  that  Titus  sur- 
render; but  Titus  refused,  saying  he  would  spill  his  last  drop  of  blood  before 
he  would  do  that.  No  sooner  had  he  said  this  than  his  men  opened  up  fire 
through  the  port-holes,  and  Captain  Shombre,  I  think,  was  the  first  man  shot. 
By  the  time  our  main  army  arrived  with  "Old  Sacramento,"  there  were  sev- 
eral of  our  men  lying  on  the  ground  wounded,  but  not  dead.  "Old  Sacra- 
mento" was  placed  on  a  hill  east  of  the  fort  about  eighty  rods,  and  soon 
commenced  a  bombardment  of  the  fort.  My  recollection  now  is  that  it  took 
just  thirteen  shots  from  "Old  Sacramento"  before  the  white  flag  went  up, 
the  plastering  and  chinking  flying  at  every  shot.  When  the  white  flag  went 
up  we  rushed  into  the  building,  and  took  Titus  and  his  men  prisoners,  num- 
bering about  twenty,  all  told.  After  destroying  the  fort  we  took  Titus  and 
his  men  to  Lawrence. 

During  the  siege  and  destruction  of  Titus's  fort,  a  company  of  United 
States  cavalry  troops  from  Lecompton,  which  was  about  one  mile  north  of 
us,  formed  in  line  and  watched  us  all  the  time,  but  did  not  in  any  way  in- 
terfere with  us.  Col.  Sam.  Walker,  I  think,  had  charge  of  the  free-state 
forces  that  day.  There  must  have  been  about  1000  of  them.  Captain 
Shombre,  who  was  shot  at  the  capture  of  Titus,  died  two  days  later  at  Law- 
rence, which  was  Monday,  August  18,  1856.  In  a  day  or  two  arrangements 
were  made  between  the  pro-slavery  and  the  free-state  forces  to  exchange 
prisoners,  they  having  some  of  our  men  as  prisoners  at  Lecompton,  Gov- 
ernor Robinson  being  among  the  number.  So  it  was  arranged  for  us  to 
turn  over  to  them  the  pro-slavery  prisoners  we  had,  and  they  to  us  the  pris- 
oners they  held  of  ours,  which  was  done.  I  think  we  also  turned  over  a 
cannon  captured  at  Franklin  by  our  forces.  Wilson  Shannon  was  the  terri- 
torial governor  at  that  time. 

After  the  border- ruffian  war  was  over  I  took  a  claim  near  Manhattan, 
built  a  house,  and  made  other  improvements,  and  late  in  the  fall  went  back 
to  my  old  home  in  Illinois,  leaving  my  claim  in  the  possession  of  one  of  my 
comrades.  The  next  spring  I  returned  with  a  party  of  twenty-five,  all  rela- 
tives of  mine,  who  settled  in  Eudora  township,  Douglas  county,  on  what 
was  then  known  as  the  absentee  Shawnee  Indian  lands.  Soon  afterwards  I 
sold  my  claim  at  Manhattan  and  moved  to  Eudora,  where  I  have  resided 
ever  since. 

There  are  but  a  few  men  in  Kansas  to-day  who  realize  how  much  they  are 
indebted  to  the  early  settlers  for  the  blessings  they  enjoy,  or  who  ever  con- 
sider the  hardships  and  privations  endured  by  the  old  settlers  in  the  early 
days. 

Nearly   half   a   century   has   passed   since   then,  and   many   marvelous 


548  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

changes  have  taken  place  in  the  state  and  in  the  nation.  Most  of  those  who 
took  part  in  those  struggles  to  make  Kansas  a  free  state  have  gone  to  their 
reward.  The  few  of  us  who  still  remain  ought  to  keep  in  close  touch  with 
each  other,  until  the  last  one  has  passed  over  the  silent  river  and  joined 
that  innumerable  throng  in  the  bright  hereafter.* 


REMINISCENCES  OF  HARTMAN  LICHTENHAN.^ 

I  WAS  born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  in  1832,  and  came  to  America  in  1846, 
making  my  home  in  Philadelphia.  December  14,  1852,  I  enhsted  in  the 
Second  dragoons,  U.  S.  A.,  for  service  on  the  frontier,  under  Second  Lieut. 
Alfred  Pleasanton.  We  were  at  Carlisle  barracks  for  two  months;  then 
went  to  Governor's  Island,  N.  Y.,  for  two  weeks,  and  took  a  transport  to 
Texas.  The  third  day  out,  as  we  struck  open  water,  and  lost  sight  of  land, 
I  was  placed  on  guard.  I  happened  to  discover  with  my  naked  eye  a  hulk 
having  no  mast  or  sail,  and  gave  the  alarm  to  the  mate.  He  thought  I  was 
mistaken,  but  getting  a  spy-glass  soon  made  out  a  wreck,  upon  which  we 
found  five  sailors  who  had  been  adrift  three  days.  Within  twenty  minutes 
after  we  had  rescued  them  the  wreck  sunk.  The  crew  had  started  from 
Baltimore  with  a  cargo  of  flour  for  Mobile,  and  had  been  run  down  in  the 
night  by  a  steamer.     The  mate,  captain  and  five  sailors  were  lost. 

We  landed  at  Indianola,  Tex.,  and  signaled  the  lighthouse.  An  officer 
soon  came  out.  We  laid  by  until  the  next  morning,  when  two  steamers 
came  out  and  pulled  us  in  through  the  shoal  water.  We  then  traveled  on  foot 
500  miles  to  Fort  Graham,  now  a  large  city.  When  we  reached  Texas  there 
were  but  sixteen  buildings  in  Waco,  and  at  Fort  Worth  there  was  no  sign  of 
a  settlement.  From  Fort  Graham,  Tex.,  we  marched  to  Fort  McKavett, 
Tex.,  on  the  head  waters  of  the  San  Saba  river;  from  there  to  Fort  Chap- 
man, and  then  to  Fort  Riley,  Kan.  While  at  Fort  Chapman,  when  part  of 
our  men  were  out  on  a  scout,  1100  Comanche  Indians  surrounded  the  fort. 
We  had  but  forty  men  inside  the  enclosure,  and  could  not  get  out  for  five 
days.  One  man  who  ventured  out  during  that  time  was  struck  by  eleven 
arrows.  He  got  back  inside,  and  the  arrows  were  taken  out  by  Doctor 
Hammond,  afterwards  the  famous  surgeon.  Two  passed  through  from  his 
back,  the  points  pushing  out  the  surface  skin  just  below  the  right  nipple. 
Hammond  pushed  them  through  his  body,  and  drew  a  handkerchief  through 
the  wounds  by  the  use  of  a  wire,  to  clean  them  out.     The  man  recovered. 

General  Harney  was  at  Fort  Riley  when  we  reached  there.  He  had  re- 
cently had  a  fight  on  the  Platte  river,  Nebraska,  with  the  Sioux  Indians,  in 
which  he  captured  twenty-six  chiefs,  besides  their  wives  and  children. 
These  he  brought  to  Fort  Riley  and  took  on  to  Washington.  They  went  by 
way  of  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  ocean.  The  plan  was  to  give  the  In- 
dians an  idea  of  our  large  white  population  and  of  our  military  strength,  for 
they  visited  our  navy-yards  and  arsenals.  They  came  back  by  the  same 
route,  there  being  no  railroads  in  those  days  reaching  Kansas.     The  Indians 

*  other  features  of  this  summer's  campaign  in  Douglas  county  may  be  found  in  "The  Events 
of  1856  "  and  "  Emigration  to  Kansas  in  1856."  published  in  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  7, 
p,  521,  and  vol.  8,  p.  302,  respectively. 

Note  1.— Hartman  Lichtenhan,  of  McDowell's  creek,  Geary  county,  visited  the  Historical 
rooms  in  May,  1903,  and  gave  these  reminiscences. 


Reminiscences  of  Hartman  Lichtenhan.  549 

were  returned  to  their  hunting-grounds  on  the  South  Platte.  General 
Harney  lost  in  the  fight  in  which  he  captured  these  Indians  only  thirty-two 
men,  while  he  killed  300  men,  women,  and  children.  He  was  the  best  Indian 
fighter  the  United  States  ever  had.  He  was  in  for  demolishing  them,  and 
had  no  earthly  mercy  for  them.'- 

When  we  came  to  Fort  Riley,  in  September,  1855,  there  were  only  the 
First  and  Second  dragoons  and  the  mounted  rifles.  The  dragoon  was  a 
a  horse  soldier,  responsible  for  his  animal.  The  rifles  took  the  horses  of  the 
post  where  they  happened  to  be  for  temporary  use.  On  our  way  to  Fort 
Riley  we  crossed  the  Neosho  at  Council  Grove.  There  seemed  to  be  only  a 
few  buildings  there  then— a  blacksmith  shop,  grocery,  and  the  post-office, 
and  perhaps  four  or  five  other  shanties.  The  Indians  were  right  in  around 
the  town,  and  had  the  smallpox.  We  did  not  know  of  the  epidemic,  and 
camped  right  down  in  the  midst  of  them  and  stayed  all  night,  and  although 
there  were  fatal  cases  among  the  Indians  none  of  us  caught  the  infection. 

Philip  St.  George  Cooke  was  our  colonel,  and  Patrick  Calhoun  our  cap- 
tain. Henry  H.  Sibley,  afterwards  in  the  Confederate  service,  was  our 
major.  Robert  Henderson,  who  died  January  6,  1906,  R.  E.  Laurenson,  E.  S. 
McFarland,  and  Patrick  King,  who  settled  in  Geary  county,  were  also  mem- 
bers of  the  same  company.  Henderson  and  Laurenson  each  served  as  county 
treasurer  of  Geary  county,  and  also  as  postmaster  of  Junction  City.  For 
eighteen  months  steady  we  were  in  the  settlements,  at  Lecompton,  Law- 
rence, Topeka,  Hickory  Point,  etc.  Whenever  the  two  parties,  free-state 
and  pro-slavery,  got  together,  they  had  a  spat,  and  we  got  in  between  and 
stopped  it. 

We  were  staying  at  Lecompton  at  the  time  of  the  Hickory  Point  fight, 
in  Jefferson  county.  A  guard  of  eighteen  men  was  sent  out  from  Lecomp- 
ton in  advance  of  the  main  troop.  When  about  eight  miles  out  we  saw  a 
young  man  leading  a  horse  out  from  a  hay  stable.  He  sprang  on  the  horse 
and  urged  it  into  a  run.  The  guard  ordered  him  to  halt;  instead  of  halting 
he  fired  his  revolver  and  hit  the  shoulder  of  one  of  our  men.  The  members 
of  the  guard  immediately  returned  the  fire,  and  he  fell  with  seventeen  bul- 
lets in  his  body.  We  then  went  on,  leaving  him  alone  with  two  men,  for 
the  main  command  to  come  up.  He  was  then  put  into  an  army  wagon. 
The  news  reached  Lawrence  before  long,  and  his  friends  claimed  his  body. 
He  was  evidently  bearing  news  of  our  coming  to  the  disturbers  of  the 
peace  at  Hickory  Point. 

We  soldiers  for  eighteen  months  were  kept  in  hot  water  chasing  after 
the  free-state  or  pro-slavery  men.  We  would  lie  down  on  the  prairie  at 
night  wrapped  up  in  our  blankets  to  sleep.  Probably  about  eleven  o'clock  the 
guard  would  come  to  us  and  whisper:  "Come,  get  up,  mount  your  horses. 
See,  there  is  a  fire  off  there  on  the  horizon  to  the  right."  Perhaps  there 
would  be  another  off  on  the  left.  We  would  gallop  toward  the  fires,  but 
the  attacking  party  would  hear  our  horses  approach  and  slip  off  in  different 
directions,  and  no  one  would  be  there  when  we  arrived. 

Note  2.— This  battle,  between  the  command  of  Gen.  W.  S.  Harney  and  the  Bois  Brule  band 
of  the  Sioux  nation  under  Little  Thunder,  occurred  on  the  3d  of  September,  1855.  These  Indians 
were  camped  on  Blue  Water  creek,  Nebraska  territory,  four  miles  from  the  left  bank  of  the 
North  Platte.  Eiprhty-six  were  killed,  five  wounded,  about  seventy  women  and  children  cap- 
tured, fifty  mules  and  ponies  taken  besides  many  killed  and  disabled,  and  practically  all  the  camp 
equipage  destroyed.  Harney's  loss  was  four  killed,  seven  wounded,  and  one  missing. —  Keport 
of  General  Harney,  commander  of  the  Sioux  expedition  ;  Senate  Documents,  34th  Cong.,  1st  and 
2d  sess.,  vol.  2,  1855-'56,  serial  number  811. 


550  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Our  camp  outfit  was  very  small.  We  generally  carried  a  pint  or  quart 
tin  cup  in  which  we  cooked.  Our  meat  was  cooked  on  sticks  held  over  the 
coals.  We  would  set  out  with  rations  for  a  day  or  two,  consisting  of  bacon 
and  hardtack.  On  such  duty  we  did  not  get  bean  soup  or  rice.  Five  crack- 
ers (a  pound),  one  and  one-fourth  pounds  of  beef  or  three-fourths  of  a 
pound  of  bacon,  made  up  a  day's  rations.  At  the  time  I  joined  the  army 
the  government  paid  the  mounted  soldiers  eight  dollars  a  month  and  infantry 
seven  dollars.  In  1854  the  mounted  soldiers  received  twelve  dollars  and  the 
infantry  eleven  dollars.  I  got  my  discharge  at  Fort  Leavenworth  in  De- 
cember, 1857.  I  then  received,  besides  my  regular  pay,  an  amount  sufficient 
to  pay  my  transportation  back  to  Philadelphia,  where  I  enlisted. 

I,  however,  had  decided  to  remain  in  Kansas,  and  came  right  back  to 
McDowell's  creek,  Geary  county,  and  settled  on  the  farm  I  still  own— section 
35,  township  11,  range  7  east,  eighty  acres.  This  I  bought  of  the  govern- 
ment, direct,  for  one  dollar  an  acre,  although  the  regular  price  was  $1.25 
per  acre.  I  had  bought  up  an  old  land-warrant  at  a  reduced  price,  good  for 
eighty  acres. 

When  I  came  back  from  the  Salt  Lake  trip  ^  I  stopped  in  Leavenworth, 
and  met  an  old  friend  I  had  known  at  Fort  Riley,  a  tailor.  He  asked  me  if 
I  had  married.  Finding  I  was  still  single,  he  told  me  he  knew  of  a  young 
woman  he  thought  would  make  a  good  wife.  I  said:  "Let  's  go  and  see 
her."  But  he  said:  "No,  I  can't. "  I  said:  "What 's  the  use  of  your  pro- 
posing a  thing  and  backing  out  immediately."  He  explained  that  he  had 
nearly  finished  a  suit  of  clothing,  which  he  must  deliver  before  he  quit  work. 
I  offered  to  see  to  its  delivery,  and  then  we  set  out  to  see  the  girl.  This 
was  on  Wednesday.  I  felt  satisfied  with  my  visit,  and  when  I  bid  her  good- 
by  she  told  my  friend  that  we  must  call  again.  I  thanked  her  and  said  I 
would.  On  Saturday  I  went  back  to  see  her,  but  did  not  take  my  friend.  I 
asked  her,  if  the  weather  was  good,  would  she  drive  up  with  me  to  Fort 
Leavenworth  on  Sunday?  When  I  went  for  her  she  said  there  was  such 
good  walking  that  she  would  prefer  to  go  that  way.  I  had  friends  at  the 
fort,  where  we  got  dinner.  About  five  o'clock  she  said  she  must  go  back, 
as  she  was  expected  to  get  supper  for  her  parents.  Hacks  ran  between  the 
fort  and  the  city,  and  we  took  one  of  them.  Luckily  there  was  no  one  in  the 
hack  but  the  driver  and  ourselves.  We  were  within  a  mile  of  Leavenworth 
when  I  bursted  out :  ' '  Now, ' '  said  I,  "  I  am  living  on  a  farm  by  myself,  and  I 
want  to  get  a  wife.  Will  you  marry  me?  "  She  said  our  acquaintance  had 
been  short.  I  gave  her  a  week  to  study  over  me,  and  told  her  she  could 
make  inquiry  of  the  officers  at  the  fort  regarding  my  character,  etc.,  for 
they  had  known  me  for  years.  We  parted  that  evening  and  I  went  back  on 
Wednesday.  On  the  following  Sunday  I  went  back  again,  and  I  said:  "How 
is  it?  Have  you  studied  my  question?  Spit  it  out,  let  it  be  good  or  bad; 
but  I  don't  want  it  to  be  No."  She  was  willing  to  marry  me.  I  called  on 
the  bishop  ( Bishop  Miege)  to  see  about  our  marriage,  for  I  was  in  a  hurry 
to  have  it  done  at  once.  He  told  me  we  would  have  to  wait  until  it  was 
spoken  three  times  in  church.  I  went  back  to  my  farm,  but  on  the  third 
Sunday  I  was  on  hand,  and  we  got  married.     We  lived  together  thirty-six 

Note  3.—  Evidently  Mr.  Lichtenhan  was  a  member  of  the  escort  of  Second  dragoons  which 
accompanied  Col.  Albert  S.  Johnston  on  the  Utah  expedition  of  1857.  — Senate  Documents.  35th 
Cong.,  1st  sess.,  vol.  3,  1857-'58.  p.  21.  serial  number  920;  also  mentioned  by  Percival  G.  Lowe  in 
his  "Five  Years  a  Dragoon,"  1905,  p.  294. 


Reminiscences  of  Hartman  Lichtenhan.  551 

years  and  raised  a  family  of  seven  children,  all  living,  all  married,  and  all 
doing  well.     My  children  are: 

1.  Charles  Lichtenhan, 

2.  Ellie,  Mrs.  William  Asmussen,  Wamego. 

3.  Elizabeth,  Mrs,  John  Hansen,  Wamego. 

4.  Kate,  Mrs.  Pat  Shean,  Kansas  City, 

5.  Mary,  Mrs,  James  Mung,  Topeka. 

6.  Frank  Lichtenhan,  Junction  City. 

7.  John  Lichtenhan,  on  the  McDowell  Creek  farm. 

My  marriage  was  in  February,  1858,  and  my  wife's  name,  Kate  Foster, 
During  the  year  1860  not  a  drop  of  rain  fell,  from  the  15th  day  of  May 
until  the  following  January.  Nothing  was  raised,  and  in  consequence  pro- 
visions were  very  high.  I  freighted  all  summer  from  Leavenworth  and 
Kansas  City  to  the  towns  in  the  western  part  of  the  territory.  In  the  fall 
I  came  home  and  asked  my  wife  to  take  a  trip  with  me  to  Iowa,  where  I 
could  get  flour  at  a  low  price  for  the  winter  supply.  She  said:  "You  must 
know  that  it  is  late  in  the  season,  and  that  Iowa  is  a  cold  country;  we 
might  be  caught  in  the  cold.  A  little  longer  absence  from  you  will  not  make 
much  difi^erence,  for  you  have  been  gone  all  summer,  anyway."  So,  in 
three  days,  I  started  alone  with  my  wagon  and  two  yoke  of  oxen  for  Osceola, 
Iowa.  I  bought  2500  pounds  of  flour.  For  the  best  I  paid  $2.25  a  hundred- 
weight, and  some  I  paid  $2  for.  On  my  way  back  I  came  through  St.  Jo- 
seph, Mo.,  and  started  to  sell  some  of  my  flour  at  Kansas  prices.  The 
$2,25  flour  I  sold  for  $9  per  hundred,  and  the  $2  flour  for  $8.  I  reached 
home  with  1200  pounds.  My  wife  saw  me  coming,  and,  with  our  baby  on 
her  arm,  came  three-fourths  of  a  mile  to  meet  me.  Her  first  words  were: 
"How  are  you,  boy?"  I  thanked  her,  and  said:  "How  are  you,  ma,  and 
how  is  the  baby?"  She  answered  and  said:  "We  are  all  right,  but  did  you 
bring  any  flour?  "  I  told  her  I  had  a  little,  and  we  drove  on  till  we  came  to 
the  house.  I  slipped  the  yokes  off  of  the  cattle  and  let  them  go  to  grass. 
She  started  supper,  and  I  took  off  my  traveling  clothes  and  laid  my  money- 
bag on  the  table.  She  saw  it  was  pretty  well  stuffed.  She  took  the  bag 
and  counted  the  money,  and  said:  "Boy,  you  can't  have  much  flour,  if  any, 
for  you  have  five  dollars  more  than  when  you  started,  and  how  could  you  get 
flour  without  any  money?"  I  told  her  I  did  not  steal  it,  nor  the  money 
with  which  it  was  bought,  and  that  she  should  have  the  story  in  time. 
After  supper  I  told  her  to  set  the  baby  on  the  dirt  floor  (there  were  no  car- 
peted floors  in  Kansas  at  that  time).  I  asked  her  to  come  out  and  climb  in 
the  wagon  and  hand  out  to  me  the  sacks  as  I  carried  them  to  the  house. 
But  she  was  anxious  to  know  how  I  got  it,  and,  not  to  worry  her  longer,  I 
told  her  that  when  I  got  below  St.  Joseph  I  began  selling  it  at  the  prices 
named  above.  She  asked  me  if  I  had  the  cheek  to  ask  those  poor  people  like 
us  to  pay  nine  dollars  a  hundred.  I  told  her  my  conscience  was  just  as  good 
as  the  merchants'. 

While  in  Texas  200  of  us  dragoons  and  500  Texas  rangers,  soldiers  be- 
longing to  the  state  of  Texas,  were  ordered  up  on  the  Red  river,  on  the 
border  of  Texas.  We  were  caught  in  the  snow,  and  suffered  great  hard- 
ship. Our  captain,  Patrick  Calhoun,  was  in  command  of  the  expedition. 
After  our  return  to  Kansas  he  went  to  Washington  on  a  furlough  given  him 
on  account  of  illness  from  exposure  on  that  expedition,  I  think,  and  finally 


552  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

died  in  the  East.  While  in  Washington  he  made  application  for  land-war- 
rants for  the  soldiers  who  were  with  him  on  that  expedition,  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  our  sufferings  and  good  behavior.  I  think  he  died  before  they  were 
obtained;  at  least,  we  soldiers  did  not  learn  of  the  granting  of  the  warrants 
until  about  sixteen  years  ago,  and  then  through  a  guard  in  the  post-office 
in  Washington.  I  obtained  mine,  for  160  acres  of  land,  and  sold  it  for  as 
many  dollars  to  a  young  man,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  go  to  another  state  to 
locate. 


WESTPORT  AND  THE  SANTA  FE  TRADE. 

Written  for  the  Kansas  State  Historical  Society  by  William  R.  Bernard. 

WILLIAM  R.  BERNARD,  the  author  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Albe- 
marle county,  Virginia,  December  8,  1823.  He  was  descended  from 
Enghsh  and  Huguenot  families.  In  1839,  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  he 
removed  with  his  father's  family  to  Callaway  county,  Missouri,  and  began 
work  upon  a  farm;  afterwards  went  to  the  Lake  Superior  country  to  pros- 
pect for  copper;  and  then,  like  the  true  Western  man  he  had  become,  went 
to  Galena,  111.,  and  looked  in  at  the  lead-mines;  from  this  place  to  Dubuque, 
Iowa.  About  the  first  of  the  year  1846,  he  was  appointed  a  United  States 
geologist  for  the  northern  peninsula  of  Michigan,  and  entered  at  once  upon 
his  duties.  Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1847  the  corps  of  which  he  was  a 
member  was  called  to  the  southeast  and  southwest  of  Missouri  for  scientific 
purposes,  ^'and  about  the  end  of  the  year  1848  the  corps  was  ordered  to  Cali- 
fornia for  examination  of  the  geological  formation  of  that  country.  Having 
a  sister  in  Westport,  Mrs.  J.  G.  Hamilton,  he  obtained  a  leave  of  absence  to 
visit  her  before  starting  on  his  journey  to  the  Pacific  slope.  He  reached 
Westport  Christmas,  1847,  and  so  well  was  he  pleased  with  the  location  that 
he  resigned  his  appointment,  and  decided  at  once  to  become  a  citizen  of  Mis- 
souri and  embark  in  the  Indian  trade. 

At  the  time  he  arrived  at  Westport  the  business  houses  of  that  village 
were,  for  the  most  part,  located  on  a  little  stream  that  flows  southeasterly 
through  that  town,  crossing  the  present  Westport  avenue  at  what  is  known 
as  Mill  street.  Since  the  period  before  named  there  had  been  a  mill  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Mill  street  and  Westport  avenue.  There  were  a  num- 
ber of  excellent  springs  along  the  bank  of  this  rivulet;  hence  the  settlement. 
The  first  tavern  located  in  the  town  was  on  this  little  stream,  at  or  near 
the  junction  of  Mill  street,  and  on  the  north  side  of  Westport  avenue.  This 
hostelry  was  the  gathering  place  for  hunters,  trappers,  traders,  Indians, 
and  soldiers;  it  was  kept  at  that  time  by  one  Daniel  Yocum.  While  upon 
this  subject,  it  might  be  stated  that  the  second  tavern  opened  in  the  town 
was  an  establishment  by  A.  B.  H.  McGee,  at  the  present  site  of  the  Harris 
House,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Westport  avenue  and  Penn  streets.  John 
Harris  succeeded  McGee  in  this  property  in  1847,  and  conducted  a  hotel 
there  until  about  1861. 

It  is  a  well-estabhshed  historical  fact  that  in  the  year  1843  there  as- 
sembled at  Westport  a  number  of  men  giving  out  that  they  were  going  to 

Note  1.— Report  of  Chas.  T.  Jackson.  United  States  geologist  for  the  survey  of  the  mineral 
lands  of  the  United  States  in  Michigan.— Ho.  Ex.  Doc.  No.  5,  31st  Cong.,  1st  sess.,  serial  num- 
ber 571. 


Westport  and  the  Santa  Fe  Trade.  553 

the  borders  of  Texas  to  fight  Mexicans.  The  rendezvous  of  this  party  was 
the  Yocum  tavern,  and  after  completing  their  preparations  they  departed 
westward  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  Word  had  reached  the  borders  of  Missouri 
that  Don  Antonio  Jose  Chavez,  a  rich  Mexican,  was  on  his  way  to  the  Mis- 
souri river,  at  Independence,  to  trade,  and  these  men  had  determined  to 
meet  and  rob  him.  They  came  upon  Chavez  in  camp  on  the  banks  of  a  Httle 
stream  generally  known  as  Little  Arkansas  river,  in  the  present  state  of 
Kansas,  killing  him  and  robbing  his  train.  It  is  said  that  they  got  in 
booty,  among  other  things,  $34, 000  ^  in  Mexican  silver,  and  started  on 
their  return  to  the  Missouri  with  the  booty.  As  the  news  had  preceded 
Chavez  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  Missouri  with  a  great  amount  of 
money,  so  the  information  of  the  crime  committed  by  these  men  preceded 
them  on  their  return.  They  were  met  by  a  body  of  Jackson  county  citizens, 
near  Council  Grove,  Kan.,  among  whom  was  Geo.  Buchanon,  sheriff  of  Jackson 
county,  and  some  ten  of  their  number  captured  and  a  part  of  the  money  taken 
from  Chavez  was  recovered.  It  might  be  added  that  some  of  the  party  es- 
caped, by  reason  of  having  left  the  main  body.  The  crime  having  been  com- 
mitted in  the  Indian  territory  and  ftot  within  the  jurisdiction  of  Missouri, 
the  robbers  were  turned  over  to  the  United  States  authorities  and  tried  in 
St.  Louis;  three  were  hung  and  others  received  various  prison  sentences. 

There  was  some  foundation  for  the  report  that  they  were  going  to  the 
upper  Arkansas  to  fight  Mexicans.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  terri- 
tory of  Texas  then  extended  across  what  is  now  Colorado  into  Wyoming. 
Its  eastern  borders  extended  from  the  Red  river  due  north  to  the  south 
bank  of  the  Arkansas,  about  opposite  Dodge  City,  Kan.,  thence  up  the  river 
to  a  point  where  it  crossed  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  not  a  great  distance  from 
the  city  of  Las  Animas,  Colo.,  and  caravans  loading  at  Independence  for 
Santa  Fe  and  beyond  must  perforce  pass  through  territory  claimed  by  both 
Texas  and  Mexico.  The  United  States  government,  to  protect  caravans 
from  attack  by  the  Texas  people,  would  send  United  States  soldiers  to  es- 
cort caravans  to  the  Texas  boundary,  there  to  be  met  by  troops  from  New 
Mexico,  who  would  protect  them  from  that  point.  In  the  year  1843  the  an- 
nual caravans  from  Independence  were  larger  than  usual,  and  were  escorted 
by  Capt,  Phihp  St.  George  Cooke,  who  afterwards  became  a  distinguished 
officer  in  the  civil  war,  with  four  companies  of  dragoons,  numbering  about 
200  men.  A  body  of  Texans  under  the  command  of  Col.  Jacob  Snively  was 
awaiting  the  caravans  just  inside  the  United  States  boundary,  on  the  upper 
Arkansas.  These  parties  being  upon  United  States  soil,  Captain  Cooke 
promptly  disarmed  them  and  brought  about  forty  of  their  number  back  to 
the  States.  •■'     The  traders  were  unharmed  this  year. 

Note  2.— Historical  Sketches  of  New  Mexico,  by  L.  Bradford  Prince,  1883,  p.  282,  says  there 
was  but  $10,000  or  $12,000  worth  of  specie  and  bullion  taken  from  Chavez. 

Note  3. —  [The  following-  account  of  this  affair,  written  by  the  principal  actor,  Gen.  Philip  St. 
George  Cooke,  was  printed  in  the  Army  and  Navy  Journal  in  the  summer  of  1882,  entitled  "A 
Day's  Work  of  a  Captain  of  Dragoons."  Under  date  of  May  25,  1882,  General  Cooke  wrote  Judge 
Franklin  G.  Adams  :  "I  expect  to  see  very  soon  —  I  am  not  sure  whether  in  the  North  American 
Review  or  the  Army  and  Navy  Journal— a.  '  bit  of  history  '  from  an  old  official  journal  of  mine.  It 
is  the  capture  of  the  Texans,  in  1843,  which  has  always  been  kept  in  the  shade."  The  location  of 
this  affair  was  on  the  Arkansas  river,  about  seven  or  eight  miles  east  of  Dodge  City.] 

In  the  year  1843  the  territory  west  of  100  degrees  west  longitude  and  south  of  the  river  Ar- 
kansas was  recognized  as  belonging  to  Mexico.  There  was  an  overland  trade  across  it,  with 
Santa  Fe  for  its  first  objective,  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  that  year  the  subject  of  diplomatic 
correspondence  between  the  Mexican  government  and  our  own  touching  the  point  whether  mili- 
tary escorts  to  the  caravans  should,  for  the  effective  performance  of  their  duty,  be  allowed  to 
disregard  the  boundaries. 

I  have  already  given  the  Army  and  Navy  Journal  an  extract  from  the  journal  of  the  escort 


554  KaTisas  State  Historical  Society. 

of  that  year,  relating  how  a  buffalo  bull,  after  being  struck  down  by  a  cannon  shot,  made  re- 
peated charges  upon  the  center  of  a  column  of  dragoons  under  a  hot  fire,  and  in  the  melee  tossed  a 
corporal,  both  rider  and  horse,  upon  his  horns,  the  man's  life  being  probably  saved  by  the  inter- 
position of  a  bulldog. 

I  will  now  give  the  official  record  of  the  second  day  after  the  occurrence.  It  has  never  been 
printed.  That  remote  wilderness  frontier  was  far  beyond  the  scope  of  the  news-gatherer  of  that 
day.  There  was  not  then  a  mania  for  news,  excited  and  fed  by  the  telegraph,  and  there  were 
reasons  then  to  rather  discourage  public  notice  and  attention  to  that  affair.  It  is  singular  that 
the  scene  of  that  international  transaction  was  claimed  to  belong  to  three  different  governments. 
The  claim  of  Texas  was  made  known  to  our  government  a  few  months  later,  and  appears  to  have 
been  recognized  as  an  aid  in  its  negotiations  for  annexation.  ( I  was  present,  two  years  later, 
when  an  engineer  officer  took  observations,  and  made  it  three  or  four  miles  within  our  territory.) 

The  day's  work  began  at  sunrise,  about  four  o'clock,  and  the  muster  and  inspection  was 
thorough  work  ;  and  the  record  omits  a  magnificent  buffalo  chase,  just  after  the  march  began,  in 
which  I  indulged.  I  was  mounted  on  a  noble  thoroughbred,  which  I  rode  all  day.  At  one  time  I 
was  in  the  very  midst  —  almost  in  contact  —  of  a  dense  mass  of  thousands  of  savage-looking  ani- 
mals, all  at  thundering  speed. 

"June  30.— Mustered  and  inspected  the  command  at  six  o'clock;  marched  at  8:10;  after 
marching  four  or  five  miles,  I  suddenly  came  in  view  of  three  horsemen,  about  1200  paces  ahead, 
whom  I  concluded  must  be  Texan  spies.  I  forthwith  sent  a  sergeant  and  six  men  in  pursuit. 
He  returned  in  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  at  full  speed  and  reported  that  he  followed,  without 
gaining  on  them,  '  until  they  joined  a  large  force  on  a  lake,'  and  he  had  left  his  men  in  observa- 
tion on  the  edge  of  a  bluff.  I  directed  him  to  guide  us,  and  increasing  my  front  to  a  platoon  col- 
umn, marched  at  the  trot,  sending  orders  to  the  baggage  train  to  follow  at  the  usual  gait,  under 
charge  of  the  rear-guard.  After  proceeding  thus  for  a  short  time,  I  saw  the  Arkansas  river  a 
mile  off.  and  perceived  a  considerable  force  of  men  and  horses  about  a  fine,  large  grove  on  the 
opposite  bank.  They  raised,  as  I  approached,  a  white  flag.  I  immediately  sent  a  lieutenant  with 
a  trumpeter  and  flag  to  ford  the  river,  instructing  him  to  demand  of  their  commander,  if  they 
had  one.  who  they  were,  and  what  they  did  there  ;_to  give  him,  or  any  one  he  might  send,  safe 
conduct  over  and  back;  also  to  observe  their  numbers,  the  ground,  etc.,  but  more  particularly 
whether  and  where  the  river  was  fordable  by  my  command,  telling  him  to  cross  and  return  at 
different  places. 

"  While  he  was  gone  I  arrived  at  the  river  shore,  and  called  a  council  of  all  the  oflficers.  All 
of  them  answered  me  that  they  believed  the  Texans  were  in  the  United  States,  but  two,  who 
confessed  themselves  to  be  quite  ignorant  on  the  subject.  I  then  said:  'Gentlemen,  all  perhaps 
would  agree  that  if  that  force  is  in  our  territory  it  is  my  duty  to  disarm  them  ;  now  I  put  you 
the  question  :  With  what  little  doubt  there  may  be  in  your  minds  as  to  the  fact,  do  you  advise 
me,  or  not,  to  disarm  these  men,  forcibly,  if  necessary?  Lieutenant  M.,  Lieutenant  B.,  Captain 
T.  (and  Lieutenant  L.,  after  his  return),  answered  in  the  affirmative.  Lieutenant  R.,  who  had 
been  necessarily  employed  in  preparing  fuses  for  the  shells,  came  to  the  council  as  the  vote  was 
about  to  be  taken.  He  declined  the  responsibility  of  advising  or  voting.  Captain  M.  preferred, 
before  answering,  to  see  their  commanding  oflicer.  Lieutenant  L.  at  that  moment  returned, 
and  brought  with  him  Colonel  Snively  and  his  aide  (  Mr.  Spencer,  son  of  the  secretary  of  war). 
I  then  said  to  Colonel  Snively  :  'It  is  my  belief  that  your  party  is  in  the  United  States;  have  you 
a  commission?  What  force  have  you?  And  what  is  your  business  here?'  He  replied  that  he 
commanded  a  Texan  volunteer  force  of  107  men,  and  believed  them  to  be  in  Texas.  He  then 
produced  as  his  commission  the  following  document,  which  I  read  aloud  to  the  officers,  who  were 
all  around  me: 

"'Department  of  War  and  Marine, 
"  To  Col.  Jacob  Snively :  Washington  ( T.).  16th  February,  1843. 

" 'Sir —Your  communication  of  the  28th  ult.,  soliciting  permission  from  the  government  to 
organize  and  fit  out  an  expedition  for  the  purpose  of  intercepting  and  capturing  the  property  of 
the  Mexican  traders  who  may  pass  through  the  territory  of  the  republic  to  and  from  Santa  Fe, 
etc.,  has  been  received  and  laid  before  his  excellency,  the  president,  and  he,  after  a  careful  con- 
sideration of  the  subject,  directs  that  such  be  granted  you  upon  the  terms  and  conditions  therein 
expressed,  that  is  to  say  : 

" '  You  are  hereby  authorized  to  organize  such  a  force,  not  exceeding  300  men,  as  you  may 
deem  necessary  to  the  achievement  of  the  object  proposed.  The  expedition  will  be  strictly  par- 
tizan;  the  troops  to  compose  the  corps  to  mount,  equip  and  provision  themselves  at  their  own 
expense ;  and  one-half  of  all  the  spoils  taken  in  honorably  warfare  to  belong  to  the  republic  ;  and 
the  government  to  be  at  no  expense  whatever  on  account  of  the  expedition. 

The  force  may  operate  in  any  portion  of  the  territory  of  the  republic  above  the  line  of 
settlements  and  between  the  Rio  del  Norte  and  the  boundary  line  of  the  United  States,  but  will 
be  careful  not  to  infringe  upon  the  territory  of  that  government. 

"  'As  the  object  of  the  expedition  is  to  retaliate  and  make  reclamation  for  injuries  sustained 
by  Texan  citizens,  the  merchandise  and  all  other  property  of  all  Mexican  citizens  will  be  lawful 
prize ;  and  such  as  may  be  captured  will  be  brought  in  to  Red  River,  one-half  of  which  will  be 
deposited  in  the  custom-house  of  that  district,  subject  to  the  order  of  the  government,  and  the 
other  half  will  belong  to  the  captors,  to  be  equally  divided  between  the  officers  and  men  ;  an 
agent  will  be  appointed  to  assist  in  the  division. 

"  'The  result  of  the  campaign  will  be  reported  to  the  department  upon  the  disbandment  of 
the  force,  and  also  its  progress  from  time  to  time,  if  practicable. 

By  order  of  the  president,  M.  E.  Hamilton, 

Acting  Secretary  of  War  and  Marine.' 

"I  then,  after  some  conversation,  told  Lieutenant  R.  to  entertain  the  gentleman,  and  called 
aside  the  other  officers,  and,  after  some  remarks,  I  again  put  the  question  :  '  Shall  I,  or  shall  I 
not.  disarm  these  men,  doing  it  by  bloodshed,  if  they  make  it  necessary?'  (I  at  the  same  tirne 
said  that  I  should  not  consider  myself  bound  by  their  advice  or  vote.)  Lieutenant  L.  and  Captain 
T.  responded,  'Yes.'     Lieutenants  M.  and  B.  and  Captain  M.,  'No.'     There  was  a  short  pause. 

"I  had  been  in  the  country  before;  I  knew  that  the  boundary-line  had  not  been  marked  by 
the  government,  and  I  believed  it  was  my  duty  to  consider  that  the  line  would  prove  to  be 
on  that  side  of  the  Texans  where  common  opinion  placed  it,  until  the  government  should  perform 
the  duty  of  marking  it.     Besides  the  spies,  I  now  saw  many  of  their  men  crossing  a  mile  or  two 


Westpo7^t  and  the  Santa  Fe  Trade.  555 

below,  to  the  south  side.  I  believed  a  civilized  government  should  scarcely  acknowledge  such  a 
document,  which,  without  an  indication  of  the  forms  and  customs  of  regular  organization,  out- 
rages the  rules  of  modern  warfare,  which  scarcely  allow  the  individual  robbery  of  private  prop- 
erty on  land.  I  believed  that  most  of  the  ruffian  crew  were  outcast  citizens  of  the  United  Stales. 
If  in  Mexico,  these  men  exceeded  their  instructions  in  that  they  had  dared  to  send  their 
spies  into  our  country  to  assist  and  enable  them  the  more  surely  to  assail  our  peaceful  trade ; 
above  all,  the  safety  and  welfare  of  fellow  citizens  who  were  large  owners  in  the  caravan  de- 
pended upon  my  decision.  I  could  no  longer  hesitate.  But  my  government  recognizing  Texas 
as  an  independent  nation,  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to  recognize  this  as  her  army. 

"We  then  returned,  and  all  being  seated  in  a  group  upon  the  grass,  with  veteran  faces  for  a 
background,  addressing  the  Texans,  I  said  : 

"'Gentlemen,  your  party  is  in  the  United  States;  the  line  has  not  been  surveyed  and 
marked,  but  the  common  judgment  agrees  that  it  strikes  the  river  near  the  Caches,  which  you 
know  is  above  this;  some  think  it  will  strike  as  high  as  Chouteau's  island,  sixty  miles  above  the 
Caches.  Now  the  best  authorities  on  national  law  agree  that  no  power,  in  its  warfare  against 
another,  has  the  right  to  enter  a  neutral's  territory,  there  to  lie  in  wait  for  its  enemy,  or  there 
to  refresh  himself,  afterward  to  sally  out  to  attack  his  force,  or  his  citizens,  or  his  property  ;  and 
it  is  the  right  of  the  neutral  in  such  cases  to  disarm  the  intruders  and  send  them  where  they 
please,  through  or  out  of  their  territory.  I  remember  distinctly  a  precedent  in  the  Polish  revo- 
lution of  1830,  where  a  large  Polish  force,  retreating,  passed  the  Austrian  frontier,  and  they  were 
disarmed  and  escorted  on  their  way  to  another  frontier.  Now.  there  are  about  twenty  of  your 
men  now  crossing  the  river  to  the  south  side,  and  I  found  three  on  our  road  which  I  believe  were 
sent  to  be  spies  of  the  movements  of  the  caravan  —  a  caravan  of  peaceful  merchants  of  our  own 
and  a  friendly  state ;  a  trade  which  it  is  our  object  to  protect,  and  which  you  confess  your  deter- 
mination to  attack. 

Now,  Colonel  Shively.  I  demand  of  you  that  your  men  march  across  the  river  and  lay  down 
their  arms  before  me.  Then,  as  you  say  you  are  in  want  of  provisions,  I  will  return  to  you  guns 
enough  for  use  in  hunting  ;  and  you  shall  have  free  permission  also  to  enter  our  own  settlements. 
The  arms  I  will  hold  subject  to  the  disposal  of  our  government.  I  have  185  soldiers,  besides 
officers,  and  two  howitzers,  which  can  throw  shells  into  the  grove  you  are  encamped  in  :  you  are 
at  liberty  to  inspect  them.  I  wish  to  treat  you  as  friends  —  as  imprudent  friends  ;  my  course  is 
legal ;  it  will  be  no  dishonor  to  surrender ;  you  should  do  it  at  the  demand  of  a  civil  magistrate  ; 
I  should  make  the  same  demand  if  I  had  but  ten  men ;  but,  of  course,  I  can  make  no  child's  work 
of  it.  Go  over  to  your  men,  who.  you  say.  you  are  in  doubt  that  they  will  obey  you.  and  I  will 
give  you  an  hour  to  begin  crossing ;  if  any  leave  the  grove  in  an  opposite  direction  I  shall  in- 
stantly open  fire  with  the  howitzers,  and  thus  drive  you  from  the  woods  and  attack  you  upon  the 
plain.' 

"  Snively  and  his  aide  then  offered  various  arguments  in  deprecation  of  my  course  ;  among 
others  that,  by  national  law,  a  power  had  the  right  to  '  pursue  an  enemy  twenty  miles  into  a 
neutral's  territory  '  ;  that  they  had  seen  lately  2000  or  3000  Indians,  whom  they  feared,  etc.  They 
made  also  several  propositions,  evidently.  I  thought,  with  a  design  to  get  their  men  out  of  my 
power,  or  to  gain  an  advantage  ;  one  was  that  I  should  send  an  officer  over  with  them,  to  see  their 
almost  starving  condition,  and  to  satisfy  himself  that  a  party  of  seventy-five  men,  becoming  dis- 
contented, had  departed  three  days  before  for  Texas.  Snively  said  he  had  given  them  an  order 
to  save  them  from  being  treated  as  banditti. 

"They  said  they  had  attacked  100  Mexicans  ten  days  before,  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  west  of 
the  Caches  ;  had  killed  eighteen  and  wounded  eighteen,  taking  the  rest  prisoners,  whom  he  had 
liberated,  giving  them  twenty  muskets:  that  he  was  about  returning  to  Texas,  having  become 
convinced  that  the  caravan  had  returned.  He  admitted  that  their  spies  had  gone  with  Mr. 
Brent's  party  to  Walnut  creek,  about  seventy-five  miles  northeast  of  this  point. 

"  I  had  taken  it  for  granted  that  his  men  could,  and  would,  ford  the  river  directly  across  to  my 
front,  where  Lieutenant  L.  had  first  crossed,  but  I  now  learned  that  he  swam  his  horses,  and 
that  these  officers  were  now  going  to  a  point  near  a  mile  below,  where  Lieutenant  L.  had  re- 
turned with  them.  This  made  another  disposition  advisable,  and  I  proposed  to  Snively  that  I 
march  my  force  back  with  him.  To  this  he  and  his  friend  cheerfully  assented  ;  they  seemed 
pleased  with  it.  Accordingly  I  marched  down-stream  several  hundred  paces.  It  was  blowing  a 
gale  up-stream  and  the  muddy  water  was  very  rough.  I  sent  in  a  horseman  and  from  the  depth 
and  quicksand  he  was  immediately  submerged,  and  with  difficulty  extricated.  Then  I  marched 
further  —  so  far  that  I  thought  I  was  losing  control  of  the  occasion.  The  howitzer  boxes  were 
water-tight.  Halting  for  two  minutes,  the  edge  of  the  low,  vertical  bank  was  spaded  oflf.  Then, 
commanding  forward.  I  gave  spur,  and  my  horse  leaped  in.  I  was  closely  followed,  but  all 
spread  out,  avoiding  holes  and  quicksands  encountered.  It  was  300  paces  to  cross,  but  it  was 
safely  accomplished.  I  then  marched  up  the  bottom,  perhaps  out  of  rifle  shot  both  of  the  grove  and 
the  sand-hills.  There  was  stir  and  e.xcitement  in  the  grove.  Their  horses  were  by  this  time 
saddled,  but  my  line  was  formed,  facing  the  bivouac  at  about  150  paces,  the  little  battery  unlim- 
bered,  slow-matches  lit. 

"Colonel  Snively  had  put  forward  his  aide  to  address  the  men  and  induce  them  to  submit. 
They  were  paraded,  and  I  waited  possibly  half  an  hour.  Snively  remaining  with  me  from  choice.  I 
then  commanded  him  to  go  and  to  send  his  men  immediately  to  lay  down  their  arms  fifty  paces 
in  front  of  my  line.  He  said  he  would  do  so,  '  and.  if  alive,  would  return  to  me  —  he  would  have 
nothing  more  to  do  with  them.'  They  soon  began  to  comply.  Captain  T.'s  troops  having  been 
advanced  to  receive  the  arms,  and  some  dismounted  men  were  sent  to  put  them  in  an  empty 
wagon  which  I  had  ordered  to  follow.  There  was  an  interruption.  The  aide  was  addressing 
them  with  much  excitement.  I  rode  forward,  sending  a  platoon  to  their  rear  to  search  for  arms 
in  the  grove.  Captain  T.'s  sabers  were  gleaming  in  the  sunshine.  My  men  afoot  quietly  took 
the  arms  of  those  nearest,  discharged  them,  and  placed  them  in  the  wagon. 

"The  Texans  then  made  a  clamor,  claiming  to  be  treated  as  prisoners.  I  told  them  I  would 
not  consider  them  as  prisoners  ;  that  they  must  address  me  through  their  officers,  if  they  had 
any,  with  whom  I  would  arrange  their  treatment:  they  also  demanded  to  be  escorted  and  pro- 
tected to  our  settlements. 

"There  were  individual  attempts  to  slip  off  up  the  river-bank  and  to  the  hills.  I  had  these 
men  seized,  and  placed  a  picket-  guard  on  the  hills  in  rear.  A  man  had  been  murdered,  they  said, 
just  before  my  arrival,  and  Snively  remarked  :   'He  must  keep  guns  enough  to  shoot  the  fellow 


556  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

In  1848,  Mr.  Bernard  entered  into  a  partnership  with  Col.  A.  G.  Boone, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Boone  &  Bernard.  The  place  of  business  of  this 
firm  was  on  the  north  side  of  Westport  avenue,  second  door  west  from 
Penn  street;  they  also  had  a  warehouse  on  the  river,  at  the  foot  of  the 
present  Grand  avenue.  The  firm  prospered  greatly.  In  1848  gold  was  dis- 
covei-ed  at  Sutter's  mill  in  California,  and  the  tide  of  emigration  and  gold- 
seekers  to  that  country  was  immense.  Large  bodies  of  people  from  this 
country  and  from  many  of  the  countries  of  the  globe  landed  from  Missouri 
river  steamers  at  Kansas  City,  and  made  their  way  to  Westport  to  outfit 
and  organize.  Cattle,  mules,  horses,  wagons,  harness  and  everything  per- 
taining to  travel  were  in  great  demand.  Westport  was  a  market  for  the 
whole  country,  and  droves  of  horses,  mules  and  oxen  were  brought  there 
from  every  part  of  the  state  and  from  many  states  for  sale,  and  were  dis- 
posed of.  This  entire  outfitting  business  was  cash  trade,  and  money  was 
plentiful.  The  prairies  south  of  the  town  and  beyond  the  present  Wornall 
and  Ward  farms  were  covered  with  tents  and  wagons,  and  appeared  like 
the  camp  of  a  great  army.  These  parties  made  themselves  up  into  trains, 
as  they  were  termed;  some  employed  mules  for  transportation  purposes, 
some  oxen,  others  horses,  and  not  a  few  strong-spirited  men  loaded  a  few 
supplies  into  a  cart  drawn  by  a  single  mule,  and  walked  beside  it. 

this  evening,'     I  now  marched  back,  crossing  the  river  at  the  same  places,  and  camped  opposite 
the  grove,  at  3  :  30  o'clock. 

"At  the  moment  in  which  I  first  marched  to  cross  the  river  I  sent  an  expressman  on  my  trail 
to  meet  the  caravan,  and  tell  them  I  was  about  to  disarm  some  hundred  Texans  ;  that  they  had 
reported  a  large  party  had  left  the  country,  and  that  I  did  not  believe  it.  and  to  be  on  their  guard. 
On  my  return  I  met  my  messenger,  who  reported  the  caravan  two  miles  off.  I  sent  him  again 
with  a  note,  written  on  horseback,  announcing  the  result,  and  that  I  should  camp  here.  Soon 
after,  having  left  the  main  road,  they  came  and  formed  near  me  their  corral. 

"Now,  a  Texan  came  to  me,  nearly  exhausted  from  swimming  the  river,  with  a  message  that 
the  Mexicans  were  in  sight,  about  to  attack  them.  I  wrote  a  brief  note  to  Snively,  and  sent  it 
by  a  horseman,  telling  him  if  it  were  true  to  cross  the  river  below  me  and  he  should  be  protected. 
As  there  was  much  stir  and  confusion  around  my  camp.  I  sounded  to  horse,  and  the  squadrons 
were  soon  in  the  saddle  and  on  their  assembly  grounds.  Soon  after  a  message  came  that  the 
rumor  of  Mexicans  was  false. 

"Afterwards  came  a  note,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy : 

" '  Captain  C. :  Dear  Sir— The  man  who  was  wounded  when  I  visited  your  camp  is  expir- 
ingl;  it  is  impossible  to  move  him  at  present.  If  you  could  send  a  company  to  guard  us  this 
night  I  would  consider  myself  under  many  obligations.  Very  respectfully. 

Your  obedient  servant,  J.  Snively.' 

"I  returned  answer  that  I  believed  there  was  no  danger,  and  would  not  send  men;  if  there 
was  danger,  to  come  over,  leaving  the  man  and  the  attendant  hid  in  the  woods. 

"  Now  a  committee  of  the  caravan  called  to  discuss  matters  ;  a  principal  man  said  that  I 
'  ought  to  have  slaughtered  them  all.'  They  seemed  at  first  discontented  that  the  Texans  should 
be  free.  It  has  been  ascertained  that  they  had  lied  about  the  party  who  had  left ;  it  was  only 
yesterday.     The  committee  left  me  after  dark,  apparently  well  pleased. 

"And  now  this  most  laborious  record  having  made  out,  the  eighteenth  hour  of  excitement 
and  labor,  I  lie  down  to  rest  with  a  comfortable  feeling  that  important  duties,  much  beyond  the 
usual  range  of  my  low  rank,  have  been  faithfully,  rightfully  and  successfully  performed." 

And  so  ended  the  day's  work. 

About  half  the  disarmed  were  escorted  to  Missouri ;  the  others  chose  to  return  to  Texas  ;  and 
it  was  reported  a  number  of  them  lost  their  lives. 

"They  and  their  friends  were  very  revengeful,  and  for  many  years  disposed  to  make  the 
dragoon  commander,  and  even  his  friends,  the  subjects  of  a  Texan  vendetta:  nine  years  after  he 
was  in  Texas  exposed  to  plots  and  attempts  of  assassination  ;  and,  as  afterwards  informed, 
when  he  left,  was  followed  as  far  as  New  Orleans. 

But  only  five  years  after,  returning  from  Mexico,  an  unknown  gentleman  '  of  Texas  '  sent  him 
his  card  to  his  hotel  room  in  New  Orleans  ;  and  this  supposed  enemy  was  ordered  to  be  shown  up. 

Great  was  the  writer's  surprise  when  the  stranger  advanced,  hands  extended,  with  the 
greeting  :  "  I  have  for  years  looked  out  for  this  opportunity  to  shake  you  by  the  hand  and  thank 
you  for  causing  my  release  from  a  Mexican  dungeon." 

In  brief,  he  had  been  an  officer  of  our  army  ;  but  it  was  his  fate  to  join  a  Quixotic  party  who 
made  a  revolutionary  invasion  of  Mexico  and  penetrated  as  far  as  Mier,  in  Tamaulipas.  He  was 
one  of  the  Mier  prisoners,  who  suffered  a  long  and  grievous  imprisonment  in  the  fortress  of 
Perote.  Our  minister  to  Mexico,  Waddy  Thompson,  had  repeatedly  interceded  in  their  behalf, 
but  in  vain.  Finally,  news  of  the  saving  of  the  caravan,  and  especially  the  capture  of  the  Tex- 
ans, got  to  the  city  of  Mexico.  Our  minister  was  furnished  with  some  answer  to  Mexican  re- 
proaches ;  he  felt  encouraged  to  make  a  last  appeal  ;  he  found  President  Santa  Anna  in  the  best 
disposition,  and  the  release  of  the  prisoners  was  readily  granted.  Santa  Anna  declared  that  the 
day's  work  "  was  the  first  act  of  good  faith  ever  shown  by  the  United  States  to  Mexico." 


Westport  and  the  Santa  Fe  Trade.  557 

In  1848  Boone  &  Bernard  began  an  effort  to  draw  Mexican  trade  to  West- 
port;^  before  that  time  it  had  all  gone  to  Independence.  Nature  did  much 
to  turn  the  trade  to  Kansas  City.  The  eastern  border  of  the  plains,  so 
called,  on  the  great  line  of  travel,  was  the  little  town  of  New  Santa  Fe,  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  Jackson  county.  It  was  twenty  miles  from  this 
point  to  Independence,  and  to  Westport  much  less.  By  the  Independence 
route  the  Big  Blue  river  had  to  be  crossed,  and  this  was  often  high  in  the 
spring  of  the  year;  consequently  much  time  was  lost  in  passing  it.  The 
road  to  Kansas  City  led  over  the  high  ridge  that  divided  the  waters  that 
on  the  one  hand  flowed  toward  the  Blue  and  on  the  other  toward  Turkey 
■creek.  A  little  later  than  this,  the  definite  time  Mr.  Bernard  cannot  rec- 
ollect, a  rich  Mexican  trader,  Don  Chavez,  a  brother  to  him  who  had  been 
murdered,  was  on  his  way  to  the  Missouri  river  to  trade,  his  destination 
being  Independence ;  he  was  fearful  of  robbers  and,  fortunately  for  the 
Westport  trade,  fell  in  with  the  noted  scout  and  guide,  F.  X.  Aubrey,  who 
was  also  on  his  way  to  the  Missouri.  Aubrey  and  Bernard  were  friends,  and 
he  advized  Chavez  to  come  direct  to  the  house  of  Boone  &  Bernard,  at 
Westport,  and  offered  to  protect  him  to  that  point.  Chavez  did  as  he  was 
advised,  and  brought  with  him  $100,000  in  Mexican  silver.  This  money  was 
conveyed  in  bags  of  rawhide.  The  money  had  been  sewed  up  in  the  bags 
while  the  hides  were  green,  so  when  the  skins  were  dry  the  money  was 
firmly  secured. 

Silver  at  this  time  was  worth  a  premium  in  New  York,  but  Chavez  had 
been  so  worried  in  reaching  the  Missouri  that  he  told  Mr.  Bernard  that  if 
he  would  get  him  the  face  value  in  New  York  he  was  welcome  to  the  pre- 
mium. There  was  no  express  at  that  time  from  Westport  to  St.  Louis,  and 
Colonel  Boone  advised  against  taking  the  money  on  account  of  the  difficulty 
in  disposing  of  it.  Mr.  Bernard,  with  Western  energy  and  enterprise,  ac- 
cepted the  money,  and  invited  James  Winchester,  afterwards  of  the  firm  of 
Winchester  &  Piper,  one  of  the  great  houses  of  Westport,  to  go  with  him. 
Mr.  Winchester,  ever  ready  for  adventure,  accepted  the  invitation.  So  the 
two  loaded  the  money  into  a  wagon  at  Westport,  transported  it  to  Kansas 
City,  carried  it  on  board  a  steamer,  and  guarded  it  night  and  day  until  St. 
Louis  was  reached  and  the  amount  forwarded  in  exchange  to  New  York. 
This  was  probably  in  the  spring  of  1849.  Mr.  Bernard  says  that  this  trans- 
action with  Chavez,  more  than  any  other,  brought  the  Mexican  trade  to 
Westport  and  Kansas  City,  and  for  this  he  gives  F.  X.  Aubrey  the  credit. 
When  it  became  known  to  Mexican  traders  that  Mexican  firms  could  meet 
all  their  requirements  here,  that  fact,  together  with  the  advantage  of  a 
natural  route,  carried  the  trade  to  Westport,  to  the  injury  of  Independence. 
Within  five  or  six  years  after  Don  Chavez's  visit  to  Westport,  the  trade  of 
that  place  had  grown  to  enormous  proportions.  Wagon-trains  by  the  hun- 
dred came  to  and  left  Westport  during  the  year. 

Westport  became  a  great  outfitting  station.  Manufactures  of  every  kind 
relating  to  transportation  sprang  up.  Wagons  were  constructed  on  a  great 
scale.  Harness,  saddles,  tents,  wagon-covers,  were  made  and  sold  in  great 
quantities.  Two  or  more  firms  were  wholly  engaged  in  the  making  of  yokes 
and  bows.  The  trade  in  guns  and  gun  furnishings  was  extensive.  What  is 
now  Westport  avenue  was  lined  with  outfitting  houses  from  a  point  east  of 

Note  4.— History  of  Jackson  County,  Missouri.  1881,  p.  351. 


558  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Broadway  to  Mill  street,  and  on  Penn  street  from  Fortieth  to  Forty-second 
streets.  So  great  did  this  idea  of  manufacturing  take  hold  of  the  minds  of 
the  Westport  people,  that  some  time  before  1855  a  large  factory  was  built 
on  the  main  road  leading  south  from  Westport,  at  the  crossing  of  the  little 
stream  before  mentioned,  for  the  manufacture  of  star  candles. 

Westport  was  the  gathering-place  for  hunters,  trappers,  traders,  and 
Indians.  On  its  streets  every  type  of  man  of  the  West  was  represented. 
About  this  time,  or  a  little  later,  an  unusual  article  of  trade  was  in  great 
demand,  namely,  strychnine,  and  it  was  imported  and  sold  in  wholesale  quan- 
tities to  hunters  who  pursued  wolves  for  their  pelts. 

In  1853  Charles  E.  Kearney,  a  merchant  of  Santa  Fe,  came  to  Westport 
and  became  a  partner  of  Mr.  Bernard,  under  the  firm  name  of  Kearney  & 
Bernard.  The  firm  did  a  general  outfitting  business.  Mr.  Bernard  says  he 
had  never  known  Mr.  Kearney  until  he  came  to  Westport  at  the  time  men- 
tioned. Mr.  Kearney  had  quite  a  history.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Mexican  war  he  was  a  member  of  a  company  of  Texas  rangers,  commanded 
by  Capt.  Samuel  H.  Walker.  This  company  was  ordered  to  duty  in  Mexico, 
and  was  engaged  in  a  number  of  battles  in  the  Mexican  war.  Finally 
Captain  Walker  was  appointed  by  the  president  captain  in  the  Mounted 
Rifles,  now  Third  United  States  cavalry,  and  Mr.  Kearney  went  with  Cap- 
tain Walker.  Captain  Walker  was  killed  at  Huamantla,  the  last  battle  of 
the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico. 

After  serving  his  term  of  enlistment,  Mr.  Kearney  went  to  Santa  Fe,  and 
thence  to  Westport.  He  was  a  man  of  military  tastes,  and  was  a  member 
of  a  company  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  made  up  of  prominent  business  men, 
known  as  Craig  Rifles.  Mr.  Bernard,  during  the  Mexican  trade,  was  a  member 
of  several  firms,  and  it  was  a  notable  fact  that  although  these  firms  did  in  the 
aggregate  a  business  of  more  than  one-half  million  dollars,  yet  their  entire 
loss  did  not  exceed  $5000.  One  of  these  losses,  amounting  to  $3500,  was 
caused  by  the  trader  owing  it  being  killed  by  the  Indians  and  his  stock 
carried  away  and  wagons  destroyed.  He  does  not  remember  now  how  the 
remaining  $1500  was  lost.  The  traders  and  trappers  of  the  period  were  an 
exceedingly  honest  body  of  men.  It  seemed  not  to  occur  to  them  to  do 
otherwise  than  pay  their  debts  when  it  was  possible  for  them  to  do  so. 
Almost  the  whole  of  this  business  was  done  upon  a  credit  of  from  six  to 
twelve  months.  • 

The  great  Western  trade  from  Kansas  City  and  Westport  practically 
stopped  at  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war.  The  presence  of  war  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  it,  for,  from  its  beginning  to  its  close,  the  western  part  of 
Jackson  county  was  not  wholly  free  from  raiding  parties.  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Atchison  and  Nebraska  City  had  become  starting-points  for  the 
trade.  So  far  as  war  was  concerned,  they  were  safer  places  for  the  starting 
of  trains.  During  the  whole  period  of  the  war  both  Kansas  City  and  West- 
port  declined  as  trading-points.     Garrisons  of  soldiers  were  kept  in  each. 

Mr.  Bernard  relates  an  incident  of  Western  enterprise  to  this  effect.  In 
1865  Pleasant  Hill  was  for  a  time  the  terminus  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  and  a 
large  shipment  of  his  goods  for  the  Western  trade  had  reached  that  point. 
A  single  track  had  been  laid  on  the  line  of  the  railroad,  as  far  as  the  sum- 
mit now  known  as  Lee's  Summit;  so  he  made  a  bargain  with  the  railroad 
authorities  to  attach  five  cars  of  his  goods  to  a  construction  train  carrying 
supplies  to  build  a  bridge  across  the  Little  Blue.     There  were  no  sidings  at 


Westport  and  the  Santa  Fe  Trade.  559 

the  summit;  so  he  was  compelled  to  load  his  train  of  sixteen  wagons  during 
a  rain-storm  from  box  cars  while  the  flat  cars  carrying  bridge  materials 
had  gone  on  to  the  Little  Blue.  This  probably  was  the  only  instance  of  a 
wagon-train  for  the  Western  trade  being  loaded  at  Lee's  Summit. 

After  the  beginning  of  the  Mexican  war,  government  stores  destined  to 
New  Mexico  were  required  to  be  shipped  from  Fort  Leavenworth.  This 
was  an  inconvenient  point  for  the  freighters.  The  Santa  Fe  road,  as  it  ex- 
isted at  that  time  from  Fort  Leavenworth,  ran  down  across  the  hills,  strik- 
ing the  Kansas  river  atwhatwas  called Toulee's^  (or  Moses  Grinter's)  ferry, 
a  short  distance  above  the  present  town  of  Argentine.  The  road  thence  lay 
south  and  west,  keeping  on  the  west  side  of  Turkey  creek,  to  a  point  about 
Lenexa,  Kan.,  where  it  joined  the  main  trail  from  Westport.  It  was  prob- 
ably thirty-five  or  forty  miles  from  Leavenworth  to  the  point  of  junction, 
and  much  of  the  road  was  rough,  and,  besides,  the  Kansas  river  was  to  cross, 
which  was  often  troublesome  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  The  road  from 
Kansas  City,  as  before  stated,  on  leaving  Westport,  passed  over  a  high 
ridge,  and  was  free  from  any  stream  of  magnitude  for  the  distance  of  at 
least  eighty  miles,  or  to  the  present  site  of  Burlingame,  Kan.  It  was  clear 
to  the  minds  of  the  freighters  that  if  the  government  stores  for  the  West- 
ern trade  could  be  disembarked  from  the  Missouri  river  steamers  at  Kansas 
City,  it  would  be  much  easier  and  cheaper  for  them  to  get  out  on  the  great 
highway  than  from  Fort  Leavenworth.  After  many  efforts  were  made,  an 
agreement  was  finally  entered  into  with  the  officers  of  the  government, 
permitting  the  United  States  stores  for  New  Mexico  and  southward  to  be 
unloaded  at  Kansas  City,  but  at  the  same  time  it  was  understood  that  the 
government  should  be  at  no  charge  for  storage.  For  the  purpose  of  cover- 
ing and  protecting  this  property,  a  large  stone  warehouse  was  built  at  Kan- 
sas City,  at  a  point  now  in  the  bed  of  the  river;  and  to  meet  the  expense 
of  this  house  each  of  the  freighters  who  received  goods  there  paid  a  certain 
amount;  this  amount  was  fixed  on  a  graduated  scale.  One  of  the  prime 
movers  in  bringing  the  government  stores  to  Kansas  City  was  J.  S.  Chick, 
who  is  still  living,  and  Mr.  Bernard  gives  him  the  chief  credit  for  its  success. 

Westport  was  the  rendezvous  and  outfitting  station  of  a  great  number 
of  the  exploring  expeditions  that  went  into  the  great  West  prior  to  1860. 
Captain  Bonneville,  who  left  Fort  Osage,  now  Sibley,  in  this  county,  on  the 
1st  of  May,  1832,  passed  through  Westport,  although  he  makes  no  specific 
mention  of  it. 

Fremont's  first  expedition  was  organized  at  the  trading-house  of  Cyprian 
Chouteau,  some  seven  miles  from  Westport,  near  the  Shawnee  Manual-labor 
School.  His  party  was  composed  almost  wholly  of  Frenchmen  and  Cana- 
dian Frenchmen  gathered  up  around  St.  Louis.  Lucien  Maxwell  was  hunter 
of  the  party,  and  Christopher  Carson  was  its  guide.  Fremont's  second  ex- 
pedition was  organized  at  Westport,  in  1843,  and  his  men  were  largely  Cana- 
dians. In  this  again  Lucien  Maxwell  was  hunter,  while  Thomas  Fitzpatrick 
was  its  guide.  Later  Christopher  Carson  joined  the  expedition  at  a  point  on 
the  Fontaine  Qui  Bouit,  and  was  with  it  to  the  end.  It  is  needless  to  speak 
of  the  results  of  the  expeditions  of  Fremont;  they  are  known  the  world  over, 
and  appreciated  wherever  pluck  and  bravery  are  admired. 

In  October,  1848,  Colonel  Fremont  resigned  from  the  army,  and  deter- 

NOTE  5.— John  Speer  spells  this  name  Toolcu,  in  volume  7  of  the  Historical  Collections,  at 
page  495. 


560  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

mined  to  return  to  California  and  make  it  his  home.  As  he  had  done  on 
former  occasions,  he  organized  his  traveling  force  at  a  point  across  the 
line,  near  Westport.  Bernard  recollects  well  that  he  was  accompanied  by 
his  accomplished  wife,  daughter  of  Senator  Benton.  Both  Colonel  Fremont 
and  his  wife  were  guests  at  the  Harris  House,  and  Mrs.  Fremont  spent 
some  time  as  a  guest  of  Maj.  Richard  Cummins,  Indian  agent,  who  lived  in 
Cass  county. 

This  expedition  started  October  19,  1848,  and  its  leader  determined  to 
pursue  a  course  he  had  not  traveled  before,  up  the  Arkansas  or  one  of  its 
branches,  and  across  the  mountains  at  a  pass  of  which  he  had  heard  but  had 
never  seen.  This  expedition  was  disastrous  in  many  respects.  By  the  time 
he  had  reached  the  great  mountain  range  winter  had  come,  his  guide  became 
lost,  one-third  of  his  men  perished,  and  all  of  his  mules  destroyed;  with  two- 
thirds  of  his  men,  he  escaped  to  Taos,  N.  M.,  where,  after  recuperating,  he 
pursued  his  journey  by  the  southern  route. 

Learning  that  the  government  was  desirous  of  exploring  routes,  with  a 
view  to  constructing  a  transcontinental  railway,  he  returned  to  Missouri 
early  in  1853.  It  is  clear  that  Colonel  Fremont  and  Senator  Benton  were 
of  the  opinion  that  the  great  line  of  railway  should  cross  the  Missouri 
at  about  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  or,  more  accurately  speaking,  at  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.,  proceed  up  the  valley  of  the  Kansas  400  miles,  then  cross 
to  the  Arkansas  and  up  that  stream  or  one  of  its  branches,  and  thence  by 
routes  of  which  he  had  no  personal  knowledge  to  the  end  of  the  San  Joaquin 
valley  in  California.  In  September  of  that  year  he  again  organized  his 
travehng  party  at  Westport,  and  started  from  that  point,  passing  up  the 
Kansas  river  and  thence  across  to  the  Arkansas,  as  before  mentioned,  and 
up  that  stream  to  the  mountains.  He  reported  an  easy  route  along  the  lines 
of  the  thirty-eighth  and  thirty-ninth  degrees  of  north  latitude.  This  route, 
however,  was  not  adopted  by  the  government  when  the  Union  Pacific  was 
built,  nor  was  it  adopted  by  the  builders  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
railway.  It  has  the  merit  of  being  much  shorter,  but  probably  passed 
through  a  more  mountainous  region  than  does  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe.     This  was  Fremont's  fifth  and  last  exploring  expedition. 

In  May,  1846,  the  historian,  Francis  Parkman,  landed  at  what  was  after- 
wards called  Wayne  City,  in  Jackson  county,  but  made  his  way  to  Westport 
to  organize  and  outfit.  This  he  did  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  and  started 
on  his  trip,  which  led  to  Fort  Laramie,  on  the  North  Platte,  thence  to  the 
Black  Hills,  and  from  there  back  again  to  Laramie,  and  south  to  Pueblo,  on 
the  upper  Arkansas,  and  thence  back  to  Westport,  by  the  way  of  the  Ar- 
kansas. He  has  preserved  the  history  of  this  trip  in  a  delightfully  written 
book  known  as  "The  Oregon  Trail."  He  mentions  the  names  of  Col.  Wm. 
Chick,  the  father  of  our  citizen,  Joseph  S.  Chick,  and  Louis  Vogle. 

Parkman  gives  this  description  of  Westport  in  1846:  "  Westport  was  full 
of  Indians,  whose  little,  shaggy  ponies  were  tied  by  the  dozen  along  the 
houses  and  fences.  Sacs  and  Foxes  with  shaved  heads  and  painted  faces; 
Shawnoes  and  Delawares  fluttering  in  calico  f rocs  and  turbans;  Wyandottes 
dressed  like  white  men;  and  a  few  wretched  Kanzas  wrapped  in  old  blank- 
ets were  strolling  about  the  streets  or  lounging  in  and  out  of  the  shops  and 
houses."  He  also  says:  "Whisky,  by  the  way,  circulates  more  freely  in 
Westport  than  is  altogether  safe  in  a  place  where  every  man  carries  a  loaded 
pistol  in  his  pocket." 


Westport  and  the  Santa  Fe  Trade.  561 

At  a  later  date  Mr.  Bernard  knew  both  Maxwell  and  Carson  well.  Max- 
well was  a  thrifty  man  and  became  immensely  rich,  receiving  a  large  grant 
from  the  Mexican  government.  Maxwell's  ranch,  at  the  head  waters  of  the 
Canadian,  became  a  great  source  of  litigation  in  the  courts  of  the  United 
States  after  his  death. 

In  the  year  1853  the  government  determined  to  survey  three  routes  from 
the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  with  a  view  of  constructing  a  railroad 
line.  The  first  of  these  expeditions  was  to  start  from  St.  Paul  and  terminate 
at  Puget  Sound;  the  third  from  Fort  Napoleon,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ar- 
kansas, or  more  correctly  from  Fort  Smith,  on  the  western  border  of  the 
state  of  Arkansas;  while  the  second,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  John  W. 
Gunnison,  United  States  topographical  engineers,  rendezvoused  at  Westport. 
Most  of  their  outfitting  was  done  there,  and  a  number  of  trappers  and  hunt- 
ers joined  the  party  at  that  place,  but  Mr.  Bernard  at  this  date  cannot 
recall  their  names.  It  is  a  historical  fact  that  Captain  Gunnison  passed  up 
the  left  bank  of  the  Kansas  river;  visited  Fort  Riley;  crossed  there  the 
Republican  fork ;  and  thence  in  a  southwesterly  direction  crossed  the  other 
branches  constituting  the  Kansas  river,  proceeding  until  he  reached  the  Ar- 
kansas, at  the  vicinity  of  the  present  town  of  Larned;  thence  up  the  Ar- 
kansas, through  the  Royal  Gorge,  and  out  into  Utah.  He  was  there 
murdered  by  Indians,  but  the  expedition  went  on  under  the  command  of 
another  officer,  Lieut.  E.  G.  Beckwith,  who  discovered  a  better  route  up 
the  Huerfano.  Much  of  the  route**  marked  out  by  Captain  Gunnison  has 
since  been  followed  by  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad.  This 
road  follows  the  Kansas  on  its  right  bank  to  Topeka,  thence  in  a  southwest- 
erly direction,  striking  the  Arkansas  valley  at  Hutchinson,  and  passing 
through  Great  Bend,  at  about  the  point  selected  by  Captain  Gunnison.  A 
river  and  county  in  Colorado  bear  the  name  of  Gunnison,  in  memory  of  the 
intrepid  explorer.  The  Gunnison  country  was  famous  as  a  mining  region 
for  a  time. 

Mr.  Bernard  knew  Capt.  E.  F.  Beale^,  and  remembers  his  expedition, 
which  left  Westport  in  May,  1853.  He  had  a  party  of  twelve  riflemen. 
They  went  to  Council  Grove  first,  then  up  the  Arkansas,  then  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Huerfano,  thence  to  the  San  Luis  valley,  and  from  that  point  on 
to  the  Pacific  coast. 

Mr.  Bernard  was  well  acquainted  with  F.  X.  Aubrey,  and  had  many  busi- 
ness transactions  with  him.  He  was  an  honest,  simple-minded  man,  true  to 
friends,  but  ever  ready  to  resent  any  imputation  against  his  honor.  Aubrey 
was  the  first  man  to  take  a  loaded  train  from  the  Missouri  river  to  New 
Mexico  in  winter.  He  was  the  discoverer  of  a  third  route  to  Santa  Fe, 
about  1849-'50.  Before  this  there  were  but  two,  namely,  that  by  way  of 
the  Cimarron,  and  the  other  by  way  of  the  mountains,  which  was  at  a  later 
date  followed  by  the  Santa  Fe  railroad.  Aubrey's  route  crossed  the  Arkan- 
sas river  below  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy,  not  far  from  Big  Timbers. 
The  greatest  distance  without  water  on  this  route  was  thirty  miles,  while 
on  the  Cimarron  road  the  greatest  distance  without  water  was  sixty  miles; 

Note  6.  — Report  of  the  Secretary  of  War  Communicating  the  Several  Pacific  Railroad  Ex- 
plorations, vol.  2,  p.  14,  Washington,  1855. 

Note  7.  — Central  Route  to  the  Pacific ;  Journal  of  the  Expedition  of  E.  F.  Beale  and  G.  H. 
Heap,  from  Missouri  to  California,  1853,  Philadelphia.  1854. 

-36 


562  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

however,  for  various  reasons  the  Aubrey  road  was  not  generally  used.  As 
has  been  often  written  and  told,  Aubrey  was  killed  at  Santa  Fe,  by  Maj. 
Richard  H.  Weightman.  Mr.  Bernard's  account  of  this  tragedy  was  fur- 
nished by  an  eye-witness,  and  is  as  follows:  Prior  to  Aubrey's  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia, Captain  Weightman  had  been  conducting  a  small  paper  at  Santa  Fe, 
and  through  its  columns  had  cast  some  doubt  upon  the  discovery  of  the  new 
pass  through  the  mountains  to  California  claimed  by  Aubrey.  Some  time 
thereafter  Aubrey  returned  to  Santa  Fe,  and  meeting  Captain  Weightman 
the  two  adjourned  to  a  neighboring  saloon,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of 
the  time.  Both  men  called  for  brandy.  Aubrey  raised  his  glass  to  his  lips, 
and  then  putting  it  down  said:  "What  has  become  of  your  paper?"  Weight- 
man  answered:  "Dead."  "What  killed  it?"  asked  the  other.  "Lack  of 
support,"  was  the  answer.  "The  lie  it  told  on  me  killed  it,"  said  Aubrey. 
Without  a  word  Weightman  threw  a  glass  of  brandy  into  his  opponent's 
face,  and,  while  blinded  by  its  effects,  stabbed  him  to  death. « 

Mr.  Bernard  also  knew  Major  Weightman,  who,  after  the  above  tragedy, 
returned  to  Missouri.  In  speaking  of  the  matter  once,  Major  Weightman 
told  Mr.  Bernard  that  he  saw  that  Aubrey  was  angry,  and  was  drawing  his 
pistol,  and  that  one  or  the  other  must  be  killed,  and  that  he  only  struck  to 
save  his  own  life.  Mr.  Bernard  has  no  doubt  that  the  reason  given  was  both 
true  and  a  good  one. 

At  that  period,  and  among  such  men,  the  accusation  of  lying  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  blow,  frequently  mortal.  Major  Weightman  was  an  artillery 
officer  during  the  Mexican  war,  and  accompanied  General  Kearney's  expe- 
dition from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Santa  Fe  in  1846.  He  then  went  with 
Doniphan's  expedition,  from  the  last-named  place  to  Chihuahua.  He 
greatly  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of  Sacramento  Pass. 

When  the  civil  war  began  he  entered  the  Confederate  army.  At  the 
battle  of  Wilson  Creek,  August  10,  1861,  as  colonel  in  the  Missouri  State 
Guard,  he  commanded  a  brigade  of  Missouri  infantry,  and  distinguished 
himself  by  boldly  seizing  an  advantageous  position  in  advance  of  the  Con- 
federate lines.  The  recent  Senator  F.  M.  Cockrell  commanded  a  company 
in  this  brigade.  Colonel  Weightman  was  killed  at  about  the  time  General 
Lyon,  commander  of  the  federal  forces,  fell.  Mr.  Bernard  has  no  doubt 
that  he  would  have  taken  high  rank  had  he  survived. 

Mr.  Bernard  tells  this  story:  On  one  occasion  William  Wing  Loring,  colonel 
of  the  United  States  Mounted  Rifles,  now  Third  cavalry,  was  passing  through 
Westport  and  left  his  kit  with  Kearney  &  Bernard  for  safe-keeping.  After 
some  time  it  was  placed  in  the  basement  of  the  store  building,  where  it  re- 
mained until  the  last  year  of  the  civil  war,  and  was  finally  found  by  some 
federal  soldiers,  who  were  exploring  the  premises  without  leave  of  the 
owner.  They  at  once  took  possession  of  the  contents,  which  consisted  of 
one  or  two  sabers,  shoulder-straps,  some  moth-eaten  uniforms,  and  a  liquor 
case  well  filled.  The  liquors  were  pronounced  excellent  by  those  who  con- 
fiscated them,  some  of  whom  celebrated  the  occasion.  Colonel  Loring  was 
at  that  time  a  brigadier-general  in  the  Confederate  army.  Mr.  Bernard 
knew  him  well,  and,  as  was  usually  the  case  with  officers  of  that  period,  a 
gentleman  of  the  highest  type.  After  the  civil  war.  General  Loring  entered 
the  service  of  the  khedive  of  Egypt,  and  distinguished  himself  on  the  battle- 

NoTE  8. —  This  account  of  the  killing  of  Aubrey  agrees  substantially  with  that  given  by  F. 
A.  Root  in  ■'  The  Overland  Stage  to  California,"  p.  425. 


Westport  and  the  Santa  Fe  Trade.  563 

fields  of  the  oldest  country  in  the  world,  as  he  had  done  in  those  of  the  states 
and  Mexico. 

Mr.  Bernard,  in  his  dealing  with  the  government,  came  in  contact  with 
many  officers  who  became  distinguished  afterwards  in  the  civil  war.  Among 
them  were  Gen.  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  Col.  E.  V.  Sumner,  and  Maj.  David 
E.  Hunter.  Major  Hunter  had  a  brother-in-law  living  in  Westport  and  often 
visited  him.  He  also  knew  well  Lieut.  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  First  cavalry,  who 
afterwards  became  famous  as  a  Confederate  cavalry  leader.  He  also  knew 
his  family  in  Virginia.  He  remembers  with  pleasure  the  profound  respect 
the  freighters,  traders  and  hunters  had  for  the  officers  of  the  army,  and  re- 
calls the  courtesy  shown  and  prompt  protection  afforded  by  the  officers  on 
their  part.  On  the  plains  and  at  the  outlying  posts  the  officer  in  command 
deemed  himself  the  representative  of  the  government,  and  did  not  fail  to  do 
all  that  was  required  to  protect  its  property  and  the  lives  and  property  of 
its  citizens.  He  was  not  bound  in  red  tape,  but  acted  with  promptness  and 
decision. 

Mr.  Bernard  enjoyed  the  intimate  acquainance  of  Thomas  H.  Benton, 
who  often  visited  Westport,  and  every  one  knew  the  prominent  idea  in  Sen- 
ator Benton's  mind  was  a  railway  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  argued  and  spoke 
for  it  in  and  out  of  season.  When  at  Westport  he  usually  was  the  guest  of 
Col.  A.  G.  Boone.  Mr.  Bernard  remembers  once  being  in  St.  Louis  and 
hearing  Senator  Benton  speak  from  the  court-house  steps  in  favor  of  a  rail- 
road to  the  Pacific  coast.  The  crowd  listened  to  him  with  respect,  though 
incredulous  as  to  the  practicability  of  building  a  road  through  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  In  the  course  of  the  speech  some  one  called  out:  "How  will 
you  get  through  the  mountains?"  Senator  Benton  replied:  "It  is  an  al- 
most level  road  from  Westport  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  a  distance  of  about 
600  miles,  and  when  we  get  to  the  mouutains  we  will  get  through  some 
way."  But  some  one  called  out  again:  "But  after  you  get  to  the  moun- 
tains how  will  you  get  through?  "  Pointing  to  a  Hveryman  in  the  audience, 
a  man  of  large  stature  and  well-known  habits,  Senator  Benton  said:  "When 
we  get  to  the  mountains,  if  we  cannot  get  through  any  other  way,  we  will 
get  Bob  O'Blenis  to  swear  a  hole  through."  This  was  followed  by  a  laugh, 
and  ended  all  questions  as  to  how  the  mountains  should  be  crossed. 

In  that  early  day  little  use  was  made  of  banks;  in  fact,  there  were  no  great 
banks  west  of  St.  Louis.  There  were  one  or  two  branch  banks  at  Independ- 
ence, but  these  did  not  do  business  on  a  large  scale.  The  merchant  through 
whom  the  trader  bought  his  goods  was  his  factor.  The  factor  received  the 
goods  and  bought  the  wagons  and  teams— that  is,  he  bought  such  as  were 
not  brought  in  from  New  Mexico,  and  gave  attention  to  the  loading,  and  to 
the  weigh-bills  and  bills  of  lading.  The  factor  also  advanced  to  the  trader 
such  money  as  he  needed  until  the  receipts  came  in  from  his  venture.  These 
receipts  came  in  the  first  instance  to  the  factor,  who  paid  himself  for  charges 
and  advances,  and  turned  the  remainder  over  to  the  trader. 

Mr.  Bernard  recollects  that  the  first  great  shipment  of  goods  made  to 
Kansas  City  and  Westport  was  for  the  firm  of  Messervy  &  Webb,  New 
England  merchants,  doing  business  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  The  goods  were 
consigned  to  Boone  &  Bernard,  who  as  factors  engaged  wagons  and  teams 
for  transportation  purposes.  There  were  sixty-three  of  these  wagons,  each 
drawn  by  six  yoke  of  oxen.     The  freight  of  each  wagon  was  about  6000 


564  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

pounds.     In  this  case  John  F.   McCauley,   of  Independence,   furnished  the 
transportation  and  loaded  at  Kansas  City. 

A  sketch  of  Westport  would  be  incomplete  without  mentioning  at  least 
some  of  its  prominent  business  men.  Mr.  Bernard  takes  1855  as  the  period. 
Among  the  men  and  firms  of  prominence  were  Kearney  &  Bernard,  A.  G. 
Boone,  J.  M.  &  J.  Hunter,  Baker  &  Street,  William  Dillon,  S.  P.  &  W.  H. 
Keller,  S.  C.  Roby,  J.  G.  Hamilton,  F.  Gallup,  Fred  Eslinger,  Edward  Price, 
Henry  Sager,  Francis  Booth,  J.  Bucher,  Antonney  Richter,  and  A.  B.  H. 
McGee  and  Louis  Vogle,  P.  D.  Elkins,  father  of  Senator  Elkins,  of  West 
Virginia,  F.  G.  Ewing,  freighter,  and  Caleman  Smith,  manufacturer  of  ox- 
yokes.  H.  F.  Hereford  and  Joel  B.  Morris  were  the  most  prominent  physi- 
cians. Park  Lee  was  the  principal  lawyer  in  the  place,  and  John  J.  Mastin 
was  a  law  student.  Scott  &  Boggs  was  the  principal  druggists,  and  did  a 
large  business.  A.  M.  Eiseley  had  a  bakery  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
present  Mill  street  and  Westport  avenue.  A  bakery  in  those  days  was 
more  important  than  a  bakery  at  the  present  time.  It  was  patronized  by 
traders,  trappers,  hunters  and  Indians  who  had  not  the  means  or  inclina- 
tion to  go  to  hotels.  Eiseley  became  comparatively  wealthy,  and  built  a  two- 
story  stone  building,  which  at  the  time  was  probably  the  best  in  the  town. 
This  building  was  afterwards  burned,  but  Eiseley's  heirs  were  left  with 
much  valuable  property.  Among  those  citizens  who  should  be  mentioned 
was  W.  Bent,  who  had  a  trading-house  on  the  Arkansas  about  thirty-five 
miles  above  the  present  site  of  Las  Animas,  Colo.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
ability  and  established  a  number  of  forts  and  trading-houses  at  difi'erent 
points  on  the  Arkansas,  and  south  of  it.  The  building  afterwards  used  as  a 
commissary,  at  old  Fort  Lyon,  Colo.,  was  built  by  him.  This  fort  or  post 
was  the  model  of  all  the  trading  forts  or  posts  on  the  plains.  It  was  in  the 
form  of  an  oblong,  with  a  gate  opening  on  the  east,  and  an  open  court 
within.  The  rooms  occupied  for  various  purposes  all  opened  onto  this  court. 
At  each  corner  was  a  tower  with  embrasures  for  artillery,  generally  built 
of  sun-dried  bricks.  Colonel  Bent's  wife  was  a  Cheyenne  woman,  and  the 
couple  spent  most  of  their  time  at  some  trading-post  on  the  plains.  Their 
children,  however,  resided  at  about  the  present  location  of  Thirty-eighth  and 
Penn  streets.  The  eldest  son,  Robert,  became  an  excellent  business  man  and 
lived  for  many  years  in  New  Mexico.  At  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war,  an- 
other son,  George,  entered  the  Confederate  army,  and  was  taken  prisoner,  but 
was  afterwards  released  by  an  army  officer  who  knew  his  father.  A  third 
son,  Charles,  was  under  the  care  of  Bernard  until  about  the  close  of  the 
civil  war,  when  he  left  for  the  plains,  and  became  one  of  the  most  cruel  of 
Indian  warriors  that  ever  scourged  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  Some  years  later  he 
was  killed  in  a  fight  with  the  Kaw  or  Kansas  Indians. 

Mr.  Bernard  recollects  that  one  session  of  the  legislature  of  Kansas  ter- 
ritory was  held  at  the  Shawnee  Mission,  a  few  miles  west  of  Westport. 
There  was  ample  room  at  the  mission  for  the  deliberations  of  the  legisla- 
ture. The  individual  members,  for  the  most  part,  however,  boarded  at 
Westport,  and  went  back  and  forth  daily. 

Kansas  was  dry  at  that  time,  in  fact,  as  it  is  in  theory  now.  It  was  In- 
dian country  then,  and  the  government  absolutely  controlled  the  liquor  traf- 
fic, as  it  does  in  the  Indian  Territory  to-day.  Therefore  the  mission,  as  a 
residence,  was  not  wholly  satisfactory  to  those  who  needed  stimulation  pro- 
duced by  the  spirit  of  corn. 


Explanation  of  Map.  565 

As  a  conclusion,  Mr.  Bernard  subjoins  the  following  sketch  of  Col.  A.  G. 
Boone:  He  was  a  grandson  of  Daniel  Boone,  the  hunter  and  explorer,  and 
was  probably  born  in  St.  Charles  county,  Missouri,  and  was  a  deputy  county 
clerk  there  at  one  time.  In  this  office  he  learned  much  of  form  that  was 
useful  to  him  in  business  afterwards.  He  then  removed  to  Portland,  a 
point  in  Callaway  county,  on  the  Missouri  river,  and  with  his  brother-in-law, 
Warner,  entered  into  the  tobacco  business.  Later  he  came  to  Fort  Osage, 
in  Jackson  county,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  once  gov- 
ernor of  the  state,  who  kept  a  trading-house  at  this  point.  He  was  a  mas- 
ter of  the  Osage  language;  also  spoke  several  other  Indian  tongues,  and 
was  successful  as  an  Indian  trader.  He  came  to  Westport  about  1838,  and 
left  at  the  beginning  of  the  civil  war,  when  he  established  himself  at  a 
trading-post  called  Boone  Town,  a  short  distance  below  the  present  city  of 
Pueblo,  Colo.  He  was  employed  by  the  government  frequently  in  negotia- 
tions with  the  Indians.  Colonel  Boone,  though  a  most  successful  man, 
probably  did  not  accumulate  a  fortune.  He  was  a  most  lavish  entertainer, 
and  his  house  was  open  to  all  traders,  and  was  a  stopping-place  for  people 
of  prominence  coming  from  and  going  to  the  great  West.  He  was  a  very 
tall,  large  man;  in  dress,  manners  and  habits  he  was  a  gentleman  of  the 
highest  type  of  the  old  school. 


EXPLANATION  OF  MAP. 

( Opposite  page  576.) 

This  map  is  the  first  attempt  of  the  Historical  Society  to  locate  within 
county  boundaries  the  various  places  and  routes  of  importance  in  Kansas 
previous  to  1854.  It  also  includes  some  wagon-roads  used  as  late  as  the 
later  '60's. 

Where  possible  the  accompanying  notes  give  exact  locations.  In  most 
cases  credit  for  authority  has  been  omitted  because  of  the  many  different 
sources  from  which  it  has  been  obtained. 

After  the  plate  for  the  map  had  been  cast,  attention  was  called  to  the 
fact  that  it  did  not  show  the  noted  points  and  stopping-places  on  the  Santa 
Fe  trail.  To  mend  this  several  of  the  more  important  are  located  in  the 
notes  under  the  different  counties. 

The  secretary  will  be  glad  to  receive  any  information  towards  the  per- 
fecting of  this  map  and  notes. 

ATCHISON   COUNTY. 

1.  — Cow  island  (Isle  au  Vache),  site  of  Cantonment  Martin,  the  first  mili- 
tary post  estabHshed  in  what  is  now  Kansas,  in  October,  1818.  A  part 
of  the  troops  of  the  Yellowstone  expedition  wintered  there  in  1819-'20. 
( For  history  of  the  island,  see  index  of  this  volume ;  also,  vol.  8,  p.  436. ) 

2.— Mission  and  school  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  among  the 
Kickapoos,  Rev.  F.  M.  WiUiams,  superintendent,  1860-'61.  The  build- 
ing occupied  by  the  school  was  situated  about  a  mile  west  of  the  east- 
ern boundary  of  the  reservation,  on  the  overland  stage  line,  near 
Kennekuk.     (See  also,  "Kickapoo  Missions,"  this  volume.) 

Atchison.  — Starting-point  of  the  overland  stage  to  California,  the  Butter- 
field  overland  despatch  to  Denver,  and  the  Parallel  road  to  the  Kansas 
gold-mines. 


566  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

BARTON  COUNTY. 

Fort  Zarah  was  established  September  6,  1864,  by  Gen.  Samuel  R.  Curtis, 
and  named  in  honor  of  his  son,  Maj.  H.  Zarah  Curtis.  It  was  located 
on  the  left  (or  east)  bank  of  Walnut  creek,  about  one-half  mile  from 
its  confluence  with  the  Arkansas  river.  The  fort  was  abandoned  in 
December,  1869,  and  a  few  years  later  all  the  stone  in  the  buildings 
had  been  confiscated  by  early  settlers  in  that  neighborhood.  ( See  B. 
B.  Smyth's  "The  Heart  of  the  New  Kansas,"  1880,  p.  82.) 

Pawnee  Rock,  a  sandstone  promontory,  which  jutted  out  at  a  height  of 
twenty  feet  or  more  upon  the  Arkansas  bottoms  just  north  of  the 
present  town  of  that  name.  The  plain  at  its  base  was  a  popular 
camping-ground  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  while  the  face  of  the  rock  bore 
the  names  of  the  passing  travelers.  The  present  owner,  by  using 
this  historic  point  as  a  stone-quarry,  has  destroyed  much  of  its  old 
time  interest. 

BOURBON   COUNTY. 

1.— Fort  Scott,  established  May  30,  1842;  abandoned  October,  1865.  T.  F. 
Robley,  in  his  History  of  Bourbon  County,  says  that  the  post  was 
practically  abandoned  in  April,  1853.  In  May,  1855,  the  buildings, 
which  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of  $200,000,  were  sold  at  public  auc- 
tion for  less  than  $5000  for  the  whole  bunch. 

2.  — Fort  Lincoln,  located  on  the  Osage  river,  about  twelve  miles  north  of 
Fort  Scott.     Established  in  1863;  abandoned  in  January,  1864. 

Zebulon  M.  Pike  first  entered  what  is  now  Kansas,  on  his  expedition  of  1806, 
at  a  point  near  the  northeastern  corner  of  this  county. 

BROWN  COUNTY. 

Site  of  boarding-school  established  by  the  Presbyterian  missionary  board 
for  the  Kickapoo  Indians,  in  1856;  continued  work  until  June,  1860, 
A  day-school  was  taught  in  this  building  from  1866  to  November,  1871, 
at  the  expense  of  the  Indian  fund,  when  the  building  was  dismantled 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  new  school  building. 

The  Jim  Lane  road  entered  Kansas  on  the  northern  boundary  of  this  county, 
1856. 

DONIPHAN   COUNTY. 

1.  — Iowa  and  Sac  and  Fox  mission,  established  May,  1837,  under  the  aus- 

pices of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  by  Rev. 
Samuel  M.  Irvin,  and  located  near  the  present  town  of  Highland. 

2.  — Site  of  old  Kaw  Indian  village  visited  by  Bourgmont  in  1724. 

DOUGLAS   COUNTY. 

1.— Trading-post  of  Frederick  Chouteau,  established  about  1827  or  1828;  re- 
moved about  1830  to  the  mouth  of  Mission  creek,  Shawnee  county. 

2. —Methodist  Episcopal  mission  among  the  Shawnee  Indians,  established 
about  1848.  Site  was  on  section  8,  township  13,  range  21  east,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Wakarusa,  and  was  under  the  charge  of  the  Rev. 
Abraham  Still  and  others.     Abandoned  about  1857. 


Explanation  of  Map.  567 

ELLIS   COUNTY. 

Fort  Hays  was  established  October  11,  1865,  and  was  known  as  Fort  Fletcher. 
On  November  11,  1866,  the  name  was  changed  to  Fort  Hays.  Fort 
Fletcher  was  located  on  Big  creek,  about  fourteen  miles  southeast  of 
the  present  Hays  City,  but  a  flood  in  the  spring  of  1866  or  1867  utterly 
destroyed  the  post;  whereupon  it  was  reestablished  by  General  Pope 
on  a  site  about  a  mile  west  of  Hays  City,  and  on  the  line  of  the  pro- 
posed Kansas  Pacific  railroad.  Fort  Hays  was  abandoned  as  a  mili- 
tary post  in  1889.  During  the  summer  of  1899  the  reservation  was 
declared  open  for  settlement  by  a  subordinate  in  the  Interior  Depart- 
ment, but  the  Kansas  delegation  in  Congress,  in  March,  1900,  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  to  the  state  of  Kansas  the  land  and  houses  for 
educational  purposes.  A  branch  of  the  State  Normal  School  and  an 
experiment  station  of  the  State  Agricultural  College  are  now  located 
here. 

ELLSWORTH  COUNTY. 

Fort  Harker  was  established  in  August,  1864,  as  Fort  Ellsworth.  The  origi- 
nal site  of  the  fort  was  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river,  at 
the  crossing  of  the  old  Santa  Fe  stage  road,  and  was  for  a  long  time 
the  shipping-point  of  freight  for  New  Mexico.  The  name  was  changed 
to  Fort  Harker  November  11,  1866.  In  January,  1867,  the  site  of  the 
fort  was  abandoned  and  a  new  one  located  about  a  mile  east  of  the 
old  one.     Abandoned  in  the  fall  of  1873. 

FORD   COUNTY. 

1.  — "Fort  Mann.     No  definite  information  relative  to  the  location  of  this 

fort  has  been  found.  It  appears,  however,  from  a  book  entitled  'The 
Prairie  Traveler,'  written  by  Capt.  Randolph  B.  Marcy,  U.  S.  A.,  and 
published  by  authority  of  the  War  Department  in  1859,  that  Fort  Mann 
was  situated  near  the  Arkansas  river,  on  the  route  from  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Kan. ,  to  Santa  Fe,  N.  M. ,  about  359  miles  from  Fort  Leavenworth 
and  about  423  miles  from  Santa  Fe.  It  is  understood  to  have  been 
established  about  1845,  and  to  have  been  discontinued  upon  the  erec- 
tion of  Fort  Atkinson,  at  the  train  crossing  of  the  Arkansas.  Fort 
Mann  is  referred  to  in  Niles's  Register  of  January  1,  1848,  vol.  LXXIII, 
p.  275."  — Letter  from  United  States  War  Department,  June  26,  1906. 
See,  also.  Fort  Mackay. 

"Fort  Mackay,  located  on  the  site  of  old  Fort  Mann,  on  the  Arkan- 
sas river;  named  after  Col.  A.  Mackay,  quartermaster's  department, 
U.  S.  A."  Dates  of  establishment  and  abandonment  not  ascertained. 
This  was  also  the  site  of  Fort  Atkinson,  which  was  established  Au- 
gust 8,  1850. 

Fort  Atkinson  was  located  on  the  Arkansas  river  about  six  miles 
west  of  the  town  of  Dodge  City.  It  was  established  August  8,  1850, 
and  abandoned  October  2,  1854. 

2.  — Fort  Dodge  was  located  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Arkansas  river,  about 

two  miles  east  of  the  present  town  of  Dodge  City.  It  was  established 
in  1864,  and  abandoned  as  a  military  post  in  1882.  What  remained  of 
the  old  military  reservation,  126  iVo  acres,  was  purchased  by  citizens 
of  Dodge  City  in  1889  and  presented  to  the  state  of  Kansas,  to  be 
used  as  a  State  Soldiers'  Home,  which  was  opened  January  1,  1890. 


568  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Caches,  five  miles  west  of  Dodge  City,  Kan.,  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  were 
pits  dug  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Arkansas  river  in  the  spring  of  1823 

by  James  Baird  and Chambers,  who  were  on  their  way  to  Santa 

Fe,  N.  M.,  with  merchandise.  They  "cached"  their  goods  in  these 
pits  and  proceeded  to  Taos,  N.  M. ,  where  they  obtained  mules,  and 
returned  and  took  their  goods  to  Santa  Fe.     (See  Gregg,  vol.  1,  p.  67). 

FRANKLIN   COUNTY. 

1.— Ottawa  Baptist  mission  was  first  estabhshed  in  1837  on  the  Marais  des 
Cygnes  river,  near  the  present  town  of  Ottawa,  by  Rev.  Jotham 
Meeker,  and  continued  until  his  death,  January  11,  1854.  After  the 
flood  of  1844,  the  mission  was  moved  to  higher  ground,  about  five 
miles  northeast  of  Ottawa. 

2.— Sac  and  Fox  Mission,  located  on  the  Osage  river,  about  six  miles  east  of 
the  Osage  and  Franklin  county  line;  established  about  1860  or  1861, 
by  Reverend  Duvall,  a  Methodist  minister;  removed  to  Osage  county 
some  years  later.  — C.  R.  Green. 

GEARY   COUNTY. 

1.— Fort  Riley,  established  in  the  spring  of  1852,  by  Maj.  E.  A.  Ogden,  and 
known  as  Camp  Center,  being  very  near  the  geographical  center  of 
the  United  States.  Name  was  changed  in  spring  of  1853  to  Fort  Ri- 
ley, in  honor  of  Gen.  C.  B.  Riley.— Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol. 
7,  p.  101. 

2.  — Provinces  of  Quivira  and  Harahey,  visited  by  Francisco  Vasquez  de 
Coronado  in  1541,  as  located  by  J.  V,  Brower  and  others. 

HAMILTON  COUNTY. 

1.  — Fort  Aubrey,  established  early  in  September,  1865,  by  companies  D  and 
F,  Forty-eighth  Wisconsin  volunteer  infantry,  under  command  of 
Capt.  Adolph  Whitman,  and  abandoned  April  15,  1866.  It  was  located 
on  section  23,  township  24,  range  40  west,  at  a  spring,  the  source  of 
Spring  creek,  about  two  and  one-half  miles  from  its  confluence  with 
the  Arkansas  river,  and  about  fifty  miles  east  of  Fort  Lyon,  Colo., 
and  100  miles  west  from  Fort  Dodge,  by  the  wagon  road. 

JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 

Trading-house  of  Frederick  Chouteau,  built  at  Horseshoe  lake  (Lake  View, 
Douglas  county,  now)  in  fall  of  1829,  and  abandoned  in  1831. 

JEWELL  COUNTY. 

Fort  Camp  Jewell,  on  site  of  Jewell  City,  built  by  the  home  guards,  in  1870. 
W .  D.  Street  was  captain. 

JOHNSON   COUNTY 

1.— Shawnee  Mission  (Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South),  established  in 
1829  or  1830,  by  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson.  Located  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  southwest  quarter  of  section  24,  township  11,  range  24 
east. 

Shawnee  Manual-labor  School,  successor  to  the  Shawnee  Mission,  1839. 
Located  on  southwest  quarter  of  section  3,  township  12,  range  25 
east. 


Explanation  of  Map.  569 

Shawnee  church,  located  on  north  half  of  southeast  quarter  of  section  11, 

township  12,  range  24  east. 
The  Prophet's  Town,  located  on  northeast  quarter  of  southwest  quarter  of 

section  32,  township  11,  range  25  east. 
Quaker  Shawnee  mission,  established  1834,  abandoned  about  1861.     Located 

on  northeast  quarter  of  section  6,  township  12,  range'25  east.     See, 

also,  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vol.  8,  p.  250. 
Baptist  Shawnee  mission,  established  1831,  abandoned  about  1855.     Located 

on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  5,  township  12,  range  25  east. 
Little  Santa  Fe,  located  on  the  west  half  of  section  23,  township  13,  range 

25  east,  was  a  noted  stopping-place  early  in  the  '40's. 

KEARNY   COUNTY. 

"Chouteau  island  was  in  the  upper  ford  of  the  Arkansas  river,  just  above 
the  present  town  of  Hartland,  Kearny  county,  Kansas.  The  name 
dates  from  the  disastrous  expedition  of  1815-'17,  when  Chouteau  re- 
treated to  this  island  to  withstand  a  Comanche  attack."  Note  in 
Thwaites'  Early  Western  Travels,  vol.  19,  p.  185, 

LEAVENWORTH   COUNTY. 

1.  —  Site  of  second  French  fort  mentioned  by  Bougainville,  in  his  list,  1727, 
in  "Northern  and  Western  Boundaries  of  Ontario."  Toronto,  1878. 
[See  Bradbury's  Travels.     Thwaites,  vol.  5,  p.  67,  foot-note  37.] 

Also  site  of  ancient  Kaw  Indian  village,  supposed  to  have  been  de- 
serted on  the  removal  of  the  tribe  to  the  mouth  of  Independence 
creek,  Doniphan  county. 

Also,  site  of  Kickapoo  Indian  mission,  located  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  county,  and  established  by  Rev.  Jerome  C.  Berryman  in 
fall  of  1833. 
2.— Fort  Leavenworth,  established  in  May,  1827,  by  Col.  Henry  Leaven- 
worth, and  called  "Cantonment  Leavenworth"  until  Februarys,  1832, 
when  the  name  was  changed  to  Fort  Leavenworth. 

Camp  Bateman,  established  in  October,  1857,  by  a  part  of  the  Sixth 
United  States  infantry,  under  command  of  Lieut. -col.  George  An- 
drews. Abandoned  May  8,  1858.  It  was  a  temporary  camp,  and  was 
loated  at  Cincinnati,  near  Fort  Leavenworth. 

Camp  Thompson,  established  April  29,  1858,  by  Lieut. -col.  George 
Andrews,  of  the  Sixth  United  States  infantry.  Abandoned  May  7, 
1858.     A  temporary  camp,  located  near  Fort  Leavenworth. 

Camp  Magruder,  located  near  Fort  Leavenworth ;  a  temporary 
camp  for  recruits  en  route  to  Utah,  during  July  and  August,  1860, 
under  command  of  Lieut. -col.  Geo.  B.  Crittenden,  mounted  riflemen. 
The  data  concerning  Camps  Bateman,  Thompson  and  Magruder  are 
from  a  letter  from  United  States  War  Department,  June  26,  1906. 
3.  —  Leavenworth,  the  starting-point  of  the  Leavenworth  and  Pike's  Peak 
express  line;  also  of  the  Fort  Leavenworth  and  Fort  Scott  military 
road. 
Maj.  Robert  Wilson  established  a  trading-post  in  1844  in  Salt  creek  val- 
ley, near  the  Salt  creek  bridge.  In  1852  he  sold  out  to  Maj.  M.  P. 
Rively  and  became  sutler  at  Fort  Riley. 


570  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

A  Catholic  manual-labor  school  was  established  in  Kickapoo  township  about 
1834,  but  as  the  Indians  did  not  take  kindly  to  labor,  the  school  was 
abandoned  to  a  great  extent.  In  1854  one  of  the  buildings  of  the 
school  was  used  by  the  Kansas  Pioneer,  of  Kickapoo  City,  for  a  print- 
ing-office. 

LABETTE   COUNTY. 

1.  — Hopefield  mission  among  the  Osages,  established  by  the  American  Board 

of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  in  1823,  was  first  located  on  the 
Neosho  river,  in  what  is  now  the  Indian  Territory,  and  was  removed 
northerly  at  two  subsequent  periods,  the  last  time  to  the  west  bank  of 
the  stream,  in  Labette  county,  near  the  village  of  old  White  Hair,  chief 
of  the  Great  Osages,  This  mission  was  discontinued  in  1837. 
2.— Village  of  old  White  Hair,  chief  of  the  Great  Osages,  located  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Neosho  river,  about  five  miles  south  of  the  present 
town  of  Oswego,  in  Richland  township,  Labette  county. 

LINN   COUNTY. 

1.— Trading  Post,  established  in  1834,  by  Girard  and  Chouteau.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  the  furs  collected  here  amounted  to  $300,000  annually— 
all  paid  for  with  whisky,  tobacco,  and  trinkets. 

2.  — Sugar  Creek  mission  (Catholic)  among  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  estab- 

lished in  March,  1839,  and  abandoned  in  1847.  This  site  was  near  the 
town  of  Centerville,  and  was  abandoned  for  the  new  mission  site  on 
the  Kaw  river,  at  St.  Marys. 

MARION   COUNTY. 

Lost  Springs,  a  favorite  stopping-place  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  was  located  on 
the  north  half  of  section  21,  township  17,  range  4  east,  and  was  about 
180  miles  from  Independence,  Mo. 

MIAMI   COUNTY. 

1.  — The  Miami  mission  was  located  about  ten  miles  southeast  of  Paola,  near 
the  site  of  the  old  Miami  village,  which  was  on  the  Marais  des  Cygnes, 
on  section  24,  township  18,  range  23  east,  and  was  established  in  1847. 
One  of  the  agencies  was  also  located  at  this  place.  The  Catholics  es- 
tabhshed  a  mission  among  the  Miamis  in  1850. 

2.— The  Baptist  mission  among  the  Weas  was  located  a  mile  east  of  Paola, 
and  was  established  by  Dr.  David  Lykins  about  1840,  and  was  in  suc- 
cessful operation  for  many  years. 

3.— The  Methodists  established  a  mission  among  the  Pottawatomies  in  1837. 
It  was  located  upon  the  site  of  the  town  of  Osawatomie,  and  aban- 
doned when  the  Pottawatomies  moved  north  in  1847-'48. 

MORRIS   COUNTY. 

1.— Council  Grove,  the  principal  stopping-place  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  in  Kan- 
sas, mentioned  as  early  as  1820.  A  treaty  was  made  here,  August  10, 
1825,  between  the  Osage  Indians  and  Benjamin  H.  Reeves,  Geo.  C. 
Sibley,  and  Thomas  Mather,  commissioners  for  the  United  States  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  the  right  of  way  for  a  road  from  the  western 
frontier  of  Missouri  to  the  confines  of  New  Mexico. 

Kaw  Indian  mission  school,  under  the  control  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South,  from  1850  to  1854.     (See  page  231,  this  volume.) 


Explanation  of  Map.  571 

Rock  Creek  crossing  was  situated  about  the  middle  of  section  12,  township 
16,  range  9,  where  the  trail  crossed  Rock  creek,  the  Kaw  Indian  name  of 
which  stream  was  Ne-ko-its-ah-ba,  meaning  ' '  Dead  Men's  creek. ' '  Some 
time  in  the  early  nineteenth  century  a  great  Indian  battle  was  waged 
along  the  valley  of  this  stream  between  the  border  tribes  on  one  side 
and  the  plains  tribes  on  the  other.  The  latter-day  Indians,  seeing  so 
many  bones  along  the  creek  and  evidences  of  the  fight,  gave  the  above 
name.  This  crossing  was  a  good  camping-  and  watering-place,  with 
wood  for  fuel.  A.  I.  Baker  settled  there  jin  1853.  On  the  night  of 
July  3,  1862,  Baker  and  his  brother-in-law,  George  Segur,  were  killed 
by  the  Anderson  gang.— Geo.  P.  Morehouse. 

Big  John  creek  and'springs,  140  miles  and  55  chains  from  Fort  Osage,  on  the 
Missouri  river,  and  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  was  one  of  the  fine  camping- 
grounds.  Here  were  Jtwo  fine  springs,  one  known  as  Big  John  spring 
and  the  other  as  Fremont'spring.  John  C.  Fremont  once  stopped  here, 
in  the  early  '40's,  and  for  many  years  a  stone  with  his  name,  date,  etc., 
existed,  along  with  many  ancient  and  odd  inscriptions  carved  on  the 
ledge  of  rocks  near  the  springs.  The  springs  are  several  rods  north- 
east of  the  original  crossing  of  the  trail,  but  at  its  crossing  in  later 
years. —Morehouse. 

Diamond  Springs, ^originally  named  on  the  trail  as  "The  Diamond  of  the 
Plain,"  was  located  158  miles  and  28  chains  from  Fort  Osage;  was  an 
important  camping-place  and  stage  station  in  the  trail  days.  This 
spring  is  [near  the  head  of  the  Jpresent  Diamond  creek  (then  called 
Otter  creek),  and  situated  near  the  southwest  part  of  the  northwest 
quarterjof  section  34,  township  16,  range  6  east.  "The  Diamond  of  the 
Plain  "t"was  and  is  one  of  the  largest  fountain  springs  of  pure  cold  water 
in  the  state.  On  the  night  of  May  4,  1863,  the  noted  guerrilla,  Dick 
Yeager,  and  his  band  of  outlaws,  without  any  cause,  robbed  the  Dia- 
mond Springs  station  on  the  trail,  and  killed  Augustus  Howell  and  se- 
verely'wounded  his  wife.  The  Diamond  Springs  of  trail  days  is  about 
five  miles  north  of  Diamond  Springs,  on  the  Strong  City  extension 
of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railway,  and  was  589  miles  from 
Taos,  N.  M.— Morehouse. 

NEOSHO   COUNTY. 

1.  —  Boudinot  Presbyterian  mission  ^among  [the  Osages  was  established  in 
1824,  and  abandoned  in  1837.  Located  on  Neosho  river,  near  mouth 
of  Four  Mile  creek,  on  farm  now  owned  by  James  0'Brien.| 

Osage  Catholic  mission,  on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  St.  Paul, 
established  by  Father  John  Schoenmachers,  in  1847.  (  See  page  19  of 
this  volume.  Father  Ponziglione.) 

2.— Neosho  mission,  on  west  side  of  Neosho  river,  established  by  Presby- 
terian church  in  1824,  Rev.  Benton  [not  Benson]  Pixley  in  charge;  dis- 
continued in  1829. 

3.— Canville  trading-post,  established  by  A.  B.  Canville,  in  1844,  near  the 
town  of  Shaw.  A  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  the  Osage 
Indians,  September  19,  1865,  was  made  at  this  place.  Other  trading- 
posts  were  established  in  different  parts  of  the  county  as  early  as  1837, 
by  Edward  Chouteau,  Gerald  Pappin,  and  John  Matthews. 

Village  of  George  White  Hair,  chief  of  the  Osages,  was  located  in 
this  county,  exact  site  not  known. 


572  Kansas  State  Historical,  Society. 

OSAGE   COUNTY. 

Methodist  mission  among  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  during  the  '60's,  located 
near  the  new  Sac  and  Fox  agency,  about  one  mile  southwest  of 
Quenemo;  Reverend  Duvall  and  wife  were  missionaries.  This  was 
the  only  mission  in  Osage  county.  —  C.  R.  Green. 

Burlingame  was  one  of  the  most-noted  stopping-places  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail, 
and  was  located  at  the  crossing  of  Switzler's  creek.  The  original  trail 
is  now  and  has  always  been  the  principal  street  of  the  town. 

PAWNEE   COUNTY. 

Fort  Lamed,  located  on  the  south  bank  of  Pawnee  Fork,  about  eight  miles 
from  its  confluence  with  the  Arkansas  river,  established  October  22, 
1859,  and  known  as  "Camp  on  the  Pawnee  Fork."  Name  changed  to 
Camp  Alert,  February  1,  1860,  and  to  Fort  Lamed,  in  June  of  the 
same  year,  in  honor  of  Col.  B.  F.  Larned,  then  paymaster-general. 
Abandoned  in  1868. 

POTTAWATOMIE   COUNTY. 

1.— St.  Mary's  mission  among  the  Pottawatomies,  removed  in  1847-'48  from 
Sugar  creek,  Linn  county,  and  continued  as  a  mission  school  until  1869. 
It  is  now  the  prosperous  Catholic  college  at  St.  Marys.  This  mission 
was  the  first  established  by  the  Jesuits  on  Pottawatomie  creek,  Miami 
county,  in  1838,  and  removed  to  Linn  county  the  following  year.  ( See, 
also,  volume  7,  page  516.  The  location  and  date  of  establishment  as 
given  in  volume  7,  page  106,  are  incorrect.) 

2.— Kansas  Indian  village,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Kansas  river,  just  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue  river,  on  the  farm  once  owned  by  Welcome 
Wells.  Supposed  to  have  been  first  occupied  about  1775,  and  aban- 
doned about  1830,  when  the  tribe  removed  to  the  western  part  of 
Shawnee  county.  (See  Kansas  Historical  Collections,  vols.  1  and  2, 
p.  280.) 

REPUBLIC   COUNTY. 

Village  of  the  Republican  Pawnees,  visited  September  29,  1806,  by  Lieut. 
Zebulon  M.  Pike,  and  where  the  stars  and  stripes  were  first  raised 
in  what  is  now  Kansas.  This  village  site  is  located  on  section  3,  town- 
ship 2,  range  5  west.  The  site  was  given  to  the  state  of  Kansas  by 
Elizabeth  A.  and  George  Johnson,  of  White  Rock,  Republic  county, 
and  has  been  suitably  marked  and  fenced  by  the  state,  and  placed 
under  the  charge  of  the  Kansas  Historical  Society. 

RICE   COUNTY. 

stone  corral,  fort  and  breastworks  on  the  west  side  of  the  Little  Arkansas, 
at  the  crossing  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 13,  township  20,  range  6  west. 

Rifle-pits  and  Buffalo  Bill's  well,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  2, 
township  20,  range  9  west,  a  little  north  of  the  Santa  Fe  trail. 

SCOTT   COUNTY. 

Pueblo  Indian  ruins,  supposed  to  be  the  ancient  site  of  Cuartelejo,  a  fortified 
place  founded  about  1650  by  a  party  of  Pueblo  Indians,  who  fled  from 
Spanish  oppression  from  Taos,  in  New  Mexico.  They  are  located 
twelve  miles  due  north  of  the  present  site  of  Scott  City,  and  ten  miles 
south  of  the  Smoky  Hill  river. 


Explanation  of  Map.  573 

SEDGWICK   COUNTY. 

1.— Camp  Beecher,  established  June,  1868,  as  Camp  Davidson;  name  changed 
to  Camp  Butterfield  in  October,  1868,  and  to  Camp  Beecher  in  Novem- 
ber, 1868;  abandoned  October,  1869;  located  on  the  present  site  of 
Wichita. 

2.— Site  of  J.  R.  Mead's  trading-post,  on  what  is  now  the  town  site  of 
Wichita;  established  in  fall  of  1863;  abandoned  in  latter  '60's. 

SHAWNEE  COUNTY. 

1.  — Kaw  Indian  village,  north  of  Kansas  river,  six  miles  west  of  mouth  of 

Soldier  creek— Fool  Chief's  village— 1830  to  1847.  Located  on  south- 
east quarter  of  section  16,  township  11,  range  15  east.— Miss  Fannie 
E.  Cole. 

2.  — Baptist  Indian  Mission,  established  in  1848,  under  the  direction  of  Isaac 

McCoy.  This  mission  was  located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
32,  township  11,  range  15.     Some  of  the  buildings  are  yet  standing. 

3.  — Fred.  Chouteau's  trading-house,  established  in  1830  and  abandoned  in 

1847. 

4.— Kaw  Indian  villages  of  Hard  Chief  and  American  Chief,  1830-'47,  and 
Methodist  mission,  1835-'45.  (See  "The  Kaw  Missions,"  this  volume, 
page  193.)  Hard  Chief's  village  located  on  northeast  quarter  of  north- 
west quarter  of  section  28,  township  11,  range  14  east. 

Camp  Leedy,  Topeka.  Where  the  Kansas  troops  in  the  Spanish-American 
war  were  mobilized  in  1898. 

Uniontown,  the  sight  of  a  government  trading-post,  established  in  1848  and 
abandoned  about  1855,  was  located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
23,  township  11,  range  13  east,  on  the  California  trail,  a  short  distance 
from  where  it  crossed  the  Kansas  river,  on  the  only  rock  ford  on  the 
river.  Indian  annuities  were  distributed  from  this  point.  At  one  time 
over  fifty  buildings  were  located  here.— W.  W.  Cone's  Historical 
Sketch  of  Shawnee  County,  p.  11. 

TREGO  COUNTY. 

Downer's  Station,  a  military  post  on  the  Smoky  Hill  route,  about  fifty  miles 
west  of  Fort  Hays,  and  fifty  miles  east  of  Monument;  established 
May  30,  1867;  abandoned  May  28,  1868.  An  eating  station  on  Butter- 
field's  overland  despatch  line  was  also  located  at  this  point,  but  it 
was  burned,  together  with  a  number  of  other  stations  on  the  line,  in 
1867. 

WALLACE  COUNTY. 

Fort  Wallace,  first  called  Camp  Pond  Creek,  established  in  September,  1865; 
name  changed  to  Fort  Wallace  April  16,  1866;  abandoned  May  31, 
1882.  Located  at  the  junction  of  Pond  creek  with  the  south  fork  of 
the  Smoky  Hill  river,  and  opposite  the  mouth  of  Rose  creek,  two 
miles  southeast  of  Wallace  station,  on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad. 

WYANDOTTE   COUNTY. 

1.  — Cyprian  Chouteau's  trading-house,  located  on  the  north  side  of  the  Kaw 
river,  at  the  old  Grinter  ferry,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
28,  township  12,  range  24  east,  six  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  state 
line.  Built  in  1828 -'29  for  trading  with  the  Delawares  and  Shawnees. 
John  C.  Fremont  fitted  out  at  this  post  for  his  first  exploring  expe- 
dition, in  1842. 


574  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

2. —Wyandotte  church,  near  the  western  limits  of  Kansas  City,  Kan.,  about 
three  miles  from  the  confluence  of  the  Kansas  and  Missouri  rivers; 
built  in  1844. 

3.— Mission  buildings  on  section  3,  township  11,  range  23  east,  on  Delaware 
diminished  reserve,  as  located  on  plat  of  original  surveys  on  file  in  the 
state  auditor's  office,  at  Topeka.  These  buildings  are  supposed  to 
have  been  those  of  the  Delaware  mission  established  in  1832  by  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  A  church  was  built  for  the  Delawares 
on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  White  Church  by  the  same  denomi- 
nation. 

4.  — "Four  Houses,"  so  called  from  being  built  on  the  four  sides  of  an  open 
square.  This  trading-house  of  Francis  and  Cyprian  Chouteau  was 
built  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  Bonner  Springs,  and  was  located  on 
the  north  side  of  the  Kaw  river,  about  twenty  miles  from  its  mouth.  It 
was  estabUshed  between  1813  and  1821. 

Francis  Chouteau  established  the  general  agency  of  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  river  in  1821,  at  the  southern  angle 
of  the  great  bend  in  the  Missouri,  opposite  Randolph  bluffs. 

In  1825  Francis  and  Cyprian  Chouteau  built  a  trading-house  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Kaw  river  about  a  mile  distant  from  the  old  Methodist  mission. 
It  was  located  on  the  river,  on  section  13,  township  11,  range  24  east, 
and  was  about  seven  miles  from  Westport,  Mo. 


Route  of  Sieur  de  Bourgmont,  commandant  at  Fort  Orleans,  from  Ijhe  Kan- 
sas Indian  village  at  the  mouth  of  Independence  creek  to  the  country 
of  the  Paducas,  on  the  SaHne  river,  in  western  Kansas,  made  in  the  fall 
of  1724.  He  apparently  returned  by  the  same  route.  His  mission  was 
to  establish  a  peace  between  the  Paducas  and  the  tribes  of  the  lower 
Missouri  valley,  and  to  induce  trade  with  the  French.  ( See  page  255 
of  this  volume  for  a  more  extended  account  of  this  trip.) 


Zebulon  M.  Pike's  expedition  through  Kansas,  as  traced  by  Coues,  in  his 
"Expeditions  of  Zebulon  M.  Pike,"  traversed  the  following  counties: 
He  entered  Kansas  near  Xenia,  Bourbon  county,  on  September  5,  1806, 
and  crossed  Bourbon,  Allen,  Woodson,  Coffey,  Lyon,  Chase,  Marion, 
Dickinson,  Saline,  Ottawa,  Cloud,  and  Republic,  to  the  village  of  the 
Pawnee  Republic,  where  on  September  29,  he  held  a  council  with  the 
Pawnees  and  had  the  Spanish  flag  hauled  down,  and  the  United  States 
flag  hoisted  for  the  first  time  over  what  is  now  Kansas.  He  con- 
tinued his  journey  in  a  generally  southwestern  direction,  crossing  the 
counties  of  Jewell,  Mitchell,  Lincoln,  Ellsworth,  and  Barton,  where 
he  struck  the  Arkansas  river,  and  followed  it  through  the  counties 
of  Pawnee,  Edwards,  Ford,  Gray,  Finney,  Kearny,  and  Hamilton, 
where  he  left  the  state. 


Maj.  S.  H.  Long,  of  the  United  States  topographical  engineers,  in  1819  as- 
cended the  Missouri  river  to  Council  Bluffs  with  the  Yellowstone  ex- 
pedition, which  camped  there  that  winter.  In  1820  he  ascended  the 
Platte  river  to  its  source,  and  explored  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  that 


Explanation  of  Map.  575 

vicinity.  On  the  return  trip  Major  Long  divided  his  party,  he  de- 
scending the  Red  river  to  the  Mississippi,  and  the  balance  of  his  party 
returning  by  way  of  the  Arkansas  river.  This  latter  party  reached  a 
point  now  the  west  line  of  the  state  on  July  30,  1820,  and  by  the  17th 
day  of  August  had  followed  the  river  down  to  the  south  Hne  of  the 
state. 

Thomas  Say,  the  zoologist  of  the  Long  expedition  of  1819-'20,  was 
detailed  to  visit  the  Kansas  Indian  village.  With  a  small  detachment 
he  left  the  main  party  on  the  Missouri  at  Fort  Osage  and,  pushing 
westward,  entered  Kansas  in  what  is  now  Johnson  county  on  the  10th 
day  of  August,  1819.  He  followed  up  the  south  side  of  the  Kansas 
river  to  where  Topeka  now  stands,  and  crossed  to  the  north  side  of 
the  river;  thence  on  an  Indian  trail  west  to  the  Kaw  village,  near 
Manhattan,  on  the  Blue  river,  which  they  reached  on  the  20th  of  Au- 
gust. On  the  24th  they  set  out  for  the  Platte  river,  but  when  but 
seven  miles  up  the  Big  Blue  were  surrounded  by  a  war  party  of  the 
Republican  Pawnees  and  robbed  of  their  horses  and  provisions,  and 
compelled  to  return  to  the  Kaw  village.  Being  unable  to  refit  for 
their  trip  here,  they  were  compelled  to  return  to  the  Missouri  river 
and  join  the  main  party. 


Col.  John  C.  Fremont  made  five  trips  across  Kansas— 1842  to  1848— for  the 
purpose  of  exploring  the  country  to  the  westward  of  the  Missouri 
river.  In  June,  1842,  he  entered  Kansas  on  his  first  trip,  and  fitted 
out  for  his  expedition  at  the  trading-post  of  Cyprian  Chouteau,  lo- 
cated on  the  Kansas  river,  six  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  state  line. 
From  here  he  started  west,  crossing  the  counties  of  Johnson,  Doug- 
las, and  Shawnee,  to  a  point  a  little  west  of  Topeka,  where  he  crossed 
the  Kansas  river,  following  in  a  morthwesterly  direction  through  Pot- 
tawatomie, Marshall  and  Washington  counties,  towards  the  Platte 
river,  in  Nebraska.  In  1843  his  second  expedition  followed  up  the 
Kansas  river,  practically  over  his  first  route  as  far  west  as  Potta- 
watomie county,  and  from  here  followed  the  Kansas  river  to  where 
Fort  Riley  is  now  located.  From  that  point  he  continued  northwest, 
probably  through  the  counties  of  Geary,  Clay,  Cloud,  Jewell,  Smith, 
and  the  northeast  corner  of  Phillips  county.  In  1845  he  made  his 
third  trip  at  the  government's  expense,  on  the  return  from  which 
he  crossed  Kansas  from  the  west  to  the  east,  following  down  the 
Smoky  Hill  river  to  a  point  in  McPherson  county,  where  he  left  the 
river  and  went  southeast  to  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  which  he  followed 
east  to  the  Missouri  river.  Fremont's  fourth  expedition,  made  at 
his  own  expense  and  for  the  purpose  of  improving  his  California 
estate,  started  [from  Westport,  Mo.,  in  October,  1848,  ascended  the 
Kansas,  and  crossed  to  the  upper  Arkansas.  His  fifth  expedition  was 
over  the  same  route  through  Kansas  as  the  last,  starting  from  West- 
port,  September  22,  1853,  and  was  for  the  purpose  of  surveying,  at 
his  own  expense,  a  route  for  the  Pacific  railroad  between  the  latitude 
of  38  and  39  degrees.  It  was  during  this  trip  that,  being  too  ill  to 
travel,  he  sent  the  main  part  of  his  company  ahead,  and  encamped  for 
several  days  in  the  vicinity  of  Burnett's  mound,   Shawnee  county. 


576  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

taking  part  of  his  meals  with  Mrs.  Thos.  N.  Stinson,  who  was  tempo- 
rarily living  in  that  vicinity  while  awaiting  the  completion  of  her 
cabin  at  Tecumseh.  She  afterwards  named  her  daughter  for  his  wife, 
in  compliance  with  a  request  then  made  by  Colonel  Fremont. 


The  Santa  Fe  trail,  from  Franklin,  Independence,  and  Westport,  on  the  Mis- 
souri river,  in  Missouri,  to  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  was  used  for  some  years 
previous  to  1821,  trade  being  carried  on  over  a  portion  of  it  by  means 
of  pack  animals.  This  trail  then  followed  up  the  Arkansas  river  to 
where  Bent's  Fort  was  afterward  located,  and  from  there  swung  off  to 
the  southwest  to  Taos  and  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.  Wagons  were  used  as 
early  as  1822,  and  its  virtual  commencement  may  be  dated  from  this 
time.  In  1825-'27,  a  United  States  corps  of  engineers,  under  Joseph 
C.  Brown,  surveyed,  located  and  mapped  what  they  considered  the 
best  and  most  direct  route  to  Santa  Fe.  According  to  this  survey,  the 
trail  left  the  Arkansas  river  in  what  is  now  Gray  county  and  ran 
in  a  southwest  direction  to  the  Cimarron  river,  which  it  followed  to 
the  extreme  limits  of  the  state.  The  trail  entered  Kansas  from  the 
east  near  the  town  of  Glenn,  Johnson  county  (according  to  Chitten- 
den in  his  "History  of  the  American  Fur  Trade"),  and  crossed  the 
following  counties:  Johnson,  Douglas,  Osage,  Wabaunsee,  Lyon,  Mor- 
ris, Marion,  McPherson,  Rice,  Barton,  Pawnee,  Edwards,  Ford,  Gray, 
Haskell,  Grant,  Stevens,  and  Morton,  and  out  of  the  state.  The  old 
trail  ran  over  the  route  as  laid  down  here  as  far  west  as  Gray,  and 
from  there  it  followed  up  the  Arkansas  river  through  Finney,  Kearny 
and  Hamilton  counties  to  the  Colorado  line.  Council  Grove  and 
Burlingame  were  the  most  noted  stopping-places  on  the  road.  The 
trail  was  about  775  miles  long,  about  500  of  which  were  within  the 
limits  of  Kansas. 


In  1847  a  part  of  the  Mormon  emigration  crossed  northeastern  Kansas  as 
they  passed  west  on  their  way  to  Utah.  In  the  auditor's  office,  at 
Topeka,  the  official  surveys  show  one  of  their  trails  leading  from  Fort 
Riley  to  the  Nebraska  line.  In  the  early  '50's  the  Mormons  recruited 
at  points  near  Atchison,  Leavenworth,  and  Kansas  City.  Mormon 
Grove,  near  Atchison,  was  one  of  their  favorite  camping-places.  This 
later  Mormon  emigration  through  Kansas  used  the  California  road. 


The  overland  pony  express,  a  rapid  means  of  conveyance  for  dispatches 
and  mail,  ran  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  to  Sacramento,  Cal.,  using  the 
old  California  trail  and  stage  road.  The  first  trip  was  made  April  3, 
1860.  They  continued  weekly,  and  later  twice  a  week,  for  nearly 
eighteen  months.  The  completion  of  the  Pacific  telegraph  put  an  end 
to  the  famous  pony  express. 


The  Leavenworth  and  Pike's  Peak  express  was  established  in  1859,  to  meet 
the  wants  of  a  direct  route  to  the  new  gold-mines  of  western  Kansas. 
It  ran  over  the  old  Fort  Leavenworth  and  Fort  Riley  road,  via  Easton, 
Winchester,  Hickory  Point,  Pennsylvania  House,  Ozawkie,  Rock 
Creek,  Indianola,  St.  Marys,  Louisville,  Manhattan,  and  up  the  Kaw 


6««  M  /?»»r.  Or/  , 


VEL. 


NSERT 
LD-OUT 
R   MAP 
[ERE! 


t 


Explanation  of  Map.  577 

valley  to  Fort  Riley  and  Junction  City;  thence  in  a  northwesterly  di- 
rection along  the  divide  between  Chapman's  creek  and  the  Republican 
river,  through  Dickinson,  Clay,  Cloud,  Mitchell,  Jewell,  Smith,  Phillips, 
Norton,  Decatur,  Rawlins  and  Cheyenne  counties,  out  of  Kansas. 


The  California  road,  starting  from  St.  Joseph,  was  used  as  early  as  1847,  and 
over  it  a  great  part  of  the  Mormon  travel  passed.  It  ran  through 
Doniphan  county  and  through  the  Kickapoo  reserve  in  Brown  county; 
through  Nemaha,  Marshall  and  the  northeast  corner  of  Washington 
counties;  then  into  Nebraska,  following  the  South  Platte  westward. 


Lane's  road  started  from  Nebraska  City,  Neb. ;  struck  Brown  county  on 
Pony  creek;  Plymouth,  on  section  15,  township  1,  range  15  east;  Lex- 
ington, section  18,  township  2,  range  15  east ;  passed  near  the  old  town 
of  Powhattan,  Brown  county;  crossed  the  northeast  quarter  of  section 
34,  township  5,  range  15,  Jackson  county,  and  on  this  quarter  John 
Brown's  "  Battle  of  the  Spurs  "  was  fought ;  thence  followed  the  pres- 
ent line  of  the  Rock  Island  railroad  to  Topeka.  The  embargo  placed  on 
free-state  travel  in  1856  up  the  Missouri  river  caused  Northern  people 
to  come  overland  through  Iowa  and  Nebraska;  hence  the  opening  of 
the  Lane  road. 


California  trail  from  Fayetteville,  Ark,  connecting  with  the  Santa  Fe  trail 
near  Canton,  McPherson  county,  as  located  by  James  R.  Mead.  Do 
not  know  its  northern  continuation. 


Osage  Indian  trail,  from  the  Verdigris  river  in  Wilson  county,  westward  to 
Osage  hunting-grounds  on  the  Arkansas  river,  as  located  by  James 
R.  Mead. 


The  Butterfield  overland  despatch  route,  extending  from  Atchison  to  Den- 
ver, via  the  Smoky  Hill  fork,  a  distance  of  592  miles,  and  was  oper- 
ated by  D.  A.  Butterfield  in  1865-'66.  There  were  fifty  stations  on 
the  route  through  the  following  counties:  Atchison,  Jefferson,  Shaw- 
nee, Pottawatomie,  Riley,  Geary,  Dickinson,  Saline,  Ellsworth,  Rus- 
sell, Ellis,  Trego,  Gove,  Logan,  and  Wallace. 


The  overland  stage  line  to  California  ran  out  of  Atchison  and  connected 
with  the  old  Cahfornia  road  at  Kennekuk  station,  on  the  Kickapoo  re- 
serve, and  over  that  route  through  the  following  counties:  Atchison, 
Jackson,  Nemaha,  Marshall,  and  Washington.  This  line  extended  to 
Placerville,  Cal.,  a  distance  of  1920  miles,  and  daily  stages  were  run 
over  it. —  "The  Overland  Stage  to  California,"  by  Frank  A.  Root. 


In  September,  1878,  a  band  of  Northern  Cheyennes,  under  the  leadership  of 
Chief  Dull  Knife,  left  the  Cheyenne  and  Arapahoe  agency,  in  the  In- 
dian Territory,  and  started  north  to  join  their  old  friends,  the  Sioux. 
There  were  about  300  in  the  party,  including  eighty-seven  warriors. 
-37 


578  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

About  the  14th  of  September  they  entered  the  state  in  Comanche  and 
Barber  counties  in  small  squads  and  immediately  began  depredations. 
They  then  moved  in  a  general  northerly  direction  across  the  state,  oc- 
cupying eighteen  days  in  the  journey,  attacking  the  settlers,  pillaging 
and  destroying  property,  and  murdering  thirty- two  persons.  They 
passed  through  the  following  counties:  Comanche,  Barber,  Meade 
(where  an  all-day  fight  on  Sand  creek  occurred  between  them  and  the 
settlers  and  United  States  soldiers) ,  Gray,  Finney,  Lane,  Scott.  Logan, 
Gove,  Sheridan,  Decatur,  and  Rawlins.  In  Decatur  county,  on  the 
Beaver,  and  in  Rawlins  county,  many  atrocious  murders  were  com- 
mitted by  them.     This  was  the  last  Indian  raid  through  Kansas. 


Kansas  State  Historical  Society.  579 


ERRATA  AND  ADDENDA. 


Page  13,  line  1  of  note.— The  "six  daughters  and  five  sons"  were  the  chil- 
dren of  Benjamin  Spilman,  the  grandfather  of  A.  C.  Spilman,  and 
not  the  children  of  Dr.  James  F.  Spilman.  A.  C.  Spilman  is  not  a 
Presbyterian  minister. 

Page  19,  line  4  from  end.— For  "Hattie  M.  Wills  "  read  "Hattie  M.  Mills." 
Line  3  from  end,  for  "1883"  read  "1885." 

Page  126.— The  date  of  address  by  Geo.  W.  Martin,  at  Lawrence,  should 
read  "October  3"  instead  of  "October  2." 

Page  162,  line  12  of  note. -For  "1829"  read  "1831." 

Page  166,  line  2  from  end  of  text. —For  "also  William  Jackson  "read  "alias 
William  Jackson." 

Page,  169,  last  line  of  text. —For  "six  miles"  read  "ten  miles." 

Page  170,  line  3.  —  For  "  20  x  40  "  read  "  25  x  50. " 

Page  176,  note  27.— Rev.  Joab  Spencer  writes  that  the  $75  paid  for  each  child 
was  the  amount  the  government  paid  the  church  for  feeding,  teaching 
and  clothing  the  child.  The  Indian  parents  paid  nothing.  Judge  T.  S. 
Huffaker  closed  the  Kaw  school  in  1854,  because  the  government  could 
not  pay  enough  to  justify  him  in  continuing.  "I  think,"  says  Mr. 
Spencer,  "he  was  getting  only  $50  and  the  use  of  the  farm." 

Page  186,  last  hne  of  text. —Matthias  Splitlog  was  a  Wyandot,  and  never 
identified  with  the  Shawnees. 

Page  190,  line  4  from  end  of  note.— After  "appointed"  insert  "assistant." 

Page  191,  line  2.— This  building  had  not  been  remodeled;  Rev.  Joab  Spencer 
visited  it  in  1903,  and  the  only  change  since  forty  years  before  was 
from  decay  and  neglect. 

Page  192,  line  3. -"June  26,  [1853].  Contrary  to  the  general  rule  (it  being 
Sunday) ,  we  leave  for  Wahkarrussi  this  morning,  having  learned  that 
the  Indians  are  assembled  there  for  church  service  or  meeting,  and 
start  early  to  witness  the  occasion,  never  having  been  at  one  of  their 
missionary  gatherings."  Extract  from  Capt.  J.  W.  Gunnison's  jour- 
nal. Pacific  Railroad  Explorations  and  Surveys,  1853-1854,  vol.  2,  p.  6. 
Page  193,  line  6  from  end  of  text. —For  "Mr.  McAlister's"  read  "Mrs.  Mc- 
Alister 's. ' '  This  letter  is  found  in  Biography  of  the  Rev.  Jesse  Greene, 
by  Mrs.  Mary  Greene,  1852,  p.  47. 
Page  197.— In  Mrs.  Mary  Greene's  biography  of  her  husband  is  contained 
the  following  letter  of  the  Rev.  William  Johnson,  missionary  to  the 
Kaws,  then  stationed  at  the  mouth  of  Mission  creek,  Shawnee  county: 

"Kansas  Mission,  November  2,  1840. 
"Rev.  Jesse  Greene:  Dear  Brother— The  past  summer  has  been  a 
time  of  sore  trials  and  unusual  apprehension  to  me.  The  Lord  has 
tried  me  in  a  way  in  which  I  have  never  before  suffered.  I  have  felt 
and  thought  as  I  never  before  have  done,  and  why  it  is  so  the  Lord 
only  knows.     While  thus  smitten  with  grief,  and  almost  ready  to  sink. 


580  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

I  received  a  kind  letter  from  you  which  was  to  me  as  a  visit  from  some 
friendly  angel.  I  could  not  think  why  you  should  write  to  me;  I  had  not 
received  any  letters  from  preachers  (except  on  business)  for  a  year  or 
two.  I  had  long  ceased  to  expect  one,  when  to  my  astonishment  yours 
came,  doubtless  to  convince  me  that  I  had  friends  and  brethren  who 
thought  of  me,  who  felt  and  prayed  for  me.  I  wish  I  was  able  now 
to  testify  the  sincere  gratitude  of  my  heart  for  your  kind  and  brotherly 
feelings  toward  me.  I  hope  and  pray  that  all  your  kindness  and  re- 
ligious affection,  which  you  have  had  or  may  have  for  me,  if  not 
gratefully  reciprocated  by  myself,  may  be  abundantly  rewarded  by 
'our  Father  which  is  in  heaven,'  whose  we  are,  and  whom  we  have 
engaged  to  serve  through  our  short  lives. 

"I  am  now  at  home  alone;  the  Indians  are  gone  and  the  whites  are 
gone.  You  will  at  once  be  convinced  that  my  condition  is  not  enviable 
in  point  of  social  happiness.  My  great  concern  is  about  these  poor 
Indians.  What  is  to  be  the  result  of  our  toil  here?  I  tremble  at  the 
thought;  I  feel  conscious  that  the  friends  of  missions,  and  even  the 
preachers  of  our  conference,  will  not  understand  the  embarrassments 
which  hang  around  this  mission.  The  superintendent  seldom  sees,  and, 
I  often  fear,  too  seldom  thinks  about  us.  In  this  condition  I  feel  left 
alone  to  do  a  great  work,  for  which  I  know  myself  to  be  inadequate. 
As  necessary  and  desirable  as  help  is,  none  can  be  obtained;  yet  all 
agree  that  we  ought  to  have  help.  You  could  not  expect  that  these 
things  would  fail  to  agitate  my  mind  to  some  extent;  yet  I  feel  at 
present  an  anxiety  to  make  an  effort  this  year  for  the  poor  Kansas; 
although  broken  down  in  spirit  and  smitten  low  in  feehng,  I  am  wiUing, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  to  try.  It  may  be  the  only  and  all  the  work  the 
Lord  has  for  me  to  do,  to  teach  these  poor  heathen  the  way  to  heaven. 
I  wish  I  had  ability;  I  wish  I  had  energy;  but  doubtless  both  are  the 
gifts  of  God;  then  let  me  say,  more  correctly,  I  wish  I  had  more  re- 
ligion, more  of  the  warming  love  of  God,  more  self-denial,  more  zeal 
for  the  salvation  of  souls;  then,  all  would  be  well;  then  truly,  'labor 
will  be  rest,  and  pain  sweet, '  while  God  abides  with  His  own  people, 
and  aids  by  His  spirit  in  preaching  His  own  word  to  perishing  souls. 
Remember  me  to  yours,  in  peace  and  love.— Wm.  Johnson." 

"This  letter  was  written,  if  I  mistake  not,  shortly  after  Brother 
Johnson  had  been  called,  by  the  painful  dispensations  of  providence, 
to  lay  the  remains  of  a  beloved  child  among  these  savages."  "This 
tribe  of  Indians  go  every  fall  further  back  into  the  interior,  on  their 
hunting  excursions,  and  the  white  persons  employed,  either  at  the  mis- 
sion, or  by  the  government,  avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity  to 
visit  the  settlements,  or  their  friends."— Life  of  Rev.  Jesse  Greene, 
pp.  48,  49. 

Page  198,  second  paragraph. —Mr.  Peery  did  not  design  establishing  a  man- 
ual-labor school  among  the  Kaws. 

Page  204,  last  line  of  text.— On  Sunday,  July  29,  1906,  a  memorial  white 
church  was-  dedicated  at  White  Church,  in  Wyandotte  county,  on  the 
site  of  the  old  church  here  mentioned.  The  sermon  was  preached  by 
Bishop  E.  R.  Hendrix,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  The 
building  is  of  white  stone,  of  Old  English  style  of  architecture,  costing 
$3000,  and  has  been  erected  in  honor  of  the  early  missionaries  to  the 
Delaware  Indians;  there  is  a  memorial  window  to  twelve  of  the  early 
missionaries. 

Page  206,  line  3  from  end  of  text. —For  "brothers"  read  "cousins." 

Page  216,  line  11  from  end.— The  Rev.  Joab  Spencer  writes:  "As  will  be 
seen  from  the  appointments,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South 
was  never  without  an  organization." 

Page  221,  line  5  from  end  of  text.  — For  "Rev.  Mr.  Love"  read  "Rev.  George 
W.  Love." 


Errata  and  Addenda.  581 

Page  225,  line  6  from  end  of  text. —For  "Kansas  missions"  read  "Shawnee 
and  Kansas  missions." 

Page  227,  line  2  from  end. -After  "Delaware"  insert  "N.  M.  Talbot." 
Last  line.— After  "Kickapoo"  insert  "J.  T.  Peery,  first  half  of  year; 
Kansas,  second  half  of  year." 

Page  228,  last  appointment  under  1845,  for  "Kansas,  J.  C.  Berryman,"  read 
"Kansas,  J.  T.  Peery."  Also,  in  the  last  appointment  of  1846,  sub- 
stitute "Peery"  for  "Berryman";  during  1844,  1845  and  1846  J.  C. 
Berryman  was  superintendent  of  Indian  Mission  conference. 

Page  230,  add  to  list  of  appointments  for  1858,  "Kickapoo,  Charles  Boles." 
In  the  appointments  for  1859  and  1860,  for  "Delaware,  N.  T.  Shaler," 
read  "Delaware,  Charles  Boles."  In  appointments  for  1861,  after 
"Delaware"  insert  "Charles  Boles." 

Page  297,  Steamer  Admiral  (No.  1.)— This  boat  was  on  the  Missouri  river 
in  1843.  "Log  of  the  steamboat  Omega,  from  St.  Louis  to  Fort 
Union.  1843.  June  26.  .  .  .  Met  the  steamboat  Admiral  at  Wes- 
ton. "—Chittenden's  American  Fur  Trade  of  the  Far  West,  p.  1003. 

Page  300,  C.  W.  Sombart  to  Phil  E.  Chappell: 

"In  camp  near  GosPORT,  Ind.,  August  15,  1906. 
' '  Friend  Phil. :  Yours  of  June  29lh  received  some  time  since.  In 
reply:  The  steamer  C.  W.  Sombart  was  built  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind., 
in  1857,  by  myself  and  associates,  A.  L.  Shortridge,  T.  E.  Draffen.  C. 
W.  Sombart,  and  Julius  Sombart.  I  was  captain  of  her,  and  ran  in 
the  trade  to  Glasgow  until  June,  1858.  The  C.  W.  Sombart  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  at  St.  Louis,  in  June,  1858.  The  dimensions  of  the 
Sombart  were  220  by  33  feet  beam,  6  feet  hold;  cylinders  22  inches 
in  diameter  and  7  feet  stroke.  I  afterwards  bought  the  Cai-rier,  and 
commanded  her  until  she  sank,  near  St.  Charles,  in  1861.  I  wish  it  was 
so  I  could  sit  down  and  talk  an  hour  with  you  about  the  good  times 
when  we  were  young  and  steamboating  was  in  its  prime.  As  well  as 
I  remember,  I  commanded  the  following  boats,  but  do  not  think  such 
information  you  need:  C.  W.  Sombart,  Carrier,  Jennie  Lewis,  Mar- 
cella,  Clara,  Nile,  Mountaineer,  Martha,  Stephens,  Rob  Roy,  Post 
Boy,  Isabella,  and  Dakota.  — H.  McPherson.  (My  post-office  is  Gos- 
port,  Ind.) 

Page  301,  Steamer  Emma.  — "Five  companies  of  the  Eighth  Kansas  volun- 
teers, B,  E,  H,  I,  and  K,  with  a  battalion  of  the  Seventh  Kansas, 
embarked  on  board  the  steamer  Emma,  May  28,  1863,  at  Leavenworth, 
and  left  at  daylight  the  following  morning,  going  down  the  Missouri 
river;  they  landed  at  Columbus,  Ky.,  and  went  from  there  by  rail  to 
Corinth,  Miss."  — F.  A.  Root. 

Page  306,  Martha  C.  Jewett. -Extract  from  letter  of  Phil.  E.  Chappell,  of 
August  27,  1906: 

"There  was  never  but  one  Jewett  on  the  river.  His  name  was 
Wm.  C.  Jewett,  and  he  built,  and  ran  as  commander,  the  Lewis  F. 
Linn,  Rowena  (1),  and  Martha  C.  Jewett  (named  for  his  sister).  This 
was  in  the  '50's,  and,  although  I  was  then  but  a  lad,  I  remember  him  as 
well  as  if  it  was  yesterday.  He  was  a  small,  dapper  little  fellow,  ex- 
ceedingly polite  and  affable,  and  was  a  general  favorite  with  the  travel- 
ing public  and  the  shippers.  He  was  about  thirty  years  old  when  I 
first  knew  him,  dressed  always  in  the  height  of  fashion,  and,  being  a 
bachelor,  was  an  especial  favorite  with  the  young  ladies  of  Boonville, 
Glasgow,  Lexington,  and  other  lower-river  towns.  I  have  known  peo- 
ple to  wait  two  weeks  for  Captain  Jewett's  boat  in  going  to  St.  Louis, 


582  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

and  I  have  known  him  to  hold  his  boat  at  a  landing  for  an  hour  wait- 
ing for  an  old  farmer  to  haul  in  his  last  hogshead  of  tobacco,  which 
had  been  delayed  on  the  road.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  he  was  the  most 
popular  captain  that  ever  ran  the  river?  Captain  Jewett  died  at  the 
age  of  about  forty-five,  at  the  Planter's  House  in  St.  Louis,  with  the 
cholera.  This  was,  I  think,  in  1849  or  1850.  He  was  from  one  of  the 
New  England  states.  He  left  a  nephew,  Jewett  Wilcox,  who  became 
a  noted  hotel  man  in  Chicago  in  the  '60's,  but  no  immediate  descend- 
ants." 

Page  309,  Steamer  Radnor.  — Francis  Parkman,  on  his  trip  to  the  Pawnees,  in 
the  summer  of  1846,  for  the  preparation  of  "The  Oregon  Trail,"  came 
up  the  Missouri  river  on  the  Steamer  Radnor,  leaving  St.  Louis  April 
28,  1846. 

Page  316,  Steamer  Walter  B.  Dance.  — Charles  Gerteisen,  agent  for  the  A. 
T.  &  S.  F.,  at  North  Topeka,  Kan.,  came  from  St.  Louis  to  Kansas 
City  in  the  summer  of  1866  on  this  boat. 

Page  316.— Frank  A.  Root  gave  the  following  names  of  Missouri  river  boats 
too  late  to  be  added  to  Mr.  Chappell's  list:  The  Converse,  1866,  ran  be- 
tween Atchison  and  Leavenworth;  the  Lyon;  the  Lyre;  the  Mexico. 
From  a  letter  written  by  Mr.  Root,  dated  Atchison,  K.  T.,  June  11, 
1860,  to  the  Wellsborb  (Pa.)  Agitator,  the  following  is  taken:  "The 
steamers  Spread  Eagle,  Chippewa,  and  Key  West,  composing  the  fleet 
of  the  American  Fur  Company,  were  stuck  on  sand-bars  several 
hundred  miles  above  the  Kansas-Nebraska  line  in  the  spring  of  1860, 
waiting  for  the  annual  June  rise  of  the  Missouri  to  release  them." 

Page  316.  — Of  interest  here  is  an  article  taken  from  the  St.  Louis  Globe- 
Democrat,  July  15,  1906: 

"Passing  from  the  lower  Mississippi  river  to  the  Missouri  is  noted 
the  Clara,  whose  captain,  Isaac  H.  McKee,  was  married  in  1848,  if  the 
writer  remembers  correctly,  to  Miss  Mary  Homan,  a  beautiful  belle  of 
Boonville.  .  .  .  Thomas  E.  Tutt,  F.  M.  Dozier.  Polar  Star,  E. 
F.  Dix,  master,  with  H.  M.  Blossom  as  clerk.— This  boat  had  the 
proud  distinction  of  making  the  run  from  St.  Louis  to  St.  Joseph  in 
two  days  and  twenty  hours,  and  for  that  achievement  the  boat  '  held 
the  horns'  for  a  couple  of  seasons,  when  the  James  H.  Lucas,  under 
the  command  of  Capt.  Andrew  Wineland,  wrested  them  from  her  by 
making  the  run  in  two  days  and  twelve  hours.  The  New  Lucy. —Un- 
der the  command  of  Captain  Conley,  with  Pilot  John  Massey  (now 
alive  in  St.  Louis),  had  the  record  of  making  the  quickest  run  to 
Waverly,  a  few  miles  below  Lexington,  where  she  met  with  an  acci- 
dent which  disabled  her  machinery;  had  she  been  able  to  go  through 
to  St.  Joseph,  she  would  undoubtedly  have  broken  the  record  of  the 
Lucas.  The  A.  B.  Chambers,  Gormley.  —Named  after  one  of  the  early 
owners  of  the  St.  Louis  Republican;  this  boat  was  one  the  most  beau- 
tiful steamers  on  any  of  the  Western  rivers;  was  lost  at  Atchison  in 
the  spring  of  1859.  Rounding  into  the  wharf  at  that  place,  she  was 
drawn  into  an  eddy,  thrown  onto  a  snag,  and  broken  up  almost  in- 
stantly. Fortunately,  although  she  had  an  unusually  heavy  passenger 
list,  not  a  single  individual  was  lost.  The  Martha  Jewett,  Silver. — 
This  craft  was  built  by  Captain  Jewett,  known  as  '  Dandy '  Jewett, 
and  commanded  by  him  possibly  until  the  day  of  his  death.  She  was 
a  magnificent  vessel,  and  had  the  credit  of  making  the  record  trip 
from  St.  Louis  to  Lexington.  .  .  .  F.  X.  Aubrey,  Reader.  —  Named 
for  the  man  who  made  the  ride  from  Santa  Fe  to  independence  in  six 
days  and  was  afterwards  killed  by  Major  Weightman  in  a  saloon  brawl 
at  that  place.  Sultan.  McCoy.  .  .  .  Admiral,  W.  H.  Baker.— This 
is  the  boat  which  sunk  at  Parkville  with  a  heavy  cargo  of  whisky  on 


Errata  and  Addenda.  583 

board.  The  wreck  of  the  boat  was  visible  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
the  shore  for  many  months;  but  no  effort  was  ever  made  to  recover 
the  whisky,  possibly  because  the  price  of  the  wet  goods  was  too  low 
to  justify  the  expense.  Within  the  last  fifteen  years,  however,  thou- 
sands of  dollars  have  been  spent  in  an  effort  to  locate  the  hull  of  the 
Admiral,  but  without  avail." 

Page  316.  — For  "Kate  Sweeney  Bend"  read  "Kate  Swinney  Bend."  She 
was  named  for  the  daughter  of  Capt.  W.  D.  Swinney,  of  Glasgow,  Mo. , 
a  wealthy  tobacco  manufacturer. 
Page  319.— The  name  of  Brierly  occurs  in  several  places  in  this  volume  in 
the  river  articles,  sometimes  as  "Captain  Brierly,"  "Thomas  F. 
Brierly,"  and  as  "Thomas  H.  Brierly."  All  references  should  read 
"Thomas  H.  Brierly."  The  following  is  a  letter  from  Phil.  E.  Chap- 
pell  on  the  subject: 

"Kansas  City,  Mo.,  August  23,  1906. 

"My  Dear  Mr.  Martin:  I  have  just  returned  home  from  Colorado 
and  find  your  favor  of  the  20th. 

"There  was  never  but  one  man  on  the  river  named  Brierly,  and 
his  name  was  Thomas  H.  Brierly.  He  was  one  of  the  most  popular 
and  well-known  captains  on  the  river  and  commanded  several  boats, 
among  them  the  Ben  W.  Lewis,  El  Paso,  Morning  Star,  F.  X.  Aubrey, 
and  the  famous  James  H.  Lucas.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  he  built  the 
Lucas,  Morning  Star,  and  Lewis. 

' '  The  Lewis  was  named  for  Ben  W.  Lewis,  of  Glasgow,  Mo. ,  a  very 
wealthy  tobacco  manufacturer  and  large  shipper.  It  was  important 
to  obtain  his  patronage,  and  when  Tom  Brierly  was  about  to  select  a 
name  for  his  new  boat  ( 1857)  he  went  to  Mr.  Lewis  and  told  him  he 
proposed  to  name  his  boat  for  him,  and  offered  to  allow  him  to  take 
an  interest  in  her.  Mr.  Lewis  saw  a  little  further  ahead  than  most 
men,  and  probably  saw  the  decline  in  steamboating.  He  said:  'Tom, 
I  don't  know  about  steamboat  stock.  I  know  that  when  I  buy  tobacco 
at  10  cents  per  pound  and  sell  it  at  50,  I  ain't  losing  anything;  but  I 
don't  know  about  steamboats.' 

"Captain  Thomas  H.  Brierly  quit  the  business  in  time  to  save  his 
fortune.     He  died  on  his  farm  near  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

"I  enclose  you  a  letter  from  my  old  friend,  Capt.  Henry  McPherson, 
in  relation  to  the  fate  of  the  C.  W.  Sombart.  The  captain  is  now 
over  80." 

Page  330,  line  4  from  end  of  text.— For  "progress"  read  "project." 

Page  333,  line  15. -"April  19"  should  read  "April  12." 

Page  366,  line  19  of  note  6. -After  "Pierce,  A.  C,"  for  "1861"  read  "1862.' ' 

Page  414,  line  13  of  note  1.  — William  J.  Bryan  did  not  receive  the  electoral 
vote  of  Kansas  in  1892.  In  1892  the  vote  of  Kansas  for  president  was: 
Benjamin  Harrison,  157,241;  James  B.  Weaver,  163,111;  consequently 
the  ten  votes  of  Kansas  in  the  electoral  college  were  cast  for  James 
B.  Weaver.  The  vote  for  president  in  1896  was:  William  McKinley, 
159,345;  WiUiam  J.  Bryan,  172,854;  and  the  ten  votes  of  Kansas  in  the 
electoral  college  that  year  were  cast  for  William  J.  Bryan. 

Page  435,  line  18  from  end  of  text.  — For  "J.  F.  Lindsey,"  of  company  F, 
Eleventh  Kansas,  read  "John  G.  Lindsay." 

The  name  "Robitaille"  occurs  on  pages  82,  187,  188,  235  and  469  of  this  vol- 
ume, under  different  spellings.  To  a  deed  dated  September  7,  1866, 
given  the  Historical  Society  by  Mrs.  Alfred  Gray,  is  affixed  the  sig- 
nature "Robert  W.  Robitaille." 


584  Kansas  State  Historical  Society. 

Page  302,  et  seq.: 

"Kansas  City,  Mo.,  September  7,  1906. 

"Mr.  Geo.  W.  Martin:  In  answer  to  your  inquiries  about  Captain  Throck- 
morton, I  have  to  say  that  there  was  but  one  Captain  Throckmorton  on  the 
river,  and  his  Christian  name  was  Joseph  W.  He  ran  the  river  many  years, 
probably  from  the  '40's  to  1860,  or  perhaps  later.  I  remember  him  well. 
He  was  a  short,  heavily  built  man,  and  while  never  as  popular  as  Jewett, 
Brierly,  Nanson,  and  some  other  captains,  was  always  considered  one  of  the 
best  navigators  on  the  river.  He  differed  from  most  of  the  old-time  steam- 
boat men,  in  that  he  never  used  profane  language,  and  did  not  countenance 
it  on  his  boats.  During  his  long  career  on  the  river,  if  my  memory  serves 
me  right,  he  commanded  the  General  Brooks,  Malta,  John  Golong,  War 
Eagle,  and  Florence.  I  do  not  think  that  he  ever  commanded  the  Platte 
Valley.  Capt.  W.  C.  Postal  built  that  boat  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  in  1857, 
and  she  came  out  in  the  spring  of  1858.  Postal  commanded  her,  I  know,  in 
1858  and  1859,  and  sold  her  in  the  fall  of  1859  or  1860.  Throckmorton  may 
have  then  run  on  her  afterwards.  Captain  Throckmorton  was  one  of  the 
few  old  Missouri  river  steamboat  men  who  stuck  to  the  Union  during  the 
civil  war.  He  was  quite  an  old  man  when  I  last  saw  him,  in  1860.  I  do  not 
know  when  or  where  he  died,  but  when  he  passed  away  there  died  one  of 
the  most-honored  men  ever  on  the  river.  "—Phil.  E.  Chappell. 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


Abbott,  Maj.  James  B  12,  3( 

—agent  of  Shawnee  Indians  li 
Abbott,  Wilbur  U.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society ..     .                 

—member  State  Historical  Society i 

Abel,  Dan 3( 

Abell,  P.  T 472,  473,  4f 

Abeona 31 

Abeond 31 

Abernathy,  J.   L  4; 

Abilene,  attempt  to  inaugurate  a  reign 
of  good  government  in  .  5^ 

—first  shipping  point  for  Texas  cattle, 
1867...  

—incorporated  September  6,  1869 

—Thomas  James  Smith,  marshal  of  , . . 

—Wild  Bill,  city  marshal  of 

AbnerO'Neal. .' 

Abolition  boats 

Abolitionist  on  Missouri  river  boat  de- 
scribed by  H.  Clay  Pate 

Abolitionists  said  to  be  covpards.. ..  139, 

Abolitionists  on   board  the  Star  of  the 

West  refused  permission  to  land  at 

Weston,  Mo 

Abrams,  T.  T..  

Absten, ,  of  New  Santa  Fe 

Acknowledgment 

Acreage  of  cultivated  lands  in  Kansas  .. 

" Ad  Antra  per  Aspera" 

Adams,  Mr.=. ,  in  the  Seneca  nation.. 

Adams,  D.  C 300, 

Adams,  Franklin  G...  162,  195,  302,  319, 
5U6,  521,  553, 

—secretary   State  Historical   Society, 

Adams,  Henry  J 

-first  free-state  mayor  of  Leavenworth, 
—territorial  claim  commissioner 

Adams,  J.  B 

— life  member  State  Historical  Society, 

Adams,  J.  W     

Adams,  Miss  Zu iv,  v, 

Addenda  and  errata 

Adeiia,  steamboat  on  Kansas  river 

Adjutant-general  of  Kansas  turns  over 
certain  papers  to  the  archives  depart- 
ment of  the  Historical  Society 

Adkius,  Julia  L.  

Administration,  public. 

Administrations  of  John  P.  St  John, 
Georgn  W.  Qlick,  and  Lyman  U. 
Humphrey     378,395, 

Adobe  wails,  Indian  fight  at 

Admiral  (No.  1) 297. 

Admiral  (No.  2) 293,  297. 

Admiral  (No.  3) 

Advertising  methods  of  T.  C.  Henry 

Ady,  J.  W 

Aelen,  Father , 

Agent,  state 

Aggie 

Agnes  297, 

Agnes  City 

Agricultural  College  Experiment  Sta- 
tion, Hays  City 

Agricultural  organization,  Farmers'  Al- 
liance iu  Texas  .   ..  

Agriculturiil  products  of  Kansas... 

Agricultural  Wheel  and  Farmers'  Alli- 
ance merged  at  Birmingham,  Ala  ,  in 


Agriculture,  State  Board  of 35,  395, 

Ahuaches,  of  Nebraska 

Aiaouas,  Aiaouez,  Ayavois,  Ayoes,  Ayo- 

wois  or  Iowa  Indians 

Ajax 

Akin,  Eugene  L 

Akins,  C.  G 

Alabama,  emigrants  from,  on  board  the 

Star  of  the  West 

— Farmers'  Alliance  in. . 

— lack    of    support   given    pro-slavery 

cause  in  Kansas  

— negroexodus  from,  1879  

—settlers  from,  in  Kansas,  in  1855  and 

1856 

in  1860-1900 

Alabama  river.. 297, 

Alaska  people  living  in  Kansas,  1870-1900, 
Albemarle,  sunk  by  William  Barker  Gush- 


ing 


Albuquerque,  N.  M 

Alcohol  on  the  Hartford 

Alderdice  .  

Aldridge,  Rev.  Reuben,  teacher  at  Peoria 

mission 

Aleonia 

Alert ; 

Alert  bend  of  the  Missouri  river    . . .  269, 

Alert,  Camp 

Alex  Kendall 

Alexander  Majors,  Kansas  and  Missouri 

river  boat 297,  b06,  319, 

Alexanderwohl,  Mennonite  village,  Rus- 
sia  

Alexandrovsk,  Russia 

Algoma 

Algomar 

Algonquin  Indians 

—allies  of  French.  .  

-engaged  in  Pontiac's  war,  1762 

—territory  occupied  by 

Algonquin  word  for  log  canoe,  Missouri, 

Alice  (No. 1) 297, 

Alice  (  No.  2  J 297,  305, 

Alice  Gray  

Aliens,  non-resident,  rights  to  real  estate 

in  Kansas  restricted 

Allen,  Colonel  .  

Allen  &  Gilmore,  of  Lawrence 

Allen,  Judge  C.  H 

Allen,  E.  B 

Allen,  H 

Allen,  J.  L 

Allen,  store  of  Jim  and  Andy 512, 

Allen,  Lyman 

-«fcCo 

.411en,Robert  J.,  teacher  of  public  school, 

R(>ed«ir  float,  Douglas  county 233, 

Allen,  Tom      

Allen  county 468,  472,  473,  475, 

map 

—relief  received  by  in  1861 

Allen's  revolver 

Alliance  assists  in  formation  of  People's 

Party,  1890 

Alliance  decides  to  divide  no  longer  on 

party  lines,  March  25,  1890 

Alliniice  Movoiuent  iu  Kansas,  bv  W.  F. 

Ki^ht.nire 

Alliauco  platform  of  Kansas  submitt'  d  to 

Kansas  senators  and  congressmen  iu 

1889 

Alma.. iv,  V, 


(585) 


586 


General  Index. 


Aloae 297, 

Alonzo  Child , 293,297, 

Alton   '. 

Alton,   111 142, 

—attempt  to  establish  line  of  steam- 
ers between  Leavenworth,  Lawrence 

and  .       335, 

—painting  on  rock  on  bank  of  Missis- 
sippi river  near 

Amanda 297, 

Amaranth 

Amaranth  (  No.  1 ) 

Amaranth  (  No.  2) , 

Amazon 

Amazonia 

Amazonia,  Mo 

Amazonia  bend,  near  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  314, 

A m balance  used  by  Little  Raven 

Amelia 

Amelia  Poe 

Amendments   to  constitution,  dates  of 

and  votes  on  adoption  of 

—dates  of  and  votes  on  rejection  of 

America 

American   Board  of  Commissioners  for 

Foreign  Missions,  work  among  the 

Indians  in  Kansas..  ..21,  160,  166,  248, 

American  Chief  creek,  Shawnee  county.. 

American  Chief's  village,  location  of,  196, 

—on  map,  in  No.  4,  Shawnee  county. .. 

American  citizenship,  fraudulent  method 

of  securing 

American  Fur  Company 212,  299, 

574. 
American  Fur  Company's  boat  Antelope, 

—  Assmiboine 

—  Diana 

-Elk     

—  Malta.. 

—Otter 

—St.  Peters 

— Trapper 

—Yellowstone 

—competitors 

—list  of  steamboats  owned  by 280, 

283, 

—trading  house  on  Canville  creek. . 
American  Fur  Trade  of  the  Far  West,  by 
H.M.Chittenden.  295,308, 

American  Missions  to  the  Heathen,  His- 
tory of,  by  Spooner  &  Rowland,  1840, 

A  ineric'in  Nonconformist,  Winfleld 

American  Philosophical  Society 

Ammons,  J.  W 

Amur  valley,  Russia  

Anabaptists 

Ananias  Club,  Topeka 47, 

Anarchists,  Videttes  branded  as,  by  Re- 
publican party 

Anawan 

Anderson,  Col. ,  correspondent  of  New 

YoTk  Ilrrald.. 
Anderson,  Bill 433,459,  464, 

—and  his  gang  in  Morris  county,  1862.. 

Anderson,  David..  

Anderson,  Mrs.  Edna 

Audnrson,  Rev.  John,  letter  regarding  his 

missionary   work   among  the   Wyan- 

dots  at  Lower  Sandusky,  Ohio,  1805.. 

Anrlerson,  John,  Pottawatomie  Indian.. 

Anderson,  John  A.  

—favored  n-ivigation  of  Kansas  river. . 

—origin  of  population  of  Kansas 

.\nderson,  Mary  A.,  Pottawatomie  Indian, 
Anderson,  Peter,  Pottawatomie  Indian.. 
Anderson,  Thos.  J..  367, 

— director  State  Historical  Society. . .. 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

Anderson,  Rev.  William  C 

Anderson,  William  J 

iuderson  county 472,  473, 

—first  schools  of  ...  

—  relief  received  by,  in  1861... . 
Andrew,  Bishop  James  O..   172,  174,  179, 


Andrew,  Gov.  J.  A.,  Massachusetts..  370, 

Andrew  county,  Missouri 

Andrew  S.  Bennett 

Andrews,  Col.  George.  

Animals  of  Kansas  in  1859  

Anna  Lee  

Annals  of  Kansas 

Annual  meeting  of  Historical  Society, 
Addresses  before,  1904 

Annual  Register  of  Indian  Afifairs,  by 
Isaac  McCoy. 165, 

Antelope  (No.  1),  American  Fur  Com- 
pany boat  283, 

Antelope  (  No.  2) 

Antelope  in  northwest  Kansas 

Anthony,  Annie  J.  

Anthony,  Col.  Daniel  R...  423,  459, 

Anthony,  D.  R.,  jr.,  life  member  of  State 
Historical  Society 

Anthony,  George  T 129,  378, 

391,  417, 

Anthony,  Scott  J 

Anthony,  Susan  B 

Anthony,  Wayne 

Anti-discrimination  law 

Antoine,  a  Frenchman  with  Bourgmonr, 

Antrem,  C 

Antrim,  Ireland 

Anville's  map  of  1752 

Apaches  in  Indian  Territory,  1881 

Apple  trees  at  Harmony  Mission,  Mo  ... 

Apple  trees  at  Shawnee  Mission.. 

Appropriations,  disbursemeutof,  foredu- 
cational  institutions 

Appropriations  for  current  expenses, 
constitutional  amendment  regard- 
ing   

Arabia,  Missouri  river  boat 298, 

Arabian .        

Arago,  Neb..  

Arago,  boat,  see  Felix  X.  Aubrey 

Arapahoe  county,  relief  received  in  1861, 

Arapahoe  Indian  agency,  Indian  Terri- 
tory .... .391, 

—chief  Little  Raven 

—employed  by  Mennonites 

Acheologist,  Geo.  J.  Remsburg 

Archer.  

Archer,  Thomas 

Archimedes     

Archives  department.  Historical  Society, 
388, 

Argentine,  on  Shawnee  reserve 

Argonaut.  

Arickaree,  battle  of 

—monument  erected    on    Beecher    Is- 
land to  the  memory  of 

Arid  regions,  lands  of 109, 

Arikara  Indians 266, 

—smallpox  among 

—village     ...   .        

—visited  by  the  French  in  1734        ..     . 

Arizona  people  living  in  Kansas,  1870-'00, 

Arkansas,  Farmers'  Alliance  in 

Arkansas  settlers  in  Kansas,  1855,  1860- 
1900  507, 

Arkansas,  troops  from,  under  General 
Fagan  in  the  Price  raid 

Arkansas,  Missouri  river  boat 

Arkansas  Indians  243,  245, 

Arkansas  Post,  battle  of 

Arkansas  river 340, 

—crossed  by   Du  Tisne  in  going  to  the 

Pawnees  in  the  Indian  Territory,  2.53, 

—exploring  trips  of  Fremont,  Gunnison 

and  Aubrey  up  the  valley  of,  559,  560, 

—mouth  of,  visited  by  Marquette  and 

Joliet. 

—portage  of,  to  Missouri,  mentioned 

by  Gravier  

— Santa  Fe  trail  on  

—to  be  joined  to  Smoky  Hill  by  canal 

at  Great  Bend 

— visited  by  Marquette 


General  Index. 


587 


^Arkansas  and  Saline  rivers,  scout  of  the 

Eighteenth  Kansas  between 444 

Aimes,  Maj.  George  A.,  in  command  of 

Eigrhteenth  Kansas 444.447 

—report  of  engagements  on  the  Prairie 
Dog  between  the  Tenth  U.  S.  cavalry, 
Eighteenth  Kansas  cavalry,  and  the 

Indians,  August,  1867 452 

Armour,  Philip  D.,  investigates  the  negro 

exodus ,385 

Arms,  Fred 469 

Arms  for  Kansas.        ..  ...336,337 

Armstrong,  Eliza,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Armstrong,  John 368 

Arm^trong,  John  M 217,225 

—teacher  of  free  school  among  Wyan- 
dots 235 

—  Wyandot  interpreter 214 

Armstrong,  Mrs.  Lucy  B 86,  214,  216 

218,  224,  225 

—teacher  in  Wyandot  free  school 235 

Armstrong,  Mary,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Armstrong,  Robert,  Wyandot  Indian,  187,  225 

-Armstrong,  Ru-sell  B.  225 

Armstrong,  Sarah,  Ottawa  Indian 188 

Armstrong,  Silas 163,  468 

—portrait  of 216 

—Wyandot  interpreter..   ..   182 

Armstrong,  W 453 

Armstrong,  William  E 225 

A  rmy  and  Navy  Journal 553 

Army  supplies  transported  by  steamboats 

on  Kansas  river 318 

Arny,  W.  F.  M 319,  472,  473,  474 

475,  480,  482 

—captain  of  Lightfoot,  acting  as  chap- 
lain   338,  339 

Arrow 298 

Arrow  Rock,  Mo 300,  304,  308,  310 

A  rro ws  used  by  Indians  in  battle 445 

Arthur,  James  M 55 

Asa  Wilgus 293,  298 

Ashby,  Rev. 200 

Ashland 470 

Ashland  colony  comes  to  Kansas  City  on 

the  Express 302 

Ashland  steamboat 313 

Ashley,  Gen.  W.  H 312 

Ashle.v,  W.  H.,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

—fur  company  boat 283 

Asiatic  cholera  281 

Asmussen,  Mrs.  EUie 551 

Asmussen,  William 551 

Assiniboine  Indians,  smallpox  among. ..  242 
Assiniboine,  steamer  on  the  upper  Mis- 
souri in  1833 281,  283,  298 

Astor,  John  Jacob 273 

Astor  library.  New  York 535 

Astoria,  fur  company  boat  283,  298 

Astoria  chute 298 

A.storia  trading-post. .  273 

Atcansas  or  Arkansas  river 2.53,  254 

Atchison,  David  R..  ..    137.  138,  139,  141,  338 

—author  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill, 

120,  121,  122 

—favors  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri 
compromise 119,   120 

— Parkville  Luminary' s  report  of  his 
address  at  Atchison,  September,  1854,  121 

—  rebuked  by  Governor  Geary  ...     141 

—senatorial  campaign  of  1854  .   121 

Atchison,  Geo.  W 297 

Atchison.,  iv,  v,  121,  297,  298,  300,  301,  303 
307,309.  312,  313,  295,  468,  472,  534,  577 
—and  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  railroad,  374 
—A.  B.  Chambers  sunk  at  . .  582 
—extension  of  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  rail- 
road to 476,  478 

—metropolitan  police  422 

—mob    prevents    General    Lane    from 

speaking  at,  in  October,  1857 142 

—pro-slavery  citizens  of,  give  up  pro- 
slavery  contest 142 


Atchison,  relief  depot  for  Kansas  drought 

sufferers  of  1860    .         4al,  482 

—relief  goods  shipped  from,  on  Kansas 

Valley,  1861 351 

Atchison  C/i«TO^)!on 295 

Atchison  county,  366,  472,  473,  475,  476,  576,  577 

-cyclone  in        518 

—early  points  of  note  in 565 

map   576 

— Kickapoo  reservation  in 207 

—relief  received,  in  1861 484 

Atchison  &  Pike's  Peak  railroad 373 

475,  476 
— contest  in  the  Kansas  legislature  re- 
garding the  eastern  terminus  of..  479 
—rails  for,  reach  Atchison  from  Browns- 
ville, Pa 312 

Atchison,  Topeka  «fe  Santa  Fe  railroad..   144 
190,  407,  475,  476,  480,  485,  561,  571,  581 
— A.E.  Touzalin,managerof  land  grant,  487 
—Edward  Grafstrom,  chief  of  mechan- 
ical engineers  of 497 

—shops 495 

Aten,  Henry  J.,  member  State  Historical 

Society  iv 

Atherton.O.  L 367 

Atkinson,  Col.  Henry 309,  311 

—Yellowstone  expedition  of,  1819..  277,  278 

Atlanta  campaign 416,455 

Aubrey,  Felix  X.,  discovers  a  third  route 

to  Santa  Fe     557,561 

-famous  ride  from  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,to 

Westport,  Mo.  302 

—killed  in  a  drunken  brawl     302 

—sketch  of,  by  W.  R.  Bernard 561 

Aubrey,  F.  X.,  Missouri  river  boat...  293,  582 

Aubrey,  Johnson  county,  Kansas  ...  433,  515 

517 

Auburn 469 

Auburndale,  suburb  of  Topeka 212 

Audubon,  John  James,  and  party  go  up 
the    Missouri    river    in    1843  on   the 

Omega  308 

Auglaize  county,  Ohio 164 

Augusta,  Mo .  298 

Augusta  bend,  below  Washington,  Mo., 

269,  299,  301,  302,  307 
Auguste  creek,  now  Ogeese  creek,  Neosho 

county 26 

Auld,  Dan  C  130 

Austin,  Mo  517 

Australia.  298 

Austrian  emigrants  in  Kansas        488 

Austrian  emigration  to  Kansas,  efforts 

to  secure 495 

Autrechaha  or  Osage  Indians 246 

Aux  Vasse,  near  Portland,  Mo 266,  307 

Avitrnon,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 256 

Ayavois  or  Iowa  Indians  250 

Ayres,  E.  W.,  letter  to  Kansas  adjutant- 
general  regarding  Indian  hostilities 

in  northwest  Kansas,  1874 42 

Azof,  Sea  of 488 


Babcock,  Gen.Carmi  W.   339,  473 

Bachelor  313 

Backus,  Rev.  W.  M 126 

Bacon,  A 473 

Bacon,  Frank 395 

Bacon,  H.  D.,  Missouri  river  boat 314 

Bad  river.  South  Dakota.  280 

Badger,   Rev.   Joseph,   letter    regarding 
wars  between  Wyandots  and  Senecas,    75 

—missionary  to  Wyandot.- 81 

Badgers 8 

Bailey,  Luther  C,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society iv 

Bailey,  Gov.  Willis  J 116 

Baird,  James 568 

Baker, ,  captain  of  the  Delaware  . .     300 

Baker,   ,   president    First    National 

Bank,  New  York  411 

Baker  &  Street,  Westport  merchants 564 


588 


General  Index. 


Baker,  A.  I  469 

—killed  by  Bill  Anderson 571 

Baker,  C,  captain  of  steamboat  Minne- 
haha     287 

Baker,  Capt.  Charles. 535 

Baker,  Charles  K.,  jr 324 

Baker,  Capt.  Charles  K.,  sr 297,  300,  310 

318,  322 

—death  of 324 

Baker,  Mrs.  C.  K 322 

Haker,  Miss  Eliza  A..  ....202,234 

Baker,  Floyd  P.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society .  v 

—member  of  relief  committee  of  I860.. . 

483,  484 

Baker,  H.  W 352 

Baker,  Sergt.  John  W 434 

Baker,  Nat  L 43 

Baker,  T.  H 366 

Baker,  Thomas 303,309 

Baker,  W.  H.,  captain  of  the  Admiral...  582 

Baker,  William ,   310 

Baker  University,  Baldwin 19 

Bakery  at  Westport 564 

Baldwin, ,  master  of  the  E.  A.  Osden..  301 

Ball,  Warwick  & 509 

Ball's  Mill,  battle  of 457 

Ballard,  D.  E 411 

Ballard,  Robert  E 311 

Balloon 298 

Ballot-box  stuffers 324 

Ballstown,  now  Little  Osage,  Mo 247 

Baltrice,  James,  Shawnee  Indian..   .  188 

Bancroft.  E.  P..     469,  473.  474 

Bangor,  Me,  cattle  imported  through, 
bring  foot-and-mouth  disease  to  Kan- 
sas       - 406 

Bangs,  Rev.  Nathan      171 

Bank  commissioner,  creation  of  .     .         419 
Bankhead,  Col.  Henry  C,  comes  to  the 
rescue  of  Forsyth's  command  ..  453 

Banks,  A.  R.  366 

Banks,  Gov.  Nathaniel  P 13n 

Banks,  S.  ...  313 

Banks,  constitutional  amendment  1861...  38'i 

Banner  State 298 

Bannock  rity.  313 

Banns  of  Hartman  Lichtenhan  and  Kate 

Foster 550 

Baptist  Indian  Missions,  History  of,  by 

Rev.  Isaac  McCoy.  . .  160 

Baptist  mission  among  the  Pottawato- 
mies,  location  of .  213,  573 

on  map,  in  No.  2,  Shawnee  connty,  576 

—among  the  Shawnees,  location  of,  161,  569 

on  map,  in  No.  1,  Johnson  county,  576 

Baptist   mission    press,    Indian     books 

printed  on  170 

Baptist  missions  in  Kansas   160,  524 

Bar«da,  Antoine        251 

Barber,  Senator  Oliver     .     363.  366,  375,  473 
Barber,  Thomas  W.,  burial  of,  Whittier's 

verses  on     . . .  360 

Barber  county,  patrol  guard  in 390 

—Dull  Knife's  raid  through 388.  578 

map  of  route..  576 

Barclay,  C.  M 470 

Bardstown,  Ky 275 

Baricklow,  Henry    ...    473 

Bark'-r,  Capt.  Edgar  A        443,  444 

—goes  to  the  relief  of  Jenness's  com- 
mand          452 

Barker,  George  J..  367 

Barker,   Rev.  J.,  Methodist  missionary 

to  the  Wyandot  Indians..  221 

—missionary  to  the  Delawares 229 

Barker,  R.  A,,  secretary  of  state  ....  364,  411 

Barker,  T.J 468 

Barnes, ,  master  of  the  Columbian. . .  300 

Barnes,  M 364 

Barnes,  Mrs.  M 19 

Barnes,  Miss  Maggie 19 

— verses  to  Father  Ponziglione 30 

Barnet,  Cassius,  Shawnee  Indian  187 


Barnet,  Charles,  Shawnee  Indian 

Barnet,  Nancy,  Shawnee  Indian 

Barnet,  William,  Shawnee  Indian . 

Barnett,   William,  teacher  at  Wyandot 

mission 229, 

Barns,  Chancy  R.,  Commonwealth  of  Mis- 
souri   

Barrett,  A.  G 

Barrows, .captain  of  the  Silver  Heels, 

Barry,  Abraham 

Barry  county,  Missouri 

Bart,  Able.  

Bartell  House,  Junction  City 

Bartholomew  county,  Indiana 

Bartles,  Jacob  

Bartles,  Joseph  A 

Bartles,  Theodore  

Bartlett,  A.  B 

Bartlett,  D.  A 

Bartlett.  W.  K.     . .  363, 

Bartlett,  William,  biographical  sketch, 
Barton,  David,  United  States  senator.. . 

Barton,  John  T..     

Barton  county 574, 

— Pawnee  road  in 

— points  of  note  in 

map 

Bartram  

Bashman  (see  Beauchemie),  Mackinaw.. 
Batchelor,  F.  Y.,  Missouri  river  boat 

Bateau 268, 

— description  of 

Bateman,  Camp    

Bates  ciiunty,  Missouri 

—difficulties  of  free-state  men  in. 
Bates's  wood-yard,  below  Hermann,  Mo., 
298,  304,  311, 

B.-iton  Rouge,  La 

Batsell,  J.  C 

Battle  creek,  Lincoln  county,  naming  of, 

battle  of  Glasgow,  Mo. .  

Buttle  of  the  Blue,  monument  to  Kansins 

soldiers  participating  in 

Battle  of  the  Little  Big  Horn 

Battle  of  the  Spurs,  location  of 

Battles  of  the  civil  war 

Bauserman,  J.  P 

Bax,  Rev.  Father  John 21, 

Baxter,  June 

Baxter  Springs  massacre 

Bay  State  . 

Bay liss  resolution 

Bayne,  J.G 

Bayne,  Thomas  R 195, 

Bayou  Bartholomew,  Louisiana 

Bayou  La  Fourche,  Louisiana 

Bayou  Sara,  Louisiana 

Beabout, ,  captain  of  the  Gem 

Beale,  Capt.  E.   F.,  Western  expedition 

with  G.  H.  Heap,  1853. 

Bear  creek,  Missouri 

Bear  River  riot,  Wyoming 528, 

Beard,  Sam 514, 

Beardsley , ,  ruffianly  conduct  of 

Beasley,  Capt.  Benjamin  F 

—captain  of  Col.  Gus  Linn 346, 

348, 
Beauchemie,   Mackinaw,    interpreter  at 

the  Chippewa,  Wea  and  Sac  mission, 
—interpreter    to    the   Pottawatomies, 

sketch  of..    . .  

Beauchemie,  Martha 

Beauchemie,  Mrs.  Mary 

Beauchemie,  Wm.   ...  

Beaumont,  Thomas,  county  attorney  of 

Norton  county 

Beaurain,  Le  Chevalier  de,  quoted    

Beaver 8,  16, 

Beaver,  battle  of,  1878 

Beaver  Creek,  battle  of,  by  George  B.  Jen- 

ness .  .■ 

—was  in  reality  on  Prairie  Dog  creek.. 
Beaver  creek.  Dull  Knife's  raid  on 

map 


General  Index. 


589 


'Beaver  creek,  named  for  the  prevalence 

of  the  animal  upon  it 13 

Beaver-tail  soup 41 

Beckers,  Robert 309 

Beckwith,  Lieut.  E.  W.,  of  the  Gunnison 

expedition 561 

Bedford 298 

Bedford  (No.  2) 313 

Bee 298,  318,  324 

Keebe,  George  M.,  473.  474,  475,  478,  479,  480 
Beecher,  Lieut.  Fred   H.,  killed  at  the 

battle  of  the  A  rickaree 453 

Beecher  Island  monument 453 

—cut  of 454 

Beers,  ,  master  of  the  Mary  Tomp- 
kins   306 

Beggs,  William  J.,  printer,  account  of, 

by  Geo.  W.  Martin 535 

Behan,  W.  J.,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Belfast,  Ireland.  340 

Belfry  hill,  Council  Grove 233 

Belgian  colony  at  Kansas  City  in  1849....  282 

Belgian  priest 20 

Belgium,  citizens  of,  living  in  Kansas  in 

1855 508 

Bell,  Henry 513,  514 

Bell, James 505 

Bell  of  steamboat  Saluda  in  Christian 

church,  Savannah,  Mo 288 

Belie  Creole 298 

Belle  of  Jefferson 313 

Belle  of  St.  Louis 298 

Belle  Peoria    313 

Belle  St.  Louis 313 

Belle  Vernon 351 

Bellefontaine  bend 300,  305,  307 

Bellemont.  298 

Bellerive,  Louis  St.  Ange  de. .   310 

Bellevue,  Neb..  308,314 

Keioit,  Mitchell  county 5,    43 

Belt,  Francis  T.,  captain  of  the  Saluda,  288 

Belt  river,  Montana 308 

Ben  Bolt     298 

Ben  Johnson 298,313 

Ben  W.  Lewis,  steamboat,  Capt.  T.   H. 

Brierly 287,  299,  305,  582 

Ben  West 299 

Bender  family,  murders  committed  by.        29 
Benedict,  L.  M.,  engrossing  clerk  of  sen- 
ate of  186.5-'66 364 

Benedict,  S.  S 367 

Benefiel,  F.  M 368 

Bennett  .  . .  ...  299 

Bennett, ,  captain  of  the  Yellowstone, 

1833     .     281,  282,  313 

Bennett,  ,    master   of   the  Missouri 

(No  4) 306 

Bennett,  A.  S.,  American  Fur  Company 

boat 283,  298 

Bennett,  Abram 364 

Bennett,  Dr.  E.  J 468 

Benson,  A.  W 367 

Bent,  Charles 564 

Bent,  George 72,  564 

Bent,  Robert     564 

Bent,  Col.  William 10,    72 

—and  family 564 

Bent's  Fort 564,  576 

Br-nton  313 

Benton  (No.  1) 299 

Bi.nton  (No.  2) 299 

B.'uton  (No.  3) 299 

BiMitou,  S.  O ni 

Beutou,  Senator  Thomas  H 309,  560 

—  Pacific  railroad  hobby  of 563 

Bentonville,  battle  of 416 

Berdiansk,  wheat  port  of  Mennonites. ..  489 


Bernard, ,  master  of  Boreas  (No.  2) ..  299 

Bernard,  William  R.,  i)aper  on  Westport 

and  the  Santa  Fe  Trade 552 

Bi'rry.  Dick 517 

Berry,  T.  J  90 

Berry's  Landing 307,  311 


Berry  man.  Rev.  Jerome  C 179,  204, 

215,  569, 
— death  of,  action   of  general  confer- 
ence of  M.  E.  Church  South  on 

—portrait  of    

—superintendentof  the  Shawnee  Metho- 
dist manual-labor  school 174, 

—teacher  at  Kickapoo  mission —  226, 
—teacher  at  Shawnee  Mission  manual- 
labor  school 

— missionary  to  the  Kansas  Indians! .. 
—missionary  to  Kickapoo  Indians 

Berry  man,  Mrs.  Mary  C 191,  208, 

Bertha 299, 

Bertram,  G.  Webb,  member  State  His- 
torical Society iv, 

Bertrand 

Bert  rand — 

Bertrand's  bend,  at  Portage  La  Force, 
Nebraska 269, 

Bessarabia,  province  of,  Russia.. 

Bessemer  irrigating  ditch,  Pueblo,  Colo., 

Bethel  College,  Newton 

Betts,  J.  B  

Between-the-Logs,;Wyandot  chief,  por- 
trait of 

Betz,  Dr.  I.  H.,  member  State  Historical 
Society 

Beuhring,  F.  G.  L 

Be wley,  Anthony 

Bibles  presented  to  Missouri  river  steam- 
boats by  missionary  societies 

Bickerton,  Capt.  Thomas 

Biddle,  W.  R        

Biennial  election  in  Kansas,  constitu- 
tional amendment        

Biennial  election  of  members  of  the  leg- 
islature, constitutional  amendmeat 
providing  for  the  . 

Biennial  sessions  of  legislature,  consti- 
tutional amendment  providing  for  .. 

Bienville,  Jean  Baptiste  le  Moyne,  Sieur 
de,  French  commandant  at  New  Or- 
leans     252,  259,  2H7, 

Big  Blue  river 259,  328,  572, 

—claim  of  Osborne,  pro-slavery  man. 


—declared  unnavigable  by  legislature 
of  1864.  ....  ... 

— Kaw  village  near  mouth  of.   .     

Big  Blue  river,  Missouri     ..  259,  440,  517, 

Big  cr«ek,  Ellis  county 

Big  creek,  Missouri 

Big  eddy  in  the  Missouri  river  near  St. 
Charles,  Mo.  

Big  Hank,  Abilene  cowboy 

Big  Hatchie 

Big  Horn  (  No.  1)  fur  company  boat,  283, 

Big  Horn  (No.  2) 299, 

Big  Horn  (No.  3) 

Big  Horn  (  No.  4) 

Big  John  creek,  Morris  county 

Big  Knife  river,  North  Dakota 

Big  Osage.     See  Grand  Osage. 

Big  River,  George,  Wyandot  Indian 

Big  Sandy,  Colorado 

Big  Sioux  . 

Big  Spring,*,  Douglas  county 

Big  Stranger,  Leavenworth  county,  353, 

Big  Sugar  creek,  Linn  county 

BigTarkio  ..  

Big  Timbers,  Arkansas  river 

Big  Track,  Osage  chief .  

Big  Tree,  James,  Wyandot  exhorter 

Bigelow,  Lucy 

Bigelow,  Rev.  Russell        

—missionary  to  the  Wyandots  .  . . 

Bigger,  L.  A.,  life  member  of  State  His- 
torical Society 

Biglin,  George 

Bill  of  rights,  Kansas — 

Billings,  J.  B 

Bingham,  Col.  J.  D 

Birch-bark  canoe 257,  268, 


590 


General  Index. 


Bird,  A.  C,  Missouri  river  boat 297 

Birmiugham,  Ala I 

Bishop,  George  S 367 

Bishop,  R.  M.,  Missouri  river  boat 309 

Bishop,  Robert  H  ,  biography  of 12 

Bishop,  Rev.  William,  biography  of..     . .     12 

Bishop 299,  313 

Bismarck,  N.  Dak....    264,  267,  291,  298,  301 
313,  314,  316 
Bismarck,  Northern  Pacific  railroad,  at, 

1873 294 

Bissell, ,  captain  of  steamboat  Peer- 
less      287,  308 

Bissell, ,  master  of  the  New  St.  Paul,  307 

Bissell,  J.  J 310 

Bissell,  John 367 

Bissell's  Point,  Mississippi  river 346 

Black,  Jeremiah  S 146 

BlackHawk.   299 

Black  Hawk  war .  3i2 

BlackHills 313,560 

Black  Hoof,  Shawnee  Indian     184 

Black  River  Bridge,  battle  of 416 

Black  Robe,  name  given  by  Indians  to 

priests.  20 

Blackbird  Hills,  Neb 315 

Blackfeet  Indians   266 

— smallpox  among 242 

Blackflsh,  Shawnee  chief 170,  212 

Blackflsh,  Hiram ....   189 

Blackiston, ,  captain  of  the  Nebraska 

City 307 

Blackiston, ,masterof  the  Tidy  Adula,  311 

Blacismar,  Frank  W.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society  .       v 

—History  of  the  Desert,  address  before 
the  Historical  Society,  December  5, 

1905 ..     101 

—member  State  Historical  Society      .     iv 

Blacksnake  Hills 290,  293 

Blaine,  James  G  45 

-andLogan 378,393 

Blair, ,  of  St.  Louis 464 

Blair,  Gen.  Charles  W 22 

Blair,  E.  K 395 

Blair,  Gen.  Frank  P 297,  304,  3U9 

Blair,  Henry  W 386 

Blair,  Neb 298 

Blake,  F.  N 468 

Blakely,  William  S 363,  367 

Blatchley,  Lewis 469 

Bledsoe's  battery 457 

Blees,  Harry  ^ 306 

Blizzards  in  northwest  Kansas 36 

Blodgett,  Mr. 107 

Blood,  Rev. .  347 

Blood,  James 475 

Bloody  Bridge,  Wyandots  at  battle  of,  in 

1763..     79 

Blossom,  H.  M.,  clerk  of  steamer  Polar 

Star 581 

Blount,  ,  captain  of  the  E.   M.  Ry- 

land 301 

Blount, ,  master  of  the  Edinburgh. ..  301 

Blue,  R.  W 367 

Blue  Hills,  on  the  Solomon  river 43 

Blue  Lodge,  pro-slavery  order 139 

Blue  Rapids    iv 

Blue  river 298 

Blue  river,  the  Gasconade  in  Missouri. ..  253 

Blue  Water  creek,  Nebraska 548 

Blue  Wing. ....   299 

Bluejacket,  famous  war  chief  of  Shaw 

nees 

Bluejacket,  Rev.  Charles,  search  for  the 

grave  of  the  Shawnee  prophet 164 

—  portrait  of 183 

-sketch  of 182-184,206 

Bluejacket,  Emily,  Shawnee  Indian.  ...  188 
Bluejacket,  Robert,  Shawnee  Indian —  187 
Bluejacket,  Sally,  1st,  Shawnee  Indian..  188 
Bluejacket,  Sally,  2d,  Shawnee  Indian  ..  188 
Bluejacket,  Sally,  3d,  Shawnee  Indian  .  .  189 
Bluejacket,  Stephen,  Shawnee  Indian.      187 


182 


Bluejacket,  Susan,  Shawnee  Indian 

Bluejacket,  Thomas,  Shawnee  Indian. .. 
Blackjacket's  crossing  of  the  Wakarusa, 

Bluff  City 

Blunt,  Gen.  James  G.     .  435, 

Boachman,  Mackinaw.   See  Beauchemie, 
Mackinaw. 

Boarman,  J.  G   . . .  

Boashman,  son  of  Chief  . .    

Boat  insurance 

Boating  on  Kaw  river,  1859 

"  Bob  Ruly,"  or  Bois  Brule ..   . 

Boggs,  Scott  &,  of  Westport  — 

Boggs,  Gov.  Lilburn  W 

Bois  Brule 

Bois  Brule  Sioux,,       

Boisbriant,  Pierre   Dugue,  French  com- 
mander at  Kaskaskia..    252, 

Boles,  Charles,  teacher  at  Shawnee  Mis- 
sion manual-labor  school  and  among 

the  Delawares  and  Kickapoos 

230, 

Bolinger,  Wiley 

Bolmar,  C.  P 

Bond.  R.  F 

Bondi,  August     

—came  to  Kansa.s  on  the  Polar  Star.. .. 
—member  State  Historical  Society  — 

Bone-pickers  on  plains 

Bonebrake,  J.  H 

Bonebrake,  P.  I 

—auditor  of  state 392, 

Bonhomme,  S.  Dak. . . 
Bonhomme  bend  of  the  Missouri  river. . . 
Bonhomme  island,  Missouri..    .  297,  302, 
311,  312, 
Bonhomme  island.  South  Dakota.. .  311, 

Bonne  Femme 

Bonne  Femrae  creek,  Missouri 

Bonneau,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 

Bonner  Springs,  trading-post  of  Francis 
and  C\  prian  Chouteau,  on  site  of  . . 

Bonnett,  Mrs.  W.  H 

Bonneville,  Capt.  Benjamin  L.  E.,  West- 

er[i  expedition  of 

Bononcini,  Very  Rev.  E.  .  

Boom  period  in  Kansas,  1884-'88 

Boone,  Col.  A.  G  ...  

—sketch  of,  by  William  R.  Bernard .... 
—and  Bernard,  William  R.,  at   West- 
port..   

Boone,  Daniel 194,198, 

Boone,  Col.  Daniel  Morgan  193, 

—farmer  for  Kansas  Indians 

Boone,  Mrs.  Sarah  E 

Boone  county,  Missouri,  cholera  in  — 

Boone  Town,  Colo    .  

Boonslick,  Missouri  river  boat       ...   299, 

Boonslick    settlement,    near    Boonville, 

Mo.,  the  first  Anglo-American  on  the 

Missouri  river 

Boonville ... 

Boonville,  Mo..    ..  280,  299,  300,  301,  302, 
307,  310,  312,  315,  327, 

Boonville  bridge 

Booth,  Francis 

Booth,  John,   member  State  Historical 

Society 

Boras  Institute  of  Technology,  Sweden . . 

Bordeau,  Mons,  arrival  of,  at  Kansas  City 

with  first  news  of  gold  at  Pike's  Peak, 

Border  ruffians,  rumor  of  their  intention 

to  be  present  at  the  dispersion  of  the 

Topeka  legislature 

Border  tier        

Border  toughs 

Border  War,  Black-flag  Character  of,  pa- 
per by  Capt.  H.  E.  Palmer 

Boreas  (  No.  1) 

Boreas  (  No.  2  t 

Boreas  (  No.  3) 

Boscnm,  Mrs.  Ruth  P.,  memoir  of  Mrs. 

Samuel  C.  Pomeroy ,  by 

Boshman,  Annie 


General  Index. 


591 


Boshman,  Mackinaw  (see  Beauchemie). . 

Boss  busters ..    

an,  a  mate  of  a  keel-boat 

political,  in   Kansas  territorial 

history 127,  132, 

Bossman  (see  Beauchemie) 

Boston,  Mass 

Boston  mountains,  Arkansas 

—battle  of 

Botkin.J.D 414, 

Botkin,  Theodosius 

Boudinot   Presbyterian    mission  among 

the  Osages,  location  of 

—on  map,  in  No.  1,  Neosho  county. 
Boulder  used  as  monument  for  Thomas 

J.  Smith 

Bourassa,  Joseph 

Bourbon  county. 

—history,  by  T.  F.  Robley 

— points  of  note  in 

map   ..  

—relief  received  in  1861 

Bourgment,  Etienne  Venyard,  Sieur  de.. . 
250,  258,  2.59,  265,  310, 

—expedition  to  the  Paducas  in  1724 

— extracts  from  journal. 

—falls  ill  and  returns  to  Fort  Orleans., 
—location  of  route  from  the  Kansas  In- 
dian village  in  Doniphan  county  to 

the  Paducas  in  western  Kansas 

location  of,  on  map 

— ten-year-old  son  of,  accompanies  him 

to  the  Paducas 

Boutwell,  Daniel  W.,  and  his  claim  .... 

Bowie-knives 

Bowker,  W.  E 

Bowling  Green 

Bowling  Crreen  bend,  Missouri..  312, 

Bowling  Green  prairie,  Chariton  county, 

Missouri,  village  on. .  250, 

Bowman,  W    H.,  enrolling  clerk  of  senate 

of  186.=)-'66 

Box-elder  on  Western  plains 

Boyce,  Sam  .  ...  

Boyle, ,  killed  by  Benders 

Boyle,  Joseph 

Brace,  C.  B 

Brackenridge,    H.    M.,  Views  of    Louis- 
iana    273, 

Bradbury,  John,  Travels  in  America 

Bradbury,  Leonard 

Braddock's  army  defeated  in  1755  by  the 
Wyandots,  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  and 

Potta  watomies.. 

Bradford,  J.  H  

Bradford,  Gov.  William..  .       147, 

Bradford's  Atlas  of  United  States,  1838.. 

Bradley,  Lieut.  James  H 

Bradstreet,  Col.  John,  concludes  a  treaty 
of  peace  with  Wyandots  of  Sandusky 

and  other  tribes  in  1764 

Brandley,  Henry  .   

Bransfleld,  Michael. 

Brasseur,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 

Bray,  W.   E.,  member  State  Historical 

Society 

Brazil,  steamboat .  299, 

Brazil,  town  on  Kansas  river 

Breckenridge  county 472,473,474, 

—relief  received  in  1861 

Brent, ,  on  Walnut  creek,  southwest- 
ern Kansas,  in  1843 

Brevator,  Jolin 

Brewer,  Calvin,  tribute  to  Judge  Samuel 

A.Kingman 

Brewer,  David  J  

—  biographical  sketch  of 

—tribute  to  Judge  Kingman..  

Brewer,  Mrs.  Emilia  F..     

Brewer,  Mrs.  Emma  M 

Brewer,  Rev.  Josiah     

Brewer,  Mrs.  Louise  R.. 

Brewster, ,  master  of  the  Cora  (  No. 

2) 


Brewster,  Mrs.  Chloe  K  

Brewster,  Mrs.  Hattie  M 

Brewster,  Marshall 

Brewster,  S.  W.  director  State  Historical 
Society  —  

— member  State  Historical  Society 

—paper  on  Father  Paul  M.  Ponzig- 
lione,  before  the  Historical  Society, 
December  6,  1904 

—sketch  of  

Brewster,  William     

Breyfogle,  L.  W.  

Bribery,  legislation  on,  recommended. .. 

Brick-house  bend  of  the  Missouri  river, 

269,  298,  305,  306, 

Brick-kiln,  of  Topeka,  1856 

Brick-kilns  at  Shawnee  Methodist  mis- 
sion  

Bridgeport 

Bridger,  James 

Bridget,  Mother,  tribute  to,  by  Noble  L. 

Prentis 

Bridging  Kansas  rivers  allowed  by  leg- 
islature of  1864        

Bridging  Missouri  and  Kansas  rivers,  355, 

Brierly,  Capt.  Thomas  H 281,  299, 

304,  307,  308. 

—captain  of  steamboats  Ben  W.  Lewis 
and  Morning  Star.  287,  319,  337, 

—death  of .       . 

—master  of  the  Felix  X.  Aubrey 

Brigade,  crew  of  keel-boat 

Briggs,  L,  M 

Bright  Light  

Bright  Star 

Brindle,  William 

Brinkerhoff,  Jacob  O 

Briscoe,  Representative ,  of  Missouri, 

British,  Fort  Chartres  surrendered  to.. . 

— Iroquois  allies  of    

British- Venezuela  arbitration  tribunal.. 
Broad  Horn,  flatboat  on  Kansas  river. . . 

Brock,  General 

Bronze  tablet  in  honor  of  Edward  Qraf- 
strom  given  to  State  Historical  So- 
ciety          , 

Brooks, ,  master  of  Admiral  (No.  2).. 

Brooks,  Paul  Richmond 141, 

—  director  State  Historical  Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

Brough.  Gov.  John,  of  Ohio  . .  

Brower,  J.  V 237,  524, 

Brown,  Colonel 

Brown,  B.  (iratz 

—appeal  to  steamboat  men  in  behalf  of 

St.  Louis  trade 

Brown,  C.  J 

Brown,  Eldi  idge,  Wyandot  Indian 

Brown,  George,  killed  by  Benders 

Brown,  George  W 

-quoted   

Brown,  J.  D 

Brown,  J.  W.,     469. 

Brown,  Capt.  John...  94,  126,  141,  309. 
362,  385,  461,  4r.2, 

—battle  of  the  Spurs,  location  of 

—money  borrowed  for,  by  E.  B.  Whit- 
man .  

Brown,  John  M 

Brown,  Joseph  C,  surveyor  of  Santa  Fe 

trail 

Brown,  L.  H.  &  Co 

Brown,  Miss  Lucy 

Brown, O.C  473, 

Brown,  Robert 

Brown,  S.  G. 

Brown,  Thomas  B 

Brown,  steamboat 

Brown  county 

— Kickapoo  reservation  in 

—points  of  interest  iu 

map  

-relief  received  in  1861 

Brown  creek,  Jewell  county 


592 


General  Index. 


Browa's  hall,  Junction  City 536 

Browne,  E.  D 469 

Browning,  Rev.  Wesley 179 

—principal  of  Shawnee  Methodist  man- 
ual-labor school,  1840 175 

—teacher  at  Shawnee  Methodist  man- 
ual-labor school 'iZl 

Brownsville,  Neb 313 

Brownsville,  on  the  Ohio  river 305 

Brownsville,  Pa 276,  312,  313 

Brumbaugh,  J.D 364,  411 

Brune,  H.  C 395 

Brunswick,  Mo 269,  312,  314 

Bryan,  A.  S   299 

Bryan,  William  J 62,  582,  583 

— error,  not  presidential  nominee  until 

1896 414  (note  583) 

Bryant,  William  Cullen 54 

Brymner's  Report  on  Canadian  Archives,  264 

Buchan,  W.  J 367 

Buchanan,  George,  sheriff    of    Jackson 

county,  Missouri .553 

Buchanan,  President  James  ...   123,  133,  362 
— intrigue  in  Topeka  convention  of  July 

4,  1856..  543 

—prayer  of  Thaddeus  Hyatt  to 482 

—veto  of  homestead  bill.     ..  ...  485 

Buchaqan,  engine  of  the  H.  &  St.  J.  R.  R.,  301 
Buchanan.  County   and  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 

History  of 287,  295 

Bucher,  J 564 

Buck,  Susan,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Buckeye  street,  Abilene 529 

Bucklin,  J.  A 368 

Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania 308 

Budd,  Charles  P.,  clerk  of  Col.  Qus.  Linn, 

346,  347 
Buddville,   head  of    navigation   on   the 
Kansas  river     ...  .       .  346 

Buffalo 8,  9,  10,  15,  16,  17,  241 

—bone  industry  in  northwest  Kansas..     44 

—herd  on  the  Arkansas  in  1853 554 

— on  the  Solomon  river,  June,  1869.  —     42 
—hides  used  in  construction  of  bull- 
boats      271 

— hunters,  ranches  of. 12 

-hunting,  1719       253 

—meat,  curing  of 40 

— migration  crossing  the  Saline,  spring 

of  1860 15,    17 

—obstruct  navigation  in   upper    Mis- 
souri        316 

— robes 44,253 

—wallows 445 

Buffalo  Bill      318 

—location  of  his  well  in  Rice  county  ..  572 

Buffalo  creek,  .Jewell  county 43 

Buford.  Col.   Jefferson,   effort  to  settle 
his  men  in  Kansas  a  failure     . .  140 

— emigrants  of 139,335 

—emigrants  an  expense  to  Kansas  City,  139 

—expedition  to  Kansas 131 

—and   party   of    Southern    emigrants, 
leave  St.  Louis  for  Kansas  on  board 

the  Keystone 305 

Buford's     men     send     Capt.     William 
Strawn's    free-state   company  down 

the  river  from  Leavenworth 546 

Builder  of  Towns,  name  of  Osage  chief..     26 

Bull  boats,  used  in  fur  trade 271 

Bunker  Hill 299 

Burdick,  Belle 144 

Burials,  Missouri  river 290 

Burk, ,  masterof  theClara(No.2)...  300 

Burke,  ^— ,  captain  of  steamboat  Morn- 
ing Star 287 

Burke, ,  master  of  the  Emily 301 

Burke,M 453 

Burke,  Samuel,  captain  of  E.  Hensley. ..  319 

—captain  of  the  Emilie 352,  353 

-owner  of  Kansas  Valley 351,  3.52 

—pilot  of  the  Helen  Marr 353 

Purlingame,  Anson 303 

Burlingame,  Kan 559,  572,  576 


Burlingame,  Kan.,  map - 

—ferry  on  Santa  Fe  road 

Burlington 

— threatened  assault  on  by  Cherokees 
and  southern  Osages 

Burnett's  mound,  Shawnee  county 

Burns,  Fielding 

Burns,  Ross 53, 

Burris,  Capt. ,  of  the  A.  C.  Bird.. 

Burris,  JohnT 52,  53,  366,  378, 

Burtis,  A.  H.,  member  State  Historical 
Society 

Burton, J. R 

Bnschow,  Charles. 

Bushman,  Alexander  (see,  also,  Beauche- 
mie) 

Bushwhackers  of  western  Missouri..  433, 

—treatment  of  the  family  of  a  Missou- 

riau   who  had  joined  Montgomery's 

Kansas  regiment         457, 

Bushwhacking  of  Missouri  and  Kansas 
men,  Fremont's  order  against 

Business  done  on  the  Missouri  river  .   ... 

Butler,  Benjamin  F.,  presidential  nomi- 
nee Greenback  party,  1884 

Butler,  C.  B 

Butler,  Rev.  Pardee 309, 

Butler,  Rev.  T.  A.,  verses  to  Father  Paul 
Ponziglione 

Butler,  T.H 

Butler,  Mo 

Butler  county,  relief  secured  in  1861 

Butte 

Butterfleld,  D.  A 

Butterfield,  J.  Ware,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

Butterfield,  Mrs.  Lillian 

Butterfield's  overland  dispatch 565, 

— location  of  route 


Butterworth's  Concordance  

Buttes  of  Smoky   Hill  

Byram's  ford  on  the  Big  Blue,  Mo. 


440,  442 


Cabell,  Gen.  Edward  C 432, 

Cabell  county.  West  Virginia 

Cabin  Creek,  Indian  Territory 

Cabin   Homes  of  Kansas,  poem  by  Sol. 


Cabney ,  Antoine,  engineer  of  the  E.  Hens- 
ley 303,  314, 

Caches,  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail 555, 

Cache  river 

Cadaro,  Charlie,  half-breed  Indian  scout, 

Caddo  Indians. . 

Cadillac's  opinion  of  the  Wyandots 

Cadodaquious,  chief  of 

Cahokia,  III.  

—St.  Cosme,  missionary  at 

—Indians,  an  Illinois  tribe 

Cain,  Lieut.  John  M 

Cain,  W.  S 

Cairo,  111.     309, 

Calaboose    at    Abilene,    difficulties    in 

building.   

Caldwell,  J.  N    

Caldwell,  John  C 411, 

Caldwell,  hotel  at 

Calhoun,  John  C 19,20, 

Calhoun,  Capt.  Patrick 

— death  of . 

California,  emigrants  to,  cholera  among, 
in  1849  .  281, 

on  the  James  Monroe 

—organized  as  a  free  state 

— U.  S.  Geological  Survey  in 

—overland  stage  line  to 

map 

—  overland  travel  attracts  settlers  to 

plains  region. 

California  road,  location  of,  174,  546,  573, 

map 

California  sea 


General  Index. 


593 


California  trail  from  Fayetteville,  Ark  , 
running  from  the  mouth  of  the  Verdi- 
gris to  the  Santa  Fe  trail  Ih  McPher- 
son  county 

map  

Californians  in  Kansas,  1860-1900 

Caliope.  

Callaway  county,  Missouri        .  238,  552, 

Callen,  A.  W        

Calumet  smoking  by  the  Indians 27, 

Calypso    

Cambria  

Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania  

Camridge 

Cambridge,  Cowley  county 

Camden 

Camp  Alert,  location  of 

—map,  No.  I,  Pawnee  county 

Camp  Bateman,  location  of        

—map.  No.  2,  Leavenworth  county.  . . . 
Camp  fteecher,  location  of  

—map.  No.  1,  Sedgwick  county 

Camp  Buford        

Camp  Butterfield,  location  of  

—map.  No.  1,  Sedgwick  county 

Camp  Center,  or  Fort  Riley  

—map 

Camp  Davidson,  location  of     

—map.  No.  1,  Sedgwick  county. 

Camp  Frost,  St.  Louis 

Camp  Jackson,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  ..297,  464, 
Camp-kettles  cached  by  Indians  on  Bat- 
tie  creek,  Lincoln  county    

Camp  Leedy,  Topeka 

—map 

Camp  Magruder,  location  of .   .  

—map,  No.  2,  Leavenworth  county 

Camp  on  the  Pawnee  Fork 

Camp  Pond  Creek,  location  of 

—map.  No.  1,  Wallace  county  ... 

Camp  Supply.   67, 

Camp  Thompson,  location  of  

— map,  No.  2,  Leavenworth  county 

Campbell,  Corp. 

Campbell,  Sublette  & 

Campbell,  Alexander  M.,  member  State 

Historical  Society 

Campbell,  D.  G.       .  

Campbell,  Sergt.  Henry  H 

Campbell,  .J.  P 

Campbell,  Jim 

Campbell,  Maj.  John,  U.  S.  Indian  agent, 

Campbell,  Col.  Robert 

Campbell,  Dr.  W.  L.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo.. 

Campbell,  W.  M  

Canada,  citizens  of,  in  Kansas  in  18-55  . .. 
Canadian  Archives,  Brymner's  Reporton, 
Canadian  Frenchmen  in  Fremont's  expe- 
ditions    

Canal  boats 

Canal  Dover,  Ohio 

Canal  around  dam  at  Lawrence 

Canal  joining  Arkansas  and  Smoky  Hill 

rivers  at  Big  Bend  proposed. . 
Canal  to  join    Platte   and    Republican 

rivers  proposed 

Canby,  Gen.  Edward  R.S 

— death  of 

Candles,  star,  manufactured  at  West- 
port..  

Cane  Hill,  battle  of 

Cannibalism  among  the  Senecas 

Canniff,  S.  R 

Cannon,  Rev.  Father. 
Cannon  at  dispersion  of  Topeka  legisla- 
ture   

Cannon,  the  Sacramento 

Canoe  of  birch  bark 257, 

Canoe  of  logs 

Canoes 268,  270, 

—used  by  Bourgmont's  men  on  the  Mis- 
souri in  1724.  

—used  by  French  trappers 267, 

Causes  river 


Canteen 

Canton,  McPherson  county 

Cantonment  Leavenworth 

—Martin 277, 

map. 

Canville,  A.  B 

Canville  creek  

Canville  trading-post,  Neosho  county,  lo- 
cation   

—on  map,  in  No.  3,  Neosho  county.  . 

Canzas  or  Canzes,  Kaw  Indians,  256,  257, 

Canyon  on  the  Prairie  Dog. 

Cape  Girardeau  band  of  Shawnees  

Capitol,  Topeka 4, 

— appropriations  for 

—building  of  west  wing 

Capital  City 

Capital  punishment  

Cappa  ladians. .  

Capper,  Arthur,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society 

Captain  Jack,  Modoc  Indian 

Car  of  Commerce    296, 

Caraway       

Caraway,  Margaret 

Carey  &  Lee's  atlas  of  1827.. 

Carlisle  barracks 

Carloe,  Eliza,  Wyandot  woman 

Carlyle,  Allen  county 

Carney,  Gov.  Thomas  364, 

Carondelet,  Mo 

Carpenter,  Colonel,  rescues  Forsyth's 
command 

Carpenter,  Mrs.  Annie  Q 

Carpenter,  Miss  Bernecia 

Carpenter,  Fred  B 

Carpenter,  Sergt.  Geo.  W 445, 

Carpenter,  J.  Howard 

Carpenter,  John  C.  ...     367, 

Carpenter,  W.  H.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

Carr,  E.  T.,  member  State  Historical 
Society 

Carr,  J.  P 

Carrie 

Carrie  V.  Kountz 

Carrier 299, 

(JarroU     

CarrolKNo  1) 

Carroll,  C.  C,  Missouri  river  boat 

Carroll,  Edward  

Carrolltou,  Mo        

Carruth,  Albert  G. 

Carruth,  James  H     ] 

Carruth,  William  H  ,      50, 

—director  State  Historical  Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

Carryhoo,  Anson,  Wyandot  Indian. 

Carson,  Kit  (Christopher)   114,  559, 

Carter,  U.  S.,  Missouri  river  boat 

Carver 147, 

Cascaskias  (  Kaskaskia)..  

Case,  Alex  A.,  member  State  Historical 
Society 

Case,  Cephas     

Case,  G.  H 367, 

Cashesegra  or  Big  Track,  Osage  chief. 


85,  186, 


Cass,  Gen    Lewis.  

Cass  county,  Missouri  ..   .. 

— anti-slavery  troubles  in 

Casselle,  O.,  quoted 

Casson,  W.  E   

Cassville,  Mo 460, 

Castelman, ,  of  Delaware 

Castelnuovo,  Marchioness  Ferrero.     ... 
Castoneda's  relation  of  Coronado's  ex- 
ploration  

Castle  Garden. 

Catalpa  on  Western  plains 

Cataract 299, 

Catawba  Indians     

Catherine  II  of  Russia  


594 


General  Index. 


Catholic  church.    See  Roman  Catholic. 
Catholics  represented  on  State  Board  of 

Charities 

Catlin,  George 274, 

Cattle,   Abilene   the  shipping-point  for 
Texas 528- 

— foot-and-mouth  disease  in  Kansas. .. 

— grazing  in  Oklahoma.   

—importation  of,  from  England 

— legislation  relative  to  killing  by  rail- 
roads    

—quarantined  against  Texas  fever 

—range — 

—wintering  of    

—trade  at  Westport 

Cattlemen  in  Texas,  Farmers'  Alliance 
organized  for  protection  against.  . . . 

Catts,  S.  B  

Cavayard 

Cavender,  H  

Cawker  City 

Cayuga  Indians,  Iroquoian  tribe 

Cayuga-Seneca 

Cedar  canyons 

Cedar  City,  Mo 

Cedar  from  the  Republican  river  used  to 
build  cavalry  stable  at  Fort  Riley. .. 

Cedars  in  canyons  of  Paradise  creek 

Cement  of  buffalo  tallow 

Cemetery  at  Methodist  Shawnee  manual- 
labor  school 

Census  of  Kansas 129,  130,  371,  507, 

—of  Douglas  county 

Centennial,  Philadelphia,  1876 

— Kansas  commission 

Centerville,  Linn  county 

Central,  Tex 

Central  Branch  U.  P.  railr'd..34,  372,  476, 
Central  College  and  Howard  Female  Col- 
lege, Fayette,  Mo 

Centralia 

Century  Cyclopedia  of  Names 237, 

Chadwell,C 

Chaffee,  L 

Challiss,  L.  C  468, 

Chalons,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 

Chambers, 

Chambers,  A.  B.  (No.  1),  Missouri  river 
boat  287,  297,  325, 

—brings  fifty  slaves  to  Kansas 

Chambers,  A.  B.  (  No.  2),  Missouri  river 

boat 

Chambers,  B.  M 

Chambers,  J.  M.,  Missouri  river  boat 

Chamois  chute,  Missouri  river 

Champion 

Champion,  Atchison 

Champion  Hills,  battle  of 

Champlain  induces  Huron  Indians  to  as- 
sist him  against  the  Iroquois 

Chandler,  Daniel  L 473. 

Chantier,  a   boat-yard  on  the  Missouri 

river 

Chanute, iv, 

Chanute  Oil  Producers'  Association 

Chapman, 

Chapman,  William  J.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

Chapman  creek,  Dickinson  county..  530, 

Chapman's  Landing,  Mo 

Chappell,  John 

Chappell,  Phil.  E 274,  301,  305, 

316,  581, 

—A  History  of  the  Missouri  River 

—letter  from  H.  McPherson  to,  con- 
cerning the  C.  W.  Sombart  and  other 
boats  he  was  captain  of 

—Missouri  River  Steamboats 

— portrait  of 

—sketch  of 

Chappell,  Mrs.  Teresa  E 

Charbonier  island  

Charitable  institutions 382, 


Charitable  and  other  state  institutions,    . 

Governor  Glick's  conduct  of 408-412 

Chariton,  Mo 277,  299 

Chariton  county,  Missouri,  cholera  in. ..  281 

Chariton  river 251,  295,  299,  303 

Charles,  John,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Charles,  Robert 336 

Charles  H.  Green 299 

Charleston,  111 380 

Charleston  (S.  C.)   Mercury 141 

Charlevoix,  Father  Pierre  Francois  Xav- 

ier  de 255,  522 

—quotation  from  his  letter  of  October 
20,  1721,  relative  to  the  Missouri  river 

and  its  people 254 

Charlotte,  N.  C 308 

Chase,  Bishop 85 

Chase,  Harold  T.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society V 

Chase,  Mrs.  Julia  A.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society V 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Chase,  S.  W 5 

Chase,  Salmon  P 120 

Chase  county 2,  333,  574 

—map. 576 

—relief  received  in  1861 484 

Chattel  mortgages 36 

Chavez,    Don    Antonio    Jose,    Mexican 

trader,  murder  of 553,  557 

Chautauqua  county  court-house 89 

— erected    from    territory  of    Howard 

county,  1875 39 

Chautauqua  County  Oil-producers'  Asso- 
ciation   94,    95 

Cheever, ,  captain  of  the  Col.  Cross- 
man 300 

Cheever, ,  master  of  the  Emma  301 

Cheever,  J 300 

Chenworth,  J.  S.,  Missouri  river  boat...  305 

Cherasco,  Italy 23 

Cherokee  Indians 73,  163 

—at  Indian  Mission  conference,  1844. ..  179 
—embraced  in  Indian  Mission  confer- 
ence      210 

—enemies  of  the  Kaws 260 

—invade  Catholic  mission  among  the 

Osages  in  Neosho  county  in  1862 22 

Chester,  111 300,  312 

Chestnut,  J.  D 346 

Chetopa  creek 26 

Cheyenne,  Wyo 476 

Cheyenne  county 577 

—statistics 35 

—value  of  school  property 38 

Cheyenne  bend,  mouth  of  the  Cheyenne 

river 315 

Cheyenne  Indians 242,299 

— and  the  Eleventh  Kansas 431 

—at  the  battle  of  the  Arickaree  45H 

— employed  by  Mennonites 496 

—Forty   Years    with,    recollections    of 

George  Bent 72 

—in  Indian  Territory,  1881 391 

—murder  Tommy  Thorn.         19 

— Northern,  raid  through  western  Kan- 
sas under  Dull  Knife,  1878 129,388 

route  of 577 

map 576 

—possible  fight  with  Delawares 13 

—woman,  wife  of  Col.  Wm.  Bent. ..  72,  564 
—and  Otoe  Indians,  fight  on  Spilman 

creek  in  June,  1861 16 

Cheyenne  river,  on  upper  Missouri 315 

Chian,  fur  company  boat 283,  299 

Chicago  aids  negro  exodus 385 

—Father  Paul  Ponziglione's  work  in..     32 

-fireof  1871 310 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R 487 

Chicago  Press  318 

Chicago  river 240 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  R.  R.,  485,  577 

Chicago  Trtbune 543 

Chick,  Walker  & 336 


General  Index. 


595 


Chick,  Mrs.  Ann  Eliza 

— teacher    in    Shawnee    manual-labor 

school 

Chick,  Emma 

Chick,  Joseph  S 167,  178,  243,  342, 

375,  559, 

— cholera  in  Kansas  City 

—clerk  of  A.  B.  Chambers 

—owner  of  steamer  Lizzie 

—quoted 321, 

Northrup  & 

— &  Co 

Chick,  Leonidas 

(^hick,  Martha  Matilda 178, 

Chick,  Mary  Jane 178, 

Chick,  Pettus  W 

Chick,  Polk 

Chick,  Sarah  Ann 

Chick,  Scarritt 

Chick,  Washington  Henry 

Chick,  William 

Chick,  William  H 178, 

Chick,  Col.  William  M 167,  178, 

188,  197, 

— sketch  of 

Chickasaw  Bluffs,  battle  of 

Chickasaw  Indians 

—allies  of  the  Confederate  army 

— embraced  in  Indian  Mission  confer- 
ence. ..  

Chickens,  chattel  mortgage  on    

'  hie/,  White  Cloud  and  Troy.  

China  reached  by  way  of  the  Missouri 

river  262, 

Ohiiidinoan,  Quindaro 

Chinese  immigration.   

Chipman,  A.  James    

Chippewa,  steamboat.   ...  283,  299,  313, 
Chippewa  Indians  at  Braddock's  defeat, 

n.'iS 

—attend  Indian  conference  near  Fort 

Leavenworth,  in  October,  1848 

—condition  of,  1846,...  

—funds    for   education    and   missions 

among 

— geographical  names 

-Rev.  Thomas    Hurlburt,  missionary 

among.  

—treaty   with  United  States    at  Fort 

Mcintosh,  1735  

Chippewa  Falls 

Chippowain  mountains 

Chisholm  trail,  history  referred  to 

Chittenden,  Capt.  Hiram  M 

—American    Fur    Trade    of    the    Far 

We-!t...  .  312,  576, 

—Early  Steamboat  Navigation  on  the 

Missouri 

Chivington,  John  M  

—missionary  to  the  Wyandots.         — 
—missionary  to  Wyandots,  Delawares, 
and  Shawnees 
Choctaw    Indians  embraced   in    Indian 

Mission  conference..     

—in  Confederate  army.. 

Cholera,  Asiatic,  history  of,  on  the  Mis- 
souri river. ..   281,  290,  303,  3U4,  309, 

— '^Didemic  of  1873,  U.  S.  report  on 

— m  the  Eighteenth  Kansas,  1867. 

Chouteau, ,  master  of  the  St.  Peters, 

Chouteau,  Girard   &,  establishment  at 

Trading  Post,  Linn  county 

Chouteau  &  Guinotte,  of  Kansas  City. .. 

Chouteau,  Charles  P 

Chouteau,  Cyprian,  trading-post  of,  559, 
—location  of. . ..  —  —  — 

map,  in  No.  1,  Wyandotte  county . . 

Chouteau,  Edward..  

Chouteau,  Mrs.  Emilie..  

Chouteau,  Francis,  establishment  at  the 

mouth  of  the  Kansas. 

—and  Cyprian,  trading-house,  location 

of 

map.  No.  4,  Wyandotte  county 


Chouteau,  Francis,  Osage  child,  baptized 

by  Father  la  Croix  in  1822 22 

Chouteau,  Frederick 272,  524 

—letter  relating  to  Kaw  Indian  villages 

in  Shawnee  county,  1830 198 

— reminiscences. 321 

—trading-house  on  Mission  creek,  195,  196 
321,  673 

map.  No.  3,  Shawnee  county 576 

-trading-house  in  Douglas  county  .       194 
196,  566 

map 576 

Chouteau,  James,  Osage  child,  baptized 

by  Father  la  Croix  in  1822 22 

Chouteau,  Madam  Marie  Therese,  death 

of  St.  Ange  at  home  of 310 

Chouteau,  P.  305,  312 

Chouteau,  Pierre,  jr 26,  246,  280 

283,  290,  301 

—trader  with  Osages 267 

Chouteau  family 268 

Chouteau,  Missouri  river  boat 300 

Chouteau's  island,  Kearny  county,  loca- 
tion of 555,  569 

—  map.     .  576 

Chouteau's  Landing,  on  the  Kansas,  281,  331 
Chouteau's  trading-post  at  Kansas  City,  281 

—washed  away  by  flood  of  1827 296 

Chouteau's  trading-post  on  the  Kansas 

river,  ten  miles  above  mouth ». ..  320 

Christian  science  in  Kansas  City 327 

Christler,  C.  469 

Church, ,  captain  of  the  Otis  Webb, 

319,  342 

Church  property  in  Kansas 128 

Chute,  Dr.  J.  A.,  account  of  the  death  of 

the  shawnee  prophet 164 

Cimarron  river 389,  576 

—Santa  Fe  trail  on 561 

—rock  salt  from 14 

Cincinnati,     organization     of    national 

People's  Party  at,  in  1901 7 

—organization  of  Union   Labor  party 

at,  in  1888 2 

— pickets  between  Pittsburg  and 319 

—Wesley an  Female  College 225 

Cincinnati    and     Kansas     Land    Com- 
pany   327,328 

Cincinnati  houses 318,329 

Circuit  court  for  Shawnee  county 420 

Circus  boat,  Rubicon 30» 

(Ussna.MaryC 208 

Cist's  Cincinnati  Miscellany 81,  164 

Citizens'  Alliance  organized 6 

Citizens'   Industrial  Alliance,  National, 
organized  at  Topeka,  January,  1891.. 

City  of  Pekin 

City  marshals,  story  of  two 

Civil  service  in  Kansas  institutions 

Civil  war,  battles  of 416, 

—claims.     .  

—affects  steamboatingon  the  Missouri, 
—Kansas  troops  in.  ..  129,  368,  371, 
—President  Lincoln's  call  for  three-year 

men  .    . . 

Claim  commission  of  1859,  territorial  . . 

Claim  jumping  in  1857 . 

Claims,  history  of  Price  raid,  by  John 

Francis.     411, 

Clara 293,  581, 

Clara  (  No.  1) 300 

Clara  (No.  2) 3UU 

Clark, ,  farmer  at  Kaw  Indian  mis- 
sion     199 

Clark  &  King 305 

Clark,  A.  B         367 

Clark,  Esther    M.,  member    State    His- 
torical Society iv 

Clark,  G.  B 453 

Clark,  George  A.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society V 

Clark,  George  I  217,224 

—Wyandot  interpreter 214,  225 

Clark,  George  R 295 


596 


General  Index. 


Clark,  George  Rodgers,  efFort  to  secure 
the  means  to  make  Western  explora- 
tions  

Clark  H.  Green,  Missouri  river  boat 

Clark,  Marston  G.,  agent  to  Kaw  In- 
dians.   195,  196, 

Clark,  N.  C 

Clark, "Red"' 

Clark,  Gen.  William  

— diary  of..  ...       

—origin  of  his  Western  expedition    . . . 

—superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  — 

Clark,  William  P 

Clark  county,  fight  with  Cheyennes  on 

Sand  creek  in  Indian  raid  of  1878 
Clarke,   Capt.   Sidney,   acting  assistant 
provost-marshal  general  for  Kansas, 

Clarksville  

Clay,  Henry 

—and  the  omnibus  bill 

Clay  Center v, 

—Financier  No.  2  ascends  the  Republi- 
can to  near  the  site  of 

Clay  county 472,  473,  475,  575, 

—on  map  

—relief  received  by,  in  1861 

Clear  creek,  Ellsworth  county 

Clendenin,  E.  M.,  Missouri  river  boat,  352, 
Ciendenin,  J.  M.,  Missouri  river  boat  ... 

Clements,  Arch  433,459, 

Cleopatra 

Clerke,  John,  num  de  plume  of  W.  J. 

Beggs  

Clerincint,  Osage  chief 

Cleveland, ,  master  of  the  Dart 

Cleveland,  Capt.  Charles 484, 

Cleveland,  President  Grover 395, 

—and  Hendricks,  Thomas  A 

Clifford, ,  master  of  the  Shawnee  . . 

Clifford,  Benton  E.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

Clifford,  Nathan,  justice  United  States 

supreme  court 

Clifton  Springs,  N.  Y 

Clipper 300, 

Clogston,  J.  B.. 367, 

Cloud,  La wson,  mate  of  the  E.  Hensley. . 

Cloud,  Col.  Wm.  F 

•Cloud  county 3,  574,  575. 

— map  

Clover,  Benjamin  H     

— biographical  sketch  ...  4, 

—elected  president  State  .Alliance,  1889, 

—president  Farmers'  Alliance,  1888 

Cloverdale    

Cloyes,  F.  E 

Clyde  

Coal-bank  ten  miles  above  the  mouth  of 

the  Kansas 

Coal-mines,  Penitentiary 

Coates,  Col.  Kersey  304, 

Coates,  Mrs.  Kersey,  memorial  of 

Coates  House,  Kansas  City 

Cobb,C 

Cobb,  N     

Cobb,  Stephen  A 53,  367, 

Cobun,  M.  W 

Coburn,  Foster  D        

—director  State  Historical  Society.... 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

Cochatowha,  Delaware  Indian 

Cockrell,  Geu.  Francis  M 432, 

Cody,  Lawrence 

■  Cody,  Wm.  F  

■Coffey  county. 472,  473,  475, 

—  map 

— relief  received  in  1861 

Colbert  or  Mississippi  river.. 240, 

Colbrant,  Alphonse  Eugene,  death  from 

cholera  at  Fort  Hays 

-  Colbrant,  Augustus  E 

Colcord, ,  killed  in  Cheyenne  raid  of 

1878 

Colcord,  C.  F 


Colcord,  W.  R 38-< 

Coldwater 2.52 

Cole,  Miss  Fannie  E .573 

Cole,  George  E.,  director  State  Historical 

Society v 

—life  member  of  State  Historical  So- 
ciety     iii 

Cole  county,  Missouri 257 

Coleman,  Mrs.  A.  E.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society . .  iv 

Coleman,  Missouri  river  boat    313 

Coler,  George 171 

Coleridge's   prophecy  on   the  future  of 

America .  113 

Coles,  C.J 470 

Colfax, ,  captain  of  the  Colfax 309 

Colleges  and  schools  of  Kansas,  1865.  364 

Collet,  Oscar  W 267 

Collier,  A.  J 470 

Collins,  H 469 

Collins,  I.  F     367 

Collins,  W.  D.,  missionary  to  the  Dela- 
ware Indians 

Collyer, . 

Colona,  steamboat 313,  319, 

Col.  Crossman 

Col.  Gus   Linn,  Kansas  river  boat,   his- 
tory of      344, 

-log  of,  May,  1859 

Colonel  McCloud 

Colonel  Parr 

Colonel  Woods 

Colony,  Kan iv,  v, 

Colorado,  Alliance  in 

— Mennonite  settlements  in 

— organization  of  Catholic  church  in, 

by  Bishop  Miege  

— Second  cavalry  in  the  Price  raid  and 
battle  of  the  Little  Blue  ...  435, 

Mrs.  Williams's  history  of.   ... 

—the  civil  war  in.   .  

Colorado,  boat  on  the  Missouri 

Colorado  rriver,  exploration  of,  by  Thos. 

A.  CuUinan..   

—water  power  of ... 

Colorado  Springs 

Colored  boy  first  occupant  of  Abilene 

calaboose &Z9 

Colored  man,  member  of  the  Tenth  U.  S. 
cavalry,  killed  in  battle  on  the  Prairie 

Dog,  in  August,  1867 447 

Colossal..  300,  313 

Colt,  Mrs.  Miriam  Davis 299 

Colt's  revolver  5i2 

Colton,G.A 363,366 

Columbia,  Charles 470,  473 

Columbia,  Christopher 470 

Columbia  (No.  1) 300 

Columbia  (No.  2) 300 

Columbia  river 262,273 

Columbian  300 

Columbian  Exposition,  Chicago,  1893    . .  395 

Columbiana 300 

Columbus,  Mississippi  river  boat 295 

Columbus,  Kan iv 

Columbus,  Ky 316,  581 

Colville,  Colo 535 

Comanche  Indians  in  Indian  Territory, 

1881 391 

— repulse  Pawnee  thieving  party 14 

—visit  the  Osages, 27 

Comanche    county.    Dull    Knife's    raid 

through 388,  578 

— map  of  route.    576 

—pool     388 

Commerce 300 

Commerce  of  the  Kansas  river.   317 

Commerce  of  the  Missouri,  1842      280 

Commerce  on  the  Missouri  handicapped 

by  the  pilots'  association 286 

Commercial  development  of  Kansas 467 

Cowt?}io?iweaZ</i,  Topeka 350 


General  Index. 


597 


Company  A,  Eleventh  Kansas  Regiment, 
in  the  Price  Raid,  a  paper  by  Henry 
E.  Palmer.  

Compass  used  by  Du  Tisne 

Comstock,  Elizabeth  L 

Conant,  Franklin.  

Conarty ,  John  ....  

Conception  or  Mississippi  river 

Conch  shell  of  the  Wyandots 

Concordia 

Concordia  parish,  Mississippi  . 

Cone,  W.  W 129,  196, 

—Historical  Sketch  of  Shawnee  bounty, 

Coneatzer,  A.,  teacher  Shawnee  manual- 
labor  school 

Conestoga  or  Susquehanna  Indians 

Confederate  ex-soldiers  at  Dodge  City 
during  visit  of  President  Hayes  and 

General  Sherman 

—gunboat  Tennessee 

— soldiers  killed  in  retaliation  for  mur- 
der of  Union  soldiers 

Congdon,  W.  M.  

Congressional  Directory,  Biographical, 
1903  

Congressmen  elected  by  Southern  Al- 
liance   

Conley,  Capt. ,  of  the  New  Lucy 

Conley, ,  master  of  the  Polar  Star. . . 

Conley,  William 

Conn,  M 

Connecticut,  emigrant  party  from,  ex- 
pend money  in  St.  Louis  and  Kansas 

City 

—settlers  from,  in  Kansas,  1855-'56, 1860- 
1900 130,  507, 

Connelley,  Wm.  E.,  82,  84,  162,  163,  212,  216, 

—director  State  Historical  Society 

-member  State  Historical  Society 

—sketch 

— statement  regarding  the  life  of  Quan- 

trill 460. 

—The  Kansas  Oil  Producers  against 
the  Standard  Oil  Company,  address 
before  the  Historical  Society,  De- 
cembers, 1905  

Connor,  Gen.  P.  E  

Conquest  of  Kansas,  by  W.  A.  Phillips.. 

Conrad,  H.  W 

Conrad,  Phillip 

Cunservalive,  Leavenworth 

Consignee.   ..  

Constitution  hall,  Topeka 359,  541, 

Constitutional  amendments,  Kansas, 
with  dates  of  adoption  and  votes 
thereon 

Constitutional  convention,  vote  on  re- 
jection of,  1880,  1892 

Constitutional  conventions  of  Kansas.. . 

Contents,  Table  of 

Converse,  J.  M 

Converse,  J.  M.,  Missouri  river  boat  .... 

Converse,  steamer 

Conway,  Martin  F. 132,  134, 

Cook,  William  

Cooke,  A.  S 

Cooke,  Col.  Philip  St.  George 

—capture  of  Col.  Jacob  Snively's  Texas 
rangers  on  the  upper  Arkansas,  in 
1843 553- 

Coon,  John,  Wyandot  Indian    

Coon,  steamboat 

Coon  Creek  bar,  on  Kansas  river,  near 
Tecumseh 

Cooper,  Horace 

Cooper,  Peter,  Greenback  party  candi- 
date for  president,  1876 

Cooper,  Adj. -gen.  S.. 

Cooper,  S.  S 

Cooper  county,  Missouri,  cholera  in 

Coosa..  .  

Copper-mines  in  Missouri 

Cora  (No.  1) 300, 

Cora  (No.  2).. 300, 


Cora  (No.  3) 

Cora  chute  

Corbette,  Rev.  Father ,  S.  J 

Corbin,  Sergeant 

Cordell,  Miss  Amelia 

Cordelle.     .  ...     ... 

Cordley,  Rev.  Richard 233, 

Corinth,  battle  of 

Corinth,  Miss 

Corn,  first  field  corn  grown  on  upper  Sa- 
line  

—in  Kansas  in  1860 

— shipments  down  the    Kansas  river, 
1859  9,  343,  347- 

Corn,  squaw 164, 

Cornatzer,  Samuel,  assistant  at  Kaw  In- 
dian mission  

Cornatzer,  Samuel  M 

Cornelia 300, 

Cornelia  (No.  1) — 

Cornelia  (  No.  2)  

Cornell,  D.  E 

Cornstalk,  Captain,  Shawnee  Indian  . . . 

(Cornwall  tin-mines 

Cornwall,  L.  S 

Coronado,  Francisco  Vasquez  de,  search 
for  Quivira 237, 

Corporations,  legislature  prohibits  from 

underselling  competitors 

—recommendations  of  Governor  Hum- 
phrey regarding 

Corvallis,  Ore 

Corvette       

Cory,  C.  E.,   director  State    Historical 
Society  

Cosgrove,  Pat.  

Cosmos,  Council  Grove 

Cossacks 

Cote  sans  Dessein 266, 

Cotrell,  J 

Cotton,  marketing  of 

—raising  in  Alabama 

Cotton-bagging  trust.   

Cottonwood  creek,  1859 

Cottonwood  dugout 

Cottonwood  Falls     iv, 

Cottonwood  lumber 

—tree 

Coues,  Dr.  Elliott 

—quoted       .          

Council  Bluffs,  277,  278,  280,  300,  303,  312, 

Council  Grove iv,  10,  470,  553, 


—description  of 233, 

—Kaw  Indian  mission  building  at. 
—  Kaw   Indians  remove  to    neighbor- 
hood of 

—location  of,  on  map,  in  No.  1,  Morris 

county  

— T.  S.  Huffaker,  first  postmaster  of... 

Council  Grove  district,  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  South . .  

Council  oak.  Council  Grove 

Counties  in  northwest  Kansas,  date  of 
organization  

County  officials,  term  of  office,  constitu- 
tional amendment  ...  ... 

County-seat  troubles  in    Seward,  Gray 
and  Garfield  counties 

Coureurs  des  bois 256,266, 

Court-house,  building  of,  at  Sedan 

Courtland  iv,  v. 

Courts,  laws  construed  by 

Courts  of  common  pleas  for  Sedgwick 
and  Wyandotte  counties  

Coutant,  C.  G.,  History  of  Wyoming.  . . 

Covenanter,  attitude  toward  slavery  ... 

Cow,  pronunciation  of,  betrays  abolition- 


ist. 


Cow  creek,  on  the  Arkansas — 

Cow  island,  near  Atchison,  277,  278,  309, 

—map.  

Cowan,  S.  R.,  mayor  of  Abilene 

Cowboy,  passing  of 


598 


General  Index. 


Cowboy  justice Ill 

Cowboys 40,    41 

—at  Abilene  in  1867 529 

Cowgill,  E.  B..  director  State  Historical 

Society      v 

Cowley  county     3 

—first  sub-alliance  organized  in  3 

Cox,  L.  M 141 

Cox.  John  T 470,  473,  475 

Cox,  Lewis 469 

Coxe,  Dauiel  .. 524 

—description  of  the  Missouri   river 

country 262 

Coyotes 8,  IOh 

Crabtree, ,  captain  of  the  Chippewa,  299 

Craig, ,  captain  of  the  Expedition  . .  302 

Craig,  P.  470 

Craig  rifles,  of  Kansas  City,  Mo  558 

Crall,  J.  C 473 

Cramer, ,  of  Olathe 520 

Cramer,   Rev.   ,   teacher  Wyandotte 

free  school 235 

Crane,  Columbus 130 

Crano,  F.  L 468 

Crane,  George  W.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society ...        V 

— member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Crane,  R.  M ....  367 

Crawford, ,  member  of  Kansas  regi- 
ment  .  455 

Crawford,  D.  A.,  Missouri  river  boat.  ...  300 

Crawford,  George  A...       22 

Crawford,  Gov.  SamuelJ....  47,  90,  362,  363 
364,  368,  417,  443 
—letter  to  James  B.  Fry  relative  to  the 

draft  in  Kansas.  368 

— member  State  Historical  Society  ...     iv 

—state  agent 412 

Crawford,  T.  Hartley  ....  205,  242 

Crawford,  T.  L.,  Missouri  river  boat.   ...  312 

Creal,  H.  S        469 

Creek  Indians.  163 

— embraced  in  Indian  Mission  confer- 
ence.    210 

—Rev.  L.  B.  Stateler  missionary  to  ...  206 

Creole.Belle      298 

CreveCoBur 266 

Crichton,  J.  H        367 

Crimea,  emigration  from,  to  Kansas.  ...  488 

Criterion  295 

Crockett,  Stephen  M.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society iv 

CrcBsus 19 

Croi  X,  Father  Charles  de  la,  missionary  to 

Osages         .       22 

Cromwell,  Oliver 377 

"Crossings"  of  the  Missouri 269 

Crow  Indians  of  Montana,  Father  Pon- 

ziglione  sent  to 31 

—smallpox  among 242 

Crowley,  Allen     470 

Crozier,  Robert.     .    53,     63 

Cruise,  William 469 

Cuartelejo,  Pueblo  Indian  ruins  in  Scott 

couuty 572 

—map 576 

Cuban  war,  Kansas  soldiers  in.   .....   .     125 

Cubbison,J.  K 368 

Cuddy,  William,  editor  Junction  States- 
man   346 

Cuirass  used  by  Pawnees  of  the  Indian 

Territory  254 

Cullinan,  Thomas  Allen,  city  marshal  of 
Junction  City,  by  Geo.  W.  Martin.. ..  532 
—deputy  United    States   marshal   for 

Kansas 538 

— sketchof 533 

Culver,  G.  W..  killed  at  the  battle  of  the 

Arickaree.. 453 

Cumberland  valley 300 

Cummings,  J.   A.,  teacher  at  Delaware 

mission..       229 

Cummings,  J.  F 472,473 

—secretary  railroad  convention,  1860  . .  476 


Cummins, ,  of  Norton  county     

Cummins,  Maj.  Richard....  204,  220,  260, 

-agent  to  Kaw  Indians..  172,  196,  198, 

Cunningham,  Charles  E.,  candidate  for 

vice-president.   Union   Labor  party. 


contraction   of,    agitatec 


9,  433, 


Currency, 
1867-'f 
Curtis,  Alford. 
Curtis,  Maj.  H.  Z.  . 
Curtis,  Gen.  Samuel 
—in  the  Price  raid 
Cushing, William  B.,  sinking  of  the  Albe- 
marle by 

Custer,  Gen.  George  A.,  censured  for  neg- 
lect of  Maj.  Joel  H.  Elliott, 
—campaign  on  upper  Missouri,  299,  302, 
—in  command  of  campaign  against  In- 
dians on  the  Washita,  1868..   

Custer  elm.  Council  Grove.. 

Cutler,  Wm.  G.,  History  of  Kansas..  143, 

Cutler 

Cutter,  Capt.  Calvin,  arrival  in  Kansas 

through  Nebraska 

Cutter,  Missouri  river  boat     300, 

Cyclone    at    Kansas    City  destroys    the 

steamer  Libby  Congo 

—in  Atchison  county 

—in  Johnson  county.  May,  1864 


Dablon,  

Dacota,  fur  company  boat 283, 

Dacotah  (No.  1) 299, 

Dacotah  (No.  2) 

Dakota...  293, 

Dakota  sandstone 

Dakotah  

Dakotas,  Alliance  in 

Dalby,  C.  W 

Dales,  J.  B  

Dallas 

Dallas,  E.  J.,  member  State  Historical 
Society  

Dally,  C.  W 

Dameron,  Logan  D 

Damsel.. 

Dan  Converse 

Dancing  on  Missouri  river  steamboats.. 

Dando,  Stephen 

Dane,  Nathan 

Danford,  Addison 363, 

Danford,  J.  C 

Daniel  Boone  300, 

Daniel  G.Taylor 

Dannevik,  O.  M 

Danville's  map  of  1752  

Danzig,  Prussia.     

Dare,  Benjamin  F 

Darling,  T.J 

Dart.  

Date  "  17S6,"  found  carved  in  rocks  in 
Saline  river  country,  in  1860 

Dauphin  rapids,  Montana 

Davenport,  H 

Davenport,  Iowa..  

David  Harum's  ethics 

David  R.  Powell 300, 

David  Tatum 293,  300,  318, 

Davidson, 

Davidson,  C.  L.,  life  member  of  State 
Historical  Society 

Davies,  Gomer  T.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society 

Davis, ,  captain  of  the  Plattsmouth, 

Davis, ,  master  of  the  John  D.  Perry, 

Davis,  A.  C 468,473.475, 

Davis,  Charles  S.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

Davis,  George,  pilot  of  Col.  Gus  Linn.. .. 

Davis,  George  W 

Davis,  H.  L 468,  473, 

Davis,  Harmon,  Shawnee  blacksmith.... 

Davis,  Col.  J.  J 


General  Index. 


599 


Davis,  Jefferson,  correspondence  relative 
to  the  dispersion  of  the  Topeka  leg- 
islature    

Davis,  Miss  Sarah  T  

Davis,  T.  K 

Davis,  Willard,  attorney-general....  385, 

Davis  county 354,  473, 

—relief  received  in  1861 

Dawson,  John  S.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society  — 

Day,  B 

Daybeau,  Francis,  marriage  to  Mary,  an 

Osage  woman 

Dayhoff,  I.  L 

Dead  Men's  creek,  Morris  county 

Deaf    and    Dumb    Institution,    Olathe, 

building  of v. 

Deamer,  J.  N 

Dean,  Maj. ,  of  Missouri 

Death's  Address,  by  Joseph  G.  Waters  .. 

De  Bussy..   

Decatur  county 

—Dull  Knife's  raid  through 

—map 

— farming  in 

-relief,  1874 

—settlement  and  organization 39, 

— statistics 

— value  of  school  property 

Decatur,  steamboat 

Decoration  day 

Deer  in  Saline  Rivercountry 8, 

—curing  of  meat 

—skins     

Deer  Lodge 

De  Haven 

Deitzler,  Geo.  W  331,  473, 

Delahay,  Mark  W.,  stockholder  in  Min- 
nie Belle 342, 

DeLand, ,  and  family,  of  Lawrence.. 

Delaney,  John,  letter  regarding  the  navi- 
gation on  the  Kansas  river  in  1855-'56, 
Delaware,  settlers  from,  in  Kansas,  1855- 

1900 507, 

Delaware,  steamboat 

Delaware  ferry 

Delaware  or  Lenape  Indians..  12,  75,  163, 

—appropriate  their   school    funds    to 

Shawnee     Methodist    manual-labor 

school 204, 

—attend  Indian  conference  near  Fort 

Leavenworth,  in  October,  1848 

—at    Shawnee    Methodist    manual-la- 
bor school 174, 

— enemies  of  the  Kaws 

—guides  of  Fremont 

—  Henry  Tiblow,  interpreter 

—hogs  of,    destroy   Captain  Beasley's 

fJour 

—induced  to  remove  to  the  Ohio  by  the 
Wyandots 

—  interpreters 182, 

—location  of  Methodist  Episcopal  mis- 
sion   162,  168,  203, 

map.  No.  3,  Wyandotte  county 

-memorial  to  missionaries  of 

— Methodist  camp-meetings 206, 

—mill  in  Wyandotte  county 

—missionaries  to 181,  196,  226, 

— possible  battle-ground  of,  in  Lincoln 

county 

—quarterly  meetings 

— reservation  in  Kansas 195, 

—reservation  in  Missouri 163, 

— reserve,    survey    of,  by    Rev.  Isaac 

McCoy 

— sell  a  portion  of  their  reservation  in 

Kansas  to  the  Wyandots  

—trading-post  of.  

—treaty  with  the  United  States  at  Fort 

Mcintosh,  1785 

— visited  by  Methodist  missionaries.. . 


Delaware  and  Wyandot  Indians,  agree- 
ment between,  1843 83 

Delaware  river,  Jefferson  county 194 

Delisle's  map  of  Louisiana  and  Missis- 
sippi mentioned 246,  2.50,  257 

Dells 313 

Democratic  party,  1876,. 2 

—conventions  in  the  South,  1878,  adopt 

financial  planks  of  Greenback  party,      2 
— elects    congressmen    with    help    of 

Southern  Alliance 6 

—victory   of,   in  Kansas  gubernatorial 

election  of  1882 .395 

Denman,  H.  B.,  mayor  of  Leavenworth..  535 
Denmark,  citizens  of ,  in  Kansas,  in  1855,  508 

Dennis, ,  captain  of  the  Nimrod 307 

Dennis, ,  master  of  the  Thames 311 

Dennis,  H.  J.,  state  librarian. ..  392,  413,  521 

Dennis,  Rev.  J.  H 193,  218 

—teacher  at  Wyandot  and    Delaware 

missions. 230 

Dennis,  Rev.  L.  B.,  presiding  elder  North 

Kansas  mission  district 230 

Denny,  W.  H.,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Denver,  Colo 455,  577 

—contest  of  Thomas  A.  Cullinan   and 
others  over   land   claimed    by  town 

company  534 

Denver  (  No.  1 ) 313 

Denver  (No.  2) 301,  314 

Denver  &  Rio  Grande  railroad 440 

Derbet,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 256 

Des  Arc,  Ark 1 

Description  of  northwestern  Kansas..  .33-  44 

108 
—of  the  Saline  River  country  in  1859...      8 

Desert,  Great  American 28,  101 

De  Shane,  Mrs.  David  C 163 

Desire,  Jacques,  pilot  on  Missouri  river 

steamboat  Omega 283 

Deskin,  William,  Shawnee  Indian 188 

De  Smet,  Father  Pierre-Jean 21,  1.55,  158 

274,  291,  307,  308,  309,  523 
— account  of    Fool  Chief's  village,  in 

Shawnee  county,  1841 197 

—quoted 242 

—Life  and  Travels  of,  by  Chittenden 

and  Richardson 295 

De  Smet,  boat  named  in  honor  of  Father 

De  Smet 300,  313 

De  Soto,  Don  Fernando 238,  250,  522 

De  Soto,  Kan 339,  346 

Detroit,  Dickinson  county 505 

Detroit,  Mich.,  Wyandots  remove  to.  —     78 

— Democrat  and  Enquirer 121,  122 

Devenney,  A.Smith 53,  362,  364 

Devine,  M 19 

De  Vivaldi,  Charles  F 470,  473,  475 

Devore,  B.  F 414 

Dew  Drop 301 

De  Witt,  Mo 301,  306,  307,  325 

Dexter,  John  B  462 

Diadem 301 

Dial. 'At.  Marys .  155 

Diamond  Springs 10 

—location  of,  in  Morris  county 571 

Diana,  fur  company  boat 282,  301 

Diana  bend,  above  Rocheport,  Mo..  269,  301 

Dickey,  J.  H.,  Missouri  river  boat 304 

Dickey.M.C 468 

Dickinson,  Rev.  David,  state  librarian..  392 

Dickinson,  William  W 469 

Dickinson  countyr 363,  503,  574,  577 

—map 576 

—Farmers'  Protective  Association  of..  532 

—relief  received  in  1861 484 

Didus,  Mrs.  A.G 2,58 

Dilley,  C.  L  470 

Dillon.  William 564 

Dines,  Rev    Tyson,  teacher  at  Shawnee 

Methodist  manual-labor  school 228 

Dingey,  small  steamboat 284 

Dionondaddies  or  Wyandots 74 

Disbrow,  B 171 


600 


General  Index. 


District  of  Columbia,  settlers  from,  liv- 
ing in  Kansas  in  1855,  1860-1900. .  507, 

Dix,  Charles .. .  ..         

Dix,  E.  F.,  master  of  the  Polar  Star 

Dix,  Ed 311, 

Dixon, 

Dixon,  Archibald 

Dixon,  H.  B 

Dodd, ,  master  of  the  Far  West 

Dodge,  ,  master  of  the  Whirlwind. .. 

Dodge,  Rev.  Nathaniel  B.,  of  Harmony 

mission 

—mission  at  Boudinot 

Dodge,  S.  H 

Dodge  City iv,  v,  388,  567, 

—capture  of  Texas  company  near,  by 

Captain  Cooke,  in  1843 553- 

— joke  played  by  saloon-keeper  on  sut- 
ler of  Fort  Dodge 

—Reminiscences  of,  by  R,  M.  Wright.. 

—riot  of  1883   

—visited  by  President  Hayes  in  1879. .. 
Doffelmeyer,  Rev.  Daniel  D.,  missionary 
to  the  Shawnee,  Delaware  and  Wyan- 
dot Indians  . 182,  221, 

Dog  Soldiers  at  the  battle  of  the  Aricka- 


Dog's  fear  of  solitude 

Dohlman, ,  master  of  the  Manhattan, 

Dole,  Rev.  John  W.,  teacher  at  Kansas 

mission 

Dole,  O.  E 

Dolley,  J.  N 

Domini,  Gilbert 

Don  Cameron 

Donahue,  Joseph 

Donaldson ,  Catharine,  Shawnee  Indian. . 

Donaldson,  G.  F 

Donaldson.  Marshal  Israel  B 543, 

Donaldson,  Rebecca,  Shawnee  Indian. .. 

Donaldson,  Col.  Samuel 91, 

Doniphan,  Kan 303,  308,  309, 

—site  of  Kaw  village  of  1724 255, 

Doniphan  county 473, 


-m£ 


—drought  of  1860  in 

—points  of  interest  in 

map  ..  

—relief  received  in  1861 

Doniphan's  expedition  to  Mexico 94, 

Donnell,  Lawson  &  Simpson,  state  fiscal 

agents 

Donovan,  J 

Dora 

Dorcas 

Douay,  Father  Anastasius,  remarks  on 

the  Missouri  river 243, 

Dougherty,  Ella,  Shawnee  Indian 

Dougherty,  Maj.  John 

Dougherty,  Mebzy,  at  Shawnee  Mission 

school 

Douglas,  J.  T 

Douglas,  Stephen  A 48,  117,  119, 

Douglas  county 332,  354,  366, 

473,  474,  475, 

—map 

— Alex.  M.Campbell,  sheriff  and  census- 
taker 

— census,  1857  , 

— delegates    withdraw    from    railroad 

convention  of  1860 

—drought  of  1860  in 

—history,  1856 

—jail,   iron    for,   brought  on  steamer 

Izetta  

—missionary  meeting  in  1853 

— points  of  interest  in 

map 

—relief  received  in  1861 

—Shawnee  Indians  in 

Douglass,  Butler  county 

Douglass,  George  L 

Douglass,  John  C 

Dover,  Mo 


Dow,  H.  P 

Dowdell,  Capt,  ,  in   Kansas  militia 

and  Price  raid  

Down-stream  people,  Kwapa  Indians 

Downer,  J.  P 

Downer's  station,  location  of 

—map,  in  No.  1,  Trego  county 

Downing,  William 

Downs,  A.  D 

Downs,  M.  P 

Dozier,    ,    master    of    the    Isabella 

(No.2) 

Dozier,  F.  M.,  Missouri  river  boat 

Dozier,  Frank 

Dozier,  Fred 

Dozier,  James 301 , 

Dozier,  John 

Dozier,  John  T 

Dozier,  Miss  Rowena 

Dozier  family,  builders   and  owners  of 

many  steamboats ... 

Dozier's  Landing,  above  St.  Charles,  Mo.. 
Draffen,  ,  master  of  the  Columbia 

(  No.2)..   

Draffen,  T.E 

Draffin, ,  master  of  the  Meteor 

Draft  in  Kansas,  December  19, 1864 

Drafted  Kansas  men  in  ,-eventh  Kansas 

cavalry 

—  in  Tenth  Kansas  infantry 

Dragoon  creek 

Dragoon,  Five  Years  a,  by  Percival  G. 

Lowe.. 
Dragoons,    Second    United  States,   em- 
ployed to  settle  difficulties  between 

free-state  and  pro-slavery  men 

—for  severe  services  during  Texas  cam- 
paign are  given  land-warrants 

—in  Texas. 

—under  Captain  Cooke,  capture  Col. 
Jacob  Snively 's  Texas  rangers,  on  Ar- 
kansas, near  Dodge  City,  1843,  553.... 

Drake,  Charles 

Drake,  M.  J.  P 

Drake's  Chapel,  Henry  county.  Mo.,  165, 

Draper,  William 364, 

Drawbridge  at  Topeka 

Dred  Scott  case 

Drenning,  Frank  H 363, 

Drinkwater,  Delos  F 

Drink  water,  Orlo  H 

Driver,  Sarah,  Wyandot  Indian 

Driver,  Susan,  Wyandot  Indian 

Drought.  E.  S.  W 

Drought  affects  crops  at  Shawnee  Meth- 
odist mission,  1837  (?) 

—of  1857  in  eastern  Kansas 

— of  1860  drove  buffalo  to  eastern  bor- 
der of  range. 

in  Geary  county 

—  —paper  on,  by  George  W.  Glick..     . 
statements  of  various  authorities 

regarding 481, 

—of  1894.  

Droughts  in  northwest  Kansas 

Druggists' permits  . 

Dryden,  H.  C,  member  State  Historical 
Society 

Dry  Wood  fork.  Mo. . .  

Dry  wood,  battle  of,  Sept.  2, 1861 431 , 

Dubois,  Sergeant.     .    

Dubois,  Sieur,  of  Fort  Orleans 

Dubourg,  Right  Rev.  Louis  ...     —   19, 

Ducate, ,  of  western  Missouri 

Duerinck,  Father  John  B,,  supplies 
wood  to  Excel 

Dugan.  R.W 293, 

Du  Lac.  Perrin 258, 

Duley,  John . 

Dull  Knife's  raid  through  western  Kan- 
sas, 1878 

—route  of 

map       

Dumbauld,  Levi 


General  Index. 


601 


Dumont's  Memoirs  of  Louisiana.  259 

Dunbar,  John  B 242,  243,  252 

Duncan, ,  of  Leavenworth  county....  353 

Duncan,  S.  Carter.. 300,  301 

Duncan,  W.  &  C       ....  141 

Duncan,  W.  D.,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Dundee  Place,  Kansas  City 509 

Dunlap,  J 470 

Dunningr,  N.  A.,  author  Farmers'  Alliance 

History 1 

Dunton,  W.  C 470,  473 

Dupont,  A 453 

Du  Pratz,  Le  Page 262,  263,  524 

Durack,  John 301 

Durfee,  E.  H  301 

Durfee,  E.  H.,  steamboat 293,  301,  314 

Durock 301 

DuTisne,  Claude  Charles. .242,  246,  258,  523 
— letter  of  November  22,  1719,  recount- 
ing his  visit  to  the   Missouris   and 

Osages 251,  252 

— visit  among  the  Missouris  and  Osages 
of  Missouri,  and  the  Pawnees  of  the 

Indian  Territory,  1719 252 

-wishes  to  command  a  company  253 

Duvall,  Rev. ,  Methodist  missionary,  568 

—and  wife,  missionaries  to  the  Osages,  572 

Duvall's  bluff,  on  White  river 305 

Dyer,  J.  W  469 


Eagle,  Missouri  river  boat 301 

Eagle's  bead  and  tail  on  pole  carried  by 

Fox  Indians 323 

Eagle  Lake,  Minn iv 

Eagles,  Dr.  J..  130 

Eagles  in  the  Saline  valley  in  1859 8 

Early  Days  in  Kansas,  address  of  Geo. 
W.  Martin  at  the  Lawrence  semicen- 
tennial, October  2,  1904 126 

Early  Steamboat  Navigation  on  the  Mis- 
souri River,  Chittenden 295 

Early  Western  Travels,  Thwaites 295 

Earthquake  at  New  Madrid,  Mo.,  Decem- 
ber 16,  1811 276 

—at  St.  Louis,  August  7,  1827 296 

East  Radford,  Pa v 

Easton,  Leavenworth  county 576 

Eaton, ,  master  of  the  latan  (No.  2),  303 

Eaton,  N.  J.,  steamboat  master.  305,  312 

Eaton,  N.  J.,  Missouri  river  boat 307 

Ebenezer  301 

Eckler,  Charles 312 

Eclips^e 295,  314 

Ed.  F.  Dix 301 

Edds,  ,  master  of  the  A.  McDowell...  297 

Edd>,  William 309,  312 

Eddy,  George  A 423 

Edgar,  C.  W    395 

Edgai,  Missouri  river  steamboat 314 

Edinburg,  Missouri  river  steamboat,  293,  338 

Edinburgh 301,  311 

Editor,  Missouri  river  steamboat 301 

Edmonds,  Matt 367 

Edmundson,  Rev.  Joseph,  presiding  elder 
and  superintendent  of  Kansas  mis- 
sions          225 

Edna  301 

Education  in  Kansas,  History  of,  1893. ..  235 

—oil  the  Western  plains  112 

Educational  institutions,  state,  disburse- 
ment of  appropriations  for 410 

—  maintenance  of 382 

Edward  Bates 301 

Edwards,  George  W 437,  439 

Edwards,  J.  B 526 

Edwards,  J.  H  367 

Edwards,  John  N.,  book.  Noted  Guerril- 
las, or  the  Warfare  of  the  Border  .      4.56 
— (luotation    from,  regarding  William 

C.  yuantrill 462 

Edwards  county 574 

—map.  576 

Edwardsville,  111 13 


Ed wardsville,  Kan 

Effie  Deans 

—remarkable  trip  made  by 

Egypt,  Col.  VV.  W.  Loring  enters  service 
of  the  khedive  of • 

Egyptian  mummy  brought  to  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  on  steamboat  Jubilee 

Eighteenth  Kansas  cavalry.         

-companies  B  and  C  in  fight  on  Prai- 
rie Dog 

Eighth  Kansas  regiment,  five  companies 
and  a  battalion  moved  from  Leaven- 
worth to  Columbus,  Ky.,  via  Missouri 
river,  in  1863,  by  steamer  Emma  . 
-five  companies  and  a  battalion  sent 
to  Corinth,  Miss 

Eiseley,  A.  M.. 

El  Paso 301, 

Elder,  P.  P..  366,  414,  417, 

—Union  Labor  candidate  for  governor, 
1888..  

Eldridge,  McKnight  & 

Eldridge,  Charles  E.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

Eldridge,  ShalerW 304,513, 

Election,  March  30,  1855,  Missourians  re- 
turn home  from,  on  New  Lucy. .. 
-March  30,  1855,  politics  of  voters  in., 
—presidential,   1860,   in    western    Mis- 
souri  

Elections,  Kansas  territorial 130, 

-of  November,  1854,  and  March  30, 1855, 
carried  by  Missourians _. 

Elective  franchise,  limitation  of,  consti- 
tutional amendment 

Electoral  vote  for  governor,   1878,   1880, 
1882 

Elet,  Rev.  Anthony,  S.J 

Eleventh    Kansas    regiment    in    Indian 

campaigns 

— in  the  Price  raid 

Elizabeth,  Pa 

Elk 8,  13. 

-horns  given  the  Polar  Star  for  quick 

time 

—meat,  curing  of  . 

Elk,  American  Fur  Company  boat..  283, 

Elk  county,  erected  from  Howard  county, 

Elk  river 

Elkhora 

Elkhoru  (No.  2) 

Elkhorn  creek 

Elkhorn  river,  Nebraska 

Elkins,  P.  D 

Elkins,  Senator  S.  B.,  of  West  Virginia.. 

Ella,  W.  A 

Ella  301, 

Ella  Kimbrough 

Ella  Stewart 301, 

EUefrit,  Rev.  W.  C,  missionary  to  the 
Delaware  Indians 

EUinwood. .    . . 

Elliott,   Maj.  Joel   H.,   account   of   his 


71 

7?, 

364 

Ellis 

388 

Ellis  county.. .       

—map 

—points  of  interest  in  .. 

417 

577 
576 
567 
576 

Ellsworth  county 

— map  . 

574,  575 

576 

577 
576 

14 

—points  of  interest  in  . . 

map 

— settlements  in. 

567 
576 

E.  M.  Ryland  

309 

Elm  creek,  Ellsworth  county 

Elmore,  Judge  Rush 

12 
133 

17 
543 
164 

301 

Elwood  point.            

302 

311 

Ely.A.^ 

Embassy 

367 
301 

602 


General  Index. 


Emelie(No.l) 301 

Emelie  (No.  2).... 301 

Emelie  bend,  above  Washington,  Mo  ...  301 

Emelie  La  Barge 301 

Emeline 301 

Emerson,    ,    builder    of    steamboat 

Amelia ,  298 

Emerson,  A. 303 

Emerson,  Primus 306 

Emerson,   R.  S  469 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo  148 

Emerson,  William 130 

Emigrant 293,301 

Emigrants  to  Nebraska  generally  stop  at 

Council  Bluffs     ...318 

Emigration  west  of  the  Mississippi  at 

close  of  war  of  1812  274 

—See,  also,  Immigration. 

Emilie, -American  Fur  Company  boat 283 

Emilie,  Missouri  river  boat 352,  353 

Emily        301 

Emily(No.2) 301 

Emissourita  or  Mis.souri  river 241,  257 

Emissourites  or  Missouri  Indians 263 

Emma 301 

Emma,  Kansas  and  Missouri  river  boat,  314 
319,  351,  581 

Emma(No.2) 314 

Emma  Harmon 301,  318,  330,  333 

—account  of,  by  C.  Casselle 330 

—on  Kansas  river —  324,  328 

Emmert,  D.  B 362,366,469 

Empire  State 293,  301 

Emporia iv,  v,  469 

—capture  of,  planned  by  General  Price, 

in  1864 432 

—located  on  Indian  float 82 

Endors 301 

Engel,   Carl,  member    State    Historical 

Society iv 

England,  settlers  from,  in  Kansas  in  1855,  508 

English,  Iroquois  tribes  allies  of 74 

Enterprise    301 

Enterprise,  RaTtfoTd     414 

Enterprise,  Kansas  City 340 

Enterprise,  Fa.Tk6T\ille 414 

Epithalanium 525 

Epizootic 404 

Equal-suffrage     amendments     rejected, 

1867,  1894 383 

Equinox 301 

Equitable  Trust  Company,  Omaha 485 

Erie,  Neosho  county iv,    63 

Errata  and  addenda 579 

Eskimos,  territory  occupied  by —     73 

Eskridge, Charles  v....  363,  364,  365,  366,  469 

Eslinger,  Fred 564 

E<*peranza.   314 

Espiritu  Santo,  or  Mississippi,  river 238 

Espy,  H.J 470 

Es.sick,  M.  L 470 

Estella 301 

Estis,  Wilson  &,  Leavenworth..  352 

Ethics,  state xi 

Etionontates  or  Wyandots 74 

Eudora 545 

Eudora  township,  Douglas  county 331 

Euphrasie 302 

Euphrasie  bend,  below  Glasgow,  Mo —  299 
302.  304 

Eureka,  Kansas  river  boat 351,  314,  319 

Eureka  bend,  above  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  315 
Eureka  Landing,  below  Providence,  Mo.,  300 
European  emigrants  in  Kansas,  486,  5U7,  508 

Eutaw.    302 

Evangeline  said  to  have  visited  Osage 

mission  in  Kansas  20 

Evans,  Mrs. ,  Kansas  City,  Mo 509 

Evans,  B.  D 367 

Evans,  J.  M 364 

Evans,  Oliver,  steamboat  inventor 275 

Evans,  Rev.  W.  C 171 

Evansville, 306 

Evarts,  John 470 


Evarts,  William  M. 496 

Evening  Star 302 

Everett,  Edward 120 

"  Every  tub  must  stand  upon  its  own  bot- 
tom " 311 

Ewing,  Eliza 223 

Ewing,  F.  G 564 

Ewing,  Gen.  Thomas 221,  364,  432,  438 

473,  474,  479 
—details  company  A,  Eleventh  Kansas, 

to  hunt  down  Quantrill 463 

Excel 302,  318 

—description    of  trip    up  the  Kansas 

river  in  1854 321,  322 

—on  Smoky  Hill  323 

—sinking  of 324 

Excursion  boat,  Libby  Congo,  destroyed 
by  cyclone,  at  Kansas  City,  Mo.     .   .     306 

Exemption  law .  57 

Exodus,  negro 385-387 

Expedition,  steamboat  of   the    Yellow- 
stone expedition  of  1819....  277,  278,  302 
Experiment    station.   Agricultural   Col- 
lege, Hays  City 567 

Explorations  through  Kansas,  see  map,  576 
552,  565,   574,  578 

Express 302 

Express  freight  carried  by  steamboats..  291 

Eydtkuhnen,  Germany 490 

Ezra  Chapel,  battle  of 416 


Factor,  the,  in  western  trade 563 

Fagan,  James  F     432 

— his  division  after  battle  of  Lexington,  436 

Fairchild,  G.  H 468 

—treasurer  Kansas  relief  fund,  1861 —  484 

Fairchilds,  S.  A 473 

Fairchilds,  William  423 

Fairfield,  8.  H.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society  V 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Falcon 302 

Fancher,  W..  secretary  of  the  board  of 

trustees  of  Abilene 528 

Fanchon 314 

Fane,  E.  O 469 

Fannie  Barker 302,  314 

Fannie  Lewis 302,  314 

Fannie  Ogden 302 

Fanny  Scott,  Missouri  river  boat 314 

Fanny  Tatum  .314 

Far   West,   Kansas  and    Missouri  river 

boat 302,  314,  318.  319 

—remarkable  run  made  in  1876,  after 

the  Custer  massacre 302 

Faraway     302 

Fargo,  Mrs.  Charles  E 190 

Farley,  H.  L  453 

Farley,  Louis,  scout  killed  at  the  battle 

of  the  Arickaree 453 

Farmer,  Rev.  Henry 515 

Farmer,  Sarah  J 511 

Farmers'    Alliance     and    the    Populist 

party,  history  of,  in  Kansas     425 

— brought  to  Kansas  from  Texas 3 

—national  meeting  at  Ocala,  1890        ..      6 
— northern  and  southernorganizations,      3 

—origin  of,  in  Texas  ...  1 

Farmers'  Mutual  Benefit  Association  as- 
sists in  formation  of  People's  Party, 

1890..  5 

Farmers'  Mutual  Brotherhood,  in  Wis- 
consin, Illinois,  and  Indiana 6 

Farmers'  Protective  Association,  of  Dick- 
inson county 532 

Farming  in  Illinois 503 

-  in  New  York  compared  to  Kansas  . ..  503 

Farmington,  Mo ..     247 

Farnsworth,  Mrs.  John  W     342 

Farragut,  Admiral  David  G.. ..     297 

Farris  brothers'  ranch  on  Elm  creek  —     12 
Farris,  Henry  V 12 


General  Index. 


603 


Harris,  Irwin i'^ 

Farris,  J.J. 141 

Farthing,  Benjamin  F 469 

Faulkner,  Charles  E 412 

Favorite 302,  314 

Fawn 302 

Fayaway  302 

Fayette,  Howard  county,  Missouri,  161,  181 

Fayette  Academy,  Missouri 212 

Fayetteville,  Ark..  224 

—California  trail  from 577 

map 5'?6 

Fearless 302 

Federal  building,  Topeka  .  364 

Federation  of  Clubs,  Kansas  State 61 

Felix  X.  Aubrey 302 

Felt,  Andrew  J 417,  427 

Femme  Osage,  near  St.  Charles,  Mo 302 

Fenlon,  Thos.  P 53,367 

Ferret,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 256 

Ferril, ,  of  Lawrence 141 

Ferris,  L.  C 3!>9 

Ferry,  James,  D.  S.  quartermaster 535 

Ferryboat  Andrew  S.  Bennett 313 

—at  Bluejacket's  crossing 331 

-Denver  (No.  2) 301 

—Hiram  Wood  (  No.  2) 314 

—Leavenworth 305 

—Lizzie,  at  Kansas  City,  Mo 306 

—Nebraska  City 307 

-P.T.Miller 309 

—Roy  Lynds 309 

— S.  C.  Pomeroy 310 

-TidyAdula        311 

—William  Osborn .312 

Ferryboats    destroyed  on   the  Missouri 

river  in  1861  by  General  Hope, 312 

Fertilizers  from  buffalo  bones 44 

—used  by  Benjamin  Franklin 503 

Fever  in  Bourgmont's  party,  1724  256,257 

Field, ,  master  of  the  Glaucus.. 303 

Field,  Emilia 62 

Field,  Stephen  J 62 

Fife,  J.O 94,    98 

Fifer,  Gov.  Jos.  W.,  of  Illinois 430 

Fifth  Kansas  cavalry.  456 

Financial  depression,  1857,  1888 426,  481 

Financial  straits  of  settlers  of  northwest 

Kansas        36 

Financier,  Missouri  river  boat 302 

Financier  No.  2 318,  330,  331,  333 

-on  the  Kansas 328,  329,  333 

Finch, ,  master  of  the  Dacota 300 

Finch,  L.  E 367 

Finley, ,  of  Lawrence. 141 

Finley,Rev.  James  B.,  missionary  among 
the  Wyandot  Indians.. . .  82,  190,  213,  224 

Finley,  W.  S 368 

Finney,D.W 367,395 

—lieutenant-governor —  392,  413 

Finney  county 574,576 

— map  .  576 

—Dull  Knife's  raid  through 578 

map  576 

—used  by  Eighteenth  Kansas 446 

Fire  Canoe  •  302 

—bell  of,  placed  in  the  Qillis  House, 

Kansas  City,  Mo 302 

"  Fire    canoe,"   Indians'  name  for    the 

steamboat  .     302 

Firearms  given  to  the  Seneca  Indians  in 

trade ''5 

First  Kansas  battery 456 

First  Kansas  infantry  .        .  464 

First  National  Bank  of  the  City  of  New 

York  411 

Fiscal  agency,  state,  in  New  York 429 

failure  of,  in  1884 ...     411 

Fish, ,  Shawnee  chief 166 

Fish,  Charles,  interpreter  to  the  Kaw  In- 
dians    186,  198 

Fish,  F.  G.  469 

Fish,  Paschal,  Shawnee  Indian..  167,  184,  192 

— missionary 230 


Fish,  Paschal,  interpreter  at  Delaware 

mission 

—sketch  of 

—teacher  at  Kickapoo  mission 

—teacher    at    Shawnee    manual-labor 

school 228, 

—teacher  at  Wyandot  and   Delaware 
missions    

Fish,  William,  Shawnee  Indian 

Fish's  hotel,  near  Eudora 

—entertainment  of  Master  Geo.  W.Mar- 
tin and  party  at 

Fishback,  W.  H.  M 

Fisher,  H.  D ■ 

Fisher,  J.  W.,  director  State  Historical 

Society  

—member  State  Historical  Society  — 

Fisher,  John        

Fisher,  Joseph 

Fisher,M.  D        

Fisher's  Landing ^ 

Fishing  river,  Missouri 161,  306,  312, 

Fitch,  Edward  P 

Fitch,  John,  steamboat  inventor 

Fitzgerald, ,  master  of  the  Marcella. . 

Fitzpatrick,  M.  J.,  county  clerk  of  Nor- 
ton county 

Fitzpatrick,  T.  D.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

Fitzpatrick,  Thomas,  guide  of  Fiemont, 

Fitzpatrick,  W.  H 367, 

Fitzpatrick,  W.  S 100, 

Fitzwilliam,  F.  P. 

Five  hundred  thousand  acres  of  internal- 
improvement  lands  divided  among 
Kansas  railroads 372, 

Five  Nations,  or  Iroquois  Indians. 

Five  Years  a  Dragoon,  by  Percival  G. 
Lowe 

Flag  presentation  by  ladies  of  Topeka  to 
the  Topeka  Guards,  July  4, 1856..  541, 

Flag,  white,  planted  by  Du  Tisne  in  Paw- 
nee village,  Indian  Territory,  in  1817. . 

Flatboatat  Bluejacket's  crossing  of  the 
Kansas  

Flatboat  Pioneer,  on  Kansas  river.  ..319, 

Flatboats  on  Kansas  and  Missouri  riv- 
ers   276, 

Flat  Rock  creek,  Neosho  county 

Flathead  Indians,  smallpox  among 

Fleischer,  Edward 

Fleming's  Buford  Expedition 

Flesher,  Capt.  Henry,  eighteen  of  his  men 
killed  by  Bill  Todd 

Fletcher,  James    ..  

Flint,  Jacob,  Shawnee  Indian 

Flint,  Levi,  Shawnee  Indian 

Flint,  Lagarus,  Shawnee  Indian 

Flint,  Samuel,  Shawnee  Indian  

Flint,  William,  Shawnee  Indian 

Flint  Hills  of  Kansas 

Flirt.  

Floats,  Indian,  occupied  by  Kansas  town 
sites 

Flood  at  Fort  Hays,  1867 

—in  Kansas  river  in  August,  1865 . . .  352, 

—  in  Saline  valley  in  1858 11, 

-of  1827 

-of  1844 86,  178,  300, 

-of  1903      

Flora  McFlimsey 

Florence  f  No.  1) 302, 

Florence  (No.  2) 

Florence  Meyer.  

Florida,  settlers  from,  in  Kansas,  1860- 
1900  

Florilda 

Florissant,  Jesuit  establishment  near  St. 
Louis 20, 

Flour  purchased  in  Iowa  and  sold  in 
Kansas  during  the  drought  of  1860, 

prices  of. 

—shipped  to  Fort  Riley  on  Excel,  1854. . 


604 


General  Index. 


Flour  unloaded  by  Captain  Beasley,  of 
the  Col.  Gus  Linn,  in  a  papaw  patch 

on  the  banks  of  the  Kansas 

Fogarty's  mill,  Junction  City,   head  of 

navigation  on  the  Kansas     

Fontainebleau,  France 

Fontenell. 

Fool  Chief,  Kaw  Indian,  village  of..  196, 

—location  of  

map.  No  1,  Shawnee  county.. 

Foot-and-mouth  disease  of  cattle. ..  405, 

Foote,  Henry.       .  ..  

Foraker,  Gov.  Joseph  B.,  of  Ohio ... 

Ford, ,  captain  of  the  Hensley. 

Ford,  Capt. ,  owner  of  Kansas  Val- 
ley  

Ford,  J.  J 

Ford,  Capt.  Patrick,  agent  for  the  lowas, 

death  of 

Ford  county 574, 

—map 

-points  of  interest  in 


Ford  <  'ounty  Globe 

Foreign-born  population  of  Kansas,  1855- 

1900 507, 

Foreign   immigrants  serve  in  the  civil 

war .. 

Foreign  Immigration  Work  for  Kansas, 

paper  by  C.  B.  Schmidt 

Foreigners  in  Kansas  in  1875 

Foreman,  James    

Foreman,  John  W 

Forest  Rose .  

Forests,  burning  of 

Formerly  of  Kansas    

Forney,  A.  G     

Forsyth.Col.  George  A..,U.  8.  A...  67,  422, 
—at  the  battle  of  Beecher  Island  or  the 

Arickaree 

Fort  Atkinson    

—map, 

Fort  Aubrey    

—map 

Fort  Benton,  Montana  ....  242,  293,  300, 

306,  307,  308, 

312,  314,  315, 

—head  of  navigation  on  the  Missouri 

river 

—location  of        

—steamboat  arrivals  at,  1859-1874 

Fort   Kridger,   Wyoming,  troops   called 
from,  to  quell  the  Bear  River  riot.... 

Fort  Buford,  North  Dakota  

Fort  Carondelet,  trading-post  of  Chou- 
teau, in  Vernon  county,  Missouri 

Fort  Chapman 

Fort  Chartres,  Illinois 249, 

Fort  Clark,  Missouri 247, 

Fort  Clark,  North  Dakota,  location,  283, 

Fort  Crawford,  Wisconsin 

Fort  Dodge 

— map 

— General   Sheridan's  first  service  at, 

1868 

—Robert  M.  Wright,  sutler  at 68, 

Fort  Donelson,  Tennessee 

Fort  Duquesne,  Pennsylvania,  captured 
by  Wyandots,  Chippewas,   Ottawas, 

and  Pottawatomies,  in  1758   

Fort  Ellsworth,  location  of 12, 

Fort  Fletcher,  location  of 

Fort  Graham,  Texas . .   

Fort  Harker,  location  of 12,  34, 

Fort  Hays 444,  450,  451. 


Fort  Jewell 

—map 

Fort  Kearney,  Nebraska 43 

Fort  Laramie,  Wyoming 

Fort  Larned,  location  of 

—map,  in  No.  1,  Pawnee  county  . 


34, 


79 
567 
567 
548 
566 
567 
576 
568 
576 
455 
439 
572 
576 


Fort  Leavenworth  ...  203,  209,  224,  278, 

303,  305,  307,  809, 

346,  388,  455,  567, 

—capture  of,  planned  by  General  Price, 

—Colonel  Sumner  in  command  of 

—establishment  of  Kickapoo  mission 

near 

— location  of,  on  map,  in  No,  2,  Leaven- 
worth county 

—military  goods  carried  to  by  Kansas 

Valley 

—military  road  from,  to  Santa  Fe  trail, 
—mules  raised  for,  by  Mackinaw  Beau- 

chemie     

Fort  Lincoln,  Bourbon  county,  Kan.,  457, 

— map 

Fort  Lincoln,  North  Dakota 

Fort  Lisa,  Iowa 

Fort  Lyon,  Colorado  564, 

Fort  McKavett,  Texas 

Fort  Mackay 

— map 

Fort  Madison,  Iowa 

Fort  Mann 

— map 

Fort  Mohave,  Arizona 

Fort  Napoleon,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ar- 
kansas  

Fort  Orleans,  Missouri 250,  263, 

—departure  of  Bourgmont's  party  from, 

— location  of 

—suggestion  of  La  Harpe  in  1719  that 
a  fort  be  built  at  this   point  by  the 

French  

Fort  Osage,  Mo..  193,  247,  559,  565,  571, 

Fort  Peck,  Montana 313, 

Fort  Pierre,  South  Dakota 281 , 

— location  of 

Fort  Randall,  South  Dakota 301, 

— location 

Fort  Reno,  Oklahoma 

Fort  Riley 11,  298,  346,  347,  470, 

—map 

— beef  contract 

—Capt.  John  W.  Gunnison  at 
—cavalry   stables  built  of  Red  cedar 

from  Republican 

—difficulties  of  city  marshal  of  Junc- 
tion in  consequence  of  proximity  to . . 
— location  and  building  of  .   . 
—packet  line  between  Kansas  City  and, 

—road 

— Second  dragoons  at 

—Robert  Wilson,  sutler  at.. 

— several  boats  sent  to,  by  the  govern- 
ment, from  St.  Louis 

—steamboats  at 318, 

Fort  St.  Louis,  La  Salle  county.  111.,   243, 

Fort  St.  Louis,  Texas 243, 

— de  Tonty's  efforts  to  save  survivors 

of,  1689    

Fort  Saunders,  capture  of  by  free-state 


Fort  Scott V,  27,  366, 

—map 

— capture  of,  planned  by  Gen.  Sterling 
Price    432, 

—metropolitan  police  of 422, 

Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  railroad 

Fort  Smith,  Arkansas 

Fort  Sully,  South  Dakota 

Fort  Sumter,  South  Carolina 

Fort  Tecumseh,  South  Dakota 

Fort  Titus,  capture  of 

Fort  Union,  Montana,  at  mouth  of  Yel- 
lowstone   280,  308,  309,  310,  318, 

—location  of 

Fort  Wallace .... 

—beef  contract  in  1870 

— location  of 

map,  No.  1,  Wallace  county 

Fort  Worth,  Texas 

Fort  Zarah 

—map 


General  Index. 


605 


Forts  and  arsenals,  list  of,  in  Army  and 

Navy  Register 

Foster,  Oassius  G 53,  3'-5, 

Foster,  Rev.  Daniel,  statement  regarding 

the  drought  of  1860 

Foster,  James,  assistant  at  Kaw  mission, 

Foster,  Kate 

Foster,  R.  C .     .  ....  52, 

Four  Houses,  trading-post  of  Francis  and 
Cyprian  Chouteau,  location  of.   . . . 

map  No.  1,  Wyandotte  county 

Four  Mile  creek,  Neosho  county.. 21, 

Fourth  Kansas  regiment 

Fourthof  July  celebration, Topeka,  1856, 

—why  we  celebrate  it 

Fox,H 

Fox,  Gen.  Simeon  M 

Fox  Indians,  habitat  of 

—of  the  Mississippi 

—on  buffalo  hunt 

—sketch  of  tribe 

Fox  river,  Wisconsin    238, 

Fox-.=quirrels 

Foxes 

Fractional  currency,  amendment  to  con- 
stitution prohibiting 

Fraim,  Mattie 

Frame,  James  A — 

France,  natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855.  . . . 

Francis,  Miss  Clara 

Francis,  D.  C 

Francis,  John iv,  368,  385, 

—director  State  Historical  Society  .... 

—history  of  Price  raid  claims.   ...  411, 

—state  treasurer..  .  . 

Franco-German  war,  effect  on  Mennon- 

ites  in  Russia 

Frank  Dozier 306, 

Frankfurt,  Mo     305, 

Franklin,  Benjamin 

—use  of  fertilizers 

Franklin,  Kan.,  Buford's  men  at  

Franklin  county     .  2, 

—points  of  interest  in  


—relief  received  in  1861 

—Sac  and  Fox  reserve  in  

Franklin,  Mo    . .  ....  277,  278, 

-starting-point  of  Santa  Fe  trail 

Fraser  river,  Canada 

Frazier,  J.  F. ,  Missouri  river  boat 

Frazier,  John         ..         

Frederick  Notrebe,  Mississippi  boat 

Free-state  census,  1857  

Free-state  citizens  of  Kansas  appeal  to 
St.  Louis  Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
merchants  for  just  treatment  by  Mis- 
sourians  and  upon  Missouri  river,  140, 
—convention  atTopeka,  July  3, 1856,541, 
— and  pro-slavery  men,  difficulties  be- 
tween. Second  United  States  dra- 
goons employed  to  quell 

—emigrants,  money  spent  by,  in  Kan- 
sas City  and  St.  Louis        

on  the  Wm.  Campbell  in  18.56..    . 

under  Capt.  William  Strawn  sent 

down  the  river  from  Leavenworth 

by  Buford's  men 

—emigration  and  trade,  establishment 
of  Hue  of  steamers  between  Alton, 
111.,  and  Leavenworth  and  Lawrence, 

Kan.,  for 

to  Kansas,  through  Nebraska . .  126, 

meeting  of  Missouri  river  men 

in  regard  to 

Free-state  hotel,  Lawrence.        

Free-state  legislature,  Topeka,  July  4, 
1856,  notes  on.               . .                      359 
—men  carry  territorial  election,  Octo- 
ber 5,  1857 

in  territorial  election  of  March  30, 

1855 


Free-state  men  oppose  the  territorial  gov- 
ernment of  Kansas  by  a  free-state  con- 
stitutional movement 

settle  Kansas 

— passengers  turned  back  at  Weston, 


—  prisoners  at  Lecompton  released  — 

— road  from  Nebraska  to  Kansas 

—settlers,  aid  received  by 

of  Kansas  

Freedmen's  Relief  Association,  Kansas.. 

Ficpclom's  Champion,  editorial  on  rail- 
road convention  of  1860 

Freeman ,  Fount       

Freeman,  Winfield..  

— director  State  Historical  Society  ... 

P'reeman,  McPherson      

Freemasonry  among  the  Shawnee  and 
Wyandot  Indians 84, 

Freeport,  Ohio 

Freight  rates  by  steamboat  and  rail  com- 
pared   

Fremont,  Mrs.  Jessie  Benton..  560, 

Fremont,  Gen.  John  C 17,  392,  509, 

545,  571, 
—expeditions  of,  brief  sketch,  559,  560, 

map 

— guides  of 

—order  against  retaliatory  work  on  the 
border  between  Kansas  and  Missouri, 
—presidential  campaign  of 

Fremont,  Kan 

Fremont  park.  Council  Grove 

French,  J.  L.  ..  

French,  Algonquin  tribes  allies  of..     . . 

French  and  Wyandot  alliance 

French  Canadians 266, 

French  Catholics  give  names  of  patron 
saints  to  steamboats 

French  contest  with  the  Spanish  for  the 
Missouri  valley.. 

French  explorers,  food  of 

French  fort,  location  of   .  -  

—on  map.  No.  1,  Leavenworth  county, 

French  government 

French  remove  Wyandots  to  neighbor- 
hood of  their  forts.. 

French,  Margry's  Discoveries  and  Estab- 
lishments of  the,  in  North  America  . 

French  names  given  to  creeks,  etc.,  in 

Missouri     .  

-settlements on  the  Mississippi  begun, 

French,  Shawnee  Indians  enemies  of 

French  traders  on  the  Missouri  

—trappers  of  Kansas 

French  river,  Canada 

French's  Louisiana     ..  250, 

Frenchman  in  Eighteenth  Kansas  cav- 
alry.. ..  

Frenchmen  in  Fremont's  expeditions 

Frieririchsfeld,  Russia 

Friends'  establishment  among  the  Shaw- 
nees 160, 

Friesland,  Prussia 

Frontenac,  Count  Louis  de  Buade,  sends 
Loui.s  Joliet  to  discover  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi  river 239, 

Fionlier,  Colorado  Springs  monthly 

Frost,  Daniel  M.  

Frost,  Isaac,  Wyandot  Indian.  

Frost,  John  E.,  life  member  of  State  His- 
torical Society 

Frost,  Josiah 

Frost,  William  R 

Fry,  James  B 

—letter  to,  written  by  Gov.  S.  J.  Craw- 
ford, relative  to  the  draft  in  Kansas.. 

Fuller,  Mrs.  Cora 

Fuller,  Harry 

Fuller,  Perry  

Fulliugton,  B.  E 

Fulton,  E.  R  

Fulton,  Robert,  steamboat  inventor 

Fulton,  steamboat 


606 


General  Index. 


Funk,  Ferd  J.,  member  State  Historical 

Society iv 

Fnnk,  Prudence  C 190 

Funston.E.H 362,  367 

Fuqua, ,  master  of  the  Wm.  A.  Moffit,  312 

Fur  Company,  American 581 

Fur  company  boat 307 

— A.  S.  Bennett 298 

-Big  Horn  (No.  1) 299 

-Chian 299 

—General  Brooks 302 

-Malta 306 

— Omega 308 

-Pirate 308 

—St.  Anthony 310 

-St.  Peters 310 

—Shawnee 310 

—Trapper 312 

-Trenton 312 

—  Wilmington 313 

— Yellowstone 313 

Fur  Trade,  History  of  the  American,  by 

H.  M.  Chittenden - 576 

— impetus  given  by  the  Lewis  and  Clark 

expedition 271 

— interfered  witli  by  British  influences 

on  the  upper  Missouri 277 

—of  the  French  on  the  Missouri 267 

Fur  trader.  Col.  Robert  Campbell,  noted,  309 
Furs,  shipment  of,  by  boat 274 


Gable,  F.  M 367 

Gabriel,  G.  W 367 

Gage,  Guilford  G 46 

Gage,  Mrs.  Louisa  46 

Gaillard,  Bourgmont's  messenger  to  the 

Paducas 256 

Gaines,  Mrs. 544 

Galatia 314 

Galena,  Kan v,    73 

Gallatin     302,314 

Gallup,  F 564 

Gambell,  W.  P 363,  366 

Gamble, ,  lawyer 53 

Gamblers 41 

Gambling  in  Abilene,  1867 528- 

—on  Missouri  river  boats 289 

Gandy, ,  of  Norton  county 43 

Gantt,R 453 

GardenCity iv 

Gardiner,  James  B 164 

Garfield,  Pres.  James  A 392 

Garfield  county-seat  troubles  429 

Garrett, ,  clerk  on  Financier ...  329 

Garrett, ,  living  on  Big  Blue  in  1855..  329 

Garrett,  Charlie  332 

Garrett,  Henry,  Wyandot  Indian  187 

Garrett,  Jesse 218 

Garrett,  Martha 218 

Garrett,  S.  B 468 

Garry  Owen,  played  by  regimental  band 

at  battle  of  the  Washita 71 

Garver,  Theodore  F 115 

Qarvey,  E.  C.  K.,  arrives  at  Topeka  on 

Emma  Harmon. 332 

—owner  of  first  printing-press  in  To- 
peka  333 

Garvey  House,  Topeka 543 

Gas  in  Kansas      .■-•.■••  ^28 

—See,  also.  Oil  Producers'  Association. 

Gasconade,  Mo.,  cholera  in 281 

Gasconade  river.  Mo.,  253,  266,  299,  300,  301,  306 

—bridge  burned  by  Confederates 300 

Gaspard,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 256 

Gass,  Patrick 524 

Gate  City 314 

Gaylord,  Lucy 482 

Geary,  Gov.  John  W 141,  336 

—came  to  Kansas  on  board  the  Key- 
stone    305 

Geary  county 363,  472,  548,  575, 


577 
_  _  576 

members  of  Second  dragoons  settle  in,  549 


-map. 


Geary  county  points  of  interest. 

map 

Gem. 


56S- 
576 


General  Brady 

General  Bragg  

General  Brooks 302, 

General  C.  H.  Tompkins 

General  Custer 

General  D.  H.  Buckner 

General  Dix. 

General  Gaines 302, 

General  Grant 302, 

General  Hamilton 

General  Lane 

General  Leavenworth 

General  McCook 

General  McNeil 302, 

General  Meade 302, 

—amid  a  herd  of  buiialo,  in  the  Yellow- 
stone, in  1878 

General  Perry 

General  Terry 

General  W.  H.Ashley 

Geneva  (  No.  1 ) 

Geneva  (No.  2) 

Genoa        

Gentil,  Corporal,  of  Bourgmont's  expe- 
dition  

Geographical  nomenclature  of  Kansas.. 

Geological  Survey,  U.  S.,  in  Michigan, 
Missouri,  and  California . 

George  Washington 

Geo.C.  Wolf      

George  Spangler 

Georgetown 

Georgetown  College,  Maryland 

Georgia 

Georgia  emigrants  on  board  Star  of  the 

West  

—lack    of    support   given    pro-slavery 

cause  in  Kansas 

— negro  exodus  from 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855  and  1856, 
1860-1900 507, 

Gerard  B.  Allen. 

German  immigrants  in  Kansas 

killed  by  explosion  of  steamboat 

Edna  at  mouth  of  Missouri  river. . . 
—representation    on    State    Board    of 

Charities 409, 

— settlement  at  Frankfurt,  Mo 

Germany,  natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855.. 
—Kansas  emigrant  agent  in  

Germon,  Father 

Gerteisen,  Charles 

Getty,  James  F 

Giessler,  H.  F  

Giffen,  John  M 

Gihon,  Dr.  John  H 

Gilbert,  N.  8 

Giles,  F.  W 

Gilham  cottage,  at  Kansas  City,  Mo 

Gilham,  Alexander,  captain  of  the  A.  B. 
Chambers 287,  297, 

Gillespie,  G.  W 

Gillespie,  J.  S 

Gillett,  F.E 

Gillis  House,  Kansas  City,  Mo . . .        302, 

(Jillpatrick,  J.  H.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society  .  

— member  State  Historical  Society  — 

Gillpatrick,  Dr.  Ruf us 

Gilmore,  Allen  &,  of  Lawrence 

Gilmore,  John  S 

Qilruth,  ,  missionary  to  the  Wyan- 

dots 

Gilson,  Margaret 

Girard  and  Choteau,  establishment  at 
Trading  Post 

Gladiator 

Gladstone 

Glancy,  John,  large  crop  of  potatoes 
raised  by,  in  Atchison  county  in  I860.. 

Glanville,  John 


General  Index. 


607 


Glasgow,  Mo 277,  280,  298-302,  304 

305,  312,  313, 1582 ,  583 

Glaucus 303 

Gleason, ,  and  family,  of  Lawrence..  331 

Gleed,  Charles  S 238,  421,  497 

— director  State  Historical  Society v 

—life  member  State  Historical  Society,   iii 

Glencoe,  terrible  explosion  on 303 

Gleucoe  (  No.  2) 314 

Glenn,  Johnson  county 576 

Glick,  George  W 53,  297,  366,  378,  394 

395,  469,  472,  473,  479 
—Administration  of,  paper  by  James 

Humphrey 395 

—candidate  for  governor,  1882 384 

—extract    from    his   message    of    1883 

relative  to  prohibition 397 

—member  State  Historical  Society —     iv 

—paper  on  The  Drought  of  1860 480 

— paper  on  Railroad  Convention  of  1860,  467 

—portrait  of 396 

Glick,  Mrs.  Geo.  W 297 

Globe 303 

Globe,  Atchison 481 

Gloster 303 

Qnadenau,    Marion    county,    Mennonite 

settlement 490 

Goddard,  E 469 

Goddin,  A.  C. 312,319 

Qoddin,  A.  C,  Missouri  river  boat 297 

Goddin,  Thomas  I     305 

—captain  of  the  Keystone 334 

— reply  to  circular  letter  propounding 
queries  as  to  treatment  of  free-state 
emigrants  on  Missouri  river  boats. ..  334 

Godsey ,  Henry 511 

Godshalk,  A.  J 368 

Gold  at  Pike's  Peak  announced  by  Mons 

Bordeau  at  Kansas  City 342 

—discovered  in  Kansas  river  sand 347 

—  in  Montana 293,  313 

Gold  Dust 298,  303,  314 

GoldFinch.     303,314 

Gold-mines  of  western  Kansas 576 

Golden  belt,  origin  of  term 505 

GoldenState 303 

Gonvil,  Louis,  and  half-breed  Kaw  fam- 
ily   195 

Goode,  Rev.  William  H 206,  218,  224 

—missionary  among  the  Choctaws 179 

—missionary  to  the  Shawnees  . .    192 

—presiding  elder  Kansas  and  Nebraska 

Mission  district 230 

Goodin,  John  R 378 

Qoodnow,  Isaac  T 328 

—superintendent  of  public  instruction,  364 
Goodrich, ,  member  of  Kansas  regi- 
ment   455 

Goodrich,  Miss  J.  Augusta 192 

Goodrich,  Silas 192 

Goodspeed's  Province  and  the  States 294 

Gordon, G.F 539 

Gordon,  Si 433,  459 

Gore,  J 184 

Gormley, ,  captain  of  the  A.  B.  Cham- 
bers    582 

Gosport,  Ind  .         582 

Gould, ,  master  of  the  Gold  Dust  ...  303 

Gould,  Jay,  gift  to  western  Kansas  set- 
tlers   387 

Gove  county    577 

—Dull  Knife's  raid  through 578 

map 576 

Government  boat,  Don  Cameron,  built  for 

the  Yellowstone 301 

Emily  (No.  2) 301 

J.  B.  McPherson 304 

John  Bell  304 

New  Georgetown 307 

Octavia    308 

—snag  boat  Heliopolis 303 

Josephine  305 

—transport,  Platte  Valley 308 

—warehouse  at  Kansas  City,  Mo 559 


Governor,  state,  campaign  of  1890  for 424 

candidates  of  1872 372 

commencement  of  executive  term,  417 

-vote  for,  in  1878,  1880,  1882 378 

— difficulties  of  the  office, 415 

—message  of,  read  in  joint  convention,  381 

Governor  Allen 314 

Governors,  administrations  of. ..  378,  395,  414 

—territorial 94 

Graf  Strom,  Col.  Carl  Axel 497 

Grafstrom,  Mrs.  Cecilia 497 

Grafstrom,  Edward,  gift  of  bronze  tablet 
in  his  honor  to  the  State  Historical 

Society  497 

—cut,  showing  bronze  tablet  of 498 

Grafstrom,  Mrs.  Edward 501 

Grafton..     314 

Grafton,  111 308 

Graham,  G.  W.,  steamboat 303,  304,  314 

Graham,  George 367 

Graham,  James,  comes  to  St.  Mary's  mis- 
sion   323 

Graham,  Robert  468 

Graham  county,  Indians  in 42 

—relief,  1874 37 

—value  of  school  property 38 

Grain  inspection 428 

Grain,  seed  for  western  Kansas  farmers,  428  ' 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 115 

Grand  avenue,  Kansas  City,  Mo 538 

Grand  canyon  of  the  Colorado,  explora- 
tion of 535 

Grand  Osages 26,246 

Grand  river,  Missouri. .  246,  2.')0,  251,  253,  258 
269,  297,  299,  300,  306,  307,  308,  316,  517 

Grand  Tower,  below  St.  Louis 312 

Grange,  or  Patrons  of  Husbandry    . .  62 

— assist  in  formation  of  People's  Party,      5 

—assimilated  by  Farmers'  Alliance 425 

Grant,  Gen.  Ulysses  S 392,  430 

Grant  county 576 

—map 576 

Grasshopper  Bar,  opposite  Lecompton . .  333 

Grasshopper  Falls 343,469 

—free-state  convention  at 134,  135,  139 

Grasshoppers,  in  1874 495,  504 

—in  northwest  Kansas 37 

Graves,W.W 19,    28 

Gravier,  Father  James 249 

Gray,  Alfred 355,  469,  473 

-secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture    392 

Gray,  Mrs.  Alfred,  donor 583 

Gray,  Amer  K 469 

Gray,  B 469 

Gray  Cloud 314 

Gray  county 574 

—map 576 

—county-seat  troubles  in 429 

-Dull  Knife's  raid  through 578 

map...   .     576 

Grazing  lands  in  Indian  Territory 248 

Great  American  Desert....  102,  105,  128,  233 

Great  Bend iv 

—canal  joining  Arkansas  and  Smoky 

Hill  rivers  at,  proposed 350 

Great  bend  of  the  Missouri,  South  Da- 
kota    273 

Great  Britain  aids  free-state  Kansas...      132 

Great  Falls,  Mont 308 

Great  Salt  Lake 262 

—desert  of 109 

Great  Western 314 

Great  Yellow  river,  term  applied  to  the 

Missouri 262 

Greeley,  Anderson  county,  school..       .      235 
Greeley,    Horace,    Liberal    Republican 

candidate  for  president,  1872 372 

Green, ,  of  Norton  county 43 

Green,  Charles  R 206,  250,  572,  568 

—director  State  Historical  Society v 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Green,  Frank  M 211 

Green,  G 453 


^08 


General  Index. 


Green,  George  S. 

Green,  James 

Green,  Louis  F 

Green,  Nancy,  Ottawa  Indian  

Green,  Sophia,  Ottawa  Indian 

Green,  Capt.  William 435, 

Green  Bay,  Lake  Michigan,  238,  239,  240, 
Green  corn  feast,  celebrated  by  Wyandot 

Indians 

Green  county,   Missouri,   Shawnee   and 

Delaware  Indians  in 

Greenback   party  organized  at  Indian- 
apolis, Ind.,  1876 

— legislation  secured  by 

—passes  out  of  existence  in  1884.. 
Greenbackers  at  organization  People's 

Party 

Greene,  Judge  Adrian  L — 

Greene,  Albert  R  ..  297,  299,  301,  302,  303, 
305,  306,  307,  308, 
314,  315,  316,  420, 

—biographical  sketch  mentioned 

—director  State  Historical  Society 

—first  trip  to  Kansas  on  A.  B.  Chambers, 

—life  member  State  Historical  Society, 

— paper  on  Kansas  River  —  its  Naviga- 
tion..  

Greene,  Rev.  Jesse,  168,  174,  179,  193,  223, 

—portrait  of 

—sketch  of  

Greene,  Mrs.  Mary  Todd 165, 

— portrait  of   ....  

Greenhowe's  History  of  Oregon,  1845  .... 

Greenville,  Ohio,  treaty  of,  1796 80, 

Greenwall,  E ..  

Green  wall,  Miss  Flora 

Greenwoodcounty,  relief  received  in  1861, 
Greenwood  tract,  Kansas  City,  Kan.. 
Gregg,  Josiah,  Commerce  of  the  Prairie, 

by..       

Gregg,  Oliver _  ..     ... 

Gregory,  David  G.  and  wife,  missionaries 

to  the  Shawnees 

Greyeyes,  John  W.  

Greyeyes,  Squire,  Wyandot  Indian..  214, 

— sketch  of 

Griffin,  S.  P 

Griffin, U.S 

Griffing.  Mrs.  J.  Augusta.       

Griffiug,  Rev.  James  S.,  missionary  to  the 

Shawnees..     

Griffing,  William  J 

—director  State  Historical  Society  .... 

—member  State  Historical  Society .... 

Griffith,  William  R 55, 

Grimes,  W.  H..  ....^ 366, 

Grindstones,  freight  to  Lawrence  on  bil- 

ver  Lake      

Grinter,  Mrs.  Anna  Marshall 

— portrait  of       

Grinter,  Moses  R  ,  sketch  of .     .  

—ferry  on  the   Kansas  river  in  Wyan- 
dotte county        559, 

Groseilliers,  French  explorer.  

Grosventre  Indians,  smallpox  among... . 
Grovenor,  G .         .  

—member  State  Historical  Society  . . . 

Grover,  A.  T 

Grover,  O.J 863,  364, 

Groves,  Mr. ,  teacher  among  the  Peo- 

rias  and  Kaskaskias 

Groves,  Junius  G.,  the  Kansas  negro  po- 
tato king     •■•■•     • 

Guards,  flag  presented  to,  by  Topeka  la- 
dies, July  4,  1856 541, 

Guerrilla  leaders  of  Quantrill     

—raid  on  S  all  n  a 

Guerrillas,  Bill  Anderson's 

—Missouri -.     -•  433, 

—Noted,  or  the  Warfare  of  the  Border, 

by  John  N .  Edwards - 

-Guidon 303, 

Guilding  &  Co.,  Lawrence 

•Guinotte,  Chouteau  &  


240,  301, 


Gulf  of  California  

Gulf  of  Mexico  

Gunn,  O.  B 

Gunnison,  Capt.  John  W 

—outfits  his   Pacific  railroad  expedi- 
tion at  Westport        

—route  through  Kansas 

Guns     furnished     Indians     by     French 

traders ..   75, 

Gunsaulus,  ,  master  of  the  St.  An- 
thony (  No.  2) 

Gunsaulus,  Rev.  F.  W  

Gurley,  Rev.  James 

—expulsion  from  the  Wyandot  nation, 

— pHStorsent  to  the   Wyandots  by  the 

Ohio  conference 

Gus  Linn  314, 

Guthrie,  Abelard     85, 

Guthrie,  (ieorge   W 

Guthrie,  John 

— director  State  Historical  Society 

— death  mentioned . 

—treasurer  of  the  State  Historical  So- 
ciety   

Guthrie,  W.  W  

—member  relief  committee  of  1860,  483, 

Guthrie,  Okla  

Gypsy 

Gypsum    creek,    buffalo    wintered    on, 

186U-'61  

H. 

Haas,  H.  C  

Hackbusch,  H.  C.  F     

— director  State  Historical  Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

Hackney,  William  P 367, 

Hadley,  D.  B 

Had  ley,  James  A.,  quoted 

Haff,  Sanford 

Hah-sha-rehs,  name  of  William  Walker, 

Haidee 

Halcyon 

Halderman,  John  A 

—  life  member  State  Historical  Society, 

Hale,  Edward  Everett.. 

Haley,  J 

Halford,  Robert 

Hall, ,  captain  of  the  Falcon 

Hall,  A.  C 

Hall,  Rev.  Dr.  John      

Hall,  John,  boat-builder 

Halleck,  General.. 

Halley's  bluft's,  Vernon  county,  Missouri, 

Halliford,  Robert 

Hnllowell,  J.  R 

Hambliu,  H.  M.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society  

Hamilton,  <;apt.  Louis  M.,  killed  at 
battle  of  the  Washita 

Hamilton,  Clad,  director  State  His- 
torical Society  

— member  State  Historical  Society  . . . 

Hamilton,  George  T.,  member  State  His- 
torica  1  Society        

Hamilton,  J.  G 

Hamilton,  Mrs.  J.  G 

Hamilton,  James  W.,  405,  417,  420,  427, 

Hamilton,  John,   

Hamilton,  M.  E 

Hamilton  county     568, 

—map 

Hamilton,  Mo 

Hammatt,  Abrara,  clerk  supreme  court.. 

Hammond,  Fred  R.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society     

Hammond,  Dr.  William  A 322, 

Hammond,  Mrs.  Wm.  A 

Hanback,  Lew.  arrives  in  Lawrence  on 
the  Alexander  Majors 

Hancock 

Hancock,  Gen.  Winfield  S  ,  Indian  expe- 
dition of  1867  in  western  Kansas 

Handy's  Point,  South  Dakota 


General  Index. 


609 


Haney's  Landins.  at  mouth  of  Big  Tar- 

kio,  below  Nekraska  City     .  310 

Hanley,  W.  H.  411 

Hanna,  D.  J.,  director  State  Historical 

Society  ...  . .      v 

—life  member  State  Historical  Society,    iii 

Hanna,  John,  clerk  of  the  E.  Hensley  ..     35'i 

Hannibal .. 3i  3 

Hannibal,  Mo.  192 

Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  R.  R  ...  300,  301,  3U3 

308,  478,  518 

—boat  of,  Sallie  West     310 

— completion  of.  293 

—extension  to  Atchison 373,476 

—service  in  drought  of  1860 482,  4^3 

Hanover  College,  Indiana 12 

Hansen,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 551 

Hansen,  John.  551 

Harahey,  Province  of.       567 

—map 576 

Hard  Chief's  Kaw  village,  location,  196,  573 

— map,  in  No.  4,  Shawnee  county  576 

Hard  times  in  Kansas  after  1888 426 

Hardie,  Gen.  J.  A. 412 

Harding,  Benjamin 469 

Hardy,  Charles  F.,  member  State   His- 
torical Society iv 

Hardy, Sewall 473 

Hargraves,  John..     367 

Harkness,  F.  P 367 

Harmar,  Gen.  Josiah.  —  182 

Harmony  Mission  among  Osages,  in  the 
present  Bates  county,  Missouri  .  20,  248 
— established  in  1821,  in  what  was  then 
Vernon  county,  Missouri .  166 

Harney,  Gen.  William  8 90,  283,  542 

— fight  with  the  Sioux  on  the  Platte; 

Septembers,  1855..  548 

Harpei'x  HVpA/^  on  Kansas  affairs 142 

Harrington,  F ...  453 

Harris, ,  master  of  the  Preemption. .  3U9 

Harris,  Charles 116 

Harris,  Edward  P.,  account  of  trip  of  the 

E.  Hensley 352 

—director  State  Historical  Society —      v 

—log  of  Col.  Gus  Linn  347 

—member  State  Historical  Society —     iv 

Harris,  James 470 

Harris,  James  H 468 

Harris,  John 552 

Harris,   Kos,   member   State   Historical 

Society  iv 

Harris,  W.  A 405 

Harris  House,  Westport 552,  560 

Harrison,  Benjamin 3,  417,  430,  583 

Harrisouvillo,  Mo.. 511,  513 

Harrow^  used  in  wheat-sowing  .504 

Hart, ,  master  of  the  General  Brady,  302 

Hartford 303,  318,  327,  3.« 

— aground  at  Douglas 333 

—burned  at  St.  Mary's  Mission,  1855. ..  329 

Hartland 569 

Hartman,  Matilda  W 47 

Hartman,  Samuel 47 

Hartman,  Mrs.  Susan 47 

Harvesting,  by  T.  C.  Henry.       505 

Harvesting  machines,  American,  used  in 

Russia 491 

used  by  T.  C.  Henry 504 

Harvey,   Maj.  Thos.  H.,  superintendent 

of  Indian  affairs..    ..  21 

Harvey,  Henry,  history  of  the  Shawnee 

Indians 160 

Harvey,  J.  M 366 

Harvey,  Stella  A.,  Omaha  Indian 188 

Harvey  county 3 

—Russian  Mennouites  in  .   495 

Harveyville iv,      v 

Hascall,  Isaac  S 328 

Haskell,  Dudley  C 367,392 

—believed    in    navigation    of    Kansas 

river.   ...        .     357 

Haskell,  Col.  John  Q.  ....  443 

—director  State  Historical  Society  —       v 

-39 


Haskell,  Col.  John  G.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society  

—quoted  

Haskell,  W.  W.,  grain  inspector 

Haskell  County 

—map.  

Haskell  Institute,  Lawrence.   

Hattie  May..  

Haury,  Rev.  S.  S.,  Mennonite  missionary 
among  the  Arapahoes  and  Cheyennes, 

Haviland,  Laura  S.,  aid  given  to  negro 
exodus  

Hawaiian  islands.  ... 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1900 

Hawes  ranch,  Anderson  county,  foot-and- 
mouth  disease  at 

Hawkins,  H.  C     

Hawkins, J. J 

Hawks,  A.  K    ..  

Hawthorn,  Atchison  county 

Hay,  Col.  John..  

Hay,  Robert,  author  of  A  Monograph  on 
the  Name  of  the  State:  Kaw  and 
Kansas  

Hay  camp,  Fort  Riley 

Hay  contractor .  

Hayden,    Bridget,    mother    superior    at 

Osage  mission  

— sketch  of  

Hayden,  G    P..  

Hayes,  Josiah  E....  470, 

Hayes,  Pres.  Rutherford  B        392, 

—visit  to  Dodge  City  in  1879  

Hayes,  Upton     433, 

Haynes,  Lieut. ,  of  Topeka  Guards.. 

Hays, ,  master  of  the  Hattie  May 

Hays,  Lewis,  Shawnee  Indian  

Hays,  S.  M     

Hays  City.  . .  iv,  v. 

Hazel  Dell,  flatboat  on  Kansas  river 

Hazen,  Gen.  William  B.,  describes  north- 
west Kansas  as  almost  a  desert,  107, 

Header  used  by  T.  C.  Henry 

Heap,  G.  F.,  Western  expedition  with  E. 
F.  Beale,  1853 

Heart  of  New  Kansas,  by  B.  B.  Smyth... 

Heath,  I.  D 

Hebbard,  J.C 

Heckewelder  narrative 

Hegwer,  Lieut.  Henry  

Heisler,  E.  F.,  story  of  the  assassination 
of  Rev.  Thomas  Johnson 

Helen  McGregor 295, 

Helen  Marr,  Ohio  river  boat 

Helena  .. 

HeleDa(No.l) 

Helena  (No.  2) 

Heliopolis 

Helm,  W.  B 

Helmick,  Jason.  : 

Hemenway,  Capt.  S.  O 

— proprietor  of  Rowena  hotel,  Lecomp- 
ton  

Hemp  shipped  to  St.  Louis  from  Weston, 
Mo.,  by  Perry  &  Cody.   .  

Hendershott, .captain  of  Colona,  319, 

Henderson,  John  B.,  amendment  to  Pa- 
cific railroad  bill 373, 

Henderson,  Robert  

Henderson,  T.  W 

Heudrix,  Bishop  E.  R 

—sketch  of  Rev.  Nathan  Scarritt 

Henley,  Feeling.  

Hennepin,  Father  Louis 

—account  of  the  Wyandots 

Henrie,  C.  A 

Henry  (  a  yellow  fellow  ).. 

Henry  Adkins 

Henry  Lewis  

Henry,  Rev.  M.,  of  Independence  circuit, 
Missouri 199, 

Henry  M.  Shreve 

Henry  S,  Turner 


610 


General  Index. 


Henry,  Theodore  C 378 

—address    in  memory    of   Thomas    J. 

Smith,  city  marshal  of  Abilene 527 

— biographical  sketch.  .. .         502 

—builds  first   school-house  for  negro 

children  in  central  Alabama 502 

—Story  of  a  Fenceless   Winter-wheat 

Field  502 

— trustee  of  Abilene 528 

Hensley,  Albert 368 

Hensley,  E..  Missouri  and   Kansas  river 

boat  3U3,  314,  319,  352 

Herald,  steamboat.. 303 

//er«/do//'Veedom,  Lawrence.. 322,  324,  333 

— destruction  of 330 

Herald,   W.uandutte 85,  480 

Herbert,  George 150 

Hercules 295 

Hereford,  H.  F.,  M.  D 564 

Hermann,  Mo 274,  297,  298,  299,  300,  302 

303,  304,  306,  314 

Hermit's  cave,  Council  Grove 233 

Herndon,  Capt.  Edward  T.,  sketch..  304,  312 
Herr,  Alpheus,  Ottawa  Indian.  ...     187 
Herring,  Dr.  A.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society..                      iv 

Hersey,  Timothy  F.,  trustee  of  the  city 

ofAbilene...  528 

Hesperian,  steamboat,  Capt.  F.  B.  Ker- 

cheval 287,  303 

Hessin.  JohnE 422 

Hewins,  Edwin  M.,  sketch  of 90,  93,  367 

Hewins,  Mrs.  Julia  E 90 

Hewins,  Mrs.  Sabra  —     90 

Hewitt,  Dr.  Richard,  subagent  of  Wyan- 
dot Indians  219,  220 

Hiawatha iv,      v 

Hiawatha,  steamboat ...        303 

Hickman, ,  captain  of  the  Colossal..  300 

Hickman,  James 178 

Hickman's  Mills,  battle  of 442,  520 

Hickok,  J.  B.,  city  marshal  ofAbilene...  532 

Hickory  Point,  battle  of 549 

— Jefferson  county 576 

Hicks,  Francis  A..  217 

—head  chief  of  Wyandots 225 

Hicks,  James,  Wyandot  Indian 187 

Hicks,  John.  217 

-hereditary  chief  of  Wyandots 225 

Hicks  family  of  Wyandots 213 

Hides  shipped  down  the  Kansas  on  the 

Silver  Lake 343 

Higgins,  William 417 

Highflyer 303 

—consignmentof  slaves  on,  for  Kansas,  337 

Highland iv,  v,  566 

HighlandMary 303 

Highland  University 12 

Hill,  F.S 516 

Hill,  J.  M xi 

Hill,  James 308 

Hill,  James  B 308 

Hill,  Joseph  H.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society V 

—member  State  Historical  Society —     iv 

Hill,  Mary,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Hill,  S.F 470 

Hill,  Sarah,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Hill,  WalterH.  S.  J 20 

Hill  City iv,      v 

Hill's  Landing,  near  Lexington,  Mo.,  286,  306 

Hillard,  Moses 304 

Hillman,  J.  M 473 

Hillman,  T.  T.,  Missouri  river  boat.. 314,  316 

Hillyer,  G.  D  473 

Hillyer,  George  S 472 

Hindoo 303 

Hinkle, ,  captain  of  the  Jubilee 296 

Hiram  Wood 319,  352 

Hiram  Wood  (No.  1) 314 

Hiram  Wood  (  No.  2  ) 314 

Historical  Society,  Kansas  State. . . .  132,  303 
—addresses  at  annual  meeting,  1904  —  1 
—objects  of 142 


History  in  Kansas  public  schools 142 

History  making xi 

Hoar,  George  F 506 

Hobbs,  Dr.  Wilson 331 

Hoch,  Gov.  Edward  W.,  address  accept- 
ing for  the  State  Historical  Society 
the  bronze  tablet  in  honor  of  Edward 

Grafstrom 497 

—director  State  Historical  Society  v 

—recommends    oil    legislation    in    his 

message  of  1905.        .. 94 

Hodder,  Frank  H.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society .. .                 .  V 
—editor  of  Pittman's  Mississippi  Set- 
tlements  265 

—member  State  Historical  Society  iv 
Hodge,  F.  W.,  history  of  Shawnee   In- 
dians..                                  163 

Hoecken,  Father  Christian 155 

—death  of,  from  cholera 309 

Hoffnnngsthal,  Kan.,  Mennonite  settle- 
ment   490 

Hog  Creek  band  of  Shawnees 164 

Hogan,   Rev.   John,    bishop   of    Kansas 

City,  Mo. 30 

Hogeboom,  Dr.  G.  W 367 

Hogs,  chattel  mortgage  on 36 

Hogue,  T.  L 367 

Hohn,  August 413 

Hoisington,  A.  J.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society iv 

Holcombe,  Dr.  A.  A.  405 

Holcombe,    R.    I.,    History    of    Vernon 

County,  Missouri 267 

Holladay,  Ben 440 

Holland,   Rev.  ,   missionary   to    the 

Shawnees..  170 

Holland,  Joseph  B 297,308 

Holland,  Mennonite  church  in 488 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855 508 

Holliday,  Col.  Cyrus  K 468,  472,  473,  475 

—  Kansas  indebted  to,  for  his  assistance 

to  railroads 478 

—recommendation  to  railroad  conven- 
tion of  I860 475 

—tribute  of  Governor  Glick  to 480 

Holliday,  Mrs.  Cyrus  K 342 

Holliday sburg.  Pa 340 

HolJidaysburg  (Stoddard 341 

HoUinsburg,  G.  H 366 

Holloway,  I.  N.,  relief  commissioner, 1881,  388 

Holloway,  J.  N 523,  525 

Holmes,  G.  B 473 

Holmes,  William..  470 

Holmes  brothers,  Kansas  City 538 

Holt,  Joel 427 

Holton iv 

Homan,  Miss  Mary  .  581 

Homes  of  Kansas,  poem  by  Sol.  Miller..     51 

Homestead  bill,  passage  of 485 

Homestead  exemption  in  Kansas  consti- 
tution due  to  Judge  Kingman  —  49,     56 

Hon,  John 511,  514 

Honduras 303 

Honey-locust  on  Western  plains 108 

Honeywell,  James  132 

Hoogland,    Edward,    territorial    claim 

commissioner.         ...     47 

Hoover,  D.,  captain  of  steamboat  South- 
wester 287 

Hope     314 

Hopkins,  Ash 298 

Hopkins,   Rev.    J.    H.,    presiding   elder 

Platte  mission  district 230 

Hopkins,  Scott,  director  State  Historical 

Society        v 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Hopkins,  W.R 367 

Horn,  Capt. ,  owner  of  Kansas  Valley,  351 

Hornaday,  Grant,  life  member  of  State 

Historical  Society iii 

Home,  Col.  Daniel  H 363,  468,  473 

—quoted 366 

Hornsbys  &  Ferril 141 


General  Index. 


611 


Horse-racing  among  the  Indians 27 

Horses    brought    by    Du    Tisne    to    the 
French  settlements  in  Illinois  in  1719,  253 

—killed  in  fight  on  Prairie  Dog 446 

— obtained  by  the  French  in  trade  from 

Little  Osages 253 

—owned  by  Indians  on  the  Missouri, 

mentioned  by  Tonti.     ..            .  241 
—procured  from  Spanish  in  New  Mex- 
ico           241 

— promised  to  be  brought  to  the  French 
on  the  Illinois   by  the   Mentos  and 

Panisin  1720 253 

—sold  at  Westport 556 

—stolen  by  the  Osage  Indians  from  the 

Panis..  .   253 

—stolen  by  the  Pawnees  from  the  Kaws 

and  white  settlers  —  243 

—stolen  by  Pawnee  Indians  from  Mexi- 
cans, Texas  and  plains  Indians  ..   13,    14 

Horse-tlneves 37.  42,  43,  243 

Horticultural  products  of  Kansas.   .  128 

Horton,  Chief  Justice  Albert  H 385,  427 

Horton,J.C 367 

—member  State  Historical  Society —     iv 

Horton    iv,     v 

Hosford,  L.  B.  414 

Hospital  boat,  Ned  Tracy 307 

Hougland,  Cornelius —  509 

Hougland,  D.   P.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society iv 

— paper  on  Voting  for  Lincoln  in  Mis- 
souri in  IStiO 509 

Hougland,  John —  509 

Hougland,  Mrs.  Sarah  J 511 

Hoult,  E.  M.  470 

House,  West  &  James 336 

House,  Francis 469 

Houseboat  295 

Householder,  M.  A 368 

Houses,  portable 318,329 

Houston,  D.   VV ..363,366,475 

Houston,  Joseph  D.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society iv 

Houston,  S.  D.                     52,  470,  473,  475,  480 
—letter  to  Governor  Carney  on  possi- 
bilities of  northwest  Kansas 107 

Hovey,  Gov.  Alvin  P.,  of  Indiana 430 

Hovey,  Charles  M 426 

Hovey,  E.  T. 469 

Hovey,  Geo.  U.  S.,  death  of    207 

—director  State  Historical  Society v 

Hovey,  J  B 470 

H  oward,  Ben 309 

Howard,J.J 470 

Howard,  William  A.  331 

Howard 303 

Howard  chute,  on  the  Missouri  . .  324 
Howard  congressional  committee,  1856..  508 
Howard  county,  division  of  territory  be- 
tween El  k  and  Chautauqua 89 

—Indians  in 90 

Howard  Female  College,  Fayette,  Mo....  181 
Howard  high  school,  Fayette,  Mo..  IM 

Howard's  bend  of  the  Missouri  river 269 

300,  304,  310,  314 
Howe,  Henry,  Historical  Collections  of 

Ohio 164 

Howe,  Samuel  T 411 

—state  treasurer 410,413 

Howell,  Augustus 571 

Howell,  Mary 340 

Hoyt,  Charles  H.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society  . iv 

Hoyt,  David  Starr,  interment  of 546 

— Sharps'  rifles  in  charge  of,  put  off  of 

boat  at  Lexington,  Mo 336 

Hoyt,  George  H 459,  464 

Hoyt,  S.  G 470 

Hubbard,  D.,  member  State   Historical 

Society iv 

Hubbard,  Joseph  M.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society iv,  469 

Hubbell,  Mrs. ,  of  Lawrence 331 


Hubert,  Sieur 268 

Hudsou,  Maj.  J.  K 421 

-secretary  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  392 

Hudson,  T.  J 414 

Hudson  Bay  Company,  lands  of 106 

—traders  ....  271 

Hudson  river,  steamboat  on 274,  275 

Hueco  Indians 242 

Huffaker,  Aggie  C  234 

Huffaker,  Annie  G  234 

Huffaker,  Carl  234 

Huffaker,  Mrs.  Eliza  A  202,  234 

—portrait  of 234 

Huffaker,  Rev.  George 233 

Huffaker,  George  M  234 

Huffaker,  Homer 234 

Huffaker,  Mary  H  234 

Huffaker,  S.,  teacher  Shawnee  manual- 
labor  school  187 

Huffaker,  Susie 202 

Huffaker,  T.  teacher   Shawnee  manual- 
labor  school 187 

Huffaker,  Thomas.  Wyandot  Indian 187 

Huffaker,  Thomas  Sears..   160,  184,  231,  243 
470,  473,  475,  579 
— letter  giving    population  of  Kansas 

previous  to  1854 129 

— missionary  and    farmer  to  Kaw  In- 
dians.      ' 201,  2(2 

—portrait  of  231 

—sketch  of 233 

— Tah-poo-skah,  Kaw  name  for, mean- 
ing teacher 234 

Huffman,  Chas.  D.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society.  iv 

Hughes, ,  master  of  tlie  Platte 3('8 

Hughes,  Col.  Andrew  S 440 

Hughes,  G^^n.  Bela  M 364,  440 

Hughes,  Adj-gen.  J.  W.  F  ....     107,  388,  444 
Hughes,  John   F.,   director    State    His- 
torical Society...  v 

—member  State  Historical  Society...      iv 

Hughes,  Lieut.  Thomas 443 

Hull,  C.  W 422 

Hull,  Leander  R 441 

Hull,  Gen.  William 81 

Hulls,  Jonathan 275 

Hultz,  N.  J.,  Missouri  river  boat 307 

Humber,  N 366 

Humboldt,    threatened    assault    on,    by 

Cherokees  and  southern  Osages 22 

Hume,   Mary,   teacher  Shawnee   Metho- 
dist manual-labor  school 190 

Humphrey,  Mrs.  Amanda 414 

Humphrey,  James 53,  395,  421 

—  Democratic  member  of  the  Board  of 

Railroad  Commissioners 413 

—paper     on     The    Administration    of 

George  W.  Glick 39S 

Humphrey,  Lyman  Underwood,  367,  385,  392 
—Administrations  of,  paper  by  D.  O. 

McCray  .  414 

—biographical  notes.  414-416 

—lieutenant-governor,  1879 392 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

— portrait  of         415 

— resume  of  his  message  of  1891 427 

Humphreys,  Gen.  A.  A .     355 

Hungary,  natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855. . .  508 
Hunt,Frank,captainof  Minnie  Belle,  319,  342 
Hunt,  Wilson  Price,  Astoria  expedition 

of  1811.    ..  273 

Hunter,  Col.  D.,  succeeds  General  Fre- 
mont     ...   459 

Hunter,  Maj.  David  E  563 

Hunter,  Messrs.  J.  M.  &  J 564 

Hunter  county,  relief  sent  to,  in  1860. . .       484 

Hunter's  experiences  in  1859 9,     11 

Hunting,  Amory 472,  473 

Huntington 313 

Huntoon,  Joel 472,473 

Huntsville 303,  414 

Hurd,  H.  B.,  secretary  Kansas  National 
Committee.   338 


612 


General  Index. 


ilurlburt.     Rev.     Thomas,     missionary 

amonjf  the  Ohippewas. 178 

— teacher  at  Kickapoo  mission. 229 

—teacher  at  Shawnee  Mission  manual- 
labor  school 228 

— teacher  at  Pottawatomie,  Chippewa, 
Peoria  and  Wea  mission     ..  212,  228,  229 
Huron,  George  A.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society    iv 

Huron,  Missouri  river  boat 314 

Huron  cemetery,  Kansas  City,  Kan  86 

Huron   Indian  confederacy,   population 

of 76 

Huron  Indians,  mission  of 240 

—or     Shockheads,    name    applied    to 

Wyandots 74,     76 

Hurst,  J 453 

Hurt,  Mrs.  Cora 327 

Hutchings  &  Summerfleld,  Lawrence 19 

Hutchinson,  C.  C 367 

Hutchinson,  G.  W.  &  Co 141 

Hutchinson,  William 122,  140,  420 

473,  480,  543 

—  letter  in  New  York  Times 330 

Huzzau  or  Osage  Indians 246 

Hyatt,  Thaddeus,  builder  of  Lightfoot..  339 

—prayer  to  James  Buchanan  in  behalf 

of  drought  sufferers  in  Kansas  482 

—relief  work  for  Kansas  in  1860 482 

Hybarger,  Lieut.  Samuel.  443 

I. 
latan  (  No.  1),  fur  company's  boat..  283,  303 

—  (.No.  2) 303 

latan,  Mo 280,309 

Ida  303 

Ida  Fulton  314 

Ida  Reese 303,314 

Ida  Stockdale         303,314 

Idaho  people  living  in  Kansas,  1870-1900,  507 

Iliff,  E.  VV.         .  389 

Illiuoi:^  adjutant-general's  reports 380 

-black  laws  of .  393 

—  Democratic  convention  of  1860.     ...     117 
— Farmers'  Mutual  Brotherhood  in.. ..      6 

— farming  in  503 

— history  of,  mentioned.. .  —  249 

—offers  to  loan  Kansas  money  to  build 

a  state  oil  refinery  ...  99 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas  in   1855,  1860- 

1900  130,  507,  508 

—settled  by  the  French 249 

ailiuois  College,  Jacksonville 12 

Illioois  Indians.  241 

—driven  beyond  the  Mississippi  by  the 

Iroquois 245,257 

Illinois  river 240,243 

— G.  P.  Nelson,  steamboat  captain  on,  329 

Illustrations,  list  of viii,    ix 

Immaculate  Conception,  cathedral    of, 

Leavenworth..  155 

Immaculate  Conception,  Jesuit  mission 

at  Kaskaskia,  111 240,  250 

Immigrants,  to  Kansas,  census  by  native 

states.. :.  506-508 

Immigration  to  Kansas,  1855-'56  ...   148,  508 

at  close  of  civil  war 387 

through  Iowa   and    Nebraska,   in 

1856 334,  545 

large  in  1860  481 

—northwest  Kansas 34,    39 

—valley  of  Kansas 323 

—via  Missouri  and  Kansas  rivers.  ..317-358 
—wanted  in  northwestern   Kansas  in 

1863 107 

—work  for  Kansas,  among  foreigners..  485 

Imperial .        314 

Imperialism,  discussed   by  William   H. 

Taft 125 

Importer 314 

Independence,  Kan iv,  295,  303,  414 

Independence  Presbyterian  church  12 

Independence  Tribune 414 


Independence,  Mo.,  197,  277,  299,  310,  380, 

—battle  of,  August,  1861 

—citizens  br(>ak  open  merchandise  con- 
signed to  Kansas  City 

—Santa  Fe  trade  with  

— starting-point  of  santa  Fe  trail 

Independence  creek,  Doniphan  county, 
Kansas  

— Kansas  village  at  mouth  of 

Independence  Landing,  Mo     

Independence  (  Mo.),  Messenger. 
Indian  Affaiis,  Annual  Register  of.       . . 
Indian  brigade  in  the  civil  war 

—battle-ground,  Lincoln  county. 

— battle  of  the  Arickaree,  inscription 
on  monument,  Beecher  Island,  Colo., 

— call  the  steamboat  the  "fire  cauoe," 

— campaign  of  Nineteenth  Kansas  in 
Indian  Territory  and  Texas,  winter 
1S68-69 34,  67, 

—campaigns,  Kansas  soldiers  in 

—contract.  Fort  Laramie...  

— depredations  on  Solomon,  1861. .. 

—difficulties  in  northwest  Kansas,  1874, 

—farming 

-fight  at  adobe  walls 

on  Prairie  Dog  August,  1867,  de- 
scription of 

—flag  of  truce 

—hieroglyphics 

—hostilities,  claims  for,  losses  caused 


— hut,  interior  of 

—marriage  ceremony,  1828..  ..  — 

—Mission  conference,  210,  2l7,  219,  226, 

falls  to  M.  E.  Church  South 

Tahlequah,  Cherokee  nation,  178, 

—missionaries  take  leave  of  absence 
during  Indian  hunting  seasims 

—missions  of  the  Methodist  church 

of  various  denominations 

— ponies  

—primary  schools,  remarks  on 

—raid  of  1878  in  Kansas. .  . .     129, 

report     of     commissioners    on 

losses  from 

rumor  of,  in  1884..  . 

^raids  in  Kansas,  papers  relating  to.. 

—reform,  Isaac  McCoy's  remarks  on. 

—remains  found  in  Missouri.. 

—school-books,  printed  on  the  Baptist 
press 

— scouting  expedition,  Jewell  county . . 

—shelters  found  on  Spilman's  creek, 
I860..     

— signals 

—  skull  tobacco  box 

—slaves  sold  by  Du  Tisne 

—trade  of  Westport,  Mo 

on  Kansas  river 

of  the   Missouri  valley  sought  by 

Spanish  

—trader  in  northwest  Kansas 

—traditions.  ... 

—translation  of  hymn  of  Isaac  Watts.. 

—treaty,  1785     ..  

— tribes,  N.  W.  confederacy  of..  81,  84, 

headed  by  Wyandots 

convention  held  in  Kansas,  1848, 

— troubles  in  western  Kansas  caused 
formation  of  Eighteenth  Kansas  cav- 
alry, 1867s 

of  northwestern  Kansas,  1867 

— warfare  of  the  Eleventh  Kansas 

—brigade  in  the  civil  war 

Indians,  taught  abstinence  by  the  Prophet 
Kennekuk.   ...  

— allies  of  General  Pike  in  the  civil  war, 

—allotment  of  lands  among     

—desecrate  grave  of  Thos.  G.  Master- 
son  

—division  of  North  American  territory 
among  the  original  families  of,  in  1492, 

— firearms  used  by 


General  Index. 


613 


Indians,  fondness  for  their  children 

—frighten  clerk  of  trader.  — 

—hostile,  use  the  English  language  to 

taunt  the  enemy 448, 

— massacre  of,  «t  Sand  creek,  Colo 

— Mennonites  disqualified  to  take  up 

arms  against 

— militia  organized  in  western  Kansas 

for  protection  against  90, 

—of  Arkansas  river  subject  to  Pawnee 

raids   .   . 
— i>f  the  Northwest,  cholera  among,  in 

IKi-i  and  1849 
—of    the    upper    Missouri,    smallpox 
scourge  of  1837  brought  to,  by  the  St. 

Peters   291. 

—on  board  the  steamer  Amelia 
—strap  themselves  to  horses  in  battle . . 

—superstition  of     

— taken  to  Washington  by  our  govern- 
ment to  show  them  our  civilization, 

in  September,  1855     

—treatment  of,  by  government  agents, 
Indian  Territory,  or  Oklahoma,  visited 

by  DuTisne  in  1719 

natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1870-1900.., 

Indiana,  steamboat  

Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania 

Indiana,  Farmers'  Mutual  Brotherhood 

in .     

—native.s  of,  in  Kansas..  130,507, 

—reported  emigration  of    negroes  to, 

for  election  purposes 

Indianola,  Shawnee  county 343, 

Indies,  Company  of  the,  grant   Bourg- 
mont  a  commission  for  exploration 

of  the  Missouri .         

Individual  liability  of  stockholders 

Industrial  School  for  Grirls,  Beloit 

Ingalls,  John  J 5,  47,  94,  301, 

— eiforts  of,  to  secure  federal  aid  for 

negro  exodus..  

Ingalls,  Sheffield,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society 

Ingraham,  Jesse 

Inman  liner,  City  of  London 

Insane    asylums,   Osawatomie   and    To- 

peka.        

Institutions,    state,    charitable,    educa- 
tional, etc.,   under  Governor    Hum- 
phrey's administration.     ..  ... . 

Insurance  on  boats  on  the  Ohio  river  in 

1719        

Interstate  Commerce  Commission 

lola iv, 

—  threatened  assault  on,  by  Cherokees 

and  southern  Osages 

lone 304, 

Iowa.     .     1, 

—Alliance  in  

^and  prohibition 

—free-state  emigration  through  . 

— natives  of ,  in  Kansas 130,  507, 

Iowa  Indians 251, 

at    village  of    Kansas,   Doniphan 

county 

at  war  with  Osages 

reserve  of,    between    Kansas    and 

Nebraska 

enemies  of  the  Kaws 

habitat  of 

tSpanish  manuscript  of,  in  posses- 
sion of  Kansas  Historical  Society, 

Methodist  mission  among 

^said  to  be  oli'shoots  of  M  issouris . . 

variations  of  the  name  and  sketch 

of  tribe ...     2.50, 

—and  Sac  and  Fox  mission,  Doniphan 
county 


lap. 


Iowa,  Missouri  river  boat 

Iowa  Point 

Ireland,  citizens  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855.. 
Irene 


Iron  City — 

Iron  Hand,  name  applied   to  Henri  de 

Tonty .  

Iroquoian  family,  territory  occupied  by, 
Iroquois  or  New  York  Indians 79, 

-allies  of  English 

—mission  of 

—sketch  of 

—war  with  the  Illinois  Indians 

Irrepressible  conflict 

Irrigation.  

—law,  Roosevelt's  national 

—of  the  plains        — 

—recommended  for  northwestern  Kan- 


Irvin,  Rev.  Samuel  M.,  missionary  to  the 
lowas...                                        —  251, 
Irvine,  J.  C,  Missouri  river  boat    . . 
Irving,  John  T.,  Indian  sketches,  1885.... 
Irving,  Washington,  Astoria 105, 


Isabella  (No.  1) 293, 

Isabella  (No.  2) .     304. 

Isely,  W.   H.,  director  State  Historical 

Society .       . 

— member  State  Historical  .'Society 

Island  City,  wrecked  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone  river  with  provisions  for 
General  Sully's  troops 304, 

Isle  au  Vache  or  Cow  island 277 , 

—map 

Italian  immigrants 

— revolution  of  1848 .... 

Italy,  citizens  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855 

Ivers,  Jack 

Ives,  John  N 423, 

Ives,  Miss  Louisa .  

Izetta,  steamboat 304,319, 

J. 

Jaccard,  McCune  &  La  Barge 

Jackass  bend  of  the  Missouri  river 

Jack-rabbits 

Jackson,  Mrs. ,  Shawnee  Indian,  her 

account  of  the  emigration  of  Cape 
Girardeau  band  of  Shawnee  Indians, 

Jackson,  Gen.  Andrew 

Jackson,  Charles  T,,  U.  S.  geologist 

Jackson,  Gov.  Claiborne  F 312,  432, 

Jackson,  P.  T 

Jackson,  William 166, 

Jackson,  battle  of 

Jackson  bend,  above  Sibley,  Mo 

Jackson  camp,  near  St.  Louis. 

Jackson  county,  Kansas  . .     472,  473,  475, 

—map..  .       

—  Delaware  reservation  in     

— Kickapoo  reservation  in.   

— relief  received  in  1861.        .     ... 
Jackson  county,  Missouri .   .  320, 

citizens  enlist  toflght  Mexicans  in 

interest  of  Texas,  1843 

history,  1881 282, 

Jacob  Sass.  304, 

Jacob  Sass,  Mo.  river  boat..  .304,  314,  3i9, 
Jacobs,  John  T. ,  member  State  Historical 

Society 

Jails  depopulated  by  prohibitory  law. .. 

James,  West  &  House 

James,  Frank 433, 

James,  Jesse  . 433, 

James  D.  Rankin. 

James  H.  Lucas 293,  304,  325,  581, 

—brings  100  slaves  to  Kansas 

—fast  trip  of,  on  the  Missouri — 

— race  with  Morning  Star      

James  Lyons,  Missouri  river  boat.. 

James  Monroe,  Missouri  river  boat 

—cholera  on  board  of 

James  river,  Missouri 

— Delaware  reservation  on 

James  Watson 

Jansen,  Cornelius. 

January,  D.  A.,  Missouri  river  boat,  287, 


614 


General  Index. 


Jaquins,  Edwin 89, 

—sketch 

Jarboe,  F.  H 

Jarboe,  J.  &  D.  M 

Jarboe,  W.  J. 

Ja.vhawkers,  Jennison's 458,460, 

Jefferson,  Thomas 

—efforts  to  explore  the  West. 

Jefferson  Barracks,  cholera  at,  1832 

Jefferson  branch  of  the  Missouri 
Jefferson  City,  Mo.  197,  274,  238,  297, 

300,  301,  307,  308,  309,  311,  312,  313,  315, 

—capture  of,  planned  by  General  Price, 

— cholera  victims  landed  at 

—Missouri  village  near 

— Exchange  Bank  in 

—Ferry  Company .       

—Savings  Association  

Jefferson  City  &  Necsho  Valley  railroad.. 
Jefferson  county..  354,  472,  473,  475,  576, 


—Delaware  reserve  in.     .. 

—Kaw  agency  in,  1827-'30,  194,  195,  196, 

John  C.  McCoy's  map  of 

— relief  received  in  1861 

Jeffersonville,  Ind 304,  582, 

Jenkins,  C. 

Jenkins,  E.  J 

Jenkins,  Qaius 141,  331, 

Jenness,  Capt.  George  B.  ...  443, 

—in  Indian  fight  on  the  Prairie  Dog.  .. 

—paper  on  The  Battle  on  Beaver  Creek, 

Jennie,  Missouri  river  boat 

Jennie  Brown 304, 

Jennie  Lewis.  304, 

Jennison,  Charles  R 458,  459,  460, 

514,  516, 

—tribute  to,  by  John  Speer 

Jesuit  college  at  Georgetown,  Md 

—colleges  of  Italy 

— missionaries    

among  the  Wyandots 

—priests educated  at  White  Marsh,  Md., 
Jesuit  Relations,  edited  by  Reuben  Gold 

Thwaites  

Jetmore,  A.  B 

J.iwell,  Byron   473, 

Jewell  City..  iv, 

Jewell  county 515,  568,  574, 

—  map .  

— buffalo  herd.  ..  

—  Pawnee  road  through 

—relief,  1874 

—settlement  and  organization  of..  39, 

-statistics  

—value  of  school  property  in 

Jewett,  Miss  Martha  C 

Jewett,  Capt.  William  C 306,  582, 

—Dandy,  sobriquet  for  Captain  Jewett, 
—sketch 3i9, 

Joe  Irwin,  Kansas  and  Missouri  river 
boat 304. 

Joe  Jim  (Joseph  James),  a  half-breed 
Kansas  Indian  

JogUHS,  Father ,  Jesuit  missionary.. 

Johu,  a  brother  of  the  Catholic  church  in 
Kansas  in  1859        

John  AuU 

John  B.  Eaton   

John  Bell       

John  Campbell 

Johu  D.  Perry      289,293, 

—on  the  Kansas  river. 

John  Golong  305, 

Johu  Hancock 304, 

Johu  L.  Roach   

John  M .  Chambers 

John  Warner. 

Johnnycake,  Isaac,  interpreter  at  Dela- 
ware mission 

Johnson  and  Winter      

Johnson,  Col.  Alexander  S  231, 

—in  charge  of  Shawnee  manual-labor 
school,  1858 


Johnson,  Col.  Alexander  S.,  member  first 
Kansas  territorial  legislature  

— portrait  of 

—sketch  of 

Johnson,  Pres.  Andrew ... 

Johnson,  Andrew  Monroe  

Johnson,  Ben 298, 

Johnson,  Charles  F 

-bank commissioner 419, 

Johnson,  Cora 

Johnson,  D.  M ...    

Johnson,  Delos,  member  State  Historical 

Society     

Johnson,  Edna  

Johnson,  Eliza  

Johnson,  Elizabeth,  Shawnee  Indian. . . . 
Johnson,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  A. 

—director  State  Historical  Society  — 

— member  state  Historical  Society 
Johnson,  Fielding  342, 

— &  Veale  (Geo.  W.),  store  in  Topeka.. 
Johnson,  George. .   

-member  State  Historial  Society 

Johnson,  H..  

Johnson,  ("ol.  Hampton  P.,  death  of 

Johnson,  Capt.  J.  B. 

Johnson,  J.  P 

Johnson,  John 

Johnson,  John  A.  .  

Johnson,  Laura.  

Johnson,  Mrs.  Mary  Jane 

Johnson,  Mrs.  Prudence  C 

Johnson,  R.  M.,  Missouri  river  boat. 

— iu  Yellowstone  expedition,  1819. .  277, 

Johnson,  Mrs   Sarah  T 

Johnsou,  Rev.  Thomas 167,  179,  181. 

194,  198,  204,  209,  212,  375, 

—account  of  his  death,  as  given  by  E. 
F.  Heisler 

—elected  delegate  to  Congress  by  In- 
dian votes 

—inscription  on  his  tombstone. 

—journal  of  a  tour  among  the  Metho- 
dist Indian  missions  in  Kansas  in 
1837 

— labors  of,  as  a  missionary  among  the 
Shawnees.  160-191,  225 

—letter,  February  17,  1834 

— portrait  of 

— sketch  of 

—superintendent  of  North  Indian  mis- 
sion district 

Johnson,  Mrs.  Thomas 

Johnson,  Rev.  William 

—death  of        . 

—death  of  his  child 

—interpreter  to  the  Kaw  Indians  . . 

—letter  to  Rev.  Jesse  Greene,  dated 
Kansas  mission,  November  2, 1840 

— missionary  to  Delaware  Indians,  196, 

Kaw  Indians 160,  194-198,  225 

—teacher  at  Shawnee  mission 

Johnson,  Mrs.  William 181, 

Johnson,  William  M 162, 

Johnson,   Mrs.  Zippie  A ...     . 

Johnson  county 130,  354, 

— map 

— cyclone  in  May,  1864 

—military  reserve  land  in 509, 

—points  of  interest  in 568, 

map...  

—relief  received  in  1861 

Johnson  county,  Missouri 

Johnson's  Cyclopedia 

Johnston,  ,   Kansas   City  carpenter, 

1857 

Johnston,  Gen.  Albert  S 

Johnston,  D.  M 

Johnston,  Col.  John      

—agent  of  Wyandots,  1795 80, 

Johnston,  William  A 367,  411, 

— attorney  general 392,  413, 

—director  State  Historical  Society.. 

—member  State  Historical  Society  — 


General  Index. 


615 


Johnston,  William  A.,  sketch  of 

—tribute  to  Judge  Samuel  A.  Kingman, 

Joliet,  Sieur  Louis,  exploration  of  the 
Mississippi. 238- 

Jones,  Gen. ,  of  Kansas  City 

Jones,  H.  L 

Jones,  Howel,  address  of,  before  State 
Bar  Association,  1905,  on  Judge 
Samuel  A.  Kingman ....  

Jones,  J.  E 472,  473,  474, 

Jones,  J.  H 363, 

Jones,  John  P 252,  255, 

Joues,  Samuel  J 

Jones,  Virgil 

Jones,  W.  W 

Jonesboro,  battle  of  

Jontz,  John 

Joseph  Kinney 

Josephine  295, 

—reached  the  highest  point  ever 
reached  by  a  steamboat  on  the  Mis- 
souri river   

,7oMrna?,  Elk  Falls 

Journal,  Kansas  City,  Mo..  343,  344,  346, 

Journal,  Osage  Mission,  1868 

,7oi/r/)ra^  Sedan 

Jontel,  Henri 

—accompanies  La  Salle  on  his  second 
expedition  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi.    

Joy,  J.  F. ,  Missouri  river  boat 

Judd,  Byron 367, 

Judges'  Association  of  Kansas 

Judges,  Kansas,  prohibited  from  being 
candidates  for  other  than  judicial 
positions  during  term  of  ofBce 

Judicial  amendment  to  constitution,  382, 
—districts,  appointment  of  judges.     . . 

Judy, ,  on  Big  creek,  Missouri.. 

Judy  brothers,  killed  near  Olathe,  in 
September,  1862 

Judy,  J.  J 

Judy,  James 

Judy,  John 516, 

Julia  (No.  1) 

Julia  (  No.  2) 

Jumper,  H.  G 

Junction  City iv,  v,  302,  363,  468, 

—corn  shipped  from,  in  1859 

—difficulties  of  city  marshal,  because 

of  proximity  to  Fort  Riley 

—Highland  cemetery 

—steamboat  landing  .     . 

— Thomas  Allen  Cullinan,  city  marshal, 
— railroad  from,  down  the  Neosho  val- 
ley, granted  public  land 

—United  States  land-office  at  

Junction  City  r^vMO'i 

June  rise  of  Missouri  river 

Junkin,  Rev.  D.  X.,  D.  D 


Kansas,  administrations  of  her  governors, 

St.  John,  Glick,  and  Humphrey..  378-443 
Kansas  citizens,  where  born,  paper  by  D. 

W.  Wilder.  .  .506 

Kansas:    A  Monograph  on  the  Name  of 

the  State,  by  Robert  Hay 521 

—drought  of  1860  long  gave  Kansas  a 

bad  name..  481 

—electoral  vote  of  1892 583 

—experiences  of  Oscar  G.  Richards  in,  545 
—immigrants  to,  compared  with  May- 
flower pilgrims..  148 

-first  territorial  delegate  to  Congress,  162 
— fertility  of  soil  mentioned  by  Isaac 

McCoy...  104 

— growth  of,  in  fifty  years 126 

—in  the  civil  war..  124 

—invasion  of,  planned  by  General  Price,  432 
— Missouri  votes  elect  first  legislature, 

1855 120 

—native  population  of,  1855-1900.... 507,  508 
—navigability  of  Kansas  streams 317 


Kansas,  New  England  entitled  to  leader- 
ship in  territorial  struggle  of 

—panegyric  on,  by  William  H.  Taft  ... 

— preterritorial  population  of 

— semicentennial  of 

—sentiments  which  inspired  the  free- 
state  settlers  of 

—settled  by  Westerners. 

—statistics  of 126- 

— superintendent  of  public  instruction 

of 

— troops  in  the  civil  war,  letter  of  Gov. 

S.  J.  Crawford..  368- 

Kansas  (No.  1),  Missouri  river  boat 

Kansas  (  No.  2),  Missouri  river  boat 

Kansas  Central  railroad 

Kansas  City,  Kan iv, 

-Huron  cemetery,  property  of  Wyan- 
dot Indians..  

— metropolitan  police         

—on  Shawnee  reservation 

—Washington  Avenue  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church 

Kansas  City,  Mo     iv,  169,  297,  298, 

302,  303,  304,  305,  306,  307, 
310,  312,  315,  325,  434,  576, 

— barge  line  of 

— Chouteau's  trading-post  at 

—Citizens'  National  Bank  at 

—Evans  tavern  in 

—first  Methodist  service  in 

—growth  of 

—History  of,  by  Theo.  S.  Case 

—in  the  Price  raid 

— gierchants  of,  issue  a  card  denounc- 
ing outrages  upon  passengers    and 

shippers  on  the  Missouri.   

—Metropolitan  Street   Railway   Com- 
pany of 533, 

— newspapers 

—  Packet  Company       297, 

— pro-slavery  men  of,  escort  free-state 

emigrants  down  the  rivtr     

—Safety  Deposit  Company  of 

Kansas  City  Review  of  Science  and  In- 
dustry    

Kansas  City  and  St.  Louis  packet..  . . 
Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  railroad, 

Kansas  City -Stor 162, 

Kansas  '  ommoner,  Newton 

Kansas  Farmer,  Topeka  .  5, 

Kansas  Indian  Mission  conference  of  the 

Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  list 

of  appointments  for  Kansas,  168,  225- 

Kansas  Indians  (Kaws)....  27,  295,  296, 

560,  564,  571, 

—a  division  of  the  Omaha  group 

— agency  of,  in  Jefferson  county. . .   194, 
196, 
account  of,  by  A,  R.  Greene,  pub- 
lished  in    Kansas    City   Journal  in 

September,  1879.     .  

—agency  of,  in  Shawnee  county,  on  Mis- 
sion creek.   .  

—at  war  with  the  Osages 

—attend  the  Shawnee  Methodist  man- 
ual-labor school.. 174, 

—blacksmiths  among 196, 

—bring  tin  ore,  said  to  have  been  found 
on  the  Smoky  Hill  fork,  to  Doctor 

Lykins 

-character  of 

—Charles  Fish,  interpreter  of ...       — 
—Clement  Lessert,  interpreter  of . . 
—Daniel  M.  Boone,  farmer  of.     .     193, 
—description  of,  by  Father  De  Smet. .. 
— E.  Mosier,  blacksmith  of. 
—Rev.  G.  W.  Love,  missionary  among, 

—farmer  and  farms  of 196, 

— habitat..  

-half-breed  children  of 196, 

reservations 194, 

—history  and  location  of 194-197 , 


616 


General  Index. 


Kansas  Indians,  hunting-grounds  on  the 
Saline  and  Smoky  in  1859-'61.         ....     17 
—interpreter  sought  for  among  Osage 

Indians 201 

— Irving's     description     of    the     Kaw 

agency  and  White  Plume's  residence,  196 
—join  the  northwestern  confederacy  of 

Indian  tribes,  October,  1848 84 

—Rev.    J.    Thompson    Peery    becomes 

their  missionary 198,  580 

— McCoy's  map  of  Kaw  agency,  in  Jef- 
ferson county,  1830,  with  letter  re- 
lating thereto 195 

-manual-labor  school  for 198,  5b0 

—marriage  customs  of 202 

— mission  of  Baptists  among,  location 

of 573 

map,  in  No.  2,  Shawnee  county... ..  576 

— missionary   work   among,   begun   in 

1830,  by  Rev.  Wm.  Johnson,  160,  193,  579 
—missionary  work  of  Methodist  church 

among 193-203 

—mission  building,   1835,   in  Shawnee 

county,  description,  1845,  197,  198,  201,  579 
—missionary  work  of  Thomas  S.  Huff- 

aker  among 233 

—mission  building,  1850,  at  Council 
Grove,  description  of... 201,  231,  570,  579 

cut  of 232 

location  of,  on  map,  in  No.  1,  Mor- 
ris county 576 

—monograph  on  their  name,  by  Robert 

Hay 521 

—need  of  missionary  work  among 580 

—population  of  the  tribe —  260 

— refuse  to  send  their  children  to  mis- 
sion school  .    . .    233 

—removal    from    Shawnee    county    to 

Morris  county  by  treaty  of  1846 201 

—school-lands   provided  by  treaty  of 

1825 194 

— squaw-men  among 129 

—trading-houses  of  Chouteau  brothers 

among 320,  321 

—treaties  with  United  States,  1815, 1825,  194 
251,  259,  260 
— village,     ancient,     in    Leavenworth 

county,  location  of 259,  569 

map,  in  No.  1 576 

1724,  in  Doniphan  county,  visited 

by  Bourgmont 255 

location  of 566 

map    576 

1775,  in    Pottawatomie  county,  at 

mouth  of  Big  Blue..  195,  259,  572,  575 

map,  in  No.  2 576 

—1830,  villages  of  Fool  Chief,  Hard 
Chief,  and  American  Chief,  in  Shaw- 
nee county..  195,  259,  573 

map,  in  1  and  4,  Shawnee  county..  576 

— visit  white  settlements  to  beg 199 

Kansas-Nebraska  bill 145 

Kansas-Nebraska    Bill  and    Decoration 
Day,   address    of   William   H.   Taft, 

Topeka,  May30,  1904 115 

Kansas-Nebraska   provisional  govern- 


Kavsan  Moyazinf,  Topeka 

Kansas  National  Committee 

Kansas  Pacific  railroad 

—construction  of 

— lands 

Kansw  Pioneer,  Kickapoo  City 

Kansas  or  Kaw  river. ..         320, 

—boating  corn  on,  in  1859 9,  348, 

—crossed  by  Bourgmont's  party,  Octo- 
ber 11.  1724 

— D.  C.  Haskell  favored  navigation  of, 
— declared  unnavigable  by  Major  Suter 

in  1893 

by  legislature  of  1864 317, 

—description  of 321, 

—estimate  of  cost  of  improvement 

— exploration  of 


Kansas  river,  exploring  expeditions  up 

the  valley  of 559, 

-ferry, 

six  miles  above  the  mouth 

— flatboat  Pioneer  on 

—keel-boats  on 

—low  and  high  water  in 342, 

—mouth  of,  said  to  have  been  visited 

by  Le  Sueur  in  1705 

— navigation  of,  by  A.  R.  Greene..  317, 
—packet     line    of,    advertisement    in 

Herald  oi  Freedom 333, 

— poem  on,  Epithalanium 

—railroad  bridge  at  Wyandotte  carried 

away  in  1865 352, 

-report  of  J.  D.  McKown,  declaring  it 

navigable    

— rocky  fords  at  Lawrence  and  on  the 
California  trail  above  Topeka. . .  318, 

—steamboat  rates 

—trappers  on 

Kansas  State  Historical  Society,  179,  295, 

— annual  members  

— board  of  directors 

—Collections  of 

— life  members      

—officers  for  1906 

Kansas  Slate  Record,  Topeka 

Kansas  State  Senate  of  1865  and  1866,  a 

paper  by  E.  C.  Manning 

Kaunas  Tribnne 

Kansas  Valley,  steamboat 305,  319, 

— carries  relief  goods  from  Atchison  to 

Topeka,  1861 

Kansas  Valley  railroad 

Kanzas,  boat 

Kappaw  Indians  (Quapaw?) 

Kaskaskia,  111 

—Jesuit  mission  of    the    Immaculate 
Conception    founded    at,   by  Father 

Marquette 

—letter  of  Du  Tisne's  written  from  . . . 

Kaskaskia  Indians,  an  Illinois  tribe 

—Methodist  mission  among 

—population  of  the  tribe 

—relation  with  the  Missouri  Indians.. 

Kaskaskia  river,  Illinois 

Kate  Cassel 

Kate  Howard,  steamboat 287,  293, 

Kate  Kearney  305, 

Kate  Kinney  (No.  1),  1864-'72 

Kate  Kinney,  1877 

Kate  Kinney  (No.  2),  1880-'83 

Kate  Swinney,  Kansas  and  Missouri  river 

boat 305,  319,  343, 

Kate  Swinney  bend,  near  the  mouth  of 

the  Vermillion  river 305,  316, 

Katie  P.  Kountz 

Kaucher,  Mary 

Kaw  and  Kansas:  A  Monograph  on  the 

Name  of  the  State,  by  Robert  Hay.  . . 

Kaw  bend,  above  the  mouth  of  the  Kaw 

river 2^-9, 

Kaw  Indians.    See  Kansas  Indians. 
Kaw  river.    See  Kansas  river. 

Kay,  Perren . 

Kearney,  Charles  E.,  partner  of  William 

R.  Bernard  

Kearney,  Gen    Stephen  W.,  Santa  Fe  ex- 
pedition of 

Kearny  county 569, 

—map. 

Keechie  Indians 

Keef,D.O 

Keel-hoat  race  of  Hunt  and  Lisa  in  1811 . . 

Keel-boats 268,  274,  284,  318, 

—cut  of 

— description  of ....     271, 

— introduced  on  the  Missouri  river  by 

G.  B.  Sarpy 

—on  Kansas  river 

—on  the  Missouri 

Keiser, ,  master  of  the  Emelie  (  No.  1) , 

Keiser,  John  P 301,  303,  304, 


General  Index. 


617 


Keiser,  John  W 301,303 

Keith,  George 305,  306,  307 

Keizer,   Dell,  director  State  Historical 

Society        v 

Kellam,  C.  C        473 

Kellam,  George  M.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society iv 

Keller,  Daniel    ...  468 

Keller,  Messrs.  S.  P.  &  W.  H 564 

Kelley,  Harrison 367,405 

Kelley,  M,  C 367,  421 

Kelley,  William  D 2 

Kellogg,  C.  M 367 

Kellogg,  Josiah. 366 

Kellogg,  L.  B 367,  417,  423,  427 

Kelly,  Mrs. ,  of  Junction  City,  birth 

of  daughter  on  board  Col.  Gus  Linn,  348 
Kelly,  Gusta   Linn,  born  on  board  the 

Col.  Gus  Linn. 348 

Kelly,  H.  B 97.  367,  421 

—address.  Building  the  Sedan  Court- 
house      89 

—sketch  of 89 

Kelly,  John 367 

Kelly,  Mrs.  Julia  L 89 

Kemper  school,  Boonville,  Mo 238 

Kendrick,  Rev.  Peter  R.,  bishop  of  St. 

Louis 27,  155 

Kenesaw  Mountain,  battle  of 416 

Kennekuk,  Kickapoo  Indian  prophet  and 

chief,  sketch  of 208,  210 

Kennekuk,  Atchison  county 208,  565,  577 

—map 576 

Kenner,  James 364 

Kennett,  Mortimer 310 

Kenosha,  Wis..  535 

Kentucky,  emigrants  from,  on  board  the 

Star  of  the  West  311 

—natives  of.  in  Kansas 130,  507,  508 

— sisters  of  Loretto  in  ; 21 

Kenyon  College,  Gambler,  Ohio 224 

Keokuk,  Missouri  river  boat 305 

Keokuk,  Sac  and  Fox  chief 58,  281 

—case  of,  in  Kansas  supreme  court  ...     58 

Kercheval,  F.  B 303 

— captain  of  steamboat  Hesperian 287 

—secretary  Union  packet  line 287 

Kerr, ,  of  Kansas  City,  Kan 214 

Kesler,  Francis 469 

Kessler,  Frank 473 

Ketcheson,  J.  C,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society iv 

Ketchum,  Capt. ,  Delaware  Indian..  204 

Ketchum.  Rev.  Charles  ...  192,  193,  224 

—interpreter  at  Delaware  mission 207 

—sketch  of        206 

—teacher  at  Kickapoo  mission  ...  228,  230 

Wyandotte  and  Delaware  missions 

ami  Shawnee  M.  M.  L.  S 230 

Ketchum,  Jacob,  interpreter  at  Delaware 

mission  .  207 

Ketchum,  James,   interpreter  at    Dela- 
ware mission. 182,  207 

— portrait  of 207 

-sketch  of 206 

Ketchum,  Lewis 206 

Ketclium   brothers,  missionaries  to  the 

Dela  wares  203 

Ketrnu,  Rev.  William,  missionary  to  the 

fShawnees 170 

—teacher  at  Shawnee  Mission 226 

Ketron,  Mrs.  William 170 

Key  West..  .   .   315,341.581 

Keystone,  Missouri  river  boat..  305,  334,  338 

Keystone  State 3u5 

Kharkov,  Kussia 491 

Kherson,  wlieat  port  of  Mennonites 489 

Khionontaterrhouons  or  Wyandots  ....       74 

Kickapoo,  Kan 310,  .570 

Kickapoo  Indians 250,  295 

—agency  of 208,455 

— t  atliolic  manual-labor  school  among, 
near  Leavenworth 160,  570 


Kickapoo  Indians,  children  of,  at  Shaw- 
.nee  Methodist  mission  manual-labor 
school  174,  210 

-described  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Goode 208 

-description  of  lodge 208 

—  enemies  of  the  Kaws  ... .  260 

—join  the  northwestern  confederacy  of 

Indian  tribe,  October,  1848  ...  84 

-Kennekuk,  the  prophet  208,  210 

—Methodist  mission  among,  in  Leaven- 
worth county  .  .     162,   168,  207 

location  of,  in  No.  1,  Leavenworth 

county..    .  569 

map.         576 

Pottawatomies  join 201 

Kennekuk,  Atchi»on  county...  210,  5K5 

in  No.  2  on  map  576 

—mission  work  among 184 

—Rev,  N.  M.  Talbot,  missionary  to  179 

—Rev.  Nathan  Scarritt,  presiding  elder 

of 181 

— Paschal  Fish,  missionary  to  186 

— Presbyterian    mission    among,    in 

Brown  county -^66 

map    576 

— removal  of,  to  Kansas  2(i8 

—reservation  of 207,   577 

—right  of  way  for  C.  B.  D.  P.  R.  R.  given 

by  them  through  their  reservation.. .  476 
—location    of    their     United     States 

schoolhouse  and  mission  building.. .  210 
—visited  by  Methodist  missionaries  ...  200 

Kickapoo  island     259 

Kickapoo  rangers. 141 

Kickapoo  twp.,  Leavenworth  county  ...   130 

Kilbourn,  D.  R 9 

Kilian,  E.  A.,  secretary  of  the  Quivira 

Historical  Society 253 

Kimball,  C.  H 367 

Kimball,  Fred  M.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society..  ...  iv 
Kimball,  G.  F.,  member  State  Historical 

Society iv 

Kimball,  James  A.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society iv 

Kimball  Bros.,  Lawrence 352 

Kimball's  foundry,  Lawrence  343 

Kinetograph  530 

King,Clark& 305 

King,  Henry,  quotation  from,  on  negro 

exodus   386 

King,  L.P 367 

King,  Patrick 549 

Kingman,  Isaiah 46 

Kingman,  Lillian 47 

Kingman,  Mrs.  Lncy 46 

Kingman,  Lucy  D 59 

—director  State  Historical  Society  ..        v 
—member  State  Historical  Society  —     iv 

Kingman,  Mrs.  Matilda 47 

Kingman,  Samuel  A.,  address  of  Howel 
Jones  before  State  Bar  Association  ..     55 
—address  of  Joseph  G.  Waters  before 
the  Historical  Society,  Dec.  6,  1904... 
—experiences   in  Wyandotte  constitu- 
tional convention.  48,     55 

—instance  of  his  kindliness  ...         .  65 

— tributes  to  his  memory  by  D.  W. 
Wilder,  W.  A.  Johnston,  David  J. 
Brewer,   D.   M.  Valentine,    Leander 

Still  well,  and  Calvin  Brewer 59-66 

Kingsley,    Richard,  engineer  of  the   E. 

Hensley.  352 

Kinkennon,  Rebecca 62 

Kinnear,  Mrs. ,  missionary  to  Shaw- 
nee Methodist  manual-labor  school, 

1840..  175 

Kinnear,    Rev.   David,  teacher  at  Kick- 
apoo mission  ....      226,  r27 
—teacher  at  Shawnee  M.  M.  L.  school,  227 

—Kinney,   ,  master  of  the   W.  H. 

Russell 312 

Kinney,  Miss  Cora 3:i7 

Kinney,  Joseph 297,  300,  301,  302,  310 


45 


618 


General  Index. 


Kinney,  Joseph,  captain  of  the  Cora 327 

— sketch. 305 

Kinney  bend 306 

Kinsley —  v 

Kiowa  Indians  in  Indian  Territory,  1881,  391 

—visit  the  Osages.  27 

Kirk,  L.  K 367.  421 

Kirkland,  Corp.  John  A 447 

Kirkpatrick,  8.  S 367 

Kit  Carson 3C5,  310 

Kit  Carson,  Colo 528,534 

Klaassen,  Herr,  Russian  Mennonite 492 

Klamath  Indians.     ..  380 

Klepper,  Rev.  M.  T..  ....   192,  222.  224 

—teacher  at  Wyandot  and  Delaware 
missions  and  dhawnee  M,  M.  L.  8 —  230 

Kness,  James 470 

Knights  of  Columbus  .   154 

Knights  of  Labor  assist  in  formation  of 

People's  Party,  1890 5,71,    91 

Knobno.ster 434 

Know  Nothings       .  539 

Kniix, ,  captain  of  the  Colonel  Woods,  300 

Knox,  Gen. ,  of  Knoxville,  111  330 

Knox,   Rev.  John   D  ,  treasurer    Kansas 
Freedmen's  Relief  Association.  386 

Korka,  F.  S 469 

Kunkle.  Jerome 348,366,473 

KuDskaukan,  brother  of  Tecumseh  165 

Kursk,   Russia  491 

K  wapa  Indians,  division  of  Omaha  group,  250 

L. 

La  Barge, ,  captain  of  the  Octavia. . .  308 

La  Barge,   ,  master    of    the    Robert 

Campbell  (  No.  2) 309 

La  Barge, ,  master  of  the  St.  Mary...  310 

La  Barge,  Harkness  &  Co 316 

La  Barge,  McCune,Jaccard& 301 

La  Barge,  Capt.  John    305 

La  Barge,  Capt.  Joseph. ..  269,  281,  283,  299 
300,  3U1,  302,  305,  306,  308,  309,  312 

La  Barre, 257 

Labette  county 378 

—points  of  interest  in    570 

— map..  576 

Labor,  Agricultural  Wheel  organized  in 

interest  of.  1 

Labor  day  made  a  legal  holiday 427 

Labor  legislation  recommended  by  Gov- 
ernor Humphrey  418 

Lacock,  I.J.  366 

Lacomy,  earnings  of 294 

Lacon,  Kansas  and  Missouri  river  boat, 

history  of 305,  315,  319,  641 

—built  for  the  Illinois  river 331 

Lacon.  Ill  .      ..  305,  341 

Lacy,  J.  H.,  Missouri  river  boat 314 

Ladd,  Miss  Anna  H.,  teacher  in  Wyandot 

free  school 235 

Lady  Grace 315 

Lady  Lee 315 

LHfayette  county,  Missouri 433 

-cholera  in.  281 

Laflin-Rand  Powder  Company,  St.  Louis, 

Mo ....  297 

Lasrotrie,  Henry,  Pottawatomie  Indian..  188 
Lagottrie,  Fhilomene,  Mohawk  Indian..  188 
Lagottrie,  Rosalie,  Mohawk  Indian.       .  188 
La   Harpe,  Bernard  de,  relation  of  Du 
Tisne's  journey  among  the  Missonris 
and  Osages   in   Missouri  and  to  the 
Panis  in  the  Indian  Territory  in  1719,  253 
Lahontan,  Baron  de,  biography  of,  by  J. 

Edmond  Roy,  mentioned 248 

—  quoted  248 

—voyage  of,  on  the  Riviere  Longue —  265 

La  Jeunesse,  soldier  of  Bourgment  256 

Lake,  Arthurs 359 

Lake  Erie 308 

Lake  Huron 238,  251 

Lake  Michigan 238,  240 

Lake-of-the- Woods 305 

Lake  Sibley 34 


Lake  Superior 238,  239 

Lake  Superior  copper 552 

Lakin,  D.  L.     ..  473 

Lalemant, ,  Jesuit  missionary 74 

La  Mine  river,  Mo  266.  ^98.  302,  309,  312 

La  Moth,  ,  master  of  the  Glasgow....  302 

Lampasas  county,  Texas  ..  1 

Lamy,   Bishop   John    Baptist,  R.  C,  of 

Santa  Fe,  N.  M 156 

Lancaster 315 

Lancaster,  Pa.,  Mennonite  settlement  in,  490 
Lance  used  by  Pawnees  of  Indian  Terri- 
tory ....  254 

Land  difficulties  of  1857  on  the  Missouri 

border.   510 

— grant  railroads 486 

—grant  of  500,000  acres  for  public  im- 
provement diverted  from  schools  to 

railroads 372,  478 

—office.  United  States 46 

— rights  of  non-resident  aliens 428 

— warrant 550 

-warrants  given  Second  dragoons  for 

extra  service  in  Texas,  1853-'55 551 

Landis,  John,  killed  by  horse-thieves  ...     43 

Landon,  Louise  R 62 

Lands  in  Indian  reservations  in  Kansas. 
See  names  of  tribes, 
—of  the  arid  regions,  description  of     . .   101 

—Wyandot,  in  Kansas  83,    87 

Lane,  A.T 470 

Lane,  J 453 

Lane,  J.  T 363 

Lane,  James  H....  94,  126,  139,  190,  354,  363 
364,  366,  431,  459,  465,  470,   546 
— arrival  of  his  army  in  Kansas  by  way 

of  Nebraska 360,  362 

—at  capture  of  Fort  Saunders  .  .546 

-brigade  of 378,  431,  457 

—greatly  assists  Kansas  railroad  legis- 
lation..           478 

— prevented  from  speaking  at  Atchison, 

in  October,  1857 142 

—speech  in  United  States  senate  on  the 
Henderson  amendment  to  the  Pacific 

railroad  bill 374 

—visit  to  Iowa 9 

Lane  road  from  Nebraska  through  Brown 
and  Jackson  counties,  Kansas..  545,  566 
577 

— map 576 

Lane,  M.  R 453 

Lane,  Vincent  J..     473,480 

—director  State  Historical  Society.  v 

Lane,  William   .     .  .  470 

Lane  county.  Dull  Knife's  raid  through,  578 

—map 576 

Langdon,  S.  J ......  367 

Langham  survey  of  Shawnee  reservation,  163 

Lanham,M.E xi 

Lapham,  Amos  S 19 

La  Potherie,  M.  de  Bacqueville  de 524 

Lappin,  Samuel 366 

Larned,  Col.  B.  F 572 

Larned —       1 

Larzalere, ,  captain  of  the  Eutaw....  302 

La  Salle,  Nicholas  de... 242 

La  Salle,  Robert  Cavelier 163,  257,  262 

—his  first  expedition  down  the  Missis- 
sippi, 1682 240 

—second  expedition,  1687,  mentioned, 

241.  242 

Las  Animas,  Colo  553,564 

Lasovaia,  Russia 491 

Last  Chance       305 

Latimer,  J.  D.,  secretary  State   Reform 

Association .3 

Latin  scholars  among  the  JesuitSociety,    31 

Laurenson,  R.  E 549 

La  Vorendrye,  Pierre  Guatier,  Canadian 

explorer 264,267 

Lawrence,  Mr. ,  of  Jackson  county, 

Missouri,  mistreatment  of  his  family 
by  Capt.  Joseph  B.  Swain 458 


General  Index. 


619 


Lawrence,  Mrs.  ,  of  Jackson  county, 

Missouri 

Lawrence,     the     Misses,    daughters    of 

above  Lawrence  

Lawrence,  Mr. ,  of  New  Mexico,  son 

of  above 

Lawrence,  Amos  A.  .       . 

—  Lawrence,  Kan.,  named  for 

Lawrence. ..  iv,  v,  9,  142,  29^,  804,  321,  324, 

—address  of  George  R.  Peck,  at  semi- 
centennial anniversary  of,  October  6, 
1904 

—besieged  by  Missourians,  December, 
1855  ... 

—celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary 
of,  October  2,  1904.  

—character  of  her  citizens. 

— eiforts  of  citizens  to  secure  the  Leav- 
enworth, Lawrence  &  Galveston  rail- 
road          

—Emma  Harmon,  first  steamer  at 
wharf  of 

— first  Bible  class  in  

—Harper's  Weekly  comments  on,  in 
1857  

— in  the  fight  for  freedom  

—incident  of  Quantrill  massacre   

— located  on  Robert  Robitaille  and 
Joel  Walker  floats  .... 

—lumber  brought  to,  on  the  Kate 
Swinney.  

— lumber  brought  to,  on  Minnie  Belle, 

— meeting  for  establishment  of  inde- 
pendent line  of  boats  from  Leaven- 
worth and  Lawrence  to  Alton,  111., 
for  convenience  of  free-state  emi- 
gration and  trade.  

— meeting  held  at,  to  organize  relief 
work,  1860  

—merchants  of,  appeal  to  the  St.  Louis 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  protesting 
against  treatment  of  Kansas  citi- 
zens and  settlers  by  Missourians.   . . . 

— merchants  of,  call  meeting  to  pro- 
test against  the  breaking  open  of 
and  searching  of  goods  on  the  Mis- 
souri river,  and  the  payment  of  extra 


— merchants  receive  goods   by  the  E. 

Hensley . 

—mill-dam  at 

—named   for    Amos    A.    Lawrence,    of 

Massachusetts 
—outfitting  point  for  plains  trade 
—paper-mill,  streets,  etc.,  of  ..    . 

—Presbyterian  rhurch  at. 
—reception  for  Emma   Harmon,   May 

20,  1855.  

—reception  of  Lightfoot  at 

—relief  goods  brought  to,  in  1861. 

— rocky  ford  of  Kansas  at,  disastrous 

to  steamboats, 
—state  legislature  of  1865  takes  D.  P. 
Ry.  train  at,  for  W.vandotte  junket.. 
Lawrence  &  Fort  Gibson  railroad  . 
Laws    and    their    construction    by    the 

courts.  . .  

Lawson  &  Simpson,  Donnell,  state  fiscal 

acents 

Lea,  Emma  K.,  member  State  Historical 

Society  

Leach.  Dr.  .  

Leach,  Rev.  Frederick  B. 

—teacher  at  Pottawatomie  mission  . .. 
Lead-mines  of  Missouri.. 
Leadbeater.Simmons  &,  Kansas  City ,  Mo. 
League,  French,  dimensions  of 

Leamer,  William  

Lease,  Mrs.  Mary  E. 

Leavenworth,  ,  master  of  the  South- 
wester  (  No.  2)  

Leavenworth,  Col.  Henry 
Leaven wortli..  ..   iv,  v,  142,  302,  303,  305, 
314,  315,  363,  378,  433,  469,  473, 


Leavenworth,  Buford's  men  turn  Capt. 
William    Strawn's   free-state    party 

back  from 

—captured  by  "red  legs"  

—cathedral   of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception erected  at,  in  1868 155, 

—Cincinnati  houses  in.  318, 

—elects  a   free-state  mayor,  April  13, 

1857  

—Father  Miege,  bishop  of 

—line  of  steamers  from  Alton  111.  to... 
—location  of,  on  map,  in  No,  3,  Leaven- 
worth county .  

—metropolitan  police  of.            ...     422, 
— pi^o-.'^ln  very  men  escort  free-state  emi- 
grants down  the  river  

—public  schools  in  1859. 

—school  by  J.  B.  McAfee,  in  Lutheran 

church 

— State  Normal  School  at 

—tailor  of,  in  1858 

—the  E.  Hensley  and  Jacob  Sass  built 

at..     .  

—treatment  of  free-state  men  at 

-  troops  of  the  Eighth  Kansas  go  down 
the   Missouri  river  on   the  steamer 

Emma,  May  28,  1863.  

Leavenworth  and  Pike's  Peak  express, 

location  of        . .  

— map.  

Leavenworth  Collegiate  Institute  found- 
ed by  Rev.  J.  B.  McAfee 
Leavenworth  county.  354,  417,  472, 

— map.  .  

—Delaware  reservation  in.. 

—dissatisfaction  of  delegates  with  the 

railroad  convention  in  1860 

—drought  of  1860  in.   

— points  of  interest  in 569, 

map...  

—relief  received  in  1861 

Leavenworth,    Lawrence    &    Galveston 
railroad...                     63,  372,  374,  475, 
Le  Clercq's  Establish't  of  the  Faith. .241, 
Lecompton          .       iv,  v,  9,  321,  341,  468, 
—arrival  of  Martin  family  at.  . 
— citizens  give  reception  to  Emma  Har- 
mon .  

—corn  shipped  from,  by  boat ... 

— cut  of  river  scene  at,  1855..         ..   344, 

—district,  M.  E.   Church   South,  Rev. 

Nathan  Scarritt  presiding  elder  of.. 

—free-state  prisoners  at  

release  of 

—land-office  at 

—Star  of  the  West  stranded  at,  during 

winter  of  l859-'60.  

Lecompton  constitution 

Lecompton  constitutional  convention... 
Ledyard,  John,  attempt  to  explore  west- 
ern United  States 

Lee,  George,  Missouri  river  boat 

Lee,  John       90, 

Lee,  Park 

Lee,  R.T 

Lee's  Summit,  Mo  

Leedy ,  Camp,  at  Topeka 

— map .  

Legate,  James  F...     61,  363,  364,  366,  373, 
— teacher  of    public  school,   Reeder 

float,  Douglas  county 233, 

Legislation,  oil .        

Legislative  apportionment,  constitu- 
tional amendment  relative  to.. 
— practice,  constitutional  amendment 

relative  to 

Legislature,  amendment  to  the  constitu- 
tion changing  time  of  meeting  and 
increasing  time  of  sitting  of,  rejected, 
— biennial  sessions  provided  for  by  con- 
stitutional amendment.  ... 
— compensation  of  members  of,  rejec- 
tion of  constitutional  amendment 
providing  for 


620 


Ge?ieral  Index. 


Legislature,    joiot  convention    to   hear 

governor's  message   . .  381, 

—of  1855,  members  board  at  Westport. 
— of  1865,  is  given  free  ride  on  Dnion  Pa- 
cific railway  — 
—of  1865,  where  its  sessions  were  held, 

—of  1891 

—special  session  of  1884 

— to  provide  for  current  expenses  of 
state,  constitutional  amendment  rel- 
ative thereto 

— Topeka  state,  dispersal  of,  July  4, 

1856 

Lehigh 

Leis,  George,  member  State  Historical 

Society 

Leland,  Cyrus       

Lemmon,  Allen  B 

—state  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction      

Lemon,  Jos.,  ranch  in  Ellsworth  county, 

1860 

Lenape  or  Delaware  Indians 

Lenexa,  Kan 

Leni  Leoti  

Leodora 

Leonard,  Mrs.  Abiel 

Leonard,  Miss  Amanda 

Leonard,  M.  R 364, 

Le  Roy,  threatened  assault  on,  by  Chero- 

kees  and  southern  Osages 

Lespine,  Canadian  with  Bourgmont. — 
Lessert,  Clement,  interpreter  for  Kaw  In- 
dians  

Lester,  J.  Q 

Le  Sueur,  Chevalier  Pierre  Charles. .  250, 

— quoted    

—said  to  have  ascended  the  Missouri 
as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas 

river  in  1705..   

Levitt,  William 

LHwelling,  L.  D 

Lewis, ,  engineer  of  Emma  Harmon, 

Lewis,  Miss ,  wife  of  Kev.  Alex.  Mc- 

Alister 

Lewis,  Ben  W 

Lewis  Burns 

—ferryboat  on  the  Missouri  

— on  Kansas  river.  

Lewis,  Cora  G.,  director  State  Historical 

Society  .  

Lewis,  Dr.  H.  W.,  of  Wichita 

Lewis  F.  Linn 306,  309, 

Lewis,  Maj.  James 

Lewis,  Merriwether,  and  Wm.  Clark,  or- 
igin of  their  Western  expedition,  102, 
Lewis  and  Clark,  boats  used  in  expedi- 
tion of...  

—Missouri  villages  located  by 

— original  journals  of 

Lewis,  Sam 

Lewis,  Sarah  E 

Lewis,  W.  J.  (  No.  1),  Missouri  river  boat, 

—earnings  of 

Lewis,  W.  J.  (  No.  2),  Missouri  river  boat, 
Lexington,  Brown  county,  location  of... 

Lexington,  Mo 181,  297,  300,  301,  304, 

306,  309,  310,  315,  433, 

—battle  of 435- 

— citizens  break  open  merchandise  con- 
signed to  Kansas  City 

— in  Price  raid 

— retreat  of  company  A,  Eleventh  Kan- 
sas, to  

Libby  Congo 

Liberator 

Liberty 

Liberty  Landing,  Mo 297, 

Lichtenhan,  Charles 

Lichtenhan,  Elizabeth 

Lichtenhan,  Ellie 

Lichtenhan,  Frank 

Lichtenhan,  Hartman,  Reminiscences  of, 
Lichtenhan,  John 


Lichtenhan,  Kate 

Lichtenhan,  Mrs.  Kate 

Lichtenhan,  Mary 

Lightfoot.  306,  319, 

—first  steamer  built  in  Kansas,  history 

of..  

Lightning  line  of  steamboats..  298,  299, 
301,  307, 

Liguest,  Pierre  Laclede 

Lillie.        

Lillie  Martin 306, 

Limestone 

Limestone  creek,  Jewell  county 

Lincoln, ,  agentof  New  England  Emi- 
grant Aid  Company.  .. 
Lincoln,  Abraham...  117,392,509, 

—call  for  three-year  men 

—reelected  p)resident.. 

— siguing  of  homestead  bill  by 

—Voting  for,  in  Missouri  in  1860,  paper 

by  D.  P.  Hougland 

Lincoln,  L.  P..         

Lincoln,  Robert  T  

Lincoln 

—town  site  of,  covered  by  flood  of  1858, 
Lincoln  county 

— map 

—Pawnee  road  in 

Lindsay,  Capt.  John  G 435,437, 

Lindsey,  Capt.  Henry  C 443, 

Lines,  Rev.  Charles  B  469,  473, 

—member  of  relief  committee,  1860,  48a, 

Lingenfelter,  W.  J 

Lingo,  B.M..  

Linlithgowshire,  Scotland 

Linn,  Missouri  river  boat  

Linn  county     

—points  of  interest  in 

— map 

—relief  received  in  1861 

LippincoU's  Magazine,  Dec,  1868 

Liquor,  destruction  of,  at  the  capture  of 
Osceola 

-Governor    St.    John's  opposition  to 
tfaffic  in    

—on  Ohio  river  boats  in  1794 

— relative  shipments  of,  to  Kansas  Ne- 
braska, and  Missouri.  .  

—sale  of,  controlled  by  government  in 
Kansas  in  1855 

—taxes  on  government  licenses  paid  in 

Kansas 

Lisa,  Manuel 

—Indian  trader 246, 

—portrait  of 

— purchases  exclusive  right  to   trade 
with  Osages 

—trip  up  the  Missouri  in  1811 

Little  Big  Horn  battle 

Little  Blue,  steamboat 

—battle  of  . 438, 

—river,  Jackson  couaty,  Mo.,  438,  517, 

Little  Mail 

Little  Missouri 

Little  Osage  Indians.  See  Osage  Indians. 

Little  Osage  river.. 103, 

Little  Raven,  his  account  of  the  killing 
of  Maj.  Joel  H.  Elliott  and  his  men.. 

—ruse  played  on  Gen.  Phil.  Sheridan. . 

Little  Red ,  steamboat 

Little  Rock 

Little  Santa  Fe 

Little  Sioux  river — 

Littlejohn, ,  master  of  the  Weston. . . 

Littleton, ,  captain  of  the  Missouri 

Belle 

Live  Oak.. 

Live-stock  interests  of  Kansas,  Governor 

Glick's  recommendations  relative  to, 

Live-stock  Sanitary  Commission  created, 

Livingston,  B.  F 473, 

Livingston,  L.  F  ...  —         

— president  Georgia  Farmers'  Alliance, 
Livingston,  Robert  R.,  steamboat  builder, 


General  Index. 


621 


Livingston 

Livingston  county,  Illinois 

Lizzie,  a  ferry-boat  at  Kansas  City 

Lizzie,  steamboat  on   Kansas  and   Mis- 
souri rivers 306,  318,  330, 

Lizzie  Campbell 

Lizzie  Gill  

Lloyd's  Steamboat  Directory,  1856..  276, 

Lloyd's  Steamboat  Disasters 

Lobdell,  C.E 

Local  option 

Lockhart,  John 

Lock-jaw  at  Fort  Hays  hospital 

Locknane's  boarding-house  at  Lecomp- 

ton 

Lock  wood,  M.  L 

Lockwood,  R.  J.,  Missouri  river  boat    . 
Locomotives,  the  first  up  the  Missouri 
river,  shipped  up  on  the  Delaware. .. 

Log  Chain  creek 

Log  from  house  of  John  Stewart,  Wyan- 
dot missionary 

Logan,  John  A 

—black laws  of 

Logan,  Joseph 

Logan  county 394, 

—Dull  Knife's  raid  through..    

map 

Lombard  College,  Galesburg,  111 

Loue  Star,  pro-slavery  order 

Long,    Chester   I.,    member  State    His- 
torical Societj- 

Long,  H.  C  

Long,  Maj.  Stephen  H 312, 

— route  of  expedition  in  Kansas  under 
Professor  Say — 

—Western  expedition  of,  1819 103, 

277,  21», 

Long,  S   H,,  government  snag-boat 

Longcor,  George  W.  and  daughter,  killed 

by  Kenders 

Longfellow's  Evangeline  mentioned.   ... 

Lookout  Mountain,  battle  of 

Loomis,  E.   .  

Loose  creek,  Missouri 

Lorotto,  Sisters  of 22, 

—missionaries  at  Osage  mission. 
Loring,  William  Wing,  colonel  of  United 
States  mounted  riflas 

— enters  the  service  of  the  khedive  of 

Egypt 

Lost  Springs,  Santa  Fe  trail 

Louisa  

Louisiana 297, 

—Annals  of,  by  Penicaut 

—  Farmers' Alliance  in..  

—natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855-1900,  507, 

— negro  exodus  from 

—purchase         143,265, 

—Sketches  of,  by  Maj.  Amos  Stoddard, 

1M2 

Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  1904 

Louisville .  468, 

Louisville,  Ky...  276,  '295,  296,  300,  306, 

Loui^ville  island,  Kansas  river   

L'Ours  creek,  Missouri.   ..  

Loutre  island,  near  Hermann,  Mo..   274, 
Love,  Benjamin,  interpreter  at  Delaware 

mission 

Love.  Rev.  Geo.  W.,  M.  D..  198,  211.  221, 

— missionary    to    the    Pottawatomies, 
Peorias,  and  Kaws. .  

—teacher  at  Kansas  mission 

Lovejoy  Station,  battle  of. .  

Low,  MarcusA  ,  life  member  of  Kansas 

State  Historical  Society 

Low  Water. .  

Lowe.  Percival  G 303, 

— director  State  Historical  Society  . . . 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

Lower  Sandusky  mission 

Loy,  J.  VV 

Loyal  Legion,  Military  Order  of  the.  — 
Lucas,  James  H.,  Missouri  river  boat.... 


Luce,  John  B 175 

Lucile 315 

Luckey,  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel(?) 171,  172 

Lucky,  Prof.  William  T 181 

Lucy  Bertrand  315 

Luella 315 

Luke,  W.,  teacher  at  Shawnee  manual- 
labor  school 187 

Lumbard, ,  of  Norton  county 43 

Lumber  brought  to  Lawrence    on    the 
Minnie  Belle  and  Kate  Swinney,  342,  343 

Lumber  for  Fort  Riley..  322 

Lttmiiiury,  Parkville l.;l 

Luna 3U6 

Lusk,Jim.  389 

Lutheran  churches  at  Leavenworth  and 

Valley  Falls 235 

Lutheran    colonists    of  Russia    not   af- 
fected by  Mennonite  emigration..         491 
Lutz,  Rev.  John  J.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society  iv 

-paper    on    The   Methodist    Missions 
among  the  Indian  Tribes  in  Kansas..  160 

Lyden,  J          453 

Ly kins,  Mr. 242 

Lykins,  Dr.  David  .  5';0 

Lykins,  Johnston,  letter  to  H.  L.  School- 
craft on  tin  ore  in  the  Kansas  valley, 

January  10,  1848 17 

Lykins  county 472,473,475 

-relief  received  in  1861 4>^4 

—  W.  C.  Quantrill,  teacher  in 461 

Lyman  county.  South  Dakota 273 

Lynchburg 3 '6 

Lynde,  Ed.....' 473,475 

Lyndon. iv,      v 

Lynds,  Capt.  John..    ..  3l5 

Lynn,  C.  W.,  member  State   Historical 

Society  i  v 

Lynn,  John  H. 179 

Lynx 8 

Lyon,  Gen.  Nathaniel ....   513,  562 

-and  his  fight  for  Missouri         431 

—tribute  to,  by  Thomas  L.  Snead  .  464 

Lyon  county ...     472,  574 

—map 576 

-drought  of  1860  in 481 

Lyon,  Missouri  river  boat 581 

Lyons  ....  3 

Lyre,  Missouri  river  boat 581 

M. 

McAfee,  Rev.  Josiah  B.,  founder  of  Leav- 
enworth Collegiate  Institute 235 

—schools  in  Leavenworth  and  Valley 

Falls 235 

McAlister,  Rev.  Alexander 161,   167 

—letter  to  Rev.  Jesse  Greene,  relative 
to  the  establishment  of  a  Methodist 

mission  among  the  Kaw  Indians 193 

McAlister,  Mrs.  Alexander 579 

McAlpine,  John 468 

McAlpine,  N  469 

McAlpiue,  W 468 

Mc.^lpine's  warehouse,  Wyandotte  .  9 

McBratney,  Robert 142,  473 

McBride,  J.  H 96 

McBride,  W.  H 420 

McCabe,  E.  P.,  auditor  of  state. .   413 

McCabe,  Rev.  Francis  8.,  D.  D 422 

McCahon.  James 53 

McCall,  W.  H 453 

McCann, ,  of  Virginia 323 

McCarter,  Mrs.  Margaret  Hill,  director 

State  Historical  Society v 

McCarthy,  Timothy 417.  426 

McCartney,  Deaf 389 

McCauley,  John  F 564 

McCausland,  A.  J.        .   473 

M'Cay,  Dr    R.,  brother-in-law  of  John- 
ston Lykins 17 

McClay,  John 298 

McClellan,  C   B 52 

McClellan,  Gen.  George  B 460 


622 


General  Index. 


McCloy.John 301,  305, 

McClun.JohaM 

McClure,  James  R 53,  468.  473.  474. 

McComas,  H.  C 

McConnell,    Andrew,    killing    of    John 

Shea  by 

McCook,  Gen.  Daniel,  sketch  of 

McCorc),  James 298,  301,  306,  307, 

McCord,  James,  master  of  the  Pocahon- 
tas (No.  1)  

McCord,  Capt.  John  T 298, 

Mcrioy, ,  captain  of  the  Sultan.  . . 

McCoy,  Rev.  Isaac.   160,  164,  193,  211,  242, 

—Annual  Register  of  Indian  Ailairs 

—describes  Kennekuk's  religion 

—effort  to  establish  a  Baptist  mission 

among  the  Shawnees 

—missionary  among  the  Pottawatomie 

Indians 

—  Remarks  on  Indian  Reform 

— richness  of  Kansas  soi  1 

—spelling  find   pronunciation    of    the 

name  Kansas 

McCoy,  John  C 

—letter,  August,  1879,  relating  to  visit 
to  Kaw  agency ,  Jefferson  county,  1830, 

—map  of 

McCoy,  Joseph  f-t.,  establishes  the  Texas 

cattle  trade  with  the  East  

—trustee  of  tlie  city  of  Abilene 

McCoy,  Mrs.  Virginia 

McCray,  Mrs.  Carrie  L 

McCray,  David  O.,  biographical  sketch, 
—paper  on  The  Administrations  of  Ly- 
man U.  Humphrey 

McCrothy,  William,  killed  by  Benders... 

McCue,  J.  D 

McCuUey,  W.  A 

McCulloch,  Qen.  Ben 

McCuUough,  William 

McCune,  Jaccard  &  La  Barge 

McCurdy,  P 

McDonald, •,  deputy  marshal  of  Abi- 
lene .     

McDonald,  Ben,  mill  of,  at  Osage  Mission, 

McDonald,  S.  D 

McDowell,  A.,  Missouri  river  boat 

McDowell,  J.  H 

McDowell,  J.  L 469,  473, 

McDowell,  J.  S 

McDowell,  W.  C 

McDowell's  creek.  Riley  and  Geary  coun- 
ties .  302,  548, 

McFarland,  Mrs.  Annie  J 

McFarland,  E.  S        

McFarland,  Noah  C 

— sketch  of 

McFarland,  Sarah 

McGarrah,  Gates 

McGee,  A.  B.  H 

—tavern  of,  at  Westport 

McGee,  Milton  ...  ..... 

McGee,  W.  J.,  of  the  United  States  Bu- 
reau of  Ethnology 259,  263, 

—quoted 

McGee  county 

—relief  received  in  1861 

McQpe  street,  Kansas  City 

McGill,  T.  L.,  Missouri  river  boat 

McGinnis 

McGonigle,  James 

McGonigle,  James  A 

—paper  on  the  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.  Miege, 
S  J.,  First  Catholic  Bishop  of  Kansas, 

— sketch  of   

McGonigle,  Mrs.  Margaret 

McGonigle,  Mrs.  Susan 

McGranahan,  George, 

McGrath,  Frank,  sketch  of 

McGrath,  H.  T 

McQrew,  James,  lieutenant  governor 

364,  366,  468,  472,  473,  474, 

McHenry,  Frank 

McHenry,  W.  L 


347, 


McHenry,  William 

Mcintosh,  D.  S 

McKay,  William , 

McKee,  Hugh 

McKee,  Isaac 

McKee,  Isaac  H 

McKee,  Mrs.  Mary , 

McKeesport 

McKeever,  E   D 

McKendree,  Bishop  William  and  the  Wy- 
andot mission 

McKendree  College,  Lebanon,  111 

McKenney,  Thomas  L  

McKenzie,  H.  T.,  killed  by  Benders  

McKinley ,  President  William 

McKinley  tariff'  act 

McKinney, ,  master  of  the  Stonewall, 

McKinney,  J.  P 

McKinnie,  G.  H.        

McKnight  &  Eldridge 

McKnight,  George  W.,  member  State 
Historical  Society 

McKown,  J.  D.,  United  States  engineer, 
reports  Kansas  river  navigable. .  354, 

McLaughlin,  Susan 

McLean, ,  master  of  the  Amazon 

McLoughlin,  L.  A 

McMeekin,  H.  D 322, 

McMillan,  Harry,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society  ,  

—member  State  Historical  Society  — 

McMuUin, ,  master  of  the  Australia, 

McMuUin, ,masterof  the  Silver  Wave, 

McNeal,  J.  W.,  letter  January  4, 1906,  rela- 
tive to  raid  of  Northern  Cheyenne  In- 
dians through  western  Kansas.  

McNeal,  Thomas  A 

McPherson, 

McPherson,  Capt.  Henry,  300,  304,  305,  307, 
—letter  to  Phil.  E.  Chappell  concern- 
ing the  C.  W.  Sombart  and  other 
steamboats 

McPherson,  J.  B.,  Missouri  river  boat. .. 

McPherson..  iv, 

McPherson  county 13, 

—map.  

—  Russian  Mennonites  in 495, 

McPhemon  ("'ounly  Freeman 

McRoberts,  Benjamin 

McTaggart,  Daniel 

MacDonald,  John,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society  .    

Machebeuf,  Rt.  Rev.  J.  P 

Machine,  the,  in  politics 

Mackay,  Col.  A 

Mackenzie,  Sir  Alexander 

Mackey,  William  H.,  jr 

Mackey,  William  H.,  sr 

Mackinaw  boat,  description  of 268, 

Mackinaw  mission  at  Point  Ignace 

Madam  Blue,  of  Junction  City 

Madden,  John,  director  State  Historical 

Society  

—member  State  Historical  Society  — 

Made  land 

Madison  branch  of  the  Missouri 

Madison  county,  relief  received  by,  in 
1861 

Magazine  of  Western  History 

Magenta 

Magers 

Maggie        

Magna  charta 

Magnet 

Maha  or  Omaha  Indians 

Mail  for  Eighteenth  Kansas . .    . 

Mail,  United  States,  carried  by  steam- 
boats   

Maine,  aid  given  by,  to  Kansas  territory, 
—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507, 
—settlers  from,  in  Kansas  by  1860 

Majors,  Alex 

— &  Russell 


321,  334,  338 


General  Index. 


623 


Mallet  brothers,  Pierre  and  Paul,  ascend 

the  Pla tte  river,  1739 

Malta,  Missouri  river  boat 306, 

Malta  Bend,  Mo 247, 

—above  Miami,  Mo...  269,  305,  306,  314, 

—bow  it  KOt  its  name 

—Missouri  and  Little  Obage  villages 

near  

Maltby,  W.  W 

Mandan    306, 

Mandan  Indians 

—destroyed  by  smallpox  in  1837. ..  242, 

—village,  North  Dakota 264,  265, 

Manhattan..   iv,  v,  343,  470, 

— Col.  (ius  Linn  at 

— corn  shipped  from,  in  1859  . . 

— J.  W.  Stevens  bringsprinting-oflBce  to, 
on  the  Emma  Harmon 

— located  on  Indian  float 

— town  company  of 

Manhattan,  Missouri  river  boat 

Maniteau  corrupted  to  Moniteau 

Mann,  John,  Pottawatomie  Indian 

Mann,  Peter,  Pottawatomie  Indian 

Mann,  Robert 

Manning,  C.  H  

Manning,  E.  C 363, 

—author  of  bill  dividing  500,000  acres 
internal-improvement  land  among 
Kansas  railroads 

—biography.  

—member  of  State  Historical  Society, 

— paper  on  The  Kansas  State  Senate  of 

1865  and  1866       

Mansfield,  William 

Mansfield,    Kansas   and   Missouri   river 

boat 306,  315,  319, 

Manspeaker's  hall,  Topeka 

Manual  training  among  the  Indians.     . 

Manufacturers  in  Kansas . .  ■  ■ 

Map  of  early  Kansas opposite  page 

—  explanation  of 565- 

Map  of  railroads  suggested  by  the  con- 
vention of  1860 

Maps,  list  of 

Mapes,  M.  R 

Marais  des  Cygnes  river 178, 

Marcella 306, 

Marcy,  Capt.  Randolph  B 

Mardi  Gras  festivities 

Marest,  Father  Gabriel,  quotation  from, 

regarding  the  Missouri 250,  251, 

Margry,  Pierre,  Discoveries  and  Estab- 
lishments of   the    French  in   North 

America,  compiled  by 253, 

Mariawohl 493, 

Marienburg,  Prussia 

Marietta 

Mariner 

Marion 

Marion  Center iv,  v, 

Marion  county 570, 

—map .  

—relief  received  in  1861 

— Russian  Mennonites  in 

Markham,  Rev.  Thomas  B 

—Indian  missionary,  1849 

—missionary  to  Delaware  Indians,  203, 
Marmaduke,  Gen.  John  S 432,  465, 

—captured  at  Mine  creek. 

Marmaduke,  Gov.  Meredith  M 

Marmaton  river,  Kansas-Missouri...  178, 

Marquette.  

Marquette,  Father  James 262, 

—death  of 

—exploration  of  the  Mississippi 238 

—mention  of  the  Missouri  river  by 

—missionary  to  the  Wyandots 

Marriage,  first  in  Kansas 

Marriage  of  a  Kansas  dragoon  in  1858. . . . 
Mars.. 

Marsh,  Grant 

Marsh,  Thomas  J.,  first  political  boss  in 
Kansas 127,  130,  132, 


Marsh,  Thomas  J.,  letter  to  George  L. 
Stearns,  August  7,  1857  .  . 

— statement  of  his  work  in  Kansas,  from 
Wilson's  Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Slave 

Power 

Marshal,  deputy  United  States 

Marshall, ,  captain  of  the  Lacon    . . . 

Marshall, ,  master  of  the  Cataract... 

Marshall,  Francis  J 

Marshall,  Mo 

Marshall  county 3,  130,  534,  575, 

—map 

—relief  received  in  1861 

Marston,  Solon  E 

Martha 306,  310, 

Martha  Jewett 309, 

Martin,  Capt. 

Martin,  C.  S 

Martin,  D. — 

Martin,  David,  emigrates  to  Kansas  with 

his  family 

Martin,  Geo.  W.,  xi.  17, 126, 235,  330, 358,  579, 

— account  of  VVilliam  J.  Beggs.   . . 

—address,  Early  Days  in  Kansas,  at  the 
semicentennial  of  the  founding  of 
Lawrence,  October  2,  1904 

—director  State  Historical  Society. 

—emigrates  to  Kansas  with  his  father's 
family 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

—paper  on  Thomas  Allen  CuUinan, 
city  marshal  of  Junction  City.. 

—secretary  State  Historical  Society... 

—state  printer 

Martin,  Henry  S.,  agent  of  Buchanan  ad- 
ministration in  Kansas  133, 

Martin,  J.  L   

Martin,  J.  W 

Martin,  John.  ....  53,  309,  414. 

—director  State  Historical  Society  — 

—  member  State  Historical  Society 
Martin,  John  A.,  378,  418,  468,  472,  473,  475, 

—secretary  railroad  convention,  1860  .. 

Martin,  Mrs.  Maria  Merrill 

Martin,  Mrs.  Mary  H 

Martin,  Dr.  Samuel  E 

Martin,  Cantonment 277, 

— map  .  

Martindale,  William 366, 

Mary  Bennett 

Mary  Blane 

Mary  E.  Forsyth 

Mary  Lowry 

Mary  McDonald 306, 

Mary  Stone 

Mary  Tompkins 

Maryland  . 

— Mennonite  settlements  in 

— natives  of,  living  in  Kansas  in  1855- 
1900 507, 

—settlers  in  Kansas  by  1860 

Marysville.       iv,  v, 

Marysville,  Mo.,  battle  of 

Mascoutin  Indians 

Mason,  Capt. ,  master  of  the  Sultana, 

death  of,  on  the  Sultana 

Mason,  A.  L.,  steamboat 293,  297, 

Mason,  Mrs.  Caswell 

Mason,  W.  P  

Massachusetts  aids  Kansas  territory 

—people  of,  in  Kansas 

—citizens  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900,  507, 

—settlers  of,  in  Kansas  by  1860 

Massachusetts  State  Kansas  Committee, 
Massachusetts  street,  Lawrence..  —  ... 
Massey,  J.  M.,  member  State  Historical 

Society 

Massey,  John,  pilot  of  the  New  Lucy     . 
Massie's  wood-yard,  below  Hermann,  Mo. 

Massourites,  river  of 

Masterson,  Thomas  G.,   wounding  and 

death  of.  on  Prairie  Dog,  in  1867. . .  445 

Mastin,  John  J 

Matamora 306, 


624 


General  Index. 


Matheny,  W.  M 

Mather,  S.  F 

Mather,  Thomas 

Mathews,  J.  P 

Mathews,  John  W  

Matthews,  John 21, 

Mattie  BeJle 

Mattie  Lee 

Mattingly,  J.  L 

Maximilian,  Gen.  J.  O.  Shelby  in  serv- 
ice of .  

Maximilian,  prince  of  Wied 

—travels  on  the  upper  Missouri. . .  281, 

Maxson,  P.  B 366,473,475, 

Maxwell,  Lucien  B.,  hunter  in  Fremont's 

expeditions   534, 

— receives  land    grant  from    Mexican 

government 

May  Bryan 

May,  Caleb 

Mayer,  Eli    

Mayflower 

Mas  flower  pilgrims  compared  with  Kan- 
sas emigrants 

Maynadier,  Capt. 

Mayo,  Charles 

Mead,  A.  G 

Mead,  A.  J     327,  347,  470, 

Mead,  C.  W 

Mead,  James  R -.  366, 

— director  State  Historical  Society     . . 
—life  member  State  Historical  Society, 

—location  of  his  trading-post 

—map,  No.  2,  Sedgwick  county.  . . . 
—ranch  of,  on  the  Saline  river  in  Ot- 
tawa county,  1859.     .      

— sketch  of 

— The  Saline  Rivercountry  in  1859,  pa  per 
before  twenty-nintli  annual  meeting 
of  the  Society,  December  6,  1904 
—vice-president  of  the  State  Historical 

Society  

Meade,  John  M.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society     ...  

Meade  county,  Dull  Knife's  raid  through 

in  1878       389, 

-map 

Means,  Thomas.  ..  472,  473, 

Meath, ,  master  of  the  CarrolU  No.  1), 

Mechanic.   

Medary,  Gov.  Samuel 473,  474,  475, 

Medicine  Lodge —  iv, 

Medicine  Man,  Indian  chief 

Medill,  James 

Medill,  William,  U.  S.  commissioner  of 

Indian  affairs 

Meek,  Mr.  ,  teacher  of  the  Shawnee 

Indians 

Meeker,  Rev.  Jotham 160, 

— diary  of 

Meffew 

Meherrin  and  Nottaway  Indian  tribes... 

Melan  bridge,  Topeka 

Mellitopol,  Russia 

Melrose,  John.  .  

Membre,  Father  Zenobius,  extracts  from 

his  journal  of  the  first  expedition  of 

La  Salle  down  the  Mi.'ssissippi. ..  240, 

Memorial  day,  Topeka,  May  30,  1904.   . . 

Memorial  tablet  in    honor    of  Edward 

Graf  Strom.     

Memphis,  Tenn 296,  297, 

Menomini  warriors  in  war  of  1812. 
Mennonite  bishop  purchases  Santa  Fe 

railroad  land-grant  bonds 

Mennonite  church,  history  of  .......    . 

Menaonites,  educational  institutions  of, 

in  Kansas. 

— arrival  of,  in  Kansas 

—camp  of,  in  King  bridge  shops,  To- 
peka. ...  

—efforts  of  Catherine  II  to  secure  in- 
termarriage with  Tartars  


Mennonite  emigrants  from  Germany, 
SwitZ'irland  and  Prussia  in  the 
United  States  

—emigration  of,  to  Kansas     

— in  Russia  duped  into  securing  Ameri- 
can citizenship  papers 

—missionaries  of,  among  the  Indians.. 

— Russian,  affected  by  Franco-German 


ir.. 


—Russian  attempt  to  control 489- 

Mento  Indians,  chief  of 

— location  of  villages  of 

Menzies,  Jack.  

Mepham,  M.  8.,  Missouri  river  boat,  306, 
Mercier,  Canadian  with  Bourgmont.  — 

Mercier,  Father  Francois  le  

Merrill,    Maj.    Hamilton    W.,    Second 

United  States  dragoons 

Merrill,  Robert,  Ottawa  Indian 

Merwin,C.  E 

Merwin,  Mrs.  Lydia  E      ..    

Merwin,  Raymond  Edwin,  The  Wyandot 
Indians,  address  before  the  Historical 

Society,  December  5,  1905 

—biographical  sketch  of 

Meschacebe  or  Mississippi  river 

Messenger. 

MesseiHifr,  Howard  City 

Messervy  &  Webb,  merchants  at  Santa 

Fe,  N.M 

Meteor 293, 

Metesigamia  Indians 

Methodist  camp-meetings ^ 

Methodist  Episcopal  church,  first  mis- 
sionary work  in  the  United  States. .. 

— history  of 

—list  of  appointments  in  Kansas    In- 
dian Mission  conference  of ..   168,  2ih- 
— missionary   society   of,  pledges  sup- 
port to  Shawnee  M.  M.  L.  S     

Methodist  mission  among  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  on  the  Osage  river. 
—  Missions  among  the  Indian  tribes  in 
Kansas,  paper  by  Rev.  J.  J.  Lutz 

— mission  in  Osage  county  

—missionaries  in  Kansas,  memorial 
window  to,  in  White  Church,  Wyan- 
dotte county  

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  Mis- 
souri   conference,    defense    of    Rev. 

Lorenzo  Waugh  against 

—has  control  of  all  Methodist  Indian 

missions  in  Kansas,  l845-'48     ... 
— Missouri  conference  in  charge  of  In- 
dian missions  in  Kansas 

— organization  of,  in  1845..           ...   179, 
—part  taken  by  Missouri  in  the  organi- 
zation of... 

Methodists  at  Manhattan,  in  claim  dis- 
pute.   

Metropolitan  police    system,  establish- 
ment and  abolishment  of 

Metsker,  D.  C.   ... 

Mexican  and  Texan  boundary  line,  1843, 

Mexican  bullion  and  silver  dollars  lost 

by  the  burning  of  the  Boreas  ( No.  1) , 

— claims  to  southwestern  Kansas 

—mines 

—teamsters.   

Mexican  war 562, 

—brought  about  by  slavery  propagand- 


ists . 


—  Wyandots  enlisted  in  U.  S.  army 

Mexico,  Missouri  river  boat 

Mexico,  Pawnees  raid  in,  to  steal  horses, 
Miami  county  ..   366, 

—drought of  1860  in 

— points  of  interest  in    

map 

Miami  Indians  attend  Indian  conference 
near  Fort  Leavenworth,  in  October, 
1848 

—Catholic  missionaries  among  

—mission,  location  of 


General  Index. 


625 


Miami  Indians,  map,  in   No.   1,   Miami 

county 576 

—murdered  by  Iroquois  257 

— tribe  of  Illinois  nation 241 

Miami,  Mo 291,  305,  306,  316 

Miami  bend,  Missouri  river 314 

Miami  Packet  Company 304,  316 

Michigan 315 

—citizens  of , in  Kansas  in  1855-1900,  507,  508 

E— settlers  from,  in  Kansas  by  1860 130 

— U.  S.  geological  survey  in 552 

Michigan  University 13,  414 

Michillimackinac  or  Mackinaw 240 

— Wyandots  remove  from,  to  Detroit..     78 
Middlesex  County   ( Mass.)  Kansas  Aid 

Committee   132 

Middletown,  Conn iv 

Miege,  Rt.  Rev.  John  B.,  S.  J 25,  550 

— consecrated  bishop  of  Messenia 155 

—First  Catholic  bishop  of  Kansas,  pa- 
per by  James  A.  McGonigle,  of  Leav- 
enworth   153 

—visits  South  America  in  the  interest 
of  the  Leavenworth  cathedral. ..   156,  158 

—portrait  of  153 

Mier,  Mexico,  prisoners  in  . . .   556 

Miles,  ,  accomplice  of  Andrew  Mc- 

Connell 531 

Miles,  John  D.,  agent  of  the  Cheyennes..  496 

Milhoan,  Thomas  E.       363 

Military  exemption,  Kansas,  1874. ..  492,  495 

Military  post  at  Downer  station  ,  573 

Military   road  from  Fort  Leavenworth 

toFortScott 178 

Militia,  arms  held  by  Norton  county  —     43 
—company  D,second  battalion,  Kansas,    42 
—for  protection  of  western  frontier,  or- 
ganized by  Governor  St.  John  390 

—negro  allowed  to  serve  in,  constitu- 
tional amendment 382 

Milk  river 309 

Milk  River  colony  of  Mennonites  in  Rus- 
sia  492,  493 

Mill,  John  Stuart 399 

Mill,  Delaware,  built  by  Methodist  mis- 
sionary board 205 

Mill  on  the  Marais  des  CygBes  built  by 

Harmony  missionaries 248 

Mill  street,  Westport 552 

Millard,  Capt. 327 

Millard, , captain  of  the  Col. Qus  Linn,  346 

Millard, ,  captain  of  the  Hartford. ..  318 

Mill-dam  on  Kansas  river  at  Lawrence..  355 

Miller, ,  builder  of  the  Tamerlane 311 

Miller,  Capt. 329 

Miller, ,  master  of  the  Algoma 297 

Miller,  - — ,  master  of  the  Oceana 307 

Miller, ,  master  of  the  Roebuck  309 

Miller,  Mrs. ,  missionary  to  the  Shaw- 

nees 170 

Miller.A.A 470 

Miller,  Archibald iv 

Miller,  Bradford 385 

Miller,  Dicey 50 

Miller,  Ellen ,  Ottawa  Indian 188 

Miller,  George 327 

Miller,  H.  B 368 

Miller,  J.  B 470 

Miller,  J.  D 367 

Miller,  J.  Earl,  director  State  Historical 

Society      .  v 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Miller,  John ,^0 

Miller,  Josiah 473 

Miller,  P.  T..  Missouri  river  boat 309 

Miller,  R.  S 363 

Miller,  Sol 366 

— description  of 368 

—fame  as  a  writer 368 

—poem  by 51 

—sketch  of 50 

Miller,  Susan,  Ottawa  Indian 189 

Miller,  Thomas 298 

Miller,  W.  W 421 

-40 


Millice,  Rev.  Abraham,  teacher  at  Dela- 
ware mission 

Milliken,  John  D.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

Milliken,  Sarah 

Mills, ,  paymaster's  clerk  on  Excel.. 

Mills,  Hattie  M 

Mills  owned  by  Mennonites  in  Russia,  493, 

Millspaugh,  Bishop  Frank  R 

Milwaukee,  steamboat.. 

Mine  Creek,  Missouri,  battle  of 442, 

Miner 306, 

Mineral  products  of  Kansas 

Mineral  Wells,  Tex 

Miners,  legislation  regarding 

Mines  on  the  Missouri  river 

Mining  expedition  of  Le  Sueur,  1703 

Mining  lands 

Mink.. 297, 

Minneapolis Iv, 

Minnehaha,  steamboat 287,  293, 

Miuneola 


—Alliance  in  

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507, 
Minnetarie  Indians,  smallpox  among.. .. 

Minnie 

Minnie  Belle,  Kansas  river  boat,  history 

...  of..     ai5,  319, 

Minnie  Herman. 

Minsk,  Russia 

Mirage,  description  of,  by  R.  M.  Wright, 

Mission  conference,  Indian 

MissioH  creek,  Shawnee  county 195, 

— Kaw  Indian  farm  on 

—trading-post  of  Fred.  Chouteau  on... 

Missionaries,  memorial  church  to., 

Missionaries,  Scarritt  Bible  and  Training 

School  for,  Kansas  City,  Mo 

Missionary  Ridge,  battle  of 

Missionary   societies    present  Bibles  to 

Missouri  river  steamboats 

—stations  among  the  whites  of  south- 
ern Kansas 

Missions,  Methodist,  among  the  Indians 

in  Kansas 16O, 

—Catholic,  among  the  Indians  in  Kan- 
sas   19, 

Mississippi 12, 

— Farmers'  Alliance  in .' 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507, 

— negro  exodus  from 

Mississippi  rifles .".'.' 

Mississippi  river   (called    also  Colbert, 
Conception,    Meschacebe,     and    St. 

Louis) 

—cholera  on,  1832-'54 ..   .. 

—European  Settlements  on,  by  Philip 

Pittman.   

—explorations  of,  by  way  of  Gulf  of 

Mexico  

—lower,  should  have  been  named  Mis- 
souri river  .. .    

—New  Orleans  first  steamboat  on.. ..'.'. 
Mississippi  Valley,iHistory  of,  by  General 

Rozier  

Missouri,  border  troubles  in 

—bushwhackers  of ] 

—cholera  in,  lS32-'54 

—citizens  of,  in  Kansas,  1860 

—  Delaware  reserve  in   

— devastation  of  western,  during  the 

civil  war 

—  Fight  for,  by  Thomas  L.  Snead !'.'.'.'.". 

—Gazetteer  of,  1837 

—generals  from,  in  the  Confederacy. .. 

—meaning  of  name.    257,  262, 

—Kansas  Indians  cede  their  lands  in  . . 
—M.  E.  conference  of  ...  161,  165,  168, 
—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507, 

— Osage  Indians  cede  lands  in 

—outlawry  of  western "..'. 


626 


General  Index. 


Missouri,  protest  of  Lawrence  merchants 
against  unlawful  acts  of  citizens  of . . 
—saved  to  the  Union  by  General  Lyon, 
—sentiments  of  Kansans  against  citi- 
zens of  western 

— Spanish  government  gives  the  Shaw- 
nee Indians  a  reserve  in 

— state  guard  of 

—State  University,  at  Columbia 

—streams  of,  named  by  the  French  — 

—taxes  on  liquor  licenses  in 

—United  States  geological  survey  in  .. 
—voters  of,  carry  first  two  Kansas  ter- 
ritorial elections 

— whisky  invasion  of  Kansas 

Missouri 295, 

Missouri  (No.  1) 

Missouri  (No.  2) 

Missouri  (No.  3) 

Missouri  ( No.  4 ) 

Missouri  (No.  5)   

Missouri  (No.  6) 

—the  last  steamboat  to  land  at  Fort 

Benton 

Missouri  Belle,  first  steamboat  to  intro- 
duce the  steam-whistle  on  the  Mis- 
souri river 299, 

Missouri  compromise 48, 

—repeal  of 

Missouri  Fur  Company,  St.  Louis 

— record-book  of 

Missouri  Indians  (Emissourittes,  Mas- 
sorites,   Missounta,   Missourits,   Ou- 

missourites) 245,  248,  249,  262, 

— accompany  Bourgmont  to  Paducas.. 
—at  Kansas  village,  Doniphan  county, 
—contemplate  settling  near  Fort  St. 

Louis,  Illinois 

— driven  from  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
souri river  by  the  Iroquois 

—driven  from  their  village  by  the  Sacs. 

—history  of. —  257- 

— intermarry  with  Little  Osages 

—jealous  because  the    French   go   to 

other  nations 

—Otoe  Indians  oilshoots  of 

—sent  to  notify  Otoes  by  Bourgmont.. 

—Spanish  intend  to  destroy,  because  of 

their  friendship    with    the    French, 

1719,  but  are  destroyed  by  the  Mis- 


253 

—villages,  location  of 257,  263 

— villages,  remains  and    relics    found 

on  sites  of 257,  2,59 

— visit  of  DuTisne  among,  in  1719..  252,  'dbi 

—woman  seen  by  Father  Charlevoix. .     254 

Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  railroad..  478,  480 

—meat  contract  of,  1869-'70 535 

MissouriMail 307 

Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  Company 307 

—destruction    of   painted    rock    near 
mouth  of  Moniteau  creek,  Missouri, 


by 


-first  locomotive  for,  brought  to  Kan- 
sas City,  Mo.,  on  the  T.  L.  McGill.. .. 

—western  terminus  of 434, 

—wreck  at  Gasconade  bridge 

Missouri  Repuhlican   

Missouri    or    Ni-u-t'a-tci    river    (smoky 

water) ;  also  called  the  Great  Yellow 

river,  the  Osage,  the  Riviere  Longue, 

and  the  Pekistanoui  (muddy  water), 

241,  242,  243,  245,  262,  265, 

—and  Indians,  early  notices  of,  by  John 
P. Jones 

—and  Santa  Fe  trade 

—boats  of  1888 

—character  of  channel 

— cholera 

— Commission 

annual  report,  1897 


Missouri  .river,  description  of,  by  Father 
Charlevoix,  1721 

by  Father  Membre,  who   calls  it 

the  Ozage 

by  Penicaut 

— Du  Tisne's  exploration  of 

—flood  of  1827 

— great  bend  of.  South  Dakota 

— highest  navigation  of 

—History  of  the,  by  Phil.  E.  Chappell, 

— its  mouth,  Marquette's  description 
of 

—La  Harpe's  description  of 

— length  of 

—list  of  steamboats  on 

—low  in  1857 

—men,  meeting  of,  in  interest  of  trade 
of  St.  Louis  with  Kansas 

—navigable  for  steamers  of  light  draft 
for  3000  miles 

—portage  to  Arkansas  river,  mentioned 
by  Gravier 

—referred  to  by  Father  le  Mercier 

—report  on,  by  Lieut.  G.  K.  Warren, 
1858 

—said  to  be  in  an  unnavigable  condi- 
tion by  Maj.  C.  R.  Suter 

— said  to  have  been  ascended  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Kaw  in  1705  by  Cheva- 
lier Pierre  Charles  Le  Sueur 

— smallpox  among  the  tribes  on 

—steamboat  men  questioned  as  to 
treatment  of  free-state  travelers 

—steamboat  men  sided  with  the  Con- 
federacy in  the  civil  war 

—steamboat  navigation  on 

— steamboats  on 274,  581 , 

—the  thoroughfare  between  the  East 
and  West 

— wrecks  on 

Missouri  River  Packet  Co..  299,  307,  308, 
Mitchell,  Capt.  - — ,  of  Topeka  Guards.. 

Mitchell,  Mr. ,  blacksmith  to  the  Kaw 

Indians 

Mitchell,  C.  R 

Mitchell,  Rev.  D.  P 

Mitchell,  D.T 

Mitchell  county 567, 

—buffalo  herd  in 


-map. 


-Pawnee  road  in 

-relief  of,  in  1874 

—statistics  of 

—value  of  school  property  in 

Mitchell's  reference  and  distance  map, 
1825     

Mitchell's  school  atlas,  1840 

Mittie  Stephens 

Mix,  Charles  E.,  U.  S.  commissioner  of 
Indian  affairs 

Mobile,  Ala 297,  301, 

Mobile  (Ala.)  Tribune 

Mobile,  Missouri  river  boat 

Mobile  chute 

Mobley,  R.  D 

Modoc  chief.  Captain  Jack 

Modoc  Indians  in  California  and  Indian 
Territory 

Mohawk  Indians,  tribe  of  Iroquois 

Mohler,  J.  G  

Mohofile,  J.  B 

Moline  plows — 

Mollie  Abel 

Mollie  Dozier 

Mollie  Herbert 

Mollie  Moore 307, 

Molotschna  colony  of  Mennonites  in 
Russia 492, 

Moniteau  county,  Missouri 

Moniteau  creek,  Missouri,  Missouri  vil- 
lage near 

Monitor 

Mononcue,  Wyandot  chief,  portrait  of... 

Monongahela 315, 


General  Index. 


627 


Monopolies,  oil 98 

Monroe,  Rev.  Andrew 179,  199,  200,  216 

Monroe,  Ed.,  pilot  of  Minnie  Belle 343 

Monroe,  Pres.  James 19 

Monroe,   Rev.  John,  missionary  to  the 

Kickapoo  Indians 209,  226 

Monsoon 307 

Monssett,  J.  B 306 

Montague,  George 468 

Montana  (No.  1) 293,  307 

Montana  (No.  2) 307,  315 

Montana,  Farmers'  Alliance  in 6 

—gold  discovered  in 293 

— gold-mines  of. 313 

—Historical  Society  of... 293,  295,  307,  315 

—increase  of  population  in  1862 293 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1870-1900 507 

-steamboat  revival  of,  1859-74 293 

—trading-post  of  Manuel  de  Lisa  in. ..  273 

Montauk 307 

Montgomery,  James....  12,  456,  459,  465,  514 

Montgomery,  Ala 301 

Montgomery  county 414 

Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania,  Men- 

nonite  settlements  in 490 

Monument  on  Beecher  Island 453 

Moody,  Joel 366 

Mooers,  Surg.  J.  H.,  killed  at  the  battle 

of  the  Arickaree 453 

Moon,  Mrs.  Emma  Chick 189 

Moon,Dr.J 468 

Moonlight,  Thomas 73,  435,  438,  441 

—adjutant-general 407,  413 

Moonlight's  battery 457 

Moore, ,  master  of  the  Wyandotte  ...  313 

Moore,  A.  A 367 

Moore,  C.C 469 

Moore,  H.  Miles 137 

—director  State  Historical  Society v 

Moore,  Col.   Horace   L.,  director  State 

Historical  Society v 

— in  command  of  Eighteenth  Kansas 

battalion,  1867 443,  452 

— member  State  Historical  Society iv 

—president  State  Historical  Society. . .    iii 

Moore,  James 497 

Moore,  T.  P,  member  State  Historical 

Society iv 

Morash.C 469 

Moravia,  Mennonites  find  refuge  in 488 

Moreau,  Missouri  stream 266 

Morehouse,  George  P 201,  571 

—paper.  Probably  the  First  School  in 

Kansas  for  White  Children 231 

Moreland,J 352 

Morgan,  Thomas,  boat  builder 351 

Morgan,   W.   S.,   author    of    History  of 

Wheel  and  Alliance 1 

Morgan,  Willoughby 278 

Mormon  fork  of  Grand  river,  Missouri  ..  517 

Mormon  Grove,  Atchison  county 576 

Mormons,  killed  by  explosion  of  Saluda,  288 

—on  board  the  Golden  State 303 

—their  trail  through  Kansas,  descrip- 
tion of 576 

—map 576 

Morning  Star,  Kansas  and  Missouri  river 

boat 287.  307,  319,  345,  582 

—burned  at  Bissell's  point 346 

— races  the  Lucas 337 

Morrill,  Gov.  Edmund  N 367,  417,  421 

—  director  State  Historical  Society v 

—life  member  State  Historical  Society,    iii 

Morris,  Joel  B.,  M.  D 564 

Morris,  Lew 303 

Morris,  Bishop  Thomas  A 177.  220,  223 

Morris,  William,  mate  of  Col.  Gus  Linn,  347 

Morris  county 472,  473,  475 

—history 201,  202,  231 

—negroes  in 385 

—points  of  interest  in 570 

map 576 

—raided  by  Pawnee  Indians 243 

—relief  received  in  1861 484 


Morrison,  Dorr 511 

Morrison,  Capt.  Matt 318.  319 

—captain  of  Financier  No.  2..  328,  331,  333 

-mate  of  Lightfoot 338 

Morristown,  Mo.,  battle  of 456 

Morrow,  J.  C 368 

Morrow,  Robert 135,  343 


Morse,  Jedidiah,  report  of 

Mortgage  foreclosures 

Morton,  H. 

Morton,  J.  Sterling 

Morton,  Gov.  Oliver  P.,  Indiana  . 
Morton  county   


251 
426 
453 
117 
370 
576 
576 

Moscow,  Russia.  491 

Moseley,  Maj.  Thomas,  jr.,  Indian  agent,  223 
— agent  to  the  Delaware  Indians,   ab- 
stract of  report  for  1851 205 

Moses  Green    315 

Mosier,  E.,  blacksmith  to  the  Kaw  In- 
dians   202,  470 

Mosquitoes 325 

Motola.  Sweden 497 

Mott,  Emma  Minor 62 

Mount  Oread 142,  146,  152 

Mount  Prairie,  Ark 161 

Mount  Union  College 414 

Mount  Vernon,  Mo 306 

Mountain  Meadow  massacre,  Utah,  1857,  528 

Mountaineer  (  No.  1 ) 307 

Mountaineer  (  No.  2) 307,  315 

Mounted  rifles,  U.  8.  soldiers..  549,  558,  562 

Mower,  Gen.  Joseph  A 433 

Mowry,  A.  J 367 

Moye,  Mrs.  339 

Mud  creek,  Dickinson  county 529 

Muddy  water,  translation  of  Pekitanoui, 

name  for  Missouri  river 251,  262 

Mudeater,  Matthew,  Wyandot  chief,  218,  469 
Mudeater,  Wyandot  guide  of  Fremont  . .     17 

Mudeater  family  of  VVyandots 213 

Mudge,  Rev.  Enoch 213 

Muir,  Captain,  a  British  officer 80 

Muir,  James,  member  of  surveying  party 

in  1858 13 

Mulberry iv 

Mule  marked  with  a  Spanish  brand  in 

Indian  Territory  in  1719 252 

Mule  trade  at  Westport 556 

Mules  raised  by  Mackinaw  Beauchemie 

for  Fort  Leavenworth 212 

MuUanphy's  island,  Missouri  river 302 

Mulvane,  David  W.,  life  member  of  State 

Historical  Society iii 

Mulvane,  John  R.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society iv 

Mummy,  Egyptian,  brought  to  St.  Louis, 

Mo.,  on  steamboat  Jubilee 296 

Mundy,  Isaac,  blacksmith  to  Pottawa- 
tomie Indians 201 

Mung,  James ' 551 

Mung,  Mrs.  Mary 551 

Municipal  taxation 418 

Munkres,  Mary  C 184 

Murdock, ,  of  New  York 322 

Murdock,  Marshall  M 366,367 

—docket  clerk  of  senate  of  1865-'66 364 

Murdock,  Thomas  B 367 

Murdock,  Victor,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society V 

Murdock's,  Mo 297 

Murphy,  Thomas 363,  366,  453 

Murray, ,  of  St.  Louis,  builder  of  St. 

Croix  (  No.  2) 310 

Murray's  bend.  Mo.  river..  269,  301,  313.  315 
Musick's  ferry,  near  mouth  of  Missouri 

river 299 

Muskhogean  family,  territory  occupied 

by 73 

Muskingum 295 

Mustang 307 

Myers,  L.  A 367 

Myers,  Miss  Lillie 90 

Myrick,  S.  B 470 


628 


General  Index. 


N. 

Nadine 

Nahgennan,  Delaware  Indian.. 

Nah-kooner,  Capt. ,  Delaware  Indian, 

Names  of  streams,  given  by  J.  R.  Mead  . 

Nanham,  James  H .. 

Nanson,  Capt.  Josephs....  287,  298,  303, 
307,  312, 

—master  of  the  Bay  State 

—of  the  Ben  W.  Lewis 

Naomi,  steamboat 269, 

Napoleon's  sale  of  Louisiana 

Napoleon ■... 

Napoleon,  Mo SOO, 

Napton,    Judge  W.  B.,   early    Missouri 

manuscripts  of 

Nash.E.S 

Nash,  Rev.  R.  S 

Nashville,  Tenn 

Nassonites,  mentioned  by  Du  Tisne..  — 

Natchez,  Miss 276, 

Natchez  Indians,  St.  Cosme  missionary 


Natchitoches,  slaves  sold  to,  by  Mento 

chief,  for  Du  Tisne 

National  Democrat,  Lecompton 

National  Order  of  Videttes,  cypher  to 

ritual  obtained  by  Republican  party, 

—organized  in  Kansas  as  labor  party 

in  1888 ....  2, 

Native-born  population  of  Kansas,  1860- 

—  1900 130,  131, 

Navigation,  head  of,  at  Fort  Benton  — 

—of  the  Kansas  river 

Navigator,  VittshxxTg 

Neal, ,  of  Cass  county,  Missouri..  — 

Nebraska        6,  307, 

—free-state  emigration  through  ..  334, 

—Historical  Collections  of 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1870-1900. 

— southern,  effort  to  be  included  in  the 

state  of  Kansas 

—taxes  on  liquor  licenses  of 

Nebraska-Kansas  bill 

Nebraska  Territory,  Provisional  Govern- 
ment of —  85, 

Nebraska  City,  Neb 302,  307,  308, 

314,  315,  547, 

Ned  Tracy 300,  307, 

Negro  children  of  central  Alabama,  first 
schoolhouse  for,  built  by  T.  C.  Henry, 

—crew  of  St.  Peters.        

—exodus  to  Kansas,  history  of 385, 

U.  S.  senate  committee  to  investi- 
gate  

— missionary,  John  Stewart 

—on  board  Emma  Harmon  seized 

—potato  king :•■•  . 

— suffrage,  rejection  of  constitutional 

amendment  providing  for 

—to  serve  in  the  state  militia,  constitu- 
tional amendment  providing  for  the, 

Negroes  in  presidential  elections 

Ne-ko-its-ah-ba,  or    Dead   Men's  creek, 

Morris  county 

Nellie  Peck 

Nellie  Rogers 307, 

Nellis,   Luther    McXfee,  director   State 

Historical  Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society  — 

Nelson,  Charles 

Nelson.  Capt.  George  P.,  319,  329,  330,  347, 

— captain  of  the  Emma 

— captain  of  the  Kansas  Valley 

—captain  of  Star  of  the  West  on  Kan- 
sas river 

Nelson,  John,  master  of  steamboat  Inde- 
pendence   277, 

Nelson,  Col.  R.  H 

Nelson,  William  R 

Nemaha  bar 

Nemaha  county 

—map 


Nemaha  county,  drought  of  1860  in 

—relief  received  in  1861 

Neosho  county-seat  fight 

—oil  production  of 

—points  of  interest  in 

map 

Neosho  Rapids 

Neosho  river 

—Presbyterian    missions    among    the 

Osageson.. —  .     

Neosho  valley,  missions  in 

Ne  Plus  Ultra 

Nerinckx,  Rev.  Charles 

Nero.  

Ness  City 

Neut    

Nevada 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1870-190U 

—railroads 

Nevada,  Mo 

Nevada  (  Mo.)  Mail 

New  Albany,  Ind 

New  England 

New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company. .. 
148,  233,  308,  328,  339, 

assists  Cincinnati  Land  Com- 
pany in  ousting  Osborne,  pro-slavery 
man,  from  claim  on  the  Big  Blue  . 

—entitled  to  the  leadership  in  Kansas 
struggle 

— in  the  settlement  of  Kansas 131 , 

—sawmill  of 329, 

—settlers  in  Kansas  by  1860. 
New  Englanders  cross  Lake  Erie  in  the 

Mayflower 

New  Georgetown 

New  Hampshire  aids  Kansas  territory... 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855, 1900,  507, 
New  Hampshire  street,  Lawrence...  332, 

New  Haven 

New  Hope  Church,  battle  of 

New  Jersey,  natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855- 

1900 130,  507, 

New  Lucy,  Missouri  river  boat,  307,  318, 

— burning  of 

— on  the  Kansas  river 324, 

New  Madrid,  Mo _. . 

New  Mexico,  natives  of,  in   Kansas  in 

1855-1900 507, 

New  Monongahela 

New  Orleans..  251,  295,  296,  300,  306,  310, 

— cholera  in 

— M.  de  Bienville  commandant  at,  1719, 
New  Orleans,  first  steamboat  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi  

New  St.  Paul 

New  Santa  Fe,  on  the  Kansas  border 

New  York  city  aids  Kansas  territory 

—John  Street  M.  E.  Church 

— Thos.  J.  Smith  served  as  policeman.. 
New  York 

— emigrants  from,  on  the  Wm.  Camp- 
bell in  1856 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas  1855-1900...  507, 

— settlers  in  Kansas  by  1860    

New  York  Evening  Post 

New  York  or  Iroquois  Indians 

—Catholic  missionaries  among  

New  York  Timps      122,  133, 

New  York  Tribune 298,  315,  324, 

Newark,  Mo 

Newkirk,Okla 

Newman,  A.  A 

Newton,  organization  of  State  Farmers' 

Alliance  at,  1889 

Newton  Milling  and  Elevator  Company.. 

Newtonia,  battle  of 

Niangue 

Nicely,  John,  clerk  of  the  Emelie 

Nicely,  Capt.   John,    owner   of    Kansas 

Valley  351, 

Nichols,  C.  B 


General  Index. 


629 


Nichols,  Mrs.  C.  I.  H 

—quoted  regarding  relief  work  of  Mrs. 

S.  C.  Pomeroy 

Nichols,  E.  H 

Nicholson,  Rev. ,  missionary  to  Mex- 
ico   202, 

Nick  Wall 

Nicolet,  Jean,  learns  of  the  Mississippi.. 

Nies,  Mrs.  Abby  H 

Nies,  Dr.  Frederick  Harold 

Nigger  bend  of  the  Missouri  river 

Nile 307,  315, 

JVile$'s  Weekly  Register 

Nimrod,  fur  company  boat 283, 

— voyage  of  1844,  on  the  upper  Missouri, 
Nineteenth  Kansas  cavalry    33, 

—stopped  by  immense  buffalo  herds — 

Ninth  Kansas  cavalry 

Niobrara,  Missouri  river  boat 

Niobrara  river,  Nebraska 

— bull-boats  used  on  

Nisbet,  Miss ,  of  Philadelphia 

Nishnabotna 305, 

Ni-shu-dje  or  smoky  water,  name  of  Mis- 
souri   

Noble,  Charles 

Noble,  Peter  S.,  adjutant-general...  391, 

Nodaway  river,  Missouri 273,  307, 

Noftzger,  Thomas  A — 

—director  State  Historical  Society  — 

— member  State  Historical  Society 

Nonconformist  office,  Winfleld 

Nora 

Normal  School,  Emporia,  losses  in  school 
fund. 

—rebuilding  of 

Normal  School,  Hays  City 

North  Alabama,  rises  to  surface  thirty- 
six  years  after  sinking 

North  Carolina 6, 

—Farmers'  Alliance  in 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507, 

— negro  exodus  from 

—settlers  from,  in  Kansas,  by  1860 

North  central  Kansas,  1859 

North  Dakota  and  prohibition 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1870-1900 

North  Indian  mission  district,  T.  John- 
son, superintendent 

North  Topeka 

—in  the  flood  of  June,  1903 

Northeast  Kansas  relief  committee 

Northern  aid  in  settlement  of  Kansas  ter- 
ritory  

— emigration  on  the  Missouri  river,  334, 

to  Kansas 

Northern   Pacific  railroad  reaches  Bis- 
marck   

Northern  politicians   charged  with  re- 
sponsibility for  negro  exodus 

Northern  tier  railroad 

Northerner 

Northrup  &  Chick 

Northway,  S.  D 

Northwest  Indian  confederacy 

Northwest  Kansas,  description  and  set- 
tlement of 

—possibilities  of,  described  by  S.  D. 
Houston  in  1863.  

—railroad  communication  of 

Norton,  Col. ,  of  Chicago 

Norton,  Jonathan  D.,  life    member    of 

State  Historical  Society 

Norton  county 

—horse-thieves  in 

—map 

—officers  in,  1878 

—relief  in,  1874 

— settlement  and  organization  of. . .  39, 

—statistics 

— value  of  school  property  in 

Nortonville 

Noteware,  James  H 

Nottaway  and  Meherrin  Indian  tribes. . . 


Nugent,  Col.  AndrewQ 517 

Nugget 315 

Nymph 307,  315 


Oak  creek,  Jewell  county 43 

Oak  Mills  or  Port  Williams 302,  315 

Oak  timber  on  Paradise  creek,  Russell 

county 15 

Oakes,  G 453 

Oberlin iv 

O'Blenis,  Bob 563 

O'Brien,  James  .. .       571 

O'Brien,  James  O.,  Presbyterian  mission 

among  Osages  on  farm  of 21 

Ocala,  Fla.,  meeting  of  National  Farm- 
ers'Alliance  at 6,      7 

Oceana        307 

O'Connell 308 

Octavia     308,  315 

—earnings  of 294 

Octotata  or  Otoe  Indians 250 

Oddfellow 308 

Odessa,  Russia,  American  consulate  at..  493 

—wheat  port  of  Mennonites 489 

0'Donnell,T 453 

O'Dwyer,  Miss  Maggie 19 

O'Fallon,  Col.  John 278 

Ogden,  Maj.  E.  A 322,  568 

—efforts  to  secure  navigation  on  the 

Kansas 323 

—Missouri  river  boat 293,  301,  308 

Oglesby,  J.  H.,  Missouri  river  boat 304 

O'Grady,  John 64 

Ohio 4 

—citizens  in  Kansas  in  1860 .   130 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507,  508 

— prohibition  in 392 

— Wyandots  in 74 

Ohio,  Missouri  river  steamboat 315 

Ohio  river,  Omaha  habitat .   250 

—boats,  1794 319,  320 

Ohio  valley  Indians,  treaty  with  the 
United  States,  at  Greenville,  1795  . .     163 

Ohlman. ,  captain  of  steamboat  Star 

of  the  West 287 

Oil  and  gas  leases 428 

Oil  Producers'  Association  of  Kansas,  or- 
ganization of,  at  Topeka,  January, 

1905 96 

Oil  Producers  of  Kansas  against  the 
Standard  Oil  Company,  address  of 
W.  E.  Connelley,  before  the  Histor- 
ical Society,  December  5,  1905 94 

Oil  refinery,  state 97,     99 

Oil-wells  abandoned 100 

Oklahoma 250,  251 

— Mennonite  settlements  in 495 

-natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1890-1900 507 

—Texas  cattle  driven  through 528 

—visited  by  Du  Tisne  in  1719 252 

Olathe.. It,  378,  470,  517,  519,  520 

—Citizens' Alliance  organized  at. ..     .        6 

— Governor  St.  John's  removal  to 380 

—raid  of  Quantrill  on,  in  September, 

1862 513 

Oldham,  M 300 

Oldham,  William 469 

Oliver,  Mordecai 331 

Olsburg iv 

Omaha. ..iv,  298,  299,  300,  304,  306,  307,  308 
309,  311,  312,  313,  314.  315,  318 
— Catholic  church  established  by  Fa- 
ther Miege 156 

—packet  line  of 310 

Omaha  Exposition,  1898 395 

Omaha  Indians,  habitat 2,50 

—migrations  of 250 

-reservation,  Nebraska 250 

—sketch  of  the  tribe 250 

— smallpox  among 242 

Omaha,  Missouri  river  boat 305 

O'Meara,  Rev.  J.  J.,  S.  J 158 


630 


General  Index. 


308.  312,  581 

—American  Fur  Company's  boat 283 

Onawa,  Iowa 315 

Onawa,  Missouri  river  boat 315 

Onawa  bend,  near  Onawa,  Iowa,  300,  315,  316 
Oneida  Indians,  tribe  of  the  Iroquois ....  243 

Only  Chance 315 

Onondaga  Indians,  tribe  of  the  Iroquois,  243 

Ontario 291,308,315 

Oram,  William  J 364 

Orebro  University 497 

Oregon,  natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1860-1900..  507 

Oregon,  Missouri  river  boat  .       .  295 

Oregon  Trail,  by  Francis  Parkman,  560,  581 

Orel,  Russia. 491 

Orenburg,  Russia :  493 

Orfurt, ,  master  of  the  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson....       311 

Orient  railroad 11 

Original-package  invasion  of  Kansas... .  423 

Orion.     315 

Orleans,    Fort,    established    by    Bourg- 

mont,  1723 255 

Oronaka      315 

Osage,  Missouri  river  boat 308,  315 

Osage  chute,   at   mouth    of   the    Osage 

river 269.  277,  299,  305,  311 

Osage  City,  threatened  assault    on,  by 
Cherokees  and  southern  Osages.  22 

Osage  county 472,  473,  475 

—points  of  interest  in 568.  572 

map 576 

—relief  received  in  1861 481 

— Sac  and  Fox  reserve  in. 250 

Osage    (Autrechaha,   Huzzau,   Ouchage, 
Ous,   Wawha)    Indians,   division    of 
Omaha  group.  ..  241,  245,  246,  249,  250,  565 
— accompany  Bourgmont  to  Paducas,  256 
—agency  of,  on  site  of  Osage  Mission..     26 

— annuity  payment  of 27 

— apportionment  of  lands  by  different 

bands  in  1827 26 

—appropriate  clothes    of    a    Missouri 

wedding  party 247 

—at  Kansas  village,  Doniphan  county,  256 

— bands  of,  described 26,  246 

—Catholic  mission  among,  119,  155,  160,  571 

—  —map 576 

—extract  from   Father  John   Schoen- 

maker's  history  of  the  mission..  ..   21,  26 

—  —history  of,  in  paper  of  S.  W.  Brew- 
ster on  Rev.  Father  Paul  Ponziglione,    19 

Catholic  manual-labor  school 27 

mission  buildings  erected,  1847,  20,    27 

—effect  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion  on . .     21 

—habitat 250 

—history  of  the  tribe 243-248 

— Lisa  and  Chouteau,  traders  among. . .  267 
—location  of  villages  of...  246,  247,  253,  254 
— mis'sionary  work  among,  by  Rev.  Paul 

M.  Ponziglione 20 

— move  to  the  Verdigris  247 

— peaceable  character  of 32 

—population  of  tribe  in  1881..  391 

— Prentis's  tribute  to  Mother  Bridget.of 

the  Osage  Catholic  mission  23 

—Presbyterian  missions  among  ...  20,  160 
— Presbyterian   mission   at    Boudinot, 

location  of 571 

map,  in  No.  1,  Neosho  county.. 576 

—mission   at    Neosho,  on  the   Neosho 

river,  location  of 571 

— —map,  in  No.  2,  Neosho  county 576 

—mission,  Hopefield,  location  of 570 

map,  in  No.  1,  Labette  county 576 

—relation  with  the  Kaskaskias  254 

— sell  lands  in  Kansas  in  September, 

1865  22 

—statistics 248 

— trading-house  of,  on  Canville  creek..     26 
—trading-post  of  A.  B.  Canville,  loca- 
tion of 571 

map,  in  No.  3,  Neosho  county 576 


Osage  Indians,  trail  between  Verdigris 

and  Arkansas  rivers,  location  of 

map 

—treaty  with  Santa  Fe  commissioners, 

August  10,  1825 

—village  said  to  have  been  the  object 

of  the  Spanish  expedition  of  1719 

—visit  of  Du  Tisne  among,  in  1719. .  252, 
—visited  to  find  interpreter  for  Kaw 

Indians 

Osages,  Little,  locations 26,  247,  253, 

—separation  from  GreaJ  Osages 

Osage  Mission,  town  of,  established  by 

Father  John  Scboenmachers 

Osage  river,  flood  of  1844  in 

—in  Missouri,  mentioned 253,  257, 

301,  302,  307, 

—bridge  burned  by  Confederates 

— improvement  of  navigation 

—navigation  on 

Osage  Valley 

Osage  Valley  &  Southern  Kansas  railroad, 

Osawatomie 135, 

— piano  intended  for,  broken  into  by 
committee  from  Lexington  and  In- 
dependence, Mo. 

Osawatomie  Brown 

Osawatomie  State  Hospital  building  ... 

Osborn,  Gov.  Thomas  A 37,  366, 

Osborn,  W.  F..  

Osborne, ,  driven  from  his  claim  near 

Fort  Riley  by  New  England  Emigrant 

Aid  Company 

Osborne  county,  relief,  1874 

—statistics  of 

—value  of  school  property  in 

O.sceola,  St.  Clair  county.  Mo..  245,  246, 

—battle  of 

— Osages  near 

Osgood,  C.  A 

Oswego,  Labette  county 

Otenta  or  Otoe  Indians 

Otis,  Alfreds 

Otis,  Miss  Margaret  E 

Otis  Webb,  Kansas  and  Missouri  river 

boat 308,  319, 

Otoctatas  or  Iowa  Indians 

Otoe,  the  first  regular  boat  on  the  Mis- 
souri river 

Otoe   Indians  at    Kansas  village,  Doni- 
phan county  ..  

—battle    of,  on    Spilman  creek,  with 

Cheyennes,  June,  1861 

— Missouris  join  

—offshoots  of  the  Missouri  Indians  — 
—renew  friendship  with  Kaws,  Kiowas, 

Comanches,  Sacs  and  Foxes 

—sketch  of  the  tribe 250, 

—smallpox  among 

— village  in  Nebraska 

—visit  of ,  to  the  Osages   

Otoe  county,  Kansas,  relief  received  in 

1861  

Ottawa  Indians 75, 

—attend   Indian  conference  near  Fort 

Leavenworth,  October,  1848 

—Baptist  mission  among 60, 

map 

—children  at   Shawnee    manual-labor 

school,  1854-'55         

-engaged  at  Braddock's  defeat    

—treaty   with  United  States    at  Fort 

Mcintosh,  1735  ...  

Ottawa,  threatened  assault  on,  by  Chero- 
kees and  southern  Osages 

Ottawa  county 

— map. 

—relief  received  in  1861 

—settlement  in,  by  J.  R.  Mead 

Ottawa  river  

Otter 8,  15,  16, 

Otter,  American  Fur  Company  boat,  283, 

Otter  creek,  Morris  county 

Ottum  wa 


General  Index. 


631 


Ouchage  or  Osage  Indians.. .. 

Ouchaouanag  or  Shawnee  Indians 

Ouendat  or  Wyandot 

Oumissourites  or  Missouri 

Oursler,  Ruf us 

Ous  or  Osage  Indians 

Outagamies  or  Fox  Indians — 

Outposts  of  Zion,  by  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Goode, 

Overland  coach ... 

Overland  stage  line  to  California,  loca- 
tion of 94,  562,  565, 

— map 

Overland  mail  line 

Overland  pony  express,  route  used  by. .. 

—map .   

Overland  trading  routes  through  Kansas, 

O vermyer,  David,  sketch  of 

Overton,  Wm.  P 

Owens,  E.  P.  A 

Owens,  Mrs.  Lutie  

Owens,  Mary  J.,  Shawnee  Indian 

Owl 

Owl  Woman!  wife  of  Col!  Wm.'  Bent".'. " '72, 
Owsley's    Landing,   above  Washington, 

Mo 

Oxford,  Johnson  county 

Oxford  fraud 

Oxford  township,  Johnson  county 

Ozage  or  Missouri  river.. 241, 

Ozawkie,  Jefferson  county 343, 


Pacific  House,  Junction  City 

Pacific    railroad,   a    hobby    of    Senator 

Benton 337, 

—explorations  and  surveys  for 561, 

— Henderson  amendm't  to  bill  for,  374, 
—provisions  in   bill    for  railroads    in 

Kansas  

Pacific  telegraph 

Packard,  Sass  &  ...    

Packet  lines  on  the  Missouri 280, 

Packet  line  between  St.  Louis  and  St. 

Joseph,  advertisement  of,  1858 

Padilla's  monument.  Council  Grove .  — 

Paduca  Indians 2.52,  253,  523, 

—at  Kansas  village,  Doniphan  county, 

— location  of  villages  of ... 

Page,  D.  H.,  ranch  in  Ellsworth  county, 

186U 

Page,  F.  R 

Pahuska  or  White  Hair,  Osage  chief 

Painted  rock  near  mouth  of  Moniteau 
creek,  Missouri,  and  on  the  Missis- 


sippi, above  Alton. 

w  ■ 


Palm,  Wilder  & 

Palmer,  Bill 

Palmer,  Henry  E.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

—a   paper    on   Company   A,   Eleventh 

Kansas  Regiment,  in  the  Price  Raid , 

—paper  on  The  Black-flag  Character  of 

War  on  the  Border 

— sketch  of 

Palmer,  Mrs.  Henry  E 

Palmer,  Hiram 

Palmer,  L.  R 

Palmer,  William  J 

Panama  canal,  influence  on  the  West.. .. 

Panimahas  or  Pawnees  of  the  Platte,  242, 

Panioussas  or  Pawnees  of  the  Arkan- 
sas     —  242, 

Panis,  Pawnees  of  Nebraska  and  Indian 
Territory 242, 

Panis,  River  des,  or  Platte 

Panther 

Panton's  grist-mill,  Junction  City 

Papaws .    .   . 

Papinsville,  Bates  county,  Missouri,  246, 

Pappin,  Gerald  . . 

Paradise  creek,  Russell  county 15, 

Paragon 308, 


Parallel  road  through  northern  Kansas, 

location  of .  .> 565 

—map 576 

Paramore,  Ed.   450 

Pardons,  Board  of 429 

Parham,  Robert 470 

Paris 315 

Paris,  Linn  county,  said  to  have  been  the 
site  of  the  Methodist  Pottawatomie 

mission 27 

Park.  Dr.E.  B 19 

Park,  George  S.,  description  of  trip  up 

Kansas  river  on  Excel  ..  322 

— destruction    of  his  press  by  Platte 

City  regulators 137,  138 

Park  College,  Parkville,  Mo.,  founded  by 

Geo.  S.  Park 138 

Parker,  C.E 366 

Parker.J.M 96,    98 

Parker  county,  Texas 1 

Parkeson,     Harriet    A.,    member    State 

Historical  Society iv 

Parkhurst,  Mrs.  George  W 497 

Parkinson,  W.  H.,  master  of  the  Star  of 

the  West 311 

—sketch  of 311 

Parkman,  Francis 239,  581 

— outfits    his    western    expedition    at 

Westport  in  1846   560 

Parkman  Club  publications 238 

Parks,  Capt.  Jos.,  a  Shawnee..  164,  184,  193 

—in  the  Seminole  war 186 

-sketch  of 186 

Parks,  city  public 46 

Parkville,  Mo 298,  316,  322,  334 

—Admiral  sunk  at 582 

Parkville  Lurninary 121,  324 

—press  destroyed  by  Platte  City  regu- 
lators   137 

Parr,  James  R 468 

Parrott,  Marcus  J 474,  475,  479 

—address    for    relief     of      Kansas    in 

drought  of  1860  mentioned 482 

Parrott,   Rev.   R.,  teacher   in  Wyandot 

free  school 235 

Parsons,  Luke  F.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society  V 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Parsons,  William  B 336 

Parsons v 

Paschal,  John,  Peoria  Indian 187 

Passports  for  Russian  travel 490 

Pate,  H.  Clay,  description  of  an  abo- 
litionist   337 

Patrick  Henry 308 

Patrick,  James 312 

Patrol  guard  organized  by  Governor  St. 

John  for  western  Kansas 390 

Patron,  captain  of  keel-boat 272 

Patterson,  F 468 

Patton,  Rev.  William,  superintendent 
of  the  Shawnee  Methodist  manual- 
labor  school 179,  180,  228 

Patton's  point,  above  Washington,  Mo.,  299 

PaulJones 308 

Paupers  in  Kansas  reduced  by  prohibi- 
tory amendment  383 

—place  of  voting 382 

Pawnee  legislature 322 

Pawnee,  Geary  county,  steamboats  at. ..  324 

Pawnee  county 572,  574 

—map 576 

Pawnee  (Panis,  Panimahas,  Panioussas) 
Indians..  12,  242,  250,  252,  253,  .581 

—at  Kansas  village,  Doniphan  county,  256 

— at  war  with  Osages.  247 

—bodies  of  two  found  filled  with  arrows 

in  Russell  county  in  1860 13 

— destruction  of,  by  smallpox  in  1837..  291 
—embraced  in  Indian  Mission  confer- 
ence.  210 

—employed  as  scouts  by  the  govern- 
ment    243 


632 


General  Index. 


Pawnee  Indians  fear  the  French   seek 

to  make  slaves  of  them 

—feared  by  Kansas  Indians 

— hieroglyphics  of 

—of  the  Indian  Territory,  visit  of  Du 

Tisne  among,  in  1719 252- 

— of  Platte  river,  raiding  parties  of,  13, 

—road  to  Texas 13, 

— sketch  of 

— smallpox  among 

—Spaniards  attempt   to  secure  their 
alliance  for  the  destruction  of  the 

Missouris,  1719 

—theft  of  ponies  from  Kaws  and  white 

settlers  in  Morris  county 

—visited  by  the  French  in  1734 

Pawnees,  Republican 572, 

— villageof 572, 

—map 

Pawnee,  Missouri  river  boat 

Pawnee  Rock 

Paxton,  W.  M.,  Annals  of  Platte  County, 

Missouri 138,  277, 

Payne,  A 

Payne,  Capt.  David  L 443, 

Pea  Ridge  fight 

Peanguicha  or  Piankeshaw  Indians 

Pease,  R.  L 

Peck,  Amanda  P 

Peck,  Mrs.  Belle  B 

Peck,  C.  K.,  Missouri  river  boat 

Peck,  C.  N 

Peck,  George  R 53,  126, 

—sketch  of 

— address  at  the  semicentennial  cele- 
bration of  Lawrence,  October  6,  1904, 

Peck,  J.  H.,  Missouri  river  boat 

Peck,  Joel  Munger 

Peck,   R.  M.,  member  State  Historical 

Society 

Peck,  Solomon,  Ottawa  Indian 

Peck, William 

Peck's  Guide  to  Emigrants 

Peckham,  C.  J 

Peerless,  Union  packet  line  steamboat. 

Captain  Bissell 2»7,  293, 

Peerless  (  No.  2) 

Peery,  Rev.  Edward  T 176,  178, 

194,  206, 
—missionary  and  teacher  of  the  Dela- 

wares 226, 

—missionary  to  the  Pottawatomie  In- 
dians  

— missionary  to  the  Shawnee  Indians . . 
—missionary  and  teacher  of  the  Wyan- 

dots    215, 

— presiding  elder  Kansas  district 

— teacher  at  Pottawatomie  mission.. .. 

— teacher  at  Shawnee  Mission 

Peery,  Rev.  John  T 206,  215,  580, 

—missionary  to  the  Kaw  Indians 

— missionary  to  the  Wyandots.. 

—portrait  of 

^sketch  of 

— teacher  at  Delaware  mission. 

— teacher  at  Shawnee  Mission  manual- 
labor  school 

Peery,  Margaret,  Delaware  Indian 
Peery,  Mrs.  Mary  J.,  missionary  to  the 

Kaw  Indians 198, 

—portrait  of 

—teacher    at   Shawnee    manual-labor 

school. 

Peffer,  William  A 

— and  the  Alliance  movement  in  1889... 

Pekatonica  or  Rock  river 

Pekin      

Pekistanoui  or  Pekitanoui  (muddy  wa- 
ter), the  Missouri  river 239,  251, 

Pelican  island,  below  St.  Charles,  Mo.... 

Pellico,  Father  Francis 

Pendleton,  George  H 

Penicaut,  ,  description   of  the  Mis- 
souri river  by 246, 


Peninah 

Penitentiary  and  Kansas  oil  refinery 

—Catholic  priest  conducts  services  at, 

—number  of  inmates  in  1865 

— opening  of  coal-mines  at 

Penn's  bend  of  Missouri  river,  269,  299,  306, 
Pennsylvania 1, 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507, 

—settlers  from,  in  Kansas  by  1860 

Pennsylvania   canal,  monopoly  of  boat 

owners  on 

Pennsylvania  House,  Jefferson  county  . . 
Pensions  for  Unionsoldiers  recommended 

by  ex-Confederate  Texans 

People's  Party  in  Kansas 33,  425, 

— national,  organized  at  Cincinnati, 
1901 

— organization  of,  in  Kansas,  and  state 
ticket  nominated  by,  1890 

—origin  of,  by  W.  F.  Rightmire 

Peoria,  111 

Peoria.  

Peoria  Belle 

Peoria  City 308. 

Peoria  Indians,  an  Illinois  tribe 

—at  Shawnee  Methodist  manual-labor 
school 

—Catholic  missionaries  among 

—condition  of,  in  1846 

— Methodist  mission  among. . .  162,  168, 

—Rev.  G,  W.  Love,  missionary  among, 

-visit  of  Methodist  missionaries,  199, 

Perea,  Jesus 

Perkins,  Bishop  W 

—sketch  of 

Perkins,  L.  H 

Perley,  I.  E 

Perote,  fortress  of,  in  Mexico 

Perry, ,  captain  of  the  Perry 

Perry, ,  of  Weston,  Mo.,  ownerof  pork- 
house  and  shipper  of  hemp 

Perry,  C.  A.,  owner  of  Excel  

Perry,  John  D.,  president  Union  Pacific 

railway 

Perry,  Capt.  William.. 

Perry  county,  Missouri 

Perry,  Missouri  and  Kansas  river  boat.. 

— burning  of...   

— cholera  on,  in  1855 

Peru 

Peru,  Neb 299, 

Pery,  D.  C • 

Pestana,  H.  L 

Peter  Balen 

—ascended  the  Missouri  river  higher 
than  any  other  steamboat 

— earnings  of 

Peters,  John,  Delaware  Indian 

Peterson,  C.  A.,  life  member  of  State  His- 
torical Society 

Petit-sas-plains,  in  Saline  county,  Mis- 
souri   247,  250,  258, 

Petrel 

Petriken,  H.  W 

Petroleum,  Kansas 

Phil.  E.  Chappell 293, 

Philadelphia  Ledger 

Philippine  war,  Kansas  soldiers  in 

Philips,  John  F 

Phillibert,  Gabriel,  blacksmith    to  the 

Kaw  Indians 

Phillips,  Miss  Christina  A  .     

Phillips,  William,  protest  of  citizens  of 
Weston,  Mo.,  against  his  mistreat- 
ment by  citizens  of  that  town 

Phillips,  William  A.     11,  364,  543, 

— his  Conquest  of  Kansas 

Phillips  county 575, 

—account  of  battle  fought  in,  on  the 
Prairie  Dog,  between  United  States 
and  Kansas  troops  and  Indians,  in 
August,  1867 

— map ...         

-relief,  1874 


General  Index. 


633 


Phillips  county,  settlement  and  organi- 
zation      39, 

—statistics 

— value  of  school  property 

—visited  by  Sioux  in  1862 

Phillipsburg 

Phinney,  William 

Phosphate  of  lime  used  by  Benj.  Franklin, 
Piankeshaw  Indians 

—condition  of,  1846 

Pianoforte  consigned  to  Simmons  & 
Leadbeater,  of  Kansas  City,  broken 
into  by  citizens  of  Lexington  and  In- 
dependence    336, 

Piatt,  C.C 

Pickaxes 

Pickering,  Mrs.  Celona  H 

Pickering,  Isaac  O.,  biographical  sketch, 

—paper    on    The    Administrations    of 

John  P.  St.  John 

Pickering,  John 

Pierce,  A  C 366, 

— director  State  Historical  Society 

— member  State  Historical  Society. . . . 

Pierce,  Pres.  Franklin 117,  123,  141, 

359,  362,  542, 

—orders  the  dispersion  of  the  Topeka 

legislature 

Pierce,  8.  W.,  member  State  Historical 

Society 

Pike,  Gen.  Albert,  and  his  Indian  allies, 
Pike,  Lieut.  Zebulon  M 102,  242,  523, 

—quoted  on  the  diyision  of  the  Osage 
tribe 246, 

—expedition    through    Kansas,    1806, 
route  of 

-map  of 

Pike's  Peak 

—gold  discovery  announced  at  Kansas 

c;ity  by  Mons  Bordean 

Pike's  Peak  express  route,  location  of . .. 

—map 

Pike's  Peaker,  death  of 

Pilot 

Pilot  Knob,  Mo.,  battle  of 

Pilots'  Benevolent  Association 

Piloting  on  the  Missouri  river. .  283,  285, 

Pin  Oak 

Pinchback,  Gov.  Pinckney  B.  S.,  of  Lou- 
isiana   

Pinckney  street,  Lawrence 

Pinkerton,  J.  H 

Pioneer,  flatboat  on  Kansas  river. ..  319, 
Pioneers  of  Kansas,  address  of  Geo.  W. 

Martin 

Pioute  Indiaas 

Pipe-lines  for  transportation  of  oil  and 

gas. 97, 

Piper,  Winchester  & ... 

Pipher,  Judge  John 327, 

— experience  on  board  theCoLGus Linn, 

Piqua,  Ohio 

Piqua  Plains,  Ohio 

Pirate 

Pirogue    267,  268,  270,  274, 

—at  Kansas  mission 

— description  of 

— and  keel-boats 

Pitman's  bend  of  the  Missouri  river,  269, 
Pittman,  Philip,  present  state  of  the  Eu- 
ropean settlementson  the  Mississippi, 
Pittsburg,  Pa 285,295,307, 

— steamboat  building  in 

—steamboat  travel  from 

Pittsburg  (Pa.)  Furnace 

Pittsburg  Gazette 

Pixley ,  Rev.  Benton 20,  160, 

Placerville,  Cal 

Plains,  first  settlements  on 

—of  north-central  Kansas,  1859 

Plank,  Pryor,  director  State  Historical 
Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society 

Planters'  House,  St.  Louis 


Plass,  Norman,  director  State  Historical 

Society ▼ 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Platte,  Missouri  river  boat 308 

Platte  bridge,  Wyoming,  Indian  fight  at,    73 

Platte  City,  Mo 298,  300,  306,  308 

—regulators  of 137 

Platte  county,  Missouri 122,  251 

— Paxton's  Annals  of 138,  277,  295 

— self-defensive  association,  protest  of 
citizens  of  Weston  against  action  of. .  136 

Platte  mission  district,  Missouri 192 

Platte  purchase,  Missouri.   85,  184,  251 

Platte  river,  Nebraska 250,  318 

—bull-boats  used  on 271 

—description    of    country,    by    Major 

Long,  1820 105 

— exploration  of 265 

— navigation  of 350 

Platte  and   Republican  rivers,  proposi- 
tion to  join  by  canal 350 

Platte  river,  Missouri,  navigation  of  —  351 

—Otis  Webb  wrecked  in 342 

Platte  Valley 293,  308,  584 

Plattsmouth,  Neb 315,  316 

Plattsmouth,  Missouri  river  boat 308 

Pleasant  Hill,  Mo 511.  512,  514,  558 

Pleasanton.  Gen.  Alfred....  365,  433,  442,  548 
Pliley,  Allison  J.,  at  the  battle  of  the 

Arickaree 453 

—in  engagement  of  a  detachment  of  the 
Eighteenth   Kansas    on  the  Prairie 

Doginl867 446-452 

—tribute  to 444-452 

Plough  Boy,  Mississippi  river  boat..  295,  296 
Plow,  Victory  of,  paper  by  Wm.D.  Street,    33 

Plows  used  by  T.  C.  Henry 504 

Plow  Roy  (No.  1) 308 

Plow  Boy  (No.  2) 308 

Plow  Boy  (  No.  3) 308 

Plumb,  (ieorge,  member  State  Historical 

Society.  iv 

Plumb,  Preston  B 53,  366,  419,  440,  469 

—approval  of  Alliance  platform,  1889. .      5 

—death  of 420 

Plymouth,  Brown  county,  location  of. ..  577 

Pocahontas  (  No.  1). 308 

Pocahontas  (  No.  2) 308 

Pocahontas  ( No.  3) 308 

Pocahontas  bend,  near  Rock  Bluff,  Mo.,  308 
Pocahontas  island,  near  mouth  of  Platte 

river 308 

Podwolociska,  Russia 495 

Poetry,  Kansas  in  Literature,  volume  1, 

collected  by  W.  H.  Carruth 50 

Pogue,  Josiah 510 

Point  Ignace,   Jesuit  mission   at,  near 

Mackinaw 239 

Polar  Star 293,  308,  309,  325,  581 

—fast  trip  of,  on  the  Missouri 287,  308 

Police  system,  metropolitan 422 

Political  bosses  essential 126,  133 

Politicians xi 

Politics  and  Farmers' Alliance 2 

Polk,  L.  L 426 

—national  president  of  the  Farmers' 

Alliance 6 

Pollard,  A.  S 470 

Polygamy  among  Wyandots.. ..   88 

Pomeroy,  James  M 464 

Pomeroy,  Mrs.  Lucy  G.,  assists  her  hus- 
band in  Kansas  relief  distribution  in 

1860 482 

Pomeroy,  Samuel  C,  132,  324.  339,  468,  472 
473,  475,  476,  479 

— and  the  Pacific  railroad  bill 374 

—assistance    given     Kansas    railroad 
legislation  by 478 


-relief  agent,  drought  of  1860 351, 

-senatorial  campaign  of,  1860-'61 

-tribute  of  Governor  Glick  to 480, 


Pomeroy,  S.  C,  Missouri  river  boat 310 

Pomme  de  Torre 266 

Pomrade,  Leon 156 


634 


General  Index. 


Ponca  Indians,  smallpox  among 

—division  of  Omaha  group 

—habitat 

Ponca  Landing,  S.  Dak 

Pond  Creek  camp 

Ponies,  Indian 

Pontiac 

— conspiracy  of 163, 

Pontiac's    war,    Wyandots    and    Algon- 

quins  engaged  in 

Pony  creek.  Brown  county 

— map 

Pony  express       317, 

Ponziglione     di    Borgo    d'Ales,    Count 

Felice  Ferrero 

Ponziglione,  Father  Paul  M.,  address  of 
S.  W.  Brewster  before  the  Historical 
Society,  December  6,  1904 19, 

—personal  description  of 

— sent  to  Crow  Indians  of  Montana.. .. 

Pooler,  Francis,  Ottawa  Indian 

Pooler,  Moses,  Ottawa  Indian 

Poolville,  Tex 

Poor  whites  emigrate  to  Kansas 

Pope,  Alexander,  quoted 

Pope,  Gen.  John. 388,407, 

—on  the  steamboat  White  Cloud,  de- 
stroyed ferryboats  at  a  number  of 
points  on  the  Missouri  river  in  1861.. 

Pope  Pius  IX 

Poplar  river,  Montana 299, 

Population  of  Kansas 129,  130,  370, 

affected  by  the  drought  of  1860  . . . 

previous  to  1854,  as  given  by  T.  S. 

Huff aker, .  

1855-1900  by  states  and  territories, 

—of  northwest  Kansas,  1905 

Populist  party  in  Kansas 1, 

Porcupines 8, 

Pork-house  at  Weston,  Mo 

Porneuf,  Baron 

Port  Williams  or  Oak  Mills 302, 

Portage  La  Force,  Neb 

Porter,  Cy,  or  Si 

Porter,  E.  F. 

Porter,  Rev.  James 

Porter,  Mrs.  Jane. 

Porter,  Rev.  John  Y.,  teacher  at  Peoria 

mission 

Porter,  S.  M 

Portland,  Mo..  299,  303,  309,  310,  312,  313, 

Portland,  Ore v , 

Portland  Point,  Missouri 

Porto  Rico  people  in  Kansas,  1900 

Portsmouth 309, 

Post,  P.  S 

Post  Boy 309, 

Postal,  W.  C 299,308, 

Postlethwaite,  J.  C,  member  of  State 

Historical  Society 

Potato  king  of  Kansas  .       

Potatoes  raised  by  John  Glancy  in  Atchi- 
son county  in  1860 

Potomac  river    .. 

Pottawatomie  county 354,  469,  575, 

—Kaw  village  in 194, 

— points  of  interest  in 

map 

— relief  received  in  1861 

Pottawatomie  Indians 17,  178, 

—attend  Indian  conference  near  Fort 
Leavenworth,  in  October,  1848 

— Catholic  mission  among,  at  St.  Marys, 

location  of 

map  {  No.  1),  Pottawatomie  county, 

—Catholic  mission  at  Sugar  creek,  Linn 
county 

—children  attend  Shawnee  Methodist 
manual-labor  school 174, 

—enemies  of  the  Kaws 

-engaged  in  Braddock's  defeat,  1755... 

— Isaac  McCoy,  missionary  among 

—Isaac  Mundy,  blacksmith  of 

—Mackinaw  Beauchemie,  interpreter.. 


Pottawatomie  Indians,  Methodist  mis- 
sion among,  in  Miami  county.. .  162, 

—  —map  (  No.  3) ,  Miami  county 

— removal  of,  from  Kickapoo  reservejin 

Leavenworth  county,  to  reservation 

in  Linn  county,  after  having  joined 

the  Kickapoo  Methodist  mission,  201, 

— removed  to  reservation  in  northern 

Kansas 

—Rev.  (i.  W.  Love,  missionary  among, 

— set  fire  to  steamer  Hartford 

— squaw-men  in  tribe 

—treaty  of,  1846 

Potter,  Frederick  W 362,  363,  364, 

Poupard,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 

Powder,  destined  for  the  Missouri  state 
guards,  dumped  into  the  Missouri 
river  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the 

hands  of  the  Union  forces 297, 

Powder  river,  Wyoming...   297,  300,  314, 

—Indian  fight  on 

Powell,  Alfred  H 

Powell,  Maj.  J.  W 534, 

—report  on  lands  of  the  arid  regions, 

1879  

Power,  C.  A.  

Powhattan,  Brown  county 

Po whattan,  Missouri  river  boat 

Prairie,  Missouri  river  boat 

Prairie  breaking. .   

— chickens    

—claims.  

Prairie  county,  Arkansas.       

Prairie   Dog  creek,  fight  of  Eighteenth 

Kansas  on,  by  George  B.  Jenness. 

— massacre  on,  by  Cheyennes,  1878 

Prairie-dogs 8, 

—mounds  of 

Prairie  du  Chien 

— inhabitants  desert  town  on  account 

of  the  flood  of  1827 . 

Prairie  Grove,  battle  of 431, 

Prairie-schooner,  passing  of 

Prairie  State 309, 

Prairie  Traveler,  by  Capt.  Randolph  B. 

Marcy .     

Prairies  of  Kansas 

Pralle,  F.  H 

Pratt, ,  captain  of  the  Assiniboine. .. 

Pratt,  Alfred 

Pratt,  Caleb  S 

Pratt,  Rev.  John  G.,  Baptist  missionary 

to  the  Delaware  Indians.. 

Pratt's   cut-off,    above    Nebraska    City, 

Neb     315, 

Preemption 

Prentice,  C.  T.  K 

Prentis,   Mrs.   Caroline,    director    State 

Historical  Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society.... 

Prentis,  Noble  L 

—quoted 329. 

—visit  to  Osage  Mission 

Presbyterian  at  Manhattan  in  claim  dis- 
pute  

Presbyterian  church 

Presbyterian  mission  among  the  Kicka- 
poo Indians  near  Kenuekuk 211, 

— map 

Presbyterian  missions  among  the  Osages 


location  of 

map,  in  Nos.  1  and  2,  Neosho 

county 

among  the  Wyandots 

in  Kansas 

Presbytery  of  New  York 

Prescott,  J.  H 

Presle,  Sieur  

Pribble,  Harry 

Price, ,  master  of  the  Little  Red 

Price,  C.  N.,  member  State  Historical 
Society 


General  Index. 


635 


Price,  Edward |64 

Price! Li^t: John w:.:.;;:  ".vm- 445, 452 

Price,  Gen.  Sterling. ...   -  ^  ..••  154,  297,  465 

—first  march  to  the  South... .-^ 4bd 

—flight  of,  on  the  Kansas  border. 443 

—history  of  his  fight  for  Missouri..^...  431 
—joint  proclamation  with  General  Fre- 
mont against    retaliatory   work    on 

Kansas-Missouri  border 459 

Price's  raid ...  365,  369 

—a  factor  in  second  election  ot  Lane  to 

the  United  States  senate 3b4 

—Company  A,  Eleventh  Kansas,  in  ...  431 
—history  of  claims,  by  John  Francis..  411 

—incidents  of -. ^1^ 

-numbers  of  Confederate  troops  in 


Price,  William  Cecil 222 

Prima  Donna ■ ^'^ 

Prince,  L.  Bradford  .■•■•■••• _.    ^53 

Princess,  Missouri  river  boat 3U»,  aio 

Princeton  College ■    .   ....^.-.. 1^ 

Pringle,  J.  S.,  Missouri  river  boat..^..  .  305 
Printer,   state,  made  an  elective  ottice, 

constitutional  amendment •.■  3S^ 

Printing,  state      ^---^-X ^^'  q-« 

Printing-press  of  E.  C.  K.  Qarvey SSi 

Pritchard,  Levi. ■ .■  ^^^ 

Probate  judge  amendment  to  the  consti- 

tution,  rejection  of 383 

Proctor,  Col.  Henry  A »^ 

Proctor,  Nathan ^^» 

Proctor,  William  E ^^o 

Progress 

Prohibition  and  metropolitan  police  ... .  422 

-and  the  election  of  1882 39o 

—and  the  original  package • .  423,  424 

—Governor   Humphrey's    attitude    to- 

wards  f^^ 

-in  Kansas,  in  1855.   564 

—in  the  north-central  states  3y4 

Prohibition  party,  reasons  for  Governor 

St.  John's  affiliation  with ■   .39*: 

Prohibitory  amendment,  constitutional 

amendment ••••  38-  39b 

-Dr.  Chas.  M.  Sheldon  quoted  on  ef- 

fectiveness  of ■••  •_•     ■ ,    ^'^'^ 

—quotation  from  Governor  bt.  John  s 
message  on o^* 

—written  bv  Judge  n' .'cV  McFarland  .     46 
Property  exemption,  rejection  of  consti- 

tutional  amendment  on mS 

—rights,  constitutional  amendment  on,  38:! 

Prophet.  Catharine 164 

Prophet,  Martha,  Shawnee  Indian i»y 

Prophet,  William,  Shawnee  Indian 189 

Prophet's  island  Dakota ••••■_    ^J^ 

Prophet'stown,  Johnson  county,  164,  IbS,  5b9 

—map.  No.  1,  Johnson  county 576 

Pro-slavery  committee  from  Leaven- 
worth and  Kansas  City  escort  free- 
state  party  on  board  Star  of  the  West 

out  of  the  Missouri  river 338 

—man  ousted  by  free-state  men  from  his 
claim  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Blue 

riv6r o&o 

— men, 'free-statedifficulties  with  ...      549 
—men   in   Kansas    at   the  election  of 

March  30,  1855 ^ ^,    508 

—men  of  Atchison  and   Leaven wortu 

acknowledge  their  defeat  in  Kansas,  14^2 
—party,  attack  on,  by  St.  Louis  Intel- 

Ugencer 1^8 

—prisoners,  release  of  54 < 

—settlers  of  Kansas...   ...    ■■■  ••-••-_••   \^ 

—struggle  in  Kansas  hopeless  by  1808..  li.^ 
—troubles  endanger  trade  of  St.  Louis 

with  Kansas 334 

Providence,  Mo f^ 

Prussia,  citizens  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855 —  508 
Public-improvement  land,  600,000  acres, 

divided  among  Kansas  railroads 4(8 

Public  policy ^' 


Public-school  system  on  the  plains 

Public  Works,  State  Board  of .^- 

Pueblo,  Colo ., Ill, 

Pueblo  Indian  ruins,  location  or 

—map,  in  No.  1,  Scott  county 

Puget  Sound,  Oregon 

Pnme, ,  master  of  the  Lehigh 

Pumpkin,  Shawnee  Indian • 

Pumpkin  creek 

Purcell,  John 

Purdy ,  Amanda. 

Pursom,  Melinda 

Putnam,  Gen.  Rufus  . .  •. 

Putney, ,  mate  of  Emma  Harmon.. . 

Puty ,  Jesuit  father,  of  Milan 


112 

50 
565 
572 
576 
561 
305 
184 

26 
497 
144 
206 
118 
330 
153 


Q.  . 

Quaker' mission  among  siiawnees,  loca- 
tion of 1°9. 

—map,  in  No.  1,  Johnson  county 

—missions  among  the  Wy andots 

Quantrill,  Thomas  H 

Quantrill,  Mrs.  Thomas  H 

Quantrill,  William  C ,•■•,/. ■• 

—and  his  guerrillas  on  the  Missouri 
border  during  the  civil  war . .... ... 

— Capt.  H.  E.  Palmer  detailed  to  tight, 

—death  of •  ■   ■ 

—guerrilla  leaders  of ■•--  lo3, 

—interview  of,   with  the  Confederate 

secretary  of  war , ;  •  -.^Vr"  ^;  o,  ■ "  IV 

—manuscripts  gathered  by  W.  W.  bcott, 

of  Canal  Dover,  in  relation  to,  now  m 

the  possession  of  W.  E.  Connelley  . . . 

—men  scalp  some  of  Palmer's  men  — 

—murder  of  Union  soldiers  by 

—raid 'on  Lawrence.  Aug.  21, 1863, 152, 233, 
— raid'on  Olathe  in  Sept.,  1862. .  ■  -  •  .•  • 
—raider  killed  at  Lawrence,  Larkin 

Skaggs - 

—record  in  Kansas 4ou, 

—sketch  of 

Quapaw  Indians 

—Catholic  missionaries  among - 

—embraced  in  Indian  Mission  confer- 
ence   

— reservation 

Quarles,  John  T 

Quebec,  Seminary  of 

Queen  Anna's  College,  Dresden 

Quesnel,  Canadian  with  Bourgmont 

Quicapou  or  Kickapoo  Indians 

Quicksands,  Kansas  and  Missouri  rivers, 

Quincy,  Fred.  H.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society ,•  „  •  .■ 

—member  State  Historical  Society   ... 
Quindaro 307.  339.  469, 

—landing  at 

— Lightfoot  built  at 

— Wyandot  cemetery  at 

Quindaro  ChinUouwn 

Quinn,  Mrs.  ,  of  Leavenworth 

Qui vira  Historical  Society 

Quivira,  province  of ''SS, 

—map 


Raccoons -•  ■ ■■.^'    *^ 

Radges,  Sam.,  life  member  of  State  His-      . 

torical  Society "J 

Radisson,  French  explorer .■■•:■•■•  ^'^'^ 

Radnor,   steamboat  on    Missouri  river, 

jg4g 215,  309,  581 

Raft  used  by  trappers  on  Kansas  river. . .  320 
Railroad  bridge  across  the  Missouri  at 

Wyandotte  carried  away  by  floods  in 

1865  and  1866 ,352,  353 

Railroad  Commissioners,  Kansas  btate 


Board  of 
—creation 


427 
of  board 403 


636 


General  Index. 


—disburse  relief  in  1891 37 

Eailroad  Convention  of  October  17',  1860, 
atTopeka,  paper  by  Geo.  W.  Glick..  467 
—map  of  railroad  routes  suggested  by,  477 

— proceedings  of ....  472 

Railroad  earnings  in  Kansas  in  1882 402 

-freight  rates 39,  357,  401,  487 

Eailroad  land  grants  for  Kansas,  468,  475.  478 
—legislation  recommended  by  Gover- 
nor Glick 400 

— mapofl860 477 

—routes  to  the  Pacific  ocean  surveyed 

inl853 561 

—statistics 113,  476 

Railroads  as  colonizers 486 

—in  Kansas,  bill  dividing  the  500,000 

acres  among 372 

history    of,    in    Kansas    Railroad 

Commissioners'  report.. s 476 

— in  northwest  Kansas 34,  35,  108 

—legislation  on  stock  killed  by 380 

—mileage  of,  in  Kansas .-  128,  476 

—none  west  of  Mississippi  in  1856 324 

— of  Russia,  appointments  on 491 

—provided  for  in  the  Pacific  railroad 

bill  of  1862 373 

— successors  of  steamboats 293 

Rails  used  by  Excel  for  fuel 322 

Rainfall  in  northwest  Kansas  108 

Rains,  Rev.  G.  W.,  presiding  elder  Platte 

mission  district 230 

Rains,  Gen.  James  S 432,  456,  457,  459 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter 377 

Ramsey, ,  master  of  the  Chariton  —  299 

Ran  &  Bro.,  Lawrence 141 

Ranahan,  T 453 

Randall,  M.  P 470 

Randolph,  pen-name  of  Wm.  Hutchin- 
son      330 

Randolph,  L.  F.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society V 

Randolph  bluffs,  near  Kansas  City 574 

Randolph  county,  Illinois 11 

Rankin,  JohnK.     .   .     356 

Ransom,  Maj.  Wyllis  C 162 

Ravens  8 

Rawlings,  R.  C 96 

Rawlins  county 577 

—map 576 

—Dull  Knife's  raid  through 578 

map 576 

— statistics 35 

— vaJue  of  school  property  in 38 

Ray,  William 470 

Raymbault,  Father ,  Jeusit  mission- 
ary    238 

Raymond,  Missouri  river  boat 309 

Raymond,  J.  H.,  Missouri  river  boat  —  304 

Read.F.  W 352 

Read,  J.  A.,  member   State  Historical 

Society iv 

Reader, ,  captain  of  the  F.  X.  Aubrey,  582 

Real  estate,  speculation  in 426 

Realf,  Richard 339 

Jiecord,  Topeka 468 

Rector,  Col.  Elias 277 

Red  Cloud,  Missouri  river  boat 309 

Red  Cloud,  upper  Missouri  river  boat. ..  315 

Red  Cloud  bend,  Montana 315 

Red  Legs,  Kansas 162 

— capture  of  Leavenworth  by 535 

Red  river,  Texas 242,  308 

Red  Star  line  steamer,  MennoQites  em- 
bark on 493 

Redman,  Brother 199,  200 

Redpath,  James 135 

—comments  on  navigation  of  Kansas 

streams .     317 

—history  of  the  dispersion  of  the  To- 
peka legislature  543 

Reed, ,  captain  of  the  Brazil         319,334 

Reed,  ,  master    of  the  Car  of  Com- 
merce    299 

Reed,  Thaxter,  Ottawa  Indian 187 


Reeder,   ,  master  of    the  Daniel^'Q. 

Taylor 

Reeder!  Gov.  Andi-ewH ' .'  .'.120,'  '141' ," '  179 ', 

—escapes  from   Kansas  City,  Mo.,  on 

the  J.  M.  Converse  in  the  disguise  of 

an  Irish  wood-chopper 

—visit  of,  to  Council  Grove 

Reeder,  Henry  

—teacher  at  Shawnee  M.  M.  L.  S 

Reeder's  float 

Reese,  David  M 

Reese,  J.  Elmer,  member  State  Historical; 

Society     

Reese,   Louis  A.,  compilation    of   terri- 
torial census  of  Kansas,  1855,  by 

Reeves,  Benjamin  H 

Reform  Association  assists  in  organiza- 
tion of  Farmers'  Alliance    

Reform  School,  Topeka,  building  of 

Reid,H.M 

Reily.  W 

Relief    appropriations     for     northwest 

Kansas  settlers,  l!>69-'95 37 , 

— commissioner,  1881 

—committee,   Kansas,  1860,   organized 

at  Lawrence 481, 

of  1860,  report  of,  March  15,  1861 .. 

— committee  of   northeastern  Kansas, 

1861 

—goods  carried  in  1861  by  Kansas  Val- 
ley   

—given  by  Jay  Gould  to  western  Kan- 
sas settlers  in  1880  

— given  the  emigrating  negroes,  1879- 

1881 385- 

Remington,  J.  B.,  of  Osawatomie 

Remsbnrg,  Geo.  J.,  archeologist 

Renards  or  Fox  Indians 

Renaudiere,    Sieur      ,    accompanies 

Bourgmont. .   

Rendlebrock,  Capt.  Joseph,  0.  S.  A 

Renfrewshire,  Scotland 

Reno  county,  Russian  Mennonites  in  — 
Representatives,   election    of,    for    two 
years,  constitutional  amendment  pro- 
viding for 

Republic  county,  Kansas 242,  572, 

—map 

Republican  and  Platte  rivers,  proposi- 
tion to  join  by  canal 

JJepi/bhcan,  Lawrence 342, 

Republican,  Lyons 

Republican,  St.  Louis,  Mo 

Republican  party,  1876 

—convention  of,  1878 

—convention    in    Kansas,   1878,   adopt 
financial  planks  of  Greenback  party, 

— organization  of,  in  Kansas 

—platform,  1880,  on  prohibitory  amend- 
ment    384, 

—secures  cypher  to  ritual  of  Vidette 

society 2, 

-vote,  1888  

Republican    Pawnees,  location    of    vil- 
lage      572, 

—map,  in  No.  1,  Republic  county 

— visited  by  Pike 

Republican  river 

—campaign  of  the  Eighteenth  Kansas 

on,  in  1867 

—country,  described  by  General  Hazen, 
—declared  unnavigable  by  legislature 

of  1864 

—Financier  No.  2  ascends  forty  miles.. 

—forks  of 

— Pacific  railroad  projected  up 

Resaca,  battle  of 

Revolution,  Wyandot  Indians  allies  of 

the  English  in  war  of 

Reynolds,  A.  T 

Reynolds,  Lieut.  James 

Reynolds,  R 


General  Index. 


637 


Reynolds,   Lient.-goT.   Thomas,  of  Mis- 

f      souri,  1861 464 

Rhine,  Missouri  river  boat 309 

Rhode  Island,  natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1860- 

1900 507 

Rhodes,  Charles  H.  director  State  His- 
torical Society v 

?*— member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Rhodes,  T.  F 421 

Rialto,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Rice,  H 366 

Rice,  H.  V 421 

Rice,  Martin 511 

Rice  county 3 

—map 576 

—points  of  interest  in 572 

Rich  Hill,  Bates  county,  Missouri 247 

Richards,  Oscar  G.,  Kansas  experiences 

of 545 

—sketch  of 545 

Richards,  Mrs.  Semantha  W 545 

Richards,  Xenophon 545 

Richardson,  A.  M 414 

— Prohibition  candidate  for  gOTernor, 

1890 424 

Richardson,  Albert  D 523,524 

Richardson,  Eleanor,  Ottawa  Indian 188 

Richardson,  Joe,  Ottawa  Indian 188 

Richardson's  Messages  and  Papers  of  the 

Presidents         265 

Richert, ,  Meunonite  emigrant. ..     .     489 

Richey,W.E iv 

— director  State  Historical  Society v 

Richland iv 

Richmond,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Richmond  Tnq  uirer 362 

Richter,  Antony 564 

Richter,  H.  E 367 

Riddle,  A.  P.,  director  State  Historical 

Society v 

Riddlesbarger,  J.  &  Co 333,  336 

Ridenour,  P.  D 3.52 

Ridge,  Isaac  M.. 336 

Ridge  way,  Osage  county 344 

Rifle-pits,  Rice  county,  location  of 572 

Riggs,  C.  T 389 

Riggs,  Reuben 366,  368 

Rightmire,  W.  F 3,  6,      7 

— Alliance  Movement  in  Kansas,  ad- 
dress before  annual  meeting  of  His- 
torical Society,  December  6,  1904 1 

—biography 1 

— Union  Labor  candidate  for  attorney- 
general,  1888 2 

Riley,  Gen.  C.  B 568 

Riley  City ..     12 

Riley  county..  302,  354,  472,  473,  475,  575,  577 

—in  the  drought  of  1860 481 

—map 576 

— relief  received  in  1861 484 

Ringgold,  battle  of 416 

Rio  Grande..        528 

Rising  Sun,  Jefferson  county 348 

Ritchey ,  Dr. ,  of  Johnson  county 511 

Ritchey,  John 55,  365 

Ritter,  John  H 420 

Rively,  Maj.  M.  P 569 

Rivers  in  Kansas,  navigability  of 317 

Rivers  of  Kansas  declared  unuavigable 

by  legislature  of  1864 354 

Rivet,  Canadian  with  Bourgmont 256 

Road  between  Fort  Riley  and  Fort  Lar- 

ned 11.     12 

Roads  of  early  Kansas 565,  574-578 

—map ,..  576 

Roanoke,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Roary       514 

Rob  Roy,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Robbins,  Elizabeth,  Ottawa  Indian 188 

Robbins,  Ephraim,  Ottawa  Indian 187 

Robbin.s  H.  F 367 

Robert  Campbell,  fur  company  boat,  283,  309 
Robert  Campbell  (  No.  2),  Missouri  river 
boat 309,  316 


Robert  Campbell  (No.  3),  Missouri  river 

boat 

Robert  Emmet,  Missouri  river  boat  309, 

Roberts,  A.  S 

Roberts,  Rev.  George  W.,  presiding  elder 

of  Platte  mission  district 221, 

Roberts,  Isaac  N 

Roberts,  J.  N 421, 

Roberts,  J.  W 

Roberts,  Bishop  Robert  R 160, 

Roberts,  W.  Y  364,  468,  472,  473, 

—Kansas  indebted  to,  for  bis  assistance 

to  railroads 478, 

—president  of  railroad  convention  of 

1860 

Robins,  J.  A 

Robinson,  A 

Robinson.  Charles 121,  123,  126,  135, 

150,  233,  307,  342,  367,  377, 

395,  414,  439,  470,  472,  473, 

— Democratic  nominee    for   governor, 


—genealogy  of 

—imprisonment  of 543, 

—  Life  of,  by  Frank  W.  Blackmar 

—manuscripts  of 

— portrait  of         

— release  of,  from  Lecompton  prison  . . 

— tribute  to,  by  Geo.  R.  Peck 

— and  wife  taken  from  the  Star  of  the 

West  at  Lexington 

Robinson,  E.  G 

Robinson,  J.  W 

Robinson,  Jack 

Robinson,  Jonathan 

Robinson.  Mrs.  Sara  T.  D..  136,  150,  338, 

—quoted 

Robitaille,  a  Wyandotte  family,  various 

spellings  of  name 187,  188, 

Robitaille,  Robert 82, 

Robitaille,  Robert  W.,  teacher  in  Wyan- 
dot free  schools 187,  235, 

Robitaille,  Elizabeth 

Robitaille,  Rosalie 

Roble>,T.  F 

Roby,  S.  C 

Rocheport,  M"o..'."297i  306,  'soei'soii'sis', 

RockBlufB.Mo 

Rock  Creek  crossing,  on  the  Santa  Fe 
trail  in  Morris  county,  location  of,  10, 

Rock  creek ,  Jefferson  county 

Rock  Island  railroad 

Rockefeller.  Philip 

Rockwell,  Bertrand,  director  State  His- 
torical Society 

—life  member  State  Historical  Society, 

Rodgers,  Wm 

Rodrigne,  Andrew 

Roe,  John  J  299, 

Roebuck,  Missouri  river  boat 

Roenigk,  A.,  member  State  Historical  So- 
ciety.   

Rogers,  D 

Rogers,  Henry 

—adopted  into  Shawnee  tribe 

Rogers,  Mrs.  Henry.  

—loans  money  to  Thomas  Johnson  for 
building  the  Shawnee  manual-labor 

school 

Rogers,  J.  T 

Rogers,  J.  W     

Rogers,  James   

Rogers,  John  R.,  death  of 

— governor  of  Washington. .   

—on  executive  committee  of  State  Re- 
form Association 

Rogers,  Mary 

Rogers,  Polly 

Roland,  Dr.  C.  L 

Rolet,  Canadian  with  Bourgmont 

Roman  Catholic  church  in  Kansas 

155, 

—among  whites  in  southern  Kansas,  27, 


638 


Gerieral  Index. 


Roman  Catholic  baptisms  in  1822 22 

— early  western  vicariates 156 

— first  cathedral  in  Kansas,  at  St.  Marys,  155 
—first   Kansas  bishop.  Rev.   John    B. 

Mieee 153 

—missionaries  in  Kansas,  Father  Paul 

M.  Ponziglione 19,    32 

—missions  among  the  Kickapoos,  160,  570 

Osages 19,    32 

Pottawatomies 570,  572 

Wyandots 81 

—  missions  in  Kansas  in  1858 155 

in  southern  Kansas 29 

— statistics  of.    158 

Roman  Nose,  Cheyenne  chief,  killed  at 

the  battle  of  the  Arickaree 453 

Rooks,  D.  1 473 

Rooks  county,  relief  in  1874 37 

—statistics 35 

—value  of  school  property 38 

Roosevelt,  Nicholas  J., steamboat  builder,  276 

Roosevelt,  Pres.  Theodore 115,  276 

— national  irrigation  law  of 485 

Root,E.F 469 

Root,  Frank  A.. .  94,  301,  307,  308,  562,  577,  581 

Root,  George  A xi,  506 

Root,J.P 469 

Root,  Miss  Martha 63 

Ropes,  Mrs.  Hannah 523 

Rosate,  Right  Reverend  Bishop 297 

Rose  Bud,  steamboat  on  upper  Missouri 

river 316 

Rose  creek,  Wallace  county 573 

Rose  Douglas,  Mississippi  river  boat  —  341 

Rosecrans,  Gen.  W.  S 369,  433 

Rosedale,  Kan  ..  162 

Rosenthall,  Col.  William 440 

Ross,  Edmund  G 52,  90,  378,  468,  472 

473,  475,  479,  480,  482 
—Kansas  indebted  to,  for  his  assistance 

to  railroads 478,  480 

Ross,  Julia  E 90 

Ross,  W.  W 468 

Rosser,  Col.  Thomas  H 457 

Rotisseur,  Corporal ,  in  Bourgmont's 

expedition 256 

Rover,  Mississippi  river  steamboat,  1826- 

1829 295 

Rowena  (No.  1),  steamboat....  306,  309,  583 

Rowena  (  No.  2),  steamboat 309 

Rowena  hotel,  Lecompton 347 

Rowley  &  Snow's  drug-store,  Topeka —  541 

Roy,  J.  Edmond 248 

—history  of  Baron  de  Lahontan 265 

Roy  Lynds,  Missouri  river  ferry-boat —  309 

Royal  Gorge 561 

Royal  Society  of  Canada 248 

Royce,  Olive  I.,  director  State  Historical 

Society v 

Rozier,  Gen.Firmin  A 247 

Rubicon,  Missouri  river  circus  boat 309 

Rubicon  (  No.  2)  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Ruble,  Rev.  Thomas  B 197 

—teacher  at  Pottawatomie  mission  ...  227 
—missionary   among   the    Pottawato- 
mies      178 

Ruckenau,  Russia 494 

Rucker,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Rudolph,  Missouri  river  boat 309 

Ruggles,  R.  M 469 

Rulo,  Neb  314,  315 

Rumsey,  James,  steamboat  inventor 275 

Running  Water,  upper  Missouri  river  ...  315 
Ruppenthal,  J.  C,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society V 

—life  member  State  Historical  Society,    iii 

Rural  Rhymes,  by  Martin  Rice 511 

Rush,J.W 367 

Rush  bottom,  opposite  Rulo,  Neb 314 

Rushville,  Mo 327 

Russell, ,  of  Riley  county 328 


Russell,  B.  H.,  teacher  among  the  Kicka- 
poos, Wyandots,  Delawares,  and  at 
the  Shawnee  Methodist  manual-labor 

school 228,  229 

Russell,  D.  A.,  Missouri  river  boat. ..  300 

Russell,  Ed 366,  479 

Russell,  George 473 

Russell,  R.G 336 

Russell,  William  H 338 

—Majors  &  Waddell 306,  511 

Russell,  W.  H.,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Russell v 

Russell  county 575 

—map 576,  577 

—explored  by  J.  R.  Mead,  1860 13 

Russia,  American  consulate  at  Odessa. . .   493 

—traveling  in 490-494 

Russia's  efforts  to  control  the  Mennon- 

ites 489-496 

Russian  empress,  Catherine  II,  invites 
Mennonites    to     colonize     southern 

provinces 488 

Russo-German   Mennonites  emigrate  to 

Kansas 488 

Rust,  Horatio  G.,  scrap-book  of,  on  negro 

exodns 386 

Ryan,  Mat 535 

Ryan,  Thomas 144 

Ryan,W.H 367 

Ryland,  E.  M..  Missouri  river  boat..  301.  309 


Sabbath-school,  first  in  Leavenworth,  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  J.  B.  McAfee 235 

Sac  Indians.  295 

—Missouris  driven  from  theirvillage by,  258 

—unite  with  Foxes 250 

Sac  and  Fox  Indians 259,  560 

—agency  of. .   470 

—at  War  with  the  Osages 247 

— case  of,  before  supreme  court 58 

—Catholic  missionaries  among 27 

—cholera  among  281 

— frightened  from  Indian  conference  by 

Wyandots,  October,  1848 84 

— Methodist      mission      established 

among,  in  1832. 162 

among,  in  Osage  county,  location,  572 

map,  in  No.  1,  Osage  county.. 576 

—Methodist  mission  on  the  Osage,  in 

Franklin  county 568 

map 576 

—Presbyterian    mission    in  Doniphan 

county 160.  566 

map    576 

—of  the  Mississippi 250 

—of  the  Missouri 250 

Sackendiather,  Delaware  Indian 204 

Sacramento,  free-state  cannon..  290,  339,  547 
Sacramento,  Missouri  river  steamboat. .  309 

—cholera  on,  1849 281 

Safford,  Jacob 47,  63,  468,  473,  479 

Sage-hens 109 

Sager,  Henry 564 

Sager,  James  B.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society iv 

Saginaw  Indian  mission 200 

Sailors,  place  of  voting  of 382 

Saint  Angede  Bellerive,  M.  de  Louis,  en- 
sign of  Fort  Orleans,  accompanies 
Bourgmont  on  his  expedition  to  the 

Paducas  in  1724 256 

-death  of 310 

St.  Ange,  fur  company  boat. . . .  283,  300,  309 
—named  for  Louis  St.  Ange  de  Bellerive,  310 
— quick  trip  of,  from  Fort  Union,  at  the 

mouth  of  the  Yellowstone        309 

St.  Ann's  Academy,  Osage  mission,  1848..     22 

St.  Anthony,  fur  company  boat 283,  310 

St.  Anthony  (  No.  2),  Missouri  river  boat,  310 

St.  Aubert,  Mo 307,  315,  316 

St.  Charles,  Missouri  river  boat 310 


General  Index. 


St.  Charles,  Mo 27,  154,  278,  281,  297-304 

306,  308,  310-314,  316,  565,  582 

cholera  in 281 

St.  Charles  bend 301 

St.  Charles  bridge 307 

St.  Charles  county,  Missouri 209 

St.  Clair,  Gen.  ,  opposed  by  Wyan- 

dotsinl791 80 

—in  Tennessee 535 

St.  Cosme,  Jean  Francois  de,  descends 

the  Mississippi  river 245,  246 

St.  Croix,  fur  company  boat 283,  310 

St.  Croix  (No.  2) 310 

St.  Francis  church,  Osage  Mission 29 

St.  Francis  river 340 

St.  Francois  county,  Missouri 247 

St.  Genevieve,  Mo 247,252,311 

St.  George,  Kan 343,  347,  355 

St.  Ignace,  Mackinaw 240 

St.  Ignatius  College,  Chicago 31 

St.  John,  Gov.  John  P 378,  395,  417 

—and  needy  western  Kansas  settlers...  387 

—and  prohibition 397 

— and  the  negro  exodus 385 

—biographical  sketch 378 

— extract  from  message  regarding  Chey- 
enne Indian  raid  of  1878 388,  389 

—member  State  Historical  Society  —     iv 
— quotation  from  his  message  on  the 

prohibitory  amendment 384 

—portrait  of 379 

— reasons  for  aflBliation  with  the  Pro- 
hibition party 392 

—The  Administrations  of,  by  I.  O.  Pick- 
ering   378 

St.  John  county 394 

St  John's  island,  near  Washington,  Mo.,  314 

St.  John,  Missouri  river  boat 310 

— earningsof 294 

St.  Johns,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

St.  Joseph,  Mo...  273,  280,  282,  285,  290,  293 
295,  298-300,  302,  304-306,  308 
311,  313,  314,  318,  411,  551,  582 
—celebration  of.  on  condpletion  of  Han- 
nibal &  St.  Joseph  railroad 303 

—extract  of  speech  by  B.  F.  Stringfel- 

low  at 141 

—packet  line  of 287 

St.  Joseph,  name  of  one  of  the  engines  of 
the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  railroad,  301 

St.  Joseph,  Missouri  river  boat 310,  316 

St.  Joseph  (  No.  2),  Missouri  river  boat..  310 

St.  Joseph  &  Grand  Island  railroad 478 

St.  Joseph's  Home  for  Deaf-mutes,  Chi- 
cago       31 

St.  Lawrence  river 238,  240 

Saint-Lazare,  soldier  of  Bourgmont 256 

St.  Louis,  Mo 267,  277,  278,  295,  297-394 

306-318,  581,  582 

—aids  to  negro  exodus 385 

—affairs  at  Camp  Frost  or  Camp  Jack- 
son          513 

— Buford's  emigrants    an  expense  to, 
while  New  Englanders  spend  money 

at 139 

—business  men  of,  alarmed  lest  trade 
of  Kansas  be  diverted  by  troubles  on 

the  river 334 

— capture  of,  planned  by  General  Price,  432 
— chamber  of  commerce  and  merchants 
of,  appealed  to  by  free-state  citizens 
of  Kansas  for  just  treatment  on  the 

Missouri  river 335 

appeal  to,  by  Lawrence  merchants 

for  protection  to  Kansas  interests 

from  violence  of  Missourians 140 

—chief  of  police  of,  sends  a  couple  of 

his  men  to  police  Abilene 529 

—cholera  statistics  of 281 

—earthquake  at,  August  27,  1827 296 

—fire  at,  May  17,  1849 306,  310,  311 

— merchants  of,  advise  abolitionists  to 

wipe  out  Lexington 338 

—newspapers  of 295 


St.  Louis,  or  Mississippi,  river 

St.  Louis  packet  line 

St.  Louis  University 

—historical  sketches  of,  by  Walter  H. 
Hill 

St.  Louis  &  Kansas  City  Packet  Com- 
pany  

St.  Louis  &  Memphis  Packet  Company.. 

St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  railroad 

St.  Louis  &  Weston  Packet  Company  — 

St.  Louis  Chrislian  Advocate. 

St.  Louis  Democrat 336,  350, 

—comments  of,  on  Kansas  river  navi- 
gation  

St.  Liouis  J^veni7iQ  News 140, 

—quotations  from,  regarding  St.  Louis 
trade  with  Kansas 

St.  Louis  Evening  Post 

St.  Louis  Globe- Democrat 386, 

St.  L.ouis  Intellige'ncer 311,  334, 

—extracts     from,    protesting    against 
pro-slavery  outrages  in  Kansas 

St.  Louis  Oak,  Missouri  river  boat 

St.  Louis  Republic 

St.  Louis  Republican 304, 

St.  Louis,  Fort,  Texas,  founded  by  La 
Salle 

St.  Luke,  Missouri  river  boat 310, 

St.  Mary,  Missouri  river  boat 

St.  Mary's  Mission,  Big  Sugar  creek, 
Linn  county,  missionary  work  among 
the  Osages  and  Pottawatomies  at,  in 
1829 

St.  Marys,  or  St.  Mary's  Mission 

323.  329,  355,  570, 
—Church  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Immacu- 
late Conception,  first  Catholic    ca- 
thedral in  Kansas,  1851,  erected  at. .. 

St.  Mary's  mission  among  the  Potta- 
watomies, location  of 22,  213, 

— map,  in  No.  1,  Pottawatomie  county, 
— Col.  Gus  Linn  at. 

St.  Marys,  treaty  of,  1818,  with  the  Wyan- 
dots  and  other  tribes 

St.  Paul,  Catholic  mission  among  the 
Osages,  at 

St.  Paul  Journal 

St.  Paul,  Missouri  river  boat 

St.  Peters,  fur  company  boat 283, 

—smallpox  on,  in  1837 

St.  Petersburg,  Russia. .    

St  Philomena,  Catholic  church  at 
Omaha,  Neb 

St.  Xavier's  church,  St.  Louis 

St.  Xavier's  College,  Cincinnati 

Salem,  Ore 

Salina iv,  v,  8, 

—raided  by  guerrillas 

— town  company  of 

— William    J.    Beggs    wanted    at,    for 
horse-stealing 

Saline  county,  Kansas 12,  363,  574, 


-map. 


— relief  received,  in  1861 . .     

— su  perintendent  of  schools 

Saline  county,  Missouri 

Saline  river 300,452, 

— Bonrgmont's  party  on  the  waters  of, 

1724 

— campaign  of  the  Eighteenth  Kansas 

on,  in  1867 

—flood  of  1858  on 11, 

Saline  river,  Missouri 252, 

Saline  river  country,  described  by  Gen- 
eral Hazen 

—in  1859,  paper  by  James  R.  Mead 

Sallie,  Missouri  river  boat 

Sallie  West,  Missouri  river  boat 

Saloons  at  Abilene,  licensing  of 

Salt  brought  by  the  Pawnees  from  the 

Cimarron 

Salt  marsh,  Lincoln  county 

Salt-mine  near  the  Pawnees  of  the  In- 
dian Territory 


640 


Geyieral  Index. 


Salt  springs 375 

—on  Saline  river 15 

Salt  Creek  valley,  Leavenworth  CO..  136,  569 

Salt  Lake  City 303,  550 

Salt  Petre,  Delaware  Indian 204 

Salters,  Samuel  M 331 

Saltzman,  A.,  Missouri  river  boat 298 

Saluda,  explosion  of,  at  Lexington,  Mo., 
the  most  fatal  on  Missouri  river,  288,  310 

Sam  Cloon,  Missouri  river  boat     310 

Sam  Gaty,  steamboat  captured  by  guer- 
rillas near  Sibley,  Mo 310 

Sam  Kirkman,  Missouri  river  boat 310 

Samara,  Russia 489 

Samovars  in  Russian  dining  halls 491 

San    Francisco,    Missouri     river    boat, 

burned  at  St.  Louis,  1849 310 

Sand  creek,  Clark  county 389 

Sand  creek,  Meade  county. ..  578 

— battle  on,  between  Dull  Knife's  band 
of  Cheyennes  and  the  United  States 

soldiers  and  settlers 578 

Sand  creek  massacre,  Colorado 73 

Sand-bars 268 

Sanderson,  .John  473 

Sandusky,  Wyandots  of 79 

Sandy,  Missouri  river  boat 310 

Sandy  Hook,  above  Jefferson  City,  Mo. . .  300 
301,  308,  315 
Sankey,  R.  A.,  member  State  Historical 

Society iv 

Sankochia,  Delaware  Indian.  204 

Santa  Anna,  president  of  Mexico 556 

SantaFe,N.M 302 

— caravan,    guarding    of,    by    Second 

dragoons 553 

— goods  for,  on  the  Kansas  river 323 

— goods  shipped  from  Fort  Harker  on 

the  Kansas  Pacific  railroad 567 

—newspaper  of    Richard    H.   Weight- 
man  at 562 

—outfitting  business  for,  at  Westport. .  556 
—Spanish    expedition    of    1719    starts 

from. 255 

—stage  road  to,  from  Fort  Harker 567 

—trade  at  Westport 278,  552 

mode  of  transporting  money  for,  by 

Mexicans 557 

stopped  by  civil  war 558 

Santa  Fe  trail 565,  566,  575 

—map 576 

—branch road  of,  to  Ft.  Leavenworth..  559 

— Cimarron  branch  of 561 

— commissioners  to  locate 570 

—Council    Grove    a    noted    stopping- 
place  on. 233 

— description  of  and  travel  on,  1859,  by 

J.  R.  Mead  8 

— F.  X.  Aubrey  discovers  a  third  route,  561 

—ferry  on,  at  Burlingame 9 

— a  good  place  for  business 10 

— murders  on,  in  1864 519 

—route  of,  through  Kansas 576 

map... 576 

Santa  Fe  railroad,  land-grant  bonds  pur- 
chased by  Mennonite  bishop 493 

Sappa  creek,  massacre  on,  by  Cheyennes, 

1878 389 

Sappa  valley,  description  of 33 

Saqui,  Jacob 395 

Sarahas,  Sarah,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Saranac  (  No.  1) ,  Missouri  river  boat  —  310 
Saranac  (No.  2),  Missouri  river  boat  ...  310 

Saranak 318.  333 

Saratov,  Russian  city 489 

Sarcoxie,  Kan 223 

Hargent,  Lieut.  Alden,  of  Fort  Riley 323 

Sarpy,  Gregoire  B 267 

Sarpy,  Peter  290 

Sass&  Packard 352 

Sastaretsi,  Wyandot  chief 78 

8a-tan-ta,  charge  of,  on  command  of 
Major  Armes,  on  the  Prairie  Dog, 
August,  1867 452 


Savannah,  Mo.,  Christian  charch  at 288 

Savannah,  siege  of 416 

Sawmill  at  Douglas 332 

— at  Junction  City 346 

—in  western  Missouri. 511 

—outfit  brought  ap  on  Otis  Webb 342 

Sawyer,  A.  M 473 

Sawyer,  H.  H 469 

— &Co 352 

Sawyers  of  the  Missouri 269 

Saxony,  Germany 485 

Say,  Prof.  Thomas,  visits  Kaw  village  at 

mouth  of  the  Big  Blue 259 

Say's  route  to  and  from  the  Kansas  In- 
dian village,  1819 575 

— map        576 

Scandinavian  peninsula 499 

Scar-faced  Charlie  380 

Scarborough's  peak 43 

Scarritt,  Annie,  Shawnee  Indian 189 

Scarritt,  Caty  P.,  Shawnee  Indian 188 

Scarritt,  Edward,  Shawnee  Indian 188 

Scarritt,  Isaac 181 

Scarritt,  Mrs.  Martha  M  181 

Scarritt,  Mary  L.,  Shawnee  Indian 189 

Scarritt,  Rev.  Nathan     ..  .       221 

—in  charge  of  the  Western  Academy, 
the  classical  department  of  the 
Shawnee  manual-labor  school...  IhO,  229 

—missionary  to  the  Delawares 203 

—portrait  of  182 

—sketch  of,  by  Bishop  E.  R.  Hendrix..  180 
—teacher  at  Delaware  and  Wyandot 

missions.        .  229 

Scarritt,  Nathan,  Shawnee  Indian 188 

Scarritt,  Mrs.  Ruth  E 181 

Scarritt  Bible  and  Training  School  for 

Missionaries,  Kansas  City 181 

Scharf's  History  of  Missouri 266 

Schermerhorn,  E.  B 368 

Schilling,  John 367 

Schlyer,  John 368 

Schmidt,  Carl  B.,  biographical  sketch...  485 
—paper.  Reminiscences  of  Foreign  Im- 
migration Work  for  Kansas 485 

— portrait  of  486 

Schmidt,  Frank...   413 

Schmidt,  Mrs.  Mattie  F 485 

Schoenmachers,  Father  John 21,  27,  571 

— deathof 22 

—history  of  the  Osage  Mission 21 

School,  First,  in  Kansas  for  White  Chil- 
dren, by  George  P.  Morehouse 231 

School  fund,  500,000  acres  of  land  claimed 
for,  diverted  to  railroads....  372-374,  478 

— state,  losses,  from...   410 

School  property  in  Kansas 127,  128 

—statistics   of    northwest   Kansas   by 

counties 35-  38 

Schoolcraft,  Henry  R 523 

—and  the  Saline  river  tin-mine 17 

—Archives  of   Aboriginal  Knowledge, 

by 17 

Schools  among  the  Mennonites 496 

Schools  and  colleges  of  Kansas,  1865 364 

Schulp,Emil 82 

Schultz,  Father  John,  of  St.  Mary's  mis- 
sion   347 

Schuyler,  Judge  Philip  C 543,  544 

Scientific  and  Historical  Society  of  Kan- 
sas      47 

Sciota 295 

Scotch  harrows 504 

Scotland,  natives  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855...  508 

— emigrants  from 12 

Scott  &  Boggs,  of  Westport 564 

Scott,  C.  M.,  Indian  scout  employed  by 

Governor  St.  John 391 

Scott,  Charles  F 421 

—director  State  Historical  Society v 

Scott,  John  W..   366,  468,  473,  475 

Scott,  P.  M.,  Delaware  Indian 204 

Scott,  Tom  312 

Scott,  Zippie  A 190 


General  Index. 


641 


Scott  City 572 

Scott  county,  Dull  Knife's  raid  through,  578 

—map 576 

—  Pueblo  Indian  ruins  in 572 

Scouts,  in  Indian  campaigns  of  1867  and 

1868 444,  452,  453 

Scow 319 

Scribner's  Magazine 386 

Scudder,  Capt.  Sidney 346 

Sealy,  G.  B 504 

Seaton,  John. .   367 

Seaver,  L.  H 368 

Secondine,  station  on  Union  Pacific  rail- 
road in  Wyandotte  county 203 

Sedalia 434 

Sedan  Court-house,  Building  of  the,  ad- 
dress by  H.  B.  Kelly,  before  the  His- 
torical Society,  December  5, 1905 89 

Sedgwick,  Maj.  John 359 

Sedgwick  county,  court  of  common  pleas 

of 420,  428 

—points  of  interest  in 573 

map       576 

— Russian  Mennonites  in 495 

Seed  grain,  appropriation  by  Kansas  leg- 
islature for  the  purchase  of,  for  needy 

settlers 37 

Seed  sent  to  Kansas  in  relief  of  1860 484 

Seeley's  theater,  Abilene 527 

Segur,  George,  killed  by  Anderson's  gang 

in  1862 571 

Segur.I.B 469 

Sehs-tah-roh,  name  of  Wm.  Walker. 85 

Seibert,G.W 352 

Seitz,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Seldon,  H.  M 473 

Selma.Ala     297 

Semicentennial  anniversary  of  the  or- 
ganization of  Kansas  territory 115 

Seminole  Indians  embraced  in    Indian 

Mission  conference  .   ...   210 

Seminole  war,  Shawnee  Indians  engaged 

(.  &in 186 

Senate,  Kansas,  of  1865  and  1866,  paper 

by  E.  C.  Manning 359 

Senate  of  1865,  list  of  members 363 

Senator,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Senators,  election  of,  for  four  years,  con- 
stitutional amendment  providing  for,  382 
Senators  and  representatives  of  Kansas 

who  served  three  or  more  times 366 

Seneca  Indians,  a  tribe  of  Iroquois..  187,  243 
— boarding-school  of,  on  Wyandot  re- 
serve, Oklahoma 88 

— cede  land  in  Kansas  to  United  States,    87 
— embraced  in  Indian  Mission  confer- 
ence     210 

—feast  on  Wy  andots 76 

—Indian  Territory 179 

— relations  with  the  Wyandots..  74,  75,    88 
Senecas  and  Shawnees,  reserve  of,  in  the 

Indian  Territory 163 

Sentinel    of   the    Northwest    Territory, 

Cincinnati 319 

Sergket,  Robert,  Shawnee  Indian 188 

Settlement  of  northwest  Kansas 34,  108 

Settlements,  first,  on  Western  plains 110 

Settlers,  early  Kansas   467 

— in  western  Kansas  appeal  for  relief 

in  1880 387 

Seven-shooters  used  by  Eighteenth  Kan- 
sas  446 

Seventh  Kansas  cavalry 464 

Seventy-six,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Seventy-sixth  Ohio  infantry 414 

Seward,  F.W. 119 

Seward,  Wm.  H 120 

Seward  county-seat  troubles 429 

Sexton,  J.  Z , 367 

Shaler,  Mrs.  Annie. 171,  211 

Shaler,   Rev.    N.  T.,  missionary  to  the 

Peorias  and  Kaskaskias 211 

—missionary    among    the    Shawnees, 
Kickapoos,  and  Dela wares..  170,  227-230 

-41 


Shamrock,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Shane,  Capt.  Anthony 166 

Shane,  Mrs.  David  C.  de 163 

Shane,  James  B.,  trustee  of  the  city  of 

Abilene 503,  528,  529 

Shane,  Nancy 167 

Shannon,  Gov.  Wilson 53,  141,  306,  336 

361,  468,  473,  479,  541,  543 
—Colonel  Sumner  ordered  by,  to   dis- 
perse the  Topeka  legislature 359 

Sharlow,  George,  Wyandot  Indian 187 

Sharlow,  Peter,  Wyandot  Indian 187 

Sharlow,  Sarah,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Sharp,  S.  S     469 

Sharps' rifles 141,340,517,545 

—brought  by  Deitzler  to  Lawrence  in 

May,  18.55 331 

—in  charge  of  D.  S.  Hoyt,  put  off  of 

boat  at  Lexington 336 

Shaubell.  J.  Q 470 

Shaw,  J.,  captain  of  Twilight 287 

Shaw,  Johns.,  captain  of  Arabia....  298,  336 

Shaw,  Neosho  county 571 

—Osage  mission  near 20 

Shawanoe  Indians.    See  Shawnee. 
Shawanoe   JSun,  published    by    Jotham 

Meeker  -no 

Shawnee  county 354,  472,  473,  575,  577 

—map.   576 

—and  the  original  package 424 

— circuit  court  of. 420,  428 

— Delaware  reservation  in '  203 

—drought  of  1860  in "  431 

—Historical  Sketch  of,  by  W.  W.  Cone,  573 

— points  of  interest  in 573 

—relief  received  in  1861 '.  434 

Shawnee  Indian,  proprietor  of  Fish's  ho- 
tel     341 

Shawnee  Indians 80,  202,  295,  296,  560 

—allies    of    the    British    against    the 

French  and  the  United  States  163 

—at  Indian  Mission  M.  E.  conference  of 

1844 48,  84,  179 

—Ohio    bands:     Chillicothe,     Mequo- 

chake,  Piqua,  Kiscopokee 164 

— Baptist  mission  among,  location  of..  169 
—book    published    for   mission    work 

among 170 

—camp-meetings  of. 221 

—Cape  Girardeau  band  of 163 

—Charles  Bluejacket,  interpreter  for..  182 
—condition  of,  in  1855,  as  given  by  Isaac 

McCoy      164 

—emigration  of,  from  Kentucky  to  Kan- 
sas     170 

—encouraged  to  remove  to  the  Ohio  by 

the  Wyandots 79 

— enemies  of  the  Kaws 260 

— Freemasonry  among  193 

—Friends'  mission  among 160 

—go  with  the  Church  South  on  the  di- 
.  vision  of  the  M.  E.  conference  in  1845,  180 

—Henry  Tiblow,  interpreter  for 186 

—History  of,  by  F.  W.  Hodge 163 

—History  of,  by  Henry  Harvey 160 

—  tfog  Creek  band  remove  from  Ohio 

to  Kansas 164 

—immigration  of  several  bands  of,  to 

Kansas 163,  164 

—in  battle  of  Tippecanoe 165 

—in  Seminole  war  186 

—  Bev.  J.  Spencer,  missionary  among..  184 
—McCoy's  first  effort  to   establish  a 

Baptist  mission  among,  in  Kansas...  166 

—  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Missions  among 160-193 

— establishment  of  M.  E.  mission  by 
Rev.  Thos.  Johnson. ..  .   162,   168,   199,  375 

—location  of  the  Methodist  mission  and 
view  of  the  building 169,  375,  568 

—map  of  location  in  No.  1,  Johnson 
county    ...576 

—Methodist  church,  location  of  ..  170,  569 

cut  of 169 


642 


General  Index. 


Shawnee    Indians,    Methodist    church, 

map,  in  No.  1,  Johnson  county  576 

—parsonage  of  Methodist  missionary..  171) 

— Methodist  manual-labor  school 168 

187,  559,  568,  576 
location  of,  on  map,  in  No.  1,  John- 
son county 576 

aid  given  by  the  United  States  for 

erection  and  support  of 171,  172 

built  with  money  borrowed  from 

Mrs.   Henry    Rogers,    a    Shawnee 

widow 171 

gifts  for,  from  the  missionary  so- 
ciety of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 

church 171 

location  of  buildings 169 

description  of  buildings. .  174,  179,  191 

views  of  buildings 159,  173,  175 

Alexander  S.  Johnson,  teacher  in..  190 

Delaware     Indians      appropriate 

their  school  fund  to 204 ,  205 

falls  under  the  administration  of 

the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 

South,  in  1845 179 

Rev.  J.  C.  Berryman,  missionary  to,  209 

list  of  Shawnee  children  attending 

in  1854 189 

list  of  missionaries  at 225-230 

visited  by  Bishop  Thomas  A.  Mor- 
ris    177 

Western  Academy,  the  classical  de- 
partment of 180 

first  Kansas  territorial  legislature 

occupies  the  buildings  of,  in  1855, 
and  can  obtain  no  liquors  at..  174,  564 

skirmish  in  the  Price  raid  near...  441 

— Methodist  mission,  Douglas  county, 

on  Wakarusa  creek 191,  192,  566 

map  576 

visited  by  Capt.  J.  W.  Gunnison...  579 

—migration  of,  to  reservation  in  Mis- 
souri, given  by  Spanish  government,  163 

from  Ohio  to  Kansas    164 

—move  to  White  river,  Missouri 163 

—names  of  members  of  the  tribe 184 

—Rev.    Nathan    Scarritt,     missionary 

among 182 

— Paschal  Fish,  missionary  among....  186 

— reservation  of,  in  Kansas 163 

—trading- pest  of 573 

—tradition  of  the  creation 193 

— translation  of  verse  of  hymn  of  Isaac 
Watts's  "Alas,  and  did  my  Saviour 

Bleed" 184 

—village  of,  in  the  Indian  Territory. ..  179 
—and  Senecas,  reservation  of,  in  the 

Indian  Territory 163 

Shawnee  prophet 80,  166 

—(known   also  as  Tensquatawa,  Els- 
quatawa)  account  of  his  death,  by 

Dr.  J.  A.  Chute 164 

— grave  of 184 

— location  of  town 169 

Shawnee  township,  Johnson  county 130 

Shawnee,  fur  company  boat 283,  310 

Shawneetown 456 

Shea,  John,  killed  by  Andrew  McConnell,  531 

Shean,  Mrs.  Kate 551 

Shean,  Pat 551 

Shean,  Dr.  William  M 518 

Shearer,    Andrew,    vice-president   State 

Reform  Association,  1888 3 

Sheep,  Mennonites  owners  of  vast  flocks 

in  Russia 493 

Sheep  range Ill 

Shelby,  Gen.  Joseph  0 432,  465 

— army  of 434 

—raids  of 463 

Shelby  county,  Missouri 414 

Sheldon,  Dr.  Charles  M.,  quoted  on  the 
effectiveness  of  the  prohibitory  law,  383 

Shenandoah,  Iowa 359 

Shepherd, ,  master  of  the  Halcyon. . .  303 

Sheridan,  Capt.  Mike 67,    68 


Sheridan,  Gen.  Phil.  H 443 

—first  visit  of,  to  Fort  Dodge 67 

Sheridan     county.     Dull     Knife's    raid 

through,  in  1878 578 

map 576 

—statistics 35 

—value  of  school  property  in 38 

Sherman,  John 225,  331 

—scrap-book  of 131 

Sherman,  Gen.  William  T.,  letter  to  Gov- 
ernor Humphrey,  December  26,  1888..  430 
—visits  Dodge  City  in  1879  with  Presi- 
dent Hayes 70 

Sherman  county  statistics 35 

—value  of  school  property  in 38 

Sherran,  Thomas,  trustee  of  Abilene.  ...  528 
Shield  used  by  Pawnees  of  the  Indian 

Territory 254 

Shiggett,  Louisa,  Delaware  Indian 188 

Shiloh,  battle  of 416 

Shingawassa,  Kaw  chief,  band  of 17 

Shipple,  squatter,  with  ferry,  on  Saline 
between  Fort  Riley  and  Fort  Larned,    11 

Shlesinger,  J.  S 453 

Shoal  Water,  Missouri  river  boat 310 

Shockheads  or  Hurons,  name  applied  to 

Wyandots 74 

Shombre,  Capt.  Henry  J.,  death  of 547 

Sho-me-kos-see,  the  wolf,  Kaw  Indian. ..  202 

Shoo  Fly  bend 312 

Shores,  Anna,  matron  Shawnee  Metho- 
dist manual-labor  school 190 

Short, ,  gambler  at  Dodge  City 407 

Short-grass  country 112 

Shortridge,  A.  L 582 

Shreve,  H.  M.,  Missouri  river  boat 314 

Shreveport,  La 305 

Shreveport,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Shunganunga  creek  541 

Siberia,  C.  B.  Schmidt,  rumor  of  banish- 
ment to 493 

Sibley,  Gen. ,  Concordia 34 

Sibley,  George  C 26,  251,  570 

Sibley,  Henry  H 549 

Sibley,  Mo...  306,  307,  310,  312,  315,  316,  559 

—on  site  of  Fort  Osage . .     247 

Sigma,   pen-name    of    correspondent  of 

Herald  of  Freedom 333 

Silver, ,  captain  of  Martha  Jewett. . .  582 

Silver,  Capt.  David 299,  308,  311 

Silver,  brought  by  Don  Chavez  from 
Mexico  for  trade  with  Boone  &  Ber- 
nard      557 

Silver  Bar,  Missouri  river  boat  316 

Silver  Bow,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Silver  City,  Missouri  river  boat  316 

Silver  cup  given  to  Du  Tisne  by  Pawnees 

of  Indian  Territory,  in  1719 252 

Silver  Heels,  Shawnee  Indian 184 

Silver  Heels,  Missouri  river  boat.. . .  310,  325 

Silverheels,  horse  of  Thos.  J.  Smith 531 

Silver  Lake,  Kansas  river  boat,  319,  343,  347 
Silver  Lake,  steamboats  tied  up  at,  in 

1855 318 

Silver-mines  on  the  Missouri 267 

—thought  by  La  Harpe  to  be  in  Mis- 
souri            253 

Silver  Wave,  Missouri  river  boat 310,  316 

Silvers,  Golden 320 

Simcock,  G.  W 470 

Simcock,  J.  H 234 

Simcock,  Mrs.  Mary  H 234 

Simms, ,  master  of  the  Izetta 304 

Simmons  &  Leadbeater,  of  Kansas  City,  336 
Simons,  Menno,  founder  of  the  Mennon- 

ite  church 488 

Simons,  R.  T 368 

Simons,  W.  L 367 

Simpson, ,  of  Lawrence  331 

Simpson,  Donnell,  Lawson  &,  state  fiscal 

agents 411 

Simpson,  B.  F 52,  53,  367,  427 

Simpson,  E 453 

Simpson,  J.  D 469 


General  Index. 


643 


Simpson,  J.  M 

Simpson,  Jerry 

Simpson,  Josiah 329, 

Simpson,  S.  M 

Simpson,  S.  N 

Simpson,  W.  F 

Simpson,  William 

Sims,  Charles 

Sims,  William 420, 

—director  State  Historical  Society 

—secretary  dtate  Board  of  Agriculture, 

Singer,  J.  M. 

Single-tax  clubs 

Singleton,  Benjamin  (Pap),  father  of  the 

exodus 385, 

Sioux  City,  Iowa...  293,  299,  304,  308,  313- 

Sioux  City,  Missouri  river  boat  

Sioux  City  (  No.  1 ) ,  Mo.  river  boat . .  310, 
Sioux  City  (  No.  2),  Mo.  river  boat..  310, 
Sioux  Indians 249,250,255, 

— (Dakotan  stock),  territory  occupied 
by 

—at  the  battle  of  Arickaree 

—boy  at  Shawnee  manual-labor  school 
in  1855 

—cholera  among,  in  1850 

— Custer's  fleet  in  an  expedition  against, 

— losses  in  battle  with  General  Harney, 
September  3,  1855 548, 

— marauding  expedition  of,  in  Lincoln 
county 

—smallpox  among 

Sioux  river 314, 

Sire,  Joseph  A 

Six  Nations,  or  Iroquois  Indians 

Sixth  Kansas  cavalry 13,  323, 

Skaggs,  Larkin 

Skaggs,  Willis 

Skylark,  Missouri  river  boat 

Slane,  Edward  A 

Slaughter,  A 

Slave  labor  compared  with  free  labor.. .. 
Slave  trade,  prohibited  in  the  District  of 

Columbia 

Slave  woman 

Slavens,  Rev.  James  H 

—missionary  to  Peoria  Indians 

Slavery,  abolition  of,  ratified  by  Kansas 
legislature 

— American 

— considered  by  the  Wyandotte  consti- 
tutional convention 

—defeat  of 146, 

— geography  of 

—question  in  the  Wyandot  church 

— suicide  of 

Slaves  at  the  Shawnee  M.  M.  L.  S.,  the 
property  of  Kev.  Thomas  Johnson.. . 

— brought  from  Kentucky  to  Kansas, 
via  the  Ohio 

— on  Missouri  river  steamboats  to  Kan- 
sas  

— to  Kansas,  by  Mrs.  Henry  Rogers 

— in  Kansas,  census  of  1855 

—lost  and  won  at  gambling 

— masters  hesitate  to  remove  with  them 
to  Kansas 

— owned    by    Mackinaw    Beauchemie, 
Moses  and  Jeonie. , 

— rendition  of  fugitive 

Sluss,  H.  C 

Smallpox  among  Indians  of  the  upper 

Missouri  in  1837 242,  291, 

Smith, ,  consul  at  Odessa  . ..     .     493, 

Smith, ,  carpenter  of  Emma  Harmon, 

Smith, ,  master  of  E.  M.Clendenin. .. 

Smith, ,  master  of  Florilda 

Smith,  Mrs. ,  of  Kansas  City 

Smith,  A.  H 

Smith,  Gen.  A.  J 442, 

Smith,  A.  P 

Smith,  Abram  W 116,  367,  416, 

Smith,  C     

Smith,  Caleman 


Smith,  Charles  W.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society V 

—mem ber  State  Historical  Society iv 

Smith,  Chloe  K 19 

Smith,  D.  R 469 

Smith,  E.  R 468 

Smith,  Eben 469 

Smith,  F.  Dumont 100,  368 

—director  State  Historical  Society —      v 

Smith,  F.  E 470 

Smith,  F.  H 368 

Smith,  G.  E 368 

Smith,  G.  W 480 

Smith,  H.J 367 

Smith,  Henry 304 

Smith,  Ira  H.,  journal  clerk  of  senate  of 

1865-'66  .     364 

Smith.  Maj.  J.  Nelson,  death  of,  at  battle 

of  the  Little  Blue 440 

Smith,  Jacob,  introduces  Mennoni*-es  to 

state  officers 495 

Smith,  James 385,  392 

—secretary  of  state 392,  413 

Smith,  Joseph     171,  375,  473 

Smith,  Gen.  Kirby 432 

Smith,  Capt.  L.  C,  of  Rooks  county 42 

Smith,  M.K. 473 

Smith,  Gen.  Persifer  F 362 

Smith,  Samuel  C 543 

Smith,  Gen.  Thomas  A 278 

Smith,  Thomas  James,  city  marshal  of 

Abilene,  his  life  and  services 526-532 

Smith,  W.  C 395 

Smith,  William  H.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society v 

— member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Smith,  William  W 367 

Smith  county 575 

—map 576,  577 

—relief,  1874.  37 

— settlement  and  organization 39-  42 

—statistics  of 35 

—value  of  school  property  in 38 

Smith's  bar,  above  Atchison 297-300 

Smith's  Geography,  1844 106 

Smith's  Landing,  near  St.  Aubert,  Mo. ..  315 
Smoky  Hill  country  burned  over  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1860 15 

Smoky  Hill  river 8,  13,  503,  520,  572 

—declared  unnavigable  by  legislature 

of  1864 354 

—steamboat  Excel  on 323 

— steamer  Col.  Gus  Linn  on 346 

— to  be  joined  to  Arkansas  by  canal  at 

Big  Bend 3.50 

— tin  found  on 17 

-trading-house  on  big  bend  of,  in  1859,    10 

Smoky  Hill  route 573 

Smolensk,  Russia.  491 

Smyth,  Bernard  B.,  The  Heart  of  New 

Kansas ; 566 

Snag  boat,  Archimedes 298' 

— C.  R.  Suter 30O 

— Heliopolis 303 

—Josephine 305 

—S.H.Long 310 

Snead,  Thomas  L.,  quotation  from  his 

The  Fight  for  Missouri 431 ,  464 

Sni  bridge,  retreat  of  Palmer's  company 

over 438 

Snively,  Col.  Jacob,  capture  of  his  Texas 
command    by    Captain    Cooke    near 

Dodge  City  in  1843 553-556 

—note  to  Captain  Cooke,  1843  556 

—reply  of  M.  E.  Hamilton,  February 
16,  1843,  to  his  request  to  fit  out  an  ex- 
pedition to  intercept  and  capture 
Mexican     traders    passing    through 

Texa.'i  territory 554 

Snoddy,  J.  D 367,  384 

Snow,  Edwin  H.,  on  executive  committee 

of  State  Reform  Association 3 

— biographical  notes  on 3 

Snow  (Fred  A.),  Rowley  & 541 


644 


General  Index. 


Snow,  Col.  VV.  M 347 

Snyder,  S.  J.  H  366 

Snyder,  William  L 535 

Social  customs  of  northwest  Kansas 40 

Soil  schoolhouses,  manner  of  building. ..     38 

Soil  of  Kansas,  fertility  of 104 

Soldier  creek,  Shawnee  county 197,  573 

Soldier  hole.  Council  Grove       233 

Soldier  township,  Shawnee  county 194 

Soldiers  at  Fort  Riley  make  trouble  for 

marshal  of  Junction  City .   536 

—of  Kansas     364,  431 

—place  of  voting 382 

Soldiers'    Home,  State,  on  Fort    Dodge 

military  reservation 428,  567 

Soldiers'  rations        550 

Solomon,  Albert,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Solomon,  John,  1st,  Wyandot  Indian —   187 

Solomon,  Mary,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Solomon. iv 

Solomon  river 13 

—buffalo  herd  on 43 

— country 8 

described  by  General  Hazen 107 

—declared  unnavigable  by  the  legisla- 
ture of  1864..  354 

—settlers  on,  abused  by  party  of  Sioux,    15 
Solomon  and  Republican  rivers,  scout  of 

Eighteenth  Kansas  on  444 

Sombart,  O.  VV.,  steamboat 293,  300,  582 

Sombart,  Julius 582 

Sonora,  Missouri  river  boat..     310 

Sonora  chute,  near  Portland,  Mo  ...  299,  310 

Sonyea,  N.  Y iv 

Sorter,  E  ...  469 

Soule,  Bishop  Joshua 172,179,212 

— visit  to  Kansas  Indian  missions,  1833,  168 

Bousley,  Robert 310 

South,  money  raised  by,  for  settlement  of 

Kansas  131 

South  American  states  visited  by  Bishop 
Miege  to  obtain  means  to  pay  for  the 
erection  of  the  Leavenworth  cathe- 
dral.     156,  158 

South  Carolina  aids  free-state  Kansas...  132 
— emigrants  from,  on  board  the  Star  of 

the  West  311 

—flag  at  Lawrence  141 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  185.5-1900 508 

South  Carolinians  at  Kansas  City,  June 

30,  1856 338 

South  Dakota  and  prohibition. 392 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1890-1900 507 

South    Platte,  Sioux    Indian  battle  on, 

Septembers,  1855  549 

South  Point,  Mo 306,  315 

South  sea  238,262,265 

Southern  Alliance 3 

—and  the  Democratic  party,  1890 6 

Southern  cotton  raising  340 

—emigrants,  consignment  of  rifles  for,  337 

to  Kansas  in  1855  and  1856,  126,  305,  508 

— emigration  fostered  by  Missouri  river 

boatmen  and  towns 334 

— plantations.. 341 

— planters  oppose  negro  exodus 385 

Southern  Kansas  railroad 476 

Southwester  (No.  1),  steamboat....  287,  310 
South  wester  (  No.  2  ) ,  Missouri  river  boat,  310 

South  Western,  Missouri  river  boat 293 

Sovereign,  Missouri  river  boat 310 

Sozier,  William 469 

Spangler,  Missouri  river  boat 311 

Spaniards,  Du  Tisne  seeks  a  route  to,  by 
way  of  the  Pawnees    of  the  Indian 

Territory,  1817    252 

Spanish-American  war 323,  573 

Spanish  boys  at  Shawnee  manual-labor 

school  in  1855 189 

— colonization  and  institutions 101 

—contest  with  the  French  for  the  Mis- 
souri valley  .     255 

—expedition  to  the  Missouri  valley  in 
1719,  authorities  differ  in  date  of  same,  255 


Spanish  expedition  exterminated  by  the 

Indians 255 

— explorations  in  Mississippi  valley .. .  238 
—government  gives  Manual  de  Lisa  ex- 
clusive trade  with  the  Osages,  26,246,  267 

gives  reservation  to  Shawnees  in 

Missouri 163 

—licenses  given  Chouteau  to  trade  with 

Osages..  267 

— manuscript  obtained  by  Kansas  His- 
torical Society  from  an  Iowa  Indian,  251 

— mines 251 ,  265 

—moss 341 

— settlements  in  the  West  264 

Spanish  fever  in  Kansas  in  1859 11 

Sparks,  Jared,  Life  of  John  Ledyard 264 

Spaulding,  Azel 469 

Specie  payments,  1867-'68 2 

Speck,  Frederick 468 

Speck,  Joseph 468 

Speer,  Henry  C,  superintendent  of  public 

instruction 392,  413 

Speer,  John 332,  339,  363,  366,  374,  559 

—quoted 460 

—and  family 331 

Speer,  Samuel 363 

Spencer, ,  son  of  Texas  secretary  of 

war 554 

Spencer,  Amos  184 

Spencer,  Charles  F 422 

Spencer,  Ithamar 184 

Spencer,  Rev.  Joab 167,  169,  183,  186 

190,  225,  579,  580 

— biographical  sketch  of..  184 

—missionary  at  Shawnee  Mission  man- 
ual-labor school 230 

— portrait  of 185 

Spencer,  Mrs.  Mary  C 184 

Spencer  carbine 451 

Spilman,  Alexander  C 579 

—comments  on  J.  R.  Mead's  address...     13 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

—sketch  of 12 

Spilman,  Benjamin 579 

Spilman,  Dr.  James  F 12,  579 

Spilman,  Margaret  Caraway 12 

Spillman  creek,  camp  on,  plundered  by 

Indians 14 

—Indian  battle  on,  in  June,  1861 16 

— Lincoln  county,  name  of 13 

Splitlog,  Matthias 469,  579 

—interpreter  at  the  Shawnee  Mission,  186 

Spoils  system 408 

Spooner  &  Howland's  History  of  Ameri- 
can Missions  to  the  Heathen 201 

Spread  Eagle,  American  Fur  Company 

boat 283,293,311.581 

Spread  Eagle   (No.    2),    Missouri  river 

boat  311 

Spriggs.J.R 307 

Spriggs,  William,  state  treasurer 364 

Spring  creek,  Hamilton  county 568 

Spring  House,  above  St.  Charles,  Mo....  316 
Spring  River, -,  convention  of  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church  at,  1845 191 

Springer,  James 91 

Springfield,  Mo 464 

Springfield  rifles 445 

Spurs,  Battle  of 577 

Squatter  sovereignty  in  Kansas 117 

Squaw-men    .  129 

Squires,  A.  B 470 

Squirrels 8 

Stafford,  Charles  352 

Stambaugh,  William  S 526 

— quoted  in  regard  to  the  murder  of 
Thos.  J.  Smith,  city  marshal  of  Abi- 
lene   531 

Stanard,  E.  O.,  Missouri  river  boat  ...     314 
Standard  Oil  Company,  fight  of  Kansas 

legislature  against  94 

Stand watie 459 

Stanley,  V.  K 233 

Stanley,  William  E 417,  423 


General  Index. 


645 


Stanton,  Sec.  Fred  P 134, 

Stanton,  John  

Stanton,  Col.  T.  H 

Stahl,  Lieut.  Francis  M 

Star  line  of  steamboats 

Star  of  the  West,  boat  on  Missouri  and 

Kansas  rivers 287,  319,  329,  347, 

— brings  100  slaves  to  Kansas. 

—emigrants  from  Georgia,  Alabama, 
South  Carolina,  and  Kentucky  ;  abo- 
litionists on  board 

—stopped  at  Weston,  Mo.,  and  made 
to  turn  back  with  free-state  passen- 
gers  

Stark  county,  Ohio 

Starr,  Rev.  Frederick 

State  ethics 

State  guard.  Missouri  

State  Historical  Society 

State  railroad  convention,  Topeka,  Oc- 
tober, 1860 

State     Reform    Association,    organized 
from    Videttes    and     Union     Labor 

party 

State  of  Kansas,  steamboat 293, 

State  of  Missouri,  steamboat 293, 

Statecraft. xi, 

Stateler,  Rev.  Learner  B 215,  218, 

— missionary  to  the  Delaware  Indians, 

sketch  of 

— missionary  to  the  Shawnees 

— portrait  of. 

—presiding  elder  Kansas  river  district, 
— teacher  at  Delaware  and  Wyandot 

missions 226, 

—teacher    at    Shawnee    manual-labor 

school 227, 

Stateler,  Mrs.  Melinda 

—portrait  of. 

Statesman,  Junction  City 

Statie  Fisher,  Missouri  river  boat 

Statistics,  Kansas 126,  127, 

—of  the  West 

Stauber,  Anna  L  

Steam-whistles 

Steamboating,  height  of,  on  the  Missouri 
river  in  1858  ..  ....   291, 

—revived  by  discovery  of  gold  in  Mon- 
tana in  1862 

Steamboats,  depreciation  of 

—cuts  of  279,  292, 

— difficulties  of,  in  navigating  the  Mis- 
souri river 

—disasters  of 

^employees  on 

— first  stern-wheeler  on  Western  waters, 

the  Western  Engineer  

—fuel,  scarcity  of,  on  Missouri  river. .. 

— growth  of  traffic 

— insurance  of 

— invention  of 274 , 

-lifoof 

—line  from  Alton,  111.,  to  Leavenworth 

and  Lawrence  proposed 

— manner  of  raising  sunken 

-Missouri  river,  cholera  on 

list  of 295- 

— of  1840-'6O,  description  of 278- 

— on  Missouri,  Lawrence  merchants 
protest  searching  of  goods  on,  and 
payment  of  extra  tax  for  transpor- 
tation   

—passing  of 293, 

-profit  of 

— racing  of,  on  the  Missouri 

—rates  of,  on  the  Kansas  river 

on  the  Missouri  river —  291,  294, 

— social  features  of.. 

— taken  up  the  Yazoo  river  and  burned 

by  Confederates 

— twenty-three    burned    at    St.    Louis 

wharf.  May  17,  1849 

— use  of,  in  civil  war 

— wreck  of,  first,  on  the  Missouri  river. 


Steamboat  wrecks  on  the  Missouri  river, 
list  published  in  report  of  Missouri 

River  Commission,  1897 288, 

— Wyandot  Indians  come  to  Kansas  on, 

Stearns,  Charles 

Stearns,  George  L 

— financial  aid  given  Kansas,  132,  134, 

Stearns,  Mrs.  Mary  L 

Steckel,  Albert,  member  State  Historical 
Society 

Stella  Blanch,  Missouri  river  boat 

Steos,  R 

Stephen  Decatur,  Missouri  river  boat. .. 

Stephens 

Stephens,  Capt.  Joseph  L 300, 

Stephens,   Lon  V.,  ex-governor  of  Mis- 
souri  

Stephens,  William 

Steppes,  Russian 

Sterling,  H.  W.,  member  State  Historical 
Society  

Sternberg,  T.J 

Sterne,  Wm.  E 

Stevens,  Carrie  L 

Stevens,  Fred ...   

Stevens,  John,  steamboat  inventor 

Stevens,  John  W 

Stevens,  R.  S 468,  473, 

Stevens,  Thaddeus 

Stevens,  William 

Stevens  county 

—map 

Stewart,  A.  C 

Stewart,  Alex 

Stewart,  J.  J 

Stewart,  Jim 

Stewart,  John 421, 

Stewart,  John,  mulatto,  first  missionary 
to  the  Wyandots 81,  82, 

Stewart,  John  W 468, 

Stewart,  Pat 

Stewart,  S.  J 98, 

Stewart,  W 

Stiarwalt,  John ^ 473, 

Still,  Rev.  Abraham 217, 

— missionary  among  the  Shawnees  on 

the  Wakarusa 

—presiding  elder   Platte  Mission  dis- 
trict        

— teacher  at  Shawnee  M.  M.  L.  S.  and 
Delaware  and  Wyandot  mission 

Still,  Dr.  Andrew  T 

Still,  Henry 

Still,  Mrs.  Mary  M 

Stillings,  Edward,  lawyer 

Stillwell,  Mrs.  Anna  L 

Stillwell,  J.  S 

Stillwell,  Leander,  member  State   His- 
torical Society iv, 

— sketchof 

—tribute  to  Judge  Kingman 

Stinson,  Jessie  Fremont 

Stinson,  Mrs.  Julia  Ann,  sketch  of  the 

Pottawatomie  mission  .  

—statement  regarding  the  building  of 
the  Hhawnee  manual-labor  school. .. 

Stinson,  Samuel  A 61, 

Stinson,  Mrs  Tbomas  N 

Stock-killing  law 

Stock-yards,  Abilene 528, 

Stockbridge  Indians  at  Indian  Mission 
conference,  1844 

Stockholders,  individual  liability  of 

Stocks,  F.  A 

Stockstill,  Troy 

Stockton,  J.  S 

Stoddard,  Maj.  Amos,  his  version  of  the 
Spanish  expedition  to  the  Missouri 

in  1719 

— Sketches  of  Louisiana 

Stone,  Eliza  May,  life  member  of  State 
Historical  Society... 

Stone.  Truman  Lewis,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 


646 


General  Index. 


Stone,  W.  B.,  director  State  Historical 

Society v 

—life  member  State  Historical  Society,    iii 
Stone  corral,    fort  and   breastworks  in 

Rice  county,  location  of      572 

Stonehouse  creek,  Jefferson  county,  Kan- 
sas Indian  agency  on 321 

Stonewall,  Missouri  river  boat 311 

Storrs,  Rev.  S.  D 469 

Stotler,  Jacob 362,  366,  469 

Stover,  Elias  S 363,  367 

—relief  agent 37 

Stover,  Solomon  G 426 

Strang,  J.  C 427 

Stratton,  C.  H    366 

Strawberries  gathered  by  passengers  of 
the  Emma  Harmon  on  banks  of  Kan- 
sas river 331 

Strawn,  Jacob 545 

Strawn,  Capt.  William 545 

Streams,  Kansas,  naming  of 13 

Street,  Baker  &,  Westport  merchants...  564 

Street,  William  D 367,  568 

—sketch  of 33 

— The  Victory  of  the  Plow,  address  be- 
fore Historical  Society,  December  6, 

1904  33 

Streeter,  Allison  J.,  candidate  of  Union 

Labor  party  for  president,  1888 2 

Streeter,  James 473 

Strickler,  S.  M   364 

Stringer,  Sergeant 444 

Stringfellow,  Benjamin  F..  136,  138,  141,  338 
468,  472,  473,  475 
—acknowledges  defeat   of    slavery  in 

Kansas        142 

— extract  from  speech  at  St.  Joseph. ..  141 
—Kansas  indebted  to,  for  his  aid  in 

securing  railroads  for  Kansas 478 

— in  railroad  convention  of  1860 474 

— memorial  of,  to  Congress  on  Kansas 

railroads 476 

Stringfellow,  Dr.  John  H 142 

Strobe,  George 535 

Strong, ,  teacher  of  Leavenworth  Col- 
legiate Institute 235 

Strong,  Frank,  director  State  Historical 

Society        v 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Strong  City 571 

Strychnine,  used  securing  wolf  pelts,  16,  558 

Stuart,  Lieut.  J.  E.  B. 563 

Stubbs,  Mahlon,  agent  Kansas  Indians..  522 
Stubbs,  Walter  R.,  life  member  of  State 

Historical  Society iii 

Stuckslagger,  C 469 

Students,  place  of  voting 382 

Sublette  &  Campbell 308 

Success,  Missouri  river  boat .  — 316 

Suffrage  amendments  of  1867,  rejected...  383 
Sugar  Creek  Catholic  mission  among  the 

Pottawatomies,  location  of  570 

—map,  in  No.  2,  Linn  county 576 

Suicide  of  slavery 138 

Sully,  Gen.  Alfred    297,299.304 

—regiment    for    Indian    campaign    of 

1868-'69  organized  by 70,     71 

Sully.  Missouri  river  boat 311,  316 

Sultan,  Missouri  river  boat 311,  582 

— brings  party  of  free-state  passengers 

to  Kansas  in  July,  1856..  338 

Sultan  bend  of  the  Missouri  river 269 

Summers,  W.  H 137 

Sumner,  Charles 120,  374 

Sumner,  Col.  Edwin  V 359,  563 

— in  command  of  Fort  Leavenworth. ..  359 
— reports  and  correspondence  relative 
to  the  dispersion  of  the  Topeka  legis- 
lature, July  4,  1856 360,  540-545 

—was  his  action  in  dispersing  the  To- 
peka legislature  the  cause  of  his  re- 
moval?    359 

Sumner,  Atchison  county 302 

Sunflowers 11 


Sunrise  rock,  Council  Grove 233 

Sunset,  Missouri  river  boat 311,  316 

Superior  City 343,  469 

Supreme  court,  Kansas  state,  first  ap- 
pearance of  a  young  attorney  before,    63 
Supreme  court  of  Kansas,  amendment  of 
constitution    increasing   number   of 

justicesof 382,383,419 

Surveyors  on  the  Saline  river  in  1858 13 

Susie  Silver,  Missouri  river  boat 311 

Susquehanna  or  Conestoga  Indians 73 

Suter,  Maj.  Charles  R.,  remarks  on  the 
Kansas  river  navigation  in  1879     . .      355 
— report  on  Kansas  river  navigation  in 

1893..  356 

Suter,  C.  R.,  Missouri  river  boat 300 

Suts-tau-ra-tse,  Wyandot  chief 79 

Sutter's  mill,  California 556 

Sutton,  Missouri  river  boat 311 

Swain,  Joseph  B.,  ruffianly  conduct  of..  458 

Swallow,  J.  R 469 

— auditor  of  state.  364 

Swan,  J.  C,  Missouri  river  boat 304 

Swan's  neck  on  pole  carried  by  Fox  In- 
dians   323 

S wanac,  Capt. 204 

Sweeney,  James 302 

Swift, ,  captain  of  the  Saranak..318,  333 

Swift,FrankB 366 

Swinney,  Capt.  W.  D 583 

Swiss  emigration  to  Kansas 488 

Switzerland,  citizens  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855,  508 

— Kansas  emigrant  agent  in.. 495 

— Mennonite  church  originates  in 488 

S witzler  creek,  Osage  county 572 

— ferry  at  Burlingame   9 

Swivel,  keel-boats  armed  with 272 

Sykes,  Gen.  George 460 

Symns,  Andrew  B.,  of  Atchison 287,  303 


Tabor,  Horace  A.  W 339 

Tabor,John  F 339 

Tacomy,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Tacony,  Missouri  nver  boat 311,  316 

Taeufer,  original  of  Mennonite  church..  488 
Taft,  William   H.,  address,  Kansas-Ne- 
braska Bill  and  Decoration  Day,  To- 
peka, May  30,  1904.  115 

Taganrog,  wheat  port  of  Mennonites —  489 

Tahlequah,  Indian  Territory 179 

Tah-poo-skah,  Kaw  name  for  T.  S.  Huf- 

faker 234 

Talbot,  Rev.  N.  M.  ..       176,  179,  206,  215,  581 
— missionary  among  Peorias.  .       211 

—missionary  to  the  Kickapoo  Indians,  209 
—presiding  elder  Kansas  River  district,  227 

-sketch  of  211 

—teacher  at  the  Peoria,  Pottawato- 
mie, Kickapoo  and  Delaware  mis- 
sions  226,  227,  229 

Talleyrand,  Missouri  river  boat 311 

Tama  county,  Iowa 250 

Tamerlane,  Missouri  river  boat 311 

Tarns,  John 473 

Taos,  N.  M  560,567,572,576 

Tappan,  Samuel  F 544 

Tarhe,  Wyandote  chief 80 

Tarlton,  C^ol.  Meredith  R 238 

Tarlton,  Teresa  Ellen 238 

Tarrtt,  N.  M...  469 

Tartars,  effort  of  Catherine  II  to  secure 

intermarriage  witli  Mennonites 489 

Tauroomee,  Wyandot  chief,  opposes  citi- 
zenship of  the  tribe 87 

Tawaconie  Indians 242 

Tax.  direct,  paid  in  1861,  refunded  by  the 

United  States 429 

Taxation,  municipal 418 

— property  exempted  from 383 

Taxes  collected  in  1864,  amount  of 364 

—in  1905,  amount  of 364 

Taylor,  Alfred 414 


General  Index. 


647 


Taylor,  Edwin 

Taylor.P.Z 346,  468,  473, 

Taylor,R.B 

Taylor,  T.  J 

Taylor,  T.T 

Taylor,  William 

Teachers'  Association,  State 

Teal,  blue-winged 

Tecumseh  or  Tecumtha,  Shawnee  Indian 

chief 164, 

— sides  with  the  British  in  war  of  1812. . 
Tecumseh,  Shawnee  county.,  iv,  212,  343, 

—Emma  Harmon,  arrives  at 

Tecumseh  island 333, 

Telegraph,  Pacific 

Temperance,  Governor  St.  John's  views 

on 

Tempest  (No.  1 ) ,  Missouri  river  boat. . . . 
Tempest  (  No.  2),  Missouri  river  boat.. .. 

Tennessee 12, 

—Farmers' Alliance  in ... 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas. 130,  507, 

— negro  exodus  to  Kansas  from 

Tennessee  river    306, 

Tennessee,  Confederate  gunboat 

Tennessee,  Missouri  river  boat 

Tensas,  Miss 

Ten-squa-ta-wa,  or  Shawnee  prophet.... 

^portrait  of    

Tenth  United  States  cavalry,  company  F, 

Tepfer,  Mrs.  J.  H 

Terpinje,  Russia  ...:     

Terrill, ,  master  of  the  !-onora 

Terrill,  Capt.  William  

Territorial  claims  commission  of  1859  — 
— legislature,  1855,  commented  on  by  St. 

Liouis  l7iteUipencer.     

elected  by  Missouri  voters 

— period  of  Kansas 

— railroad  convention,  1860 

"  Terror  of  the  Gulch  "  whipped  by  Thos. 

A.  Cullinan 

Tewkshury  (  Mass.)  almshouse.  

Texas  republic,  claims  of,  to  southwest 

corner of  Kansas 

— correspondence  of  M.  E.  Hamilton 
and  Col.  Jacob  Snively  regarding  an 
expedition  from  Texas  to  intercept 
and   capture    property    of    Mexican 

traders 

—hostilities  of,  with  Mexico,  in  1843... 

— military    command    of    Col.    Jacob 

Snively,    captured    by   Capt.   P.    St. 

Geo.  Cooke  on  the  upper  Arkansas, 

near  Fort  Dodge,  in  1843 553- 

— and  Mexico,  boundary  line  of,  in  1843, 

Texas,  annexation  of  state  of 

— cattle  trade  and  its  relation  to  Abi- 


close  of,  at  Abilene . 

— cattle  used  to  plow  T.    C.   Henry's 
wheat-fields 

— colony  established  by  La  Salle  in  1684 
at  Fort  St.  Louis 

—negro  exodus  from 

— origin  of  Farmers'  Alliance  in 

— nativesof,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507, 

— prisons  of,  in  the  civil  war 436, 

— rangers 

— Dnited  States  Second  dragoons  in. .. 

Texas  fever  among  cattle  

Text-book  Commission,  State 

Thacher,  Solon  Otis,  47,  53,  367,  378,  473, 

Thacher,  T.  D.,  state  printer 392, 

Thames,  Missouri  river  boat. 

Tharp,  W.  H.,  member  State  Historical 

Society     

Thatcher,  Mrs.  Florence  Fox 

Thavis, .  of  Johnson  county 

Thavis, ,  Washington  correspondent, 

Thayer,  Eli..  ..     .. 

— organization    of   the    New  England 
Emigrant  Aid  Company  by 121, 

—reward  offered  for 


Thayer,  1 453 

Thayer,  Kan 19 

The  Aged   Man's   Funeral,   by   William 

CuUen  Bryant 54 

Thieves  unknown  in  northwest  Kansas 

in  early  days 42 

Third  Kansas  regiment 443,  456 

Thisler,  M.  D 505 

Thomas,  Chester 535 

Thomas,  Chester,  jr 308 

Thomas, Dr.E 380 

Thomas,  Lieut.  Peleg 443,  452 

Thomas,  Col.  Thomas 511 

Thomas  county  statistics   35 

—value  of  school  property  in 38 

Thomas  Jefferson,  first  boat  wrecked  on 

the  Missouri  river  311 

—steamboat  of  Yellowstone  expedition 

of  1819.   277 

Thomas  E.  Tutt,  steamboat ....  293,  311,  581 
Thomas  Morgan,  Missouri  river  boat —  316 

Thomas  Stevens,  Missouri  river  boat 3H 

Thompson, ,  killing  of  Andrew  Rod- 

rigue  by 341 

Thompson,  Dr.  A.  H.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society v 

Thompson,  David 534 

Thompson,  G.  A.,  Missouri  river  boat 314 

Thompson,  G.  W 367 

Thompson,  Jacob,  secretary  of  the  in- 
terior   133 

Thompson,  Tom 511 

Thompson,  Waddy 556 

Thompson,  Camp 569 

Thorn,  Tommy,  hunter  at  Salina 18 

Thornton, ,  of  Topeka 545 

Thornton,  Coon 433,  459 

Thornton,  T.  G 468,  473 

Thrailkill,  John 433,  459 

Three  forks  of  the  Missouri 237 

Throckmorton,  Joseph  W.,  master  of  the 

Florence  (  Nos.  1  and  2) ... .  302,  307.  584 
— captain  of  the  Geneva  (No.  2)   and 

Platte  Valley 302,  308 

—master  of  the  General  Brooks 302 

— master  of  the  John  Golong 305 

—master  of  the  Malta  ...    306 

—master  of  the  War  Eagle 312 

Throckmorton,  J 364 

Throckmorton,  Job.   366 

Thurston,  Col.  Orlin  22 

Thurston  county,  Nebraska     ...         ....  250 

Thwaites,  Reuben  Gold,  Jesuit  Relations,  238 

—Lewis  and  Clark 524 

Tiblow,  Henry,  interpreter  for  the  Shaw- 

nees  and  Dela wares 186-207 

Tiblow 355 

Tidal  Wave,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Tidy  Adula,  Missouri  river  boat 311 

Tiffany,  Dr. ,  of  St.  Louis 295 

rrm^*.  Dodge  City 408 

Timour  (No.  1),  Missouri  river  boat,  310,  311 
Timour   (No.  2),    Missouri   river   boat, 

wrecked  by  explosion  of  boilers 311 

Tin-mine  on  Saline  river,   reported   by 

Mudeater,  a  guide  of  Fremont 17 

Tincher,  George  VV xi 

Tionontates  or  Wyandots 74 

Tippecanoe,  Shawnees  in  battle  of 165 

Tipton,  Mo 434 

Titus,  Benjamin 90 

Titus, Eli 93 

—sketch  of 90 

Titus,  Col.  Henry  T.  547 

Titus,  I.  B.,  ferry  at  Burlingame 9 

Titus,  Mrs.  Lillie 90 

Tobacco  crop  of  1869 238 

—manufacturer  of  Missouri   583 

Tobacco  nation.  Nation  du  Paten  74 

Tobacco  Plant,  Missouri  river  boat  312 

Todd,  Ambrose 470 

Todd,  Bill 433,459,464 

Todd,  Mary,  missionary  to  the  Shawnees,  165 
Todtleben,  General  von 492 


648 


General  Index. 


Toll-bridge  at  Burlingame 

Tom  Morgan,  Kansas  and  Missouri  river 

boat 319, 

Tomahawk 

Tomahawk  creek,  Johnson  county 

Tompkins,  Missouri  river  boat 

Tompkins  county,  New  York 

Tongue  river 

Ton ty,  Henri  de 257, 

—companion  of  La  Salle,  sketch  of.... 

—trip  down  the  Missouri  in  1689 

Tooley  orTooly,  Shawnee  Indian,  184,331, 

—ferry  of,  on  the  Kansas  river 

Topeka iv,  v,  xi,  9,  309,  468,  470, 

—a  beneficiary  of  G.  G.  Gage 

— city  park 

—Commercial  Club  of 

—constitution  hall  in 

—corn  shipped  from,  in  1859 347, 

—drawbridge    across    Kansas   wasked 

away  in  flood,  July  25,  1858 

— E.  C.  K.  Garvey  owner  of  first  print- 

ing-oSice  in 

^Emma  Harmon  at  levee  of.  May,  1855, 

—federal  building  in 

—flood  of  June,  1903,  at 

— free-state  convention,  July  3,  4,  1856, 

held  at 541, 

—Hotel  Throop 

— King  bridge  shops,  Mennonite  emi- 
grants in 

—Memorial  day.  May  30,  1904 

— metropolitan  police  of 

—negro  exodus  to 

— relief  goods  brought  from  Atchison 

on  the  Kansas  Valley,  1861 

—Santa  Fe  railway  building  in 

—situated  on  Indian  float 

— steamboat  landing  at 

—women's  clubs  of 

Topeka  constitution 122, 

Topeka  constitutional  convention 

Topeka  constitutional  movement 

Topeka  legislature,  census  taken  by,  in 

summer  of  1857 

—story  of  the  dispersion  of,  by  James 

Red path 

— members  of,  held  as  prisoners 

—Dispersal  of,  paper  by  Abby  H.  Ware, 
— reports  and  correspondence  relative 

to  dispersion  of 

—was  the   dispersion    of   by    Colonel 
Sumner  the  cause  of  his  removal  1 . .. 

Topeka  State  Hospital,  building  of 

Topping,  E.  H 

Totten,  A.  J 

Totten,  William 

Toulee's  ferry  on  the  Kansas 

Toulouse  accompanies  Bourgmont 

Touzalin,  A.  E.,  general  passenger  agent 
and  land  commissioner  of  A.  T.&S.  F., 

Towboat  Peerless 

Towell,Corp.J.  H.,mortally  wounded, 446, 

Town  sites  of  early  Kansas 

Towns,  paper 

Tracy,  Gertrude 

Trade  of  St.  Louis  with  Kansas  endan- 
gered by  pro-slavery  troubles  on  the 

Missouri 

Traders,  articles  received  by,  in  barter 

with  Indians 

—articles  used  in  barter  with  Indians 

inl719 

—reputation  for  honesty 

Trading-houses  of  Bent 

Trading  Post,  Linn  county,  in  the  Price 

raid 442, 

Trading-post  of  A.  G.  Boone,  near  Pueblo, 

Colo 

—of  Girard  &  Chouteau,  location  of . . . 

map.  No.  1,  Linn  county 

Trading-posts  among  the  Kansas  In- 
dians in  Jefl^ersou,  Shawnee  and  Mor- 
ris counties,  locations  of 194, 


Trading-posts,  map 576 

Train,  George  Francis 372 

Tramp  steamboats 291 

Transfer  boat,  C.  P.  Huntington 313 

— Lizzie  Campbell 315 

Transportation  in  Kansas  in  1855 330 

—of  oil  and  gas 97 

Trapper,  fur  company  boat 283,312 

Trappers  and  traders,  pirogues  and  keei- 

boats  used  by 318 

Trappers  in  northwest  Kansas 41 

—mode  of  life  of ....  267 

— of  the  Missouri 266 

—reputation  for  honesty 558 

Travel  from  the  West  in  1855  by  way  of 
the  Mississippi  river  and  Atlantic. .  548 

Travel,  modes  of .319 

Traveling  in  Kansas  in '40's  and '50's,  178,  181 

—in  Russia 490-494 

Traveling  Library  Commission  of  Kan- 
sas      61 

Travis,  Frank  L.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society iv 

Treasury,  constitutional  amendment  reg- 
ulating drawing  of  money  from 382 

—Kansas,  monthly  examinations  of.. .  429 

Trees  on  Western  plains 108 

Trego  county 573 

—map 576,  577 

Trenton,  a  fur-company  boat 312 

Tribune,  Lawrence. 352,  374 

Tribttne,  New  York 11 

Tribune,  Topeka 347 

Tributary,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Troja,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Tropic,  Missouri  river  boat 285,  312,  325 

Troubles  in   Kansas,  report  of   special 

committee  to  investigate 331 

Troutman,  James  A.,  tribute  to  Edward 

Grafstrom 500 

Troutman,  Mrs.  Marcia 501 

Trover,  Missouri  river  boat 312,  316 

Trover  point,  upper  Missouri  river 316 

Troy  Conference  Academy,  Poultney,Vt.,  371 

Trudeau,P 453 

True,L 470 

Trusts  and  monopolies 418 

Tucker,  Edwin 367 

Tucker,  G.  E 368 

Tucker,H.H 453 

Tuinontatek  or  Wyandots 74 

Tula,  Shawnee  Indian 331 

Turin  University 23 

Turkey  creek,  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  557 

Turkey  creek,  Johnson  county 559 

Turkey  creeks.  Little,  Big,  and  Running, 

Dickinson  county 10 

Turkeys,  wild 8,16,     40 

Turner,  Leonidas  L 91 

Turner 375 

Turpin,  I.  J 470 

Tuscarora  Indians 73 

—tribe  of  the  Iroquois 243 

Tuscumbia,  Missouri  river  boat 295,  312 

Tutt,  Thomas  E.,  a  St.  Louis  banker....  311 

Tuttle.  A 469 

Twilight,  steamboat,  Capt.  J.  Shaw 287 

Twilight,  Missouri  river  boat 293,  312 

Twin,  Preble  county,  Ohio .50 

Twin  City,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Twiss,  Charles  P 363,473 

Tyler,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Typhoid  fever  in  Kansas  in  1867 135 


Ulden,  J.  P 469 

Ummethun,  George 414 

Underbill,  D 366 

Undine,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Fjuom,  Junction  City 340,  435 

Union  Labor  party,  convention  of,  Wich- 
ita, 1888 2 

—disbands  in  Kansas 3,      4 


General  Index. 


Union  Labor  party,  organization  of,  in 

Cincinnati  in  1888 2 

—vote  of,  in  Kansas  in  1888 3 

Union  military  scrip 411 

Union  militia 434 

Union  Pacific  hotel,  Abilene 529 

Union   Pacific  R.  R.,  39,85,372,387,407,  503 

—construction  of 353,  531 

— experiment  of,  in  agriculture 107 

—Fremont's  survey  of  route  for 560 

— gives  free  ride  to  Kansas  legislature, 

1865 365 

—Kansas  division  of 476 

— Kaw  Valley  branch  of 373 

— land  grant  to 476 

—Platte  Valley  branch  of 373 

—Texas  cattle  first  shipped  over 527 

Union  packet  line  between  St.  Louis  and 

St.  Joseph.  Mo 287 

Union  Republican  ticket  of  1864 47 

Union  soldiers  murdered  by  Quantrill...  416 
— sympathizers  of  Missouri  killed  by 

guerrillas 466 

Union  Station,  a  mission  among  Osages,  248 

Uniontown,  Shawnee  county 212 

—location  of 573 

—map 576 

United  States  army  on  the  frontier  in- 
adequate to  Indian  emergencies 391 

—Bureau  of  Ethnology 238 

—cavalry,  First 359 

Third,  formerly  mounted  rifles..      558 

— district  attorney  for  Kansas,  Geo.  R. 

Peck 144 

— dragoons  present  at  dispersion  of  the 

Topeka  legislature 542,  543 

—early  treaties  with  Indians 80 

— military  stores,  transportation  to  and 
storing  of,  in  government  warehouse 

at  Kansas  City 559 

— military  officers,  courtesy  of 563 

—senator  for  Kansas,  election  of,  1865. .  364 

University  of  Kansas,  Lawrence 12,  152 

— building.s  of 391 

University  of  Michigan 414 

Upper  Missouri  river  steamboats,  list  of,  313 

Upper  Sandusky,  Ohio 213 

Upson, G.E 469 

Up-stream  people 250 

Urilda,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Usher.J.P 53 

U.  S.  Mail,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Utah 531 

—expedition  of  1857 550 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1870-1900 507 

Utah,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Ute  Indian  commission 46 

Ute  Indians 535 


Valencia,  Shawnee  county 195, 

Valentine,  D.  A 

—director  State  Historical  Society 

Valentine,  Daniel  M 60,  364, 

—sketch  of 

—tribute  to  Judge  Samuel  A.  Kingman, 
Valentine,  Harry  E.,  member  State  His- 
torical Society 

Valentine,  Miss  Martha  R 

Valentino,  Mrs.  Rebecca  K 

Valentine,  Richard. 

Valley  Falls,  school  of  J.  B.  McAfee  in 

Lutheran  chuch  of 

Van  Buren,  Ark.,  battle  of 431, 

—raid  on 

Vance,  Zebuh>n  B 

Van  Fosson,  N 

Van  Horn,  Col.  Robert  T 340, 

—clerk  of  the  Helen  Marr 

Van  Quickenborn,  Father  Chas.  Felix,  20, 

—sketch  of 

Vansly ke,  D 


Vashon,  Geo. ,  letter  to  Rev.  Jesse  Greene, 
dated  July,  1830,  relative  to  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  mission  among  the 

Shawnees  in  Kansas 166 

Vaughan,  Col.  A.  J.,  subagent  to  the  Pot- 

tawatomies 212 

Vaughan,  Lee 212 

Vaughn,  Mary  M 192 

Vaughn, Tom 510 

Veale,  Col.  Geo.  W 342,367,469 

— director  State  Historical  Society v 

—member  State  Historical  Society —     iv 
—second  vice-president  of   the    State 

Historical  Society iii 

Vegetables  in  Kansas  in  1860 481 

Velocipede,  Mississippi  river  boat 295 

Venezuela  boundary  commission,  D.  J. 

Brewer  member  of 62 

Verdigris  river 577 

— Osages  on 26 

Vermillion,  S.  Dak 315,  316 

Vermillion  river,  on  the  upper  Missouri 

river 305,  315 

Vermillion  sea 239,  262,  265 

Vermont,  emigrants  from,  on  the  Wm. 

Campbell  in  1856 312 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507,  508 

—people  in  Kansas  by  1860 130 

Vernon  county,  Missouri,  History  of,  by 

R.  I.  Holcombe 246,  267 

—Osages  in,  at  time  of  Pike's  visit,  1806,  254 

Verwyst,  Chrysostum 262 

Veterinary  surgeon  for  Kansas 405 

Veto  amendment  to  the  constitution  —  382 

Vicksburg,  Miss 309,311 

— faUof 297,  416 

Victoria,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Victory  of  the  Plow,  paper  by  William 

D.  Street 33 

Videttes,  National  Order  of 2,      6 

—ritual  of,  exposed 3 

Vienna,  Austria 308 

Vienna,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Vilna,  Russia 491 

Vilott,  F 453 

Vincent,  C 3,      4 

Vincent,  Henry,  on  executive  committee 

State  Reform  Association 3 

Vinita,  I.  T 206,  254 

Vint.  Stillings,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Viola  Belle,  Missouri  river  boat 312,  316 

Violet,  Kansas  river  boat 316,  319 

— history  of 340 

Virginia 295,  552 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1855-1900..  507,  508 

—people  in  Kansas  by  1860 130 

Vivaldi,  C.  F.  de,  secretary  railroad  con- 
vention of  1860 476,480 

Vivier,  Father  Louis,  quoted 241 

—comments  on  the  water  of  the  Mis- 
souri   263 

Vogle,  Louis 560,564 

Volga,  Mennonite  settlements  on 489 

Volhynia,  Russian  province 489 

Voorhees,  Daniel  W 386 

Voting-places  of  soldiers,  sailors,  stu- 
dents,  paupers,  etc.,  constitutional 

amendment 382 

Voyageurs 267,270,277 

Vrooman,  H.  P 378 

W. 

Wabash  river,  Omaha  habitat 250 

Wabaunsee,  Kan 347,469,474 

Wabaunsee  county 354,  363,  472,  473,  475 

—map 576 

—relief  received  in  1861 484 

Waco,  Tex [548 

Waco  Indians 242 

Wade,  Benjamin  F 120,  224 

Waggener,  Bailie  P 53,  98,  368 

—director  State  Historical  Society  —      v 
—life  member  State  Historical  Society,   iii 


650 


General  Index. 


Wagon  roads  of  Kansas 565 

Wagon  train  of  Tenth  U.  S.  infantry  and 

Eighteenth  Kansas 445,  449,  450 

Wagon  trains,  fitting  out  of,  at  Westport,  556 

Wagon  transportation 322 

Waite,  Dr.  W.  F.,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society iv 

Wakarusa  creek 197,  579 

—Bluejacket's  crossing  on 331 

— Methodist  mission  among  the  Shaw- 
nees  in  Douglas  county,  location  of..  566 

map 576 

Rev.  Abraham  Still,  missionary  at,  192 

WaKeeney  388 

Wakefield,  Judge  John  A 364,  543,  546 

Wakefield iv 

Wakeman,  Charles 473 

Wakenda,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Wakenda,  near  Carrollton,  Mo 311 

Walcott.A.  G 469,  473 

Waldo,  Horatio 469 

Wales,  citizens  of,  in  Kansas  in  1855 508 

Walk-in-the-Water,  Missouri  river  boat..  316 

Walker&Chick 336 

Walker, ,  captain  of  the  Bellemont. .  298 

Walker  family  of  Wyandots 213 

Walker,  Ben , 389 

Walker,  Mrs.  Hannah 218 

Walker,  Isaiah 468 

Walker.Joel  82 

Walker.M.R 217,469 

Walker,  Mrs.  Margaret  E 372 

Walker,  Martha.  217,218,221 

Walker,  Morgan  461 

Walker,  Gov.  Robert  J 134,  307 

Walker,  Col.  Sam,  leader    of  free-state 

forces  at  capture  of  Fort  Titus 547 

Walker,  Capt.  Samuel  H.,  Texas  ranger,  558 

Walker,  Thaddeus  H.,  biography  of 371 

Walker,  William 469 

—articles  drawn  up  by  him  and  ad- 
dressed to  Rev.  A.  Monroe,  in  behalf 
of  the  members  of  the  M.  E.  Church 

South,  at  Wyandotte 216 

—at  Indian  conference,  October,  1848..     84 
—extracts  from  his  diary  regarding  the 
slavery  question  in  the  Wyandot  M. 

E.  church 215,  217,  221 

—sketch  of  85 

Walker,  W.  W.,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Wallace  county 394,  573,  577 

-map 576 

Wallace's  History  of  Illinois  and  Louisi- 
ana under  French  Rule 249 

Walnut  creek.  Barton  county 566 

Walter  B.  Dance,  Missouri  river  boat,  316,  581 

Wamego. 355 

Wampum-belts 84 

Wandat  or  Wyandot  ...   74 

Wapaughkonetta  (Ohio)  Shawnees 164 

Wapello,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

War-club 15 

War  Eagle,  Missouri  river  boat.. 293,  312 

"War  is  hell" 126 

Warofl812 274 

— Kaw  Indians  side  with  British  in. .. .  259 
— Wyandots  divided  in  their  support  of 
the  English  and  the  United  States. ...     80 

Ward,  Mary  E.,  Peoria  Indian 189 

Ward,  R.  B 368 

Ward  farm,  near  Westport 556 

Ware,  Abby  Huntington,  paper  on  The 
Dispersal  of  the  Topeka  State  Legis- 
lature of  1856 540 

Ware,  Eugene  Fitch 367,  540 

— director  State  Historical  Society v 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Ware,  J.  A     308 

Warkentin,  Mr. ,  of  Terpinje,  Russia,  494 

Warkentin,  Bernhard 494 

Warping    272 

Warren,  G.  F 473 

Warren,  Lieut.  C.  K.,  report  on  the  Mis- 
souri and  the  Great  Plain,  1858 106 


Warrensburg,  Mo 433,  434 

Warrior,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Warsaw,  Mo 246 

Warsaw,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Warwick  &  Ball,  Springfield,  111 509 

Washington,  Booker  T 387 

Washington,  James 217 

Washington,  P.     .     469 

Washington,  D.  C iv 

Washington,  Mo.,  297,  299-302,  307,  311,  314,  316 

Washington,  Pa 45 

Washington  county 575,  577 

—map  576 

—relief  received  in  1861 484 

Washington  territory 535 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1870-1900 507 

Washington,  Missouri  river  boat  — 312,  316 
Washington  City,  Missouri  river  boat.    .  312 

Washington  creek,  Douglas  county 546 

Washington  street.  Junction  City 536 

Washington  ZJwow..     133,162 

Washita  campaign,  1868-69 67,71,    73 

Water,  difficulty  of  securing,  in  Indian 

fight 447,  450 

Water-power  of  Colorado  river 112 

Waterman,  Frank 162 

Waterman,  Mrs.  Laura 162 

Waterproof,  Miss 385 

Waters,  Joseph  G.,  address  on  Samuel  A. 
Kingman  before  the  Historical  So- 
ciety, December  6, 1904 45 

— poem.  Death's  Address 54 

Waters,  Moses,  saloon-keeper  at  Dodge 

City,  plays  joke  on  post  sutler 68 

Waters,  test  of  purity  of 263 

Waterville 34,  476 

Wathena 469 

Watier,  Dr.  J.  L 327 

Watkins,  Dan,  bartender  Col.  Gus  Linn,  347 

Watossa,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Watson, ,  of  Leavenworth 543,  544 

Watson,  James  W.  H 468 

Watson,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Waugh,G.M 470 

Waugh,  Rev.  Lorenzo 168,192 

—Autobiography  of.  .   168 

—defense  of,  against  the  M.  E.  Church 

South,  of  Missouri 179 

—teacher  at  Shawnee  Mission  manual- 
labor  school    226 

Waverly,  Mo 306,312 

Waverly,  Missouri  river  boat 312,  316 

Wa  wha  or  Osage  Indians. 246 

Wayne,  Gen.  Anthony    182 

—opposed  by  Wyandots 80 

—victory  of,  over  the  Shawnees 163 

WayneCity.Mo 299,310 

Wea  Indians,  condition  of,  1846 212 

—location  of  Baptist  mission  among.      570 

on  map,  in  No  2,  Miami  county. ..  576 

—tribe  of  Illinois  nation 241 

Wealth  of  Kansas    126 

Weather  Review,  Monthly 480 

Weaver,  Celona  H 378 

Weaver,  James  B 583 

Weaver,  Col.  John  T 378 

Webb,  Messervy  &  563 

Webb,  Otis..  342 

Webb.ThomasH ...308 

-scrap-books..  121,  122,  304,  311,  317,  362 

Webb,  William  C 53,  367 

Webster,  Daniel 119 

Webster.  Rev.  Henry  W.,  missionary  to 

Kaw  Indians 201,  202 

Webster,  Mrs.  H.W.,  housekeeper  at  Kaw 

Indian  mission.  Council  Grove..  201,  202 
Wedding  party   in   Missouri  robbed  of 

clothing  by  Osage  Indians 247 

Wedel.  Rev.  C.  H.. 496 

Weed,  George  W.,  director  State  Histor- 
ical Society .V 

—member  State  Historical  Society  ...     iv 
Week,  R.  C,  teacher  at  Shawnee  Mission 
manual-labor  school 230 


General  Index. 


651 


Weer,  Col.  Wia..  363,  456,  469,  472-475,  479, 
Weh-yah-pih-ehr-sehn-wah  or  Bluejacket, 

chief  of  the  Sha wnees 

Weightman,  Matthew 

Weierhtman,  Maj.  Richard  H.,  killing  of 

F.  X.Aubrey  by 302, 

Wei^htman's  Confederate  battery 

WeiIep,E.C 

Welborn,  J.  B 

Welch,  CD 

Welch,  C.  H 

Welch,  Lydia  Ellen 

Welch,  Orrin  T.,  superintendent  of  insur- 
ance    392, 

Welch,  R.B 

Welcome,  Missouri  river  boat 312, 

Wellhouse,  Fred 

—director  State  Historical  Society 

—mem  ber  State  Historical  Society 

Wellman,  John  H 

Wells,  Hannah,  Shawnee  Indian 

Wells,  Joseph  A 

Wells,  Welcome 366, 

Wellsboro  A  gilator 

Wellsville,  Ohio 

Wendat,     Wehn-duht    or    Wehn-dooht, 

Wyandots 

Werner,  T.  C,  member  State  Historical 

Society 

West,  James  &  House 

West,H.E 94, 

West,  Henry 

West,  R.  P 

West  Point,  Mo 

West  Virginia 

—natives  of,  in  Kansas,  1880-1900 

West  Wind,  burned  by  Confederates  in 

battle  of  Glasgow,  Mo  

Western,  Missouri  river  boat 

Western  Academy,  classical  department 
of  the  Shawnee  Methodist  manual- 
labor  school 

Western  Engineer,  steamboat  of  Major 
Long  in  the  Yellowstone  expedition 

of  1819 277, 

Western  Foundry,  Leavenworth 

Weslern  Journal,  St.  Louis 281 , 

Western  Missouri 

Western  World,  steamboat  on  the  Missis- 
sippi      .. 

Weston,  Mo 9,  251,  299,  300, 

306-312,  315,  316,  334, 
—citizens  of,  protest  against  the  mis- 
treatment of  William  Phillips 

—citizens    of,   protest    against    Platte 
County  Self-defensive  Association... . 

—Missouri  ferry  at 

Weston,  Missouri  river  boat 

Westport,  Mo....  122,  161,  162,  169,  178, 

281,  297.  302,  307,  340,  440, 

—and    the   Santa   Fe  Trade,  paper  by 

William  R.  Bernard 

—bakery 

—battle  at 465, 

— business  men  of 

—description  of,  by  Parkman,  in  1846.. 

—description  of,  in  1848 

—high  school  at.  Rev.  Nathan  Scarritt 

principal  of 

—in  the  Price  raid. ..         441, 

—outfitting  station  of  U.  S.  and  other 

Western  exoeditions 

-.secures  Santa  Fe  trade 

—springs  on  town  site 

—starting-point  of  John  C.  Fremont's 

expeditions 

—starting-point  of  Santa  Fe  trail  . 

■Westport  Landing 278,  306,  320, 

Wetmore,  Keemle,  map  of  Missouri,  1837, 

Whaley,  Samantha 

Wheat,  L.  B 

Wheat,  Morris  L  

Wheat  in  Kansas  in  1860 


Wheat,  manner  of  cultivation  by   Men- 

nonite  emigrants 496 

—staple   product  of  Russian  Mennon- 

ites 489 

—yield  of,  in  northwest  Kansas 35 

Wheat-field  of  T.  C.  Henry 502 

Wheeler,  Dr.  473 

Wheeler,  Holland,  member  State  Histor- 
ical Society iv 

Wheeler,  Rev.  James 220,  309 

—missionary  to  the  Wyandots 214 

—teacher  at  Shawnee    and  Wyandot 

missions 228 

Wheeler,  Joshua 366,  422 

Whig  party.. 47 

Whirlwind,  Missouri  river  boat 312 

Whisky  at  Westport,  in  1846 560 

—cargo  of,  on  board  the  Pontiac  when 

she  sank,  near  Doniphan 309 

— lost  by  wreck  of  the  Admiral  near 

Parkville 582 

—sold  from  steamboat  Star  of  the  West 

at  twenty-five  cents  a  gallon 350 

Whisner,S.H 98 

Whistle,  steam,  the  first  steamboat  to  in- 
troduce the,  on  the  Missouri  river. ..  306 

Whitaker,  David 411 

Whitburn,  Scotland 12 

White, ,  master  of  the  General  Leav- 
enworth  302 

White,  H.  A.,  Union  Labor  candidate  for 

associate  justice,  1888 3 

White,  H.B 367 

White,  J.  N 468 

White,  J.  T 405 

White,  James 535 

White,  N.  B 470 

White.  S.  B 468 

White,  Thomas 470,  473 

White  Church v 

—erected  by  Dela wares 204,  20.5,  207 

— Wyandotte  county,  memorial  window 
perpetuating  early  Methodist  mis- 
sionaries in  Kansas 181,580 

White  Cloud,  Kan 313,534 

White  Cloud,  steamboat 293,  310,  312 

White  Hair  or  Pahuska,  Osage  chief.  26,    28 

—grave  of,  desecrated 247 

— location  of  village 570 

—  —on  map,  in  No.  2,  Labette  county,  576 
White  Hair,  George,  location  of  village . .  571 

— map.  in  No.  3,  Neosho  county 576 

White  Marsh,  Prince  George  county,  Ma- 
ryland, Jesuit  priests  educated  at....     20 

White  Plume,  Kansas  chief 194-196 

White  river,  Arkansas 340 

White  river,  Missouri 163 

White  river,  on  upper  Mo.  river,  305,  314,  315 

White  Rock 572 

White  Rock  creek 44 

Whitecrow,  Jacob,  Wyandot  Indian 1>«7 

Whiteday,  Wm.  M.,  Shawnee  Indian 189 

Whitedeer,  Caty,  Shawnee  Indian 189 

Whitedeer,  Francis,  Shawnee  Indian 188 

Whitfield,  John  W 189 

Whitford,  J.  H 367 

Whiting,  A.  B.,  director  State  Historical 

Society v 

—life  member  State  Historical  Society,    iii 

Whitman,  Col.  Adolph 568 

Whitman,  E.B 132,  134,  135,  136 

Whitney,   Major  ,  special  agent  for 

Osages    21 

Whitney,  C.  P 453 

Whitney,  Eli     118 

Whitney.  R.C 468 

Whitney  House,  Lawrence 518 

Whittaker,  Mrs. .at  Lower  Sandusky, 

Ohio 81 

Whittemore,  L.  D.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society T 

— member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Whittier,  John  G.,  quoted 359 

Whittier,  Cal iv 


652 


General  Index. 


Whittlesey, !  Charles,    memoir    of   John 

Fitch 275 

Wichita iv,     v 

— convention  of  Union  Labor  party  at, 

in  1888 2 

— metropolitan  police  of 422,  423 

Wichita  Indians,  or  Pawnee  Picts. 242 

Wife ,  property  rights  of,  in  Kansas 49 

Wigfall,  Gen.  Louis  T.,  quotation  from, 

regarding  Quantrill 462 

Wightman,  A.  L     470 

Wilburn,  Capt. ,  on  the  Colorado  . .     535 

Wilcox,  Alex.,  member  State  Historical 

Society  iv 

Wilcox,  Jewett 583 

Wilcox,  Wm 297 

Wild  Bill,  city  marshal  of  Abilene 532 

Wild  Duck,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Wild  Wagoner,  Missouri  river  boat  . .     .312 

Wildcat 8,  16,     41 

—killed  by  passengers  of  Emma  Har- 
mon at  Tecumseh 332 

Wilder  &  Palm,  Lawrence 485 

Wilder,  A.  C 473,  479 

Wilder,  Daniel  W 131 ,  420 

—Annals  of  Kansas 130,  495 

—census  figures,  Kansas,  1860-1900,  130,  506 

-director  State  Historical  Society v 

—paper  on  Where  Kansans  were  Born,  506 
—tribute  to  Judge  Samuel  A.  Kingman,    59 

Wiley,  Albert,  agent  Sacs  and  Foxes 58 

Wilkins,  William 205 

Wilkinson,  F.  S 470 

Wilkinson,  James  B 26 

Willamette  river,  Oregon    358 

Willard,  Frances  E.,  and  prohibition 393 

William  A.  Mofflt,  Missouri  river  boat...  312 

William  Baird,  Missouri  river  boat  312 

WilUiam  Campbell,  Missouri  river  boat,  312 

William  of  Orange 488 

William  Osborn,  ferry  boat  on  Missouri 

river  at  Atchison 312 

William  Penn 295 

Williams, ,  master  of  the  Gloster...  .S03 

Williams,  A.,  teacher,  Kickapoo  mission,  230 

Williams,A.L 53 

Williams,  B.  W 366 

Williams,  Charles  G 144 

Williams,    Mrs.    Ellen,   History   of    the 

Second  Colorado 440 

Williams,  Emma,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Williams,  Rev.  F.  M 565 

—superintendent  of  mission  of  M.E. 
Church  South,  near  Kennekuk,    211,  230 

Williams,  Frances,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Williams,  George,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Williams,  H.  H 367 

Williams,  H.  V 470 

Williams,  J.  W 364 

Williams,  Mary,  Wyandot  Indian 188 

Williams,  Phebe 377 

Williams,  R.  M 367 

Williams,  Sam.,  mill  of,  at  Osage  Mission,    22 

Williams,  T.  J 469 

Williams  College 19 

Williamson,  J.  D 367 

Willits,  John  F 5,6,414 

—Populist  candidate  for  governor, 1890,  425 

Willoughby,  ,  captain  of  the  Silver 

Lake 319,  344 

Willow  Springs 343 

Willows  in  Phillips  county 447 

Wills,  Hattie  M 19,  579 

Wilmarth,  Otis 141 

Wilmington,  fur  company  boat 313 

Wilmoth, ,  of  Doniphan  county 473 

Wilmoth,  L.  C 473 

Wilson  &  Estis,  of  Leavenworth 352 

Wilson,  D 473 

Wilson,  Heary  374 

—senator  from  Massachusetts,  a  pas- 
senger on  the  steamer  New  Lucy 
when  Gov.  Robert  J.  Walker  arrived 
in  Kansas 307 


Wilson,  Hill  P.,  director  State  Historical 

Society      y 

—member  State  Historical  Society iv 

Wilson,  J.  C 367 

Wilson,  J.  L 468 

Wilson,  Robt.,sutler  at  Ft.  Riley,  346, 470,  569 

Wilson,  W 453 

Wilson  bill  nullifies  the  original-package 

decision 424 

Wilson  Creek,  battle  of  ....  154,  431,  464,  562 
Wimsatt,  R.  M.,  member  State    Histor- 
ical Society .     iv 

Winans,  George  W 417 

Winchester,  James.. 557 

Winchester,  Jefferson  county 576 

Windom,  William 386 

Wineland, ,  captain  of  the  Globe 303 

Wineland,  Capt.  Andrew 581 

—of  the  James  H.  Lucas 287 

Winfleld iv,      v 

Wing,  J.  M.,  captain  of  the  Emma  Har- 
mon   318,  328,  330-332 

Winner,  W.  P 469 

Winona 318 

Winship,  George  Parker,  Translations  of 

Casteneda ...  238 

Winsor,  Justin,  Narrative  and  Critical 

History  of  America 248 

Winter,  Johnson 524 

Winter  wheat 502 

Winterset,  Iowa 378 

Winthrop,  Mo. 483 

Winthrop  street,  Lawrence 343 

Wirballen,  Russia 490 

Wisconsin 534 

—emigrants    from,    on     the     William 

Campbell  in  1856 312 

—Farmers' Mutual  Brotherhood  in      .       6 
—natives  of,  living  in  Kansas  in  1855- 

1900 507.  508 

—settlers  from,  in  Kansas  by  I860..  130 

Wisconsin  river  239,  245 

Witten,  Mrs.  Eliza 223 

Witten,  Rev.  James,  missionary  to  the 

Wyandot  Indians 222 

—teacher  at  Wyandot,  Delaware  and 

Kickapoo  missions 230 

Witten,  John  W 223 

Witten,  Rev.  Thomas 223 

Witten,  Rev.  William  A 223 

Wolf,  L.  B.,  member  State  Historical  So- 
ciety      iv 

Wolf  pelts  secured  by  strychnine 16,  558 

— skins,  value  of 16 

— skins  worn  by  Sioux  15 

Wolf  creek,  Russell  county,  named  by  J. 

R.Mead 13,     14 

Wolf's  bend  of  the  Missouri  river,  above 

Sandy  Hook,  Mo.  269,300 

Wolfe,  Mary  A.,  Ottawa  Indian 188 

Wolfe,  Susan,  Ottawa  Indian 188 

Wolff's  packing-house,  Topeka 342 

Wolves.    8.   10,  11,   14,  16,     41 

Woman,   mistreatment  of,  by   Missouri 

bushwhackers,  1861 458 

Woman  suffrage  considered  by  the  Wy- 
andotte constitutional  convention.. .     56 

— campaign  of  1867  in  Kansas 372 

— rejection   of    constitutional   amend- 
ments providing  for,  in  1867  and  1894,  383 
Women  in  border  troubles..  —  514-520 

— property  rights  of,  in  Kansas 49 

—treatment   of,   prescribed    by   D.   R. 

Atchison 141 

Women's  Clubs,  Topeka  Federation  of..     47 

Wood,  G.  W 367 

Wood,  J.  B 469 

Wood,  Luther 468 

Wood,  Mrs.  Margaret  L 332 

Wood,  Samuel  N 366,  470 

Wood,  WillH 306 

Woodard,  Levi 366,  411,  473 

Woodbridge  &  Willard's  Geography,  1824,  104 
Woodbury,  William 473 


General  Index. 


653 


Woods,  Gee.  Charles  R 

Woods,  Gen.  William  B 

Woodson,  Sec.  Daniel 359,  360, 

Woodson  county 

—map. 

Woodstock  College,  Maryland 

Woodward,  Brinton  W 140,  141, 

Woodward,  Hulda 

Woodward,  Philip 

Woodworth,  Caleb,  jr 

Woodworth,  Dr.  John  M.,  Cholera  Epi- 
demic of  1873 

Wool  shipped  on  Santa  Fe  trail 

Woolard,  Samuel  F.,  director  State  His- 
torical Society ..    . 

—member  State  Historical  Society     .. 

Woolfolk, ,  master  of  the  Minnehaha, 

Worcester,  Sabra 

Worcester  (Mass.)  Spy 

Worcester's  Dictionary 

Wornal,  Mrs.  Eliza 

Wornal,  John 

Wornal,  Joseph 

Wornall  farm,  near  Westport 

Worrall,   Henry,    interview  with    T.   C. 

Henry . . 

—sketch  of  old  Indian  agency  in  Jeiler- 

son  county   , 

Wrack  heaps  in  the  Missouri  river 

Wray,  Colo 

Wreck  of  the  first  steamboat  on  the  Mis- 
souri river 

Wrecking  boat,  Bennett 

Wright,  Capt.  Bob 286, 

Wright,  John  K. 

— relief  agent 

Wright,  John  W   

Wright,  L.  R 

Wright,  Robert  M 

—director  State  Historical  Society 

—member  State  Historical  Society  — 
— Reminiscences  of  Dodge,  address  be- 
fore Historical  Society,  Dec.  5,  1905.. 

Wright,8.E 

Wright,  W.  H.  H.,  on  executive  commit- 
tee State  Reform  Asssociation. 

Wyandot  county,  Ohio 81, 

Wyandot  and  Delaware  missions,  agree- 
ment between,  1843 

Wyandot  or  Huron  Indians,  Iroquoian 

tribe 74,  202,  309, 

—address  of    Ray   E.   Merwin,   before 

Historical  Society,  December  5,  1905, 

— allies  of  French  during  French  and 

Indian  wars. 

— allies  of   the  English  in  the  revolu- 
tion .  

— at  head  of  northwest  confederation 

of  Indian  tribes 

— Hig  Turtle  gens  of   . 

—brick     meeting-house,    Wyandotte, 

burning  of 

building  of 

—building  of  their  first  church  in  Kan- 
sas   214, 

—cemetery  of,  at  Kansas  City 

—cession  of  their  Kansas  reservation 

in  1855 

— children  of,  at  Shawnee  manual-labor 

school,  1854-'.55 

— chnrch  built  for  them  by  Matthias 
Splitlog  in  the  Indian  Territory .    ... 

—confederacy 79,  81, 

—Father  Hennepin's  account  of 

—ferry  of 

—floats  of 

—folk-lore  of,  mentioned 75, 

— free  schools  of 

—guide  of  FremoBt 

—immigration  of,  to  Kansas 

—in  the  civil  war 

— in  the  Mexican  war 

—in  Pontiac's  war,  1762 

—in  war  of  1812 


Wyandot  Indians  inaugurate  movement 
for  territorial  government  in  Kansas 

and  Nebraska 85 

— incompetents 86,    87 

— interpreter,  Silas  Armstrong 182 

— legend  of  their  removal  from  Michili- 

mackinac  to  Detroit 78 

—Methodist  Episcopal  camp-meeting..  221 

church,  location  of  . .    574 

on  map,  in  No.  2,  Wyandotte  county,  576 

slavery  question  in 215 

churches  in  Kansas,  property  and 

ground  retained  bytribe  in  Kansas,    86 

—migrations  of 74-80 

—mission  of  Rev.  James  B.  Finley,  82,  190 
—mission      of     Methodist     Episcopal 

chnrch  among 84,  184,  213-235 

—part  of  Huron  confederacy 76 

—population  of,  and  lands 79,  80,    88 

—portion  of,  removed  to  Canada 81 

—purchase  lands  of  Delawares....  206,  213 

— removal  to  Kansas 83 

-report  of  Dr.  Richard  Hewitt,  sub- 
agent,  in  regard  to  the  dissension  in 

the  Wyandot  Methodist  church 219 

— reservation  in  Kansas  purchased  by 

them  from  the  Delawares 83 

—reservation  in  Oklahoma.  ..    87 

—reservations  in  Ohio  and  Kansas,  83,  213 
—Rev.  J.  T.  Peery,  missionary  among..  198 
— Bev.  James  Gurley  sent  to,   by  the 

Ohio  M.  E.  conference 218 

—Rev.    Nathan    Scarritt,    missionary 

among 181 

—Rev.  W.  H.  Goode  among 192 

—treaty  with  the  United  States  at  Fort 

Mcintosh,  1785 80 

—treaty,  1819  .     81 

— union  of  the  two  branches  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  among, 
in  1854,  and  statements  of  each  faction 

in  regard  to  the  agreement 217 

—various  names  applied  to 74 

— wars  with  the  Senecas 75 

Wyandotte 9,  325,  339,  363,  468,  469 

—entertains  Kansas  legislature  of  1865,  365 
—hull  for  the  Star  of  the  West  con- 
structed at  ...       350 

— Indian  reservation  in 163 

— mayor  of,  seeks  relief  for  emigrating 

negroes 385 

—railroad   bridge    carried  away,   and 

rebuilt  at,  18B5...  352,  353 

—relief  goods  brought  to,  from  Atchi- 
son, on  the  Kansas  Valley,  1861 351 

—the  Hiram  Wood  built  at 352 

—the  Jacob  Sass  built  at 352 

— the  Joe  Irwin  built  at 351 

Wyandotte  county 87,  354,  472,  473,  475 

—court  of  common  pleas  in 420,  428 

— Delaware  reservation  in. 204 

—drought  of  1860  in 481 

— points  of  interest  in  573 

—relief  received  in  1861 484 

—surveys  of 163 

Wyandotte  constitution .   372 

Wyandotte  constitutional  convention,  47,    55 
— considers  addition  of  southern  Ne- 
braska to  Kansas 129 

—survivors  of     52 

Wyandotte,  Missouri  river  boat 313 

Wyeth'.s  Oregon 271 

Wyman,  Dr.  George.  61 

Wyoming,  Alliance  in 6 

—  History  of,  by  C.  G.  Coutant 532 

—people  living  in  Kansas,  1870-1900 507 

Wyoming  Frank,   Abilene    cowboy  des- 
perado      ..    530 

Wyoming,  Missouri  river  boat 313,  316 

Wysmeyer,  Mrs.  Aggie  C 234 

Wysmeyer,  Louis 234 

X. 
Xenia,  Bourbon  county 574 


654 


General  Index. 


Yah-nyah-meh-deh,  Wyandot  Indian 

Yamhill,  Oregon 

Yankees  in  Kansas 

Yankton,  N.  Dak 303, 

—ferry  at 

Yates,  G.W.W 

Yates  Center 

Yazoo,  Miss 

Yazoo  river 297,  310, 

Yeager,  Dick 433,  457,  459, 

"Yellow  Tom" 

Yellowstone,    American    Fur    Company 

boat 280,  282. 

Yellowstone  (  No.  2 ) ,  Missouri  river  boat, 
Yellowstone  ( No.  3 ) ,  M issouri  river  boat, 

Yellowstone  creek,  Indian  Territory 

Yellowstone  expedition  of  1819,  277,  302, 
311,  565, 

Yellowstone  park 237, 

Yellowstone  river 273,  297-302,  304, 

307-310,  313-316, 

—bull-boats  used  on 

Yocum,  Daniel,  hostelry  in  Westport 

Yoe,  W.T 

Yore, ,  master  of  the  Bertrand 


Yore,  Pat 303 

Yore,  P.,  captain  of  D.  A.  January 287 

York,  Dr.  William,  killed  by  the  Benders,    29 

York,  Pa iv 

Yorktown 316 

Young, ,  master  of  the  Osage  Valley. .  308 

Young,  David 217 

Young,  I.  D 367 

Young,  P.  C 399 

Younger,Cole 433,  459 

Yonngman,  Michael 469 

Yucatan,  Missouri  river  boat 313 

Yuma  county,  Colorado 453 

Z. 

Zane, ,  Wyandot  Indian 193 

Zane  family  of  Wyandots 213 

Zane,  Sarah 225 

Zebuion  M.  Pike  — steamboat  — first  to 

land  at  St.  Louis 276 

Zeits,  J.  E 469 

Zephyr,  Missouri  river  boat 316 

Zercher,  D.  C 6 

Ziegler,  E 453 

Zinn,  George 348 


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