USA > Missouri > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Missouri > Part 6
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STREET SCENE, BUCKNER, MO.
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HIGH SCHOOL, LEES SUMMIT, MO.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
the line above set forth making all that part of Van Buren township west of said line into a new township to be called by the name of 'Prairie' town- ship, in Jackson County, Missouri, and the territory included in said new township shall be known in law as Prairie township, of Jackson County, Missouri."
Westport township was established by order of court May 17, 1869, and the following is a copy of the order: "The court orders that a new municipal township be formed out of that portion of Kaw township de- scribed as follows: Beginning at the southwest corner of section 18, township 48, range 33, thence north along the State line to a point 60 chains north of the southwest corner of section 18, township 49, range 33, thence east at a variation of 80° 30' to the center of Big Blue River, thence south in the center of said river to where it intersects the south line of 14, township 48, range 33, thence west along the south line of sections 15, 16, 17 and 18 to the place of beginning, and that said township be called Westport township."
Brooking township was organized by order of County Court, March 13, 1872. "The court orders that a new municipal township be formed out of that portion of Washington and Blue townships described as fol- lows: Beginning at the mouth of Round Grove Creek, thence up said creek to where it crosses the half section line running east and west through the center of section 29, township 49, range 32, thence with said line to the range line between ranges 31 and 32, thence south to line of Prairie township, thence west to Little Blue Creek, thence up said creek to where the south line of section 22, township 48, range 32 crosses the same, thence west with said line to the half section line on south side sec- tion 19 of said township, thence north to the center of said section, thence west to Big Blue Creek, thence with said creek to place of beginning, and that said township be called Brooking."
The court on the same day appointed T. L. Cassell constable for the new township of Brooking to serve till the general election, and till his successor should be qualified. He was required, in accordance with the custom, to give bond in the sum of $1,000.
CHAPTER VII
SANTA FE TRAIL
FOUNDED BY DR. JOSHIA GREGG-"COMMERCE OF THE PRAIRIES"-COURSE OF THE SANTA FE TRAIL-GROWTH OF TRANSPORTATION-STEAMBOATS- INDEPENDENCE OUTFITTING POINT-EARLY OUTFITTERS-EQUIPMENT- ROCK ROAD BUILT TO LANDING-EARLY MARKETS-ALEXANDER MAJORS -DESCRIPTION OF AN OVERLAND OUTFIT. .
In 1825 there was a man moved from Boon's Lick, in Howard County, Missouri, to Jackson County, and settled about four and one-half miles northeast of Independence. Among his other children was one son named Josiah. Josiah Gregg studied medicine, but owing to bad health, in 1834, he decided to take a trip across the plains and rough it for a while in the hope that the change would help him. The trip seemed to restore his health, and he was impressed with the idea of the advantages that would accrue to Independence and Missouri, if the trade could be diverted through here instead of Chihuahua, for at that time all of the present New Mexico was Old Mexico.
Dr. Gregg became a merchant on his own account and bought goods for the Mexican trade. In 1845 he published a work called "Commerce of the Prairies." It is a work written in good style, and gives data of many things, and is considered standard authority on the subject. Dr. Gregg was a well educated man and an efficient surveyor. He explored the coun- try and made maps that were verified in later years. In his work he states that the first attempt made to cross the plains to Santa Fe was made by Captain Beckwith or Becknell, and they started from Franklin, in Howard County, and followed what was known as the Osage trail. Up through Lafayette County and entered Jackson County just south of
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
where the town of Levasy now stands; thence northwesterly keeping on the right to a point about one and one-half miles south of Ft. Osage; thence a little south and west to the crossing of Little Blue to what is known as Blue Mills. That is the first place south of the mouth of Little Blue where it can be forded; thence southwesterly through to where Independence now stands; and thence in a generally southwesterly direction keeping on the ridge at all times until it crossed the State line at a point where New Santa Fe is now located; thence west keeping on the ridge that divides the watershed of the Kansas River on the north side and the Nosho on the south side. (It is a fact that probably few people know that if a person wished to he could start at the court house in Independence and travel to the Rocky Mountains and never cross a stream.)
The next year, 1822, saw other parties undertaking the trips, and each year saw more and more of them. In Dr. Gregg's work he makes the following statement of the increase of the business :
1822
15,000 lbs.
wagons
70 men
1823
12,000 lbs.
wagons
50 men
1824
34,000 lbs.
26 wagons
100 men
1825
65,000 lbs.
37 wagons
130 men
1826
90,000 lbs.
60 wagons
100 men
1827
85,000 lbs.
55 wagons
90 men
1828
150,000 lbs.
100 wagons
200 men
1829
60,000 lbs.
30 wagons
50 men
1830
120,000 lbs.
70 wagons
140 men
1831
150,000 lbs.
130 wagons
320 men
1832
140,000 lbs.
70 wagons
150 men
1833
180,000 lbs.
105 wagons
185 men
1834
150,000 lbs.
80 wagons
160 men
1835
140,000 lbs.
70 wagons
135 men
1837
150,000 lbs.
80 wagons
160 men
1838
90,000 lbs.
50 wagons
120 men
1839
250,000 lbs.
130 wagons
290 men
1840
50,000 lbs.
30 wagons
95 men
1841
150,000 lbs.
60 wagons
112 men
1842
160,000 lbs.
70 wagons
135 men
1843
450,000 lbs.
230 wagons
380 men
The first two years (1822 and 1823) all of the goods were trans- ported on pack animals. The year 1824 seems to be the first one in which wagons were used for freighting. The first steamboat to ply the Mis-
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
souri River was called Independence, and went up the river to Council Bluffs, in the year 1819. It passed Franklin, Howard County, May 28th, where a dinner was given to the officers of the boat. In August and Sep- tember, the same years, the boats, "Western Engineer," "Expedition," "R. M. Johnson," ascended the river with Major Long's scientific party bound for the Yellowstone Country. The new mode of transportation soon began to have its effect on the Santa Fe traders, and they found that the shipment of their goods further up the river made their land haul shorter and less expensive. As the stocks of goods intended for shipment became larger and more merchants engaged in it, the more steamboats were re- quired. The points first competing to this trade were Ft. Osage, Blue Mills and Independence. Blue Mills was situated about six miles north- east of Independence, and soon was a landing place, and it was there that exchange from water transportation was made. An immense warehouse was built to protect the freight waiting to be loaded for the overland trip.
Independence being the county seat and there being no other town of consequence, soon became the American headquarters of the trade and the outfitting point in the year 1831. With the coming of the freighters also came the demand for the outfitting conveniences. The trade demanded wagons, harness, yokes and bows, chains, mule and ox shoes, saddles, har- ness, whips and provisions of all kinds, and a great many necessary ad- juncts. Immediately shops were opened for the manufacture of all such goods. For the manufacturing wagons, among the men who engaged in the business I remember Robert A. Stone. He had his shop at the south- west corner of Short and Liberty streets. Weston and Strode had their shop at the southwest corner of Liberty and Kansas streets, and the old shop is still standing. John G. McCurdy was at the northwest corner of Main and White Oak streets. John Eaton was at the southeast corner of Ruby and Osage streets. Hiram Young, a negro, who had bought his own freedom, had his shop on North Liberty, and in addition to making wagons he made a great many oak yokes and bows.
In making the wagons great care had to be used in the selection of the timber out of which they were made. It had to be thoroughly sea- soned and dried and of the very best materials throughout. If not thor- oughly dried when put together it would soon begin to shrink and the tires get loose and finally run off the wheel. If there was anything that would make a wagon master swear it was to hear the summons, "Hold on," come up the line of teamsters, and when he had ridden back to find a tire off. It was certainly some job to raise one of those big wagons that
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
weighed about 2,100 pounds, and loaded with 70 or more hundred pounds of freight, but it had to be done. The lifting jacks were gotten out, the wagon raised, and the props set under, off would come the wheel and they would go to work at it. Sometimes it could be fixed in a few minutes, other times it was the work of two or three hours to get it reset and ready to go. These wagons cost new about $150.00 each.
The yokes were made out of walnut or linn timber, both of which are light and fully seasoned. The bows were made out of hickory, properly bent to fit the oxen. The first freighters used horses and mules almost exclusively for drawing the wagons, but it was soon found out that the hard roads wore their feet so badly that they could not travel without being shod, and they were soon dispensed with. It was found that a mule's foot would stand the wear a great deal better than a horse's. The first record to be found of the use of oxen for freighting purposes was in 1829. They were used by Major Riley, of the regular army, for hauling government supplies.
Fo the manufacture of harness, whips, saddles, etc., there were two firms, John Landis and Porter McClanahan and also John W. Modie. These men were busy with a large force of hands in the manufacture of all kinds of leather products. How many men were used in these indus- tries, history makes no mention, but it was a great number. In addition to the work done for the freighters, the influx of new settlers made a demand for a great many plows, harrows and the necessary farming tools. The forge fires were kept going sometimes until late at night to meet the demand and men were working also in the harness shops.
Each teamster had to be supplied with a rawhide whip about 10 to 12 feet long. These were scarcely ever made in the harness shops. The negro men of the country soon heard of the demand for them and took advantage of it. They would buy up beef hides and dress them; in the long winter evenings they would cut them into the proper shape and then plait them into these whips. These they would keep until spring, when the trains were beginning to start, and take them into town and either sell them to the merchants or to the train men direct at a price of 50 to 75 cents each, according to size and quality. Many were the nights, as a small boy, I spent out in the negro cabin watching the men plait these whips. It was Sam Shepherd that taught me how to do it, when I must have been very young, for I don't remember the time that I could not make a nice whip, and in after years, many long night's vigils I escaped by "splicing out" some teamster's whip who had been unfortunate in losing part of his.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
Independence was on the boom then, both Mexican and American freighters filled the streets, with the oxen and mule teams hitched to their immense wagons. The "Gee-Haw" of the bull-whackers (as the ox team- sters were called), accompanied with the crack of his long rawhide whip resounded through the streets. The "Carraho," the Mexican muleteer, as he applied his blacksnake whip to the posterior of his lagging animals.
The merchants were as busy as they could be, both day and night. As a rule the Mexican merchants would come in ahead of his train and go to St. Louis or further east and buy his goods, have them shipped by the river to the landing, and there get them. It was not long until the freighters wanted a landing nearer to Independence than Blue Mills. There was found a good rocklanding just north of Independence. It was laid off into town lots and named Wayne City. There was one great draw- back to the landing at that place on account of the high bluff on the south. It was always necessary to double teams up that hill in order to get any- thing like a fair load to the top.
Later on, about the year 1856 or 1857, Santa Fe trade was being transferred to points further up the river, Kansas City was getting a large share of the trade. The people of Independence woke up to the fact that they were losing business. The matter was taken up and it was de- cided to build a rock road from Independence to Wayne City. The con- tract was let and work began. An old citizen by name of Miles W. Bur- ford was appointed inspector to see that the road was built according to specifications. They called for a roadway of rock, built on what was known as Telford base, eight inches thick. The pecularity of this base is that the stone were set on edge and must not be less than four inches thick and eight inches higher, when set on edge and properly sledged down. On top of that was to be a bed of crushed rock eight inches thick in the center and four inches thick at the side. Mr. Burford procured three plank 16 feet and six inches long. Two of them 12 inches wide and the other 16 inches wide. He would set them on edge and make the contractor fill them, then move them to the next place. That was the first rock road built in Jackson County, and stood the traffic longer than any rock road that Jackson County has ever built since.
At the time of the Santa Fe trade business was done in an entirely different manner than it is today. There was no such thing as packing houses then as now. The farmer raised, fattened and killed his own hogs and beef. He depended entirely on the Santa Fe trade to find a market for his surplus meat. Nearly every resident of Independence had his own
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
smoke house and cured his own meat. The farmer bought his goods of all kinds on 12 months' time. Once a year he settled up with the merchant, the blacksmith or the family physician. He would come into town, go to his merchant, or to other persons to whom he owed an account, and offer to pay part of the bill with dressed pork or beef. If the town man had no account out against farmers he would hunt up a farmer and order as many dressed hogs as he thought his family would need. What hogs the farmer did not sell in that way he would butcher and cure the bacon himself. It was nothing uncommon for farmers to kill as many as 50 or 60, or 100 big hogs in the fall. Then when the Santa Fe traders came in the spring they made a good demand for their surplus. Almost all of the merchants in Independence were what were called "outfitters," that is, they would furnish the freighter with all the supplies of every kind that he needed for his trip. If one merchant did not have an article that was wanted he would go to some other merchant and get it. In a book entitled, "Seventy Years on the Frontier," written by Alexander Majors, he gives the following description of an overland outfit:
An organization of a full-fledged train for crossing the plains con- sisted of 25 or 26 large wagons that would carry from three to three and a half tons each, the merchandise or contents of each wagon being pro- tected by three sheets of thin ducking, such as is used for army tents. The number of cattle necessary to draw each wagon was twelve, making six yokes or pairs, and a prudent freighter would always have from 20 to 30 head of extra oxen, in case of accident to or lameness of some of the ani- mals. In camping or stopping to allow the cattle to graze, a corral or pen of oblong shape is formed by the wagons, the tongues being turned out, and a log chain extended from the hind wheel of each wagon to the fore wheel of the next behind, etc., thus making a solid pen except for a wide gap at each end, through which gaps the cattle are driven when they are to be yoked and made ready for travel, the gaps then being filled by the wagon-master, his assistants and the extra men, to prevent the cattle from getting out. When the cattle are driven into this corral or pen, each driver yokes his oxen, drives them out to his wagon, and gets ready to start. The entire train of cattle, including extras, generally numbered from 320 to 330 head. and usually from four to five mules for riding and herding. The force of men for each train consisted of a wagon-master, his assistant, the teamsters, a man to look after the extra cattle, and two or three extra men as a reserve to take the place of any men who might be disabled or sick, the latter case being a rare exception, for as a rule there was no
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
sickness. I think, perhaps, there was never a set of laboring men in the world who enjoyed more uninterrupted good health than the teamsters upon the plains. They walked by the side of their teams, as it was im- possible for them to ride and keep them moving with regularity. The average distance traveled with loaded wagons was from 12 to 15 miles per day, although in some instances, when roads were fine, there was a necessity for rapid movement, I have known them to travel 20 miles. But this was faster traveling than they could keep up for any length of time. Returning with empty wagons they could average 20 miles a day without injury to the animals.
Oxen proved to be the cheapest and most reliable teams for long trips, where they had to live upon the grass. This was invariably the case. They did good daily work, gathered their own living, and if properly driven, would travel 2,000 miles in a season, or during the months from April to November, traveling from 1,000 to 1,200 miles with the loaded wagons, and with plenty of good grass and water would make the return trip with the empty wagons in the same season. However, the distance trav- eled depended much upon the skill of the wagon-masters who had them in charge. For if the master was not skilled in handling the animals and men, they could not make anything like good headway and success. To make everything expeditiously, thorough discipline was required, each man performing his duty and being in the place assigned him without confusion or delay.
I remember once of timing my teamsters when they commenced to yoke their teams after the cattle had been driven into their corral and allowed to stand long enough to become quiet. I gave the word to the men to commence yoking, and held my watch in my hand while they did so, and in 16 minutes from the time they commenced, each man had yoked six pairs of oxen and had them hitched to their wagons ready to move. I state this that the reader may see how quickly the men who are thor- oughly disciplined could be ready to "pop the whip" and move out, when unskilled men were often more than an hour doing the same work. The discipline and rules by which my trains were governed were perfect, and as quick as the men learned each one his place and duty, it became a very pleasant and easy thing for him to do. Good moral conduct was required of them and no offense from man to man was allowed, thus keeping them good-natured and working together harmoniously. They were formed into what they called "messes," there being from six to eight men in a mess, selecting the man best fitted to serve as cook, and the other carrying the
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
water, fuel, and standing guard, so that the cook's sole business when in camp was to get his utensils ready and cook the meals.
We never left the cattle day or night without a guard of two men, the teamsters taking turns, and arranging it so that each man was on guard two hours out of the 24, and sometimes they were only obliged to go on guard two hours every other night. This matter they arranged among themselves, and with the wagon-master. The duty of the wagon- master was about the same as that of a captain of a steamboat or ship, his commands being implicitly obeyed, for in the early states of travel upon the plains the men were at all times liable to be attacked by the In- dians, therefore the necessity for a perfect harmony of action throughout the entire band. The assistant wagon-master's duty was to carry out the wagon-master's instructions, and he would often be at one end of the train while the master was at the other, as the train was moving. It was ar- ranged, when possible, that no two trains should ever camp together, as there was not grass or water sufficient for the animals of both, and thus all confusion was avoided.
The average salary paid the men was $1 a day and expenses. Most of the traveling in the early days of freighting was done upon what was called the "Santa Fe road," starting from Independence, Mo., and unload- ing at Santa Fe, N. M. The rattlesnakes on that road, in the beginning of the travel, were a great annoyance, often biting the mules and oxen when they were grazing. At first, mules were used altogether for trav- eling, but they would either die or become useless from the bite of a rattle- snake, and the men would sometimes be sent ahead of the caravan and later on, the ox-teamsters, with their large ships, destroyed them so fast that they ceased to trouble them to any great extent. It has been claimed by men that snakes and prairie dogs, who were also found in great num- bers upon the plains, lived in the same houses, the dog digging the hole and allowing the snake to inhabit it with him, but I do not think this is correct. Men came to this conclusion from seeing the snakes when fright- ened run into the dog holes, but I think they did it to get out of the way of danger, and they lived, too, in the houses that had been abandoned by the dogs. It is a fact that the prairie dogs would only live in one hole for about a year, when they would abandon it and dig a new one, leaving the old ones to be taken possession of by the rattlesnakes and prairie owls. As far as I have been able to find out, there is no creature on earth that will live with a rattlesnake. They are hated and feared by all living animals.
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY
When men decided to go into the freighting business the first thing to be done was to get oxen enough to make twelve head for each wagon. As above stated there were no packing houses to buy the steers, and the farmers kept them until they were four years old. One younger than that was not considered to be mature enough to stand the hard work required of them. The next thing to be done was to employ a man to take charge of the train when made up. He was called the wagon-master. He was selected for his honesty and executive ability. If the freighter was unable to try a whole train already equipped the cattle had to be bought whenever they could be found and in any number the farmer had to sell. The wagon master was given a letter of credit and instructed to buy them. At that time banks were scarce and he frequently had to carry large sums of money with him to pay cash on delivery. Few checks were used and the seller demanded actual money. It can be said to the credit of those men, they would travel hundreds of miles, and pay out thousands of dollars for cattle, and in all these transactions not a dollar was ever unaccounted for.
One of the great desires of the farmer boys of those days was to get to be a wagon-master on the plains. It was a place of great responsi- bility, and he was subject to danger at all times, but it had a fascination about it that attracted and held men. There is an old adage that says "Once a soldier, always a soldier" that to a great extent was the case with the plainsman. In the early days of the trade the land was all open prairie, from a point about three miles south of Independence it was out there that men would camp so as to have plenty of water and grass for their stock. Generally when trains arrived there the stock would be turned out and herded on the best grass long enough to get them rested up and ready for the return trip. In getting together a new outfit it was gener- ally done at a farmer's place who had good lots or corrals. and it was there the cattle would be sent when bought. After enough had been bought to make up the required outfit, they would all be branded so as to identify them. When matters had advanced far enough teamsters would be hired and everything gotten ready for the start. It was the custom whenever possible to buy two yoke of gentle oxen for each team, one heavy yoke to be used for. "wheelers," or those hitched to the tongue of the wagon, and the other for leaders. It did not make much difference about the four intermediate yoke being gentle or not, with gentle ones at each end of the team they just had to stay in place.
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