USA > Missouri > Jackson County > History of Jackson County, Missouri > Part 7
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If there is any more exciting work than yoking up two hundred un- broken cattle for the first time, I don't know what it is. If the yoking
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is done in a corral made of the wagons they are so closely confined that it is not nearly so hard. The cattle are driven into it and a man takes his place at each end to keep them in. Sometimes, if the cattle have been handled when young, it is possible to yoke them without roping them. It is each teamster's right to go in and pick out his own team and yoke them and when he has made his selection, he must keep them the whole round trip. Generally they are not unyoked for a day or two, but left to graze with the yokes on, and in that way they soon get used to the yoke and get gentle a great deal quicker.
One advantage the wagon-master had was in the employment of farmer boys as teamsters. Nearly every farm was equipped with a calf yoke. They were made exactly like an ordinary ox-yoke, only smaller. At that day and time calves were allowed to nurse their mothers until five or six months old, and at that time had become gentle from handling. About weaning time the boys would decide that it was about time that they were broke to work. Then they would be caught up and yoked to- gether. Any boy that has never witnessed the frantic efforts of lusty calves to get away from each other on such occasions has certainly missed a treat. They would jump, buck, bawl and tear around at a great rate. As soon as they found out they could not get away they would quiet down and it would not take long to get them perfectly gentle. The next step was to teach them to pull light loads and learn the commands "Gee-Haw." "Gee" meant turn to the right, "Haw," turn to the left. How the boys enjoyed working them, and such fun as they would have. Many are the sleigh rides I have taken in the winter behind the pair of calves hitched to a home-made sled. They were never put to heavy work until fully grown. A good many of such cattle would fall into the hands of the freighters and, of course, they were easily handled. In order to acquaint the reader with all of the particulars it will be necessary to explain them in detail.
The whole number of wagons in the train were divided into two equal parts, called the right and left wing. When going into camp the wagons to one wing were formed into the shape of the new moon, the front wheel of one wagon drawn close to the hind wheel of the wagon in front of it. The left wing was done likewise, leaving an opening at each end, but wider at the rear end, and the tongues of the wagons all on the outside. When completed the gaps between the front wheel of one wagon and the hind wheel of the other wagon were chained together. All yokes and chains brought inside of the corral and placed by the side of the wagon to which the team belonged. Each wagon kept its place in the train at all
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times. It was customary for the wings to alternate in driving out of camp. The wagon that was in the lead of one drive would be in the center on the next drive. When it was time to make a start the cattle would be driven into the corral, the wagon-master guarding one opening, and his assistant the other. When the cattle had quieted down a few minutes, he would give the order, "Go to yoking, boys." The first to be yoked would be the wheel cattle, or those worked on the tongue. They were driven out and hitched to the wagon. The next pair would be the leaders. When yoked they would be driven up to and chained to the hind wheel of the wagon. Then in order each pair would be yoked just as they would be worked in the team and chained to the pair in front of them, and so on until the whole five pairs were yoked. They were then unchained from the wheel and taken out and hitched to the wagon. When all had been yoked and hitched, the wagon-master would give the order, "All right, go ahead." All the wagons of one wing would pull out, then the other wing drop in behind them. When they were all strung out on the road they made a line about one-half mile in length. I know of no prettier sight than to see a full train of nice, clean sheets tightly drawn on each wagon and six yoke of oxen strung out on the road, the teamsters showing brawn and muscle of good health as they walked beside the teams, the long whips loosely wrapped around their shoulders and keeping step to the team.
One of the favorite places of assembling teams was uot where Ray- town now is. The grass was fine and water plentiful. If the trains came in from Mexico in the spring they stopped there. A man by the name of Absolem Wray had gone out there and put up a blacksmith shop, to be in close contact with the freighters. He did a general repair work, but did not make wagons. By the time the wagons reached there a great many would need repairing. Tires had to be set, new tongues or coupling pins renewed, new spokes or fellows put in, chains to be mended, or wagon bolts replaced for new ones, ox shoes made and a great many other things done. Soon a Doctor Smith came and located for the practice of medicine. Then it was given the name of Raytown. Although that township of land had never been surveyed or put upon the market by the government, settlers had been coming and locating homes.
On the government map showing the survey of that township are some of the following entries : "Collins Farm," "Howell's Farm," "Daven- port Farm," Brown's Farm," "Judge Davis Pasture," "Wilson Farm," and many others like that. One is marked "Barnes Enclosure." This man's name was Jesse Barnes, and he came from Kentucky in 1839. He brought
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his family and slaves with him. He had been out prospecting the year before and liad decided where he would locate. Owing to the scarcity of timber and saw mills, he decided to bring his house with him. He bought the material and had it all framed and cut and ready to put together when he got here. It was shipped down the Ohio River to the Mississippi, up to St. Louis and from there to Wayne City, and from there hauled by wagons. Part of that house is standing today, just where he built it, about two and one-half miles southwest of Raytown, on the old Santa Fe trail. Under the then existing laws of the government, no one was allowed to enter more than 160 acres of land. But a little thing like that did not bother Mr. Barnes. He had four sons that would all soon become of age, and as each person could enter 160 the family would be entitled to enter 800 acres. He took a team of oxen and a big prairie plow and went around what he thought would be 800 acres. After he had plowed several fur- rows around it he put up several signs, marked "Barnes Enclosure." No one intruded on him, and the records show that each of them entered a quarter section, and he secured the whole tract. On his tract was a mag- nificent spring that burst out from a great ledge of rock in such a way as to leave a cave, and it is known to this day as "The Cave Spring," and it has never been known to fail from that day to this. When the daughters of the American Revolution set up the markers for the Old Trail, one was placed there.
Among the early freighters to Santa Fe, was first, Captain Becknell or Beckwith, Dr. Gregg, Dr. Waldo, William and Silas Bent, Samuel C. Owens, St. Vrain, F. X. Aubrey, Dr. Connelly, Armijo Bros .. Samuel Magoffin, E. C. McCarty, Whiting and Otero, William H. Russell, Oldham and Thompson. Later on a great many others were engaged in the trade, some of them I knew well. Irwin and Jackman, Henry and Elija Chiles, S. D. and I. N. Irwin, George W. and A. C. Bryant, Hunter and Simpton, Hunter and Scruggs, Majors, Russell and Waddell, James B. Yager, Augustus and Peter Byrum, S. S. and C. R. Barnes were among the number.
The last train outfitted for the west in Independence was one be- longing to S. M. and I. N. Irwin, 1867. They had gotten a contract to haul government supplies from Ft. Leavenworth to Camp Supply in the Indian Territory. They found it a great deal cheaper to get the supplies here and move the train from here all complete rather than to buy up there. Hiram Young made the wagons, yokes and bows.
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It was the ambition of every farmer boy to cross the plains and kill buffalo, and every one of the neighbors boys made the round trip and came back home to tell his experience, then he was the hero of the hour and all of his friends, were sure to come and see him and listen of his tales of adventure. That would enthuse his hearers and he would be ready to go, whenever father would give his consent. A trip in those days was great schooling for young men. If you want to bring out and develop a boy there is nothing that would do it as quickly as to put a responsibility upon him and see that he fulfills it and measures up to the standard. The first lesson that he had to learn there was there was to be no shirking any duty that was put upon him, and it had to be done at the right time. When a train load of goods was put into the hands of the wagon master and his teamsters they were expected to deliver them to the proper person, at their destination, and if necessary to fight for them; it was their duty to do it. They accepted the employment with that understanding and they were willing to defend them at any or all costs.
The distance from Independence to Santa Fe was about 800 miles by what was known as the Cimarron route. That route crossed the Arkansas River where the town of Cimarron, Kansas, now stands. That point is about 150 miles west of where the trail struck the Arkansas River, at what is known as the Great Bend. After crossing the river, the road crossed a long divide between the waters of the Arkansas and Cimarron Rivers. That was a drive of about 60 miles without a drop of water, except when a heavy rain would fill up the buffalo wallows. The road followed up the Cimarron for nearly 100 miles then bore southwest- erly nearly 200 miles to Las Vagas. That was the first settlement since leaving Council Grove. Thence still southwesterly about 70 miles over the Glorietta Mountains into Santa Fe.
CHAPTER VIII
MARKING THE SANTA FE TRAIL
DAUGHTERS OF AMERICAN REVOLUTION START MOVEMENT-MRS. JOHN VAN BRUNT AND MISS ELIZABETH GENTRY, COMMITTEE-ASSISTED BY THE AUTHOR-INDEPENDENCE CITY COUNCIL ACTS-MEETING OF OLD PLAINS- MEN CALLED-MEMBERS-SANTA FE TRAIL MARKERS IN JACKSON COUNTY -"THE SANTA FE TRAIL" BY ED BLAIR.
In the year 1909 the Daughters of the American Revolution con- ceived the idea of relocating and marking the route of the original Santa Fe trail from Franklin in Howard County through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico to Santa Fe. In a great many places it had been fenced up and changed by the land owners, so that the original route was fast losing its identity. Fortunately the route through Jackson County had been noted on the plats made by the government surveyors when the land was surveyed. A copy of those old plats are now in the county surveyors office at Independence. They appointed a committee, composed of Mrs. John Van Brunt and Miss Elizabeth Gentry, of Kansas City, whose duty it was to hunt up the exact route through the state of Missouri.
The ladies knew that Col. R. T. Van Horn of Kansas City, an old time newspaper man would be apt to know of some one who might be able to tell them the exact location of the old trail. One day I was sitting in a store in Independence, when an auto stopped in front, a gentleman got out and came into the store and inquired if there was a man in there by the name of Hickman. On being answered in the affirmative he said, "There are a couple of ladies out there who wish to see you." I walked out and was introduced to Mrs. Van Brunt and Miss Gentry. They asked
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me if I knew where the old Santa Fe trail ran through Jackson County. I replied that I thought I knew every foot of it. "You are the very man that we are hunting," they replied. "Col. Van Horn sent us to you and said if you did not know he had no one else to refer us to." They invited me to go with them to Sibley and show them that part of the old route. I did so and assured them that I was ready at all times to assist them.
Afterward they appeared before the city council of Independence and asked them their assistance in working up a sentiment in favor of the project. In order to get as many persons interested as possible a meet- ing of the old plainsmen was called at the Independence Fair Grounds on Friday, Sept. 3, 1909. The members of the fair board generously fur- nished a large tent and seats for their use at the meeting. When the day came, the tent was soon crowded to its capacity. When they met it was a sight worth seeing. Many old friends met that had not seen each other for years ; in many cases each thought the other dead.
The following is a record of that meeting :
Minutes of First Meeting of Plainsmen's Association, Independence, Mo. Sept. 3, 1919.
Pursuant to a call of Wm. Z. Hickman those persons whose names are before set forth assembled at the fair grounds of the Independence Fair Association, at ten o'clock A. M., Sept. 3, 1909, for the purpose of organization. The purpose of the meeting as explained by Wm. Z. Hick- man, was to form an association of those who followed the plains prior to the last year of the Civil War and the "plains", he explained, meant the great country west of the Missouri River, likewise west of the Mis- souri state line, over which trade was carried on by means of pack ani- mals and wagons drawn by mules and oxen.
On motion it was declared that all of those who traveled over the plains, whether immigrants, travelers, traders, trappers, whether em- ployed or employers, and soldiers, should be eligible to membership. It was also on motion declared that the sons and daughters of the above named and sons and daughters of pioneers of Missouri and Kansas should likewise be eligible to membership.
On motion it was declared that all desiring to become members should sign a roll giving their places of birth, ages and the years during which they were upon the plains. And, it was further declared on motion that those claiming as sons and daughters should give the names of those under whom they claim.
SantaFe Trail
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EARLY DAYS ON THE OLD SANTA FE TRAIL.
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On motion, Milton Moore was elected president, James W. Renick, vice-president; Mrs. O. H. Gentry and Mrs. Nannie Wallace, recording secretaries, and Wm. Z. Hickman, corresponding secretary.
On motion, it was provided that all officers should hold for term of one year and until their successors be elected and qualified.
On motion, it was provided that there should be no dues charged or collected.
On motion, each member was asked to contribute papers or sketches of their own experience on the great plains and upon the lives of those who are not living, which papers are to be preserved by the correspond- ing secretary to the end that those who opened the way of western commerce and civilization may not be forgotten.
On motion, it was agreed that the annual meeting of the associa- tion shall be held on Friday of the Independence fair of each year in conjunction with a meeting of the early settlers of Jackson County, Mis- souri. The meeting was addressed by D. C. Allen and Milton Moore.
On motion, the meeting adjourned to be re-assembled at the Inde- pendence fair, on Sept. 2, 1910.
The following is a list of those present, giving names, ages, when they first crossed the plains and their postoffice addresses :
J. M. Ratcliff, 79 years, A. D. 1849-62, Little Blue, Mo.
Daniel Geary, 75 years, A. D. 1859, Kansas City, Mo.
Solomon Reed, 72 years, A. D. 1857, Independence, Mo.
John R. Kerr, 75 years, A. D. 1862-5, Independence, Mo. Oliver Perry Baxter, 74 years, A. D. 1854, Independence, Mo. James W. Renick, 68 years, A. D. 1860-6, Independence, Mo.
E. R. Lee, 68 years, A. D. 1857, Independence, Mo.
E. W. Strode, 66 years, 1867-8, Independence, Mo.
John H. Deister, 76 years, 1854-68, Piper, Kan. E. J. Worthington, 68 years, 1862-4-5, Lees Summit, Mo.
James D. Aid, 67 years, 1862-3, Independence, Mo. John S. Story, 83 years, 1846, Liberty, Mo. J. W. McMillian, 73 years, 1851, Denison, Tex.
T. W. Gentry, 70 years, 1866, Independence, Mo. J. W. Alley, 70 years, 1856, Lamar, Mo. James M. Moore, 72 years, 1858, Lees Summit, Mo. F. M. Alley, 71 years, 1856, Lees Summit, Mo. Jos. Attor, 79 years, 1851, Bloomington, Ill. Morgan DeLacy, 84 years, 1846, Armordale, Kan.
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P. P. Parker, 69 years, 1862-5, Independence, Mo. S. Akers, 77 years, 1849-50-52, Sibley, Mo.
C. A. Harra, 67 years, A. D. 1862, Buckner, Mo. Thos. Kincaid, 67 years, 1863, Independence, Mo. Thos. Dyke, 67 years, 1862, Kerney, Mo. L. D. Smith, 77 years, 1857-8-9-60, Kansas City, Mo. W. H. Gott, 66 years, 1852, Kansas City, Mo.
T. J. Rogers, 65 years, 1864, Lees Summit, Mo. L. J. Beers, 59 years, 1869, Kansas City, Mo. Elvi Potts, 81 years, 1848, Grain Valley, Mo. Dr. Lee C. Miller, 81 years, 1852, Knob Knoster, Mo.
G. W. Scott, 73 years, 1856, Belton, Mo. T. W. Mitcher, 73 years, 1850, Olathe, Kan.
G. Philbert, 71 years, 1856, Wyandotte, Kan. R. W. Adams, 67 years, 1862, Independence, Mo. J. A. Moore, 73 years, 1865, Independence, Mo. Jas. Bowling, 90 years, 1846, Buckner, Mo. Miss Jate Pliser, 67 years, 1853, Texhoma, Okla. Pat Costello, 62 years, 1867, Buckner, Mo.
J. R. Wilson, 80 years, 1851, Blue Springs, Mo.
J. R. Hudson, 76 years, 1852, Oak Grove, Mo.
J. J. O'Brien, Sr., 67 years, 1863, Independence, Mo. H. C. Harper, 73 years, 1856, Kansas City, Mo. J. K. Burrus, 69 years, 1854, Mt. Washington. Jas. Carter, 72 years, 1846, Kansas City, Mo. J. S. Wallace, 59 years, 1868, Kansas City, Mo.
A. R. Campbell, 62 years, 1863, R. R. 5, Independence, Mo.
J. M. Crowder, 64 years, 1863, Valley Falls, Kan. Rufus Wilson, 73 years, 1862, Independence, Mo. W. C. Christopher, 69 years, 1862, Harrisonville, Mo.
Chris Johnson, 69 years, 1857, Glendon, Mo.
J. W. Mayhan, 67 years, 1861, Wellington, Mo. Green Hulse, 63 years, 1863, Oak Grove, Mo. Dr. D. A. Bryant, 81 years, 1864, Hickman Mills.
E. W. McIhany, 81 years, 1849, Kansas City, Mo., 8011 E. Eighth St.
I. N. Montgomery, 75 years, 1851, Blue Springs, Mo.
D. Stewart, 71 years, 1863, Courtney.
J. A. Coleman, 70 years, 1851-56, Bates City, Mo.
A. B. Hayes, 62 years, 1862-3-4-5-6, Lemoore, Cal.
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Morgan Boone, 58 years, 1868, Kansas City, Mo. N. Ainsworth, 75 years, 1860, Lone Elm, Kan. W. D. Land, 73 years, 1856, Independence, Mo. J. M. Short, 68 years, 1860-4, Lees Summit, Mo. Milton Moore, 63 years, 1864-5, Kansas City, Mo. Newton Vaughan, 64 years, 1860-65, Martin City, Mo. H. C. Barger, 61 years, 1864, Edwardsville, Kan. W. H. Deister, 68 years, 1861-5, Parkville, Mo. Geo. P. Prewitt, 72 years, 1855, Blue Springs. W. M. Johnson, 64 years, 1853, Rosedale, Kan. W. T. Hickman, 73 years, 1856, Kansas City, Mo. Oliver Case, 74 years, 1858, Kansas City, Mo. D. D. Mattney, 74 years, 1857-9, Argentine, Kan. Geo. W. Harrison, 69 years, 1856-65, Warrensburg, Mo. T. W. Green, 67 years, 1864-5, Raytown, Mo. Stubbins Watts, 71 years, 1861, Kansas City, Mo. Thos. H. Hunter, 75 years, 1857, Kansas City, Mo. R. C. Rice, 82 years, 1846, Liberty, Mo. Saml. B. Harris, 79 years, 1853, Greenwood, Mo. Napoleon Boone, 69 years, 1859, Westport, Mo. J. G. Vaughan, 70 years, 1860, Kingsville, Mo. Jas. Peacock, 85 years, 1846, Independence, Mo. R. S. Barnes, 83 years, 1847, Randolph, Mo. Thos. McNamara, 73 years, 1858, Kansas City, Mo.
U. R. Holmes, 63 years, 1863, Hickman Mills.
R. H. Dean, 80 years, 1858, Topeka, Kan. T. F. Maxwell, 68 years, 1859, Independence, Mo. Jas. Latimer, 71 years, 1863, Independence, Mo. Mrs. Nathan Lipscomb, 64 years, 1853, Martin City, Mo. J. T. Crump, 64 years, 1863, Independence, Mo. Geo. L. Compton, 78 years, 1855, Independence, Mo. Chas. Raber, 67 years, 1860, Kansas City, Mo. T. B. Webb, 74 years, 1860, Higginsville, Mo. J. H. Jones, 64 years, 1864, Buckner, Mo. P. A. Helm, 80 years, 1849, Paris, Mo. Jas. McMillan, 75 years, 1852, Independence, Mo. Mrs. P. C. Renick, 81 years, 1854, Kansas City, Mo. Jos. Baxter, 68 years, 1855, Independence, Mo. W. E. Cassell, 68 years, 1860, Kansas City, Mo.
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Jerry Grindrod, 62 years, 1864, Kansas City, Kan. N. Hoaks, 54 years, 1855, Kansas City, Mo. W. K. Wolfe, 69 years, 1859, Leeds, Mo. D. P. Dyer, 70 years, 1865, Lake City, Mo. Wm. H. Chiles, 73 years, 1864, Independence, Mo. Nina Cogswell, 79 years, 1856, Independence, Mo. Luther C. Munro, 65 years, 1860, Independence, Mo. T. T. Fox, 74 years, 1860, Independence, Mo. Robt. P. Fann, 72 years, 1861, Belton, Mo.
John P. Fann, 64 years, 1861, Independence, Mo. Jno. W. Moore, 68 years, 1860, Kansas City, Mo. G. C. Slusher, 72 years, 1855, Independence, Mo. Geo. Holmes, 75 years, 1852, Kansas City, Mo. Joel B. Patterson, 60 years, 1870, Oak Grove. J. T. Sale, 76 years, 1850, Independence, Mo. Isaac N. Rogers, 76 years, 1851, Independence, Mo. E. A. Moore, 64 years, 1865, Liberty, Mo. John A. Workman, 73 years, 1856, Independence, Mo. Edwin Walters, 60 years, 1858, Kansas City, Mo. W. Z. Hickman, 64 years, 1862, Independence, Mo. F. C. Warneke, 71 years, 1853, Kansas City, Mo. Mrs. M. V. Jewell, 67 years, 1863, Kansas City, Mo. Geo. A. E. Troutman, 64 years, 1863, Kansas City, Mo. John Brixey, 74 years, 1862, Independence, Mo. Mel Hulse, 65 years, 1863, Jefferson City, Mo. Jno. T. Tyer, 70 years, 1865, Lees Summit, Mo. L. A. Allen, 62 years, 1863, Kansas City, Mo.
Danl. Boone, 63 years, 1864, Kansas City, Mo.
Henry Holsworth, 79 years, 1855, Independence, Mo.
The oldest man at that meeting was Jas. Bowlin he being 90 years old. He was one of the five men present that went with Doniphan's expedition to Mexico in 1846 as a soldier. The others were Jas. Peacock, Jas. S. Storey, Morgan DeLacey and James Carter. A permanent organ- ization was made and meetings held regularly until the breaking out of the World War. At each meeting fewer and fewer of the old fellows answered to their names at roll call. At the last meeting held in 1917, only 12 answered to the names. Since the first meeting nearly all have died.
The country which was called the "Great Plains" or "Great American
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Desert" has been transformed into a land of fine farms and homes. Civil- ization has changed the appearance of all of it, and the man who passed over it 50 or 60 years ago, would be perfectly lost should he try to follow the old trail. When the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad was built the engineers built it almost on the identical route of the old Santa Fe Trail.
Some years ago I took a trip over the railroad from Kansas City to Santa Fe and in a great many places it was almost identical with the old trail, especially was this so from Trinidad to Santa Fe. Trinidad is situated on the north side of the Raton mountains, at the mouth of a big canyon. The head waters of the Purgatorie River comes out of that canyon, that was the only place that a wagon road could have ever been built across the Raton range. The wagon road crosses the stream 18 times from Trinidad to the summit and seven times from the summit to the plains on the south side. The road came out on the plains just where the town of Raton now stands.
The men at the meeting were men who had traveled that trail when it was dangerous. Some of them had been wagon masters, assistants and teamsters. There was never a collection of men that were more de- voted to duty than those old plainsmen were-there was no task too arduous or dangerous for them to go through with, in the discharge of their duties. The teamsters obeyed the orders of the wagon masters with just as much promptness as regular soldiers of the army. No mat- ter how cold or rainy, when a man's time came to go on duty he went, without question.
After the meeting the men took great interest in the undertaking of the ladies to put up markers along the old road. The ladies went before the Legislature and asked for an appropriation to buy the markers, and the members from the counties through which the old train ran took up the matter with a good will and pushed the bill through both houses of the Legislature and the Governor signed it. As soon as the law became operative the contract was let for the markers and work commenced upon them at once. When finished, they were speedily erected along the whole line, from New Santa Fe, Jackson County, to Franklin in Howard County. After all of them had been set, the ladies organized a party to go over the line and dedicate them, and in each place to select some responsible party who would pledge themselves to look after them and care for them when necessary.
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Those stones in Jackson County are located as follows, commencing from the eastern line of the county: Livesy, Buckner, Six Mile Church, Salem Church, Court House yard in Independence, Aunt Sophia Kitchen on the Blue Ridge Boulevard, Cave Spring, Bryant Road, Red Bridge, and the state line of New Santa Fe. A marker was also located on the top of the river bluff at Old Fort Osage, from which point passengers on every steamboat that comes up the Missouri River can see it for miles before getting to it. It stands there as a lone silent sentinel on the iden- tical spot that Captain Meriwether Lewis selected in the year 1805, on his exploring expedition to the Pacific ocean, for a trading post and fort, that was located by the government in 1808.
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