USA > Missouri > Buchanan County > The history of Buchanan County, Missouri > Part 15
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On occasions of special interest, such as elections, holiday cel- ebrations, or camp-meetings, it was nothing unusual for a few settlers who lived in the immediate neighborhood of the meeting to entertain scores of those who had come from a distance.
Rough and rude though the surroundings may have been, the pioneers were none the less honest, sincere, hospitable and kind in their relations. It is true, as a rule, and of universal application, that there is a greater degree of real humanity among the pioneers of any country than there is when the country becomes old and rich. If there is an absence of refinement, that absence is more than compensated in the presence of generous hearts and truthful lives. They are bold, industrious, and enterprising. Generally speaking, they are earnest thinkers, and possessed of a diversified fund of useful practical infor- mation. As a rule they do not arrive at a conclusion by means of a course of rational reasoning, but, nevertheless, have a queer way of get- ting at the facts. They hate cowards and shams of every kind, and above all things falsehoods and deception, and cultivate an integrity which seldom permits them to prostitute themselves to a narrow policy of imposture. Such were the characteristics of the men and women who pioneered the way to the country of the Sac and Fox Indians. Many of them yet remain, and although some of them are among the wealthy and most substantial of the people of the county, they have not forgotten their old time hospitality and free and easy ways. In con- trasting the present social affairs with pioneer times, one has well said :
"Then, if a house was to be raised, every man ' turned out,' and often the women too, and while the men piled up the logs that fashioned the primitive dwelling-place, the women prepared the dinner. Sometimes it was cooked by big log fires near the site where the cabin was build-
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ing; in other cases it was prepared at the nearest cabin, and at the proper hour was carried to where the men were at work. If one man in the neighborhood killed a beef, a pig or a deer, every other family in the neighborhood was sure to receive a piece.
"We were all on an equality. Aristocratic feelings were unknown and would not have been tolerated. What one had we all had, and that was the happiest period of my life. But to-day, if you lean against a neighbor's shade tree he will charge you for it. If you are poor and fall sick, you may lie and suffer almost unnoticed and unattended, and prob- ably go to the poor-house ; and just as like as not the man who would report you to the authorities as a subject of county care would charge the county for making the report."
Of the old settlers, some are still living in the county, in the enjoy- ment of the fortunes they founded in early times, "having reaped an hundred-fold." Others have passed away, and many of them will not long survive. Several of them have gone to the Far West, and are still playing the part of pioneers. But wherever they may be, and whatever fate may betide them, it is but truth to say that they were excellent men, as a class, and have left a deep and enduring impression upon the county and the state. "They builded better than they knew." They were, of course, men of activity and energy, or they would never have decided to face the trials of pioneer life. They were almost invariably poor, but the lessons taught them in the early days were of such a character that few of them have remained so. They made their mistakes in business pur- suits like other men. Scarcely one of them but allowed golden oppor- tunities, for pecuniary profit at least, to pass by unheeded. What are now some of the choicest farms in Buchanan County were not taken up by the pioneers, who preferred land of very much less value. They have seen many of their prophecies fulfilled, and others come to naught. Whether they have attained the success they desired their own hearts can tell.
To one looking over the situation then, from the standpoint now, it certainly does not seem very cheering, and yet, from the testimony of some old pioneers, it was a most enjoyable time, and we of the present live in degenerate days.
At that time it certainly would have been much more difficult for those old settlers to understand how it could be possible that thirty-five years hence the citizens at the present age of the county's progress would be complaining of hard times and destitution, and that they themselves, perhaps, would be among that number, than it is now for us to appreciate how they could feel so cheerful and contented with their meagre means and humble lot of hardships and deprivations during those early, pioneer days.
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The secret was, doubtless, that they lived within their means, how- ever limited, not coveting more of luxury and comfort than their income would afford, and the natural result was prosperity and contentment, with always room for one more stranger at the fireside, and a cordial welcome to a place at their table for even the most hungry guest.
Humanity with all its ills, is, nevertheless, fortunately characterized with remarkable flexibility, which enables it to accommodate itself to circumstances. After all, the secret of happiness lies in one's ability to accommodate himself to his surroundings.
It is sometimes remarked that there were no places for public enter- tainment till later years. The fact is there were many such places, in fact every cabin was a place of entertainment, and these hotels were sometimes crowded to their utmost capacity. On such occasions, when bedtime came the first family would take the back part of the cabin and so continue filling up by families until the limit was reached. The young men slept in the wagons outside. In the morning those nearest the door arose first and went outside to dress. Meals were served on the end of a wagon, and consisted of cornbread, buttermilk and fat pork, and occasionally coffee, to take away the morning chill. On Sundays, for a change, they had bread made of wheat "tramped out" on the ground by horses, cleaned with a sheet and pounded by hand. This was the best, the most fastidious, they could obtain, and this only one day in seven. Not a moment of time was lost. It was necessary that they should raise enough sod corn to take them through the coming winter, and also get as much breaking done as possible. They brought with them enough corn to give the horses an occasional feed, in order to keep them able for hard work, but in the main they had to live on prairie grass. The cattle got nothing else than grass.
AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.
An interesting comparison might be drawn between the conveni- ences which now make the life of a farmer a comparatively easy one, and the almost total lack of such conveniences in early days. A brief description of the accommodations possessed by the first tillers of this soil will be now given.
Let the children of such illustrious sires draw their own compari- sons, and may the results of these comparisons silence the voice of com- plaint which so often is heard in the land.
The only plows they had at first were what they styled " bull plows." The mould-boards were generally of wood, but in some cases they were half wood and half iron. The man who had one of the latter description was looked upon as something of an aristocrat. But these old "bull plows" did good service and they must be awarded the honor of first stir-
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ring the soil of Buchanan County as well as that of all the first class coun- ties of this state.
The amount of money which some farmers annually invest in agri- cultural implements would have kept the pioneer farmer in farming uten- sils during a whole lifetime. The pioneer farmer invested little money in such things, because he had little money to spare, and then again because the expensive machinery now used would not have been at all adapted to the requirements of pioneer farming. The "bull plow" was probably better adapted to the fields abounding in stumps and roots than would the modern sulky plow have been, and the old-fashioned wheat cradle did better execution than would a modern harvester under like circumstances. The prairies were seldom settled till after the pioneer period, and that portion of the country which was the hardest to put under cultivation, and the most difficult to cultivate after it was improved, first was cultivated ; it is well for the country that such was the case, for the present generation, familiarized as it is with farming machinery of such complicated pattern, would scarcely undertake the clearing off of dense forests and cultivating the ground with the kind of implements their fathers used, and which they would have to use for some kinds of work.
MILLS AND TRADING POINTS.
Notwithstanding the fact that some of the early settlers were energetic mill-wrights, who employed all their energy, and what means they pos- sessed, in erecting mills at a few of the many favorable mill-sites which abound in the county, yet going to mill in those days, when there were no roads, no bridges, no ferry-boats, and scarcely any conveniences for traveling, was no small task, where so many rivers and treacherous streams were to be crossed, and such a trip was often attended with great danger to the traveler when these streams were swollen beyond their banks. But even under these circumstances some of the more adventurous and ingenious ones, in case of emergency, found the ways and means by which to cross the swollen streams, and succeed in mak- ing the trip. At other times, again, all attempts failed them, and they were compelled to remain at home until the waters subsided, and depend on the generosity of their fortunate neighbors.
Some stories are related with regard to the danger, perils and hard- ships of forced travels to mills, and for provisions, which remind one of forced marches in military campaigns, and when we hear of the heroic and daring conduct of the hardy pioneer in procuring bread for his loved ones, we think that here were heroes more valiant than any of the renowned soldiers of ancient or modern times.
During the first two years, and perhaps not until some time after- ward, there was not a public highway established and worked on which
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they could travel; and as the settlers were generally far apart, and mills and trading points were at great distances, going from place to place was not only very tedious, but attended sometimes with great danger. Not a railroad had yet entered the state, and there was scarcely a thought in the minds of the people here of such a thing ever reaching the wild West ; and, if thought of, people had no conception of what a revolution a railroad and telegraph through the county, would cause in its pro- gress. Then there was less than 5,000 miles of railroad in the United States, and not a mile of track laid this side of the Ohio, while now there are over 100,000 miles of railroad, extending their trunks and branches in every direction over our laud.
Supplies in those days came to this western country entirely by river and wagon transportation. Mail was carried to and fro in the same way, and telegraph dispatches were transmitted by the memory and lips of emigrants coming in, or strangers passing through.
In early days, going to mill was always tedious. For some little time there was no mill for the purpose of grinding corn and wheat nearer than Smith's Fork, in Clay County. In 1838 a mill was erected on Dil- lon's Creek, ten miles north of St. Joseph. This was the first mill erected in the county outside of Blacksnake Hills. The first run of burrs was put in in 1839. There was no elevator at that time, so after the wheat was ground it was carried to the upper story of the mill and fed by hand through a spout leading to a bolt on the burr floor. People came from far and near, attracted by the reports.of the completion of the mill, with their grists, so that for days before it was ready for work, the creek bottom was dotted over with hungry and patient men, waiting until it was ready to do their work, so that they might return with their meal and flour to supply their families and those of their neighbors, thus enduring the hardships of camp life, in those early days, in order that they might be able to secure the simple necessaries of life, devoid of all luxuries.
HUNTING AND TRAPPING.
The sports and means of recreation were not so numerous and varied among the early settlers as at present, but they were more enjoy- able and invigorating than now.
Hunters now a days would be only too glad to be able to find and enjoy their favorable opportunity for hunting and fishing, and even travel many miles, counting it rare pleasure to spend a few weeks on the water courses and wild prairies in hunt and chase and fishing frolics, where not half so good hunting and fishing sport are furnished as was in this vicinity twenty-five and forty years ago. There were a good many excellent hunters here at an early day, who enjoyed the sport as well as any can at the present time.
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Wild animals of almost every species known in the wilds of the west were found in great abundance. The prairies, and woods, and streams, and various bodies of water, were all thickly inhabited before the white man came and for some time afterward. Although the Indians slew many of them, yet the natural law prevailed here as well as else- where. "Wild man and wild beast thrive together."
Serpents were to be found in such large numbers, and of such immense size, that some stories told by the early settlers would be incredible were it not for the large array of concurrent testimony which is to be had from the most authentic sources. Deer, turkeys, ducks, geese, squirrels and various other kinds of choice game were plentiful and to be had at the expense of killing only. The fur animals were abundant ; such as the otter, beaver, mink, muskrat, raccoon, panther, fox, wolf, wild-cat and bear.
An old resident of the county told us, that in 1843, while he was traveling a distance of six miles, he saw as many as thirty-three deer, in herds of from six to ten.
HUNTING BEE TREES.
Another source of profitable recreation among the old settlers was that of hunting bees. The forests along the water courses were espec- ially prolific of bee-trees. They were found in great numbers on the Platte, One Hundred and Two and Grand Rivers. Many of the early settlers, during the late summer, would go into camp for days at a time, for the purpose of hunting and securing the honey of the wild bees, which was not only extremely rich, and found in great abundance, but always commanded a good price in the home market.
The Indians have ever regarded the honey-bee as the forerunner of the white man, while it is a conceded fact that the quail always follows the footprints of civilization.
The following passage is found in the "Report of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, in the year 1842, by Captain John C. Fremont," page 69 :
"Here on the summit, where the stillness was absolute ; unbroken by any sound, and the solitude complete, we thought ourselves beyond the regions of animated life ; but while we were sitting on the rocks, a solitary bee came winging his flight from the eastern valley, and lit on the knee of one of the men. We pleased ourselves with the idea that he was the first of his species to cross the mountain barrier, a solitary pioneer to foretell the advance of civilization."
Gregg, in his "Commerce of the Prairies," page 178, Vol. I, says : "The honey-bee appears to have emigrated exclusively from the East, as its march has been observed westward. The bee, among Western
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.
pioneers, is the proverbial precursor of the Anglo-American population. In fact, the aborigines of the frontier have generally corroborated this statement, for they used to say that they knew the white man was not far behind when the bees appeared among them."
There were other recreations, such as shooting matches and quilting parties, which obtained in those days, and which were enjoyed to the fullest extent. The quilting parties were especially pleasant and agree- able to those who attended. The established rule in those days at these quilting parties was, to pay either one dollar in money or split one hundred rails during the course of the day. The men would generally split the rails and the women would remain in the house and do the quilting. After the day's work was done the night would be passed in dancing.
"All the swains that there abide, With jigs and rural dance resort."
When daylight came the music and the dancing would cease, and the gallant young men would escort the ladies to their respective homes.
CHAPTER VII.
LEGISLATIVE ACT ORGANIZING BUCHANAN AND PLATTE COUNTIES-APPOINTMENT OF COMMISSIONERS TO LOCATE COUNTY-SEAT-ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY- FIRST COURT -COUNTV AND TOWNSHIP SYSTEM - GOVERNMENT SURVEYS - OR- GANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS - BOUNDARIES OF SAME ESTABLISHED - PROCEED- INGS OF FIRST COURT-ELECTION PRECINCTS-ROADS-FERRIES.
In 1837, after the Platte Purchase was made, the territory now included in Buchanan County was by act of the General Assembly, attached to Clinton County, for civil and judicial purposes. That por- tion of the act referring to Buchanan County is as follows :
"All that portion of territory included within the following bounda- ries, to wit : beginning at the southwest corner of Clinton County, thence due west to the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River, thence up the main channel of the same to where the northern boundary line of the State of Missouri intersects the same, thence along said line to the present northwest corner of the state, thence south to the beginning, be and the same is hereby attached to the county of Clinton, for civil and judicial purposes."
The following is the act of the General Assembly of Missouri (1838) under which Platte and Buchanan Counties were organized, and their boundaries defined.
PLATTE AND BUCHANAN.
"An Act to organize the Counties of Platte and Buchanan, to define the boundaries of the same.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows :
SECTION 1. The territory west of Clay and Clinton Counties, included in the following boundaries, shall compose a new county, to be called Platte : Beginning at the southwest corner of Clay County and running north with the western boundary of said counties a sufficient distance, to a corner hereafter to be established by survey; and thence due west to the Missouri River ; thence down the middle of the main channel of said river to the beginning, so as to include in said county of Platte, four hundred square miles.
SEC. 2. The territory west of Clinton County, included in the fol- lowing boundaries, shall compose a new county to be called Buchanan, in honor of the Hon. James Buchanan of Pennsylvania : Beginning at the northeast corner of Platte County, as hereinafter established, agree- ably to the provisions of this act ; and thence north along the Clinton
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County or old State line, a sufficient distance, to a corner to be hereafter established by survey ; and thence west to the Missouri River ; and thence down the middle of the main channel of said river to the northwest corner of Platte County, when established as aforesaid ; and thence east to the beginning, so as to contain four hundred square miles.
SEC. 3. The Governor is authorized and required to appoint and commission three persons, resident in each of said counties, as justices of the County Court thereof, and one person in each of said counties as sheriff of the same, who, when commissioned, shall have full power and authority to act as such in their respective offices, under the existing laws, until the next general election, in 1840, and until their successors are duly commissioned and qualified.
SEC. 4. Until the permanent seat for justice of said counties be established, the several courts for said counties shall (unless the respect- ive County Courts shall otherwise direct,) be held as follows: for the county of Platte [at] Falls of Platte, and for the county of Buchanan at Richard Hill's.
SEC. 5. The regular terms of the County Courts, in each of the counties aforesaid, shall be held on the first Mondays of February, May, August and November, in each year ; but the courts may meet at their discretion, after the time of their stated terms, giving due notice thereof.
SEC. 6. The Circuit Courts, in said counties, shall be held as fol- lows : In the county of Platte on the third Monday in April, August and December ; and in the county of Buchanan on the second Mondays in April, August and December.
SEC. 7. Said counties shall compose a part of the First Judicial District, and of the Fifth Judicial Circuit.
SEC. 8. The Circuit and County Courts of said counties, or the judge or judges thereof, in vacation, shall have power to appoint their respec- tive clerks, who shall hold their offices until the next general election in 1840, and until their successors are duly qualified.
SEC. 9. Said counties shall belong to and compose a part of the Twelfth Senatorial District.
SEC. 10. Immediately after the passage of this act the Governor [is] authorized and required to appoint some suitable person as sur- veyor, to ascertain, survey and establish the boundaries of said counties of Platte and Buchanan, agreeably to the provisions of this act.
SEC. II. Said surveyor shall, within thirty days of his appoint- ment, or as soon thereafter as practicable, after being duly sworn and qualified to execute the duties required by this act, proceed to dis- charge the same, and make report thereof to the respective County Courts of Platte and Buchanan, and likewise to the Governor of this State.
SEC. 12. Said surveyor shall be allowed the sum of six dollars per day, as compensation in full for his services, including all expenses for chain carrying, marking, &c., &c .; to be paid by the said counties of Platte and Buchanan, in equal proportions, upon the reception of his report as aforesaid.
SEC. 13. The following persons are hereby appointed commission- ers to select the seat of justice in said counties : For the county of Platte, Samuel Hadley, of Clay County; Samuel D. Lucas, of Jackson County, and John M. Morehead, for Ray County. For the county of 10
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Buchanan, Peter B. Fulkerson and Armstrong Mcclintock, of Clinton County, and Leonard Brassfield, of Clay County; and said commission- ers are hereby vested with all the powers granted by an act entitled " An act to provide for organizing counties hereinafter established," approved December, 1836.
SEC. 14. The County Courts of said counties are empowered to supply any vacancy that may occur among the Commissioners hereby appointed ; and said Commissioners for the counties of Platte and Buchanan shall meet for the purpose of discharging their duties, at such time and place as the County Courts shall direct.
SEC. 15. The said counties of Platte and Buchanan shall each elect one Representative to the General Assembly of the State of Missouri on the first Monday in August, in the year 1840.
SEC. 16. The County Court for Platte County shall hold the first term of their court on the second Monday in March next, at which time they shall appoint some suitable person as assessor for said county, who shall hold his office until the next general election for county offices, and until his successor is duly elected and qualified.
This act to be in force from and after its passage.
Approved December 31, 1838.
STATE OF MISSOURI, CITY OF JEFFERSON, OFFICE OF SECRETARY OF STATE.
I, James L. Minor, Secretary of State of the State of Missouri, do hereby certify that by the provisions of an act entitled "An act to organ- ize the counties of Platte and Buchanan and define the boundaries of the same," approved December 31, 1839, Peter P. Fulkerson and Armstrong McClintock, of Clinton County, and Leonard Brassfield, of Clay County, were appointed Commissioners to select the seat of justice of the said county of Buchanan.
Witness my hand and seal of office, this 13th day of March, A. D. 1839.
JAMES L. MINOR, Secretary of State.
LEONARD BRASSFIELD, Esq.
(Postage on the above letter was 183 cents.)
A copy of the above appointment was sent to each of the three Com- missioners, and in pursuance thereof they severally went before one of the Judges of the Buchanan County Court, and subscribed an oath for the performance of their respective duties. The oath taken by Mr. Brass- field, and endorsed upon the order of appointment, is as follows :
"Personally appeared before me, William Harrington, one of the Judges of the Buchanan County Court, the within named Leonard Brass- field, and took an oath to discharge the duties of Commissioner, without favor, partiality or prejudice.
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