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In the summer of 1849 a
French writer and artist, by
name, M. de Garadin, came up
the Missouri by steamboat
and stopped off here on his
way. He wrote:
"Today the little village of
Independence is thronged
with emigrants headed for
California. A steam
ferry-boat continually
crosses the stream
transporting from one bank
to the other a multitude of
covered wagons, also many
herds of cattle and horses,
as well as thousands of
emigrants, men, women and
children.
"The wagons of
emigrants, of which so many
are seen at Independence,
are covered with canvas and
inside are arranged with
perfect order and tidiness.
A covered wagon is a cottage
on wheels which the owner
must inhabit for six or
seven weary months. Hence
he makes it as comfortable
as possible.
"Pistols and
carbines are indispensable
equipment for those headed
West. They are hung up on
the walls. In a corner is a
cast iron stove which is set
up at each encampment to
bake biscuits; there also
are suspended cooking
utensils and household
goods. In almost all the
rolling tents one finds a
few books on history or
geography, and invariable
the Bible, the inseparable
companion of the American
emigrant.
"A new gold fever is
raging; farmers are selling
their land at ridiculous
prices; lawyers are
abandoning their practices;
merchants, Methodist,
Presbyterian and Baptist
preachers have donned woolen
shirts, put pistols in their
belts and muskets on their
shoulders, and starting
toward the New Eldorado in
the long caravans."
John C. McCoy
The man who laid off
and named Westport and who
also helped to found Kansas
City, and who named the
place Kansas,
John C. McCoy, was a
visitor for half an hour in
Independence before the
place was three years old.
Mr. McCoy was at the time a
youth of fifteen and was
moving West with his
parents. His father, the
Reverend Isaac McCoy,
was missionary to the
Indians. Some author in the
East wrote the life of Isaac
McCoy, the first man in
Jackson County to have a
book written and published
about him. The son, John
McCoy, wrote many sketches
of pioneer life and here is
what he wrote of his first
visit to Independence:
"About the middle of
August, 1830, a small party
of six persons, two on
horseback and four walking,
with a string of pack horses
heavily laden with
provisions and camp
equipment, entered the
public square of the
frontier village of
Independence from the east
and passed on in single file
to the southwest corner,
where the largest house in
the town of perhaps one
hundred and fifty
inhabitants stood. It was,
I believe, the only frame
structure in the place, the
others being of logs, some
hewn and some otherwise.
The hostelry (then called a
tavern, and kept by Jones
Flournoy) was a two-story
frame structure, built of
hewn logs and stood on the
northeast corner of the
square." (The house was
where they halted and was a
branch house of James and
John Aull, the leading
merchants of the Missouri
Valley, managed by Samuel C.
Owens.)
"Their appearance in
the village, although not
particularly unique or
unusual then in the border
land, created quite a ripple
of interest with the
jeans-and-linsey-clad
denizens and quite a
pleasant interchange of
courtesies and newsgiving
was carried on for an hour
or so."
Kit Carson Was Here
Kit Carson was a truant
on his first visit, perhaps
his only visit, to
Independence. He was only a
boy and his two older
brothers were traders from
St. Louis to Santa Fe. When
the two brothers arrived at
Independence, they were
astonished at a new arrival
on a mule, their younger
brother, Kit, whom they had
left behind, apprenticed to
be a saddle-maker. The two
brothers were very angry and
asked Kit why he was there.
He replied, "I'm going with
you." They ordered him to
mount his mule and go back.
Kit mounted his mule and
started homeward, but a mile
east of Independence he
turned the mule loose and
with a kick he headed the
riderless mule homeward,
while he on foot followed
the Santa Fe train, which he
overtook. The wrathy
brothers took him before the
captain of the train, St.
Vrain, who asked the truant
what he had to say for
himself. Young Kit replied
that he had "nothing to say
except that he could shoot
straight." Captain St.
Vrain permitted the boy to
join the train and thus
began Kit Carson's career in
the West.
In the time of
Thomas H. Benton, United
States Senators were chosen
by the state legislatures
and therefore the
legislatures had the right
to instruct the senators how
to vote in Congress. Benton
refused to be instructed
against his conscience, and
"Benton's Appeal" was from
the legislature to the
voters themselves. Benton
made a great campaign for
re-election in 1849. In his
canvas of the state he came
to Independence and made an
address to a large concourse
of people.
There is no report
as to his speech here, but
he was speaking at the
headquarters of the Santa Fe
Trail. His statesmanship
had established and policed
that trail nearly a quarter
of a century before that
date, and here was the home
of his friend,
Major William Gilpin.
It is not probable from our
knowledge of Benton that he
made any mention of either
Gilpin or of the Santa Fe
Trail, or of the Mexican
War, or of the expansion of
our national domain just
then completed. It is mete
that we now recall these
phases of history as parts
of our experiences in one
hundred years of municipal
life.
Audubon
In 1843
John James Audubon, the
great American
ornithologist, made his
famous journey by steamboat
up the Missouri River. He
spent several hours at the
Independence boat landing.
In the book he wrote of this
journey he gives some
interesting historical data
of local interest. The
"John Auld," mentioned by
him, was a steamboat making
the upstream voyage at the
same time.
Audubon records that
when his boat passed Glasgow
without landing, "the
backguards on shore fired at
us with rifles."
His call at
Independence was pleasant.
His diary is here copied:
"It stopped raining
in the night while I was
sound asleep, and at about 1
o'clock we did arrive at
Independence, distance about
379 miles from St. Louis.
(The distance now by
automobile is 293 miles.)
Here again was the "John
Auld" putting out freight
for the Santa Fe traders and
we saw many of their
wagons. Of course I
exchanged a hand-shake with
Father De Smet and many of
the officers I had seen
yesterday. Mr. Meeks, the
agent of Colonel Veras, had
148 pounds of tow in
readiness for us, and I drew
on the Chouteax for $30.20,
for we were charged no less
than 12 1/2 to 25 cents per
pound; but this tow might
have passed for fine flax,
and I was well content. We
left the "Auld," proceeded
on our way, and stopped at
Madame Chouteau's
plantation, where we put out
some freight for Sir William
Stuart. The water had been
two feet deep at her house,
but the river had suddenly
fallen about six feet. At
Madam Chouteau's a saw a
brother of my friend Pierre
Chouteau, Sr., now at New
York, and he gave me some
news respecting the murder
of Mr. Jarvis. About twenty
picked men of the
neighborhood had left in
pursuit of the remainder of
the marauders and had sent
one of their number back,
with the information that
they had remained not two
miles from the rascally
thieves and murderers. I
hope they will overtake them
all, and shoot them on the
spot. We saw a few
squirrels, and Bell killed
two parrokeets."
The name in the text
should be Charvez, not
Jarvis. The murdered man
was Don Antonio Jose
Charvez, a Spanish merchant,
doing business over the
Santa Fe Trail between
Independence, Mo., and Santa
Fe, New Mexico. Charvez was
on his way to Independence
with a large sum of money to
lay in his annual supply of
merchandise. John McDaniels
of Clay County organized a
band of robbers at Westport
and set out to waylay the
rich Spaniard, whom they met
a few days out from
Westport. Charvez begged
for his life, but the
robbers killed him and took
his money. When news of
this crime reached
Independence, great
excitement prevailed and a
posse was promptly organized
and went in pursuit under
command of Maj. Wm. Gilpin.
McDaniels and one other of
the gang were captured by
this posse. The prisoners
were hung in St. Louis by
the Federal authorities;
Weston F. Birch, U. S.
Marshal for Missouri, had
charge of the execution.
Here is an excerpt
from the journal of a
Forty-niner, John Evens
Brown, published in full in
the Journal of American
History (Feb. 1908):
"Tuesday we arrived
at Independence, landing in
the morning, and we were the
whole day in getting out our
goods, and making camp on
the brink of the river.
Cooking supper seemed quite
a difficult matter and night
found us very tired. I
spent a very uncomfortable
night. One watch was kept,
as thieves are the only
expected visitors.
"On Wednesday we
moved our camp one-half mile
beyond town by the Santa Fe
Road. Our wagons looked
very trim and the mules in
fine condition. My horse
has been feeling fine for
the long rest. I went into
Independence in the
afternoon and found a great
place of business. It is
the trading place of the
Mexicans and hunters who
meet here every spring and
exchange their wares, and
purchase goods. The town is
full of wagon shops and from
these is done a great
business, and I am told much
money is made. The town has
a population of 1,500
people. Independence is to
be our starting point and we
will spend a week in
preparing for our journey."
JOHN SHERMAN HERE IN
1852
Gen. John Sherman in
1852, while yet a Captain in
the U. S. Army, was sent to
Leavenworth on duty, partly
to inspect a lot of cattle
for the government. He rode
on horseback from Fort
Leavenworth to Independence,
Mo., and while here he wrote
a letter, probably to his
wife. The letter is long
and interesting and from it
I have copied the following
excerpts:
"Independence, Mo., May 21,
1852.
"I find myself here,
on a rainy day, and know no
better disposition to make
of my time than to write to
you. I last wrote you from
Fort Leavenworth."
Here Capt. Sherman
gives a lengthy account of
his horseback ride through
Platte and Clay counties to
Independence, by way of
Liberty. Resuming our
quotation:
"Accordingly after
dinner I remounted Old Fogy,
and prevailed on him to
carry me from Liberty to the
river, six miles, and then
six further to this 'city,'
the great starting place for
the Great West, California,
Oregon and New Mexico. It
is a busy thriving town of
2,000 inhabitants, has a
good Court House and public
square, lined with stores
containing everything that a
traveler on the plains could
ask for. The streets
bounding the Court House
square extend back for a
long distance, having many
pretty neat houses with
yards as much like the
country towns of Ohio as two
peas, except that this town
is newer and more thriving
-- this, the Noland House,
being the biggest hotel. I
rode up and true to my luck
found several people of my
acquaintance, one a Mr.
Mason of Fort Atkinson and
another, Mr. F. X. Aubrey,
who is considered the most
'rapid man' in the Santa Fe
trade, who is always just
arriving from New Mexico. I
did think of staying here
only a few hours, but they
prevailed on me to stop all
night, and I woke up this
morning to find myself
storm-bound. Yet I am not
sorry, for I have learned
many things here, which it
is my interest to know, have
talked a good deal with
Aubrey and others about new
roads and cut-offs and about
affairs generally in New
Mexico and the road
thither.
"If you should hear
of my joining some
expedition or other, you
must not be surprised, for
had I authority or
permission I would certainly
make some summer trip of the
kind. A great many have
gone to California from
here, yet more are going;
mule teams and ox teams are
loaded in the streets and
California subjects are
careering about before
bidding a last adieu to
houses, stores, trees and
other luxuries they will not
soon see again. A train
started yesterday for
Chihuahua in Mexico, with
goods imported from France.
I mention this merely to
show the variety of things
done in this city."
Diary of a Visitor
of 1849
The diary of Captain
J. A. Pritchard, who passed
through Independence in 1849
on his way from Kentucky to
California, is in the
possession of ex-Supreme
Judge John I. Williamson of
Kansas City, who authorizes
the subjoined extract to be
used in this history of
Independence.
"Sunday, April 22,
1849. We reached
Independence this morning at
8 o'clock. ... Independence
is a handsome flourishing
town with a high healthy
situation -- three miles
from the Missouri River and
on the south side surrounded
by one of the most beautiful
and fertile countries of any
town in the nation. The
land is well timbered with a
most luxurious growth of
black walnut, blue and black
ash, hackberry, burr oak,
white and black oak,
buckeye, box elder, coffee
nut, etc. Soil with that
growth of timber cannot help
being abundantly productive;
besides it has a limestone
foundation. Its geographical
location is such that its
climate is unsurpassed in
the Union.
"The emigrants are
encamped in every direction
for miles around. Such is
the crowded condition of the
streets of Independence, by
long trains of ox teams,
mule teams, and men here to
purchase stock, that it is
impossible to pass along.
And the California fever is
raging to such an extent
that it is carrying off its
thousands per day. Now we
are ready to bid adieu to
home, friends and happy
country, as it were, for we
are about to separate
ourselves from the abodes of
civilization, its peace,
comforts, and its safety,
for a period we know not how
long, and to some forever,
to launch away upon the
broad and extensive plains
which stretch away and away,
and bounded only by the blue
wall of the sky. While thus
lying around in suspense the
reflections of home are
forcibly crowded upon our
minds, the happy influences
that we have torn ourselves
from to enter upon a wild
and in all probability a
chimerical enterprise." |
