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Independence was an
unpromising, sleepy, dull,
almost silent little village
for the first year or so of
its existence. Now and then
the County Court met for a
few busy days and less
frequently Judge Todd came
and held a brief term of
Circuit Court. These
sessions of Court were
occasions for the
foregathering of the
pioneers, or back woodsmen,
first settlers or whatever
we may denominate them. But
the place had two
advantages, namely, it was
the county seat and it was
on the Santa Fe Trail. This
trail had been marked out by
the governmental commission
two years before the place
was selected as the seat of
justice. The Trail had been
surveyed and located in 1825
from the old fort at what is
now the town of Sibley. The
fort and trading house were
abandoned in 1827, when
cantonment Leavenworth
became the military center
of the West. Hence, Fort
Osage was never a rival to
Independence. For a time
Blue Mills made a strong bid
for the popular favor, with
its ferry and its boat
landing and its flouring
mill.
Presently Aull and Company
from Lexington, Mo.,
established a store in
Independence and carried
such goods as those bound
for the mountains or for
Santa Fe might require.
Independence henceforth was
no longer a sleepy, one
horse village. If we had a
history of the business
conducted by Aull and
Company we should have a
history of the county seat's
first tottering steps in the
commercial world.
The assembling here of the
mountain hunters, fur
traders and trappers, the
trains of pack mules and
finally wagon trains drawn
at first by mules and the
arrival of Mexican traders
and the return of the
Missourians from New Mexico
with bags of silver dropped
down on the ground in front
of Aull's store; and the
frequent visits of Indian
bands -- all these mingling
and mixing, fighting and
drinking, afforded no time,
day or night, for
Independence to go to sleep.
Blacksmith and gunsmith
shops were set up and wagon
shops and harness shops and
taverns -- all of these
multiplied to meet the
demands of business. But
from all accounts the place
was the resort of rough
characters and there was
much noise and much
confusion. Also there was
much money.
All sorts and conditions of
men frequented the bustling
young town. It became
almost a congress of
languages. Each race was
heard in his mother tongue.
The Spanish, Italian and
German language were heard
mixed with idioms and
dialects of English. Also
Choctaw and Chickasaw, Osage
and Kaw.
The late Capt. E. W. Strode,
while traveling in the West,
met a man who was a wanderer
and who had been in all
parts of the country, but he
said that Independence was
the roughest town he had
ever seen, frequented by
tough characters from the
West -- drinking, swearing
and fighting. W. S.
Flournoy recalls Capt.
Strode's story.
The missionary, the preacher
and the priest came along
with the first arrivals.
Schools were established and
the county seat of Jackson
County went forward more
rapidly than any other
pioneer town in the West.
Independence was never hard
up for money, the most
fortunate pioneer town
recorded in the annals of
the West.
Suddenly the sleepy little
village felt the urge of a
mighty ambition, the
ambition to become a town.
A petition, signed by
two-thirds of the taxable
inhabitants, was presented
to the County Court, praying
for an order of
incorporation, and the
petition was granted,
including this entry:
"And it is further ordered
by the Court that John
Smith, Jones H. F. Flournoy,
John Clemison, John Modie
and Richard McCarty be
trustees for said
incorporation for the term
of one year from and after
the date of this order, and
until their successors are
duly chosen and qualified
as trustees of said
corporation."
I give credit to W. S.
Flournoy for calling my
attention to the above
record in the County Clerk's
office. The trustees had
power to appoint police. A
common seal was adopted.
"In 1849 the town had grown
to such an extent that
application was made to the
General Assembly of the
State of Missouri for the
incorporation of the town,
which was done. By an act
of the General Assembly,
approved March 8, 1849, the
City of Independence was
incorporated. It then
ceased to be a town and
became a city," quoting W.
S. Flournoy's manuscript.
It may be stated in passing
that Kansas City was first
incorporated as the town of
"Kansas" by the County
Court. |
