3. Earliest Commerce in Southeast Kansas
The Chouteaus and their fur company followed the Osage into southeast Kansas and opened trading posts in present-day Neosho and Labette Counties—others followed. One of the Chouteau posts was sold and later became a center of hostility during the war. All four businesses discussed here were among the earliest in Kansas, and each took a prominent place in regional history.
The Chouteaus and their fur company followed the Osage into southeast Kansas and opened trading posts in present-day Neosho and Labette Counties—others followed. One of the Chouteau posts was sold and later became a center of hostility during the war. All four businesses discussed here were among the earliest in Kansas, and each took a prominent place in regional history.
The earliest trading posts in our region were not grocery stores or markets in any way similar to today’s retail businesses. Their purpose was to acquire furs from the Indians in exchange for goods brought in from St. Louis and other eastern locations. The trade goods included food, blades, tobacco, coffee, weapons and gunpowder, bridles, and other items the Indians needed; the furs were then shipped east.
These businesses were remote and crude. There was very sparse settlement in this region during the early part of the 19th century. After the 1825 treaty was ratified, the only white people allowed on the Osage reserve were a few traders, builders, agents, and missionaries approved by the government. The proprietors were tough, resilient people who dealt with harsh frontier elements as well as loneliness. The structures themselves were poorly lit by candles and lanterns. The constant presence of freshly killed animal hides did little to improve the environment.
All of the posts are gone. Nature, cultivation, and more recent construction have erased most signs of their presence. But we do know a little about a couple of the structures. Descriptions of the Mathew’s post and the Linn-Gilmore posts are available and similar. This is not surprising because the men knew one another and might have been partners at one time. The structures were dog-trot cabins, which were pretty commonly used across the southern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The buildings consisted of two enclosed areas separated by an open breezeway, or dog-trot. The enclosed ends could be used for cooking or sleeping quarters and could be heated separately—or only one end had to be heated for cooking during warm weather. The dog-trot breezeway provided comfort in the summer. Overall size might have been 20’ x 50’.
These businesses were remote and crude. There was very sparse settlement in this region during the early part of the 19th century. After the 1825 treaty was ratified, the only white people allowed on the Osage reserve were a few traders, builders, agents, and missionaries approved by the government. The proprietors were tough, resilient people who dealt with harsh frontier elements as well as loneliness. The structures themselves were poorly lit by candles and lanterns. The constant presence of freshly killed animal hides did little to improve the environment.
All of the posts are gone. Nature, cultivation, and more recent construction have erased most signs of their presence. But we do know a little about a couple of the structures. Descriptions of the Mathew’s post and the Linn-Gilmore posts are available and similar. This is not surprising because the men knew one another and might have been partners at one time. The structures were dog-trot cabins, which were pretty commonly used across the southern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The buildings consisted of two enclosed areas separated by an open breezeway, or dog-trot. The enclosed ends could be used for cooking or sleeping quarters and could be heated separately—or only one end had to be heated for cooking during warm weather. The dog-trot breezeway provided comfort in the summer. Overall size might have been 20’ x 50’.
Early Osage villages and trading posts along the Neosho River. (click to enlarge)
Approximate Locations of Two Trading Posts Near St. Paul. (Click to enlarge). Also see Note [3], below.
Chouteau Post.
In 1837, Edouard Chouteau and Gerald Pappin opened trading posts along the Neosho in southern Kansas. The Chouteau and Pappin families became good friends of the Osage Mission missionaries, and the names Chouteau and Pappin appear often in Jesuit writing and the records of St. Francis Catholic Church.
The Chouteau post was located on the banks of Flat Rock Creek southeast of the Catholic Mission. The exact location is unknown, and given the area's propensity to flood, it is doubtful that anything remains. But, if a hunter or hiker stumbled across the remains of a rough stone foundation, it would be a very interesting discovery. There are a few references to a Chouteau post on the southern Kansas Neosho River as early as 1815, but I have not been able to substantiate them (unless they are the Chouteau-Mathews post near Oswego discussed below).
In 1837, Edouard Chouteau and Gerald Pappin opened trading posts along the Neosho in southern Kansas. The Chouteau and Pappin families became good friends of the Osage Mission missionaries, and the names Chouteau and Pappin appear often in Jesuit writing and the records of St. Francis Catholic Church.
The Chouteau post was located on the banks of Flat Rock Creek southeast of the Catholic Mission. The exact location is unknown, and given the area's propensity to flood, it is doubtful that anything remains. But, if a hunter or hiker stumbled across the remains of a rough stone foundation, it would be a very interesting discovery. There are a few references to a Chouteau post on the southern Kansas Neosho River as early as 1815, but I have not been able to substantiate them (unless they are the Chouteau-Mathews post near Oswego discussed below).
James M. Linn
Linn – Gilmore Post.
James Monroe Linn was the first trader known to have a business within the present boundaries of St. Paul, Kansas. Linn began doing business with the Osage in this area in about 1841 and learned to speak their language fluently. He established a trading post about one mile west of the Catholic Osage Mission in or before 1849. The exact location is unknown, but it is believed to be near the existing Industrial Crating Plant in the east part of the Catholic Mission addition of St. Paul (click on the above image). The post was described as a long building with a counter over five feet high, behind which fur and buffalo robes were thrown when a trade was made. The family home was a double log house with an open passage that stood in the center of an enclosure of a ten-rail fence. Linn has been described as a friendly man who got along well with the Indians, but there are a few tales of tomahawk throwing and angry chases within the fenced enclosure; one of which Linn ended by brandishing a pitchfork to chase an angry Osage away. When Linn’s young wife grew tired of the stresses of the remote frontier, he turned the business over to one of his clerks, Samuel Gilmore. In 1858, Mr. and Mrs. Linn moved to the bustling settlement of Carthage, which had a population of 300 at the time.
After Sam Gilmore became proprietor, a settlement began to spring up. Gilmore became postmaster[1] and his building, again described as a closed-in dog-trot building [2], became known as “Castle Thunder,” reflecting some of the wild evenings local cowboys enjoyed at the boarding house-tavern. Other businesses around the Castle included stores, a small furniture factory, a newspaper, and homes. The settlement took on the name of Gilmore Town. When Father Schoenmakers began laying out the streets of Osage Mission Town, Gilmore knew his good friend’s new town would override his settlement, and he sold out in 1868. Sam Gilmore died here in 1871, and his Castle Thunder was torn down that same year [3].
John Mathews Post.
John Mathews was born in Kentucky in 1809. At sixteen years of age, he moved to west-central Missouri, where he lived among the Osage. In about 1838, he moved to the banks of the Neosho at Little Town, present-day Oswego. Mathews is credited with founding Oswego. It is recorded that in about 1840, he purchased Augustus Chouteau's trading post and operated the business as a blacksmith–gunsmith shop and trading post.
John Mathews is believed to have had both Indian and white wives, and some of his children attended school at Osage Mission. He was also a slaveholder and a southern sympathizer. During the Civil War, he became a prominent Confederate guerrilla leader. In 1861, Cherokee half-breed Colonel Stand Watie and Mathews participated in a raid on Humboldt that ultimately led to his end. In the following months, Union forces from Fort Scott pursued him relentlessly. He was caught and shot to death near Chetopa. After his death, his home and business were burned. It is noted that John Mathews' grandson, John Joseph Mathews, a mixed-blood Osage, became a well-respected Osage historian, writer, and activist.
Some sources say John Mathews owned the Gilmore Post at Osage Mission or held an ownership stake in it. John Joseph Mathews says Mathews owned a trading Post at Osage Mission. Mathews and Gilmore did enjoy a friendship for a time, possibly a partnership, but the Civil War divided Mathews from both Gilmore and Father Schoenmakers.
Canville Post.
Canville Trading Post is the most historic in Neosho County. Its main distinction is that it was the site of the final signing of the Treaty of 1865, whereby the Osages ceded land in Neosho and Labette Counties, opening that land to white settlement. This was a precursor to the removal of the Osage to Oklahoma a few years later.
The post was founded in 1847 by A.B. Canville, a Frenchman who had been among the Osages since 1844 as a sub-agent. He also married an Osage woman. The location of his post is described as “on the south side of the Santa Fe railroad track about a quarter of a mile southeast of Shaw” (W.W. Graves in History of Neosho County). He did a good business among the Osage and many of the others who traveled to the area to trade with him. The post is described as three log houses about 25” x 40” that were very well built to provide fortification against attacks. In June of 1866, a Canville post office was established, and a small settlement was formed.
Canville continued his business there until after the Osage moved into present-day Oklahoma; then he moved there too. He passed away in July of 1878.
James Monroe Linn was the first trader known to have a business within the present boundaries of St. Paul, Kansas. Linn began doing business with the Osage in this area in about 1841 and learned to speak their language fluently. He established a trading post about one mile west of the Catholic Osage Mission in or before 1849. The exact location is unknown, but it is believed to be near the existing Industrial Crating Plant in the east part of the Catholic Mission addition of St. Paul (click on the above image). The post was described as a long building with a counter over five feet high, behind which fur and buffalo robes were thrown when a trade was made. The family home was a double log house with an open passage that stood in the center of an enclosure of a ten-rail fence. Linn has been described as a friendly man who got along well with the Indians, but there are a few tales of tomahawk throwing and angry chases within the fenced enclosure; one of which Linn ended by brandishing a pitchfork to chase an angry Osage away. When Linn’s young wife grew tired of the stresses of the remote frontier, he turned the business over to one of his clerks, Samuel Gilmore. In 1858, Mr. and Mrs. Linn moved to the bustling settlement of Carthage, which had a population of 300 at the time.
After Sam Gilmore became proprietor, a settlement began to spring up. Gilmore became postmaster[1] and his building, again described as a closed-in dog-trot building [2], became known as “Castle Thunder,” reflecting some of the wild evenings local cowboys enjoyed at the boarding house-tavern. Other businesses around the Castle included stores, a small furniture factory, a newspaper, and homes. The settlement took on the name of Gilmore Town. When Father Schoenmakers began laying out the streets of Osage Mission Town, Gilmore knew his good friend’s new town would override his settlement, and he sold out in 1868. Sam Gilmore died here in 1871, and his Castle Thunder was torn down that same year [3].
John Mathews Post.
John Mathews was born in Kentucky in 1809. At sixteen years of age, he moved to west-central Missouri, where he lived among the Osage. In about 1838, he moved to the banks of the Neosho at Little Town, present-day Oswego. Mathews is credited with founding Oswego. It is recorded that in about 1840, he purchased Augustus Chouteau's trading post and operated the business as a blacksmith–gunsmith shop and trading post.
John Mathews is believed to have had both Indian and white wives, and some of his children attended school at Osage Mission. He was also a slaveholder and a southern sympathizer. During the Civil War, he became a prominent Confederate guerrilla leader. In 1861, Cherokee half-breed Colonel Stand Watie and Mathews participated in a raid on Humboldt that ultimately led to his end. In the following months, Union forces from Fort Scott pursued him relentlessly. He was caught and shot to death near Chetopa. After his death, his home and business were burned. It is noted that John Mathews' grandson, John Joseph Mathews, a mixed-blood Osage, became a well-respected Osage historian, writer, and activist.
Some sources say John Mathews owned the Gilmore Post at Osage Mission or held an ownership stake in it. John Joseph Mathews says Mathews owned a trading Post at Osage Mission. Mathews and Gilmore did enjoy a friendship for a time, possibly a partnership, but the Civil War divided Mathews from both Gilmore and Father Schoenmakers.
Canville Post.
Canville Trading Post is the most historic in Neosho County. Its main distinction is that it was the site of the final signing of the Treaty of 1865, whereby the Osages ceded land in Neosho and Labette Counties, opening that land to white settlement. This was a precursor to the removal of the Osage to Oklahoma a few years later.
The post was founded in 1847 by A.B. Canville, a Frenchman who had been among the Osages since 1844 as a sub-agent. He also married an Osage woman. The location of his post is described as “on the south side of the Santa Fe railroad track about a quarter of a mile southeast of Shaw” (W.W. Graves in History of Neosho County). He did a good business among the Osage and many of the others who traveled to the area to trade with him. The post is described as three log houses about 25” x 40” that were very well built to provide fortification against attacks. In June of 1866, a Canville post office was established, and a small settlement was formed.
Canville continued his business there until after the Osage moved into present-day Oklahoma; then he moved there too. He passed away in July of 1878.
Go to: 4. Earliest Protestant Missions - or - Story.
Some Reference Information:
* These books are available from the Osage Mission - Neosho County Historical Society. Last known price was $16 each ($32 for both of the Neosho County books). I believe they are also available at the Graves Memorial Public Library in St. Paul.
Photos:
Note [1] - Sam Gilmore actually assumed postmaster duties from Father Schoenmakers.
Note [2] - From written descriptions, the Castle Thunder building likely started as a traditional "dog trot" structure with the central breezeway. Later the breezeway was built in to add enclosed floor space. During its life, the Castle Thunder building served several roles, including as a trading post, an inn, and a tavern for local traders, settlers, and cowboys. It also served as a post office, Gilmore Town meeting room, and courtroom. The name Castle Thunder reflects some of the good times had when the building was in tavern mode. The first known white child born in Neosho County, and the current limits of St. Paul, was born in Gilmore Town. Ann Gilmore, Sam Gilmore's daughter, later married Peter Perrier and resided for a time at the Osage Indian Agency, Indian Territory (Oklahoma)
- A History of the Osage People, Louis F Burns, 1989
- Beacon on the Plains, Sister Mary Paul Fitzgerald, 1939*
- Annals of Osage Mission, W.W. Graves, Reprinted by Graves Memorial Library, 1987*
- History of Neosho County Volumes I & II, W.W. Graves, 1949 - 1951*
- Osage Indian Bands and Clans, Louis F. Burns, 1984
- Sundown, John Joseph Mathews
- The Osages – Children of the Middle Waters, John Joseph Mathews, 1961
* These books are available from the Osage Mission - Neosho County Historical Society. Last known price was $16 each ($32 for both of the Neosho County books). I believe they are also available at the Graves Memorial Public Library in St. Paul.
Photos:
- The edited photo of the dog-trot cabin came from the Internet Archive.
- The photo of James Linn was scanned from Graves' History of Neosho County.
- The background of the map of village and post locations was pulled together from several internet map sources and edited by R. Brogan. The same composite background is used to illustrate chapters 2, 3, and 4.
- The map of St. Paul was edited from a Google Earth Image by R. Brogan.
Note [1] - Sam Gilmore actually assumed postmaster duties from Father Schoenmakers.
Note [2] - From written descriptions, the Castle Thunder building likely started as a traditional "dog trot" structure with the central breezeway. Later the breezeway was built in to add enclosed floor space. During its life, the Castle Thunder building served several roles, including as a trading post, an inn, and a tavern for local traders, settlers, and cowboys. It also served as a post office, Gilmore Town meeting room, and courtroom. The name Castle Thunder reflects some of the good times had when the building was in tavern mode. The first known white child born in Neosho County, and the current limits of St. Paul, was born in Gilmore Town. Ann Gilmore, Sam Gilmore's daughter, later married Peter Perrier and resided for a time at the Osage Indian Agency, Indian Territory (Oklahoma)
