The Osage Mission Grist Mill was located on the west bank of Flat Rock Creek, east of the existing baseball field. All that remains is a pile of overgrown rubble and some foundation remnants.
9B. Father John Schoenmakers' Speech - September 1870.
On September 24, 1870 Father Schoenmakers was called on to say a few words during the opening of the Osage Mission Grist Mill on Flat Rock Creek. The opening of the mill was an event of great importance because it gave the new town, and surrounding farmers, an impressive economic boost.
Father John was comfortable at the pulpit but was not fond of making public speeches. But in view of the importance of the event, he agreed to deliver one of the addresses. A reporter for the Leavenworth Commercial Newspaper was present and recorded the speech for his paper [1]. This speech says a lot about the priest, his life, the way the thought, his experience with the Catholic Mission and his thoughts about founding his new "Mission Town":
“On Christmas day, 1833, I landed on American soil at New York, being a young priest twenty-four years old. I had left Holland with the intention of living and dying with the Indians. Having reached Georgetown College, my new superior gave me a book, the third in dignity among pious authors Having met with a stimulant of education, ‘a good father having bought a rich farm for his son, but which had been grown over by briars and shrubs, which were to be removed, the youth worked faithfully in company with his father, but when left to himself the task seemed useless and impossible. The experienced father then gave a small task to his son to be performed daily with a liberal reward for each day. The youth, by perseverance cleared a large spot within one month, and being encouraged by success, he finished the whole field, and reaped an abundant harvest the following season.’
“Before I reached the field of my labors fourteen years elapsed. On the 10th of May, 1847, I gathered into our school, ten Indian boys, then visited Kentucky, where I obtained the assistance of the Sisters of Loretto for the girls. Before 1860 the number of pupils had increased to 136 boys and 100 girls, whilst no less than fifty Osage families had fenced in fields and raised hogs and cattle. The war deprived the Osages of all their labor and prospects. The youth of our school above the age of fifteen joined the Union army; 500 Osages had gone south; and of the remaining 3000, four companies also joined the army. New trials were now upon us. Major Whitney, a special agent, had brot* provisions for the destitute Osages, while John Mathews, my old friend whose five children I had raised in school, raised an alarm, entreating the Indians to regard the provisions as poisonous. This occurrence alienated me from my old friend Mathews and I was obliged to spend eight months at St. Mary’s in Pottawatomie county. On my return to the Osage Mission in March 1862, the Osages were much divided. Frequent intercourse with their southern relatives increased our dangers. The southern Osages, accompanied by Cherokees, invaded our Mission three times to sack and burn it, but being associated with old pupils of our school and parents whose children were still at the Mission, their counsel prevailed in sparing us, and thereby their own interest. But our danger now enlarged on the part of avarice and bigotry of pretended friends of the Union, and if Gen. C. W. Blair had not been a true friend of the Mission it could not have escaped destruction. Our friends, Cols. Thurston, of Humboldt, and Brown, of Iola, checked the malice of some ill designing leaders, but Gen. Blair had the will and power to save southern Kansas. The Osages during these hard times, visited me by day and by night. Should my advice to them been withdrawn, I have reason to believe that Osage City [2], Humboldt, Iola, Burlington, LeRoy and Ottawa would have been laid in ashes by the united Osages and Cherokees. God has spared us all. And in September, 1865, whilst the Osages sold and transferred part of their land, they have made thousands of homes for white families.
"As the whites settled first around our Mission, the idea struck me of a Mission town. Gen Blair was to be remunerated if possible, and Gov. Geo. A. Crawford wrote me a letter congenial to my plan. The town took a start, whilst Sam Williams and Ben McDonald brot us a mill. Mission town being started and prosperous, I withdrew from partnership for conscience sake, fearing that questions would arise not in conformity with God’s law, and which might blast all my labors. I have been much blamed by our new citizens of Osage Mission town because I had given the ruling influence to the leading members of Ft. Scott; but may I not trust that they will pardon me if they should know what great, gratitude is due Gen. Blair. I have also been blamed for refusing other parties to erect a mill on Flat Rock, but my personal acquaintance with the present mill company demanded a preference. I knew their capital and energy. They have been faithful to their promises, and built the best mill in Kansas. Our friends in Ft. Scott have labored hard for our railroad interests and today, whilst we celebrate the event, our city is being surveyed for the opening of a promised railroad. The briars and shrubs are cleared, and the field is ready for abundant harvests. A library, hall and female academy built partly of cut stone, adorn our new city. Ten churches have been erected in this part of Kansas, within one year, and others are under construction, whilst settlers from every state in the Union make homes around them.”
On September 24, 1870 Father Schoenmakers was called on to say a few words during the opening of the Osage Mission Grist Mill on Flat Rock Creek. The opening of the mill was an event of great importance because it gave the new town, and surrounding farmers, an impressive economic boost.
Father John was comfortable at the pulpit but was not fond of making public speeches. But in view of the importance of the event, he agreed to deliver one of the addresses. A reporter for the Leavenworth Commercial Newspaper was present and recorded the speech for his paper [1]. This speech says a lot about the priest, his life, the way the thought, his experience with the Catholic Mission and his thoughts about founding his new "Mission Town":
“On Christmas day, 1833, I landed on American soil at New York, being a young priest twenty-four years old. I had left Holland with the intention of living and dying with the Indians. Having reached Georgetown College, my new superior gave me a book, the third in dignity among pious authors Having met with a stimulant of education, ‘a good father having bought a rich farm for his son, but which had been grown over by briars and shrubs, which were to be removed, the youth worked faithfully in company with his father, but when left to himself the task seemed useless and impossible. The experienced father then gave a small task to his son to be performed daily with a liberal reward for each day. The youth, by perseverance cleared a large spot within one month, and being encouraged by success, he finished the whole field, and reaped an abundant harvest the following season.’
“Before I reached the field of my labors fourteen years elapsed. On the 10th of May, 1847, I gathered into our school, ten Indian boys, then visited Kentucky, where I obtained the assistance of the Sisters of Loretto for the girls. Before 1860 the number of pupils had increased to 136 boys and 100 girls, whilst no less than fifty Osage families had fenced in fields and raised hogs and cattle. The war deprived the Osages of all their labor and prospects. The youth of our school above the age of fifteen joined the Union army; 500 Osages had gone south; and of the remaining 3000, four companies also joined the army. New trials were now upon us. Major Whitney, a special agent, had brot* provisions for the destitute Osages, while John Mathews, my old friend whose five children I had raised in school, raised an alarm, entreating the Indians to regard the provisions as poisonous. This occurrence alienated me from my old friend Mathews and I was obliged to spend eight months at St. Mary’s in Pottawatomie county. On my return to the Osage Mission in March 1862, the Osages were much divided. Frequent intercourse with their southern relatives increased our dangers. The southern Osages, accompanied by Cherokees, invaded our Mission three times to sack and burn it, but being associated with old pupils of our school and parents whose children were still at the Mission, their counsel prevailed in sparing us, and thereby their own interest. But our danger now enlarged on the part of avarice and bigotry of pretended friends of the Union, and if Gen. C. W. Blair had not been a true friend of the Mission it could not have escaped destruction. Our friends, Cols. Thurston, of Humboldt, and Brown, of Iola, checked the malice of some ill designing leaders, but Gen. Blair had the will and power to save southern Kansas. The Osages during these hard times, visited me by day and by night. Should my advice to them been withdrawn, I have reason to believe that Osage City [2], Humboldt, Iola, Burlington, LeRoy and Ottawa would have been laid in ashes by the united Osages and Cherokees. God has spared us all. And in September, 1865, whilst the Osages sold and transferred part of their land, they have made thousands of homes for white families.
"As the whites settled first around our Mission, the idea struck me of a Mission town. Gen Blair was to be remunerated if possible, and Gov. Geo. A. Crawford wrote me a letter congenial to my plan. The town took a start, whilst Sam Williams and Ben McDonald brot us a mill. Mission town being started and prosperous, I withdrew from partnership for conscience sake, fearing that questions would arise not in conformity with God’s law, and which might blast all my labors. I have been much blamed by our new citizens of Osage Mission town because I had given the ruling influence to the leading members of Ft. Scott; but may I not trust that they will pardon me if they should know what great, gratitude is due Gen. Blair. I have also been blamed for refusing other parties to erect a mill on Flat Rock, but my personal acquaintance with the present mill company demanded a preference. I knew their capital and energy. They have been faithful to their promises, and built the best mill in Kansas. Our friends in Ft. Scott have labored hard for our railroad interests and today, whilst we celebrate the event, our city is being surveyed for the opening of a promised railroad. The briars and shrubs are cleared, and the field is ready for abundant harvests. A library, hall and female academy built partly of cut stone, adorn our new city. Ten churches have been erected in this part of Kansas, within one year, and others are under construction, whilst settlers from every state in the Union make homes around them.”
Some Reference Information:
1. Father Schoenmakers speech, as recorded in the Leavenworth newspaper, was copied from "Life and Letters of Father John Schoenmakers S. J., Apostle to the Osages" by W. W. Graves, copyright 1928, Commercial Publishers of Parsons, KS. (Page 121)
2. "Osage City" referred to in the speech was founded in 1856 about three miles northeast of present day Chanute, Kansas. As the result of a compromise in 1873, several area settlements combined resources (including some of Osage City's buildings) at the Chanute town site. The Osage City's in Neosho County and Osage County, Kansas are not associated with one another. However, the Osage County "Osage City" acquired its post office first, leaving the name unavailable for an Osage City office in Neosho County.
3. It is noted that the site of Father John's mission town of Osage Mission, present St. Paul, was gifted to Father Schoenmakers by the Osages under terms of the Canville Treaty of 1865. For more information about Father John Schoenmakers, follow THIS LINK.
*Note: Short spelling of words like "brot" (brought), "bout" (bought) was common into the early 20 century.
1. Father Schoenmakers speech, as recorded in the Leavenworth newspaper, was copied from "Life and Letters of Father John Schoenmakers S. J., Apostle to the Osages" by W. W. Graves, copyright 1928, Commercial Publishers of Parsons, KS. (Page 121)
2. "Osage City" referred to in the speech was founded in 1856 about three miles northeast of present day Chanute, Kansas. As the result of a compromise in 1873, several area settlements combined resources (including some of Osage City's buildings) at the Chanute town site. The Osage City's in Neosho County and Osage County, Kansas are not associated with one another. However, the Osage County "Osage City" acquired its post office first, leaving the name unavailable for an Osage City office in Neosho County.
3. It is noted that the site of Father John's mission town of Osage Mission, present St. Paul, was gifted to Father Schoenmakers by the Osages under terms of the Canville Treaty of 1865. For more information about Father John Schoenmakers, follow THIS LINK.
*Note: Short spelling of words like "brot" (brought), "bout" (bought) was common into the early 20 century.
