Chapter VI is a long chapter. It is actually a compilation of several subjects that lead to building relationships between the Osage and the Jesuits. By the end of the chapter, the stage is set to establish the Osage Mission.
Chapter VI
The Osage requested Right Reverend DuBourg, DD [1] to give them missionaries — Reverend Charles de La Croix is sent to them — His Success — The care of the Osage is transferred to Father Van Quickenborne, S.J. — He is authorized to establish schools — The schools are started — Third Osage treaty — They evacuate Missouri — Protestant schools are established for them — Father Van Quickenborne visits the Osage on their new reservation
1820
In the daily intercourse the Osage had with the French traders of St. Louis they began to understand the importance of educating their children according to the way of the white people. Considering the great change of customs which had taken place among these nations that were under the charge of the Roman Catholic missionaries, they wished their children to be educated by the same kind of men. for this reason on the occasion that Right Reverend DuBourg, DD had come from New Orleans to visit the Catholics of St. Louis, they concluded to apply to him for missionaries.
But as this was a matter of great importance, before taking any step about it, they thought better to hear the opinion of their people. To this effect, the chief of the Grand Osage, and that of the Little Osage met with their counselors, Braves and principal warriors, and having discussed this matter for quite a while, they unanimously agreed to send a delegation to the bishop, and request himself to visit their villages, and give them some priest to instruct the people, but above all, to take care of their children.
The delegation went, and being most kindly received by his Lordship, the delegates took courage and spoke out their mind very freely, asking the bishop to send them some missionaries to stay with them, and they declared that they would listen to them, be baptized, and become good Christians.
Bishop DuBourg was surprised at the earnestness with which they represented their condition, he formed a very favorable opinion of them, promise that he would comply with their wishes, as soon as circumstances would allow him to do so. And indeed, he kept his word. In fact, but a short time after the delegation had left St. Louis, he appointed to this mission Father Charles de la Croix, the chaplain of the convent of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart in Florissant near St. Louis.
1821
The good Father did not delay to start for this new mission, and in the fall of the year 1821, went to visit the Osage, and remained with them for quite a while. During his stay, he baptized 40 Indians of various ages, and having as it were, open to himself the way, on the approaching Winter he returned to Florissant after promising the Osage that he would again come to visit them the next spring, and so he did.
1822
Mr. J. G. Shea in his History of the Catholic Missions speaking of Father Charles de La Croix tells us that his return to the Osage in the spring of 1822 filled their heart with joy. [2]They all came out to receive him with a large cavalcade and conducted him with great honor to the cabin of their great Chief Sans-Nerf. Here he was banqueted with great solemnity. Having there established his headquarters, for 10 days he went around visiting their different villages, being everywhere received with the same marks of esteem and affection.
He soon fixed up his cabin in the shape of a chapel, where every day having celebrated Mass, he would give instruction to the Indians who always attended in good number. Things went on most prosperously, so much so that he was preparing to build a regular chapel in the Indian village when he was seized by a dangerous fever, which compelled him to return to Florissant, and give up his mission, which proved to be too hard for him. And no wonder, for his zeal for the spiritual welfare of these poor Indians made him overtask himself, by far more than his constitution could bear. In fact, having heard that some Catholic families of Osage had already formed settlements in the far west on the banks of the Neosho River, and were praying at the place where stood Osage Mission, now St. Paul, Neosho County, Kansas, he undertook the long, and in those days fatiguing, journey of 330 miles through the lonesome prairies of the west to visit them. He found their camps, remained with them a few days, and having baptized two children of the Chouteau family, namely James and Francis Chouteau, he returned to Missouri exhausted and broken down, unable to continue his noble work. [3]
The mission of Father La Croix among the Osage had a very flattering beginning, as far as to give them a more correct idea of the teachings and practices of our Holy Religion. But it was only as the blaze of a brilliant bon-fire, producing indeed a great light, but falling down as fast, unless kept up by additional fuel! And such in all appearances was bound to be the result of his labors, for the prospect of finding another clergyman willing to devote himself to such arduous work was very discouraging. But God, in His mercy, provided for the need.
Some time since, Right Reverend DuBourg, DD, of New Orleans having invited the Jesuit fathers of the Province of Maryland, to spare him if possible, few men to come to take care of the Indian missions, the fathers, as J. G. Shea tells us, [4] joyfully accepted the offering, and without any loss of time, formed a band of eleven zealous young men who consecrated themselves to this difficult mission. Of this band Father Charles Van Quickenborne, who was the only one who was a priest, was superior and leader; of the balance some were yet novices in the Society of Jesus. After a very long travel of some 1000 miles, most of which they made on foot, on the first of June 1823, they reached Florissant.
1823
Right Reverend DuBourg was delighted at their coming. And at once gave to Father Van Quickenborne charge of the mission lately started among the Osage. Moreover, that they might have a place where to live together, and also provide for their support, he donated them a large track of land near Florissant. The ground was very fertile, and most all covered with heavy timber. The young missionaries being healthy and stout, at once went to work. They cleaned the ground, and having the trunks of the big trees they had cut down made themselves log cabins for residence, and added to it other rooms to be used by the novices, as well as by the students, and called their really primitive establishment St. Stanislaus.
Having provided for the need and comfort of his little community, Father Van Quickenborne now turned his attention to the Osage, he visited them and was most revered in all their villages, nay, in a short time became their favorite.
The Father, well knowing that a mission among wild Indians would never succeed to affect permanent good without first of all training their youths, proposed to the Indian Department to establish two indian boarding schools, one for the boys at his own house at St. Stanislaus under the charge of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, and another for the girls in the near town of Florissant under the care of the Society of the Sacred Heart. The commissioner of Indian Affairs not only did approve of the Fathers proposition, but encouraged him to start at once the two establishments, and to assist him in such good work, attained a special appropriation from Congress.
1824
The Father went to work, rooms were prepared for both schools, and in the summer of 1824 both boarding schools were begun. Both enjoyed full confidence of the Osage. The children proved themselves very intelligent and gifted of good natural dispositions. A great hope was entertained that through the instrumentality of the schools, in course of time the whole nation would gradually adopt civilized habits.
1825
The amount of land ceded to the US government in force of the last two treaties was very large, but immigration being on the increase, there was call for still more land, and for this reason in 1825 the Osage were again invited to agree on a third treaty. By this which was made in St. Louis by Mr. William Clark superintendent of Indian Affairs, commissioner on the part of the US government and the Chiefs, headmen, and warriors of the Great and Little Osage, duly acknowledged and powered by their respective tribes and nations, they gave up all the claims they had as yet in Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri, and moreover did agree to evacuate all the lands, and locate permanently on the Neosho and Verdigris rivers. This very important treaty was signed by the above parties on the second day of June 1825. at that time, the Great and Little Osage were considered to number all together about 5200.
This great treaty gave a deathblow to the educational establishments just started at Saint Stanislaus and Florissant. Both at once lost the majority of their pupils, for most of the Osage, moving farther west, took their children with them, and a few were left at the school. The condition of the Osage now became very unsettled, and nobody seemed to care about them, the prevailing opinion of the Indian Department being that they were but a wild indomitable set of savages, and there was no use in trying to civilize them. The only true friend left them at this time, was good Fr. Van Quickenborne who kept visiting them occasionally.
According to treaty stipulations, the Osage had pledged themselves to evacuate the state of Missouri, as soon as the US president would have ratified it. But when the time came for moving out, they found themselves so attached to their homes on the Osage River, that they could not determine themselves to leave. And, never, indeed, would they have left, had not the government sent a company of regular cavalry to drive them out, and bring them as far as the Neosho Valley. To keep them on this, their new reservation, and protect the white people settling on the western line of the state of Missouri, Fort Scott was established in the progress of time.
Now at last, the Osage realized that Missouri had become a forbidden land for them had to give up all idea of evermore returning to it. They began to roam about their new home to find out some nice spot of land on which to locate their villages.
1826
As soon as it was ascertained that the Osage had signed this treaty and would evacuate Missouri, the Presbyterians, wishing to have control of their education, began to prepare two schools on their behalf. One far down southwest below the northern line of the Cherokee Nation and called Union Mission. The other which they called Harmony Mission they situated at the west end of the state of Missouri near to a small town called Pappinsville, in Vernon county. The work in putting up the buildings went rather slow on account of the great difficulty in getting the necessary material into places so far from civilization. But after a while two St. Louis merchants, well used to the Indians, came to open stores near the school houses. This changed the aspect of the country, for several Osage families anxious to be close to a place where they could easy get what provisions they needed soon came to raise their wigwams near to the stores, and in a short time two temporary villages were formed. Though the two schools were by no means popular among them, being the only places where their children could get any learning, they allowed them to go to these schools, and by the end of the year, both had a considerable number of Osage children in attendance.
1827
Among these, there were many who had been baptized by Father Van Quickenborne in Florissant. The good Father thought too much of them to abandon them now into the hand of protestant teachers. Hence, though overcharged with other duties at home, he would find time for now and then attending to the welfare of his children.
As we are told by J. G. Shea, [5] during this year the Father not only visited the Osage camping around Harmony Mission, but extended his missions to the far Neosho. To what concerns the visit he made to the protestant mission, praise be to the truth, for he was always friendly received, and was allowed full liberty in acting with the children as well as with the people in general. Nay, at his coming they would let at his disposal the largest room at their house, that he might use it as a chapel, and in this he would give instructions and administer the sacraments without any interference. Having got through with his visit to Harmony Mission, he took the western trail, and went as far as the settlement the Osage had already begun on the Neosho. Here he remained two weeks and having baptized 17 Indians he at last returned to St. Stanislaus.
In those days, to undertake such excursions as these was a Herculean work. For the distance between St. Stanislaus and the Neosho was over 350 miles through a barren country where not a single white men’s settlement could be found as yet. He had to be continually exposed to the danger of meeting with hostile Indians, could not get any shelter against the inclemency of the weather, and had to depend for his meals on what little biscuit and dry meat he could carry in his saddlebags. For the night rest he had the bare ground; and the starry canopy over his head, sweetened his dreams with heavenly visions! But the Apostolic zeal that animated Father Van Quickenborne made him despise all difficulties, and front all dangers, provided that he might succeed in saving the soul of even a single child.
1828
Though the Osage in leaving Florissant, took away most all the children they had at St. Stanislaus, some few were there left yet for a while, and from the baptismal records of Florissant we see that in the year 1828 some of them were baptized. Among these were Clermont and Gratamantze sons of two principal chiefs of the Osage, who both in their turn governed their people for many years.
After these two boys had been baptized both left St. Stanislaus for their homes. Father Van Quickenborne profiting of the occasion, would accompany them in their long journey, which gave him an opportunity of getting better acquainted with their new reservation. Having kept Gratamantze on the Neosho with his people, he continued his course southwest to the village of Clermont’s father, which was at not a great distance from Union Mission. In the few days he passed with these Indians, he, according to his custom, visited the sick, instructed and baptized the children, blessed marriages, and next returned to St. Stanislaus.
To what concerns the managers of the two protestant missions established on behalf of the Osage, they were men of good education and liberal dispositions. But they never could realize their principal object, which was to make the Osage adopt their religious principles, and inspire in the growing generation, at least a wish of abandoning their nomadic life and live as civilized people.
With the exception of but few families that kept clustering around the mission houses, allured by the wages they received for what little service they were tending to the schools, the larger part of the Indians could not be induced to listen to these missionaries, and kept rambling to and fro over the western plains of Kansas hunting wold game, and looking for some nice spot of land on which to form their old fashioned settlements.
In progress of time the work of these missions having proved useless for lack of patronage from the Indians, they were both given up.
1820
In the daily intercourse the Osage had with the French traders of St. Louis they began to understand the importance of educating their children according to the way of the white people. Considering the great change of customs which had taken place among these nations that were under the charge of the Roman Catholic missionaries, they wished their children to be educated by the same kind of men. for this reason on the occasion that Right Reverend DuBourg, DD had come from New Orleans to visit the Catholics of St. Louis, they concluded to apply to him for missionaries.
But as this was a matter of great importance, before taking any step about it, they thought better to hear the opinion of their people. To this effect, the chief of the Grand Osage, and that of the Little Osage met with their counselors, Braves and principal warriors, and having discussed this matter for quite a while, they unanimously agreed to send a delegation to the bishop, and request himself to visit their villages, and give them some priest to instruct the people, but above all, to take care of their children.
The delegation went, and being most kindly received by his Lordship, the delegates took courage and spoke out their mind very freely, asking the bishop to send them some missionaries to stay with them, and they declared that they would listen to them, be baptized, and become good Christians.
Bishop DuBourg was surprised at the earnestness with which they represented their condition, he formed a very favorable opinion of them, promise that he would comply with their wishes, as soon as circumstances would allow him to do so. And indeed, he kept his word. In fact, but a short time after the delegation had left St. Louis, he appointed to this mission Father Charles de la Croix, the chaplain of the convent of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart in Florissant near St. Louis.
1821
The good Father did not delay to start for this new mission, and in the fall of the year 1821, went to visit the Osage, and remained with them for quite a while. During his stay, he baptized 40 Indians of various ages, and having as it were, open to himself the way, on the approaching Winter he returned to Florissant after promising the Osage that he would again come to visit them the next spring, and so he did.
1822
Mr. J. G. Shea in his History of the Catholic Missions speaking of Father Charles de La Croix tells us that his return to the Osage in the spring of 1822 filled their heart with joy. [2]They all came out to receive him with a large cavalcade and conducted him with great honor to the cabin of their great Chief Sans-Nerf. Here he was banqueted with great solemnity. Having there established his headquarters, for 10 days he went around visiting their different villages, being everywhere received with the same marks of esteem and affection.
He soon fixed up his cabin in the shape of a chapel, where every day having celebrated Mass, he would give instruction to the Indians who always attended in good number. Things went on most prosperously, so much so that he was preparing to build a regular chapel in the Indian village when he was seized by a dangerous fever, which compelled him to return to Florissant, and give up his mission, which proved to be too hard for him. And no wonder, for his zeal for the spiritual welfare of these poor Indians made him overtask himself, by far more than his constitution could bear. In fact, having heard that some Catholic families of Osage had already formed settlements in the far west on the banks of the Neosho River, and were praying at the place where stood Osage Mission, now St. Paul, Neosho County, Kansas, he undertook the long, and in those days fatiguing, journey of 330 miles through the lonesome prairies of the west to visit them. He found their camps, remained with them a few days, and having baptized two children of the Chouteau family, namely James and Francis Chouteau, he returned to Missouri exhausted and broken down, unable to continue his noble work. [3]
The mission of Father La Croix among the Osage had a very flattering beginning, as far as to give them a more correct idea of the teachings and practices of our Holy Religion. But it was only as the blaze of a brilliant bon-fire, producing indeed a great light, but falling down as fast, unless kept up by additional fuel! And such in all appearances was bound to be the result of his labors, for the prospect of finding another clergyman willing to devote himself to such arduous work was very discouraging. But God, in His mercy, provided for the need.
Some time since, Right Reverend DuBourg, DD, of New Orleans having invited the Jesuit fathers of the Province of Maryland, to spare him if possible, few men to come to take care of the Indian missions, the fathers, as J. G. Shea tells us, [4] joyfully accepted the offering, and without any loss of time, formed a band of eleven zealous young men who consecrated themselves to this difficult mission. Of this band Father Charles Van Quickenborne, who was the only one who was a priest, was superior and leader; of the balance some were yet novices in the Society of Jesus. After a very long travel of some 1000 miles, most of which they made on foot, on the first of June 1823, they reached Florissant.
1823
Right Reverend DuBourg was delighted at their coming. And at once gave to Father Van Quickenborne charge of the mission lately started among the Osage. Moreover, that they might have a place where to live together, and also provide for their support, he donated them a large track of land near Florissant. The ground was very fertile, and most all covered with heavy timber. The young missionaries being healthy and stout, at once went to work. They cleaned the ground, and having the trunks of the big trees they had cut down made themselves log cabins for residence, and added to it other rooms to be used by the novices, as well as by the students, and called their really primitive establishment St. Stanislaus.
Having provided for the need and comfort of his little community, Father Van Quickenborne now turned his attention to the Osage, he visited them and was most revered in all their villages, nay, in a short time became their favorite.
The Father, well knowing that a mission among wild Indians would never succeed to affect permanent good without first of all training their youths, proposed to the Indian Department to establish two indian boarding schools, one for the boys at his own house at St. Stanislaus under the charge of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, and another for the girls in the near town of Florissant under the care of the Society of the Sacred Heart. The commissioner of Indian Affairs not only did approve of the Fathers proposition, but encouraged him to start at once the two establishments, and to assist him in such good work, attained a special appropriation from Congress.
1824
The Father went to work, rooms were prepared for both schools, and in the summer of 1824 both boarding schools were begun. Both enjoyed full confidence of the Osage. The children proved themselves very intelligent and gifted of good natural dispositions. A great hope was entertained that through the instrumentality of the schools, in course of time the whole nation would gradually adopt civilized habits.
1825
The amount of land ceded to the US government in force of the last two treaties was very large, but immigration being on the increase, there was call for still more land, and for this reason in 1825 the Osage were again invited to agree on a third treaty. By this which was made in St. Louis by Mr. William Clark superintendent of Indian Affairs, commissioner on the part of the US government and the Chiefs, headmen, and warriors of the Great and Little Osage, duly acknowledged and powered by their respective tribes and nations, they gave up all the claims they had as yet in Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri, and moreover did agree to evacuate all the lands, and locate permanently on the Neosho and Verdigris rivers. This very important treaty was signed by the above parties on the second day of June 1825. at that time, the Great and Little Osage were considered to number all together about 5200.
This great treaty gave a deathblow to the educational establishments just started at Saint Stanislaus and Florissant. Both at once lost the majority of their pupils, for most of the Osage, moving farther west, took their children with them, and a few were left at the school. The condition of the Osage now became very unsettled, and nobody seemed to care about them, the prevailing opinion of the Indian Department being that they were but a wild indomitable set of savages, and there was no use in trying to civilize them. The only true friend left them at this time, was good Fr. Van Quickenborne who kept visiting them occasionally.
According to treaty stipulations, the Osage had pledged themselves to evacuate the state of Missouri, as soon as the US president would have ratified it. But when the time came for moving out, they found themselves so attached to their homes on the Osage River, that they could not determine themselves to leave. And, never, indeed, would they have left, had not the government sent a company of regular cavalry to drive them out, and bring them as far as the Neosho Valley. To keep them on this, their new reservation, and protect the white people settling on the western line of the state of Missouri, Fort Scott was established in the progress of time.
Now at last, the Osage realized that Missouri had become a forbidden land for them had to give up all idea of evermore returning to it. They began to roam about their new home to find out some nice spot of land on which to locate their villages.
1826
As soon as it was ascertained that the Osage had signed this treaty and would evacuate Missouri, the Presbyterians, wishing to have control of their education, began to prepare two schools on their behalf. One far down southwest below the northern line of the Cherokee Nation and called Union Mission. The other which they called Harmony Mission they situated at the west end of the state of Missouri near to a small town called Pappinsville, in Vernon county. The work in putting up the buildings went rather slow on account of the great difficulty in getting the necessary material into places so far from civilization. But after a while two St. Louis merchants, well used to the Indians, came to open stores near the school houses. This changed the aspect of the country, for several Osage families anxious to be close to a place where they could easy get what provisions they needed soon came to raise their wigwams near to the stores, and in a short time two temporary villages were formed. Though the two schools were by no means popular among them, being the only places where their children could get any learning, they allowed them to go to these schools, and by the end of the year, both had a considerable number of Osage children in attendance.
1827
Among these, there were many who had been baptized by Father Van Quickenborne in Florissant. The good Father thought too much of them to abandon them now into the hand of protestant teachers. Hence, though overcharged with other duties at home, he would find time for now and then attending to the welfare of his children.
As we are told by J. G. Shea, [5] during this year the Father not only visited the Osage camping around Harmony Mission, but extended his missions to the far Neosho. To what concerns the visit he made to the protestant mission, praise be to the truth, for he was always friendly received, and was allowed full liberty in acting with the children as well as with the people in general. Nay, at his coming they would let at his disposal the largest room at their house, that he might use it as a chapel, and in this he would give instructions and administer the sacraments without any interference. Having got through with his visit to Harmony Mission, he took the western trail, and went as far as the settlement the Osage had already begun on the Neosho. Here he remained two weeks and having baptized 17 Indians he at last returned to St. Stanislaus.
In those days, to undertake such excursions as these was a Herculean work. For the distance between St. Stanislaus and the Neosho was over 350 miles through a barren country where not a single white men’s settlement could be found as yet. He had to be continually exposed to the danger of meeting with hostile Indians, could not get any shelter against the inclemency of the weather, and had to depend for his meals on what little biscuit and dry meat he could carry in his saddlebags. For the night rest he had the bare ground; and the starry canopy over his head, sweetened his dreams with heavenly visions! But the Apostolic zeal that animated Father Van Quickenborne made him despise all difficulties, and front all dangers, provided that he might succeed in saving the soul of even a single child.
1828
Though the Osage in leaving Florissant, took away most all the children they had at St. Stanislaus, some few were there left yet for a while, and from the baptismal records of Florissant we see that in the year 1828 some of them were baptized. Among these were Clermont and Gratamantze sons of two principal chiefs of the Osage, who both in their turn governed their people for many years.
After these two boys had been baptized both left St. Stanislaus for their homes. Father Van Quickenborne profiting of the occasion, would accompany them in their long journey, which gave him an opportunity of getting better acquainted with their new reservation. Having kept Gratamantze on the Neosho with his people, he continued his course southwest to the village of Clermont’s father, which was at not a great distance from Union Mission. In the few days he passed with these Indians, he, according to his custom, visited the sick, instructed and baptized the children, blessed marriages, and next returned to St. Stanislaus.
To what concerns the managers of the two protestant missions established on behalf of the Osage, they were men of good education and liberal dispositions. But they never could realize their principal object, which was to make the Osage adopt their religious principles, and inspire in the growing generation, at least a wish of abandoning their nomadic life and live as civilized people.
With the exception of but few families that kept clustering around the mission houses, allured by the wages they received for what little service they were tending to the schools, the larger part of the Indians could not be induced to listen to these missionaries, and kept rambling to and fro over the western plains of Kansas hunting wold game, and looking for some nice spot of land on which to form their old fashioned settlements.
In progress of time the work of these missions having proved useless for lack of patronage from the Indians, they were both given up.
Some Reference Information:
(1) Louis Guillaume Valentin DuBourg, Bishop (1766-1833)
(2) Shea, John Gilmary; History of the Catholic Missions Among the Indian Tribes of the United States p 453 (1854)
(3) Andreas, A. T.; History of the State of Kansas, 1883 reprint 1976 2 vol.
https://archive.org/details/historyofstateof00andr/page/n3/mode/1up
(4) Shea, John Gilmary; History of the Catholic Missions Among the Indian Tribes of the United States p 455 (1854)
(5) Ibid. p 457
Transcribed by: Christopher Hunt
(1) Louis Guillaume Valentin DuBourg, Bishop (1766-1833)
(2) Shea, John Gilmary; History of the Catholic Missions Among the Indian Tribes of the United States p 453 (1854)
(3) Andreas, A. T.; History of the State of Kansas, 1883 reprint 1976 2 vol.
https://archive.org/details/historyofstateof00andr/page/n3/mode/1up
(4) Shea, John Gilmary; History of the Catholic Missions Among the Indian Tribes of the United States p 455 (1854)
(5) Ibid. p 457
Transcribed by: Christopher Hunt
