Chapter IX — Events of 1864 Related to Mission School Construction and Osage Problems.
This is a chapter from Fr. Paul Ponziglione's memoir that describes some events of 1846, including the construction and final acceptance of the government Osage Mission school buildings. But it also deals with a cholera outbreak experienced by an Osage hunting party, the Osage Big Hill Creek Settlement, Independence Kansas, and an encounter between a group of young Osage women and four white strangers that turned grisly (prepare yourself).
This is a chapter from Fr. Paul Ponziglione's memoir that describes some events of 1846, including the construction and final acceptance of the government Osage Mission school buildings. But it also deals with a cholera outbreak experienced by an Osage hunting party, the Osage Big Hill Creek Settlement, Independence Kansas, and an encounter between a group of young Osage women and four white strangers that turned grisly (prepare yourself).
Chapter IX
Two log houses are put up for the mission — The Osages meet with bad luck on the plains — Origin of Big Hill Settlement — Father De-Coen receives the two buildings.
Though the locality on which to erect the 2 log-houses for the use of the mission had been agreed on since last fall, difficulty in getting mechanics during the winter hindered the putting of them up, till February of this year, 1846. The Osages were very much pleased, for they saw that at last their wishes were going to be realized. They anxiously watched the work as it was proceeding, always feeling proud if now and then some of them would he engaged to give assistance to the builders, especially in lifting up the logs. But with the coming of March, the assistance they were occasionally giving to the builders was over. An indisputable work was now calling their attention, and this was the periodic spring hunt, to lay a new supply of fresh buffalo meat.
Hardly had they gone 100 miles north-west, when noticing, at a great distance, a large encampment of emigrants on their way to California, they hastened to reach them in order to trade with them for some provision. They were kindly received and got from the party whatever they wanted. After tarrying a few days in that neighborhood, they resumed their course. But very soon found out that in dealing with those white people, they had gotten more that they intended, for they had contracted the Cholera Morbus which was prevailing in that camp. Remembering how much their nation had suffered from this very same epidemic in 1833, they at once disbanded, each family going on independently, keeping a good distance one from another, and trying to avoid the infected trail. However, spite of their precautions, nearly all of them were more or less attacked by the distemper, which to several proved to be fatal.
By the middle of April, the sickness began to abate. May made its entrance accompanied by frequent bathing showers, which contributed very much to purify the atmosphere, and to drain the soil of all pestilential effluvia. Spring at last shows itself smiling in all of its beauty, and is cheered up by the twittering of hundreds of black birds, prairie larks, and wild doves, who with their never ending wheeling and dealing, to and fro, seem to contend for the supremacy over the plains, now most elegantly covered with a glossy carpet of flushing grass, decked all over with an immense variety of charming blossoms of thousands of different shapes and shades filling the air with balmy fragrance.
The Osages enjoy themselves over the luxurious garden nature has laid open before them, and of divine providence, besides favoring them with such a healthy weather, supplies them also with an abundance of the choicest game for food, and in every little brook offers them plenty of running water to quench their thirst, they gradually recover their former strength, and can attend to their hunt with flattering success. But alas! The November once more brings them all together to their winter quarters, they unfortunately find out that many of their dear friends are missing.
During the panic caused among them by the Cholera Morbus, one of their principal chiefs, by the name of Pawnee-no-pah-she, having come with a few families of his braves to a very nice spot of land, about 30 miles south-west of Osage Mission, and some 4 miles above the point where a creek called “Big Hill” runs into the Verdigris, he was very much pleased with the sight of the place, and noticing how it was well supplied with good timber, and plenty of water, he at once put up his mind of, there, building a village. His braves favored the choice of their chief and going to work, in a very short time erect their village and call it Big-Hill-Town. Since that time, the traders who came to establish themselves near this place, began to call the chief by the name of “Big-Hill Chief” a name which was soon adopted by all the people traveling through that country, and the band of Osages living there began to be called the Big-Hill Indians.
On a very bright December morning the weather being dry, and a keen north western having cleared the sky of all clouds, the chief, in company with his braves started on a hunting party after elks, then grazing in large herds about the place, where now stands, of the Queen of the Prairie, the city of Independence.
Not long after they had left, several young squaws came to the timber to gather their usual supply of fire wood for the day, and meanwhile they were at work felling small trees they kept on chatting most merrily when LO! Four white young men, quite strangers in the place, came out of a thicket of brush-wood close by. They were belonging to a caravan of emigrants going north and were wandering out of their main trail for the sake of getting some fresh venison. Attracted by the cheerful voices and amused by the frolic nature of those young women, they stopped on their way, with the intention of having some sport with them. Not being able to speak the Indian language, they introduced themselves by signs, to which the merry squaws answer with a burst of hearty laughter. This encourages the foolish boys, and confident of meeting with reciprocal feelings, they exhibit large gaudy silk handkerchiefs they were wearing, they show them some richly plated pocket knives, golden rings and such like trinkets the happened to have with them, and invite the squaws to come to trade.
These simple and unsuspicious women, allured by natural curiosity, are advancing to examine those articles, when the villains excited by their wanton passion, at once bunch on them, full sure that they would meet with no resistance. They are, however, badly disappointed. For those real viragos [1], moved by natural instinct of self-respect, combined with wild ferocity, in the twinkling of an eye, turn onto their aggressors like a pack of blood thirsty tigers. The young men perceive immediately, they have missed their game, and try to extricate themselves from their ferocious clutches, and grasp the rifles, which in a moment of infatuated security, they had stacked quite close by! But it was too late. The attack came on them so sudden, and unexpected, that it allowed them no time to reach their fire arms. In the melee that follows, two of the boys succeed in making their escape, the other two on the contrary, being overpowered, are tied each one to a separate tree. Having now a sure hold on their victims, the furious amazons leave full course to their revenge! In less time than one can tell it, they tear off their clothes, scalp them and flay them alive! Next gathering around them a pile of dry sticks and brush-wood, put an end to their life by fire. This was indeed a most cruel, a terrible revenge, but it was to be expected, for if there is anything an Indian woman is most jealous of it is her honor.
During summer, the two log-houses having been completed, Father Francis De-Coen was sent from St. Mary’s Mission to inspect them and see whether the contractor had complied with his obligations. Finding that everything had been done in a satisfactory manner, he received the buildings and returned to his mission. [2]
Now, Father John Schoenmakers, being notified that the houses were ready, in the fall of this year came to see them, and examined the condition of the place; after few days returned to St. Louis, where he purchased a large supply of furniture, as well as provisions, in a word, whatever might be needed for the support of the new mission for at least one year. And now everything being ready, he delayed at St. Louis University till the season would allow him to embark for Kansas City.
Hardly had they gone 100 miles north-west, when noticing, at a great distance, a large encampment of emigrants on their way to California, they hastened to reach them in order to trade with them for some provision. They were kindly received and got from the party whatever they wanted. After tarrying a few days in that neighborhood, they resumed their course. But very soon found out that in dealing with those white people, they had gotten more that they intended, for they had contracted the Cholera Morbus which was prevailing in that camp. Remembering how much their nation had suffered from this very same epidemic in 1833, they at once disbanded, each family going on independently, keeping a good distance one from another, and trying to avoid the infected trail. However, spite of their precautions, nearly all of them were more or less attacked by the distemper, which to several proved to be fatal.
By the middle of April, the sickness began to abate. May made its entrance accompanied by frequent bathing showers, which contributed very much to purify the atmosphere, and to drain the soil of all pestilential effluvia. Spring at last shows itself smiling in all of its beauty, and is cheered up by the twittering of hundreds of black birds, prairie larks, and wild doves, who with their never ending wheeling and dealing, to and fro, seem to contend for the supremacy over the plains, now most elegantly covered with a glossy carpet of flushing grass, decked all over with an immense variety of charming blossoms of thousands of different shapes and shades filling the air with balmy fragrance.
The Osages enjoy themselves over the luxurious garden nature has laid open before them, and of divine providence, besides favoring them with such a healthy weather, supplies them also with an abundance of the choicest game for food, and in every little brook offers them plenty of running water to quench their thirst, they gradually recover their former strength, and can attend to their hunt with flattering success. But alas! The November once more brings them all together to their winter quarters, they unfortunately find out that many of their dear friends are missing.
During the panic caused among them by the Cholera Morbus, one of their principal chiefs, by the name of Pawnee-no-pah-she, having come with a few families of his braves to a very nice spot of land, about 30 miles south-west of Osage Mission, and some 4 miles above the point where a creek called “Big Hill” runs into the Verdigris, he was very much pleased with the sight of the place, and noticing how it was well supplied with good timber, and plenty of water, he at once put up his mind of, there, building a village. His braves favored the choice of their chief and going to work, in a very short time erect their village and call it Big-Hill-Town. Since that time, the traders who came to establish themselves near this place, began to call the chief by the name of “Big-Hill Chief” a name which was soon adopted by all the people traveling through that country, and the band of Osages living there began to be called the Big-Hill Indians.
On a very bright December morning the weather being dry, and a keen north western having cleared the sky of all clouds, the chief, in company with his braves started on a hunting party after elks, then grazing in large herds about the place, where now stands, of the Queen of the Prairie, the city of Independence.
Not long after they had left, several young squaws came to the timber to gather their usual supply of fire wood for the day, and meanwhile they were at work felling small trees they kept on chatting most merrily when LO! Four white young men, quite strangers in the place, came out of a thicket of brush-wood close by. They were belonging to a caravan of emigrants going north and were wandering out of their main trail for the sake of getting some fresh venison. Attracted by the cheerful voices and amused by the frolic nature of those young women, they stopped on their way, with the intention of having some sport with them. Not being able to speak the Indian language, they introduced themselves by signs, to which the merry squaws answer with a burst of hearty laughter. This encourages the foolish boys, and confident of meeting with reciprocal feelings, they exhibit large gaudy silk handkerchiefs they were wearing, they show them some richly plated pocket knives, golden rings and such like trinkets the happened to have with them, and invite the squaws to come to trade.
These simple and unsuspicious women, allured by natural curiosity, are advancing to examine those articles, when the villains excited by their wanton passion, at once bunch on them, full sure that they would meet with no resistance. They are, however, badly disappointed. For those real viragos [1], moved by natural instinct of self-respect, combined with wild ferocity, in the twinkling of an eye, turn onto their aggressors like a pack of blood thirsty tigers. The young men perceive immediately, they have missed their game, and try to extricate themselves from their ferocious clutches, and grasp the rifles, which in a moment of infatuated security, they had stacked quite close by! But it was too late. The attack came on them so sudden, and unexpected, that it allowed them no time to reach their fire arms. In the melee that follows, two of the boys succeed in making their escape, the other two on the contrary, being overpowered, are tied each one to a separate tree. Having now a sure hold on their victims, the furious amazons leave full course to their revenge! In less time than one can tell it, they tear off their clothes, scalp them and flay them alive! Next gathering around them a pile of dry sticks and brush-wood, put an end to their life by fire. This was indeed a most cruel, a terrible revenge, but it was to be expected, for if there is anything an Indian woman is most jealous of it is her honor.
During summer, the two log-houses having been completed, Father Francis De-Coen was sent from St. Mary’s Mission to inspect them and see whether the contractor had complied with his obligations. Finding that everything had been done in a satisfactory manner, he received the buildings and returned to his mission. [2]
Now, Father John Schoenmakers, being notified that the houses were ready, in the fall of this year came to see them, and examined the condition of the place; after few days returned to St. Louis, where he purchased a large supply of furniture, as well as provisions, in a word, whatever might be needed for the support of the new mission for at least one year. And now everything being ready, he delayed at St. Louis University till the season would allow him to embark for Kansas City.
Some Reference Information:
1 vi·ra·go /vəˈräɡō/ noun: a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman.
1 vi·ra·go /vəˈräɡō/ noun: a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman.
View Looking East to West — Osage Mission Girl's School.
2. This is a photo-edit showing the approximate position of the girl's school at Osage Mission. Using current landmarks, this building was probably just west of the northwest corner of the present St. Francis de Heironymo Catholic Church. The boy's school was west of this building, but not shown here. The existing St. Paul schools are shown in the background. At the time the original photo was taken (likely around 1870-'75?) the girl's school had been enlarged from the original size but was near its final days.
