safety. The same year Captain Beckwith, with four companions from the vicinity of Franklin, went out to trade with the Indians, but falling in with a party of Mexican rangers, and learning from them of the removal of the restrictions on trade, they pushed their way through to Santa Fe, arriving also in 1821.

REAL BEGINNING OF THE TRADE.

The profits of those early trading parties were so great, and their reports so flattering and exciting, that the next year, 1822, a large number of parties, with large amounts of merchandise, went out. The isolated situation of the northern provinces at the time caused prices of all imported merchandise to range very high. Common calico sold as high as two and three dollars per vara, the Spanish yard of thirty-three inches, and everything else in proportion. In 1822 Col. Cooper and sons, from the vicinity of Franklin, Captain Beckwith and others, conducted expeditions across the unexplored prairies with the greatest hardships and with much suffering. The trade may be said to have been fairly inaugurated that year, and the route so far determined that substantially the same trail was followed for many subsequent years.

STEAMBOATS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE TRADE.

Steamboats had then just begun to run on the Missouri River. The first boat to arrive at St. Louis was the General Pike, August 2d, 1817. The first boat on the Missouri River was the "Independence," which ascended the stream in 1819, probably as far as Council Bluffs. She passed Franklin May 28, where a dinner was given to the officers, but we have no record of her dates at points higher up. In August and September of the same year the steamers "Western Engineer," Expedition" and "R. M. Johnson," "ascended the stream with Major Long's scientific party, bound for the Yellowstone.

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How

The Missouri River trade appears to have been attractive to steam-boatmen, but the difficulties of navigation appear to have been quite a restriction. ever, this new method of water transportation soon had its effect on the Santa Fe trade, as the traders were only too ready to avail themselves of it to escape the longer transit overland. As their stocks began to be enlarged and their number increased, the boats became valuable in delivering them at points higher up than Franklin.

IT LOCATES AT INDEPENDENCE.

The points that at first competed for this trade at this angle of the river were Blue Mills, Fort Osage and Independence. Blue Mills, which was situated about six miles below Independence, soon became the favorite landing point, and the exchange between wagons and boats settled there and defied all efforts to remove it. Independence, being the county seat, was the larger and more important place, and became the American headquarters of the trade and the outfitting point as early as 1832. It continued so until the trade was temporarily suppressed in 1843. Independence preferred Wayne City as a landing point, and made great efforts to secure its adoption. The river front was paved with stone; still, however, the landing point continued to be at Blue Mills, and the headquarters and outfitting at Independence, which, under the rapidly growing trade, experienced. an era of rapid development and great prosperity.

ANOTHER CHANGE OF BASE.

However, Independence was not to be allowed to enjoy a monopoly of the trade for any great length of time. The Mexican traders finding accommodations for themselves at Westport, so much nearer the prairies, where they could herd their teams while awaiting the arrival of their goods at Blue Mills, soon took advantage of that fact. The large numbers of them that stopped there, and the

trade they naturally caused, added an additional element to the prosperity of Westport, and there began to be some outfitting done there, but in a smaller way than at Independence. Among the first to avail themselves of the advantages afforded by Westport were such of the old Indian traders as had become engaged in the Mexican trade. Understanding the river and the country, as well as the methods of conducting a frontier trade, better than others engaged in it, they were quick to perceive the advantages to this new trade of a landing nearer to their new headquarters than that at Blue Mills. Knowing the character of the landing at Chouteau's warehouse, and perceiving the advantage of the superior pasturage for their teams on the prairies, and the saving of the eighteen miles haul over wooded roads, they began to land their goods at Chouteau's warehouse. As early as 1834, Messrs. Bent and St. Vrain landed a cargo of goods at this point for the Mexican trade, and for their Indian posts on the plains. Others followed their example, and then a tendency to make headquarters at Westport and use Chouteau's warehouse as a landing place arose and gradually increased, adding the Santa Fe business to that of the Indian and fur trade already done at this place and Westport. It was this tendency more than anything else that suggested the idea of a town where Kansas City now is, and led to the organization of a company for that purpose in 1838, at which time the trade had assumed very large proportions.

CHARACTER AND METHODS OF THE TRADE.

In the earlier years of this great trade, pack animals were largely used for conveyance. The first expeditions, prior to 1822, appear to have been conducted on foot with packs on the backs of the traders, after the fashion of a peddler. In 1822 and 1823, pack animals were mostly used, and in 1824 and 1825, the caravans were composed partly of pack animals and partly of wagons. From 1826 on, only wagons were used. For many years no party started from the border strong enough to feel it safe to attempt the passage alone, hence they adopted the custom of rendezvousing at Council Grove, in what is now the State of Kansas. Here they united in such numbers as to feel safe in attempting the passage, and organized, electing a captain and such minor officers as they deemed requisite.

The men engaged in the trade were of the most hardy and courageous class; and it was well, for their life on the plains was one of peculiar dangers and hardships. From Council Grove to within a few miles of Santa Fe, they were beset with hostile savages. The caravans marched four wagons abreast with guards all round, and were so corralled at night as to form a barricade, which was well guarded. Affrays with the Indians were of frequent occurrence, and many of the earlier parties lost some of their men, and some were nearly annihilated. Some were compelled to cache their goods, that is, bury them in the earth to keep them from falling into the hands of the Indians, and escaped themselves only with the utmost hardships and suffering, Others again were lost for days on the prairie, without water, and nearly famished. One instance is recorded by Dr. Gregg of a party that were saved only by finding a buffalo fresh from a stream to them undiscovered, with stomach full of water, which, after killing the animal, they eagerly drank, and esteemed it the most delicious draught they had ever tasted. Although opening and developing a trade of such vast importance to the United States, and although constantly beset with hostile savages, the government furnished but three military escorts, and these only so far as to the American line, then the Arkansas River. These escorts were in 1829, 1834 and 1843.

STATISTICS.

Dr. Gregg, in his "Commerce of the Prairies," gives the statistics of this trade from the beginning down to 1843, from which the following table is taken, to show its growth to the close of the year 1837 and its magnitude at that time:

CHAPTER V.

THE FOUNDING OF KANSAS CITY.

The Situation in 1838-The First Ferry-The Santa Fe and Indian Trade Tend to Kansas City-Purchase of the Prudhomme Estate for a Town Site-The Survey and Sale of 1839— Troubles of the Company Retard the Town-What Was Thought of It-Its Early TradeA Description of Early Kansas City-Efforts to Divert the Santa Fe Trade-Its Suppression in 1843-Statistics—Situation in 1843-The Great Flood of 1844-The Events of 1843 to 1846-The Mexican War.

Having now briefly sketched the history of the three principal elements that entered into the commercial foundation of Kansas City, it comes next in order to set down the circumstances under which the town originated, the manner in which it was founded, and the course of events entering into its development.

THE SITUATION IN 1838.

At the time to which each of the preceding chapters brought this record, to 1838, the entire country west of the Missouri River and the State line of Missouri and Arkansas was in the possession of the Indians. The tribes on these borders were all in receipt of large annuities from the Government which gave rise to a rich and profitable trade with them. There was in existence a trade of about equal volume between this western border and southern Mexico, crossing the intervening Indian country, and there was still in existence a large volume of the old French, Indian and Fur trade. These three elements of trade gathered at this angle of the river as at a focus, for the reason already stated, that this was the nearest point toward the scene of each of them that could be reached by water transportation. To stop lower down the river, or advance higher, were alike detrimental.

At that time Missouri was still quite a sparsely settled State. The western half of it had been settled in part for not exceeding twenty years, and the tide of immigration into it, though considered large in these times, was trifling when compared with the immense movements of population since witnessed into other States. What is called the "Platte Purchase," that is, the territory embraced in Platte, Buchanan, Andrew, Holt, Nodaway and Atchison counties, had been added to the State in 1836, the State line prior to that time having run directly north from the mouth of the Kaw River. This country was not opened for settlement until 1837, and though its settlement was rapid for those days, it was still an unorganized country.

THE FIRST FERRY.

The settlement of this Platte purchase had an important effect upon the future city. Up to that time there had been no ferry across the river here, other than the canoes heretofore referred to, but with the opening of this new country there was a spasmodic movement into it from the south side of the river. To accommodate this movement Peter Roy, a son of Louis Roy, who settled at the foot of Grand avenue during 1826, established a flat-boat ferry, and in order to provide better access to it than the old road heretofore mentioned, he cut a new road through the woods from about where Walnut street crosses Fifteenth street down by the present junction of Main and Delaware streets, and thence down a deep ravine which followed down Delaware street to Sixth, thence across by the corner of Main and Fifth streets, diagonally across the Public Square and thence to the river a little east of the present line of Grand avenue from Third street