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Chapter 20: The Journey of Featherstonhaugh, Part One |
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Probably there are not first hand eye-witness accounts of the appearance of the present Butler County when the first settlers arrived about 150 years ago. One of the early travelers through the western country, G. W. Featherstonhaugh, accompanied by his son, came through this area in 1834.
The population was still so sparse that the face of the land had changed very little, the forests were almost intact, and none of the original wildlife had been exterminated. He published his observations in 1844 in a book titled "Excursion Through the Slave States." We believe portions of his narrative about the people, the living conditions, the birds and animals and other items form the time he entered Missouri at S. Louis, including a brief part of his journey in the Territory of Arkansas after he left Missouri, will be interesting and helpful in giving us a picture of our entire area in pioneer days. Mr. Featherstonhaugh had a knack for noting the little personal and human events which give the reader a smile, a chuckle and an understanding of the things seen.
Mr. Featherstonhaugh was a geologist in the service of the United States War Department. He carried with him a set of hammers used by geologists in collecting samples of minerals. His "Excursion" was from Washington on the Potomac to the frontiers of Mexico and required a portion of the years 1834 and 1835. In the opening paragraph of his book is an example of his ability to give a human touch to his writing. He notes that they started from Washington "on a wretched dirty omnibus" to railroad station at five o'clock a.m. 1st of August (1834). After traveling as far as they could by railroad, they continued to St. Louis by stagecoach.
We will quote directly from the "Excursion" on many items of interest, largely in succession, as mentioned by Mr. Featherstonhaugh as he proceeded to the South and West. At St. Louis he had come to the end of any type of public transportation. To continue to journey to the borders of Mexico he purchased a horse and wagon. Quote "Before we left St. Louis I purchased a nice little wagon called a Dearborn, and a young horse that had been sired by one of the wild prairie horses; he was a very elegant animal, good-tempered, appeared sound, and I named him "Missouri." We were not at the end of all stage-coach traveling—with it (the wagon) we could carry our luggage, our specimens, and some provision. When one of us was walking, the other could drive, and we could sleep under it at night into the bargain. It gave us a great pleasure to think that we should be quite independent, with this equipage, should have no smoking and spitting passengers, no cursing and swearing drivers, and nobody to care about but ourselves and Missouri whose beautiful arched neck, full eye, and ample rail attracted great attention."
In connection with the purchase of a horse the author records an example of the exaggerated and flamboyant talk of the American frontiersman as follows: "Paid for the horse, owner said "Stranger, if that ar hoss don't act like a screamer, I'll give you leave to exflunctify me into no time of day at all; if I don't I'm no accayount I reckon, not by no manner of means.'"
Featherstonhaugh and his son took a side trip to St. Charles, Missouri, to call On Major George C. Sibley, the celebrated agent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It was only a little more than twenty miles between St. Louis and St. Charles, but the country between was unsettled as evidenced by these comments, "land so good at $35.00 per acre, Prairie, numerous coveys of quail, so tame they would scarcely get out of our way, came within 80 yards of three beautiful deer." St. Charles was only a small town, a long street, some French houses, some shabby brick stores kept by American shopkeepers. From St. Charles "We walked about amile and a half, to Major Sibley's, to whom I had a letter. His villa, which is called Linden Grove, is prettity situated on the plateau about a mile back from the River. The Major received us cordially, he pressed us so earnestly to stay all night with him, offering the great luxury of separate bedrooms, that I really thought him one of the most enlightened men I met with in the western country." Near their home in 1827 Major Sibley and his wife, Mary Easton Sibley, established a school for girls which was to become Lindenwood College.
Quote: "Left St. Louis Oct. 26, 1834. Dearborn held everything comfortable. Added a top to protect us from sun and rain. Harness in good order. Drove up to General Atkinson's at Jefferson Barracks." Since Featherstonhaugh was employed by the War Department this call was a matter of respect and courtesy. General Atkinson was General Henry Atkinson, a western soldier of great prominence and the first Commandant of Jefferson Barracks.
As Mr. Featherstonhaugh was a geologist, he was especially interested in the lead deposit in Southeast Missouri. On Nov. 2, 1834, he was in Farmington and on the next day left for Mine La Motte, south of Farmington he made this notation, "There is a good deal of fertile alluvial soil in this neighborhood, where emigrants from Tennessee and Kentucky have settled themselves." Continuing southward he came to a table land where the trees had been cut down and concluded he was near the mine. Upon reaching the settlement at Mine La Motte he noted the squalor of the miners of advancing culture as he sees in a few of the huts "tea things neatly arranged, bed curtains, looking glasses, etc."—"Speculators from all quarters seem to have resorted to this place; the French are not very numerous, and those who are the best are the English, who have been brought up to mining in their native country, follow a regular system of work, less of their labour is wasted." The trip had taken nine days, about 100 miles, an average of ten to eleven miles per day. From Mine La Motte the travelers went to Fredericktown and noted that the brick buildings there were the last brick buildings seen until they reached the border of Mexico.
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