The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-26
PIONEER DAYS IN MISSOURI.
An Old Resident of the State Tells of Early Experience end Ways.


 Carthage CMo.) Press. '
 R. J. Dale, now eighty-one years of age, is still living quietly on West Mound Street in Carthage, on the very wild deer roam at win. His life story is fraught not only with romance, but with valuable historical observations. For instance, he recalls his experience recovery ot white girl from the Co. manche and Osage Indians, who had stolen her from her mother, after killing her father. and of the hnal return or the girl, after a long residence in Car thage to her mother In Texas; as re- suit of the merest accident incidental to the fortunes of the civil war;
 Mir. Dale and his father saw the be- ginning of the development of the young Louisiana territory. the purchase of which is now about to be celebrated by the worlds fair in 1903. In 1924 the Dales settled In the Boone's Lick coun- try, made famous by the discovery of a salt spring by Daniel Boone on the Mis- souri River. There he saw the first steamboat the old Giobel which ever soon afterwards the Yellowstone. Piro- gues of furs. peltries, buffalo robes. and barrels of honey were hoated down stream to St. Louis in the spring
 ary field for the Baptists," says MT. Dale. and in 1886 my fathers attention was called to Southwest Missouri by his Tatnef, BaptlSt missionary, Wno NlS- tied remote settlements on the frontier to preach the Gospel and organize churches"
 Mir. Dals's father was born in wood-- ford County, Ky, fought in the war of 1872, under General Harrison, against the British, and at ;he age of 17 was taken prisoner by the Indians at Dud- ley's defeat. Kentucky. and compelled to run a gantlet of Indian warriors, l0O yards long. Most of his companions per ished in the ordeal, or were tomahawked afterward in the bullpen. In lSSI the elder Dale prospected in the present nS 5ay, ;n 1858 moved here, bringing his son. K. J. Dale. They settled at the head of Tur- key Creek, east of the future Joplin, ana found elk horns. buffalo wallows. and had departed, besides deer, turkeys, wolves. etc. No schools or churches ex- isted among the three settlers ahead of | them OF Turkey Creek, but the people | of this section already here were good | and moral. They lived In. log houses with puncheon floors, clapboard roofs, stick | and clay chimneys. The first sawed lum- Der used in Jasper County was cut with | whip saws-logs hewn square and placed | on a scaffold-one man above and one on the ground-pulling and pushing the
 The development which Mir. Dale has | witnessed in the Louisiana Territory It. self is no greater than the mechanical | and industrial progress made since the I IOulSldnd puTCHdS6 dSSuEGQ thc oAAtCS States it's great prosperity and future l The farm tools then used In the. present | empire country were not the seif-binder thrasher, and steam blow of today, In | shovel blow, rean hook, scythe and era dle. Thrashing was done by horses on tramping floors, the straw was pitched off with wooden forks, and char was separated from the grain by a home. made riddle, the chaff being blown of | with a sheet.
 Our markets were widespread" says Mr. Dale. but our buying places were Bonneville on the river. from which goods came by ox wagons. Two stores were soon opened at Sarcoxie, the first in the country. We drove our hogs mules and horses on foot to Louisiana Our cattle we drove to Illinois and Ohio in the same way. Then trade soor opened up with the friendly Indians tc the West of us, we trading calico anc wampum tyr their robes, peltries, tai low, etc. There was no postoftice wes | of Sarcoxie till one was established al
 my fathers house near Joplin. in lS4l In the early forties an era of mill build
 ing set in. Myers & Doll built q saw mill on Turkey Creek northwest of thu present Joplin. after which we subst our log houses Now that we had milli and such advanced machinery as thrash
 CTS rig, old straw piler, wheat fans and as a result, had plenty of Hour
 HIS was BECcdAly OOhbHt ps thN 0S0G' Indians, to whom we hauled flour in oi
 wagons, and came back with their robes peltries and tallow, which we hauled t
 Bonneville, and brought back aecessar! supplies from the river. Thus we acte'
 as feeders for the great pioneer fu
 traders and steamboatsrs of the Louis
 jana Territory.
 Later lead furnaces were opened ul
 at Granby, LeadViHe. Oronogo, or Min
 ersville, and Moseley furnace on Shoa
 Creek. furnishing us with a regula , wagon freight service to Bonneville, il | addition to our Osage traffic. The far | famed pioneer practice of paying taXe
 in wolf scalps was extant in this coun |, try, but the Sheriff, who was also tn | Tax Collector, caLle after the revenue
 This land where Carthage now lies wa | first a part of Barry County. then 1 | became part of Newton County, an' l finally the county. seat of Jasper. Thus | while residing in one spot, at one tim q or another 1 paid wolf scalp taxes t the sheriffs of three different counties. Wolf scalps were made legal tende
 by the State Legislature for the doubl
 purpose of helping the settlers and rid
 ding the country of the varmints. Il those early Jasper County days we cit [. iZens raised and manufactured our oWi ? | bread, made our own molasses out O , pumpkins and watermelons till sorghum | seed was introduced at 10 cents pc
 spoonful. We grew, picked, carded, spul | and WoVe our own cotton and wool fo | clothing. plaited our own straw hats, ant : tanned skins and made our own shoe } for winter wear"