The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-10

a ride on the steamboat from Louisville
 to St. Louis.
 T got work in a St. Louis tobaccC
 factory but didn't stay long. I crossed
 the river into Illinois and got as far as
 Peoria. I made my way as best I could
 for a coulpe of years and returned tc
 St. Louis. took boat up the Missou-
 ri and made my first stop at Lexington
 and then came to Independence.
 haven't very clear recollection of the
 people who were prominent in affairs at
 this time, for I didn't remain very long.
 Independence was then the leading
 town in this section of the country.
 remember stopping at the Noland House, which was kept by the father of
 John B. Noland, now living in Inde- pendence. John and William Mccoy
 ran store. Independence was quite
 an aristocratic place and the leading families driving about in their carriages
 impressed me with their dignity and importance. Some of the men whose
 names l recall were Sam Sawyer, the
 father of A. F. Sawyer; G. Lee Chris
 man, father of Judge Chrisman, and
 Luther Mason. l think I was in Inde-
 pendence two weeks. A man named
 Lupton, Captain Lupton they called
 him, came along with a trading outfit
 on his way west I was given permis-
 sion to walk along behind his wagons
 He had alcohol and a few goods and
 remained with him until we got to Green river in what Is now Colorado.
 From 1888 to 1S45 lived with the l Indians. stayed with the Cheyennes,
 the Arapahoes and Sioux. I got to be
 about as much of an Indian as any of them. They were the lindiest people mad ever met. hunted with them and feasted when we had plenty and straved with them when we didn't get food. I lived entirely on meat In the mountains sometimes we couldn't find any game during the winter Then we reluctantly killed dog and ate that.
 You didn't find dog meat very pala- table, did you?"
 "Yes, we did. Dog meat is as good as much of the other meat we get now. When you are in the mountains and straving like forty dog meat is posi- tive luxury. I made living hiring to traders and trappers and got along fa- mously. I didn't have any particular ambition I just wanted to fish and hunt and live with the Indians. l final ly made my way to Upton's Fort, which was located about thirty miles this side of the present site of Denver.
 Tn about two years I started on foot to Fort Laramie It was tough trip, but I arrived in the month of December and got work with the American Fur company Lupton had trading post near Laramie and again went to him for employment. He made frequent trips back to Independence and about this time the idea of saving some mon ey seemed to occur to me. I made a half dozen trips back to this section of the country and between 1S43 and 1S45 I managed to save thousand dollars and accumulated seven mules.
 "In 1S45 I came to Westport Landing and bought wagon. All there Is of Kansas City and pretty much of all of Westport was then in farm land Jahn Harris owned the two hundred acres of land that is now Hyde Park. Milton McGee had a large tract of land be- [ tween Hyde Park and the river occu- pying the most of the territory which [ now forms Grand avenue. Allen Me- | Gee, who now lives in Westport, is the son of Milton McGee and is the only | one now living whose name l can recall that was factor in affairs at that | time Yes, there's Bill Mulkey."
 The building of MT Wards fortune begins with the one thousand dollars H he saved between 1S43 and 1s45. After ! his purchase of a wagon he loaded 1t rtn fnI taCt fn fro 1n with the Indians Until the Santa Fe ! trail was established the only commer | cial activity in this section was at the agency for the Pottowatomies Dela- wares. Kaws and the Sacs and Fox h. dians.
 "The stores didn't expect any other trade" said MT. Ward lover on the Kansas side Tom Johnson ran the Shawnee mission. Nobody could settle in Kansas then. When we crossed the state line we didn't see house unil we got to Bents Fort on the Arkansas riv- ar. where there was another trading post"
 on his first trip Mir Ward remained Tor one year. Money did not figure in the exchanges of the west at that time
  was reported, buffalo and other skins were traded by the Indians for arms and such trinkets as struck heir fancy. In 1S46, the year of the Mexican war, there was much profitable I .rading in horses, and when MT. Ward started out in 1S47 he had big wagon drawn by six yoke of oxen. In 84S he heturned and bought three wag ms, which he loaded for the Indian rade. I During all this time" said MT. Ward ( I never had the least trouble of any [ ,ind with the Indians. We were abso- utely safe to go when and where we ,leased. Only one man was taken with , 'ach wogon and he was used as dri- rer It was ample to protect our prop rty. which needed no protection. The indians fed the poor, even though they < tarved themselves. They were natu- ally kind and generous, and whatever neanness they acquired the white man aught them" It was in 1849 that the exodus from he east to California began No bet CT authority is possible regarding the for money making on the art of traders and freighters in that ay than MT. Ward.
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