The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-01

His "reminiscences are entertaining. In
response to the request for some of his
experiences in the making of a state,
Major Anderson told the following:
May 80, 1854, marked an epoch in the
country's history, second only in import
ance to the signing of the Declaration Of
Independence. 1t was the signing of The
Kansas-N ebraska bill by Franklin Pierce:
president of the United states. The bUl
provided that the territory of Kansas
should be free or slave, as the settlers
might elect, and the act Of signing the
bill was the beginning of the end OF
slavery in the United States. The INK
had not dried upon the paper until the
contest for supremacy between the north
and the south began, which finally end
ed when Lee handed his sword to Grants
at Appomatox. 1 was a beardless boy
Ii years of age. when one morning in
the summer of 1856, my father announc-
ed at the breakfast table that we would
go to Kansas and help make it free
state. Accordingly we left our Ohio
home, took the cars for Iowa City, then
the railroad terminus, bought two yoke
Of oxen and a wagon, loaded up our
earthly possessions and started across
the prairies of Iowa for Bleeding Kan
sas.' What was true in our case hap
pened to thousands of other immigrants,
and hence brief recital of the events
as they occurred to our family, will
give an idea of the general conditions
surrounding the making of a state
I'VE took the northen route because
we were abOlitiOniStS and the road
through Missouri was not particularly
healthy for people of our political faith.
We did cut across the northwest corner
of Missouri, but our forces had been
largely augmented and we felt strong
enough to cope with the pro-Slavery ele-
ment in that portion of the state What
with the malaria incident to a camp
life. poor water, ivy poisoning and Il lot
of other ills and mishapS, we finally
crossed the Missouri river a few miles
above ST. Joseph, and we were in the
promised land Everybody from our
section of the country was looking for
timber claims, hence settlements along
the streams were sought for.We brought
up at Grasshopper Falls, now Valley
Falls Father got So per day for run
ming a steam saw mill just erected, to
cut lumber for the hundreds of Shanties
being erected by young men, mostly
unmarried, on the Delaware Trust lands
which were to be sold at public auction
at Osawl1ie in August, 1857.
Mother boarded the mill hands and
other young men in shack made out
of cottonwood boards with hunks around
the side, steamboat fashion. Cottonwood
lumber is as hard to keep straight as Il
Kansas iointist and we had all kinds
of trouble with that house. 1t shifted its
position with the sun during the sum
rner and the rear end of the house was
on the street in the fall. The attic floor
was laid with loose cottonwood boards
and they curled up and threw the occu-
and then went back after the bed
clothes. / was put to work cutting saw
logs on the river bottom The summer
was very dry one, the water got very
low, the air was full of malaria from the
prairies being broken and we all got the
ague. It followed me for Is months and
/ have taken more quinine, Indian Co
logne and Smiths tonic than would float
the battleship oregon.
While at Valley Falls l made the ac-
quaintance of many young men who
had come to Kansas to help make
state. Among the number was the la
mented Dwight Hillyer, than whom d
better man never lived; Lewis Stafford.
afterwards captain in the First Kansas
and killed at .Corinth; Rexford, and two
or three of John Browns men whose
names have escaped my memory. all of
whom took an active part in making a
state
'-On Christmas day, 1857, we moved to
Jackson county and took a claim on
Elk creek. / drove the OK team all
day in my shirt sleeves. The settle
ment was composed of Missourians
VINO were all pro-slavery. and while the
young people of both the free state and