The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1913-09-25
ear|g indian History J7 Bales g..
BY |. q. 6YNUM

sachusetts or the sparkling mountain
rills of New Hamshire.
i Better progress was made up the
Usage, whose cliffs and bluffs cover
ed with cedar trees and moss and
ferns, surely carried them back in
mind to their mountain lands back in
New England.
AT last, on the 9th Of August, the
boats and crews reached the Rapids
DeKaw COLLINS -Ford) three miles
below Papinville, and the journey
was over.
The missionaries found at the old In
dian village, where Papinville now
is, some French and half breed trad
ers, Chouteaus representatives who
had been here some years, perhaps
from 1915 or at the close of the war
OF 1912. The first settlement of Ver-
non and of the present Bates county
was established in 1921. The place
was called Harmony Mission and es-
tablished or planted under the aus
pices of the American Board of Com
missioners of Foreign Missions, COM
posed of Presbyterians and Congre-
gationalists.
Harmony Mission now is a well
known locality and upon the organi-
cation of Bates county in 1841, Har-
mony Mission was made the county
seat, was the first post office in the
county, and remained county seat for
seven years. Freeman Barrows was
first post master, and this wasthe first
place that store was opened in the
county.
The first white children born in
Bates county were twins, boys, Ben
jamin and Joseph Sprague, 1922.
The first born in Vernon county
were twins, Jesse and Hardin Sum-
mers, 1880.
The first marriage was that Of
David Cruise and Fanny Summers,
1882. The first religious services,
with white people for the congrega-
ton, were held at the home of Gwin
Modrel in 1882, conducted by Rev.
Amasa Jones.
The first school building was built
Of logs in 1885 on the Usage near Ball
town and the first teacher here is
thought to have been DR.. Leonard
Dodge.
Theronly hostilities that ever took
place between the early settlers and
the Indians came off between a par
ty of Little Osages and some settlers
near Ball town, the date of this was
1888, March 18th, the mouth of Wal
nut Creek, (Twp. 80, Range 32)
Bates county. The cause was sup
posed to have been food foraging.
Details will be given in the Indian
love story to be written for this pa
per and printed in form of a .contin-
ued story.
The first preaching was reunion
delivered by Rev. N. B. Dodge to the
Indians at Chief White Hairs Village
in the fall of 1921, speaking through
an interpreter, an employee Of Mel
court Papin.
Chief White Hair was chief of the
Big Usage tribe which numbered over
1894 Indians. He was chosen by the
tribe because Of his great statue,
strength and nobility of character.
The head chiefs under White Hair
were, The Wind and Big Track. The
different tribes that inhabited the
western country at the time the
Osages were in this part of the coun-
Try were the Sioux, Ioways, Sacs,
Kickapoos, Pottawattaimes, Delawares
Shawnees, Chickasaws, Choctows,
Arkansaws, Caddoes and Tetans.
The Osages were divided into three
different branches, The Grander Big
)saqes, Little Osages and Arkansaws,
md each one was made up of differ
mt lodges or camps, located along
he Usage and on down into the
outhern part of the state.
Old Chief Chetoka or (wet stone)
# the Little Usage tribe claimed to
ave been in battle near Pittsburg, {
a. in Braddock's defeat in 1755. I
physically the Osages were said to G
70 the finest type or specimen of s
WESTERN Indians, were tall, erect I
ignified and very agile and muscu- I