The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1913-09-25

MN my last write-up l said Iwould
g1S give a story Of our trip up the
~ river in motor boat, but since
a few persons have kindly expressed
their opinion to me, that my last
story contained a fish story that
was rather doubtful Of being any dis
tant relative to the truth, l will with
draw the motor boat trip as we saw
bigger fish than that one, only it
was alive and running loose in corn
field, and seven men on horses and
with bunch of fifteen or twenty
hounds tried to run it down and after
failing they chased it into the water,
and we were going so fast that we
could see no way of checking speed
for at least half mile and the fish
was coming at break-neck speed.
Imagine the effect if we should meet.
It's such an awful story, I can't stand
to tell it.
We people of today in our great
desire for pleasure seeking, Of which
travel is one part, are prone to think
that money and distance is the key
note or keystone to that, and in car
rying out this desire, roam far and
wide and after returning have seen
nothing more than we have in our
own state, and no bettery scenery
than we have in our own country.
We never stop to think, that twen-
ty-five miles south and east of our
little city of Butler is a place as no.
torious as can be found in any state
in the U. S., as pretty scenery, noun
tains, rivers, hills, bluffs, dales and
everything that is pleasing to look
upon pertaining to the beauties of
nature, namely, ''Halley's Bluff" and
surrounding country.
Years and years ago the place now
called Halley's Bluff and along the
old trail from Lovers Leap, Signal
Rock and on up around the bend of
the river were camps or lodges in
habited by the tribe, Usage Indians.
No one knows how long they lived
in this part of the country and the
only way they can get any history of
it is to 60 at it in a scientific way, and
by finding different land marks and
cut stones and arrow heads and by
unearthing some of their dead, few
men have ventured to guess at about
the time the Indians first came to
this place.
As this write-up is to be mostly
historical, will refrain from going
into ancient history in regard to the
Osages, as no one would be interest
ed only as we can hear of things and
affairs in which our fathers or grand
fathers might have participated.
In the year of 1920, delegation of
Indians in boats or canoes made their
way to Washington, D. C. on some
kind Of government business, and
while there, expressed their desire
of having missionaries sent among
them, as they partially understood
their weakness in regard to religious
and lack of leadership.
The Indians returned to their hunt
ing grounds or lodges and the next
year the missionaries followed them.
Leaving Massachusetts in boats they
sought they sought the various rivers
that would finally carry them to the
home of the Osages. Coming across
New York, Pennsyl-
vania, over the different water routes,
they came into the Ohio river on
down and down until they reached
The Mississippi or the Father of
Waters
They had very little difficulty in
until they reached the Miss
ssippi. Few had died, but what
lew had, were left along the slightly
broken trail which was marked only
~ small, almost unnoticeable camp :
Tres, possibly miles and miles apart.
AS they rowed out into the Miss
ssippi, the great waters were swollen
md turbid, the mighty stream threw
IS huge, tawney current against their {
rail boats as if it would over-whelm /
hem but the voyagers pressed on
nd on, yet with great labor and diff
iculties.
Next they reached the Missouri v
which was low and muddy, and here d
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