Osage Mission

The Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad runs through town, west of the mission. On the Neosho River.

• The Catholic Mission – St. Francis Institute for Boys. Stone church under construction: walls are about 2 feet high right now. It will be a big place – currently filled with dead sunflowers, small trees, snowy bushes.
  • Fr. John Schoenmakers – speaks Dutch and French – weary dutchman who takes no shit.
  • Fr. Paul Mary Ponziglione – short white-haired Italian fellow, Jesuit trail rider
  • Fr. Philip Colleton – built the first library in Kansas – tall with glasses
  • Mother Bridget Hayden – Sisters of Loretto, St. Ann’s Academy. Mother Bridget was tall, of generous proportions, with a heart as large as herself. Always she wore blue glasses in octagonal frames. I never saw her angry, hurried or flurried. No one ever appealed to her in vain for assistance, counsel or comfort.
• Neosho House – first hotel – the widow Margaret “Meg” Naudier
• Castle Thunder – boarding house/tavern run by Sam Gilmore. Building likely started as a traditional "dog trot" structure with the central breezeway. Later the breezeway was built in to add enclosed floor space. During it's life the Castle Thunder building served several roles including trading post, inn, tavern for local traders, settlers and cowboys. It also served as a post office, Gilmore Town meeting room, and courtroom. The name Castle Thunder reflects some of the good times that were had when the building was in the tavern mode. The first known white child born in Neosho County, and the current limits of St. Paul, was born in Gilmore Town. Ann Gilmore, Sam Gilmore's daughter, later married Peter Perrier and resided for a time at the Osage Indian Agency, Indian Territory (Oklahoma)
• Dr. Vernon Beauregard – saw bones - will treat people and animals (except sheep and Irish) generally unhelpful
• Matthew McLean – Mayor of Osage Mission – short and stout, balding and hirsute – talks with a squint like he doesn’t believe anything said to him. Friend of Dr. William York.
• This is where the railroad currently ends. MKT is busy building a bridge over the Neosho south of town. There is a work camp erected next to the Neosho River filled with Irish, Negros, and Chinese.
• Sheriff Lars “Swede” Andersen – this guy is basically a Viking (big, blond, moustache).

Infrastructure

The Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad station St. Francis Institute for Boys St. Ann’s Academy for Girls

History

Father John Schoemakers, S.J. founded Osage Mission on April 28, 1847. Called the "Apostle to the Osage" and the "Father of civilization in Southeast Kansas," he served for 36 years as spiritual director, doctor, steward, lawyer, judge, catechist and preacher to the Osage. He served as an officially appointed U.S. postmaster of Osage Mission from 1851 to 1864. With the relocation of the Osage he ministered to the needs of the newly arrived settlers.
The other leading man in the Osage Mission was Kentucky-born John Allan Mathews. He was married to Mary Williams and after her death to her sister Sarah Williams. The Williams sisters were the daughters of William S. Williams and his Osage wife, A-Ci'n-Ga. They first met Mathews while attending school in Kentucky after their mother died. Mathews was a slaveholder and souther-sympathizer. He married Mary in Jackson County, Missouri in 1835 and was appointed blacksmith for the Senaca in 1837 and for the Osage in 1839. In about 1861 he gathered a group of Osage who tried to force Shoemakers to flee the area because they disagreed with Shoemakers abolitionist ideas. Matthews was killed by the 6th Kansas Cavalry under Gen. James G. Blunt in fighting at Chetopa, Kansas on Sep. 18, 1861
Eventually, Osage Mission became the town of St. Paul, Kansas, inside what would become Neosho County, Kansas. The Mission was located about 35 miles (56 km) north of the Kansas-Indian Territory border. Indian Territory eventually became the state of Oklahoma. When the Civil War erupted, Father John Schoenmakers wanted to keep the Mission as neutral ground and thus out of the conflict. Although at one point Schoenmakers had to flee for a time, he pretty much succeeded in keeping Osage Mission itself out of harm's way.
Both Union and Confederate troops operated in the area surrounding Osage Mission and at times troops from both sides entered it. At times from 1862 to 1865 Union troops were stationed at Osage Mission, almost certainly on its outskirts. The first time troops were mentioned at the Mission was in a military report on Dec. 16, 1862. The troops left at some point and by October 1863 Union troops were back, when Confederate guerrillas were at the Mission for a time.
In November 1863 Confederates entered the Mission and the small force there, under a sergeant, was powerless to effectively drive them off. A company of Union troops was called in and drove them off. It appears that a larger body of troops were posted to the Mission, probably permanently until the post was deactivated in June 1865.

Type

Town

Population

791

Location under

Neosho County

Included Locations

• Devil's Rock Pile

Characters in Location

• L.A.J.
• Lars "Big Swede" Andersen