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| Earliest known photograph of Fitzhugh-Watts Mill from 1898 |
Tucked away on the banks of Indian Creek are the remnants of
what once was a center of considerable activity. Pioneers from all over the southern
Jackson Co. area would hitch up their wagons and take the journey to the mill
at current-day 103rd and State Line to grind their flour and corn.
Other pioneers on their journey out West got wind of the goings-on at Indian
Creek and made a special stop there to round up supplies before embarking on
their several months’ journey into the abyss of the American frontier.
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| A drawing by Vernon Hampton in the Kansas City Star of Watts Mill published in 1939. |
What we refer to today as Watts Mill, thanks in part to the
shopping center named in its honor, was of major importance in the early
history of the area. To have a mill on the edge of “modern” civilization was
paramount. Today, the stone remains at the very location of the mill leaves us
imagining the incredible stories and lives of the pioneers that once coveted
this location.
Well before it was coined “Watts Mill,” it was referred to
as “Fitzhugh’s Mill.” In 1832, John Fitzhugh (1792-1878) and his brother, George
(1790-1863), patented 40 acres on Indian Creek. The rushing waters, limestone
edges and waterfall proved to be a perfect location for a sawmill. They dammed
up Indian Creek and took a gamble on the edge of civilization, using hand-hewn
native oak and walnut to erect Fitzhugh’s Mill- one year before Westport was
platted and 20 years before Kansas City was founded.
This mill was the place to be.
In a short amount of time, Fitzhugh’s Mill became a
gathering place. Its success as a sawmill led way to replace it to a gristmill,
so they imported millstones from France and changed their operation. This
became a central location for the Native Americans and early settlers to trade
furs, ground meal and flour, and “catch up” on the endeavors of newly-settled
pioneers. Word of mouth was the foundations of this mill, and it wasn’t long
before travelers on the Santa Fe Trail started to stop at Fitzhugh’s Mill
before their long journey into the Wild West.
In May 1843, Fitzhugh’s Mill is mentioned by name in the
diary of James Nesmith as he and 800 pioneers gathered at this very location en
route to Oregon and California. This was one of the very first wagon trains
documented, with approximately 125 wagons heading West. Travelers camped along
the banks of Indian Creek, utilized the power of the mill to ground supplies,
and took off into the frontier.
The Fitzhugh’s sold their interest in the mill to James
Hunter and Duke Simpson of Westport in 1842. In 1845, the Fitzhugh’s opted to
travel south to Texas for new land and opportunity. They continued their
success of mill operation in Collin Co., Tex., where they opened a new sawmill
that was said to have built all of the county.
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| A marker at the location of Lone Elm Campground at Lone Elm Park, Olathe, Ks. Photo courtesy of William Fischer, Jr. |
Hunter and Simpson sold their interest in the mill in 1846 to
Albert Boone (famed as the first owner of what is now Kelly’s in Westport) and James
Hamilton.
Another pioneer diary of the time that has survived mentions
Fitzhugh’s Mill as well. Susan Magaffin, in 1846 or 1847, traveled the Santa Fe
Trail bound for New Mexico. She wrote, “Preparing to camp at Lone Elm. This is
the first camp from [Fitzhugh’s], which is on the border of Missouri and the
place at which our wagons stayed the night before.” Lone Elm, where she was
approaching while writing in her diary, was a location about four miles south
of Olathe, Ks.
Most likely just looking for business opportunity, the
owners, Simpson and Hunter, first leased and then sold the mill in 1850 to
Anthony Benaugh Watts (b. 1788), a miller from St. Charles, Mo.
Anthony Watts knew there was new competition. Five miles
away, Ezra Hickman had completed building a gristmill in what would become
known as Hickman’s Mill. According to folklore, the town of Hickman’s Mill,
which popped up as a result of the location of the mill, was filed as a town
under the incorrect name of “Hickman Mills,” thus its name today.
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| Anthony Benaugh Watts's headstone at Pleasant Valley Cemetery. Courtesy of findagrave.com |
In order to compete with Hickman’s new mill, Anthony
expanded the mill so he could be involved in commercial milling. It was said
that the mill was so large that it stood once as a landmark along the frontier.
Anthony’s fifth born child, Stubbins (b. 1838), when he was
just old enough to drive a yoke and oxen- only 15 years old- was hired by
Majors, Russell and Waddell. He made the trip many times to New Mexico on the
Santa Fe Trail.
Stubbins would always return after his lengthy trips and
work side-by-side with his father, learning from him how to take over the
family business of milling. Anthony Watts died in 1861, and the Civil War
called Stubbins into service. He joined the Confederate Army for four years.
After the end of the Civil War, Stubbins returned to Watts
Mill, his father buried in the ground and a mill that needed to be used to
grind yet again. He continued the operation of the mill well before the town of
Dallas emerged along 103rd St.
On May 21, 1871 Stubbins got himself a wife. He was married to
Nancy Catherine “Kate” Grimsley (1851-1926) in front of the mill by a traveling
preacher. . . in their bare feet. They went on to have three children, Edgar,
Richard and Lizzie.
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| Kate and Stubbins Watts outside their home just west of Watts Mill. One of the stone fireplaces can be seen in the background. |
The mill continued to be a gathering place amongst local
pioneer families, and dances that would last all night were held on the banks
of Indian Creek. These dances sound like they were quite the big deal back in
the day and would often, when weather didn’t permit, occur inside the Watts’s
home. The house, built by Stubbins’ father, was just west of the mill. Lumber
to build the two-story house came from the trees on Indian Creek. Two
fireplaces commissioned with grey stone were on the north and south side of the
home. It had a large sitting room with a beamed ceiling, and in the upstairs
was a big hall used for dances.
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| The "Fiddling Miller of Dallas," Stubbins Watts |
While parents danced the night away, kids would be laid out across the floor in borrowed pallets or on beds they would bring with them on their wagons. Neighborhood
dances at Watts Mill would occur for years- there were dances for Christmas
that lasted all night and 4th of July dances that would last all
day. Seven fiddlers, including Stubbins Watts, would take turns playing- and
when they weren’t playing, they were dancing.
Stubbins was a large part of the draw to Watts Mill’s dances
with his long, flowing white beard, dark eyes and ability to tell a really
great story. A 1955 article published in the Kansas City Star wrote of Stubbins, “He was an entertaining,
garrulous man, remembered particularly for his ‘anecdotage’ when he liked to
relate tales of Civil War battles in which he fought for the ‘Rebs.’”
He was quite good at fiddling, thus he became known far and
wide as “the fiddling miller of Dallas.” He claimed, “You can’t play the fiddle
without you tap your foot.” He taught his sons, Dick and Edgar, to play the
fiddle. One of their favorite tunes was a trio featuring all of them called “Leather
Britches,” which includes the lyrics, “My wife kicked me out of bed because I
had my britches on.”
That just makes you want to get up a dance, doesn’t it?!
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| 1877 plat map showing the location of Watts Mill and Bridger's nearby farm |
But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves as we imagine these
epic parties. Stubbins and Kate Watts were violently opposed to liquor.
According to Lola P. Garrison’s article published in Kansas City Genealogy Magazine in
1964, a lifelong resident said, “If Aunt Kate and Uncle Stubbins knew their
pictures were hanging in the entrance to the Indian Creek Inn (a restaurant
once located near the mill that served liquor), they would turn over in their
graves.”
Mountain man Jim Bridger, who lived to the south of Watts
Mill, was a frequent visitor of Stubbins. They were such good friends that
Bridger asked to be buried at the Watts Burial Ground (now 101st and Jefferson).
In 1881, Stubbins honored his old friend’s wish after Jim Bridger passed away
inside the Watts’ home.
In 1904, Jim Bridger’s remains were reinterred at Mount
Washington Cemetery. In a Kansas City
Star article from 1912, Stubbins was asked why he allowed Bridger to be
moved. He replied, “Well, it will only be a few years now till the city will
build out over that old graveyard. . . And it won’t be much longer till the
city will come on out and take this mill, too.”
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| Famous mountain man Jim Bridger (1804-1881) |
Unfortunately, he was correct. First, his family’s bodies at
the Watts burial ground were removed to Stanley, Ks to Pleasant Valley
Cemetery. Stubbins cremated his father and took an old buhrstone imported from
France by the Fitzhugh’s and used it as a headstone for his father. Even in his
80s, Stubbins still was working the old mill, holding onto the old-fashioned
customs that had been replaced by modern conveniences.
When Stubbins Watts’ son, Edgar visited the original site of
Bridger’s grave after it was removed, he found Bridger’s jaw bone as he was
filling the hole with dirt. Enamored with the find and unsure how to proceed,
Edgar took the jaw bone home and mentioned nothing of it to his aging father.
For 62 years, Stubbins labored away on the banks of the
Indian Creek until his death in 1922. Before his casket was closed and his
remains were buried next to his family at Pleasant Valley Cemetery Stanley,
Ks., Edgar took the jaw bone of Bridger’s and dropped it into his father’s
casket.
Edgar was reported to have said, “Well, they laughed and
talked together so it seemed the fittin’ thing to do.”
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| Inside the old Watts Mill, Stubbins Watts shows a visitor how to grind corn. |
Wow.
Fittingly, Stubbins Watts’ headstone also features one of
the millstones.
Stubbins’ son, Edgar took over the operations of Watts Mill
even after Walnut Grove Park opened next to it. People proved to love the
location, oftentimes swimming near the waterfall as the old mill still could be
heard grinding in the background. This spot was so popular as a swimming
destination that people came from far and wide. On July 9, 1921, tragedy struck
the location.
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| 1932 article in the Kansas City Star announces the centennial of Watts Mill |
19 year-old Ballauf Ramsey, a student at Rockhurst College,
went with two friends to swim near Watts Mill. He took off his clothes in the
pool of water just to the north of the crashing waters of the mill in an area
about 60 feet wide and 12 feet deep. Quickly, he found himself caught in the
waves and screamed for help… but it was too late.
About four hours later, his father and others recovered his
body from the banks of Indian Creek.
This type of thing didn’t discourage people from relief from
the heat; people continued to swim in Indian Creek for years.
In 1932, a centennial celebration of the old Fitzhugh-Watts
Mill occurred. People were encouraged to bring picnics and celebrate at the
site. Over 6,000 people showed up, many armed with personal stories of the old
days of the mill. Jim Bridger’s daughter, Jennie Hahn, was in attendance.
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| A 1922 advertisement in the Kansas City Star shows that Watts Mill flour was used |
The last mill operators were R.W. Cummins and his wife,
Lizzie Watts. Edgar remained close by, and he could sense that the need of an
old mill was slowly coming to an end. He stated, “Our meal is the most
wholesome in the country. We can skin em’ to death on quality, but we can’t
compete in price.”
Just as it is today, quality costs money. And the consumer usually goes for the deal.
In 1942, Edgar answered the call of the war effort and
donated nine tons of cast iron and steel from the wheel, an old boiler and some
machinery from his family’s mill. One year later, the mill ceased operation and
in 1949, Stubbins’ prediction came to be true. The mill was torn down.
In 1972, a marker was placed at the site of Watts Mill by
the Native Sons and Daughters. On June 10, 1974, Watts Mill was dedicated as a
historic site. The marker from the 70s has seen better days, as it, similarly
to the old mill, has weathered away in the elements. A new marker is currently
in the works and sponsored by Native Sons and Daughters.
Stubbins once said, “It’s pretty here; they say there’s no prettier
bit of scenery in Missouri. I like to hang out the window here and watch the
bubbles and the shadows, and listen to the water and the wheels. I just
couldn’t live without them.” Even in his day, lazy fisherman would mosey around
the banks of Indian Creek in the shadow of Watts Mill. Today, the same can be
witnessed as you sit on a park bench and listen to the waterfall crash into the
limestone rock and into the fragments of the old mill.
*Part of this story was originally published by the author in the July 11, 2017 issue of the Martin City Telegraph.
*Part of this story was originally published by the author in the July 11, 2017 issue of the Martin City Telegraph.
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| Stubbins Watts' grave at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Stanley, Ks. Courtesy of findagrave.com |
