By Brad Pace

The thought of a grist mill today may conjure the charming image of a structure long idle. But from the earliest days of European settlement in North America working mills supplied communities and travelers with essential flour and cornmeal for cooking.

They were built along rivers and streams to harness the power of the current to turn a water wheel, which then rotated heavy stones that ground wheat and corn. This simple and effective process was used as early as Roman times. When a water source was not available, horses, manpower, or even wind and sails were used to turn the grinding stones. As the stones turned grain would be poured through a hole in the center of the top stone.

***Reproduction grist mill in Clay County. Kansas City Public Library.***

The local mill was critical to its community as a place of commerce and as a social gathering place, sometimes becoming the town center. They were the equivalent of gritty frontier truck stops.

Numerous working mills once dotted the Missouri landscape. Today Clay County boasts a complete reproduction of a mill built in 1824 by Humphrey “Yankee” Smith on the Platte River near Smithville (named for him). Smith was an outspoken abolitionist, hence the nickname “Yankee.”

The reproduction was built in 1980 and is known as the Yankee-Smith Mill. It is operated by the Shoal Creek living history museum.

Grist mills and the flour they produced were particularly important in Jackson County given its association with trails westward. Independence became the Eastern terminus for the Santa Fe Trail, and later a key provisioning post for emigrants heading for the Oregon and California Trails. Families on the long wagon trains were big consumers of the wheat and corn processed by the mills.

WATTS MILL

Among the earliest industrial operations in Jackson County was a sawmill (later converted to a grist mill) constructed for John and George Fitzhugh in 1838, where present day 103rd street crosses Indian Creek near State Line Road. The creek was so named because it flowed from the “Permanent Indian Frontier.” The Fitzhugh family had previously operated mills in Virginia and Kentucky.

In 1850 the mill was sold to Anthony Watts. The Watts family would operate the mill for three generations. It provisioned a wide assortment of pioneers, including “49ers” caught up in the California Gold Rush. During the Civil War the Watts Mill fed both Confederate and Union troops involved in the Battle of Westport.

A small community grew up around the mill including general stores, pool halls, blacksmith shops, a lodge hall and of course taverns.

When Anthony Watts passed away in 1861 his son Stubbins took over the operation. Stubbins entertained customers at the mill with his fine fiddle playing. Known as the “Fiddling Miller,” his instrument is on display today at the National Frontier Trails Museum in Independence. Settlers and travelers brought with them their folk-tunes from around the world.

Like all water-powered mills, the Watts Mill would sometimes need to cease operating during periods of drought. In 1922 an electric motor was added, and for the first time the mill could function independent of the currents on Indian Creek.

After the Watts Mill closed in 1940, Stubbins’ son Edgar Watts donated nine tons of iron from the defunct mill for a World War II scrap drive. It was finally demolished in 1949, but portions of the foundation are still visible near the creek.

In 1971 the Watts Mill Shopping Center opened at this location. The area also includes the Watts Mill Park which features informational plaques telling the story of the mill, and an actual millstone embedded in the sidewalk.

WAGGONER-GATES MILL

***Waggoner-Gates painting by Sidney Moore***

William Waggoner, from a successful family of millers, arrived in Jackson County in 1866 scouting for business opportunities. Liking what he saw in Independence, he encouraged his family to move west from Pennsylvania to join him. Within a year William and his father Peter Waggoner had purchased a grist mill in Independence from John Overfelt, who had operated the business on Spring Street since 1848. Its success had enabled Overfelt to build a fine house nearby at 305 S. Pleasant, which still stands today. He served on the Independence City Council for many years.

Operating under the name “Independence City Mill, Peter Waggoner and Son,” the new owners rebuilt the mill about a block away on Pacific Street, between Osage and Spring. Mechanical equipment was installed so that workers no longer had to shoulder bags of wheat up ladders to overhead bins. A new steam powered grinder was also added. It was originally fueled by wood, but then converted to coal in 1882. In 1926 it was again modernized to run on fuel oil.

In 1875 George Porterfield Gates (Bess Truman’s grandfather) joined the business and the mill began operating as Waggoner & Gates. In 1883 it was incorporated as the Waggoner-Gates Milling Co. The original shareholders in the enterprise were Peter Waggoner, William Waggoner, George Porterfield Gates, Judge E. P. Gates and Thomas M. Wilson.

Under Waggoner-Gates ownership the mill had the capacity to produce 550 barrels of flour a day. Elevator storage capacity was increased from 75,000 bushels to 350,000.

The Waggoner-Gates Mill was famous for its all-purpose flour trademarked as the “Queen of the Pantry.” It was milled from a soft style of wheat, rather than hard wheat which would become popular in later years. “Queen of the Pantry” won many awards in its day.

In 1890 a poster advertisement for the flour caused a sensation. It depicted the lady of the house returning home to find flour handprints on her husband’s suit jacket, apparently placed there by the young female cook making bread in the background.

Flour was vital in 19th century American kitchens where hot breads were served at most meals. After the flour sacks were emptied, loyal customers would sometimes use the cloth to make tea towels and aprons. The Waggoner-Gates Mill also supplied commercial bakeries such as the Sunshine Biscuit Corporation.

Like Overfelt before them, the mill owners were able to indulge in some of the finest homes Independence had to offer. In 1879 William Waggoner purchased a 26-room mansion across from the mill at 313 W. Pacific, once the home of famous painter and politician George Caleb Bingham. Bingham owned the property when he painted his famous “Martial Law” (also known as “Order No. 11”). The Waggoner family continued to live in the house until 1976. It is preserved today and is available for tour and private events.

In 1867 George Porterfield Gates purchased a home at 219 N. Delaware Street, never imaging it would one day be known as the “Summer White House.” He later remodeled and enlarged it in a grand Victorian style. After Bess Wallace’s father committed suicide in 1903, Bess along with her mother and brothers moved into the house with her grandparents. Following her marriage to Harry Truman, he moved in as well. Bess eventually inherited the house, and lived there until she passed away in 1982.

***Gothic style home built in 1850 for flour miller John Overfelt.***

By the start of the 20th century the Waggoner-Gates mill was one of the largest industries in Independence. Profits peaked in 1917 with high overseas demand for flour, likely as a result of World War I. By 1927 it employed about 60 workers full time.

Eventually demand for the mill’s product declined with changing tastes. Supply challenges with the now less popular soft style of wheat, together with increasing shipping costs, contributed to the decision to sell the mill in 1958 to Lewis and Eugene Selder of Kansas City.

In 1967 the five-story grain elevator at the mill was struck by a lightning bolt. When the grain dust inside exploded, windows on the north side of the town square shattered. Heat from the resulting blaze was so intense that paint on nearby buildings blistered. The grain elevator and much of the mill complex were reduced to ruins. The mill never reopened.

HICKMAN’S MILL

Wanting to relocate, Hickman in 1854 purchased 40 acres near current-day 6006 E. Red Bridge Road to build a steam-powered grist and sawmill.

Hickman’s new mill was at first a success and enabled him to donate a nearby acre of land for the building of a church. Originally known as the Bethlehem Church, it is now the location for the Hickman Mills Community Christian Church.

By the late 1850s the national economy had fallen on hard times after gold from the California Gold Rush entered the market and inflated currency rates. Hickman’s business was hit hard, and to avoid bankruptcy he closed the mill in 1860 and sold off the milling equipment.

After the Civil War broke out in 1861 the Union Army began to use the closed mill as a military post. Located in a fairly remote part of the county where rebels were active, it was an important Federal presence during the ongoing Missouri-Kansas “Border Wars.”

Following bushwacker William Quantrill’s bloody raid on Lawrence, Kansas, Union Brigadier General Thomas Ewing, Jr. knew something had to be done about the out-of-control boarder violence. This led on August 25, 1863, to his infamous General Order No. 11, which specifically mentions Hickman’s Mill.

From Order No. 11:
"All persons living in Jackson, Cass, and Bates counties, Missouri, and in that part of Vernon included in this district, except those living within one mile of the limits of Independence, Hickman's Mills, Pleasant Hill, and Harrisonville, and except those in that part of Kaw Township, Jackson County, north of Brush Creek and west of Big Blue, are hereby ordered to remove from their present places of residence within fifteen days…”

***George Caleb Bingham’s painting Order No. 11. Bingham wrote to General Ewing, “If you execute this order, I shall make you infamous with pen and brush.”***

Union troops, vigilantes, and Unionist Jayhawkers were eager to enforce Order No. 11 by destroying anything in this contested area that might be of aid to Confederates or their sympathizers. The counties covered by Ewing’s order, Jackson, Cass, Bates and the northern part of Vernon, became known as the “Burnt District.”

By the eve of the Battle of Westport in 1864, approximately 1,500 Union troops were stationed at the mill. When the war ended the following year, what was left of Hickman’s Mill was once again abandoned.

Hickman himself served in the Confederate Army, losing an arm in battle. As irrepressible as ever, he returned to Independence and went into business selling bricks. Later he was appointed deputy assessor for the county, and in 1877 was elected mayor of Independence. He also found time to author two books on mathematics, a subject he became interested in when operating his mills.

After the Hickman Mill was torn down in 1867, its wood was sold for salvage. Some was purchased by Harry Truman’s maternal grandfather Solomon Young for a barn on his family farm in Grandview, today known as the Truman Farm.

Even after the mill’s demolition the surrounding area continued to be known as Hickman’s Mill. In the second half of the 19th century the little community applied for a federal post office. At some point in the application process a clerical error in Washington DC caused the name of the new facility to be changed from “Hickman’s Mill” to “Hickman Mills.” The area has been known by the mangled name ever since. After annexation in 1961 it became a neighborhood in Kansas City.

BLUE MILLS

A lesser-known grist mill was located about half way between Fort Osage and Independence, near what is today 3101 Lentz Road. It was financed and owned by brothers and successful merchants James and Robert Aull, together with fellow businessmen Michael Rice and Samuel Owens. Land for the mill was purchased from the government in three tracts, 80 acres for $100, 160 acres for $200 and 40 acres for $50.

Construction of the plant, known as Blue Mills, began in 1834 near a landing on the Little Blue River where trade goods bound for Santa Fe could be unloaded to complete their journey by land. The limited information available regarding its appearance suggests the main structure was approximately 60 feet tall, three-story (or up to five stories counting the basement and foundation), and constructed from black walnut lumber local to the area. It featured a gable roof of shake shingles, and an exposed stone foundation. Water was used to turn the millstones. Later a 60-foot chimney was built, and a wood-fired steam boiler was used for power.

***Blue Mills on the banks of the Little Blue River.***

The mill typically employed 15 to 20 men. Sometime after its completion a wagon bridge was constructed over the Little Blue to accommodate the increased traffic.

Blue Mills sold three grades of flour, with extra-fine being the most expensive. A farmer would pay a bushel of grain to get a bushel ground. That meant he would have to haul twice the amount needed for himself and his family.

The mill was a busy and social place as customers waited for their grain to be ground. A traveler described the colorful scene at Blue Mills in 1846 as including Spaniards with their wagons headed for the Santa Fe Trail, a group of Mexican Indians, French hunters in buckskins, and of course Oregon- bound settlers.

***Millstone saved from the Blue Mills demolition. It is estimated to weigh between 500 and 1,000 pounds.***

In its prime, Blue Mills was known for supplying the finest- available flour to cities across North America and as far away as Europe. There is some evidence that the complex also was a place where cattle and hogs were marketed. The Aull brothers owned several general stores in Missouri, and they may have purchased some of this livestock for meat to resell.

Flush with success the investors added a sawmill on the opposite side of the Little Blue. It processed woods including walnut, oak, and sugar maple. It is also believed to have manufactured wooden barrels.

In addition to being much used by travelers and settlers alike, the mill served as an important link in the supply chain for the Mexican-American War (1846-47). It furnished flour for soldiers at Fort Leavenworth, and other military personnel stationed in the West. Fort Leavenworth would sometimes send its own wagon to pick up the barrels of flour.

A small village sprang up in a flat meadow near the Blue Mills Landing. Known as String Town, it boasted warehouses, a general store, a newspaper, and a boarding house where mill workers could lodge. The boarding house was at one time owned by James Gray who offered rooms to single men at $1.25 per week. It is reported that Gray bought cornmeal at 63 cents a bushel to make mush and hoecakes (fried pancake with ground cornmeal) for his boarders. On the bluffs overlooking the mill were company owned houses for married men and families. The Aull brothers were even granted a concession to operate a post office, with Robert Aull serving as postmaster. A road once ran through the little town connecting the landing to the sawmill.

***Ruts of the Santa Fe Trail near 27th and Topping, Kansas City, 1964.***

During winter when trees have lost their foliage it is possible today to see traces of the foundations that once comprised the long-vanished String Town.

When the Civil War began in 1861 the entire mill complex was commandeered by the Union Army for use as a military hospital. It was pressed into service following The Battle of the Little Blue River, fought nearby between Sterling Price’s Confederate Army of Missouri and a federal regiment. Three Union soldiers from an Iowa regiment are known to have been buried next to the sawmill. In 1910 the bodies were exhumed and reinterred at Leavenworth National Cemetery. There are additional reports that nine Confederates from the battle were also buried somewhere on the property.

After the war, the mill traded hands and reopened briefly, but struggled to compete with Westport Landing as a trafficking point for freight and travelers. It closed in 1878.

In the 1880s new owners rebuilt the mill with more modern machinery. It reopened once more but again proved unprofitable and soon closed permanently.

The old mill lay abandoned and in ruins until 1923 when it was razed. Fortunately for history, Independence lawyer Mark Siegfried came upon the demolition in progress and stopped the work crew just as they were preparing to roll one of the millstones into the Little Blue River. It is reported that he paid the demolition crew to haul the stone by horse-drawn wagon to his residence where it remained for many years. Later it was displayed at the Siegfried Law Building at 308 Maple Ave. in Independence.

In 1990 the stone was donated to the National Frontier Trails Center by Mary Siegfried, the daughter-in-law of Mark Siegfried. The millstone is of red granite, and is cut down the center like a doughnut. It is approximately 4 feet in diameter and 1 foot thick. Most millstones from the 19th century were made abroad where the best cutters were available. The Blue Mills stone was produced in Liverpool, England.

One hundred years after the demolition of Blue Mills, the property is once again the site of a working mill. In June of 2020, husband and wife Larry and Cammie Smith purchased the land and opened their company L & K Hardwoods. Their diesel-powered sawmill creates premium custom wood furniture.

Originally the Smiths were unaware of the property’s historic significance. But when they told the seller that they planned to operate a sawmill, he disclosed the lineage of the site. “It is really quite something that back in 1834 there was a sawmill on our land, and now there is once again,” Larry said. He explained that the old channel for the Little Blue is about 40 to 45 yards from their front porch, but today is just a pond. The U.S. Corps of Engineers dammed this section on both sides so it holds water.

***Larry Smith and wife Cammie operate L & K Hardwoods at the site of the historic Blue Mills.***

Stones from the old mill can be found scattered on the Smiths’ property. Various artifacts have been uncovered, including unfired civil war era musket balls, carriage parts, a portion of a bayonet, and a dime from 1834. Smith says the site likely contains human remains, so out of respect he does not dig randomly.

Operation of the L & K Hardwoods sawmill at the historic Blue Mills location gives it a unique provenance, and allows the Smiths to boast that their property has been “proudly serving Jackson County since 1834.”

Blue Mills is one of only five mills listed on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.

Missouri Mills Fed the Pioneers

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