AS A MANUFACTURING CENTER.

As a manufacturing center Kansas City has unequaled advantages in her cheap and abundant coal, and in the cheapness and abundance of materials afforded by the contiguous country, a brief. summary of which will be found further on in this chapter.

POSITION AND TRADE.

True, this city does not yet supply all the merchandise, nor market all the products of the vast region tributary to her. The country and the city, commercially speaking, are but a quarter of a century old. The people coming in from all quarters, as emigrants always do, at first look back to the point from whence they came for supplies and for markets. It takes time to establish new associations. This city, as a depot of supply, is not over fifteen years old, and as a market only about ten, but her development in these respects is, for rapidity, without a parallel. in the history of cities. She has trade relations established throughout the domain, and now reaches a point where all competitors must give way forever. She sends merchandise to Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, New Mexico and Texas, and though this trade has not been in existence to exceed ten years, she has now nearly excluded all competitors from the markets for the cattle of Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Indian Territory, New Mexico, and western Missouri; the hogs of western Missouri, Kansas, southwestern Iowa, southern Nebraska and Northern Texas; the sheep and wool of Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, and the wheat of western Missouri, Kansas, and southern Nebraska, and partly of southwestern Iowa.

That she will in a few years market all the products of this vast area and supply it with all its merchandise, is certain. Her railway lines penetrate it, radiating in all directions. The railway system of this entire area centers at Kansas City, the roads that do not terminate here making their connection with those that do. The non-use of navigable waters makes the railways the sole arteries of commerce, and that they will bear the products of the country to Kansas City, and bear the merchandise from Kansas City, is as certain as that they radiate from Kansas City to all parts of the country.

It is a remarkable fact that the markets of Kansas City came into existence and grew to nearly equal importance with those of St. Louis and Chicago-in some respects to a controlling position-within five years, while there was little visible growth in the city and little immigration into the country. It is a remarkable fact also that during the same period, and under the same conditions, the mercantile business of the city was quadrupled, and has continued to grow with unprecedented rapidity since. The signifi cance of these facts is unmistakable. It simply means the rapid, intense concentration of the trade of the country at Kansas City.

As a manufacturing center Kansas City has unequalled advantages in her cheap and abundant coal, and the cheapness and vastness of her material supplies afforded by the contiguous country. She has become a vast depot of supplies for the entire western and southern domain, an area covered by no other city on the continent.

ASSESSED VALUATION.

The assessed valuation of property, real and personal, in Kansas City, shows the following rapid increase. The valuation is given by decades up to 1870, and then by years, to show the fluctuation of values and the effect of the great financial crash of 1874, which culminated in 1876, and its rapid recovery since that date.

The following is the valuation of all property for the years given.

The clearing-house report from 1876 to 1880, inclusive, gives the follow

The area in which Kansas City trades may be defined as between the 17th and 29th meridian west from Washington, and the 23d and 41st parallels of latitude, embracing a greater variety of climate and mineral and soil products than can be found in any similar area in the world. The great agricultural belt of the United States crosses it. It contains the greatest pastoral region in the world, and embraces the famous lead, zinc and coal mines of Missouri and Kansas, and the lead, coal, iron, silver and gold mines of Colorado and New Mexico. There are no adequate statistics of its population or productions. It is so new and has been settling and developing so rapidly since the general census, in 1870, that the facts of the census would grossly misrepresent its present condition, and the census of 1880 is not yet available.

The general conditions of a country have much to do in determining its

fitness for the habitation of man. These may be said to consist of climate, rain-fall and soil, and we propose to take a brief view of these.

CLIMATE.

As above stated, this country embraces a wide range of climate, due partly to the number of latitudes it embraces, and partly to the difference in altitude, the country rising from about seven hundred feet at the Missouri River, to about five thousand at the base of the mountains. However, the most desirable latitudes cross it, the country between the 38th and 42d parallels, both in this country and Europe, having been found to be the best adapted to vigorous manhood, longevity and physical and mental effort. These parallels embrace, on both hemispheres, the largest per cent of the population north of the equator, and the seat of man's highest achieve

ments.

SOIL.

The soil of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa are composed of what geologists call the drift, loess and alluvial deposits. The first is of comparatively limited extent, and is mostly found combined with the loess in what is known as modified drift. In this form it is very fertile, and yields sixty The second embraces all the upland soil, and

bushels of corn to the acre. the third the bottom-lands.

THE CLOSE.

Thus has been sketched Kansas City and her surroundings. No city in the Union has exceeded her wonderful growth, or developed greater commercial resources, and that growth and strength will continue with increasing years. She is the marvel of the nineteenth century, and as such every Missourian should know her and feel a pride in her extraordinary success.

HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH.

ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

The First Settlement at Blackstone Hills—Robidoux-Biographical Sketch-At the BluffsThen at Roy's Branch and Blacksnake Hills-1834-1836-Robidoux's Home-EmployesServant-Ferry-From 1837 to 1840-Rival Towns-Wolves.

The French element of the class of pioneers settled Canada and the northwestern part of the United States, as well as the country about the mouth of the Mississippi River. They came into the upper Mississippi and Missouri Valleys in 1764, under the lead of Pierre Laclede Liqueste (always called Laclede), who had a charter from the French government giving him the exclusive right to trade with the Indians in all the country as far north as St. Peter's River. Laclede brought part of his colony from France, and received large accessions to it in New Orleans, mainly of hunters and trappers, who had had experience with the Indians. In the year 1764 this colony founded the present city of St. Louis. From this point they immediately began their trading and trapping incursions into the then unbroken wilderness in their front. Their method of proceeding seems to have been to penetrate into the interior and establish small local posts for trading with the Indians, whence the trappers and hunters were outfitted and sent out into the adjacent woods.

In this way the country west and northwest of St. Louis was traversed and explored by these people, at a very early day, as far west as the Rocky Mountains. But of the extent of their operations but little has been recorded; hence but little is known of the posts established by them. It is known, however, that such posts were established at a very early day on the Chariton and Grand Rivers, in Missouri, and at Cote Sans Dessein, in Calloway county.

BIOGRAPHY.

Joseph Robidoux, the son of Joseph and Catharine Robidoux, was oorn in St. Louis, August 10, 1783. He was the eldest of a family consisting of six sons and one daughter; to-wit., Joseph, Antoine, Isadore, Francis, Michael and Palagie. Louis, the second son, lived and died in California, after

his removal from St. Louis. Joseph, Antoine, Isadore and Francis were all buried in St. Joseph. Joseph, the father of this family, was a Canadian Frenchman, and came from Montreal, Canada, to St. Louis, where he located shortly after the settlement of the city by the French.

Being a shrewd business man and possessing great energy he accumulated a fortune. His wealth, his business qualifications, and his genial disposition, made him many friends among the leading merchants and influential men of that city. He occupied a large mansion, located between Walnut and Elm streets, surrounded with every comfort and convenience. Here he entertained his friends in a royal style, and so noted was his hospitality that the first general assembly of Missouri did him the honor of holding its first session at his house, on the 7th of December, 1812.

Four years after his marriage his wife died. After her death young Robidoux, then in the twenty-third year of his age, became an extensive traveler. He made a voyage up the Missouri River in company with one of the partners of the American Fur Company.

Blacksnake Hills had been seen by some of the men connected with the fur companies while en route on one of the expeditions, their attention being attracted thither, not only by the topography of the country, but by the presence of the congregated tribes of the Sac, Fox and Iowa Indians, who assembled here en masse at stated seasons of the year, preparatory to crossing the river, either on a visit to other tribes farther west, or for the purpose of hunting.

Seeing the Indians here in large numbers while on their journey at this time, the partners debarked, and after looking at its points and its advantages as a probable future trading-post, they proceeded on their way to Council Bluffs, Iowa, the original place of their destination.

Being favorably impressed with the "Bluffs" as a trading-post, Mr. Robidoux returned to St. Louis and purchased a stock of goods, which he transported up the Missouri by a keel-boat, arriving at the "Bluffs" in the fall of 1809.

Here he remained for thirteen years, and while residing at the "Bluffs," in 1813, he married Angelique Vandory, another lady of St. Louis, who died in the city of St. Joseph on the 17th of January, 1857. By this union they had six sons and one daughter.

Readily adapting himself to the habits, manners and customs of the Indians, and speaking with considerable fluency the dialects of the tribes by whom he was surrounded, Mr. Robidoux became an expert Indian trader.

The American Fur Company were also in business at the "Bluffs," and had a monopoly of the entire Indian trade for some time previous to the locating there of Mr. Robidoux. But a short time, however, passed after his