File submitted for USGenWeb/MOGenWeb Lincoln County page by Patricia SummersSmith, 1998

Diary Entries of Wallace Washington Dawkins
Aug. 4 - Sep. 1, 1905
Migration from Lincoln County, Missouri to Ford County, Kansas

Transcribed by diary owner Patricia SummersSmith, March 1998.

Notes:  Wallace Washington Dawkins was born 1871 in Lincoln County, Missouri, where he lived until 1905, when he migrated in a covered wagon from Argentville, Lincoln Co., Missouri, to Ford County, Kansas with three other Missouri men.   His diary entries from the trip define the route they took and the timeline for the journey.  Those diary entries are presented below.   Following the diary entries is the itinerary of their journey.

Entries on p. 23

Left Argentville Mo Aug 4th 1905 with Cuba Bacon, J.L. Woodson, & Frank Parker, for Ford Co Kansas. The first camp we made was Camp Creek. Camp 2 was Elk horn near Montgomery City. Camp 3 was Louder Creek where we stayed Sunday. Then we went through Callaway Co. to Fulton and camped 4 [sic.] about a mile south of Fulton. We went from Fulton to Jefferson. Awful Rough Country from Fulton to Jefferson City. Crossed the Missouri River at Jefferson City and Camp 5 was at

 

Entries on p. 24

the edge of town from Jefferson City we went west and camp 6 was on a small creek about 25 miles west of Jef City. Camp 7 was on a small river near Otterville. Camp 8 was about 12 miles south of Sedalia Fair View School house near Camp branch. Camp 9 was about 2 miles south of Calhoun in Henry Co. Camp 10 was on a Branch west of Piper in Henry Co. Camp 11 was with A.L. Ives

 

Entries on p. 25

at Butler Bates Co. Camp 12 was in Kansas about 2 miles East of Pleasanton Kans. Camp 13 was at Blue Mound Kans. Camp 14 was about 2 miles East of Lone Elm. Camp 15 was 1 mile West of LeRoy (Sunday). Camp 16 was about 6 miles West of Yates Center. Camp 17 was Eureka Kans. Camp 18 was at a school house 6-1/2 miles East of Eldorado Kans. Camp 19 was about 2-1/2 miles west of Burton.

 

Entries on p. 26

Camp 20 was on a Branch 2 miles west of Wichita. Camp 21 on a Branch near Cheney Kans. Camp 22 about 12-1/2 miles west of Kingman. Camp 23 - 6 miles west of Pratt. 24 - Greensburg - 25 - 9 miles south of Ford - Arrived at Ford - Sept 1st 9 o'clock in morning 1905.

 

Trail, Route and Timeline - 1905
Wallace Washington Dawkins
Migration Journey from Lincoln County, Missouri, to Ford County, Kansas

Transcribed from diary notes by diary owner Patricia SummersSmith, March 1998.

In 1905, Wallace Washington Dawkins migrated from Argentville, Lincoln Co., Missouri, to Ford Co. Kansas, in a covered wagon with three other Missouri men. His diary entries from the trip define the route they took and the timeline for the journey. He said they left August 4th and arrived September 1st. A timeline calculated from the diary entries is transcribed below. Information contained within brackets [ ] has been added by the transcriber for clarity.

NOTE: If one calculates the number of days from the calendar dates of the journey start to its end, the total number is 28 days. However the diary accounts for only 25 camps. Since the number of campgrounds do not equal the number of the calendar dates of the trip, either three days are unaccounted for or three campgrounds are unaccounted for.

It is a given that Wallace made the diary entries either during the trip or following it. Even if he made the diary entries subsequent to the trip, he quite probably remembered very clearly the date of his departure from home and the date of his arrival at his destination.

If he made the diary entries subsequent to the trip, he either forgot some of the campsites or they stayed longer than one night in one or more of the sites he listed.

Perhaps the strongest possibility is that he stayed for a few days visit at the home of his sister, Mrs. A.L. Ives, in Butler, Bates Co., MO. It would, after all, likely be some time before he would be passing that way again. Therefore, this possibility is reflected in the dates which are added in brackets next to the camp numbers.

Date Place
August 4, 1905 Left Argentville [Lincoln Co., MO] with Cuba Bacon, J.L. Woodson, & Frank Parker, for Ford Co. KS.
Camp 1 - [August 4] The first camp was Camp Creek.
Camp 2 - [August 5] Elk horn near Montgomery City. [Montgomery Co., MO]
Camp 3 - [August 6] Louder Creek where we stayed Sunday. Then we went through Callaway Co. to Fulton.
Camp 4 - [August 7] About a mile south of Fulton. [Callaway Co., MO]   We went from Fulton to Jefferson.  Awful Rough Country from Fulton to Jefferson City.   Crossed the Missouri River at Jefferson City. [Cole Co., MO]
Camp 5 - [August 8] Edge of town from Jefferson City. From there, we went west.  [Cole Co., MO]
Camp 6 - [August 9] On a small creek about 25 miles west of Jefferson City. [Cole Co., MO]
Camp 7 - [August 10] On a small river near Otterville. [Cooper Co., MO]
Camp 8 - [August 11] About 12 miles south of Sedalia Fair View School house near Camp branch. [Pettis Co., MO]
Camp 9 - [August 12] About 2 miles south of Calhoun [Henry Co., MO].
Camp 10 - [August 13] On a Branch west of Piper, Henry Co., MO
Camp 11 - [August 14-17?] With A.L. Ives at Butler, Bates Co., MO
  [Perhaps they stayed a few days with sister Molly Ives?]
Camp 12 - [August 18] About 2 miles east of Pleasanton [Linn Co.] MO.
Camp 13 - [August 19] Blue Mound [Linn Co.] KS.
Camp 14 - [August 20] About 2 miles east of Lone Elm. [Anderson Co., KS]
Camp 15 - [August 21] One mile west of LeRoy (Sunday).
Camp 16 - [August 22] About 6 miles west of Yates Center. [Woodson Co., KS]
Camp 17 - [August 23] Eureka. [Greenwood Co., KS]
Camp 18 - [August 24] At a school house 6-1/2 miles east of Eldorado [Eldorado Co.] KS.
Camp 19 - [August 25] About 2-1/2 miles west of Burton. [Benton, Butler Co., KS?]
Camp 20 - [August 26] On a Branch 2 miles west of Wichita. [Sedgwick Co., KS]
Camp 21 - [August 27] On a Branch near Cheney [Sedgwick or Kingman Co.] KS.
Camp 22 - [August 28] About 12-1/2 miles west of Kingman. [Kingman Co., KS]
Camp 23 - [August 29] Six miles west of Pratt. [Pratt Co., KS]
Camp 24 - [August 30] Greensburg. [Kiowa Co., KS]
Camp 25 - [August 31] Nine miles south of Ford. [Ford Co., KS]
September 1, 1905 Arrived at Ford, Ford Co., Kansas, at 9 o'clock in morning

 

File submitted for USGenWeb/MOGenWeb Lincoln County page by Patricia SummersSmith, 1998.

USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or their legal representative, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent.

Return to USGW/MOGW Lincoln County, Missouri:
Diaries Index  |  Heritage Page  |  Home Page