Warsaw, Missouri - A Rich History on the Osage River

MISSOURI LEGENDS

Warsaw - Rich History on the Osage River

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Aerial view of Warsaw, Missouri

Warsaw Aerial view, photo courtesy City of Warsaw, Missouri.

Warsaw, Missouri, the County Seat of Benton County, is a small town of some 2,200 residents located between two of Missouri's largest lakes -- Truman Reservoir and Lake of the Ozarks. Rich in history, from Native Americans to steamboats, to Civil War skirmishes, Warsaw has endured throughout the years to become a quickly growing community that exudes small town charm and provides numerous recreation opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

When white explorers came to the area in 1719, a number of Indian tribes called the region home, including the Delaware, Shawnee, Kickapoo, and Sac. By far; however, the land was occupied by the Osage Indians, from which the river would later take its name. With its plentiful supply of rivers and springs, the area abounded with game, providing superb hunting grounds for the Indians. In its bluffs and hills, the Indians found abundant amounts of flint rock in order to make arrows, knives and other weapons.

Early French hunters, trappers, and traders soon began to trade with the Indians along the Osage River, which by the early 1800s, increased significantly as white settlers saw increased opportunities on the river itself.

The area that would become the town of Warsaw was first settled around 1820, primarily by Kentucky and Tennessee farmers of English, Irish and German descent. Early on, the settlement became a crossroads of travel and freighting. The first ferry was established on the Osage River in 1831 by Lewis Bledsoe, located where the site of Bledsoe Ferry Park, near Truman Dam, is located today. Bledsoe's Osage Ferry served the Boonville-Springfield Road, parts of which were also called the Old Military Road or Wire Road, east of town. Another ferry was later established by Mark Fristoe to the west. Soon, numerous freight wagons, stagecoaches, and wagon trains began to pass through the area.

Vintage postcard showing Kayslinger Bluff and the Osage

River, long before Truman Dam was built. The Truman

Reservoir Visitor's Center is located on the bluff today.

One of the earliest residents of Benton County was Stephen A. Howser from Kentucky. He and his wife, Sarah (Sally) Wyatt Howser, settled in the area that would soon become Warsaw around 1831. Later, they would deed part of their land on the Osage River for the new township. Alas, they would also be the parents of a boy who would later make his name known in Missouri's darker annals of history as a murderer and a thief.

Benton County was first created on January 3, 1835, Pettis and Greene counties and named for Thomas Hart Benton, United States Senator.

The county “offices” were initially held in a home near Bledsoe’s Ferry, which was doing a brisk business. In 1836, the Gazetteer of Missouri described the new “town,” which was then referred to as “Osage” or “New Town” in promising terms, including plans for a great hotel, mills, warehouses, and merchants, as well as predicting a population of several thousand over the next five years.

Though most accepted that “Osage” would be Benton County’s new county seat, nearby Fristoe and other small trading centers fought for the County Seat designation, delaying the selection for two years. Finally, Warsaw was the made official county seat on January 7, 1837. Though there is no written record of how the town's name was chosen, it is believed that it was named after Poland’s capital city, in honor of Polish General and Patriot Tadeusz Kosciusko. Adamson Cornwall was both the first merchant and postmaster.

That same year, the first steamboats traveled the Osage River, docking in Warsaw, carrying cargos of salt, iron, nails, and other supplies to the area. On their return voyage, the steamboats hauled meat, furs, grain, eggs, and whiskey. Because of the shoals and tight bends in the river, the steamboats were necessarily smaller and had shallower drafts than the steamboats operating on the Missouri River. But, travel and trade they did, transferring goods all the way from St. Louis and back.

Continued Next Page

The Homer C. Wright steamer was one of the many river

boats to travel on the Osage River. It would also be the last.

It finally sank during an ice storm.

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