This point was nearly one hundred and fifty miles west of the starting place, and, being on the edge of the hostile and perilous Indian country, became utilized for refitting in final preparation for the more serious advance. Here was a thickly wooded bottom, half a mile to a mile in width, of indefinite length, and affording a great variety of excellent timber. Settlers found their way here at a very early date, some among them being skilled workmen. Round Grove, thirty-five miles from Independence, was also a rendezvous of caravans, and resulted in a small settlement. Where these first trails were compelled to cross considerable streams enterprising ferrymen quickly established themselves, and in a few years a store appeared, with the rude beginnings of a village. Topeka was thus begun from Papin's Ferry.

Squatters Along the Trails

The opening of the Oregon Trail left scattered squatters along its way beside the Vermilion, the Blue, and the Platte, but so far apart as to be scarcely noticeable. These men, except the operators of ferries, lived principally by hunting, and became much like their red neighbors in both customs and appearance. Not a few cooperated with the latter in raids upon the passing emigrant trains. The exodus of the Mormons along the Platte Valley likewise left a slight population in favorable locations along their route, but in neither case were those settlers’ propagators of civilization. They were the mere scum of the frontier, living from hand to mouth, little better than the vagrants of the Plains, with whom they associated on terms of fraternity. In nearly every Indian village were to be met renegade white men.

Degraded Character of the Early Settlements

The establishment of stage lines, and later of the Pony Express, compelled the building of stations at certain distances apart in a line extending from the Missouri River to the mountains. These stations, usually mere shacks, sheltered the station-keeper, the drivers or express riders, a few hostlers, and men employed in various capacities by the company. The result was commonly the growth of a small settlement, generally with its low groggery, and a gambler or two to separate the boys from their hard-earned wages. Some of these stations on the Overland, notably that of Julesburg, where the Denver division began, grew into considerable importance, attracting a heterogeneous population of frontier characters, and composing a veritable hell.