History in Boone's Lick Country

History in Boone's Lick Country. . , (left panel:), Franklin , The town of Franklin was established in 1816 and in 1817 was selected as the county seat of Howard County. The town grew rapidly and by 1823 contained about 1,500 people. Franklin served as the political, economic and social center of the Boone's Lick Country. By 1828, because of flooding and the slow washing away of the town, Franklin was almost totally abandoned., Several people who would gain fame in the history of Missouri owned property in Franklin during its brief history. William Becknell owned lots 52 and 53 in the town of Franklin. A teenage Kit Carson was a saddler's apprentice in Franklin until he ran away to work the Santa Fe trade route., The Santa Fe Trail , On Aug. 14, 1821, William Becknell organized the company leaving on the first expedition to Santa Fe and was elected captain. On Aug. 18, they met at a Mr. Shaw's in Franklin to elect two lieutenants. On Sept. 1, 1821, the company, mounted on pack horses, crossed the Missouri River near the ferry at Arrow Rock on their way to Santa Fe. They returned in December with both money and goods and excited residents with the prospects of trade with Santa Fe., As settlement moved further west, the starting point for the Santa Fe Trail moved west. By the time Franklin was being abandoned, the trail's starting point had moved westward. A number of citizens in the area continued to participate and finance trade with Santa Fe until the middle of the 19th century. , (side quote:), "…the first adventurers were hardy enterprising men who…in the true spirit of western enterprise directed their steps westward to the settlements of New Mexico, from whence (came) many strange and marvelous stores of inexhaustible wealth…" - George Sibley, (right panel:), The War of 18 12 , By 1811, tensions were rising on the frontier. Many Indian tribes from the Great Lakes to the Missouri River were angered over the continued loss of their lands. Americans blamed British traders for inciting Indian raids. War with Great Britain and its Indian allies seemed inevitable., The United States declared war on Britain on June 18, 1812. The 500 Boone's Lick settlers began "forting up" for protection. The largest and most important of the forts constructed was Cooper's Fort, situated about two miles south of the salt lick in the river bottoms., Raids became so severe by 1814 that the salt works were shut down. A keelboat crew passing through the region made the following report:, A few days ago, a barge belonging to Messrs. M. Lisa and Co. which was ascending the Missouri to their trading establishment, were induced to stop at Mackay's Saline, (Commonly called Boon's Lick) as the country was overrun by the Indians and all the inhabitants in Forts. , The crew which arrived there on Saturday night, last…reports that on the south side of the Missouri, the Indians have taken all the horses and were killing the cattle for food; that on their arrival at the Saline, the people of Cole's fort were interring a man just shot by the Indians. ON the north side near Kinkead's fort, a man was killed in a flax field. , St. Louis Missouri Gazette and Illinois Advertiser , August 13, 1814, To relieve the Boone's Lick, 200 Rangers and 50 allied Shawnee scouts under Col. Henry Dodge arrived at Cooper's Fort in September. Joined by the Boone's Lick militia, Dodge's command crossed the Missouri River at Arrow Rock and captured a band of Miami Indians located upstream. However, the raids continued since the Sauk, Fox and Ioway tribes were the perpetrators., Although the United States and Great Britain made peace on Dec. 24, 1814, peace treaties with the Indian tribes were not concluded until the summer of 1815. When the owners and operators of Boone's Lick returned to the salt works, they found that it had been mostly destroyed.