Recollections of Mr. Piazzek

— Compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

Part I of II

"Out of 10 mills once on Grasshopper River (now Delaware River), my mill is the only one left and is target for progressive vandal and sport" were words written by J.M. (Joe) Piazzek addressed to "Editor American Miller" apparently in response to a request from the publications editor following a previous communication with Piazzek. No date is indicated; however, the news item is titled "Poland+Kansas+60 years." Mr. Piazzek wrote:

"I was born in Poland in a room separated from a flour mill by a brick partition, learned my trade at about 18 years of age and was ready for military duty. To gain some time to travel, I volunteered and obtained a permit after one night in the barracks. I reached America in 1854 and worked on my first job in Newton, Ky. Thence, I took a steamboat for Kansas City, but being  unable to see the city and no one informing me, I was still on board when the boat went past and later stuck on a sandbar. The next morning I footed it 22 miles to Weston, Mo., where I found work helping to build a small mill at Grasshopper Falls (now Valley Falls, Kan.)

"We started building this sawmill in April 1855. Our nearest neighbors were the Indians up along the creek. In May, when it warmed up, we began to 'smell Indian.' Upon investigation, we found an Indian buried in the forks of a tree, looking through the cracks of his rudely hewed-out coffin. He was wrapped in a blanket — had his bow and arrows, tin plate, fork and knife, his pipe, tobacco, matches, needle, thread, and a playing three spot card with 'Pa, Po, Ok' marked thereon. The body was there until fall when our first doctor came along and insisted that I should show him the Indian. We crossed on the dam and on arriving found the Indian down and scattered in the weeds. The doctor got quite huffy because I did not help him clean the bones to put in a sack for a manikin (sic), which he kept as long as he lived.

"We excavated for the mill building in the bank just where the Indians had their path to cross the creek, and I dodged quite often to avoid a pony carrying a loosely swaying Indian within a few inches of the edge of our pit, fearing pony, Indian, and all would come down on top of me.

"We started sawing about Christmas and Isaac Cody, Buffalo Bill's father, was my boss. In order to get my wages, I bought one-quarter interest. In 1856, I ground the first corn raised in Kansas on a little bit of a mill with a wooden water wheel. My customers wanted a wool-carding machine, so I got it on my own hook against the advice of my partners and cleared $900 the first season and added more cards."

Mr. Piazzek's milling career expands when he bows to customers' pleas for him to build a flour mill. Details in Part II.

The historical society museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. The 2011 historical society calendars are available at the museum.