Wolf River Church

(1859-1900)

The Gospel Visitor Aug. 27, 1889 p. 539-540 Vol. 27, No. 34,

From Everest, Kans.

   The Wolf River church is the oldest organized church in the West.  It held its first love-feast in September, 1859.  Bro. Abraham Rothrock, Douglas County, Kans., and Bro. John Bowers, of Montgomery County, Ohio, were the elders present at our feast.  They also presided at our organization and election.  Bro. Jacob H. Root and the writer were elected to the office of deacon.

  Bro. Rothrock had the oversight until the war broke out.  He received injuries during the Quantrill raid on the city of Lawrence, Kans, and these injuries finally caused his death.  He resided, at the time, about four miles south of Lawrence, near the Wakarasa River, on the Fort Scott road.

  After the raiders had wreaked their vengeance on the city and its inhabitants, they took the Fort Scott road, and left a scene of perfect desolation in their rear.  When they came to Bro. R.'s, he trusted his gray hairs and his generous kind-heartedness to protect him from the enemy's bullets, but they disregarded all, and shot him four times, leaving him for dead.

   After the death of Bro. Rothrock, the church passed under the care of Bro. William Gish.  Before the war we numbered about twenty members, but when the war broke out, some of the Brethren became involved in difficulty with the Rebel element, and moved away.  The few who remained were without a church until 1867, when we revived our organization.

At that time we received an addition from Indiana, and your humble servant was promoted to the ministerial office.  We then prospered until the Progressive wave struck our little church of about thirty-five members.  At that time we had three ministers, with the writer in charge, and four deacons.  One minister and two deacons, with their wives, became Progressives.  One minister and two deacons moved away, and a majority of the members moved away also.  We were so badly crippled that we almost despaired of recovery, but the Lord overruled it all to his own glory.

   The Progressives organized a church with four members,—one family having moved away in the meantime.  They chose for their elder, W. J. H. Bowman, who was at that time expelled from the Brethren church.  They soon convinced the people of the weakness of their cause, and there was a reaction in favor of the few loyal members who were here.

Last winter we held a series of meetings with none but home help, and received four by baptism, as the immediate result.

We have, at different times, met with some opposition in getting the use of school-houses for holding meetings.  On one or two occasions we were locked out.  We then concluded that, if we expected to build up a church, we mast have a house of our own.  We took courage from our former successes, and started a subscription paper.  We received good encouragement from our neighbors and business men, and we proceeded to build a good house, 28x42 feet in size.  We dedicated our house on July 7.  Bro. J. S. Mohler, of Morrill, Brown Co., Kans., preached the dedicatory sermon to a large audience.

   On the third Sunday in July Bro. A. Hutchison, of Missouri, came to us, and commenced a series of meetings, which extended over two Sundays.  These meetings gave great joy to the church, and we believe, caused rejoicing in heaven.  Eight souls put on Christ in baptism.

The Wolf River church is situated south of the stream from which it derives its name, and near the Grand Island Railroad, Chicago, Kansas & Nebraska Railroad and Missouri Pacific Railroad.

   The meeting-house is thirty miles west of St. Joseph, Mo., and 3 miles north-west of Purcell, a station on the Chicago, Kansas & Nebraska Railroad.  It is also five miles north of Huron, on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.  Any one coming this way can find the writer's home on the road from either one of these places to the meeting-house.

   Land is good here, and can be bought at from $30 to $50 per acre, according to location and improvements.  Water is good, and not hard to get.  Wells range at from twenty-five to sixty feet deep.  There are good orchards here, and, in fact, we have all the good things to be found in the older portions of our country, in this latitude, and some good things not found elsewhere.

   We invite those Brethren who are looking for homes in the West to stop here, and look around, and see what there is here.  By consulting the map, you will discover that we are in the Great Corn Belt of the United States.  We are in the Great Horse-shoe Bend of the Missouri River, and have been highly favored with rains.  I have lived here since 1858, and have seen only two total failures in that time. W. H. H. Sawyer.