John Scissons, sailed from England in 1848-49 to New York; he was a cook aboard ship. Leaving the New York harbor, the ship's captain and crew, Cook John Scissons, and a number of adventurous passengers set sail on a voyage around Cape Horn en route to California. News of Gold being found in California sparked this bold adventure. Halfway around Cape Horn the crew and some of the passengers sickened with Yellow Fever; one-half of the sailors died so the disheartened fortune seekers turned around and sailed back to New York.
John Scissons was not disillusioned in his aim to seek bonanza in California. He set out walking across country. Sometime later he arrived at Fort Laramie, Wyoming where he hired out as a mess cook for the United States Army. Here he met and married a Sioux maiden, Hannah (Tocha Cesli) Mule who was a twin to Little Big Man.
John and his young bride Hannah departed Fort Laramie for the Rosebud Reservation in the Dakotas. A lay-over was made at Crow Butte, near what was later Crawford, Nebraska and Hannah gave birth to their firstborn, a son Thomas, on September 16, 1872.
A short time later the young family continued journeying to their allotment near Whetstone Creek along the Missouri River in sections 28 and 33. Chief Spotted Tail and his camp were stationed in the Whetstone Agency near Fort Whetstone. John built a log cabin for his home; he also constructed a riverside restaurant in the bank of the Missouri River near Whetstone Landing opposite the frontier town of Harney. He catered to the steamboat trade, soldiers, Indians of the Agency, squatters, and the early pioneers.
The Spotted Tail Agency situated below Whetstone Island on the west side of the river included the Indian cabins and tents of Swift Bear, Spotted Tail, and Chief Milk, mixed bloods and the cabins of a number of whitemen who had married Indian girls; Bordeauxs Indian Store, J.W. Smith Indian Store, the Agency and staff dwellings, the warehouse, and the site of the military stockade below. Across the river on the east side was Whiskey Ranch.
John Scissons closed his dugout restaurant when the Fort was abandoned shortly after Spotted Tail and his people had gone to the Rosebud, and Chief Milk and his cornband had located on the Ponca Creek southeast of the future site of Herrick, South Dakota to be followed later by Swift Bear and his tribe who made camp east of Spencer, Nebraska. His neighbors, the families of Ellstons, Lunderman, Miller, and Herman had settled on their allotments west of Milk Camp and the steamboat trade diminished by the 1900's
John and Hannah Scissons ranched on their land in Whetstone Township until his death in 1908. They were the parents of nine children: Thomas, Jeff, William, George, Charles, John, Theresa, Louisa, and Rose. Louisa (1875 - 1918) was married to Richard Ellston, and Rose (1876 - 1918) was married to Jasper Ellston who was the brother of Richard.
The above information is from the book "The Saga of Ponca Land" by Adeline S. Gnirk
Copyright © 1979 by Adeline S. Gnirk
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