The Mill will never grind with the water that has passed. This bit of philosophy was printed below the title of an old post card picturing the historic Watts Mill on Indian Creek in Jackson County. The card, hand-tinted, was copyrighted in 1906 by the John Taylor Dry Goods Company. Watts Mill, a Dallas community landmark, stood on a rocky ledge on Indian Creek at what is now 103rd near Wornall. The mill, of hand-hewn walnut and oak, was built in 1832 by John Fitzhugh in the Fitzhugh grove but was leased and then sold to Anthony Benaugh Watts, a St. Charles, Mo., millright, in 1849 and 1850. Anthony Stubbs and his son, Stebbins, operated the mill until their deaths. Settlers and Indians took their grain to the mill for grinding and left one-fifth of the grist for payment. The Santa Fe Trail passed a few miles south of the mill, and the mill site provided camp grounds for hundreds of wagon trains before they began their long trek westward. Freshly ground corn meal and flour as well as a plentiful water supply were always available. A century after it was built and long after the mill operation closed, the weathered old landmark still drew artists, photographers, sightseers and picnickers. The mill was torn down in 1949. The old mill site was donated to the city of Kansas City by Mr. and Mrs. John A. Kroh. That land includes the rock falls and mill pond area, which lies immediately south of 103rd street. The parks and recreation department envisions a 10-acre park that would preserve the historical site. There is talk, too, of a restoration of the old mill. A rustic sign with history, dates, picture and one of the original mill stones has been erected on the site by the Native Sons. Kansas City Star, August 17, 1977.
Reproduction (printing, downloading, or copying) of images from Kansas City Public Library requires permission and payment for the following uses, whether digital or print: publication; reproduction of multiple copies; personal, non-educational purposes; and advertising or commercial purposes. Please order prints or digital files and pay use fees through this website. All images must be properly credited to: "Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri." Images and texts may be reproduced without prior permission only for purposes of temporary, private study, scholarship, or research. Those using these images and texts assume all responsibility for questions of copyright and privacy that may arise.