Intrigued by an ad for teepees and chuck wagons (to buy or rent), I wanted to meet the mind behind Femme Osage Historical Outfitters, Stephen Butler.

Butler lives in a 3,000 square foot stone saltbox home built in 1801. On the site is what’s believed to be the oldest animal-driven stone gristmill, built by Jonathan Bryan, uncle of Daniel Boone’s wife, Rebecca.

I knew right away, this interview would include more than teepees.

Butler’s accomplishments are varied, yet threaded to one common seam: history. Some of his many talents include: restoration projects of all sizes; working with leather; split-rail fence building; the beer business; and cooking. Stephen Butler lives the saying, “Do what you love.”

I intended to ask about ghosts as soon as I saw the historical home, which Butler purchased in 1994. Sure enough, there was a first-person sighting to regale.

From his bed at about three a.m. one morning, Butler witnessed two young girls hovering in the doorway, each wearing nightgowns and long hair. He sat up in bed and grabbed his wife Sally’s arm and yelled, “Sally!” And the apparitions were gone. At this time, the ghosts were very nice and pleasant.

Butler said he’s seen many horror films, but when describing the ghosts’ second visit, he said he’d never seen anything like the face of the girl on the left. It was pure evil. A local woman later told him the house was known to be haunted, and two twin girls used to live there.

“You bought the only haunted house in the valley,” the woman said.

Despite former owners’ reappearances, the home is warm and inviting. Originally there were no interior staircases. The current main staircase was added in 1974.

The kitchen, previously a summer kitchen, is now open to the home, boasting wooden columns, a brick floor and a wood-burning stove. Butler converted its old stone doorway into a unique pass-through and bar.

Another of Butler’s passions is flooring. (Visit his website at www.historicfloorco.com.) He also represents The Workshops of Old Chesterfield. You wouldn’t know by looking, but the wide-plank wooden floors are a new addition. Weathered with nicks and dents, it appears as if they have resided there since the home was built.

The home is sprinkled with many conversation pieces such as a child’s prayer bench (sit one direction, kneel the other), boot jacks and a neon sign for Griesedieck Beer.

Butler’s mother’s maiden name, Griesedieck, is the name-sake of this beer with a St. Louis past. Butler states that his grandpa gave Harry Caray his first job in broadcasting, promoting Griesedieck Bros. Beer as a major sponsor of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Today, Butler is third owner in the brewing company. The brand can be found in St. Louis area groceries and establishments. Visit the company’s website at www.gb-beer.com .

The homestead’s breathtaking view overlooks Femme Osage Valley, a name which translates to “woman of the valley.”  The site inspires awe and contemplation about this area’s past. Butler is dedicated to preserving the valley and Boone history.

So inspiring are the grounds, the movie Defiance: Justice by the Barrel of the Gun was filmed there, starring hockey legend and Defiance’s own Tony Twist. Outlining the homestead is a hand-split fence, evidence of Butler’s fence-making skill.

The historical three-story stone barn contains no nails, only pegs. It is crafted by mortise and tenon from 45’-long beams of sycamore. Sycamore trees grow native along the Femme Osage Creek.

Manifesting from Butler’s intrigue of the cowboy ethics way of life, covered wagons, sheepherders’ wagons, sleighs and buggies inhabit the barn. Most of the wagons were acquired from Southern Wyoming and Northern Colorado. However, the collection also includes his great aunt’s covered wagon, a cherished family heirloom.

Butler described a sheepherder’s wagon as “an 1850’s Winnebago.” It was essential for sheepherders to stay on the move to keep their animals healthy.

Families lived in the wagons six to eight months at a time, but they had some amenities of home, including an indoor wood-burning stove. A family’s diet would consist of mutton, chickens and milk from tag-a-long cows. Other necessities were obtained by trading while en route.

“The idea was simple—stay warm and eat,” he said.

Butler hosts private chuck wagon dinners for all occasions and can feed up to 200 people from his mobile operation. Menu offerings are flexible but have included: Indian flat bread, biscuits and gravy, pie, roast, kettle beef stew, chickens on a spit and even ice cream.

He rents and sells teepees as well as wagons, and can take them wherever the party is. About ten people can sleep in an 18-foot teepee comfortably; and, of course, each has a traditional fire inside with smoke escaping from the top.  

Butler also restored an 1850’s General Store, currently for sale, located in New Melle. But that’s another story…

When asked how he’s learned so much, he said the secret is talking to people often. He stated that people should spend more time communicating; “and you must believe in yourself and in the goodness of others,” he said.

Butler generously serves hospitality, engaging folks wherever he goes; and he’s gleaned a wealth of stories and memories in return.

Keep up with Stephen Butler’s endeavors on his website www.harvestinghistory.com.