WHICH CAME FIRST: THE MILL OR THE TOWN?

"From every upland sowing

Of bronzed and yellow grain

Brought forth to happy harvest

By sunshine and by rain,

He hails the laden wagons

Through valley, and o'er hill:

And all in fitting season

The miller fills his mill."

Richard Warner Borst

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Which came first the town or the mill?

It all depends on how you look at the dates. Pocahontas the town was settled in 1856, but it was not "laid out" as a village until 1861.

In between in 1858 came the mill.

Both are still very much a part of Southeast Missouri.

Pocahontas, situated on Route C, just off Route 61 north of Fruitland, is named in honor of an Indian princess. It wasn't incorporated until 1893. It's home today to about 140 people and a handful of businesses, including Bowman Milling Company Inc., which is observing its 135th year.

The milling company, named after its founder, Benjamin Bowman, who also was involved in milling operations at Oak Ridge and Wilkinson, now provides employment for nine people.

It is also Cape Girardeau County's oldest business. "The mill started out as a flour mill," said Wilbert "Wib" Reisenbichler, who is observing his 50th year with the company. "As the community of Pocahontas progressed, the need for livestock feed production became evident, and in 1921, the mill started the manufacture of livestock feed.

"We still manufacture livestock feeds," said Reisenbichler. "We also provide other services for area farmers. We serve as a storage company for farmers' grains, and we process and deliver livestock feeds."

When the company started manufacturing livestock feed, the products were under company brand names of "Pride of the Farm" and "Pride of the Flock" feeds. This has since been changed to Pocahontas Brands.

In addition to its own Pocahontas brands, Bowman Mills offers Supersweet Feeds, a complete line of livestock feed, minerals, proteins, water conditioning salt, fertilizer and pet foods.

"Our company brands include bird feed, sweet grain mixes, and custom mixes to customer's specifications," said Reisenbichler. "We sell wholesale and retail throughout a 150-mile radius."

Bowman Milling produces more than 500 tons of livestock feed annually.

"That doesn't count the custom mixes," said Reisenbichler. "We produce a lot of those orders."

The firm purchases its grains corn, soybean and wheat from local farmers.

"We recently remodeled our grain unloading facility to increase our unloading capacity," said Reisenbichler.

The firm still uses one of the original buildings, a three-story mill. "We still have some of the original equipment," added Reisenbichler. Also included in the company assets are an office building, three warehouses and several metal storage bins.

Keeping watch over the original building is the company cat and her two kittens.

"We've had company cats a number of years," said Reisenbichler. "They take care of our mice problems. We feed and take care of the cats."

The Bowman Milling story starts in Kanaswha County, W. Va., where Benjamin Bowman was involved in milling. During the mid-1850s, Bowman and his wife, Sophia H. Ferguson Bowman, and their young son, Samuel S. Bowman, left West Virginia migrating west to Jackson, where the elder Bowman worked in a milling operation before establishing the mill at Pocahontas.

Sam Bowman learned the milling trade from his father. He later assumed charge of a mill at Millersville and at Burfordville before opening a mercantile business at Pocahontas.

He eventually leased the Bowman Mill and in 1905 joined with Dewitt Thompson and Fred Gerler to purchase the operation and form a partnership.

During the next few years, the mill developed into a modern roller mill, with the latest improved flour-making machines. An article that appeared in the 10th anniversary edition of the Southeast Missourian in 1915 said the mill "turns out a grade of flour that holds its own with any on the market."

By 1915, the mill was converting about 18,000 bushels of wheat into flour and its by-products. The capacity of the mill was 100 barrels of flour per day, with such brand names as Indian Princess, North Star and Legal Tender.

Gerler became head miller of the operation. Gerler, a native of Perry County, worked as an engineer with a threshing and sawmill outfit, and later, after attending dairy school, took charge of the Pocahontas Creamery. He worked there for four years before joining the S.S. Bowman Mill in 1898.

Gerler started as an engineer with Bowman, but later bought an interest in the business and served as its general manager. In 1921, Gerler's son-in-law, Oscar Rauh, was named manager of the business when it started its livestock feed operation.

Reisenbichler joined the company in 1944.

"I worked in the mill 14 years," he said. In 1958, he was promoted to bookkeeper and assistant manager.

The company took on the Professional Feeds line in 1960, and one year later incorporated, noted Reisenbichler. In 1967, the firm took on the Supersweet Feeds line.