Born in 1869 in Germany, August Sauer would accompany one of his four brothers who made the bold decision to leave their ancestral homeland and immigrate to the United States, the land of opportunity.
Once arriving in his newly adopted country, he went on to gain notoriety in the local agricultural industry, but later met with an unexpected and unfortunate end.
"Family lore states that when he came here, he had some 'old family money' from Germany, which he used to buy a 160-acre farm near Millbrook," said his great-grandson, David Sauer.
For August Sauer, 1904 became one of the most memorable years of his young life. First, he purchased the Russellville Roller Mills from businessman Jacob Ritchie. Then, he married his fiancée, the former Anna Katherina Hitz, whose family lived in a home across the road from the mill.
He operated the mill for a brief time in partnership with Herman Brunning, before purchasing all shares of the business. With an eye to the future, he ensured the mill had the capacity to take on more product than ever before while also purchasing interest in other area flour mills.
"His family lived in a large, beautiful home below the mill that had been built for the previous mill owner," David Sauer said. "He and his wife became parents to two sons and three daughters."
A perennial advocate of identifying ways to update milling operations that would help him rise above competition, Sauer eventually sold his interest in the other mills and focused his attention and efforts solely on his Russellville Roller Mills.
"Many of the other mills were getting old and phasing out," David Sauer said. "He recognized that you either spent the money to update or you closed."
He soon marketed his signature brand of quality flour known as "Snow Bank" and negotiated deals in St. Louis to have the product shipped throughout the United States. He also supplied flour for institutions within the Missouri prison system. This benefitted the local economy since he purchased and processed wheat grown by farmers in the Russellville area.
Andrew and Mike Doehla, of Lohman, eventually purchased interest in the Russellville Roller Mills while Sauer coordinated for the provision of another service in the late 1920s, one that would help set him apart from his competitors -- deliveries made by truck.
David Sauer said, "He contracted with Adam Kirchner in Lohman, who owned a Ford Model AA truck. Weber could pick up the product from the mill and deliver to businesses in the area, rather than them having to come to pick it up themselves."
Also, during this timeframe, Sauer began to realize that an evolution in milling was occurring with electricity coming to Russellville. His foresight led him to believe the steam engines used to power mills in the area would become outdated and replaced by electricity.
One of the ways those in the milling industry shared ideas related to emerging processes and technologies was at events such as the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. On Aug. 20, 1929, Sauer and his wife rode to the fair with one of their sons, Carl.
"August was at the fair on business to promote the mill and bring back information on converting the mill to electric power while Carl was there to enjoy the fair," David Sauer said. "Toward the end of the day, August and his wife were ready to come home, but Carl was going to stay there for a while."
"Andrew Kirchner, who made deliveries for August, was getting ready to return to Lohman with a group of people on his truck. August and his wife were able to catch a ride back with him," he continued.
Kirchner's vehicle was outfitted with bench seats attached to each side of the truck bed, allowing passengers to lean back against the stock racks. Sometime around 6 p.m., the group departed Sedalia bound for Lohman.
"Three men were killed, a fourth may die, and three others are seriously injured as a result of a collision between two trucks, 2½ miles east of Tipton," the Sedalia Weekly Democrat reported on Aug. 23, 1929.
The accident occurred around 7:30 p.m., when the stock racks of a westbound truck carrying a load of peaches struck the stock racks of the eastbound truck of Kirchner's, ejecting all of the passengers.
"I was told that it was a huge mess with crates of peaches strewn all over the road along with the passengers of Kirchner's truck," David Sauer said. "Apparently, the mess also included a bunch of August's paperwork covered in blood."
August was killed immediately in the collision along with Andrew Weber and Robert Hoffman, of Lohman. All three were buried in the cemetery of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Lohman. The shares of ownership in Russellville Roller Mills were transferred to Adam and Mike Doehla following Sauer's death.
The mill closed in 1933, the result of a drought and the onslaught of the economic distresses of the Great Depression.
"The wife of August Sauer, my great-grandmother, survived the accident," David Sauer said. "It was an extremely trying time for the Sauer family, both financially and emotionally.
"They lost him, his investment in the mill while at the same time the country was falling apart. All the hardships on the farm didn't seem to stop, either.
"We, as a family, are proud of August's accomplishments and through the efforts of his children, the family persevered and many of his descendants remain in the Russellville and Lohman areas," he said.
Jeremy P. Ämick is writing a series of articles highlighting the history of the Russellville area in honor of Missouri's bicentennnial.
