St. Paul (formerly Osage Mission), the third largest town in Neosho county, is located in Mission township on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas R. R., about 6 miles southeast of Erie, the county seat. It is an incorporated city; has 2 weekly papers (the Journal and the A. H. T. A. News, the latter the organ of the Anti-Horse Thief Association), 2 banks, telegraph and express offices, and an international money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population in 1910 was 927.

In 1866, before the town was founded, two buildings were erected, one by L. P. Foster & Co., in which a store was kept by the "Morgan boys," and a frame structure, built by S. A. Williams, of Fort Scott, in which his son kept store. In Dec., 1867, a town company was formed, composed of George A. Crawford, S. A. Williams, C. W. Blair, Benjamin McDonald and John Nandier, and a town called Osage Mission was platted. Another town called "Catholic Mission" was located adjoining it on the west. Both towns put up buildings and started business enterprises, but Osage Mission soon absorbed the other.

The first lawyer to locate in town was C. F. Huchings in 1867, and the first doctor was A. F. Neeley. The early growth of the town was rapid. Within eight months from the time it was platted it had over 20 stores and 900 inhabitants. It was the center of three lines of stages, one to Fort Scott, one to Humboldt, and one to Chetopa. For several years this point was a strong rival of Erie for the county seat. The first bank, known as the Neosho County Savings Bank, was established in 1871, by Pierce & Mitchell. The first newspaper, The Neosho County Republican, was started in 1880 by F. W. Ward. The first school for white children was taught in 1867 by Anson Gridley.

The town was organized in 1869 as a city of the third class, with John O'Grady as mayor, B. P. Ayres, John Ryan, John Moffit, J. P. Morgan and R. D. Coggswell, councilmen. Prior to that time the town had been governed by a board of trustees, consisting of John Ryan, president; John Moffit, clerk; B. P. Ayres, T. C. Cory and R. D. Coggswell.