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BOOKS, MAPS AND RESOURCE MATERIALS Cooper and other Counties ​Town/Area History Books: History of Billingsville, Prairie Lick, and Ston e y Point History of Blackwater Bicentennial Boonslick History A Pictorial History of the Boonslick Area Boonville An Illustrated History Boonville An Historic River Town Bunceton 1868-1988 and 1868 – 1993 History of Clear Creek Recollections of Clifton City Clifton City 1873 – 2019 Our Town Lamine Missouri History of New Lebanon Otterville Sesquicentennial Some Might Good Years – Overton Pilot Grove Centennial 1873 – 1973 A Brief History of Prairie Home Area Books : Green Ridge MO Centennial 1870 – 1970 Jamestown 1837 – 1987 Lupus – Portrait of a River Town History of Martinsville Old Trails of Missouri Once Upon the Past – Mid Missouri Places and People Sedalia MO 100 Years in Pictures Books on History of Cooper County and Other Counties ​ Cooper County : Discover Cooper County by Looking Back – Ann Betteridge History of Cooper County Missouri Volumes I and II – W. F. Johnson History of Cooper County Missouri – Levins and Drake History of Cooper County – Melton Memorabilia of Cooper County – The Sesquicentennial Steering Committee for 150th Birthday of Boonville Other County Histories : History of Cole, Moniteau, Morgan, Benton, Miller, Maries, and Osage Counties History of Harrison and Mercer Counties Howard County History and Families History of Moniteau County History of Morgan County History of Saline County OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE AT CCHS Free Cemetery maps and brochures on historical landmarks ​ Books, P amphlets and CD’s for sale Cooper County Plat Maps – 1877, 1897, 1915 ​ Books : Discover Cooper County by Looking Back by Ann Betteridge The “Best” Bustle in Fayette by Mary Louise & Sylvia Forbes This Cruel Unnatural War by James Thoma “Old Pleasant Green Underground” - The Old Cemetery, at the 1825 Pleasant Green Methodist Church Cooper County MO by Florence Friedrichs Old Cooper County Churches (Cooper County Church Sketches) by Florence Friedrichs Recollections of Clifton City Lamine School Book Historically Yours by Elizabeth Davis Pilot Grove Sesquicentennial Arts and Essays by local students ​ CD’s: The Cooper County Missouri History Series Home Town Sketches – by Emile Paillou A History of Cooper County – Levens and Drake The First Hundred Years - Melton History of Cooper County Missouri by W.F. Johnson Volume #1 or Volume #2 Old Nick Abroad Cooper County Cemeteries - James Thoma This Cruel Unnatural War – James Thoma Cooper County, Missouri History Series (Contains all of the above series)

HARLEY PARK Harley Park “Gifted Park to Citizens of Boonville” Major Wm. Harley was an Irishman having been born in Don Donald, county Antrim, fourteen miles from Belfast, Ireland, on May 6th, 1793. He came to America in 1811 at the age of 18 years. He then moved to Howard County as a merchant during his later years of the 1830’s. He died at his home in Boonville on November 8, 1891. On June 2, 1887, for years before his death, Maj. William Harley and his wife, Cornelia, presented a deed to the mayor, councilmen and citizens of Boonville and their successors, eight acres of land in west Boonville, to be used as a public park with certain conditions specified in the deed. This beautiful park, Harley Park, is located on elevated ground one-half mile west of the M.K.&.T depot on Morgan Street. It is claimed he was the oldest Mason in the United States, having joined that historic fraternity in Louisville, KY in 1818—-73 years before his death. ​ By: Wayne Lammers April, 2023 Here is the entrance to Harley Park taken by Max Schmidt back in ca 1890's. At center left is the ball diamond with an entrance at bottom left. The mud road is Santa Fe Trail. Much has changed since then This is at Harley Park's Look Out, looking to the west over the Missouri River. Mother and son walking at Harley Park The Cooper County Baseball Association Little League baseball field J. Melton and Big Sky Park Elston Joseph Melton was born in Jefferson City on November 17, 1891, and grew up around California, Mo. After high school, he attended the Chicago Art Institute before turning to newspaper work, first in California, Mo., then in Miami, Ok., and finally back in Mo. at Clayton. ​ During the Great War, Melton served in the navy at US Naval Base 17 in Scotland. After the war, he returned to the newspaper business working for papers in Pilot Grove, Sedalia, Boonville, and Caruthersville working as a printer, reporter, editor, partner, and even owner/publisher. He sold The Caruthersville Republican in September 1925 when Governor Sam Baker appointed him deputy state oil inspector for southeast Mo. ​ Melton launched the Boonville Republican in April 1929, publishing it as a weekly for four years before turning it into a daily. A year later he merged it with the Boonville Daily News. Fourteen months later, he sold out and stepped down as editor. ​ Although the majority of Melton’s time up to 1935 was spent in the newspaper business, he did have other interests. ​ After selling his share of the Boonville Daily News in 1935, Melton continued to write, doing special pieces for the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian and a syndicated column called “Pen Pointers.” In 1936 he published “Will Rogers, Kemper Valedictorian ’98.” It was probably during these two years that he started writing his history of Cooper County, Missouri, which was published in 1937. That same year, he published “Billy Aikors history of 1937.” Along the way, his daughter Mary grew up and married Harry Eugene Hall. The couple gave Mary’s parents four grandsons. Mark Melton Hall was born in 1949 and Michael Owen Hall followed in 1950. The twins, Dale Todd Hall and David Paul Hall, were born in 1952. ​ Then tragedy struck. In June 1961, Mary died unexpectedly at the couple’s home in Canton, Mo., leaving behind a husband and four pre-teen sons. In January 1968, a $1,000.00 certificate was donated to the City of Boonville by Mr. & Mrs. E. J. Melton to start a trust fund as a memorial to their daughter, Mary Melton Hall. The Park Board members were to be trustees and administer the funds with the interest being used for improvements and plantings in an area west of Harley Park to be known as “Big Sky Park.” ​ On May 6, 1968, the Boonville City Council unanimously approved an ordinance which created and defined the Big Sky Area of Harley Park along with its trust fund. ​ Today, on Riviera Dr. , a plaque can be found on a large rock overlooking the area. It reads: “Harley Park, ‘Big Sky Area,’ In Memory of Mary Melton Hall, Denoted by E J Melton Family.”

POST OFFICES IN COOPER COUNTY U.S. Mail This is a picture of the small building that housed the Pleasant Green Post Office from 1869-1871 and 1873-1954 It also served as a telephone office for a few years. The presence, lack of, or loss of a post office, is a major indication of the size, success and duration of a town. Some post offices were closed during the Civil War, but later reopened. When trains stopped running through a town, populations declined, and the number of post offices did too. Some towns never had a post office, some had them for a very short time, and some still have them today. The earliest mail delivery was by horseback, from town to town, to a specific building in a town, usually the general store. Boonville had the earliest post office, in 1825. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Short-lived Post Offices and Towns ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ There were many very small settlements in Cooper County that never had a Post Office: Bluff City, Browntown, Buzzards Roost, Crossroads, Dublin, Lone Elm, Martinsville, Merna, Mt. Moriah, Petersburg, Prairie Lick, Rankins Mill, Salt Springs, Sardine, Stoney Point, Sweeny, Hostonville (under water), all of these towns are gone. Only Lone Elm is still an incorporated village and get’s it’s mail from Bunceton. Windsor Place – has always received its mail from Boonville. ​ Adapted from: MOGENWEB, Post Offices, Jim Thoma. ​ Many things we take for granted today used to be luxuries - telephones, automobiles, and even free mail service. While many city dwellers have been receiving free mail delivery service since the 1860s, the same can’t be said for those in rural areas. ​ ​ RURAL MAIL DELIVERY It wasn’t until October 1, 1890, that Congress authorized $10,000 to test the practicability of delivering mail to small towns of 300 to 5,000 people. Even so, Rural Free Delivery (RFD) became a political football as politicians began making promises for votes. And then, not everyone liked the idea. Some worried about the cost of the service. Private express carriers feared inexpensive rural mail delivery would put them out of business. Local merchants worried it would reduce farmers’ weekly trips to town for supplies and mail order houses like Sears would take all their business. ​ The first experiment consisted of twelve communities where the postmaster hired a man for an hour or two a day to deliver the mail. Meeting with success, the Post Office Department, on October 1, 1891, began five routes covering ten miles in Jefferson County, West Virginia. With continued success, RFD became an official service in 1896. Between October 1 and December 21 of that year, 24 states began RFD. Missouri was one of them, and Cairo was the first on October 15. ​ Soon farmers were helping the post office by putting out containers for the mail. Lard pails, syrup cans, and even old apple, soap, and cigar boxes were used. By 1901, it was obvious that service would be much improved with standardized boxes. Specifications to manufacturers were: box must be made of metal, 6x8x18 inches, and weather-proof, boxes should be constructed so they can be fastened to a post at a height convenient to the carrier without alighting, and keys for customers’ boxes should be easy to use by a carrier with “one-gloved hand in the severest weather.” By 1902, having a box was required for mail delivery. ​ Source: : "Historically Yours" by Elizabeth Davis ​ Otterville Post Office There was no post office in Otterville until March 24, 1848. The mail for this neighborhood was supplied from Arator post office located near Smithton. When the post office started in Otterville, W.G. Wear was the first postmaster appointed. He held the office until 1851, when Thomas Starke was appointed, holding the office for almost 10 years. The mail was carried by horseback. Then the Missouri Pacific railway came through and that allowed the mail to be brought to town by train. The post office quit dispatching the mail to the trains in about 1965. At this time the mail was sent and received from Sedalia by truck. The trucks delivered mail twice a day to the Otterville post office till about 1970. At this time it was only delivered in the early morning and went out near the end of the day. ​ Source: Carolyn Aggeler

EARLY EXPLORERS (1658) was the date given by local historian, Charles van Ravenswaay, for the first visit by white men to this area. He believed this honor belonged to Pierre Radisson, a French Canadian, and his brother-in-law, Medard Chouart, Sieur des Grosselliers. Radisson wrote in his journal that he had been where the great river (the Mississippi) divided itself. The river was called the “Forked,” because it had two branches: one towards the west, the other towards the north. They went up the Missouri, or the west fork as they knew it. (1673) Father Pierre Marquette and Louis Joliet became the first Europeans to record seeing the Missouri River. “As we were gently sailing down the still, clear water, we heard a noise of a rapid into which we were about to fall. I have seen nothing more frightful, a mass of large trees entire with branches, real floating islands came from Pekitanoui [Missouri River], so impetuous that we could not without great danger expose ourselves to pass across. The agitation was so great that the water was all muddy, and could not get clear. The Pekitanoui is a considerable river coming from the northwest and empties into the Mississippi. Many towns are located on this river and I hope to make the discovery of the Vermilion or California Sea [Pacific Ocean].” ​ Pekitanoui in the language of Marquette’s Peoria Indian guides meant “Great Muddy.” However the two explorers did not venture up its turbid waters. The next European to record the Missouri was Robert Sieur de la Salle. He claimed the drainage of the Mississippi River for France. He passed the mouth of the Missouri River on September 1, 1682 . He did not ascend the river but wrote that its “water is always thick and to which our Indians did not forget to offer sacrifice.” The “sacrifice” would have been a gift of tobacco placed in the water to placate a water spirit, the Underwater Panther. It was plea for the Underwater Panther to allow them to pass peacefully and not pull them into the river to drown. In 1683 , LaSalle wrote that two Frenchmen had been captured by the Missouria tribe and had been living in their villages since 1680 or 1681. In May or June of 1683, two unnamed French traders accompanied by Kaskaskia (Iliniwek) Indians visited the Missouria and Osage, with the goal of establishing peace and trade. It seems likely that these men or the ones recorded by LaSalle were the origin of the Osage tradition about meeting white men for the first time. The last mention of the Missouri River in the 17th century was by Father Jerome St. Cosme in 1698. He sought native converts to Catholicism but said little about the river itself. In 1700 an unidentified writer told Governor Iberville in the capital of Biloxi that the land west of the Mississippi beyond three or four leagues (10-15 miles) was unknown. Pierre-Charles Le Sueur reported that on the Missouri River there were tin and lead mines. He also described the Missouria tribe as the first people to be encountered when going upriver. Father Marest of the Kaskaskia mission in the Illinois Country also described in 1700 the Kaw, Pawnee, Otoe and Ioway tribes along the Missouri and said that they all had Spanish horses. However neither man had been on the Missouri River. Rather they got these reports from Indians visiting trade centers in Illinois. In 1702 Father Marc Bergier in Illinois asked for permission to establish a mission among the Pawnee and Kaw on the Missouri River. He wanted to go to them because the “Osage were too numerous and the Missouria were reduced to nothing.” It is possible he was referring to one the first of many smallpox epidemics that began reducing the Missouria who were described as “once the most powerful nation on the Missouri River.” The Osage said that the Missouria were too friendly with the French and as a result the weluschka, Little Mystery Men, living inside the white men caused many Missouria to sicken and die. In 1703 Governor Iberville reported that a party of 20 Canadians departed Cahokia intent on reaching New Mexico via the Missouri River. The commonly held belief was that the headwaters of the Missouri formed near the silver mines north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. On September 6, 1704 Governor Bienville reported that parties of French-Canadian traders were traveling on the Mississippi and Missouria in bands of seven or eight. Undoubtedly, courier des bois (woods runners) had been on the Missouri for years to hunt or trade with Indians. However, these people were illiterate and their activities were often unknown to the territorial government. The first definite and detailed exploration of the Missouri was by Etienne Veniard de Bourgmont in 1714 . Bourgmont married into the Missouria tribe and also lived for a period with the Osage. A map produced in 1717 from Bourgmont’s notes presented a reasonably accurate map of the Missouri from its mouth to the mouth of the Platte River in Nebraska. Groups of French-Canadian hunters and traders continued pressing further upriver each year. By the time the French secretly surrendered Louisiana to Spain in 1762 , the Missouri River as far as the Niobrara River in Nebraska, was well known to traders from St. Louis. Spain on the other hand was slow to press any further exploration of the Missouri River. In the meantime British traders from Hudson Bay and the Northwest Company began trading with the Mandan and Hidatsa in North Dakota. Spanish officials formed the “Missouri Company” to counter British activities on the Missouri River. Jean Baptiste Truteau was commissioned to explore the river and establish a trading post for the Mandan. He got underway in the spring of 1794, but was robbed of his trade goods by the Teton Lakota (Sioux) and did not return to St. Louis until 1796 . In 1795 another expedition departed St. Louis under the leadership of a man named Lecuyer, to support Truteau. Lecuyer stopped at a Ponca village near the mouth of the Niobrara River where he took up residence and at least two wives. It was reported that he “wasted a great deal of the goods of the Company." James Mackay, a Scotsman had traded with the Mandan as early as 1787. He became disaffected with the British and became a citizen of Spanish Louisiana in 1793 . He and John T. Evans were commissioned to proceed up the Missouri, make allies with Indian nations, expel the British and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. They departed in August of 1795 with thirty men and four pirogues with trade goods for the Arikara, Sioux, and Mandan. The built a small fort at the Otoe village and made an alliance with the Omaha, where they built Fort Charles. After spending the winter with the Omaha, Evans proceeded to the Mandan in June of 1796 but was delayed by the Arikara. He took possession of a British fort in June and raised the Spanish flag in the Mandan village. However his trade goods were low and the British traders undermined his efforts with a large supply of superior trade goods. Mackay and Evans returned to St. Louis in the summer of 1797 . Although their mission failed to establish a strong Spanish presence on the upper Missouri River, their journals, tables of physical features and maps from their expedition would be of great benefit to the Lewis and Clark Expedition seven years later. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are noted for their exploration from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. President Jefferson requested funding to explore Louisiana in January of 1803 , before Napoleon even offered to sell the territory. After the U.S. acquired the territory on April 3, 1803, impetus was added to the need for an expedition to explore the new land. Jefferson’s appointed his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, and Lewis’s friend William Clark, to lead the expedition. Their mission was to meet and inform Indian nations along the way, of America’s ownership of the territory and also search for a water route to the Pacific Coast, the fabled “Northwest Passage.” They were also to record the plant, animal and geologic features they encountered. They traded and explored along the Missouri River. This area was becoming fairly familiar to whites by 1800. The voyages of exploration were about to come to an end. ​ (1804) The Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, leaves St. Louis up the Missouri River to find a trading route to the Pacific (Courtesy of Missouri Bicentennial Timeline) ​ “The Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, leaves St. Louis in a 55-foot keelboat to begin an epic two-year journey westward up the Missouri River to reach the Pacific Ocean near present-day Astoria, Oregon. Among the crew members was Shoshone Indian and translator Sacagawea joined the corps at the Hidatsa villages during the winter of 1804-1805 while she was six months pregnant and gave birth along the way. She was familiar with the terrain having grown up in the region of the Rocky Mountains. Sacagawea was one of the wives to a French-Canadian fur trader, who was a member of the crew. U.S. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the expedition to explore the Missouri River, make diplomatic contact with Indians, expand the American fur trade, and locate the Northwest Passage - a then hypothetical northwestern water route to the Pacific Ocean.” ​ LEWIS and CLARK’s expedition was commissioned by the U.S. Government in 1804 to explore the upper Missouri and search for its source. Additionally, the U.S. had just acquired the Huge Louisiana Territory, and didn’t know what they had. While the official reason for the expedition was to explore the upper Missouri River, President Jefferson secretly hoped they would find a river route to the Pacific. ​ On June 6, 1804 they arrived near the mouth of Moniteau Creek. Nearby they observed the bluff was covered with pictographs (paintings) done by American Indians. This place was infested with rattlesnakes, making a closer look dangerous. They camped for the night of June 7, near the mouth of the Bonne Femme River. They crossed the Lamine River on June 8th and Clark wrote that the river was navigable for 80 to 90 miles. They camped for the night on “Island of Mills” later known as Arrow Rock Island. On the 9th, they passed the Arrow Rock bluff. The expedition returned in 1806, camping on September 18th on the north side of the river opposite the mouth of the Lamine. On their expedition, they camped for the night of June 7, 1804 , near where the Bonne Femme flows into the Missouri River on the north side. When they arrived at the mouth of Moniteau Creek, they found a point of rocks covered with strange hieroglyphic paintings that deeply aroused their interest. This place was infested with a large number of rattlesnakes, making a closer look dangerous and almost impossible. As they traveled further up the river, they arrived at the mouth of the Lamine on June 8th. On the 9th, they reached what is now Arrow Rock. On their return trip in 1806, they passed the present sites of Boonville and Franklin. This area was becoming fairly familiar to whites by 1800. The voyages of exploration were about to come to an end. ​ References : Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Arrow Rock State Historic Site Lewis and Clark Expedition - excellent information and maps John James Audubon (1785 – 1851) was a naturalist, ornithologist and painter. He combined his interests and planned to make a complete pictorial record of all bird species in North America. In the course of collecting and illustrating birds, he is credited with discovering 25 new species. In 1804 he became the first person to band birds to study their movements and nesting patterns. Audubon was working in southeast Missouri when the New Madrid earthquake struck in 1811, but his residence survived the general destruction. During his wanderings in Missouri and Arkansas, he fell in with hunting parties of Osage and Shawnee Indians learning about local wildlife from them. In 1843, he journeyed up the Missouri River and arrived in Cooper County on March 29: ​ “We were off at five this rainy morning, and at 9 A.M. reached Boonville distant from St. Louis about 204 miles. We bought at this place an axe, a saw, three files, and some wafers; also some chickens, at one dollar a dozen. We found here some of the Santa Fe traders with whom we had crossed the Alleghenies. They were awaiting the arrival of their goods, and then would immediately start”. ​ Audubon cared about the animals and plants he studied. He published Birds of America between 1827 and 1838 containing prints of 435 species of birds that he painted. Original editions of his prints are collector’s items and his works are still used for reference. In 1905 , the Audubon Society became the first conservation organization in North America. Today it has about 300 branches and clubs. ​ Adapted from “Discover Cooper County by Looking Back” by Ann Betteridge

COOPER COUNTY TRAIN DEPOTS The first MKT Depot was built in Boonville around 187, just before the railroad reached Sedalia on its way to Boonville. The railroad continued on to Boonville, crossing the Missouri river on its way to Chicago. The original Depot was on the west side of the tracks and was used mainly for freight. After the second depot was built, the first Depot was used for storage until 1950 when it was removed. Two pictures of the first Depot. Notice that the terrain was much different than it is today. Photos from Wayne Lammers Collection First Boonville Train Depot Notice the steep incline Close Up of First Boonville Train Depot First Depot The second MKT depot, built in 1911 on the West side of the tracks, was a Mission style building which today is the location of the Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce, and it is also the start of the KATY walking and bike trail. The Katy Rail Road built 5 Spanish Mission Style Depots, and the Boonville Depot is the only one surviving. First Boonville Depot Second and Current Boonville Depot Lamine Train Depot Pleasant Green Depot Pleasant Green Depot

AUTHORS, ARTISTS, & HISTORIANS OF COOPER COUNTY AUTHORS Books are a very important part of our lives and national heritage. For the sake of argument, books are not limited to physical, printed editions. For those who have switched to e-books or “read” audio books, remember, each book, whether fiction or non-fiction, must first be written or “created.” ​ Throughout the year, there are many unofficial, designated special occasions that bring recognition to a person, place, or thing. November is National Novel Writing Month, April is National Poetry Month, and the third week in January is National Book Week. In May, there is even a National Children’s Book Week. ​ But who writes all these books, and when? ​ Thousands of people have written books and have done so for centuries. Our forefathers (and mothers) have written about America’s colonial days, our war for independence, and each and every war we’ve had since then. There are biographies, historical fiction, science fiction, and poetry. ​ Not all books were written long ago or by authors now gone. At least a dozen writers live in Cooper and Howard counties. To them I dedicate this column. Source: Elizabeth Davis ​ Women Authors: Ann Betteridge Florence (Winky) Friedrich e s Anita Crews Elizabeth Davis Cindy Koch Eva Ridenour Linda Runnebaum Anna Skjei Mary Ann Snapp Judy Stock Barb Thoma Casey Wendleton ​ There is no way any one person can know every author, so my apologies for all the names I’ve missed. ​ Source: Elizabeth Davis WELL KNOWN ARTISTS ​ George Caleb Bingham George Caleb Bingham is best remembered as a 19th century artist who left behind a visual record of American history. ​ Bingham was born in Virginia on March 20, 1811. Although he grew up in a slave-holding family, he and his family’s roots were firmly tied to generations of New England ministers. In 1819, Bingham’s family moved to Franklin, Missouri. There, they opened an inn and purchased a tobacco farm in Arrow Rock. ​ Four years later Bingham’s father died and his mother, one of the best educated women of the day, opened a girls’ school to support the family. Bingham hired out as a farmhand as soon as he was old enough to help, but it was soon discovered he was asthmatic. With few options before him, he became a cabinetmaker apprentice near Boonville, first to Jesse Green and later to Justinian Williams. He learned precise craftsmanship and by 1834, Bingham was using that craftsmanship as a portrait painter. ​ A self-taught American primitive artist, Bingham wanted more. In 1836, he went back east to study at the Philadelphia Academy. While there, he was able to see originals of America’s greatest—Benjamin West, Washington Allston, etc. After only a few months, his work became more sophisticated. Always seeking to improve his art work, Bingham then went to Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1856 to continue his studies. At the time, Dusseldorf was the center of the western art world. ​ Prior to the Civil War, when future Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson was campaigning for slavery, George Bingham was campaigning against it. Bingham believed “slavery should not be expanded, slave families should never be separated, and all slaves should be gradually emancipated.” ​ When the Civil War began, Bingham enlisted as a captain in Van Horn’s US Reserve Corps. After being defeated in September 1861, they were disbanded according to the terms of their surrender. A few months later, on January 4, 1862, Union Governor Hamilton Gamble appointed Bingham state treasurer for Missouri. After the war, Bingham was able to continue his art while he served as Missouri’s adjutant general and in other appointed posts. George Caleb Bingham died in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 7, 1879. Source: Historically Yours, by Elizabeth Davis Florence (Winky) Friedriches – Painter, graphic arts, metal work, dress design Wayne Lammers – Photography ​ Edwards Family Two generations of photographers O. D. Edwards came to the United States and settled in Boonville in 1859. ​ Edwards became a skilled photographer and made a fine living during the Civil War, photographing soldiers on both sides. His success lasted for the better part of 50 years. ​ Louis Edwards, his son, followed in his father’s footsteps. He graduated from Boonville High School and attended the Singleton Academy before becoming as skilled in photography as his father. He was known for quality work at reasonable prices. William L. Tanner William L. Tanner, the oldest of twelve children, was born in Illinois on September 24, 1880, the son of Louis and Christina (Kraft) Tanner. Louis Tanner was a native of Switzerland and came to the United States with his parents at the age of 14. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ​ After the war, the family moved to St. Louis where they operated a manufacturing business. Later they relocated to Lost Prairie, Illinois. In 1886, the family returned to St. Louis. ​ William Tanner left school at 13 and went to work in a gents’ furnishing store until the age of 19. At that time he took up the study of photography and worked with Gustav Schneidt who had learned the art in Germany. ​ On June 5, 1905, Willian Tanner married Miss Emma Georgiana Schneidt, the daughter of his employer, and the union was blessed with one son, William Louis, Jr. In 1911 Tanner began working in the studio of O. C. Conkling. He became a traveling salesman for Hyatt’s Photo Supply Company in 1914 and stayed in their employ until he moved to Boonville in 1916. ​ On March 23, 1916, Tanner opened his own studio in the McCurdy Building in Boonville where he had what we call today a Grand Opening. It was quite a new way of doing business in the early 1900s. And each lady attending received a photograph of herself—54 in all. ​ Tanner’s studio lasted just under three years. On December 23, 1918, it burned down and he lost almost everything in the fire. However, a successful business doesn’t stay down long. ​ Tanner reopened Tanner Studio and Art Shop at 305 Main St. on February 26, 1919. Occupying two floors and the basement, it was the “the last word in modernity. The nitrogen lighting system, with a battery of eight lights, of strength of 8000 watts, is used and renders reliance on daylight as an adjunct to photography unnecessary. Posing can be accomplished at any hour of the day or night…studio is equipped with the finest model of camera in existence fitted with an automatic adjustment, and which uses films instead of plates. Perfectly appointed dressing rooms have been provided for patrons.” ​ A new department of the studio was handled by Frank Swap, a local artist. For those who were interested, portrait painting was also available. Source: Johnson, W. F. , History of Cooper County, vol. I, c/1919, page 498 ​ Maximilian Schmidt (1865-1935) Maximilian Schmidt learned the trade of a jeweler and watchmaker. WELL KNOWN HISTORIANS Ann Betteridge - Author of the 400-page workbook “Discover Cooper County by Looking Back”, was given personally to each Cooper County third grader by the author, along with a fun history lesson. Ann presented this book, which she had researched and written, to the children for over a period of over 20 years, until her untimely death. Gladys Darby Elizabeth Davis Jim Denny Bob Dyer Florence ”Winky” Friedriches Jeanette Heaton James Higby Wayne Lammers Helen Mitzel (1901-2006) Mary Pat Holmes Sam Jewett Maryellen McVicker Patrick Overton Bonnie Rapp Judy Shields ​ ​ HISTORICAL WRITERS Wayne Lammers Maryellen McVicker Ann Betteridge Bob Dyer Jim Dyer Judy Shields Elizabeth Davis Jeanette Heaton

PREHISTORIC COOPER COUNTY Minerals and So ils This section is adapted from “Discover Cooper County by looking Back” by Ann Betteridge, 1995 (Edited by Mike Dickey, 2020) From the beginning of the Paleozoic era (542 million years ago ) through the end of Mesozoic era (65 million years ago ) Missouri was mostly covered by shallow inland seas or sometimes low swampy ground. For two thirds of the Cenozoic era (65 million – 2.6 million years ago ) Missouri was mostly dry and subtropical. During the Pleistocene epoch (2.6 million to 11,500 years ago ) four periods of glaciation covered much of North America. These glaciers extended almost to the Missouri River valley. Runoff from the melting glaciers formed the Missouri River about 400,000 years ago, reaching its current configuration about 11,500 years ago. The glaciers carried rocks and boulders which ground down the soil and deposited the resulting rich, black soil along the Missouri River. This soil was also deposited by the wind onto bluffs and hills. This is why land near the Missouri River consists of gentle rolling hills and is great farmland. The Missouri landscape in the Pleistocene epoch was roamed by megafauna like mastodons, mammoths, giant bison, giant beaver, stag-elk, giant sloths, glyptodonts (giant armadillos), peccaries, giant short-faced bears, dire wolves and sabre toothed cats. The megafauna went extinct by the end of this epoch. Animals that survived the extinction and still inhabit Missouri are the American bison, whitetail deer, wapiti (elk), beavers, black bears, and occasionally mountain lions. Crinoid Fossils FOSSILS Fossils of the Mississippian Period (359 – 324 million years ago ) were found at the old Sweeney Quarry near Clifton City. It is easy to observe the sedimentary layer of soil deposited by the inland sea at the quarry. Some of the common fossils found in the county are marine animals such as bryozoans, sponges, corals, brachiopods, gastropods, cephalopods, pelecypods and crinoids. The Crinoid is the Missouri State Fossil. Crinoids are a large group of invertebrate, marine animals somewhat flower-like in form and anchored by a stalk opposite of the mouth end. They are closely related to today’s sea-lilies, urchins and starfish. Crinoids are abundant in Cooper County. Some beds of limestone are almost completely composed of crinoid remains. The fossilized stems often appear as small circular disks with holes in the center. ​ The largest fossil crinoid on record had a stem 40 m (130 ft) in length. In 2012 , three geologists reported they had isolated complex organic molecules from 340-million-year-old (Mississippian) fossils of multiple species of crinoids . Fossil crinoids apparently grew in large groups because their distribution in the rocks is irregular. Coral and shell fossils are also fairly abundant in some locales. Class: Crinoidea, Miller , 1821 Phylum: Echinodermata Kingdom: Animalia Subphylum: Crinozoa ​ Vertebrate fossils are extremely rare in Cooper County. Dinosaur fossils in Missouri have been found only in Bollinger County. The remains of Pleistocene megafauna have been found in bone beds in the eastern Missouri Ozarks, along the Pomme de Terre and Osage rivers and in some Ozarks caves. Occasionally, mastodon teeth have been found in plowed fields in Cooper County. ROCKS AND MINERALS Missouri's State Rock Mozarkite is a colorful form of chert (flint) was adopted as the official state rock on July 21, 1967 , by the 74th General Assembly. An attractive rock, Mozarkite appears in a variety of colors, predominately white, gray, or brown in color, but in many locations with patches and swirls of pink, red, purple, orange, and yellow. The rock's beauty is enhanced by cutting and polishing into ornamental shapes for jewelry. Mozarkite is most commonly found in west-central Missouri south of the Missouri River. Benton County has been the major source for collecting Mozarkite. (RSMo 10.045) Missouri State Rock Mozarkite Photo by Wayne Lammers Missouri State Mineral Galena (Lead Ore) Missouri's State Rock Mozarkite was adopted as the official state rock on July 21, 1967 , by the 74th General Assembly. An attractive rock, Mozarkite appears in a variety of colors, most predominantly green, red or purple. The rock's beauty is enhanced by cutting and polishing into ornamental shapes for jewelry. Mozarkite is most commonly found in Benton County. (RSMo 10.045) ​ How Mozarkite became the State rock by Bonnie Widel Rapp: In the 1950’s, Dad (Philip Widel ), who lived in Blackwater, became very interested in a certain type of rock that he found mostly in the Lincoln Missouri area. It was a type of chert, or flint, and was used as barter by the Indians, as it was valuable to them in making of arrows. Dad found it hard enough to be sawed by diamond saws, rated 7 on the Mohs scale and deemed to be of Gem quality. His fascination with it was, that though it was rough and ugly on the outside, when sliced, it exposed beautiful pinks, purples, blues and grays. Even more exciting were the scenes he could see, as one sees in clouds, lakes, mountains, waterfalls and even people. He carefully started cutting these scenes out and polished them to a high degree. His favorites, he framed with his silverware braids and glued them to a leather satchel, which he carried over his shoulder to the many rock shows he attended, despite its considerable weight. Quite an interest was stirred in this “new” rock and Dad traded it for semi-precious stone to other rock hounds who wanted a chance to explore its possibilities. This rock is found only in Missouri, about as far north as Marshall and south into Arkansas. The name of it is “Mozarkite” and it has always been told by those who knew him then, that Dad named it. The “mo” is taken from the abbreviation of Missouri, the “ozark” from the Ozark Mountains, and the “ite” classifies it as a rock. ​ Articles I’ve collected from Missouri Life and other sources, make no mention of how the name was acquired. Dad became more and more intent on having Mozarkite named as the state rock, as we had a state bird, flower and tree. He made numerous trips to Jefferson City, where in the capitol he made talks and presented his collection for observation. On October 13, 1967, the 7th General Assembly passed Senate Bills #216 and #217, making Mozarkite the official state rock and Galena the state mineral. Dad received a letter telling him that the bill had been passed and was given the honorary title of “Mr. Mozarkite." ​ ​ Missouri State Mineral Galena (Lead Ore) Cubes of galena; photo by Rob Lavinsky on Wikipedia (use permitted with attribution / share alike: CC BY-SA 3.0 ). ​ Missouri designated galena (lead sulfide) as the official state mineral in 1967 . Galena is the major source of lead ore, and Missouri is the top producer of lead in the United States. Galena is dark gray in color and breaks into small cubes. ​ Lead is a very soft, blue-gray, metallic element that has been used since ancient times. It is a very heavy element, but it is rare for the element to appear alone in nature. Lead is normally combined with other elements, forming a variety of interesting and beautiful minerals - the most significant is galena, smelted worldwide for its lead content. ​ The majority of lead is used to make batteries for cars, trucks and other vehicles, wheel weights, solder, bearings and other parts. Lead is also used in electronics and communications, ammunition, television glass, construction, and protective coatings. Some is used to make protective aprons for patients having x-rays to shield the body from excess radiation exposure, for crystal glass production, weights and ballast, and specialized chemicals. Missouri has long been a major producer of lead. In the War of 1812 era, nearly all the lead used by U.S. military forces came from Missouri Territory, mostly the “Lead District” of the southeast Missouri Ozarks. Galena has been found in both Lamine and Blackwater Townships. Etienne Sieur de Bourgmond was the first European whose journey up the Missouri River is documented. He paused at the mouth of the Lamine River in 1714 and wrote, “there are some prairies and a little low land above, where the Indians mine lead.” Mined galena has been found in archaeological sites associated with prehistoric Indian cultures, apparently used for decorative or ceremonial purposes. By the early 1700s the Osage learned simple smelting processes from the French and made molds for casting lead amulets, personal adornments and making bullets. Edwin James of Stephen Long’s 1819 Yellowstone Expedition reported on the surface mines along the Lamine River: “The diggings so often mentioned in this region as objects of curiosity. These are regular but very numerous excavations of little depth, but evidently the united labours of many persons, who were possessed of instruments of iron and steel…These excavations occur frequently in the extent of two or three miles”. Charles Lockhart believed this area may have held precious metals besides lead. In 1819 and 1820 he sometimes had as many as 30 hired laborers digging along the Lamine and Blackwater Rivers in a search for silver or gold. Instead he found only galena. Boiling salt at some of the briny springs in the Lamine valley became more profitable for him. Some market for Cooper County lead appears to have developed. The Gazetteer of Missouri (1837 ) says that “many thousand pounds of lead have been raised on the farm of Mr. William Scott.” This farm was located in Lamine Township. In 1869 , an Arrow Rock correspondent for the Saline County Progress newspaper reported, “Mr. Dills, 4 miles south of here [Arrow Rock] is succeeding with his new lead mines beyond all expectations.” However, lead mining did not remain a long-term industry in the area. Thomas Rainey of Arrow Rock reported in 1914 that the excavations along the Lamine River were still visible although overgrown by large trees. ​ Although a vitally important commodity, lead is toxic and ingestion can cause damage to the digestive and nervous systems. Its use in some applications has been discontinued - as with lead-based paints, which have a sweet taste. Some children would eat paint chips, causing lead poisoning. Tailings, the waste from lead mining operates can contaminate water resources and has been the focus of environmental cleanup projects conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency or the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. CHERT (Flint) Rocks and minerals form important natural resources. Nodules and beds of silica carbonate which forms chert were deposited when Burlington limestone bluffs began to be formed about 325 million years ago. Chert is actually the proper name for flint. The highest grades of chert are like glass and will flake into razor sharp edges. This chert comes from volcanic regions of the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest and was traded by American Indians across the continent. Missouri chert is of a lower quality but was still very useful. Nearby major sources for chert were the Arrow Rock bluff and the Manitou Bluffs near Rocheport. Other small outcroppings of chert occur throughout the region. Native Americans produced arrowheads, lance and dart points and tools such as hide scrapers and drills by chipping them from chert. ​ CLAY, SAND and GRAVEL Clay was made into pots for cooking, storage of food and hauling water. As time advanced, vessels became more decorative. Adding ground pieces of mussel shell to the clay tempered it and made the vessels more durable. Pottery was made not only by Indians, but by European and American settlers as well. A significant pottery works existed at Pilot Grove in the 19th century. Clay was also fired in kilns to make bricks. Brickyards for manufacturing existed in Boonville and probably other communities as well. The extensive number of 19th century structures in Cooper County built with handmade bricks also attests to the quality of clay deposits in the region. Sand and gravel companies operate near Boonville producing sand, rock, and agricultural lime. The sand and gravel are fundamental materials for construction and road building. The lime is produced from crushed limestone and sold to farmers for application on their fields to improve the pH acidity of the soil, improving the uptake of nutrients in plants and allowing for better penetration of water into soil. IRON ORE in the form of red hematite , has been found in outcrops along the Lamine and Blackwater River. Red and black hematite was ground to powder by American Indians and mixed with animal grease to produce body paint for ceremonial purposes. There are some reports of iron ore being commercially mined in the 19th century, but it did not become a major industrial enterprise. COAL Large quantities of coal were surface mined in Boonville Township. Coal formed from vast amounts of decomposing vegetation in swamps during the Carboniferous Period about 358 to 258 million years ago. The coal mined in this area was cannel, a hot burning bituminous variety. The relatively small fireboxes in some surviving 19th structures in the region indicates that coal, rather than wood, was burned in them. Coal burned hotter and longer than wood. The remains of large strip mines can still be observed in some areas. Cannel coal from south of Arrow Rock was exhibited at the New York Industrial Exhibition in 1854 . The British House of Commons appointed a committee to attend the exhibition and they were impressed by the quality of the coal. The Missouri State Board of Agriculture reported in 1874 that “There are fine deposits of cannel coal near Arrow Rock, and lead and iron which are successfully mined.” But again, mining these minerals did not remain as a significant economic enterprise into the 20th century. ​ LEAD LEAD has been found in both Lamine and Blackwater Townships. Missouri has long been a major producer of lead. In the War of 1812 era, nearly all the lead used by U.S. military forces came from the Missouri Territory. Without lead for bullets, the Americans could have lost the War in the Boonslick area and areas further East. Lead was so important to Missouri’s economy that galena, the principal ore of lead, is designated the State Mineral. Etienne Sieur de Bourgmond was the first European whose journey up the Missouri River is documented. He paused at the mouth of the Lamine River in 1714 and wrote, “there are some prairies and a little low land above, where the Indians mine lead. Mined galena has been found in archaeological sites associated with prehistoric Indian cultures, apparently used for decorative or ceremonial purposes. By the early 1700s the Osage learned simple smelting from the French and made molds for casting lead amulets and personal adornments. ​ SALT and SALT LICKS Cooper County, and neighboring Saline and Howard counties, contain large amounts of salt deposited as prehistoric seas retreated from the area. Water percolating through the ground resulted in the formation of many saltwater springs and briny creeks in the region. The Boonville Western Emigrant newspaper reported in 1839 : “The extraordinary number of salt springs found in the Boon’s Lick country & the quantities of pure salt water they discharge, forms a marvel to the curious, and must at some future day, prove a source of great profit.” One of the largest of these saltwater springs was Mackay’s Lick about eight miles northwest of New Franklin in Howard County. James Mackay obtained a Spanish grant for the land around the salt springs in 1795 as a reward for mapping the Missouri River. A “lick” was a place frequented by animals to lick the natural salt deposits around the springs. In 1805 , Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, sons of frontiersman Daniel Boone, established a salt manufacturing business there in partnership with James and Jesse Morrison of St. Charles. The Boones used twelve, 20-gallon kettles to boil the brine water. The remaining salty sediment was dried and packed in barrels called hogsheads. Approximately one gallon produced two teaspoons of salt. In 1807 , they expanded their operation, and added forty more kettles and hired extra men to help. The salt was shipped by keelboat to St. Louis to sell. The keelboat would return in about two weeks’ time, laden with supplies for the salt operation. In those days before refrigerators and freezers, salt was one of the main ways to preserve food. Salt was also used for the tanning process for leather to make shoes, saddles, and harnesses. The abundance of salt in the region was one attraction for white settlers. Consequently, many bypassed the open land in eastern Missouri to come directly to the Boonslick Country. Courtesy of Sharon Dyer MINERAL WATER As early as 1855 , the medicinal qualities of the Chouteau Springs mineral water were touted in newspapers. A spa resort and a community grew up around the five springs: two with fresh water and three with sulpher water. The fresh water was sold in two-gallon crock jugs throughout the state for its “healthful” benefits. The resort entered its heyday in the 1870s and remained in operation until about 1960 . All that remains of the once thriving resort now are ruins. Tar Balls in Cooper Cou nty By Wayne Lammers ​ While deer hunting half way between Boonville and Lamine, I discovered many very black balls of all sizes and forms in the corn field that I was in. I retrieved many of them and brought them home. In my inspection, I found they ranged from golf ball size balls all the way down to pea size. I had never seen one like this before. I could tell that the ball was made of tar by the smell. I did my research and found the millions of years ago this land was reinventing itself by making new earth and land. In doing this, pockets of oil or tar bubbled to the surface creating these small balls of tar. I further discovered that the Indians used these tar balls to seal the inside and outside of their early canoes while navigating the Missouri and Lamine Rivers. Tar Balls in Cooper County SOILS Alluvial soils are of recent origin and have been deposited in the flood plains of streams, particularly the Missouri River. The silt carried and deposited by the river also produced some of the richest farmland in the nation. There are at least 46 different types of soils listed in the Soil Survey of Cooper County, Missouri, published by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. A copy can be found online. The quality of much of the soil of Cooper County is highly conducive to row crops. The tillable land in this area is another reason many early settlers came to the county. For general information from the Missouri Archaeological Society Washington University in St. Louis has a nice site on Geology of Missouri

DISCOVERY OF FORT MCMAHAN MCMAHAN FORT Background - Lamine Township was settled about 1810. The first settlers were David Jones, a Revolutionary War soldier; Thomas, Samuel and James McMahan; Stephen, Samuel and Jesse Turley; and Saunders Townsend. Other families soon followed and joined the settlement. The Jones’ settlement also known as McMahan’s settlement was located about midway between Arrow Rock and the Lamine River. During the War of 1812 two fortifications were built for the protection of the 15 families in the settlement. McMahan’s Fort was described as a “little stockade” and was located on the bluff. McMahan’s Fort was also sometimes referred to as Anderson’s Fort. William Reed built a smaller blockhouse or fortified cabin that was probably in the nearby river bottoms. McMahan’s Fort was burned by Sac & Fox Indians in September of 1814. Reed’s Fort may have suffered the same fate but its location has almost certainly been washed away by the Missouri River. The inhabitants of both forts had fled to the greater safety of Cooper’s Fort just before they were attacked in 1814. ​ [Settlers at McMahan Fort Area: Written by William D. Lay 1998.] ​ At the mouth of the Lamine River is a natural bedrock shoreline that made it easy for docking the flatboats and keel-boats. Workers could toil from the shore line, loading supplies for traveling up and down the river. Among some of these early settlers were the McMahans. The McMahans traveled from their Kentucky homes at the very beginning of organized settlement and became established in what is now the Lamine Township. According to history, these families lived along the south side of the Missouri River just west and north of the Lamine River. ​ Samuel McMahan was attacked by hostile Indians and killed on December 24, 1814. One account says he was driving some cattle, another said he was chopping down a bee tree for honey, yet another family tradition said he was drawing water from a spring. This is an example of the difficulty of relying on reminisces made by old pioneers 40 or 50 years after the event occurred. One of Samuel’s sons, Samuel Woodson McMahan, became one of the largest landholders of Cooper County, owned a tract of 1,000 acres that was worked by many slaves. ​ ​ William McMahan’s Fort Written by William D. Lay 1998 Constructed date - most likely 1812 or after. Location: On the Missouri, 2 miles North of Lamine River where it empties into the Missouri River, Samuel Cole (Son of Hannah Cole) said the fort was located on the south side of the Missouri River some 5 miles south from Cooper’s Fort. Judge Frederick Hyatt said the fort was located 4 miles below Arrow Rock on the south side of the Missouri. William Reed, a son-in-law of McMahan had his blockhouse in the east half of the northeast quarter of section 7 township 49 range 18. The fort was thought to be on the hill immediately to the south. Commonly referred to as the Jones Settlement. (But in later years, no one was sure where the exact location of the fort was). ​ ​ THE ATTACK BY THE INDIANS AS THE SETTLERS WERE ABANDONING THE FORT Written by William D. Lay 1998 A few weeks before the Dodge force [a military unit to help guard these early forts] got to the Boonslick Area, the settlers learned that the Sauks and Miamis were assembling for an attack on the 14 families on the south bank of the Missouri, about two miles above the Lamine River, and about five miles below Cooper’s Fort. There were too many hostile Indians for those settlers, so they left their homes and started to Cooper’s Fort. They had planned to move the families on the first day then go back the next day to pick up their household goods and livestock. They had hardly gotten the last person on their canoes when the Indians crept up and attacked them as they were leaving. The Indians killed Thomas McMahan but the balance with their families escaped. They were still in their canoes when they looked back and saw the smoke curling up from the fires that the Indians had set to the stockade. This fire consumed all their household goods and clothing, and the Indian took all their horses and cattle. This was probably done about July 20th of 1814. ​ Author’s Note: Cooper’s Fort was a much larger and secured fort. It was located about one mile south of where the town of Petersburg is today, in The Howard County River Bottoms. ​ ​ ​ [From History of Cooper County Missouri by W. F. Johnson – 1919] Most of the settlers in the Boonslick Country came from Kentucky and Tennessee where they had earlier experienced conflict with American Indians. The attitude of the settlers towards any Indians whether they were friend or foe ranged from condescension to loathing, fear and outright hatred. The Indians with which our early settlers had to contend were idle, shiftless, vicious and treacherous. In the presence of the white settlers they were apparently frank, accommodating, and kind, yet they nursed the tradition that the white man was their natural enemy, and would eventually dispossess them of their "happy hunting grounds" . Warfare in the Boonslick was not just a matter of wanton “blood lust” by Indians as some have characterized it. It represented a larger clash of cultures that sometimes manifested itself in bloodshed. The Indians for the most part saw white settlers as trespassers on land they possessed for generations, threatening their livelihood and culture. For them, the attacks were acts of self-defense. The famous Sac warrior Black Hawk who led raids into Missouri Territory and the Boonslick expressed in 1833 a view many Indians long held towards Americans; I had not discovered one good trait in the character of the Americans that had come to the country. They made fair promises but never fulfilled them. Whilst the British made but few, but we could always rely on their word…Why did the Great Spirit ever send the whites to this island, to drive us from our homes, and introduce among us poisonous liquors, disease and death? They should have remained upon the island where the Great Spirit first placed them. Casualties in the Boonslick were relatively light during the war. Only about dozen or so whites were killed and possibly a similar number of Indians. Numbers of wounded on both sides may have been the same. Lindsey Carson, the father of famed western scout Kit Carson, had both thumbs shot off in one skirmish with Indians. After the war, John Mason Peck, a Baptist missionary, wrote of the hardship experienced by the Boonslick settlers: “With all their vigilance during the war, about three hundred horses were stolen; many cattle and nearly all their hogs were killed. Bear-meat and raccoon-bacon became a substitute…” Deerskin clothing became the daily attire, as neither cotton nor flax could be grown in any quantity to manufacture cloth. A few days ago, a barge belonging to Messrs. M. Lisa & Co. which was ascending the Missouri to their trading establishment, were induced to stop at Mackay’s Saline, (commonly called Boon’s Lick) as the country was overrun by the Indians and all the inhabitants were in Forts. The crew which arrived here on Saturday night, last…reports that on the south side of the Missouri, the Indians had taken all the horses and were killing the cattle for food; that on their arrival at the Saline, the people of Coles’ fort were interring a man just shot by the Indians. On the north side near Kincaid’s fort a man was killed in a flax field. Missouri Gazette, August 13, 1814 Settlers at McMahan Fort Area: Written by William D. Lay 1998. ​ “Claims for Indian Reparations from McMahan Fort” during June and July 1814, attacks on eleven members of the McMahan Fort: ​ Author’s Note: The following information was prepared by Lyman Copeland Draper’s Notes, Roll 22S March 30, 1815 Act of Congress. (The federal government took these depositions in 1825 - Mike Dickey) Results of the Attack - The McMahan Fort was burned to the ground in the Indian attack. The attacking Indians carried off anything that was of value to them, and destroyed what remained, so that there was nothing left for the former inhabitants to reclaim. ​ INDIAN WAR REPARATIONS [CHAPTER XIII. (William D. Lay] AN ACT TO REGULATE TRADE AND INTERCOURSE WITH THE INDIAN TRIBES. SEC. 14 MEANS OF REDRESS PRESCRIBED FOR TRANSGRESSIONS OF INDIANS AGAINST WHITE SETTLERS. Claims for losses by Indians during the June and July 1814 raids, (or transgressions) were filed by about 11 members of families at and around McMahan Fort, Lamine Township. AUTHOR’S NOTE: IN THE INTEREST OF BREVITY, OF THE 11 FAMILIES THAT HAD DAMAGE, I WILL ONLY LIST ONE OF THE FAMILIES BELOW. McMahan, Thomas, (June or July 1814): “Site of the McMahan Fort” 1 sorrel mare, about four years old, 14 1/2 hands high, appraised to, $50.00 10 Head of hogs, $45.00 1 Axe, $2.00 1 Bottle of the oil of vitriol, $2.00 4 Pair of stockings, $4.00 1 large bear skin, $1.50 1/2 bushel’s sowing of wheat, $30.00 1/2 acre of flax, $2.50 1 bed quilt, $3.00 Total $140.00 AUTHOR’S NOTE: At present, I’m inquiring to see if payments by the Federal Government to the white settlers were made. Seems this is going to be another rabbit hole that I need to travel down to get the rest of the story. ​ Where was the McMahan Fort Located? William McMahan’s Fort: Written by William D. Lay 1998. Constructed date: April, 1810/11 Location: On the Missouri, 2 miles North of Lamine River where it empties into the Missouri River, Samuel Cole (Son of Hannah Cole) said the fort was located on the south side of the Missouri River some 5 miles south from Cooper’s Fort. Judge Frederick Hyatt said the fort was located 4 miles below Arrow Rock on the south side of the Missouri. William Reed, a son-in-law of McMahan had his blockhouse in the east half of the northeast quarter of section 7 township 49 range 18. The fort was thought to be on the hill immediately to the south. Commonly referred to as the Jones Settlement. Many attempts have been made to find the exact location of this fort. However, two hundred years later it is believed that some eager historians, seeking the location with metal detectors, may have found the exact location. ​ Fast Forward over 200 years to March of 2018 - Exploration to Find the Lost Lamine Fort - McMahan Fort By Wayne Lammers - October, 2019 I have two friends who called me one day in the winter of 2018, wanting to do some metal detecting to find some history in the City of Boonville. Knowing that Boonville has been searched for years, I wanted to find something virgin. Lamine was this virgin spot. As I have always known that the area around Lamine is full of history. My mother was born in that small town in 1919 along the tracks of the Missouri Pacific RR. I thought of some of the stories that she had told me living here in Boonville. I knew that General William H. Ashley lived there and ran a fur trading company out west. General Ashley (1780-1838) was an entrepreneur in the Louisiana Territory in the early days of its existence. He made money in real estate and manufacturing in St. Louis, MO, and during the War of 1812, he joined the Missouri Militia where he earned the rank of Brigadier General. At war’s end, he was elected the first Lieutenant Governor of the newly admitted state of Missouri in 1820. ​ Ashley decided to try his luck in the fur trade business, which was quite lucrative at the time. Beaver hats were the height of fashion in Europe, driving massive demand for furs. Ashley decided to employ different methods of trade. The fur trade establishments on the upper Missouri did business by trading with local tribes of Indians. Ashley’s Company employed a few hunters/trappers directly, but most of their furs and skins were obtained through the trading with Indians. Ashley decided to send hundreds of men out to obtain furs directly by hunting and trapping. The men would be paid in furs, keeping half of what they collected as payment. ​ William Ashley famously advertised in St. Louis newspapers in the 1820s: To enterprising young men. “The subscriber wishes to engage one hundred young men to ascend the Missouri to its source, there to be employed for one, two, or three years. For particulars enquire of Major Andrew Henry who will ascend with, and command, the party; or of the subscriber near St. Louis.” Thus, started his career in the fur trade business. He traveled with his company of men in keelboats up the Missouri River. He was very successful in trading with the Indians out west. He was buried inside an Indian mound overlooking the Missouri and Lamine Rivers in 1838. Many local people in the Lamine area have stated that General Ashley was buried in this Indian mound standing up right and that he wanted to watch over the Missouri and Lamine Rivers. This site is only two miles south of the site of the McMahan Fort. I have friends living in the Lamine area who know the early history there. Another old friend, Bob Dyer, who passed away on April 11, 2007, called me about 21 years ago, and asked me to go with him in a search of a Lost Lamine Fort. I had never heard of this. He had an idea where the McMahan Fort might be located which be on a farm on a hillside overlooking the Missouri River on property owned by another friend who will remain anonymous. In respect to these friends, I will not name them. Bob Dyer and I searched the area but found nothing. At that time, we had no metal detectors. On March 23, 2018, my two new friends and I went to this site again to see what we could find using a model Spectra VX3 made by White Metal Detectors, with a 13-inch coil. We were in high hopes to find something that would spur us on in our search of this lost early Lamine pioneer fort. Right away we started getting numerous metal hits in the grid that we laid out in this field overlooking the Missouri River. A nail. Another nail, and more square nails were the first finds of the day. Knowing that this type of nail would not have been used by early pioneers, we were disheartened. Over the years, a family must have built a home on this site resulting in our finding the square nails and other more modern artifacts like hinges, hand irons, meat cleaver, early wrenches, door knobs and so on. This field was semi level, overlooking the Missouri River which was about 400 yards away to the north. We were high enough to see that the river, could have been closer to this field some 200 years earlier. The area we were searching was a field of harvested corn, so searching was rather easy. LOOK what we found! Then it happened…… “A SILVER COIN!” someone cried!!! That’s right, a Spanish Real, dated 1806, and it was in fine shape (see photo below). In the early history of the expansion of the Far West, currency was in its infancy. No one bought things outright with cash. They bartered for things that they wanted. Federal Jacket Button Black Flint from England, supplied to Indians from British, porcelain dish shard Fired Musket Ball - impression from the wadding Cuff Button from Federal Uniform Osage Arrowhead Military Button with Stars Dime and Cuff Button 1806 Spanish Real Front and Back Mike Harris examining artifacts Map lists the settlers of Fort McMahan We were jumping up and down, still screaming to high heavens. This was again, a big find. The date on the old coin was 1806. The same year Lewis & Clark’s Expedition returned from their voyage to find a pathway to the Pacific Ocean. This was unbelievable. On the many trips to the site, we would stay as long as we could. After the finding of the 1806 silver coin, we again, hit the ground running. We started to find quite a few brass and metal buttons that we dated from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Some were made in England with eagles adorned on them which we felt were from an early military uniform. During the War of 1812 the Federal Government sent platoons of armed military units in to the established forts along the Missouri River to protect these early settlers. Forts like Cooper’s Fort, Fort Hempstead, Fort Kincaid, Hannah Cole’s Fort, Stephen Cole’s Fort and McMahan Fort were mostly situated each about 5 miles apart from one another. Many of the military must have stayed at the McMahan Fort for we found many of these military buttons at our site. We found a rusty broad ax that weighed about three pounds that may have been used to fell trees for the construction of the fort. ​ I was told by the owner of the property that a spring was in a ravine about 60 yards to the south of the site. A water spring was so necessary for the livelihood of the pioneers. They needed it for survival. Good clean water for cooking, bathing for watering of animals and so on. He also told me that years ago, it was covered by a land slide that had a large tree on the slid area and stopped the flow of water. With this in mind, we proceeded to see what we could find. As we arrived at the spot, we could see the area that had slid down the embankment. You could tell we were near this spot. We looked under a bunch of fallen branches and found this wonderful running water again, coming up out of the ground (see photo below). ​ Back at the site we found a multitude of lead musket balls scattered all over the site. I found only one that was completely round and had not been fired. The rest were all deformed from impact. We began finding a large quantity of broken pieces of cast iron that were from two to four inches across and about one forth inch thick. Some had little feet and handles on them that looked like they were from a large pot or kettle. Why so many???? And why everywhere???? At one point, we were finding so many cast iron pieces that we started to throw them out of the target field. This puzzled me for months. And then it finally came to me. While the Indians were burning the fort, the Indian braves began destroying all the household articles in the fort, like large kettles, pans and lids, knives, forks and spoons, everything. We found a spoon and fork broken and both bent double. We also found large stones in the area that could have been used for breaking up the cast iron and then scattered the pieces so that the pioneers could no longer use them. The Indians wanted the pioneers to leave this area and be gone… Forever. I consulted with another local historian who said Indians did this very thing when they destroyed a settlement or a fort. Discovered the spring CHECKING MY FINDS WITH EXPERTS On May 9th, 2019 I followed a lead from Michael Dickey who is the Administrator of the Arrow Rock Museum who has been helping me with my story. He advised me to contact Michael D. Harris who is an authority on the War of 1812. He is also a High School History teacher for some 29 years in St. James, MO. ​ Michael D. Harris - War of 1812 in Missouri researcher for 32 years. BS ED in History, Masters in History. Michael Harris is very knowledgeable of the War of 1812 history. ​ Mr. Harris stated “I think this MIGHT be the site (McMahan Fort). I need to see all your artifacts and the site itself before I can give you my honest opinion". ​ So far, everything looks good.” He visited the fort site in June of 2019 to view the artifacts that we found. ​ When I first called Michael Harris, I felt, he thought that I was pulling his leg. Right away he wanted facts and wanted to see artifacts. That same day, I sent him some clear photos that I had taken of the 1806 Spanish coin and what I thought were military buttons. He listened to my ideas on what we had discovered in the field overlooking the Missouri River. He was patient with me and I knew he was digesting my responses. He wasn’t satisfied with just some of the buttons. He wanted to see all of them, front and back. It took some time to send about 30 or so images of buttons, coins, and shot musket balls and etc. to him. ​ Being a novice at this documentation, I had failed to place a scale or ruler by each object showing its size. My mother always told me “If you’re going to do something, do it right.” So, I proceeded to photograph them with ruler in hand. He also wanted to see the Early American Broad Axe that we found. ​ On June 15th, 2019 I met with Michael Harris, Michael Dickey and the metal detector friend, to show all artifacts from the site at Lamine. This is to establish if this is the McMahan Fort Site that we have read about in the early history books from Cooper and Howard Counties, for once and for all. On this date we all sat down to view the multitude of artifact from the site. I was very excited to see what Harris and Dickey had to say about our finds. We met at 10 am and studied the relics for some 2 hours. We wanted to make a bee line, only 4 miles to the fort site. This didn’t happen. The Flood of 2019 stopped us in our tracks. Literally. Two of the 3 roads to the site were flooded by the Missouri River. After about one hour, we walked through the rain and waist high field corn to the hill overlooking the Missouri and Lamine Rivers. While my friend with the metal detector was scanning the ground, I took Michael Harris to the spring near the site. We found the spring flowing a fine stream of water to the Missouri River which was very nearby because of the flooding. We made our way back and found my friend who had found some square nails, earthenware, pottery and some broken Indian points. But nothing to shout out about. It was getting late and Mr. Harris needed to travel a long way home so we said our good-byes and left. ​ When I got home all three of us exchanged emails about the day and our findings. Mr. Harris sent me photos of the washed pottery and earthenware. The metal detector operator did the same with what he and I found. In his bag of goodies, he found a black piece of flint about one inch long, about the size of my thumb nail. In studying it, we think he found a black flint from an early Flint Lock Rifle from the early 1800’s. ​ CONCLUSIONS; Michael Harris wrote me saying: ​ “I saw Mike’s [Mike Dickey] comment about the flint being English and I agree. The best flint came from England and was heavily imported before the war. [War of 1812]. The local flint in Missouri is gray and white as you know. The darker the flint, the better the spark. Yeah, the best flints came from England.” ​ Now, about the fort. Do you have a specific reference to the Fort being on Thomas’ place? As you know, William McMahan had a blockhouse which was burned by the Indians. This was the only reference I have located about a McMahan Fort. We do know that Samuel had two houses on his property which does coincide with the areas you discovered in that field. Either one area is a trash pit or there was a structure there which matches the description.” This was the clincher. This had to be the site of the Lost Lamine Fort that has been gone from our history books for over 200 years…… The McMahan Fort. I believe that this story needs to be told because the people of Lamine should be very proud and need to preserve the heritage and legacy that they possess… Forever. Wayne Lammers - Boonville, MO ​ Settlement in Lamine Township REFERENCES ​ References: (Courtesy of Mike Dickey, Site Administrator, Arrow Rock Historic Site) Google Books – A History of Cooper County Missouri, 1876 Google Books – History of Howard and Cooper Counties, Missouri, 1883 Google Books – History of Cooper County Missouri, 1919 Library of Congress – Illustrated Historical Atlas of Cooper County, 1897 BALTIMORE KENTUCKY AXE HEAD The axe came from Kentucky to settle this new land ​lived in this area. History also states they built a fort to keep the families safe from roving Indians that were not peaceful to the new invaders who wanted to steal their land. The Indians were supplied by the British to help prevent these settlers from taking a foothold in the land west of the Missouri River. During the War of 1812, the settlers at Fort McMahan, located just 2 miles north of the Lamine River, were at peace. It wasn’t until June and July of 1815, that the Indians did attack this fort and drove all pioneers north across the Missouri River to a well established settlement called Coopers Fort, some 6 miles away. During the summer of 2019, I decided to restore a fine old rusty axe that was found on a hillside of the Missouri River just north of the Lamine River. The summer before I, along with two of my friends, were searching for a lost fort in the Lamine area. History books told us that twelve to fourteen pioneer families that see the fires from their homes and Fort McMahan. They never returned. ​ Fast forward 200 years. I always wanted to fine a piece of history by digging in the earth. My friends felt the same, so I took them to where I thought this Lost McMahan Fort was located. Twenty five years ago my friend Bob Dyer took me to where he thought this fort was located. We had no metal detectors that day but felt it was a good location for an early pioneer fort. My friends and I returned to this site in 2018 looking for artifacts, using a fine metal detector that would indicate that the fort was here. While there, we found a very rusty old axe head that I researched and found that it was a Kentucky Baltimore Axe that dated back to the early 1800’s. I knew I needed to rejuvenate this 200 year old artifact from our early settlers of the Lamine area and the McMahan Fort. ​ I did my research and found the easiest way to rejuvenate it was for me was to soak the axe head in a solution of pure apple cider vinegar for about four days. I checking it every other day or so and used a hammer to chip away some of the hard rust that resisted to leave this early American relic. This took much work to remove the corrosion from the artifact. I used a steal brush to finish it off then put a coat of fine oil on it to preserve the metal. When finished with the restoration of the axe head, I needed to mount it on a fine piece of wood that would complete the project. I had an old broken axe that was used beyond it’s time. I reshaped the handle to make a fine fit for the piece. When done, I feel that I did justice to this 200 year old piece of our early pioneer relic. ​ Restoring Kentucky Axe Head Below this flint was made and shipped from England. England had the best known gun flints that were used at the time. They were superior to what were found and used in the New Frontier. The British supplied the Indians with guns and ammo to fight the pioneers here, during the War of 1812. This was also a major find, indicating that Indians were involved in the attack on Fort McMahan in June of 1816.

COOPER COUNTY TRAIN DEPOTS The first MKT Depot was built in Boonville around 187? just before the railroad reached Sedalia on its way to Boonville. The railroad continued on to Boonville, crossing the Missouri river on its way to Chicago. The original Depot was on the west side of the tracks and was used mainly for freight. After the second depot was built, the first Depot was used for storage until 1950 when it was removed. Two pictures of the first Depot. Notice that the terrain was much different than it is today. (WL Collection) Picture of people waiting at the station. Pictures of Pleasant Green and Pilot Grove Depots. (WL Collection) The second MKT depot, built in 1911 on the West side of the tracks, was a Mission style building which today is the location of the Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce, and it is also the start of the KATY walking and bike trail. The Katy Rail Road built 5 Spanish Mission Style Depots, and the Boonville Depot is the only one surviving. (Picture of current depot with caboose and signal light donated to the City by Wayne Lammers. (Fall picture of depot is on the first page of the website.) All photos from the Wayne Lammers collection First Boonville Train Depot Notice steep incline Close Up of First Boonville Train Depot First Depot Add pictures from earlier train section The text should be identical. The second MKT depot, built in 1911 on the West side of the tracks, was a Mission style building which today is the location of the Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce, and it is also the start of the KATY walking and bike trail. The Katy Rail Road built 5 Spanish Mission Style Depots, and the Boonville Depot is the only one surviving. Add pictures First Boonville Depot Second and Current Boonville Depot Lamine Train Depot Pleasant Green Depot ​ ​ ​ IN OUR OWN BACKYARD ​ ​ ​ ​ The beautiful, historic Katy Depot as it looks today. PICTURE of Boonville Depot People travel far and wide to visit beautiful places with historic backgrounds. Boonville residents have only to step outside. One such location is at 320 First Street, the home of the Missouri, Kansas, Texas (MKT) Railroad Depot. Although the MKT arrived in Boonville on May 31, 1873, the Spanish mission style depot, which was for the convenience of passengers, wasn't constructed until about 1910. There were originally five identical such depots built—three in Oklahoma, one in Kansas, and one in Missouri. The one in Boonville is the only one that survives. Once a thriving part of Boonville, the depot used to see as many as 25-30 trains come and go on a daily basis. Many of them brought visitors to stay or see the sights. It was also a popular way for traveling salesmen, or "drummers," to travel around the country with trunks of samples. But the need for passenger trains decreased as automobiles came into everyday use. The last passenger train stopped in Boonville on May 1, 1958, and reduced the depot to just a freight stop, until finally, on October 4, 1986, the last freight train passed through Boonville. Today, the depot, which is owned by the Department of Natural Resources, still stands and is affectionately referred to as the Katy Depot. It is the home of the local Chamber of Commerce, Tourist Information Center, and District offices of the Division of State Parks. While the tracks of the MKT are gone, the trail lives on. An old, restored rail car is also on display. Today, the 237.7 miles between Machens and Clinton, Mo, make up the Katy Trail State Park on which thousands of bicycle enthusiasts pass through Boonville each year. ​ Adapted from: Historically Yours by Elizabeth Davis

PROHIBITION ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Sheriff John Grothe and Deputy James Morton with captured moonshine sti ll in St. Charles, 1924. (S1083) State Historical Society of Missouri. ​ (1920 - 1933) Prohibition era begins across the U.S. affecting many of the German immigrant-owned beer companies in Missouri “Beginning in 1882, Missouri counties and towns passed local option laws to turn communities dry. By World War I, over 90 of the state’s 114 counties were dry through these laws. On January 16, 1919, Missouri ratified what would become the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol. Under the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act, Missouri's flourishing alcohol and wine industry took a significant step back, particularly German-immigrant owned breweries. After a decade of inefficient enforcement, and with the deepening of the Great Depression, the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th Amendment, was ratified in 1933.” ​ Boonville had a very successful brewery, Griessmaier & Roeschel Brewery/Winery, which opened in 1874 and closed in 1878. After prohibition, another brewery known as the Haas Brewery, operated from 1933-1942. So Cooper County did not have any “legal” establishments put out of business during prohibition. There is no record about where, or if, county residents obtained “adult beverages” during prohibition. ​ Courtesy of: Missouri Bicentennial Timeline ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1867 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Source: Boonvil le Tourism ​ ​ Warm Springs Ranch Warm Springs Ranch is located a few miles east of Boonville, Missouri. Hundreds of tourists turn up each year to visit the international stars who make their home at Warm Springs Ranch. ​ In a round-about way, it started in 1933 when Congress passed the 21st Amendment which repealed the 18th Amendment, otherwise known as Prohibition. There was little doubt the Amendment would be ratified by the states and, after 13 years without legal alcohol, Congress and the people couldn’t, or wouldn’t, wait. The Cullen-Harrison Act of 1933, introduced by Representative Thomas H. Cullen and Senator Pat Harrison in March, was rushed through both houses of Congress and signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in eight days. The bill legalized 3.2% beer, effective on April 7, 1933, before the 21st Amendment was ratified. April 7 became, unofficially anyway, National Beer Day. ​ To celebrate the first day of legalized alcohol in over a decade, August A. Busch, Jr. presented his father, the Sr. Busch, with a red, white, and gold beer wagon drawn by eight Clydesdales. After the wagon carried the first case of beer from the St. Louis brewery in a special journey through St. Louis, the Sr. Busch had the team sent by rail to New York City. Once there, they picked up two cases of beer at Newark Airport. The first case was presented to New York’s former governor Al Smith for his help in repealing Prohibition. Then the Clydesdales toured New England and the Mid-Atlantic States, stopping on the way to deliver a case of beer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House. ​ Today, the Budweiser Clydesdales are international stars. They travel all over the US, appear in parades, and make commercials which are seen all over the world, especially on Super Bowl Sunday. ​ The largest breeding facility for these magnificent horses is right here in the middle of Missouri at Warm Springs Ranch. ​

COOPER COUNTY BANKS The First Hundred Years of Banking in Cooper County The first bank in what would eventually become Missouri, was chartered in 1813 and established in St. Louis in 1816 as the Bank of St. Louis. This bank failed in 1819. The Bank of Missouri, which was chartered in 1817, failed in 1822. A branch of the United States bank had several branches throughout the state, but after President Andrew Jackson, in 1836, vetoed a bill to renew the bank’s charter, it, too, was forced to close. Barely a state for 15 years, Missouri found themselves without a bank. Thankfully, the Legislature authorized the Bank of the State of Missouri in 1837. This was the only bank in Missouri for the next 10 years. In 1847, Boatmen’s Saving Institution was established in St. Louis. That same year, Dr. William H. Trigg opened Boonville’s first bank. A Boonville branch of the Bank of St. Louis opened in 1856. No other banks were opened until after the Civil War. The Central National Bank was established in 1865. Just as Missouri grew, so did our banking system. At least 10 other banks were established in Cooper County between 1865 and 1919. The Commercial Bank of Boonville was organized in 1883. The following year on June 13, 1884, the Pilot Grove Bank was organized. The Bank of Bunceton was organized on August 25, 1887. Two more banks were organized during the 1890s. The Cooper County Bank of Bunceton organized on June 26, 1893, and The Farmer’s Stock Bank of Blackwater followed in 1895. With the coming of the twentieth century, the Bank of Woolridge organized in June 1902. On April 11, 1905, the Bank of Pleasant Green organized. It is interesting to note that this bank didn’t pay any dividends until it had an accumulated, and certified surplus, an amount equal to the capital stock, which was in 1913. From 1913 to 1919 it paid an average dividend of 15 per cent. The Bank of Blackwater organized in 1906 and the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Otterville organized in September 1914. Another Boonville bank, the Boonville National Bank, organized October 30, 1916. Kemper Bank was organized in Boonville in 1924 and was later renamed the UMB Bank, Boonville Branch. When the UMB Bank moved to it’s new Boonville location, the old bank became the Boonville City Hall. Most of these banks were capitalized with $10,000. Not much by today’s standards, but then, $10,000 went a lot further a hundred years ago than it does today. Source: Elizabeth Davis, Historically Yours The Bank of Missouri, which was chartered in 1817, failed in 1822. A branch of the United States Bank had several branches throughout the state, but after President Andrew Jackson, in 1836, vetoed a bill to renew the bank’s charter, it, too, was forced to close. Barely a state for 15 years, Missouri found themselves without a bank. Thankfully, the Legislature authorized the Bank of the State of Missouri in 1837. This was the only bank in Missouri for the next 10 years. In 1847, Boatmen’s Saving Institution was established in St. Louis. That same year, Dr. William H. Trigg opened Boonville’s first bank. A Boonville branch of the Bank of St. Louis opened in 1856. No other banks were opened until after the Civil War. The Central National Bank was established in 1865. At least 10 other banks were established in Cooper County between 1865 and 1919. Just as Missouri grew, so did our banking system. including The Commercial Bank of Boonville in 1883, The Pilot Grove Bank in 1884 and the Bank of Bunceton in 1887. Two more banks were organized in 1890’s. The Cooper County Bank of Bunceton organized June 26, 1893 and the Farmer’s Stock Bank of Blackwater in 1895. The Bank of Speed started in Speed, MO in the 1870s, and they opened a branch in Prairie Home in 1900. The financial soundness of the bank in 1893 was they had capitol of $10,000 and a cash on hand of $650. They were solid according to the rules of the day. Bank examiner records stop listing this bank in 1916. The Bank of Blackwater was organized in 1906 and the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Otterville organized in September 1914. Another Boonville bank, the Boonville National Bank, organized October 30, 1916. With the coming of the twentieth century, the Bank of Wooldridge organized in 1902. On April 11, 1905, the Bank of Pleasant Green organized. It is interesting to note that this bank didn’t pay any dividends until it had accumulated a certified surplus equal to the capitol stock, which was in 1913. From 1913 to 1919 it paid an average dividend of 15 percent. Kemper State Bank was founded in 1928 changed its name to UMB BANK (United Missouri Bank, Boonville in 1972; then UMB Bank in 1994). ​ Source: Elizabeth Davis, Historically Yours BANK TENURE OUT OF COUNTY BANKS 1816-1819 - Bank of St. Louis. Bank failed in 1819 1817-1822 - Bank of Missouri. Bank Failed in 1822 1836-1847 - United States Bank. Bank closed 1836 1837-1847 - Bank of the State of Missouri 1856-? - Bank of St. Louis - Boonville Branch 1865-? - Central National Bank ​ SPEED 1870's-1916 - Bank of Speed 1900-1916 - Prairie Home - Branch of Bank of Speed ​ BOONVILLE 1883-? - Commercial Bank of Boonville Central National Bank 1906-? - Boonville National Bank 1916 - Boonville National Bank 1901 - Farmer’s, Commercial, and Central National Bank Citizens Trust Company of Boonville 1901 - Commercial Bank of Boonville National Bank of Boonville 1906 - Central National Bank 1928 - Kemper State Bank –Boonville, founded in 1928 changed its name to UMB Bank ​ PILOT GROVE 1884 - Pilot Grove Bank 1913 - Present day Citizens Community Bank ​ BUNCETON (Bunceton Banks have had several names) 1887 - The Bank of Bunceton 1893 - Cooper County Bank of Bunceton (latest bank name) BLACKWATER 1895 - The Farmer’s Stock Bank of Blackwater 1906 - The Bank of Blackwater CLIFTON CITY Closed in ? ​ WOOLDRIDGE 1902 - The Bank of Woolridge PLEASANT GREEN 1905-1925 - The Bank of Pleasant Green ​ OTTERVILLE 1914-1929 - Farmers and Merchants Bank of Otterville ​ KEMPER STATE BANK Kemper State Bank Boonville, founded in 1928 still in operation as UMB Bank. Changed its name to United Missouri Bank Boonville in 1972; then to UMB Bank in 1994 ​ Source: Elizabeth Davis, Historically Yours Clifton City Bank – then and now. More than that is shown, look at the old photo of what was Main St...now no name and a gravel drive. ​ Clifton City – Bank In the late 1800 Clifton City had a bank. It was a beautiful brick building standing on the South side of town. In 1886, W.B. Lane was cashier at the Bank, and Peter J. Devine, was Vice-President of the Bank. Over the years the building has been a home to several different business - a café, grocery store and many other things. Today it still stands as a place for storage, and is slowly losing its beauty. Abraham Potter who was born in 1825 was a stockholder in the bank. Abraham was a stanch democrat, and had ever stoutly maintained the principles of that Party. Abraham was a very close friend of Jesse James and he would come to Clifton City to visit. The bank closed in 1929 . By: Carolyn Aggeler BANK DIVIDENDS Today most of us would not consider a bank that did not pay interest or "dividends" on our savings account. It is interesting to note that the Bank of Pleasant Green didn’t pay any dividends until it had an accumulated a certified surplus, an amount equal to the capital stock, which was in 1913. From 1913 to 1919 it paid an average dividend of 15 per cent. ​ Most of these banks were capitalized with $10,000. Not much by today’s standards, but then, $10,000 went a lot further a hundred years ago than it does today. Source: Elizabeth Davis, Historically Yours ​ ​ Citizens Bank of Pilot Grove October 29, 1929, went down in history as Black Tuesday, and America went from the Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression. Banks failed and millions of people lost their jobs, homes, and life savings. ​ Things were still bad in November 1932, but Henry A. Seltsam, cashier and secretary of the Citizens Bank of Pilot Grove, had a plan. It was a daring plan that Seltsam presented to the bank directors on Monday, November 7, 1932. ​ “It is not fair to the faithful to permit steady withdrawals to undermine the bank’s stability, and then be forced to close with subsequent division of the remainder. I favor closing the bank tomorrow. “There is one chance to save it. If all the depositors will sign a moratorium not to draw out for 18 months what they now have on deposit, we can save the bank.” ​ After much discussion and planning, the plan was accepted. All banks were closed the following day for the Presidential election, but the Citizens Bank of Pilot Grove remained closed on Wednesday as well. Working day and night, Seltsam and director Wallace Burger began collecting signatures. The catch: the voluntary impounding of funds would not go into effect until, and unless, 100 per cent of the depositors signed the agreement. Every depositor had an opinion about the plan, but most agreed the bank must be saved. Finally, with the signatures of all depositors, the bank re-opened and deposits grew. Pilot Grove might have been on the road to recovery, but the nation was not. ​ While signatures were being collected in and around Pilot Grove, the people were voting for a new President. Franklin D. Roosevelt was that man. FDR took office on March 4, 1933, and immediately ordered every depository in the nation closed. After each was audited, only the financially sound were allowed to re-open. And thanks to the foresightedness of Seltsam and the directors, the Citizens Bank of Pilot Grove was one of the first to do so. Source: Pilot Grove Bicentennial COUNTY BANKS AND TRAIN ROBBERIES Pleasant Green - Cooper County’s First Bank robbery took place in Pleasant Green in 1926. The Robbers were finally captured by a Cooper County Sheriff with one arm. Jesse James - The James Gang hits Otterville: Jesse James is probably one of the most notorious outlaws of the Wild West. He is credited with the first daylight bank robbery in the US, although it was probably his "gang" that pulled off the $60,000 heist in Liberty, Missouri, and not Jesse himself. However, there is little doubt that Jesse was an active participant of the 1876 train robbery near Otterville. Wanting to rob a bank in Minnesota, the James-Younger Gang set out to arrange financing for their trip up north by robbing a train in Missouri. They chose a dangerous stretch of tracks called Rocky Cut near Otterville, Missouri, to hold up the train. On the evening of July 7, 1876, eight members of the gang captured the night guard at Rocky Cut and used his lantern to flag down the train. Once stopped, the gang boarded the train, robbed both safes, then disappeared into the night. Not far from there, the gang stopped to split up the money before riding off in separate directions. Today, that location is marked by a stone in a roadside park just east of Otterville. Hobbs Kerry, a new member of the gang, was arrested a few days later and gave up the names of the other seven men involved in the robbery. They were Frank and Jesse James, Cole and Bob Younger, Bill Chadwell, Clell Miller, and Charlie Pitts. For some reason, the third Younger brother, Jim, had not been among them. However, by that time, the gang was headed north to Northfield, Minnesota, where their planned bank robbery ended in failure in more ways than one. Bill Chadwell and Clell Miller were killed during the hold up. Charlie Pitts was killed when Bob, Jim, and Cole Younger were captured. Only Frank and Jesse James made it out of Minnesota. Bob Younger died of tuberculosis on September 16, 1889, while still in prison. Jim and Cole Younger were paroled, but Jim committed suicide on October 19, 1902. Jesse James was murdered on April 3, 1882, by gang member Robert Ford for the $5,000 reward on Jesse's head. However, Ford was never able to collect. After giving up their lives of crime, Frank James died February 18, 1915, and Cole Younger died March 21, 1916. ​ Source: "Discover Cooper County" by Ann Betteridge ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ A blackberry cobbler recipe by Zerelda James, Jesse James' mother ​

COOPER COUNTY BANKS & TRAIN ROBBERIES COOPER COUNTY BANKS & TRAIN ROBBERIES Pleasant Green - Cooper County’s First Bank robbery took place in Pleasant Green in 1926. The Robbers were finally captured by a Cooper County Sheriff with one arm. Jesse James - The James Gang hits Otterville: Jesse James is probably one of the most notorious outlaws of the Wild West. He is credited with the first daylight bank robbery in the US, although it was probably his "gang" that pulled off the $60,000 heist in Liberty, Missouri, and not Jesse himself. However, there is little doubt that Jesse was an active participant of the 1876 train robbery near Otterville. Wanting to rob a bank in Minnesota, the James-Younger Gang set out to arrange financing for their trip up north by robbing a train in Missouri. They chose a dangerous stretch of tracks called Rocky Cut near Otterville, Missouri, to hold up the train. On the evening of July 7, 1876, eight members of the gang captured the night guard at Rocky Cut and used his lantern to flag down the train. Once stopped, the gang boarded the train, robbed both safes, then disappeared into the night. Not far from there, the gang stopped to split up the money before riding off in separate directions. Today, that location is marked by a stone in a roadside park just east of Otterville. Hobbs Kerry, a new member of the gang, was arrested a few days later and gave up the names of the other seven men involved in the robbery. They were Frank and Jesse James, Cole and Bob Younger, Bill Chadwell, Clell Miller, and Charlie Pitts. For some reason, the third Younger brother, Jim, had not been among them. However, by that time, the gang was headed north to Northfield, Minnesota, where their planned bank robbery ended in failure in more ways than one. Bill Chadwell and Clell Miller were killed during the hold up. Charlie Pitts was killed when Bob, Jim, and Cole Younger were captured. Only Frank and Jesse James made it out of Minnesota. Bob Younger died of tuberculosis on September 16, 1889, while still in prison. Jim and Cole Younger were paroled, but Jim committed suicide on October 19, 1902. Jesse James was murdered on April 3, 1882, by gang member Robert Ford for the $5,000 reward on Jesse's head. However, Ford was never able to collect. After giving up their lives of crime, Frank James died February 18, 1915, and Cole Younger died March 21, 1916. ​ Source: Discover Cooper County by Ann Betteridge Zerelda James Samuel & Mary James, daughter of Jesse James at the James Home in Kearney MO. Zerelda lost her right hand when a bomb that the Pinkerton's tossed through one of the windows in the home. Zerelda picked up the bomb trying to get rid of it when it went off. Reuben & Zerelda James Samuel at the James Home. Lady on right unknown, possibly Mary James, daughter of Jesse James. A blackberry cobbler recipe by Zerelda James, Jesse James' mother. Zerelda James Samuel mother of Jesse James standing by his gravestone at the James Home in Kerney, MO.