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COOPER COUNTY RIVERS & STREAMS RIVER TALK “Headwater ” is the origin point of a stream. “Mouth ” is where it empties into another body of water. Thus the headwaters of the Lamine are in Pettis County while its mouth is in Cooper County on the Missouri River. A “Tributary ” is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stream (or parent) river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. A “Confluence” is where two or more bodies of water meet together, and usually refers to the joining of tributaries. A “Spring ” is a point at which water from an aquifer flows to the surface. A “Seep ” is a wet or moist place where groundwater oozes to the surface. A “Creek ” is a natural stream of water normally smaller than and often tributary to a river. A “Stream ” source can be from a spring or it can form at a point where the drainage of rainwater comes together. RIVERS AND STREAMS Cooper County has been blessed with an abundance of water from springs, creeks, streams and rivers. The two main rivers are the Lamine and the Blackwater. The main creek is the Petite Saline. After joining the Missouri River, the water travels to the Mississippi River and down to the Gulf of Mexico. The LAMINE RIVER is a 63.8-mile- tributary of the Missouri River in Cooper County. It is formed in northern Morgan County , about 4 miles southeast of Otterville by the confluence of the Flat and Richland creeks, and flows generally northwardly through Cooper and Pettis counties. In northwestern Cooper County the Lamine collects water from the Blackwater River and flows into the Missouri River northeast of Lamine and 6 miles west of Boonville . At Clifton City, the river has a mean annual discharge of 455 cubic feet per second. Below the mouth of the Blackwater River, its discharge averages 1,279 cubic feet per second. The river was named by French explorers for the mining operations in the area, the river has also been known as "La Mine River" and as "Riviere a la Mine." Source: Wikipedia The water from Chouteau Springs (two clear water and 3 Sulphur water springs) in Pilot Grove Township flows into Chouteau Creek then into the Lamine, which eventually reaches the Missouri River. These springs discharge water at the rate of ten gallons per minute or 14,400 gallons per day. The BLACKWATER RIVER is formed by the confluence of the North Fork Blackwater River and the South Fork Blackwater River in Johnson County approximately 6 miles northwest of Warrensburg . The river flows generally east-northeastwardly through Johnson, Pettis , Saline and Cooper counties, past the towns of Sweet Springs and Blackwater . It flows into the Lamine River in northwestern Cooper County, approximately 4 miles southeast of Blackwater. The Blackwater River is 16 miles longer than the Lamine River, of which it is a tributary. The Blackwater River is a 79.3-mile-long tributary of the Lamine River via the Lamine and Missouri rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River . The Blackwater River was named from the character of its banks and water. Source: Wikipedia PETITE SALINE CREEK is a stream in Cooper , Moniteau and Morgan Counties. It is a tributary of the Missouri River . Petite Saline Creek was so named for the salty character of its water. The stream source area is along the Morgan-Moniteau county line just north of U.S. Route 50 two miles east of Syracuse and three miles west of Tipton at an elevation of about 920 feet. The stream flows north into Cooper County crossing under, and flowing parallel to, the west side of Missouri Route 5 . The stream turns east again crossing under Route 5 just south of Billingsville . The stream flows generally east passing under Missouri Route 87 southeast of Boonville . The stream continues east to southeast passing under Missouri Route 179 south of Wooldridge . The stream enters the Missouri River bottom just south of Wooldridge in eastern Cooper County and the confluence with the Missouri is in the northern corner of Moniteau County across the river from McBaine and an elevation of 564 feet. Lewis and Clark passed by the Petite Saline on June 6, 1804 and made mention of this creek in their journals. ‘Passed the mouth of a creek called ‘saline’ or ‘salt’ creek. This river is about 30 yards wide and has so many licks and salt springs on its banks that water of the creek is brackish. One very large lick is 9 miles up on the left side. The water of this spring is strong. So much so, that it is said one bushel will make 7 pounds of good salt.” Source: Wikipedia COVERED BRIDGES There once were five covered bridges in Cooper County: Crawford, Hurt, Connors, Shoemaker, and Big Lick. They all spanned the Petite Saline Creek. All the covered bridges were replaced many years ago by either metal or concrete structures. Sadly, there are no known photos of any of the covered bridges in Cooper County. This is a sketch of the covered bridge on highway 5 between Boonville and Billingsville by Florence Friederichs. The Swinging Bridge Pretend you are a child in 1930 and your dad is going to drive you across the brand-new swinging bridge for the first time. You are tall enough to see the steep hill going up to the bridge. The truck starts across the wide boards that don't look a bit safe. You dad is driving very slowly, but you can hear creaking and bumping of the metal against metal and the wooden planks. You press your nose against the passenger window and see the dirt-brown Lamine River looming 30 feet below. The trip across the 231-foot bridge seems to take too long. Then comes the stomach-churning descent on the other side. Your dad shuts off the engine and you hop out to watch vehicles behind you crossing. Some drivers turn around, not brave enough to venture across. When the bridge is empty, your dad reaches out his hand and says, “Let's walk across.” Your heart pounds at the thought. He grabs your hand, leading you up the steep hill. A gentle breeze causes the bridge to sway. You take one step and another until both feet are planted on one of the wooden boards. The world is moving beneath your feet, pitching and rolling, like a carnival ride. Your dad tells you that farmers wanted a bridge built northwest of Pleasant Green, Missouri. They hired a man named Joe Dice, who had built other bridges like this one. A lot of local people helped build this bridge. Your dad showed you two thick groups of wires that helped reinforce the structure. More than 300 individual wires make up each bunch. Two 22-foot-deep holes on each end of the bridge were filled with hand-made concrete that served to anchor the bridge. Pretend now, it's 1994 and you are an old person. You see the bridge floor collapsed from heavy flooding, sinking into the river. It is no longer safe. The Cooper County Historical Society tries to save it, but the cost is too expensive. In 1996, you stand and watch as the bridge is removed from the Lamine River. You think back and can almost feel that bridge swaying beneath your feet. Swinging Bridge near Lamine Underside of Swinging Bridge over Lamine Old Bridge over Lamine River

DID YOU MISS OUT ON THE “GOOD OLD DAYS”? 1939 Boonville Movie Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Below are the time codes for each person identified in the movie LAMMERS VIDEO PRODUCTIONS Wayne Lammers, Producer/Director 1509 Jefferson Drive Boonville, MO 65233 lammers.video.productions@gmail.com Phone: 660-621-0135

FUNERALS & FUNERAL HOMES American funeral traditions can vary so much among communities. Regardless of the individual's beliefs or societal group, funerals have one thing in common; they are meant to give people an opportunity to honor and say "goodbye" to someone they loved. Mourning the Dead: Funeral Practices in 1870 until 1900 Since the beginn ing of time, death has played a role in the lives of every person. Disease, the lack of proper nutrition, the lack of sanitary conditions, childbirth, and the lack of medical knowledge often played a role in the average life span. In pre-Civil War America, mourning and funerals were deeply personal. The Civil War, however, brought new meaning to death in America. The war’s casualties brought about the need for creating new practices in the funeral industry, and by the end of the Civil War, those new practices had changed the way Americans mourned their loved ones. The 1900s saw funeral practices, and mourning customs started to shift even more to private affairs. To better understand the shift in customs and practices, it is essential to understand where they started. In pre-Civil War America, death, though familiar and a part of everyday life was deeply personal. Funerals took place in the home, with women and men from the community assisting the family in preparing the body for burial by washing and laying out the body. Someone would sit up with the body for three days to ensure that death had occurred, and the men would dig graves. In other words, only those who knew the family closely would actively participate in ensuring a proper funeral. However, the Civil War would actively change the practice. Mourning customs, however, did not change as much during the war era. According to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, men were not exempt from mourning customs. They did, however, have it significantly easier than women. The appropriate mourning attire consisted of a dark or black suit with a black armband or hatband for men. Mourning expectations for widowers did not exceed three months. Unlike their counterpart, widows remained in mourning for two and a half years. Dress for women in mourning encompassed three stages – Deep Mourning, Second Mourning, and Half Mourning. In a deep mourning period, women wore black dresses with no trim, and the only acceptable jewelry was jet—furthermore, women in deep mourning worn long veils initially made of crepe. Due to health concerns, however, the crepe veils were discontinued. Each subsequent mourning stage lessened the restrictions upon women based upon colors they could and could not wear. Additionally, mourning was dependent upon the individual that died. "Mourning should be worn" said a professed authority, For a husband or wife, from one to two years, though some widows retain their mourning for life. Queen Victoria of England wore black dresses for the rest of her life after the death of her beloved husband Albert. For a parent or grandparent, from six months to a year. For children above ten years of age, from six months to a year; for those below that age, from three to six months; and for an infant, six or seven weeks. For brothers and sisters, six to eight months. For uncles and aunts, three to six months. For cousins, or uncles or aunts related by marriage, from six weeks to three months. For more distant relatives or friends, from three weeks to as many months, according to the degree of intimacy. Additionally, there are rules about receiving visitors, sending and receiving mail, and invitations and announcements for the deceased. The Civil War Brought the Advent of Embalming This process preserved the body to prevent decomposition from occurring immediately, enabling bodies to be shipped from the battlefield to home. In many cases, the embalming process occurred on the battlefield, and the body was delivered to their home’s front door. In April 1865 and the two-week viewing and travel schedule that finally took him home to Springfield, Illinois, the death of Abraham Lincoln created a powerful marketing tool for the idea of a non-decomposing body. This new marketing tool paved the way for the undertaker to earn an income by selling his services. The late 1800s through to the early 1900s saw professional undertakers’ creation, with schools for morticians as they now would be called forming around 1882. Funerals moved out of the home and into newly created funeral parlors. Caskets became more of what we know today, and the process and responsibility for preparing the body for burial no longer fell to the women of the community. Though, in rural areas, this remained the exception. One such funeral home is the Diuguid Funeral Home, located in Lynchburg, VA. According to their website, the Diuguid Funeral Home is the second oldest funeral home in America and the first one in Virginia. Started by Sampson Diuguid, a hand-carved furniture maker known for his craftsmanship, the Funeral Home started by happenstance rather than design. As his reputation grew for his furniture, Diuguid started receiving requests for coffins. On an exciting note, the Diuguid’s are responsible for designing and creating a church truck, which in the funeral industry allows for the casket to move up church aisles without the need for pallbearers to carry it. The cost of funerals in 1870 varied from anywhere from $30 to $75, or more for the very wealthy. Source: The Solitary Historian Note: In sending letters of condolence, announcements of death and sending letters of acknowledgment from received letters, the paper was always edged in black. Source: Schmitt, “Home Funeral History,” For Fashionable Mour ning By 1900, funeral practices and mourning customs started to shift. Though most of the mourning clothing remained the same, there are slight differences in the styles. Fabrics also changed, and it was increasingly popular to purchase mourning clothing instead of making it at home. Additionally, prices did not necessarily reflect change so much as it did the financial standing of the family paying for the funeral. Funeral homes tended to charge those who were well off more for their funerals than someone who could not afford it. In fact, in Lynchburg, VA there was an Overseer of the Poor who often paid for the services provided by the funeral at a significantly lower cost. The ledgers of the Diuguid Funeral Home in 1900 changed significantly from a hand-written ledger to a pre-printed ledger that recorded more information such as cause of death and much of the information that can now be found on death certificates. In fact, their records are so detailed that should a record not exist for an individual with the State records it is highly possible that Diuguid’s records contain what any researcher or genealogist may need to locate. Source: The Delineator, October 1900. A Special Architectural Feature In the 1800's and early 1900's, until about the time of World War I, funerals were mostly a quiet family affair held at home. Funerals were held in the parlor with family and a few close friends in attendance. Since families tended to be larger than today, the second floor of most homes was devoted to sleeping quarters. In many homes at this time, the stairs to the second floor went straight up, reached a small platform (or "landing"), and then, the stairs turned to the left with about 4-5 additional steps to reach the second floor. When a family member died, they were placed in a casket and carried downstairs. If the pallbearers were not very careful, they would accidentally bang the casket into the wall when they turned, and descended the stairs, thus damaging the plaster on the wall. An interesting architectural idea helped save many walls from damage. It was called an "alcove" and was a recessed area in the wall at the top of the stairs, just before the turn to the left was made. A small portion of the wall, about waist high, was gently curved inward, about six to eight inches, so that when the casket came down the stairs to the landing, it could be moved into the alcove without damaging the wall. When not in use, the alcove was used as a decorative area containing a sculpture, a vase of silk flowers or other decorative items. Very few alcoves are left today as they were later plastered over and made to look like a regular wall. Here is a photo of a Cooper County home that chose to keep the alcove, but covered it entirely with a painting. No longer do families build homes with funerals in mind, and no longer does the deceased remain in the home until burial. Funeral Services have altered significantly the way that families mourn. The death of a loved one went from a very private showing to a more reserved public affair. Source: Editor, Barbara Dahl Note: In sending letters of condolence, announcements of death and sending letters of acknowledgment from received letters, the paper was always edged in black. Source: Schmitt, “Home Funeral History,” FUNERAL HOMES IN COOP ER COUNTY MISSOURI Currently, there are six active Funeral Homes in Cooper County. They are: Howard Funeral Home Boonville (formerly Davis) H T May & Son Funeral Home Boonville Markland-Yager Funeral Home Boonville Meisenheimer-Page-Dady Funeral Home Pilot Grove Meisenheimer-Page-Dady Funeral Home in Otterville (Goodman and Boller) William Wood (Thatcher-Wood) Funeral Home in Boonville Funeral Homes/Chapels Cooper County funeral homes seem to have changed ownership infrequently, but no one is quite sure about the date of founding or the date the name was changed to a new owner. One thing that is unique about the buildings where they reside, is that in the early to mi d 1900's, some of the funeral homes also served as the local hardware or furniture store. Davis Funeral Home was started by John Davis of Boonville. He sold it to Chris Howard who had been an employee. Chris renamed it to Howard Funeral home. John Davis said he always wanted to be an undertaker in the funeral business. Before William Wood Funeral Home came into being, is was Goodman and Boller Funeral Service. It was located in downtown Boonville at the Hittner building. William Wood served his apprenticeship under Mr. Goodman and Mr. Boller in 1947. William Wood then purchased a funeral home in Aurora, Mo. when Mr. Goodman died around 1954, Mr. Boller asked William Wood to move back to Boonville and become his partner. The funeral home had relocated to 517 Fourth Street by then where it still resides. Years later after Mr. Boller died it became Thacher-Wood, Inc. Fun Fact: My mom took me to the funeral home in Pilot Grove and there was a cute little you tea set that I really wanted. I was around 5 years old and would occasionally still suck my thumb. My grandfather promised me the tea set if I quit and I immediately did! I loved that tea set! Source: Kathy Murdock Thacher-Wood Funeral H omes Berry Thacher was born in Odessa, Mo and was childhood friends of the folks that owned the funeral home there. He spent a lot of time at the funeral home. Later in life after successful sales careers in Michigan and Texas he decided that he would like to buy a funer al home in a small town in Missouri and raise a family there. He heard that there was a funeral home for sale in Boonville, Mo at that time called Stegner Funeral Hom e located at 629 E. Morgan Street. Berry could not get off work to visit the funeral home so his wife, Frances Jorgensen Thacher made the trip to Boonville from Kansas City by herself to look at the facility and talk numbers, etc. She went back home and they decided that they would purchase the facility although it needed quite a bit of repair and cleaning. This was in the 1950s when they moved to Boonville with their son, Frank B. Thacher II who was in the first grade I believe. Berry and Frances began working on the funeral home and made the second floor of the house into an apartment where they lived until 1971 when they moved to a house on High Street. They lived in Boonville for the rest of their lives and are buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery. Some years later, perhaps in the mid 1960s, Berry and Frances bought a small funeral chapel in Prairie Home which was owned by Albert and Lorene Hornbeck. The Hornbeck’s owned a Hardware store which was next door to the funeral home on the square in Prairie Home. They were getting older and wanted to just focus on their hardware business. It became known as the Hornbeck-Thacher Funeral Chapel. It was open for many years until it burned down and the chapel was moved to another location in downtown Prairie Home. It closed some years later. Before the advent of cell phones, fax machines, call forwarding, etc., the funeral business entailed a great deal of time sitting inside beside a phone waiting for it to ring. A lot of time was spent being “on call”. Berry and Frances and Bill and Ruth each were wanting to have more free time while still attending to business. In the 1960s I believe they got together and talked about forming a corporation in which they would have more “time on/time off” while still taking care of business. They would keep the individual funeral homes but would work together. Berry always told the story that they consulted one of the larger funeral enterprises in Kansas City and they said “well it hasn’t been done, but it’s a great idea and you should try it”. So Thacher-Wood was born with William and Ruth Wood and Berry and Frances Thacher as the co-owners. In subsequent years, Frank Thacher and Charles Murdock (The Woods son-in-law) went to Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science and came back to Boonville to join the family corporation. In the year 2000, owners Charley and Kathy Murdock and Frank and Julie Thacher sold the corporation to Stewart Enterprises. Stewart Enterprises bought the name rights and it continued to be called Thacher-Wood Funeral Homes. Today the facility at 629 E. Morgan is a private home owned by Tanner and Casey Wendleton Bechtel. Other information: Kathy Wood Murdock and Julia Tuttle Thacher were both certified Funeral Directors by the State of Missouri. We were not licensed embalmers. Source: Julie Thacher This is a late picture of the “Princess” Theater in Bunceton. It was built in 1925 as a movie theater seating 233 people for silent movies. Once the “talkies” became popular, it was closed. It later became the HT May & Sons, Funeral Chapel and a furniture store. Later, it became a laundromat and finally a bar. Today it has been converted to apartments. Mentally paint the building white and add some gold paint to the ornate trim and you can imagine what the building looked like in the late 1930’s. Source: Kathy Wood Murdock May Funeral H ome's History The May funeral home was originally started in 1922 by my grandfather H.J. May’s uncle H.R. Martin. He operated the H.R. Martin funeral home until his death in 1925. I was told his original building waa the old victory cleaners building on Morgan street in Boonville. I believe Taylor’s Bakery now owns that space. It was at the time that my grandfather Holwell J. May (H.J.) took over the business. According to my father, my grandfather had some sort of agreement with James Stegner of Stegner funeral home to rent a small portion of the funeral home as needed, at times most of the funerals in the black community were held at the church. My father H.T. May said that at that time when you would come in the side door at what later became the Thacher funeral home, there was a small room where the black families were able to view but not hold services. This continued until the funeral home was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Thacher in the 1950s, then my grandfather H.J. May moved the business to 814 Porter Street in Boonville which is next to the current YMCA swimming pool. The business operated at this location until 1969. My father H.T. went to Worsham Mortuary School in 1960-61 in Chicago, IL. He then came home to Boonville to help his father run the business in Boonville. In 1969, the current day location at 405 Sycamore was purchased and the business was moved there. H.J. May died in 1974 and my father then took over the running of the business. I went to Dallas Institute of Mortuary Service in August of 1979 and graduated in August of 1980. I worked with my father until his death in 2005. At that time my mother Estelle May and I continued the operation. My son Howell J. May II then entered the Kansas City Kansas School of Mortuary Science and graduated in July 2011. Currently we operate the Boonville location. By: Thomas May History of Hays-Painter Funeral Home Bob Painter was born in Bellair and raised on a farm near there. He graduated from Pilot Grove High School in 1932 and farmed on his family farm. Bob became interested in being an undertaker. In the late 1930s, he enrolled in, and graduated, from the Kansas City School of Embalming in Kansas City, Kansas. After graduating, he worked in the Kansas City area for Newcomers Funeral Homes. Later, he worked in Concordia for a funeral home there. When Mr. Stoecklein retired, Bob joined Stoecklein–Hays Funeral Home in Pilot Grove. They owned a funeral home in Otterville. In 1940, Bob became a partner with Earl Hays, forming Hay s -Painter Funeral Home. The Pilot Grove Facility was a Funeral Home and Furniture hardware store. They sold furniture, paint, linoleum, wallpapers, appliances, and even lawnmowers. This business model was common for funeral homes. The funeral home also offered an Ambulance Service. The equipment was a station wagon with an ambulance cot and red lights. Most people were transported to the hospital in Boonville or Columbia. The Boonville police would wait at the bottom of Golf Link Hill and escort the ambulance through town. The Ambulance part ended in 1974 when the business was sold, and Cooper County established an Ambulance District at the hospital. After Pearl Harbor, Bob enlisted in the Navy and, being 29 years old, was made a Pharmacist Mate. He was over a hospital section in Scotland treating the wounded. Note: In the Navy, Morticians were often assigned to Fleet Marine Service (combat medic services). In 1950, he married Jo Gettel, who he met in Kansas City; they had two children, Pan and Bobby. In 1960, Mr. Hays retired. Bob continued as Hay’s Painter until 1974, when he sold the business to Wayne Woodard of Woodard Funeral Homes in California, MO. The store was closed and made into the casket display room and Senior Center. Carl Bo Hayne worked with Bob in the early 60’s and into the 70s. Andy Newman also worked and helped on many things. In 1976, Wayne Woodard sold the Funeral Home to Ed and Ken Misenhiemer; they ran the business, opening a home in Tipton in the 80s. They died, and the business was sold to the Hueletts, they operated the business until 2020. It was sold to the Page-Dady Funeral Home. By: Bob Painter Funeral Homes Provided Ambulan ce Service Back in those days the ambulance service was also provided by the funeral homes. Frank said the “ambulance” was a station wagon a nd they only carried a bottle of oxygen and a cot in it. Berry said they only had one person die in transit in all the years they provided that service. I believe that the cost for transporting someone was $5. As medical care changed so did the ambulance business. Cooper County took over the ambulance business and Berry Thacher and William Wood were more than happy to donate the keys to their 2 station wagons to the County after many years of making ambulance calls all over the county at all times of the day and night! I can’t remember the exact year but it could probably be accessed from the Cooper County Ambulance Service. Local Funeral Ads Steve Twenter shared these ads from his collection from the “Advertiser”: July 31th, 1953 May 28th, 1937 May 28th, 1937 July 25th, 1952 July 25th, 1952 July 25th, 1952 July 21th, 1939 July 25th, 1941 July 25th, 1941 July 26th, 1946 July 25th, 1941 July 26th, 1946 July 26th, 1940 July 26th, 1940 July 26th, 1946 July 26th, 1940 July 26th, 1940 July 26th, 1940 July 26th, 1940 July 27th, 1945 July 27th, 1945 July 26th, 1940

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.”

The Cooper County Historical Society is a nonprofit 501© (3) organization, founded in 1990, with a focus on collecting and preserving documents, records, historical books and other historical information on Cooper County. We have a free research library to assist the public in finding the information. THANK YOU, HANNAH COLE Picture of the Hannah Cole statue P rior to the coming of the Cole families, what would someday become Cooper County was explored by several early explorers starting with Charles Ravensway in 1658, Daniel Boone in 1799 and later Lewis and Clark in1803-1804 after Missouri became a state. The area was already well known to fur traders. Hannah Allison Cole must have been a very adventuresome, determined, courageous and hardy woman. She was a widow, and almost 50, when she crossed the Missouri River in something similar to a large canoe, called a “dugout” or “pirogue.” She was accompanied by her nine children, her beloved slave Lucy, her sister Phoebe, and Stephan, her husband, and their five children. That’s 18 people in a hollowed-out log, which was usually 15 to 18 feet long. The pirogue or dugout would usually be maneuvered through the water by men using long poles. Although explorers and trappers visited what was to become Missouri in the 1600’s and later, the Coles were the first white families to settle on the South side of the Missouri River. When the family crossed the Missouri River, just before Christmas in 1810, the river was swift and full of ice. Evidently, the men made two trips across the river, the first to carry the women and children to their planned destination, plus swim their stock across the river. The second, to retrieve supplies and provisions that could not fit in the boat on the first trip across the river. That second trip also included dismantling their wagon and bringing it, and probably tools and seeds to the other side of the river. However, the day after they made their initial trip across the river, there was an violent storm. Due to the raging river and ice, the men had to wait eleven days before they could retrieve their wagon and supplies. As the family probably had no little or food with them in the dugout, all they had to eat were acorns, slippery elm bark and one wild turkey. Due to the bad weather, game would have been hard to find, and since it was December, most of the acorns would be gone. That must have been very disheartening for the 18 members of the family. Yet, they all survived! Hannah’s family constructed a small cabin near the river’s edge just up from where Boonville is located today. They lived peacefully for a year or so until there was an Indian uprising, encouraged by the British, known today as the War of 1812 (Yes, the same war when we fought the British and they burned Washington). By this time there were other hardy souls who had crossed the river for a new life in the newly opened territory. Later, for protection, a fort was built on a rocky, very steep bluff that jutted out almost to the river. Looking at the property today, which is still very heavily wooded, you will wonder “how in the world, did they get up there,” as the location had to be reached by climbing through the dense, almost vertical virgin forest and then down a very steep forested hill. Hannah must have been a very giving person who really loved people. During the Indian uprising she invited other families to stay in her fort, providing them a safe place to live. She eventually found teachers to provide education for the children, and preachers to provide hope and inspiration to everyone. The fort had many other uses after the War. Click here for more information

EARLY NEWSPAPERS The "Boonville Herald," the first newspaper in Cooper County, was established in 1834 by James O. Middleton and edited by Benjamin E. Ferry. Four years later, Robert Brent bought a half interest in the paper and its name was changed to "The Western Emigrant." The second newspaper in Cooper County appeared the following year to assist in the 1840 election campaign. The "Missouri Register" was published by William T. Yoeman was the first Democratic paper in western Missouri. Both newspapers changed name and ownership several times over the following years, but neither survived the American Civil War. Although Boonville was the county seat, other newspapers were created within Cooper County. Bunceton, for many years the second largest town in Cooper County, boasted several newspapers over the years. The "Bunceton Enterprise", "The Bunceton Eagle", "The Bunceton News", and "The Bunceton Tribune" all contributed to local news. The last to fold was "The Bunceton Eagle" in 1943. Pilot Grove also boasted a number of newspapers in its past. The earliest, "The Pilot Grove Record," was established in 1880. "The Pilot Grove Bee" was another early paper in Pilot Grove although its exact date of operation is not documented. Other papers that have come and gone include: "The Cooper County Leader," "Pilot Grove Herald," Pilot Grove Enterprise," and "The Sentinel-Star" which went out of business in 1952. Otterville had two newspapers, the "Otterville Weekly" and "The War Eagle & Camp Journal of the Army of the West," start publication during the Civil War in 1861. Other papers appeared after the war: "The Little Missourian" and "The Otterville Mail" which closed in 1924. The town was without a newspaper until 1958 when "The Otterville Community News," began operations. Blackwater, too, at one time had its own newspaper. "The Blackwater News," which was established in 1892, ceased publication in 1923. Boonville, as the county seat, had the largest population and the most newspapers. Some of the names from this list are merely name changes while others are new papers: "Boonville Herald", "Missouri Register", "Boonville Observer", "Boonville Commercial Bulletin", "Weekly Democrat", "Boonville Weekly Observer", "Central Missourian", "Boonville Weekly Patriot", "Fifth Iowa Register", "Central Missouri Advertiser", and the "Boonville Monitor". None of these papers survived the Civil War. Other papers came after the war, papers such as "The Boonville Eagle", the "Boonville Missouri Advertiser", the "Central Missourier", and "The Weekly Topic". Today, with economical and technological changes, Boonville is down to one newspaper, "The Boonville Daily News". These are the newspapers that were published in Early Cooper County from about 1910 to current date. Many of these early papers have few or no issues left in existence, so information is slim for most of them. Research: Ray Owens BLACKWATER Blackwater Advance Blackwater Wave Blackwater Echo Blackwater Times Blackwater News BOONVILLE Between 1900 and 1930 The Boonville Advertiser was the main Democratic paper and the Central Missouri Republican was the main Republican paper. Eventually the two papers merged under one owner and became the Boonville Daily News, that is still in operation. BUNCETON Bunceton Enterprise Bunceton Telegram Bunceton Weekly Eagle Bunceton News Bunceton Tribune OTTERVILLE War Eagle (Civil War Military paper) The First Division Proclamation (Civil War Military Paper) Otterville Weekly Otterville Argus Otterville Call Otterville Mail Otterville Community News (Still running) PILOT GROVE Pilot Grove Bee Pilot Grove Mirror Cooper County Leader Pilot Grove Herald Pilot Grove Enterprise Pilot Grove Record Pilot Grove Star Pilot Grove Sentinel-Star WOOLDRIDGE Wooldridge Star Source: Ray Owens EARLY COOPER COUNTY NEWSPAPER ARTICLES Here are a few political comments from the September 1, 1916, Boonville Weekly Advertiser. “During a recent short trip across the Canadian border, Mr. Hughes was held up and his car searched for explosives. As there was nothing more dangerous than his Detroit speech, he and his party were liberated very promptly. ”As a mud slinger, a chronic scold, Judge Hughes is the greatest candidate ever placed before the public for any office.” “ ‘The only thing needed to carry Missouri,’ says the Globe-Democrat, ‘is a proper campaign.’ Not the only thing;--a proper candidate, a proper platform, proper issues and a proper party behind all these might help some.” Other changes between 1916 and 2016 focus on finances and the cost of living. Central National Bank, for instance, paid 2% interest on checking accounts, 3% on 6-months deposits, and 4% on 12-months deposits. Today, few if any types of bank deposits make even 2%. Cigarettes on the other hand are sky-high. The cheapest brand today is over $2 a pack, but Chesterfield’s, one of the premium brands in 1916, were only 10-cents a pack. And used National Cash Register registers were advertised on sale between 5-cents and $10. The listed new price was $175. Need a place to live? You might be able to find a studio apartment today for $250 a month. In 1916? “House for Rent—Four rooms, water in kitchen, price $9. South Third Street.” Back then, water in kitchen was a good thing. Today, it means ‘fixer upper.’ Source: "Historically Yours "by Elizabeth Davis. NEWSPAPER ARTICLES 90+ YEARS AGO Reporting the news has changed a lot over the years. Today one has only to punch a button on a smart phone to get international news as it happens. In our early days, colonists relied on newspapers. While newspapers are still around, they have changed dramatically - they can even be read online. Many magazines have stopped printing all together and gone to electronic versions. But what were newspapers like before all this modern technology changed us into an instant gratification generation? “The Cooper County Republican” was established in 1929 and published every Tuesday. Here are some of the headlines that appeared on the front page of the January 18, 1938, issue. “Roosevelt Vetoes Bill to Hike Hourly Pay of Postal Char-workers” “Improvement Shown in Missouri Public Schools” “Daily Papers Protest Rise in Paper Prices” Other news which appeared as short announcements included the following: FDR held a press conference (before the Recession Parley) that all Holding Companies had to go; a photo and caption: “FDR’s Recession Parley--Labor Leader John Lewis and Financier Owen D. Young leaving the White House and being interviewed by reporters”; and “St. Louis—UAWA Strikers Receive First Ford Peace Offer”. Ford’s seniority list would include UAWA members and consent to a Union election. In return, they asked the Union to call off the strike and withdraw all charges of unfair practices. The front page included local news as well. “Pythian Notice: The first bridge party to be held after the Christmas holidays will be held at Caste Hall here tomorrow evening at 8 o’clock. All members, their family and friends are urged to attend.” Funerals, marriage licenses, and birth announcements were also included in local news. Inside pages: Today, some papers print books reviews. In the 1930s, “The Cooper County Republican” printed whole chapters. One issue might have Chapter 1 then skip two weeks and print Chapter 6. One could never read the whole book in the paper, but it was entertaining and led to sales. HIPPA is responsible for some of the changes. Announcements like, “Mrs. Jones and new baby dismissed from St. Joseph Hospital,” and “Mr. Smith underwent an operation this morning at St. Joseph Hospital” are no longer allowed due to privacy laws. While the story of a man robbed and left beaten on the side of the road would still make it into today’s news, it’s highly unlikely that a picture of him in his hospital bed, caption reading, “semi-conscious patient with brain damage”, would be allowed. These are just a few of the changes that have taken place in newspapers over the past 80 years. Who knows what another 80 years will bring. Adapted from: " Historically Yours " by Elizabeth Davis Otterville Newspaper was named Otterville Mail In 1872, J.L. Johnson, established the Otterville Call paper. After a short time he sold it to James Eubank, a prominent teacher of Otterville. Eubank, after a short time sold it to Frank Varner, also a resident of the town. Mr. Varner then leased it to Pearce & Holman, soon after taking charge they changed its name to the Cooper County Mail. Pearce & Holman ran the paper one year, when it passed on to G.P Garland, an old newspaper man. The Mail is an independent local paper, advocating no political doctrine except that of good government. Mr. Garland edits a paper which redounds much credit to Otterville. Mr. Garland died in 1939 in Otterville at the age of 96. Missouri’s 29th Lt. Governor born in Bellair, Missouri Newspapers S. W. Crossley was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, on November 23, 1842. Crossley was a Confederate veteran who fought in the Stonewall Jackson Brigade. After losing an arm in the war he became a noted educator and settled for a time in Bellair, Mo. Professor and Mrs. Crossley’s only son, Wallace Clifford Crossley, was born in Bellair on October 4, 1874. Wallace Crossley grew up in Mexico, Mo., and after high school graduation, he attended William Jewell College in Liberty and the University of Missouri. He returned to Mexico to teach English before his career took him to Warrensburg Normal School, which after several name changes is now the University of Central Missouri. In 1904, Crossley was elected as a Representative to Missouri’s General Assembly. He served three two-year terms under Governors Joseph “Holy Joe” Wingate Polk and Herbert Spencer Hadley. Crossley went into the newspaper business in 1907 when he became publisher of the Journal-Democrat. The two papers had merged in 1876. Following another merger in February 1913, the paper became the Star-Journal. He would continue as published until his death in 1943. Crossley was only out of the General Assembly two years. In 1912, he was returned to Jefferson City for a four-year term as a Senator under Governor Elliot Woolfolk Major. In 1916, Wallace Crossley was elected 29th Lt. Governor of the State of Missouri. He and newly elected Governor Frederick “Fred” Dozier Gardner served from January 8, 1917, to January 10, 1921. It was during these four years that Missouri went from a debt of $2,250,000 to a surplus of $3,500,000. Wallace Clifford Crossley died on December 13, 1943, and is buried in Sunset Hills Cemetery in Warrensburg. J. Melton and Big Sky Park - part of Harley Park Newspapers 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.”

WHAT TO VISIT IN COOPER COUNTY Videos A 10-minute video on a walking tour of homes and buildings in Boonville from the Edward Lang. Collection Note: 12 years ago when the video was made, the tourism building is now the River, Rails and Trails Museum. A 10-minute video trip of interesting homes and buildings in Cooper County from the Edward Lang Collection. A drone's eye view of Boonville as seen on HGTV's Hometown Takeover. Something unique in our area - barn quilts! Note: Tour booklets with directions are available, free of charge, at of charge at: Cooper County Historical Society, River Rails and Trails Museum, The Friends of Historic Boonville and the Chamber of Commerce. HISTORIC MARKERS AT COOPER COUNTY COURTHOUSE War Memorials on the Courthouse grounds Marker honors the Union soldiers killed during the Civil War Plaques in Cooper County Courthouse Honoring Cooper County residents who served in World War II 2 Granite Memorial Benches at Cooper County Courthouse Honoring Veterans of WWII and Viet Nam War North side of Courthouse lawn--Vietnam Veterans Memorial Granite Bench and Tree. Dedicated Nov 11, 2015 by Daughters of the American Revolution, Hannah Cole Chapter South side of Courthouse lawn - WW II Veterans Memorial granite Bench. Dedicated Nov 12, 2018 by Daughters of the American Revolution, Hannah Cole Chapter Courthouse Lawn Marker stating “They died that freedom might not perish from the earth”, Lists names of Cooper County men who died in World War I Marker erected by John A. Hayes, post number 240 GAR to commemorate the battles of June 17, and September 13, 1861 and the capture of Boonville on October 16, 1864 Statue honoring the Boy Scouts of America – 40th anniversary crusade to strengthen the of the American Revolution, marking the Santa Fe Trail, 1821-1921 Inside of Courthouse in the lobby - Plaque listing all Cooper County residents who served in World War II Veterans Memorial Park designed by Missouri sculptor and artist Sabra Tull Meyer, features a beautiful eagle and is located across from the Courthouse on the northwest corner of High and Main Street. The Veterans Memorial Park is located near the Boonville Bridge Route 40. INTERESTING SITES IN BOONVILLE Walking Tour of Boonville – See Rails, Trails and River Museum for map at River, Rail and Trails Museum - Excellent collection of early Boonville artifacts. Free admission - GoBoonville.com Mitchell Antique Car Museum – See River Rails and Trails Museum for tickets at: River, Rails & Trails Museum, Boonville - GoBoonville.com Hain House (contact Friends of Historic Boonville ) Thespian Hall (contact Friends of Historic Boonville ) Old Cooper County Jail and Hanging Barn (See Friends of Historic Boonville ) Boonville Cemeteries (See tour map here ) Boonville Churches (See tour map here ) Hannah Cole Statue in Morgan Street Park on the corner of Morgan and Main Street, Boonville KATY Bridge – walk on the old Railroad Bridge with the iconic lift span which was originally part of the MKT railroad KATY Depot – now the Chamber of Commerce building with an old KATY caboose and train signal lights Walking or driving Tour of Homes on Historic Register – (see Historic Register website information in historic homes section of website) Roslyn Heights State DAR Headquarters – (listed as Johnson, Wilbur T and Rhoda Stevens House on National Register) Currently not open for tours Hotel Frederick and Restaurant Morgan Street Park on corner of Morgan and Main Street, Boonville This park features a statue of Hannah Cole and also bronze busts on pedestals of prominent early Cooper County residents who were very influential in their fields: David Barton, George Caleb Bingham, Frederick T. Kemper, James Milton Turner and Walter Williams. (See more about these men in the Early Personalities section of the website.) Harley Park – Indian Mounds, great view of the Missouri River Bell Park on High Street – great view of the Missouri River Site of Hannah Cole Fort – First Battle of Boonville and First Missouri State Fair on Morgan Street on the east side, site of old hospital. Grand Army of the Republic marker – marks site of the Second battle of Boonville, on East side of old hospital grounds. Additional marker of the Second Battle of Boonville at the Boonville Correctional Center grounds. Veteran's Memorial Park near Boonville Bridge This barn quilt, which hangs in the River, Rails and Trails Museum, was made by the FanAttics Quilt Club of Boonville. It replicates the 20 hand painted Barn Quilts that are on Cooper County barns. FULL AND HALF-DAY TRIPS Outside of Boonville Barn Quilts – See Rails, Trails & River Museum, Cooper County Historical Society, Friends of Historic Boonville or the Chamber of Commerce for tour map Cooper County Cemeteries (See tour map here ) Cooper County Churches (See tour map here ) New Lebanon Presbyterian Church, school, cemetery, Uncle Abe’s Store Mid 1800’s structures in excellent condition Old Schools - New Lebanon, Lamine and Dick’s Mill (See more about schools here ) Cotton - Dick’s School – one of three remaining one room schools in Cooper County and the only remaining mill (Dick’s Mill ) in Cooper County Last Remaining Stage Coach Stop in the County – on Route 5 between Billingsville and the Petite Saline River Santa Fe Trail Head Park in New Franklin Boonslick State Park with the Salt Lick Pilot Grove - Mt. Nebo Baptist Church ; Old Jail and City Hall, City Park – history of Harriman’s Mill and original Millstone; Rural Pilot Grove - Pleasant Green Plantation , Methodist Church and Cemetery; Burwood and Crestmede Tour of Burwood - Hwy 135 by appointment 660-834-3406 KATY Trail bike trail. Brownfield Roadside Park on old Highway 50. Historical Marker overlooking the area of Jesse James train robbery. Warm Springs Ranch Home of Budweiser Clydesdales (off of Interstate 70) Visit Warm Springs Ranch to book your tour Blackwater - Mid-Missouri Museum of Independent Telephone Pioneers A museum showcases a unique collection of telephone equipment and memorabilia. It is housed in a beautiful building that was originally the Bank of Blackwater. Also visit the ”Depot” train station, now the community center, and the old hotel and restaurant. There are a few antique and trendy shops along the very attractive Main Street. A charming step back in time. Arrow Rock – This lovely little river town was once part of Cooper County and was very instrumental in the early settling and development of the County. A corner of the site still overlaps into Cooper County. It features an excellent historical museum , and the old Huston “tavern” still in operation, plus a variety of State Historic Site : Arrow Rock State Historic Site There are many short trips to take in the Boonville area, but also many things that could turn into a full day trip by visiting several unrelated places out in the County. Here is a suggestion for a full day trip: (But bring your own lunch) Take Highway 5 South out of Boonville. Cross I-70 and take Highway 5 towards Billingsville. About 2 ½ miles from I-70, you will see a sign for Billingsville . Turn left, then right and you will see St. John’s United Church of Christ (1866) and the well-kept cemetery . Return to Route 5 (South) and in less than 1/8 mile , on the right side of route 5, you will see a small stone building with a wooden door. This is the last remaining stage stop in Cooper County (1860). Shortly past the stage stop is a bridge over the Petite Saline River. As you drive over it, imagine that you are driving through the long covered wooden bridge that was once spanned the river there. Continue on Route 5, heading south, and in about 31/2 miles, on the right, you will see a sign for Bellair . Look right, through the trees, and you will see the yellow Pauley house , then on the right side you will see the Bellair Methodist Church (1860 ) with its beautiful stained-glass window. Across from the church is the Leonard home, (1913 ) which was once a school. Soon after the Leonard home , on the left of the highway, you will see the magnificent Ravenswood mansion, which is no longer open to visitors. Continue south until you see a sign on the right for the Hannah Cole Roadside Park and Briscoe cemetery . This is the burial place of Hannah Cole and some of her family. Return to route 5 and turn right onto Highway E. You will pass the Mt. Nebo Baptist Church (1856 ) . At the intersection of E and A, turn left onto Route A, which will take you past Crestmede (1865 ) and into New Lebanon. Here you will see the C umberland Presbyterian Church (1860 ) , Uncle Abe’s Country Store (1926 ) , the New Lebanon School (1889 ) and the New Lebanon cemetery . All are in perfect condition. Continue on A to Otterville where there is a Civil War site along the railroad tracks at the Conservation Center . At Otterville pick up Route BB towards Clifton City. BB turns into Route 135. On 135 you will see Burwood (1880 ) which offers tours, and Pleasant Green Plantation (1820 ) . Continue on 135 through Pilot Grove , which is now the second largest town in Cooper County. Pilot Grove is also the home of the CCHS. Stop in on Friday from 9-12 PM. Also see our Barn Quilt and visit our research center . Email us for an appointment: cchs2016@iland.net See the old Calaboose jail. Continue on 135 until you reach Hwy 70 and as you return, remember the great time you had exploring a part of Cooper County! HISTORICAL/MEMORIAL MARKERS IN COOPER COUNTY Hannah Cole gravesite at Briscoe Cemetery and Park maintained by Hannah Cole DAR (Route 5 and E) near Bellair CIVIL WAR SITES Civil War sites and markers (see list and description at the end of the Civil War website section ) Hannah Cole Fort Area and 1st Battle of Boonville Site, Rural Boonville, June 17, 1861 DNR Marker at Missouri Correctional Center the first land battle of the Civil War in Missouri DNR marker at Lyon’s Park in Pilot Grove - July 1861 , Also raid by ”Bloody Bill” Anderson Marker at Thespian Hall – Second Battle of Boonville Sunset Hill Cemetery Boonville – mass grave of 8 Union soldiers Wilkin’s Bridge near Billingsville General J.O. Shelby and General Sanborn violent battle October 1864 Otterville Trenches – December 1861 – May 1865

FAMILY HISTORY BOOKS DOCUMENTS AND VITAL RECORDS Original Land Patents – 1818-1856, 1877, and 1915 books match our plat maps Marriage Records from 1819-1847, 1848-1867, partial listing for 1866-1925 (books #6 and #15) Negro Marriages – 1865-1866 (book #14) Will Records – 1820-1870 (book #15) Wills on Micro Fiche – 1818-1847, 1894-1902, 1910-1918 Cooper County Will and Administrations – 1818-1847 (book #15) Probate Settlements 1819-1869 (book #9) ; on Micro-Fiche 1880-1886 Cooper County Civil Court Records – 1820-1950’s Cooper County Census Records 1830-1920 Also for Howard, Lafayette, Moniteau, Morgan, Pettis, Saline and Warren Counties (mixed dates on Microfiche) Naturalization Oaths 1826-1905 (on Microfiche) Slave Schedules 1850-1860 for all Missouri counties (Microfiche) Cooper County Will and Administrations – 1818-1847 (book #15) Probate Settlements 1819-1869 (book #9) ; on Micro-Fiche 1880-1886 Cooper County Civil Court Records – 1820-1950’s Cooper County Census Records 1830-1920, Also for Howard, Lafayette, Moniteau, Morgan, Pettis, Saline and Warren Counties (mixed dates on Microfiche) Naturalization Oaths 1826-1905 (on Microfiche) Slave Schedules 1850-1860 for all Missouri counties (Microfiche)

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

FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN COOPER COUNTY There are 18 fire departments in Cooper County, Missouri, serving a population of 17,620 people in an area of 565 square miles. There is one fire department per 978 people, and one fire department per 31 square miles. In Missouri, Cooper County is ranked 26th of 115 counties in Fire Departments per capita, and 27th of 115 counties in Fire Departments per square mile. List of Cooper County Fire Departments Today Find Cooper County, Missouri fire departments, city fire stations, firefighters, brigades, chiefs, inspectors, marshals, and local volunteers. Blackwater Fire Department 301 Trigg Street Blackwater, MO Blackwater Rural Fire Department 301 Trigg Avenue Blackwater, MO Boonville Fire Department 500 Bingham Road Boonville, MO Boonville Fire Department - Substation 6th Street Boonville, MO Bunceton City Fire Department 115 East Main Street Bunceton, MO City Of Pilot Grove Fire Department 109 Main Street Pilot Grove, MO Clifton City Fire Department State Highway BB Otterville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District 17010 Highway 87 Boonville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District Station 1 16994 Missouri 87 Boonville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District Station 2 11500 Santa Fe Road Boonville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District Station 3 25201 Missouri 179 Boonville, MO Cooper County Fire Protection District Station 4 14847 Missouri 5 Boonville, MO Otterville Fire Protection District 321 State Highway BB Otterville, MO Otterville Fire Protection District 3530 Old Route 50 Otterville, MO Pilot Grove Rural Fire Department 209 Main Street Pilot Grove, MO Prairie Home Rural Fire Association 480 Main Street Prairie Home, MO Prairie Home Rural Fire Protection District 466 Main Street Prairie Home, MO Versailles Fire Department 104 Spruce Street Bunceton, MO About Cooper County Fire Departments Cooper County Fire Departments provide fire protection and emergency response services to the Cooper County, MO community with a mission to prevent the loss of life and property. In addition to responding to calls for fire suppression, Cooper County Fire Departments respond to medical emergencies, incidents involving hazardous materials, rescue calls, and motor vehicle or other accidents.

FIRST PERMANENT SETTLERS The name of the first white man who set foot on the territory that is now the State of Missouri is not known, nor is it known at what period the first settlements were made. It is thought that the first settlements were made in the autumn of 1735 by the French at Saint Genevieve. Daniel Boone was 65 years old when he walked to Missouri from Kentucky in 1799. He settled in the Femme Osage country near St. Charles and spent his last 21 years in Missouri. However, Boone never lived in the area that is known today as Cooper County. On one of his hunting expeditions, Boone came into Howard County and discovered a salt spring about eight miles northwest of New Franklin. Daniel Boone’s sons established a salt works at this location. The area soon came to be known as “Boone’s Lick” and from that the whole region took its name. Hannah Cole Monument at Laura Speed Elliott School Hannah Cole s tatue and the b usts of influential Boonville citizens in the background. Morgan Street Park - Located at the corner of Main and Morgan Streets. November 6, 2005 by Wayne Lammers Wayne Lammers holding one of Hannah Cole's sons flintlock rifle, standing beside the Hannah Cole statue at Main and Morgan Streets DANIEL BOONE It has been written that Daniel Boone visited his first cousin, Stephen Cole, and Hannah Cole, widow of Stephen’s brother, William T. Cole, at the Cole's’ fort. The fort was located where the present Boonville is today. Boone died in 1820 at his home in what is now Marthasville, at the age of 86. References: In 1805 Daniel Boone, who then lived near St. Charles, discovered the Boone’s Lick Salt Springs, in Howard County, thirteen miles from Boonville, where Nathan and David Boone, his sons, settled and made salt from 1806 to 1810. This seems to have been the earliest settlement in Central Missouri, and from it an indefinite region, from St. Charles westward, on both sides of the river, was called the ‘Boone’s Lick Country.’ Other settlers followed, and as early as 1810 a small community had built and occupied Kincaid’s Fort, a few hundred yards up the river from the present site of Old Franklin (directly opposite Boonville) www.mogenweb.org/cooper , while another was established in Cooper’s Fort. Boone died in 1820 at his home in what is now Marthasville, at the age of 86. A direct descendant of Boone gave her opinions on these books on Boone, along with her critiques of them. Most can probably be found in state libraries or on Amazon, but some may only the available from a "used" book seller. Biographical Memoir of Daniel Boone by Timothy Flint. (This was written during Boone's life time --1833 and was sold as non-fiction when in fact is almost all fiction, and Daniel was very unhappy with the way it was written. Daniel Boone (The life and legend of an American Pioneer) by John Mack Faragher. This is fairly accurate book but not an easy read. My Father Daniel Boone--This is from the Draper Interviews with Nathan Boone (Daniel's youngest son) and edited by Neal O. Hammon. The Draper Interviews are believed to be very accurate and this is after all from the memory of Daniel's youngest son. Because the Draper Interviews are difficult reading and written in an "old time" style, Mr. Hammon has tried to clarify some of the language. Boone A Biography by Robert Morgan. I really like this book. It is over 450 pages but I found it to be an easy read. “The writer has obviously done a lot of research and I felt I had a better understanding of Daniel after I read this book.” Norma Johnson. EARLY LAND OWNERS Joseph Marie settled upon land in Franklin township, Howard County in 1800 . The land was sold on April 13, 1816 , to Asa Morgan in the first deed recorded in Howard County. Morgan, an early resident of Howard County, and Charles Lucas, a St. Louis resident, laid out the town of Boonville on August 1, 1817. Ira P. Nash was granted land in Howard County in 1800 . He came to the site in February, 1804, remained a month and went home. In July of the same year, Nash and four others returned and surveyed, but did not stay. THE COLE FAMILY - FIRST PERMANENT SETTLERS IN COOPER COUNTY Stephen Cole and William Temple Cole were born in New River, Virginia. They married sisters with the last name of Allison, and moved to Cumberland, Kentucky. In 1807, they came to Upper Louisiana Territory, and settled on Loutre Island, across the river from the present-day town in Hermann, Missouri, about the same time that the Coopers settled on that island. In 1810, a band of Indians stole seven horses from the Loutre Island settlers. The Cole brothers were among the volunteers that pursued the Indians. Two days into the pursuit the volunteers, while sleeping, were ambushed by Indians. William Cole and others were killed. It is written that Stephen Cole killed four Indians, wounded a fifth, and sustained 26 wounds before he escaped and found his way back to Loutre Island. A month later, Hannah Cole, widowed and almost 50, and her nine children, plus Stephen Cole, his wife Phoebe, and their five children, accompanied a group of men, led by Benjamin Cooper, on an overland Journey into the wilderness. The group arrived at a point just upriver from the present town of Boonville on the north side of the Missouri River. The Coopers decided to settle there; however, the two Cole families decided to cross the Missouri River to the south side and build their cabins on the east edge of what would later become Boonville. The families of Hannah Cole and Stephen and Phoebe Cole settled in what is now Cooper County in 1810 . At that time there were no other white Americans living in Missouri west of Franklin and south of the Missouri River. The families that settled north of the Missouri, were the Cole's nearest white neighbors, but most of these were two or three miles distant. The seventeen members of the Hannah Cole and Stephen Cole families made the first settlement in what is now Cooper County. The Coles lived for nearly two years with their closest neighbors across the Missouri River. Some of their activities included raising corn crops and tending them with a cow hitched up to a plow. In the fall and winter of 1812 other families settled nearby on the south side of the river. The first shelter they built was a cabin built of round logs notched together at the corners, ribbed with poles, and covered with boards split from trees. The one room cabin had a fireplace, puncheon floors, a clapboard door, a window, sometimes covered with greased paper, and furniture made from trees. Artist's Conception of Hannah Cole's Fort This is not the Cole Fort, as that fort was constructed in 1812-1813. This a later building built on the solid rock bluff and was also easy to defend. Barn with windlass Bluff reduced for two sets of rails in late 1870's Here is believed to be a very early photo of the stone outcropping where Hannah Cole’s Fort was located in the early 1800's in east Boonville. This image was taken by early photographer James McCurdie in the 1870's. Years later, the Boonville rock quarry would be located in that area, when the Missouri Pacific RR constructed the rails on the River Route down to Jefferson City. This railroad company had to blast away and remove much of this outcropping for the rails to continue down river. Note: The windlass to the left of the barn on top of the outcropping reaching down to the water's edge, was to supply water for the people and animals up on top. The early settlers had a similar windlass to supply water for those inside the fort that allowed them to be able to withstand the attacks of the Indians during the War of 1812. When these pictures were taken, Hannah Cole no longer lived in the old fort, as she moved farther into central Cooper County in the early 1840s and died in 1843. It is unknown at this time, who lived in the old fort after the Coles left. There does not seem to be a lot of information available about Hannah Cole. The same facts seem to be repeated over and over on various documents. However, Hannah must have been an excellent and generous leader. She opened her fort to her neighbors who were seeking safety during the buildup to and during the War of 1812. She made provisions for the children in her fort to receive an education and arranged for religious services to be conducted at the fort as early as 1811. She was evidently interested in politics and her fort was the location of the first County Seat of Howard County. The first circuit, county, and probate sessions were held there in 1816 and it was a polling place in the election of 1819. Her fort also served, at one time, as a community center, post office, hospital and a place for hunters to cast bullets for their flintlocks. In 1817 her fort became the first school house, although it is known that children in the fort were also taught during the war. She also was a business woman who was granted a license for a ferry on the Missouri River, which was operated by her sons. Reference: 1998 Wm. D. Lay In 1843, Hannah moved 13 miles south of Boonville from her fort on the bluff overlooking the Missouri River to a cabin where she lived with Lucy, her beloved slave. She died in 1843 at the age of 79, and is buried in Briscoe Cemetery near Bunceton. Sadly, very little information is available about Hannah’s sister Phoebe, and brother-in-law Stephen Cole and their family. We know that the two families traveled together to Missouri and were the first white Americans to settle on the south side of the Missouri River. Stephen supervised the building of Hannah’s and his own fort. Stephen died near Santa Fe, New Mexico when attacked by Indians. He and Hannah Cole's son (his nephew), were journeying down the Santa Fe Trail in about 1822. We do not know if there is a marked grave. Phoebe died in 1825 in Cole County, but no more information is available on her passing or her grave. We do know that some of the Cole family went to Southern Missouri. These three early settlers and their children must also have been very courageous and strong of character to venture into the unknown and make their home here. We are grateful that they did! - Barbara Dahl, Editor References: Bicentennial Boonslick History p 12-13 Cole Family Records Discover Cooper County by Ann Betteridge Talk by Bob Priddy for Cole Reunion August 9, 2020 Cole Family Association Facebook Cole Family Mysteries Cole Family Reunion, August 9, 2020 Talk given by Bob Pritty Cooper County was named after Sarshell Cooper, a relative of Steven Cole, (Hannah’s husband) and a well-known and greatly admired frontiersman, Indian fighter and War of 1812 hero. He was a friend of the Cole family and is the one who originally showed the Coles the best place to cross the Missouri River. We may wonder why Cooper County was not named Cole County, honoring the first white family to set foot on the South side of the Missouri River. Possibly, a reason may have been that Hannah Cole, the leader of the group, was a woman, and in the 1800’s, women were not credited as leaders or founders of anything. But, honoring Sarshell Cooper was a wonderful way to recognize a true American hero who was well known in the area. There is a Cole County in Missouri, which was established November 16, 1820, and named after Stephen Cole, Hannah’s brother-in-law. He was a lawyer, originally from Virginia. He was also a Justice of the Peace in Missouri, and laid out the original Howard County seat in Franklin, and a member of the Legislature. He was highly regarded in Missouri. He was an early trader on the Santa Fe trail and he and his nephew, also named Stephen Cole, were killed by Navajo Indians near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cole County is the site of the State Capitol of Missouri. Source: Bob Priddy Mike Dickey wrote the following after reading Mr. Priddy's talk: I would advocate that Bob’s Priddy's article be posted in total if possible on the section of the Cole family/Cole Fort. It is about the best detective work regarding the Cole dilemma that I have seen. Something Bob Priddy said is key to interpreting the whole Territorial – War of 1812 period: “oral history, while valuable, can be flawed.” It is extremely difficult to tie down many events and family histories during this period. Governor Lewis ordered the Coopers out of the Boonslick in 1808 because it was still un-ceded Indian territory. From the federal governments point of view, the Boonslick would now be open for settlement regardless of claims to the region by the Sac & Fox and Ioway. I have not checked the Missouri Gazette for an announcement of the ratification, but it is quite possible that it was several weeks before the news made it to St. Louis and then Loutre Island. Thus, a move by the Cole family from the Loutre settlement to the Boonslick in July or later of 1810 would make far more sense than February 1810 (not to mention the weather). The Osage signed the land cession treaty on November 10, 1808. Congress ratified the treaty April 28, 1810.

WORLD WAR I Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, of Austria, were assassinated. This led to a series of events that triggered World War I. The war began in 1914 and ended in 1918 . (1917 ) The single act of shooting Ferdinand and his wife marked the beginning of the war. But there were several basic causes of World War I. These causes were: the growth of nationalism, the system of military alliances that made a balance of power, the competition for colonies and other territories, and the use of secret diplomacy. The United States tried to remain neutral. German submarines sank unarmed passenger ships, and stories of German attacks against civilians convinced Americans to join the Allies. The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917 . New weapons and new methods of warfare were developed during World War I. The machine gun appeared in the war. The British army first used a tank during the war. The submarine came into use for the first time on a large scale. Air warfare also developed in World War I. The Germans used dirigible balloons, called Zeppelins. In 1915 , Germany first used poison gas. Much of the war took place in trenches and involved hand to hand combat. The western battlefront stretched about 600 miles from the English Channel to the border of Switzerland. The eastern front extended more than 1,100 miles from the Baltic Sea to the shores of the Black Sea. The southern front ran from Switzerland to Trieste for about 320 miles. Agreements made after the war changed the map of the world. New governments appeared in many of the countries that had been involved in the war. World War I did not settle the world’s problems. It just sowed seeds that caused the world to engage in another war less than 20 years later. Five hundred ninety-three men from Cooper County served in the war. Of those, 49 were wounded, six killed and one taken as a Prisoner of War. Ten others died from disease and two were reported missing in action. Company B of the 3rd Regiment Infantry National Guard from Boonville, with 92 men, served in the war under the command of Capt. Carl F. Scheidner. They were called to Federal Service on March 25, 1917 . WORLD WAR I WEBPAGES HISTORY CHANNEL BRITANNICA Atlantic Magazine NATIONAL ARCHIVES—TOPICS NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MUSEUM IN KANSAS CITY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC THE WORLD WAR I DOCUMENT ARCHIVE WORLD WAR I DIGITAL HISTORY FOR CHILDREN ABOUT WWI LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WORLD WAR I