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PRE-CIVIL WAR THE CIVIL WAR 1861-1864 RESULTED IN CHANGES IN COOPER COUNTY POPULATION If we consider the census records, the period between 1860 and 1910 looks like the “Boom Time” for Cooper County, as the population increased by 5,351, and many new businesses were opened. Yet, the “Boom” did not really start until after the end of the Civil War, and the Reconstruction period was over. ​ THE CIVIL WAR AND POPULATION “The Civil War is a bitter part of the history of both Cooper County and Missouri. Neighbors and even families were divided between North and South. Missouri was truly a divided Border State. When Missouri was admitted to the Union, as a slave state, it tried to remain neutral and did not want to break up the Union. But since many of the early residents were from the South, it was natural for them to favor slavery. Central Missouri had already become a very wealthy area due to the rich soil for crops, especially tobacco. This was only possible because the landowners brought their slaves with them to work the land. We often hear how poorly slaves were treated. And that may be true in some instances. But studies have shown that most slaves were well treated and were considered to be almost members of the owner’s family. The only difference was that they lived apart from owners family and ate their meals from the kitchen. True, their cabins were not something we would want to live in today, and their clothing was basic, but that was over 200 year ago and standards were in many ways were different. Missouri men fought on both sides of the Civil War. But some, on both sides, seemed to enjoy antagonizing people. It was common for Union soldiers to stop a passerby to demand people pledge their allegiance to the Union. This harassment caused many people to become Southern sympathizers. However the Southern guerrillas were just as bad. ​ Source: A History of Pilot Grove, Missouri The two battles and two occupations and the resulting ravages of the Civil War, began with a skirmish on June 17, 1861, (the First Battle of Boonville) and the war would last on and off for four years. Families and farms, both those in Boonville, and the rest of Cooper and surrounding counties, were attacked by the Union Army. Bushwhackers, and looters: During the war, farms and homes in Boonville, and in surrounding areas, were looted of all visible food in order to feed the armies on both sides. Valuables, even blankets, and furniture were taken. Meanness and anger seemed to be everywhere. Homes, barns and crops were burned, leaving the civilians and farmers with nothing. Grain mills and a few churches were also badly damaged or destroyed. In fact, almost all County church activity was disrupted during the War. One of our members (“Winky” Friedriches) said that when her grandmother heard that the “Yankees“ were coming, they buried all their silver. After the war, they found only a few of pieces that they had buried. Where the rest went, no one knew. Before the war ended on June 02,1865, three more battles would be fought in the Boonville area. The devastations of war were eventually experienced by almost everyone in the County and surrounding areas. Many citizens were forced to abandon their homes and farms, while other citizens were robbed or killed. Very few horses were left in the County by the end of the war. ​ WHY DID THE CIVIL WAR START IN CENTRAL MISSOURI? Missouri had already been accepted into the Union as a slave state prior to the war, but there were still very strong, differing opinions on both sides of that decision. Yet, Missouri voted to stay with the Union, although Governor Jackson refused to send troops to fight for the Union. It seems that the “key” reason that Boonville was chosen for the early battle was the fact that it was located in the center of the state of Missouri and was on the Missouri River. Being on the river meant that troops, artillery, horses, food and equipment could be quickly and easily moved to the area of battle. Being in the center of the state allowed the Union troops to easily move anywhere they were needed. ​ SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR Boonville’s Earliest Connections to the Civil War, Started Long Before the Civil War started Slavery was complicated. The Civil War didn’t “just happen.” It was the culmination of many events that took place over many years. Some of those events took place in Missouri and many of the people involved got their professional start in Boonville at that time. To understand what happened and its significance to Missouri, we need to back up to the mid-1790s. 1. Somewhere around 1795, Mr. and Mrs. Whiteside’s and their slave girl “Winny” moved from Carolina to Illinois, which at that time was part of the 1789 Northwest Ordinance Territory and “free”. By 1800, the family had moved to Missouri. In 1818, Winny sued for her freedom in the Superior Court of the Missouri Territory. The case wasn’t heard until after Missouri achieved statehood, so it was transferred to the state Circuit Court of St. Louis County. Winnie’s argument was that her residence in the Northwest Territory made her free, and after a jury trial in February 1822, the court ruled in her favor. Meanwhile… Howard County was created in 1816. With land on both sides of the Missouri River, it physically covered more than 1/3 of the state, including what is now Cooper County. Howard County’s first Circuit Court convened in Boonville on July 8 of that year and one of the four attorneys who attended that first term was Edward Bates. Bates would later play a much larger role than a county lawyer. As the population grew on both sides of the river, people asked that Howard be made into two counties. In December 1818, all of Howard County south of the Missouri River became Cooper County. Boonville was the location for the new County’s first Circuit Court which began on March 1, 1819. Over the next two years, 14 lawyers were enrolled to practice in Cooper County, three of whom were George Tompkins, John F. Ryland, and Hamilton R. Gamble. Each of these three men would one day sit on the Missouri Supreme Court and make decisions that would reach far beyond the boundaries of the state. 2. Back to “Winny” … Missouri was admitted as a slave state in 1821. In 1824, George Tompkins was appointed to Missouri’s Supreme Court. Slavery was a major issue in those days and many cases came before the state’s Highest Court, including “Winny” v. Whiteside’s. Mrs. Whiteside, now a widow, and “Winnie’s sole owner, chose to appeal the lower court’s decision and took her case to the Missouri Supreme Court. Three judges sat on the Supreme Court at that time and they were Mathias McGirk, George Tompkins, and Rufus Pettibone. In a 2-1 decision, the state’s Supreme Court upheld the decision of the lower court and it was this decision that set the precedent “once free, always free.” Justice Tompkins wrote in his majority opinion, “We are clearly of the opinion that if, by a residence in Illinois, the plaintiff (Mrs. Whiteside’s) lost her right to the property in the defendant, (Winny), and that right was not revived by a removal of the parties to Missouri.” (McGirk concurred and Pettibone voted in the minority) ​ Source: Elizabeth Davis, "Historically Yours " ​ BOONVILLE’S EARLIEST CONNECTION TO THE CIVIL WAR Boonville, central Missouri’s oldest city, is more than a small city in the middle of Missouri. It is home to a great deal of our state’s historic past. Following the Louisiana Purchase, Americans headed west, looking for adventure and new opportunities. Boonville, was settled in 1810 by Hannah Cole and her nine children, along with her brother-in-law’s family. All was peaceful for about two years until the once friendly Sac and Fox Indians roaming the area became hostile, around 1812. Their displeasure with the new settlers was encouraged by the British who pointed out that the Indians were losing their hunting grounds as more settlers arrived. The British encouraged the uprising by suggesting that if the Indians fought against the settlers, and the British won the War of 1812, the British would return the hunting ground to the Indians. (This is the same War of 1812 where the British set fire to the US Capitol in Washington D.C.) ​ For protection, the Coles and the other families moved to the forts north of the river. By 1814, they were back in Boonville. The Cole’s cabin was in a great location and had access to fresh water, so the family built a fort around it. Soon other settlers followed and built their houses in and around the Cole’s fort. ​ Howard County, which covered about one-third of what would become Missouri, was organized January 23, 1816, and Hannah Cole’s fort in Boonville was the site of the first county court in July of that year. ​ Asa Morgan and Charles Lucas platted Boonville in 1817. By 1818, Howard County, south of the Missouri River, had grown sufficiently to allow for the forming of another county. Thus, Cooper County was born, and Boonville became its county seat until a permanent seat could be determined. When Morgan and Lucas gave Boonville 50 acres on which to build a county courthouse, the deal was sealed. Boonville became the permanent county seat of Cooper County. ​ In 1818, Missouri made its first request for statehood. Rather than break the balance of power over the issue of slavery, Congress delayed Missouri statehood for three years. President James Monroe didn’t sign the Act making Missouri the 24th state of the Union until August 10, 1821. Source: Elizabeth Davis, "Historically Yours " ​ ​ SLAVERY RAISES IT’S UGLY HEAD AGAIN Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state. And after the Missouri Supreme Court ruled on Winny v. Whiteside, the precedent was set: “Once free, always free.” ​ In 1834, another slave, named Rachel, sued for her freedom in Rachel v. Walker. Rachel had been owned by an army officer and, in the course of his military assignments, she had lived in what is now Minnesota and Michigan, both of which were free territories. Back in St. Louis, she was sold to Walker. Rachel sued on the grounds of “once free, always free,” but this time the court ruled differently. It was the court’s opinion that the officer had no choice on where he would live, so Rachel had no grounds to ask for her freedom. ​ Rachel’s attorney immediately appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court. Two years later the original ruling of the lower court was overturned. The Court’s 1836 decision set another precedent: “If an officer of the United States Army takes a slave to a territory where slavery is prohibited, he forfeits his property.” This opinion was penned by Justice Mathias McGirk with George Tompkins concurring. Robert Wash was the minority vote. ​ These are the precedents that were used in at least 300 19th-century freedom suits which were found among St. Louis Circuit Court records in the 1990s. Both precedents were set by Mathias McGirk and former Boonville resident George Tompkins. Ten years after Rachel v. Walker, yet another slave and his family sued for their freedom based on “once free, always free.” This time the case made it all the way to the US Supreme Court. ​ Many books have been written about Dred Scott’s eleven-year battle for freedom and here, too, lie a few threads to Boonville. It started in 1846 after Scott’s failed attempt to buy his and his family’s freedom from Dr. Emerson. Just like Winny, Rachel, and dozens of other slaves since 1824, Scott and his wife filed “freedom suits.” After a series of trials, retrials and other delays, the Scotts finally won their freedom in January 1850. ​ Unfortunately, their freedom was short-lived because Mrs. Emerson, the doctor’s widow, appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court and none of the previous judges were still on the bench. They had all been replaced by William Napton, James H. Birch, and John F. Ryland. Ryland was the second lawyer from Boonville to reach the Missouri Supreme Court. Napton and Birch were strong pro-slavery advocates and Ryland, whose feelings weren’t as strong, still leaned toward slavery. The case was scheduled to be heard in March 1850, but due to an overloaded docket, the case was postponed until October. According to one historian, the justices had made a decision and it was unanimous, but their opinion was never written. Napton was supposed to have written it, but he postponed it because he was waiting for a particular legal book to arrive from the capital. Before he received it, however, the law changed. Beginning August 1851, judges on the Missouri Supreme Court had to be elected by the people. ​ Birch and Napton were not elected to stay on the court, but Ryland was. The two new members of the Court were William Scott and Hamilton Gamble. Gamble was Boonville’s third lawyer to attain a seat on the Missouri Supreme Court. Missouri entered the Union as a slave state in 1821, but the Missouri Supreme Court ruled “once free, always free” in the case of Winny v. Whiteside in 1824. Ten years later the state’s Supreme Court extended that precedent to include military personnel. ​ 3. When finally, the Dred Scott case came before the Missouri Supreme Court, the players and the rules had changed. On March 22, 1852, in another 2-1 decision, William Scott and John Ryland struck down 28 years of Missouri precedents when they overturned Dred Scott’s victory. William Scott wrote, “Times now are not as they were, when the former decisions of this subject were made.” One historian of the day remarked, “He might just as well have said their decision was strictly political.” ​ Hamilton Gamble wrote in his dissent: “Times may have changed, public feelings may have changed, but principles have not and do not change, and in my judgement, there can be no safe basis for judicial decisions, but in those principles which are immutable.” The Scotts were remanded to slavery, Mrs. Emerson remarried and moved to Massachusetts, and ownership of the Scott family was transferred to Mrs. Emerson’s brother John F. A. Sanford of New York. ​ Dred Scott appealed his case to the US Supreme Court in 1854. It was heard in 1856, but the decision wasn’t handed down until March 6, 1856, two days after President James Buchanan was sworn into office. ​ Chief Justice Roger Taney wrote for the 7-2 majority. To paraphrase Taney’s two-hour reading of the decision: “African Americans are not, and can never be, citizens, therefore, they have no rights to sue for their freedom. And Congress has no power to regulate slavery in new territories.” Taney, in an attempt to settle the issue slavery once and for all, had moved the country even closer to war. ​ In 1860, 22 men fought for the Presidential nomination. Edward Bates, Boonville’s first attorney with a connection to the Civil War, lost the Republication nomination to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was sworn in on March 4, 1861 and named Bates US Attorney General the following day. ​ Hamilton Gamble, who had resigned from Missouri’s Supreme Court in 1855 due to failing health, had moved to Pennsylvania in 1858. After the legally elected state officials were run out of Jefferson City, the Union put Missouri under martial law and asked Gamble to return to Missouri as its Provisional Governor. Source: Elizabeth Davis, "Historically Yours " ​ ​ MISSOURI SLAVES EMANCIPATED August 30, 1861 John C. Fremont, on August 30, 1861, declared martial law in Missouri and emancipated all the slaves in the state. Unfortunately for Fremont, this was done without the knowledge or consent of President Lincoln. ​ John Charles Fremont (1813 - 1890) was born in Savannah, Georgia, on January 21, 1813. He attended Charleston College, taught mathematics, and his legendary trailblazing skills earned him the nickname "Pathfinder." In 1838, he joined the Army Engineers Corps as a 2nd lieutenant. At the beginning of the Civil War, Fremont was promoted to Major General and assigned head of the Department of the West based in St. Louis. Shortly after the battle of Wilson's Creek, in an attempt to gain a political advantage, he began overstepping his authority. On August 30, 1861, he proclaimed martial law in Missouri: active secessionists were arrested, their property confiscated; slaves were emancipated; and newspapers suspected of disloyalty were shut down. ​ When news of Fremont's actions reached Washington, the President was not pleased. Lincoln did not want to link slavery to the war yet, because he feared it would give slave owners in the border states reason to join forces with the Confederacy. He requested Fremont withdraw or modify the proclamation. Fremont flatly refused both suggestions. Instead, he sent his wife, who happened to be the daughter of former Senate leader Thomas Hart Benton, to Washington to talk to Lincoln. ​ Fremont's blatant refusal, along with the arrival of his wife, angered the President, and Lincoln felt he had no other choice. On September 11, 1861, Lincoln revoked the proclamation as unauthorized and premature; on November 2, 1861, Fremont was also relieved of command. FREEDOM: At the end of the war, the Constitution still did not give the President the authority to abolish slavery. Even the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 was not effective because it was ignored by the Confederacy and the slaves were not made aware of the change in their status. But Missouri did not offer empty promises. They held a special convention on January 11, 1865 that called for the immediate emancipation of “all enslaved persons in Missouri”. The United States did not ratify the 13th Amendment, officially freeing the enslaved, until December 6, 1865. Missouri can be proud of the fact that it was the first and only state to abolish slavery before it was passed by federal law. ​ Source: Adapted from "Historically Yours " by Elizabeth Davis ​ REMEMBERING OUR HERITAGE It has been more than one-hundred-fifty years since the beginning of the American Civil War. While neither side was wholly right, both fought and died for what they believed in. Some Americans think we should just forget about that war altogether and move on. Others feel we should remember it, study it, and learn from it. ​ Which side is which, you ask? Is it the North who wants to remember, or the South? Unless you answered “Both,” you would be wrong. Two such groups are the Daughters of Union Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. These groups work hard to remember the past and the part their ancestors played in fighting for their beliefs. While both are national organizations, they each have smaller local groups. It has been asked, “What’s in a name?” For the DUV and the UDC , names are important reminders of the past. The Daughters of Union Veterans have five local groups, called Tents, in the state of Missouri. They are: Julia Grant in St. Louis, Charlotte Harrison Boone in Kahoka, Ann Hawkins Gentry in Columbia, Mary Whitney Phelps in Springfield, and Josephine Garlock Morrow in Macon. The United Daughters of the Confederacy have twelve local Chapters across the state. They are: Boonville; Robert E. Lee 1567 Branson; Ozarks 2723 Campbell; John L. Patterson 2682 Columbia; John S. Marmaduke 713 Higginsville; Confederate Home 203 Independence; Independence 710 Jefferson City; Winnie Davis 628 Kansas City; Stonewall Jackson 639 Lexington; Sterling Price 2049 Marshall; Marshall R. E. Lee 552 St. Louis; Matthew Fontaine Maury 1768 Springfield; Springfield 625 ​ These two groups represent hundreds of women across the state who are descendants of veterans from each side of the war, that are actively preserving, remembering, and passing on the history of this great nation. ​ Adapted from "Historically Yours " by Elizabeth Davis. ​ There are several Civil War markers in Cooper County. See the What to See in Cooper County for information.

SUNK ON THE MISSOURI RIVER The Missouri River was a major highway from St. Louis to the Wild West across Missouri, but the Mighty Mo took a great many steamboats down as they struggled to settle Missouri and points west. The steamboat “Pirate” was one of the earliest steamboats to sink in the Missouri River. Carrying supplies for Joseph N. Nicollet and the Potawatomi Indians displaced from the east, it sank in April 1839 near what is now Bellevue, Nebraska. One of the worst disasters on the Missouri River was the steamboat “Saluda” near Lexington, Missouri. On April 9, 1852, Captain Francis T. Belt, frustrated by the lack of progress in making a difficult bend, ordered an increase in steam pressure. The boilers exploded. Over 100 people were killed, including Captain Belt. The steamboat “Arabia” was a side wheeler built in 1853 near the Monongahela River in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. It was eventually purchased by Captain John Shaw who operated it on the Missouri River. It is currently on display in Kansas City at the Arabia Museum, but plans are to relocate it to another area. Sold to Captain William Terrill and William Boyd, it made more than a dozen trips up and down the Missouri River. On September 5, 1856, it hit a submerged sycamore tree snag and ripped open the hull. It sank on September 5, 1856. The “Bertrand” steamboat was launched in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1864. On April 1, 1865, the steamboat struck a submerged log in the Desoto Bend of the Missouri River near Omaha, Nebraska. It sank in less than ten minutes. The “USS Naiad” was built as the “Princess” in 1863 at Freedom, Pennsylvania. Purchased by the Navy at Cincinnati, Ohio, it was commissioned on April 3, 1864, as the USS Naiad. Surviving the war, the USS Naiad was decommissioned at Cairo, Illinois on June 30, 1865. Sold at auction on August 17, 1865, the boat was renamed Princess. It sank on June 1, 1868, when it hit a snag at Napoleon, Missouri. These are only a few of the hundreds of steamboats that sank on the Missouri River, most of them remain unrecovered. Source: "Historically Yours", by Elizabeth Davis ​ Other artifacts from the Missouri Packet are on display at the River, Rails and Trails Museum in Boonville. One steam boat was recovered just upstream from Boonville. It was the “Missouri Packet”. The story of the recovery of the Packet, along with many pictures can be found below. ​ ​ RETRIEVING THE MISSOURI PACKET Early excavation and outline of the boat before the digging began Digging the boat out of the sand with heavy equipment (1820) THE SINKING OF THE MISSOURI PACKET AND EXCAVATION FOR IT By Wayne Lammers The PLUNDER of the Missouri Packet Steamboat An1820 Steamboat excavation near the mouth of the Lamine and Missouri Rivers By Wayne Lammers June 2020 ——————————————————————————— Information of the MISSOURI PACKET Steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in May of 1820. From the Missouri Intelligence and Boonslick Advertiser (this newspaper issued its first copy in Franklin MO., on April 23, 1819) Volume #1 Issue #51 May 13, 1820, P. 2 col. 3 ​ “The Steam Boat Missouri Packet arrived at this place [May 5] in a short passage from St. Louis, bound for the Council Bluffs, laden principally with flour and provisions, for the troops at that place. We regret to state, that a few hours after leaving Franklin, she unfortunately sunk. Being, however, near the shore, in low water, it is expected a considerable portion of the cargo will be saved, and the boat raised and repaired so as to proceed on to her destination.” [No further mention of the Missouri Packet in other issues of the Missouri Intelligence and Boon’s Lick Advertiser] This information was given to Wayne Lammers from Robert “Bob” Dyer after we, along with Gene Smith, visited the the excavated site on December, 30. 1987 . ​ For many years I dreamed of working on an archeological site, uncovering history that have been lost to mankind. That dream came to light on December 30, 1987 , when a friend by the name of Gene Smith asked me to video tape the excavation of a steamboat that he and his salvage corporation from Independence Missouri had found in the bottoms of the Missouri River, about eleven miles west of Boonville near the Lamine River. The boat they were searching for, ca1850’, according to the history, had a large amount of gold and silver onboard. ​ My friend Gene Smith of Independence Missouri, found this sunken boat using a Proton Magnetometer that used the principle of earth’s field nuclear magnetic resonance (EFNMR) to register very small variations on the earth’s magnetic field, allowing metal objects, underground, to be detected to the depth of 30 to 50 feet below the surface. In doing this, the salvage corporation can make exploration decisions, with a grid map, to show the variation of the magnetic field below. After the suspected boat is located on this grid, the next process is to use a 4- or 5-inch auger to bore a sample drill into the suspected target. In doing this, some of the boat hull and artifacts will belch out on to the surface of the Missouri River Bottoms. This boat that was dug, was at the depth of about 30 to 35 feet in the middle of a soybean field. ​ (Authors Note:) In 1820 , the sunken boat was located on the southern shore of the Missouri River in Cooper County, on a bend in the river. ​ Over the years the Missouri River changed its course, I believe, because of the sinking of this steamboat and eliminating this bend in the river doing this, there is now part of Cooper County in the Howard County bottoms which exist today, of 385 acres owned by the Jake Huebert family and Central Missouri Properties LLC of Boonville. ​ On the day I arrived at the excavation site, it was a beautiful sunny day, with the temperature in the upper 30’s. Gene Smith and I were in his black pickup truck following Gary Sisk, in his large RV, going to the two-inch snow field excavation site. We were flying down the Missouri River Bottom because of all the snow and didn’t want to stop because we knew we would get stuck in a heart-beat if we did. We arrived at mid-morning to a site that was unbelievable. The midsection of the 120-foot boat was totally missing. This is where the three boilers and firebox were located. I looked off to the side and saw one large cast iron boiler with other parts nearby that was set aside for later removal. On the port side of the bow of the boat, I saw men with shovels, clearing a large cast iron object. I later found out that this was the engine that powered the craft. I started recording with my Olympic video camera and captured the scene. Moments later I was told by Mr. Smith that we had the rest of the day to discover, record and retrieve what we could of the excavation, because the salvage company was going to rebury this historic steamboat forever. My first thought was “NO”, we need to document this ship and its contents in front of us. To a certain extent, this never happened. ​ Gene Smith and I along with his 100-foot survey tape, began measuring the steamboat which measured approximately 120 feet long, 25 feet wide and 5 feet deep. By the time I settled in to the excavation, the salvage crew were removing the lone engine on the port side of the vessel. The lone large backhoe had a large two-inch strap that was raising the engine away from the boat. The engine had a pitman that was about 12 to 15 feet long with a 3/4-inch cast iron plate on both sides - top and bottom of this beam or pitman. This was connected to the paddle wheel cam which powered the boat. In raising the engine high above, I heard a large crunch. This was the breaking of the cam at the end of the pitman. Well, I thought, is this is how they retrieve artifacts from a historic sunken boat? I was shocked, literally shocked, by the irreverence to the methods and manner they pilfered these items on this old boat. My thoughts were, “This isn’t the way it is supposed to be done.” ​ The next thing was to try to find the name of this boat and when it sank. We found no paint on the sides of what was left of the vessel. We knew that there were about 30 to 40 wooden barrels of salted pork along with some empty whiskey barrels onboard the steamboat. A bunghole on the top of the barrel was the only indication of liquid in the empty container. Over the many years, the whiskey leached out and was gone forever. We located the barrels midway on the steamboat covered with sand, in front of where the three boilers were located. With two small shovels and a lot of work we uncovered many barrels. During this process, I noticed that there were no metal rings around each barrel. They were made of wooden rings with no metal at all. Each wooden band was secured to the barrels with small square nails. I knew that the early barrels had wooden rings instead of metal, to hold the contents together. I then had the feeling that we had a much earlier boat than the later 1850 “Money Boat” that the salvage company thought this one was. This “Money Boat” was thought to contain $200,000 in silver and $50,000 in gold coins. In today’s money….we are talking Millions of Dollars. My question was, why would a very early steamboat be caring that much money? Back to the search for the name of the boat. ​ We felt that there may be a stamp on the top of the barrels indicating the location of the shipment of pork. We pressed on and searched for this. We were right. We finally found a barrel top that was marked. Later, my next move, was to research for the origin of this salt cured pork at Chillicothe Ohio. I did some calling and found a person by the name of Brian Hackett, Director of the Ross County Historical Society in Chillicothe. He gave me the information about the Waddle & Davisson Company that was in operation from 1812 to 1824, shipping salt cured pork to early settlements out west including the forts at Council Bluffs Iowa some 950 river miles away from the docks at Chillicothe, Ohio. This is such a significant incite for a remarkable adventure early in the settling of the Great West. ​ Brian Hackett advised that “This is a greater glimpse of what things were like, an unintentional time capsule. Finds like this allow people to have insight about daily lives of those who lived long ago. Covering it was a waste, a loss of significant historical artifacts.” ​ Again, we pressed on with our search. Gary Sisk wanted to search the stern of the boat with his idea of using a two-inch water hose that was supplied by the water pumps that removed the water from the sunken boat area. In digging the boat which was incased with sand and water, this water had to be removed. A system of four to five pumps were needed for this process. The pumps ran 24/7 at a cost of $500 dollars per day in fuel to run the pumps. This water was pumped some 150 yards back to the Missouri River. ​ In this task, of washing the stern of the boat, we uncovered a recessed paddle wheel or bootjack stern-wheeler. This was also an indication of an early boat. I knew from my studies that this is what the early steamers looked like. ​ T he first thing that was found was a pelvic bone. At the time we didn’t know what kind of bone this was. ​ Arthur’s note: Weeks later, I contacted Doctor Wiley McVicker, a veterinarian in Boonville, and he advised that this was a bovine pelvic bone. He couldn’t tell if it were male or female. So, we know that at least one cow was onboard when the ship sank. ​ Again, this was important to me because cattle were not a plentiful item out west at this point in time. ​ ​ River, Rails & Trails Museum in Boonville houses the following: ½ scale model of a keel boat, handmade model of a Keel boat by Eric Owens, many artefacts from the Missouri Packet collected by Wayne Lammers. Oldest artifacts of oldest steam to be excavated on the Missouri River – May 5, 1820 excavated in December 1987. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Wayne Lammers with some of his artifacts from the 200 year old shipwreck "The Missouri Packet" that are located at The River, Rails & Trails Museum in Boonville. Excavation of the steamboat, Missouri Packet, December 27, 1987. This is the stern of the boat with the Paddle Wheel at top right. The boat was destroyed by the company that excavated the boat, looking for gold and silver that wasn't onboard this early 1800's boat. Crew unearthing the paddle wheel of the steamboat. This was a very early steamboat made in the early 1800's. This boat will be the earliest steamboat ever excavated on the Missouri River. This boat was a "recessed sternwheeler" or "Boot-Jack" with the paddle wheel up inside the boat. Lobby in the Arabia Museum in Kansas City displaying the steam engine Paddle wheel and the stern of the boat - they dug through the boat. Boiler - one of the boilers - excavated and "carefully" searched for in the boat, with a 6-foot bucket Bob Dyer examining the steam engine Barrel staves from barrels of salt pork and whiskey. Pork was processed in Chillicothe Ohio by Waddel and Davidson Capstan Closeup of the capstan Picture of barrel top and a pork jaw bone Copper tubing (high steam pressure tubing) Artifacts on display at River, Rails and Trails Museum Digging out the steam engine Steam engine from another angle Article from the Missouri Intelligencer & Boonslick Advertiser at Franklin on May 13, 1820. This is the notification of the sinking of the Missouri Packet Steamboat on the Missouri River just west of the Lamine River. The story of the sunken steamboat as the news traveled to Chillicothe Ohio where the 200 year old salted pork came from. Photo by Wayne Lammers who was a small part of the excavation of the Missouri Packet.

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

FARM MACHINERY At the end of World War I, farming remained a labor-intensive process, with many harvesting operations still carried out using horses. While not a new technological advancement, threshers made it easier to separate the grain and chaff and eliminated much of the tedious and time-consuming manual labor involved in the harvest. Before threshing machines, grain was separated by hand using flails. Many farmers pooled resources by purchasing such machinery together and shared the equipment and labor involved in its operation. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 70-year-old truck that was bought in Boonville at Prigmore Chevrolet, and found in a storage shed in Boonville after being in storage for 30 years. Videos by Tracy and Ashley Friedrich ​ ​ STEAM ENGINES AND THE STEAM ENGINE SHOW The Missouri River Valley Steam Engine Association was formed in the fall of 1964 by a group of 34 local men who had a passion for the farming ways of the past. With a small amount of old farm equipment they put on threshing, sawmilling, and crop harvesting displays. The show originally centered around Steam Traction Engines which were disappearing from the American landscape. These engines are rare, expensive, and cumbersome pieces to care for and operate, and have therefore become very hard to find. Most of the original members of the organization are now deceased and many of the current generation are family members who grew up with the show. The first show was at the old fairgrounds in Boonville. Then, for many years it was at the Cooper Co. Fairgrounds along I-70. In 2000 it moved to its present location at the Brady Showgrounds at the Wooldridge exit on I-70. The club has around 150 members, with around 30 who carry the burden of putting on the show each year. The show is always the week after Labor Day. It is a four day show from Thursday to Sunday. At the show you can watch Steam Engines threshing wheat, crushing rock for lime, sawing wood at the sawmill, and numerous other activities. Antique tractors and equipment, teams of horses with horse drawn farm implements, and old hit and miss gas engines pumping water and running burr mills are in abundance. The old restored Brady farmhouse is open for tours along with the barn and other out buildings. Tractor pulls go on into the evening along with other forms of entertainment. The show features a large flea market and many old-time crafts for people to view and participate in. Civil War reenactors are often putting on demonstrations. Church services are held in the restored church on Sunday morning. In 57 years the show has grown into the biggest of its kind in Missouri. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Steam Engine Show Videos by Tracy and Ashley Friedrich ​ (1980-1985 ) Farm crisis in the Midwest reaches its peak by 1985 leading to record foreclosures. (Courtesy of Missouri Bicentennial Timeline) “With changes to the Federal Reserve’s lending policies and grain embargoes placed on shipments to the Soviet Union, farmers faced an economic crisis greater than anything since the Great Depression. Agricultural communities suffered, with families being forced to relocate and businesses closing. Tens of thousands small independent farms were lost due to the 80s crisis, which greatly affected the Midwest region. By the mid-1980s, the crisis had reached its peak. Land prices had fallen dramatically leading to record foreclosures. The crisis sparked activism from famous celebrities and public figures, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson and singer-songwriters Willie Nelson and John Cougar Mellencamp, who would each visit Missouri to support family-owned farms. As founding members of Farm Aid in 1985 , Nelson and Mellencamp raised millions of dollars for farm families through their charity concert. The first Farm Aid concert benefited the founding of Missouri Rural Crisis Center, based in Columbia, which formed a week after the concert ended, receiving a $10,000 check from Farm Aid.” By: Bob Painter ​ ​ GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE AND LEGISLATION Farmers across the nation have cooperated with Federal Agencies for many years to balance the amount of agriculture crops grown and sent to available markets. Many agriculture producers voluntarily practiced soil erosion control by developing conservation plans that would help correct problem areas on their farms. While many producers practiced soil conservation, some did not, and in December 1985 Congress passed the 1985 Food Security Act. This legislation required that any farmer participating in USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) commodity programs needed to practice a certain amount of land-saving stewardship by developing and following a conservation plan. To some farmers this wasn’t much of a change from what they were already doing. Others changed ways they were farming to meet the requirements of the law. This national effort has saved 1.2 billion tons of soil from erosion on an annual basis. Over 130,000 acres of Cooper County farmland is considered highly erodible. Conservation plans are developed on 126,000 of these acres. Missouri made conservation history in 1983 by passing a 1/10 of 1 per cent sales tax for parks and soil conservation. One-half of this tax is reimbursed directly back to Missouri landowners to assist in applying conservation practices to their land. ​ Another important part of this legislation was the Conservation Reserve Program. This provision allowed farmers to retire (not use the land) which was highly erodible cropland for ten years, and plant it to a permanent cover that would greatly reduce soil erosion. In return, the farmers receive an annual payment comparable to land rental prices. Nationwide, this has been a highly successful program with 36.5 million acres enrolled saving 700 million tons of soil on an annual basis. Cooper County has approximately 20,000 acres enrolled. Wetlands were also included in this important legislation. Wetlands add diversity and play an important role in ecosystem management. Farmers who wish to participate in commodity programs are required to not change any existing wetlands on their property. While farms are growing larger and farming practices are changing, the role of government in farming is changing. Ideally, farming and government will work together to benefit the land in Cooper and other counties. The last forty years have seen many advances, and also continued problems in agriculture. Improvements have been made in seed stock as well as the introduction of new crops such as soy beans. Soil conservation measures, such as terracing and contour farming, have become widely accepted in the county. The modern farmer has become better educated in scientific farming practices. Farm machinery has become bigger and better and livestock production has shown an increase. ​ ​ FARM OUTLOOK TODAY There are many improvements in agriculture; however, farmers face many problems. The rising costs of farm items such as chemicals, seeds, fuel, fertilizers, and farm machinery have brought about rising operational expenses. Market prices change a lot. The emphasis on larger and larger farming operations has forced many farmers to sell out. Overuse of fertilizers and chemicals have created bad soil conditions and have made the soil more easily erodible during wet years. This overuse has also created water quality problems in streams and rivers. Farmers are bothered with high interest rates, changing of market prices and uncertain weather. The floods of 1993 and 2019 brought disastrous results to some county farmers. Some have lost the ability to produce a crop for two years, plus the loss of land, home, etc. The many rains of the year helped other farmers have unusually good yields. The wet winter and spring caused livestock producers to experience a loss of calves. Even with all the problems and concerns, we realize how important farming is to the county’s economy. Farming is still Cooper County’s biggest business. In 1987 , farms occupied 86% of the land area in the county, with 73% of the farm land under cultivation. The county ranked 25th in agriculture receipts, 66% of which came from the sale of livestock. Cooper County began registering for a $1.00 fee the names of farms registered by farm owners. The first farm registered was Skylight Farm, owned by D.C. Groves, on June 15, 1907 . Crestmead was registered by W.A. Betteridge on April 20, 1909 . ​ ​ HISTORY OF EXTENSION SERVICE IN COOPER COUNTY (Courtesy of Cooper County Extension Service) The U.S. Department of Agriculture partnered with a nationwide network of “land grant” universities to create a system of “extension” services. The goal of these services is to improve life across the country with advice from local experts regarding all things agriculture and farming and much more. The Smith-Lever Act, which authorized establishment of Cooperative Extension Work, was passed by Congress and approved by President Wilson on May 8, 1914 . The Missouri Extension Services had actually begun working off campus a few years prior to that date. ​ Beginning in September 1913 , a "farm adviser" from the University of Missouri College of Agriculture was appointed to Cooper County. His name was J.D. Wilson and he served until September 1916 . One of his main activities during that period was to assist farmers with an epidemic of hog cholera, which threatened to destroy swine herds throughout Missouri. ​ The first county farm tour to showcase new production practices was held in July of 1916 . A large group of farmers, Farm Bureau representatives and University of Missouri staff traveled to Pilot Grove, Bunceton and Prairie Home. ​ From September 1916 to 1929 , there was no formal Extension program in Cooper County, although there is some evidence that programs were conducted by temporary staff during and shortly after World War I. No formal record of those activities has been located. ​ In March of 1930 , the Extension office was reopened and John P. Johnson was appointed as county agent for Cooper County. A group of advisers for the Missouri Farmers Association, farmers from throughout the county, and representatives of the University of Missouri worked together to determine the major programming efforts that Extension would be involved in. The Extension office was located in the hallway of the Cooper County Courthouse when it was first reopened. This was during the Depression and much of the activity of the office included assisting with government relief programs. ​ Another major area of concern at that time was the loss of topsoil that was occurring throughout the county. Mortan Tuttle, a prominent young farmer near Prairie Home was one of the first farmers to work with the Extension service in terracing his land. The practice quickly caught on and Cooper County soon was one of the leading counties in the state and nation in installing terraces and conservation practices. This tradition of conservation is still prevalent today. ​ Other major activities during the early thirties included livestock breeding and animal health. In addition, many farmers became certified seed producers at that time. Farmers also learned about the importance of liming their soils, using crop rotation and legumes to maintain and improve productivity of their farms. ​ 4-H clubs were officially organized for the first time in Cooper County in 1937 , although other youth activities had been conducted since 1924 through the public-school systems. First year membership included 136 boys and 13 girls. First year activities included: attendance at a nine-county camp in Fayette, organization of the county 4-H Leaders Council, County Achievement Day, Cooper County 4-H News, demonstration and judging tours, state 4-H Roundup and a trip to the state fair. Through the efforts of Paul N. Doll, county agent, and numerous leaders the 4-H program grew quickly in the late 1930's and early '40s . ​ ​ Cooper County Fair ​ Video by Tracy and Ashley Friedrich ​ Extension Homemaker Clubs were also organized in 1937 . A total of eleven clubs were formed within two years. These clubs worked with Margaret Van Orsdol, county home demonstration agent. The main activities that the clubs initially engaged in included home economics, food preservation, sewing, quilting, home grounds improvement and managing family resources. ​ The Extension Service was very active during World War II in helping farm families maintain the agricultural production needed for the war effort. In addition, veterans were assisted as they returned to agricultural production. The home economics agents assisted families dealing with the many hardships and scarcities that the war brought on. 100 year old steam tractor 100 year old kerosene tractor

CHURCH, CEMETERY, AND SCHOOL RECORDS ​Church Records History Books: Early Baptist Church Records; Antioch Baptist; Boonville Baptist; West Boonville Evangelical; Cumberland Presbyterian; Evangelical United Church of Christ; First Presbyterian; Mt. Nebo; Mt. Vernon Presbyterian; Nelson Memorial United Methodist; Pleasant Grove Community; St John the Baptist; St, John’s United Church of Christ; St. Joseph’s Catholic; St. Paul German Evangelical Lutheran; St. Peter and Paul Catholic; Lutheran of Clark’s Fork; Yeager Union Trinity; Centennial Books: Evangelical United Church of Christ – Boonville; First Baptist – Boonville; Lamine Baptist Association: Nelson Memorial United Methodist; SS Peter & Paul Catholic; St. John’s United Church of Christ; First Baptist Church - Prairie Home; First Christian Church (DOC) - Boonville, First Baptist Church Prairie Home, First Christian Church (DOC) Boonville Church Records in File Drawer Information on 104 different churches, some with a great deal of information Cemetery Records and file information for Cooper, Moniteau and Morgan Counties. Card File with Individual Burial Records Cemetery map brochure with 52 cemeteries– free Large cemetery wall map of 186 cemetery locations Notebooks listing burials by Cemetery Old School Records and file information In cabinet: Bellaire School; Billingsville School; Blackwater School; Bluffton School; Boonville School; Byberry School; Choteau School; Clear Springs School; Cotton Patch School; Crossroads School; Dunkles Beginner’s School; Fairview School; Hickory Grove School; Highland; Kemper School; Locust Grove School; Mount Vernon School; New Lebanon School; Oakwood School; Pilot Grove School; Pilot Grove – St. Joseph’s School; Pisgah School; Pleasant Green; Simmon’s School; Speed School; Splice Creek School; Sumner School; Stony Point School. Much more in file drawers. COOPER COUNTY SOLDIER INFORMATION ​Soldier Information in CCHS files - Civil War - Muster rolls, Hospital records, Cooper County men who served, Military Prisoners, Troop movement, Militia Records, Confederate Navy Records, Military Prisoners, list of dead at Springfield and Wilson’s Creek, Grand Army of the Republic records, Hospital Records, 1882-1940 Book: Civil War Day by Day – 1861-65 (Carolyn Bartels) Also see Military Records

OTHER AREA HISTORICAL RESEARCH SITES River, Rails & Trails Museum and Visitor's Center 100 East Spring Street Boonville, Missouri, 65233 Phone: 660 882-3967 Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4pm year-round, and 10am - 2pm Saturday and Sundays April through October The Visitor’s Center and Museum is located in the former Hirsch Wholesale Grocery Company warehouse, which was built in 1902 alongside the MKT Railroad tracks. In 2016 the City of Boonville converted the building into the new Visitor’s Center and Museum. The museum houses a half-scale replica of a Lewis and Clark keelboat, a Mitchell wagon, and railroad memorabilia including a model train display. A model steamboat, items from the sunken “Missouri Packet” steamboat and general Boonville history items are on display, as are items from the former Kemper Military School. There is also a children’s fort play area and several interactive displays. It is an excellent stop for information about Boonville and the Boonslick Region. ​ South Howard County Historical Society and Museum 110 E. Broadway New Franklin, Missouri 65274 Phone: n/a Facebook The South Howard County Historical Society was organized in 1989. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, and exhibition of documents, papers, and objects relative to the history of Howard County, MO, and to promote an interest and appreciation for local history. SHCHS meets four times a year on the first Tuesday of the following months: March, June, September, and December. Our 7:00 p.m. meetings consist of a short business meeting and a program devoted to our local history. The public is always invited! ​ Boonslick Historical Soc iety P.O. Box 426, Boonville, MO 65233 Phone Number: n/a Facebook History Focus: All aspects of the Boonslick Region, especially Howard, Cooper and Saline counties from the late 18th through mid-20th century. Funding: Non-profit, memberships and donations. ​ Boone’s Lick Road Association P.O. Box 8076 Columbia, MO 65205 The Boone’s Lick Road Association (BLRA), incorporated in Missouri in 2011, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is twofold: First, we want to preserve and tell the fascinating stories of the first major road into the heart of Missouri. Secondly, we hope to secure federal recognition of this road as a National Historic Trail. We aim to be the most comprehensive and authoritative source for information and research into this historic trail. ​ Arrow Rock State Historic Site 39521 Visitor Center Drive Arrow Rock, MO 6532 Phone: 660-837-3330 Email: ArrowRockStateHistoricSite@dnr.mo.go Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily March through October. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday to Sunday, November through February. Free admission.

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

MISSOURI RIVER AND TRANSPORTATION Missouri River West of Boonvillle Bridge Wayne Lammers Collection Before the white man traveled up the Missouri River, the Indians had paddled their canoes on it for centuries. Later came the French trappers and explorers in their pirogues, canoes, mackinaws, bateaus and keelboats. At this time, these types of boats were the only means of river transportation. When the first settlers arrived, the main routes of commerce and travel were still the water courses. Neither steamboats nor railroads were available yet. Because transportation was so important, the main settlements were made on the banks of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. ​ ​ Ferries Hannah Cole and others ​ During the first court on July 8, 1816, at Cole’s Fort, Hannah Cole’s sons were granted a license to run a ferry on the Missouri River between Boonville and Franklin. At the same time B.W. Levens, Ward and Potter, and George W. Cary were also granted a license to keep a ferry across the Missouri at the present site of Overton. The rates charged at the Levens’ ferry were as follows: ​ For man and horse $0.50 For either separately $0.25 For 4 horses and 4-wheeled wagon $2.00 For 2 horses and 4-wheeled carriage $1.00 For horned cattle $0.04 each For polled cattle $.02 each ​ No one seems to remember what the cost to cross the River on the Dorothy was. Later, other ferries were licensed to help travelers cross the “Wide Missouri” River. ​ Until 1924 , when the first Boonville Bridge connecting New Franklin to Boonville was built, one had to take a motorized ferry across the Missouri River to get to Boonville from New Franklin, or go to Howard County from Boonville. The last Ferry to operate was the “Dorothy,” which ceased operating when the Route 40 bridge was finished in 1924. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The Dorothy ferry on the Missouri at Boonville. ca 1890's. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Dorothy Ferry Boat circa 1918. ​ ​ Source: "Discover Cooper County" by Ann Betteridge. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ From the Wayne Lammers collection Joseph L. Stephens ferry boat in the 1890s, in front of Boonville In operation until 1924 ​ Front of Stephens Ferry Boat Rocheport Ferry - Cooper County in the background, notice 3 covered wagons and horses. Steam engine moved the paddle wheel. Lamine Ferry 1930's, from the Jim Higbie collection (colorized). Corps of Discovery near Boonville (Keel boat) - a reproduction of the Lewis and Clark boat. The reproduction burned, but was rebuilt 1/2 scale and is in the River, Rails and Trails Museum. Photo by Wayne Lammers The pirogue was a small type of canoe. The canoe was the most commonly used type of boat, and was the simplest of all river crafts. It was usually made from a cottonwood log, hollowed out, and was usually from 15 to 18 feet long. It was generally manned by three men: one to steer and two to paddle. It was used mostly for short trips, though occasionally was employed for long trips. The mackinaw was a flatboat, pointed at both ends, and was from 40 to 50 feet long. It usually had a crew of five men: one steersman and four oarsmen. The bullboat was usually used on shallow streams because of its light draft. It was made of buffalo bull hides sewn together and stretched over a frame of poles, and needed two men to handle it. Keel Boat Jolly Flat Boatsmen by George Caleb Bingham The keelboat was considered the best and largest craft for transportation before the steamboat. It was 60 to 70 feet long, with the keel running from bow to stern. It could carry a larger cargo than any of the other boats mentioned. It was usually poled. Several men at a time pushed long poles into the river bed, and literally pushed the boat upstream. In deep, fast, or rough water, or if other problems caused poling not to work well, the keelboat was then propelled by means of a cordelle. The cordelle was a line practically 1,000 feet long, one end of which was fastened to the top of the 30-foot mast in the center of the boat. It was well-braced from the mast and the rope extended to the shore. At the shore end of the line, some twenty or thirty men walked along the river bank and pulled the boat upstream. Cordelling was extremely difficult and exhausting work, especially when the edge of the river was full of brush, or the banks so soft that they gave way under foot. Sails were used at times, when the wind was right. Many years after the steamboat made its appearance, people continued to use the keelboat. Flatboat and Steam boats on the Missouri River The First Steamboat at Franklin was on May 29, 1819 . The trip of the Independence from St. Louis to Franklin took 13 days (six of which they were grounded on sandbars). Captain John Nelson had charge of the steamboat. The day after the arrival of the Independence a dinner was given by the citizens of Franklin in honor of the occasion. The trip of the Independence from St. Louis to Franklin was the beginning of steamboat traffic upon the Missouri. The development of the steamboat changed the whole process of river transportation, making it possible to travel much faster than previously, and with much larger cargoes, and was one of the chief factors in the development of Boonville and Cooper County. The second steamboat to arrive at Franklin was the Western Engine, one of several steamboats that came up the river in 1819 as part of Major Stephen Long’s “Yellowstone Expedition.” The boat reached Franklin on June 13, 1819 . The design of the Western Engineer was startling. The prow was upturned and carved into the shape of a serpent’s head. By means of a flue, steam could be directed to come out the hinged jaws. It was intended to frighten the Indians, and it did. The real beginning point of commercially feasible steam boating began about 1830 . Because of the rush of immigration at that time, boats could not be built fast enough. ​ ​ Packets on the Missouri River A Packet , or packet boat, is identified by its function rather than by any distinctive vessel type. Historically, packets originated as vessels under contract with the government to carry mail. With this official duty as their primary purpose, packets could be distinguished from any other vessels by their speed and regularity of service on a fixed route, between designated ports. Steam driven packets were used extensively in the 19th century on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, supplying and bringing personnel to forts and trading posts and carrying freight and passengers. Today, while steamboats are but a distant memory, the Missouri River is alive and well in Missouri. ​ Sources: Elizabeth Davis "Historically Yours", Ann Betteridge "Discover Cooper County" ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Steamboat "Plow Boy" at Boonville unloading wheat at Boonville Mill. From the Wayne Lammers collection. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Steamboat pulled by a tugboat with the Katy bridge in the background. From the Wayne Lammers collection. ​ ​ RIVER TRAFFIC BECAME HEAVY In 1838 , the government began to clear the Missouri River of snags, and river travel became somewhat less hazardous. As the steamboat trade increased, boats became bigger and fancier, changing from the appearance of a floating shack to a floating palace. The Boonville Register of May 20, 1841 , stated “the first boat built in the city of Boonville, is to be launched on Monday, the 24th.” The boat was built under the superintendence of Captain Courtney and was to be called the Warsaw. The “Golden Era” of the Missouri River steam boating was between 1850 and 1860 , and reached its highest prosperity in the year 1858 . There were then not less than sixty packets on the river, besides 30 to 40 transient boats called tramps, which came on the river from other streams and made one or two trips during the season. The packets had regular schedules and carried the United States mail, express, freight, newspapers (both daily and semi-weekly). Their arrival was booked forward to along the Missouri River with a great deal of interest. The discovery of gold in California, and later gold in Montana, caused many people to ride the steamboats on their way west and north. People flocked to the wharves whenever a steamboat arrived. There were so many boats on the lower river during this period that it was a common sight to see as many as five or six lying at the Boonville landing at the same time. These were prosperous days for the river towns. During the boating season, which continued from March to November, there was never a time when a boat wasn’t visible. The Missouri River freezing solid made it impossible to travel by boat during the winter months. The Missouri River was one of the most difficult streams in the United States to navigate because of its shifting channel, its swift current, and its many bends, which, with the many snags, made a continual menace to river traffic. No pilot approached a snag, especially at night, without fear and caution. The average life of a Missouri River steamboat was less than five years. Other problems, such as fires, boiler explosions, and floods as well as low water, also made traveling by steamboat hazardous. A major disaster in this area was the sinking of the El Paso after it hit a snag below Boonville in 1855 . Another period of prosperity were the years 1866 , 1867 , and 1868 . Captain C.H. Kinney, made the sum of $45,000 in profits from one trip. A number of residents in the Boonville area were involved in river trade as owners, captains, or pilots of steamboats. Many made their fortunes on the river. Perhaps the best known was Captain Joseph Kinney, who lived in Boonville from 1850 to 1860 . He built Riverscene mansion across the river from Boonville in 1869 . It was said that Captain Kinney picked out the lumber for his elegant home along the banks as he traveled the river and had it cut and delivered to the building area. Today the river is still important to the county’s economy. Barges are used to transport grain and other products. ​ Brief History of Steam boating on the Missouri River By Bob Dyer ​ References : Steamboats on the Missouri River Steamboat unloading wheat for the Sombart Mill in Boonville Nadine Excursion Boat near Boonville The St. Jacobs Oil steamboat at Boonville 1870's-Macurdy. Boonville Mill in the background THE MISSOURI RIVER CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AND UNPREDICTABLE Why does the Missouri flood more now than much earlier? The only bad flood in the 1800 ’s (#4) was in 1844 . The next bad one did not come until 1944 (#8), one hundred years later. There is a lot of finger pointing that the river has been changed by straightening, and building reservoirs and levees. However, heavy snow falls and late spring rains upstream also are big contributing factors. The flooding in 2019 was believed to have been triggered by record snowfall in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Wyoming along with near-record spring rainfall in central and eastern Montana. All six major dams along the Missouri River released record amounts of water to prevent overflow which led to flooding threatening several towns and cities downstream. ​ Missouri also had record rain in late May in 2013 and 2019 . All six major dams along the Missouri River released record amounts of water to prevent overflow, which led to flooding downstream, which flooded several towns and cities. The result - buildings and homes were severely damaged, and some washed away. Roads and bridges were underwater, as were the just emerging spring crops. Precious topsoil helped to make the Muddy MO even muddier. Cars, buildings and machinery were badly damaged, or also washed away by the force of the rushing water. Countless animals drowned and the number of human deaths from the flooding is unknown. ​ Historic Flood Crests of Missouri River at Boonville (1) 37.10 ft on 07/29/1993 (2) 33.73 ft on 05/31/2019 (3) 33.14 ft on 05/19/1995 (4) 32.70 ft on 06/21/1844 (5) 32.62 ft on 07/17/1951 (6) 32.02 ft on 06/27/1947 (7) 31.85 ft on 10/05/1986 (8) 30.93 ft on 04/27/1944 (9) 30.74 ft on 04/07/1983 (10) 30.72 ft on 06/02/2013 ​ Source: Historical Crests for Missouri River at Boonville US Weather Service Scroll to read the story about the Flood of 1993 Bob Dyer’s poem for a friend who lost his home to the flood of 1993 Poem by Bob Dyer, courtesy of Sharon Dyer Highway 40 during the 1951 Flood just across the river from Boonville. From the Wayne Lammers collection. Video of 2019 Missouri River at Boonville Flood Videos by Tracy and Ashley Friedrich @FarmAlarm. Boonville YouTubers ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Map of the Missouri River and it's tributaries. Source: Wikipedia ​ The Missouri River is North America's longest river, beginning in western Montana and ending 2,341 miles away, north of St. Louis, Missouri, where it enters the Mississippi River. The name 'Missouri' is derived from the Missouria tribe name, meaning 'people with wooden canoes'. The Missouri River and its tributaries have been important to people for more than 12,000 years, for many reasons including transportation, fishing, irrigation, and as a water source for animals which in turn helped to feed the people in the region. During the westward expansion of the United States the Missouri River played an important role. Because of industrial and agricultural use in the 20th century, the water quality, and animal and fish populations have been greatly impacted. ​ ​ Other Interesting Missouri River Facts It is believed that the Missouri River formed about 30 million years ago, but because it changes its course over time, the current course of the Missouri is estimated at 115,000 years old. ​ Major tributaries to the Missouri River include Yellowstone River, Platte River, and the Kansas River. The Missouri River flows through several states including Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. It flows past Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. The first explorers to lay their eyes on the Missouri River were Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette. These Frenchmen were floating along the Mississippi River in 1673 when they spotted it. ​ Lewis and Clark were the first to travel the entire length of the Missouri River, which they accomplished in 1804. The Missouri River flows from Montana's Gallatin, Madison, and Jefferson Rivers for 2,341 miles to the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri. The Missouri River is the world's 15th longest river. The Missouri River basin (area of land drained by the river) is 529,350 square miles in size. ​ Approximately 10 million people live in the Missouri River basin. This includes people from 10 states, from a small region in Canada, and from 28 different Native American tribes. The dams that have been built along the Missouri River have changed its ability to flow freely. Although this stops flooding in many regions, it changes the natural environment as well. The Missouri River has been called "Big Muddy" and "Muddy Mo" because of its ability to relocate large amounts of soil on occasion. ​ There are approximately 150 fish species in the Missouri River, and about 300 species of birds live in the Missouri River's region. The Lewis and Clark Historic Trail follows the Missouri River, making it possible for people to follow. Along the trail are roughly 100 historical sites to explore. ​ Many National Parks in the United States are located in the Missouri River's watershed, including Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Badlands National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park. ​ Source: SoftSchools.com Snoddy's Store by boat Flyover by drone of the Missouri River at Boonville Flood flyover in airplane

COOPER COUNTY IS FORMED Howard County Has Been Named “The Mother of Counties” Two years after Howard County was organized, there was so much immigration into the southern part of the county that there was a great demand for the division of Howard County and for the formation of another county south of the Missouri River. Because of this demand, the territorial Legislature, on December 17, 1816 , formed the new county of Cooper, which included all of Howard County south of the Missouri River. In 1803, the United States had more than doubled its size with the Louisiana Purchase. The following year, what would one day become the State of Missouri was divided into four districts. On October 1, 1812 , the area was reorganized into five counties and named the Missouri Territory. ​ Although a few changes took place in the Territory between 1813 and 1815 , the biggest change occurred on January 23, 1816 , with the organization of Howard County. Named after Benjamin Howard, the first Governor of the Missouri Territory, Howard County covered more than one-third of the state. It reached all the way to what would become Kansas and Iowa. Howard County would eventually form all or parts of 39 additional counties. Boonville, which was south of the Missouri River across from Franklin, was the county seat. ​ As the population increased south of the river, people began requesting Howard be made into two counties, one on each side of the Missouri River. Finally, after less than three years, Howard was divided. On December 17, 1818 , everything north of the river remained Howard County, and everything south of the river became Cooper County, which was named after Sarshel Cooper and his brother Benjamin, early settlers of the area. ​ The one drawback to the division was the county seat. Boonville was Howard County’s seat of government, but it was on the wrong side of the river. Laid out in 1823 , Fayette became Howard County’s county seat. ​ This territory included what now forms 11 counties and parts of five others. Cooper County was gradually decreased in size by the formation of new counties. By 1845 , the boundaries of Cooper County were as they are today. ​ HISTORICALLY YOURS, by Elizabeth Davis HOW COOPER COUNTY CAME TO BE By Dr. Maryellen H. McVicker The area that is now known as Missouri, was originally divided into 5 counties in 1812 by Territorial Governor William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition: St. Louis, St. Charles, New Madrid, St. Genevieve, and Cape Girardeau. ​ These 5 counties had their origins in French settlements mostly along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. On January 13, 1816 , Howard County was created out of portions of St. Louis and St. Charles counties, and eventually encompassed enough land that 39 counties, or approximately 1/3 of the entire state of Missouri, would be formed from the original Howard County territory. Cooper County was one of those counties. It was organized as a separate county on December 17, 1818 . By 1821, Missouri had 25 counties. Eventually there would be 114 counties, and the City of St. Louis. The central Missouri region experienced rapid growth during the first 2 decades of the 19th century. By 1820 , what is now Howard and Cooper Counties, had a population of over 20,000 people, which was about 1/3 of the entire population of the Territory of Missouri. The population of the entire United States was between 9 and 10 million. Now, two hundred years later, over 300 million call the United States their home and approximately 38,000 people live in the two-county region. Cooper County will soon be 200 years old. Cooper County predates statehood. The 1876 Levens and Drake History of Cooper County tells a story about an early county employee: “Sometime during the year 1817 , William Gibson, …was appointed by the Territorial Court constable. …Soon after his appointment, there being some trouble down on the Osage, he was sent there with a warrant for the arrest of a man who had caused the trouble. …As he was on his journey back, and also having an execution against a Man who lived on the road, he stopped at the man’s house and proceeded to levy a tax on the feather beds, as nothing in those days was exempt from levy (taxation—ed.) But, as soon as he made his purpose known, four women, who were the only persons at home, threatened to give him a thrashing, so he was forced to retire as fast as he could, and return with the execution unsatisfied. To add to this, the court only allowed him, for his journey of one hundred and forty miles, which occupied four days, the magnificent sum of twenty-five cents. Mr. Gibson thinking the office not quite lucrative enough to justify him devoting his whole time to its duties, and not wishing to risk his life at the hands of angry women, quietly sent in his resignation…” Some things never change! Notice the size of Howard County compared to Cooper County COUNTIES THAT WERE FORMED FROM COOPER COUNTY Not only were 14 counties formed from Cooper County, many of these counties, in turn, were the parent county to new counties. Cooper County as originally formed comprised the present day counties of Bates (Formed 1841 from Cass County), Benton (Formed 1835 from Pettis County), Camden (Formed 1841 from Benton County), Cass (Formed 1835 from Jackson County), Cole (Formed 1820 from Cooper County), Henry (Formed 1834 from LaFayette County), Jackson (Formed 1826 from LaFayette County), Johnson (Formed 1834 from LaFayette County), LaFayette (Formed 1820 from Cooper County), Miller (Formed 1837 from Cole County), Moniteau (Formed 1845 from Cole and Morgan Counties), Morgan (Formed 1833 from Cooper County), Pettis (Formed 1833 from Cooper and Saline Counties), St. Clair (Formed 1841 from Henry County), and Saline (Formed 1820 from Cooper and Howard Counties). ​ References : Ann Betteridge

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

THE PONY EXPRESS ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Depiction of the construction of the first Transcontinental Telegraph , with a Pony Express rider passing below. Source: Wikipedia. ​ March 1861: The Pony Express reduces its route from Salt Lake City, Utah to Sacramento, California When Cooper County mail, that was headed west by stage coach, reached Saint Joe, Missouri, it would be picked up at the Pony Express office by one of the 80 riders, and start on a 2,000-mile wild ride by horseback to the next station. The mail and newspapers would reach San Francisco in 10 days. By stage coach, the same trip would take three weeks! There were 153 Stations, some in hotels and some in shacks. The rider would ride 10 to 15 miles before changing horses and then continue his ride to the next station and a new horse. Five hundred horses were used for each round trip. The ride was not comfortable for the rider or the horse. Bad weather, rough terrain and Indians were constant threats. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Ad in the Sacramento Union, March 19, 1860 “Men Wanted" The undersigned wishes to hire ten or a dozen men, familiar with the management of horses, as hostlers, or riders on the Overland Express Route via Salt Lake City. Wages $50 per month and found.” On June 16, 1860, about ten weeks after the Pony Express began operations, Congress authorized a bill instructing the Secretary of the Treasury to subsidize the building of a transcontinental telegraph line to connect the Missouri River and the Pacific Coast. ​ The passage of the bill resulted in the incorporation of the Overland Telegraph Company of California and the Pacific Telegraph Company of Nebraska. While the lines were under construction the Pony Express operated as usual. Letters and newspapers were carried the entire length of the line from St. Joseph to Sacramento, but telegrams were carried only between the rapidly advancing wire ends. ​ On October 26, 1861, San Francisco was in direct contact with New York City. On that day the Pony Express was officially terminated, but it was not until November that the last letters completed their journey over the route. ​ In June, 1860 Congress authorized the incorporation off the Overland Telegraph Company of California and Pacific Company of Nebraska. The Pony Express lasted only 19 months from April 1860 to October 1861, but it successfully connected the East to the West in record time. Sources: Adapted from National Geographic National Park Service National Historic Trail

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