SEARCH RESULTS

THE MEXICAN WAR In May, 1846 , a call was made for one company from Cooper County to join troops already in Mexico. Sixty-one men volunteered. The company was organized and assembled in Boonville, where they were trained in military duty by their Captain, John C. Stephens. They departed May 28, 1846 , on the steamer L. F. Linn, for St. Louis, where they were to be armed and equipped. When they arrived in St. Louis, they were ordered to report to Jefferson City. When they got to Jefferson City, they were told to be in readiness and were then allowed to return home. Even though they never saw any battle, the volunteers were welcomed home by large, cheering crowds. The 1865 Missouri Constitution bans the practice of slavery. ​ Missouri was still very much a divided state over the issue of slavery at the end of the Civil War. Many citizens, including Radical Republicans led by Charles Drake, fiercely opposed the institution of slavery and pushed for a new constitution. Among the amendments were the emancipation of slaves and determining voting privileges for loyal citizens to the Union. The ordinance introduced at the constitution convention in St. Louis to abolish slavery in the state passed overwhelmingly with only four delegates voting against it. Missouri’s document that made slavery unlawful came three weeks before the U.S. Congress proposed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned slavery in the country. The loyalty oath, which also was adopted by the 1865 Missouri Constitution would exclude all but pro-Unionists from public life, including the fields of teaching, law and politics, also went into effect until the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Missouri’s loyalty oath two years later. ​ ​ Daniel Boone Camp No 42 "In the Name and by Authority of the United Spanish War Veterans …" These are the first words on a Charter that hangs on the northwest wall of the first floor lobby of the Cooper County Courthouse. Americans have fought in many wars since winning their independence in the Revolutionary War in 1775-1783. The War Between the States (or the American Civil War as many call it), World War I, and World War II are the ones that most often come to mind. But there have been others. The Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and the China Relief Expedition are three others. Like veterans of other wars before and since, veterans of the Spanish American War, which officially ended in early 1899, formed organizations to keep in touch with those they fought with, and to remember those who didn't come home. The three largest of these organizations (the Spanish War Veterans, the Spanish-American War Veterans, and the Servicemen of the Spanish War) merged in 1904, becoming the United Spanish War Veterans. By 1906, all the other organizations had merged with them as well. Although the organization existed primarily in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, there were other "camps" across the country. On May 20, 1928, the Daniel Boone Camp No. 42 in Boonville, Missouri, was chartered by the United Spanish War Veterans. Signed in the organization's national headquarters in Washington, D.C., on June 28, 1928, there were 20 members at the time Camp No. 42 was created and each veteran's name is written on the charter. The United Spanish War Veterans ceased to exist in 1992 with the death of its last surviving member, Nathan E. Cook. Often referred to as a Spanish-American War veteran, Cook, was actually a veteran of the Philippine Insurrection. He had lied about his age and enlisted at the age of 16. Cook died just before his 107th birthday at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

​COOPER COUNTY TOWNS THAT ONCE HAD TRAINS AND DEPOTS 1850-1960 There was a huge jump in County population between 1850 and 1890. Cooper County was growing quickly due to the Steamboats and the Railroads, until the start of the Civil War in 1861. When populations declined during and after the Civil War, during the Reconstruction period, and later during the Depression, the number of trains running through the County declined also. Today, the size of the remaining towns once serviced by the railroads, other than Boonville, is just an echo of what they had been when the trains ran through the town centers. The trains that are running today no longer go through towns or carry passengers, only freight and coal. BILLINGSVILLE - Billingsville is located six miles south of Boonville. At one time, the Hilden family owned the general store, the granary and the two scales. There were seven owners of the store over time. There was a blacksmith, a school, a post office, two churches and several well-built houses in the area. Two trains came to Billingsville daily. A school was built on a small bluff near the banks of the Petite Saline River Between 1852-1853 a covered bridge, spanning the river, was built on land owned by Mr. Shoemaker, so it was named the "Shoemaker Bridge". The bridge offered school children a place to play and gave people in buggies or on horseback a place to stay dry during a storm. The Southern Branch of the Osage and So Kansas Railroad came to Billingsville twice a day. The train seceded operation in 1936. ​ BLACKWATER - The town of Blackwater, named after the nearby Blackwater River, had its beginning in 1887 when W.C. Morris filed a plat for the town. Mr. Cooney and Mr. Scott who owned the surrounding land, gave free alternating lots to obtain the location of the town. In the spring of 1887, the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company surveyed for the Missouri River Route of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. This Route was later known as the Lexington-Jefferson City Branch. he In 1888, C.T. Rucker built the first general merchandise store, and the train depot was also built. The first drugstore was operated by Riley Holman, and an early physician was D. H. Quigg. The first bank was the Farmers Stock Bank, and was built in 1895. By 1937, Blackwater had two general merchandise stores, a grocery store, blacksmith, lumber company, two poultry houses, one hotel, a grain elevator, two doctors, a bank, post office, two hardware stores, two barber shops, a beauty shop, and the Blackwater Stone Company quarry, which employed 100 people. Grain and cattle were shipped to market and livestock were fattened and shipped in. Blackwater had its largest population in the 1920's, nearly 600 people. Today the town has the following businesses: Telephone Museum, Post Office BOONVILLE - Boonville 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, across the Missouri River, looking for adventure and new opportunities. ​ Boonville, the oldest city in central Missouri, was settled in 1810 by Hannah Cole and her nine children, along with her brother-in-law’s family. The Sac and Fox Indians roamed the area and became hostile around 1812. For protection, the Coles 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 homes in and around the Cole’s fort. ​ Howard County, which covered about one-third of the area that would eventually become Missouri, was organized January 23, 1816, and Hannah Cole’s fort in Boonville was the site of the first Howard 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 large to allow for the forming of another county from its vast territory. 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. ​ 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 BUNCETON - Bunceton was platted in 1868 and named after Harvey Bunce, an early settler and a Director of the Central National Bank of Boonville. The town was laid out on a town site of 20 acres in a very fertile area. The Township was named for one of the most respected early pioneers, John Kelly. Several Roller mills were erected in Bunceton, and over the years, several of them burned, causing a great deal of damage to the town. At its height of population there were 2 drug stores, 3 general stores, 4 grocery stores, 4 barber shops, 2 millinery shops, 2 doctors, 2 lumber yards, a livery stable, one carpenter shop, 3 blacksmiths, one flour mill, 4 churches, and a population of almost 1,000 people. The post office has been in operation since 1868. Today the town has seven businesses: Connections Bank, Leslie’s Service Center, 2 beauty shops, Bunceton Mutual Insurance, Josephine’s General Store, Strobel’s Welding and two churches: the Baptist Church and Federated Church. It also has an excellent K-12 public school. ​ CLIFTON CITY - Clifton City was known as the “Devil’s Half Acre” because it was a place where several notorious characters, such as Jesse James, frequented. It was on the Katy Railroad and was an important shipping point at one time. In 1849 it had one blacksmith and one general store. During the early 1900’s it was a very prosperous town. There were blacksmiths, general stores, a bank, lumber yard, a hardware store, a farrier, 2 drug stores and a pay telephone office. Today there are no businesses in town, but a church and several homes. ​ HARRISTON - Harriston was located 15 miles southwest of Boonville and three miles east of Pilot Grove. It was established in 1873 and grew to be an important shipping place for livestock and grain, with a railroad depot, post office, two general stores, a blacksmith shop and a few other businesses. Dr. N. W. Harris gave land for the MKT Railroad right-of-way. A depot was located there and was named Harriston. Henry W. Harris, son of Dr. Harris was appointed the first postmaster. H. Brooks was the first depot agent. Dr. Harris was the medical doctor and also operated the general store. E. Gates made wagons. N.L. Wilson sold sewing machines. Pete Bitsch was a shoe and bootmaker. In 1877, the Sly family, from Kentucky, moved to Harriston. Jim Sly became a wagon maker. His brother Jim was a blacksmith. The population grew to 50 residents. Harriston is no longer listed as a town. In 1879 Dr. Harris became postmaster. In 1883, W. Jacobs and Co. had a general store and the Woolery family owned a general store. About this time the Straub family came to Harriston. In 1891, William Sly became postmaster and the owner of the general store. In 1896, J.H. Schlotzhauer gave land for a school which was organized and named Harriston School. Clay Daniels, a stone mason, carved stones for many of the houses in the community. In 1908 the post office was combined with Pleasant Green. The depot closed and Harriston was a flag stop for passengers for a few years. Roy Daniels was the last resident of Harriston. ​ LAMINE - Lamine is located on the river route of the Union Pacific, as well as on the Lamine River. Lamine is named for the river, which was originally named "Riviere de la Mine." In 1720, Philippe Renault, Director of mines of the French colonies in America, sent prospecting parties into the territories west of the Mississippi to seek gold and silver. In 1723 they discovered lead oar near Lamine. La Mine, or Lamine, is a contraction of the original French name. Samuel Walton erected a business in the village of Lamine in 1869. (He was the great grandfather of Sam Walton of Walmart fame), and Redd and Gibson opened a store in 1871. JJ Simms was a blacksmith and wagon maker. Dr. R. Davidson operated a drugstore. R.R. Reed was postmaster. The mail came on a stagecoach route that traveled daily from Boonville to Arrowrock. Tornadoes are somewhat common in the Lamine area. In the late 1800's, Thomas Weekly recalled his father's account of the tornado which came down the Lamine River and struck the bluff three times. The third time it came up the ravine, it destroyed the Baptist church, while the Christian Church was not harmed. Eventually the town of Lamine was moved closer to the river and the railroad. The two towns were sometimes referred to as New Lamine an Old Lamine. ​ Turley descendants have lived in the Lamine area since 1811. Stephen Turley fought in the War of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Turley were the last operators of the store they owned in Lamine which closed in 1984. A Hopewell Indian settlement, located at the confluence of the Lamine and Missouri Rivers, is listed on the Register of Historic Places. OTTERVILLE - The town was named “Otterville” because of the great number of Otters in the area. The businesses and homes were originally located north of the town near the school. The mail from Arator was carried on horseback by a young boy named James Wear. Later he became a prosperous merchant in St. Louis For a while, Otterville grew quickly as it was the end of the line for Missouri Pacific Railroad. Later the railroad extended its service to Sedalia, and when Sedalia became the end of the line, business in Otterville declined, while Sedalia boomed. ​ William Stone, in 1825, was one of the first to settle. Other early families included William Reed from Tennessee and James G. Wilkerson from Kentucky. William Sloan came in 1826. Thomas Parsons was a hatter from Virginia and opened the first hatter's shop south of Boonville. Fredrich Sherly appeared about 1827 and was known as one of the best hunters around. Before coming to the area, Sherly had been with General Jackson in the Creek War. He had been present at the battle of Horse Shoe Bend and witnessed the death of over 500 Indians. ​ James Davis arrived from Tennessee and was known as a great rail splitter. James Brown was another hunter who settled in the area. Brown had once hunted with Daniel Boone. An early enterprise was run by John Gabriel who came from Kentucky. Gabriel had a distillery and made whiskey. One day he was killed for his money by a slave. The slave was captured, and then hanged in Boonville which was the county seat. Thomas Jefferson Stark was another early settler Otterville who became a lawyer and was admitted to the bar and served as legal adviser and Notary Public for this part of Missouri. He is also responsible for much of the history we have of Otterville and the surrounding area. On February 22, 1947, a city election changed Otterville from village to Fourth Class City. ​ OVERTON - Overton is opposite Rocheport on the Missouri River. Overton was an unincorporated community in northeast Cooper County. The community was adjacent to the south edge of the Missouri River floodplain. Overton was laid out in 1901, and named in honor of William B. Overton, the original owner of the town site. ​ After the loss of the steamboat trade in the 1880’s and 90’s, the town moved to a place near the base of the bluffs near the railroad. A post office called Overton was established in 1864, and remained in operation until 1944. ​ Unfortunately, due to heavy flooding of the Missouri River in 1993 and 1995, the farms that once dotted this area have become wetlands and many farmers sold their land to the US government, such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service. ​ Today, acres of weedy, herbaceous plants cover what were once crop fields in the Overton Bottoms section of the Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge and Service. It is now known as the Big Muddy Fish and Wildlife Refuge that covers the Missouri River bottoms adjacent to Interstate 70. ​ Source: Ann Betteridge Discover Cooper County and (the source of the article about Overton), Brendan Gibbons Columbia Missouri ​ PILOT GROVE - Pilot Grove became a town in 1873, soon after the arrival of the MKT Railroad. Samuel Roe, a teacher and postmaster, was the founder of Pilot Grove. He also helped with the building of the railroad depot. The town was named "Pilot Grove" for a grove of tall hickory trees standing on the prairie, which served as a guide and was a "pilot" for travelers going across the prairie. Like many other towns in its day, Pilot Grove became prosperous because of the railroad. It became a major shipping point for grain and livestock. Other successful businesses were a pottery, blacksmith shop, brickyard, millinery, ice house, livery stable, grain elevator, and a flour and grist mill. Most businesses were farm related, but some were engaged in manufacturing. There were factories that made furniture, boats and cabinets. The cabinet shop eventually became the start of Anderson Windows. One of the biggest events in Pilot Grove happened in 1945, when a train carrying ammunition and oil, derailed about one-half mile north of town, derailing 20 cars. Flames and smoke rose over 400 feet, and shells exploded. One can only wonder what would have happened if the train had derailed in town. Today, Pilot Grove is the second largest town in Cooper County. PLEASANT GREEN ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ This is a picture of the small building that housed the Pleasant Green Post Office from 1869-1871 and 1873-1954. It also served as a telephone office. In the middle of what is now Cooper County, Anthony Winston Walker arrived in 1818 with his wife, and three sons. They started with a one-story brick house, slave quarters, and a separate cookhouse. The estate was called Pleasant Green after an earlier home in Virginia. In 1824, Walker set aside 1-1/2 acres for a church and cemetery. Pleasant Green Methodist church is still in use today, and the cemetery is still active. ​ According to census records, Walker had two African-American slaves in 1830. It was at this time that a two-story federal style add-on was built for their son Anthony Smith Walker to be used as his office and as a post office. Eventually, the Walker family owned 61 slaves and 13,00 acres of land. Anthony Smith Walker had been postmaster, assessor, and a Cooper County Judge. He was in the Missouri Legislature from 1844 until Lyon captured Jefferson City in 1861. His son, Anthony Walker, was a major in the Union Army when he inherited Pleasant Green and didn’t return to take over the estate until 1872. Some time after that, several acres were sold for the town of Buzzard’s Roost. (Local residents know it as Pleasant Green.) Everything was lost in bankruptcy in the 1900’s bank panic. Fifty years later, Florence (Winky) Walker Chesnutt Friedrichs, a direct descendant of the Walker’s, and her husband Stanley Chestnut, repurchased the Pleasant Green Plantation house. It has remained in the family ever since. The plantation had a separate building (see picture above) that served as both the telephone office and the post office. At one time, Pleasant Green was a busy little town with three general stores, a small hotel, bank, drug store, hardware store, barber shop, livery stable, blacksmith, and two grain elevators. People began to leave the town in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. The trains had bypassed the town and there were trucks and cars by then, and people could drive to larger towns for business and shopping. In the late 30’s and early 1940’s, the town collapsed. All that is left of the town is the little telephone and post office and several Victorian homes. ​ PRAIRIE LICK - Prairie Lick was located five miles southeast of Boonville on the MKT railroad. There was once a store, grain elevator and blacksmith shop there. George Drennan operated a store there until the late 1920's. Mr Tom Bryan was the last store owner in Prairie Lick. On the 1950 Census Prairie Lick was no longer listed as a town. ​ SPEED (New Palestine) - Speed is an unincorporated community located along Missouri Route F, on a branch of the Petite Saline creek, four miles East of Bunceton. It was originally laid out on higher ground in 1868, and named Palestine. Later, the town moved closer to the creek when the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas & Texas Railroad (KATY) came through in 1898, and was renamed “New Palestine” after the move, and later renamed “Speed” after Austin Speed, a railroad official. Speed was a very prosperous town after the move. Many businesses, including a bank did very well. When the railroad was disbanded, most of the businesses closed, and today there are no businesses left in Speed. The post office closed in 1955. One church remains active. ​ WOOLDRIDGE - Wooldridge was incorporated in 1902. The Missouri Pacific ran past Wooldridge but rarely stopped. The town had a restaurant, general store, a drug store and a lumber yard. A tomato factory was in operation in 1908. The town slowly disappeared and only the church and post office remained of the original town. In the Fall of 2022, during harvest time, a piece of farm machinery started a fire, and the dense smoke from it was seen for miles around. The church and post office were damaged, but nothing else remains. There are still a few homes on the bluff above Wooldridge.

GENEALOGY Picture from Carolyn Aggeler collection COOPER COUNTY VITAL AND HISTORICAL RECORDS: AVAILABLE AT THE COOPER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY RESEARCH CENTER 111 Roe Street Pilot Grove, MO 65276 660-834-3582

CIVIL WAR Second Battle of Boonville Re-enactment Wayne Lammers Collection ​ Adapted from “Discover Cooper County” by Ann Betteridge: ​ Cooper County suffered a great deal during the Civil War. Her territory was occupied almost constantly by one side or the other, and her citizens were called upon to give to the support to first one side, and then the other. Families and neighbors were divided between sentiments for the North and South. Many of the residents had come from the South and sympathized with the South, but still wanted to stay in the Union. The state was truly divided. ​ Events Leading to the Civil War When Missouri decided to become part of the Union, many members of Congress were not enthusiastic about admitting another slave state. In 1821, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise , which allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine to enter as a free state. This kept the number of free and slave states even. By the time the war was over, much of the County was damaged or in ruins. Most of the livestock had been “appropriated” by one side or the other to feed the troops, and many homes had been stripped of anything of value. In 1861 , the Southern states began withdrawing from the Union. Missourians held a state convention to decide what they should do. Many of the members including Governor Claiborne F. Jackson, were strongly in favor of the South. However, the state voted to remain in the Union. At that time, most of the people hoped to remain neutral if a war came. War did come and Governor Jackson refused to send troops to fight for the Union. In April, 1861 , Fort Sumter was fired upon. This caused much concern. The people of Cooper County were anxious. Missouri was predominantly a slave state; however, it also had strong northern ties. Since it was one of the so-called “border states,” the divisions of loyalty were greater here than in most places. Lincoln’s call to arms on April 15th stirred sympathy for the South in Boonville. On April 20th, a large crowd assembled at the Cooper County courthouse. Speeches were made and a secession flag was raised. Perhaps it seemed strange that Missourians passed secession resolutions. Missouri wasn’t a direct supporter of the Confederacy, but it was against Federal intervention in its affairs. The people of Missouri saw Lincoln’s call for troops to crush the “revolutionaries” of the South as a direct threat to their state’s sovereignty. ​ Governor Jackson was a supporter of states’ rights. He favored secession from the Union. The Governor thought that his state had the right to take Federal supplies that were located in Missouri. Therefore, he established Camp Jackson within a few blocks of the Federal arsenal in St. Louis. Everyone, including General Lyon, commander of the U. S. Army in Missouri, knew what Jackson was doing. Lyon did not like it one bit, so he surrounded the camp, forced the men assembled there to surrender, and then marched them through the streets of St. Louis. A crowd gathered and shouted protests against Lyon’s actions. Rocks were thrown, shots were fired, and about 30 civilians were killed. More civilians were killed in other skirmishes in St. Louis. Jackson and Lyon met on June 11, 1861, to discuss what could be done to prevent further fighting in Missouri. Jackson was willing to compromise. However, Lyon insisted on the right to move and station troops of the United States throughout the State, whenever and wherever that might be necessary for the protection of the citizens of the Federal movement, or for the stopping of an invasion. This was totally unacceptable to Jackson, so Lyon stated, “This means war.” Jackson fled back to Jefferson City and called for 50,000 troops to help defend the state against the Federal invasion. He picked Boonville as his point of defense and moved there with General Sterling Price, head of the Missouri State Troops. THE FIRST BATTLE OF BOONVILLE Jackson set up Camp Bacon at Boonville. The untrained recruits were mostly farmers with their hunting rifles, out to defend their land against attack. Jackson’s officers were against making a stand at Boonville. They wanted to go further south until their troops could be drilled and trained. Jackson said it was necessary to go ahead as planned. In St. Louis, Nathaniel Lyon was busy preparing the Federal troops. He believed in trying to surprise the enemy. Lyon took three riverboats and steamed up the Missouri. Early in the morning of June 17, 1861, he landed approximately seven miles east of town near Merna. Meanwhile, at Boonville, Price was sick from diarrhea, so he left on a steamboat to his home in Chariton County. He left Colonel Marmaduke in command with about 1,500 men who had no experience in fighting. The majority of Lyon’s 500 troops had previous military experience. Lyon had artillery, but Marmaduke’s only available cannon was in Tipton. Marmaduke stationed his men along a ridge about four miles east of Boonville which blocked the Rocheport road. Lyon came up the river by steamboat from Jefferson City, landed his troops a little upriver from Rocheport, and then marched with his forces up the road to Boonville. The Federal troops advanced for almost three miles. Lyon had Captain Totten shelled the brow of the ridge on which the state troops were stationed and his infantry opened fire with their rifles. The fighting was thick for a while with several wounded on each side, but soon the training of the Federal troops began to show through, and Marmaduke’s men were forced to retreat across a fence into a field. When the Federals advanced up the hill, the state troops opened fire from the cover of a nearby shed and grove of trees. After fighting for about half an hour, the state troops were forced to retreat. Lyon’s troops took possession of Camp Bacon where they took the supplies. Five men were killed. Lyon advanced toward Boonville. East of the city limits, at the home of T. W. Nelson, the acting mayor, and several citizens surrendered the city to Lyon. Marmaduke left for Lexington on a steamboat, and Governor Jackson headed down the Georgetown road. General Parsons of the state militia arrived from Tipton with the state’s artillery after the battle was over. When he found out that the state had lost, he took his command south to Prairie Lick where most of the other state troops were. The next day General Lyon pardoned all of the people who would promise to support the U.S. government and to never again take arms against it. Many people accepted this. Lyon sent part of his troops to find Jackson, but was unable to locate him. They returned to Boonville. On June 20, three days after the state troops had been defeated, Lyon organized the first Boonville Home Guard, consisting of local citizens. Most of them were of German descent. Their orders were to guard Boonville against invasion by state forces. Similar “home guards” were being organized all over the state. Boonville’s consisted of 135 men with Joseph A. Eppstein elected as captain. Before Lyon left Boonville, he also ordered a small fortress to be built. It consisted mostly of breastworks and a small ammunition bunker which was located on the old state fairgrounds, where St. Joseph Hospital stood for many years. Eppstein heard rumors that they were going to be attacked by Confederate-sympathizing forces from nearby counties. He ordered several southern sympathizers from the community to be held hostage in the breastworks. The breastworks consisted of a series of poles that had been sharpened at one end and tied at the middle to form a barrier about seven to ten feet in height. By July 2, 1861 , General Lyons had received reinforcements from Iowa and marched out of Boonville to chase the Missouri State Guard under General Price. Price was thought to be collecting troops in southwestern Missouri. With 2,400 troops, the caravan moved along the Boonville-Georgetown Road (the old Spanish Trail to Mexico). They camped the first night at the Clear Creek Crossing. The young Iowans were in woolen uniforms and Private George Ware’s diary complains of the heat and dust. The next day, as they marched past Pleasant Green, young boys hiding behind the orchard wall (the remains of Winston Walker’s old Indian fort) pelted the soldiers with green apples. To their surprise, the soldiers caught most of the apples to save for ripening. At the Lamine River bridge crossing shots were fired at the soldiers from the bluffs, but there were no injuries. Lyon’s march ended at Wilson’s Creek, near Springfield, where he was killed in battle with the Missouri State Guard. His unburied body was discovered July 13th by members of Kelly’s Regiment (who had been with Marmaduke in the Battle of Boonville) and given proper burial in the garden of John Phelps. ​ SECOND BATTLE OF BOONVILLE On December 13, 1861 , while eating breakfast, Boonville’s Home Guard was attacked by about 800 men from Saline County under the leadership of Colonel Brown. As rain and musket balls fell, the Confederates advanced twice, but each time they were forced back. Col. Brown was killed in the second attack as was his brother, Capt. Brown. Only two of the Home Guard were killed, but an unknown number of Brown’s men were killed. Major Poindexter took command of the entire force after the death of the Brown brothers. William Burr, a hostage in the breastworks, was given permission to visit the Confederates to see what arrangements could be made to stop the fighting. The two sides agreed on a six-day armistice. After a week’s armistice, Major Poindexter withdrew his troops to join General Price, who had successfully taken Lexington. ​ CIVIL WAR ACTIVITES NEAR OTTERVILLE Railroad tracks were laid through Otterville in 1861 . In January, 1862, the Sixth Iowa Union Infantry, out of Des Moines, made a march to Otterville and dug the tranches. They camped there most of the winter. Regiments from Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Indiana stood in the trenches. ​ Some of the evidence of the Civil War can still be observed at Otterville. Trenches, which are about six-foot depressions, along with their accompanying breastworks can still be seen on the John Kuykendall farm one mile east of Otterville, south of the railroad tracks. The original purpose of the trenches was to protect the railroad line going through Otterville from Confederate forces. Union troops stood in the depressions firing over the breastworks at the Confederate soldiers who were attempting to cut the railroad line in half to stop its continued use by the Union to send munitions and supplies to their men in the west. The railroad ended in Sedalia, where goods were transferred to wagon trains to be taken to Kansas City, Springfield, and other stations. To stop the goods from going through, there was constant fighting and skirmishing up and down the Missouri Pacific Railroad line from Otterville to California. Otterville was more subject to attack because the rail line crossed a trestle over the Lamine River near Otterville. The trestle was burned three times during the war by Confederate soldiers with the help of local citizens. When James Wear, a current resident of Otterville, was a young boy, he used to play with bullets, belt buckles, and other artifacts from the Civil War found near his home. Other Civil War historians have also found artifacts in the area near the trenches. Reference: Commemorative Issue, Cooper County Historical Society Dedication of the Historical Marker for the Otterville Civil War Entrenchments October 9, 1999. ​ ​ CONFEDERATES UNDER SHELBY CAPTURE BOONVILLE General Joseph Shelby, of the Confederate Army, made a raid into Cooper County during October 1863. He passed through Otterville on the night of October 9th , and burned the Pacific railroad bridge nearby. On the night of the 10th he camped near Bell Air, in a pasture belonging to Mr. Nathaniel Leonard. The next day he marched toward Boonville. His movements had become known in Boonville and a meeting of the citizens was called by Mayor McDearmon. After some delay, the conclusion was reached that the only alternative was to surrender the city to General Shelby. Citizens were sent out to meet him. They returned without being able to learn anything about where he was, so they felt that he probably wouldn’t be coming to the city. His arrival at Boonville on October 11th was quite a surprise. Just as General Shelby marched into Boonville from the south, Major Leonard, with about 150 Federal troops, appeared on the north side of the Missouri River and commenced crossing with his men. When they learned there were many Confederates in town, they decided to retreat. They turned the boat around and headed for the Howard County shore. At this time some of Shelby’s men appeared and commenced firing upon the boat with muskets. As soon as Major Leonard landed his forces, the artillery was turned upon Shelby’s troops and they were forced to retire beyond the reach of the shells. At the same time, Colonel Crittenden, of the Union, was steaming up the river in a boat. On learning the situation of affairs at Boonville, he dropped down the river and landed a short distance below on the Howard County side of the river. General Shelby stayed in Boonville the rest of the day, then camped for the night west of the city on the Georgetown road. He had come to Boonville to obtain supplies, such as food and clothing. The local clothing companies lost $4,000 in clothing. The Confederate troops did not hurt anyone during their stay. Not a single citizen was killed or wounded, and they were very polite to everyone. While the Confederates were in Boonville, the Federals, under General Brown, were close behind them. On October 11th, the Federals were within eight miles of Boonville, on the Bell Air road. That day General Brown moved a portion of his troops west to the junction of the Sulphur Springs and the Boonville and Georgetown roads, which is about seven miles southwest of Boonville. During the night, he marched his command back again to the Bell Air road, and camped near Billingsville. The next morning after General Shelby had left, the Federals passed through Boonville in pursuit, they advanced just behind the Confederate rear guard. Two of General Shelby’s men stopped at Mr. Labbo’s house, about one and one-half miles west of Boonville to get their breakfast. They were killed by some Federal scouts as the two appeared at the front door to make their escape. A running fight was kept up at intervals, all along the route from Boonville to Marshall. The fight became pretty heated between the Sulphur Springs and Dug Ford. At Dug Ford, two Federals were killed and fell from their horses into the water. Theis raid produced great excitement. It is not known whether General Shelby was able to obtain all the supplies and reinforcements that he had hoped. Major Leonard and Colonel Crittenden crossed their commands over the river to Boonville about ten o’clock on the morning of the 12th. After stopping for dinner, they started in the direction of Marshall. Boonville was then clear of troops. The citizens had time to gather supplies to feed the next group of hungry soldiers who happened to land there, whether they were Federals or Confederates. Thus, ended the famous “Shelby’s Raid” as far as Cooper County was concerned. A battle took place at Marshall in which a number were killed and wounded on each side. General Shelby succeeded in escaping from his pursuers with the loss of only a small portion of the supplies he had obtained in Boonville. ​ ​ CIVIL WAR PENSIONS The first known homeless veteran ​ (2020) Last Civil War Widow Dies Helen Jackson, of Marshfield Missouri, was only 17 years old when she married Union veteran James Bolin, 93. He needed care every day and Helen provided that care after she came home from school. Since Mr. Bolin had no money to pay her for her help, he asked her to marry him so that she could have his pension in payment for her care. They were legally married from 1936 to 1939, when Mr. Jackson died. Helen kept her marriage a secret for many years and never applied for Mr. Jackson’s pension. She was an active member of the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. Last American to Collect a Civil War Pension Irene Triplett, was the (2020) last American to collect a Civil War pension . The fact that someone in the year 2020 was still earning a Civil War pension was the result of two factors: First, she suffered from cognitive impairment, qualifying her for the lifelong pension as a helpless adult child of a veteran. Second, her father, Mose Triplet, who’d served as a private in the Confederate Army before defecting to the Union, was on his second marriage when she was born in 1930, and he was 83 years old. Irene received $73.13 each month and seemed to be very secretive of where the money came from. Missouri State Archives - Civil War in Missouri ​ Also see Veteran Research. ​ Confederate Veteran Archive . The Confederate Veteran was a magazine published from 1893-1932 and this site has most of them on it. It also has a link to the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Union Civil War Federal veterans, members of the Boonville Camp No. 3701 are lined up on the corner of Main and Spring Streets circa 1900. From the Wayne Lammers Collection ​ ` CIVIL WAR TIDBITS Stories courtesy of Bert McClary: Thomas, Abe and the Lieutenant Late at night in June 1863 Thomas Brownfield, a Union Home Guard Captain, heard noises outside his three-room log cabin south of Pilot Grove, and went to the loft with his gun. A Confederate recruiting agent and several men from New Lebanon were up to no good, looking for firearms. They forced open the door and the leader, Lt. Brownlee, was shot in the doorway. Thomas’ brother Abe pulled him inside and locked the door. The others thought him dead and set fire to the cabin. Lt. Brownlee shouted to them to put out the fire. Thomas told them he would send for a doctor, would not turn Brownlee over to the authorities, and would release him after he was treated. They agreed and left, and Thomas kept his word, sending Abe for Dr. Pendleton. However, Thomas did tell a lie, as Brownlee was treated and turned over to the Union militia and placed in the Boonville jail. ​ Thomas Brownfield is my second great-uncle.Abraham Brownfield is my great-grandfather. Cynthia and the Notes Cynthia McClary was home alone southeast of Pilot Grove on the day in 1862 that a group of bushwhackers or militia came to the house and demanded all the livestock. Cynthia had no choice but to comply, however she did manage to chase away one old mare that she knew would return later. She knew one of the men as a neighbor just two farms down the road, and her husband James McClary was shot by the neighbor when he went to inquire about the livestock. Cynthia was now a 43-year-old mother twice widowed, with three children age ten and under. She could not read or write and owned one old mare. She had been given “notes” in reparation for the livestock that was taken, presumably a type of government promissory notes. Cynthia was probably a southern sympathizer, with Native American and Scots/Virginian heritage. She believed the notes were worthless and she burned them. Cynthia McClary is my 2nd great-grandmother. ​ The Key and the Crowbar Mary Carroll was a southern girl living in the Pilot Grove neighborhood of James McClary. Her brother Dennis was arrested and placed in the Boonville Jail along with a Confederate Lt. Brownlee and others. Also in the jail was John Hildebrandt, accused of murdering his neighbor James McClary. Hildebrandt attempted to kill Carroll with a knife, but Carroll broke his hand with a stick of firewood. Mary struck up a friendship with the jailer and surreptitiously made a wax copy of his jail cell key. She made a key of wood and leather and smuggled it, a crowbar, and a bottle of chloroform to Dennis. On the night of the escape Hildebrandt was chloroformed so he could not alert the jailer, and almost died. In the words of Mary, this act “unintentionally came very near being a great benefit to the world.” Hildebrandt was soon acquitted of murder and released, and Dennis was shot and killed. Such was life on the border in 1863 . James McClary is my 2nd great-grandfather. ​ James McClary and the Bushwhackers During the Civil War in Missouri renegade bands or individuals from both sides committed atrocities, purporting to represent the Union or the Confederacy. Some individuals used their membership in a group, or the conflict itself, as an excuse or cover to settle personal disagreements. In September of 1862 a group of bushwhackers or militia took the livestock of James and Cynthia McClary, who lived southeast of Pilot Grove, while James was away. When James returned, Cynthia told him one of the raiders was John Hildebrandt, a neighbor. When James went to confront him, he was shot by Hildebrandt as he approached. Hildebrandt was held in the Boonville Jail for 18 months, charged with “murder in the first degree”. During that time, he attempted to kill a young southern sympathizer who was also a prisoner. At his trial the jury quickly found Hildebrandt not guilty, the killing of James, from the evidence, appearing to be an act of self-defense on his own premises. Such was life on the border in 1862 . ​ Bloody Bill and Captain Brownfield In the fall of 1863 when Bloody Bill Anderson’s guerillas approached the country post office outside of Pilot Grove, Captain Thomas Brownfield of the Union Home Guard slipped into the postmaster’s house. The guerillas relieved about 20 local farmers, waiting for the mail, of their valuables. Mr. Mayo refused, was shot in the leg, and ran. Captain Brownfield also ran and they were pursued by guerillas on horseback. Mr. Mayo was shot and killed but Captain Brownfield reached a thicket after being shot in the hand. He hid in the center of the thicket and fired a warning shot to let them know he was armed. The band of guerillas considered his concealment, then rode away with their loot and their lives. After dark Captain Brownfield made his way to a neighbor’s home, a country physician and friend, although a southerner by birth and sentiment. His friend dressed his wound and fed him, and they slept in the barn as a precaution. James McClary is my 2nd great-grandfather. Thomas Brownfield is my 2nd great-uncle. ​ Killed by Guerillas Wilma Bringarth/Bledso talked about her Great-Great Grandfather, Jacob Neef, who was walking back home from Boonville in his Home Guard uniform, during the Civil War, when he was killed by Guerilla's near the Old Lamine Church and was buried in the cemetery there. CIVIL WAR SITES IN COOPER COUNTY 1861-1865 Cooper County Jail – 1858 – In Boonville. Used as a prison for southern sympathizers. Frank James was arraigned here and released on bond. Concord Cemetery – 1817 – Near Bunceton. One of Quantrill’s men was wounded and secretly cared for by neighbors. Upon his death he was buried in an unmarked grave. Thespian Hall – 1857 – Originally Stephens Opera House. Building was used as a Union prison and hospital during Union occupation. Main Street, Boonville. Pleasant Green – 1820 -Located on General Lyon’s 1861 route to Wilson’s Creek Battle. Raided in 1864. Crestmead – 1859 – Built by John Taylor, a Southern sympathizer who was sent to Gratiot prison and lost his land holdings. Mt. Nebo Baptist Church – 1856 – Site of General Sanborn’s Union encampment October 1864. Ravenswood – 1880 – Built by Unionist Leonard and Nelson families after the war for Captain Nathaniel Leonard and his new bride. On route #5 near Bellair. ​ ​ Markers in Cooper County Tell the Civil War S tory MERNA – where the Missouri River once met the Boonville bluffs, a grey stone marker stands by the railroad tracks. Erected by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1929, it is the landing site of General Nathaniel Lyons and his Union army on June 7, 1861. They had steamed up river from St. Louis to surprise the Missouri Volunteers camped uphill. ​ DNR MARKER – at encampment located by the Missouri Correctional Center – the story of the morning attack upon the new Missouri State Guard recruits, and the confused fighting that followed is told on a descriptive panel. This is considered to be the first land battle of the Civil War. ​ PILOT GROVE MARKER at LIONS PARK – Union General Lyons refreshed his forces in Boonville with Iowa recruits and headed southwest from Boonville on the old Georgetown Road in July 1861 to attack the Southern forces gathering at Springfield. Their first night encampment was at the Clear Creek Crossing near Pleasant Green. Pilot Grove was also the site of a raid by “Bloody Bill” Anderson. ​ The SECOND BATTLE OF BOONVILLE – This marker by Thespian Hall is where barricades were hastily built when southern sympathizers and the State Guard attempted to regain Boonville for the South. The Union wounded were caried inside the hall which was being used as a prison for the Confederate captives. ​ SUNSET HILL CEMETERY – The Union occupation of Boonville was often stormy. Eight Union soldiers were killed in Howard County chasing “Bloody Bill” Anderson and brought back to the City cemetery for burial. A U.S. Government plaque at the mass grave tells the story. ​ WILKIN’S BRIDGE – During the short occupation of the city by General Shelby and his Confederate forces, many skirmishes occurred out in the county, notably at Wilkins Bridge east of Billingsville on the Billingsville Road. The old covered bridge over the Petite Saline is long gone, but a large flat stone with a bronze plaque erected by the Cooper County Historical Society tells of the violent meeting here of General Sanborn’s Union Army and the Shelby Confederates in October 1864. ​ Sanborn’s Union forces moved west from here and the old ante-bellum homes and churches provided campsites, horses food and fodder as the troops moved toward Marshall for the next confrontation with Shelby’s Confederates. ​ OTTERVILLE – From December 1861 till May 1865, Union troops were stationed around the railroad bridge crossing the Lamine River east of Otterville. There defensive trenches extended nearly a mile. The Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources erected a descriptive marker at the Conservation Area boat launch at the site of the former “Camp Curtis” on Highway A. Regardless of the strong defense, the Confederates managed to burn the bridge three times during the occupation. At the top of the hill there is a flag pole and a small bronze plaque donated by the Cooper County Historical Society indicating a section of the 8’deep trenches on land owned by the David McKinney family. ​ A Free Map and information for these sites is available at the CCHS Research Center . ​ Confederate Veteran Archives . The Confederate Veteran was a magazine published from 1893-1932 and this site has most of them on it.

THE MORMON WAR The Mormon war took place in the year 1838 . When the Mormons came to Missouri in 1831 , they located in Jackson County. The citizens there did not like their customs and became angry at the many crimes they committed because of their religious views. They were soon driven from Jackson County, and they moved to Caldwell County, Missouri. The citizens of Caldwell did not want the Mormons to settle in their town, either. They didn’t have sufficient troops to force them to move, so they asked the governor to send in troops to get rid of the Mormons. Governor Boggs called for 7,000 volunteers. In answer to the call, three companies were formed in Cooper County. One was called the Boonville Guards. The second was a volunteer company raised at Boonville. The third was raised in Palestine township. These companies marched twice towards the Mormon settlement and the place of war. While they were marching, the Mormons surrendered. The companies returned home without having ever met the enemy. Upon their arrival at Boonville, these troops were disbanded. The Mormons, after the end of the war, left the state and went to Nauvoo, Illinois, where they stayed for several years. After having difficulty with the authorities of the state of Illinois, the Mormons left and went to the Great Salt Lake.

EARLY HOMES AND BUILDINGS 1810 – 1940 ARCHITECTURE Cooper County has an abundance of lovely, well maintained older homes and buildings representing many different architectural styles, ranging from simple wood or stone houses to elegant Victorian, Italianate, and “Queen Anne,” mansions. A walking or driving tour in downtown Boonville will introduce you to many of the beautiful historic homes and buildings in the area. Main Street still retains many well maintained, early buildings, and most are still being used. And, outside of Boonville Township there are other impressive homes and buildings that are worth the trip to see. Maps and information on historic Cooper County homes and buildings are available at: Cooper County Historical Society; Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce; River, Rails and Trails Museum; Friends of Historic Boonville; and the Frederick Hotel. ​ River, Rails and Trails Museum has a colorful and informative booklet for a self-guided tour of Boonville homes and buildings. Historic Homes and Buildings to look for in Boonville ​ Take walking tour of Boonville, or a drive on the following streets from beginning to end: ​ High Street: Frederick Hotel, (Main & High Street) 513, 603, 611, 616, 617, 622, 703, 724 Bell House with Bell’s View Park across the street East Morgan Street: 719, 711, 707, 629, 614, 519, 515; Old Jail East Spring Street: 716, 630 Sixth Street: 630, 612, 615, 711, 720, 1308, 1307, 747; Sixth & Locust – Early school for girls Main Street: 1304, 745 (GG Vest Home); 821 (Roslyn Heights – state DAR headquarters) Commercial buildings from the 1800’s and early 1900’s: Fourth Street: 412 Hain House; 510 Sombart; Christ Episcopal Church; 607- Pre-Civil-War School; Center Street: 309 – built 1859; 303 – built 1870 Third Street: (600-700) former Kemper Military School, now State Fair Jr. College; Boonslick YMCA; and soon to be Boonslick Regional Public Library; House 600; - also 601 Hitch House A colored map with pictures is available from the Cooper County Historical Society, and other locations, which feature homes and buildings in Boonville. ​ There are also many lovely older homes in Boonville and Cooper County that are not on the Historic Register, but are well worth viewing. ​ ​ Interesting Homes and Buildings Out in the County Blackwater - hotel, telephone museum and Depot Pilot Grove - old Jail and Mt. Nebo Baptist Church Pleasant Green - Burwood, Crestmede and Pleasant Green Plantation New Lebanon - Cumberland Baptist Church and one room school; Cemetery and Uncle Abe’s Store Cotton - Dick’s Mill and school Bell Air - Ravenswood Mansion; Bell Air Methodist church and Pauley House Billingsville - Old Stage Stop and St. John’s United Church of Christ Rural Boonville - Gross Brothers Home on Highway 98 ​ Ravenswood near Bellair Pauley House near Bella ir Pleasant Green Plantation in Pleasant Green Burwood House near Pleasant Green Gross Brother's Home in rural Boonville on Route 98 Restored Crestmead Home Photo from Wayne Lammers Collection Many of the older buildings in Cooper County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In fact, the Cooper County area boasts area over 400 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. How to Find Cooper County Homes and Buildings l isted on National Register: Go to: SHPO Inventories (State Historic Preservation Officer) Select State (Missouri) Select Missouri National Register Listings Select County (Cooper) Click on the individual site name to see the full report, bibliography and photos. BOONVILLE RECYCLED, REVITILIZED, AND REPURPOSED HISTORIC BULDINGS Old Commercial Buildings with new lives Thespian Hall 1855 ; is the oldest theater west of the Alleghanies, now a home for the arts Frederick Hotel was a hotel in 1905 , then became a retirement home; now restored a modern hotel with its 20th century charm; also features a restaurant River, Rails & Trails Visitor’s Center and Museum : Former Wholesale Grocery built in 1902 Mitchel Car Museum once was a chicken hatchery Hamilton Brown Shoe Factory is now Selwyn Senior Apartments Kemper Military School is now the Boonslick Heartland YMCA, State Fair Community College, and the future home of the Boonslick Regional Library Turner Hall was originally a Baptist church in 1847 ; then a place for German gymnastics and musical groups, now a venue rental. Ballentine House –a hotel in 1822 , and now houses business offices KATY Train Depot now the Chamber of Commerce building with an old MKT caboose and train signal light Boonville Trail Depot at night Thespian Hall Left: River, Rails and Trails Museum, formerly Shryack - Givens Wholesale Grocery Right: Selwyn Senior Apartments, formerly Boonville Shoe Factory Balentine House, formerly a hotel, now business offices Hotel Frederick, formerly apartments Downtown Boonville in the 1930's This is a photo taken by James McCurdy about 1873. The workers are raising a large bell to the top of the roof of the Central National Bank in Boonville, owned by Joseph L. Stevens. Workers are raising a large bell to the roof of the bank. Today the bell is in the front of LSE School. ​ These bronze mastiff statues were originally in front of the Central National Bank near the entrance, which is now Snapp's Hardware. In the mid 1880's, Jay Gould gave the two large mastiff statues to Joseph L. Stevens in gratitude for Steven's support in bringing the Katy Railroad to Boonville. The mastiff statues were placed on the front of the bank near the entrance. ​ Today the mastiffs are on the roof of the LSE school above the northwest entrance, and the bell is on the lawn in front of the school. Central Bell and the two Mastiff statues at LSE on Main Street Photo by Wayne Lammers

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS All of our volunteers spent a great deal of time and effort researching their topics. The website is much stronger and more interesting because of everyone’s contributions. We owe a special debt of gratitude to Michael Dickey, Arrow Rock Historic Site Manager, and Wayne Lammers of Lammer’s Video Productions for the generous donation of their time, knowledge, suggestions, articles, references and pictures. Carolyn Aggeler – History of Clifton City, Otterville area, pictures, other help Jenny Alpers – our “Gopher” to check on facts and find information Dr. Christine Boston – Research on the Don Carlos Family Linda Burnett – Cooper County stage coaches Kathleen McIntyre Conway – Archivist. Friends of Historic Boonville – research materials available through FOHB Don Cullimore – information about Cooper County and the Boonslick area. Barbara Dahl – Coordinator, Editor, Primary researcher, and Website layout. Elizabeth Davis – Typist and contributor of many of her original and syndicated articles Sue Day – Took inventory of everything in the Research Center – a huge job, and made multiple copies of things, provided links and made many phone calls. Mike Dickey – Historic Site Manager, Arrow Rock, Boone’s Lick, Sappington Cemetery and Sappington African American Cemetery State Historic Sites - Information and References on the Prehistoric Cooper County, history of early American Indians in the Cooper County area, and the War of 1812. He is a fantastic resource. Kim Dickerson – Hannah Cole information Georgia Esser – Cooper County Recorder of Deeds John Finley – information on MO Circuit Riders and Methodist Churches in Cooper County Florence (Winky) Friedrichs – shared many ideas and resources, including "Cooper County Church Sketches “Old Pleasant Green Underground” and other historical information. Tracy and Ashley Friedrich – Videos by @FarmAlarm. Boonville YouTubers Jeanette Heaton – History of early Schools in Cooper County, the founding of the CCHS, and extensive information on the New Lebanon church, school and businesses Rhea Helmreich – Location and History of early Churches in Cooper County Bill Herder and LinAnn Townsend – Location and History of early Cemeteries in Cooper County - extensive research Pat Holmes – Kemper Academy, Historic Homes, National Register information Norma Johnson - Daniel Boone information - a direct descendant of Boone Harold Kerr II – Military research (many links and references) early forts and railroads Cleo Kottwicz – information on Missouri Methodist Circuit Riders (mid to late 1800’s) Wayne Lammers - Missouri River, Missouri Packet, 200-year-old excavation; KATY Railroad and Bridge, McMahan Fort and it's burning in 1814. Supplied many pictures and invaluable assistance Edward Lang – contributed pictures and videos for the website Nancy Martin – information on Dick’s Mill Bert McClary – County Personalities, Civil War and orphan trains Dr. Maryellen McVicker – David Barton Tombstone restoration, information sources, contacts and encouragement Vicki McCarrell – Historic homes and buildings over 100 years old in Cooper County Linda McCollum – information on the Lamine School Eric McNeil – Civil War Section Bob Painter – Agriculture, Steam Engines and the auto Bridges over the Missouri River Robert Painter – Hannah Cole information Linda Perkins – Old Swinging Bridge near the Lamine School Bonnie Rapp – Mozarkite information Leola Ripperger – List of trusted Genealogy websites David Sapp – Boonslick Road Association Other than the website designers, Lisa Moody and Laci Scott, this website has been researched and prepared entirely by volunteers. ​ ​ THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS ​ Alliant Bank Jenny Alpers Miss Alice Amick Anonymous Boonville Abstract & Title Co. Mae Bruce BTC Bank Community Foundation of Central MO COMO Electric Cooperative Cooper County Animal Hospital Copies Etcetera for Scanning & Printing Barbara and Bob Dahl Krista Dahl Jeppsen Paul and Debbie Davis Derendinger Furniture LLC Dr. Scott Fray Diane Gorski Florence Friedrichs Heartland Electrical & Plumbing Jeanette Heaton Rhea Helmrich Ivan Hendrickson Isle of Capri Casino & Hotel Boonville Nancy Martin Jerry Ann Mayfield Dr, W.R & Dr. M.H. McVicker Lewis w. & Susan C. Miller Missouri State Historical Society Dave Muntzel Otelco Santa Fe Lawns Twenter Trucking John and Nancy Ward

EARLY WARS Cooper County men have volunteered for service in many wars; however, only two have taken place on Cooper County soil: The War of 1812 and the Civil War. Both left both sad and bitter memories with relatives of those wounded or killed in battle. Missourians were involved in three brief wars between 1837 and 1847 . These were: The Seminole War in Florida in 1837 , the Mormon War in 1838-39 , and the Mexican War in 1846-48 . Many Cooper Countians volunteered for service in these wars. ​ The War of 1812 in the Boonslick By Michael Dickey Many people associate the War of 1812 with the burning of the white House in 1812 by the British. But a lesser-known related War of 1812 also involved the early settlers in Missouri and various tribes of Indians. On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain. The War of 1812 is one of the least remembered wars of the United States, and Missouri’s involvement is even less known. Though forgotten, the war had significant consequences for the nation’s history. On August 24, 1814 British troops occupied Washington DC burning the White House, the capitol building and several government buildings. Francis Scott Key wrote the National Anthem following the unsuccessful British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor on Sept. 13-14, 1814. The British encouraged the Indians to fight on their side, promising the Indians that they would help them retain their land that was quickly being settled by Americans. The Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815 resulted in a crushing defeat for British forces. In 1959, it gave us the number one hit song on the Billboard Hot 100, “The Battle of New Orleans” by singer Johnny Horton. General Andrew Jackson defeated the Creek Indian Nation in August of 1814 and gained national notoriety for his victory at New Orleans. His war record propelled him to the presidency in 1828 and set the tone of the nation for decades to come. (1812 ) Forts are Built Hannah Cole, Stephen Cole and their families came to the area of Cooper County that is now Boonville in 1810, nearly two years passed before the War of 1812 broke out. Before this time, the life of the settler was fairly quiet. Nature supplied them with nearly all that they wished to eat or drink. When a place of shelter for his family had been provided, the settler could spend his time hunting and fishing. These were pleasant pastimes for him and they also provided some of the necessities for life. This life of ease and rest was suddenly changed by the beginning of the war. Great Britain declared war in 1812 against the United States. The Indians wanted to keep their land, and joined the war on the side of Great Britain. The settlers immediately began to build forts for their protection. A few months after the first Hannah Cole’s fort was built, a band of about four hundred Indians suddenly made their appearance in the neighborhood. When they came, there were two men by the name of Smith and Savage out hunting. As the hunters were returning, the Indians killed Smith and then scalped him. Savage was able to return to the fort. As the Indians were chasing Savage, they came in full view of the fort. Several of them could have been killed. Some of the people in the fort wanted to kill the Indians; however, Hannah Cole wisely told them not to shoot. The following day some of the settlers captured a French boat, which came up the river loaded with powder and balls to trade with the Indians. The settlers immediately took possession of the twenty-five kegs of powder and five hundred pounds of balls which the boat contained. After the settlers had crossed their families and prisoners to the north shore, in the captured boat, the settlers let the Frenchmen return down the river in their empty boat. The settlers did not want the French to arm the Indians and have the Indians use those weapons against them. As the dominant tribe in Missouri, the Osages had grown increasingly restless as more white settlers were moving West onto their lands. The once friendly American Indians had become belligerent and very dangerous as they did not want to lose their traditional hunting ground. The government was concerned about the safety of the settlers and warned them to move closer to St. Louis for protection. However, the settlers replied to Governor Howard that this area of Missouri was now their home and they were prepared to defend it. When the Declaration of War with England reached St. Louis in July, 1812 there were only 178 soldiers of the regular army in all of the area that would later be named Missouri. Soon after the war broke out, Territorial Governor Benjamin Howard wrote to the settlers in the Boonslick area, urging them to move to the eastern part of Howard County for protection. The settlers defiantly defended their choice to stay on the frontier, and replied to the Governor: “We have maid our hoames here & all we hav is here & it wud ruen us to Leave now.We be all good Americans, not a Tory or one of his Pups among us. & we hav 2 hundred Men and Boys that will Fight to the last and we have 100 Wimen and Girls that will tak there places wh. makes a good force. So we can Defend this Settlement wh. With God’s help we will do.So if wehad a fiew barls of Powder and 2 hundred Lead is all we ask.” It has been said that if it had not been for the lead mining in Cooper County, which provided ammunition for the war, we would have lost the War of 1812. Fort Cooper had been built as a potential center of defense for the Howard county area in case of an Indian uprising. Sarshall Cooper was chosen by 112, including many prominent citizens, as their Captain.He was a natural leader and skilled woodsman, and his knowledge and judgement were trusted by all his men.Cooper’s Fort became the center of the Howard County military community. ​ The settlers who had crossed to the north side of the river returned to their homes in the spring of 1813 , but the Indian troubles continued for another two years. A Heroine of Cooper's Fort The most dangerous time of the war were last six months in 1815 . The settlers were crowded into the forts, had little food to eat, and it was too dangerous to go out of the fort to search for food. The Death of Sarshall Cooper . A sad event of the war was the death of Sarshall Cooper after whom Cooper County was named. One evening, he was sitting at his fireside with his family holding his youngest child on his lap. Other children were playing around the room and his wife was sitting by his side sewing. It is thought that a single Indian warrior crawled up to the fort and made a hole just large enough for the muzzle of his gun to go through the clay between the logs. The noise of his work was drowned by the howling storm. The Indian fired his gun and killed Sarshall instantly. He fell to the floor amidst his horror-stricken family. Sarshall Cooper - small picture of the framed fabric from the vest he was wearing when he was shot. Family heirloom of Joyce Cooper Campbell. ​ A treaty of peace between England and the United States was signed on December 24, 1814. The Indians were advised of the peace treaty; however, they continued to carry on independent warfare, without the help of the British, to try to keep their land. It was not until 1833 that every Indian claim to land titles in the state of Missouri were eliminated. THE WAR OF 1812 IS OVER . Once the War of 1812 was over, and the threat of Indian hostilities gone, the population began to increase quickly. Like most settlers, those who came in the 1820’s to 1830’s, chose to settle close to the Missouri River, but soon started to venture into the heartland of Missouri. Many of the native Americans came from Kentucky, Tennessee and the Carolinas, seeking cheap land. The two countries that contributed greatly to the population increase were Germany and Ireland. In the year 1820, only about 12% of Missouri’s population was foreign born. ​ Below are photos of a flintlock rifle located in the Arrow Rock Museum and two of many musket balls found at the site. Bottom left photo is at the Museum at Arrow Rock with Museum Administrator, Mike Dickey along with my friend Gene Smith. Mike Dickey and Jean Smith viewing long rifle used during War of 1812 Wayne Lammers Collection Flint Lock Rifle used during War of 1812 Wayne Lammers Collection War of 1812 Thoughts It is hard for most of us today to imagine what life was like living in a fort during the the War of 1812 to 1815 . We live in a time of ease when we can heat and cool our homes at a touch of a finger and order anything we desire on line and have it delivered. ​ Try to step back in thought to the period of 1810 to 1815 , when the early Missouri settlers were living in forts for protection from large bands of Indians who wanted their ancient hunting grounds back, and were being encouraged to believe that the English would get it back for them IF the Indians helped to defeat (eliminate) the Americans. ​ Early settlers traveled to central Missouri, at that time Howard County, on the North side of the Missouri River, most likely in covered (Conestoga) wagons. When they arrived, Fort Cooper already contained some single men, a few military and frontiersmen and a few families. ​ Imagine that you are part of a family of two adults and five children. You have brought with you only the most basic cooking utensils, quilts and bedding, tools, guns and ammunition, food for the trip and anything else that you can stuff into the wagon. You probably have no money with you, as there is nothing to buy, but you will probably have some barter items. ​ You settle into a small cabin in the fort, usually just one room. You heat the log cabin and cook your food with heat from the fireplace. It is hot in the summer and probably drafty in the winter. ​ Some of the problems you will encounter: There are many different personalities in a small enclosure. Cooperation and harmony must prevail, especially in times of attack. Everyone must perform the duties assigned to them, even when fear and panic set in. When under attack, which could last for a few days or a week or more, all the animals must be kept inside the fort or they would be killed by the Indians. Feeding the animals for a long period of time, cleaning up after them, and removing their waste is not a pleasant or easy task. Human waste was a problem during times of attack. Other sanitation problems must be considered: how to get clean water for drinking for people and animals, clean water for cooking, cleaning people – especially children, and for cleaning wounds when someone is injured or shot. There would not be a doctor at the fort so someone would hopefully have some knowledge of herbal remedies, and have dried herbs set aside for emergencies, sickness and for tea. Bandages were often made from rags, old clothing and/or fluff from cattails or even milkweed. Forts were usually in the center of a cleared area so enemies could be easily seen. Unfortunately, the pioneers could also be easily seen by the Indians. Large forts, sometimes with 200 or more people, require a lot of food. Wild game normally furnished a majority of their food, but being unable to get out and hunt safely, sometimes meant that the animals inside had to be sacrificed to feed the people. Wild animals were not accustomed to the noise of constant gun fire and would leave the area if frightened, reducing food sources. Nuts, dried tree fruit and berries could be gathered, dried and stored during safe times for emergencies. Some grain crops such as corn, wheat and oats were grown, but during peaceful times the deer, birds and other animals would often feast on the almost ripe grain and the Indians could also set fire to it and it would be destroyed. Sometimes, harvesting the grain could be hazardous if an attack might occur. Corn bread and sourdough bread were probably made, but the choice of what to use for flour could be problematic, although certain types of acorns and nuts could be made edible and used for flour. Even sturdy clothing and shoes tend to wear out. Often men’s and some women’s clothing were made from deer skin, as that was the only material available. If native flax or nettles were available near the river bank, they could be soaked and pounded into workable fiber and eventually be made into a type of cloth. But, without a loom or spinning wheel, it would be hard to make the fibers into cloth. Elderly, or widowed women with small children, also had a hard time doing their share of work without a husband. In many cases there was no official at a fort who was licensed to marry people, but marriages were still performed. ​ Life was a challenge, but those early settlers survived and thrived, and we all owe then a great debt of gratitude for their courage. These hardy pioneers truly were the “salt of the earth.” Barbara Dahl, Editor ​ (1830) The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced the indigenous nations to leave Missouri and resettle in Indian Territory. (Courtesy of Missouri Bicentennial Timeline) “The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced the indigenous people who once inhabited land in Missouri to leave and resettle in Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas). The removal process, however, began long before U.S. President Andrew Jackson signed the 1830 removal act. It was a policy introduced by President Thomas Jefferson and was largely carried out by treaties in Missouri supervised by William Clark as superintendent of Indian affairs. About 30 years before the last removal, the Indigenous Nations in the Missouri Territory at the time of the Louisiana Purchase included Sac and Fox, Ioway, Little Osage and Great Osage, Kickapoo, Shawnee, Delaware and Quapaw. ​ Skirmishes and fighting ensued as the U.S. government expanded westward and other nations would be pushed from the East to Missouri. The military imprisoned the famous War Chief Black Hawk in St. Louis at the end of the Black Hawk War in 1832 . The Trail of Tears, as a result of the 1930 act, forced Eastern indigenous nations to relocate to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). One of the routes traversed the southern part of Missouri, where many lives were lost crossing the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau County during the harsh winters of 1838 and 1839 . An estimated 4,000 Cherokees lost their lives on the Trail of Tears from Tennessee to Oklahoma.” (1839) THE MORMON WAR The Mormon war took place in the year 1838 . When the Mormons came to Missouri in 1831 , they located in Jackson County. The citizens there did not like their customs and became angry at the many crimes they committed because of their religious views. They were soon driven from Jackson County, and they moved to Caldwell County, Missouri. The citizens of Caldwell did not want the Mormons to settle in their town, either. They didn’t have sufficient troops to force them to move, so they asked the governor to send in troops to get rid of the Mormons. Governor Boggs called for 7,000 volunteers. In answer to the call, three companies were formed in Cooper County. One was called the Boonville Guards. The second was a volunteer company raised at Boonville. The third was raised in Palestine township. These companies marched twice towards the Mormon settlement and the place of war. While they were marching, the Mormons surrendered. The companies returned home without having ever met the enemy. Upon their arrival at Boonville, these troops were disbanded. The Mormons, after the end of the war, left the state and went to Nauvoo, Illinois, where they stayed for several years. After having difficulty with the authorities of the state of Illinois, the Mormons left and went to the Great Salt Lake. (1846) THE MEXICAN WAR In May, 1846 , a call was made for one company from Cooper County to join troops already in Mexico. Sixty-one men volunteered. The company was organized and assembled in Boonville, where they were trained in military duty by their Captain, John C. Stephens. They departed May 28, 1846 , on the steamer L. F. Linn, for St. Louis, where they were to be armed and equipped. When they arrived in St. Louis, they were ordered to report to Jefferson City. When they got to Jefferson City, they were told to be in readiness and were then allowed to return home. Even though they never saw any battle, the volunteers were welcomed home by large, cheering crowds. The 1865 Missouri Constitution bans the practice of slavery. ​ Missouri was still very much a divided state over the issue of slavery at the end of the Civil War. Many citizens, including Radical Republicans led by Charles Drake, fiercely opposed the institution of slavery and pushed for a new constitution. Among the amendments were the emancipation of slaves and determining voting privileges for loyal citizens to the Union. The ordinance introduced at the constitution convention in St. Louis to abolish slavery in the state passed overwhelmingly with only four delegates voting against it. Missouri’s document that made slavery unlawful came three weeks before the U.S. Congress proposed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned slavery in the country. The loyalty oath, which also was adopted by the 1865 Missouri Constitution would exclude all but pro-Unionists from public life, including the fields of teaching, law and politics, also went into effect until the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Missouri’s loyalty oath two years later. ​ ​ (1836) MISSOURIANS AT THE ALAMO On March 6, 1836 , about 187 men (or more, according to some researchers) perished inside the adobe walls of a crumbling mission-turned-fort known as the Alamo at what is today San Antonio, Texas. ​ Under siege for 13 days, the defenders – who were Anglo settlers, fellow American allies, and ethnic Mexican natives in revolt against the central Mexican government - were finally overwhelmed by a superior Mexican army force and killed to the last man in the early morning hours of March 6. Their bodies were then burned. ​ Among those who died that day were six native Missourians: William Charles M. Baker, George D. Butler, Charles Henry Clark, George Washington Cottle, Jerry C. Day, and George W. Tumlinson. It is those men in particular that we talk about today. When we say they were Missourians we mean they were born in the territory that would become the State of Missouri, since we didn't get statehood until 1821 . Now that that is clarified, from this point on we will simply say Missouri instead of Missouri Territory. Like many of the Alamo defenders, not a whole lot is really known about most of the Missourians' backgrounds. ​ William Charles M. Baker was born in Missouri, though we don't know his age, and he later moved to Mississippi. After the Texas Revolution erupted in October 1835 , Baker came to Texas as a volunteer to help in the revolt. He made his way to what was then San Antonio de Bexar and joined a rebel artillery battery that was involved in besieging the town, which at the time was held by national Mexican troops. After the Mexican force eventually surrendered, Baker became part of what I would characterize as a mounted infantry company that was sent elsewhere. ​ However, he returned to San Antonio on January 19, 1836 as captain of a detachment of 30 men led by the famous adventurer Jim Bowie. Baker entered the Alamo fort and never left it again. George D. Butler was born in Missouri in 1813 , making him 23 years old when he died on that chilly March 6th morning. He was probably a member of the New Orleans Greys ("grey" spelled the English way), two companies of volunteers that were raised and equipped in New Orleans for the cause of Texas independence. If so, he would have been uniformed in a grey jacket and pants with a round forage cap and armed with either a military rifle or musket. Unlike most of the Alamo defenders, the New Orleans Greys looked like soldiers. Most of them arrived in time to take an active part in the siege of Bexar, mentioned above. The Greys were reorganized after the siege and most went on to serve the cause elsewhere, but 23 men stayed to help with the garrison's defense. All 23 perished at the Alamo on March 6. ​ Charles Henry Clark, age unknown, was born in Missouri and was a member of the New Orleans Greys, one of the 23 men of his unit who remained behind at the Alamo. Like many men, he may have been on his way to Texas, by way of New Orleans, anyhow to apply for a land grant from Mexico when he enlisted in the Greys to take part in the uprising that would become a fight for Texas independence. Along the march to San Antonio de Bexar, Clark's company was treated to special dinners held in their honor, including one of roasted bear and champagne. ​ Unfortunately for Clark, he would lose his life at the end of the road. George Washington Cottle was born in 1811 in Missouri, though there is a question if he was actually born in Tennessee and came to Missouri as a child. At any rate, since he is listed as a Missourian in some places, we have included him here. His family located to a colony near Gonzales Texas in 1829 . When the war broke out, he fought in the Battle of Gonzales early on. He was later one of the ill-fated 32 Gonzales men who rode to the aid of the Alamo defenders just five days before the slaughter on March 6. His wife gave birth to twin boys after his death. Jerry C. Day was 18 years old when he died at the Alamo. He was born in Missouri and came to Texas with his family. They settled at Gonzales. When the revolution started, the Days got involved, with Jerry's father, Jeremiah Day, becoming a wagoner for the Texan army and also a signer of the Goliad Declaration of Independence, a precursor to the official Texas Declaration by 73 days. Young Day fought in the siege of Bexar, was discharged from service, and then rejoined and became a member of the garrison at the Alamo where he died with the rest of his comrades. George W. Tumlinson was born in Missouri in 1814 . By the time of the Texas Revolution he was living in Gonzales. He enlisted in the revolutionary forces as an artilleryman and served in the siege of Bexar and then as part of the initial Alamo garrison. He was back in Gonzales, however, when the Alamo was surrounded. He probably felt a personal duty to help his comrades at his former post, and was part of the "Immortal 32" men of Gonzales who rode to the relief of the Alamo defenders, only to join them in their doom. ​ So here's to our six fellow Missourians who died in the cause of Texas independence at a now famous place called the Alamo. Hats off, boys! Although we do not know if any of these men were from Cooper County, They deserve great credit for their bravery. ​ Sources: Texas State Historical Association

RAILROADS IN COOPER COUNTY SOME INTERESTING BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT RAILROADS IN COOPER COUNTY ​ In the mid 1800’s, railroads became very important for the economic growth of many communities. The people in Cooper County knew they needed railroads to grow and prosper. They eagerly voted bonds to aid in constructing railroads, and land was purchased for four main railroad lines. ​ If a railroad went through a town, the town usually gained population and businesses. The trains were fast and comfortable, making stage coaches unnecessary and soon after trains arrived in the County, stagecoaches ceased to be needed. There have been two major railroads that have traveled through Cooper County through the years. The major, longest lived and last railroad, was the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, also called the MKT, and the more minor railroad was the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad. ​ The MKT, first known as the southern branch of the Union Pacific, was organized at Emporia in 1867. Work was begun on the road at Junction City, Kansas, in the summer of 1869, and in November the line was completed to Council Grove, Kansas, a distance of 37 miles; in December it was finished to Emporia, Kansas, 24 miles farther; in Feb., 1870, it was completed to Burlington, Kansas, 30 miles farther down the Neosho valley; in April another 30 miles took the road to Humboldt, Kansas, and on June 6 the line entered the Indian Territory, (present day Oklahoma), thus securing the sole right of way, with a land grant, through that territory. ​ The Osage Division of the MKT Railroad began as a railroad known as the St. Louis and Santa Fe Railroad, Missouri Division which was incorporated on April 20th, 1869. Completed in 1871, the railroad was a single-track, standard gauge steam railroad that ran approximately 38 miles from Holden, Missouri (in Johnson County) to the Missouri/Kansas state line. As the St. Louis and Santa Fe Railroad, Missouri Division quickly went bankrupt; the Katy Railroad officially completed the purchase of the charter on May 29th, 1872. ​ However, involvement may have dated back to 1870 (at the inception of the line) when Levi Parson and Francis Skiddy set into motion their plan to see that the Katy Railroad would be the first to reach Indian Territory, and the only one allowed to tap the riches of Texas and the Southwest. To this end, Parson and Skiddy set into motion a much larger plan that included the chartering of the Neosho Valley and Holden Railroad in Kansas. The charter for the Neosho Valley and Holden Railroad in Kansas was issued on May 7th, 1870. On the same day, the Neosho Valley and Holden Railroad entered into an agreement allowing for the merger and consolidation of the company with the KATY Railroad. The Neosho Valley and Holden Railway Company was effectively a paper railroad and did not construct any railroad. The original plan of the Neosho Valley and Holden Railroad was to connect in the east with the St. Louis and Santa Fe Railroad, Missouri Division, and continue west To Emporia. However, the rail line never reached Emporia; it only reached Paola, Kansas (where it connected with the Missouri Pacific Railroad). This created an orphan line with no connection to the main lines at either Emporia, Kansas or Sedalia, Missouri. ​ Research by: Harold Kerr II ​ THE MKT COMES TO COOPER COUNTY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Katy Engine exiting the Boonville Katy Bridge circa 1980. From the Wayne Lammers collection. ​ As for development in Cooper County Missouri, on January 1, 1872 a contract was awarded for building the Northeastern Extension— under the name of the Tebo Neosho Railway—to Boonville in Cooper County, to Fayette in Howard County, and on to a junction with the North Missouri (Wabash) at Moberly, in Randolph County, Missouri. The MKT track reached Pl easant Green in Cooper County on April 24, 1873 and by May 18 it reached Pilot Grove. The end-of-track reached Boonville on May 31, 1873. A celebration to mark the completion of the Northeastern Extension was held in Boonville on July 4, 1873, after the rail reached Fayette, Missouri on June 20, 1873. United States Congressman John Cosgrove was on hand for this celebration. Before 1870, between Sedalia and Boonville, a span of thirty-four miles, there was hardly a house to be seen. Pilot Grove was laid out very soon after the railroad arrived, on May 30, 1873. Pleasant Green came into being on June 28. Clifton City, on September 29, 1873. These three towns became busy major centers of commerce for several years until the railroad was disbanded. Once the railroad no longer came through the towns, population dropped and businesses closed. One interesting spot along the rail was south of Boonville, a place called “Lard Hill.” Old timers in the area described how this came to be known by this colorful name: an old Irish lady who was untidy in appearance, had a shack full of children and no husband. Allegedly, a KATY train killed the family pig one day, and, since the pig was in an area where it had no business being, and was a terrible looking thing, the claims agent valued the loss at $5.00. The woman was extremely upset about this and went about to get revenge. She rendered the fat from the pig and every time she heard the train whistle for the Boonville train, she would send her children out to put lard on the tracks. After several times of the train slipping and sliding to make its way, the railroad gave the woman more money for her loss. Yet, nothing appears in the records to validate this story. Another story holds that disgruntled farmers in the area larded the rails as they were unhappy with the rail coming through their land. The MKT ran until 1989 when it was succeeded by the Missouri Pacific Railroad (a.k.a MoPac). In 1997 the MoPac became the Union Pacific. Sources: https://legendsofkansas.com/railroads3.html http://genealogytrails.com/mo/bates/railroad.html https://www.abandonedrails.com/bryson-to-paola THE KATY RAILROAND AND THE LAST FRONTIER, V. V. MASTERSON, © 1978 UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS, pp 150, 193-194, 198, 209-210 Katy Railroad Historical Society - There is a Katy Railroad Historical Society Museum located in Denison, Texas. They are a 501c3 organization. Memberships are available on the website. Their webpage: https://katyrailroad.org/ Their phone number: 903-327-5966 ​ Boonville Katy Depot & Caboose #134. By Wayne Lammers on January 14, 2019. Caboose painting by volunteers on Sept. 14, 2017 by Wayne Lammers. OTHER RAILROADS IN COOPER COUNTY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Map from 1877. MKT and river bridge (started 1873) top left, and Osage Valley and Southern Railroad (started 1865-68) shown in the middle of the map coming out of Boonville. Rails along the Missouri River had not started by 1877. ​ The other line that came to Cooper County was the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad. ​ The Southern Kansas was one of five railroads to receive their charter from the first legislature in Kansas in 1855. The capital stock of the Southern Kansas was fixed at $3,000,000, and the company was given a franchise to build a road "from the Missouri state line due west of Springfield to the west line of Kansas Territory." A. J. Dorn, William J. Godfroy, James M. Linn, Joseph C. Anderson and others were named as the incorporators, and the act stipulated that work was to begin on the road within nine years. ​ On October 17, 1860 a convention met at Topeka with about 125 delegates present, representing 20 counties of the territory. The principal work of the convention was the adoption of a resolution to the effect that a petition be presented to Congress asking an appropriation of public lands to aid in the construction of railroads in Kansas as follows: A railroad from the western boundary of the State of Missouri, where the Osage Valley & Southern Kansas railroad terminates, westwardly via Emporia, Fremont and Council Grove, to the Fort Riley Military Reservation, among other issues. ​ In 1867 a company was organized under the name of the Osage Valley & Southern Kansas Railroad Company, proposing to construct a railroad from Boonville on the Missouri river to Fort Scott and $100,000 in bonds was asked of Bates County with a donation of the right of way. Chicago was to be the northern terminus, an "air line" to "just where you like it." The county officials did not seem to catch onto this scheme and no action of the bond question was taken. The Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad was chartered in 1857 by the Missouri Legislature to run from a point on the Pacific Railroad near present day Tipton, Missouri, to Emporia, Kansas. The charter was modified in 1858 to include an extension north to Boonville, Missouri. Grading on the line was completed to Versailles, Missouri, in 1861, but was halted due to the American Civil War. After the war the Boonville to Tipton portion was completed in 1868 and leased to the Pacific Railroad. In 1870, portions of the line were graded from Warsaw, Missouri, north to Cole Camp, Missouri. ​ Construction ended in 1872, when the line defaulted on bond payments. The Warsaw portion became the property of Benton County, Missouri, and was later used, in 1880, as the roadbed for the narrow-gauge Sedalia, Warsaw and Southern Railway between Sedalia and Warsaw. The line between Tipton and Versailles, Missouri, was reorganized in 1880 and 1881, as the Boonville, St. Louis and Southern Railway, and was then leased to Jay Gould's Missouri Pacific Railway. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Boonville to Versailles RR, brakeman Earl Hays, on October 21, 1911. Two engines hit head on at 7:10 AM From the Wayne Lammers collection ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ From the Wayne Lammers collection ​ On January 13, 1880, a train wreck occurred on the Boonville Branch. The wreck occurred at 4:30 in the afternoon about three miles north of Tipton. Five box cars next to the engine jumped the track, tearing up the rails for about a hundred yards. There were passengers and baggage, as well as empty cars on the train, but these did not come off the track. No one was injured. The engineer, named Rosenhahn, gave the engine full steam when he saw that the head box car was trying to come onto his tender. This caused the coupling to break and the car broke away. Four of the broken cars were empty and one was full of merchandise headed to Boonville. No passenger or merchandise was late to arrive, due to good management of the situation. ​ The line operated until June 1935, when successor Missouri Pacific Railroad asked permission of the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the line. The last train operated was to Versailles on April 30, 1936, and the entire property was torn up except for a bit at the Boonville end, which followed 2nd Street. ​ This line came up from Moniteau County through Kelly Township, where there was a station called Vermont Station. The name “Vermont” may have come from the fact that Nathaniel Leonard, a large property owner in southern Cooper County (over 1,500 acres in 1877) was born in the State of Vermont. The line went up through present-day Bunceton, Speed, and into Boonville. The Osage Valley and Southern Kansas was succeeded by the Boonville, St Louis and Southern Railway in 1881. This railroad was then succeeded by the MoPac in 1956, which was then succeeded by the Union Pacific in 1997. ​ Sources: Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad Legends of Kansas Genealogy Trails ​ ​ The Tipton (MO) Times, January 15, 1880: ​ The Missouri Pacific built a route from St. Louis to Kansas City, which came through the southern part of Cooper County. The line was completed through Otterville in 1860. ​ The second railroad to come through Cooper County was the Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad, a branch line of the Missouri Pacific. It ran from Boonville to Versailles, with stops at Billingsville, Jo Town, New Palestine, Petersburg, Bunceton and Vermont. It was completed in 1868. This line was abandoned in 1937. The third railroad was originally called the Tebo and Neosho, and later the Missouri, Kansas and Texas (shortened to “KATY” or “MKT”). It was built through Cooper County in the early 1870s and crossed the Missouri River at Boonville going through Prairie Lick, Pilot Grove, Harriston, Pleasant Green, and Clifton City. It ceased operation in 1986. The tracks have been removed and it has been converted to a recreation bike trail and is now called the Katy Trail. Prairie Lick and Harriston are now extinct, and Pleasant Green and Clifton City are now just settlements with a few homes. Pilot Grove, although not the large thriving city it once was, is now the second largest town in Cooper County. ​ The fourth railroad to come through Cooper County was called the River Route because it followed along the Missouri River. It was built by the Missouri Pacific and is now the Union Pacific. It was completed as far as Boonville in the early 1890s and then extended downriver to St. Louis in the early 1900s. It goes through Overton, Wooldridge, Boonville, Lamine, and Blackwater, but does not stop. All the above towns became prosperous while the trains regularly stopped there, but once the railroads left, so did business and the population. Today, Overton, Wooldridge, Lamine and Speed have no businesses, but there are still a few homes there. The Union Pacific railroad still carries coal and other freight, especially coal, on a regular basis as it travels past Boonville. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Here is a 1897 railroad map showing the rails in both counties. The only one not showing is the Missouri Pacific or later the Union Pacific that goes from Boonville down the river route to Jefferson City which started in 1899. The railroad going from Sedalia to Boonville and then to New Franklin is the MK&T RR or the Katy. The railroad from Boonville south to Versailles is the Southern Branch of the Missouri Pacific which ended in 1938. The Missouri Pacific RR at the bottom of Cooper County had a short rail that ran through Otterville from Sedalia to St. Louis. OTHER NOTABLE TRAIN WRECKS Pilot Grove train wreck World War II was brought to a close for the Citizens of Pilot Grove on May 6, 1945, when a train carrying ammunition wrecked about a half mile north of town. The fire and smoke caused by the derailment of twenty cars of oil, three cars of artillery shells, and part on the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, was visible for 35 miles, and it attracted hundreds of people to the scene. Flames and smoke leaped 400 feet into the air almost immediately; about 2 hours after the wreck the shells began to explode, and continued to explode for two hours. Shell fragments, casings, bags of powder, and some unexploded shells were scattered over the area. One shell landed near the depot, about a half mile away. Two crewmen were injured. It appeared that a brake beam on one of the cars had broken and was dragged along the track until it caught in a switch from a siding in town. ​ Source: Pilot Grove Centennial book The Otterville 1948 collision of two Missouri Pacific trains left 12 passages and 2 Pullman employees dead, and 32 passengers and six crewmen injured. One train was creeping through a blinding snowstorm, at about 20 mile an hour, when the second train rammed into it. The trains were bound from Saint Louis to Kansas City. The accident happened two miles west of Syracuse, MO. Film Director Frank Ryan, his wife and three children died, as did the Ambassador to Spain and Argentina, Alexander Weddell and his wife also lost their lives. Source: Carolyn Aggelar THE RAILROADS BROUGHT PEOPLE TO COOPER COUNTY, AND ALSO MAY HAVE HELPED THEM MOVE AWAY Railroads have been credited with helping towns prosper and grow, and also may have led to the eventual demise of many Cooper County towns. Trains were especially helpful in moving animals and grain to major markets like St. Louis and Kansas City, plus allowing passengers to comfortably travel to where they wanted to go. Trains were a major travel improvement over stage coaches, wagons, or a horse and buggy. The change from rail travel to gasoline vehicles, started the decline of railroads. By the early 1920’s, transportation by train was being replaced by trucks and cars, which were faster and provided a more convenient, comfortable, and a direct way to travel. This change from rail travel to gasoline vehicles, plus the depression, caused area populations to dramatically decrease, as people moved closer to towns that were larger, had more shopping opportunities, still had trains, and/or offered more job opportunities with higher pay. Once cars and trucks became popular in the 1920’s, most trains were rerouted from going through the center of towns, to either bypass the towns, or were eliminated altogether. This was a big blow to farmers who depended on trains to haul their grain and cattle to major shipping points, such as At. Louis or Kansas City, and also eliminated passengers who had no other means of traveling from one city to another. The railroad business declined dramatically by the mid-1930’s. This led to the closing of Boonville’s Tipton-Versailles Branch line, and the Katy continued to cut back service despite the building of the new lift span bridge over the Missouri River in 1932. The hope that the lift span bridge would bring more business to Cooper County did not become a reality. ​ Towns once serviced by trains that have almost, or totally disappeared, are: Petersburg, Vermont, Prairie Lick, Harriston, and Pleasant Green. It is interesting to see how the population of Cooper County increased and decreased with the advent of the railroads which covered much of the County. The railroads have been credited with helping towns prosper and grow, and also may have led to their eventual demise. When populations declined, the number of post offices did too. You will notice that many of the early, small Cooper County towns were named after a local grain mill, many of which were located on the Petite Saline River. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Red = Missouri Pacific Orange = Osage Valley Green = Tebo/Neosho Blue = River Route This is the Union Pacific coal train #6040 going east through Boonville from the west on Feb. 5th, 2015 at 9:50 AM. It came from the coal fields in Colorado. We don't see as many of them here these days. They are using other sources of fuel nowadays in the power plants. This train does not stop in Boonville A hobo heating up his lunch on the MK&T Railroad. Circa 1890's by Max Schmidt Old Team Track unloading wheat in box car on 2nd street Boonville circa 1920's. From the Wayne Lammers collection. Union Pacific RR spur at Boonville, August 1998, long before the existence of the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel. By Wayne Lammers Union Pacific siding at Boonville circa 1978. Photo by Wayne Lammers. RAILROAD BRIDGES OVER THE MISSOURI RIVER In 1869, people began talking about building a railroad bridge over the Missouri River at Boonville, but it was not until 1870 that steps were taken to build one. Once the Tebo and Neosho railroad was turned over to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, a charter was obtained for the building of the bridge, plus with an act of Congress, the building began is 1872. The bridge was completed in January, 1874. The first bridge was a swing-span bridge which was replaced a few years later by a lift-span bridge, which is the type that still stands. First image of the Boonville MK&T RR Bridge from the 1870's. From the Wayne Lammers collection Third Katy Bridge in 1880 First Katy Bridge Katy Bridge 1950's Todd Baslee climbing the Katy South Tower of the Boonville Katy Bridge. Photo by Wayne Lammers October 14, 2004 View from under the Katy Bridge View from on the river, looking west The bridges of Boonville Hot air balloon over Boonville Katy Railroad bridge circa 1980s. Photo by Wayne Lammers. Katy Railroad Bridge at sunset by Wayne Lammers, March 20 2014, at 5:58 pm. This is the Rocheport Bridge in Boone County with the Katy railroad below. Photographer unknown, October 8, 1960. Source: Farm Alarm REMEMBERING KATY CROSSINGS Kids from the west side of town crossed the Katy Railroad tracks on an unprotected path from Haller Street to Kemper, and on Spring and Morgan Streets, near the Katy Depot, at crossings protected by bright flashing red lights and loud warning bells, sometimes we counted 100 cars as we waited. Even though tragedy struck at Morgan Street in 1953, some still caught a short ride from Spring to Haller on the ladder of a slow-moving boxcar as a long train lumbered southwest up Lard Hill. The busy Katy bridge across the Missouri River provided crossings for Katy trains carrying freight from near St. Louis to Galveston, and for boys from Boonville carrying .22 rifles to the sloughs and sand bars along the north shore to shoot cans and bottles. Crossings by the latter were sometimes sanctioned and sometimes stealthy, depending on the operator on duty in the shanty on the Boonville side. There was no walkway, and if you were caught on the bridge by a train, it was loud and shaky holding onto a beam as the train roared past. My friend Kenny and I tried another crossing method, riding his motorcycle across from the north approach. Bump-bump, bump-bump, bump-bump across the ties. No trains came. The operator in the shanty just shook his head as we passed. He didn’t need to tell us not to do it again. ​ By: Wayne Lammers ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Last train to cross the Boonville KATY bridge. Video by Wayne Lammers KATY BRIDGE DEDICATION Visitors' side of Katy Bridge Gov. Jay Nixon came to Boonville to help save The Katy Railroad Bridge. From the Wayne Lammers collection Old MKT Caboose Ribbon Cutting of the Katy Bridge on April 2, 2016 Governor Jay Nixon and Ann Betteridge Katy Trail Bikers crossing the USA on Trails. June 23, 2012. Photo by Wayne Lammers K A TY BRIDGE REOPENING CELEBRATED DURING BOONVILLE CEREMONY ​ By Rudi Keller / rjkeller@columbiatribune.com | 815-1709 Posted Apr 3, 2016 at 12:01 AM ​ BOONVILLE -- When the last train crossed the MKT Railroad bridge at Boonville in May 1986, Dennis Huff was the engineer and he called his friend Wayne Lammers to record it. ​ The five-minute video explores the 1932 bridge and shows the 408-foot lift span in the up position, then cuts to the locomotive, with Huff hanging his arm out the window, as it approaches and passes. The 16 tanker, gondola and hopper cars pass within a few inches of the camera lens. ​ On Saturday, Huff, Lammers and hundreds of others from Boonville and beyond returned to the bridge to celebrate its resurrection as part of the Katy Trail State Park. ​ “It is nice to see a piece of history be preserved and put to some useful purpose,” Huff said before the festivities began. ​ During the short ceremony, Gov. Jay Nixon was praised as the savior of the bridge by former Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman, who in turn was dubbed Mayor of the Katy Trail by Boonville Mayor Julie Thacher. ​ Nixon was attorney general in 2005 when then-Gov. Matt Blunt approved plans for the Union Pacific Railroad to dismantle the bridge for use as a second span at the Osage River for its line south of the Missouri River. Nixon took “the unusual and extremely brave step of suing the governor to set aside the decision,” Hindman told the gathering. ​ Nixon argued the bridge was part of the deal that transferred the rail line to the state for trail use in 1990. The lawsuit ultimately was unsuccessful, but it delayed demolition until after Nixon became governor in 2009. Union Pacific’s second span at the Osage River was built with federal stimulus funds, and the Boonville bridge was deeded to the state . ​ “This is really a fun day for me,” Nixon said before crossing the bridge with his wife Georgeanne Nixon. ​ “I am not as excited about suing governors as I used to be,” he joked. ​ Saturday’s ceremony celebrated the first phase of the bridge rehabilitation, costing about $900,000 and financed with a combination of private donations, city revenue and federal block grant funds. Visitors can walk about a third of the way across the river for views up- and downstream and a close-up look at the lift span. ​ The next two phases are to complete a similar walkway on the Howard County side and, eventually, finish the crossing by putting the lift span into regular operation, said Paula Shannon, executive director of the Katy Bridge Coalition. The project cost is estimated to be $3.4 million. ​ The ceremony brought many former residents back to Boonville to be part of the crowd of about 400 who attended the ceremony. “It is like going to a class reunion, almost,” Shannon said. ​ The MKT’s days were numbered when Huff guided his locomotive over the river on May 23, 1986. The railroad had been in on-and-off merger negotiations with the Union Pacific for several years. A flood in October 1986 knocked the line north of the Missouri River out of commission. it was abandoned after the merger was approved by federal regulators. ​ The state acquired the line under federal rail banking laws, and the trail now extends for 240 miles from Machens in St. Charles County to Clinton in Henry County. Because the bridge was left in the up position after it ceased being used, trail traffic goes over the river on a walkway attached to the Highway 40 bridge. ​ The completion of the first phase is the realization of a dream, Lammers said. ​ “It is a glorious day,” Lammers said. “It is one we have been working toward for years and years.” COOPER COUNTY’S LESSER-KNOWN CABOOSE ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Most of us have seen the beautifully restored KATY caboose which is parked on the short rails in front of the Chamber of Commerce building in Boonville. It is a beautifully-preserved reminder of the days when trains were the best way to travel and move agricultural goods to market. However, there is another caboose in Cooper County that represents the small town of Bunceton, that was once a very busy stop on the Osage Valley Railroad. It stands on a short railroad track next to the Kelly Township building, which was built to look like a train Depot. Inside the caboose is a museum. Here is a brief history of this caboose, shared by Gerald Ulrich, who was the Mayor of Bunceton from 1980 until 2006. The Cooper County Sheriff, Harvey Bunce, learned that a railroad would be built between Boonville and Versailles. He immediately purchased the land where the planned railroad would run. The town that received the train route was later named Bunceton, after Mr. Bunce. Many years later the Osage Valley Railroad was sold to the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Mr. Ulrich thought that if a caboose could be placed in Bunceton, it could be used as a museum. He contacted the Missouri Pacific Railroad to see if a caboose could be acquired. Missouri Pacific agreed to donate a caboose and donate it to the Chamber of Commerce. After making many connections with area groups the deal was done. Several area groups started working to get donations to pay for the concrete slab, and two trucks to haul the caboose. Riley Rock Quarries donated the trucks and trailers, and two giant cranes to lift the caboose onto the concrete slab. They also donated the fuel used for the haul and the drivers donated their time. It was a dangerous trip as there were several high wires that the caboose had to pass under. However, everything went without a hitch! The trickiest part was to haul all that weight over an old bridge, but that too worked perfectly. The city is proud of the fact that they raised the funds needed for this project and did not go into debt for moving the caboose, or for the new city hall. This was a wonderful community project. ​ WHAT IS A CABOOSE? Although rarely seen on a train today, a caboose was always the last car on a train. The caboose served as a trainman’s “home away from home”. Since most trains ran on 12-hour shifts, the caboose was where the men ate their meals (brought from home) and slept. At one time it also served as the Engineer’s office. It is interesting to note that a caboose is an American invention, and never really caught on in Europe. On the top of the caboose was a cupula. This was a raised box surrounded by windows so that the tracks could be observed in all directions by looking through the windows above the roof of the train. ​ As trains became more mechanically controlled, the need for the cupula to see the tracks hazards was replaced by a strange word for a strange railroad car, that somehow survived for more than a hundred years, from the days of oil burning lamps into the computer age. The origins of both the car and the word, are surrounded as much by legend as by fact. One popular version dates the word back to a derivation of the Dutch word "kombuis," which referred to a ship's galley. Use of cabooses began in the 1830s, when railroads housed trainmen in shanties built onto boxcars or flatcars. Even in the United States, technological change began eliminating the need for cabooses before the turn of the century. ​ The spread in the 1880s of the automatic air brake system invented by George Westinghouse, eliminated the need for brakemen to manually set brakes. The air brakes soon were followed by the use of electric track circuits to activate signals, providing protection for trains and eliminating the need for flagmen. Friction bearings were replaced by roller bearings, reducing overheated journals and making visual detection by smoke an unlikely event. ​ Trains became longer, making it difficult for the conductor to see the entire train from the caboose, and freight cars became so high that they blocked the view from the traditional cupola. The increasing heaviness and speed of the trains made on-board cooking hazardous and unnecessary. New labor agreements reduced the hours of service required for train crews and eliminated the need for cabooses as lodging. Cabooses, when used at all, were drawn from "pools" and no longer assigned to individual conductors. ​ Eventually, electronic "hotbox" and dragging equipment detectors, which would check moving trains more efficiently and reliably than men in cabooses, were installed along main lines, and computers eliminated the conductors' need to store and track paperwork in the car. ​ Source: Union Pacific A Brief History of the Caboose

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

EARLY COOPER COUNTY PERSONALITIES This adapted from “Discover Cooper County by Looking Back" by Ann Betteridge BLACKHAWK Blackhawk was a Sac Indian. He was living in the east part of Cooper County in 1810 when the first white settlers arrived. He became an Indian chief and an English general during the second war with England from 1812 to 1815. In 1832 his Blackhawk War spread over much of the Mississippi Valley. The two Cole families, first settlers in Cooper County, helped Blackhawk in his desire to understand the white man’s way of life. MRS. WILLIAM H. ASHLEY Elizabeth Ashley, the daughter of Dr. J. W. Moss of Howard County, was the wife of General William H. Ashley. Before her marriage to the famous fur trader she was the widow of Dr. Daniel Wilcox. After Ashley’s death she married John J. Crittenden, of Kentucky. A fictional history of her life, The Three Lives of Elizabeth, was written by Missouri author Shirley Seifert. ​ WILLIAM H. ASHLEY William Ashley was born January 10, 1764, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He came from Virginia to Missouri in 1803. He was elected the first Lieutenant Governor of Missouri in the state’s first election. He was a fur trader who influenced the exploration and settlements of the West. He founded the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He was not afraid to take his trade to places other people would not go. He was a member of Congress and served in the twenty-second, twenty-third, and twenty-fourth congresses. He owned approximately 28,000 acres along the Missouri River. He died on March 3, 1838, and is buried in an Indian mound on his land overlooking the Lamine and Missouri Rivers. See more about Ashley here . ​ DAVID BARTON David Barton was a pioneer Cooper County lawyer and was involved in the early political activities of Missouri. Soon after moving to Boonville, Barton served as a judge, representative, and author of our state’s first constitution. He was elected the first United States Senator to Congress from Missouri. David Barton Elementary School is named for him. In 1821 Missouri finally was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state. One of the main men involved in this process was David Barton who chaired the Constitutional Convention and who wrote the Constitution which was submitted to Congress for the admission of Missouri. Barton County in southwestern Missouri is named for him. He then became the first Senator and represented the new state in the U.S. Congress. Barton died in Boonville in September, 1837, and is buried in the Walnut Grove Cemetery, where there is a monument honoring him. The restoration of his tombstone, lot, and adjacent horse watering tough was an appropriate Missouri Bicentennial Project and was undertaken by the Walnut Grove Cemetery Board and the Hannah Cole Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. See the section on cemeteries for the DAR Restoration of David Barton’s Tombstone. Background of DAVID BARTON David Barton was born on December 14, 1783, in Greeneville, North Carolina. In 1809, Barton moved to St. Louis. During the War of 1812, he joined Nathan Boone’s company of mounted rangers which in turn got him plenty of recognition in Missouri. ​ Barton was serving Missouri prior to 1821 when it became the 24th state in the Union. He was elected attorney general of the Missouri Territory in 1813, was Howard County’s first circuit judge in 1815 and presiding judge in 1816. In 1818, Barton was a member of the Territorial house of representatives and served as speaker. He wrote Missouri’s first constitution when he served on, and was president of, the convention which was formed in 1820 to write the state’s first constitution. ​ Barton was unanimously elected to be one of Missouri’s first US Senators and it was his suggestion that Thomas Hart Benton be the other US Senator. Barton served from August 10, 1821, until March 4, 1831, and was chairman of the Committee on Public Lands. ​ After failing re-election to the US Senate, Barton ran for and was elected to the Missouri Senate where he served from 1834-1835. ​ David Barton died in Boonville on September 28, 1837, and was interred at Sunset Hills Cemetery, otherwise known as the Old City Cemetery. After Walnut Grove Cemetery was established in 1852, it was decided that one of Missouri’s first US Senators and author of the state’s first constitution was deserving of a more fitting burial site. David Barton’s remains were moved to Walnut Grove Cemetery. ​ Barton County, Missouri, is named in his honor, as is David Barton Elementary School in Boonville, Mo. ​ COLONEL CHARLES CHRISTIAN BELL Charles Christian Bell was born in Nassau, Germany, on August 30, 1848. After moving to the United States, he lived his early life on a Missouri farm near Mr. Sinai schoolhouse. His father, John Adam Bell, planted one of the first vineyards and orchards in that neighborhood, and taught his son the art of fruit growing, a business which he followed most of his life. He served in the Union cavalry and was held prisoner by General Joe Shelby’s command for two days and was then paroled. In 1879, he was commissioned by Governor Phelps as first lieutenant of the Missouri State Guards. In 1877, he and his brother established the firm of C. C. Bell and Brothers, wholesale shippers of fruit and farm products. He later purchased his brother’s interest in the company. ​ In 1886, he organized the Central Missouri Horticultural Association, serving as its secretary for 29 years. He also served this organization as president. He founded the International Apple Shipper’s Association in 1894, and was elected its first president. He experimented with and developed the Lady Apple tree in the Bell Apple Orchard, located about six miles east of Boonville. For years, each pupil in the Boonville Schools found a Lady Apple on their desk the first day of school. He is known for his many public services. ​ GEORGE CALE B BINGHAM As a young boy, Bingham lived in Franklin with his parents, where his father was a hotel keeper. As a young man he was apprenticed to a Boonville cabinet maker. His first wife, Elizabeth Hutchison, was from Boonville. He served in the Missouri legislature and was Adjutant General during the Civil War. He lived in Howard and Cooper Counties and built a home in Arrow Rock, which has been restored. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ George Caleb Bingham statue at Boonville ​ He is famous for his paintings, many of which were painted while he was living in Cooper County. He liked to paint portraits and scenes of everyday life. Some of his paintings can be seen in Boonville at the Boonslick Regional Library, the Masonic Hall and the Rotary International Headquarters; two are also hanging at Ravenswood. DANIEL BOONE Daniel Boone is known to almost everyone. He was born in 1728 and died in 1820. He came to Missouri about 1797 from Kentucky, and hunted up and down the Missouri River. His two sons, Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, ran a “salt lick” in 1807 about ten miles north of Boonville. The Boone brothers boiled the salt water, saved the salt, packed it in hollowed logs, covered the salt with mud, and floated the logs down the river, to St. Louis, to trade. KIT CARSON Kit Carson, whose real name was Christopher Columbus Carson, was born in Kentucky. His parents moved to Missouri where he was raised in Franklin, Missouri. He was taught to work in a saddle shop. He had been in the saddle shop only a few months when he ran away and joined a wagon train which was bound for Santa Fe, in Mexico, this was the start of his career as an Indian scout and trail maker. Kit Carson was never a resident of Cooper County, however he spent time here hunting and visiting with relatives. HANNAH COLE Hannah Cole was born in 1764 and died in 1843. She was the first white woman to settle south of the Missouri River. She came as a widow with her nine children and built a cabin on the present site of Boonville. A fort was built later which became known as Hannah Cole’s Fort. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ More than a lifelike statue of Hannah Cole in Boonville The marker is hewn from a large natural stone. The cemetery itself contains about an acre of ground and the D. A. R. Chapter intends that it shall be made beautiful ... stones gathered from all parts of the Hannah Cole Country; the historic connection will be complete." October 31, 1932 From the Pilot Grove Record "Grave Formally Marked" -"Tablet at Hannah Cole Grave is Unveiled" "With fitting ceremony, the grave of Hannah Cole, Cooper County's pioneer mother..." See the full Briscoe Cemetery story here . BENJAMIN COOPER Benjamin Cooper, Revolutionary War veteran, is regarded as the first permanent settler in this area. His wife and five sons moved to the Boone’s Lick country in the year 1808. They settled in the Missouri River bottom about two miles southwest of Boone’s Lick, which became known as Cooper’s Bottom. This area is not part of the present Cooper County established in 1818. Even though the Coopers lived in Howard County, they played an important part in the history of Cooper County. Benjamin built a cabin and cleared the ground for a permanent home, but he had to leave because he was too far from the protection of government troops. He returned two years later to the same place with a group of settlers, who built forts in Howard and Cooper counties. The fort helped protect them from Indians during the War of 1812. ​ SARSHALL COOPER Sarshall Cooper came to the Boonslick area in 1808 with a group of settlers led by his brother Benjamin. The group left the area and returned in 1810. They built four forts in Howard County: Cooper, Hempstead, Kincaid, and Head. Sarshall was chosen as Captain of the Military Rangers. There were Indian raids from 1812 through 1815. Sarshall was killed in one of the raids in 1814 as he sat by his fireside with his family in Fort Cooper, near the present town of Petersburg in Howard County. Cooper County was named in honor of Capt. Sarshall Cooper. BILL CORUM Martene “Bill” Windsor Corum was born near Speed, Missouri, on July 29, 1894. He attended grade school in Old Palestine and attended Boonville Public High School. He attended college at Wentworth Military Academy and the University of Missouri. Bill was among the first to enlist in World War I. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross. He was commissioned Major of Infantry, the youngest in the American Expeditionary Force. ​ Following World War I, he enrolled in the Journalism School at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where he graduated with two degrees. He became assistant sports editor of the New York Times. He was featured as sports columnist for the New York Evening Journal. He performed well at three different jobs. He was a good writer, and in addition, found time for radio and television commentary. He was especially well-informed in horse racing, baseball and boxing. Perhaps the most important activity in spreading his fame was the commentary on radio and television of the New York Yankee baseball games. He was president of Churchill Downs Race Track in Louisville, Kentucky from 1950 until his death. WALLACE CROSSLEY Wallace Crossley was born in Bellair, Cooper County, Missouri on October 8, 1874. He was a graduate of the University of Missouri. He was interested in the field of education for many years. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Missouri in 1916. He was chosen president of the Missouri Press Association in 1932. He died December 13, 1943. ​ REVEREND FATHER RICHARD FELIX, O.S.B. Reverend Father Richard Felix came to Pilot Grove to serve as pastor of St. Joseph’s Church. He was author of six books. He delivered an extended series of lectures over three radio stations. Father Felix had three degrees: an A.B. in theology from St. Vincent’s Seminary, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, an A.M. from Catholic University, Washington, D.C., and a B.D. from Harvard, at Cambridge, Massachusetts. JACOB F. MELICH Jacob Gmelich was a native of Germany, who located in Boonville in 1860 when he was 20 years old. He remained a resident of Cooper County until his death 54 years later. He served as state representative from 1905 until 1909, and as lieutenant governor during the administration of Herbert S. Hadley. He was a Union veteran of the Civil War, a merchant, bank president and four times mayor of Boonville. PAYTON R. AYDEN Payton Hayden was the first lawyer certified to practice law in the Missouri Territory outside of St. Louis. He was the first lawyer to pass the bar, July 1819, in Cooper County, even before Missouri became a state. He was a native of Kentucky. He came to Howard County, Missouri, in 1818, and located in Boonville in 1819. He taught school in Old Franklin, one of his students being Kit Carson. Hayden died in Boonville on December 26, 1855. A Supreme Court Justice, Washington Adams, studied law in his office. ​ THOMAS JEFFERSON HOWELL Thomas Jefferson Howell was born near Pisgah in 1842. In 1850, he went to the state of Oregon with his parents. He was a farmer, stock-raiser, botanist, woodsman, mountaineer, and the discoverer of the weeping spruce. Because of his interest in botany, he became interested in the flowering plants of the northwest. In 1903 he published the Flora of Northwest America. FRANK & JESSE JAMES Jesse James was born in 1847 on a small farm near Kearney, Missouri. Jesse was 14 when the Civil War began, and left to fight in the war when he was 16. In 1865, he became an outlaw, along with his older brother, Frank, and some of the men who fought with them during the Civil War. Between 1866 and 1882 the James gang robbed trains and banks in Missouri and other states. Most of the railroads and banks were owned by Northerners. The banks charged high interest rates on loans to people trying to recover from the war. People also had to pay high taxes to support the railroads, and to pay high rates for transporting freight. Because of these injustices, many people were glad when the James gang robbed a bank or a train. Some people even helped the gang hide when the law was looking for them. In an effort to stop the robbing, in 1881, Missouri’s governor, Thomas T. Crittenden, a former Union officer, offered a reward for the capture of Jesse James. In 1882, Jesse was shot in the back of the head by one of his own men, Robert Ford, in St. Joseph, Missouri. Jesse was 35. Soon after his brother’s death, Frank surrendered and the career of the James gang was ended. FREDERICK T. KEMPER Frederick Kemper was born in Virginia. He established Kemper Family School in 1844, which later became Kemper Military School. The school steadily grew until it became one of the finest schools of its kind in the United States. Crosby Kemper, a banker in Kansas City who gave money to different organizations and causes in Boonville, is thought to be distantly related to Frederick T. Kemper. See more under Kemper Military Academy under schools section. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Kemper at Memorial Statues at Boonville ​ ​ THOMAS KIRCHMANN Thomas Kirchmann from Pisgah is known for inventing the cyclone “stacker” on threshers and the self-tying hay baler. He also made improvements on the steam engine. NATHANIEL LEONARD Nathaniel Leonard was born at Windsor, Vermont, June 13, 1799. He founded Ravenswood Farm in 1825, and was the first man to bring registered shorthorn cattle into the state of Missouri and into the United States west of the Mississippi River. The English herdsman, Thomas Boyen, set out from Chillicothe, Ohio, on May 22, 1839, to deliver the historic shipment of fine stock. He had to travel two days on a canal boat until he reached the Ohio River, then transfer his stock and forage onto a riverboat for the trip down the river until he reached Cincinnati or Louisville, transfer boats again to go down the Ohio to the Mississippi, then upstream to St. Louis, where he changed to a Missouri riverboat to take him to Boonville, with the last part of his long journey overland about 12 miles. Nathaniel Leonard successfully carried on farming and stock breeding on the Ravenswood Farm during his lifetime. He died at his farm on December 30, 1876. He was succeeded by his son, Captain Charles E. Leonard. CAPTAIN CHARLES LEONARD Captain Charles Leonard was reared on Ravenswood Farm. He received his education at Kemper Military School and the University of Missouri at Columbia. After receiving his education, he returned to the farm and was actively engaged in farming most of his life. He served as director of the American Shorthorn Association from 1882-1906. He was also president of the Central National Bank of Boonville. NATHANIEL CHARLES LEONARD Nathaniel Charles Leonard, only son of Captain Charles Leonard, was educated at Kemper Military School and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. He completed a law course in 1898, after which he spent most of his time continuing the breeding of shorthorn cattle. ​ CHARLES WILLARD LEONARD Charles Willard Leonard, son of Nathaniel Nelson Leonard, purchased the remainder of the farm from his brother and sister. His son, Charles Edward Leonard (great-great-grandson of Nathaniel Leonard) managed the farm until Charles W. died January 5, 2002. After the passing of Charles Edward in 2015, Ravenswood Farm passed into a family trust. ​ WILLIAM MITTELBACH William Mittelbach, a pharmacist, graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and received an honorary Doctor of Science in recognition of his service and dedication to the practice of pharmacy and his community of Boonville. Dr. Mittelbach was active in the Evangelical Church and many civic groups, including many years of service to the Board of Education. A memorial fountain in his honor stands just inside the Walnut Grove cemetery entrance. A 1926 biography stated, “No man in the history of Boonville has held more positions both honorary and active than this esteemed citizen.” ​ He was also a nationally recognized pharmacist, serving as president of national and state pharmacy organizations, and the Missouri Board of Pharmacy. He was a recognized authority in pharmaceutical science and a research associate of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. JORDAN O’BRYAN Jordan O’Bryan served under General “Old Hickory” Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. He moved to Cooper County soon afterward. He was a state senator during the 13th and 14th general assemblies, 1844 and 1846. He was county representative in the third, fourth and eighth general assemblies in 1824, 1826, and 1834. He was a Baptist leader known throughout Missouri. He was on the committee to locate William Jewell College. In an effort to establish the college at Boonville, he was able to deadlock the committee’s decision. The town of Liberty finally won by one vote. W. L. NELSON Nelson was a representative in Congress 10 of the 14 years from 1919-1933. In 1934 he was elected from the new second district of Missouri. He was also one of the first rural weekly editors in the United States to regularly feature farm and livestock news in the newspaper The Bunceton Weekly Eagle. WILL ROGERS Will Rogers attended Kemper Military School in Boonville from 1896-1903. Years later he became famous as an actor, humorist, writer, and philosopher. LON V. STEPHNS Lon Vest Stephens was a native of Boonville. He came from a family with banking history and was a graduate of Kemper Military School. He was governor of Missouri from 1897-1901. Before becoming governor, he was the state treasurer. During the time he was governor, the first Missouri State Fair was held and many state institutions were established. Some of these include: The State Historical Society of Missouri in Columbia, the Fruit Experiment Station at Mountain Grove, a School for the Feeble-minded and Epileptic in Marshall, a state hospital for the insane at Farmington, and the State Board of Charities and Corrections. ​ JAMES MILTON TURNER James Milton Turner was born a slave in St. Louis, Missouri in 1840. His parents were John Turner Colburn and Hannah. John was a horse doctor. He bought his freedom and then in 1843, the freedom of his wife and son. ​ In 1847, a law was passed in Missouri that forbade blacks to be educated. This did not stop the Turners, as James was educated in secret. He attended Oberlin College for one term when he was 14, but was forced to leave school in 1855 when his father died. He returned to St. Louis and supported his mother by working as a porter at the beginning of the Civil War. Turner became a body servant (valet) to Madison Miller, who joined the Union as a captain of the 1st. Missouri infantry. Among other battles, they served together at Wilson's Creek and Shiloh. By the time the war was over, Miller was a Colonel. Colonel Miller's brother-in-law, Thomas Fletcher, was elected Governor of Missouri in November 1864. Governor Fletcher appointed Turner Assistant Superintendent of schools where he was in charge of establishing schools for blacks. Over thirty schools were opened across the state while Turner served in the Department of Education, including Lincoln Institute in Jefferson 'City, now known as Lincoln University, which was the first black high school and teacher training school in Missouri. A civil rights activist, Turner was one of the founders of the Missouri Equal League. This was the first black political organization in the state. In 1871, Turner was appointed Ambassador to Liberia by President Ulysses Grant. Serving in Monrovia, Liberia, from 1871 to 1878, Turner was the first African American diplomat to a foreign country. When Turner returned from Liberia. he continued to reach out and help others succeed in the white man's world. He served on the Refugee Relief Board, and in 1881 he and Hannibal Carter organized Freedman's Oklahoma Immigration Association to promote homesteading in Oklahoma. He spent the next 20 years of his life in Indian Territory, fighting for the rights of blacks. He died in Ardmore, Oklahoma on November 1, 1915. A bust of James Milton Turner stands on a pedestal in the Morgan Street Park on the northwest corner of Main and Morgan Streets in Boonville. ​ References: Elizabeth Davis, "Historically Yours"; James Milton Turner 1840-1915 James Milton Turner -SHSMO - Historic Missourians Jame Milton Turner - (1839? - 1915) Missouri Encyclopedia James Milton Turner (1840-1915) BlackPast James Milton Turner - Wikipedia ​ GEORGE GRAHAM VEST Senator George Graham Vest represented Missouri in the United States Senate from 1879-1903. He was an early Boonville lawyer, involved in the building of Thespian Hall, a state legislator from Cooper County, and a supporter of the secessionist movement. He left Boonville at the First Battle of Boonville on June 17, 1861. He is most remembered for his famous “Eulogy to a Dog,” given before a jury at Warrensburg, Missouri. ​ PAUL WHITLEY Paul Whitley was born 13 years before the American Revolution, on July 20, 1762. He died September 23, 1835. He made provisions in his will to leave money to the “poor children” in Cooper County. His will stated “at the death of my wife whatsoever may remain I wish placed by my executors in the hands of the County Court of the County of Cooper, and that they cause the same to be disposed of for schooling of the poor children in the township of Moniteau in said County of Cooper and State of Missouri. The amount of his estate was $3,768. Following the death of his wife in 1855, the money was turned over to the county court to be given to the poor in the schools. The amount grew to $13,000 due to interest because it was several years before it was used. Money was given to the schools each year. In one year, 1927, 877 boys and girls enjoyed the gift given to them. In the early 1900s, his body was removed from the grave on the bluffs of the Missouri River near Wooldridge. It was taken to Harris Cemetery near Prairie Home where a monument was erected in his honor. WALTER WILLIAMS Walter Williams was a distinguished editor. He founded the first School of Journalism in the world and was President of the University of Missouri, at Columbia. He was a native of Boonville. He took his early training as an apprentice on a Boonville newspaper, later becoming its editor as well as the editor of a Columbia newspaper. He was a firm believer in the free press. He died in 1935. ​ HORACE GEORGE WINDSOR Horace George Windsor was the first president of the Missouri Corn Growers Association, serving until his death. In 1915, he raised the first 100 bushels of corn per acre crop in the world. He raised 116.9 bushels of corn per acre in 1917. In one year, he won first prize for the best corn in six state fairs. DE WITT C. WING DeWitt Wing was a native of Lamine township. He started his career as editor of The Missouri Democrat. He was editor of the Chicago Breeder’s Gazette for 26 years. He was editor of the Rural New Yorker, New York City. He was an information specialist for the Federal Agricultural Adjustment Administration. CHARLES WOODS Cooper County Missouri Justice of the Peace, 1820-1829, Justice of the Court, 1825. Woods was Born 1791 in Madison County, Kentucky, the fourth child of Rev. Peter Woods. In 1810 he moved to Franklin County, Tennessee. He entered the service in 1812 and Tennessee in 1814. He served as a Corporal and as a Sergeant. He served under Colonels Thomas Hart Benton and William Pillow. In both cases, the General was Andrew Jackson. Charles received 160 acres in the form of a military warrant for his service in the War of 1812. He was named a Justice of the Peace of Lamine Township, Cooper County, in 1820 by Governor Alexander McNair. The 1883 History of Cooper County lists him as a settler of Kelly Township in 1818. Charles was also named a Justice of the Peace for the Township of Moniteau, County in 1829, this time by Governor Frederick Bates. Each of these offices were for four years in duration. Charles was a County Justice, which is the equivalent of a County Commissioner today, in the May, through November Terms of 1825. According to minutes of these terms, this body was involved in the decisions of where to place roads, who would operate ferries, caring for paupers, appointed road overseers, appointed “Captain of the Patriots” in Boonville (and relieved the same), administrated patrols, approved repairs of the jail and other public properties as well as the costs associated with these, administrated the activities of the Sheriff, as well as other county officers. Charles is described in the 1883 History of Cooper County as being “for many years the leading Democrat in his neighborhood. He wa s a man of no ordinary ability, of pleasant address, and a liberal-high-toned gentleman. “Charles Woods died in January 1873 in Tipton, Missouri. He and his wife, Susan Jennings Woods, are buried in a cemetery named Woods Family Cemetery Number Two. HARVEY BUNCE Harvey Bunce was born in North Port, Long Island, New York, on October 28, 1816, the first of two children of Harvey and Keziah Jarvis Bunce. He received his education there in the commons schools. He was apprenticed to Messrs. Bayless & Co. in New York to learn the ship builder’s trade when he was 16. Four years later, he came to Missouri because he believed there were better opportunities out west for those willing to work hard. He spent the next ten years building bridges and working as a carpenter. During this time, he gained a reputation as a superior mechanic, a good businessman, and an excellent citizen. ​ Bunce took up farming in 1847 and his political career began the following year when he was elected county assessor. He was elected sheriff at the next election and was re-elected until 1961 when he resigned. ​ But Bunce’s service to the county were not yet over. In 1862 he was appointed public administrator, a position he held for 12 years. At the same time, he represented Cooper County in the state legislature in 1862-63. In 1864 he was a member of the state constitutional convention. ​ His personal life as a businessman was equally successful. He was one of the leading farmers in the county and a leading bank stockholder. He was made a director of the Central National Bank of Boonville in 1866, a position he held until 1881 when he was elected vice-president of the bank. With all his interests, he was one of the most important citizens in the county. ​ In 1868, a town about 15 miles south of Boonville was laid out and platted. It was named after Harvey Bunce. ​ Harvey Bunce died on May 14, 1893, and was laid to rest at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Boonville. Source: Elizabeth Davis "Historically Yours"

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