USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people, Vol. I > Part 19
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W. H. Fallis, the census taker, reported that there were also 1,200 outside of the city limits, but properly a part of the town, making ap- proximately 3,500 in the Joplin district at the elose of the year 1872.
LONE ELM
Lone Elm was a thrifty part of Joplin situated on the hill and in the valley in the northern portion of the city west of Joplin creek, and was so ealled on account of a lone elm tree which stood by the roadside. Lone Elm, during the middle and later 'seventies, contained upward of 2,500 people, and had some twenty business houses in addition to the big Granby Furnace. It was distinctly a mining community and, being built on mining land, as time went by the houses were moved away until now only a few of the old landmarks remain and only the old Lone Elm road is left to tell the story of its once busy life.
EARLY NEWSPAPERS
In March, 1872, Peter Schnur of Carthage, who, by the way, had been connected with the Carthage Banner, came to Murphysburg and es-
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IIISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
tablished the Mining News. The first issue. a small four-page paper, appeared on March 7th and proved a popular publication and after the first month doubled in size. This paper had a great influence on the early life of Joplin. Peter Schnur, its editor and proprietor, was a good writer and in the narrative of events as they happened from week to week, told the plain truth, avoiding the sensational and printing only so much of the news of the under-strata of society as was necessary to correctly chronicle the happenings of the day.
Editorially he advocated a better local government and always was on the side of publie improvement. IIe set out the needs of a good school system and encouraged the church in its early work. The early issues of this paper had much to do with molding public opinion.
The paper was Republican in politics but not radically partisan, for it gave credit to the good acts of officers of the opposite politieal faith and criticised the wrongful acts of men of its own party. The people appreciated the value of the permanency of a newspaper of the right kind and the Murphysburg Town Company, with a view of encouraging the proposition, donated a lot on the corner of Second and Joplin streets on which to build a newspaper office. Mr. Schnur built a house for his plant on the lot, the building which is still standing facing Second street and being just across the street from the city jail.
The Daily Inder, as a Democratic paper, was started in East Joplin and was published for a short time, the first issue appearing September 19, 1872. The paper was ably edited and was a spiey sheet, but did not receive sufficient financial encouragement and suspended publication after a year of struggle against adverse circumstances.
POSTOFFICE FOR UNION CITY
On April 1, 1872, the postoffice at Blytheville was discontinued and an office created for Union City. M. W. Stafford was appointed post- master and opened the office in Murphysburg. There was much dis- satisfaction in East Joplin over this change and after the dissolution of Union City an office was established in East Joplin. J. C. Orner was ap- pointed postmaster and opened the office for business December 18, 1872. Two separate offices were maintained until 1877, when the east-side office was abolished and the two offices combined and opened at Second and Main streets.
THE FIRST BANK
The National Savings Bank of Joplin opened its doors in July, 1872, with the following officers : S. B. Corn, president : John H. Taylor, vice president; Wm. Graves, cashier; John Hayes, assistant cashier.
The new institution was capitalized at $5,000 and had its place of business in East Joplin, at the corner of Galena and Broadway.
On January 1, 1873, John HI. Taylor bought the bank, doubling its capital and also forming banking connections at St. Louis, Kansas City and New York, which greatly increased its influence. In 1874 C. W. Glover became cashier of the bank.
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
During the palmy days of 1874-6 the bank's deposits ranged around the $300,000 mark, but on the decline of lead in 1877 its business began to fall off, and in 1879 Mr. Taylor decided to close the institution and, after paying all depositors and meeting other obligations surrendered its charter. The loss of the bank was a great blow to East Joplin.
JOPLIN'S FIRST "FOURTH OF JULY"
July 4, 1872, was appropriately celebrated at the two Joplins by a day pienie at Grand Falls and by a liberal display of night fireworks. While Grand Falls is in Newton county, it has always been regarded as a part of Joplin, for until the building of the big dam in 1889 the Falls was Joplin's most popular pleasure resort. Before the building of the dam the Falls was a most beautiful place. On the right side of the min- iature Niagara was a long ledge of rock which overhung the bank in the valley below and gave it the appearance of a cave. The ledge is some twenty feet above the valley, making a speetaenlar formation like the Palisades of the Hudson. (This romantic cave-like ledge has long since been filled with cinders from the ice plant.) Over this ledge was built a pretty house, which served the two-fold purpose of a country inn and a speaker's stand, for the balcony-like porch made an ideal stand for a speaker to address the multitude in the valley below.
THE MINERS' UNION
The first attempt at organized labor in Joplin occurred during the fall of 1872, when eighty men organized the Miners' Union and endeav- ored to regulate labor conditions among the miners. The object of the union was to improve labor conditions. John Riley was elected presi- dent and Jolm Howe secretary. The organization attempted to enforce the following four rules : (I) No miner to hold more than one mining lot at a time. (II) Each miner prospecting a lot must employ at least one able-bodied man for help. (III) Twenty days' failure to work the ground forfeits the mine. (IV) All disputes to be settled by arbitra- tion.
A Miners' court was established and M. F. Agers chosen miners' mag- istrate. All differences were referred to him and when he did not suc- ced in adjusting the dispute persons were chosen to arbitrate the case. The miners' magistrate corresponded to the walking delegate among the labor unions of today.
FIRST ODD FELLOWS' LODGE
The first fraternal organization to plant itself in Joplin was the Odd Fellows, which contained then, as now, some of the best business men of the city.
It is always a great event when any fraternal society is organized, because it means that, so far as the lodge's influences extend, so much more good will be done and the community accordingly bettered.
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. The influence of a great fraternity life the Odd Fellows, teaching and practicing friendship, love and truth among its members, could not help but have a refining influence on the men of the mining town, and the new city was fortunate in having among its citizenship men of the three-linked fraternity. The first meeting looking toward the forma- tion of a lodge was held July 21, 1872, and was attended by seventeen members of the society, holding membership in almost as many different lodges of the order. Jesse Shortess presided at the meeting and J. C. Maddy aeted as secretary. After discussing the matter it was decided to petition the Grand Body for a charter, and the lodge was formally in- stituted November 1. 1872, being christened Joplin Lodge No. 287. The institutional ceremonies were conducted by Lyman J. Burch of Carthage, D. D. G. M., assisted by John W. MeAntire, of Scotland county, who had that day arrived in Joplin to make it his future home.
The following were the first officers of the lodge: John Allington, noble grand ; S. II. White, vice noble grand; Ira Creech, secretary pro tem ; S. W. Beach, permanent secretary; Wm. Karbe, treasurer.
The first work done by the lodge was on November 22nd, when J. W. MeAntire, JJ. W. Clehouse, J. A. Miller, Arnold Hogle and J. B. Thomas were initiated into the order. W. E. Johnson, who was initiated Febru- ary 7, 1873, is the oldest surviving member of the lodge, having had a continuous membership in the lodge from that date. The original char- ter members and the four initiated, who preceded him, have either moved away or gone to the Grand Lodge On Iligh.
FIRST ELECTION IN JOPLIN
The first election in Galena township which at that date included East and West Joplin resulted as follows: For president, Grant, Repub- Jiean, 354; Greeley, Democrat, 287-showing the town on a strict party vote to be Republican by sixty-five majority.
The township election was conducted along non-political lines and resulted as follows: Justice of the Peace-Clehouse. Democrat, 547; Norton, Republican, 367; Gaston, Republican, 137. Clehouse and Nor- ton, being the two who received the highest number of votes, were de -. elared eleeted.
There were six candidates for constable and the votes varied from 55 to 222. the latter cast for the lucky candidate William Brown, who was declared elected.
During the campaign of 1872, Gen. John B. Henderson addressed the people of the two Joplins, speaking from a platform in front of the Southwestern Hotel.
ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOLS
As mentioned in our introductory article about Joplin, at the time of the coming of Moffet and Sergeant the Franklin school district em- braced all of the territory within the present limits of the city of Joplin and was officially known as District No. 1. township 27 and range 33.
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
In 1872 the board of directors of Distriet No. 1 were John C. Cox, Jeremiah Turk and D. P. Ballard.
During the summer of 1872 a private school was established in East .Joplin and called the Union High School. The school oeeupied the second floor of Hutchinson Hall and was taught by J. H. Burris and Mrs. Lou Crueh. It was formally opened September 9. 1872, and liberally patronized. Captain Hubbard also started a night school in Sanders Hall and enrolled a goodly number of students. The question was now agitated of building a schoolhouse and Messrs. John H. Taylor, S. B. Corn and John C. Cox offered to advance the money necessary to build an up-to-date building for that purpose in East Joplin. A special meet- ing of the qualified voters was called in October, bonds were voted in the sum of $6,000 and were purchased by John Il. Taylor, S. B. Corn, and John C. Cox, each taking $2.000 at par. A contraet was let for a four- room brick school and the work of building was commenced at once.
SCHOOLS OF WEST JOPLIN (MURPHYSBURG)
Early in the fall of 1872. the Mining News in a number of editorials set forth the necessity of a school organization for the portion of the town west of the Creek and the question was agitated by the leading eiti- zens of west-town to organize a separate district. On September 20, 1872, at a meeting of the voters of West Joplin, School Distriet No. 4, township 27 and range 33 was formally organized, the territory embrae- ing that portion of the mother district lying west of Joplin creek. The board of directors eleeted at this meeting consisted of the following named gentlemen : John B. Sergeant, M. W. Stafford, C. J. G. Workizer.
Mr. Sergeant was elected president of the board and Mr. Workizer distriet clerk.
The board of directors of District No. 1 opposed the forming of the new distriet and elaimed that it had not been legally organized.
The township treasurer refused to turn over to the new district its quota of the school funds and for this reason no school was maintained in West Joplin during the fall and winter of 1872-3.
EAST JOPLIN LITERARY SOCIETY
During the fall of 1872 a literary society was formed in East Joplin and met weekly in Hutchinson's Hall. The meetings were largely at- tended and did much toward elevating the literary taste of the people. The officers of the society were: Jesse Shortess, president ; R. A. Bene- diet, vice president : Henry Houston, secretary : John W. MeAntire, treasurer.
ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST CHURCH
The honor of organizing the first church in JJoplin belongs to the Methodists. In February. 1872, Rev. M. W. F. Smith was sent to the Joplin field in the capacity of a home missionary. As mentioned be-
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
fore, both Joplin and Murphysburg were red-hot mining camps and everything wide open.
The reverend gentleman saw that there was great need of a church and set about to find a suitable place in which to hold a series of meet- ings. There were no vacant store rooms and nearly all of the residences were small, mostly two and three-room boxed houses, hastily put up to accommodate the rapidly increasing population of the place.
Hearing of the preacher and with a desire of encouraging the es- tablishment of a church, Messrs. Bullock and Boucher offered their saloon to Rev. Smith for a Sunday service. The offer was accepted and he preached in the bar of Bullock & Boucher, his first sermon. After the first service meetings were held around at the houses of a number of religiously inclined people.
On April 14th an organization was perfected and the first Methodist Episcopal church began the crusade for a better Joplin. Among the original members of the church were O. H. Coe and wife, William Har- low and wife and Mrs. Jennie Shortness.
After the organization of the church all of the energies of the mem- bers were bent to the securing of a house of worship. Messrs. Porter & Dorsey donated a lot at the corner of Fourth and Kentucky avenue and a church home fifty by thirty feet was begun and hurriedly completed. Many of the citizens of the town (not members of the church) assisted in the work, some donating money, some humber and others labor. The church was dedicated November 3, 1872, by the Rex. F. H. Hagerman, bishop of the diocese, the Rev. DeLamarter of Kansas City preaching the dedicatory sermon. The new church proved very popular and the Sunday school became so crowded that an afternoon school was also or- ganized as a sort of an overflow meeting. The Sunday school in the morning was the regular school of the First Methodist Church and the afternoon meeting was a non-sectarian union Sunday school, the late W. B. McAntire was the superintendent of the union school.
THE CHURCH ORGAN AND THIE CHOIR
When the church was first built it had neither organ nor singing books. D. K. Wenrich, the bookkeeper for Moffet & Sergeant, was asked to take charge of the music and direet that important branch of the church worship. Learning that there were no singing books belonging to the church, Mr. Wenrich ordered a number of hymnals and organ- ized for the church a choir which furnished music, pending the arrival of the singing books for the congregation.
A committee, consisting of Captain Libby, Dr. Fannie Williams and Mr. Wenrich, was appointed to devise ways and means by which to pur- chase an organ for the church and the two Sunday schools. Mr. Wen- rich started out with a subscription paper and in an hour secured pledges for one hundred and seventy-five dollars, not a single person refusing. The organ (said to have been the first one brought to Joplin) was purchased of W. P. Owen, then of Neosho, but later one of Joplin's substantial citizens.
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH SOUTII
During the latter part of 1872 the Rev. J. F. Hogan, a South Meth- odist minister, came to Joplin and took steps toward organizing a class of that denomination, choosing East Joplin for his field and preaching his first sermon in an unfinished store building on Broadway. After considerable labor against adverse eireumstances, a class was formed and at the next meeting of the conference John D. Wood, a young man of great energy, was appointed to the Joplin charge. Below are the members of the South Church when Mr. Wood began his labors: William Quick, John Allington and wife, R. A. Sterling, John Angel and wife, Mrs. Huddleston, and Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson.
Rev. Wood was a gifted speaker and, being an untiring worker, quickly built up a large congregation. He commenced his labors in the spring of 1873 and continued with the church for two years. During his ministry a church was built in East Joplin at the corner of Hill and John streets, the structure costing $2,250. During 1874 the church sold a half interest in that building to the Presbyterians and the two de- nominations used it alternately until 1876, when the Presbyterians sold baek their interest to the South church.
ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
The work of inaugurating the Catholic church in Joplin was begun in 1872 by the Rev. Father Newman as attending missionary, with A. Chattell, John Ferguson and Barney Ferguson as members.
After a short missionary career, Rev. E. Benoneine came to the Jop- lin parish and labored in the field until 1876, when the Rev. Father O'Riley arrived and was assigned to this charge.
The further mention of the St. Peter's Church will be taken up dur- ing our narrative of the events of 1876 and the later 'seventies.
THE AFRICAN M. E. CHURCII
In May, 1872, the African Methodists established a church in Joplin, the Rev. John Dorsey being its first pastor. The church did not have a home during the 'seventies, but met in a rented room, or at the houses of its members until 1881, when the congregation purchased the old Methodist church at Fourth and Kentneky.
JOPLIN AND BAXTER STAGE AND TRANSFER LINE
In January, 1872, Messrs. William Carter and C. A. Underwood es- tablished a transfer line between Baxter Springs, Kansas, and Joplin, doing a heavy freighting business, as then all of the merchandise from Kansas City and the north came via Baxter and was freighted overland to Joplin. A stage line owned by Botkins & Company operated a stage line between these two points and it was a typical western sight to see the big four-horse overland stage roll into Joplin at noon each day, the Vol. 1-11
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
boot piled high with trunks, the driver sitting on the big high front seat armed in true frontier style with his trusty '45, and the stage itself crowded to its capacity with excited fortune hunters coming to the new land of lead and excitement.
AMUSEMENT HALLS
Early in 1872 two amusement halls were built in East Joplin, Hutch- inson and the Star Concert, the latter being given over to vaudeville at-
M
JOPLIN IN SPRING OF '72: STAGE COACH FROM BAXTER SPRINGS
tractions and run in connection with a saloon. Hutchinson Hall was used for lectures, literary meetings and concerts.
RACE TRACK
During the summer of 1872 a race track was built south of the city and nearly every day during the summer and early fall there were a num- of exciting races at which much money changed hands. The track was a straight one half a mile long, extending from the northeastern entrance to the cemetery in a northeasterly direction to about the site of the Byers school.
A UNIQUE MARRIAGE CEREMONY
One of the earliest marriages in the new town, if not the first, was that of Squire J. W. Clehonse and Miss Melvina Lane. Justice Clehouse, who was one of the justices of the peace, on the afternoon of Angust 10, 1872. placed in the hands of the constable a subpoena commanding a
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
number of people, among them the several township officials, the mem- bers of the bar and others, to appear at the restaurant and ice cream parlor of Wagstaff & Teegles for the purpose of being witnesses in the case of Clehouse vs. Lane. The witnesses suspected that the case was not one to be tried by the grave and impartial justice, but by Dan Cupid, for whisper had it that "wheresoever moved the fair, he was like her shadow there." In obedience to the summons, therefore, a large party gathered at the restaurant and at the appointed hour Judge Davis an- nounced that they were there for the purpose of celebrating the marriage of Justice Clehouse to Miss Melvina Lane and, in the presence of the wit- nesses, pronounced the happy couple man and wife. After the wedding services the witnesses and court officials partook of a bountiful feast which was presided over by the happy couple and to which they did ample justice.
COST OF LIVING
The market reports published in the Mining Nous in November, 1872, show the cost of living to be as follows :
Flour
$5.00 per 100-1b. sack
Potatoes
.75c per bushel
Apples
.75c per bushel
Butter
25c per pound
Eggs
.20€ per dozen
Sugar (whole lump) .$1.00 12-1bs.
Wood
$2.50 per cord
Coal
15c to 25c per bushel, or $3.75 to $5.00 per ton
VALUE OF ZINC DISCOVERED
The discovery of the value and properties of zinc blende, or "jack" as it is commonly called among the miners, was made by a German chem- ist in 1848. In 1858 Messrs. Mattis & Hagler of LaSalle, Illinois, erected a small experimental zine furnace and successfully reduced a quantity of blends from the Mineral Point, Wisconsin, mines. The coming on of the war shortly after the perfection of that smelting process stopped for a time the further development of this important industry. After the war, however, the manufacture of zinc products was resumed.
In 1866 George H. Hesslemyer, late of Germany but then a resident of St. Louis, interested a number of his countrymen (among them F. W. Meister and A. W. Flohr) in a project to reduce and experiment with the blend in the dump piles of the Potosi lead mines, in Washington county, this state. A small three-retort furnace was built and success- ful experiments made. To Mr. Hesslemyer, therefore, belongs the credit of starting the mining and smelting of zine in the great state of Missouri.
In November, 1866, Henry Weyman, then a young man recently graduated from a German university, came to America at the solicitation of Mr. Meister and took a position with the Potosi Zine Works as chemist and assistant superintendent. Mr. Weyman reported to his employers at St. Louis that the cost of hauling coal to Potosi ate up the profits of the manufactured article and, at his suggestion, the plant was closed at
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HISTORY OF JASPER COUNTY
Potosi and rebuilt at Old Carondelet, in South St. Louis, where fuel was cheap. Zine spelter was first used in making brass, alloy and zinc plate and, at the time of building the first plant, sold for twelve cents a pound.
Mr. Weyman continned for a time to reside at Potosi and shipped the zinc blend from that point to St. Louis. Rev. Geo. H. Williamson, of the Bethany Presbyterian church of Joplin, then a resident of Potosi, superintended the cleaning of the first car of ore shipped to the new furnace. The Coyle Brothers, later of Joplin, were Mr. Weyman's team- sters.
Mr. Hesslemyer now organized a new company, the Missouri Zinc Company, and as its agent visited Granby in 1872 for the purpose of se- curing zine silicate. The miners, not knowing its value, threw it out on the dump piles as waste material, and the German ore buyer had no trouble in securing two carloads of the jack to be used in his experiments. On learning that the zine had a value, Henry T. Blow of St. Louis, pres- ident and general manager of the Granby Company telegraphed to give no more of the black jack away. The first price paid for jack at Granby was two dollars a ton.
MINER'S LEARN "JACK'S" VALUE
In Joplin and at Orongo, "jack," the same as at Granby, was at first thrown out on the dump piles and no attention was paid to it; in fact, the miners thought less of it than they did of tiff, because it was not so pretty and could not even be used for ornamental purposes, but in 1872 two eminent mineralogists came to the Joplin field and told the miners and land owners that the supposed worthless "jack" was the highest grade of zine blend. These two men were D. Bowman and Professor Swallow. Mr. Bowman came to Union City for the purpose of writing up the mining district for the Globe Democrat and Professor Swallow, who at that time was state geologist, was traveling through southwestern Missouri making notes relative to the geological formation and stratas of rock in Jasper and Newton counties and was compiling the data for his book, "The Rocks and Minerals of Missouri."
Mr. Bowman, by the way, made a most complimentary write-up of southwestern Missouri and was so well pleased with Joplin that he de- cided to cast his lot with the young town. On the completion of his newspaper report he took up his residence in Joplin and for ten years was prominently identified with the mining industry of Jasper county.
Messrs. Bowman and Swallow told the Joplin miners that the zinc industry would in time be of greater importance than the mining of lead and urged that more attention be given to its mining. At the suggestion of Mr. Bowman, Dorsey & Porter, Moffet & Sergeant and Murphy & Davis shipped to Mattis & Hagler at LaSalle, Illinois, two carloads of zine blend and they, realizing its value, at once sent an agent into the field to purchase the "jack." The first batch of zine shipped from Joplin brought five dollars a ton. A continuation of the zine story will be made in our notes of 1873, at which time permanent buyers came into the field and the zine industry became a permanency.
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