USA > Missouri > Jasper County > A history of Jasper County, Missouri, and its people > Part 18
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The following were elected officers for the year: John Onstott, presi- dent; J. M. Richardson, first vice president; George Rader, second vice president; Mrs. M. P. Ruffin, treasurer; A. E. Gregory, recording secre- tary; W. F. Cloud, corresponding secretary ; M. M. James, A. H. Caffee, Mrs. Drake, Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Lamb, executive committee.
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CHAPTER XVII
FOUNDING OF JOPLIN
THE FIRST SETTLERS BLYTHEVILLE POSTOFFICE JOHN C. COX-FIRST MINING AT JOPLIN-MR. COX PLATS JOPLIN-REV. HARRIS JOPLIN -THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL-MOFFET AND SERGEANT-FIRST NEWS- PAPER MENTION-TOWN OF JOPLIN PLATTED-MURPHYSBURG, OR WEST JOPLIN-CLARK CRAYCROFT ARRIVES FIRST MEAL AT JOPLIN'S HOTEL -MURPHYSBURG MAKES RAPID GROWTH-JOPLIN-MURPHYSBURG (SPRING OF '72)-JOPLIN AS A MINING CAMP-THE "REIGN OF TER- ROR"-THE MAN OF THE HOUR-UNION CITY-EARLY LEGISLATION -- DISSOLUTION-LONE ELM-EARLY NEWSPAPERS-POSTOFFICE FOR UNION CITY-JOPLIN'S FIRST "FOURTH OF JULY"-THE MINERS' UNION-FIRST ODD FELLOWS' LODGE-FIRST ELECTION-ORGANIZA- TION OF SCHOOLS-SCHOOL OF WEST JOPLIN-EAST JOPLIN LITERARY SOCIETY-FIRST CHURCH-THE M. E. CHURCH SOUTH-ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH-THE AFRICAN M. E. CHURCH-JOPLIN AND BAXTER STAGE LINE-AMUSEMENT HALLS-RACE TRACK-VALUE OF ZINC DISCOVERED.
The city of Joplin covers an area of seventeen and one half square miles and has grown from half a dozen families (who resided in the ter- ritory now covered by the city in 1870) to thirty-five thousand inhabi- tants at this writing.
The history of Joplin properly begins with the coming of Moffet & Sergeant, but before we take up the narrative of the events which fol-' lowed the digging of the first shaft in the Joplin Creek valley, we will mention a few of the happenings which occurred before the advent of these gentlemen.
THE FIRST SETTLERS
In 1838 John C. Cox settled on Turkey creek and homesteaded a half section of land where he began to farm. In 1841 he built a home near the present site of the old Cox homestead which is prominently located in the northeastern portion of the city on a picturesque eminence, which was called by the first settlers Wig Hill. In connection with his farm Mr. Cox also conducted a general store and built a log store build- ing near his home. It was in this store where the first postoffice in the western part of the county was kept.
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THE BLYTHEVILLE POSTOFFICE
In 1840 the people who lived in the western portion of the country of the Six Bulls petitioned the government to establish a postoffice at some point on Turkey creek for the accommodation of the settlers living between Spring river and School creek. The nearest postoffice then was Sarcoxie. After many overtures the postal authorities agreed to establish an office, provided the people would bear the cost of the same, as the business would not pay the expense of its maintenance and the carrier who would have to bring the mail from Sarcoxie.
John C. Cox agreed to serve the people gratis and was, accordingly, on the 17th day of January, 1841, commissioned postmaster of the new office, which was christened Blytheville in honor of Billy Blythe, a wealthy Cherokee Indian who resided on Shoal creek and who was noted far and wide for his integrity and fair dealing. The government al-
BLYTHEVILLE POSTOFFICE
lowed the earnings of the office to be applied on the mail carrier's pay and the deficit was made up by the patrons of the office.
The Blytheville postoffice was maintained, excepting during the war, until 1872, when the name was changed to Union City and moved to Murphysburg (West Joplin).
Until the Civil war mail was brought from Sarcoxie and later from Carthage, once a week, and the arrival of the mail carrier was an event which brought to Blytheville the farmers for miles around. During these three decades Mr. Cox was the central figure around which the business and social interests of the community revolved and we present here a brief sketch of his life.
JOHN C. COX
John C. Cox was born in Burke county, North Carolina, September 6, 1811. His parents were David and Lucy Branch Cox. At the age
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of eight years young Cox moved with his parents to Tennessee and grew to manhood on the farm. In 1828 his father was elected sheriff of Jack- son county, Tennessee, and held the position for six years. During the last three years of his term Mr. Cox, then having reached his majority, served as deputy.
Mr. Cox was married in 1837 to Miss Sarah Mercer and shortly after the marriage emigrated to Missouri, locating in Jasper county and mak- ing the long journey overland in company with a party of Tennesseeans.
When Center Creek township was organized, in 1841, Mr. Cox was appointed one of the two justices of peace and filled the position for many years. In 1850, on discovering the value of the land in the Joplin Creek valley, Mr. Cox entered and perfected the title to a section of land and on this the first mining of the original town of Joplin was done. In 1852 Mr. Cox filled the office of county surveyor.
During the war, although a slave holder, Mr. Cox was loyal to the Union and took no part in the conflict. But it was almost impossible to live in Jasper county and be neutral during the war and in 1863, after having been burned out by one of the many raiding parties he moved to Neosho and remained there until the close of hostilities, when he returned to the old homestead. In 1870 Mr. Cox leased a tract of land to Messrs. Moffet & Sergeant for mining purposes and from the royalties on the lead taken from his ground amassed a considerable for- tune.
MR. COX PLATS JOPLIN
In July, 1871, Mr. Cox platted the original town of Joplin and thus took the first steps toward making the young mining camp a permanent town. In 1875 he was elected one of the judges of the county court and made a high reputation for his honesty and fair dealing.
REV. HARRIS JOPLIN
In 1839 the Rev. Harris Joplin, a Methodist minister, came to Jasper county from Greene county and built a cabin where now stands the Jop- lin Children's Home. There he entered about eighty acres of land lying on either side of the little stream which wends its way from the big Springs down to Joplin creek, which took its name because its head- waters ran through the reverend gentleman's farm (the course of Joplin creek at its head was changed by the digging of Picher's ditch). The Reverend Joplin organized at his cabin a Methodist church and con- ducted services here on Sundays until 1845, when he returned to Greene county, where he died in 1847, ignorant of the fact that his name and deeds would be perpetuated in the history of the great mining industry of Jasper county.
THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL
During the 'forties a school district which embraced the greater por- tion of southwest Jasper county was organized and a log school built
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near Castle Rock. The school was on the south side of the creek and not far from the old Schifferdecker Garden.
In 1870, when the mining activities of Joplin were commenced, the district extended from Pilot Grove (now Mount Hope Cemetery) on the north to the county line on the south, and from Harmony Grove on the east to where Schifferdecker Park is now on the west. This old log build- ing, although like most of the pioneer schools poorly furnished and without modern conveniences, housed a sturdy class of pupils, was pre- sided over by a number of good masters and sent out into the world a number of boys and girls who have achieved success. The following are some of the boys and girls who there learned their three R's: John C. Cox, Jr., capitalist; B. F. Cox, attorney and retired capitalist; Mrs. Alex
OLD COX HOMESTEAD (BUILT IN 1867), EAST TOWN, JOPLIN
Campbell (nee Josie Cox) who was, by the way, the champion speller of the school; Mrs. Dr. Blackwell (nee Sadie Cox) ; W. S. Taylor, ex-county assessor and James Turk, Villa Heights booster.
MOFFET AND SERGEANT
During the spring of 1870 J. Morris Young, superintendent of the Grandby Company at Oronogo, offered a reward of five hundred dollars to the miner or company of miners who should mine the most lead from any one shaft during the four months from March 4th to July 4th, in- clusive. E. R. Moffet and John B. Sergeant won the prize. With this five hundred dollars for a capital they leased a ten-acre tract of land from John C. Cox in the Joplin Creek valley and commenced mining for themselves.
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OLD-FASHIONED WINDLASS
FIRST ATTEMPT AT A HOISTER (A WHIP)
Vol. 1-10
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Messrs. Moffet and Sergeant pitched their tent in the Joplin Creek valley in August, 1870. Their first shaft was put down about five hun- dred feet north of the Broadway bridge over Joplin creek and after several weeks of prospecting, during which time their money was about all expended, they struck a fine body of ore. It is told by old timers that the shot which opened up this rich pocket of lead was borrowed, their stock of powder being exhausted.
The news of the Moffet and Sergeant strike spread over the neigh- borhood and soon a dozen miners were prospecting in the Joplin Creek valley and the little camp which sprang up naturally was called Joplin.
The Moffet and Sergeant strike proved to be a rich one and they soon erected a smelter to smelt their lead, the melted product having a more ready sale than the raw material. The smelter was built near their first mine and not far from the site of the new Union depot.
January 1, 1871, saw about twenty prospectors in the Joplin Creek valley and by August, one year after the first strike, it was estimated that there were five hundred people in the camp, most of whom were men.
FIRST NEWSPAPER MENTION
In its issue of June 22, 1871, the Carthage Banner makes this first mention of the new camp: "There is a new town in Jasper county. Its name is Joplin and it is located fourteen miles southwest of Carthage on the farm of J. C. Cox. It has lead in unlimited quantities under it. Everybody out of employment ought to go there and dig. That is bet- ter than doing nothing and it may lead to fortune."
This first mention of the new bonanza attracted the attention of many and in an incredibly short time Joplin was a red-hot camp, the Creek valley being literally filled with tents and small-box houses.
TOWN OF JOPLIN PLATTED
Seeing the richness of the mines on his farm and realizing the com- mercial value of a permanent town, John C. Cox decided to lay out a small town and platted on the hill, just east of the mining activities, the original town of Joplin. The plat was filed for record July 28, 1871, and lots were at once placed upon the market. The first lot was bought by Henry Blockwell, lot No. 5, block 2, northwest corner of Cox and Central avenue, on which he built a dwelling house. The lot is now owned by P. L. Crossman and the house, which was remodeled in 1887 by Chancellor Livingston, the owner at that time, is one of the prettiest in East Joplin.
MURPHYSBURG, OR WEST JOPLIN
During the month of July, 1871, Patrick Murphy of Carthage or- ganized the Murphysburg Town Company, consisting of himself, his partner, W. P. Davis, C. W. Elliott and wife of Oronogo, and William Byers. A forty-acre tract of land on the hill west of the creek was pur- chased and a town laid out and platted. The town west of the creek was
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called Murphysburg. In August Murphy & Davis commenced the erec- tion of a store, corner of First and Main streets and there opened up a general store on the completion of their building.
The field notes and the survey of Murphysburg were completed the 1st of September and the plat filed for record on September 4, 1871. The first lot in Murphysburg was sold to H. Geldmacher, better known among the miners as "Moneymaker"-lot No. 4 on Main street, be- tween First and Second, on which he erected a building which he used for a bakery and lunch room.
The following story is told about the sale of the first lot in Murphys- burg. The lines were run by the surveyor, E. Lloyd, during the latter part of July, but the field notes and plat were not put in form until the latter part of August. As soon as the lines were run and a blue print of the new town made, lots were placed on the market and a number of
FIRST JOPLIN HOUSE, BUILT BY MR. BLOCKWELL Picture taken in 1886.
them sold, the deeds being formally signed and delivered after the plat was filed.
On the 4th day of August Mr. Murphy and John S. Reynolds were at work putting up a store building at the southwest corner of Main and First, when Mr. Geldmacher, with three wagon loads of household furni- ture, baking utensils and confectionery stock, drove up and in broken German inquired for Mr. Murphy. Mr. Murphy asked what he wanted and on being informed by Mr. Geldmacher that he wanted to buy a lot, came down off the scaffold and showed him the blue print which had just been completed. They walked off to the south of the store a few feet and Mr. Geldmacher selected his lot and paid the price agreed upon. Returning to his teams he drove his effects to the lot and began unload- ing. As soon as the wagons were unloaded, Mr. Geldmacher began build- ing a bakeoven and after it was completed mixed a batch of bread and put in a bake. In the meantime, he put up a tent and lived in this until
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his house was built. Lumber for a two-story structure was purchased and carpenters were set to work to build a house which was to be used as a restaurant and bakery.
CLARK CRAYCROFT ARRIVES
Clark Craycroft ate the first meal in the new hotel and relates the following interesting story about his first trip to Joplin : In June, 1871, Mr. Craycroft was graduated from the State University at Columbia and was casting about to settle into some business or profession. A friend of his in Cooper county had inherited a farm in Jasper county near the present site of Carl Junction and was coming out to see it. He asked Mr. Craycroft to come with him on the trip. The drive over- land from Cooper county to Jasper took five days and they came to the
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OPENING A NEW CAMP IN THE 'SEVENTIES
Spring river country about the early part of August. One morning, about the middle of the month, he started out with his rifle for a hunt, hoping to scare up a deer. At that time Mr. Craycroft had never heard of Joplin. He walked along the Center Creek prairie where he came to the old Manlove ford and, taking off his shoes and stockings, waded across the creek and came out in the woods south of the stream, walking south half a mile or so. Reaching the prairie between Center and Turkey creeks, partly from curiosity and partly because he thought that he could scare up a turkey, he crossed it and came to Turkey creek. The water being shallow, he crossed and pushed on to the south, making his way up the valley now used by the Kansas City Southern Railway Com- pany for their tracks, came into the Kansas City Bottom and there dis- covered Joplin, which at that time was in the Joplin Creek valley. He walked on up through the mines and met John B. Sergeant at the old shaft where he and Mr. Moffet had first struck lead. He had a pleasant
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conversation with Mr. Sergeant, little dreaming that 'ere long he would be the son-in-law of the mining king.
FIRST MEAL AT "MONEY-MAKER'S" RESTAURANT
Mr. Craycroft inquired of Mr. Sergeant a place to get his dinner and was informed that Mr. "Money-maker" was building a bakery and res- taurant up on the hill. Arriving at "Money-maker's" place, he found that the building was not yet completed, or the furniture in place (two carpenters were then working on the building, one shingling the roof and the other making a table), and was informed that if he would wait awhile that he could be served, as one of the tables was almost completed. When the carpenter had finished the first able, he set it in place and wiped the shavings off with his carpenter apron. Mr. Craycroft drew up a chair, laid his hat on the floor, stood his rifle up against the wall and got a good square meal, the first one to be served in the eating house, which for twenty years after occupied a prominent place in Jop- lin history.
Mr. Craycroft's visit to the mining camp made a lasting impression on his mind and, after having read law and been admitted to the bar, he . returned to Joplin, arriving there the second time in April, 1875.
Mr. Craycroft, in relating his experiences to the author says: "I came to Joplin in 1875 with $4.65 in my pocket. My library consisted of two books and I possessed in addition, a silk hat and a long-tailed coat. The hat I lost in Shoal creek while saving a friend from drown- ing. The coat I wore out, but I still have the two books and the major part of the $4.65."
Mr. Craycroft is now a retired lawyer and capitalist, having a goodly portion of the world's goods and being counted by most people as a rich man.
MURPHYSBURG MAKES A RAPID GROWTH
The Murphysburg Town Company adopted a most liberal policy in the disposal of the lots and offered such easy terms of payment that they sold rapidly, and before the close of the year there were either built, or being built, some fifty houses in the town on the west side of the creek. Among other inducements which were offered by the west side company were the following : Main street was widened, being made eighty feet wide, thus offering better opportunities for the transaction of bus- iness. Desirable lots were sold on a small payment down and long time on the balance; and perhaps the most attractive offer-when a lot was sold, if the purchaser would build a house the company would make him a deed to the lot next to it.
In October, 1871, Messrs. Murphy and Davis built a smelter north of First street, about B and Joplin, and employed a large force of men.
THE JOPLIN MINING & SMELTING COMPANY
During the same fall a company, the Joplin Mining and Smelting Company, capitalized at $200,000 (mostly held by Kansas City parties),
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was organized and began the development of the land in Joplin Creek valley north of the Moffet & Sergeant and Murphy & Davis mines. The northern portion of the Joplin Creek valley has since been known as the Kansas City Bottom. The organizer and leading spirit of the company was John H. Taylor, who from that time to his death, was identified with the mining interests of Joplin. The Joplin Mining & Smelting Company soon acquired a large tract of land extending along the entire east side of Joplin Creek valley to Fourth street on the south, and on this land a monster addition was platted, the lots in the valley and west side of Moon Range (the crescent shaped west side of East Joplin Hill) being reserved for mining purposes and the ones on the hill for residence property.
1871 drew to a close with the two towns Joplin and Murphysburg and the valley between them-containing approximately two thousand people, an increase of one thousand five hundred since the platting of the two burgs. Both of the towns had about the same population and the rivalry between them was intense; in fact, the rivalry led to much ill feeling and did not die out until many years after the two places had been united into one city.
JOPLIN-MURPHYSBURG (SPRING OF '72)
In January, 1872, there were in Joplin one general store, three groc- eries, one furniture store, one hardware store, one pawn shop, one cloth- ing store, one news stand, two liveries, one meat market, one boot and shoe store, one drug store, one dry goods store, one restaurant, one bak- ery, one doctor, one barber, one hack line, four saloons, smelters all in Valley Bottom.
At Murphysburg were: Four general stores, one lumberyard, one clothing store, one livery, one meat market, one boot and shoe store, one drug store, three smelters, four hotels and restaurants, one billiard and pool room. one doctor, two barbers, one blacksmith, and two saloons.
JOPLIN AS A MINING CAMP
All of the capital that was required to become a prospector and if successful, a mine operator, in the early day of Joplin, was a pick, a shovel and two willing hands. The mining was almost entirely shallow- digging, and only lead was sought for, the value of zinc then being unknown. Every man who wished to prospect made application to one of the companies or land owners for a mining lot and signed the register which contained the contract and record of sub-leases. The mining lots were usually two hundred by two hundred. The miner sunk at his own expense his shaft, and if successful paid to the land owner or company, as the case might be, a royalty or per cent. of the mineral turned in. The royalty at first was 50 per cent, but later was reduced as the number of mines and expense of mining increased.
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Among the prospectors who came to Joplin during the first year of its existence were a man and his wife, who were residents of Arkansas and were attracted here by the fabulous story of the new El Dorado. The man took a lot on the Moon Range and began sinking a shaft; when it was down about twelve feet he rigged up a rickety windlass and his wife hoisted the dirt to the top of the shaft-a willing worker with her hus- band and sharing with him the excitement and hardships of the pros- pect. When the shaft was down about twenty feet, he struck a rich pocket of lead and in two months' time had taken out $10,000 worth of mineral. When the mine was worked out, he and his good wife re- turned home and with their quickly amassed little fortune purchased a fine farm.
Alonzo Bradbury was another lucky miner on the old Moon Range. In his mine he dug out a large chunk of lead, at about fifty feet depth,
A HORSE HOISTER
which weighed over 4,000 pounds and it was necessary, in order to get it out without breaking, to enlarge the shaft, put up a temporary derrick and to use a block and tackle to hoist it to the surface, which was ac- complished with no little trouble, because machinery was a scarce article in those days.
The specimen was taken from the Moffet & Sergeant land, was placed on a sled and drawn to the American House (Murphysburg's first hotel, southeast corner First and Main streets) and there placed on exhibition.
J. C. Gaston took out of his mine, also on Moon Range, a chunk of lead which weighed 1,080 pounds.
In the fall of 1872 a hotel, the Bateman House, was moved from Bax- ter Springs to Joplin and rebuilt in East Joplin at the corner of Hill and Galena Avenue. The hotel was managed by George H. Ruddy, later of the Joplin and Keystone hotels, was a popular hostelry, and continued the leading hotel until its destruction by fire, in 1875.
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THE REIGN OF TERROR
The two towns made a phenomenal growth and naturally where so many people were congregated, with no local government, "everything went." The miners about the camp living as they did in a constant state of excitement, and without the refining influence of the home (for in most instances the family was left behind), plunged into a continuous round of merry-making and the lawless element, unrestrained by the officers, had everything their own way. Men who lived on the excite- ment of frontier life flocked to the new town and gave the "future great" a bad name; and so the winter of 1871-2 came to be known as the Reign of Terror.
It must not be understood that all of Joplin's citizens countenanced these unlawful acts, or participated in all of the vices that existed; for such was not the case. The great majority of the prospectors who came
BATEMAN HOUSE
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JOPLIN'S FIRST HOTEL : GEORGE H. RUDDY AND C. F. TAYLOR IN FOREGROUND
in 1871-2 were from southwestern Missouri and southeastern Kansas. They came from the stores, the work shops, the factories and the farms and were from among the best citizens of Missouri and Kansas, and, while they lived amidst the wild excitement of the day and in a way par- ticipated in the revelry, they were good citizens and composed the sturdy yeomanry who laid the broad foundation of a great city.
As mentioned before, most of the men who came to Joplin in its early day left the family at home, for there were but few who expected to live here longer than to make a quick fortune and then return, but there were a few men, like John B. Sergeant, Pat Murphy and William Carter, who saw far into the future and who had an unshattered con- fidence in the mining industry and built for a greater Joplin.
During this period, when Joplin possessed all of the elements of a red-hot mining camp, it was no uncommon sight to see "Reckless Bill,"
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"Three Fingered Pete," and "Rocky Mountain Bob" attired in regu- lar western frontier style. Street fights were common occurrences and occasionally the excitement was heightened by a shooting scrap. It must be observed, however, that, considering the conditions that existed, there were but few murders, the lawlessness for the most part being good-natured revelry.
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