USA > Missouri > Lafayette County > History of Lafayette county, Mo. , carefully written and compiled from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of its townships, cities, towns, and villages > Part 25
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TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROGRAPHY.
We have not found any survey notes or other authentic data to show where is the highest or lowest point of land in Lafayette county. But an examination of the map shows that the county about Mount Hope and Odessa, in the east part of Sniabar township, is probably the highest land; for streams rising in this vicinity flow off in every direction-north, south, east and west. Both forks of the Big Sni rise here, one flowing north- ward and the other westward; headstreams of Davis creek flow from here eastward; and small tributaries of the Blackwater river in Johnson county rise here and flow southward. Hence a knob near Odessa, on Edward Lee's land, is supposed by some to be the highest point. On the other hand, the vicinage of Mayview likewise has streams flowing from it in nearly every direction, and some think that is the highest land. Others again claim that Lexington, or some hills in its vicinity are the highest, citing the fact that the coal beds dip from Lexington southward, and that the Lexington & St. Louis railroad runs a heavy down grade for five miles out of the city. Nothing but an actual topographical survey can settle such a point; and we are informed that some such surveys will be made in this county by the government during this year and next.
219
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
The largest and longest stream in the county is Davis creek: which rises by several tributaries in the southern, western and central parts 'of Wash- ington township, and flows northeasterly between Freedom and Davis townships, then southeasterly in Saline county, where it empties into Blackwater river, that into the Lamine, and that into the Missouri in Cooper county a few miles above Boonville. The east and west forks of the Big Sni both rise in Sniabar township, the east fork flowing steadily northward, while the west fork makes a grand detour westward into Jack- son county, then back northeasterly to a junction with the east fork in Clay township, about three miles from its mouth near the village of Wel- lington. The Little Sni rises partly in Clay and partly in Washington townships, flows north, northwest, and north, and for three or four miles of its course forms the boundary between Lexington and Clay townships.
Tabo creek is perhaps the next largest stream after the Big Sni; and has two considerable branches which rise in Washington township, two in Lexington township, and one in Dover township. The course of the main stream is steadily northward, and it forms the entire boundary line between Lexington and Dover townships. One of its branches rises in the southeast part of Lexington city, and the Lexington & St. Louis rail- road follows it in a southeasterly direction, for advantage of grade, for a distance of over five miles.
Salt creek rises in the southwest part of Middleton township, with small headstreams flowing in from Davis and Dover. Its course is north and northeast, and then it flows away entirely across Saline county and empties into the Blackwater river, of which it is called the "Salt fork." Saline licks occur in many places along this stream, and this fact gave name to Saline county. Elm creek rises in southeast part of Middleton township, and flows northeasterly into Saline county and joins Salt creek. Panther creek rises in Freedom township, west of Concordia, and flows southeasterly into the Blackwater.
The above are all the principal streams of the county, but there are a great many small tributaries with local or neighborhood names which do not appear on the maps. In Freedom township there is Mulky creek, Blackjack creek, and Peavine creek. In Middleton township there is Willow creek and Craig's branch. In Davis township there is an Elm branch, Bear branch, Merritt's branch, and Johnson's creek, all flowing southwardly into Davis creek. In Dover township there is Cottonwood creek. In Washington township, there are James creek, Honey creek, North and South forks of Davis creek, and Brush creek. In Clay town- ship there is Owl creek, and Helm's lake, the latter a remnant of the ancient river bed. In Lexington township there are Graham's branch and Rupe's branch, at Lexington city, and the Garrison fork of Tabo creek. In Sniabar township there is Horseshoe creek. Clay, Lexington,
220
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
Dover, and Middleton townships front on the Missouri river as their northern boundaries.
The river at the city of Lexington has very much changed its channel. The original landing for Jack's ferry and keel boats, before steamboats came much into use, was at or near the mouth of Rupe's branch. The backwater from the river set up into the branch above the stone bridge on the Wellington road, and there was a ledge of bare rocks in the bed of the branch just above the bridge, from which boys used to leap or plunge into deep water; it was a favorite swimming ground. When steamboats began to come, and Lexington grew to be a great center of trade, the steamboat landing was at the old ferry landing; and the city graded and paved Commercial street to make a good and mudless road- way from her main business center down to the wharf. But now the river has filled up its old channel with solid land, so that a steamboat to- day cannot land anywhere within half or three-quarters of a mile of the old place; Rupe's branch cove is all filled up, the ledge of rocks com- pletely covered, and Commerce street grown to weeds and chink-grass, though the paving still remains as a reminder of the " used-to-be." At low water, the steamboat and ferry landing are now far down the river, almost below the city. And what the old Missouri is going to do with it in the future no mortal can tell.
Other steamboat landings in the county are at Napoleon, Berlin, Dover landing, and Waverly.
RIVER SURVEYS AND SOUNDINGS.
During the winter of 1879-80 the Burlington and Southwestern railroad company made a series of surveys and soundings to determine the feasi- bility of building a railroad bridge across the Missouri river at Lexington. Howard Dunn, a civil engineer of Lexington, was employed on this work, assisted by Wm. Tutt, Charles Morrison, Charles Montgomery and Charles H. Dunn, all Lexington boys. Some work was done by making soundings through the ice. Then Mr. Dunn was sent by the same com- pany to examine and report on the grades, curves and condition of roadbed of the old Lexington and Gulf railroad. After this, or about February 18, 1880, the railroad company sent another engineer, Mr. Hurst, of Chili- cothe, to join Mr. Dunn in a further prosecution of the river-bed sound- ings and bank surveys, and this work was carried on from a point on the north bank considerably above the foot of pine street to a point on the south bank bluff, near Dr. Wilmot's place. The highest point taken on the bluff was just north of the old Masonic college, and was 167 feet above low-water mark. Fifteen different test soundings were made for bed-rock in the river, with the following results:
No. 1. 950 feet down stream from west end of the old Anderson ware-
221
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
house at foot of Pine street, and 149 feet out from the river bank, bare rock was struck at 15.8 feet from the surface, the river being then 3} feet above low-water gauge. This rock was drilled into 18 inches without going through, and was found to be a solid limestone ledge.
No. 2. At same place, 294 feet from bank, the same bed-rock was found with 16.5 feet of water.
No. 3. Same place, 396 feet from river bank, sand bottom was found at 21 feet depth of water. A two-inch gas-pipe was then sunk in the sand 46.7 feet without finding rock.
No. 4. Same place, 492 feet from bank, water 12.5 feet deep; gas-pipe driven 52 feet into the sand of river bottom without finding rock."
Nos. 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 represented a line of soundings from shore to shore at a point 200 feet up-stream from Major Claget's coal mine. No. 15 was 200 feet out from the south shore, and at 21 feet depth of water the bedded limestone, same as Nos. 1 and 2, was found. But at all the other numbers on this line, at an average depth of 51 feet from the surface, there was found a reef of boulders and coarse gravel, with sand again below them.
No. 9. This sounding was 500 feet up-stream from the line last men- tioned, and on the north side of the river, 50 feet back on the beach from the water's edge. The result was, they bored through 55 feet of sand and sandy loam, then 8 feet of gravel and shale, then 4 feet of slate and coal, then 13 feet of sand, without finding bed rock. The total depth bored at this point was 80.2 feet.
No. 10. This test-point was 150 feet out in the river from the north shore line, and the water was 4.5 feet deep. At 21 feet below the water surface coal and sand was found; at 22 feet, gravel; at 27 to 46 feet, quick- sand; at 52 feet, gravel; at 94 feet, no bed-rock. Here the tube stuck fast, could not be got out, and is there yet.
Whether the railroad company. considered these results such as to war- rant them in ever building a railroad bridge at Lexington, no man know- eth; but at this writing (Oct. 1, 1881) there are many signs which seem to indicate that a bridge will sometime be built here, and that the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad company will run its southwestern branch from Burlington, Iowa, by way of the old Lexington and Gulf grade toward Texas.
In October, 1880, Mr. Dunn assisted in making water soundings for the government, from Wellington down to Lexington island, and the deepest water found was opposite the foot of Pine street, where it showed thirty- five feet depth of water below low-water gauge.
A little above the old hemp warehouse on Pine street, in the angle of the bluff on the west side of the street, there is a heavy bed of rock facing
B
1
222
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
the river, and in this rock is a plug of lead with a copper bolt in its center. This is called a government bench mark; the government surveyors have established a similar mark every ten miles along the banks of the Missour river, from Sioux City to its mouth. These form permanent fixed points from which to reckon all future topographical surveys, but do not seem to have any uniform reference to water level.
WATER LEVELS AND FLOODS.
A mark known as the St. Louis directrix, is the standard gauge from which all levels on the Missouri and Upper Mississippi rivers are reck- oned, and that mark is 372 feet above sea level. The government low water gauge-mark at Lexington is at an assumed elevation of 424.2 feet above the sea, but that is not certain; and a series of soundings made for the government by Mr. Dunn, of Lexington, on September 20, 1881, gave a depth of 19 feet 4 inches of water, below low water gauge, in the channel a little above Pine street; but there was known to be deeper water below this point.
In 1844 occured the greatest flood on record in the Missouri river. Another " high water" came in 1877, and another in 1881. The following is their record: 1844, 26.66 feet above Lexington low water gauge; 1877, 17.75 feet above; 1881, 23.10 feet above.
An old city survey reports the top of the curb stone in front of Aull's building, corner of North and Broadway streets, to be 190 feet above low water mark, and that is nearly the level of North or Main street of Lex- ington City.
RIVER IMPROVEMENT AT LEXINGTON.
From the annual report of U. S. chief engineers, 1880, Part II, page 1409, we quote: "The rapid erasion of the left bank, in the bend just above Lexington, is allowing the whole river to move bodily down stream, and if not checked will soon destroy entirely the harbor and boat-landing at Lexington. The plan proposed contemplates the protection of caving banks by brush-mattress revetments, and the construction of floating dikes, designed and located so as to rectify the channel."
In Part I, page 163, of same report, we find this: "With the funds appropriated by act of June 14, 1880, for improving the Missouri river at this locality (Lexington), it is proposed to commence the work by pro- tecting the banks where necessary with brush revetment, and rectifying the channel by floating brush dikes or other structure (wire mattress is being used, 1881,) designed to produce like effect, as far as the funds avail- able will allow."
223
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
Amount appropriated by Act approved June 15, 1880 $15,000 July 1, 1880, amount available. . 15,000 Am't (estimated) required for completion of exixting project. 35,000
Am't that can be profitably expended in fiscal year ending June 30, 1882. 35,000
The above work was in progress during the summer of 1881, under immediate charge of E. C. Shankland, U. S. assistant-engineer. A steam hydraulic grading machine or boat was employed on the north bank of the river, to prepare the bank for the floating dykes, and recumbent wire mattresses. This machine was kept at work steadily by two crews, five working from noon to midnight, and five from midnight till noon; then a cook, making eleven men in all, and all Lexington men except one. The survey and sounding party, in charge of Mr. Howard Dunn, of Lexing- ton, consisted of seven men, two flagmen on shore, three oarsmen, a lead- man, and a recorder in boat; and five of this party were Lexington men.
METEOROLOGY.
In the spring of 1877 Prof. Francis E. Knipher, of Washington Univer- sity, St. Louis, established a system of voluntary weather observing sta- tions throughout the state. It was purely a voluntary service, only engaged in by those who were willing to give time, labor, and care to it, from their love of science and their desire to secure to Missouri the prac- tical benefits of such observations. There were in Missouri at one time eighty of these stations, but in June, 1881, only forty-nine made any reports. In the state of Iowa there are two hundred similar volunteer weather stations.
In December, 1877, Dr. J. B. Alexander, of Lexington, commenced his work as a member of the Missouri Volunteer Weather Bureau, making careful observations of wind, moisture, temperature, etc., three times each day, and at the end of each month reporting to Prof. Knipher in tabulated form, the results of the month's daily record. This is one of the most unremitting and taxing kinds of public service that any man can engage in; it is fraught with the supremest interests of agriculture, com- merce, climatology, prevailing diseases, etc. Its devotees are self- sacrificing public benefactors, toiling gratuitously for the industrial and sanitary welfare of the state, for it is only by such observations, kept up through a long series of years, that the laws of climate and season can be learned, and their normal recurrences taken advantage of for the ben- efit of mankind.
The following tables of observations made at Lexington, show a mar- velous amount of patient and painstaking labor, and were prepared by Dr. Alexander especially for this work, in order to their permanent pres-
.
224
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
ervation; and any one can see that when similar records have been kept at forty or fifty different places throughout the state for ten, twenty, or thirty years successively, they must throw a vast deal of valuable light upon the problems of climate and season within our commonwealth.
MEAN TEMPERATURE AND AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL FOR THE SEVERAL MONTHS AND SEASONS OF THE FOLLOWING YARS:
1878.
1879.
1880.
1881.
Average
Mean Temp
Rain Fall.
Mean Temp
Rain Fall
Mean Temp
Rain Fall.
Mean Temp
Rain Fall.
Mean Temp
Rain Fall
January .
33 2| 1.34|22.01 1.05|39 3| 2.29|16.8[17 34|27.8| 1.26
February. ..
38.9
3.57 31.5
0.48 35.3
1.62 22.6
4.29 37.2 2.49
March
50.0
2 58 45.8
1.07|40.5
1.85 33.2
2.67 42.6
2 04
April
58.3
3.42|54 6
1.94 54.5
2.15 47.5
2.12 53.7
2.41
June.
70.3
2.77
71.8 10 53 71 4
0.65 73.1
3.70 76.5
2 10 76.9
3 82
August.
79.0|
1.20 74.3
0.44 74 9
5.14 79.6
2.24 76.1
2.26
September
69 1
1.78 63.2
3.02 62.5
4.37
[64.9| 3.06
October.
55.8|
1.58 59 01
3.12 49 7
2.24
54.8| 2.31
November
45.9
0.50.41.7
3.94|27.9
2 51
38.5
2.32
December
21.7
4 00 24.5
2.63 21.7
0.97
27.8
2.29
Winter
38.5
6.47|24.7
5.53 33.0
6.54 20.4
5.60 29.2
6.04
Spring
56.8
9.26 56.3 - 5 66 54 31
7 63 49.1
8.78 54.1 7.83
Summer
76 2
6.57 74.2 17.86 72.9
9.49 76.4 10 28 74.9 11.05
Autumn
56.9
3.86 54.6 10.08 46.7
9.12
52.7 7.69
· Year
55.3 28.60 52 8|37.76 51.7 31.12
53.3|32.76
*This average is based upon four dry years. A more accurate average from a larger number of years would be much higher.
DAYS OF RAIN, SNOW, THUNDER-STORMS DURING THE FOLLOWING YEARS:
1878.
1879.
1380.
1881.
Average.
January
10!
1
5
3
0
9
1
1
8
0
4
1
February
11
1
5
4
0
3
1
2
8
4
1
7
4
1
March
8
0
6
9
1
5
2
3
11
5
2
8
3
4
April ..
7
0
7
9
0
8
6
0
6
10
2
6
8
0
May.
14
0
6
7
0
6
8
0
8
13
0
10
11
0
8
June
10
0
6
12
0
12
0
6
11
0
10
0
8
July.
5
0
1
11
0
10
10
0
9
5
0
3
0
6
August.
6
0
4
5
0
5
11
0
10
3
0
6
0
5
October
5
1
2
7
0
3
4
0
2
41
0
2
November
5
1
0
8
1
6
9
5
1
8
8
0
6
1
2
7
4
1
34
13
18
15
0
18
3
5
23
13
2
23
11
2
Spring.
29
0
19
25
1
16
19
2
17
34
-1
15
27
2
17
Summer.
21
0
11
28
0
27
28
0
25
19
0
12
24
0
19
Autumn
16
20
4
21
1
14
19
5
53
90
14
49
Year
95ł
21
36
90
10
58
851
13
Thunder
Storms.
Rainy
Davs.
Days of
Thunder
Storms.
Rainy
Days.
Snow.
Thunder
IStorms.
Rainy
Days.
Snow.
Thunder
Storms.
Rainy
Days.
Snow.
Thunder
Storms.
Rainy
Days.
Day of
Snow.
3 63 66.5
3.99 66.1
4.30
July ..
79.2
2.60 76.5
6.89 75.3
5.94 71 7
4 97
May
61.3
3.26
68.5
2.65 67.8
19
3
8
September
6
0
2
6
0
5
6
0
4
6
0
4
2
December.
4
1
Winter .
8
2
A er 'Snow. 5
Days of
5 0.00
Days of
Days of
225
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
CLEAR DAYS, CLOUDY DAYS AND DAYS WITHOUT SUNSHINE, DURING THE FOLLOWING YEARS:
1878.
1879.
1880.
1881.
Average.
Clear days.
Cloudy days.
Days without
Clear days.
Cloudy days.
Days without
Clear days.
Cloudy days.
Days without
sunshine.
Clear Days.
Cloudy days.
Days without
sunshine.
Clear days.
Cloudy days.
Days without
sunshine.
January ..
9
121
11
51
12
7
4
5
161
6
10
9
February
12
9
6
1
14
2
0
6
12
5
8
March
12
8
12
4
2
7
6
1
10
6
2
10
6
April
15
5
12
5
1
13
0
9
4
12
5
May
7
8
12
5
1
11
2
0
6
6
0
9
5
0
June
9
6
19
3
0
15
1
0
10
0
0
18
3
0
July
15
1
17
0
15
1
0
20
0
17
2
0
August.
21
1
1
0
16
3
0
12
2
0
19
2
0
September.
21
2
17
2
0
18
2
1
19
2
0
October.
18
2
21
3
0
18
5
1
November.
15
4
13
6
1
10
9
8
December ..
5
11
13
13
5
13
10
9 9
24
32
20
29
29
15
Spring
341
21
36
14
4
31
11
1
24
31
6
31
19
4
Summer
45
8
48
6
0
46
5
0
47
46
5
0
Autumn ..
54
8
51
11
1
46
16
10
50
12
5
Year.
157
69
169
61
16| 162
51|
21
162
60
20
EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE OBSERVED DURING THE YEARS 1878, 1879, 1880 AND 1881.
HIGH TEMPERATURE.
1978.
JUNE.
No of days above 90 º ... 7|1881.
JUNE.
16
.96 =0
No. of days above 90º .. 0
AUGUST.
128
95 =0 8.
.9690
JULY.
26
94°0 29
95 ° 019.
100· 5
12
9490 27
94-5 [No. of days above 90º .. 11 10.
10100
13
.9490|No. of days above 900 ... 9
JULY.
11
103-0
15
95°0 1880.
JUNE.
16
94 ° 0 12
101 °5
No. of days above 90º .13 11
93 - 5 7
.94 ℃ 5 16.
.98°0
AUGUST.
No, of days above 90º .. 5 8
95°0 17.
10590
19
95°0
JULY.
9
.97~5 24
.99~5
20
95° 0 12
95°5|10.
98 ℃ 5 25.
100 °5
21
.9495 13
.9690 11
97 ℃ 5 26
102°0
23.
96°5 30.
94 95/12
98 - 0|27
.10198
24
9790|No. of days above 90º .15 16
94° 0|28
97º5
No. of davs above 90º.12
AUGUST.
17
94 · 5|29
95°0
SEPTEMBER.
14
975 20
95º5|No. of days above 90º.21
No of days above 90º . .. 4 16.
.96°5 No. of days above 90º .. 14
SEPTEMBER.
1879.
JUNE.
17
9700
AUGUST.
5.
.94°5
9 ...
.94 ℃ 5 18
99 -5 1
94°5|No. of days above 90 ... 0 98 ℃5
11.
93 -51
15.
10001
LOW TEMPERATURE.
WINTER OF 1877-8. DECEMBER 1877.
4
1705 below|No. of days below zero. 0|7.
... 395 beiow
5
.12℃0
FEBRUARY, 1880.
8
.400 above
No. of days below 32º .. 86.
11 c 0 **
No of days below 32º . . 21 9
.. 750 below
No. of days below zero .. 08
200 above
12 € 0 below
JANUARY. 1878.
9
700 below
.3º5 above
No. of days below 32º.22 19 ..
300
NOVEMBER. 1880.
17
.005 above
FEBRUARY, 1879.
No. of days below zero. 7|18
.. 3º5 above 26
.295
No. of days below 32€ .15
FEBRUARY, 1879.
19.
.50
.295
No. of days below zero. . 0 13
490 above 22.
.4°0
28.
395
WINTER OF 1878-9. DECEMBER. 1878.
14
300
No of days below 320 . . 22 DECEMBER, 1880.
No. of days below 320.31 No. of days below zero .. 5
17
.3-0 above No. of days below 32 0 22 5. .
.1°0 above
FEBRUARY. 1881.
18
4º5 below
MARCH, 1879.
6
3°4 below 13
.205 above
19
400 above No. of days below 32 2 .. 12 7
.2º5 above
14.
.195
22
.2 5 below
WINTER OF 1879-80.
9
.395
16.
.890 below
24
500
DECEMBER. 1879.
27
. 3º 0 below 17
.195 above
25
.400
12
.5=0 above 28
.900 ..
19. 3°0
27
zero 15.
.1℃5
99
18=0
30
.690
..
30
500 above 25.
.11=0
31
5=0
No. of days below zero. 1
No.of days below 32 € .. 28 26
3º5 above No. of days below 320.29
MARCH, 1881.
No. of days below zero .. 5| No.of days below 32º .. 27 No. of days below zero
6 No. of days below 329.97
JANUARY, 1879.
No.of days below zero. 2 JANUARY, 1881.
APRIL., 1881.
2
.. 15° below
JANUARY, 1880.
3
3
17°
No.of days below 32º .. 15 4
.300 below No. of days below 320.11 200 above
13
11
5
Winter.
28
36
26
28
15
39
22
17
3
1
13
6
5
2 5 20 2020 er!
. .
1ºu
28
.200 above 21.
.695 below
500 28 No of days below 32º .. 26
JULY.
No. of days above 90 º .. 15 4
.98°0
No. of daye above 90º .. 5 19
100~0 3
WINTER OF 1880-1. OCTOBER, 1880 10 12 No. of days below 32 º .. 6 14.
13º5 below
No. of days below zero .. 0 No. of days below 32 ℃ .. 25
26.
.
sunshine.
sunsine.
0
1
226
HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
PREVAILING WINDS.
During a period of four years, observations, amounting to 4,077 in num- ber, gave the following result as to relative frequency of direction of the winds:
TIMES.
TIMES.
TIMES.
South
1,158
North
652
Southwest
570
West.
457
East
410
Northeast
300
Southeast
235
Northwest
225
Calm
70
NOTABLE WEATHER ITEMS.
A few points of interest we have gathered from memoranda, kept by Mr. George Venable. January 29, 1873, at eight o'clock in the morning, the thermometer, at Grimes & Venable's jewelry store, showed 24 ° below zero. During the winter of 1875-6, no ice was put up in Lexing- ton; the river did not close at all; the steamboats ran all winter; and it was the mildest winter that had occurred for thirty years. December 12 and 13, 1878, snow fell continuously for twenty hours, and then meas- ured thirty-three inches deep. Uncle George Houx said it was the deep- est snow that had been in Missouri for sixty years. During the winter of 1880-1, the river closed December 29, and remained icebound until Feb- ruary 7, a period of forty-one days. It then remained open seven days, but on the night of February 15 it froze up again, and remained so until February 26.
GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTY.
Dr. Swallow was born in Buckfield, Oxford county, Maine, in 1817, and traces his ancestry back to a Norman French family named Sevallieu, whose chief marched with William the Conqueror into England. One branch of the family afterward emigrated from France to New Orleans, while another branch came from old England to New England; and from this latter stock Prof. Swallow is descended. His father was a farmer and mechanic. Very early in life, young George took a deep interest in the then new and mysterious science of geology. In 1843, he graduated at Bowdoin College with high honors, and was immediately appointed lec- turer on botany, in his alma mater. In 1848 he obtained aid from the state of Maine, and established an agricultural school at Hampden, Maine. In 1850 he was elected professor of chemistry and geology in the Univer- sity of Missouri, and in 1853 was appointed state geologist-the first one Missouri ever had. His first official report was published by the state, in 1855. He first determined, located, and correctly mapped the boundaries of the geological formations of Missouri, and their mineral contents, as published in his reports, and in Campbell's Atlas of Missouri-St. Louis, 1873-a work which has been followed by later investigators, in working out the minor details of Missouri's geology. During the war-time, the
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HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
business of the State University and the geological survey were so much broken up, that, in 1865, Prof. Swallow accepted an appointment as state geologist of Kansas, and continued in that work two years. He had pre- viously, in 1858, discovered and determined rocks in Kansas, belonging to the Permian group of geological series. This was the first time that rocks of this age were shown to exist in America; and this discovery by Prof. Swal- low, together with his reports on the geology of Missouri and Kansas, and papers read before the American Association, gave him a high rank and honorable recognition among the learned societies and savans of America and Europe.
GEORGE CLINTON SWALLOW, M. D., LL. D., Professor of Geology and Agriculture in the State University of Missouri, and Dean of the State Agricultural College.
In 1870 the University of Missouri was enlarged, reconstructed and reorganized on the true university plan-with co-ordinate schools or col- leges of literature, science, art, law, medicine, mines and agriculture. Dr. Swallow was appointed to the chair of natural history and agriculture and made dean of the agricultural college, which position he still holds.
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