USA > Missouri > History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 38
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STE. GENEVIEVE-IRON MOUNTAIN PLANK ROAD.
One of the most important improvements of the early period was the plank road built in 1851 between Ste. Genevieve and Iron
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Mountain. This road was 42 miles in length ; it was considered a very great enterprise and a number of good engineers were employed in its building, among them being James P. Kirkwood, chief engineer of the Missouri Pa- cific Railroad, William R. Singleton, one Sul- livan and Joseph A. Miller. The road was for many years the scene of a great traffic, as most of the ore from the lead country was car- ried over it to Ste. Genevieve.
150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED.
In 1885, on the 21st of July, there was held in the eity of Ste. Genevieve the 150th anni- versary of the founding of the old town and the 100th anniversary of the settlement of the new town of Ste. Genevieve. It was made a very great occasion. Maxwell Hill was se- lected as the site for the exercises of the day, which consisted of drills by soldiers that were present and a sermon, a long procession con- sisting of bands, city officers and most of the inhabitants of the town, and addresses. There were more than 5,000 persons present at the celebration, which was a most delightful event, except for the coming up of a great storm near the close of the day which scattered the people to their homes. The addresses were delivered by Firmin A. Rozier, Hon. Alex- ander J. P. Garesche, Col. F. T. Laderberger, Major William Cozzens and Lyndon A. Smith.
This town more than any other in South- east Missouri retains something of its original aspect : this is due to several facts, one of which is that it is the oldest town in the state and the buildings which were ereeted here in the early days were of a somewhat better class of architecture than the usual ones. They have been preserved, many of them, up to this time ; the oldest of these is the house of Louis Boldne which was erected in 1785 and is still
standing in a good state of preservation ; there are other houses which were built about the beginning of the nineteenth century. The town is strictly French in appearance, the streets are clean and well kept, and there are. beautiful lawns about the houses. The old houses give an air of distinction to the town, as many of them are in a good state of pres- ervation. Many descendants of the old famil- ies still reside here. There is much to remind a visitor of the past.
U. S. SENATORS FROM STE. GENEVIEVE
It is the peculiar good fortune of Ste. Genevieve to have reared four men who after- wards became members of the United States senate. Besides these men one other citizen of the southeast became a senator. This was George W. Jones, the son of John Rice Jones, for many years famous as a lawyer in this part of the state. John Rice Jones eame to Missouri in 1810, and immediately became prominent in politieal circles. He was a member of the territorial legislature and also the constitutional convention, and later a member of the supreme court of the state. His son, George W. Jones, was born in Indi- ana, but came to Ste. Genevieve in 1809. He married a daughter of one of the early French families, received a good education, graduat- ing in law at Transylvania University in Kentucky. On returning to Missouri he be- gan the practice of his profession at Ste. Genevieve, and while living there was ap- pointed clerk of the United States district court.
From Ste. Genevieve he removed to Iowa, and here he once more entered political life, becoming first postmaster, then delegate to Congress, and was then appointed surveyor- general of Wisconsin and Iowa. In 1841 he
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became clerk of the supreme court of the . United States and was later reappointed sur- veyor-general in 1845.
On the admission of Iowa to the Union in 1848, he was selected to represent the state in the senate, and was later re-elected, serving out two terms. After the close of his second term he was appointed minister to Bogota, serving until the outbreak of the Civil war. Senator Jones was one of the most respected and influential citizens of the city of Du- buque, where he made his home during the latter part of his life.
His brother, Augustus Jones, himself be- came a famous man. He took part in the In- dian wars and later removed to Texas, where he soon became famous and influential. He was made a general in the army of the United States and served with distinction.
The third one of the men who became sen- ators from Ste. Genevieve was Augustus C. Dodge, the son of Henry Dodge. Ile was born in Ste. Genevieve January 12, 1812, and when twenty-seven years old, after consider- able experience in both peace and war, re- moved to the territory of Wisconsin. Before his removal he married Miss Clara Hertich. the daughter of the famous teacher, Joseph Hertich. After removing to Wisconsin Mr. Dodge then made his home in Iowa. He en- listed in the army and served in the Black Hawk war under his father, Governor Henry Dodge, of Iowa.
In 1838 he was appointed registrar of the land office at Burlington, Iowa. In 1841 he became delegate to Congress, and in 1847 was elected United Senator, serving to 1855. Both he and his father were influential men and voted and worked for every measure having to do with the upbuilding of the west. Gen- eral Dodge was a particularly strong advo- cate of the homestead bill, of the bills for the
establishment of military forts in the west, and worked for the admission of California as a state, and the establishment of territorial governments in New Mexico and Utah.
It was rather an unusual scene in the sen- ate at this time when a father and son rep- resented two states, Wisconsin and Iowa. It is one of the few instances in the history of our country.
After the close of his term in the senate, Senator Dodge was appointed as minister to Spain, and he discharged the duties of this position with great eredit to himself. He died at Burlington, Iowa, November 20, 1883, but until the time of his death was an infin- ential man, well known throughout this part of the country.
The fifth native of Ste. Genevieve who be- came a senator of the United States was Lewis V. Bogy. His father, Joseph Bogy, was a native of Kaskaskia. He became a eiti- zen of Ste. Genevieve in the early history of the state, and himself filled several places of trust under the Spanish and American gov- ernments. He was private secretary of Gov- ernor Morales, then a member of the terri- torial legislature, and afterwards a state sen- ator of Missouri. His wife was a member of the family of Beauvais, one of the pioneer families of the state.
Lewis V. Bogy was born in Ste. Genevieve in 1813. He received a good education, stud- ied law in Kentucky, and taught for a short time in Wayne county, Kentucky. He was a volunteer in the Black Hawk war of 1832. and established himself as a lawyer in Ste. Genevieve in 1835. He became a member of the legislature from St. Louis, to which place he removed in 1840. He was a Whig and a very strong supporter of Mr. Clay. In 1849 he returned to Ste. Genevieve, taking part in all the political disputes of that time, and
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was very strongly opposed to Senator Benton. He opposed Benton as a candidate for Con- gress in 1852, but was defeated. Later he was a candidate for the legislature from Ste. Genevieve county, but was defeated. A little later he announced himself as a candidate for the legislature on an anti-Benton ticket. His opponent was another of the famous citizens of Ste. Genevieve, Hon. Firman A. Rozier. The contest between these two men, both rep- resentatives of old French families, was a very bitter one. Bogy was successful and served a term in the legislature.
At the conclusion of his term he again re- moved to St. Louis, and ran for Congress in 1863 against Frank P. Blair. Blair defeated him. He was appointed commissioner of In- dian affairs in 1867 by President Johnson, but retired from the position after six months of service, because the senate refused to con- firm his appointment.
Soon after his retirement he became a can- didate for the United States senate, and was elected in 1873, serving one term with great credit to himself and his constituents. He had become a Democrat by this time and was chosen as the representative of his party. He died in the city of St. Louis.
STE. GENEVIEVE OF TODAY
The present town is a prosperous and flour- ishing community of 2,000 inhabitants. It is supported chiefly by the farming country about it, though there are some manufactur- ing plants, among them two large flouring mills, an ice plant, electric light plant, cigar factories, and a lime kiln. There are about fifty other business establishments. The transportation facilities are good. Much freight is handled by the river, which is only half a mile from the town, and two railroads
afford ample facilities for travel by rail. The main line of the Frisco passes through Ste. Genevieve, and it is on the Illinois Southern which crosses the Mississippi at this place and extends to Bismarck in St. Francois county to the west.
The banking interests are cared for by the Bank of Ste. Genevieve, organized in 1902, with a capital of $10,000, and Henry L. Rozier, organized in 1891, with a capital of $10,000. The Catholic church building is one of the largest structures of its kind in this part of the state.
Elsewhere an account of the schools has been given. There is a well-conducted public school employing six teachers, and the Cath- olie church maintains a large parochial school with an enrollment of more than 300.
There are two weekly papers published in the town : The Fair Play is owned and edited by Jules J. Janis, himself a descendant of one of the pioneer families, and is Democratic in politics ; and the Herald, published by Joseph A. Ernst, is Republican.
ST. MARYS
St. Marys, on the Mississippi river not far from the mouth of Saline creek, has been a town for a number of years. It was first known as Camp Rowdy. Its most prominent citizen in the early days was General Henry Dodge. For some years it was important as the shipping place for Perryville and Mine La Motte. The first store in the town was opened by two men from the east under the firm name of Kent & Sparrow. Owing to the fact of their eastern origin, the settlement came to be known as Yankeetown. They were succeeded by Miles A. Gilbert. Another one of the merchants in the early history of the town was Richard Bledsoe. John F. Schaaf built a flouring mill about 1857 or '58. This
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mill was rebuilt after its destruction by fire and is still in operation.
The town has grown recently since the building of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad. It is the shipping point for a con- siderable area of farming country and the town is supported principally by the farming
interests. There is a large flouring mill and other business interests of the usual charac- ter; the town supports several church organi- zations, the largest and most flourishing being the Catholic church, and a public school. The population at present is 702.
CHAPTER XVIII
CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY TOWNS
CAPE GIRARDEAU A STEAMBOAT TOWN-INCORPORATED AS A CITY-PROSPERITY AFTER THE WAR -STATE NORMAL SCHOOL LOCATED-STAGE OF STAGNATION-REALLY REMARKABLE PROGRESS -FOUNDING OF JACKSON-FIRST INSTITUTIONS AND PERSONS-CIVIL GOVERNMENT-PRES- ENT COUNTY SEAT-BURFORDVILLE-APPLETON-POCAHONTAS AND OAK RIDGE.
Cape Girardeau is described in 1817 as a village containing two stores and about fifty houses. Within a short time a tan yard was established by Moses Mclain, near the cor- ner of Spanish and Independence streets. Another tan yard on the Painter place was established by William Scripps and his son, Jolın. This tan yard was afterward pur- chased by the Painter brothers, who conducted it and also a saddler shop. A still was oper- ated just north of the town by Levy L. Lightner.
In 1818 the estate of Louis Lorimier was divided and the commissioners made an addi- tion to the town. These lots were sold at public auction, November 22, 1818. The prices paid for the lots were very high. Ninety-three lots brought $34,733.00 and twenty-one out lots brought $26,523.00. These prices indicate the fact that Cape Girardeau was coming to occupy a more important po- sition and that its advantages were coming to be known.
A STEAMBOAT TOWN
Just as in the case of Ste. Genevieve, how- ever, it was the steamboat which made Cape
Girardeau prosperous. The steamboat traffic assumed large proportion in the decade lying between 1830 and 1840, and during these years Cape Girardeau experienced a remark- able expansion in its business. Some of the men who were in business here during these years were: Andrew Giboney, James P. Ful- kerson, Alfred P. Ellis, I. R. Wathen, H. L. Sloan, Robert Sturdivant, Thomas J. Rodney, A. D. Leech, T. and W. Johnson, Joseph Phil- lipson, J. and S. Albert, Eugene Garaghty and C. F. Gale. The first bank in the town was established in 1853. This was a branch of the state bank, and had formerly been in operation at Jackson. The first president here was I. R. Wathen, with A. F. Lacy as cashier, Lacy being succeeded in 1857 by Rob- ert Sturdivant. A steam flouring mill, the first of the town's manufacturing establish- ments of much importance, was built by James Reynolds and B. M. Horrell. The Marble City mill was erected a few years later by I. R. Wathen. Attention was paid during these years in the town to education, the first schools being taught in the log house not far from the site of the St. Charles hotel. The schools were of a purely elementary char-
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acter, and there seems reason to believe that the instruction was not always the best at the time, for children were sometimes sent to Mt. Tabor school. Cape Girardeau Academy was established in 1843, and in 1849 the Washing- ton Female Seminary was incorporated. Both of these institutions were conducted until the time of the war. In 1843, too, St. Vincent's College was established and is still in oper- ation.
The Southeast District Agricultural Society was organized and incorporated in 1855; it was to include all the counties in the con- gressional district. General N. W. Watkins was the president and the first meeting was held at Cape Girardeau and a fair was held during the first year, which was on a small scale but fairly successful. The next presi- dent of the society was Judge W. C. Ranney, who was elected in 1856 and served until 1860. The. society secured grounds and erected buildings and held fairs each year until the beginning of the war. During the war the society was disbanded and the grounds taken possession of by troops. It was later reorganized and is still in existence.
INCORPORATED AS A CITY
We have seen that the first incorporation of the village of Cape Girardeau was in the year 1808. In 1843 the legislature of the state incorporated Cape Girardeau as a city with a special charter. It was provided in the charter that a mayor and seven council- men should have charge of the affairs of the city. E. Mason was the first mayor and the members of the first council were: W. S. Watson, Thomas J. Rodney, J. Rigby, John Ivers, J. Ritton, E. P. Evans and E. V. Cassilly. The mayors of the city since the administration of Mason have been as fol- lows: G. W. Juden, 1844 to 1845; E. Mason Vol. I-17
1845 to 1846; Thomas Johnson, 1846 to 1849; P. H. Davis, 1849 to 1851; Alfred T. Lacy, 1851 to 1852; Thomas Baldwin, 1852 to 1853; John C. Watson, 1853 to 1854; Amasa Alton, 1854 to 1855; C. T. Gale, 1855 to 1857; John Ivers, Jr., 1857 to 1860.
The first brick house in Cape Girardeau was built by Ezekiel Abel, who was the con- tractor for the building of the court house and jail; he completed the jail, but became insolvent and could not finish the work on the court house. After his financial troubles, however, he became successful in business and left a considerable fortune. He left four sons, William, John, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and two daughters, Mary, who became the wife of General W. H. Ashley, and Elizabeth, who married W. J. Stepheson. This brick house built by Abel was at the corner of Lori- mier and Bellevue and was known for many years as Eagle's Nest, owing to the fact that it was the residence of the editor of the Western Eagle. This house was damaged by the earthquake in 1811, and cracks in the walls caused by the shocks were still visible when the house was torn down about 1896.
The oldest house now standing in Cape Girardeau is at the corner of Themis and Middle streets and is owned by Mrs. Ellen Wright. The lot on which it stands was bought in 1807 by Judge George Henderson, the father of Mrs. Wright's first husband, and the present house, a frame structure, was erected in 1811. The large brick chimney which still stands was damaged by the earth- quake on the night of December 25, 1811, the top of the chimney beink shaken off. At the same time the large stones in the cellar of the house were cracked entirely through by the shocks. This house was used for a time as the meeting place for the courts. They assembled on the large open porch, a part of
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which has since been boarded up. Mrs. and around the town, an account of which Wright, who is now about 85 years old, has appears in the chapter on the Civil war. resided in this house since 1855. She has a fund of recollections concerning the early his- PROSPERITY AFTER THE WAR tory of the town.
Abel's failure to build the court house for which he had contracted resulted in the re- moval of the seat of justice, and as we have seen, checked the growth of Cape Girardeau very greatly. In 1867 there were in the town 27 dry goods stores, 3 hardware stores,
For a time after the war closed the town enjoyed a great degree of prosperity. It had a number of enterprising men who pushed its advantages in every possible way. Those advantages were numerous and very powerful in the npbuilding of the town. In the first place, it enjoyed the immense advantage of
OLDEST HOUSE IN CAPE GIRARDEAU
12 grocery stores, 5 drug stores, 5 furniture stores, 12 shoe shops, 7 wagon shops, 11 black- smith shops, 3 flouring mills, 5 breweries, a distillery, 2 tanneries, 2 cigar shops and one bank, the Sturdivant, organized by Mr. Rob- ert Sturdivant in 1857.
During the war Cape Girardeau was head- quarters for a considerable Union force. A military prison was established here to which numbers of southern prisoners were brought. Several important skirmishes were fonght in
river transportation, which at that time was of the highest importance. Steamboats car- ried the greater part of the commerce of the country. Much of it for this section centered here. It was before the day of railroads. Towns and communities away from the river received their supplies from abroad by boat, hauling them in wagons from the nearest and most accessible point. The second great ad- vantage possessed by Cape Girardeau was its relation to much of the other country in
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Southeast Missouri. To the west there is a great section of the country that did its trad- ing here because this was the nearest river point. The merchants in Wayne, Bollinger, and counties further west were naturally sup- plied from the markets of this city. To the southeast the counties of Stoddard and Dunklin, while at a great distance from town, found it almost impossible to reach the river points in counties to the east of them. The great swamp of Little river shut them off from the Mississippi. Their only chance to get river transportation was by coming to the Cape. Now these counties were rapidly set- tling up and their growing inhabitants de- manded large supplies of goods. All this trade contributed to the wealth and prosper- ity of Cape Girardeau. It was no unusual sight to the people of Cape Girardeau of that day to see upon their streets long trains of wagons loaded with cotton or other products of the lower counties. The only flouring mills were in this section of the state. This led to the purchase of flour made in Cape Girardeau or Jackson mills. So important was the trade of some of these counties considered that some of the larger stores and mills sent men into these counties to become acquainted with con- ditions and bring trade here.
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL LOCATED
In 1873, through the liberality and energy of some of its citizens, the Cape secured the establishment of the State Normal school. The state expended considerable sums of money in the erection of buildings and the support of the school and the students of this institution and St. Vincent's College brought other large sums to the town.
By this time, however, a falling off in the town's business was already to be seen. The day of the railroad had come. The construc-
tion of the St. Louis & Iron Mountain, with its branches, cut off the trade of the west and southeast. Towns sprung up at various points and cut off some of the trade that formerly came this way. Dexter, in Stoddard county, secured the trade of Stoddard and Dunklin counties and became a flourishing town. At- tempts were made to reconstruct the Blanton plank road between New Madrid and Clark- ton in Dunklin county. It had been destroyed during the war. The attempt did not suc- ceed, but resulted in construction of a rail- road between New Madrid and Malden. This was the beginning of the Southwestern sys- tem and still further tended to make the lower counties independent of Cape Girardeau.
The people of the town did not tamely sit by and see the great empire of trade which had been theirs slip from their grasp. Efforts were made to hold it. Railroads were pro- jected. Finally, through the tireless en- deavors of Louis Houck, a line was built run- ning to the southwest. It did much for the town, but it could not stay the tide which was turning more and more away from it. The Iron Mountain had made the territory tributary to St. Louis and the possibility once seen of making Cape Girardeau the trade center of all Southeast Missouri was gone, if not for all time, at least for many years.
STAGE OF STAGNATION
Deprived of this great and lucrative for- eign trade, the town entered upon a stage of stagnation. It was always a good town, but it ceased for many years to grow. It was at a standstill. The schools, the splendid farm- ing country about it, and its manufacturing interests were a guarantee that it would al- ways be a good town. Satisfied with this as- surance, the most of the population contented themselves with conditions as they were. The
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town dropped behind some of its rivals, so point to Chaffee in Scott county and thus far as public improvements were concerned. took many families from the town.
A few of the more enterprising men were never satisfied with this condition. They still worked and planned for the control of the rich trade regions once tributary to the town. Foremost of these men was Mr. Houck. In 1902 he projected and built the Gulf System of railroads through Scott, New Madrid, Dunklin and Pemiscot counties. This was a long step in the right direction. A little later these roads were sold to the St. Louis & San Francisco, which immediately began the con- struction of a through line from St. Louis to Memphis. These enterprises awoke again the energies of the people of the town. Public improvements were planned, sidewalks, sew- ers, paved streets became possibilities and then realities ; new factories were erected, the state spent great sums in the construction of a new Normal School plant, the same man who had already done so much for the town pro- jected and built the Cape Girardeau and Chester and the Thebes Terminal roads. A federal court was established and a federal building erected. The destruction of the mo- nopoly of roads by toll companies did much for the town which had formerly been hemmed in by toll-gates.
All these things contributed much to the growth and prosperity of the town, the pop- ulation increased rapidly and real estate values doubled.
Not all things were fortunate for the town, however, even during this period. A failure to secure the entrance of the St. Louis South- western Railway was destined to cost the town very dear, for it was one of the factors which determined the building of the great railroad bridge at Thebes rather than at Cape Girar- deau. The Frisco, in spite of a contract to the contrary, removed its shops and division
REMARKABLE PROGRESS
Notwithstanding these things, the town made really remarkable progress. Its popula- tion was nearly doubled from 1900 to 1910, now being 8,545. Its business interests were more than doubled. At the present time the town has more than 150 business institutions of one sort or another. There are a number of large general and department stores, and every form of mercantile establishment is rep- resented. It has a number of woodworking establishments, manufacturing lumber, staves, boxes, sash and doors. There are factories for making shoes, lime, brick, cement, flour, cigars, ice cream and candy. There is a large rock-crushing plant, stone quarries, cigar and tobacco plants, foundries, machine shops, and other smaller manufacturing establishments.
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