Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

AS IT IS IN

AN

1867:

Illustrated Historical Gazetteer of Missouri,

EMBRACING THE

Geography, History, Resources and Prospects; the Mineralogical and
Agricultural Wealth and Advantages; the Population,
Business Statistics, Public Institutions, etc.

of each County in the State.

THE NEW CONSTITUTION, THE EMANCIPATION ORDINANCE,

AND IMPORTANT FACTS CONCERNING "FREE MISSOURI."

AN ORIGINAL ARTICLE ON GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, SOILS, ETC.

BY PROF. G. C. SWALLOW.

Also Special Articles on Climate, Grape Culture, Hemp, and Tobacco.

Illustrated with Numerous Original Engravings.

BY

NATHAN H. PARKER,

AUTHOR OF "IOWA AS IT 18" HANDBOOKS OF MINNESOTA, IOWA, KANSAS AND NEBRASKA;
SECTIONAL AND GEOLOGICAL MAPS OF IOWA, MISSOURI, ETC.

PHILADELPHIA:

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.

41 5 2 5181.30

HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY

JUN SO 1915

CHARLES ELLIOTT PERKINS
MEMORIAL COLLECTION

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by

NATHAN H. PARKER,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern
District of Missouri.

PREFACE.

THE present times are the beginning of a fresh chapter in the history of Missouri. The tide of intelligent, industrious, and earnest men, the rapid inauguration of public improvements and private enterprises upon a scale heretofore unknown, the employment of skill and capital in mining and manufacturing, the transformation of thousands of acres of the virgin soil to cultivated farms, and the rapidly growing villages and creation of new business centers, give us every reason to date the opening of the new epoch in the development of the resources of Missouri from the close of the war.

After long years of struggle, the State stands to-day redeemed from slavery and oppression, and, as will be seen by reference to the New Constitution herein, she has taken her position in the front ranks of the Free States, and now "guarantees the property, protects the rights, and yields the largest liberty to all her citizens.'

[ocr errors]

After having thoroughly acquainted himself with the character of this State, by extensive tours and correspondence, during the past ten years, the writer has

pre

pared the following pages, not to produce a pleasing and salable book, but to supply the demand for full and reliable information about this noble State. Portions of the information, especially the descriptive and historical notes, were collected before the war. After the smoke of our battles had cleared away, and the New Era fairly dawned upon the State by the adoption of the New Constitution, it was decided to complete and publish this work without unnecessary delay. Missouri suffered more from the effects of the war than any other Northern State, and the consequent disarrangement of traveling facilities, the removal or destruction of county records, the disruption and disorganization of religious and educational societies, rendered the task of collecting reliable information neither pleasant nor satisfactory.

The most careful observer and candid writer cannot, in making tours through a State, give as full and reliable details respecting many important matters as the reader would desire in a standard work; hence the author has not relied solely upon his personal observations, but sought, from the best available authority in every department, the testimony and experience of practical men. Special articles have been prepared for this work on Geology, Mineralogy, Grape Culture, Wine-making, Hemp Culture, Mineral and Agricultural Resources, Timber, Trees, etc., by persons who were believed to be most competent authority in those several departments.

It has been the aim of the writer to address himself to the general intelligence of the educated, observing, and thinking men to state facts as to the location and character of our various soils and minerals-to describe the resources and advantages of the State, rather than to indulge in theoretical speculations.

Of course it is impossible for perfect accuracy to be obtained in a work of this description; for, while the author has left one portion of the State with correct statistics to that date, and is visiting other sections, new towns spring up, and older ones grow apace. For instance, Chillicothe is reported to have built 300 and Mexico 200 new dwellings and business houses within the past twelve months. The same is true of other portions of the State. Virgil City is so new as not to be located upon any map— only four months old, and now numbers twenty dwellings, a steam saw-mill, hotel, stores, brick machines, etc., with prospects so extensive that the projectors have located the plat in two counties-partly in Cedar and Vernon Counties. Western people who build towns in this manner, who construct railroads at a rate of from three to five miles per day, do not stand still to be photographed, nor care one iota how rapidly they outstrip the statistician's estimates of their business or population. However, from the pains taken, this work is believed to contain very few errors, and none of great importance. Travelers or citizens who may notice mistakes or omis

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »