Cass County, Missouri - Chapter 23: Rise and Fall of Towns, 1917

Chapter 23: Rise and Fall of Towns

An interesting subject of local history of any country is the rise and disappearance of its early towns. It is difficult to conceive of persons with the most vivid imagination, having faith in some of our early towns. Some of the names are indicative of the belief in their temporary exist¬ ence. In some instances we have seen cities arise with others, they have disappeared, and no man knows why or when. They remain only in tradition, faint memory or imagination.

In the early forties there existed, as we recall from tradition, three towns, then of quite importance. There was Westport Landing, on the Missouri River, at the mouth of the Kansas River, now Kansas City, one of the greatest commercial centers of the republic. There was Hog-eye, now Nevada, Vernon County, at present a city of no mean importance. Then there was Lick-skillet, located along Grand River, in the southeast¬ ern part of this county. It has passed out of existence and its exact location cannot now be certainly known. It was most probably a mile east of Dayton. In an early day it was the gathering place of the adven¬ turer, the trapper and hunter. It was here they could strike the "bridle path" to the outside world. From here the pelts and other articles of trade were taken to market somewhere on the banks of the great Missouri River. We might speculate on the legendary glory which formerly clung about the old town. We can't imagine the blue-eyed damsel being there, yet we can see in our imagination rough men, white as well as red. Rough in exterior, but bearing warm hearts, with worthy honest purposes. These men made it possible for a better class only to occupy, as these pushed further to the westward to open and discover new fields.

Another interesting but now extinct town, was Jonesville, located in the western part of the county. This town was located practically where the present school house is, in the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 17, in township 44 of range 33 in West Dolan Township. Of this town an interesting tradition is given. Near this spot is, or was, a spring. It was to this place on account of its nearness to timber, water and excellent grass, the way¬ farer made his way. It was to this point came the traveler from the "great river," going south to extreme frontier places, springing up along the Osage and Arkansas River and their tributaries. From the river on the north, over the "High-Blue" country, near the present site of Bel¬ ton, down the headwaters of the Middle Fork Grand River, crossing Pong Creek, possibly at the present town of West Line, then rising to the ridge to Jonesville.

At that day, the traveler passed south and west into the then unknown. As early maps put it, into the Great American Desert. Some living today recall the early schools, where Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas were mapped as the American desert. Another tradition comes to us, that a marked road leading from old Fort Sibley, on the Missouri River, entering our county east of the present town of Pleasant Hill, bearing south towards the present town of East Lynne, when a few miles north of the Lynne diverged west and south to round the head¬ waters of the present Camp Branch, passing where Harrisonville is located, over the northwest corner of Charles R. Hall's lands, just north¬ east of town. Thence passing the homestead of James Lackey, which then covered the western part of the present town of Harrisonville. The road, still bearing southwest, crossed the west fork of Grand River at a point in early days, but after the date of which we write, called Hansbrough's Ford. Crossing Middle Fork at Dice Ford, thence across a long swampy bottom, mounting the rocky ridge near the old "Simon Cockrell" farm, north and west of the present David W. Duvall farm, thence west to our early metropolis; then to the desert lands.

There is another story to the effect this town was laid out by B. F. Jones, of a later date than that of which we write. That Stephen Flood and B. F. Jones laid out forty acres in town lots and sold them off. The writer is not inclined to believe this story, for the reason both of these men, Flood and this man Jones, lived in the vicinity of the extinct town of Jonesville, of quite recent years, within the last half a century. Be that as it may, however, naught remains to mark this once prosperous stopping place. We doubt if there are head stones to mark the resting places of its dead of early date.

Morristown was located about 1845 by J. C. Morris from Pennsyl¬ vania. It is located about one mile northwest of the present town of Freeman, on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railway. As early as 1853, this place contained a general store and did quite a business for the times. Just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, Morris had built himself a dwelling house and erected a flouring mill. Morristown continued to flourish, after the war, having been rebuilt.

When the railroad was extended east and west, through the county, Freeman was located on the railroad too close for Morristown to flourish, so this town passed out of existence at the late date of 1870.

Morristown is, probably, most renowned for having had the battle of Morristown fought on its streets and near the town. The federal troops were commanded by Col. Johnson from Kansas, and the confed¬ erates by Col. Will Hugh Irwin.

Col. Irwin was a citizen of the county, having his home on a farm near the present town of Peculiar. His command was composed of about one hundred country boys, poorly armed. The Union forces were several hundred strong. Neither party at that date knew anything about war. Col. Johnson was killed. Both sides retreated. It never was known for certainty whether any other persons were seriously injured. The Union forces, recovered first from their fright, gathered their scattered men, returned, took the Confederate tents and other equipments, destroyed all and returned to Kansas. The Confederates had scattered. Some finally reached the main body of the Confederate army then in the southern part of the State. Morristown is now, no more. Its vacant lots are waste places, luxuriant cornfields and orchards of some husbandmen.

G. K. Christopher opened a general store soon after the close of the War of the Rebellion. He did a flourishing business. Other stores started up. Several dwellings were built. The prospects were fine for an all round good trade, until the advent of the railroad. This came too near to ben¬ efit them and yet was too far to help their trade. West Line and Freeman ruined the business of Brosley. So early in the seventies Brosley went off the map and the once promising town site is now a com field.

Wadesburg was founded by and named for Woodson A. Wade, and was located in Sherman Township. The country tributary to the town sustained the town faithfully. Wade became a man of much wealth from his town, and stores and farms about the place. It was located in 1858 upon the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 12, in township 43 of range 29, and the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 13 in the same township and range. The "Leaky Roof Railway" was built too close, and yet not close enough, so Wadesburg went the way of all inland towns on the appearance of the railroad, so near and yet too far.

Grant

The village of Grant was born in 1867. It was located in the same section with Wadesburg in Sherman Township, by H. V. Stall. Lotspeich Brothers had a store on the site prior to the location of the town. These two towns w'ere largely the work of spite - unreasonable rivalry. Several of the strongest business firms of the county did business in Grant. The railroad came, Grant disappeared. All to be now seen is a cemetery and a corn field.

Index

Captain A. S. O'Bannon, in 1857, surveyed and laid out the town of Index on the farm of E. S. Payne in the southeast quarter of the north¬ west quarter of section 21, in township 44 of range 29, in the municipal township of the same name. Mr. Payne erected a store building and con¬ ducted a general store for several years. Among the early business men were Rev. D. N. Horne, Alonzo Smith, L. West, Cy Lotspeich, Dr. J. H. VanHoy, and A. S. O'Bannon. O'Bannon taught school there.

1873. Hugh G. Glenn was clerk of the association and the writer was a delegate to this association. It is quite interesting to reflect and recall the names and faces of the many who attended this meeting. Alas, these men and woman, like the town, have passed the way of all the earth. Few there are who now remember this town, although it has been gone but a few years. On the demise of Index town, some of its houses and all its business moved to the present thriving city of Garden City, in the same township.