Jasper County, Missouri - Chapter 33: Joplin in the 'nineties, 1912

Local Politics and Municipal Affairs - The Opening op Wall Street - Opening and Building of East Seventh Street - Building OP THE Cmr Light Plant - Banks and Banking - Joplin Recovers prom the Panic op '93 - South Jolpin - Joplin Special Road District - Jopun Electric Railway - Cunningham's Grove Becomes a City Park - The ** Joplin Daily Globe" - Joplin Telephone Company - Redell's Deep Well - ^Volunteer Firemen's Tournaments - The Paid Department.

The surrendering of the old charter, in 1888, may properly be styled the commencement exercise, or Joplin 's graduation from the overgrown, awkward, town-like period, and the 'nineties the vigorous activities of a growing city.

During the 'nineties Joplin increased in population 161 per cent. It established a public sewer system, built some fifty miles of macadamized streets and thirty miles of sidewalk. Numerous additions were laid out and annexed to the city and the municipal limits were extended, adding considerably to its area. A general boom air pervaded Joplin, especially during the early part of the decade, and a considerable eastern capital sought investment. Although the new-comers were from every section of the country, perhaps the greatest number were from the Sunflower state and from the great city on the Kaw, Kansas City.

Following the general plan of this book, as in the seventies and 'eighties we shall, in this chapter, group the important happenings of the municipal, school, business, church, and social life, presenting, as space will allow, a sufBcient number of incidents to give a correct idea of the decade.

As mentioned before, a general air of progress seemed to take hold of the people and the City Council, early in 1891, began to plan for a dty beautiful. On April 8, 1891, the council held an all-afternoon session for the discussion of ways and means, what to do, and how to do the many things which were needed to make Joplin an up-to-date city.

The election of April, 1891, was hotly contested and resulted in a mixed ticket being elected, as follows: Mayor, R. B. Tyler; marshal, J. J. Gofer; recorder, police judge, George Orear; city attorney, Jno. C. Trigg ; collector, J. W. Calvin ; treasurer, Geo. W. Gore. The following gentlemen came into the council: P. L. Grossman, F. L. Yale, Z. A. Norris, Thomas Field and Henry Sapp.

At the election in April, 1892, six councilmen were elected - one for each of the four old wards and two for the new fifth ward. The successful candidates were : First Ward, D. M. Page ; Second Ward, John George ; Third Ward, Frank Stoher ; Fourth Ward, Henry Sapp ; Fifth Ward, J. M. McAdams and S. H. Crane.

Election of 1895: Mayor, E. D. Porter; police judge, Z. A. Norris; marshal, Jno. A. McManany; city attorney, J. H. Spurgeon; collector, Luther McGehee; treasurer, G. K. Davidson; assessor, E. B. Dennison.

City election, 1899. The city election of 1899 resulted in a mixed ticket, the following being the successful candidates: Mayor, J. H. Spencer; Marshal, Jno. A. McManany; police judge, W. M. Daurety; city attorney, Joel T. Livingston; treasurer, Jos. B. Glover; collector, R. A. Wilson; assessor, G. R. B. Roe; council. First Ward, H. B. Crossman; Second Ward, R. A. Loomis; Third Ward, C. W. McAbee; Fourth Ward, Ralph Danford; Fifth Ward, Grant Davis.

Each of the several administrations gave to the city some new improvement, and was marked by some features original, distinct and different from the preceding one. During Dr. Tyler's term of office a sewer system was built and something like fifteen miles of sidewalk were constructed in the residence portion of the city.

Previous to 1889 no provision was made for sidewalk construction, excepting as the people, through civic pride, built their own, but after the adoption of the new charter laws were enacted by the council making provision for all kinds of street and sidewalk improvement.

While Mayor Halyard was in the chair the paid fire department was organized. Mayor Porter encouraged the bringing to the city of various industries and in every possible way helped the investors to secure loca^ tions and concessions that would be conducive to the building of manufactories.

During Mr. Cunningham's administration, aside from the usual routine of work in the way of policing the city, street improvements, etc., several out-of-the-ordinary things occurred which we deem of sufficient interest to warrant special mention.

In 1890 when the Missouri Pacific Railway extended its yards and built the present passenger depot at Tenth and Main street. The city council, at a special meeting, vacated all of the thoroughfares from Joplin to Moffet and at this time, when but little building had been done south of the railway tracks, no great inconvenience was experienced, but as the city spread to the south there was a great clamor for an additional outlet leading from the main part of the city to the south and Councilman James Thurman of the Fourth Ward introduced an ordinance providing for the reopening of Wall street across the railway tracks. This brought on a contest between the city and the railway company which lasted for over a year.

The railway company refused to recognize the city's right to reopen the street and contended that the ordinance providing for the reopening was void and with a view of maintaining their position, kept a number of empty cars over the old roadway. The police, however, as they made their beats during the night, went at stated intervals to Wall street, and one night found that the switching crew had left the street open. It was then 2 o'clock in the morning. The street commissioner was notified and he at once 'phoned to his crew of street workers, and they arose from their slumber, went to the place where the city desired to build the street and put in a street crossing. Tliey then graveled the roadway across the track, and on the morrow the railway ofiScials were astonished to find a well-built street across their tracks.

The fight now began in real earnest. The city put on an extra police force to guard the city street and as soon as a car was shoved over the track the train crew were arrested and taken to the city jail, where they, of course, gave bond for appearance in court and at that time were fined. The road next sought to enjoin the city from using the street and sued out an injunction, which was fought through the courts and resulted in a victory for the city.

Up to 1898 there were but two streets in the city leading to the east- Broadway and Fifth street - but neither of the roadways were well built and there was a clamor for a good county road giving an inlet to the rich farming and mining district to the east. G. A. Wadleigh, the chairman of the city council committee on streets and roads, proposed the extension of Seventh street from Kentucky avenue east across the Norton- Porter & Bankers lands, so as to make an eastern outlet. This seemed a herculean task. The right-of-way over the land having been acquired, another great task confronted the city - the building of the road bed. As it had been agreed in securing the right-of-way that the property owners should not be taxed to build the road, other means must be provided, and as a six and eight foot cut must be made in Swindle Hill and a six to ten foot fill across the Norton land, it required close figuring. At each council meeting Mr. Wadleigh moved that fifty dollars be spent in building the road (this was all that could be q>ent without advertising for the bids) and in due time the road was completed. It has since been a much traveled street and has opened to the city the farming district to the east.

Mayor Spencer's administration was marked by the building of a city electric light plant. The following gentlemen served as the first board of public improvement : L. A. Fillmore, John C. Trigg and 6. A Wadleigh - all of whom gave much time to the supervision of the installation of the service. The original expenditure for the plant was $30,000. The city purchased the old power house of the electric railway as a home for the plant, and work on the plant was pushed. J. A. McDonald was the first superintendent of the light plant. Lights were first turned on and the city lighted by its own current February 16, 1900.

Too much cannot be said of the personal supervision and the time given to the city by the first light board. It was a great experiment for the city to make and these gentlemen realized that careful, painstaking and businesslike methods must be pursued, and gave to the matter of construction almost all of their time, making at their own expense trips to other cities while inspecting the different systems and methods. Their work gave to Joplin a splendidly managed and successful lighting system.

Two banks were organized in Joplin during the 'nineties, the Joplin State and the Interstate, the first named is still one of the great factors in Joplin 's business world, its head, A. H. Waite, being at this writing the president of the Missouri Bankers' Association.

The Joplin National Bank was organized in 1890, Henry Newman, late of St. Louis, being its first president and A. H. Waite, late of the Miners' Bank, its cashier. The bank opened its doors October 1, 1890, and its first day's business was a good index of the popularity of its ofScers. Its deposits on the first day footed up $56,783.74. On December 31, 1899, they had increased to $148,394.42.

To give an idea of Joplin 's growth, in a financial way, during the decade we cite the following: On December 31, 1889, the three banks of Joplin had on deposit $375,320.68; the last offered statement for 1899 showed that the six banks had on hand, $2,307,384.18.

Joplin 's financial institutions were well managed and although many banks all over the country failed during the panic of 1893, no Joplin depositor lost a penny and the four banks then doing business in the city grew and prospered. The Interstate Bank, organized by George A. Case, formerly of the Bank of Joplin, was organized in 1898 and enjoyed a good patronage.

One of the notable features of the Joplin banks was the manner in which they handled the severar issues of city and school bonds. In the issue of bonds it is customary to specify in the bond some time after which the paper may be redeemed by the city or school district. The usual time is ten years and bonds that are put on the market and thus sold, cannot be taken up until the option mentioned expires. As soon as bonds are issued, a tax levy is made to redeem them. This accumulates until the time they can be taken up, and the fund thus lies idle in the treasury. The Joplin bank began in the 'nineties the custom of buying these several city issues at par and giving the city or school district the right to redeem them at will, and as soon as enough money was in the treasury to pay one of the bonds it was paid off and the interest stopped. In this way the banks of Joplin saved the taxpayer thousands of dollars in interest and at the same time strengthened the credit of the city.

By 1895 Joplin had fully recovered from the effects of the panic of '93 and began to take on signs of renewed activity, and on January 1, 1896, there was not a single vacant business house from First to Fourteenth streets on Main. The year 1897 was exceptionally good, in a business way, and in 1898 jack began to rise and as it steadily advanced in price a boom came on with all of its fury. From January 1, 1898, to

January 1, 1900, fully ten thousand people came to Joplin and the series of the early 'seventies were repeated - that is, in the shortage of houses for the rapidly increasing population. Real estate doubled in value and houses were built and put on the market with great rapidity. The houses were, however, good substantial buildings and modem and up-to-date, save a few hastily constructed buildings, which were used as rooming houses.

South Joplin grew very rapidly during the early part of the decade and many improvements were made, prominent among them being the building of Freeman's foundry and the Inland Lead & Zinc Factory. This section of the city in a most amazingly short time became not only a busy mart, but one of the most beautiful parts of the city. The com fields and prairies which but a few years before had met the traveler's eye gave way to graveled streets, sidewalks, trees, flower beds, pleasant homes and beautiful lawns.

Much of these improvements were due to the eflPorts of the South Joplin Improvement Club, organized in February, 1892, with J. W. Freeman as president and Lambert Wilstead as secretary. This club had a membership of fifty and its meetings were both interesting and instructive. Public questions of interest were discussed and plans for the improvement of South Joplin were considered. Every man was a booster and a firm confidence in the future of the South Town was the most conspicuous feature of his conversation. The people were urged to own their homes, and it might be added as an item of interest that in 1893 the deputy county assessor who made the lists for Joplin reported that 65 per cent of the people of South Joplin were actual owners of their homesteads.

At the session of the legislature of 1895 there was passed an act which is commonly called the Hudson law, which provided a means of building a system of roads and highways. The main provisions of this law are that any district having within it a city of the second or third class, eight miles square, may by vote of the people form a special road district to be managed by three commissioners appointed by the council and county judges, and to serve without pay. Such board haa full control over the public roads in the district and can build roads outside within a limit of fifteen miles, provided liberal donations for this work are offered.

The revenue is derived from saloon licenses, one-half of the county and one-fourth of the city saloon license going into the road fund; from a poll tax levied on the able bodied citizens living in the district, but outside the city limits, and from donations. The total revenue of the Joplin special road district received up to August 1, 1911, totaled $450,423.89.

macadam, consists of the tailings from the lead and zinc mines of the district, and costs from two hundred dollars to six hundred dollars per mile according to the distance of the haul. Of total expenditures eighty-eight per cent went for labor, nine per cent for material bought, tools, tiling, etc., including $1,000 for oiling some of the leading roads during 1909 and 1910, and only three per cent for administration, including supervisors' wages, surveying, stationery, clerical help, etc. For repair and maintenance, $87,000 was paid out. The oiling, it is expected, will cut down this expense materially. Total expenses per

At a special election held May 5, 1896, the old Galena township road district was disorganized and the Joplin special road district created. The following were named as the first commissioners : President, Jas. A. Turk; secretary, Chris. Guengerich and treasurer, T. W. Cunningham. Messrs. Guengerich and Cunningham have been connected with the road board from its organization until the present. Mr. Turk resigned from the board in 1896 and was succeeded by A. J. Vanal, who served as president in 1899. Mr. Vanal was succeeded in that year by Allen Dixon, now associate justice of the county court. Charles Schifferdicker, the present president of the road commission, was appointed in 1902 and has served the district continuously from then to now.

The first road built by the road district was an extension of West Thirteenth street to Central City, then a mining camp of a thousand people in all of its glory. During the fifteen years the district has been organized the commission has built one hundred and forty miles of splendid macadamized road, besides keeping the old road beds in repair. In construction, the county roads leading into Joplin are second to none in the state.

Rice Hunt, the superintendent of construction, is one of the busiest men in the county, employing from twenty to fifty men at road building and repairing those already built, and at short intervals going over the entire system to note where repairs are needed ; also to observe which materials make the best and most durable roads.

The three commissioners have given much of their valuable time to the city and have built up a most excellent system of roads. These three men take as much pride in the road construction as they do in their private affairs, and frequently go out on the county thoroughfares, inspecting the work of construction and noting the general condition of the system. The public generally, who are not acquainted with the private lives of these three men, cannot appreciate the amount of time and the money that they have expended in building up and keeping in condition, the highways leading into Joplin. The road commissioners hold a weekly meeting each Monday afternoon.

In 1890 Henry Newman, of the Joplin National Bank, and a number of capitalists, organized a company and built an electric railway in Joplin. The line originally extended from College Hill in East Joplin to Tenth street on Main. The first car was run over the line December 5, 1890, and C. H. Belden was the first superintendent of the road.

The line was shortly after extended to Blendville, running south on Maine, to Nineteenth, west on Nineteenth to Byers, south to Twentyfirst street, thence west to Murphy and south to Twenty-sixth. The line was completed August 21, 1891. This line was of great benefit to Joplin, as it brought Blendville, then a thriving suburb, in closer touch with the main town, and as their business and social interests came to be identical, the two towns grew together. In 1892 Blendville was annexed to Joplin and now, excepting to old-time citizens, the former is only a name, for today, the city is built up solidly on the north and east and all trace of a dividing line has disappeared. The Joplin Electric was bought by the Southwestern Missouri Electric Railway Company in 1896 and is now a part of the great interurban system.

On July 5, 1898, T. W. Cunningham, then mayor of Joplin, gave to the city for a public park a beautiful seven-acre tract of land known as Cunningham's Grove. The splendid gift was accepted by the city and steps taken to make it a place second to no park in the state.

During the first McKinley-Bryan campaign, when the silver question was the great issue of the hour, a new paper came into existence to champion the cause of the silver plumed knight from the Platte, the JopUn Daily Olobe.

In May, 1896, Messrs. L. C. McCarn, now the editor of the Morning Tribune, Prank Tew, late of Kansas City, and 0. P. Meloy, now president of the Joplin .Printing Company, came to Joplin and started a job printing ofSce. Each of these gentlemen was an ardent champion of silver. At that time the Joplin Daily Herald, the Democratic paper, was edited by W. F. Snyder, who leaned toward the gold standard and, as a result, did not enthusiastically support the Democratic platform. During June and July, 1896, much political history was made and, shortly following the nomination of Mr. Bryan, Messrs. Mc- Carn, Tew and Meloy started the Joplin Daily Olobe and, on account of the intense excitement that existed, it sprang into great popularity with the Democrats of the city. Further mention of the Olobe will be made in our chapter on the last decade.

The Joplin Telephone Company was organized in 1894, largely through the efforts of Z. A. Lawdermilk, and was equipped and put into operation in 1895. The company at once became Very popular and enjoyed a large patronage. The Joplin Telephone Company is now a part of great Home Telephone which operates in almost every city, town and hamlet of Jasper county.

In 1897 George H. Redell decided to drill for water and employed P. L. Crossman, the deep mine driller, to sink for him a deep well. The well was sunk to a depth of 1,400 feet, where a fine body of water was drilled into and the well at once became a matter of great pride to Joplin, for it demonstrated the fact that should at any time it become necessary to abandon Shoal Creek as a source of supply, an abundance of pure crystal water was within reach.

The Southwestern Firemen's tournament was held in Joplin, June 9-11, 1891, and was a splendid success. Three thousand dollars was given away in prizes, and the attendance of firemen and visitors gave the city a holiday appearance.

The parade was a grand affair, 1,668 firemen being in the lino of march, including Carterville companies from Ottawa, Ft. Scott, Pittsburg, Columbus, Rich Hill, Springfield, Ft. Smith, CarroUton, Lexington, Carthage, Carterville, Webb City, Galena, and Joplin, besides the Veteran Firemen's associations from St. Louis and Kansas City.

In the prize races the following companies were winners: In the 100-yard race, of the eleven entries, Nevada captured first prize, Carthage second and Pittsburg third.

In the championship race - 200-yard run, lay line of hose and throw water - ^there were twenty-two entries, and the following were the prize winners: (1) Central Hose, Joplin, time 27^^ seconds; (2) Payton Hose, Joplin, time 30 seconds; (3) Carterville Company No. 1, and Regan Hose Company of Carthage, tied for third place each, making the run in 31 seconds.

At the Volunteer Firemen's tournament at Springfield the Central Hose Company of Joplin lowered its record, winning first place by making the run in 23 :45 seconds. Joplin was very proud of its volunteer department.

In 1884 the City Council established the Paid fire department, and Aaron Haughton, the chief of the old volunteer department, became the first head of the new organization.

The first members of the Paid department were: W. F. Griffith, Frank Zellars, Henry Davis, Charles Sparling and Jos. Dunkle. Frank Zellars is still a member of the department ^nd has twice served the city as chief. At the present wTiting he is its assistant chief.

A. Haughton remained at the head of the department until 1897, when he was succeeded by Bracken Wilson. Mr. Haughton was a great organizer and made the Joplin Paid department second to none in the state.

The Southwestern Missouri Firemen's Association again held its annual meeting in Joplin, June 12-18, 1897, and although Joplin, Carthage, Springfield and other large cities had organized paid departments and necessarily cut dowTi the number of volunteer companies, the attendance was large and the meeting a success.

One of the notable features of the parade was the Carthage Veteran Firemen's Association. In the line were Capt. F. B. Tuttle, Mose Block, Thomas Garland, Charles Kesswetter, Thomas N. Davey, George Thomas, George M. Merrick, Charles Hubb, C. B. Wood and John Brounsell, who were members of Carthage's first fire department in 1872 and helped pull the old Babcock fire engine, during the seventies.

man's Volunteer Hose Company of South Joplin, the time being 24:35. Webb City, their closest competitor (ten companies entering the contest), made the run in 25:15, the difference being a trifle over a second.

In 1876 a good paying lead m^ne was opened on the Cox land, then two and a half miles southwest of the main part of town and the little settlement which grew up around these mines was called ** Cox diggings." The county school district that was organized was called the Cox Diggings schools and ran along like other county school districts, with its occasional spelling match and literary society, until 1890, when a great change came over the little settlement and in less than six months time transformed the hamlet into a town.

The Empire Zinc Company, which owned a large portion of the land where Cox Diggings was located, began active mining operations in the fall of 1889 and made some phenomenal strikes^ their mines being among the best producers in the district. Doctor Carter and Captain Rice organized the Mahaska Company and began developing the land just east of Cox Diggings, and Mrs. M. C. Allen, of Evansville, Indiana ( Joplin 's first ** mining queen' ')> wid the Snyder Brothers developed, with great success, the land to the west. July 1, 1890, saw Cox Diggings a live town of not less than 1,500, with some twenty stores, and which, by common consent, was called Blendville. This, on account of the vast quantities of ''jack" being taken from the ground, seemed a more appropriate name than Cox Diggings. The main street was built along either side of the section line road, now known as Twenty-sixth street, and called by the citizens Stump avenue. The houses for the most part were south of the main thoroughfare. The eighty acres, now comprising the residence portion of Blendville, was then included in T. W. Cunningham's farm.

During the early nineties and before the extension of the dty limits to the south, Blendville was a real live wire. The county court Appointed a justice of the peace for the place, J. W. Napier, and two deputy constaHes were kept busy. In 1892, T. W. Cunningham did a great thing for Blendville and her people. He laid out his eighty-acre farm into town lots and put them on the market at a reasonable figure and in reach of the miners, selling them on long time and assisting those unable to build homes to do so. He gave lots for three churches - ^and also donated twelve lots for a school site and here a twelve-room brick building now stands as a monument to his forethought and generosity.

A beautiful six-room school was built. Three churches were organized and edifices for them built - ^the Baptists, South Methodists and the Latter Day Saints.

Templars^ Ancient Order of United Workmen, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Woodmen, Red Men and Ladies auxilliaries to the Ancient Order of United Workmen and Woodmen.

In 1890 the Rex Mining Company, composed of E. D. Porter, A. E. Stillwell, Oalen Spencer, Henry Newman and others, purchased a tract of one thousand acres of land southeast of the city and began mining operations. The price paid for this land was $110,000. A thriving camp sprang up which was called Rex City, and was a live suburb of Joplin all during the decade.

February, 1891, the Snyder Brothers, operating at Blendville, sold one thousand tons of zinc to Vivion & Son, of Swansea, Wales. This was reported at the time to be the first exportation of American zinc to Europe. The oar was sacked and it required three trains of thirty cars to carry the zinc to the seaboard. This shipment was of great importance to Jasper county, as it opened a new field for her mining product and enlarged the scope of her mining possibilities.