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Archiver > MOCARROL > 2001-08 > 0998278247


From: Liz Davis <>
Subject: More from the History of Carroll County
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2001 20:32:25 -0700


This will be my last posting. It is 4 pages long. The first part I did
not get all of the pages, but it seems to be concerning Sugar Tree
Township. The second part is definitely Wakenda Township. There's some
interesting history here and hopefully some of you will recognize some names.

From: "History of Carroll County, Missouri", pub. St. Louis, Missouri
HIstorical Co., 1881

starting on p. 482

Nehemiah and Noah Woolsey were among the first settlers, and although no
date is known as to the exact time of their locating, it could not have
been later than 1823, and possibly a few years earlier than this. Abraham
and Alexander Hill, Jas. Lawson, John Hall and Sam'l H. Williams located
from 1820 to 1824; Bartley Pitts came in 1835, Wm. Haddart and a man by the
name of Lothian located in 1834, and Mike McGuire settled in 1836.
Jonathan Trober in 1837, Wyatt Arnold, D.J. Thompson and Martin Preble came
in 1838.

Most of the settlements were made in the timber near the river, the
impression being held by the earlier settlers that the prairie bottom lands
were unproductive and of little account except for grass. Late years have
taught them differently however, and the prairie bottom lands have proven
the richer of the two.

John Monroe located in 1836 or 1837, and remained till 1841, when he left
for New Orleans to clerk in a commission house in that city. He became a
prominent factor in the improvement of the city, and in 1860 was elected
Mayor, making an efficient and able executive officer.

From 1841 to the opening of the war but few settlements were made, at least
few as compared with certain other parts of the county. This seemed
somewhat strange when it was known that it was one of the most fertile
regions of the county, but the low and wet condition of the soil, and the
tall, rank nature of the grass, made settlers fear that ague and malarial
fevers were prevalent to an extent to make it wholly unhealthy. This
fallacy has also been removed, and the fact stands proven that Sugar Tree
is as healthy as the townships on the uplands.

The first marriage service was in 1835--Wm. Casner and Sally Woolsey, but
at whose residence and by whom performed, was not learned.

The first child born was a daughter to Noah and Fannie Caton, in 1835, name
unknown.

The first death was that of Mahala Pitts in the month of March, 1835, the
body being interred close to the Missouri river, the treacherous waters of
which are constantly washing inward, and, no doubt, long since have
encroached on the narrow house that contained the remains, and washed them
into its ceasless [sic] current.

Drs. Folger and Walling for a number of years, were the regular practicing
physicians of the township, neither of whom were residents here, however,
and not until several years later did a permanent physician locate in the
township.

These early settlers were by nature primative [sic] in many of their ways,
and they were primative [sic] to a great extent because they could not be
otherwise. They all lived in log cabins because they had nothing better to
live in, lumber being unknown among them, markets being distant,
transportation slow and costly and money scarce, compelled them to
primitive ideas and primitive modes of living.

The following named persons have served as magistrates, in Sugar Tree
township, since the organization of the county; 1852, S.W. Mobley; 1854,
Thomas J. Dunkle; 1866, Joseph Allen; 1872, Henry Neal, R. A. Black; 1873,
Henry Neal, R.A. Black; 1875, James Prunty, Thomas J. Dunkle; 1876, Thomas
J. Dunkle, Henry Neal, J.M. Calloway; 1881, O.L. Dunkle, John Moore.

MOSCOW

The project of building a city to be called after the famous city of
Russia, burned during Napoleon's campaign, was conceived in somebody's
brain, and the site was selected on the southeast quarter of the section 7,
and in that part of the township known as 51, 23.

What its dimensions were to be is not recorded, but it is evident that it
was not to be of any great extent, as no improvement was ever made on the
site, and is therefore classed as still another of the "lost cities" of
Carroll county.

ELDERTON

The site of the city of Elderton was the south half of the southeast of the
northwest of section 16, and in that part of the township known as 51, 24.
J.T. Kelly and Paul Alden were to have been its founders and builder, and
its dimensions were to embrace eight blocks of eight lots each. No
improvement was made on the site of the expectant city, and well it was so,
as the city would have shared the fate of the ground on which it was to
have been builded.[sic]. Its fine buildings, lofty churches palatial
residences and splended mansions would have been covered by the treacherous
encroachments of the "big muddy." This also is numbered as on of the "lost
cities" of the county.

----

WAKANDA TOWNSHIP

Wakanda township derives its name from the Wakanda, formerly Wy-a-con-da
Creek, a turbid, muddy stream that courses through the northern portion of
the township. It embraces thirty-one full and five fractional sections of
as fine a body of rich level bottom lands as can be found in the Missouri
river valley. The bluffs of the Wakanda are covered thickly with scrub,
black and white oak, hickory, walnut, sycamore and various other kinds of
timber.

It is bounded on the north by Carrollton township, and on the south by
Sugar Tree township and the Missouri river, being just five miles from the
north line of the township to the river.

A portion of the town of Carrollton, the county seat, is in Wakanda, not,
however, any part of the original town, but of that portion of the extended
limits that has been added since the original site was located. A little
distance west of the range line and in section thirteen, and on the banks
of the stream bearing the township name, Nathaniel Carey located in 1818.
In the same year in the same part of the township, John Mayberry located,
and John Riffe settled on section one. John Curl settled near Nat. Carey,
and his brother William located in the western part of the township.

In 1828 Hardin Cary located on section fourteen. About the spring of 1833
Noah Caton started a landing on the Missouri river near where Capt. Charles
Baker resided. Capt. Wm. Hill obtained Caton's interest in the landing and
it has been known as Hill's landing ever since.

Bartlett Pitts located in 1835 in sections thirty-two and thirty-three, the
greater part of which land is now in the river. William Drake settled on
the Wakanda near Nat. Carey's in 1836. Wm. Crockett, Tilfred Busby, John
Thomas and Joseph Johnson all settled on the Wakanda. One Weldon located
at an early day about one mile southwest of the county seat, near to where
the old fair was held.

About 1866 the channel of the Missouri changed from the south side of the
river, where it had washed the Saline county bluffs for years, and worked
over to the north or Carroll county side. The land being mellow bottom,
the encroachment of the river soon became a matter of serious
consideration, thousands of acres of the finest bottom lands were washed
and several valuable farms with all their improvements carried away by the
treacherous waters of the river. These encroachments still continue, and
year by year the channel approaches the bluff and may eventually reach it.

Many people are of the opinion that the channel of the Missouri at one time
washed the bluffs of the Wakanda. How long ago this may have been none
appear to have any idea.

From the fact that at any point on these bottom lands, water can be found
within a few feet of the surface, and in almost any quantity, together with
the universal opinion that these are made lands from overflows of the
Missouri from time to time, it is argued and with force, that the same
elements that made can unmake, and the process of unmaking is constantly
and surely going on. This being taken as a matter of fact, the question of
time as to when the bed of the river will be at the foot of the Wakanda
bluffs, is easily computed by mathematical calculation.

The following named persons have served as justices of the peace since the
organization of the county, in what is now known as Wakanda township:
1833, J.H. McMurtry; 1835, Thomas Booth; 1850, Wm. Rea, 1860, Stephen
Hager: 1873, Asa Maxfield; 1875, Wm. D. Cox; 1875 Asa Maxfield: 1877, Asa
Maxfield; 1877, W.D. Cox; 1881, W.B. Rogers. For several years Carrollton
and Wakanda townships were embraced in one, under the name of Wakanda.

SOUTH CARROLLTON

In 1868 Hiram and Jackson Wilcoxson laid off the town of South Carrollton.
The line of railroad about being completed suggested to these gentlemen
that a place of considerable importance might be built up. The depot
grounds being located one mile from the public square in Carrollton, it was
supposed that the distance would draw much of the trade from Carrollton,
and possibly stampede the whole business of the old town to South
Carrollton. Accordingly the town was laid out on the north part e 1/2 n e
section 8. The survey being made and plat filed, a sale of lots took
place, and almost fabulouos prices were paid for corner lots. For a few
months it looked, at least to those engaged in speculating in town lots,
that by the close of the year the old town would be deserted. Not so,
however, for when the first flash had faded, little headway had been made
against the old town so far as business was concerned. Quite a number of
buildings went up in the new town, and two or three business places opened
up. In time three elevators were erected and the town became a heavy
shipping point. Beyond this fact it did not realize the expectations of
those who predicted its future. The trade outside of shipping fell off in
a short itme, and to-day, while it is a point of heavy shipping, its local
trade is meagre, and lots sold at the first sale that could to-day be
purchased at one-sixth the price paid for them in 1868.

REEDSBURG

At an early day a company consisting of James and David Reed, O.S.W.
Callahan, B.S. Rankin, L.P. Marshall, Joseph M. Baker, H. Shugant, Thomas
Wallace, R.S. Lockridge, Ben Williams, T. Simpson and John T. Thompson, was
formed for the purpose of building a town at Hill's Landing, some
improvement was made, a store started, etc., but it ended in accomplishing
literally nothing, and in a very few weeks the project was abandoned, and
the improvements made fell into decay.

CARROLL CITY

On the 7th of September, 1857, a company was organized, with Capt. Wm. Hill
as president, the object being to lay off and build a town to be called
"Carroll City," located on section 26. It was laid off into 35 blocks of
12 lots each, 6 blocks of 8 lots each, 12 blocks of 6 lots each, and 2
blocks of 4 lots each, with center block for a public square. It was laid
out at right angles with wide streets, alleys, avenues, etc., and was
designed to be a place of great importance. Several buildings were put up
and other improvements made, a large number of ltos sold, and at one....
(end of page 485).

I am very sorry I didn't copy more pages, as I would like to know what
happened to Carroll City. Sigh! The above pages do tell me why my DAVIS
and HALL families moved west. I believe they not only were victims of the
war, but also of the river. Not all of their land disappeared when the
Missouri moved northward, but probably enough to have them think that
moving west was a good idea.

Liz JAY Davis
North Bend, WA

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