Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1851-06-05
THE TIMES
From the Republican.
HISTORICAL SKETCHES.
by J. NJ. PECK.
The BOOnsEick settlement.
NUMBER V.

NUMBER V.
From the first visits of the Boones
Morrisons and Coopers to this region,
until about 1920, the Boone's Lick
country was the ultima thule of the
hopes and aspirations of western emi.
grants. No tract of country was more
highly esteemed. Its soil was reported
as unusually fertile, it was said to he
abundanlly watered by springs and
streams, atfOrding the finest mill l.seats;
it contained the handsomest and talIest
timber; its climate was deIightfuI, and
stock could be raised by thousands
without food an tie tGihter; salt could be
had 10 profusion for the trouble ofmak.
ing; its bottom lands on the Missouri
were the richest ever known; the
streams aboundcd with the finest fish;
and above all, II was the most healthy
country ever discovered. Any squalter
might take as much land as he chose to
call his own; deer, bear, elk d all 9th.
er descriptions of game excepting buf.
faIo, which had then retreated beyond
the Far We.s.l) could be had in the
unlimited profusion for the mere trouble
of killing and eating
The reader need not be reminded
that such descriptions are the fancy
work of excited minds concerning all
new and far oil countries. In sober
truth, the Boon's Lick is one of the fns
est agricultural districts in Missouri but
It's present in habitanls may well laugh
at the eXtravagant excitement of the
imaginations Of their fathers, as the
coming generations will al the Sin bad"
stories now told Of Oregon and Caifor.
MIA.
AT the close Of the war in the spring
of 1915, and the treaties that followed
with the Indians, and held that summer
al Portage dcs Sioux, the Boone's Lick
adventurers were left in circumstances
that would have dlshearlened any class
of people who did not possess the ener.
gy and reslSlless enterprise of pioneers
10 new country. A very large pros
portion of their horses, cattle and swine
had been killed, or drIyenotf by the In.
dians. Not enough corn had been
'u'SSA iO' wv wv PiSSSdlbS ySdIs iNI
bread stutls. They were $50 miles
from any settlements where supplies
even in limited extent, could be had
and they were destitute of the means
of purchasing, could they have gone
that distance. Even in the old settle
menls in ST. Louis and ST. Charles
counties there was no surplus in either
stock or provisions. Meat in abun.
dance could be obtained from the range,
but the deprivation of bread, and in
many families of milk, during the sea-
son of SIS, cannot be realized by those
who have never suffered such deprlva.
tlons. The pouring in of migrants
before time had elapsed to produce a
surplus Of corn and replenish their
stock, gave no relief yet the old set
: tiers did their very best in dIscharging
} the rites of hospitality. If they had nc
"last loaf" to divide with the me "
comers," they shared with them libcr
ally the avails of hunting, and many 1
small log cabin, with single room, fur
nlshed temporary accommodations fol
two, and even three families. In ma
ny instances the immigrants made TEN
porary camps, until they could cree
cabins.
The Territori ! Legislature, at it
annual session. which commenced II
! November, 1915, organized The county
of Howard.
: This county then included all tha
, portion of Missouri, 10 which the In
h dian title had been cxtinguished, thu
o lay west of the counties Of ST. Loui
= and ST. Charles. The temporary sea
of Justice was Coles Fort, adjacent 4
+ Boonville, but was transferred TO Frank
lin, on the North bank of the river, op
J. posite Boonyille, in 1917. This town
. in 1920, had population Of 1900 o
IS 1900, and was regarded as the futur
IF commercial city of central Missouri
n but the lreacherous river swept
away.
d The rapid increase of population it
ii to the region embraced in the earl
a. boundaries of Howard county, may b
81 shown from the State census Of SeE
)" tember, 1921. la the counties of How
ard, Boone. Cole, Cooper, Saline, Lii
lard, (now La Faye,le,) Ray and Char
ton, the aggregate population amour
- ed TO 81 2G2.
" During the war period there wei
several ministers of the gospel anon
the pioneers of Boonc's Lick, who's
., pous labors, though much interruple,
- were not wholly retarded. Among
these were Messrs. Hubbard, Colde
Williams, Luke Williams, McLain, an
It, VIM. Thorp, who, when peace retur,
, ed, began to make excursions {,
y. " preaching, in the difleren, settlement
NJ. and collect the professors ofrcligion i
L. chnrrhns Thnsc nnmrH ,ucrr La