The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-08-07
ANDREW COUNTY
It's OrgonizctiOm and History,
-nith "reminiscences, Incidents,
DC, Of the Wden Time.
BY AN OLD CITIZEN

h'fsS
agriculture feeds and clothes us: with
out it we could have no manufac-
lures, nor commerce. The three
stand together like %pillars-the larg-
.st in the ccnter. and that is az
ri~culture. Certainly, without good
husbandry, we would soon lapse into
the nomadic state, living on the
spontaneous products of the earth,
and game of the forest. l~Iusbandry
is the body and soul of civilization
and good government, the life Of
manufactures and commerce, the
builder of towns and cities, steam
hats and railroads. 1t is the tiller
ii the soil who opens highways to
new countries, as they did to the
Platte purchase-piOneer, with axe
in hand, who fells the forest prcpara-
tory to the introduction of other in
duStries, manufactures, commerce and
labor. BY them the sOlitudes of
the forests and prairies r. broken,
sind soon made to grOan beneath the
weight of cultivated fields. This
spirit of agricultural life was brought
with the first enigrant to the county,
and society soon sprang into exist
elce by still others pouring in; and
now, after three decades. the popula-
ton of Andrew county is above
twenty thou>and-oyer three thou
sand registered voters.
Farms are in the highest state of
cultivation, and their general yield
immense. A suggestion here: GeOlog-
ical and meteorological scicutists
contend that countries deprived of
timber will, in time, become arid des-
erts, unless the fertility of the soil
is continually replcnished, or pre-
vented By literally cultivating tim
Der. Their theory is that timber has
a tendency to produce rain; other
wise, the absence of forest trees will
cause. from time to time, %protractcd
droughts. until finally, a parched des-
crt will be the result. Sterility takes
the place of fertility, and an arid
waste the place of productive soil.
Farmers should be careful and pre-
serve their forest trees, and il they
have none, cultivate them. There is
logical reasoning why timbered coun-
tics are more seasOnable than coun-
tries devoid of timber, and timbered
lands, with equal soil, yielding with
more prolIficness. Andrew county
farmers have rcaped a harvest from
this cause, and have gradually grown
in prosperity and wealth: better
supplied with all the neccssaries and
comforts of life, more steam and
water, grist and saw mills. wooden
and other factories, than any county
in north Missouri: pork packing
and slaughter houses, extensive gran
aries and elevators. These are all
d~esideratums of a coun.v. and in
crease its wealth, aud naturally fol-
low agriculture, and has brought us
wealth, and given a taxable property
of over six million dollars, valued at
reasonable rates. Lands in the coun-
ty are not high in price: umimprovcd
rating from six to ten dollars per
acre, and improved farms, owing to
the elements that enter into the esti-
mate value, from eight to forty dol
lars.
The city Of Savannah. the scat of
JustlCc, lOuLIutu al icfI. anu litbT-
porated in 1912, situated neal the
geographical ENTER of the county, on
the east branch of the Kansas CITY,
St. Joseph and Council Bluffs rail-
road, has a population of n fraction
less than three Thousand inhabitants,
is substantially built, with thriving,
healthy business in every branch of
trade. The city has five grand di-
visions. nick-named: christian
Ridge" "Grand River" "Shimbone
alley" "West end" and "Hell's half
acre." At four of these divisions, all
the principal business of the city is
transacted: the fifth, "Christian
Ridge" the homes of devout Chris
tian people.
We will now attempt to enumer-
ate some of the principal business and
business houses of the city: Dry
goods houses, with extensive stocks
and lucrative trades, arc Stiles Il
Hardy, very popular, and well pat
Tonizcd; William ZooK g. Co, the
business conducted by Tony Reeves,
the company part of the firm, one Of
the most popular merchants in the
city, and does a heavy business; Jo-
seph b. Russell, popular. and does his
equal share of business: Mrs. Giazier,
successor of her deceased husband,
George W. Glazicr; Taylor & Son,
successors of John Ii. Tyncr;; and
last, but not least. Eli Alderman, be-
ing the only dry goods house on
~IIell's half acre" The business Of
these houses, retail, will average from
twenty TO sixty thousand dollars an
nually. John i. Colburn & Co. and
w. 5. Earls. both doing an extensive
business in hardware, stoves and tin
ware; also, in agricultural implc-
ments. William A. Price deals cI-
tsnsively in produce and grain, pay
ing the highest prices in cash. Gro
nnr;aS and nrariSion ctorac ora u