The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-06-21
PILOT GROVE.
The Six-Year-0ld Thrifty Lit
tie Trading Center in
Cooper County.
The Story Of the l(a9niAcence
Of the "Choteau Springs"
Before tho War,
And the Fate They Hot 1T
the Thirty Mouth
of War.

the Thirsty Mouth
of War.
Its Educational Advantages %
Presented BY the Pilot Grove
Collegiate destitute.
A List and History OF ito Bust.
ness Houses and Their
Proprietors.
tn Schools, Churches, Secret Or
ders, Trade Resources Of Grain.
Fruit, Wool and Timber.
~Basoo" Pencil Singer Looks Q,
the Burg and Dots Down Hrs
Impressions OF the Same.
Pilot Grove bears acquaintance
we'll. Sitting in the midst Of IN aeri.
cultural district rich in its gram and
stock growing powers, it is rapidly
reaching out its arms and gathering
trade, wealth and culture within it
limits. 1t is already . dangerous
competitor commercially, Of Boon
Vile on the south, and the future bids
fair to increase ITS growing trade.
Pilot Grove took it, name from q
walnut grove situated one fourth of .
mile east Of the town, which was on
the old stage trail from Boonville Ia
Georgetown and the southwest. Boon.
vile, in early days, was the distribut'
ing point for southwest Missouri,
Arkansas and Kansas, and was the
next Important town back toward
headquarters from Warsaw in regard
to the southwest trade.
When the vote was taken BY Boon
willie, rs to whether she would tax
herself to secure the Missouri Pacific
railway. along in 1865, her people
said, "Oh. We have the Missouri
river it will never run dry; We are
we'll enough fixed" Had she then
secured the Pacific road. the
great thorouehfare between St. Louis
and Kansas City and the direct west
would have run through the Vine
Clad city, and Sedslia would not yet
have been kidded. Roonville could
then have had the road for 500, 900,
and to-day with such river and rail-
road facilities she would have had .
Sc. 900 population. But she didn't.
Pilot Grove began blossoning from
the NJ. X. 4 T. road - soon as it vas
built, in 1873. The town WAS laid
of on the land OF J. Yves Roe, BY
Harry Buuce and Willis Trent, sur
veyors. The depot Vas built BY the
citizens BY subscription. E. II. Har-
ris, Who, really, financially, is the
father Of the town, guaranteeing the
payment of it and paying - much
alone toward it - al other citi.
zeus. Pilot Grove township sub
scribed considerable amount to the
NJ, K. 4 T. railroad. The citizens
there now say that ut the time the
vote was taken the property owners
of the township were disqualified on
account of political disabilities and were
unable to vote, and that the squirrel
hunters and militia men and inter-
lopers and nose-picker voted tho debt
on them. They say also that the most
Of the bonds issued for that indebted
ness arc held BY Cooper county men.
residing, many of them, in BoonviIle;
that they have never paid taxes on
them that they are unwilling to pay
the principal and accrued interest on
untaxed bonds, and the affair will be 10
litigation long while yet before it is
settled. Mr.. E. FL. Harris. in 1873,
moved the Grst house into Pilot Grove
from one mile south, where the stage
station. q mill, blacksmith shop and
. store bad stood fur many years.
The City Hotel was then built BY j.
A. White, it present popular proprie.
tor, and the little hamlet grew rapidly.
To-day it Is an attractive little trad.
ing town. It's buildings are of better
quality than those ordinarily found 10
towns of its size. Its people are pub
warm.hearted to strangers,
daily paper readers and money makers.
The religious element is prosper.
ing. The edifice of the N. e. church
south, is . neat one. The orGauiza-
ton l. forty years old. having BEEN in
existence % . country church for . gen.
eration. The nembersbip Il 255;
Rev. j. e. Given, . practical,
spiritually minded man i tho pastor.
The Baptists number membeship Of
100. They have been organized for
Eve years. Rev. j. B. Dodson, good
both q . preacher and . man, Is the |
pastor. The colored people have
llsO Q "Union" church with . large
attendance.
Both the white and colored schools |
IF the town are in q Aourishing con.
ditiou.
The Masons have an orgauization |
with thirty-four members and the Odd |
Fellows With twenty-three.
Upwards of . dozen new business
md dwelling houses have been con.
this season already. and as
many more will be built before fall |
yets stepped on BY winter.
The city officials, il only having
Teen organized - . city last fall, are
Mayor, Nat Harris; city marshal and
Joo. E. Smith aldermen,
4. w. Harris. nr. A. II. rhurston.
!. T. Ellis and Chas. Long. In ad-
lition to the above A. ]. Harrison IL
ussice of the peace, before whom or
he mayor Law breakers are arraigued,
The BA3oo missionary asked the
mayor where he confined prisoners,
D which be laughingly replied .'Oh,
tter arrest while awaiting trial If they
ant give bond ~ tie them up to Q
elegraph pole. After trial We put
n to work" The mayor vas prob
bly, giving birth to joke. A splen-
id opportunitv for Pilot Grove To