The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-03-30

4 Fl0urishing Town Which Moves
Onward, N0twithstand-
ing the Strike.

4 FlOurishing Town Which Moves
Onward, NOtwithstand-
ing the Strike.
An Interesting Letter From a
Correspondent of the
Daily BazOO.
Cole Comp, Mo-, March q. - Cor
respondence. The Cole Camp Of to-
day and the Cole Camp of five years
ago are strongly and widely different
places. When your correspondent
looks hack over that brief space of
time the changes wrought SEEM al
most beyond belief. Then few di-
lapidated, unpainted houses, a way
side hostelry, three stores and three
saloons constituted the town, the
chief industries of which seemed to be
pool playing and beer drinking. A
few of the more energetic citizens,
however, longing for change, be-
gan to agitate The building of the mar
row gauge road to Sedalia, and in
spite of a vigorous opposition succeed
ed in securing its construction, and
their success inaugurated a new era
of prosperity which far surpassed their
most sanguine expectations. New
buildings began to spring upon every
hand and new enterprises were entered
into rapidly. The pool table and sa-
loon were deserted and the work shop
and store became the centers of at
traction. Hence to-day the little vii
lage of one hundred inhabitants has
become town of six hundred, with a
beautiful park, a public square, a
town hall, three handsome churches,
a good school house, two furniture
stores, four dry goods and grocery es-
adjustments, two drug stores, two az
ricultural implement b fuses, four no.
tells, one stationery dealer, two hard
ware houses, and a number of other
smaller establishments. One ,fathe
FINEST FLOUR MILLS
in the country occupies position ad-
iacent to the railroad track, and not
less than fifty new AMI elegant resi-
depces stand where formerly the green
corn waved. These things, however,
are but the beginning of growth and
prosperity that will in the not far dis
tant future make Cole Camp one of
the most important business centers
of the state, as her location and adj
vantages are unsurpassed bv those of
any town in the country. Ever since
the first settlement of the country,
and long before railroads were thought
of, Cole Camp sprang into existence
as trading post and eventually be
came supply depot and lay-over
station for emigration trains seeking
the far west. In those days its pros
perity was very great, and as con-
sequence roads from all important
points tended to it as a common GEN.
ter, thus establishing permanently its
communication with all points of the
compass. With the ineen,ion of rail-
roads and the consequent abandon
ment of turnpikes the town gradu-
ally
SANK INTO INsIGNIFICANCE,
though the turnpikes still remained
and the wayfarers by the old mode
continued to find their wag here suf-
ficiently often TO prevent the town
being entirely abandaned. In time
the immense mineral deposits of the
vicinity attracted the attention Of a
few of the more energetic among its
sleepy inhabitants, who saw therein
chance for an easy living, and as a
result large quantities of lead found
its way to the markets by overland
route. A depression in the price of
ore, however, caused an abandonment
of this industry and the mines fell
into gradual disuse and have as yet
continued to lie idle in spite of the
fact that the railroad affords excellent
facilities for transportation. 1t is
safe to predict, however, that this
state of affairs is but temporary, as
there is no point in the country that
offers greater inducements for the
profitable investment of capital than
does Cole Camp.
The town is situated upon the edge
of the great and fertile prairies which
stretch away to the north, east and
west, while south lies some of the
finest timber and mineral belts In the
state richly laden with every species
of lumber producing timber, with
coal, iron, lead, zinc, copper, mineral
paints, claYs and alluvial soils in end
less and inexhaustable quantities only
awaiting the hand of the toilers to
turn them into untold wealth.
Among the rocks are to be found
granite. marble, sand and lime stone
eff The finest Qualities. Adjacent tn