Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1902-05-08
SOME MISSOURI HISTORY.
Snap Shots of the Early History of Au.
drain County and the Town of
New" Mexico.


pursuit of horse-stealing Indians. Just
previous to this time some immigrants
from Kentucky settled on Loutre
Otter Island and were the owners OF
very good horses. These excited the
cupidity OF the Sac and Fox Indians
whose hunting grounds occupied the
Loutre valley not far distant. Several
Of the horses were finally stolen by the
Indians and immediate pursuit was
made by the settlers The Indians es-
capped to the country northwest of the
present. site of Mexico and the
pioneers followed them and camped
for the night ON the banks Of a creek,
then without a name. During the
night they were surprised by the
Indians and all the men in camp were
killed except one, Murdock, who saw
ed his life by hiding under the bank of
the creek.
Years afterwards some travellers dis
covered Click" or small salt spring
on the banks Of this stream; also
several human skulls supposed to be
OF the settlers who were surprised at
night and killed in camp by the In
dians as above noted, and they called
the place and creek "Skull Lick"
The name has the gift Of continuance,
FOR tho I folr and .raoIy "a IN fi,pc l. yrouy,,
to this time.
IL Is not known, at least by me, who
was the first European or white man
who first set foot within the present
territory Of Audrain county or In what
year his visit occurred. IL is quite
easy however TO declare, as some
manufacturers Of history have de-
clared, that Daniel Boone often visit
ed the territory in his hunts for game
or pursuits of Indians, one Of them
printing IL in book that "the crack
of his unerring rifle often resounded
among its hills and valleys" Two
facts, nevertheless, are clear TO me,
first, that Daniel Boone, although a
resident Of Femme, Usage Valley, in
st. Charles county, and famous
hunter and Indian fighter, and came
to Missouri as early as 1895, never was
within the present limits of Audrain
county, and second, was not the first
white man to visit the country.
FIRST SETTLER IN AUDRAIN.
1t is a well attested fact, how
ever, that the first permanent white
settler in the county was an English
man by the name of Robert Littleby,
who, in 1916, twenty years before the
county was organized, settled on a
creek near its confluence with one Of
larger size, neither then having a
name. The creek was called Lit
tleby and the larger one Salt river,
and by these names they are known
to this day on our maps and other
wise. Mr.. Littleby was very eccen-
trio Citizen and lived the lie of a
hermit until 1922 when he abandoned
his lonely cabin and left for Platte
river, which afterward gave the name
to Platte county.
The next permanent settler was
Benjamin Young, from North Caro-
lima, who in 1921 built a cabin on a
stream which was known as YouDgs
Creek, and is still called by that
name. In 1909 Ben. Young left the
"Tar-Heelr state for Kentucky, lived
there two years, and moved to How
ard county, Mo, thence in 1921 to
what is now Audrain. His first wife
was an Indian squaw, and in 1888 he
was killed at his home on Youngs
Creek by a ferocious pet bull.
John Kilgore and family settled on
Davis Fork of Salt river, and in 1881
bis son, Frank, was born, and he was
the first white child born within the
present limits of Audrain.
II Is recorded on what seems rell'
able authority, that up to 1884 there
we're not exceeding 30 families resid-
ing in the county as we now know it.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.
Audrain county was organized by
an act Of the Legislature, approved by
Gov. Lllburn W. Boggs on December
II, 1880, and was called by the name
IL bears in honor OF Col. James IL.
Audrain, who became Representa-
tive ofSt. Charles county in the Legis-
lature of 1880, and died ON Nov 10,
1881. The county still retains the
boundaries given to it at its organiza-
tion.
SQUARE MILES AND POPULATION.
The county contains $50 square
miles, or 43l, 200 acres. Its statistics
OF populotion as shown by each
decennial census from 1910 are very
interesting and suggestive, as follows;
1910, l.949; 1850, 3,5O6; 1850, s,075; 1870,
- sO7. 1850. 9,739; 1890, 22,074; 1900,
u 100 or a decrease Of 9l4 in popula-
tion as compared with the census OF
1890.
Owing largely to its geographical
position on the map Of North Mis-
souri, the earlier struggles Of Audrain
county for population and wealth
we're not rewarded by encouraging
success The boom in these directions
came with the completion Of the
North Missouri railroad from 81
louis 10 Macon in 1858, and the great'
ar and more reliable Information
among immigrants in regard to the
nroductlyeness and value OF prairie
lands. ,,,s,.,
Audain occupied the dividing
ridge,i between the Missouri and MIS-
slsslppi rivers and three'fourths OF 'tS
snrfaee was covered by prairie. There
..,s not A mile Of railroad In the state
tor nearly a quarter OF a century aiter
~, county was organized, and at the
sa,ooe its organization 1t did not con
,a,n more than 900 Inhabitants In
80 onlv about 800 votes were cast
"a an lsit the number had not IN
sso.sed 20 Even at the Presidential
o,oc,Ion o,. Of 1852 the vote stood; Win
seld scott 200; Franklin Pearee' iOO'