Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1908-05-28
MONEY FOR HOME FOLKS.
independence Men Interested In
Morgan County Lands-Nom-
anclature In Missouri.

! Wflte Versailles, O1 course l can
help think of Versailles, KY, and
that reminds me that we have trans
PLANTED in Missouri more than one
Kentucky name. We have a Paris,
No., and Lexington, No., follow.
ing the towns of the same name in
Kentucky, am, an evidence of the fact
with which we are all familiar that
Missouri was largely settled by Ken
tuckians. They brought their favor
ite names with them, TO land which
they thought resemblsd the old home,
never TO he forgotten, xnd before
which no other land would ever be
placed.
The study of nomenclature in Mis-
souri would have no doubt, he of
vast interest. Our own county WAS
settled by Tennesseeans and Ken
,uckians, great admirers Of General
Jackson, and have no doubt they
named the county jackson after
;hcr favorite hero. They were patri-
otto in those days, and called their
.Vunty seat Independence. Over
ACROSS the river settled the followers
Of the great compromiser, Henry
Clay, and they named their county
Clay county. They, too, were patri-
utic, and called their county seat Lib
crty. TO the east the settlers went
back To the Revolution for their hero,
and named their county Lafayette and
:heir county seat Lexington. At the
south have no doubt the county was
named in honor Of General Cass, and
the county seat for General Harri-
son. Our people rather ran to the
military hero in those times, while we
are prone to run to the other extreme
and believe no man hero.
Versailles is the county seat Of Nor
gan county. Morgan county has q
strong interest for independents,
which, perhaps, Il good many of you
do not know. In the years just after
the war there were rumors Of lead in
Morgan county. In fact, much lead
had been found here, in shallow peck
cts, and the stories said the Indians
and bushwhackers got lead here for
Their bullets. 1t was found in small
and large Jumps, and call-d pocket
Lead, and was about 80 per cent pure.
On one piece of ground biz pocket
was found and $50, 900 pounds are
known to have been taken out and
sold; probably the4e was many times
tlsat amount, Thls was known as
the Grayhorse mine, and is still 81
designated III the state reports, and
the ground belonged then and still be-
nngs 60 }. \. Southern. This lead
report attracted attention, and other
Independence men bought land adj.
i"tning Among them WAS John
Henry Taylor, Judge Woodson and
Martin D. Jones. A company was
formed for the purpose Of develop,
Eng tae mining in this district, snd
several capitalists, with the owners
started 10 Versailles to see and find.
They had just started when the crash
Of 1873 came. Telegrams stopped tn,
party, and the panic stopped the de.
veiopment. The land has lain practl.
caly untouched since that time. Per.
haps had it not been for the panic OF
1873 this would have been the Joplin
of Msissouri. $. II. Woodson, LocR
Sawyer aud the Jones still ewn the
land. John Henry Taylor wille,h has
to the PRESBYTERIAN c',u4cb at Lndo.
Pendence, Which holds the title
But this is not the end Of the story.
A little more than year aSo II Yer,
sailles man found great body Of tih
Al. 4 4 -, T.. A.