University Missourian., 1912-01-19

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the boundary lines of the states il
Uncle Sans country evidently be
lieved that variety is the spice of life
No two states are alike in shape O
size, but We are so familiar with tn
appearance of each that we somehow
have a fancy that, like Topsy, the!
"just growed" that way. Investiga
tiOn, however, brings to light tn,
fact that there is reason for eacf
odd little corner or jutt-off-there i.
even reason for MissOuri's "toe.
Many years of discussion and ever
some hard feelings preceded the set.
tlement of the states boundaries as
they stand today, especially the one
on the north.
! When Missouri was seeking admis-
sion as state, it was a question
whether to make it long narrow
one, extending west from the Missis-
sippi and bounded on the north by
the Missouri river. or whether to let
it extend on both sides of that river,
keeping it shallow. Finally in the
petition circulated in 1918, the lin
its suggested were from the parallel
of 36 degrees 80 minutes north 1ati-
tude to the parallel of 40 degrees
and from the Mississippi river to
what was known as the Usage Pur-
chase Line. a line which had been
surveyed in connection with an In
dian treaty some time before, run
ming through point twenty-four
miles east of the Kansas river. This
Missouri would have been much
smaller than the one We have today
and there were a number of people
whom it did not satisfy. especially
the people in the south eastern
Jog"
Living in this little corner of what
is now Missouri was J. Hardeman
Walker, familiarly known as "Old
Man Walker" He owned big plan
tatiOn near Little Prairie, south of
the line proposed in the original petit
tion. and he eXerted a strong infiu-
ence in Congress. 1t was largely due
to his instrumentality that the south
east corner of the state appears as it
does at present. Logically this ter
ritOry belonged with Missouri, be-
cause it had it's business outlet
through New Madrid. it's settlers
were politically and socially closely
associated with MissOurians, and the |
tract of land was separated from Ar
kansas by swamps which prevented |
working connection. The story
goes, too, that there We're large and |
vicious mosquitoes of Arkansas or
igin which would not bother if the
section was MissOurian.
In the memorial presented to Con-
yress by the territorial legislature in
1918. the proposed state was much
more extensive than in the petition.
It ran as follows: Beginning at a
,Oint in the middle of the main chan
lei of the Mississippi river at the
'6th degree of north latitude and
in direct line to the mouth
If the Black river, branch of White
liver: thence in the middle of the
hannel of White river to where the
arallel of SO degrees and 80 min IS
ties. north latitude. crosses the &
anne; thence with that parallel due i
rest to a point from which a due q
Orth line will cross the Missouri |
iver at the mouth of the Wolf river;
hence due north to point west of i
he mouth of Rock river; thence due
asst to the main channel of the Mis- ,
lssippi, opposite the mouth of Rock I j
iver. thence down the Missis- :
ippi. in the middle of the channel
hereof, to the place of beginning.
Volt river. mentioned in this de-
riptiOn, rises in what is now Brown
Dunty. Kansas, and flows northeast
rly through DOniphan county, Kan
as. into the Missouri. about Oppo-
tie the mouth of the NOdaway. Had
his boundary been adopted. about
lree tiers of counties now in Iowa,
nd a strip thirty miles wide on the
asst side of what is now the state of
ansas. as well as a large part of
Arkansas. would have
cen included within Missouri.
Under the act of 1920. finally, Mis-
'uri had this boundary on the map
the United States: South to par