Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-12-18
Des Arc News.

Des Arc News.
My wife and / spent last week with
our children at Poplar Bluff and Lii
bourn, Mo-, 20 miles south of Sikeston,
on the Frisco Railroad. The Cotton
Belt also crosses there. On the way
down we saw some beautiful farms
and hundreds of acres of wheat. Each
farm has a bunch of fine cattle-from
30 to 100 head, some of them the
Hereford stock. This country is being
drained by bitches u feet deep and 80
TT. wide. The county pays for it, but it
is assessed as taxes, 81 per acre for 20
years, to the land owner and there is
very little water there now.
Lilbourn is a iourishing little town.
The corporation or town is one mile
square and laid off with broad streets.
The population is about 400. They
have a fine brick school, and over 400
scholars and six teachers. I did not
have time to visit the school. 1t has
some large stores, among them the
Stevenson & Fitz. The building is
70x80, with 20 foot story, and electric
lights. They carry a S15 900 stock OF
goods, and their sales run from 500 to
$500 per day.
There is one large stave factory,
handle factory, saw mill and cot
ton gin, which furnish work for lots
of men. DIR. E. E. Jones is practicing
medicine there; Barney Brew ington is
post master. Miss Louise Brewington
has charge of the post office. She is
a beautiful young post mistress and
very accommodating. l told some of
the boys if l lived there l would take
a daily paper so | could call to see her
every day.
Miss Marie Stevenson came in while
l was there from a swell wedding al
Poplar Bluff. They have two banks
and three hotels there, and eight
restaurants, but no saloons. The best
thing Isaw there was they don't allow
any side-tracks in the corporation
they have them in the south end oil
the town. The railroads there are
perfectly straight for miles. The
depot serves at the crossing for both
roads, which makes it very handy fo1
the travelling public. They were cut
ting and draining a ditch while | was
there; they cut mile in a week.
We took an automobile drive toNeW
Madrid. This is the oldest town in
| Southeast Missouri, The town was
once a mile out in the Mississippi riv-
er, and it has been moved about three
times. 1t it a nice town of about 2,00C
people, and the land around there il
very fine. l learn that many old sol
diers were drowned here during the
war. While there l met several ole
time friends. Among them 0. L. Da'
Wis, formerly of Piedmont, and A. o.
Allen, former State Auditor, and an
old Confederate soldier. They are
both looking old. I also met my
young friend, Chester Prince, former
ly of Ironton. He is assistant cashier
of a bank.
Thisis a great corn and wheat coun'
try. | was at a warehouse at Lii
bourn; they were unloading six wag'
ons with shelled corn. | asked thu
manager how much corn he had OF
hand. He said "ten thousand bush
els and was still buying.
We stopped on u way home a
Sikeston for about four hours waitir!
for a train to Poplar Bluff. Here W
attended a chicken and corn shoV
which was fine. l called on the Ney
Madrid Record Record and Sikes5o1
Herald, and was Hospitality receive
in both Offices. My next call in Skies
ton was at the Farmers Supply Store
The manager, Mr.. Hoffman, took m
through the building. They carry
$500, 900 stock end issue a MONTH
catalogue. | counted 81 wagons load
ed with cotton, wheat and corn in
yard neal the store. Their sales av
erage $500 a day, They have eigh
saloons in Sikeston whose receipts ar
| from $75 to 800 each per day. TIL
license is IS each a day. | passs
some nice towns on my way to tn
Bluff: Dexter, Morehouse and Fish
y Arrived home Saturday. | omitted t
say something about W. j. Fitz's ne
| home at Lilbourn. He has built a
up-to-date house with electric lights
and best of all, a fire place, which
enjoyed very much, l was raised q
a fire place and used to study my les
r sons around one. 1t was the onl
light we had in those days. Lilbour
lis a great place to shoot wild ducks
Tame ducks are used for decoys.
Add Reese, the hustling merchant {
= Annapolis, was here Sunday.
a DR.. Fred Farr has sold his home(t h
Frank Raney place. in Des Arc to "
> T. Stevenson. Consideration, $3.50
. Fred has moved into the W, T. Stew
: enson place, behind the store.
Chas. Stamey has bought Chas. Rus
SELLS rig and Geo. Kings teams an
buggies, and is now ready to serve th
public in the livery line.
!. The Methodist revival continue
u with good attendance.
Des Arc is now a flag station fC
train No. 4. This is very c%onveniel
for the travelling public.
Mrs. John Stevenson, Miss Ely
Stevenson and Mrs. w. E. McKt
were shopping in St. Louis last week
II Rev. Seals is holding a meeting
r Ellington, Mo-, assisted by Mr.. Ere
Geitz and wife. They have had Sc
n eral additions to the church. ISAAC.