HIGHLIGHTS OF OSAGE COUNTY HISTORY
Fr. Joe Welschmeyer, former parish priest in the county, supplied the
following significant historical events that shaped the county:
- The Missouri Pacific Railroad was layed in 1857, developing the northern
section of the county along the Missouri River -- Bonnots Mill, Chamois
and Morrison. Many communities in rural Missouri grew up around "railroad
towns" built to service freight and passenger traffic along
the rails. Bonnots Mill was the County Seat's (Linn) rail link
for transportation and shipping.
- The Rock Island Railroad brought social and commercial progress to
southern Osage County by 1903, providing, at last, connection to markets
for agricultural produce. The railroad spanned a number of rivers, establishing
communities such as Belle, Freeburg, Argyle and Meta. They grew into
shipping centers, bringing the telegraph, social progress and commerce
during the late 1930s
* * * *
Fr. Joe J. Welschmyer is a well known historian and author in Osage County.
He published Sacred Heart Sesquicentennial, on Rich Fountain,
Missouri, in 1988, covering the years 1838 to 1988.
|
|
- Paved State Highways brought significant commercial development to
Osage County. Highway 50, the main east-west route, was paved in 1928.
Highway 63, the main north-south route, was paved by 1931.
- The Unterrified Democrat newspaper in Linn, published
since 1866, gave the county government and communities a cohesive identity.
- Christian churches around the county were largely founded by Fr. Ferdinand
M. Helias, S.J., a parish priest in Taos. He organized various German
immigrants into native dialect groups so they could assimilate into
the American social structure more easily within a supportive parish
structure. Helias Highschool, Jefferson City, is named for him. Some
of the churches he founded are on the National Historic Register.
- School districts, and highschools in the districts, were a significant
factor bringing the county community together. Old one-room school houses
are common everywhere, each built to educate a small number of farm
families, usually within walking distance.
* * * *
For more information, go to the Osage
County Historical Society website.
|
