Monday, November 15, 2010

Elkton

I said last time that the Slicker Wars that occurred in the 1840s in Benton and neighboring counties of Missouri had some of the characteristics of vigilantism but degenerated into a feud. Actually, though, I may have gotten that backwards. The so-called "wars" may have started out merely as a feud but then took on aspects of vigilantism. Suffice it to say that the Slicker Wars involved feuding among rival families but also had characteristics of a vigilante movement.
I also mentioned last time that one of the accounts of the Slicker Wars that I have read cites Elkton in Hickory County as a hotbed of the conflict. About the only other thing Elkton is known for, as far as I know, is being the birthplace of Sally Rand, the famous (or infamous) burlesque performer who wowed audiences with her risque fan dance at the World's Fair in Chicago during the Depression. She also performed on at least one occasion at the Ozarks Empire Fair in Springfield.

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