Apparently, Compton Junction was never much more than a literal junction. There's not a lot of readily available information about Compton Junction, but it came into existence around 1925. It was at this time that a north-south road, which would become U. S. Highway 71, was built through the area intersecting a road that led east to Schell City (now Highway M). The intersection was named Compton Junction after P. A. Compton, whose land the road traversed or abutted. A bridge called the Compton Junction Bridge spanning the Marmaton River was built on the new road just north of Compton Junction, The new road was officially designated U. S. Highway 71 in 1926.
Whether any businesses existed at the junction during the very early years is unclear, but later there was filling station, a grocery store, and a motor court consisting of a few cabins. However, the place never grew into a booming metropolis or even a thriving little town. It pretty much stayed just a junction.
A sense of community did develop around Compton Junction, though. Enough so that the place, like almost every other small town or community in America, had its own country reporter who wrote about the gossip and goings-on around Compton Junction. The column was published each week in the Nevada newspapers, under the title of "Compton Junction News" or a similar heading, from the late 1940s until at least the mid-1960s.
The community of Compton Junction organized a volunteer fire department about 1977, when a new fire house was built and dedicated. The fire department is one of the few still-going concerns left in the community, although there are a few homes and a couple of businesses scattered along Old Highway 71 near the junction, and the old Compton Junction Bridge is still in operation, having recently undergone renovation.
No comments:
Post a Comment