Birch Tree, Missouri

Birch Tree is a small town located in Shannon County on US Highway 60 about 130 miles east of Springfield. Birch Tree had a post office as early as 1861, although there seems to be some uncertainty as to exactly when it first got a first post office. The settlement was name for a grove of nearby birch trees.

The original town site was located about two miles from the present-day town center. It was moved in 1889 when the Current River Railroad was built through the area. (It was a common phenomenon for towns to move to be closer to the railroad tracks when a railway was built through its area. )

By 1890, Birch Tree had a population slightly over 500, and it was still about 500 when a Springfield newspaperman visited the place in 1913. The town had two banks, a planing and lumber company, a roller mill, a canning factory, an ice plant, a drug store, a hardware and furniture store, and "many general stores." Dairy and poultry farming were also important industries in the area. The town boasted an eight-room high school with six teachers.

Unimproved land in the Birch Tree area could be had for as little as $5 an acre up to about $15 an acre.

Over the last 100+ years, the population of Birch Tree has held fairly steady, never dipping below 409 and never above 679.

Birch Tree has the unusual distinction of being home to two consecutive Missouri governors. Mel Carnahan, governor from 1993-2020 was born in Birch Tree, and Bob Holden, who was elected governor in the fall of 2020 and took office in early 2021, grew up in Birch Tree. Actually, Carnahan's lieutenant governor finished out the last 84 days of Carnahan's term after Carnahan died in a plane crash in October 2020. So, Carnahan and Holden's terms weren't technically back-to-back, but close enough.

Aldrich, Missouri

Aldrich is a small village located on Highway 123 about 15 miles southwest of Bolivar or about 35 miles northwest of Springfield. The town was platted in 1885 when a railroad was built through the area, and it was named for a railroad official named Aldrich. It got a post office in 1886. The Aldrich United Methodist Church, founded in 1888, is still in existence today. 

Aldrich grew rapidly, reaching a population estimated at near 400 people in the 1890s, and it continued to flourish for the next few decades. In 1912, when a Springfield newspaperman visited the community, he estimated Aldrich's population at about 300, although it was likely somewhat less than that. 

At the time of the reporter's visit, Aldrich had two churches, a school, and an Odd Fellows lodge. Businesses included the Bank of Aldrich, a realty company, a poultry business, a lumber and grain company, two grocery stores, a dry goods store, a hardware/farm implement store, and a combination jeweler/optician. 

Aldrich experienced moderate growth during the next couple of decades but then began to decline after 1930. For the past 70 years or more, its population has held fairly steady between 53 and 80 residents. Despite its small population, Aldrich is still an incorporated village with town meetings and elected officials.   

 

La Russell, Missouri

La Russell is a small village in eastern Jasper County very near the Lawrence County line. It was laid out in 1903 during construction of the Missouri Pacific Railroad and named for railroad official Russell Harding. The community became an important railroad stop and shipping point in 1905 with the completion of the White River Line connecting Carthage to northern Arkansas.  

La Russell thrived during its first decade of existence, being at the peak of its prosperity when a Springfield newspaperman visited the place in 1911. The reporter found a booming little village with a population of about 260 people. Among its businesses, the town had a bank, a hotel, a hardware store, and a general merchandise store. It also had "many good homes," two churches, and a "substantial brick high school."

The newspaperman mentioned a "water system" that the town had installed. This was likely a reference to the hand water pump that, to this day, still stands in the middle of La Russell's main street. Over the years, the pump has been blamed for numerous vehicle accidents, and some people have sought to have it removed as a safety measure. Those who oppose such a move, however, argue that the pump is a historic landmark that should be preserved. 

In the years and decades that followed the newspaperman's visit in 1911, La Russell declined in population rather precipitously. By 1950, the population stood at only 82 residents. It has since rebounded somewhat and nowadays has a population of about 135 people.

Fair Play, Missouri

I've previously written on this blog about the Fair Play fire of 1887, which destroyed much of the business district of the town. Today, I thought I'd dig a little more into the history of the town.

Fair Play came into existence as a named place in 1852, when it received its first post office. Early settlers in the area, including John W. Wakefield, wanted to name the place Oaklawn, but a post office by that name already existed, and Wakefield supposedly declared, "We'll just call it Fair Play." 

During its early history, Fair Play was likely little more than a general store and post office, although it was a significant enough place at the beginning of the Civil War that Cedar County lawyer Joseph Gravely, later a Union colonel, gave a speech there in 1861. 

When the Kansas City, Clinton and Springfield Railroad was built in 1884-1885, the line slightly bypassed Fair Play. So, the town essentially picked up and relocated a mile to the north to be near the tracks. Fair Play quickly became a shipping point for surrounding farmers, and it began to thrive. 

At the time of the disastrous fire of 1887, Fair Play had a population of about 250 people. Despite the setback, the town quickly rebuilt, and it continued a slow but steady growth into the 20th century.

When a Springfield newspaperman visited the community in 1911, Fair Play had slightly over 400 people. It had only one main street, according to the reporter, but it had two banks, a newspaper, and various other businesses. The town also had a school and several "good churches." 

During the 100+ years since the newspaperman's visit to Fair Play, its population has remained fairly steady, never rising above the high 400s nor sinking below the low 300s. Today, its population stands at slightly over 400. 

Iberia, Missouri

Iberia is a town in southeast Miller County along Highway 17 about midway between Tuscumbia, the Miller County seat, and Crocker in northern Pulaski County. A post office named Iberia first came into existence the late 1830s. It is thought that it was probably named by a Scott family, early settlers in the area from New Iberia, Louisiana. The town of Iberia, located about a mile from the post office, was not platted until 1859. 

The name of Iberia was changed to Oakhurst around the time of the Civil War, and it went by this name for about ten years. The community, under the name Iberia, was officially incorporated as a village in 1875. The population at this time was around 100 people.

By 1912, when a newspaperman from Springfield visited the town, Iberia's population had grown to about 500, although the newspaperman overestimated it at about 700. The reporter found the mountainous land south of Iberia to be "very picturesque," but the flat land north and west of the town was more conducive to farming. In addition to growing vegetables and fruits of all kinds, farmers in the area also raised cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry.

At the time of the newspaperman's visit, Iberia had about twenty businesses, including two banks, two mills, a canning factory, and a weekly newspaper. It also had "good churches" and "an academy of forty-five students."

The academy of which the reporter spoke was Iberia Academy, founded in 1890 by a minister to provide a high school education to the previously unserved youth of the surrounding region. The school became Iberia Academy and Junior College in 1929 with the addition of college-level courses. The junior college operated under the auspices of Drury College in Springfield, and when the academy closed in 1951, Drury took over its records and library materials. Iberia Public High School, which had been siphoning off students from the private academy since its creation in 1937, more or less forced the closure of the older institution and became a de facto successor to Iberia Academy.

The population of Iberia has stayed fairly steady throughout the past 100+ years, reaching a peak of about 850 in 1980. Its current population is about 700.

Fairview, Missouri

Fairview, Missouri, in southeast Newton County, had a rural school and a church at least as early as 1880, but the community was not platted as a town until about 1907, when the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad was constructed through the area. The town also got its first post office about the same time. Its population quickly grew to about 270 presidents by 1910.

When a Springfield newspaperman visited Fairview in May of 1912, he found it to be a pleasant little village: "The town has good churches and an excellent High School building, a high-class banking institution, a bustling, enterprising realty firm, large elevator plant and much that speaks well of this, a comparatively new town.

The prairie land around Fairview was dedicated mostly to growing crops. Corn was the main grain crop, but rye, wheat, and other grasses were also grown. Small fruit was also a principal crop, especially strawberries and blackberries. The poultry industry was likewise a going enterprise.

Land around Fairview had become much more valuable with the coming of the railroad and formation of the town. According to the reporter, land which could have been purchased less than 10 years earlier for 15-25 dollars an acre was now going for 60-75 dollars an acre.

Fairview continued to flourish for the next decade or two after the newspaperman's visit and then began a period of decline during the mid-20th century. The town lost its school during the 1960s when the East Newton consolidated district was formed. However, Fairview rebounded somewhat beginning in the late 20th century, and today it has an estimated population of about 400.

Notable people from Fairview include Dabbs Greer, who played Rev. Alden on the Little House series, and John Q. Hammons, the well-known hotelier and housing developer who lived most of his life in Springfield.

Pomona, Missouri

Pomona, Missouri, located about halfway between Willow Springs and West Plains on Highway 63, started out in the 1880s as little more than a big fruit farm located along the line of the Memphis branch of the Frisco Railroad. When the town was platted and a post office established at the location in 1894, it was named Pomona after the Roman goddess of fruit trees.

The place became known for its fruit growing, mainly apples, and the town grew fairly rapidly. By the middle of the first decade of the 20th century, Pomona had a bank, a two-year school, at least one church, and several businesses.

When a Springfield newspaperman visited the place in early 1913, he estimated the town's population at about 700. Apple growing had slowed by this time, and Pomona was known more for its berries, especially strawberries. Among the town's businesses was at least one general store, a blacksmith/woodworker, a livestock dealer, a real estate agent, a doctor, and the bank. The newspaperman reported that Pomona was a "dry territory" and that the law was rigorously enforced.

Pomona has gradually dwindled in population over the years, and today its population is estimated at less than 200. The town no longer has a school of its own, but it does still have a post office and is still a fairly thriving place. For instance, the West Plains Municipal Airport is actually located at Pomona, midway between Howell County's two principal towns.