Rural residents often viewed lawyers suspiciously if they moved into their neighborhood after the Civil War with the intent of making their fortune. Such was not the case with Benjamin Benson Cahoon.

The death of George M. Nicholas in 1912 occurred under suspicious circumstances. Nicholas was a rich Virginia farmer who amassed substantial cash and property, aided by his miserly habits. He had been a recluse, never married, and left no will. His heirs were his four brothers. Surprisingly, evidence suggested Nicholas died by poison placed in his coffee.

The December 19, 1910, issue of The National Tribune of Washington, D. C. contained a letter from James A. Lawrence of Tecumseh, Nebraska, concerning an event from the Civil War in Cape Girardeau County in September 1863.

Prior to digital photography, photographers had the problem of taking dozens of portrait photographs for school yearbooks quickly. Cameras used before the 1920s required frequent changes of film, slowing the process, and increasing costs. A Ste. Genevieve photographer, Vincent J. Dunker, solved the problem by inventing a specialty, long-roll camera for school portrait photography.

Rev. Timothy Flint and his family descended the Ohio in 1816. At its lower end, Flint noted that his “…children contemplated with unsated curiosity the flocks of parroquets fluttering among the trees, when we came near the shore.” The parakeets that so fascinated Rev. Flint’s children were the now-extinct Carolina Parakeet.

The aviation pioneer Tony Jannus provided many residents of Mississippi River towns their first view of an airplane in November 1912. Jannus was a pioneer who piloted early models of aircraft and pointed out the potential of aviation. Among other things, he piloted the plane from which the first parachute jump occurred on March 1, 1912, near St. Louis.

Local officials maintain public records which are essential for proving land titles, marriages, and legal decisions. The loss of these records is devastating and require much effort to re-construct. Thus, when a disaster such as fire, flooding, or storm damage destroys a county courthouse, it is a blow to the residents of that county.

The aftermath of the Civil War was devastating in much of Missouri, but one fortunate result involved the founding of the town of Wappapello.

While school shootings were rare in southeastern Missouri in the early 1900s, they were not unheard of. One such event happened at Illmo High School on graduation day, May 20, 1921. As the ceremony occurred, Henry L. Rose, an engineer on the Iron Mountain Railroad, approached the school. Rose was exceptionally angry at the school over the whipping of his son.

Most settlements and communities in Missouri date back to the 19th century. Typically, an early settler or group of settlers either established the community or lent their names to it. However, it is rare to have more than one town founded by an individual. Judge Miles A. Gilbert was an exception. During his life he platted two towns: Cairo in Illinois and St. Mary in Ste. Genevieve County. Both prospered during Judge Gilbert’s lifetime but have fallen on harder times today, obscuring his importance.