Progress Notes

In previous Progress Notes I have written about some of the Miller County artists of the past such as John Wright and his daughter Francesca Wright.

We have encouraged local artists to participate in some of our museum events. One of the most successful was one held in June of 2007 in which several local artists brought some of their paintings and even painted some originals on site that day. You can read about that event and see photos of the artists and some of their paintings at this Progress Notes.

One of those present that day was Mary Gainey who later painted for us a couple of murals for the museum renovation (photo 01).

01 Mary Kathleen Gainey

Also, Jackie Bray a year or so ago donated a nice painting of the old Lupardus cabin (photos 02 and 03).

02 Ellis and Jackie Bray

03 Lupardus Cabin by Jackie Bray

Another Miller County artist who was quite popular having sold many paintings locally as well as around the country was Mildred Burks (photo 04).

04 Mildred Burks

Mildred passed away last year but I wanted her career as an artist to be remembered so I am featuring her this week on Progress Notes.

Mildred, and Russell her husband, came to Miller County in 1941. Mildred originally was from Nebraska. Russell had met Clyde Hawken in Alaska when both were working there and that relationship was how the couple knew about Miller County. After arrival here they bought a farm south of the river near Coon Creek located on Crow Road. Over the years they added additional acreage such that now the family trust owns considerable land in the area.

My family came to know them soon after they arrived when Russell began working for Pryor Novelty Company. It wasn’t that he needed the extra income but that Russell, who was used to hard work in Alaska, wanted to “bull up.” In other words, he wanted to stay in good physical condition. So, according to Max Pryor, Russell was given the job of handling the heavy pieces of cedar lumber prior to their being worked up for making cedar wood souvenirs. That area of the business was supervised by Fred Pryor, one of the three Pryor brothers who started the wood working company.

Note: you can read more about Pryor Novelty Company at these two previous Progress Notes:
http://www.millercountymuseum.org/archives/081215.html
http://www.millercountymuseum.org/archives/071008.html

The Burks’ and Fred’s family became very good friends over the years. Frequently, when I would visit Fred and Lucille’s home they were visiting. Here is a photo of Mildred and Lucille taken quite a number of years ago (photo 05):

05 Lucille Pryor and Mildred Burks

Sadly, Russell died in 1974.

The story of Mildred’s painting career was written by Ginny Duffield in an Autogram article in 1999:

Miller County Autogram-Sentinel
May 20, 1999

Self Taught Painter Working On Family Project
Ginny Duffield

06 Mildred Burks

It’s been a while since she could paint, because of illness, but it’s a hobby Mildred Burks of rural Tuscumbia thoroughly enjoys. She’s easing back into it, but probably won’t be as prolific as she has been in years past.

“I started when I was about 50,” Mrs. Burks said. She had always been interested in painting, but as a wife and mother it was had to find time. Finally, in 1972 she thought she had time. “My daughter (her youngest child) was grown and away from home,” Mrs. Burks said.

“I just kind of taught myself,” she said. She and her husband were interested in the refurbishing of Bray’s Mill near Iberia into a home, which started in 1971. All of the old lap siding was torn off and dumped into a ditch. She asked if she could have some, and was told sure.

She and her husband brought home a truck load of old clap boards. She cut them up and then cleaned the rotten parts away from the sycamore boards. The result was boards with scalloped edges. It was on those boards she started teaching herself to paint.

“I painted at least 500 of those boards,” Mrs. Burks said. Her subjects were primarily wildlife. “I sold them at the Shell station (in Tuscumbia),” she said. She worked there and the owners let her display her work. Personnel stationed at Fort Leonard Wood particularly liked the paintings, she said.

“That’s the way I got started,” she said.

Her husband died in 1974, and that resulted in her spending more time painting to fill her time.

Before long, her work was all over the United States and in England and Germany.

“I didn’t start out to be a nationally known figure,” Mrs. Burks said.

The world around her provided subjects: deer, turkey, farm scenes, barnyard animals, etc. “You can’t paint things you don’t know about,” Mrs. Burks said.

Eventually, she discovered painting on canvas. During her early painting career, painting supplies were hard to find in the area, she said. She got her first canvases in Alabama.

She never took a formal lesson, but looked all over for, and purchased, books on painting. She sat in on a couple of art classes at School of the Osage.

She also developed a dear friend who was an art teacher in Minnesota. Mrs. Burks said she was the kind of friend you wished you had found earlier in life and had been able to keep longer. Her friend died several years ago.

The friend was the sister of the late Frances Varner, who lived near Mrs. Burks with her husband Doug. Mrs. Varner brought her sister for a visit.

“She was real interested in my work,” Mrs. Burks said. In fact, her friend started buying as much of her work as possible.

She also brought her old paints that were not used by her art students during the year.

“I’ve got paint. I’ll never use it all up,” she said.

After being ill for several months, and a long recovery, Mrs. Burks is working on what she calls “sort of small stuff” for her great grandchildren. Her children and grandchildren already have many paintings.

She said her eyesight is making it a little hard to paint.
“If I get them finished, okay,” she said about her current projects.

Many family members live along Crow Road on the Burks farm, and visit her often. Family members who live away also come often for visits, she said. Grandchildren particularly like vacationing at the farm.

“They don’t think there’s any place like this old farm,” she said. “They come here often.”

Mrs. Burks was born and reared in Nebraska. Her husband worked on the damming of the Missouri River around Sioux City, Iowa.
“They worked right behind my house,” she said. That is how they met.

In 1941, they moved to a farm they bought at Tuscumbia. There was a seven year stretch when they lived elsewhere, but the farm is home.

“We’ve made some real roots here,” Mrs. Burks said.

Here are a couple of photos of Mildred which accompanied that article in the Autogram (photos 07 and 08):

07 Mildred Burks

08 Mildred Burks

Mildred became well known in the area for her artistic talent especially for the painting of Tuscumbia scenes both of current as well as historical subjects. She also painted portraits. Her paintings would sell for eighty to one hundred dollars. In addition she was an excellent seamstress. Many people would commission Mildred to paint a particular scene or object. One such person was Mildred’s friend, Doris Edwards Wyrick (photo 09).

09 Doris Edwards Wyrick

I visited Doris recently to take a photo of a painting she had commissioned Mildred to paint. The painting was of the steamboat J.R. Wells at the landing in Tuscumbia. Mildred based her painting on an old photo which shows Doris’s grandparents, George and Tennessee Barnhart Edwards standing on the bank facing the steamboat (photo 10).

10 J.R. Wells unloading at Tuscumbia

Here is the photo I took of the painting Mildred made of the scene in the photo (photo 11):

11 Painting of J.R. Wells

Lori (Procter) Buechter of Tuscumbia, a great granddaughter of Mildred’s, has a collection of photographs of other paintings of Mildred’s. Here are some of those photos; unfortunately, it was difficult to eliminate the flash of the camera in some of them (photos 12 - 18):

12 Painting

13 Painting

14 Painting

15 Painting

16 Painting

17 Painting

18 Painting

Lori was of great help to me for the organization of the information about Mildred. Lori is a graduate of Tuscumbia High School and is on the board of the Tuscumbia Alumni Association. Here is a photo of Mildred and some of her family including Lori (photo 19):

19 Mildred and Children

Listed here are the names written on the back of the photo of those in the picture left to right:

Sitting: Mildred and Barbara (holding Emma)
Standing: Sara Procter, Raquel Ferro holding Bryan, Lori Procter Ferro

Here is an older photo of Mildred and her daughter, Barbara (photo 19a):

19a Mildred and Barbara Burks

Copied below is the obituary of Mildred as published in the Autogram last year:

Mildred Emmerett Burks (photo 20)

20 Mildred Burks

Mildred Emmerett Burks, 93, of Tuscumbia, Missouri, died Monday, August 31, 2009, at Tuscumbia, Missouri. She was born April 29, 1916, in Keahapasha County, Nebraska, to Frank and Hannah (Tunnicliff) McKernan. Mrs. Burks was born in the sand hills of Keahapasha County, Nebraska. At age fifteen she was married to Russell V. Burks on November 19, 1931, in Dakota City, Nebraska. He died June 17, 1974.

She was a member of the Tuscumbia Christian Church and the Miller County Historical Society. She was a helpful caretaker of neighbors and friends and was always willing to lend a helping hand.

She was also an artist who loved painting nature and historically significant scenes here in Miller County.

Surviving are a daughter, Barbara E. (Burks) Keeth of Tuscumbia, Missouri; six grandchildren: Ric Ferro, Rusty Ferro, Maria Ferro Aldrich, Beth Ferro, Raquel Ferro and Cathy Maldonado; fourteen great grandchildren; and three great great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, brothers Merrett, Elwin and Ross McKernan, and one great grandchild, Josiah Aldrich.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, September 6, 2009, at Tuscumbia Christian Church in Tuscumbia, Missouri, at 2:00 p.m. Private interment will be held at a later date under the direction of Phillips Funeral Home of Eldon, Missouri.

Memorials may be made to Tuscumbia Christian Church or the Miller County Historical Society.

So I am happy that I had the opportunity to celebrate Mildred Burks’ life and artistic accomplishments on our website. The family has been well known and liked for many years in the county.

The mention above of the J.R. Wells steamboat links to another story I wanted to present which is that of James Clark (photo 21), one of the old time steamboat captains who was one of the pilots of the J. R. Wells.

21 James E. Clark, Son of Joel B. and Eliza (Erwin) Clark

Before presenting the story of James Clark I will give some background family history.

I received a photo of James Clark from Mike Wieneman, who recently wrote for us the history of the Miller County Clark family line which came from north of the river (another Clark line which settled south of the river has not been established as being related). Mike said that Joel B. Clark, who was the brother of Mike’s great grandfather, William G. Clark, was the father of Jim Clark.

The Clark family line for James Clark in this area would start with his grandfather George Clark (photo 21a) followed by his father Joel Clark (photo 21b).

21a George Clark

21b Joel Barker Clark

Mike also sent a photo of James’ father, Joel, in his Civil War uniform (photo 21c):

21c Joel Barker Clark - Civil War

Another interesting photo was of Joel, his son James, and the famous steamboat captain, Robert Marshall (photo 21d):

21d Standing: Bob Marshall - Seated L to R: Joel B. Clark and son James E. Clark

Here is a photo of the Joel B. Clark family (photo 21e):

21e Joel Barker Clark Family

And here is the caption for the family photo:

Family of Joel Clark Sr.
Joel Barker Clark and Family

From Left to Right:
Joel Barker Clark, Jr., Eliza E. (Erwin) Clark wife of Joel, Sr.,
George Grant Clark, Mary Lucy (Clark) Cox, Dion H. Clark

All lived in Miller County at one time. All moved to Faxon, Okla.
Photo taken in 1922.

Note: You can read Mike’s narrative of the Clark family at this previous Progess Notes.

James Clark came to my attention last year when we were donated an old trunk which belonged to his daughter, Grace Clark Vernon (photos 22 and 23).

22 Grace Clark Vernon

23 Trunk

Note: You can read more about the story of the trunk at this previous Progress Notes.

Grace was married to Edgar Vernon (photo 24).

24 Grace and Edgar Vernon

James was married to Martha Hawken (photo 25).

25 Martha Hawken Clark

Mildred Messersmith, who is one of our most dependable historians, wrote the following about Martha and James Clark:

Martha (1865-1946) was the firstborn child of John David and Anna. She married James Clark and they lived in a little house on the hill in Tuscumbia near the cemetery. They had four daughters: Anna, Grace, Maude and Edna. After James died, Aunt Mattie moved to another little house, this time near the school and across the way from our house. Her youngest daughter, Edna, was a victim of polio so she always lived with her mother. It was a good place for little kids to hand out. Aunt Mattie made good cookies and gooseberry pies. My sisters and I looked forward to playing with the grandchildren when they came to visit her. One time we got word that the Vernon boys were coming, so we moseyed over. Herschel and Harry were there all right, but Aunt Mattie told us to go home because “Herschel is bashful.” Defeated and humiliated, we went home but Herschel heard about that from me when we met up many years later. One summer, two little Messersmith grandchildren came to spend time with their grandmother. They were Martha, age six and Mary Frances, about three. Martha was too young for school but Aunt Mattie asked T.C. Wright if she could attend the last six weeks, and he agreed. By the end of the six weeks she could read as well as the others. She liked for me to tell this story when we were grown.

You can read more about Martha Hawken Clark in this obituary which also shows her gravestone at this website.

James Clark was around the river most of his life. He assisted in recovering the bodies of two men who drowned in a ferry accident at Tuscumbia which you can read about on this previous edition of Progress Notes.

Finally, here is the obituary of James Clark which gives more interesting detail about this old time steamboat captain:

James E Clark Passes Away
May 7, 1921

Dies after several months' illness
Aged Fifty Four Years

James E Clark died at his home here Monday evening at 6:30 o'clock after a long illness of stomach trouble. Although he had been sick for a long time, he conversed with friends the morning of his death. He had been a patient sufferer throughout his sickness.

He was born near Eldon October 19, 1866 being fifty four years old at the time of his death. He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Joel Clark, who were at one time residents of Tuscumbia during Mr. Clark's term as a county official.

He was an experienced river pilot and held license from the government for operating steamers on the Osage and Missouri rivers. During the time he was in feeble health he served as justice of the peace of Equality, which position he held at the time of his death.

He was married to Miss Martha Hawken in 1888 and to this union five children were born, one having died in infancy. The surviving children are Mrs. James Messersmith and Mrs. Edgar Vernon of Eldon, Mrs. Farris Houser of Linn Creek and Miss Edna who is at home. He is also survived by his wife, his mother, four brothers and two sisters. The brothers are Dion, Joel and Grant of Lawton, Oklahoma and Tom of Kansas City. The sisters are Mrs. Julia Cox of Faxon, Oklahoma and Bessie, another sister who is married.

Funeral services were conducted at the home Wednesday by Elder W. H. Scott of Eldon. Mr. Clark united with the Christian church during a meeting held here by Elder Edmund Wilkes about twenty five years ago. He was also a member of the M. W.A order. After the services the remains were conveyed to the Tuscumbia Cemetery for burial.

Friends and neighbors join in expressing their sincere sympathy to the family in their sad hour.

Bob and Sheila Lyles of Tuscumbia (photo 26) came by the museum recently to show me a bottle they had found on the bank of the Osage River not long ago. The bottle was made of glass and had embossed on it “Eldon Bottling Works Eldon Mo.” (photos 27 and 28).

26 Bob and Sheila Lyles

27 Bottle

28 Bottle

This is the second time a bottle has been brought to us made by the bottling company in Eldon. Records show that another one was brought our way last year.

Presently, we do not know much about the bottling company. However, as Bob and Sheila discovered on their own, our website does have a short article about the company reprinted from an old 1909 edition of the Eldon Advertiser.

Here is a copy of that article:

Eldon Bottling Works

One of the strong, growing and thriving lines of business of this city and one covering a wide and prosperous territory in its operations is the Eldon Bottling Works, of which Mr. W. R. George is proprietor and manager.

Mr. George established this business five years ago and by vigorous attention and sound management has pushed it up into one of the leading lines of business of the city and community. In this factory is manufactured soda pop, ice cream and all kinds of carbonated drinks. A general jobbing business is done over a large section and a specialty is made of filling rush orders and making prompt shipments on short notice. The ice cream manufactured here has earned a wide reputation for its excellent qualities and the first class condition in which it reaches customers. A feature of the factory is the sanitary conditions that prevail on every hand. All of the packers or receptacles in which ice cream is shipped are porcelain lined thus insuring absolute cleanliness and purity. A specialty is also made of furnishing ice cream suppers, socials and other functions with cream, either in Eldon or in any other town in the large territory in which shipments are made.

Mr. George's factory charges tanks for soda fountains and furnishes flavored syrups for these fountains. He also keeps extracts.

This establishment has the latest and most modern machinery and its service toward patrons is such as to make it one of the most reliable as well as one of the successful lines of business of the city.

I have not been able to find much information about W.R. George. George is a surname occasionally found in Miller County, but because it is also very common as a given name, searching for a W.R. George has not been fruitful thus far. However, the Lyles told me they were going to continue their quest to find out more history about Mr. George and his bottling company. If any reader has further information, email me and I will get the information to the Lyles’.

Nadine Hachler last week contacted Betty Kallenbach, one of our board members, to tell her she had the some old hats and other old articles of clothing which she would like to donate to the Museum. She and her husband Elwood, who live in Eldon, are Life Members of the Historical Society. She said the hats had been in her closets and she had no need for them.

Doris Wiggins, another of our board members, placed the hats in various locations in the museum. They all were very fancy and were styles common in the late 19th, early 20th century. Some were placed in the Women’s Style area of the museum (photo 29).

29 Womens Wear Display

Others were placed in various areas including the restrooms of the lower level of the museum (photos 30 and 31).

30 Women's Restroom - Judy Pryor and Doris Gibson

31 Men's Restroom

All our restrooms have historic items for display some of which are very interesting.

As we prepare for the opening of the new bridge across the Osage River, we are discussing with MoDOT plans for an opening ceremony. The department prior to starting construction of the new bridge did much research on the history of the present bridge. This research has been compiled and made into a very interesting narrative, a copy of which was sent to our museum last week. I am placing it on our website for those who want to read it. It is about thirty pages long so I will place it here as an attachment which those who want to can read at their leisure (photo 32):

Note: The attached PDF document is 14.2 Megabytes in size and may take 1-3 minutes (depending on your Internet connection speed) to download before viewing.

32 MoDOT Documentation of the Tuscumbia Bridge
Click image to view complete document in PDF format

We have on this website two locations to which you can refer which covers some but certainly not all of the information about the bridge history contained in the present manuscript. However, you might want to check the websites out because they have quite a few old photos you might find interesting. The websites are:

http://www.millercountymuseum.org/archives/090525.html
http://www.millercountymuseum.org/events/bridgededication.html

We are looking forward to the Saturday, May 15 season opening for the museum which will begin at 10:00 a.m. and close at 4:00 p.  Helping us celebrate will be the Joe Jeffries musical group which will perform from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

And finally, here are some more Lake of the Ozarks photo post cards from Mike Wieneman (photos 33 - 40):

33 The Palisades

34 Bagnell Dam

35 Lake of the Ozarks

36 The Tom Sawyer

37 Lake of the Ozarks

38 Bagnell Dam

39 Greetings

40 Horseshoe Bend Drive

That’s all for this week.

Joe Pryor

Previous article links are in a dropdown menu at the top of all of the pages.