The huge Highway 54 project in western Miller and eastern Camden counties is reaching the end of the first stage of rerouting this busy highway around the congested Lake Ozark and Osage Beach areas. The hills and hollows are difficult enough for highway construction but add to that the result of more than three quarters of a century of tourist related development, most of it having been built without planning and zoning, and you have a really complicated task to accomplish regarding traffic management. How astonished, I imagine, would be the original homesteaders of the land where the Bagnell Dam was built were they to see what has been done with their property in the last one hundred years. I was curious enough about who were the original owners of the land where the Dam was built that I looked at the 1905 plat map to identify their names. What I found was that the Houston family owned all the land where the Dam was built the year the 1905 platting was done.
To become oriented first take a look at the political township map of Miller County and you will see that Glaze Township extends a finger up to the northwest (photo 01).
01 Miller County Political Townships Click image for larger view
It is in this area where the Bagnell Dam was constructed across the Osage River. The numerated Township map reveals that this area is in T40N R15W (photo 02).
02 Miller County Townships Click image for larger view
A closeup of the southeast corner of Section 19 of T40N R15W is where the Bagnell Dam was built. This is more obvious if you look at a recent closeup of Section 19 and you will see in the bottom right corner where business Highway 54 crosses the dam going to the northeast (photo 03).
03 Section 19
Now if you study closely the 1905 closeup of Section 19 you will see that the property on both sides of the Osage River where the dam was constructed belonged to A.P. Houston, who was the son of J.M. Houston, whose farm adjoins that of A.P. (photo 04).
04 Section 19 Plat Map - 1905
To the west of J.M. Houston is another Houston farm owned by W.J.Houston. Jonathan Milton Houston (photo 05) was the father of Alfred Persis Houston (photo 06) and William J. Houston (photo 07), the two land owners which adjoined his land. The land in the name of Alfred Persis Houston extends to the other side of the Osage River as is shown on the maps.
05 Jonathan Milton Houston
06 Alfred Persis Houston
07 William Jefferson Houston
Here is a family photo of Jonathan, Benjamin, Alfred and William Houston (photo 08):
08 Jonathan, Benjamin, Alfred and William Houston
The story of Jonathan Milton Houston was published in the book Lake of the Ozarks in 1981, as part of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the construction of Bagnell Dam. The story was written by Ruby Snoderly Goforth. I am not sure what the relationship was of Ms. Goforth to Jonathan Milton Houston; however, I have not found another account as informative as the one Ms. Goforth wrote so I will copy it here:
Jonathan Milton Houston
Jonathon Milton Houston homesteaded in Equality Township on the Osage River in 1840; other pioneers were Benjamin Cotton, Andrew Estes and Jacob Shaw McComb. These three families intermarried in the intervening years.
Jonathon Houston, from Tennessee, married Fatima Lucretia Estes, daughter of Andrew Estes of Tennessee. He helped organize the Flatwood Baptist Church in 1872. He was the first teacher in Miller County near Rocky Mount. He was pastor of Blue Spring and Gilgal Baptist Churches.
His farm on the Osage included the site of Bagnell Dam and Duck Head Point.
Jonathon Houston’s ancestors were his father, James, of Tennessee, son of Christopher, of North Carolina, son of Robert, of Pennsylvania, son of Christopher, of Ireland and Scotland.
Jonathon and Fatima Houston had nine sons. John and James died serving in Federal Army during the Civil War. Edmund settled in Arkansas. Andrew served in the Confederate Army. Richard died in infancy. Benjamin Franklin, Persis, William and Thomas settled in the Horseshoe Bend area on and adjoining their father’s land.
The daughters, Cynthia, Mary, Cornelia and Nancy, married in Texas during the Civil War. Sarah died in infancy.
Benjamin Franklin Houston married Eliza Jane Cotten, daughter of Joseph L. and Nancy McComb Cotten. There were fifteen children, eleven surviving: Jacob, Elva, Joseph, John, Sarah, Jackson, Dona, Perry, William, Charles and Janie (photo 09).
09 Benjamin Franklin and Eliza Cotten Houston - Fifth son of Jonathan
In the late 1920’s the Union Electric Company was looking for a site on the Osage River to build the large dam later named Bagnell Dam. One of the requirements for the location was that it would include enough valley land to build an airport. The Houston family farms were located in an unusually flat and expansive area of the Osage River valley and for that reason Union Electric Company bought the land and used some of it for an airport.
In 1930, Union Electric Power Company, owners of Bagnell Dam which was under construction at that time, bought the old Houston farm near the dam site to provide a landing field for airplanes which were used by the company's many officials and employees. Space available provided two runways; each 2000 feet long and 300 feet wide. In 1929 and 1930, the ace aviator for Union Electric was Errold G. Bahl who had once been the flying instructor for Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh. He piloted the company's tri-motor plane, which was named "Union Electric", and commuted daily between St. Louis and Bagnell Dam on a route that followed the electric transmission lines into the St. Louis area (photo 10).
10 Union Electric Airplane Click image for larger view
Bahl had a barnstorming group of flyers in the early 1920s whom Lindbergh joined at Lincoln, Nebraska.
Unfortunately, Errold Bahl was killed in an auto accident at St. Louis in October 1930 at the peak of his aviation career (photo 11).
11 Errold Grover Bahl
Jonathan Milton Houston was the brother of Alfred Moore Houston (photo 12).
12 Alfred and Melinda Houston
Both were sons of James Houston. Alfred had a son named James Montgomery Houston who also lived in Miller County near Eldon. Peggy Hake has written a biography of James Montgomery Houston which I will copy here:
James Montgomery Houston, one Miller County's pioneer settlers, died at his home, four miles northwest of Eldon, on 20 December 1922. James was one of nine children born to Alfred M. and Malinda Houston who came to Miller County in the late 1820s and the county was not formed until 1837. Alfred was a native of North Carolina and Malinda was born in Kentucky (per census records).
Their children included:
- 1. Emily Houston b. c/1828-29 m. John Oneal
- 2. Milton A. Houston b. c/1831 m.
- 3. Porter L. Houston b. c/1835 m. Emaline A. McConnell
- 4. Minerva J. Houston b. c/1836 m. James Brown
- 5. James M. Houston b. 1838 m. Sarah Ann White
- 6. Hiram C. Houston b. 1840 m. Drucilla Noelle
- 7. Thomas M. Houston b. c/1842 m. Laura Croy
- 8. Amanda Houston b. c/1845 m. Jacob McComb
- 9. William A. Houston b. c/1848 m.
Alfred M. Houston, the father of James, was a son of James Houston and Patience Bills and was born in North Carolina in 1798. When the Houston family came to Miller County in the late 1820s, the land they homesteaded was then part of Cole County. It was stated in his obituary that the land was bought for 25 cents per acre. Some of their neighbors in the census of 1840 were the families of Spence, Wilkes, Taylor, Adcock, Swanson, and Dresser. When Miller County was formed in February 1837, Alfred M. Houston was appointed as Commissioner of Miller County's Seat of Justice, the first county official in the town of Tuscumbia. He served in this capacity until 1845.
James Montgomery Houston was born on March 9, 1838 on the farm his parents homesteaded just a few years earlier. He lived on the family farm in northwest Saline Township all his life and died there at the age of 84 years in 1922.
James married Sarah Ann White in Miller County 11 Feb 1875. She was a daughter of George W. and Mary White who lived near the Houston family. James and Sarah/Sally never had any children of their own. James was active in the Christian Church at Barnett (Morgan Co.); was a member of Ionia Lodge of Eldon; Chapter of Free Masons of Royal Arch Masons of Eldon; and the Etterville Lodge of the I.O.O.F. During the Civil War, James served in the Missouri Home Guards from the rosters of 1861-65.
James died on December 20, 1922 at his home and was laid to rest in Salem Cemetery where his father and mother were also buried. He was survived by his wife, Sarah/Sally (White) to whom he had been married for almost 50 years. Sarah Ann lived until 3 April 1926 and was buried beside James at Salem Cemetery.
According to cemetery records the following is the births and deaths of the Houston family:
- HOUSTON, James M. 9 Mar 1838-20 Dec 1922
- Sarah A. 7 Sep 1847-3 Apr 1926
- Alfred M. 17 Aug 1798-7 Sep 1881
- Malinda 15 Apr 1809-13 Aug 1874
Many of the Houston family descendents continued to live in Miller County, quite a number of whom are related to Jonathan Milton Houston, one of the original Houstons to come here. But now the next time you cross Bagnell Dam you can take note that at one time on both ends of where the Dam is located you would have been on or near land owned by the Houston family.
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Larry Flaugher and I visited Joyce Mace to receive some historical details about Lee Mace, originator of the Ozark Opry show, in preparation for an honorary recognition of Lee who was a Tuscumbia graduate. One of the items Joyce gave us was an old envelope edged in black which contained an announcement of a death. Lee had been given the letter by Dr. Robert Murrell of Eldon. We don’t know the details of the letter itself but the envelope was preserved since that type of communication of death rarely is used nowadays (photo 14).
14 Letter edged in black sent to Dr. Murrell and given to Lee Mace Click image for larger view
I did some research on the Internet about black edged letters at these URL’s:
Once as common as birth announcements are today, these dire dispatches of the 19th and early 20th centuries usually included a black border around the envelope's edge or around the stamp. Some had black wax seals or an embossment of a flower or crown on them. While the practice of posting letters edged in black eventually died out in North America, some European countries still use it, though not as widely as a century ago.
Sometimes referred to as “Mourning Covers” they can be briefly defined as black-edged posted letters used as harbingers of death and messengers of grief. The black edged letters were as common in the past as wedding and birth announcements are today.
People in the 20th and 21st centuries would find the use of death-related black-edged letters as a strange and bizarre cultural practice. But in the context of social customs of the time, they were rational social phenomenon and are still considered to be so in a few countries. Black-marked mourning covers were used because they were considered natural and proper and as important rites of mourning and grieving.
The sending of letters edged in black was so common one hundred years or more ago that a song was composed in 1897 entitled “The Letter Edged in Black” by a Kansas City lady named Hattie Nevada (photo 15).
15 Letter Edged in Black Click image for larger view
It was widely recorded in the late 1890’s. In the1920’s it was revived by Vernon Dalhart. The earliest recordings of the song were on the old cylinders and played on wind up phonographs.
Hattie, whose real name was Mrs. Harriot Nevada (Hicks) Woodbury, was married to Frank Woodbury, who founded the Kansas City Talking Machine Company. Her composition of “The Letter Edged in Black” originally was only produced by her husband’s company.
The recording of “The Letter Edged in Black” by Vernon Dalhart was quite popular; you can listen to it from YouTube here:
Most of the early arrivals to Miller County traveled by covered wagon drawn by oxen. After settling here oxen were used for working the soil rather than horses in many instances. Farmers often came to town using a cart drawn by oxen. In fact, if you go to our web site search engine and type the word “oxen” you will find 52 examples of the use of oxen early on in our history. During the Miller County Centennial Celebration in 1937 the organizers felt it important to include in the parade a covered wagon drawn by oxen, not horses or mules.
In our museum we have given attention to the importance of travel by oxen and covered wagon. One exhibit displays the original yoke for oxen used by George Weeks (photo 18), one of the original developers of the town of Eldon, which he used when he first came to this area (photo 19).
18 George Weeks
19 Original yoke belonging to George Weeks
Also included is a model of a covered wagon drawn by oxen (photo 20).
20 Ox and Wagon Model
Many narratives have been written about travel in those days long ago by covered wagon. However, one interesting account of travel by covered wagon occurred rather late in the time frame that long distance travel by horse and/or oxen occurred. It is a story written by Ginnie Duffield about Rachel Hall (photo 21) and her family who came from Kansas to Eldon in 1913 by covered wagon.
21 Rachel Hall
Here is a copy of it scanned from an issue of the Advertiser years ago. The date is not given on the clipping of the article (photo 22):
22 Rachel Hall Article Click image for larger view
Rachel and her husband for many years owned and operated a store midway between Tuscumbia and Eldon known as “Hall’s Store.” You can read more about Rachel and Hall’s Store at this previous Progress Notes.
I have selected from our website a number of stories having to do with those who traveled here by covered wagon. You can read a few introductory paragraphs of each of those stories and if you want, can click on the URL for that story to read the rest of it. I have placed this listing of narratives here as an attachment (photo 23):
23 Results of Site Search Click image to read entire Search Results in PDF format
And for those who want even more information about travel by covered wagon, the Wikipedia site is very informative.
Again this week I will present another chapter from Vance Randolph’s book, Ozark Superstitions (photo 24).
24 Vance Randolph
Refer back to the Progress Notes of August 30 to read Vance’s biography. This week Vance writes about “Ghost Stories” popularly told about in the Ozarks a century ago (photo 25).
25 Ozark Superstitions - Ghost Stories Click image to read entire chapter in PDF format
Here is a copy of the front cover of the new book by Dan Peek entitled “Live! at the Ozark Opry” (photo 26):
26 "Live! at the Ozark Opry" Book Cover
Click image for larger view in PDF format
It will be released in November but you can get a significant discount if you place an order before then according to what Dan told me. To order by Internet, you can get it at the Barnes and Noble website.
We will be selling copies of the book at the museum but will have to wait until it is released to have them available.
Dan was a performer for Lee at the old “hootenanny” show that Lee produced back in the early 1960’s. He has been a long time fan of Lee and the Opry ever since.
Early last year Dan came to the museum to talk to me about obtaining photos for his book (quite a few are from our website). After our time together I took him over to Jimmy Skiles home for an interview. Jimmy was the fiddler for the Lake of the Ozarks square dance team early on back in the 1950’s. Dan really enjoyed meeting Jimmy and visited with him for two or three hours. Sadly, Jim passed away earlier this year. I’m glad though that he had the opportunity to talk to Dan to offer him more interesting insight and history about the Lee Mace era of Ozark musical entertainment.
Here is an original oil painting of an autumn scene in the Ozarks which I bought more than twenty years ago (photo 27):
27 Autumn Painting
I always look forward to Fall to see what kind of color the foliage will produce each season.
That’s all for this week.
Joe Pryor
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Joe Pryor
