Polk County Genealogical Society, Inc.
Headquartered in Bolivar, Missouri, United States of America

President's Corner

The other day at the library I ran across a CD with a survey from 1821-1844 (most pages dated 1835) of Polk
County. The CD was created at least eight years ago from microfiche located at the Greene County archives. I
opened the CD and was soon mesmerized by the features found in the survey. The map had the early homesteads,
farm fields and physical features of Polk County drawn on it. The first things that caught my eye (and have
consumed way too much of my time lately) are the early trace roadways. Most followed the path of least
resistance and served the purpose of travel to the closest points of commerce, such as Boonville, Warsaw and
Osceola; others branched off to serve as an artery from farm to farm. Some of these paths can still be seen on
undeveloped property throughout the county.
One thing of interest on the map was a feature named Tree Mound Prairie. It was located in an area now known
as Three Mound Prairie. On the original survey I found three mounds and a fourth mound or rise in the prairie
covered in timber. I am sure this timber did not survive long, as it would have been needed in the area for cabins
and cooking, but at this time, there were few inhabitants in this prairie land, so the trees survived. So was the map
wrong or had the name changed when more people moved in and the mound no longer had any trees? I don’t have
an answer to this but did find that the first settlement located there was named Tre[e]mount until 1903 when the
post office was renamed Karlin. So I am going to conclude, at this point, that the original name of Three Mound
Prairie was Tree Mound Prairie.

Susan Sparks

Fossils and Footprints (See The Rest of the Story below)

Bolivar's first streets were made of mud and crushed rock. At each of the crosswalks around the
square there were large flat rocks so that people using the rudimentary sidewalks of the time would
not have to dirty their feet, or the ladies their long dresses, while crossing the dirt street. The streets
surrounding our courthouse were paved for the first time in 1912. The entire project cost $9,000,
with the county paying $5,300 and the business owners on the square picking up the remaining amount.
As soon as the paving was completed, the city crew started tearing up the crosswalks so that they could
also be cemented. While tearing up the crosswalk on the northwest side of the square, a geological
discovery, of great importance at the time, was made. When one of the large flat stones was turned over,
the underside was found to contain two impressions of a child's foot. One of the tracks, the one made by
the right foot, was very distinct. All that remained of the other was the heel mark, the balance having
eroded away or having been chipped off when the stone was quarried. The footprints were shod in
moccasins and were as clear as if they had just been made. The stone was quarried about 20 years
previous to its discovery. This stone was taken to a local expert, J. M. Leavitt. Leavitt had been a
collector of Indian artifacts for years and had a house full of items that he had collected in Polk County
during his lifetime. Local photos were taken of the stone and then the U. S. Geological Survey was
alerted to the find. Where are these today? No one knows but they may have been sent to Washington,
D.C. or used as a doorstop until lost to time.

Susan Sparks

THE REST OF THE STORY

By Jean Pufahl Vincent

I received my monthly edition of the Polk County Genealogical Society's newsletter and, as usual, read
it with great interest. I found Susan Sparks' article about the "Moccasin Rock" to be the most interesting
thing I had read for some time. She mentioned that the rock had been given to J. M. Leavitt and that no one
knows where the rock is today. However, David and I do know where the rock is, and here's the "rest of the
story."

I grew up in a neighborhood populated by many family members. My Grandparents Pufahl lived across the
street in one house, and my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin lived next to them. They all lived in wonderful, big old
houses--ours wasn't nearly as big as theirs, but we all had free access to the houses, the yards, and the fields
out behind. My uncle, Pete Leavitt (son of J.M. Leavitt), had marvelous things in his back yard-all kinds of
animals in cages (including skunks) that he took in when they were injured and 'doctored' them, and he also
had a fascinating rock. It had a depression in it that looks just like what a moccasin-clad child's footprint
would look like if the child stepped in the mud. I always thought the rock was a wonderful thing.

When Uncle Pete and Aunt Helene died and my cousin, Lorraine, moved to a smaller home she took the rock
with her. In time, the rock came in to my possession. I've tried to keep it under the eaves and protected from
the weather. When I moved to Maryland the rock stayed here on the farm. The folk who rented the place also
cared for the rock until we moved back in 2006. The rock was in residence when we moved back; there was
a lot of remodeling and landscaping still going on at that time. David and I were afraid the rock would get
covered up, and talked about moving it to a safer place. Then we went back to Maryland to conclude some
business and pick up our car. We didn't think about the rock for some time except to wonder, now and then,
"where could it be?". Then we read Susan's article and that set things in motion. Up to that time I had no idea
about the history of the rock… I only knew it hadbelonged to Uncle Pete. I went out and dug a trench around
the porch where I thought the rock should be. It wasn't there. Uncle (Mynatt Scott) brought out a probe, and
between Uncle, David and myself we probed the whole flower bed and dug up about half of it. We found
bricks, rebar, all kinds of rocks and several sections of the foundation of the house that used to be here, but
no moccasin rock. We were all afraid it was gone forever.

Later that same day, David and I were walking across the barn lot when a particularly square-shaped rock
caught our eye. Susan had mentioned that the rock had been quarried. We walked over to it. David turned
it over, and there was the moccasin print! Rarely has such excitement ensued in Polk County over the location
of a rock! After we found the rock David remembered moving it to keep it safe before we went back East. As
soon as he said it I remembered him telling me about it while we were on the trip. We shall use the excuse
of having too much on our minds at the time. We're just glad this piece of Polk County History is still safe
and secure.

Note : The rock is now on display at the PCGS library for all to see. Come visit us!

SPECIAL ITEMS FOR SALE

Limited Edition Postcards are now available from PCGS! Two versions--one with a picture of
the PCGS Library; the other stating "Greetings from Polk County, Missouri" with a picture of the
Polk County Courthouse in the background. Postcards are 50 cents each or five for $2.00.
More information and pictures coming soon.

Polk County
Souvenir Historical
Deck of Cards!

Limited quantities. Get yours today!
Only $10.00 per deck plus $3.50 shipping.
For more information, click here.





Polk County
Souvenir Military
Deck of Cards!

Limited quantities. Get yours today!
Only $10.00 per deck plus $3.50 shipping.
For more information, click here.

Polk County Souvenir
Deck of Cards!

Limited quantities. Get yours today!
Only $12.00 per deck plus $3.50 shipping.
For more information, click here.

A set of all three decks is available for $25.
That is a $7 discount off buying them separately.
This is a limited time offer, so buy yours today.
Shipping charge on the set of 3 card decks is $5.
For more info., please contact the PCGS at info@pcgsmo.com or 417-777-2820

Polk County Courthouse Centennial Print . . . $25.00 + $10.00 s/h
(For more information on the Courthouse print, click here

Will Book Index new April 2009
To see the list of wills, click the link above.

This is an indexed list of the wills that have been filed in the Polk County Probate Court from the mid-1880s to 1979.
The books contain a transcribed copy of the will. PCGS has microfilm of Probate Records that may or may not include
an actual copy of the will.
For a digital image of the will book page or a complete transcription, the charge is $5.00.
WE WILL NOT PHOTOCOPY FROM THESE BOOKS AS IT WILL DAMAGE THEM. For more information,
please contact PCGS at info@pcgsmo.com

INDEXES OF LIBRARY HOLDINGS AND OTHER RESOURCES
UPDATED APRIL 2009
Library holdings, archival holdings, obituary files, microfilm--all updated.
Includes new sections on archival finding aids and index to Polk County History Book
To see the updated listings, click here

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY:
If Bolivar schools are closed because of weather, the library will also be closed.
There will be no night meeting, either, if school is closed on a Thursday. If bad weather
develops on a Thursday afternoon before the regular monthly meeting, members can
call 417-777-2820 to find out the status of the meeting. Click here for school closings
list at ky3.com

PCGS Library Hours : 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mon., Wed., Fri. and Sat.