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UPCOMING
MEETING--AUGUST 6, 2009
Business Meeting. Program: "Polk
County Railroads" by Charles Gass
Kewpie
Dolls on display at PCGS until August 10
A special
exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of
the Kewpie Dolls made famous by
artist Rose O'Neill opens Saturday, July 11 at 10
a.m. at PCGS. Roxanne Young with the Bonniebrook
Historical Society (near Branson, MO) will be at
PCGS on Saturday with information about the
family history of the dolls. For more
information, see http://www.roseoneill.org/
Celebrate
the history of Polk County with a set of Limited
Edition souvenir playing cards!
For more information, see below or click here.
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
dont 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
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RECENT
PUBLICATIONS!
Poems by W. J Cox . . . $15.00
A collection of poems composed by Polk County
resident W. J. Cox and published in the Bolivar
Free Press
between 1911-1925. There are over 200 poems in
the book. Indexed. 297 pages
Humansville Star-Leader
Polk County, Missouri Obituaries 2007. . . $10.00
Complete collection of published obituaries from
the year's Humansville newspaper.
Indexed. 37 pages.
Polk
County, MO Plat Map 1881 . . . . . $25.00 for
book;
. . . . . $15.00 for 3' x 3' black/white copy of
map
. . . . $35.00 if purchased together (savings of
$5)
Hanging on
the wall in the PCGS Library is a map of Polk
County dated 1881. This large
plat map takes up a floor to ceiling section of
the library near the elevator. This map has been
scanned and indexed and put into book form, each
page containing a section of the map. Many
volunteer hours from PCGS members went into the
making of this book. Thanks to all helpers!
The book is regular size, 8 1/2 x 11 with
fold-out pages in the map section.
It ships via Priority Mail.
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.
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