Steelville Area

[Txreproshop]

I recently found this site while doing some research on an old high school in Cherryville MO. As I mentioned on that topic I grew up in Steelville, graduated from Steelville high school in 1974. I moved to the STL area very soon after, but have lived in Dallas TX area for over 25 years now - Plano to be specific. I have not been back to Steelville in at least 15 years, but some of the topics on this site got me to thinking about some of the things I can remember when growing up there.

I have done a search on this site to avoid duplicating topics and conversations about the places/areas I am about to mention. So if I have done so, I apologize.

Here are some things that I would like to throw out and see if anyone else is interested or has possible memories of these.

Steelville once had a well known "college" that later became the high school, there is chance this bldg. may still be there - this is not the bldg. at Hwy 8 & 19 that I went to. There was a town immediately to the N-NE of Steelville that was thriving town with a population of over 300 that ceased to exist around 1900. There is an abandoned RR bed that runs East out of Steelville to some old abandoned mines and another town that no longer exists. There are even a few more things I can think of.

[SubLunar]

Don't worry about duplicate information if you're providing information, we always appreciate that. It's when people request already existing information that bugs people sometimes. So, thanks and keep it coming!

[SubLunar]

edit

[mindwaave]

There is an abandoned RR bed that runs East out of Steelville to some old abandoned mines and another town that no longer exists. There are even a few more things I can think of.

Are those the same disused rails that run nearby the Cherryville school? Thanks again for the info!

[Txreproshop]

Not sure what that is, do not remember much about that particular area for some reason.

Here is some info on the old college/school I mentioned. This was actually in town, I cannot recall what street or if it would even still be there. Growing up we called it "The old book factory" - not to be confused with the SanVal bindery that was in town later.

From a book written in the 1970's:

Steelville as an educational center in Crawford County is unsurpassed in
the annaIs of Missouri history. As a special feature the history of the
famous Steelville Normal and Business College is given in another chapter.
It has been said that more prominent men and women passed through the doors
of this little institution between 1890 and 1900 than through any of the
great colleges of the east.

The Steelville Academy under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church was
the forerunner of academic education in Steelville. After it closed the
building which was used. for the Academy was sold to the Steelville Public
School. This building was located south of the Yadkin at the site of the
present Conimunity Center.

After a period of years the Steelville School moved into the building
formerly used by the Steelville Normal Business Institute. After a
disastrous fire in the nineteen thirties the Steelville School was moved to
a new building at the west end of the town. Although there are no colleges
in Steelville today, the pubIic schooI ranks among the best in the state
for towns of comparable size.

Link to complete article: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mo/crawfo ... tlvill.txt

Link to picture of the old bldg.: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mocra ... steelv.htm

[Txreproshop]

There is an abandoned RR bed that runs East out of Steelville to some old abandoned mines and another town that no longer exists. There are even a few more things I can think of.

Are those the same disused rails that run nearby the Cherryville school? Thanks again for the info!

No this set of rails ran east out of town toward what is know is as "Cherry Valley" the old mine town. My family property was across the road the from the old rail bed.

[Txreproshop]

Then there was the town of Midland. It was just a couple of miles - if that - from Steelville. Here is a copy and paste:


Midland

Midland was situated on the St. Louis, Salem & Little Rock Railroad, two miles north of Steelville. It was started by the Midland Blast Furnace Company, in 1872, who put up a two-story frame store building 40 x 64 feet in size...A new two-story frame building was erected in the spring of 1888, 60 x 70 feet in size...The population was estimated at 350 in 1888. (--Hist. of Crawford Co., p. 600.)

It was a town founded about 1880 by the Midland Furnace Company two miles north of the City of Steelville...At one time it had a population of about 300. About 1894 the furnace was dissembled, business was discontinued and the town ceased to exist. (--Encyclopedia of the Hist. of Mo., 1901, Conard, Vol. 4, p. 376.)

Of course I never saw this place, but I do remember where it was at and can remember seeing where streets were at one time and signs of some old bldgs. were still there. There RR mentioned is the one that still runs northward toward Cuba. I have never been able to find a map that shows Midland.

[Chris]

The tracks that run south of Cuba aren't used any more passed some industries on the south side of town.

The St. Louis, Salem and Little Rock became part of the Frisco (St. Louis-San Francisco) Railroad, and for most of the line's life was the "Salem Branch" to Salem, Missouri. There were other branches off of the Salem branch that came and went, one west to a mine location known as "DeCamp", there is a road in the area by that name now. Another branch led to the east of Steelville, crossing Sanke Road. The crossbucks are supposedly still in place. The only industry on this line when it closed was a charcoal plant along Sanke Road, and Google Maps indicates the ruins of that plant are still there (or where when the photo was taken). This would have been the line that served the Midland Blast Furnace Co. I think this line was abandoned in the late 50s. Further south, there was once a booming company town and iron smelter known as Sligo. The Sligo and Eastern railroad served the smelter as well as timber operations in the area and connected with Frisco's Salem branch at a point known as
Goltra Junction. This line was abandoned around 1930. There is a gas station in Bixby with a caboose next to it. This gas station was originally a Sligo and Eastern station.

Later, during the 1960s Frisco built a line branching off the Salem Branch known as the "lead line", serving various lead mines and smelters in the area. The line ended south of Viburnum and was partially built on the right-of-way of the old Sligo and Eastern.

In 1980 the Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern (itself a product of a 1970 merger) and the Burlington Northern merged with the Santa Fe in 1996 to become the Burlington Northern Santa Fe which currently operates the St. Louis-Springfield ex-Frisco line via Cuba.

In the 1980s the Salem branch (except for the lead line) was abandoned. As smelters and mines closed on the lead line, traffic dwindled. I think the last cars in storage were pulled out in the early 2000s and the line was officially abandoned a few years ago.

Today not much track remains in service south of the wye in Cuba, but I believe track is still in place all the way to the end of the line south of Viburnum.

This track weaves through some beautiful territory and would make a great start for a tourist / heritage / museum railroad with a lot of interesting history.

This area of Missouri and the Frisco branch lines that served it is fascinating to me.

[GoFurther]

Here's an interesting tib bit from Steelville's past... anyone know any thing about the Puckett's Cave Giant?

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... /giant.htm

[Meester Beeg]

Sci Fi channel is doing a BS "documentary" on this in January.

[GoFurther]

Sci Fi channel is doing a BS "documentary" on this in January.

That's funny... will have to keep my eyes out for it.

[PANIC! on the Titanic]

I have never been able to find a map that shows Midland.

I went ahead and found a 1933 Steelville map with the school indicated on it:



I don't see any indication of streets or anything in that area (circled below), except for the old rail line that I traced in yellow.



Someone should go sniffin around there. I'd say bring a metal detector but all the mines are for shit like hematite and limonite so the ground is pretty iron rich.

[Meester Beeg]

My old DeLorme atlas shows Midland.

[Chris]

I have never been able to find a map that shows Midland.

I went ahead and found a 1933 Steelville map with the school indicated on it:



I don't see any indication of streets or anything in that area (circled below), except for the old rail line that I traced in yellow.



Someone should go sniffin around there. I'd say bring a metal detector but all the mines are for shit like hematite and limonite so the ground is pretty iron rich.

I would love to walk the old rail line. Field trip?

[mindwaave]

I would love to walk the old rail line. Field trip?

+1