Cap Au Gris School House, Winfield Missouri

[indolence73]

Not sure if any of you are interested in checking it out, but there is an old abandoned school house in Winfield Missouri off of Highway N off of Sandy Slough Road (heading towards Lock & Dam No. 25).

[Nicotti]

Not sure if any of you are interested in checking it out...

lol you obviously don't know us very well... we're always interested.

[SubLunar]

Excellent contribution. Is it hard to find?

There's gotta be more stuff like this out there.

I know of a couple other old schoolhouses out in the country but they're basically on private property and with no visible points of entry.

[Nicotti]

Is it hard to find?

According to Bing Maps Sandy Slough Rd can't be more than a quarter mile long and there's not much on it.

[indolence73]

Drive down Highway N and make the left onto Sandy Slough Rd and the school house is just off to the right hand side. You can see it from the road, even easier to see during the Winter & Fall.

If you are looking at google maps the school house is in that first cluster of trees on the right hand side when you first turn on to Sandy Slough.


http://maps.google.com/maps?q=winfield& ... i&t=h&z=19

There is ample places to park (either at the Dam parking lot or off the side of the road by the little bridge taking you to the dam).

Not sure exactly how old it is but the town of Cap-Au-Gris was incorporated in 1875 and had ceased to exist by 1888. As the railroad became more prominent several of the little towns along the River ceased to exist once river traffic dwindled.

[SubLunar]

Cool thanks.

[indolence73]

And some background on the town of Cap-Au-Gris:

CAP-AU-GRIS.

Is situated on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in Township 49 north, Range 3 east, about sixteen miles east of Troy. It was laid out in November, 1845, on land of David BAILEY, in Survey 1653. The plat was acknowledged before Charles WHEELER, a justice of the peace. At the August term of the county court, in 1875, it was incorporated under the name and style of "The Inhabitants of the Town of Wiota," the old name being discarded; however, the people never became accustomed to the new name, but continued to use the old name. The board of trustees appointed, when the place was incorporated, consisted of William JEWELL, Antoine GUION, Patrick WYLAND, Lem A. SPRINGERSTUN and F. G. HOYT. In an early day it was a shipping point for Troy and some other places, and before the railroads took away its trade it was a place of considerable business and importance. In 1875 when it was incorporated, being some years before the railroads in this county were completed, it contained inhabitants enough to compose at least a board of trustees, but at present the town exists only in name.

[SubLunar]

I had to pay a speeding ticket in that town once. Always planned to go back and drive around it looking for stuff.

[Nicotti]

So did that town only exist in the area next to the river where the lock and dam is now or is it part of winfield now?

[indolence73]

So did that town only exist in the area next to the river where the lock and dam is now or is it part of winfield now?

From what I understand it was only a small town along the riverfront. At one time it was a stopping point for river shippers. Once the CB&Q rail route(now part of the BNSF Hannibal sub) came through it shut down or wiped out many of these little river towns. I can't say that I have run across any other signs of the town other than old school house. With the way it floods out there I am sure most of it has been wiped out.

Another little river town just north of Old Monroe on the Cuivre River called Chain Of Rocks was another stopping point for shippers. The steamboats would shoot up the Cuivre off of the Mississippi River and drop off goods at Chain of Rocks. Once the CB&Q came through most of the businesses shut down or moved up the river to Old Monroe to be close to the railroad. There are still a couple of houses and the remains of the Chain of Rocks Bridge (no, not that COR bridge) out there.

One business that moved was the Shacher Family's General Store. The family opened their new store in Old Monroe in 1900 and the building still stands today (the corner of 1st Street & Locust Street). I was lucky enough to get inside and take a bunch of pictures of the inside of the old store right before it was auctioned off last year. Looks like who ever purchased it is trying to rehab it. No idea what they plan on doing with the old store.

[indolence73]

So did that town only exist in the area next to the river where the lock and dam is now or is it part of winfield now?

From what I understand it was only a small town along the riverfront. At one time it was a stopping point for river shippers. Once the CB&Q rail route(now part of the BNSF Hannibal sub) came through it shut down or wiped out many of these little river towns. I can't say that I have run across any other signs of the town other than old school house. With the way it floods out there I am sure most of it has been wiped out.

Another little river town just north of Old Monroe on the Cuivre River called Chain Of Rocks was another stopping point for shippers. The steamboats would shoot up the Cuivre off of the Mississippi River and drop off goods at Chain of Rocks. Once the CB&Q came through most of the businesses shut down or moved up the river to Old Monroe to be close to the railroad. There are still a couple of houses and the remains of the Chain of Rocks Bridge (no, not that COR bridge) out there.

One business that moved was the Shacher Family's General Store. The family opened their new store in Old Monroe in 1900 and the building still stands today (the corner of 1st Street & Locust Street). I was lucky enough to get inside and take a bunch of pictures of the inside of the old store right before it was auctioned off last year. Looks like who ever purchased it is trying to rehab it. No idea what they plan on doing with the old store.

[Mandi Milenko]

No shit! I've been in this thing several times now! I had no idea it was a school house! It's right on the way to Winfield Lock and Dam. You can't miss it!

[indolence73]

Cool pics! Nice to know some of you make it out to my neck of the woods sometimes!!

[Mandi Milenko]

Hell yeah! I was just out there a few weeks ago. I will be there more because the lock and dam is a good place to watch for eagles!

[PANIC! on the Titanic]

Hey I know this place. Used to run there during cross country practices. Never knew it was an old school though, just always thought it was some house. All along the river buried in the forest are bunches of old riverside cabins and stuff that are vacant after I guess flood of 93.

Going further down towards the ferry there's pretty much the perfect place for methlabs, and I'm sure they are out there along N and Big Box road. Creepy ass backroads.

+1 on the eagles!


Indolence, PM sent