Bit of History - April 7, 2022

The year of 1914 was a big one for the city of Ridgeway.  That was the year that the city built a City Hall and jail and contracted to have a gasoline-powered electric plant build and the city wired for electricity. In the midst of all this, on June 23, 1914, J. H. Shirer and C. S. Stoner came to the board of alderman with a proposal:  if the board would contribute to the cost of building a new bandstand in the park, they would raise the rest of the money via donations.  Per the meeting minutes of the City of Ridgeway Board of Aldermen,  the board considered that proposal and agreed to give $150.  The board appointed three men to serve as the Park Board to oversee construction:  A. A. Guteridge (Chairmen), Ernest Snider and “Mr. Daniels”.  Meanwhile, donations were being collected.  Per an article in the July 2, 1914, issue of the Ridgeway Journal, the old stand had been torn down and the new one started.  One donation was a benefit by the Rex Theater where they donated their proceeds from showing an a one-reel comedy entitled “Those Persistent Old Maids” and a two-reel drama named “The Power of Prayer”.  The program also included orchestra selections, vocal solos, and a male quartette.  At the time of the screening, the town had collected $350 of the expected $450 cost of the stand (about $12,767 today.)  By the August 1 board meeting, the building had been completed to the point of adding the roof.  

Park Bandstand in September, 2022

Bit of History - March 30, 2022

 “Where’s Perry?”  In August 1914, the Ridgeway Journal posted a $5 reward for any information about a printer of theirs named Perry Tschup (pronounced “chupp”) who had gone missing in the night of August 6.  He was described as “22 years old, of small stature, 5’6” in height, weight about 130.  Black hair and eyes, fair complexation, and at the time of his disappearance, had a slight wound over right eye.  Will probably show up in some printing office.”   (Ridgeway Journal, Aug 13, 1914)

That was the last anyone seemed to have heard of Perry in Ridgeway in 1914. I scanned through several weeks of Ridgway Journals after that notice and didn’t find another mention of him despite the $5 reward (about $140 today).  Thanks to the power of the internet, I did find him – in Indiana.  It seems that Perry returned home to Munster, IN where he worked as a printer in the winter and on freighters during the summer.  He entered the Army during WWI and got into a lot of trouble when he assaulted a young woman and ended up in jail.  He pled guilty and was turned over to the military and somehow ended up overseas to serve in the war.  He fought, was severely injured and honorably discharged.  He returned home to his old career as a printer, married, had children and grandchildren, retired from printing to become a farmer, and passed away in 1983 at the age of He died in 1983 at the age of 91. (Sources available upon request.)  I wonder if anyone in Ridgeway ever heard from him again.  I found him only because his name is rather unique and he is mentioned many times in the local papers throughout his life.  

Bit of History - March 23, 2022

We all know that advertising helps pay for the media we enjoy like streaming TV, Facebook and other social sites, radio, magazines, and yes, newspapers such as this one.  

In 1914, advertising appeared throughout the newspaper, including the front page and op-ed pages where we don’t typically see advertising these days.  For example, on the front page of the March 20, 1913 edition of the Ridgeway Journal was an advertisement for seed potatoes by Stoner’s Drug Store.  The next week (March 27, 1913) , a clothing store in Ridgeway named Campbell & Bartlett advertised their little boys’ woolen suits would last twice as long as other company’s suits for boys. Several pages later, in the “Local Mention” column, we learn that Mrs. Bessie Brock of Eagleville came to visit at the Jim Brock home, Otta Richardson went Bethany to visit his sister, Gold Medal Flour was on sale, a baby girl was born to the Inks family  and Campbell & Bartlett could clean that clothing for you to keep it looking good.  I was amused to see that the “social media” hasn’t really changed all that much.

Bit of History - March 16, 2022

In 1914, Ora Fordyce was out hunting on his property south of Ridgeway when he came upon a very unexpected site:  a body of a large reddish-brown monkey  hanging from a tree.  The monkey had a collar attached to long heavy chain that was fastened to a tree limb.  No one had any idea where the monkey came from, but Ora planned to have it stuffed and mounted.  (The Tampa Tribune, Jan 19, 1914)  I checked other sources, but no one reported a missing monkey near Ridgeway.  There was a monkey that went missing about that time from a lab at Johns Hopkins University, but that animal was found and returned. 

Ora had other interesting things happen with animals.  In 1938, his family were featured in the Maryville paper when one of his farm cats, having lost her own litter, adopted seven motherless skunks, and raised them as her own.  (The Maryville Daily Forum, Jul 06, 1936).  Then in 1940, he allegedly hauled a buffalo head back to Ridgeway that had been found just sitting on a pile of snow on Highway 69 between Eagleville and Lamoni, IA.  He installed the head in front of John Adams meat market for all to see.  (The Kansas City Times, Feb 12, 1940).

Ora Fordyce (also known as Orey F. Fordyce) was born in 1885 and grew up near Ridgeway, attending Ridgeway High School.  He owned a farm south of Ridgeway and was an avid hunter and fisherman.  He was also active in community.  If you happen to own a copy of the second volume of “Ridgeway: Then and Now”, there is a very nice story about his life on pages 18 and 19.   

Bit of History - March 9, 2022

Sometimes when I research something I find interesting, I find a fact that needs to be updated.  Such is the case with the Rev. A. J.  Showalter who wrote the music for the hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” in 1887.  Local legend was that this Rev. Showalter was the pastor at the Ridgeway Methodist church from 1901 to 1902.  Sadly, he was not actually the pastor appointed here;  A. J. was also Presbyterian, not Methodist. His initials stood for Anthony Johnson. He published over 130 music books and passed away in Tennessee in 1924.

Mention of Rev. J. A. Showalter in obituary for Rev. Isaac. Chivington, first pastor of the Ridgeway M. E. Church.  Ridgeway Journal, May 19, 1910.

Rev. J. A.  Showalter DID serve as pastor in Ridgeway from 1901 to 1902, coming here from Cainsville.  He is the one pictured with Merrill Grant in the Ridgeway: Then and Now book as well as the Harrison County Bicentennial history book.  I found his name in the Methodist pastoral appointments list published in area papers and thought it was a typo at first, but when I found his name again in 1902 in the papers, I realized that at some point, someone reversed his initials and thought he was A. J. Showalter the composer.  Rev. J. A. died in October 1902 at his home in Ballwin, KS after an illness of several months.

Bit of History - March 2, 2022

Ridgeway's original bandstand which stood in the street on the corner of Main and Cedar Streets, just in front on the building we now call the old Lions Hall.

One of the most iconic symbols of Ridgeway is its bandstand which is located in Centennial Park on the south side of City Hall.  It is a replica of the original bandstand which stood just across Main Street near what is now the old Lions Hall. The old bandstand stood over the town well and had a narrow ladder up to the top where the band played.  They played on Wednesday and Saturday evenings when many people came to Ridgeway to do their trading. 

The Ridgeway Band, taken about 1900.  

I am not sure when the bandstand was built, but it appears on the front page of the Ridgeway Journal dated June 8, 1911 and was a central part of Ridgeway social life. In the April 25, 1912 edition, the Ridgeway Journal had an article about the  Ridgeway Band organizing for that year’s entertainment under the leadership of J. H. Shirer.  They paid for their own practice hall, music and instruments and they planned to play Saturday evenings in the bandstand.  They were described as “A good strong bunch of musicians all of them and the whole bunch are old men in the music line, having played in bands in our city in seasons past.”   The old bandstand was torn down to make way for Route T.  (Bethany Republican-Clipper, Oct. 16, 1985)

Photo from the Bethany Republican-Clipper about the bandstand's construction.

Current band stand in Centennial Park under construction.

The current bandstand was built as an almost exact replica of the old one with the proceeds from the sale of the books celebrating the Ridgeway centennial:  “Ridgeway: Then and Now” volumes one and two.   An image of the old bandstand was used on the cover of the first book and the book committee headed by Alice Jean Allen raised enough money from the sale of the books to build not only the bandstand but also do the landscaping around it.  Centennial Park also includes the bell from the old Ridgeway City Hall and the flagpole was donated by the Ridgeway chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star when the group surrendered their charter and joined the Cainsville group.  

Current bandstand, taken 2021

Bit of History - February 23, 2022

Thank you to Betty P. who gave me a large stack of Ridgeway school newspapers titled “The Owl”.  The paper was put out every two weeks by the publications class.  In the February 18, 1955, edition, the Delta Lamba Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi sorority announced their picks for queen of the Heart Dance.  Queen candidates were Shirley Buis from the 8^th grade, freshman Nita Provin, sophomore Janice Hogan, junior Zoe Baker, and senior Dorothy Nible.  The candidates’ pictures were all hung in Meek’s Café with a heart.  A penny in the heart counted as one vote and the candidate with the most votes would be the queen.

In the class news:  the girls’ glee club was learning “Chop Sticks” and “Velvet Shoes”; the latter piece was going to be one of their two songs for the Maryville music competition in April.  In addition to the girls’ glee club, there were several students going to the competition to do vocal solos.  Martin Taylor planned to do a trombone solo and Dale Pontius was going to perform a trumpet solo.

The paper closed with the “Owl Hoots” gossip column that hinted at several school romances and gave this wise definition:  “Birthday – when a girl wants her PAST forgotten and her PRESENT remembered.”

Bit of History - February 16, 2022

After the Ridgeway Journal shut down after the death of its owner/editor C. C. Cline in 1941, a man by the name of Frank E. Scovil, a former printer for the Kansas City Star, decided to try his hand at running a Ridgeway newspaper in 1942 St. Joseph News-Press, Apr 5, 1942)  He had earlier declined to purchase the Ridgeway Journal and the Journal’s printing equipment had all been sold, so he had to bring in his own equipment.  He ran a contest to pick a name and six Ridgeway youth entered.  Marvin Williams won with the name “Courier” but after discussion with the others, the “Ridgeway Star” was born.  (Stanberry Herald – Headlight, Apr 16,1942.) There is not another mention anywhere of this paper, so one can assume that it didn’t stay in business long.  There would not be another paper in Ridgeway until Roger Anderson and Paul Johnson started the “Mercury-Herald” in the Anderson family home in 1949. 

Bit of History - February 9, 2022

Moving on from Ridgeway HS football to basketball in honor of Ridgeway’s homecoming, I am going to take a moment for a little family pride as well.  The Ridgeway Owls basketball team of 1946-47 was probably one of the best Ridgeway ever had.  My father-in-law, Marvin Scott, played on this team as guard during his senior year.  The Owls had a great article written in the St. Joseph Gazette,  published Feb. 26, 1947, at which time they had won 24 games without a single loss.  Miller Brown coached the team.  The article mentioned that Darryl “Doc” Dale, Jim Whistler and Frank Anderson all played offense, George Tuggle played center and guard and Bill Clayton played guard as well as Marvin.  Other members of the team included Roy Lee Brown, Roland Rucker, Kenneth Pierson, Curtis Follette, Kenneth Wise, Kenneth Ingham, Everett Hammack, Dean Pierce, Marvin Williams and Clair Poynter as student manager.

Coach Brown didn’t want to name any stars on the team but talked about how they all played together to make a winning team.  They did work well together; the opposition teams only averaged 25-30 points per game.  The Owls won 31 games that season and four tournaments before losing their only game in the postseason play.  Over 100 fans traveled to see the Owls play their game in St. Joseph.  (Ridgeway: Then and Now, Vol. II, page 120)  

Bit of History - February 2, 2022

I found a few things about the Ridgeway High School football team.  The earliest news items that I found was from 1907 where Ridgeway beat Bethany 5-0 (St. Joseph News-Press, Oct 28, 1907) and suffered their first loss of the season to the Athletic Club of Grant City 5-0 (St. Joseph News-Press, Nov 30, 1907).

The most interesting game, though, was the “Football Circus” played in Albany at the start of the 1947 season. Similar to the Basketball Carnival played the previous December, all nine teams in the Grand River Conference played.  They were divided into North (N) and South (S) groups, and they each played for one quarter with five quarters in the game.  Grant City (N) played Stanberry (S) for the first quarter, Bethany (N) played the second quarter against King City (S), Ridgeway (N) played Maysville (S) in the third, Princeton (N) and Albany (S) battled it out in the fourth quarter and Gallatin (S) played against a team made up of Bethany and Grant City players for the fifth quarter.  (Albany Ledger, Sep 11, 1947)

The purpose of the game was to give all the teams a little extra income and allow the coaches a chance to see their competition in action.  The South team won the game 13-0.  An estimated 2000 spectators watched the game and nearly 300 athletes played. (Tri-County News, Sep 19, 1947)

Bit of History - January 26, 2022

Sometime ago, Rita T. gave me a copy of a great picture taken from the top of the old water tower looking toward the northwest part of town.  The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy train depot is right in the center of the picture with the tracks going from the bottom left of the photo to the upper right corner.  A passenger train heading north is waiting for several people to board and an old car is there to either pick up or drop off a passenger.  To the left of the tracks, you can see part of the Miner & Frees Lumber yard and just north of the water tower is the Switzler & Son grain elevator.  There are two rail cars parked northeast of the grain elevator near the stock yards stood.  To the northwest, you can just barely see the city park and several homes that are still standing today.  According to “Ridgeway: Then & Now”, the original water tower was built in 1923 and the grain elevator was built in 1900.  Based on the look of the car by the depot, I think this photo may have been taken soon after the water tower was completed.  Thank you to Bob and Rita for this wonderful and detailed picture of old Ridgeway! 

Bit of History - January 19, 2022

In 1892, the St. Joseph Herald published the news from Ridgeway just like we do now with the Republican-Clipper.  I pulled up the columns from the month of January and found a few interesting bits.   

Sleighing was good at the beginning of January and young and old alike enjoyed it, however, by the end of the month, the snow was melting, and the roads were muddy.  The ladies of the Methodist church were praised for the fine Christmas dinner they served to help raise money toward a new parsonage.  The Methodist minister, Rev. Winnell, was preaching a “protracted meeting” on Sunday evenings.  A Mr. John Brazzel moved here from Eagleville and was building a house in the new Miner’s Addition (located east of the railroad and west of East Street, with Locust Street to the north and Cypress to the south.)  There were several weddings and even a ball that was well attended.

The biggest story was the epidemic of “La Grippe” (or just the “grip”, what we now call influenza, which caused a lengthy sick list in the last column of the month.  The school was closed for at least two weeks as the principal, John Leazenby, was sick with the grip.  Sounds a little too close to current times.

Bit of History - January 12, 2022

Basketball season is going strong now and the Ridgeway High School teams have long been part of the action.  On December 27, 1946, the Ridgeway players joined the other Harrison County high school teams in a unique game called a basketball carnival to raise money for the Harrison County Tuberculosis Association.  The association was trying to raise $3000 as part of its Christmas season fund-raising drive.  This carnival featured only one game and it was organized a little differently that regular games.  Each of the 10 teams drew a number.  Even-numbered teams played against the odd-numbered teams and the side with the most points won. (St. Joseph Gazette, Dec 25, 1946)

The article says that the teams divided up the playing time equally which I think means that each team played for a certain number of minutes and then yielded to the next team on their side.  The game was played at the Ridgeway High School gymnasium, which was part of the old school, not the recently torn down field house. Unfortunately, I could not find a follow-up article with the outcome of the game or how much money was raised.

Bit of History - January 5, 2022

This week’s history is a collection of quotes published in other local papers that originally were written by the editors of the Ridgeway Journal.  These quotes are all from the early years of the Journal.

The Ridgeway Journal announces the cheering intelligence that there has not been nearly so much stealing around there as is usually the case. (The Clinton Eye, Dec 16, 1893)

Hearing so many citizens grumbling about first one thing then another, the editor of the Ridgeway "Journal" offered space to anyone who wanted to kick. No kickers asked for space, and he has concluded that the people of the town who grumble would be ashamed to be known as kickers. (Albany Ledger, Oct 25, 1895)

Frank Wier exhibited a genuine curiosity at the Journal office. He had secured it from R. E. Bowman. It was a kitten with one head, two tails and two perfect bodies. It gave a man the chills to look at it. It is an extraordinary curiosity and was preserved in alcohol at Kampmann's drug store, where it is now on exhibition at the office of the Ridgeway Journal. Bethany’s airship is knocked clear out by Ridgeway's double-geared kitten. (Darlington Record, May 6, 1897)

The Ridgeway "Journal" has a new editor, but he is too young to do anything but squeal. (Albany Ledger, Apr 25, 1902)

The Ridgeway Journal has some good items along the line of trying to make the town a better place morally, and insists that drunkenness and rowdyism be done away with. (The King City Chronicle, Sep 26, 1902)

Bit of History - December 29, 2021

This December marked 140 years since the first Methodist church building was dedicated in the city of Ridgeway.  In 1880, Ridgeway had homes and businesses and a school, but no church.  People would gather wherever they could to worship and began meeting in a corn crib located close to the Cadle Lumber company (behind where the Ridgeway Hotel now stands.)  Rev. Isaac Chivington of the Bethany Methodist church was the first minister and he worked during the week for 16 weeks to organize a church building in Ridgeway which was completed and dedicated on December 4, 1881, debt-free after the congregation donated the last $450 needed.  That first church stood where the Methodist church now stands.  The congregation grew and in 1898, they decided it was time for a bigger building.  They raised money for a new frame building with stained glass windows at a cost of $3000 which was built and dedicated debt-free on January 24, 1900.  The original building was purchased by the Yankee Ridge church for $200 and was to be placed in the lot in front of the Yankee Ridge cemetery, but “mysteriously burned” before it could be installed to the dismay of the Yankee Ridge congregation.

The current building has been modified several times over the years, such as digging out the basement in 1954 to provide a kitchen and classroom space.  Jackson Hall was added in 1983 thanks to a memorial trust given by Carrie, Mary, Keith, and Roger Jackson adding additional fellowship and classrooms.  The belfry was renovated at the same time with funds donated by the family of Glen Yeater.  Many weddings, funerals and baptisms have taken place within those walls.  There is so much more history in the little books that Peggy Hamilton lent me, but just not enough space to write it all here.  (“The Ridgeway Methodist Church, A History of the Church 1881-1968”, “Church remembered in Jackson will”, “St. Joseph News-Press, December 24, 1983, p. 17)

Bit of History - December 22, 2021

 Did you know once upon a time that Ridgeway had a roller rink?  Over New Year’s weekend in 1928, Bill and Nora Leonard opened the Ridgeway Roller Rink for that year (Stanberry Herald – Headlight, Jan 05, 1928, page 2).  That first weekend was full, and Mr. Leonard thought that if there hadn’t been other things going on, the rink would have been over capacity.  It was advertised as a “good, clean amusement” for young and old alike.  I am not sure when exactly the rink first opened, but it must have been before 1926 as the owners were selling part of the equipment for 50 cents on the dollar in February 1926.

The couple also operated the “Leonard Company Players”, a theater group that performed in tents and leased theaters and opera houses all over Northwest Missouri.  According to an article in the “King City Chronicle”, they had already been together eleven years when they performed “The Tiger and the Lamb” at the Lucille Theatre in 1916 (“The King City Chronicle, September 29, 1916, page 8).  The company operated until 1935 when Bill Leonard passed away.  He and his wife had made their home in Ridgeway and were active members of the community.  He is buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery. (“Maryville Daily Forum”, Nov 27, 1935).

Bit of History - December 15, 2021

In 1901, Fred Redinger, one of the original settlers in the Ridgeway area, started digging a well on his farm 4 ½ miles northwest of Ridgeway.  He had dug down about 75 to 78 feet when he started finding pieces of perfectly preserved wood, stones, and a feather encased in clay.  He figured out that he had hit what had been the bottom of a lake many years before.  He found a great supply of water there and had one of the best wells in the county. (“Darlington Record”, Thu, Oct 31, 1901, Page 4).

Bit of History - December 8, 2021

This week marks the 80^th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States’ entry into World War II.  By April of 1942, several of Ridgeway’s young men had entered the military to “do their bit” for the war effort. The Maryville Daily Forum published an article on April 17, 1942, with the names of local men receiving promotions in the Maryville army unit.  Larry Blakely was promoted to sergeant;  Gordon Jenkins was promoted to corporal and John R. Andrick and Charles W. Gibson were promoted to private first class.  The “Ridgeway: Then and Now” centennial book notes that Gaylen Champlin, Floyd Tuggle, and Garland Ceradsky all joined the service on February 4, 1941. According to the Ridgeway book, many others also joined to serve their country during WWII.  I hope to do something a little more in depth on this time at a later date.

Bit of History - November 24, 2021

As a follow-up to last week’s story about the Ridgeway turkey dinner extravaganza, the Bethany Republican-Clipper reported that they served 1,400 people for that meal.  The next year, the turkey growers held the free dinner again, this time hosting 1,100 people. (Bethany Republican-Clipper, November 25, 1959)

Here is another story about the generosity of Ridgeway people:  in 1937, a group of 51 men shucked 1000 bushels of corn and took it to Mrs. John Goldsmith whose husband had recently passed away.  The corn belonged to the Goldsmith estate and was grown on shares.  The wives of the men provided covered dish lunch.  The article listed many of the names of the men who volunteered their time with last names like Smith, Rhinehart, Polley, Scott, Bennett, Butler, Maxwell, Morris,  Stockwell, and many more.  (Ridgeway Journal, November 11, 1937, page 1)

Bit of History - November 17, 2021

The people of this town are generous souls and have been that way all along.  In 1958, Ridgeway, as a “Turkey-growing capital”, held a free turkey dinner at the Lion’s Hall.  They cooked 383 pounds of dressed turkey including one that was 37 ½ pounds.  The meal also featured potato salad, dressing, coleslaw, baked beans, cookies, and coffee.  The meat was furnished by a group of area growers:  Ace Comer, Wayne Redinger, Paul Gillespie, George Tuggle, Cleo Redinger, Robert Henry, Darryl Dale, Gordon Comer and Alex Dittner.  The rest of the meal was provided by local merchants.  They started serving at 11 am and planned to serve until the food was all gone.  That must have been some meal!   (St. Joseph News-Press, Saturday, Nov 29, 1958, Page 3).

Bit of History - November 10, 2021

From the Feb 13, 1941, issue of the Ridgeway Journal:  The Ridgeway High School held an amateur talent show which included “novelties, rhythm band, vocal and instrumental music, impersonations, humorous readings and one-act plays.”  The audience was to vote on the winners who received a cash prize ranging from $3 for the first prize winner to $1 for fifth place.  Admission was 10 cents and some of the selections were a radio program one-act play by the 8^th grade, “Woodpecker Song” by Betty Polley and Carolyn Ramsey, “Angel”, a vocal solo by Leslie Shepard, “At the End of a Perfect Day”, a solo by Bud Baker, and “Good Night Mother” by Edward Gene Gillespie. 

The sad thing about these papers is that 1941 was the last year that the Ridgeway Journal would be published.  Celbe C. Cline, owner of the paper, finished putting the paper to bed on July 2, 1941, and passed away at the age of 73.  He had taken over the Ridgeway Journal 8 years earlier with his brother after retiring from a successful career (Tri-County News, Jul 11, 1941, page 5).  There were at least a couple of attempts later to publish a paper such as the Ridgeway Star started by Frank Scovil from Kansas City in 1942 and the Mercury-Herald edited by Roger Anderson and Paul Johnson in the late 1940s.

Bit of History - November 3, 2021

Thank you to Iva P.for the two issues of the Ridgeway Journal from 1941!  I haven’t had a chance to read them thoroughly yet, but the first article that I noticed was an item about Dr. Lake Brewer.  The Feb 13, 1941, issue reported that she had purchased a “shortwave health machine” that used electricity via different types of pads to treat sinus troubles, rheumatism, arthritis, and lumbago.  The machine was described as a “polished box that looks something like a radio set”.  Interestingly, shortwave diathermy machines are still used today by physical therapists for pain relief.  

Dr. Lake Brewer was born in Ridgeway and was the first woman to graduate from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in 1908.   She practiced her entire career in Ridgeway and was an active member of the community.  She passed away in 1967 at the age of 85. (The Kansas City Star, Dec 17, 1967, Page 26)

Bit of History - October 27, 2021

This week, I have two bits for you from 1962, courtesy of the St. Joseph News-Press.  On February 14, 1962, the Ridgeway Future Farmers of America and Future Homemakers of America held their respective business meetings, then conducted a “dance clinic” to practice dancing for the Sweetheart Dance on February 28.  Janice Reeder was crowed as F. F. A. Sweetheart at that dance. (St. Joseph News-Press, Feb 08, 1962, Page 2)

In July, the Ridgeway volunteer fire department took on a different kind of battle:  they played softball against the Bethany fire department.  I don’t know who won the game, but the Ridgeway department were the ultimate winners as the game was a benefit to raise money for a desperately needed fire whistle.  At the time, the only way they could contact other volunteer fire fighters was to call each one on the telephone.  In the days before voice mail, cell phones and texting, this was undoubtedly a frustrating process.  (St. Joseph News-Press, Jul 22, 1962, page 38)

Bit of History - October 20, 2021

Shelly L  sent me a photo several months ago of the Ridgeway HS marching band (I will have it up on the RCBA Facebook page if you would like to see it).  In 1950, the RHS band mothers raised money to purchase 53 new band uniforms for members.  (St. Joseph News-Press, April 23, 1950). The total cost of the uniforms was $2,500 and the mothers had raised all but $400 to pay for them.  To help pay the remainder, they held a penny fair in December of that year. 

If the picture Shelly gave me is of the new uniforms, they look pretty sharp in their dark jackets and pants with a stripe down the legs (probably gold) and military-style caps.  The majorettes wore white (or light colored – it’s a black and white picture) uniforms with short, full skirts and accents that were probably gold.  They also wore caps with feathers and short white tasseled boots.  Behind the majorettes, someone carried a sign that read “Ridgeway School”.  Zoe S remembers that the uniforms were wool, and she also said that she enjoyed listening to the band marching up and down the streets of Ridgeway to practice for the Apple Blossom Parade in St. Joseph.  

The uniforms were purchased the year before the devastating school fire in 1951.  While many of the student-owned instruments were lost in the fire, the music department was in another building that wasn’t damaged (Kansas City Star, September 14, 1951), so hopefully those new uniforms were safe and secure.

Bit of History - October 13, 2021

On page 12 of the Ridgeway Then & Now history book, there are three pictures of a flood by Big Creek in 1909.  There isn’t any other information about the flood in the book, so I went to the library to do some more reading.  There wasn’t a Ridgeway Journal on microfilm for that year, but I did find some information in the Bethany Democrat. 

The rains began on Sunday, July 4 and continued through Monday night. They thought that Bethany had at least 11.5 inches of rainfall, and in Floris, IA, the total was 21 inches. All the creeks were well over their banks, not by inches, but by feet.  It was the most flooding anyone had seen in the history of Harrison County and the damage was estimated to be close to a million.  Farmers lost crops, livestock, and equipment as it was washed away.  In Bethany, people had to be rescued from roof tops and homes and businesses were damaged, some beyond repair. The Bethany mill, electric light plant and the county farm were all flooded, and people were stranded in attics, barn roofs, trees, and even poles. (Bethany Democrat, July 8, 1909)

Ridgeway was likely spared much of the damage as it sits on higher ground, but the fields in the creek bottoms were under water and undoubtedly lost their crops.  Ridgeway still felt the effects of the flood as a mile of railroad track was washed out north of Cainsville and bridges were out all over the county, stopping the mail and shipments for days.  Train service was halted due to wash outs and water over the tracks.  The water started going down on Tuesday afternoon and by Wednesday evening, the creeks were back in their banks.

Bit of History - October 6, 2021

Over the summer, while scanning copies of ordinances to put onto the city website, I found some letters regarding the city park that were very interesting.  The assumption has always been that the land for the park was donated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad.  The park land was donated to the city with requirements that the city keep the park fenced and maintained.  In 1914, the city wanted to do some updates to the park such as trimming trees and building some buildings, so the city clerk, W. L. Perkins, wrote to the railroad to ask if this was acceptable.  The person who received his letter, W. Card, who then forwarded it to I. J. Moon, the train master at St. Joseph, to investigate as the railroad had no records of this donation.  Mr. Moon obtained the original deed and discovered that the railroad had not, in fact, donated the land to the city. 

The land was given to the city by Mr. Charles E. Perkins and his wife, Edith Perkins, in 1899.  Mr. Perkins was the vice president of the C B & Q railroad and had personally purchased the land where Ridgeway now sits and had the property platted for the new city.  Per tax records published in the Bethany paper, he owned most of those lots for several years until they were eventually all sold.  The deed for the park did require the park be kept up or the land would revert back to the original owners.  As the city still owns the park, the plans from 1914 were acceptable and hopefully the Perkins family would approve the latest round of improvements by the community betterment association.

Bit of History - September 29, 2021

A growing community needs a lot of lumber to build homes, businesses and all the rest.  Ridgeway had several lumber yards, but one of the biggest was Miner & Frees.  Miner & Frees started in Bethany by Edgar S. Miner and Captain Benjamin Frees in Bethany in 1880.  At the time, there was no train to deliver freight, so lumber had to be brought from Lamoni, IA in horse drawn wagons.  In 1885, Miner & Frees purchased the Atlas Lumber yard in Ridgeway and started business here with Edgar’s brother William Avery Miner as the manager.  The yard was located right by the railroad east of Main Street and north of Vine where Dale Farms is now located.  Miner & Frees eventually grew to include 14 locations in Missouri and Iowa and the yard in Ridgeway was the general office for all the yards.

The Miner brothers, and William in particular, became very active members of the Ridgeway community.  The Miner brothers and Captain B. M. Frees started the Ridgeway Exchange Bank about 1885 with $5000 and a safe at the lumber yard.  They built a brick building for the bank in 1902.  The Miners also sold the land for the Ridgeway school, founded the first school library and were investors in several businesses and properties including the New Ridgeway Hotel and the Ridgeway Journal.  (History of Harrison County, Geo. Wannamaker, 1921).  

William Miner died in 1920.  Miner & Frees continued to conduct business until Edgar S. Miner, the founder of the Miner & Frees chain, died after a lengthy illness in 1925 (Tri-County News, King City, Sept 11, 1925).  After that, the company was dissolved, and the individual yards were sold to stockholders in the company.  The Ridgeway Miner & Frees yard was taken over in 1929 by the Smith Coal & Material Co. of Kansas City who then combined both Ridgeway lumber yards into one business named the Ridgeway Lumber Company.  (Tri-County News, King City, July 26, 1929). 

 

Bit of History - September 22, 2021

Old papers are filled with little gems that the editors used a lot to fill up an odd space in a page.  Today’s bit of history comes from a Ridgeway Journal in 1912 and I have to quote this because it just can’t be reworded without losing the humor.

A North Missouri farmer, whose hog was killed by a train, wrote to the company’s claim agent for a settlement, thusly:  

“Dear Sir—My razor back strolled down your track a week ago today.  Your twenty-nine came down the line and snuffed his life away.  You can’t blame me, the hog you see slipped through a cattle grate; so kindly pen a check for ten, the debt to liquidate.”

He received the following reply: “Old twenty-nine came down the line and killed your hog we now, but razor backs and railroad tracks quite often meet with woe.  Therefore my friend we cannot send the check for which you pine.  Just plant the dead, plant o’er his head:  Here lies a foolish swine.”

This little piece appeared in several newspapers at that time, including the Journal, and I suppose it was a humorous reminder that the railroads were not going to take responsibility if livestock was killed by a train.