Bit of History - October 26, 2022

Back in 1893, Ridgeway youth prepared for Halloween a little differently than kids do today.  Trick-or-Treating did not become a popular tradition until the 1950s, so the boys celebrated the holiday with mischief-making.  They rearranged things all over town, filling the streets with wagons, buggies, cows fenced in pens, etc., etc.  They changed all the signs in town and moved things around. For the most part, the mischief was respectful, but there were a few destructive tricks.  Someone broke out some of the lights in the schoolhouse and someone else threw a couple of chickens down into the town well. (Ridgeway Journal, Nov 2, 1893.)

The next week’s paper continued the story with a note that someone cut the bells from J. M. Henry’s dray harness and they were not seen again.  “It was not done under the guise of fun, but it was pure, downright ‘cussedness’.”  Mr. Henry wanted the miscreants caught and appropriately punished: “Learn them a lesson.”  I didn’t find any follow-up if the offenders were caught.

Bit of History - October 19, 2022

A horse-drawn wagon can travel anywhere from 2-3 miles per hour up to 4-8 miles per hour depending on the terrain and the weight of the wagon.  A trip from Ridgeway to Bethany might take 2-3 hours if the weather was good and roads were dry.  But train travel changed all that.  A trip to Bethany from Ridgeway took only about 40 minutes, according to a timetable published in the Blythedale Clipper on September 1, 1881.  To go to Bethany from Ridgeway, you would take the southbound train from Ridgeway at 8:05 pm and arrive in Bethany at 8:45 pm.  You would have to spend at least a night or two in Bethany to conduct your business as there were no northbound trains until the next morning.  Then, you would catch the 7 am train from Bethany to Ridgeway and arrive home at 7:50 am, just in time to start your day.  By 1882, the trains were running a bit faster and the trip from Ridgeway to Bethany took only thirty minutes.  

I didn’t find any local fares printed in the paper, but another source mentioned that local trips tended to cost about 10-15 cents per mile.  Longer trips might only have been 2 or 3 cents per mile.  

Bit of History - October 12, 2022

One hundred years ago today, the Ridgeway Journal published a notice that taxes were now due and George Crabbe, the collector for Marion Township, would be in Ridgeway on October 28 to collect.  The Rex Theater was showing several movies that week including “Shattered Idols”, “The Heart of the North”, “Three Buckaroos” and especially do not miss seeing Wesley Barry in “School Days”.  J. Nort Simpson opened a new restaurant on the east side of Main Street.  The basketball season had already begun. The boys team won against Blythedale, but they lost to Hatfield.  They were scheduled to play Hatfield again that week in Eagleville. Residents were reminded that Ordinance 11 forbade putting dead animals or rotting vegetation into any ditches, sewers, streets, wells, ponds, etc., where the smell may be “noisome to the public”.  

The Methodist church had a good week with 148 attending Sunday School and collected $5.85.  The pastor was Rev. C. S. Dayhoff and the church was planning a revival in early November.  In the Christian church notes, the ladies were planning a program that would take the place of the regular sermon for the next Sunday.  Church members were reminded to return any library books and to work hard to complete the member canvas.  

Bit of History - October 5, 2022

On the southwest corner of Main and Pine streets sits a little brick building that was once a hub of Ridgeway communication.  Completed 1910 by the Farmers’ Mutual Telephone Company of Harrison County, the building served as one of Ridgeway’s telephone central offices, eventually becoming the only central office.    Built by W. J. Noll of Gilman City and J.T. Carroll of Denver, CO, the two-story 30’ by 30’ brick building was started in November 1909 on a site formerly owned by A. A. Gutteridge. (Ridgeway Journal, Nov 11, 1909).  This site was also once the home of the first dry goods store in Ridgeway, owned and operated by S.D. Rardin. (Ridgeway Journal, 3/17/1910).

At that time, the lead operator(s) lived on the first floor of the building, and I guess the telephone operators worked upstairs.  The first people to move into the new telephone exchange were Mr. and Mrs John Rake. (RJ, 3/10/1910).  Another family, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Kampman, their daughter Claudine and their son Dean, moved from the central office when Mrs. Kampmann retired from the switchboard after providing years of excellent service.  (RJ, 4/4/1934).  The building remained in use until 1956 when rotary dial telephones replaced the old ones and switchboard operators were no longer needed.  The building has also served as Trophy Taxidermy and as a rental home.   I don’t know when the upper story was removed but would be very interested in learning that story.

Bit of History - September 28, 2022

I wrote before about the “Local Mentions” column in the old papers and how they reminded me of modern social media in that you found frequent ads interspersed with sick list notifications, people visiting back and forth, or going out of town for business or pleasure.  But back in the early 1900s, you also found companies requesting that people pay their bills and sometimes they got quite blunt about it.

All these examples come from the 1909 and 1910 editions of the Ridgeway Journal.  The first was from the paper itself and politely explained why subscribers needed to come in to pay their bills.  Other advertisers were more direct.  “Pay me, for I need the money.  MIKE” got his point across. Lair & Harrison asked nicely: “Please call and settle your account as we want to close up our business.”   O. P. Bennett, co-owner of a dry goods store, later owned a grocery store in the building that would be Scotts Grocery, also wrote “I NEED THE MONEY” and asked that anyone who owed Stoughton & Bennett to pay up.  I. M. Reeves, owner of a hardware and harness store, believed that advertising often would bring in the overdue accounts – he frequently had 3 or more ads in each paper: “Come in and lets square accounts.”, “I. M. Reeves needs the money.  Pay your account.”, “If you owe me, pay me.”, and “I mean business.  Settle your accounts at once.”.   I wonder how successful he was at getting paid as these ads were printed several weeks in a row. 

Bit of History - September 21, 2022

According to Ridgeway: Then and Now, the first automotive garage in Ridgeway was the Ford Garage built by Charley Donelson in 1917 and expanded in 1920.  He sold both the Ford cars and the Fordson Tractor and provided service with the capacity of 100 cars. He had two mechanics:  Arthur Shepard and Jack Andrick.  Jack went on to build his own garage in Ridgeway (located behind Scott’s Grocery store).  He sold Ford and Chevrolet automobiles and ran the garage until 1947 when he retired. 

Donelson frequently advertised in the Ridgeway Journal.  In the February 9, 1921 issue of the Journal, Donelson showed off the Fordson Tractor and talked about all the wonderful things farmers could do with the machine. Another ad discussed how much better Ford parts were over imitation parts because they were made of better materials.  In 1914, the Ridgeway Auto Company advertised the Hupmobile, a car guaranteed to be cheaper to run with better gas, oil and tire mileage than its competitors and still have a good resale value.  If you weren’t ready to commit to your own automobile yet, you could still buy a new buggy and harness from C. O. Buzzard’s hardware store, along with an oil stove if you needed one.   

Bit of History - September 14, 2022

Carla A.  sent me some pictures of a beautiful quilt that was displayed at this year’s Northwest Missouri State Fair.  According to the attached card, this fan block quilt was made by Marial Beeks over 100 years ago and was displayed at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair where it won the blue ribbon.  Marial was the grandmother of Merrill Grant.  If you or someone you know lent the quilt to the fair, thank you for sharing such a beautiful artifact!  Also, thank you, Carla, for sharing the pictures with me!

There was a lot of excitement around the Fair.  The Bethany Republican ran several articles detailing the exhibits and buildings at the Fair and offered a special magazine that kept the history of the event.  The C B & Q railroad road offered special rates and a free booklet listing the hotels, restaurants, and things to do at the Fair.   For $11.10 ($369.51 in today’s dollars), you could buy a special round trip ticket to take the train to St. Louis to spend 15 days exploring the Fair.  Tickets were 50 cents, and you could stay in a hotel for anywhere from $1 to $5 per night. The Ridgeway column in the paper noted several Ridgeway area residents who took the train to enjoy the fair.  So far, I haven’t been able to find where Mrs. Beeks got to see her quilt during its time being exhibited.

Bit of History - September 7, 2022

The Northwest Missouri Fox Hunt Association was very big part of Ridgeway society for nearly 70 years.  The earliest article that I found was in the St. Joseph Gazette dated Sunday, October 2, 1910, originally published in the Ridgeway Journal.  The fox hunters were holding their third annual encampment near Ridgeway that year.  They had twenty-six packs of fox hounds, and fifty-seven horses were ridden the first day of the hunt. They scared up a fox early on the first day of hunting and chased it for three hours before it went underground near the camp.  Afterward, all the hunters enjoyed a big breakfast courtesy of Mrs. J. W. Leazenby and her “corps of assistants”.  The hunts went on through Saturday with several foxes being changed and one being taken alive.  The event also included hunters and their animals participating in field trials which were enjoyed by good sized crowds.  In 1910, Mack, owned by J. W. Leazenby (a Ridgeway resident, businessman and Missouri state legislator who was also an officer of the association) won the championship stakes and the hunting horn was won by L. W. Weather’s dog, Sailor.

The Northwest Missouri Fox Hunters’ Association met yearly through 1969 when they disbanded, according to the Ridgeway: Then and Now centennial book.

Bit of History - August 31, 2022

While the fox in my backyard was a beautiful specimen and fun to photograph, foxes have long been the bane of farmers.  The St. Joseph News-Press published an article on August 17, 1952, about Paul Gillespie, a Ridgeway turkey grower who raised about 8,000 birds a year.  He took out an ad in the Bethany paper declaring titled “An Open Season on Foxes Needed – Let’s Get It.”  In the ad, he said he would “carry the fight” to the state legislature and asked that other farmers send him a postcard detailing raids by foxes on their livestock.  He received about 150 cards from other farmers who also described fox raids on lambs and pigs as well as poultry.  

The Missouri Conservation Commission added a reminder that farmers were always permitted to capture or kill both red and gray foxes that were damaging property. While there is no open season on foxes, they may be killed or trapped legally in Missouri from mid-November through January.  

Bit of History - August 24, 2022

“If a match had been struck in the building or if an electric spark had occurred, the new Ridgeway school would have been wrecked by a violent explosion from an accumulation of gas under the floors.”  In August 1958, only seven years after the devasting fire that destroyed Ridgeway’s school, the town was again in danger of losing its school building.  On August 9, the school received a delivery of 800 gallons of petroleum gas to be used to fuel the furnaces.  Four days later, the gauge read empty, and no one knew where the gas had gone.  On August 15, custodian Rodney Hogan smelled gas inside the school and called the Superintendent Erle Heckman who contacted the state director William Thad Fife of Jefferson City for assistance.  “It was just like a big bomb,” Fife said about the building.

They determined that a leak had formed somewhere along the metal line running from the tanks across the road from the school and the gas had pooled under the concrete floors, being careful to make sure that no spark or flame would set off an explosion.   To remove the gas, they had to open all the windows and dig holes into the concrete floors to allow the gas to escape.  They also used a large air compressor to push air into the holes to “drive out more of the explosive substance.  Fife then suggested replacing the gas line with a new line that would enter the building in an inverted “U” shape to prevent the gas from entering the building in the event of a leak.  (St. Joseph News-Press, 21 Aug 1958)

The Ridgeway School was scheduled to open that year on September 1 and had about 200 students enrolled.  Thanks to the observation of Rodney Hogan and the hard work of all involved, the Ridgeway school building remained safe and sound.  This year, the school can celebrate 70 years of educating the children of Ridgeway within this building’s walls.

Bit of History - August 17, 2022

The Bethany Republican-Clipper edition dated August 21, 1946, mentioned Ridgeway several times. The Middle States Utilities Co. announced that they would be making improvements to the telephone system in the area. They were adding new telephone poles and planned to have a permanent work crew here. They also announced that Tony Amego would be permanently assigned as maintenance director at the Ridgeway central office (the building still stands on the corner of Main and Pine Streets) and he and his family would be moving to Ridgeway. 

 The Stoner family had their sixth annual reunion at the Ridgeway park with 74 relatives and 5 visitors. The Landes family also hosted a reunion on August 18 at the same park. Tom Harrold of Ridgeway brought in a leaf from a castor bean plan with a spread of 35 inches. Bryce Lloyd was holding sale to sell his farm and equipment. He was leaving Ridgeway to move to Farmington to become a farming instructor at the G.I. farm training program offered by the University of Missouri. Shepard Equipment Co. hosted an “Oil Test” on August 24, 1946 at the Oliver place in Ridgeway to demonstrate the difference in motor oils.  People were invited to bring a sample of the oil they were using to compare it to the oils that Shepard was offering. 

 Ridgeway children were invited to take part in a parade of pets, dolls and bicycles as part of the Eagleville horse show. The horse show took place on August 21 and 22, 1946 and the children’s parade was held on the Eagleville school grounds on the second day of the show.

Bit of History - August 10, 2022

One of the best parts of combing through old papers is reading the ads.  These are just a few of the businesses located in Ridgeway that advertised in the Ridgeway Journal from February to March 1921:

Dale Bros. had Klondike Incubators and Old Colony Brooders available for sale which worked out nicely as Mrs. L. A. Hinkle had chicks available on March 20.  The Miner & Frees lumber yard had a new book of “Cornell Interiors” featuring wood paneling and trims for homes.  Maple’s Cash Groceries was closing out their stock and offering groceries at discount prices.  J. L. Mirgon offered a grain mill for grinding feed for sale and 10% off gang and sulky plows.   The Ashby Brothers lumber yard advertised that building prices were coming down about 40% from the previous year and  was the time to build or remodel your home.  L.O. Bandy had opened up a City Meat Market and had fresh and cured meats for sale.  O.P. Bennett offered groceries, clothing and dress goods.  Casteel’s Store offered groceries at close out prices also as they had lost the lease on their building, but just as they were getting ready to close, their lease was extended and they were back in business.

Reeves  Hardware offered the Successful Incurbator (their spelling, not mine) for sale and were giving  away a brand-new set of harnesses on July 4.  They also wrote a weekly column for the front page of the paper congratulating buyers on their purchases, such as Mrs. Deva Howard who bought a refrigerator for her mother.  You could buy Key overalls at J. H. Shirers; C. C. Leazenby offered his services as an auctioneer; and G. R. Gutridge was a “tonsorial artist”, aka barber.  Three doctors, two veterinarians and a dentist also advertised their services in the paper and the newspaper office itself offered printing services and typewriter ribbons. 

Bit of History - August 3, 2022

In 1883, a strange woman stumbled off the northbound train one Friday evening in November, staggering as she walked.  Some on-lookers thought she was drunk; others thought there was something wrong with her.  She was taken to the restaurant owned by William Bennett where she was seen by a local doctor.  He discovered that her side was paralyzed. She was taken in by the Bennett family until Saturday morning when she “had a hard fit”  (a seizure, perhaps?) and Mrs. Bennett was no longer comfortable keeping her there.  John. E. Opdyke, who was Poor House Com.  (not sure – commissioner?) referred her to the keeper of the poor farm where she was taken in.   

At first, she could not even give her name, but under the care of Dr. Barnes, she remembered her name was either Helen A. Morton or Helen A. Burgess.  She had a pocketbook containing 20 cents in silver and a postcard from a S. J. Thorpe in Chariton IA.  After further investigation, they found that Burgess was her last name and she had lived in Bethany at one point.  She had moved from place to place, going from Bethany to Albany then to Chariton before returning to Albany and somehow ending up in Ridgeway.  When she left Iowa, she was given $3, but only had 20 cents left when she arrived in Ridgeway.  The writer of the column wrote: “This woman is pitied, no matter how low or high family she may have sprung from and the county court should find out where she belongs to.” (“Ridgeway Racket”, Bethany Clipper, Nov. 29, 1883.)

Bit of History - July 27, 2022

Eighty years ago, Ridgeway residents were mentioned several times in the July 29, 1942, edition of the Bethany Republican-Clipper. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Provin welcomed a baby boy on at the Wood Hospital that week.  They named him Ronald Earl. Mrs. W. S. Lester also celebrated that week when her 8 ½ lb. White Wyandotte hen sold for $1. 44 ($26.18 in today’s money.)  Dean Scott was bitten on the palm of his by a hog.  He was treated at home by Dr. C. M. Propst.  

Then, as now, the county was preparing for the primary elections.  Ridgeway resident Judge Frank Rinehart was running for re-election as judge against Harry L. Miller of Eagleville.  The paper was full of political advertisements, many apologizing for not being able to campaign in person as people were being asked to conserve fuel and rubber due to World War II.  The reality of the war hit home in other ways:  ads in the paper told people to order their winter coal early as rationing was a probability and that a cord of wood was the equivalent of a ton of coal but be sure to save the good trees.  There was a long list of young men’s names and draft numbers as well as stories of draftees being classified for the draft and leaving home for training camps.  

Under Service News, John Andricks and Vern Prather came home from Camp Blanding to enjoy a 15-day furlough.  They both planned to spend the time with their parents.  Major Noel T. Adams was also home on furlough for fifteen days.  He had been stationed at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis as a chaplain for two years but came home and helped his wife move her things to Bethany where she would live for the duration of the war.  He then left for Camp Young in California.  

Bit of History - July 20, 2022

In 1913, the company Miner & Tull advertised in the Ridgeway Journal that a new subdivision called the Sunnyside Addition had been platted and lots were available for sale.  This new addition was located south of Ash Street and east of Main Street and included twelve lots.  Two of the lots had already been sold, but the other ten were three acres each.  The lots lined a new road named Mulberry Street in keeping with Ridgeway’s tradition of naming streets after trees.   The lots were advertised to retiring farmers and renters as a place where one had space to build a “commodious” home and still have a garden and chickens.  Buyers could put outbuildings wherever they liked.  Lots 11 and 12 had already been purchased by J. D. Tull and W.W. “Bu h” (Bush) and they were preparing to build their new homes. (Ridgeway Journal, Feb 13, 1913).  I found two other mentions of the Sunnyside Addition in the Bethany papers.  The “Ridgeway News” column announced that Wm. Waddilove had purchased the lot south of Wm Bush (Bethany Republican, Mar 29, 1916).  The Ridgeway column in the Bethany Clipper (May 11, 1916) noted that work on his new home was progressing rapidly and the family would soon be able to move in.  

Bit of History - July 13, 2022

In Dolores T’s archive of newspaper clippings, I found a Bethany Republican-Clipper dated July 14, 1993.  In the Ridgeway column, then written by Mrs. Clayton Polley (Dorothy Polley), the children of Letha L surprised their mother with a party for her 85^th birthday.  Dayton P celebrated his 90^th birthday with 23 relatives at Cattleman’s Café.  Carrie Beth D, Tanya H and Minnie R attended a camp in Lawson. Gene and Sue B were thanked for their R-C renewal and Calvin B and Henry T worked to clear fallen trees from a recent storm.  Pauline B hosted the Buckley Quilting with Betty T, Rev. Ann M, Vesta C, Dolores T, Dorothy R, Phyllis B, Ethel D, and Dorothy P attending.  

The biggest news story in the R-C at that time was all about the great floods of 1993.  Dolores collected many articles about the floods and Harrison County was hit hard.  Many Bethany residents had to evacuate their homes and businesses; Pattonsburg was completely devastated by the flooding and thousands of acres of crops were underwater.  The flood of 1993 was compared to the flooding of 1909.  I didn’t find any pictures of flood waters around Ridgeway from 1993 but would be interested in seeing any if people still have them. 

Bit of History - July 6, 2022

In 1921, Ridgeway hosted another reunion for fourteen Civil War veterans and their families.  All had fought for the Union and while most of the veterans were from Harrison County others came from Oklahoma, Iowa, and Nebraska.  Some of them had not seen each other since the war had ended fifty-seven years earlier.  Ridgeway veterans included John Opdyke, Porter Simpson, William Graham, C. W. Stoner and A. W. Stoner.  “It was very much regretted that Uncle Jim Baker” couldn’t attend, but he was visiting in St. Joseph at the time.  He sent his daughter, Rose to represent him.  

The day included songs, talks by the old veterans, and addresses presented by Rev. Lane Douglas and J. W. Leazenby.  The main attraction of the day was the dinner provided by the wives, widows, and daughters of Civil War veterans. “Even the editor and family got all they could eat for once.  It was sure a meal fit for a king.”

Bit of History - June 29, 2022

In 1925, Ridgeway’s Fourth of July celebration was just as busy as the one we have this year, if not more so.  The day started with a band concert at the bandstand.  Everyone then proceeded to the park for speeches, more music and entertainment by a magician.  Rev. W. J. Imes read the Declaration of Independence.  They then adjourned for dinner and came back to more speeches and music and races.  There was a Ladies Nail Driving contest, three-legged races, a boys “Cracker-eating and Whistling contest”, boys and girls foot races, an “Old Fiddlers” contest and a “Fat Man’s” race.  There was also horseshoe pitching throughout the day and two baseball games.  (Bethany Clipper, Jul 1, 1925) The Ridgeway Methodists beat the Bethany Methodists 10 to 6 and the boys team won their game against Albany 7 to 1.  (Bethany Clipper, Jul 8, 1925).

The next day (Sunday, July 5) started with a bit of excitement also, but not nearly as much fun.  Two youth, Calvin Bentz of Nebraska, and Boyd Saunders of Kansas City, both 16, broke into A. A. Ham’s restaurant about 5 am, stealing $25.  They were seen by several locals making their getaway in a Ford coupe and nearly ran over A. A. Ham on the way to work during their escape.  They were traced to Princeton where they were arrested, brought before the judge, and pled guilty.  Ham refused to press charges, however, and the boys were released.  They had been visiting Ridgeway for the Fourth and Saunders had been working for the restaurant.  (Bethany Clipper, Jul 8, 1925).

Bit of History - June 22, 2022

On Saturday, August 27, 1921, Ridgeway had another exciting day.  Harry Rich, an aviator and stunt man, was hired by local businessmen to entertain the crowds.  He planned to “loop-the-loop, hang by his teeth from the plane in midair upside down, and flirt with death in other flying features.”  The businesses also offered special bargains that day.  Shoppers would find “before the war” prices on many things.  The day ended with a baseball game between Ridgeway and Bethany.  Both teams were “loaded for bear” and it was expected to be a competitive game.   People were invited to “Come spend the day in Ridgeway! Come!”  (Ridgeway Journal, Aug 25, 1921)  

Sadly, the next week’s paper reported the Ridgeway team lost to Bethany by a score of 13-4.  (Ridgeway Journal, Sep 1, 1921)  

Bit of History - June 15, 2022

Summertime means baseball and Ridgeway has a long history of playing the game to the fullest. The earliest mention of Ridgeway baseball that I found was in the “From Ridgeway” column in the May 10, 1893, issue of the Bethany Republican: “Ridgeway has got three base-ball nines now. How’s that for a spring chicken?” Most game scores were mentioned only briefly (especially if the home team lost) but a 1906 series of three games between Albany and Ridgeway must have been exciting as it was mentioned several times in the same edition of Bethany Republican dated July 10, 1906. The two teams played three games over a weekend. Ridgeway won the first game 9-1, but Albany fought back and won the remaining games 2-0 and 7-5. The Albany team “received a warm welcome to our city” and while they were in Ridgeway “conducted themselves as perfect gentlemen”. Both teams then took the train to Albany to play another triple-header in that city.

You can read online about another exciting game that was played in 1928 between Ridgeway and Grant City. Go to https://sheridanexpress.blogspot.com and scroll down to the June 11, 2022, article titled “Wild Baseball Game in 1928 Saw Grant City Beat Ridgeway 17-16”. 

Bit of History - June 8, 2022

The Ridgeway Lions Club was an important part of Ridgeway’s history.  The club here was chartered in October 1946 during a banquet held at the high school.  The Pattonsburg Lions Club, who had helped get the new club organized, presented the 77 founding members of the new Ridgeway Lions Club with a gold-plated bell.  The founding officers included: Jack G. Williams, president; C. L. Foutch, secretary; Ivan N. Anderson, treasurer; Miller Brown, Lion tamer; Manly Claytor, tail twister.  (Bethany Republican-Clipper, Oct 30, 1946)

The new Lions immediately got busy working with other area towns to protest an increase in phone service charges they felt were excessive.  (Bethany Republican-Clipper, Nov 13, 1946) They went on to sponsor numerous events in Ridgeway such as the Ridgeway Farmers Fair, the Harrison County District Field Day and Plowing Contest, turkey dinners, concerts, and  many other events.  They were always working to improve the community, but their primary mission was to help people conserve their sight.  In 1978, a Blythedale couple wrote to the St. Joseph News-Press asking where they could get help with eyeglasses.  They were shut-ins and needed help even getting to the eye doctor.  The paper put the couple in touch with Carl Emry, president of the Ridgeway Lions Club who made arrangements not only for the glasses but also for transportation to Bethany for the exam.  Emry said that “Sight conservation is our main project.”  (St. Joseph News-Press, Jan 15, 1978) The Ridgeway Lions disbanded a few years ago after donating their building on Main Street to the city.  The city is going to lease it to the RCBA who will use it for their events.

Bit of History - June 1, 2022

Ridgeway alumni and former students held their first all-school reunion in June of 1958, according to an article in the June 6, 1958, issue of the Harlan (IA) Tribune which featured Miss Loree Allen.  She travelled here to attend the reunion and meet up with old friends in Ridgeway, Maryville, and St. Joseph.  The first reunion attracted 1600 attendees representing 61 classes.  The alumni planned to hold a second reunion the next year with additional reunions to be held every five years after that.  Ridgeway’s All-School reunion is a tradition that has stood the test of time for over 60 years and hopefully for many more.

I didn’t find Miss Loree Allen in the list of Ridgeway HS graduates, but according to the 1920  and 1930 censuses, she did live here and most likely attended school here.  She was 15 in 1930 and probably would have graduated about 1933 or so.  

Bit of History - May 25, 2022

Even in 1914 when Ridgeway was booming, businesses were concerned about people going outside Ridgeway to shop.  This little piece appeared in the March 12, 1914, edition of the Ridgeway Journal.  Even though we may not have nearly the number of businesses now as over 100 years ago, it is still nice to shop in Ridgeway when we can, especially now with the Farmers & Makers Market.

Why You Should Shop at Home:
Because my interests are here. 
Because the community that is good enough for me to live in is good enough for me to buy in. 
Because I believe in transacting business with my friends. 
Because I want to see the goods. 
Because I want to get what I buy when I pay for it.
 Because every dollar I spend at home stays at home and works for the welfare of the town. 
Because the man (person) I buy from stands back of the goods. 
Because I sell what I produce here at home. 
Because the man I buy from pays his part of town, county, and state taxes.
 Because the man I buy from helps support my school, my church, my lodge, my home. 
Because when ill luck, misfortune or bereavement comes, the man I buy from is here with his kindly greeting, his word of cheer, and his pocketbook if need be.

Bit of History - May 18, 2022

Did you know that at one time, Ridgeway elected its postmaster?  On November 19, 1914, the Ridgeway Journal announced that Postmaster Melvin would leave his post the next February and that Congressmen J. W. Alexander decreed that the next Ridgeway postmaster would be chosen by public ballot.  The election would be held “by Australian ballot system” on November 27 from 7 am to 7 pm.  At the time the article was written, three democrats had announced their candidacy:  Charles E. Johnson, James T. Jefferies, and F. M. Spragg.  By November 26, four more candidates were vying for the job:  C.O. Buzzard, J. C. McCaul, C. A. Stoner, and C. E. Switzer.  The paper concluded with “take your pick –it’s bound be a democrat any way you choose. “

The race was on and it was “a warm number from start to finish. The seven candidates worked hard, and automobiles played a very prominent part by bringing in the country voters.  Much electioneering was done by friends of the candidates and as a result, it is said that many votes failed to land where they were originally promised.”  The paper went on to say that there was more interest in this local postmaster election that for a presidential election and no one had any idea who would win until the votes were counted.  C. A. Stoner won with 63 votes, easily beating F. M. Spragg who had 52 votes and J. T. Jefferies with 51 votes.  

FYI, the “Australian ballot system” is the system we use today for voting in public elections.  Also known as the “secret ballot’, it uses a pre-printed ballot, and the voter remains anonymous.

Bit of History - May 11, 2022

As we celebrate accomplishments of the senior classes of 2022, I pulled out the Owl school papers given to me by Betty P where the RHS seniors were recognized in the Senior Class editions of the paper.  My favorite parts are the senior wills where the departing graduates left something behind for the remaining students and teachers.  Betty gave me the senior editions for the classes of 1956, 1957 and 1958.  Here is what the seniors left to the younger classes.

From the class of 1956: the seniors left to the juniors their phenomenal ability to make money, their lockers to the sophomores (if the sophomores thought they could get them cleaned out), their pamphlet on “How to be Very, Very Popular, or Vice-Versa” to the freshmen and their athletic ability to the eighth graders.  

The 1957 class bequeathed to the juniors their ability to make money (which they had received from the class of 1956); the sophomores received all the fun they’d had at class parties; the freshmen got their talents which the seniors felt may be useful to them and the eighth graders got their ability to get along during class meetings.  

The class of 1958 left the juniors their “smart and bully ways in getting things done”.  The sophomores received “exactly one penny, and we hope this will draw interest and you will not experience too much difficulty in getting the remainder for the senior trip.”  The freshmen were given the seniors’ ability to borrow Mr. Crabtree’s paddle without his knowing it and to the Eighth Grade:  “we leave our ability to act more like grown-ups at special occasions.”

Bit of History - May 4, 2022

“There Will Be Light” was the leading headline in the February 26, 1914, issue of the Ridgeway Journal.  Ridgeway voters had just approved a $10,000 bond issue to build an electric light plant in the city of Ridgeway. Despite having already approved a $3000 bond to build the new city hall and jail, voters approved it with by a ratio nearly 9 to 1.   The board of aldermen set to work requesting and accepting bids.  In March, they purchased a plot of land from Daniel Landes in the southwest corner of the 6^th Block of the Miner Addition, just east of the railroad.  (From old maps, I think it would have been about where the dog pound is now, or a little east of it).  They hired E. Y. Davis & Son of Albany to construct the powerhouse out of brink and tile for a cost of $897. This company also built the new city hall and jail that year as well as a new brick office building for Dr. Lake Brewer, which completed the first block of all-brick commercial buildings in Ridgeway. (Ridgeway Journal, Apr 23, 1914)

In the April 16, 1914, issue of the Journal, the Board announced they had accepted several bids for the electric plant.   They purchased a Fairbanks-Morse 2-cylinder, 4 cycle 50 horsepower oil engine and a 10,000-gallon oil tank for $2,765. Westinghouse Electric provided all the electrical equipment for the building and Western Electric sold the city all the poles, streetlights, wires, cables, transformers, etc.  The Board then hired Ridgeway electrician C.I. Wiley to oversee all that installation.  The equipment was delayed slightly, but by August 27, the Journal reported that the light service was operational, and customers were slowly converting to the new electric light plant.  By September, the service schedule was provided by the board of aldermen:  the lights would go on from 5 pm to 11 pm (except Saturdays and other special days when evening entertainments needed them on longer).  Morning light service started on October 1 from 5 am to sunup and “Ironing Day” service was from 8 am to 11am on Wednesdays. 

Bit of History - April 27, 2024

At the bottom of the stack of old Ridgeway school newspapers that Betty P gave me was a page taken out of the December 27, 1964, issue of the St. Joseph News-Press.  The heading read “Salute to Ridgeway, Mo.” and the whole page is dedicated to highlighting parts of the town.  At the time, the town had a population of 470.  Ed Rossum served as mayor and George Light was both postmaster and chairman of the betterment program. Not pictured were Lucille Polley as town secretary and Vern Young as treasurer. In 1964, Ridgeway won a $700 prize for community betterment which included razing an “eyesore building” and planting a flower garden in its place.  The bandstand and Centennial Park currently occupy that space.

The article had several pictures of Ridgeway.  One photo depicted several members of the volunteer fire department which included Mayor Ed Rossum, Schuyler LaFollette (marshal), Francis Shephard as fire chief, Dean Kampman as assistant fire chief, Hayes McQuerry (city clerk) and Berl Scott (city councilman).

Another photo was of the west side of Main Street, south of the old Scott Grocery.  In this picture, you can see the café owned by Mr. and Mrs. Carl Emory, the Commerce Bank building, the original City Hall with the bell tower and in the distance, the telephone company building which still stands.  Other pictures included the school, a story about Dr. Lake Brewer who delivered over 850 babies in the area, a picture of the park bandstand and the improvements made there which included new benches and the croquet court and finally, a picture of three town council members constructing the Harrison-Mercer Co-op Association fertilizer plant:  Virgil Travis, Rodney Harris, and Edwin Hogan.

The story concluded with this quote: “Ridgeway isn’t even on a main highway, but it still a good town because it has people who believe in it, who love it and who not only plan to spend their lives there but hope their sons and daughters will remain there.  That is their secret.”

Bit of History - April 20, 2022

You might think that the April 1946 election must have been an exciting one in Ridgeway but according to the Ridgeway News column in the Bethany paper, it was very quiet.  At that time, the city elected a marshal to enforce the rulings of the city court.  Three men were running for this position:  Henry Pierce, M. B. Lawrence (the incumbent), and Harold Tripp.  Henry Pierce won by a single vote over Mr. Lawrence with Mr. Tripp coming in third.  Dean Leazenby was re-elected as Mayor; Harley Butler won over J. C. Stanley for alderman and James Fulton beat Chester Bowen for the other alderman position.  In other news, the Assembly of God church was hosting a pre-Easter revival;  sixty-two attended Sunday school at the Christian Church; the Ridgeway cemetery and park boards bought new power mowers; Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Tuggle moved to their new farm home in the Buckley neighborhood, and the first six grades of the school were getting ready to perform an operetta titled “Story-Land” on Friday, April 12, 1946.  (Bethany Republican-Clipper, April 10, 1946.)

Bit of History - April 13, 2022

Recently, I was given an amazing gift of Dolores T’s scrapbooks from her  high school years and World War II.  There is so much to be explored in these books, but not a lot of space this week, so I will just share one small item from her high school book: “The Wise Ole Owl”

“The Owl, perched majestically on his throne of plaster of paris, has held his sovereign position in the Superintendent’s office for several years.  

His first contact with the students of R. H. S. was made possible by the Winchester Arms Company, who helped Floyd Tuggle and Clarence Boehmer subdue his highness in the Argonne Forest (Stanley’s Timber) west of Ridgeway.

The Owl, Ozymandias, was born in a hollow tree about 275 years west of the “Stanley” bridge over Big Creek. , about 2 ½ miles west of town.  For the first year of his live, he was just an ordinary owl, but after he was brought to R. H. S., he has become a friend of everyone.  But!!! This friendship is likely to disappear near the end of this article!!”  (The article goes on to say that “Ozzy” would become the voice of the school’s gossip column.)