Information Sheet

 

 

R         Morgan County (Mo.).

423                  Miscellaneous papers, 1964‑1982.

                                    Five folders, photocopies.

 

 

 

These are papers on various topics of Morgan County’s history, including histories of the towns of Fortuna, Barnett, and Laurie, a memoir of mule-buying, and an investi­gation of ma­jor mining sites.

 

The history of Fortuna was written and compiled by Omega (Charles) Hutchison, who grew up there.  Established in 1880, Fortuna was originally called Datzen.  The incorporated area ac­tu­ally lies in Moniteau County, along the border with Morgan County.  The site was determined by a now­ abandoned branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad between Boonville and Versailles.  Devel­opment of the town was led by P. J. Schmidt, and there were productive mines in the area.  This material includes extracts con­cerning Fortuna from newspapers in California (Mo.) and Versailles.  The date of compilation is unknown.

 

The undated history of Barnett was written by Oleta Flottman.  Barnett is located on a now inactive route of the St. Louis‑Southwestern (originally Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific) Rail­way in eastern Morgan County.  This paper names many of the early residents and busi­nesses of the town.

 

The history of Laurie was written and compiled by Anna Marie (Laurie) Brill.  She de­scribes many of the buildings and people of the community, which developed in the 1930s after the con­struction of nearby Bagnell Dam and the Lake of the Ozarks.  Laurie adjoins the Camden County line in southern Morgan County.  There are several photographs, including views of the Ozark Chapel United Methodist Church, and newspaper clippings which date from 1964 to 1982.

 

“Buying Mules in Missouri” is an undated memoir by Omega (Charles) Hutchison about the activities of her father, Samuel W. Charles of Fortu­na.

 

“Main Mines in Morgan County” is a paper written for a program presented to the Mor­gan County Historical Society in 1974 by Morris Hall and Ross Hurley.  It describes nine mining sites visited by the authors in 1973, and includes photographs and maps.  Lead, coal, and clay were pro­duced in commercial quantities in the county, which was the site of a lead‑mining “boom” in 1873‑1874.

 

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