OCTOBER 1952 Published Quarterly By The State Historical Society of Missour COLUMBIA, MISSOURI THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI The State Historical Society of Missouri, heretofore organized under the laws of this State, shall be the trustee of this State.—Laws of Missouri, 1899, R. S. of Mo., 1949, Chapter 183. OFFICERS 1950-1953 E. E. SWAIN, Kirksville, President GEORGE ROBB ELLISON, Maryville, First Vice-President RUSH H. LIMBAUGH, Cape Girardeau, Second Vice-President HENRY A. BUNDSCHU, Independence, Third Vice-President BARTLETT BODER, St. Joseph, Fourth Vice-President RAY V. DENSLOW, Trenton, Fifth Vice-President LOUIS J. SIECK, St. Louis, Sixth Vice-President R. B. PRICE, Columbia, Treasurer. FLOYD C. SHOEMAKER, Columbia, Secretary and Librarian TRUSTEES Permanent Trustees, Former Presidents of the Society ISIDOR LOEB, St. Louis WILLIAM SOUTHERN, JR., ALLEN MCREYNOLDS, Carthage Independence GEORGE A. ROZIER, Jefferson City G. L. ZWICK, St. Joseph Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1951 RALPH P. BIEBER, St. Louis HENRY C. THOMPSON, Bonne Terre ARTHUR V. BURROWES, St. Joseph WILLIAM L. VANDEVENTER, LAURENCE J. KENNY, S. J., St. Louis Springfield JOSEPH H. MOORE, Charleston GEORGE H. WILLIAMS, California ISRAEL A. SMITH, Independence CHARLES L. WOODS, Rolla Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1952 JESSE W. BARRETT, St. Louis GEORGE H. SCRUTON, Sedalia CHESTER A. BRADLEY, Kansas City JAMES TODD, Moberly GEORGE ROBB ELLISON, Maryville T. BALLARD WATTERS, Marshfield FRANK L. MOTT, Columbia L. M. WHITE, Mexico JOSEPH PULITZER, St. Louis Term Expires at Annual Meeting, 1953 FRANK P. BRIGGS, Macon ALBERT L. REEVES, Kansas City STEPHEN B. HUNTER, Cape Girardeau E. E. SWAIN, Kirksville WALDO P. JOHNSON, Clinton R. M. THOMSON, St. Charles E. LANSING RAY, St. Louis ROY D. WILLIAMS, Boonville EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The thirty-one Trustees, the President and the Secretary of the Society, the Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and President of the University of Missouri constitute the Executive Committee, Missouri Historical Review Floyd C. Shoemaker, Editor Volume XLVII OCTOBER 1952 Number One The Missouri Historical Review is published quarterly at 201 Madison Street, Jefferson City, Missouri. Communications pertaining to the publication should be addressed to 201 Madison Street, Jefferson City, Missouri, or to Floyd C. Shoemaker, The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. The Review Is sent free to all members of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Membership dues in the Society are $1.00 a year. The Society assumes no responsibility for statements made by contributors to the magazine. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at Jefferson City, Missouri, under the act of August 24, 1912. MORE COMMENTS ON THE SOCIETY AND THE REVIEW Just noted the illustrations accompanying "This Week in Missouri History" in the Review and must write a note of warmest congratulations. They have life and a vitality that adds tremendously.—MARY E. CUNNINGHAM, Editor, New York History, New York State Historical Assoc, Cooperstown, N. Y. I do enjoy reading about our wonderful state of Missouri. Our State His­ torical Society deserves worlds of praise for making so much of our history available.—MRS. CHARLES W. GREEN, Moberly. I am also a member of several other state societies so feel when I say that I think the Missouri Historical Review is one of the best I am speaking with some knowledge of comparison.—GERTRUDE BROOKS O'NEILL, Boulder, Colo. Permit me to take occasion to say how deeply I appreciate the many-sided excellence of the Review ... I have found it a vast mine of values . The Review is indeed a monument to your great scholarship and tireless zeal for our state history "more enduring than bronze."—RALPH F. BAYARD, Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis. The Review, we think, grows more fascinating all the time. The in­ structors and students here in the school enjoy it immensely.—R. J. RINEHART, Dean of the School of Dentistry, Kansas City. The Missouri Historical Review is one of the most popular magazines which comes into our home. We especially liked the latest issue and think the new cover was most attractive.—MRS. JAMES R. KERR, Webster Groves. I wish to compliment the Society on the very fine appearance of the last number of the Review. The publication itself has always been tops in interest and information.—MRS. A. H. LONG, Cadet. Should St. Louis be seriously damaged in war and local archives dis­ arranged, damaged, and destroyed, the Society's files of St. Louis materials might well be one of the few remaining sources of information on St. Louis city history.—FREDERICK C. AULT, Librarian, Municipal Reference Library, St. Louis. This task you are completing for the State Historical Society of Missouri is a magnificent one. It will preserve for future use newspapers which in some cases at least are the only written record of the community.—MARY KAY ENGLISH, Sedalia. I cannot refrain from expressing my gratitude as a native Missourian for the outstanding work you and the Society are doing in acquainting present day Missourians with the historical occurrences and other features showing the greatness of our state.—JAMES E. GOODRICH, Kansas City. I have had many occasions in the last few years to realize the value of the records of the Historical Society from which I have derived information that would otherwise be unobtainable.—HUGH STEPHENS, Jefferson City. The Missouri Historical Review is one of the best edited magazines I get and I read it from "kiver to kiver" with keen interest.—JAMES A. WORSHAM, SR., Long Beach, Calif. The State Historical Society has a. store house of information in its library and we M. U. students who study Missouri history really appreciate the kind­ ness shown us in the library.—ROBERT W. DAVIS, Blackwater. Contents Page THE CIRCUS IN EARLY RURAL MISSOURI, by Elbert R. Bowen 1 JOSEPH MURPHY'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST, by Emily Ann O'Neil Bott 18 A BIT OF WESTON, MISSOURI, HISTORY, by E. W. Howe 29 'THIS WEEK IN MISSOURI HISTORY," by Floyd C. Shoemaker 37 THE MISSOURI READER: AMERICANS IN THE VALLEY. PART IX. Edited by Ruby Matson Robins 47 HISTORICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS 62 A Personal Message from the Secretary 62 Members Active in Increasing Society's Membership 62 New Members of the Historical Society 64 Graduate Theses Relating to Missouri 67 Society Acquires Valuable Manuscripts Collection 68 Society Receives Another Portrait by Bingham 69 A Dandy Question 70 Erratum 70 Activities of Local Historical Societies 71 Anniversaries 73 Monuments and Memorials 74 Notes 75 Historical Publications 83 Obituaries 86 MISSOURI HISTORY NOT FOUND IN TEXTBOOKS 91 (in) Illustrations Page THE CIRCUS. Cover design reproduced from a wood engraving by Fred Geary, Missouri artist. See "The Circus in Early Rural Missouri," by Elbert R. Bowen 1 ADVERTISEMENT OF RAYMOND & Co/s AND VAN AMBURGH & Co/s MENAG­ ERIE AND CIRCUS 4 ADVERTISEMENT OF VAN AMBURGH'S MENAGERIE 6 ADVERTISEMENT OF DRIESBACH & Co/s MENAGERIE AND CIRCUS 7 ADVERTISEMENT OF LEVI I. NORTH'S CIRCUS AND CALLIOPE 10 ADVERTISEMENT FOR A MURPHY WAGON 20 WESTON, MISSOURI, BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. Reproduced from Charles A. Dana, The United States Illustrated, Vol. I, The West 29 JOHN S. WOODS. Reproduced from The Catholic Tribune, St. Joseph, Mo., June 8, 1895, p. 6 31 WILLIAM OSBORNE. Idem 32 BEN HOLLADAY. Idem 33 "THIS WEEK IN MISSOURI HISTORY" 38 INDIAN ATTACKS WERE ONE OF THE WORST HAZARDS WHICH THREATENED THE OVERLAND MAIL STAGECOACHES 38 CAMP MEETINGS IN THE WOODS 40 THE HORSE-DRAWN STEAM FIRE ENGINE 41 ARMED MOBS BEAT TEXAS DROVERS AND STAMPEDED THEIR HERDS 42 THE FIRST STEAM FERRY 44 THE UNION CAMP AT PILOT KNOB 45 (iv) THE CIRCUS IN EARLY RURAL MISSOURI BY ELBERT R. BOWEN1 Within the lifetime of the present generation the American circus has almost been replaced as an entertainment medium by the films, radio, and television. The boys and girls of early rural Mis­ souri were more fortunate than our sons and daughters in regard to the circus. They saw many wagon shows and show boats, and they saw the best circus performers in America. At least sixty- one circuses and menageries, under thirty-one different managements, toured rural Missouri before the Civil War. Between 1838 and 1861, circuses appeared in the state in every year except possibly 1839 and 1844; and in 1856, ten different circuses entertained Mis­ sourians beyond St. Louis. During the 1850's Missourians living near either the Mississippi or the Missouri River could see at least one circus each summer, and in several seasons they could take their pick of two or three sawdust shows. Whether traveling in wagons or on boats, the circuses exhibited almost entirely in the populated river counties and performed in at least one hundred and twenty Missouri towns and hamlets before 1861. The wagons journeyed westward into the Boon's Lick country and on up the Missouri River as far north as St. Joseph—sometimes even to Savannah and Oregon—performing in the towns on one side of the river on the westward trek and in the communities on the other side when returning east. They also toured the west bank of the Mississippi from Cape Girardeau to Hannibal and Palmyra. The circus boats stopped at almost every landing along both rivers, oc­ casionally performing in two or three different towns in a day's time. Apparently few, if any, pitched their tents in the central re­ gions of northern and southern Missouri. Only one is known to have exhibited in Springfield, in southwest Missouri. The shows ALBERT R. BOWEN is associate professor of speech, Central Michigan College of Education, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. He received the A.