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The History of Chaffee The Early Years - 1905 to 1910 |
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The History of Chaffee The Early Years - 1905 to 1910 |
1905
The Chaffee Historical Society discovered this historic piece of Chaffee History in the September 1, 1955 edition of "The Chaffee Leader". The Chaffee Leader has taken the liberty of "reprinting" a newspaper article from a newspaper in Illmo, Mo, the "Illmo Headlight", dated 6/30/1905. This edition of "The Chaffee Leader" focused its attention on Chaffee's Golden Jubilee Celebration and this article was certainly pertinent to the celebration. We "re-publish" this article here in our web-site because it documents our very earliest history.
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Illmo Headlight 6/30/1905 FRISCO YARDS TO LOCATE NEAR ROCKVIEW 1800 Acres Acquired by This Company at That Place The Town Will Be Model One Railroad Company Will Plat And Sell Town Lots, But Will Not Sell for Saloon Purposes
The knotty problem as to what the Frisco intending toward locating railroad yards in this territory seems to be settled beyond a doubt by the action that company has just taken in buying 1800 acres of land near Rockview. All the newspapers of this section have had sites picked for these yards at various places and the Cape Girardeau papers insisted that the yards and shops would remain there. But its all off now. The best informed railroad men who have heretofore been very reticent on this question, now freely admit that Cape will lose all Frisco interests at that point and that all will go to Rockview. Without outside information, this is the only reasonable conclusion that anyone would form in the face of present developments, as it is certain that this system is not to maintain two separate yards, roundhouses, shops, etc., only 15 miles apart. This road is compelled to have a terminal to handle its bridge business. The Cape is not located good for this, and if it was there is no land there for this purpose which could be gotten at a reasonable price. Already the work of grading for fourteen switch tracks one and one quarter miles long has commenced at Rockview. One hundred teams and several hundred laborers and mechanics are being asked for. Two steam shovels and a rock crusher are on the ground. It is understood that the Frisco will layout a town there and that a clause prohibiting the dispensation of intoxicating liquors will be attached to each deed of transfer of town lots. The Benton Record says in this connection: "There is no longer any doubt as to the new town to be located with the Frisco car shops in this county on the Witt-Heeb-Owens-Hunt lands near Rockview. The cash was paid over by the Chaffee Real Estate Co. of St. Louis Tuesday night in Benton, something over $140,000 changing hands."
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Historical Note: Take note that this 1905 article does not mention the city name of Chaffee, it does however, mention Chaffee Real Estate Co..... of St. Louis, Mo. In fact, the article says the Frisco is moving from Cape Girardeau to Rockview on the Witt-Heeb-Owens-Hunt lands and that the railroad "will plat and sell town lots". The next question is how the Chaffee Real Estate Co got into the picture. Who is the Chaffee Real Estate Co.? Is it a Frisco subsidiary? Is it made up of Frisco stockholders? Ahhhh....$140,000.....Follow the money.
Note: In the Chaffee Review Newspaper of Dec 8, 1905, in the "Items of Interest" column on page1; "Mr. H.W. Beardsley (Manager of the Chaffee Real Estate Co.) has been spending several days in St. Louis on business in connection with interests in Chaffee". What business could Mr Beardsley have in St. Louis. Well, we know that the Chaffee Real Estate Co had an office in the "Chemical Building" in St. Louis (across the street from the Railway Exchange Building where the Frisco had offices) and we know that the Chaffee Review (or at least the Chaffee Publishing Co.) had an office in the same Chemical Building, and so, Ahhhh....$140,000.....Follow the money.
Note: According to the Chaffee Review on page 2: "The Chaffee Review, Associate Editors: Samuel J Stevens and Stanley B Lewis, published by the Chaffee Publishing Co, Chemical Building, St. Louis, MO.
If any of our viewers knows anyone in the St. Louis, MO area who can help us gather information on the Chaffee Real Estate Co. we would surely appreciate their assistance. Was there an individual in St. Louis by the name of "Chaffee" to whom the "Chaffee Real Estate Co. garnered its name?
We also would like someone to visit the archives in Jefferson City to see if any tax or revenue information is available for the period of time from 1904 - 1910 regarding officers of the Chaffee Real Estate Co, either in Chaffee OR St. Louis. Also, since we have access to such a limited number of the old editions of the Chaffee Signal and Chaffee Review, does the State have such editions available for purchase on microfiche.
As more research material becomes available we will continue our review of the Early History of Chaffee
Chaffee Historical Society
Box 185
Chaffee, Missouri