Jay Whales

A History of Marquand

 

 

A History of Marquand,   MO

 

 

This is an excerpt from Historical Madison County 1818‐1989 that was published by The

Heritage and Landmarks Commission and The Madison County Historical Society:

 

Marquand, situated along the banks of the Castor River and surrounded by the Mark Twain National Forest, nestles among the hills of the St. François Mountains. Hunting, fishing, and the wooded seclusion of the area attract many tourists today, but it was the river bottomland that first drew settlers in the opening decade of the nineteenth century.

 

Prior to 1804, Indians were the only inhabitants of the community. A trail led down the Castor River from St. Michael to Stoddard and Dunklin counties. Shawnee and Delaware, pushed west by the American migration, were living on the banks of the Castor as late as 1816, but Indian mounds and relics found along the river are evidence that Indians had lived in the region for several thousand years.

 

The first white settlers to come to the area made their journey in the spring of 1804 to the large tract of land they had secured under the Spanish Land Grant. Upon their arrival they cleared the land and built a large two‐story log home with a fireplace that had an eight foot opening that would accommodate ten cooking pots at one time.

 

From 1804 until the arrival of the railroad, the community was referred to as the Whitener Settlement. Around 1869, the Missouri Pacific Railroad came to town and with it, a railroad administrator by the name of W. G. Marquand. He was so impressed by the natural beauty of the town that he donated $1,000 for the construction of a church. The people of Whitener Settlement were so overwhelmed by Mr. Marquand's generosity that they renamed their little town in his honor. Mr. Marquand's money was intended for the organization of a Presbyterian Church. Although a building was constructed, the funds were somewhat compromisingly used and the church failed. The Methodists later bought the building.

 

There were at least four subscription schools operating in the area before the Civil War. Students paid one dollar a month to attend school where they sat on seats made from split logs, wrote with goose quill pens, and learned reading, writing and arithmetic. The students even made their own ink from indigo, lamp black, and pokeberries. Immediately after the Civil War, the first public school was started in the community at Mousers Grove.

 

A school was opened in Marquand near the site of the present school and by the late 1800's had as many as 100 pupils. Marquand began a high school in 1919 with the addition of a ninth grade. The next year a tenth grade was added, but it was obvious that a new building was needed before a full four year program could be offered. In April of 1927, a special election was called for the purpose of voting $7500 in bonds for a new school building, with the state providing an additional $2000. The proposition carried 124 to 5, and the eight members of the class of 1928 were the first to graduate from Marquand High School. At that time there were two elementary teachers, two high school teachers, and a principal. The building vote for in the 1927 election is

 

still in use. A gymnasium was added during the Depression, and a cafeteria and additional classrooms were added in 1956. A separate elementary building was constructed in 1972. The Marquand School District was enlarged several times through consolidation, the last time in 1966 with the addition of the Zion community.

 

Farming was the most important economic activity in the early days of the Marquand community. Corn was the most important crop, but the early farmers also raised wheat. They also hunted and trapped. There is a story that during the winter of 1862 or 1863, Dan Whitener killed sixty deer. It was a hard winter, though, and the deer were so poor that they couldn't be eaten; however, their hides were usable.

 

The town really began to grow after the railroad came through, but even prior to that, ties were being cut at local sawmills. In the late 1890's when some mines opened in the area, the cutting of mining props would become important.

 

By the turn of the century, Marquand was flourishing. The railroad allowed for the export of iron ore, wheat, and as many as one hundred and sixty carloads of timber a week. By this time Marquand had a post office, the first roller mill in Southeast Missouri, and a newspaper, The Marquand. In 1906, the town of Marquand was officially organized with a town board.

 

The Castor River was one of the largest attractions to early settlers, but it also caused problems. It was impossible to ford during periods of high water. In 1919, the Marquand citizens raised a fund by public subscription and erected a footbridge just north of the ford at the lower end of town. The bridge was suspended by wire cables anchored on opposite banks of the river. The bridge served for many years, but the advent of the automobile intensified the need for something better. Attempts were made to build bridges that would support a car or wagon and team, but when the river would rise, these bridges would be washed away. During the early months of 1923 there was a period of about six weeks when the river was seldom safe to cross by wagon. There was much talk about the need of a substantial bridge.

 

In 1930, Marquand was probably at its height of growth. Since it was still not very convenient to drive to the county seat, it was up to the town itself to meet the needs of its people. By this time, Marquand had seven general stores, two meat markets, one post office, one bank, two churches, one sawmill, one handle mill, one carding machine, one flour mill, one drug store, one doctor, one soda fountain, one bottling factory, three blacksmith shops, two mechanics, one shoe shop, two barber shops, one school, one cafe, and a Justice of the Peace.

 

The railroad brought prosperity to the community but it could also bring tragedy. The great train wreck of Marquand occurred on January 11, 1911. W. A. Paul was the engineer of a freight train. His son, E. Paul, was the engineer of a freight train. The passenger train left Marquand at1:52 p.m. and headed towards Bessville to wait there for the freight train to pass. Young Paul, however, was ahead of schedule, and he left Bessville, hoping to meet his father at Marquand. The two trains met head on at the edge of town. The sounds of the crash brought the townspeople running to witness the wreckage and offer assistance to the wounded. There were    two fatalities. One was William Holmes, a passenger from Fredericktown, and the other was W. A. Paul, the engineer of the passenger train. Young Paul's hands were badly burned as he clawed through the coals, trying in vain to reach his father. So remorseful was young Paul over the fact that he had caused the wreck which had taken his father's life, he later died of a nervous breakdown.

 

In the closing decades of the twentieth century, Marquand remained a small but stable community. The school is still functioning and many people in the area work hard to insure that its students receive a quality education.      Marquand was looking ahead to the twenty‐first century, though the town is not fairing so well anymore. The town boasts a post office, one store and a bank.

 

The Missouri Pacific Railroad discontinued service to Marquand in the early 1970's, but the memory of its influence will linger for years to come in the form of a town park that is currently being developed on the former railroad land. The park will preserve and enlarge a wide expanse of landscaped acreage that rungs through the center of town. An old mill and railroad car will be permanently located in the park.

 

It will soon be two hundred years since the first settlers came to Marquand. Because the town stayed small, much of the area has remained unchanged. The hills and trees and river would be very familiar to those early pioneers. Another Marquand resource that remains unchanged through the years is its people. The citizens of Marquand are warm, friendly, and always willing to help.

 

Much of this information on the history of Marquand comes from a history of the community written by the 1932 Senior Class of Marquand High School in 1931.

 

Since this is a work of pure fiction, any events described are taken very liberally, such as the train wreck and Jesse James gang.  The two did not happen at the same time era, in this book however, they did, it is fiction, get over it historians.

 

History         of         Marquand,         MO,         obtained         from         the         Internet         at: http://www.usacitiesonline.com/momarquandhistory.htm