It seems like Almost Yesterday that Dr. Lee Turley was delivering babies and providing medical care to the residents of St. Francois County Missouri. For over 45 years, from 1890 to 1935, Dr. Turley became one of those legendary family doctors who became both physician and friend to three generations – and hundreds of families. Dr. Turley was born in 1862 and raised on a farm north and west of Bonne Terre. His grandfather, Aaron Turley, was one of the early settlers of St. Francois County, and

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Miss Eliza Ann Carleton began a log cabin college north of Farmington, Missouri. Her goal was to establish a college of high quality for the young people of the region. Born and raised in a prominent Virginia family, Miss Carleton moved to Missouri in 1843 at age 17 to be close to her uncle Henry Carleton. Her family had provided her with an excellent education, and she had visited some of the most famous college of her native state. She taught school in her

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the last of the unplanned and unscheduled steamboat races occurred on the Mississippi. On the evening of September 5, 1923, the steam boat, The Capitol, went out of Cape on a moonlight excursion. The Bald Eagle, one of the oldest river boats, was preparing for a late night departure for St. Louis. At approximately 10:00 P.M., the Bald Eagle pulled out of Cape and headed north. About a mile up river the two ships passed – passengers shouting, and the captains

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the State of Missouri acquired a state flag. The date was March 22, 1913, and this was part of a movement motivated by the development of aluminum flag poles, the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the admission of three new states: Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona, all occurring in the early twentieth century. Only a few states had an official flag prior to 1900 but with the availability of sturdy aluminum flag poles, states could hoist their banners

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois experienced an unusually hot and dry summer. The year was 1867 and rainfall remained scarce well into the autumn. Temperatures were high, humidity low, and the landscape turned brown and crunchy. By mid-November, with crop yields low, a higher than usual number of hunters took to the woods and dry wetlands in pursuit of animals that could be used to sustain families through the coming winter. This resulted in an

It seems like almost yesterday that three veterans of the American Revolution were honored with appropriate markers at Old Bethel Cemetery south of Jackson, Missouri. The three patriots participated in the Revolutionary War and between 1797 and 1806 moved to the Jackson area, acquired land, and joined what is now called “Old Bethel Baptist Church.” “Old Bethel” has been restored, the cemetery refurbished, and the site made accessible for interpreting the early history of Southeast Missouri.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Ronald Reagan came to Sikeston , Missouri to serve as the speaker at the annual banquet of the Sikeston Chamber of Commerce. The year was 1965 and Reagan had only recently emerged as a national political figure following the 1964 Republican National Convention. Reagan brought his emerging appeal to Southeast Missouri where Republicans were beginning to show strength. Here he argued that high taxes, social programs, and governmental regulations were strangling

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the community of Bunker celebrated its centennial history. Founded by Sylvanus J. Bunker in 1907, the small community paid tribute to its founders and its history with a weekend commemoration in June of 2007. Under the slogan, “Come Home to Bunker,” there was the traditional opening ceremony, a parade, beauty pageant, band concert, and a book signing for a new history of the town and region. The book, written by Dean Burns, who was born and raised in Bunker,

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the State College Golden Eagles Marching Band became national media stars. In 1971, the 160 member Golden Eagles band was selected to perform at the Super Bowl in Miami, Florida. The band was given an intimidating schedule - a pre-game presentation, the national anthem, and a five-and-a-half minute marching routine during the halftime. Band director Leroy Mason began rehearsals in early September and they continued until the day before the game. The band

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the circus came to De Soto, Missouri. In the days before television, color movies, and modern entertainment options, a high light for every community was when “the circus” came to town. Colorful costumes, trapeze artists, beautiful ladies, wild animals, and entertaining clowns — provided an escape from the hard work and isolation of rural and small town America. The Al G. Barnes wild animal shows regularly stopped in De Soto, Missouri and moved up St. Louis