It seems like Almost Yesterday that the city of Ironton, Missouri installed a series of historical markers to identify Civil War sites in the community. Of all the important historic sites in the Arcadia Valley, one that has great significance is where Ulysses S. Grant, on August 8, 1861, received notice of his promotion to the rank of brigadier general. Colonel Grant had been ordered to Pilot Knob and Ironton to control the terminus of the Iron Mountain Railroad used to transport essential iron

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 the Aetna Powder Company plant at Fayville , Illinois exploded. The force of the explosion in the small community directly across the Mississippi River from Commerce, Missouri, was so powerful that it was felt in Cairo, Illinois, Paducah, Kentucky, and Poplar Bluff, Sikeston , and Cape Girardeau , Missouri. Most residents of the region thought they had experienced an earthquake. Early in the twentieth century Fayville was the home of the largest industrial

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a traveling salesman drowned in a drainage ditch along Highway 60 west of Sikeston , Missouri. The accident occurred at approximately 11:00 P. M., Friday night, May 17, 1946. The 29 year old salesman from Chicago, William Blythe, had only recently been discharged from the military, where he participated in a number of significant European battles. The Manbee Equipment Company of Chicago was proud to have him return to their sales force. In early 1946 Blythe

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Allen Laws Oliver of Cape Girardeau , Missouri, became the national president of the Sons of the American Revolution. Born in 1886 when his parents, R. B. and Marie Oliver, lived in Jackson, Missouri, young Allen Oliver was educated in the local schools, at Southeast Missouri Normal School, and then, in the family tradition, received a law degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia. In 1909 Allen Oliver joined his father's law firm in Cape Girardeau

It seems like almost yesterday that the most devastating tornado in American history passed through Southeast Missouri. The F-5 tornado first touched down in Reynolds County , west of Ellington and stayed on the ground for approximately 220 miles, for three and one-half hours, crossing southern Missouri and Illinois, finally dissipating in southern Indiana. The severe storm, called the tri-state tornado, killed 695 people, injured 2,027 more, and resulted in over a billion dollars in property

It seems like Almost Yesterday that residents of Cape Girardeau gained access to important historical records of Louis Lorimier, the founder of Cape Girardeau. Born into an important family in Montreal, Canada in 1748, Lorimer moved to the Ohio frontier and shortly before the American Revolutionary War, established a trading post on the main military route between Detroit and the Ohio Valley. A supporter of the British and their Native American allies, Lorimier supplied trade items to those who

It seems like Almost Yesterday that the Puxico , Missouri basketball team achieved state and national recognition. Their story is told in Matt Chaney’s 1994 publication, My Name is Mr. Ryan , and it is a remarkable story. The 1950s was a decade of significant change in high school basketball. This is the decade of small school triumphs that became the basis of legendary and magical stories still told by sports fans across the nation who remember the great teams from Milan, Indiana; Cuba,

It seems like almost yesterday that Southeast Missouri was hit with it's biggest blizzard of the 20th Century. Editor John Blue of the Southeast Missourian called it a "new yardstick in weather history." To this day, however, residents of Southeast Missouri call it the "Blizzard of '79." The storm roared into Southeast Missouri on Saturday night and stayed through Sunday, February 26, 1979. A heavy rain turned to snow during the night and deposited twenty four inches of snow in the next fifteen

It seems like Almost Yesterday that a growing national fad streaked through Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The craze was simply called "streaking." In March of 1974, Southeast Missouri State University students jumped out of their clothes and onto the bandwagon as streaking debuted on the campus. The Towers dormitory complex was the most popular center of Cape's naked runners and on one warm Wednesday night in March of 1974, 75 guys and two girls gathered for the largest Cape Girardeau streak.