THE HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY, MISSOURI. L.C. AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF USEFUL INFORMATION, AND A COMPENDIUM { IT CONTAINS A CONDENSED HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI AND ITS CHIEF CITIES- ZENS; GENERAL AND LOCAL STATISTICS OF GREAT VALUE, AND A LARGE AMOUNT OF MISCELLA- NEOUS MATTER, INCIDENTS, ETC., ETC. ILLUSTRATED. KANSAS CITY, MO.: 1882. PREFACE. THE purpose of the Publishers of this work is to present a concise history of Linn county, embracing its early origin and its steady rise and progress, from the wilderness to its present high state of civilization and cultivation. The chief uses of history are the lessons it teaches, and the every day occurrences of life should be garnished and cherished for future ages. The institutions of a people form a basis from which spring all their characteristics, and the progress and development of Linn county is a fair index of the character of her people, and the basis upon which their culture, refinement, social life, and energy must be taken or gauged. This history, then, is but a reflex of the past local life of Linn county. It has been collected from official sources, from files of newspapers and from individuals, and to this last, the living members of the old band of Pioneers, who opened the wilderness to Christianity and civilization, is the writer deeply beholden, and would tender his sincere thanks to their unwearied interest taken in the work, and to the great mass of useful information which they have so freely contributed. They have hewn and carved out a Grand Temple of Civilization, founded upon an enduring base, and the present and future generations must add to the structure, and see to it that its present grandeur shall not be dimmed. And by these channels of information, after months of exhaustive work, the HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY becomes an accomplished fact. Intelligent readers may judge how this labor has been performed, and make such allowances for errors in names and dates as may be found herein. Perfection of man is not of this world; therefore, to say that this work approached that higher degree of excellence would savor too much of vanity; but let us say that an honest endeavor has been made to make the HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY a compendium of acknowledged facts, a useful book of reference, and worth, in all respects, the careful perusal, if not approval, of the reader. Beside the band of "Old Pioneers," the Bartons, Southerlands, Younts, Flournoys, Esleys and others, to whom the author is indebted for much kindess and assistance in the collection of facts and incidents, which go to make up this volume, and who have contributed so freely and cheerfully to our request for history of the past, must be added, THE PRESS of Linn county, Judge Carlos Boardman, B. A. Jones, Judge John M. Pratt, F. W. Powers, Major A. W. Mullins, Thomas H. Flood, J. G. Morrison, George N. Elliott, to whom our thanks are especially due for their efficient aid hereby acknowledged. Having, so far as it was in our power, accomplished the work to which our time and labor have been given the past six months, in the hope that this volume may meet with a cordial welcome, and, if found worthy, a generous approval, the same is respectfully submitted. THE PUBLISHERS. D |
