- Benton County pegged for mining boom
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- At the turn of the century, Pettis County was thought to be a great source of coal and Benton County was believed to be a valuable source of lead and zinc. Periodically, enterprising men would try to convince... More of this story
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- Some like it not
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- The heat that we are experiencing almost drained my motivation to write this column. I usually... Full story»
- Morgan County monstrosity, Part II
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- After Professor Allison, principal of the Allison Home School in Syracuse and minister in the Presbyterian... Full story»
- Feeling their oats
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- My family has a proud history of being opinion columnists. In fact, I was looking through some old boxes... Full story»
Columns
Let loose the dogs of war
There is nothing I like more than a good old fashioned media war. On June 28, The New York Times published an opinion piece by Jacques Steinberg that discussed the ratings advantage that cable news networks like CNN and MSNBC are slowly gaining on Fox...
Syracuse was a thriving railroad town
As the Pacific Railroad pushed its way through Missouri during the late 1850s and early 1860s, towns sprang up along its route. These boom towns drew entrepreneurs who established businesses to serve the needs of the railroad workers temporarily staying...
Please, spare that meat from the indignity of the grill
Red, White, and BurntI love my country, only in America could a raving madman like myself get his inane ramblings printed. There are three things one usually associates with the Fourth of July celebrations — patriotism, fireworks and barbecue....
Call me muttonchops
This is the second of two columns investigating different sorts of facial hair, and I swear I’m not just doing it for the laughs.The toothbrush is always an option, most famously worn by Charlie Chaplin. Someone else had one too, but we won’t...
Warrensburg murder hot topic in late 1870s
Nineteenth century towns strove to be seen as “live,” a term that combined the concepts of progressivism and prosperity with morality and civility. The primary spokesperson for a community was often its newspaper editor, whose articles lauded...
The stay-cation presents challenges
Greetings from the Ridge. The Stay-Cation. I like the term. Unlike the Happy Meal and Smuckers, it’s a name that actually means what it says. In this summer’s shock of mortgage-busting gasoline prices and the hassle of travel, some folks...
19th century husband made a mess of things
Elizabeth Dugan, the outspoken editor of Rosa Pearle’s Paper, often injected criticism of bad husbands into the society news of parties, luncheons, and musicals printed in her paper. She denounced, for example, men who did not work to support their...
Time to fill in your All-Star ballot
Four Texas Rangers, no Albert Pujols and the near-pick of a Kansas City Royal highlight my Major League Baseball All-Star ballot.Here’s who I picked to play in the All-Star game July 15 at Yankee Stadium in New York.AMERICAN LEAGUESecond BaseIan...
Juvenile behavior an issue for Sedalia
“Progressive Era,” sociologists became concerned about preventing crime by carefully training young people in appropriate behavior. The task of monitoring children’s behavior that had previously been the responsibility of the parents,...
Remember fallen veterans
Another year has passed and 322 veterans from The Democrat reading area have died since Memorial Day 2007. That is how many obituaries of veterans the Democrat has published since then. Looking through past issues, I was amazed to see how many remarkable...
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