Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/319

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST JIISSOURI 259 Southeast Missouri. To the west there is a great section of the country that did its trad- ing here because tliis was the nearest river point. The merchants in Wayne, Bollinger, and counties further west were naturally sup- plied from the markets of this city. To the southeast the counties of Stoddard and Dunklin, while at a great distance from town, found it almost impossible to reach the river points in counties to the east of them. The great swamp of Little river shut them off from the Mississippi. Their only chance to get river transportation was by coming to the Cape. Now these counties were rapidly set- tling up and their growing inhabitants de- manded large supplies of goods. All this trade contributed to the wealth and prosper- ity of Cape Girardeau. It was no unusual sight to the people of Cape Girardeau of that day to see upon their streets long trains of wagons loaded with cotton or other products of the lower counties. The only flouring mills were in this section of the state. This led to the purchase of flour made in Cape Girardeau or Jackson mills. So important was the trade of some of these counties considered that some of the larger stores and mills sent men into these counties to become acquainted with con- ditions and bring trade here. State Normal School Located In 1873, through the liberality and energy of some of its citizens, the Cape secured the establishment of the State Normal school. The state expended considerable sums of money in the erection of buildings and the support of the school and the students of this institution and St. Vincent's College brought other large sums to the town. By this time, however, a falling off in the town's business was already to be seen. The day of the railroad had come. The construc- tion of the St. Louis & Iron Mountain, with its branches, cut off the trade of the west and southeast. Towns sprung up at various points and cut off some of the trade that i'ormerly came this way. Dexter, in Stoddard county,, secured the trade of Stoddard and Dunklin counties and became a flourishing town. At- tempts were made to reconstruct the Blanton plank road between New jMadrid and Clark- ton in Dunklin county. It had been destroyed during the war. The attempt did not suc- ceed, but resulted in construction of a rail- road between New Madrid and ilalden. This was the beginning of the Southwestern sys- tem and still further tended to make the lower counties independent of Cape Girardeau. The people of the town did not tamely sit by and see the great empire of trade which had been theirs slip from their grasp. Efforts were made to hold it. Railroads were pro- jected. Finally, through the tireless en- deavors of Louis Ilouck, a line was built run- ning to the southwest. It did much for the town, but it could not stay the tide which was turning more and more away from it. The Iron jMountain had made the territory tributary to St. Louis and the possibility once seen of making Cape Girardeau the trade center of all Southeast Missoui-i was gone, if not for all time, at least for many years. Stage op Stagnation Deprived of this great and lucrative for- eign trade, the town entered upon a stage of stagnation. It was always a good town, but it ceased for many years to grow. It was at a standstill. The schools, the splendid farm- ing country about it, and its manufacturing interests were a guarantee that it would al- ways be a good town. Satisfied with this as- surance, the most of the population contented themselves with conditions as they were. The