Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/584

 524 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI Some fiue marble is foimd near the central part of the county and the large deposits of glass sand are of importance. At one time a plate-glass factory was projected for Ste. Genevieve to nse this sand. It was not erected, however. IIost of the sand that is taken out is sent to Crystal City. The prin- cipal products are marble, brick and lime. There are several .small nui'series and a num- ber of vine.yards where wine is produced, and other smaller manufacturing interests are also represented. The manufactured pro- ducts of the county in 1910 were worth $1,- 199,039, the principal item being flour. Lime was also a large item. The county is bordered on the east by the Mississippi river, which has as tributaries within the county the river Aix Vases, Establishment, Bois, and Saline creeks. There are a number of fine springs in the county also. The ^lississippi river affords transpor- tation facilities and the county is traversed by the main line of the St. Louis & San Fran- cisco, liy the Cape Girardeau & Chester, and by the Illinois Southern. The ]iopulation of the county is 10,607 and the total taxable wealth is $2,940,924. There are 54 school districts, employing 59 teachers. The population of the county is about one- half German and German descent and the other half is made up of both French and Americans. Ste. Genevieve, the county seat, is the largest town in the county and the oldest in the state. St. Clary's has a popu- lation of about 800 and there are some other smaller towns, among them being Brickeys, New Offenberg and Zell. Scott county is situated on the Mississippi river, and is about 140 miles south of St. Louis. It contains an area of 277,760 acres, ncarl- one-half of which is in cultivation. It was at one time heavily timbered, the prin- cipal varieties being gum, white oak, black oak, maple, cypress, cottonwood and poplar. There are still 100,000 acres of timber, most of which, however, has been cut over and the most valuable timber removed. The comity is level with the exception of the range of hills kno^'n as the Scott county or Com- uieree hills. These are in the northeast cor- ner and are part of the Ozark plateau. The soil is fertile, especially so on the ridge known as the Sikeston ridge, and the princi- pal crops are wheat and corn, though melons are also grown extensively. Perhaps Scott countj- produces more watermelons and cantaloupes than any other county in the state. The chief shipping point for melons is Blodgett, which In 1911 shipped more than six hundred cars of melons. There are some minerals found in the county, among them iron, limestone, sand- stone and several varieties of clays, including pottery, brick and clay suitable for making paint. Yellow ochre also occurs on the west side of the hills near Oran. Iron does not occur in commercial quantities, though there are traces of it in a number of places. The total value of manufactured articles in 1910 was $2,115,796. Flour, feed and meal made up .^1. 126. 556 of this amount. Tlie products of car shops and lumber were the other large items. The coiuity is well supplied with transpor- tation facilities. Heavy freight is moved on the Jlississippi river, which forms the eastern border of the county, and it contains several railroads. The Belmont branch of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern, and also the Cairo branch, the main line of the 'Frisco between St. Louis and Memphis runs through the county, as does the St. Louis & Gulf branch of the 'Frisco. The extreme southern