Marcelle Marquardt ,City Clark

This story was taken entirely from the March 23rd 1978 Wagon Wheels issue of the Rich Hill Mining Review.
I like this story because it's about City Hall 30 years ago

Marcelle Marquardt left the labor force to be a full time mother but she always intended to go back to work when both her sons were out of school. But the old saying about mice and men holds true for mothers too.
One of the jobs Marcelle was interested in in Rich Hill was the position of City Clerk. However, the position became available before she did. Her youngest son was still in junior high at the time the council was looking for city clerk applications. But if it knocks twice it isn't opportunity and shortly Marcelle found herself in city hall.
The position of city clerk had appeal to Marcelle for two basic reasons - she doesn't like routine work and she does like working with the public. Being city clerk is anything but routine and there is plenty of public contact, said Marcelle.
Marcelle learned much about working with the public from her father-in-law and former employer, Fred Marquardt, she said. She also credits Mrs. Opal Heatherly, as do many former students of Rich Hill High, for having the background in commercial subjects to handle the duties of city clerk.
It was hard to track down all the duties of the city clerk due to the variance in the nature of the work. Basically the city clerk is responsible for the office work of the city of Rich Hill. Again Marcelle is quick to credit others. This time it's her co-workers, assistant clerk Beth Smith and secretary Renea Castlebury. Much of Renea's time is spent in getting the utility bills figured, addressed and mailed. Beth handles the bank deposit and records when meters are turned on or off.
The other two women handle many of the complaints that come in, said Marcelle. However "the real hot ones" still go to Marcelle. Marcelle became city clerk in August of 1976 and inherited the problems that go with a major" Construction project the Rich Hill sewer system.

The paper work required whenever state or federal money is involved has occupied much of her time in the past year. Another time consuming task was preparing an application to HUD for a total water system package for Rich Hill.

The application narrowly missed getting funded and plans are to resubmit the proposal when the guidelines come out. She also handled much of the contacting and paperwork of getting a Man power grant for Rich Hill.Under this program three policemen and seven otherworkers have their salaries paid by the federal government. Much of the Manpower work has been done in the city park system.
Marcelle disagrees with the saying "You can't fight City Hall". Anyone with a complaint is heard and an effort made to work the problem out, she said. You can get something done or your problem aired by using reasonable discussion, she said.
While some people will complain no matter what the vast majority are not hard to work for, she said. Even with the inconvenience of the sewer con­struction and 10 days of pump trouble most people were very understanding, she said.
"Totally impossible", she said when asked about corruption in city hall. It would be very difficult to rip off the city funds due to the annual audit. ''If we mislay 15c the auditors will find it", she said. The federal funds for the various projects are received by the city only when requested to meet current obligations, she said. Even in the $15 petty cash fund the auditors require a receipt for each penny.
The adjustment back to a working woman required some changes in the household chores but there were big problems. Her husband, Ronnie, while not wild about her returning to work has supported her efforts, she said. She does miss working on the farm with him but everything has it's drawbacks. Her oldest son, Rocky, is attending the University of Missouri and her younger son, Zack, is a freshman at Rich Hill High.

Rich Hill Train Depot on a Winter Day

"Before There was a Rich Hill"

Tonights blog came directly from Vol.3, Number 12 from the December 6, 1979 Wagon Wheels Insert of the Rich Hill Mining Review. The article "Before There Was A Rich Hill" was written by the late Marjorie McGennis formerly of Rich Hill Missouri.

With Rich Hill's Centennial coming up soon, I have had occasion to look into the early history of our area. I'm sure you know who was here before we were, or any of our ancestors. Yes, it was the Indians, but we don't know how long they had been here. In 1673 when Father Marquette explored the Mississippi and its tributaries, he made a map showing this to be Osage territory. It remained so designated until 1825 when the U.S. Government made a treaty with the Osage Indians and moved them farther west into Kansas Territory.
Perhaps the earliest white men to make regular visits to this area were the French Canadian trappers and hunters, who traded with the Indians, buying furs from them. Of course, early traveling was done on the rivers, and the Indians themselves chose sites nearby streams for their villages. A few years ago an archeologicol team uncovered one of those settlements near the Marmaton River south of Rich Hill. There are circles of Indian mounds on several farms around here where it is supposed they pitched their tepees. Also collectons of arrowheads and other artifacts have been found.
We also learn something about the Osages from accounts left by those who tried so hard to bring the gospel to them. I am speaking of the men and women who founded Harmony Mission in 1821. The Osages, hearing that Union Mission had been founded in Arkansas Territory the year before, went to Washington to ask that they too have a similar mission. As a result of this the United Foreign Missionary Society assembled a party of ten men and their families and three single women to make up the Mission family.
They left Pittsburg, Pa. on April 10, 1821 on Keel boats to make their way down the Ohio River, stopping off at various places to get provisions and visit fellow Christians. When they reached the Mississippi, the journey became much more dangerous, with the river at flood stage. Finally reaching the Missouri River, they went upstream a short way to St. Charles and on June 9th presented their official papers to Governor McNair.

After poling up the Missouri to the Osage, it was August 2nd before they finally stopped at the Government Trading Post near what is now Papinville. They lived in tents for a while, until, they could, find the proper- site for the Mission. They chose a spot about one and a half miles north west of what is now Papinville on the north bank of the Marias Des , Cygnes river. It was a mile above a fine mill seat and the U.S. trading house. Eventually they erected 10 cabins, a large main building, a schoolhouse. blacksmith shop and store­house. Today all that marks the site is a small sandstone marker with the initials D.A.P. scratched on it, and perhaps
some depressions in the earth that mark the last resting place of some of these brave souls.
The Missionaries were anxious to convert the Osages to Christianity, but found that they could not conceive of an invisible God. for they worshipped the things they saw in Nature, the sun and moon, perhaps the lightning. It was very hard to convey the message because of language difficulties, but there was at the Government Post a good interpreter, William Sherley Williams, known as the "Mountain Man." He had first come preaching to the Indians, but later married an Indian woman and lived as one of them. He was able to help the Missionaries translate a small portion of the scriptures for their use.

History Not Taught in Public Schools By Frank E. Ralston Part 2

Part 2 of History Not Taught in Public Schools By Frank E. Ralston in the July 20 1962, Mining Review. Frank called himself the Old Historian,

During the summer months, Satur­days were always big days in Rich Hill before the turn of the century. Because that was the day when Mr. J. M. Thatcher entertained the paying public with his phonograph. Mr. Thatcher was the father of Mrs. C. j W. Pyle, an early day physician, who lived at the corner of 6th and Chestnut, in the house now belonging to Carl Hankins. When the coal miners and farmers began to come into town about the noon hour, Mr. Thatcher brought out his phonograph and set it up at the northwest corner of 6th street and Park avenue, and from noon until around 9-10 o'clock it was constantly in use. It cost the sum of 10 cents to stick the listening tubes in your ears and be entertined by the "devil machine" as one old lady called it. However an early day newspaper stated: "That the human voice can now be reproduced by the instrument and is a wonder well worth hearing.

An early day newspaper man was Mr. J. P. Wiseman, who came to Rich Hill from his home in Fayetteville,West Virginia in 1881 and together With a Mr. Magille, established the Western Enterprise. The first issue hit the press September 1, 1881. It was a weekly newspaper, and after about 4 years Magille sold his interest to Wiseman, who in turn contracted to sell the paper to a Mr. C. C. Graw of Grant City, Mo. and in early November 1885 Mr. Wiseman departed from Rich Hill for his old home in Fayetteville. For some reason the deal didn't stick. Wiseman returned to Rich Hill and in the January 22, 1886 issue of the Enterprise we find the following: "Graw thou are gone but not forgotten; may the Devil deal gently with you for we can't. ...Christ was betrayed into wicked hands, and so were we."

Local History Not Taught In Pubic School

Part 1 of History Not Taught in Public Schools By Frank E. Ralston in the July 20 1962 ,Mining Review
Frank called himself the Old Historian,




Rich Hill has had outstanding base­ball clubs over the years, and have developed some very classy ball play­er, but we doubt if anyone now alive recalls that Rich Hill sent a young ball player to professional baseball as early as the spring of 1887. Thomas Hackett, a young blacksmith was signed to a Kansas City Western League contract and left for the spring training April 13, 1887. A local paper stated at the time: "Tom is a young man of good character personal bearing and one whose Rich Hill fans feel a pride and personal interests." Sorry, we cannot give you any record of his success. Tom also played the tuba in the famous Rich Hill band of those days.

One of Rich Hill's prosperous industries before the turn of the century was the Vertified Brick and Tile plant, which employed more than 50 men and operated for a number of years. The company was organized and built by Major D. H. Wilson and Thomas Sanderson and T. B. Farmer, all prominent business men of the early days, and they were the local stockholders. Mr. J. H. Curry was in charge of the building and was super­internment of the plant. The plant was built in the spring of 1891 on the Spencer land, directly east of the Rich Hill Zinc Smelters, another early day industry. After operation for a number of years, the plant was sold to Walter S. Dickey of Kansas, who converted the plant to strictly a tile plant, and it was in operation for a number of years. Many a car load of brick and tile was shipped, from this plant.

Peter William Nelson's children

Connie Hanson from Des Moines,Iowa sent this picture of the Nelson children from Rich Hill.

Bart:
We think the baby is a boy(Paul Nelson) not girl because why would parents leave a little boy out of the picture??? and the last sister was not even born yet. what do you think but too bad they did not write names on this picture....

Bart:I found a picture of Peter William Nelson's children but no name.......... I got this from a family member so enjoy!

Rich Hill's Public Parks

This Blog is from E.R. McQuitty's stories at the 1955 Diamond Jubilee Celebration for Rich Hill

At the time of the founding of Rich Hill in 1880 the Town site company set aside four full blocks to be used as public parks, one on Park avenue between third and Fifth streets and Walnut and Maple streets, the other on Park avenue between Eleventh and Thirteenth and Walnut and Maple streets. These parks were to be used for public purposes, picnic and play grounds and for public gather­ings of all kinds. In April 1881 the city council begun the work of improving and beautifying both parks by clear­ing the sites of native grass (then some four feet high) and sowing blue grass. The initial order was for five hundred soft maple trees. These were planted and both parks were enclosed by board fences with entrance gates. Turnstiles were soon afterward substituted for the gates. Finally, af­ter an ordinance had been put into effect restraining stock from running at large, the fences were removed and brick sidewalks constructed. The soft maple trees were found to be unsuitable and were gradually replaced by all kinds of native forest trees. After this the parks were pretty well neglected except for a few occasional mowing's
The first substantial improvement was made when Mr.George Logan voluntarily and at his own expense erected a nice band stand in the West park. This work was done in the early nineties and served the public until dismantled and replaced by a more modern pavilion during the W. P. A. days. At the same time a number of stone ovens were built in the East park for the benefit of picnickers.
During the late Dr. Cromwell's administration, as mayor, concrete entrances were added at either end of each park which helped greatly in the beautification