1879 (this is long - tells of beginning of Stanberry) The year 1879 was an important one and particularly so to me. The winter was cold with a heavy snow-fall giving us good roads for sleighing for several weeks. This prevented deep freezing and as a result the wheat crop was very good. While at Mr. Fisher's in the spring, he dug some potatoes which had remained where they grew, during the winter. But few of them were injured. The spring was dry, giving farmers a fine chance to cultivate their crops. In fact, the small grain and hay would have been much better had there been more rain. On the 7th of June while on a trip to Gentry, I saw that most of the meadows were quite bare, so much so that they would not hide a rabbit. In a few days it began to rain and rained hard every few days till fall. The meadows sprouted and produced a fair crop of hay while the small grain was good though the straw was shot. The corn crop was the best I have ever seen in the West. After we were married, we finished our schools and had not as yet formed any definite plans for the future. After closing my school, on July 1st I had nothing to do before Sept. 1st, when my winter term began. Wishing to recruit my health I canvassed for "Chase's Receipes" in Worth Co. and met with fair success. I did my canvassing on foot which required a great amount of walking. During my winter term of school, I boarded three days of the week at Mr. Fisher's and the other four days at Mr. Jno. Skinner's. With one or two exceptions, I made the trip of 8 miles ot my school on foot on Monday morning and back again on Friday evening. My expenses at both places were about the same. Financially, the year was one to be long remembered, as specie payments were resumed on Jan 1st. during the war it was thought necessary to suspend specie payments and many evils came therefrom. From that time until 1876 there was no specie in general circulation. About that time fractional paper currency gave way to silver coin of denominations less than one dollar. After business confidence was restored and resumption proved a success, gold and silver circulated freely and money that had been hoarded for years was invested. Business became brisk, commodities were no longer sold at a loss to the producer, and for a time it seemed as if speculation would produce bad results. At last, after some of the most venturesome had met with losses, affairs began to arrange themselves naturally. Railroad building, which had almost been on a standstill since the panic of 1873, was now resumed with more interest than ever before. The great army of tramps that had been such a nuisance for years were now able to find employment and none but those who were too lazy and vicious to make good citizens remained to infest quiet industrious communities. Before the panic, a railroad company had commenced building a road from Brunswick, MO to Omaha, Nebr but had finished their work no farther than Pattonsburg, Mo when the hard times interfered with further operations. The road was sold to the St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern and by that company was completed. After this the road was united to the Wabash system and is now known as the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific. A division town became a necessity after the road was completed to Omaha and a tract of land was purchased by the Western Improvement Company north of the depot three miles southwest of Mt. Pleasant. It was surveyed into town lots and a sale of them was made on the ____(blank) of September. This was the beginning of Stanberry and building at once commenced. The following winter proved to be open and work was pushed forward without any serious interruption. Within a year the town contained over 2000 inhabitants and has been improving ever since. About February, Mr. Fisher by way of trade secured a forty acre tract of land not costing over $100 00/100. Before the year closed, he sold it for $1500 00/100 and that tract is now known as "Moore's Addition to Stanberry." The solitary road that I had traveled two years before after night when going back and forth to attend our debates, is now Main Street in Stanberry. Mr. Fisher rented his farm and built a house and implement warehouse in town and has been selling implements there ever since. A good market was created which gave me an opportunity to make a better choice of means to gain a support for us. +++++++++++++++++++++