Sedalia, Missouri
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| Sedalia, Missouri | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Pettis |
| Area | |
| - Total | 12.0 sq mi (31.0 km²) |
| - Land | 12.0 sq mi (31.0 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 909 ft (277 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 20,339 |
| - Density | 1,700.8/sq mi (656.7/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 65301-65302 |
| Area code(s) | 660 |
| FIPS code | 29-66440[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0729812[2] |
| Website: www.cityofsedalia.com | |
Sedalia is a city located in Pettis County, Missouri, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 50 and U.S. Highway 65. As of the 2006, the city had a total population of 20,669.[3] It is the county seat of Pettis County.[4] The Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Pettis County. Sedalia is the location of the Missouri State Fair and the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival.[1] The current mayor of Sedalia is Bob Wasson.
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[edit] History
Although there were bands of Shawnee in the vicinity of Sedalia when the land was first settled, it is accepted as fact that the entire area was first occupied by the Osage.[5]
The area that became Sedalia was founded by General George Rappeen Smith (1804-1879), who would later go on to found nearby Smithton, Missouri, when he lodged plans for the official record on 30 November 1857, and gave the area the name Sedville.[6]
In addition to the land from today's Missouri Pacific Railroad south to Third Street, the original plat of Sedalia filed jointly by General Smith and David W. Bouldin (?-1893) on 16 October 1860, displayed the city spreading from Clay Street to the north and to Smith Street (i.e., today's Third Street) in the south, and from Missouri Street the west to Washington Street in the east. Smith and Bouldin anticipated that the city would grow North; however, it grew South.[7]
[edit] Name
Until it was incorporated in 1860 as Sedalia, the city had on existed "on paper" (i.e., from 30 November 1857 to 16 October 1860). Both Sedville and Sedalia were named after Smith's daughter, Sarah "Sed" Smith-Cotton. According to local lore, the town council changed the name from Sadieville to Sedalia in part because "towns that end in -ville don't amount to anything." (Lawrence Ditton, Sr.).
In 1856 General Smith bought the land upon which Sedalia now stands, and founded the city. The name was derived from that of his daughter Sarah, familiarly known as "Sed." He remarked that he had previously named a flatboat for her elder sister, Martha. The name he chose was that of Sedville. He changed this to Sedalia,[8] following the suggestion of a friend, Josiah Dent, of St. Louis, who proposed Sedalia, closely resembling the Latin word Sedilia, meaning a seat, at the same time remarking that the change would be desirable for the reason the "General Smith designed the removal of the county seat to the new town." The slight change from the proposed word was made for the sake of euphony.[9]
[edit] Growth
Sedalia had a population of around 300 people in 1860, and what Ihrig et al. (1960 p.12) describe as a "bona fide population" of around 1,000 in 1865.[10]
According to Ihrig et al., (1960 p.123) Sedalia's population grew as follows:
- 1870: 4,560
- 1880: 9,561
- 1890: 14,068
- 1900: 15,231
- 1910: 17,8221
- 1920: 21,144
- 1930: 20,806
- 1940: 20,428
- 1950: 20,354
- 1960: 28,000-30,000 (estimated)[11]
[edit] Railhead
Following a victory for those proposing the "ridge route" for the railway, over those advocating the "river route", the railway eventually reached Sedalia in January 1861.[12]
Sedalia's early prosperity was directly related to the railroad industry with tracks and machine shops for the Missouri Pacific and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad lines — the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was most widely known as the KATY, from its K-T stock exchange code.
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Sedalia was also an important railhead for the Texas cattle drive of 1866.
Chicago slaughterhouses were willing to pay almost any price [for beef] — longhorns were worth three to four dollars each on the Llano Estacado while in Chicago a steer was worth ten times that amount. It cost about a dollar per head to drive a herd northward to a railroad, and thus with these simple economics the ling drive and the cattle bonanza got its start. During the spring and summer of 1866 some 260,000 head followed the trail to Sedalia, Missouri, the terminus of the Missouri Pacific Railway" (McComb, 1989, p.84).
[edit] Civil War
Sedalia was made a military post early in the war and remained such until its close in 1865. For this reason it was an active theatre of operations for military supplies and an objective point for capture by "the boys in grey". Confederate raids into Pettis County, and the offensive and defensive activities of Union troops against them, kept the inhabitants of Sedalia in [a] high state of excitement and the progress of the city was retarded [during that time]. Sentiment in the county was about evenly divided.[13]
During the Civil War, despite the presence of the Union soldiers guarding the railroad, Sedalia was almost taken by the Confederate forces of Major General Sterling Price, when 1,500 of Shelby’s "Iron Brigade" cavalry associated with Price's Missouri Expedition surrounded Sedalia, overpowered the Union militia that were under the command of Colonel John D. Crawford and Lieutenant Colonel John [?D.] Parker, and began to loot and sack the town on 15 October 1864.[14]
Once General M. Jeff Thompson had actually arrived in Sedalia, he ordered his men to stop their destruction, and moved them on, leaving Sedalia once again in Union hands.[15]
Whilst the Civil War delayed the building of the town, it also meant that Sedalia had been the terminus of the railroad for three years; and, once the war was over, many of the thousands of Union soldiers who had been stationed more or less permanently at Sedalia during the war, and who had soon recognized its potential, made the choice to migrate to Sedalia from their pre-war homes in other locations across the United States.[16]
[edit] Registered Historic Places
The following Sedalia locations appear on the National Register of Historic Places:[2]
- Building at 217 West Main Street
- C.C. Hubbard High School
- Harris House
- Hotel Bothwell
- McVey School
- Missouri State Fairgrounds Historic District
- Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad Depot
- Missouri/Sedalia Trust Company
- Sedalia Commercial Historic District
- Sedalia Public Library
- William H. Gentry House
[edit] Geography
Sedalia is located at 38°42'11" North, 93°13'52" West (38.702918, -93.231147).[17] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12 square miles (31 km²), none of which is covered by water.
[edit] Climate
Sedalia has a typical temperate climate. As with most continental climates, the micropolitan area has four seasons. Springs here are noted for their rainy days and variable temperatures. Thunderstorms are common and tornadoes occur during this time of year. Summers are usually hot and dry, with droughts occurring during several summers. Autumns are usually cool and rainy, although several days of warm weather are not uncommon. Winters are generally cold, with accumulating snow several days of the winter season. Although not as common, ice storms can and do occur as well.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there are 20,339 people in the city, organized into 8,628 households and 5,228 families. The population density is 1,700.8 people per square mile (656.6/km²). There are 9,419 housing units at an average density of 787.6/sq mi (304.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 88.62% White, 4.95% African American, 0.40% Asian, 0.39% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.75% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 5.55% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,628 households out of which 28.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% are married couples living together, 12.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% are non-families. 33.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.32 and the average family size is 2.94.
In the city the population is spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $28,641, and the median income for a family is $34,938. Males have a median income of $28,208 versus $19,520 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,931. 15.3% of the population and 12.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.8% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] Culture
[edit] Carnegie Library
The Sedalia Public Library was the first Carnegie Grant awarded in Missouri. The Board of Trustees received word of the $50,000 grant in the Fall of 1899. After securing the property on which to build, and having gained voter approval of a tax to support the library, the corner-stone was laid in 1900, and the building was completed in July 1901.[3] Dedicated in 1901, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] Museums
Sedalia is home to the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art,[4] named after its primary benefactor, Sedalia radiologist and art collector Harold Daum. The museum, located on the State Fair Community College campus, is home to the works of many famous artists including Dale Chihuly (1941-), Sam Francis (1923-1994), Helen Frankenthaler (1928-), Sol LeWitt (1928-2007), Robert Motherwell (1915–1991), Julian Schnabel (1951-), and Andy Warhol (1928–1987).
The 16,000-square-foot museum, designed by St. Louis-based Gunn & Smith Architects, features three stories of gallery space — including a 3,400-square-foot main gallery with a translucent clerestory, a cantilevered stairway, a two-story atrium, and an open-air sculpture court.[5] It features both permanent displays as well as temporary displays from world renowned artists.[18]
[edit] State Fair
Since 1901, the Missouri State Fair has been held in Sedalia every August. Many singers and actors make the annual trip to the fair. Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and other presidents have given speeches on the fairgrounds, though not during the State Fair.
In 1974, the Missouri State Fairgrounds was the host to The Ozark Music Festival which was one of the largest but least remembered music festivals of the 1970s. While the plan was for a pop/rock/bluegrass festival with no more than 50,000 tickets sold, there was an influx of about 184,000 fans and many rock bands that strained the capacity of the fairgrounds and the city. Some estimates have put the crowd count at 350,000 people which would make this one of the largest music events (Rock Festivals) in history. The festival, hosted by Wolfman Jack, garnered a full page ad in Rolling Stone magazine.
[edit] Cinema
In the American television movie The Day After, which the ABC Television Network aired on November 20, 1983, Sedalia is destroyed when Minuteman II Missile silos around the area come under attack.
At the time of the movie's release, 150 of these missiles were scattered around the Sedalia area in underground silos, where they had been located since the first Minuteman missiles had been activated under the control of the 351st Missile Wing located at Whiteman Air Force Base south of Knob Noster on January 14, 1964. The release of the movie led to a significant (if somewhat laughably belated) increase in local community concern, some of which lingered until all of the missiles were eventually dismantled between 1992 and 1997 as a consequence of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the U.S. and Russia.
Two of the most recognized films in which Sedalia is featured are the 1977 movie Heroes, starring Henry Winkler and Harrison Ford, and the 1977 film Scott Joplin [6], starring Billy Dee Williams. Sedalia was mentioned briefly in the motion picture MASH, when it was announced that Sedalia's VFW unit had sent goodies to the 4077 in Korea.
[edit] Television
The classic, long running Western series Rawhide, with its theme song written by Ned Washington, composed by Dimitri Tiomkin, and sung by Frankie Laine — starring Eric Fleming as the "trail boss", Gil Favor, and the emerging Clint Eastwood as the "ramrod" (i.e., second in charge), Rowdy Yates — which ran on CBS from 1959 to 1966, featured Sedalia.
The series was set on the (fictional) "Rawhide Trail" which, according to the series' ongoing story-line, was used by Texan drovers in the early to middle 1860's to move cattle overland from Texas to the (factual) Sedalia railhead of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (the KATY).
[edit] Music
Sedalia's is well known as the adopted home of ragtime music's most well known musician and stylist Scott Joplin.
Sedalia has been the host to several rock and roll events, such as the Ozark Music Festival in 1974, and the Delicious Rox Festival in 2006.
[edit] Little Sister of Liberty
In 1950, to celebrate its fortieth anniversary — which had the theme of "Strengthen the Arm of Liberty"[19] — the Boy Scouts of America donated two hundred 8ft 6in (260cm) copper replicas of the Statue of Liberty, which were known collectively as the "Little Sisters of Liberty", to various communities in 39 states of the U.S. The project was the brainchild of the Scout Commissioner of the (then) Kansas City Area Council, Kansas City businessman, J.P. Whitaker.
One of the two hundred replicas was donated to Sedalia; and it was installed at the County Courthouse.[20][21]
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspapers
A number of newspapers have been published in Sedalia, in alphabetical order:
- The Daily Democrat (1871-1873)
- The Independent Press (1871-1873)
- The Pacific Enterpise (1863-1864)
- The Sedalia Advertiser (1864-1865)
- The Sedalia Bazoo (1881-1895)
- The Sedalia Capital
- The Sedalia Daily Democrat (1874-1925)
- The Sedalia Democrat (1949-)
- The Sedalia News-Journal (2003-)
- The Sedalia Times
[edit] Radio Stations
- KSDL 92.3FM (Sedalia) [7]
- KSIS 1050 AM (Sedalia) [8]
- KXKX 105.7 FM (Sedalia)[9]
- KDRO 1490 AM (Sedalia)
[edit] Television Stations
[edit] Education
Scott Joplin's alma mater, George R. Smith College operated from 1894 until it burned down on 26 April 1925.[22] The land for the college had been donated by Sarah Smith-Cotton and her older sister Martha Elizabeth, along with the land for Dunbar Park, and her family home which was converted into Smith-Cotton High School.[23]
The Sedalia Business College and Institute of Penmanship was founded in 1881; it was the predecessor of Robbins Business College — which, in turn, was the predecessor of Central Business College.
The Whittier High School, Sacred Heart High School, and St. Paul's Lutheran are also located in Sedalia.
A new high school is being constructed and will open its doors in the fall of 2009. It is unknown what the name of the new school will be, although many are calling it Sedalia High School.
State Fair Community College is a public two year institution offering post-secondary college level courses.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Air
[edit] Train
[edit] Sedalia People
People born in, who live in, or are otherwise associated with Sedalia, are known as Sedalians.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ United States Census Estimates 2006
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Ihrig, et al., 1960, p.5.
- ^ Ihrig, et al., 1960, p.8.
- ^ Ihrig, et al., 1960, pp.2, 8.
- ^ Also christening the city "The Queen of the Prairies" (Ihrig, et al., 1960, p.9).
- ^ Taken from GEORGE R. SMITH on 10 February 2008. States that it was “excerpted” from Conard, H.L. (ed), Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri (in Six Volumes), The Southern History Company, (New York), 1901; the volume and page numbers were not cited.
- ^ The significance of the description of "bona fide population" is that "from 1861 to 1864 Missouri was under martial law and Sedalia, as a military post, was governed by the post commander. There was no mayor, council or executive or legislative body except the military power" (Ihrig et al., 1960 p.12).
- ^ Ihrig et al., (1960 p.123) also noted that:
-
- There is considerable disagreement about the 1950 census, it being contended that many people were missed. The Survey on [sic] Buying Power [viz., the Sales and Marketing Management magazine's annual Survey of Buying Power] indicates an estimated population of 26,300 on January 1, 1958. The 1960 census had not been taken when this [centenary] history was written, but it is believed the 1960 population of Sedalia is between 28,000 and 30,000.
-
- ^ Ihrig, et al., 1960, p.7.
- ^ Ihrig, et al., 1960, p.10.
- ^ From Sedalia: It's Late Defence and Capture (Missouri Democrat, ? October 1864)
- ^ Mueller, (2007), pp.85-86
- ^ Ihrig, et al., 1960, p.13.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Kinzer, S., " IN THE MIDDLE; What's This? An Art Boom In the Heartland", New York Times, (24 April 2002), pp.E1-E2.
- ^ Attoun, M., "Little Sisters of Liberty", Scouting, (October 2007)
- ^ Boy Scouts of America, Troop 101, Cheyenne, Wyoming: Replica Statue of Liberty Search (includes a photograph of Sedalia's "Little Sister of Liberty")
- ^ The following unsigned tribute appeared on the plaque affixed to its base:
-
- WITH THE FAITH AND COURAGE OF
- THEIR FOREFATHERS WHO MADE
- POSSIBLE THE FREEDOM OF THESE
- UNITED STATES
- THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
- DEDICATE THIS REPLICA OF THE
- STATUE OF LIBERTY AS A PLEDGE
- OF EVERLASTING FIDELITY AND
- LOYALTY:
- 40TH ANNIVERSARY CRUSADE TO
- STRENGTHEN THE ARM OF LIBERTY
- 1950
- Taken from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventory of American Sculpture, Control Number MO000269.
-
- ^ The college was more widely known across the United States as the George R. Smith College for Negroes. Subsequent to the fire, an unsuccessful attempt was made (through the Methodist Church) to rebuild the college (Ihrig, et al., 1960, p.48).
- ^ Swearingen, (?1995).Sedalia's Founding Mothers: A Tribute
[edit] Further reading
- Berlin, E.A., "Scott Joplin in Sedalia: New Perspectives", Black Music Research Journal, Vol.9, No.2, (Autumn 1989), pp.205-223.
- Cassity, M.J., Defending a Way of Life: An American Community in the Nineteenth Century, State University of New York Press, (Albany ), 1989. ISBN 0-88706-868-5
- Cassity, M.J., Defending a Way of Life: The Development of Industrial Market Society and the Transformation of Social Relationships in Sedalia, Missouri 1850-1890, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Missouri–Columbia, 1973.
- Chalfant, R., Down at the Junction: a study of Madam Lizzie Cook, a prostitute in Sedalia, Missouri, 1870-1879, M.A. Dissertation, University of Missouri–Columbia, 1994.
- Chalfant, R., Show me the fair : a history of the Missouri State Fair, Walsworth Publications, (Marceline), 2002. ISBN 1-57864-189-6
- Chalfant, R., "The Midland's Most Notorious": A Study of Prostitution in Sedalia, Missouri, 1860-1900, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Missouri–Columbia, 2005.
- Christensen, L.O.(ed), Dictionary of Missouri Biography, University of Missouri Press, (Columbia), 1999. ISBN 0-82621-222-0
- Claycomb, W.B., On the Mainlines: Railroading in Sedalia, MO, W.B. Claycomb, (Hughesville), 1998.
- Claycomb, W.B., On the Mainlines: Railroading in Sedalia, Missouri, Sedalia Heritage Foundation, (Sedalia), 2003.
- Claycomb, W.B., Imhauser, B.C. & Nolen, R.M., Bothwell Regional Health Center: A Lifetime of Caring, 1930-2005, Bothwell Regional Health Center, (Sedalia), 2005.
- Crisler, R.M., "Cities of Central Missouri", Economic Geography, Vol.23, No.1, (January 1947), pp.72-75.
- Demuth, I. M., The History of Pettis County, Missouri, including an authentic history of Sedalia, other towns and townships, together with... biographical sketches..., F. A. North, (Sedalia), 1882.
- Dickson, T., There's a Town in Missouri: Hermann, Hannibal, Springfield, St. Joseph, Joplin, Cape Girardeau, Fulton, Sedalia, Lamar, Lexington, Independence, St. Louis, 1902, New Sunrise Publishing, 1979.
- Hale, L.L., Sedalia, Missouri: 100 Years in Pictures, Walworth Publishing, (Marceline), 1960.
- Harding, S.B., Life of George R. Smith, Founder of Sedalia, Mo., in its Relations to the Political, Economic, and Social life of Southwestern Missouri, Before and During the Civil War, Kessinger Publishing, 2007 (facsimile , reprint of 1904). ISBN 1-43044-460-6
- Ihrig, B.B. et al. (eds), The First One Hundred Years, A History of the City of Sedalia, Missouri, 1860-1960, Centennial History Committee, Sedalia, 1960.
- Imhauser, R.C., Images of America: Sedalia, Arcadia Publishing, (Charleston), 2007. ISBN 0-73855-087-6
- Lang, H.N., Life in Pettis County, 1815-1873, Hazel N. Lang, (Sedalia), 1975.
- McComb, D.G., Texas: A Modern History, University of Texas Press, (Austin), 1989. ISBN 0-29274-665-2
- Mueller, D.L., M. Jeff Thompson: Missouri’s Swamp Fox of the Confederacy, University of Missouri Press, (Columbia), 2007. ISBN 0-82621-724-9
- North, F.A., Hand-Book of Sedalia, Including Its History and Business Directory, F. A. North, (Sedalia), 1882.
- Peters, J.A., Case Study of a Gathering: The Ozark Music Festival, M.A. Dissertation, Central Missouri State University, 1992.
- Ruger, A., "Bird's eye view of the city of Sedalia, Pettis Co., Missouri 1869".[11]
- Snider, R.L., The Show Must Go On. A Plan for Rehabilitating an Historic Theatre: Case Studies of Three Historic Theatre Rehabilitations in Missouri, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Missouri–Columbia, 1999.
- Swearingen, "Sedalia's Founding Mother", Preservation Issues, Vol.4, No.2, ?1995.
- Thelen, D.P., Paths of Resistance: Tradition and Dignity in Industrializing Missouri, Oxford University Press, 1986. ISBN 0-19503-667-0
- Whites, L., Neth, M. & Kremer, G.R. (eds), Women in Missouri History: In Search of Power and Influence, University of Missouri Press, (Columbia), 2004. ISBN 0-82621-526-2
- Yanow, S., Jazz: A Regional Exploration, Greenwood Press, (Westport), 2005. ISBN 0-31332-871-4
[edit] External links
- City of Sedalia official website
- Missouri State Fair in Sedalia
- Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation in Sedalia
- Sedalia Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Sedalia Chamber of Commerce
- State Fair Community College in Sedalia
- The Katy Depot at Sedalia
- The Sedalia Democrat
- The Sedalia News-Journal
- The Political Graveyard: A Database of Historic Cemeteries
- Sedalia, Missouri is at coordinates Coordinates:
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