McCracken, Missouri explained

McCracken is an unincorporated community in Christian County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is about 3.3 miles east of Ozark, Missouri.[1]

History

The McCracken area got rail service when a subsidiary of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (Frisco) extended a line from Ozark, Missouri to Chadwick, Missouri, in the Spring of 1883.[2] A post office called McCracken was established in 1896, and remained in operation until 1932.[3] The community was named after Samuel McCracken, a local merchant.[4] McCracken in the 1890's was a thriving community with a general mercantile store, a blacksmith shop, several other business establishments, and even a mobile photography studio parked on the rail siding offering portrait pictures at $3/dozen.[2] But passenger service on the Frisco line was discontinued in March 1933,[5] and in 1934 the line from Ozark to Chadwick was abandoned entirely.

References

37.0175°N -93.1581°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ozark, Missouri to McCracken, Missouri. Google Maps. November 7, 2020.
  2. Web site: An Early Mobile Photographic Studio . All Aboard, The Frisco Railroad Museum, August, 1988 (accessed on CondrenRails.com) . October 14, 2020.
  3. Web site: Post Offices. Jim Forte Postal History . 19 September 2016.
  4. Web site: Christian County Place Names, 1928–1945 (archived) . The State Historical Society of Missouri . 19 September 2016 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20160624071710/http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_christian.html . 24 June 2016 .
  5. Web site: Pokin Around: Plans call for part of Chadwick Flyer spur line to become recreational trail . Steve Pokin, Springfield News-Leader, April 4, 2020.