4.01.2012

A Midwest Way of Ease

In these early days of Spring, life in the Ozarks has been practically perfect. The sun has been shining, kids have been outside playing, neighbors have been working in their yards, and we have been busy with our new dog, Sabrina. Our furry companion has brought a new sense of humor and happiness to our lives which I can only describe as "puppy love."




Still, despite the great days, we've had a couple of days where an unacclimated Sabrina has made mistakes in the house and is still getting adjusted to her new life.  A very loyal companion, Sabrina wants to be with her people at all times.  So, when we left the house for 45 minutes the other day and came home to find the bottom of her crate shredded, we realized our new dog has some separation anxiety.


We're slowly introducing the crate and being away from Sabrina in a more "Dog Whisperer" friendly kind of way; we put her in the cage, then leave for a few minutes and come back in.  Incrementally we'll start increasing the time, and hopefully she'll get over her anxiety of being left alone.


Indeed, I'm sure part of this anxiety comes from the fact that she lived for the past 6 months in a shelter where she spent 23 hours of her day in a dog run. When she came to us, all of a sudden she was in a world where there were no kennel-like facilities, no concrete floors, and people that wanted to play with her and pet her 16 hours of the day. It was a whole new world. And I have to think that when we put her back in a cage the other day, fears and anxiety that she was going back to her old lifestyle overcame her poor little doggie brain.


Still, while we introduce the concept of a safe place for Sabrina to stay when we leave her alone - the cage - we also love to have her around as much as possible. She's our new sidekick. As such she accompanies us most places, to include exotic locales in Pulaski County when I make my weekly, Wednesday excursion.  


This week Sabrina and I made our way to Richland, a small town of 1,863 people, which sits in three counties (Pulaski, Laclede and Camden). Like many of the towns I've researched, Richland was a town borne in the late 19th century from the railroad boom. However, unlike the other towns I've researched in Pulaski County, Richland has maintained a certain zeal and lifeblood that has allowed it to thrive, where others have faltered.


  
When the railroad first came to Pulaski county in the 1880's, the Frisco Railroad's surveyor, M. Santee (previously discussed in the Dixon blog), considered the spot to be a prime location for a town to be established.  As such, in 1870, with a population of 500, Richland was incorporated and deemed - by an 1874 article in the Gazetteer of Missouri - "one of the most flourishing cities in the county."


Those living in the Richland area prior to the arrival of the railroad made their livelihoods primarily from  general farming.  However, the introduction of the railroad brought new, prosperous opportunities for the existing family farms, as well as new inhabitants.


Livestock would quickly become the main money-maker in Richland, and near the turn of the century a stockyard was built which shipped cattle, hogs and sheep daily on the railway.  Additionally a lumberyard was created, which housed local white oak, post oak and walnut timber from loggers that floated their cuts down the Gasconade River to a ford just south of the city. This lumber would be cut down into railroad ties, bought by the Frisco R&R, and sent westward in the expansion of the country.


With industry thriving and the railway exporting their natural resources, the citizens of the newly established community (named after Mr. G. W. Rich - a director of the Frisco Railroad) secured a designation as a "fourth class city." "By 1890, Richland was a thriving  business center with active stores, a  band, newspaper, public school, a private  academy, churches, lodges, two flouring mills, a sawmill, broom factory, marble works, lumberyard, two hotels and many professional men."



Through the years Richland has maintained its place in the county as a model of mid-American life. It is a community which stands proudly behind its past and continuing presence as an industrial city in Pulaski County, boasting businesses like Ozark Fisheries, Inc., ATR Lighting Enterprises, Inc., and Charger Boats, Inc.  


Richland's Chamber of Commerce boasts on their website that Richland is "the Midwest's best kept secret in small town living," and they just may be right. While the railroad's presence has waned over the years, the community's pride has kept Richland alive. 


The website goes on to offer that if you stop by for a visit, you may stay longer than you intended, and there is indeed a sense of being welcome in Richland that you don't find in many other places. People are friendly and want to chat in the park, gas station attendants wave as you pass by in your car (yes, they still have gas station attendant's here, who will check your oil and clean your windows), and everyone I talked to seemed to have a smile on their face. 


Perhaps it was just the unseasonably gorgeous weather that had everyone in a good mood; I don't know. I'd like to think that the website had it right, and that the people of Richland "have a way of making newcomers feel like they have come home." They possess a sense of civic pride that is hard to come by these days, but when found makes you feel like you're part of something special.
















Resources:
Richland Depot History
City History - Richland
Welcome to Richland
**I'd like to credit the title of my post to the O.A.R. song "Road Outside Columbus"**

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