Reynolds County, Missouri
Reynolds County, Missouri

Some Images

West Fork School House.

The school was built in 1899, at a different site. It housed grades 1 to 8 at one time. A Reynold's county family bought the schoolhouse in 1957, soon after the county quit using it. It was used as a weekend place. In the late 1960's they had it moved a few miles away to a remote site (pictured), where it was used several years longer. Eventually the Forest Service acquired the property and the house was stripped by vandals. The front porch and the shed at the far end were added after it was moved. A photo of the school house at the original location can be found on pg. 7 of the Sept. 2002 issue of "Kinfolks Search" newsletter of the Reynolds County Genealogy and Historical Society.

Two generations of a Reynold's county family were born and raised in this home at West Fork, that once belonged to Robert E. Brooks. The home is no longer standing.

 

West Fork Post Office

This was the West Fork store and post office about 1900. It was owned and operated by longtime Reynold's county residents of the Estep-Camden and Brooks families for many years. It is not far from what was the James Sutterfield farm. The man with the bags in the picture may have been W.P. (Dinky) Sutterfield, who carried the local mail on horseback.

The James Sutterfield farm is now covered with about 50' of lead mine tailings and the Doe Run mine buildings sit on the site of old West Fork P.O.

 

 

Home of a Reynold's county resident that was built about 130 years ago.

 

A Baptism in the West Fork River of Reynold's County.

 

At right, Clason map.

Photos above and left printed with article from a Salem MO. newspaper-

"PLOWING CORN – Robert Brooks, who will be 82 his next birthday, and John, his 28-year-old mule, had a job awaiting them Wednesday. The corn field at the Brooks farm on the Iron Mountain Road needed cultivating. Mr. Brooks hitched old John to the double shovel plow and they were well into the hot work when the Salem News cameraman arrived. Pictured with Mr. Brooks above is his grandson, Stan Atchison of St. Louis.

Mr. Brooks recalled that he broke John as a 2-year-old to work in the timber, and the mule proved to be a hard worker, keeping in the timber until a few years ago. Old John’s partner died about a year ago, so Mr. Brooks had to hire his hay put up this year, but old John was ready to go when hitched to the plow. Below Mr. Brooks and John were pictured in the middle of the corn field."

 

 

 

 

 

"Pines and Oaks, Reynolds County"

from www.Ozarkland.com

 

 

Entrance to the West Fork Sutterfield Cemetery

Weather in Reynold's County

from The National Weather Service

Historical Documents for Reynolds County -

Western Historical Manuscript collection at Rolla

 

MO Courthouses - Reynolds

from Univ of MO - MU Extension

 

 

"Upland Mists"

On the edge of the Mark Twain National Forest, about 4 miles from Centerville. Much of Reynolds County is in the MTNF.

from www.Ozarkland.com

 

Reynolds County Historical Society
P. O. Box 281
Ellington Mo 63638

(Monthly newsletter - Membership fees $10.00 per calendar year which runs from January through December)

 I highly recommend subscribing if your genealogy research takes you to Reynolds County, I look forward to reading my copy every month.

Except where otherwise noted, pictures and background info on this page are courtesy D. Brooks.

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Copyright © Laurel Treat 2003