Annals of Platte County, Missouri - Paxton
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1840, JUNE. 37 HEMP. HEMP. From the first settlement of the county, hemp was the staple product. We became wealthy by its culture. No soil on earth, whether timber or prairie, is better adapted to hemp than Platte County. After a few years, the South looked more to Missouri than to Kentucky for a supply of hemp for bagging and rope. Platte, for several years prior to the war. was the banner county of the world. But no machinery ever invented super- seded the hand-break in cleaning it: and that was such arduous labor that the abolition of slavery put an end to the culture of hemp. Negroes were. therefore. in demand. and stout men sold readily for $1.200 to $1.400. lut in 1840 there were not 200 negro men in the county. This number had quadrupled before the war came on. LAND TITLES. June 22, 1838, the rst general preemption law was passed, giving the actual settler the choice of the quarter-section whereon he resided, or that on which his eld was situated. June 1, 1840. a second law, of like provisions, was passed. September 4, 1841, a third law was passed. in favor of such as thereafter might settle on public land. But these rights were not assignable: yet the purchaser would take possession. and the law of 1841 gave him. at once, a preemption. The prohibition of selling tliereby became a dead letter. The owners of the 10th sections. and of lots in Platte City. could convey fee-simple titles. COUNTY llEVE.UE. The Collectors settlement for 1840 shows the c0l1I1t) revenue collected was $042.84. The lew was 25 cents on the $100. JULY. July ;The national {111Il1VISI) was observed for the rst time. Sherwood & Martin were erecting a storehouse at what is now the southwest corner of the public square: and from the lum- ber provided we erected a platform. and had a glorious time. I read the Declaration of Independence. and Dr. D. R. Holt delivered an excellent oration. He was then a candidate for the Legislature. July 27Robt. C. Ewing and V. .I. Paxton were enrolled as attorneys. July 30J. H. and L. D. Vinston are appointed administra- tors of Gen. Jos. Winston. Bond. -il~20.000. General Winston had a store at the mouth of the Platte. at the point at which the town of Winston was afterwards laid off. Vhen last seen. he was on the bank of the Missouri. He was supposed to have been drowned. A lT(wTSl. At the State election held the 1st Mondav in August, 1840. the following officers were chosen: