Annals of Platte County, Missouri - Paxton
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1846, DEC. 82 PRODUCE, SILVER, ETC. REVIEW OF THE PAST YEAR. The year of 1846 was the transition period from nancial distress to nancial prosperity. From this time until 1860, the county advanced rapidly to wealth. Every a.rticle of produce rose in price: hemp, from $2 to $4; hogs from $1 to $3. I sold, myself, potatoes at 6, and butter at 5 cents. Constables Were busy collecting money on executions. I saw many poor families robbed of beds and household furniture. There was no exemption law worthy of the name. The situation of the poor called for pity. But the Mexican War made a change. Produce, as well as land, went up in price; and every hand found employment. To carry on the war, a foreign loan was made. and German gold took the place of silver and depreciated paper. The low tariff that pre- vailed had ca.rried to foreign lands the little American gold in circulation. The balance of trade was against us. Horses, mules, oxen. wagons. forage, and provisions were demanded at Fort Leavenworth for the Army of the Vest. The discovery of gold in California added to our prosperity. Every article of produce was wa.nted by the overland emigrants; and when. the Civil War commenced, we were in affluence. For years Mexican silver and American halfdollars were the chief circulation. From 1845 to 18-19 I was buying hemp for the Louisville Manufacturing Company and dealt chiey in silver half- dollars. In 1847 German gold was abundant. For several years I purchased one-third of the crop, and paid for it chiey in sub- sidiary silver. Bank notes were at a discount. Merchants often sent silver to St. Louis by steamboats. There were no banks then, and there were no robbers. I made hundreds of horseback trips. from Parkville, Platte City. and Weston. with saddle-bags weighted with silver. The foreign gold soon disappeared. The building of the Hannibal & St. Joe Railroad is now agitated. I847. OlFIC-ERS. ffrovernoi-. J. C. Reynolds; Congressman. W. P. Hall; Circuit F-Ir-rk. Ira Norris; County Clerk. D. P. Lewis: Treas11r.er. J. S. lhmnas: .ssr-ssor. E. S. Wilkinson; Representatives. W. Gono- wuy and L. (alvert: (in-nit Judge. S. L. Leonard: County Jus- tim-.. .I:1vn. Irr-t-laml. and Ba1nett: Sl1e1i. M. N. Owen; Sur- f l. L. Shepard : Public ;(lministratm. G. W. Goodlander.