| Strafford, MO
A Town Transportation Built Many years before the town of Strafford was founded by the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1871, the area was on a major transportation route. The earliest route was the �Virginia Warrior�s� trail used by Native Americans long before the arrival of European immigrants. This trail, running from northeast to southwest, approximately 1.5 miles south of present day Strafford, later became known as the St. Louis � Springfield Road used by immigrants arriving from Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia beginning in 1829. The St. Louis � Springfield road was used by several groups of Native Americans from the southeastern United States, being forcefully relocated in 1837-1839 to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, during what is known as the �Trail of Tears� Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, a telegraph line was erected from Rolla to Springfield traveling just north of Strafford and the new road accompanying the line became known as the �Old Wire Road�. By the beginning of the Civil War the railroad had been completed from St. Louis to Rolla and the Old Wire Road was used by both Union and Confederate forces. The arrival of the railroad to the Strafford area in 1870 led to the platting of the town of Strafford by the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1871. The town became a significant shipping point and section maintenance depot for the railroad. The town grew in the late 1800�s and early 1900�s due to the railroad traffic and local agricultural production. In the early 1920�s, due to the introduction of the automobile, the State of Missouri established Highway 14, which ran down Pine Street. In 1926, the United States designated Route 66, which was constructed in its present location superceding Missouri Highway 14. This began an era of Strafford�s prosperity based on automobile traffic with the proliferation of many automobile related business. As Route 66 traffic increased, By-pass Route 66 was constructed in 1952 north of town, which is now the east bound lane of I-44. This highway relocation led to the decline in automobile related businesses downtown. The construction of Interstate 44 and the interchange at Strafford, in the 1960�s, spurred new businesses related to the interstate traffic. Today, due to Strafford�s location on I-44, the town is a growing bedroom community with many interstate highway related businesses. The history of Strafford is based on its location, not in proximity to natural resources, but to transportation routes. Early immigrant routes, the Trail of Tears, commercial overland trade with St. Louis and Civil War military traffic impacted the area before the founding of the town. The town of Strafford owes its founding and initial growth to the railroad. However, its status today is the product of the automobile. Steven D. Bodenhamer, Pres. - Strafford Historical and Preservation Society - February 25, 2009 |