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thelibrary.org Springfield-Greene County Library District Springfield, Missouri
Local History

Louis Houck

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A Missouri railroad pioneer; the life of Louis Houck by Joel P. Rhodes describes Louis Houck as "a self-taught Cape Girardeau railroader whose network of more than five hundred miles of track transformed southeastern Missouri in the late nineteenth century. Louis Houck also helped establish the college now known as Southeast Missouri State University and wrote a noted history of Missouri" (Provided by publisher). 


This noted history,  A history of Missouri from the earliest explorations and settlements until the admission of the state into the union has been digitized as well as another of his books, The Spanish regime in Missouri.

Other books by Houck that are available to read at the Library Center are  Memorial sketches of pioneers and early residents of Southeast Missouri  and Early Census of Southeast Missouri.

The map above is from Missouri Magazine, April 1936, page 16.  There is no article with the map but there is this caption "This map of Missouri's old Indian trails is considered the most authentic now in existence.  Being copied from the papers of Louis Houck.  One of the state's most valued historians.  Students please preserve this reprint as it will not appear again soon and there are many inquiries pertaining to the above mentioned early trails."

Find this article at http://thelibrary.org/blogs/article.cfm?aid=944&lid=27