Volume 9, Number 2 - Winter 1986
HICKORY GRIVE, MISSOURI, ON CRANE CREEK
By Kristal Robertson
In the early 1880’s a small group of homes, one or two general stores, a blacksmith shop and a mill was located at Hickory Grove, Missouri, on the southern bank of Crane Greek near the present Christian Church at Crane, Missouri. The name Hickory Grove was taken from a log cabin school located in-the area just north of the Christian Church near Dodge Hollow Bridge. The need for a post office was apparent so an application to the postal department stating the name of the post office to be Hickory Grove, Missouri. The reply came back stating there was a post office with that name so would the citizens pick another name. The suggestion was made that the town be named after the little creek that ran through the town called Crane Creek. The creek was named for the blue crane that lived along the stream. The postal department accepted that name and thus Crane, Missouri, was the new name of the town.
The town’s children gathered under the watchful eye of John C. Hayes, the school master, for their education. Among the earliest of merchants was Tom Fought, who had the first general store. 0. F. Douglas, A. Rinker, and James T. Moore also ran the stores. John I. (Cotton) Williams owned the drug store near the Raymond Dearing home. John Brown owned the Blacksmith shop, and at different times, the mill was operated by Lee Wiley and later, by Uncle Ike Long.
As the businesses were coming into town and the old businesses moving across the creek, the streets ran parallel to the coming railroad. Pictures taken in 1906 from the railroad facing north on Commerce Street and Main Streets show that the basic landscape of Crane has not changed. The stores have changed owners and the store fronts have changed, but these two streets still bear the major businesses of Crane.
E. C. Cutbirth moved a store building from the old town to the site now occupied by Dick’s Cafe. John Williams moved his drug store and J. C. Land and brother, Willis, bought out Douglas and Moore. On this land they established their own businesses on "Value Corner", and the Rexall Drug Store occupies this location today. The carpentry trade built the actual buildings for the businesses. The construction was from the ground up.
William Gatton moved in with the coming of the railroad. He established The Morning Star Restaurant, which catered to the railroad men. R. W. Smart established the community’s first and only hospital, and practiced medicine in the hospital. The Dogget Drug Store was operated by Dr. Doggett for many years.’
The oldest business still operating is the Bank of Crane, now called Centerre Bank. It was charted September 10, 1904. A. B. Hilton, who started business in 1906 and became a partner in the hardware business with Willis Wiley and J. W. Hilton, eventually bought out his partners in 1925 to become the owner of the hardware.2
In 1922 Mr. B. F. Carney bought an abstract and insurance business and owned it until his death in 1937. He had the only and oldest complete abstract business in the Stone County area. The Stone County Oil Company was charted and organized in 1924 by local men and has grown to its present size of four bulk plants and a business locale that covers six counties.
October, 1916, Roy Williams, a pioneer businessman started his business in a building across the street from the Chronicle. Later he sold the store to Bud Woodson and started in the grocery business. In January 1924, he bought the Red Front, which at that time occupied a small building and was later enlarged. Mr. Wilson sold the business to Bill and Maxine Murray in 1962. The Murray’s operated the business until their retirement in 1982. 4
Russell Lumber Company was established in 1904 and has remained in business throughout the years. The lumber company was owned and operated by D.
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P. Russell and son, Len, who operated a lumber business in Marionville and moved to Crane and opened a yard in the old town. They remained in that location for about a year and in 1905 moved their business to its present location. In those days the Russell Company owned and operated sawmills in Arkansas as well as a planing mill in Crane. The company did wholesale and retail business. 5
John Hayes drew up a plot of town lots on August 6, 1985, and had lots surveyed by Albert Peters into town lots. The early merchants were G. Gipson, McPhearson, E. C. Cutbirth, Winkle and son, Willie Moore and son, Jim Williams, Lane brothers (Jessie and Edgar), P. Gipson and son, William Snythe, and Bill Huffhines, the owner of the first livery stable. The livery stable was located directly across the street from the Christian Church in Crane. I. N. Lockhart was the barber and later sold his business to 0. D. Peters. 6
Early school teachers were Pete Dodson, Mrs. Emmit Grisham, Harve Presnell, William Hampton, Otis Douglas and John Hayes. The first doctor in Crane was Dr. W. B. Wasson.7
When the first telephone was installed in the Mason Hall there was quite a celebration. Some of the businessmen celebrated and among them were John Collins, J. J. Williams, 0. F. Douglas and Jim Morrison. Jake Sanders published the first newspaper in south town named The Gazette. The mill was located at the end of Main Street. A hitching post ran the full width of the cemetery to the Jesse Lane Store. Across the street was a solid row of wooden buildings and wooden sidewalks. Back of the stores was a building used for school and church. In the early days the only way to cross Crane Creek was by fording, wading, and later a wooden bridge was built for wagons and buggies. Eventually, a swinging foot bridge for pedestrians was built. 7
It is the individual men and women who make the history of Crane. Many colorful characters have lived and worked in Hickory Grove, Missouri, and have left their marks during the past hundred years.
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1 Stone County Newspapers, The Crane Chronicle/Stone County News/Oracle, Souvenir Centennial Edition, (May, 1951): pg. 2.
2 Ron Rice, Crane, Missouri, (December, 1984).
3 Mayor Bill Hayes, Crane, Missouri, (December, 1984).
4 Ibid, Hayes, 1984.
5 Ibid, Souvenir Centennial Edition.
6 Ibid, Hayes, 1984.
7 Polly Anna Club, Crane Library, Crane, Missouri.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Publications
Stone County Newspapers, The Crane Chronicle/Stone County News-Oracle, Souvenir Edition. May 1951.
Interviews
Hayes, Bill (Mayor). Crane, Missouri. Interviewed, December, 1984.
Rice, Ron. Crane, Missouri. Interviewed, December, 1984.
Other Materials and Sources
Polly Anna Club. Crane Library, Crane Missouri.
Editor’s Note: Kristal’s essay was the third place winner in the 1985 Historical Essay Contest. She was a student in Mrs. Bueli’s General Business Class at Hurley High School and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Robertson of Crane, MO.
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