Bates County Locations

West Boone Township

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West Boone Twp. is the northwest township of the county. It is generally a high, rolling prairie,
little broken by streams, and is practically the watershed of both the Mormon Fork and Miami
creeks; the one running northeasterly into Grand river, and the other southeasterly into the
Marais des Cygnes river. It is distinguished for being the highest elevation in Bates County,
about 1,000 feet above sea level, or about 400 feet  higher than the lowest
levels in the county.  The first settlers in this township were Alexander, Wilson and Norris Feely,
brothers, the former two coming in 1842 and Norris in 1849. It is recorded that "Alexander Feely
served in 1861 as one of the county court judges, his associates being Edmund Bartlette and
Samuel M. Pyle. He died August 27, 1877."  Frank R. Berry, a Kentuckian, came from Jackson
county, Missouri, and settled on the head waters of Mormon Fork creek in an early day, and
soon after a relative by the name of T. E. Strode came and settled near by. Then came Joseph
Clymer, Joseph and J. P. Taylor, all early settlers, but the exact date is not known. (soon after the
close of the Civil War), John S. Stewart, James A. Stewart, Jacob and William Groves,
G. L. Sayles, J. N. White, A. Rosier, J. H. Boswell, R. M. Feely, W. B. Akin, Jesse Nave,
John Riley, Luke Gage, O. W. Stitt, J. C. Berry, and George Karter, came and settled in this township.
The only mill erected in the township was erected at the village of Rosier, now extinct, in the older
days. Rosier was founded in 1881, and Bryant Brothers and McDaniel conducted a general merchandise
store, and L. R. Robinson established a drug store about the same time.
Thanks to Pat Hall for contributing this article

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