Vernon Co, MO : Metz Businesses

METZ BUSINESSES

BACK IN THE ‘70’S

The Egg Market at Old Metz Thirty-Odd Years Ago.

Grand Rapids, Mich., May 21, ’08.

To the Editor of the Metz Times, Metz, Missouri.

Dear Sir: In your issue of Friday, May 15th, which I received through the courtesy of our fellow townsman and my old friend, Col. John G. Hudson, I notice that the commercial club of your town is offering a premium for an egg contest to be opened May 2nd.

As an old resident, and as an early merchant of Old Metz, I would like to say something about eggs sold at Metz from 1870 to 1876. In the fall of 1870 myself and C. M. Wood bought out the R. & J. S. McCord stock of general merchandize of Fort Scott, Kansas, and removed it to a store * we built on land given us by Mr. J. S. Wilson, one of the early and most enterprising citizens of Vernon county.

At that time we had what was called a big store in such a new country. I well remember when we thought of locating at Metz, some of our friends said “these old Missourians won’t do business with you northern boys.” (But how different we found the situation). We were given a frank welcome and a hearty reception and we did a prosperous business. I want to say here and now that we made some of the strongest and truest friendships while in Metz that ever fell to our lot during the forty-five years of business life.

Now about a few of the natural products of Missouri. Talk about eggs, we bought these by the thousands—eggs, eggs, eggs. When we first bought eggs at Metz we had no way of shipping them except packing in barrels and boxes with oats. We commenced early in the season and paid twelve cents per dozen, in a few days the price went down to ten cents; then eight cents; then six cents, later five cents per dozen, and still later four cents per dozen, and we bought hundreds of dozens for three cents. Then we could not get cost for them by shipping to Chicago and St. Louis we quit buying eggs for the season.

I presume it will seem strange to the younger and present generation of your country to think that we were so heartless as to buy eggs at these low prices, but let me tell you that in all our egg business we never received cost for these hundreds of barrels of eggs that we bought and shipped from Metz to the Chicago and St. Louis market. In the height of the egg season they came thick and fast. When night came we would have boxes, washtubs and every available receptacle full of eggs. We saved our sugar and salt barrels and bought barrels and saved barrels and boxes during the year to be ready for the egg season. Two or three years later we began to get the patented egg boxes which was a great relief.

With the great quantity of eggs we got in so sparsely a settled country at that time, and if the Missouri hen has kept pace with Vernon county settlement, I would like to spend one week in Metz during this contest. I know from experience that the Missouri hen produces the sweetest and best flavored eggs that ever graced the festive egg-nog of thirty-five years ago.

If I had time and space to spare I could give you some early experiences in buying butter in Metz for the market during these years. I would like to express my opinion also on the Missouri watermelon that weighed from twenty-five to fifty pounds each. I can remember once of buying six of these great big fellows for twenty-five cents. The great quantity of quail and prairie chickens that hung in our wood house by the dozen ready for use.

Mrs. Montgomery and myself often think and speak of the old Missouri days when we lived in that land flowing with milk and honey.

Your old neighbor,

E. L. Montgomery.

* The store building that Messrs. Montgomery and Wood built was moved here from Old Metz in 1890, and was occupied by the postoffice until Postmaster L. W. King moved into new quarters last fall. It was destroyed in the big fire on the 8th of last November. The L. S. Wilson mentioned was C. B. Wilson’s father.

The Metz Times, Metz, Missouri. Friday, May 29, 1908, page 1

Bank

Barber Shop

Blacksmith

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Doctor's Office

Farm Implement Company

Grain Elevator

McCormick's General Store

Metz Times Newspaper

Petty's Store

Pond Cabinetmaker and Undertaker