by Erin Eddins, Source Publications

The Chicago Times reported in 1886 that “St. Joseph is a modern wonder–a city of 60,000 inhabitants, eleven railroads, 70 passenger trains each day, 170 factories, thirteen miles of the best paved streets, the largest stockyards west of Chicago, a wholesale trade as large as that of Kansas City and Omaha combined.”

While many points in that sentence draw me in, all but one are to be saved for another issue of Old Joe. The gem that has my interested peaked today is the bit about “the largest stockyards west of Chicago.” Wow. What can you say really?

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in the South End. I am a 238er (though I hear I can’t claim that title since I live in the country and I am not a native.) Regardless, I see the big green sign on west bound 36 Highway almost daily. Stockyards. But never did I stop to think of what that meant to the city.

Before moving to Missouri I worked for a large animal vet. My weekends were spent running cattle through the chute or trying to stay sane at the hog farms despite the ungodly noise of the farrowing pens. I understand livestock and I know how hard farmers and ranchers work to provide the best product. I guess I thought after that some kind of metaphysical change happened, maybe in a cocoon or something of that nature. Little thought was given to the next industry in line. Stockyards.

There was a period of about 35 years when stockyards were continually added to the St. Joseph economy. The most noted of which, The St. Joseph Stockyards, still operates today. They were and still are an integral part of our city’s economic development. It seems only fitting to start this story with a look at their history.

The following synopsis of The St. Joseph Stockyard is reprinted from stjoestockyards.com:

The St. Joseph Stockyards, as you know us now, opened for business December 1, 1887.

The original purchase of the company was a tract of 400 acres of land.  Soon afterwards, an additional 40 acres were added making the 440-acre site the largest in the country for a livestock market.

At the center of all operations lays the Livestock Exchange Building.  The initial building was erected in 1887; however, destroyed by fire on November 20, 1898.  The new and current building was dedicated on June 9, 1899.  The structure is 184 x 135 feet, four stories high, and contains 105 rooms.  During its heyday the building was inclusive of a bank, post office, telegraph office, market information posted hourly by the USDA, a restaurant, and many other amenities; and considered to be the most complete building for a like purpose in the United States.  

By the 1950’s, 23 livestock commission firms operated from these walls.  Livestock came to the St. Joe market from some 27 states via seven highways and six railroads — requiring almost 6,000 rail cars and more than 175,000 trucks per year.  Outgoing shipments were routed to some 28 states and Mexico.

Prior to the opening of The St. Joseph Stockyards, city leaders had been encouraging local businessmen to entertain the idea of opening stockyards. As we’ve discussed in recent Old Joe articles, St. Joseph was a critical area in much of our country’s development leading up the Civil War, during and especially following. With the completion of a railroad bridge, the city gained rail access to much of the country. This paired with the abundance of farmers and ranchers in our rural areas made the need for stockyards even more apparent.

In 1873, the same year the rail bridge was completed, the first stockyards opened, The St. Joseph Union Stock Yards. It was a group effort. The times were hard and though being a trading post Mecca of sorts, few people in the city had the capitol reserve to initiate this on their own. Collectively, $30,000 opened the stockyard doors late summer of that same year.

Just shy of 25,000 animals were processed the first year. A slow start though it quickly gave way to a big boom less than a decade later. The big boom that St. Joseph’s economy needed. The big boom that eventually made our city to be known for its stockyards. The big boom was recorded as such by 1880: 20,000+ cattle, 102,000+ hogs and almost 6,000 sheep.

These numbers are every bit as large as they sound. The small Union operation was overwhelmed. Enter: James McCord, who held the critical role in opening The St. Joseph Stockyards. Following the opening of The St. Joseph Stockyards, other big name packers set up shop in St. Joseph, including: Swift and Company, George Hammond and Nelson Morris.

Let’s stop for a moment and step back from the thought process of the industry and instead look at the people. All of these new companies meant the need for new employees. Many of these employees were of Eastern European decent. They developed company towns as many industry workers did at that time. You see this trait historically across the country. Still, I find it more than noteworthy to include this train of thought because this was the start of what is now referred to as the South End, the predecessors to today’s 238ers.

The company town was called St. George, sometimes Georgetown. There were 3000+ industry workers. These people had a key hand in developing St. Joseph’s economy. The Transit House Hotel filled with ranchers and workers. The Hoof and Horn filled with new community members and travelers. St. George boomed. St. Joseph boomed. The stockyards were the epicenter.

Now, with St. George a name of the past, the city of St. Joseph having expanded to incorporate it long ago, the South Enders still have the pride of that history and rightfully so.

Many would look out at the industrial park of the stockyards and turn up their noses, literally. I guess those folks hate the smell of money.

238ers of today and yesterday, I am overwhelmingly impressed with the history and future you have helped build for our city. And though there seems to be a division between “the city” and “the South End” our stories are all the same and we’re all just Regular Joes.

by Jay Kerner, Source Publications

When we had our first organizational meeting to plan this endeavor, one of my focuses was advertising. As a free distribution paper, advertising is our sole source of revenue. Most publications are started by people who think they have something to say and want the outlet to do so. Advertising is often just considered the necessary evil that keeps the lights on and the printing bill paid. That attitude is also the reason so many new start-ups don’t make it. (Full story)