HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 379 i-eally the history of the town as it exists solely by virtue of the fonuer. Its present population is estimated at 500 and it has churches, schools, a few stores and a hotel. Among the men closely associated with the place were the Valles of Ste. Genevieve who operated the mine for a time, one of whom was killed here by Indians, St. Gem Beauvais and J. B. Pratte. Cornwall is a station on the Belmont branch south of Frederiektou. Its population is 45. Other villages in Madison county are White Springs, famous for its medicinal springs and used as a summer resort, and situated west of Cornwall off the railroad ; French Mills, Ro- selle, Saco, Silvermiue and Twelveniile. DiEHLSTADT The village of Diehlstadt in Mississippi county was settled in 1868 by John Kirkpat- rick who also conducted the first store in the town. The town was incorporated in 1894 and its first mayor was John Rushing. There are at present five general stores besides minor business establishments of various kinds. The town has no factories of any kind and is supported wholly by the farming com- munity in which it is situated. The land about the town is fertile and the conunuuity is a prosperous and growing one. Prepara- tions are being made to organize a bank to care for the financial interests. The impor- tant Iniildings are the lodge hall and the church buildings belonging to the IMethodists and Baptists. The town is situated on the Belmont branch of the Iron ^Mountain Rail- road, and has a pojjulation of 160. East Prairie East Prairie, an unincorporated village for- merly known as Hibbard, in St. James town- ship in Mississippi county twelve miles from Charleston, was laid out in 1883 and for a number of years was almost entirely depend- ent upon saw mills and other wood working establishments. The country about the town has been opened up in recent years and it is now supported very largely by the farming community. It has Methodist, Christian and Catholic churches, cotton gin, several general stores and olher business establishments and one newspaper, the East Prairie Eagle, a well edited and newsy county paper. The town is situated on the Cairo branch of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway. The New Bank of East Prairie has a capital stock of $15,000 and was organized in 1905. Bertrand Bei'trand is a village on the Cairo branch of the Iron Mountain six miles from Charles- ton. It was laid out in 1859 by H. J. Diehl. It has stores, a church and school. The Bank of Bertrand was chartered in 1906 and its capital is $15,000. Other villages in Mississippi county are Whiting, a saw-mill town. Sands and Wolf Island. Bird's Point, the famous old town settled in early days ))y a member of the Bird family for whom it was named has practically ceased to exist having been washed away by the river on whose bank it was situated. Gideon One of the fastest growing towns in New iladrid county is Gideon which is situated on the St. Louis & Gulf Railroad about three miles east of the Dunklin county line. Fif- teen years ago its site was in the midst of the unbroken forests of the Little River lowland. In 1900 a mill was located at this place by the firm of Gideon & Anderson. A town sprung up about the mill and it became a prosperous
