Source: 1904 State of Missouri by Walter Williams Farming and stock raising, railroading and manufacturing are the activities employing Linn's population. The county is located in northern Missouri, twenty miles north of the Missouri river, half-way between St. Joseph and Hannibal. Cattle and corn values add three millions; horses and mules contribute a million and two railroad division points account for a million dollars to Linn county. In square miles there are 620, or 396,800 acres, 304,720 acres of which are improved farms. There are 2,925 farms, embracing 134.5 acres each of land utilized for grain, pasture and feed-lot purposes; value, $9,927,810. POPULATION:---White, 24,717; colored, 786; American born, 24,455; foreign born, 1,048; total, 25,503. Farm homes owned, 2,211; rented, 644; other homes owned, 1,600; rented, 1,309; total families, 5,764.T FINANCE:---County tax 32 cents on $100 valuation; school tax average 50 cents; total assessed valuation $7,005,000; one-third of real valuation. No county debt; no township debt. MINING:---Eight coal shafts operating; 307 men employed; 79,221 tons annual output, worth $139,440. Veins 26 to thirty inches thick, 130 to 210 feet deep; mines located near Brookfield, Marceline, Bucklin and Ste. Catharine. TIMBER:---Once covered sixty per cent of surface, being the eastern one-half and ten per cent along streams of other portions. Embraced white, burr, black, red and pin oak, ash, sycamore, hickory, walnut and elm. Two-thirds removed. Portable saw mills in every township. Walnut logs have in past made an industry, and are yet exported from Purdin, Browning and Brookfield; likewise white oak railroad ties. Hickory cord wood is shipped to Omaha for meat curing. LAND:---Western one-half of Linn county is a rolling prairie with occasional small streams. It is seldom flat except in creek bottoms. Eastern half embraces strips of a billowy sort of prairie, though this part is mostly hill land, once covered with timber and contains infrequent bluffs and ravines. Blue grass is indigenous. Best prairie land sells at $50 to $65, with good farms at $40. One-half of this land brings $50. Eastern half sells at $20 to $45, a few farms reaching $50. One-half of this sells at $30. Around Brookfield land is in increase of price over the same land less favored in location with reference to market. Hill land reaches $90 in rare instances. Bottoms along Yellow, Locust, Parsons, Turkey and East Yellow creeks are from a quarter of a mile to two miles wide. Farms bring $20 for first or low bottom subject to overflow, up to $50 for that more elevated. Soil is black, alluvial. Prairie soil is black, vegetable mould, ten to thirty inches deep, favorable to grass, vegetables, corn, oats, rye. MANUFACTORIES:---Hay stacker manufacturing companies at Linneus and Browning; pressed and vitrified brick yards, iron casting works, cigar factory at Brookfield; railroad shops at Brookfield and Marceline. TRANSPORTATION:---Railroad interests cover four roads, two of which, the Burlington and the Santa Fe, have shops and division points within the county; former at Brookfield and latter at Marceline. Other roads are Wabash, St. Louis to Omaha, and Chicago, Burlington & Kansas City, from Carrollton, Missouri, to Burlington, Iowa. Dirt roads are well graded and dragged; steel bridges HIGH SCHOOLS:---Brookfield, Linneus and Marceline TOWNS:--- Brookfield: Population, 5,484: railroad, farming, mining; sewerage, waterworks, electric lights, gas, fire department; business streets vitrified brick. Marceline: Population, 2,638; railroad, farming, mining; electric lights, waterworks. Railroad salaries in both towns amount to $80,000 monthly. Each town is location of railroad shops, division offices and the home of trainmen. Linneus is county seat; electric lights; Meadville, Bucklin, Laclede, Browning, Purdin and Ste. Catharine are vigorous farming centers. FURTHER INFORMATION:---For further information address Secretary Commercial Club, Brookfield. NEWSPAPERS:---Brookfield Gazette, Budget, Argus; Marceline Mirror; Laclede Blade; Meadville Messenger; Bucklin Herald; Browning Leader-Record; Linneus News; Linneus Bulletin.
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