Vera Cruz, Missouri Explained

Vera Cruz, Missouri
Native Name Lang:EN
Settlement Type:Community
Pushpin Map:Missouri#USA
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Vera Cruz, Missouri
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Vera Cruz, Missouri
Coordinates:36.9139°N -92.4936°W
Coordinates Footnotes:[1]
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:U. S. A.
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Missouri
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Douglas County
Elevation M:260
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6
Timezone1 Dst:CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-5

Vera Cruz is an unincorporated community in central Douglas County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Bryant Creek, approximately east of Ava, at the terminus of Route AB.[1] [2]

History

Vera Cruz was established in the 1840s and named for Vera Cruz in Mexico. The village was originally called Red Bud and was at the junction of the RockbridgeHartville road, up Bryant valley with the Old Salt Road or Rockbridge Road, which ran northwest through Smallett to Springfield.[3] The name was changed to Vera Cruz in 1859. It was the first county seat of Douglas County.[4] In 1870, the county seat was moved to Arno and shortly after to Ava.[5]

The Civil War battle Battle of Clark's Mill on November 7, 1862, took place at a mill on Bryant Creek, approximately 1miles north of the current location.[3] [6] A second battle occurred on November 3, 1864, near Wilson's Mill, during which the Confederate forces were driven out of the area.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Brushyknob, Missouri, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1973
  2. Ava, Missouri, 30x60 Minute Topographic Quad, USGS, 1985
  3. Vinyard, J. C., The Battles of Vera Cruz, Nov. 7 1862 — Nov. 3, 1864, Douglas County Historical Society Journal, May, 1994, pp 18–21
  4. http://thelibrary.org/lochist/moser/douglaspl.html Moser, Arthur Paul; A Directory of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets Past and Present of Douglas County, Missouri
  5. Book: Missouri Roadsides: The Traveler's Companion . University of Missouri Press . Earngey, Bill . 1995 . 11–12 . 0-8262-1021-X .