Time Line for Luray, MO.
I wish to thank Ms. Helen St. Clair for the "Luray Time Line" article.
| Time line Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2001 - 2002 | The businesses in and near Luray in 2002 are Armstrong’s Automotive, Becky Hopp’s Shirt Shack and Beauty Shop, Burr’s Sawmill, Cline’s Custom Bulldozing and Repair Shop, Alan Graham’s Sawmill, Jerry Graham’s Trenching, Hamner’s Sawmill, Joe’s Gun Shop, Sommer’s Sawmill, St. Clair’s Land Surveying, Stewart’s Sawmill and U.S. Post Office. Luray has three active churches within the general town area. They are the Luray Baptist Church, the Luray Methodist Church, and the Full Gospel Church. Luray has an elementary school with grades K-8. The high school students may go to their choice of high schools. At present there are about 54 elementary students and about20 high school students. |
| 2000 | population is 102 |
| 1999 | About 50 grade school students |
| 1990 | population is 70 |
| 1983 | Railroad tracks are removed |
| 1980 | population is 175 --- Water is piped into Luray |
| 1970 | |
| 1963 | Luray replaces old telephone system with dial |
| 1959 | Luray builds new elementary school |
| 1954 | Ashton post office closes- -- patrons are placed on Luray rural route |
| 1953 | Luray closes high school- students bused to Kahoka, Wyaconda, Revere, (school of each student’s choice) |
| 1945 | WWII ends |
| 1940’s | good roads, good jobs in Burlington, Keokuk begins Luray area decline |
| 1939 | Methodist Protestant Church burns |
| 1938 | Luray’s First Airmail pickup |
| 1936-7 | Railroad bridge collapsed with train on it as ice jam had weaken the bridge-- one fire man died |
| 1936 | drought |
| 1934 -35 | Luray Central Bank closed, reopened, and permanently closed |
| 1930’s | Depression times |
| 1924 | Electricity came into town (not country area) |
| 1920 | about this time the wooden sidewalks were replaced with concrete sidewalks |
| 1918 | WWI ends |
| 1916 | Modern Woodsman of America is very active |
| 1915 | The two room white frame school was replace by 2 story brick school |
| 1907 | Luray Telephone Company organized |
| 1903 | Rural Route delivery of U. S. mail-- “Trot” Sisson is 1st rural carrier |
| 1900 | |
| 1898 | First telephone lines put up |
| 1896-7 | James Talbott owned & edited “Luray Register” newspaper |
| 1895 | Money Panic times |
| 1889 | LURAY NEWS , editor JW Murphy |
| 1880 - 90 | Luray’s “Hey Day” Luray’s population was 246, there was the newspaper, a drug store, bank, jewelry shop, black- smith, barber shop, four general stores, train depot, lumber yards, stock yards, livery, stable, hotel, ice house, lodges, a busy, bustling town |
| 1877 | Spencer family murdered --- 5-12 hundred went to funeral. Bill Young accused & found not guilty, but was lynched by mob. |
| 1876 | Post Office name changed back to LURAY |
| 1871 | Keokuk & Western Railroad completed---six saloons in town |
| 1870 | Eldorado (Jim’s town) laid out |
| 1867 | Cholera spread through town-- about 9 people died. Methodist church built |
| 1866 | Baptist church (brick) built |
| 1863 | Anti-Horse Thief Assn. organized in Luray in press room of “Luray News” |
| 1860’s | CIVIL WAR disrupts life, church |
| 1858 | Town growing slowly, became incorporated |
| 1856 | Murphy boys operate and own stage line from Alexandria to Bloomfield -- until 1861 |
| 1850 | Shaw built a grist & sawmill |
| 1841 | Jan. 9 - Luray post office established - on June 4, 1841 to Eldorado |
| 1839 | J. White & J. Brown open store & sold basics (boots, guns, coffee, tea, whiskey |
| 1837 | Stark & George Combs laid out Luray |
| 1835 | Four families came by wagon train from Kentucky settling here |
| 1834 | W. S. Smith Tinsley built first house in Luray & later opened general store |
| 1830 | |
| 1820 | Depression |
| 1812 | War of 1812 |
| 1804-5 | Lewis & Clark explore |
| 1803 | Louisiana Territory purchased |
This Web page last updated: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 10:16
