Goodman
Goodman is the northernmost town located in McDonald County.
It was the fruition of the first penetration of the railroad into the county.
This area was the first to experience the impact of the construction of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad in the county.
A depot was built just inside the county in the village of Donahue, later known as Goodman.
The name was changed in honor of Lowell Goodman, one of the oweners of the Ozark Orchard Company.
Orchards covered more than 2,500 acres in Goodman and surrounding areas.
Strawberries were also important to the early Goodman economy.
The orchards and strawberry fields are gone but the community remains.
Goodman has a well trained fire department. Its police department is well equipped.
The Goodman Recreation Department is active in promoting sports for Goodman area youth.
Each year the city sponsors a city wide garage sale that attracts people from the four state area.
The town has about 55 retail stores and six small industries.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 35) submitted by Linda R. - 2009
 

Lanagan
Lanagan, a small community located between Noel and Anderson on Highway 59, began as the dream of an oil speculator named Fausett.
As an employee of the New York Petroleum Co., he began drilling in 1886.
At a depth of 834 feet the company struck a powerful sulphur spring, causing cessation of work and eventual forfeiture of the lease.
A consortium of speculators, one of whom was named Lanagan, bought up 40 acres of the lease in 1887 in anticipation of the railroad being routed along Indian Creek.
The railroad did indeed arrive in 1889 and the newly established community was named Sulphur Wells City.
Little happened in the way of settlement until the Ozark Orchard Co. secured most of the land and a depot was built. The name was then changed to Lanagan.
Today the city boasts a beautiful and popular park along Indian Creek, complete with camping hookups, shady picnic sites and a covered pavillion for gatherings of any size in inclement weather.
A total of 18 businesses are registered for operation in the city.
The city's fire department is among the several in the county that provide mutual aid.
Lanagan is also the home of the McDonald County Senior Center.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 37) submitted by Linda R. - 2009

Noel
Noel is famous for its historic bluffs that overlook Elk River, part of what has made the area a resort center for several decades.
The city is ringed by timbered Ozark Mountains and came into its own as a tourist center when the railroad penetrated part of the town in the 1920s.
That move coincided with highway construction and the rapid growth of travel by automobile.
Noel soon blossomed into a bustling tourist attraction, thanks in no small part to the natural beauty of the area and the availability of waterways for recreation and canoeing. Recreation and leisure activities remain apart of the city's popularity today.
Thousands still visit Noel every year, enjoying such activities as golf, swimming, fishing, tennis as well as dancing, hiking, horseback riding and of course, canoeing. Noel sports several restaurants, motels and other attractions.
About 124 businesses operate in the city, making it among the leaders of commercial trading in the county.
Noel has long been known as the Christmas City because of its unusual name.
Every year, several thousand Christmas Cards from all 50 states and some foreign countries come into Noel for its nationally famous postmark.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 39) submitted by Linda R. - 2009

Pineville
The city of Pineville is the seat of government for McDonald County and is located on the Elk River.
When the county was founded in 1849 there was intense rivalry between the sparsely settled eatern and more populous western of the county; a rivalry that, at times became violent. The issue was resolved in 1857 when Pineville was officially named the county seat.
In an era when new towns were born and died at about an equal rate, securing the county seat location was important.
A 30 foot by 30 foot log structure served the county government until a three story brick courthouse was constructed in 1861.
That building still stand today surviving a fire set by bushwhackers during the civil war and that destroyed all county records.
It was refurbished and ready for occupancy in 1871.
Pineville is laid out on a town square. No matter how many times you may visit, you will be reminded of 19th century Missouri town life.
Perhaps that was the reason it was selected as the site for a 1937 20th Century-Fox production of Jesse James and one on Belle Star a few years later.
Today, the quaint square, with its elevated side walks and old courthouse, belie the bustling activity of the city and the county government; 12 businesses are licensed there. Elk River flows along the southern part of town and is a popular starting point for canoeists.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 44) submitted by Linda R. - 2009
 

Southwest City
Southwest City received its name from its location in the very southwest portion of the county.
IT borders both Arkansas and Oaklahoma. In fact, some of the city residents, although served by a Missouri post office, have Arkansas phones and some have Oklahoma phones.
It is the only tri-cornered part of the state on dry land; all other Missouri state boundaries are established by rivers or streams
The early history of the town goes back to 1842 when the first settlement took place.
By 1846 a general store had been established in the Honey Creek Valley and the town of Southwest City was on its historical course.
Situated as it was along the Indian Territory border, the town soon became a crossroads for travelers and a social gathering place for drummers, bootleggers and land speculators. By 1886 the town had a population of 1,500.
Today, the town still has somewhat of a frontier atmosphere and appearance, although it is in fact modern, progressive community of 600 civic minded citizens.
Southwest City is the home of 40 businesses, including Simmons industries, a poultry processing operation that employs hundreds of people.
Before it's birth, the area of Southwest City was part of a border controversy.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 46) submitted by Linda R. - 2009
 

Village of Stella
Stella was once known as Village of Springs, so named because of Indian Creek originated from Stella from a group of natural clear-water springs.
The town is located in Newton County with part of the original homestead of Henry Taylor, the first known settler of the community reaching into McDonald County to the south to what is now Owsley Cemetery and Union Church.
The original homestead encompassed 8,000 acres.
Moses Eagle, who purchased Taylor's homestead, named the post office, established about 1900, after his granddaughter, Stella Eagle.
Stella, also known as a community of doctors, was the home of Cardwell Memorial Hospital.
The hospital was opened about 1920 by the late Dr. C.C. Cardwell.
IT remained open until the 1980s serving much of eastern McDonald County's medical needs.
According to some reports, more than 30 young men who hailed from Stella became physicians.
Today the town has a small retail base and is home to Triway Elementary School, where some McDonald County Youth attend classes.
The community is very active and has a saddle club, historical society and a senior center.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 66) submitted by Linda R. - 2009

Jane
Jane has been known by several names since its birth in 1854. In the year James T. Davenport established a post office and named it White Rock Prairie.
Other names included White Rock and Gottom, as well as the originally platted Sulphur Springs.
Thomas B. Perkins became postmaster in 1876. He then moved the post office three miles to the south towards the Arkansas state line and changed the name to Caverna because of caves that dotted the area. The move left White Rock Prairie without a post office. In 1882 Samuel L. Ross became postmaster of a new office. He named it Jane in honor of his young daughter.
In recent years the community has experienced a growth spurt necessitating construction of a new and larger school that will include grades K-8.
Jane maintains its own volunteer fire department and public water district.
Each year its community club, Generations of Jane, hosts Jane Prairie Days in October.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 68) submitted by Linda R. - 2009

Splitlog
Splitlog was named for Indian Chieftain Mathias Splitlog, a wealthy entrepeneur from Kansas City.
He was lured to the northwestern part of McDonald County by reports of gold and silver being mined by a Frenchman named Saturna Benna.
Splitlog City was platted and several businesses, including a newspaper and hotel, were quickly built.
A railroad was built to the city by the chief. In a few years, it was re-routed to Goodman and then south. Later, it was purchased by Arthur Stillwell
and incorporated into his own railway known as Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad. It is now known as Kansas City-Southern Railway Company.
The hamlet now has two very active churches and a welding shop.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 68) submitted by Linda R. - 2009
 

Tiff City
Tiff City is located 18 miles northwest of the county seat of Pineville on the Oklahoma line on Buffalo Creek.
Its location, adjacent to Indian Territory, during the town's early days, made it advantageous for retail trade with Seneca Indian neighbors.
The first post office was built in 1876. By 1881, the city had grown to include several retail businesses..
Today, the closeknit community has some retail businesses, an active community club and 4-H club and its own active volunteer fire department.
Each year the town hosts a turkey dinner to raise funds for the upkeep of its community center.
The group was recently honored by Cappers Weekly for holding the dinner.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 68-69) submitted by Linda R. - 2009

Longview
Longview is situated in the northeastern part of McDonald County, located at the junction of Missouri Highway 76, McDonald County Route C and Newton County DD. It is considered to be the retail hub of that part of the county.
IT is named for the store built about 1936 for Lawrence Naramore and his son, Price. According to reports, the store was named Longview because of the panoramic view at the time and in part to Jim Long's orchards that laid northeast of the store enhancing the view.
Today the store is joined by a branch bank, a feed mill, a dentist, cafe and a garage.
Longview will share a new rural water district, currently under construction, with Rocky Comfort and Stella.
(Source: McDonald County Directory, 2001, page 69) submitted by Linda R. - 2009

Ginger Blue Village
In 1915 a railroad man from Kansas City built a summer lodge for city folk who wanted to get away and fish the Elk River.
He built the lodge on the banks of the river and named it Ginger Blue after a Native American chief who lived near the site in the 1700s.
The resort became a booming success and the owner soon realized the need for more family oriented resort.
In 1920, visitors from Kansas City, Tulso and Wichita brought their families to the Ginger Blue Resort, mainly by train.
They came to enjoy nearby caves, the water and the sulphur wells, revered at the time for their medicinal purposes.
The tourism part of the area grew and flourished through the 1970s.
The Ginger Blue Village was incorporated 34 years ago, giving the local government virtually the same rights as a city.
Today, the village is populated by about 20 people, but is working toward improvements and controlled growth.
Also, new owners are in the process of rejuvenating the once popular resort to its original grandeur.
submitted by Linda R. - 2009