Six Mile Strip of No Man's Land of Ray County
The Record History of the "Six Mile Strip" of Ray County;
Mord M. Bogie, Former Rayite, Now Kansas City Attorney, Writes This Chapter to Add to Ray County History
The record detail of the history of the "Six Mile Strip" of North Ray County, Missouri, is here told
as a special feature of "Ray County Chapters" by Mord M. Bogie, attorney, at 1211 Commerce Building,
Kansas City, Mo., former Richmondite, who has a happy sideline in biography and local history. This is added data
to the history of Ray County, some details of which having been known to many Rayites, but the connected facts
had not in this generation been published for the home folks. Here it is, worth clipping and saving for future
generations.
BY MORD M. BOGIE
How many of the present inhabitants of Ray County know that between the years of 1836 and 1839 the northern six
miles of Ray County was "No Man's Land" -that is to say, that it was not attached to any county and was
unorganized territory, lying between Ray and Caldwell Counties, during all the time the Mormons occupied Caldwell
County, known before the Civil War as the "Six Mile Strip."
This unusual situation was discovered after the Missouri Legislature, in 1836, created Caldwell County and Davies
County out of part of the territory lying north of Ray County, but the Legislature had adjourned before the discovery
was made, and there was no way of correcting the mistake until the Legislature met again. In all probabilities,
the error came about by the failure of the author of a bill creating Caldwell and Davies Counties in not examining
the old law defining the boundaries of Ray County, passed in 1825.
The law first creating Ray County was approved November 16th, 1820, wherein it was provided (Sec. 5) that all that
part of Howard County, west of Grand River to the boundary line of this state, is hereby formed into a separate
and distinct county, which shall be known and called by the name of Ray; and all that portion of the country which
lies north of the county of Ray, and west of the range line dividing ranges twenty-one and twenty-two to the northern
and western boundary of the state, is hereby, for all civil, military and judicial purposes, attached to said county
of Ray.
Sec. 6. that when a division of said county of Ray may become necessary, the boundary line of said county shall
be as follows, towit: Beginning in the middle of the main channel of the Missouri river, at the range line between
ranges twenty-five and twenty-six; thence with said range line north to the township line dividing townships fifty-five
and fifty-six; thence west with said line to the line dividing ranges twenty-nine and thirty; thence south with
said line to the main channel of the Missouri river; thence down the middle of the main channel thereof to the
place of beginning.
Notwithstanding the boundaries of Ray County, as defined in the laws of 1820, the General Assembly of Missouri,
in 1825 undertook by law to define the boundaries of the various counties in the state and, in an act approved
February 16th, 1825, Section 20, provided, That all that portion of territory bounded as follows towit: should
constitute Ray County. Here follows the same description as in the act of 1820 except that the northern limits
of Ray County is fixed as the dividing line between Township fifty-three and fifty-four, thus striking out of Ray
County, Township fifty-four and fifty-five, between the same range lines, a total of 288 square miles, of land.
In 1836, the citizens of Clay County were looking for a place to unload their unwelcome guests, the Mormons, who
had been driven out of Jackson County, and who, for more than two years, had remained in Clay County, and so began
an agitation to establish a new county north of Ray as a home for the new religious sect. As a result of the movement
there was introduced in the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, a bill which was passed and approved December
29, 8136, organizing Caldwell and Davies Counties, out of unorganized territory north of Ray county, which act
provided (Sec. 1) all that portion of territory included in the following limits is hereby declared to be erected
into a separate and distinct county, to be called the county of Caldwell, towit: beginning at a point where the
township line dividing townships fifty-four and fifty-five, intersects the range line dividing ranges twenty-five
and twenty-six; thence north along said range line to the division line between township fifty-seven and fifty-eight;
thence north along said range line to the division line between township fifty-seven and fifty-eight; thence west
along said line to the division line between township fifty-five and fifty-four; thence east along said line to
the place of beginning.
By comparing the permanent description of Ray County and the boundaries of Caldwell County it will be seen that
there remained a strip of land six miles wide, north of Ray County and south of Caldwell County, that could claim
allegiance to neither - and much confusion resulted.
Petitions to the Legislature were prepared by the residents of this strip of land, seeking to have the same added
to Ray County, as at that time Caldwell County was very unpopular, as the Mormons had had control of affairs there,
and, while many of them had been removed or had gone away, their leaders were then under arrest, most of whom,
including the Prophet Joseph Smith, being in jail at Richmond at the time, the fear of their return was so great
that the people of this unattached territory wanted to join Ray and not Caldwell.
these petitions were presented to the Legislature in late 1838, and that they bore fruit is found by reference
of the Session acts of 1838, wherein is found an act of General Assembly of Missouri, approved Jan. 25, 1839.
Sec. 1. That all the territory between the northern line of Ray County, and the south line of Caldwell County,
is hereby added to and shall form a part of Ray County.
Sections 2 of the act defines the present boundaries of Ray County, which is the boundary set out in the act of
1825, plus the strip of land across the north part of the county just south of the Caldwell County line.
In the six mile strip, thus added to Ray County, is contained 144 square miles of land - and within this territory
is located the following towns, towit: Elmira, Taitsville, Knoxville, Georgeville, Ovid, Regal and Tinney's Grove.
In conclusion, we wish to state that it was only because of the law passed in 1839, enlarging Ray County, that
the present state agricultural secretary, Jewell Mayes, was born a Ray Countain - he and hundred of other prominent
citizens of this county, first saw the light of day within this six-mile strip of land.
Ray County Chapters, Articles
From the "Richmond Missourian" 1932
Information from a publication of Ray County Genealogical Assn.
2008
Ray County Genealogy & History
Transcribed by L.S.