Counties: Barton, Cedar, Dade, Greene, Jasper, Lawrence, Newton, and Polk"This thesis is a record of a careful research into the origin of the place-names in eight of the counties in the southwest part of Missouri. These counties are Barton, Cedar, Dade, Greene, Jasper, Lawrence, Newton, and Polk. These counties lie along the northwest slope of the Ozark highlands, whose topography is marked by rolling hills and fertile valleys. Along the valleys are rapidly flowing streams, which furnished ample water power for the grist mills of the pioneers. A comparison of the number of water-mills in these counties with the number in the northern counties shows a significant variation in the topography of the two groups of counties. The abundance of water for the little farms and the economic advantages of the mills, which often became the nuclei of villages, rendered great service to the pioneers, who were turning an untamed wilderness into homes and villages..."--Page 1
