Jerico Springs – the Mystic City

By John C. Beydler

John C. Beydler obviously spent a lot of time in the files of every newspaper in Southwest Missouri recording every mention of Jerico Springs and neighboring towns.

Beydler recorded the intense, but futile efforts of a group or citizens to turn Jerico into a boom town but they lacked two things – a railroad and iron ore or zinc to carry on the train.

In 1882, Dan Stratton and Charley Whitsitt (a great grandfather of D. Bill Neale, retired El Dorado Springs dentist,) led a group of Southwest Missouri farmers in launching a town they envisioned leading to a major regional city built on a health resort, retailing and mining with a soon to-be-built railroad tying it all to the rapidly expanding rail system.  Initial success floundered as year after year slipped by without train service or a major find by prospectors.

The era, the people and efforts to build Jerico and secure rail service come to life in this detailed account built largely from contemporaneous newspaper reports.

Mr. Stratton left no written record of why he chose the name but he probably is the source for the accepted story that the “jer” comes from the

Biblical city of Jericho and the “ico” from Joseph Carrico Sr. another great grandfather of Dr. Bill Neale. In any case, the small stream wandering through town was soon called the Jordan and the hillside across from downtown Jerusalem.

The book is available on Amazon for $14 and from the Cedar County Historical Society.

You can email John Beydler at johnbeydler@gmail.com.