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Joplin Main Street,
1943 vintage
postcard.
With the large influx of miners,
Joplin was a wild
town, filled with saloons, dance halls, gambling establishments, and
brothels. By the turn of the century, the town had become a hub
of the region with many fine hotels and restaurants replacing many of
these more bawdy establishments. Soon,
Joplin became the
self-proclaimed lead and zinc capital of the world, with many fine
homes built by the thriving businessmen.
After World War II, most of the mines
were closed and population growth leveled off. In the interest
of “urban renewal,” 40 acres of
Joplin’s historic down area was razed in the 1960s and 1970s,
taking with it several of its
Route 66
landmarks.
However, many
historic views still exist in
Joplin
including the House of Lords, a one time popular gambling club at 407
Main Street., the Newman Mercantile Store building, a landmark since
1910, and now called home to
Joplin’s City Hall, the Frisco Depot, a one time
Harvey
House and Railroad office building that has been converted to
apartments, as well as the Union Depot, and the Fox Theater.
At the
Joplin
Museum Complex in Schifferdecker Park, you can see two museums that
tell the story of
Joplin’s history. The Dorothea B. Hoover Historical Museum
displays a variety of historic items, including a 1927 fire engine and
the Tri-State Mineral Museum houses one of the world’s largest
collections of lead and zinc ore, as well as mining tools and
equipment. Both are located at Fourth Street and Schifferdecker
Avenue. |
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