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Among rivers, forested
hills and bubbling springs, you will find Rolla,
Missouri –
a haven for outdoor fun.
The
first settlers of the area were farmers who began to arrive in 1818
and building along the river banks. Though the town wouldn’t
begin for several more years, a man named John Webber built the first
house were Rolla would be in 1844.
The next year the Frisco Branch of the
Southwest Railroad would begin to survey the land for the westward
pushing railroad. A man named Lieutenant James Abert led the
survey and would later become the first professor of Civil Engineering
at the
Missouri School of Mines.
When the railroad began to be built, a
small settlement began to form in 1855 when the railroad erected an
office and several warehouses. Anticipating the coming of the
railroad, nearly 600 people moved to the area within six months. In 1857,
Rolla
was made the county seat of Phelps County and the next year the city
was officially laid out. The town was named when one of the
original settlers, formerly of North Carolina favored the name
"Raleigh” after his home town. Other settlers agreed on the name
on the condition that it wasn’t spelled that "funny” way and they
settled on "Rolla.”
On January 1, 1861, the first train
arrived in Rolla, but the outbreak of the war halted westward expansion of
the line. However, the town became an important transportation
hub as supplies were shipped from the east and loaded to wagon headed
west. During the Civil War, Rolla
served as a military post with as many as 20,000 Union troops
stationed in the vicinity.
In 1870 the
Missouri
School of Mines and Metallurgy was founded due to
Rolla’s
location and its mineral riches. Today, the school provides
twelve fields of engineering and science degrees, including mining and
metallurgy.
When Route 66
came through, it replaced Route 14, a gravel road that was difficult to
travel in anything but good weather. Work began on the concrete slab
in 1928, and from Rolla to
Lebanon it was the last piece to be paved in
Missouri
because of its difficulty. The completion was cause for a huge
celebration. Rolla further improved its image by completing the paving of city
streets which connected with the highway.
In
no time, Rolla
became a vacation playground as tourist cabins motels, trading posts and
fishing camps sprang up.
Today, Rolla
continues to be a haven for outdoor adventurers with its proximity to the
Current and Jack’s Fork rivers, Ozark forests, caves, springs and bluffs. The town also provides a rich view of its heritage in its historical
buildings and vintage peeks of old
Route 66.
On the corner of Third and Rolla Streets
is the John A. Dillon Log House, built in 1857 and utilized as the first
Phelps County Courthouse. Today the building houses the Phelps County
Museum. In 1859 Phelps County began to build another Courthouse just
across the street, which also served as a hospital and supply storage
during the Civil War. The building is currently being restored to
its former glory.
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