University Missourian

OUT ON COLUMBIA'S MODERN FRONTIER
City Is "Going West" and Expanding in Other Directions.

WHAT YOU MAY SEE
Hard to Separate Town From Country Along Corporation Lines.

Horace Greeley would be a prophet of honor in Columbia. For Columbia, taking his advice, "Go West," is steadily pushing the corporation limits past the farm lands that formerly constituted Westmount.

In fact, she has "gone the prophet one better," and steadily pushed the Northern limits to conform with the western expansion.

On West boulevard is an old, rusty plow, which seems to be the last remnant of former days, making a gallant stand against the new regime which builds bungalows and rides in automobiles. Here the line begins and extends directly north to North boulevard and then turns east.

A Back Yard Corn Field.

North boulevard does not seem to be an ideal city limits' line. On either side of the street are neat homes and it is hard to separate the "city folks" from the "country folks." The only reminder of the farm days is the home of W. H. Rucker, which has real corn fields for a background. All around are homes of people whose farming operations are confined to the back-yard truck gardens. O. F. McConathy, Ben Schwabe and Edward Moore are other men who are on the verge of becoming bona fide citizens of Columbia.

From North boulevard the line runs on to Moore's boulevard. A short distance outside these limits are the city power house and Moore's Lake. Here is a favorite terminal of student trips on Sundays. You can investigate the big furnaces, hazard wild guesses on the amount of power the big engines develop, throw stones into the lake, which supplies the city water and speculate on the depths of the wells.

Farther east you cross the Wabash tracks and find some real farming country, where the houses are all of the substantial kind, surrounded by big meadows and fields.

But don't leave Moore's boulevard to take a jaunt on Paris road. It is inviting but deceiving. When you try to "cut through" to the corporation line again, you find that Paris road goes diagonally toward town and what was formerly east to you is now south.

Make your way to Moss avenue and ask for information.

Over a Rough Trail.

Over hills and through valleys goes Moss avenue. But at East Broadway Moss avenue ends, for practical purposes of travel. The "Trail of the Corporation Line," is a rough one from Broadway to the Agricultural Farm. Then it begins swerving and passes at right angles across the farm grounds through the golf links.

Just east of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas tracks the line is on Rollins street and from there proceeds directly west. On the other side of the railroad the University faculty members constitute the pioneer forces. They will be pioneers for some time to come, for there the country is rough and a tree-house is the only dwelling in sight. Just on the line are the homes of J. W. Rankin of the English department, W. D. A. Westfall of the School of Engineering and Prof. E. B. Branson of the Geology department.

Here, too, is the rock quarry, another scene of student expeditions of one sort or another. Its slides offer a temptation for scenic railway activities.

Back to the Old Plow.

Directly west you meet more pioneers. A. W. Blanks is the man farthest south in this section. Just outside the line are J. A. Wear, C. B. McKenzie, J. S. Moore, secretary of the Y. M. C. A., and W. W. Roberts.

At right angles the line leads north on West boulevard. This is a country of fine homes, level lawns and gravel roads.

Farther north you travel, leaving Westmount far behind.

There's something familiar in that object by the fence, you investigate.

It's your old friend, the rusty plow, dauntless as ever.

You have traveled seven and one-fourth miles around the city of Columbia.