From the Darkroom: Partying like it was 1851 in 1951 as Stone County turned 100

A Crane school bus bears a sign promoting the Stone County Centennial celebration in 1951.

The modern circa-1950 model school bus stands in stark contrast to this enthusiastic group of Stone County citizens dressed in 1851-inspired costumes that range from top hats to bonnets to corn cob pipes. Crane High School band members, who provided the music for the promotional caravan that day, can just be seen peeking out of the bus’s windows.

The group promoting the centennial is shown at the first of the caravan’s stops in Bradfield, Missouri. The caravan spent the day in February 1951 traveling from town to town, eventually creating an impromptu parade consisting of almost one hundred cars. The centennial was celebrated at an official celebration later in the summer of 1951.

Posing from left to right are Catherine Dolliver, Mrs. Ralph Hilton, Ross Farmer, Joe Ward, Inez Smith, Deputy Sheriff Clifford Smith, Bonnie Bennage, Virginia Peters, Roy Rinner, and Bud Turk.

The county was officially organized on February 10, 1851, when Taney County had grown so large that sections of the county separated to create Stone County and later Christian County in 1859. Stone County was named for English pioneer and early Maryland to Missouri settler William Stone, who also served as Taney County Judge.

This image is part of a much larger collection of historically rich photographs from the News-Leader’s photo archive. Each week, the Springfield-Greene County Library will tap into this vast collection and present an interesting image “from the darkroom" and share its history. This image is presented in partnership between the Springfield-Greene County Library District and the Springfield News-Leader. For more historical images of the Ozarks, visit: thelibrary.org/fromthedarkroom.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: From the Darkroom: Partying like it was 1851 in 1951