Silex, Missouri - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

County of city: Lincoln County
Location of city: NW quadrant of the county; crossroads of MO-E & MO-UU
County is on the eastern border of the state centrally located
Elevation: 499 ft (152 m)
Population: 187

"A village in the western part of Union Township, twelve miles northwest of Troy. In 1880 George P. Smith operated a store at Cave City, a contractor's camp so named for a cave, just north of where Silex now stands; and when the railroad was completed to the site of the latter, he moved his stock of goods there and opened the first store in the town. The post office was established by 1886. Silex owes its name to its special formation of rock, silex, a name for silica, especially in the form of quartz." ~ History of Lincoln County, 1888, Goodspeed, page 127

"Silex is situated on the St. Louis & Keokuk Railroad, twelve miles northwest of Troy. In 1880 George P. Smith was engaged in the mercantile business at a point called Cave City, just beyond the rock-cut north of where Silex now (1888) stands, and when the railroad was completed to the site of Silex, he moved his stock of goods there and opened the first store in the town... The town was laid out and platted in 1882, by Portas B. Weare. In 1888 there were a general store and lumberyard; furniture and undertaking store, millinery store, blacksmith shop, etc.

"J.C. Kimbler was postmaster; T.B. Duncan had a corn mill..." ~ History of Lincoln County, 1888, Goodspeed, pages 427, 428

"It had a public school, a church, flouring mill, two saw mills, a bank, and about half a dozen other business places, including a hotel, stores, shops, etc. Population (1899) estimated, 200." ~ Encyclopedia of the History of Mo., 1901, Conard, Vol. V, page 593