Ilasco - Ilasco, MO
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 39° 40.269 W 091° 18.565
15S E 645001 N 4392624
Historical marker commemorating the former company town of Ilasco, Missouri south of Hannibal.
Waymark Code: WM1CP3
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 04/06/2007
Views: 20
Text of marker reads:
"We came here in large numbers from nearby farms and faraway
villages of southern and eastern Europe to build industrial America. We did
our job well. Through blood, sweat and hard work we laid claim to the
dignity of human labor and produced great commercial wealth for the nation.
Out of shared struggles, we learned from each other and created a spirited
community that mourned its losses and celebrated the great achievements of its
people. We have left in this special place a rich history that cannot be
forgotten.
Gregg Andrews
Author - City of Dust
ILASCO
ILASCO was created in 1903. Large numbers of Romanian,
Slovak, Italian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Polish, Croatian and other immigrants
joined native-born residents drawn here by jobs at the Atlas Portland Cement
Plant. ILASCO through its churches, schools, folklore, languages,
fraternal societies, cuisines and daily life, left a rich working class
cultural heritage that made it unique in Missouri. The community's name is
an acronym for some of the cement manufacturing ingredients (Iron, Lime,
Alumina, Silica, Calcium and Oxygen), ILASCO was converted into a company town
in 1921 and dissolved in 1963.
Ilasco Historical Marker
Dedicated October, 1999"