County of site: Warren County
Location of site: MO-94, W. of Marthasville, on the Katy Trail, Treloar
Crossroads of: MO-94, Katy Trail State Park & MO-N
Elevation: 505 feet
Population: 46
The Person:
"William Mitchellson Treloar (September 21, 1850 – July 3, 1935) was an American music professor, composer, music publisher, and U.S. Representative from Missouri.
"Treloar was born near Linden, Wisconsin, and attended the local common schools. His family moved to Mount Pleasant, Iowa in 1864, and he attended its high school and then Iowa Wesleyan College. He moved to Missouri in 1872, where he began a career teaching music at Mount Pleasant College in Huntsville from 1872 to 1875. In 1875, he moved to Mexico, Missouri, where he became professor of music at Hardin College, and also taught at the Synodical Female College in nearby Fulton and in the local public schools.
"Treloar first entered politics in 1894, serving as a delegate to the Republican state convention and running for Congress against Democratic Congressman Champ Clark, whom he beat during the year of a Republican landslide. Treloar was said to have been the fifth choice of the Republican Party to run for the seat and, upon winning was ridiculed by newspapers as a "banjo player" and "piano tuner." However, the defeated Clark graciously defended him, calling him a "man of fair capacity and good manners" and praising his academic and composing career. After serving a term in the 54th Congress, Treloar lost his 1896 bid for reelection in a rematch with Clark, this time during a year of Democratic gains.
"During his short tenure, he sponsored the Treloar Copyright Bill that would have created a copyright registry and extended copyright terms. The bill was quite controversial, and the subject of extensive lobbying efforts from both supporters and opponents. Although it did not make it out of committee, some of its provisions did later pass.
"Upon leaving the House, he became postmaster of Mexico, Missouri from 1898 to 1904. In 1905, he moved to Kansas City, Missouri to start a music publishing business. He ran the business in Kansas City from 1905 through 1915, after which he moved it to St. Louis. There, he also taught and composed music, and served as an election judge from 1920 through 1924. He died in St. Louis, and is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.
"The town of Treloar, Missouri is named for him." ~ Wikipedia
The Place:
History of Treloar
1895 ................
New Holstein
When a railroad passed through town, the community often adapted. Sometimes entire towns moved closer to the track or new towns grew around depots. At the railroad depot in the river bottoms south of Holstein, area residents platted New Holstein. The town's name was changed to Treloar in 1896.
Treloar's Overture
The town was named after William Mitchellson Treloar. A Wisconsin native. Treloar moved to Missouri in 1872. He was professor of music at Hardin College in Mexico, Mo., and was U.S. Congressman from Missouri for one term from 1895 to 1897. Treloar was the first Republican ever elected in the Ninth Congressional District, but lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Champ Clark in 1896. Treloar never actually lived in the town named after him.
Busy Little Railroad Town
By 1914, Treloar had developed into a thriving railroad town of 100 people with a successful shipping business of grain and stock. In December of that year, the Warrenton Banner praised Robert Muench for being one of the first Treloar businessmen to have a large, well stocked general store. The first bank in town was organized in 1904. The Warrenton Banner described it as being "one of the strong banks in the county."
1918 ................
The Farm Club Movement
On a stormy Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1918, several members of the New Haven Farm Club braved the Big Muddy's rough waters in hopes of convincing the farmers of Treloar of the benefits of establishing their own club.
"WE must light up the School Houses far and near, and make the hills and vales echo with the Farm Club Slogan;
Production Cost with a Reasonable Profit for the fruits of the Farmer's Sweat and Toil"
This was the message these men carried with them at the time when the farm club movement was spreading like wildfire across the state. The Missouri Farmers Association (MFA) traditionally designates their founding as May 10, 1914 when several farmers in Missouri formed the first organized farm club. In January 1916, a convention was held to form the MFA, a statewide farmers' organization. William Hirth, father of the MFA, believed the agriculture interests of Missourians were fundamentally important and deserved reward and recognition.
Warren County Farm Clubs
Warren County was the first county in the state to establish a county farm club. Smaller individual clubs combined to form the Warren County Farmers Association in 1915. The Treloar Farm Club was instrumental in the formation of clubs in Peers and Marthasville, and the Tri-County Farmers Association comprised of Warren, St. Charles and Montgomery counties. The values of the Treloar Farm Club extended beyond farming to the enrichment of their community. Quality education was the utmost importance to the Treloar Farm Club, whose members envisioned a rural high school that would "grace our hills, giving our boys and girls an equal chance with the city youth in the great battle of life."
1937 ................
A Bustling Beginning
Residents of Treloar developed a variety of businesses including elevators, banks, general stores, a post office, a blacksmith shop, a butcher shop, and a hotel with a dance hall and livery. Many of these businesses have vanished from the streets of Treloar, but one that still thrives is a local saloon, opened in 1904.
Hasenjaeger's Tavern Timeline
1904: Henry Hasenjaeger opened the Treloar Tavern.
1917: Raymond Hasenjaeger inherited the family business.
1939: Garrett Hasenjaeger took over operation of the tavern.
1951: Virgil and Helen Engemannbecame the owners.
1954: Wesley and Helen Hasenjaeger operated the tavern.
Subsequent owners changed the tavern's name periodically. Names included His and Hers (1970), Our Place (1976), Treloar Bar and Grill (1999) and Murphs (closed on 2012).
Triumphant Treloar
The advent of the automobile brought garages and filling stations to Treloar. The Lueckes, a family full of boys, owned the town garage. Another Treloar family, the Bunges, had several girls. This set the stage for a match made in heaven ending in the marriage of three Luecke boys to three Bunge girls.
This once bustling railroad town is now busy with cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Descendants of many of the town's original families still live in Treloar. ~ Missouri Department of Natural Resources