Author: paulinemasson

By Pauline Masson Aldermen are wrestling with whether sidewalks should be required in front of new buildings in the flood prone area of the city, which are adjacent to flood buyout lots, as called for in city codes. The sidewalk requirement for new construction was borne of necessity. Originally a town of dirt or gravel roads and no sidewalks, Pacific added sidewalks on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis, when it had the money for such luxuries. There were no zoning … Continue reading “To Require Sidewalks or Not Require Sidewalks: That is the Question  “

By Pauline Masson –  It is easy to say the 2023 Iron Horse Rodeo was the most successful since Outlaw Rodeo Productions brought its rodeo to Pacific in 2013. Since then Pacific has capped off Outlaw Rodeo’s annual season of approximately 15 rodeos a year in late September or early October. The key claim that this year’s rodeo was the best was that total revenue of $81,000 was the largest ever. But it should have been the most successful. The weather … Continue reading “Iron Horse Rodeo Rides and Ropes into History $81,000 in 2023 Revenue”

By Pauline Masson – Civil War historians have been reluctant to call it a battle, preferring instead to refer to it as a raid. But to Pacific residents, fleeing refugees and visiting journalists, it looked like war. In the early morning hours of Oct.1, 1864, Confederate Cavalry thundered into downtown Pacific, set fire to the Pacific Railroad passenger depot and 16 other railroad buildings, pillaged stores, and took prisoners. After Union troops arrived and battle lines were drawn and redrawn, … Continue reading “Civil War Battle of Pacific, October 1, 1864 Still Surfaces in Local Memory”

By Pauline Masson –  Pacific reisdents may see a new approach to upgrading or building a new city swimming pool as City Administrator Harold Selby turns his personal strategy of networking and fact finding to the project. Selby stepped into the new swimming pool issue two weeks ago when he mingled with municipal leaders from across the state as he and other Pacific officials attended a three-day Missouri Municipal League (MML) conference for local officials in Kansas City. Mayor Heather … Continue reading “Selby Strategy Could Change the Scope and Cost of a New City Swimming Pool”

By Pauline Masson – In the early 1930s, a group of far thinking St. Louis civic leaders, who called themselves the Henry Shaw Gardenway Association, got a lot of credit for beautifying our stretch of Route 66, including the building of Jensen’s Point Lookout, which placed Pacific at the center. And they should have. After all, it was their project.  But a review of history shows that they may not have been able to pull it off without the energetic … Continue reading “What is the Henry Shaw Gardenway? / Or, Here is Another Pacific Lions Tale”

By Pauline Masson –  For Alderman Debbie Kelley it was a simple change in city government to place code enforcement procedures under the city administrator and staff. After losing her first bid to make the change to a 3-3 tie and a ‘no’ vote from Mayor Heather Filley Sept. 5, Alderman Kelley repeated her motion to bring the code enforcement department to its former place as part of the building deparment in the administration offices on the upper level of … Continue reading “Kelley Victory: Code Enforcement Heads Upstairs / Selby Sites Proactive Ways to Correct Violations”

By Pauline Masson –  The question of whether to send a code enforcement inspector or a police officer to deal with weeds and grass or other nuisance will be discussed – for the nth time – at Tuesday’s board of adlermen (BOA) meeting.  A decision on effective code enforcement is long overdue according former aldermen Rick Layton, who has been trying for months to get a blocked sidewalk and uncontrolled weeds on one block in his neighborhood corrected. A company … Continue reading “Where Is the Code Enforcement Department When You Need It? Former Alderman Questions”

By Pauline Masson The late Bertha Gifford of Pacific, Missouri’s most prolific women serial killer, titilated area resident for decades after two young boys in her care died from arsenic poisoning and 15 others succomed while in her care. But compared to the guy who built the drag strip south of Pacific, Bertha was just a misguided nurse who mistakenly treated sick neighbors with medication she said she took herself.  St. Louis dentist Dr. Glenn Engelman was an admitted and … Continue reading “Pacific Drag Strip Opposite the Nike Base Was a Boon to Local Car Lovers But Was Later Linked to the Fast Talking Serial Killer Who Built It”

By Pauline Masson –  Early Pacific was accustomed to loud arrivals – the smoke belching, fire spewing first steam train in 1853 and the Confederate Army that set the downtown on fire on October 1. 1864. But nothing ignited the residents like the week the new Interstate Highway 66 arrived. It was literally explosive. The construction from the east reached Pacific city limits on September 23, 1932. But before it could go through the city the well known landmark – … Continue reading “In September 1932 the New Route 66 Came in With a Bang as Sand Mountain Got a Facelift”

By Pauline Masson – There was a time in frontier America when a person with many skills and abundant energy could use the natural resources that surrounded him to build a prosperous life. If he had six sons to help with the building, that would be a benefit. Frederick William Poertner was such a man. More than the proverbial jack ofalltrades, Frederick Poertner was a successful grower of all things, skilled carpenter, frontier patent medicine bottler, gourmet food provider and … Continue reading “Historic Farmstead Donated as Wildlife Refuge / Visit Old Hollow and the Life of a Fascinating Frontier Man”