Monark Springs is a ghost town in Newton County, Missouri, United States. It is located approximately five miles east of Neosho. The site is on the north bank of Hickory Creek about 1.5 miles east of U.S. Route 60.[2] The spring associated with the town is located within the Hickory Creek floodplain approximately 500 feet to the southeast.[3]
History
Founded by Truman Elmore, the town was named after the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad, resulting in the name, MoNArk Springs.[4]
In August 1956, an outbreak of typhoid fever occurred in Monark Springs during a national Church of God camp meeting that had over 400 members from other states as far west as California and east to Kentucky, attending.[5][6] The cases continued to spread outside of the town after the meeting, with 16 reported cases cropping up in various parts of Missouri and Kansas.[7][8] CDC officials were sent to the camp site to investigate the water in the area, in order to determine the exact source of the outbreak.[9] It was eventually discovered that a carrier of typhoid fever had unknowingly contaminated the water in the well that had been used as drinking water for the entire camp site.[10]
References
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Monark Springs, Missouri
- ^ Neosho East, MO, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1972 (1984 rev.)
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Monark Springs, Missouri
- ^ James, Larry (1999). The Monark Towns and Surrounding Villages. Newton County Historical Society. pp. 1–7.
- ^ "TYPHOID HITS FAMILIES AT CHURCH MEET". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 26, 1956. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Jean Strouse (1956). "Monark Springs Typhoid Fever". Newsweek. 48 (1–13).
- ^ "TYPHOID CASES GROWING AFTER CAMP MEETING". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 31, 1956. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ "LINK 6 TYPHOID CASES TO CAMP; STUDY OTHERS". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 5, 1956. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Avery, Peter Van (1959). Public health. H.W. Wilson. p. 65. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Committee on Salmonella (1969). An evaluation of the salmonella problem. National Academy of Sciences. p. 80. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
Further reading
- William A. Neill; J. D. Martin; E. A. Belden; W. Yates Trotter (October 2, 1958). "A Widespread Epidemic of Typhoid Fever Traced to a Common Exposure". The New England Journal of Medicine. 259 (14). Massachusetts Medical Society: 667–672. doi:10.1056/NEJM195810022591403. PMID 13590422.
External links
Municipalities and communities of Newton County, Missouri, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |