The following interview was from a 1975 assignment given to students at JEFFERSON COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE in Hillsboro, MO. They were to select a longtime resident of the county and ask them a prepared list of questions about their recollections of their family's experiences in the county.
Interview
with Nola Propst of De Soto Mo.
Ivr: You're Nola. Nola
Propst? How long have you lived in Jefferson County now?
Ive: Well, from 1919,
let's see, 1928 we
moved to
Ivr: 1928. Have you
lived out in this area....out here
off the
Ive: Since 1927, 37, 1937.
Ivr: Have you
seen, living out here this long, seen quite a bit
of
difference in the
population as fast
as this area people moving in or moving out?
Ive: Oh yes, quite a bit,
quite a few
of them, big difference
Ivr: When
would you say the change as far as people
starting to
move in the area
took
place?
Ive: Oh I'll say
about 1935 or something
like that.
Ivr: You mean it's
been growing ever since 1935?
Ive : Yeah.
Ivr: You think
the
last ten years, maybe fifteen
years
it's seemed like the people's been on more
of a move
to move out of the area.
Ivr For
this area?
Ive: Every year,
every year our
taxes go up.
Ivr: I know
you live out
of the city
limits here and
everything
Ive: Yes,
it's been quite
a bit of building
out in here since then
Ivr: Do
you think most
of the people that
live around this area work in the
city or do they farm out in this area?
Ive: Well the
majority of them yes,
work in St. Louis in the cities,
Ivr: What do
you think, what
do you think the reason the people
move out in this area?
Ive: Well, I,
I would think,
I've talked to several different
ones and they
seem to think
it's cheaper living
out in the
country than it
is in the
city,
Ivr: If you
had to go back to
work, now I know you're retired, would
you think you'd
want to live
out in this
area or would you
move?
Ive -. Oh yeah ,
Ivr: You wouldn't
move in closer
to the city?
Ive: No.
Ivr: What do you think
are some of the needs that
Ive Well, I really
wouldn't know what we need, but I do know that the taxes and everything are going up.
Ivr: You think the taxes are
pretty reasonable now or
do you think they're
too high?
Ive: Well, I
think they're
too
high.
Ivr: For this
area?
Ive: Every year, every
year our taxes go up.
Ivr: I know you live out of
the city limits
here and everything
you think there’s anything as far as your tax money should be maybe spent on as
far as roads or anything in this area that could improve this area?
Ive: Well, as far as the roads,
like I say, they've got good roads. They've improved them
every year,
blacktopped them.
Ivr: All
these people out in this area, or in
Ive: I think
it’s good myself.
Ivr: Do you
think crime has gone up any in the last five or ten years due to?
Ive: Well, I think
it
has, yes.
Ivr: Have you had any personal experience with
people stealing anything from you out in this area?
Ive: No,
not here I haven't. Well, when we first
started to build a house they, we had the foundation in
and we bought it from Hill-Behan and they brought it down on a Friday and of course Pon
was the nephew was building the house.
And they worked over here, I was working Saturday And they worked over
here Saturday putting the framework up and they got the rafters up and we was
going to put the shingling up Sunday and I came up here Sunday morning and they wasn't nothing up there. Everything was gone.
Ivr:
Done, done took it away?
Ive: Yeah,
oh everything was, plywood and all.
Ivr: Do they
have any zoning out in this area at all? Restrictions
of any kind?
Ive: Oh yeah.
Ivr: They
do?
Ive: Yes.
Ivr: Do you
have any comments
on them? Do
you think they're good
or need
to be improved?
Ive: Well, I
don't know too
much about it,
but I know
we didn't have too,
I didn't have too much dealings with it for
I started my
house before this
zoning went in.
I poured
my, foundation and then I went
on up with it and I didn't have to get no permit.
Ivr: I'll be durn. Do you
know anything about
the Meramec Basin Project?
Ive: No.
Ivr: Or the
Ive: No, I
don't know
anything about it,
Ivr: When you
first moved out
in this area,
you say you were about
17 years old?
Ive: No, out
here.
Ivr: No, I
mean into Jefferson
County.
Ive: Yeah.
Ivr:
Where did you live at that time?
Ive:
Ivr: Is
that right after you went to work at
Ive:
Yeah,
Ivr.- Did you have a car then?
Ive: Well
no, I didn't, but later on I bought a Model A.
Ivr: Did
you buy a new one or a used one?
Ive: No,
a used one.
Ivr: Do you
remember what you
give for it?
Ive: think it
was about $200, it was used.
It
was my dad's
and
I bought it from
him.
Ivr: Crystal
City pretty well had all paved streets at that time were'nt they?
Ive No,
Ivr: Mostly dirt?
Ive: Some
of them was dirt
and
blacktop.
Ivr: Yeah. Were they pretty rough going?
Ive: Well,
the
back, back alley streets was, yes. But
Main Street I think was
concrete at that time,
Ivr Did you ever
get stuck
with your
Model A?
Ive: No.
Ivr: Never did have no problem?
Ive: No, no.
Ivr: Can you remember the
first time you
went to St. Louis?
Ive: Well
I,
I can tell pretty close
.It
was summer near
round 1931 I guess.
Ivr: Do you remember what
the reason of
the trip
was?
Ive: Well,
my brother-in-law lived up in
Ivr: How
long did it take you to make the trip?
Ive: Oh,
on Sunday evening it took about an hour and a half. Or two hours cause the traffic was so heavy
sometimes you’d just have to stop dead
still.
Ivr: Is
that right? Going from
Ive: Yeah.