Rogers History

Frequently Asked Questions
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• Where did Rogers get its name? <---- Click Here to See the Answer!
  •  Rogers was named after Captain Charles Warrington Rogers who was the General Manager of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad.
     
• Why was Rogers named after Captain Rogers?
  •  The town residents at the time told Captain Rogers that if he'd bring the Frisco Train to their area, they would name the town after him.
     
• Who was one of the famous people who arrived by train?
  •  Santa Claus
     
• When did Rogers become a town?
  •  Rogers officially became a town on May 28, 1881.
     
• When did electricity come to Rogers?
  •  It came to Rogers in 1895, but not full time. People only had electricity for two hours in the evening
     
• When did the telephone come to Rogers?
  •  Telephone service came to town in 1897. But people did not have single lines. People had to share telephone lines. These were called party lines.
     
• What were the names of the original streets in Rogers?
  •  Streets running north and south were named after people. Streets running west to east were named after trees.
     
• Where did Rogers get its water?
  •  There were many springs around Rogers where water came from. One of the first was Diamond Springs. It was named because the sparkling bubbles of the spring looked like diamonds. Electric Springs was named because people thought its "electricity" would cure illness.
     
• Why did people originally want to live here?
  •  Because the area had clean water, clean air, a nice climate with four seasons, fertile soil, good roads, and a railroad.
     
• What was the first bank in Rogers?
  •  The first bank in Rogers was opened in 1883 and called the Bank of Rogers.
     
• What were some of the first businesses?
  •  Stroud's Mercantile was located facing the railroad in 1884. A.B. Stroud, the store manager at the age of 17, introduced many new radical ideas into store management. For instance, smoking was banned and price tags were placed on all the merchandise, which made the cost of goods the same for everyone. Stroud's hired the first women salesclerk, Allie Inez Dodge. Mrs. Will Rogers (Betty Blake) also worked as a salesclerk at Stroud's.
• What was the first law in Rogers?
  •  City Ordinance No.1 was passed in 1882. It would not let anybody slaughter animals within the city limits except for personal family use.
     
• Who are the people that the schools are named after?
  •  Birch Kirksey, Grace Hill, and Bonnie Grimes were principals. Greer Lingle and Frank Tillery were superintendents.  Joe Mathias and Russell Jones were assistant superintendents. Mary Sue and Betty Lynn Reagan were sisters who taught in Rogers for 40 years. Ezra Tucker has been a long time resident of Lowell.
     
• What kind of entertainment did Rogers have in the 1800's?
  •  Rogers had an Opera House in 1895 where actors performed an people sang. It also provided a place for Rogers citizens to dance on Friday night or hold banquets.  In 1897 the first motion picture was shown at the Opera House.
     
• Where did people stay when they arrived on the railroad?
  •  The Commercial Hotel was built in 1885. The Jones Hotel was built in 1897, the Traveler's hotel was built in 1904, the Nashburg Hotel was built in 1906 and the Hotel Main was built in 1910. One of the largest and the oldest hotels still in existence was the Lane Hotel built in 1929.
     
• Did Rogers have an early fire department?
  •  Yes, but in 1888 it was known as the Rogers Hose Company.
     
• Who was the first newspaper?
  •  Rogers had two newspapers. The "Rogers Champion" started circulation in 1881 with the "Rogers New Era" starting 10 days later.
     
• Where was the Post Office located?
  •  Actually, the post office depended upon who was the Postmaster at the time. The location of the post office moved around with the Postmaster.
     
• Did Rogers have a school?
  •  Rogers Academy was the first school and it opened in 1883 on the site where Frank Tillery Elementary now stands. At the time, the property was covered with thick brush and trees and was known as a great spot to hunt deer.
     
• Did Rogers Academy have any sports teams?
  •  In 1902 Rogers Academy had a football team that won their first and only championship. And in 1900 Rogers Academy girls had a basketball team.
     
• What was the first church in Rogers?
  •  The Congregational Church in 1881 was the first church in Rogers sponsored by Mrs. C.W. Rogers.