On Saturday, September 7, 2019, the City of Wheatland held its 150th
Anniversary celebration during the 25th Anniversary of the Wheatland
Harvest Festival. The large celebration on the town square included a
parade, food vendors, crafters, kids’ games, and live music. Senator
Sandy Crawford, Representative Warren Love, and Missouri Lt.
Governor Mike Kehoe presented proclamations and resolutions to
Mayor Wileta Kellison honoring Wheatland’s 150th Anniversary.
The original site of Wheatland, then known as Bledsoe, was settled
by William S. Bird in 1855. On November 12, 1867, the name was
residents, and on December 27, 1869, the Village of Wheatland
was plotted. The Village of Wheatland was incorporated into a city
in 1884. The population grew to 275 by 1907, and then over the next
businesses in Wheatland during this period, and at one time there
in 1969, destroyed several downtown buildings.
In 1992, Hickory County’s Economic Development Council and a
group of volunteers began a project to move authentic old cabins
to a central location on the Wheatland town square, now known as
Wheatland Settlers Village. The Wheatland Settlers Village consists
of 11 pre- and post-Civil War cabins taken from around Southwest
Missouri. It took six years to fully complete this project because all
the logs on the standing cabins had to be numbered so they could
be put back exactly as they were. Each cabin was disassembled,
moved, and then reassembled log by log. They are still standing in
Harvest Festival was held in 1994 on the
town square in support
of the Settlers Village.
This tradition continues
each September on
following Labor Day.
Wheatland’s current
population is 371 and
is a great little town to
live in. Wheatland has a
great school which houses
pre-K through High School.
The City of Wheatland currently has two convenience/grocery
service station, senior citizen’s apartment complex, a Senior Center,
along with many locally
owned and operated
businesses. Wheatland
In 2001, Ron and Mary Jenkins built
is a 4th class city run by
Wheatland Raceway in a former
a City Council
consisting of a Mayor
was held. Jenkins sold the track
and four Aldermen.
to Lucas Oil Company in 2004, and
The City Council and
the facility was renamed Lucas Oil
its two employees, city
Speedway, which is now a nationally
clerk and water/
know racing facility. Lucas Oil
wastewater operator,
Speedway annexed into the City of
are all very active in
Wheatland in 2006 for the use of the
making sure everything
city utilities, and the revenue has
runs smoothly and in
helped the city tremendously. We
compliance with all
are very fortunate to have such an
government agencies.
amazing facility here in our little
They are always
town. It has created numerous
looking for ways to
jobs and put us on the map!
improve Wheatland,
and have applied and received several grants throughout the
years. These grants helped to upgrade the water and sewer
systems, purchase a storm siren, purchase new playground
equipment for the city park, purchase a new Polaris Ranger, as
well as new picnic tables and benches for the city park. They have
also had a majority of the city streets paved, installed additional
streetlights, extended the city limits, annexed several properties,
purchased several uninhabited properties and cleaned them up
and sold them to new residents.
Every year, Wheatland continues to improve, grow a little, and
welcome new residents and businesses. The lake and Lucas Oil
Speedway are our main tourist attractions and are what helps our
little town grow and prosper. Some weekends our population
grows from 371 to up to 15,000 people, depending on the events
going on in the area. Check out the event schedule for Lucas Oil
and advertisements for the Wheatland Harvest Festival
(September 12-13, 2020) and other events in Wheatland.
Wheatland looking northwest from the top
of the old frame school building - 1900.
(Photo credit: freepages.rootsweb.com)