CROCKER, Mo. — Crocker, Missouri in Pulaski County was established as a railroad town in the mid-1800s. Much of Crocker’s history can now be found in the Frisco Depot Museum.
“It’s basically the connection of people of Crocker to the railroad and the personal memorabilia that ties the two together as the expansion of the west happened and how it affected communities throughout,” said Glen Smith, the Mayor of Crocker, Missouri.
During that westward expansion, railroad tracks and a Frisco depot were built in Crocker, essentially creating the town.
The Railroad Express Agency began working out of the depot in 1870. The Depot serviced 22 different towns and municipalities in the surrounding counties including Texas, Phelps, Maries and Miller.
“It was primarily the shipping origin for railroad ties,” said Lonnie Garrett, the museum’s curator. “Millions of them were shipped out of Crocker. They used to tie float them down the Gasconade and bring them up on horse and wagon and load them up. All the way up until the 60s Crocker was the place to ship railroad ties.”
Garrett said auto parts and other goods were also made in Crocker and shipped from the depot.
In the 1980s, private funds were raised to move the depot from the railroad tracks to its current home, which is just a block away from its original location. It was rehabilitated into what visitors can see today, and the museum offers a unique look at the culture that was created around the Frisco Depot.
The museum is open to visitors on the third Saturday of every month between mid-April to Labor Day.