Editing Mexico, Missouri (section)

==History==
Mexico was laid out as "New Mexico" in 1836 and was a major stop for settlers heading to the [[Republic of Texas]] (thus the name "New Mexico"), and it became the county seat under its present name in 1837. The word "New" was dropped after the [[Mexican–American War|Mexican War]] that saw [[Texas]] become a part of the United States.

There is an apocryphal story about the name. When a [[University of Missouri]] student, who was questioned on radio, was unable to give an account of her hometown's name, the question was put to L. Mitchell White, then editor and publisher of the Mexico Ledger: "'The first settlers found a wooden sign along the trail. It pointed southwest, and on it had been painted ''Mexico''.'" To avoid unnecessary labor, the sign was left in place. "It was easier to call their town 'Mexico' than to take down the old sign."<ref>''St. Louis Post Dispatch'', November 15, 1962, cited in ''The Missouri Historical Review'', January 1963, p. 233.</ref>

Mexico was incorporated as a town in 1855, was served by the [[Wabash Railroad]] in 1858 and by the [[Alton Railroad]] in 1872, and was first chartered as a city in 1874. The city is in the bluegrass region of Missouri, and was a shipping point for horses and mules. Mexico was a onetime major source for the nation's [[fire brick]] production, so much so that it adopted the moniker "Fire Brick Capital of the World". Bricks produced in Mexico were used in the construction of the [[NASA]] rocket launch site in [[Cape Canaveral]].<ref>(2010, December 1). "[https://www.semissourian.com/story/95036.html Mexico, Mo., faces shutdown of its last brick factory]." The Associated Press.</ref> The industry fell on hard times and both major [[refractory]] plants in the area closed in 2002. There is no active quarrying for clay used in fire brick or refractories production in the area.
[[File:Bird's eye view of the city of Mexico, Audrian Co., Missouri 1869. LOC 73693484.jpg|left|thumb|Bird's eye view of the city of Mexico, Audrian Co., Missouri 1869.]]
Mexico is located in the central region of Missouri known as "Little Dixie," so named because of the settlement of the region by whites from border south states, intent on reproducing the ways and means of the Deep South. Over half of the enslaved population of Missouri was concentrated in Little Dixie counties, and was the epicenter to much of Missouri's racist violence in the 19th and 20th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.monroeworktoday.org/explore/m/map2/#4.52/38.64/-93.46|title=Monroe Work Today: Lynchings and riots to enforce white supremacy in the US, 1835 - 1964}}</ref> Mexico competed with other MO cities for the title, "Capital of Little Dixie."<ref>{{Cite news|title=The capital of 'little dixie' gets its first black mayor.|last=Taylor|first=D. L.|date=May 12, 1974|newspaper=The Washington Post|id={{ProQuest|146180064}}}}</ref>

The historic downtown square, with the typical courthouse as the focal point, is surrounded by dozens of multi-story brick buildings—some dating to the founding of the community. There are, of course, other historic spots including Simmons Stables and Graceland. In the late 1970s, Mexico began ripping up crumbling sidewalks of the downtown square and installing red paver bricks accented with turn-of-the-century lamp posts and park benches. In the 1980s, Mexico was one of six nationwide finalists for [[Saturn Corporation|Saturn]]'s new U.S. auto plant. It lost to [[Spring Hill, Tennessee]] because Mexico was not served by a four-lane freeway. So as not to lose future development, Mexico officials quickly lobbied state and federal officials to secure funding for a new four-lane divided highway ([[U.S. Route 54]]) which now serves the community from [[Interstate 70]]. Formerly known as the "Saddle Horse Capital of the World," Mexico still hosts Hollywood celebrities and other visitors from around the world who come to purchase riding horses. The Simmons Stables, currently being revitalized, are now listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].

The [[Audrain County Courthouse]], [[Ross House (Mexico, Missouri)|Ross House]], and [[Arthur Simmons Stables Historic District]] are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref><ref name="nps">{{cite web|url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/listings/20120803.htm|title=National Register of Historic Places Listings|date=August 3, 2012|work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 7/23/12 through 7/27/12|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>