Editing St. James, Missouri (section)

==History==
The settlement was originally known as Big Prairie because of its location on the natural prairie of that name in the area. In 1859, when a man by the name of John Wood anticipated the extension of the [[St. Louis-San Francisco Railway]], the settlement became known for a short time as Scioto, named after the town of [[Scioto, Ohio]], where many of the town's early settlers originated. In 1860, the town was named St. James to honor Thomas James, who came from [[Ohio]] and created the Meramec Iron Works.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_phelps.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624071446/http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_phelps.html | archive-date = June 24, 2016 | url-status = live | title=Phelps County Place Names, 1928–1945 | publisher=The State Historical Society of Missouri| access-date= December 5, 2016}}</ref>  The town was intended as a shipping point for the Meramec Iron Works, which had been shipping its products by wagon train.<ref>[http://www.therolladailynews.com/article/20150729/NEWS/150728853/ The stories behind the naming of cities, by Ed O'Neill (Rolla Daily News; July 29, 2015)]</ref><ref>[http://www.legendsofamerica.com/mo-stjames.html St. James, Missouri – Forest City of the Ozarks (Legends of America)]</ref>

St. James was the part-time home of Lucy Wortham James, a wealthy philanthropist who had a love for the area. She was a descendant of Thomas James, a [[Chillicothe, Missouri|Chillicothe]] banker who founded the Maramec Iron Works.<ref>[http://www.missouritrout.com/mrslwjames.html Mrs. Lucy Wortham James; Great-granddaughter of the founder of Maramec Iron Works (The James Foundation)]</ref> The James Foundation, a charitable organization she founded, was responsible for the St. James City Park and the James Memorial Library, as well as Maramec Spring Park. The City of St. James now owns both the park and the public library.

[[Mayme Ousley]], the first woman elected mayor of a town in Missouri, was first elected mayor of St. James in 1921.<ref name="umsystem.edu">{{cite web|url=http://shs.umsystem.edu/rolla/manuscripts/r0173.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928055630/http://shs.umsystem.edu/rolla/manuscripts/r0173.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-28 |url-status=live|title=Information Sheet: Mayme Ousley Papers|work=umsystem.edu|access-date=13 September 2015}}</ref> The city hall was named after her in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.therolladailynews.com/article/20130309/News/130308898|title=St. James City Hall named after first female mayor|author=Jim Brock|work=The Rolla Daily News|access-date=13 September 2015}}</ref>

The [[Maramec Spring|Maramec Iron Works District]], [[St. James Chapel (St. James, Missouri)|St. James Chapel]], and [[Verkamp Shelter]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>