Editing Seligman, Missouri (section)

===20th century===
In the early 1900s rebuilding continued, with many modern improvements. [[Southwestern Bell]] Telephone Company established an office in Seligman,<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 31.</ref> in 1904 postal rural routes were established,<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 29. Before rural routes were established, mail was delivered at the post office and outlying areas were serviced by contract carriers who would pick up the mail at Seligman and carry it to the country stores or trading posts in the region.</ref> in 1905 the Bank of Seligman was opened by C.C. Fawver,<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 22.</ref> and in 1910 George Finn established the Farmers and Merchants Bank.<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 24.</ref> Also in 1910, the North Arkansas line was extended from Seligman through Eureka Springs to [[Harrison, Arkansas]].<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 46. Usual fare was three cents per mile. When this train pulled into the station in Harrison for the first time, crowds of people gathered to catch their first glimpse of the railroad engine. The engineer, being something of a practical joker, climbed atop the cab and shouted, "Everybody watch out! I'm gonna turn this thing around!" and the crowd scattered in panic, expecting it to turn around like a wagon. Then the railroad crew calmly pivoted the engine on its turntable.</ref> Two physicians set up practice in town, and one of them opened a four-room hospital.<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 230.</ref> In 1912, the Sure Pop Oil Company attracted investors from Seligman and built an oil rig just across the border in nearby [[Gateway, Arkansas]].<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 44. Unfortunately, before they drilled deep enough to reach oil, the rigging caught fire and burned to the ground.</ref> In 1914, a tomato cannery was opened and operated by W.F. Turner,<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 20.</ref> a vinegar factory was opened, and there was a brief attempt to mine silver in the town.<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 43. See also for the poem ''Saga Of The Seligman Silver Mine.''</ref> Before [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], some five saloons operated in Seligman, and it had a reputation as the "wildest town in the west".<ref name="Mitchell et al, p. 47">Mitchell et al, p. 47.</ref> Nevertheless, around this time Seligman was still just half as large as it had once been.<ref name="Mitchell et al, p. 16"/>

By the 1920s Seligman had been mostly rebuilt when another fire, the Christmas Fire of December 25, 1922, decimated the heart of the downtown. The Nesbitt Bros. Meat Market was destroyed along with a restaurant, the livery barn, the Gladden Hotel and Annex, the Frost Restaurant, the Northcutt Store, a drug store, a general store, and the Illinois Cafe.<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 17.</ref>

After the Christmas Fire, the town struggled through most of the 20th century to recapture its former prosperity. This was made particularly difficult by the economic pressures of the [[Great Depression]] and the steady decline of passenger rail service through the area after [[World War II]], which inevitably led to a contraction in the population of the town. The [[Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad]] ceased operation in 1958 after heavy rains washed out several bridges and a large section of track between Seligman and [[Beaver, Arkansas]]. Frisco's passenger trains ceased their daily runs shortly thereafter.<ref name="Mitchell et al, p. 47"/> On March 9, 1966 the Frisco Station was demolished, a loss which saddened the community.<ref name="Mitchell et al, p. 11"/>

Seligman High School enrollment also began to decline after the war, and new state regulations required the formation of the Southwest R-5 School District to include outlying country districts. In 1954, the high school was relocated to [[Washburn, Missouri]]. When a heavy snow storm collapsed the roof of the Seligman Elementary School gymnasium on March 10, 1964, all Seligman students were relocated to a new building constructed in Washburn. What remained of the Seligman school was consumed by a fire in the late 1960s.<ref>Mitchell et al, p. 221.</ref>

In the 1990s, Seligman began a series of civic development projects to improve infrastructure, which included the construction of a new city [[water tower]] and two city parks.