Today's Tidbit... Triple Timing in Boonville, Missouri

Boonville, Missouri, sits on the Missouri River about 25 miles west of Columbia. Named after Daniel Boone's sons, it was a key launching point for those heading west on the Santa Fe Trail and was home to Kemper Military School, so it had a lot going on for a town unknown to most.

Boonville High School had a football team early in the 1900s. While information about the BHS team is limited, several images help us understand the football experience from their glory days.

Although they shared the same town, BHS does not appear to have played Kemper, which tended to play normal schools, college reserve squads, and prominent high schools. but images from the two teams’ games show they shared a playing field. The image from Kemper's yearbook below shows them playing on a field with a slight rise on the opposite side and a handful of barren trees.

KMS game action in Boonville. (1912 Kemper Military School yearbook)