Place Name: Eugene
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Eugene, Missouri, was incorporated on August 3, 1904. The town was surveyed on land owned by Mr. Eugene Simpson and named in his honor. (O.L. Moore; Judge J.E. Garman; Cited on Railroad Commissioner's Map of 1910)
Source:Pace, Nadine. "Place Names In The Central Counties Of Missouri." M.A. thesis., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1928. Eugene & Fanny Simpson (see photo to left) Long time Miller County educator, Maude Wright, confirms that the town was named for Maude's "Uncle Eugene Simpson" who donated part of the land for the new "metropolis." Maude added the interesting detail that the names of Eugene Simpson, John Melton and Charles Jenkins were placed in a hat to decide who had "naming rights." Melton won, but the name "Melton" was rejected by the US Post Office. Eugene Wright then won by default. Thus the town would forever carry the "Eugene" moniker, one of only two "cities" in the U.S. of the name. Eugene Simpson was married to Fanny Augusta Alaphaier Wright. This information taken from: The Miller County Museum website |
