Fortuna now a quiet spot on Highway 5

FORTUNA, Mo. - Now only a slight distraction on Highway 5 between Tipton and Versailles, Fortuna was once a strong and growing community.

Located on the edge of Morgan and Moniteau counties, the tiny town basically consists of two churches, a convenience shop, a post office, nursery and a community center.

Like many small towns in Mid-Missouri, Fortuna at one time was a self-contained community with a blacksmith shop, a general store and all the amenities one could need.

“At one time, this really was a booming little area,” said life-long resident Naomi Woods. “It was a mining town and the railroad came through here. We had shops and a blacksmith and just about everything you could need.”

The community was started in 1880 when a man named Asa Drake donated 10 acres of land to build a town. Godfrey Weber, a farmer from the Tipton area, accepted Drake's donation and opened a small store. He named the town Datzen, in honor of a family friend.

Consisting of nothing more than a store and a few houses, Datzen struggled for more than a year when P.J. Schmidt, a 16-year-old boy from Germany, was hired to work in Drake's store and was placed in charge of the post office. However, the government did not like the name Datzen and instructed the boy to come up with a different name.

Schmidt selected the name Fortune at first and then realized the word looked better with an “a” instead of an “e” on the end, after the Roman Goddess of Fortune. The government accepted the name because it was the only Fortuna in the United States and the people in the town liked the name.

A short time later, Schmidt purchased the store from Weber. Because of his strong belief in the town he had named, he worked hard to make it grow and later was known as a strong leader in the community.

After 20 years of struggling with the railroad for a depot in Fortuna, the community was given the depot but the railroad refused to pay an agent. Schmidt volunteered his time to do the job, once again persevering for the community he strongly believed in.

From 1900-1903, several veins of lead and jack were struck causing people to rush to Fortuna, which in turn caused a significant jump in the growth of the community.

At one time, it is believed there were 38 different companies operating mines in the area.

Followed by the increase in residents in the area, the number of businesses grew rapidly. A couple of grocery stores, a bowling alley, a jewelry store, a couple of restaurants, a broom factory, banks, a mill and a bakery were among them. In addition, Walter F. Head opened a printing shop and created the Fortuna Record, the first newspaper in the area. The railroad built tracks to the two largest mines and Fortuna boasted one of the best ball teams in the state. In fact, records show the Fortuna team beat the Jefferson City team 34 to 2 on July 9, 1903.

Schmidt, a Catholic, realized he could not hope to have a Catholic church in Fortuna. With that in mind, he made an offer of the ground, $50 in cash and the materials at cost to the first denomination that would build a church.

Members of the Methodist faith accepted Schmidt's offer and in 1902, the Fortuna United Methodist Church was built.

When the church was completed, the Methodist, Baptist and Christian denominations all used the building for services. The Baptists used the building until 1908 when they built their own building. The Christian Church continued to use the Methodist building until it disbanded in 1933.

On June 4, 2005, the sanctuary of the 103-year-old building was destroyed by fire after an early morning lightning strike.

Parishioners, devastated by the loss of their church, opted to rebuild and make the new sanctuary as similar to the old one as possible. Several items, including 10 stained-glass windows and two large portraits of Jesus survived the fire.

On June 5, exactly one year later, the congregation held its first service in the new sanctuary. The portraits of Jesus and the stained-glass windows were used in the construction of the new building.

Although the community is no longer in a growth mode and most of its businesses have closed, it is still a strong part of Missouri's history and the long-time residents still carry a lot of pride in their community. To outsiders, it may appear as a “ghost town” but to the residents of Fortuna, it is home and they are proud of it.

Fast Facts about Fortuna

* In November 1965, voters adopted a special obligation bond for $85,000 to install a waterworks system. When the votes were tallied, there were 95 for and none against.

* Fortuna Post Office is still in operation.

* Fortuna is located 11 miles north of Versailles and six miles south of Tipton on Highway 5.

The Fortuna Post Office building, located one block off of Highway 5, is one of the smallest in Mid-Missouri. (Ra'Vae Edwards/News Trbune photo)