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Sergeant Sheldon Lyon

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H04062

April 4, 2006



EMPHASIS: Troop H History





Troop H was organized in August 1946. The troop headquarters was located in St. Joseph on a seven-acre tract of land in the northeast section of the city on business loop of Interstate 29 and U.S. Highway 169. Troop H encompasses the 15 counties of northwest Missouri. It is bordered to the north by the state of Iowa, on the northwest by the state of Nebraska, and on the west by the state of Kansas.



Captain James S. Poage was the original commanding officer of Troop H. The original superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol was Lewis Ellis, a resident of Harrison County living in Bethany. Colonel B. Marvin Casteel of St. Joseph was the second superintendent of the Patrol.



The newly formed Troop H installed state-of-the-art FM radio communication, giving troopers car to station and station to car calls. Two relays were planned to enhance the car to station performance. Four radio operators operated the site 24 hours a day. The radio room was located in the basement of the Missouri Highway Department building located in St. Joseph. Until 1946, radio contact with the 22 patrolling officers broke off at midnight.



Commanding officer of Troop H, then-Lieutenant James S. Poage released an activity report for the first 15 days of operation of the newly formed Troop H. Thirty-eight accidents were investigated in the 15 counties of Troop H. Three fatalities were reported. A total of 998 cases were investigated during the 15 days. The cases included 316 written traffic warnings, 525 service rendered, five recovered stolen vehicles with three arrests, eight felonies, 78 misdemeanors, 15 license violations, 21 public service commission violations, 22 motor vehicle offenses, and 10 drunken driving violations. All charges brought before the court were prosecuted. There were no acquittals.



Northern Missouri was in the grip of a burglar-arsonist that terrorized the area in October and November 1946. Missouri State Highway Patrol superintendent, Colonel Hugh H. Waggoner, put troopers on alert for the pyromaniac as towns formed community vigilance committees. Trooper Walter Wilson finally arrested the burglar-arsonist and ended the scare. Elopus Walker confessed to setting fire to a number of buildings in Northwest Missouri.



(This article is the first in a series celebrating the Patrol's 75th anniversary. Historical articles about Troop H will be published each month.)