A history through the eyes of a resident of the area that was taken by eminent domain by the Federal Government prior to World War II----details the residents, their lives, and the graft and corruption that followed as the government was slow in paying fair value for the farms, businesses and homes that were taken and burned. The governement built an ordnance works plant that operated for a short time. After the war, the lands went to the army and the University of Missouri, not to be returned to the former residents.