In 1879, Mormon farmers from Utah settled Chesterfield, 16 miles north of here. Based on Joseph Smith's Zion Plat, Chesterfield was laid out on an orderly grid of large blocks separated by wide streets with the Meeting House on the highest point. By 1881, its numbers had grown to more than 400. The town thrived for a generation before new trends in farming led to its decline. All but abandoned houses, buildings, and roads leave behind a footprint of Mormon origins.