The Atlas Portland Cement Company built the first large cement plant west of the Mississippi River shortly after the turn of the 20th century and named the area ILASCO, an acronym for Iron, Limestone, Aluminum, Silica, Calcum, and Oxygen, the materials used to produce cement. Production began in 1903, and in its early years the plant employed up to 2,500 workers. Because local labor was insufficient, recruiters were sent to eastern and southern Europe, bringing men, some as young as 16, from Romania, Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, and Ukraine. Many newly arrived immigrants who could not speak English needed to live near the plant. Company housing was provided, and numerous homes, businesses, and churches were soon built nearby, many on company land, as the Village of Ilasco grew to about 3,000 residents with a post office, court house, and jail. Its immigrant population retained much of its own culture, cuisine, and traditions while joining local residents to create a multilingual community. The immigrants were proud to be Americans, valued education, and wanted their children to achieve the American dream. The Ilasco Cement Plant produced cement for the Panama Canal, the Empire State building, and locks and dams on the Mississippi River. During periods of economic trouble in the United States, the plant stopped or reduced production, and some workers and their families moved away for jobs. In 1958, Ilasco Schools were consolidated with the Hannibal School District, leading to the closing and demolition of the schools. In 1962, the cement company decided not to renew land leases for homes on company land and offered buyouts to residents not on company land. The routing of new Highway 79 through the center of town was the final blow to the community and its way of life.