The Montgomerys were among the first settlers of LaFayette.
A Mr. Wilks settled just over the line in Camp County. Mr. Sewell
settled in the heart of the village, where his widow still lives. Mr.
Gregory, father of Dr. George Gregory, settled here where Mr. Reed now
lives. Mr. Massey settled where Mr. Rosenkoutter now lives. Mr. Atkins
settled here in 1883, at the J. H. Strange place. Dr. Bailey practiced
medicine here in the early days.
A post office was established at LaFayette at the very beginning of the
settlement. A star route was established from Pittsburg to LaFayette and
on to Coffeeville. Mail was delivered three times a week. There is a
post office here at present with mail delivered from Pittsburg every
day. One carrier brings the office mail, while another carrier from
Pittsburg served an R.F.D. route in the settlement.
There was a great iron ore boom at LaFayette in 1892 or 1893. This
caused the town to build up. Excitement ran high. Many families moved in
and many new homes were built. Other business enterprises were
established, and the prospects for a real town were good. This boom
caused the town to build up, influenced the social and business life of
the community, but because of the money panic which came on about that
time, and the lack of financial support, the iron ore enterprise failed
to materialize.