Lathrop

History

Lathrop was platted in 1867 as a stop on the Cameron Cutoff Branch of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. It was named for John L. Lathrop, treasurer for the railroad. A post office called Lathrop has been in operation since 1868. In the early 1900s it was considered the "Mule Capital of the World" after the firm of Guyton and Harrington sold 180,000 mules and 170,000 horses to the British Army during World War I. The cousins J.D. Guyton and W.R. Harrington owned 4,700 acres near Lathrop. They also supplied mules to the British during the Boer War. Among the facilities in Lathrop were three barns stabling 1,000 mules each and a 496 foot long hay barn. The British had a formal contract for a remount station in Lathrop. The business had facilities at 17th and Wyandotte in Kansas City and had a shipping port facilities at Chalmette, Louisiana. The mule business collapsed in the 1920s. There are several businesses in Lathrop that include "mule" in their name now, The Mule Stop, and a road east of town is called Mule Barn Road. The mascot of the high school team is the mules.

Geography

Lathrop is located on the south side of the intersection of Missouri routes 33 and 116. It is three miles west of I-35 and nine miles east of Plattsburg. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,034
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  970
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  772
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  736
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  726
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  686
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  684
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  602

Largest nearby schools

• LATHROP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · LATHROP · 427 students · 11.5:1 ratio
• ELLIS ELEM.
  Elementary · PLATTSBURG · 341 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• LATHROP HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LATHROP · 307 students · 14:1 ratio
• LATHROP MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · LATHROP · 195 students · 13:1 ratio
• PLATTSBURG HIGH
  High · PLATTSBURG · 174 students · 9.2:1 ratio
• CLINTON CO. R-III MIDDLE
  Middle · PLATTSBURG · 150 students · 13.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.53 — 2025-07-15
  3 km W of Hale, Missouri
• M 3.5 — 2024-03-15
  2 km NE of Ferrelview, Missouri
• M 2.6 — 2018-07-20
  1 km WNW of Saint Joseph, Missouri
• M 3.1 — 2007-03-23
  5 km N of Nortonville, Kansas