White Cloud, one of the important towns of Doniphan county, is located on the Missouri river and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. R. 20 miles northwest of Troy, the county seat. It is an incorporated city and has 2 banks, a weekly newspaper, opera house and other business and educational institutions. Stages run daily to Forest City, Mo. There are express and telegraph offices and a money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population in 1910 was 735.

The White Cloud town company was organized in 1857 with $45,000 capital and the following members John H. Utt, James Foster, Dr. H. W. Peter, Cornelius Dorland, Enoch Spaulding, Richard Gatling, who invented the Gatling gun, and his brother. Previous to this Spaulding and Utt had secured the site, laid out part of the town, and named it White Cloud, after the chief of the Iowas who was killed in the Nemaha region in 1854. On July 4, 1857, there was a great celebration and barbecue in honor of the new town. Four steamboats and 2,000 people were there. The St. Joseph band furnished music, and there were a number of speeches by celebrated men of the time. Speculators were busy selling lots, and the net sales of the day amounted to $23,794. A number of buildings had been erected before the sale, log house by Thomas Lease, a frame structure by a Mr. Byrd and a building on Main street by Briggs & Jennings. The first drug store was opened by Shreve & Macey, the former being the first physician. V. D. Markham was the first attorney. The first mayor was C. Dorlan and the first city clerk a Mr. Brown. The postoffice was established in 1857 and C. F. Jennings appointed postmaster.