In 1864 General Price's army robbed the stores, took the livestock and destroyed what could not be taken. There was a grist mill and a carriage builder, and Henry Lahmeyer drove to Cuba for supplies for the stores and farmers.

In 1877 J. Henry Aufderheide, store keeper and postmaster probably never considered the non-descriptive meaning of a name he selected for a post office in eastern Gasconade County. His first two requests to officials had been denied. Though somewhat ironic today, that name was Bland, and for good reason. In 1877, Richard Parks Bland was a U.S. Representative from Missouri who was becoming known and respected worldwide as a man of independence, sincerity and honesty. He was a defender of common folk and a staunch supporter of free and unlimited coinage of the silver dollar. His persistance earned him the much admired nickname of "Silver Dick", and the silver dollar became known as the Bland dollar. The population then was about 50.

In 1900 the railroad was being built and the first station was a boxcar. In 1902 a station was built. Also, in 1902 the Bland Commercial Bank opened. In 1904 the Thompson Brother's built a broom factory which was taken over by International Shoe Co. which turned it into a glove factory in 1922. In 1934 they changed it to a shoe factory.

In 1904 the Bland Courier's first newspaper edition was published and was printed twice weekly with 500 subscribers

The Bland Fall Festivals were some of the best in this part of the state from 1910 to WWI. The 1911 fair had an outdoor theatre seating 1000 people, an electric theatre showing motion pictures, The Greg Vaudville Co., a live alligator in a water tank, a merry-go-round operated by two men with hand cranks, balloon ascensions, and a stock show. There where stands of games, food ,and refreshments. The grounds had a complete electric lighting system.

January 1, 1910 the original electric light plant started operation from dark to 11pm and 5am to daylight.