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Jefferson County, Missouri
Jefferson
County’s 200,000 residents comprise the largest
rural population in the state of Missouri. To the north is St.
Louis County, the Mississippi River is on the east side, and
to the south and west are Ste. Genevieve County, St. Francois
County, Washington County and Franklin County.
The county was fashioned from parts of Saint Louis and
SainteGenevieve counties on Dec. 8, 1818. It was named after
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and
father of the Louisiana Purchase. Herculaneum was the first
county seat, but by 1831, Hillsboro was selected because it
was near a spring, and was a stopping point along the trail
that passed between Potosi and St. Louis. Some of its cities
and towns:
|
Antonia |
Arnold |
Barnhart |
Byrnes
Mill |
|
De
Soto |
Dittmer |
Cedar
Hill |
Crystal
City |
|
Festus |
Grubville |
Herculaneum |
High
Ridge |
|
Hillsboro |
House
Springs |
Imperial |
Kimmswick |
|
Mapaville |
Otto |
Pevely |
Scotsdale |
|
Ware |
|
|
|
Among the many points of interest are several archaeological
sites on the National Register of Historic Places.
Archeologists have found remains of eight different Indian
cultures dating back 10,000 years in the area. European
settlement of Jefferson County began in the late 1700s. Around
1774, John Hildebrand, from France, set down roots near Saline
Creek in the northeastern part of the county, an area later
known as the Meramec settlement. Other county sites of
historical significance include the De Soto Historical Society
Museum; Fenton History Museum; Fletcher
House (built by Missouri’s first native-born
governor); Mastodon
State Historic Site (where bones of American
mastodons have been found) and the Missouri
Pacific Historical Society Museum.
In recent years, Jefferson County has planned to build a
casino Barnhart, on a 150-foot bluff overlooking the
Mississippi River. When completed, the casino is expected to
employ more than 1,000 people, making it the largest employer
in Jefferson County. << Back
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