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Cape Girardeau County, Missouri (view source)
Revision as of 21:58, January 4, 2020
, 21:58, January 4, 2020Added to page
On October 1, 1812, following the organization of the Missouri Territory, its five administrative districts ([[St. Louis]], St. Charles, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, and [[New Madrid, Missouri|New Madrid]]) were reorganized as counties. (At that time, Cape Girardeau County also included portions of future Bollinger, Scott, Stoddard, and Wayne Counties, which would be established later). Despite Cape Girardeau's prominence, it was decided to move the county seat closer to the geographic center of the county, and in 1815 the honor was given to the new town of Jackson, named for future President [[Andrew Jackson]] in recognition of his exploits during the [[War of 1812]] (and the first city in the United States to be named for him).<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=G-AlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA162#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>
On October 1, 1812, following the organization of the Missouri Territory, its five administrative districts ([[St. Louis]], St. Charles, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, and [[New Madrid, Missouri|New Madrid]]) were reorganized as counties. (At that time, Cape Girardeau County also included portions of future Bollinger, Scott, Stoddard, and Wayne Counties, which would be established later). Despite Cape Girardeau's prominence, it was decided to move the county seat closer to the geographic center of the county, and in 1815 the honor was given to the new town of Jackson, named for future President [[Andrew Jackson]] in recognition of his exploits during the [[War of 1812]] (and the first city in the United States to be named for him).<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=G-AlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA162#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>
Though it lost some of its southern and western territory to the formation of new counties, Cape Girardeau County grew rapidly during the first half of the 19th century. More Americans arrived from east of the Mississippi, drawn by the fertile farmland of the interior and the economic opportunities provided by steamboat trade at Cape Girardeau especially; and many German immigrants settled in the 1820s, '30s, and '40s, founding several small communities such as Friedheim and Tilsit. This growth was interrupted first by the [[Civil War]], which saw the establishment of a [[Union]] garrison at Cape Girardeau, where a small battle was fought in 1863, and general guerrilla warfare and lawlessness throughout the county; and later by the decline of steamboat traffic on the river, which led to considerable economic stagnation. Recovery began near the end of the late 19th century, with the construction of a railroad network linking Cape and Jackson with towns to the south, as well as the development of the State Normal School in Cape (the future [[Southeast Missouri State University]]).
==Geography==
==Geography==
The county has a total area of 586.33 square miles, including 578.54 of land and 7.79 of water.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> Most of the county is part of the foothills of the Ozark Plateau, characterized by low, rolling hills that gradually become more rugged to the north and west. The highest point of the county, an unnamed peak 820 feet above sea level, is located near Trail of Tears State Park in the east-central portion. South of the Mississippi Escarpment, which runs from just south of Cape Girardeau west through Dutchtown and Whitewater and marks the southeastern edge of the Ozarks, is the generally flat and lower-lying Mississippi Alluvial Plain (though broken near Delta by Hickory Ridge, an outcropping of Crowley's Ridge). The lowest point is about 325 feet above sea level, near the border with Scott County.<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22217</ref>
The county has a total area of 586.33 square miles, including 578.54 of land and 7.79 of water.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> Most of the county is part of the foothills of the Ozark Plateau, characterized by low, rolling hills that gradually become more rugged to the north and west. The highest point of the county, an unnamed peak 820 feet above sea level, is located near Trail of Tears State Park in the east-central portion. South of the Mississippi Escarpment, which runs from just south of Cape Girardeau west through Dutchtown and Whitewater and marks the southeastern edge of the Ozarks, is the generally flat and lower-lying Mississippi Alluvial Plain (though broken near Delta by Hickory Ridge, an outcropping of Crowley's Ridge). The lowest point is about 325 feet above sea level, near the border with Scott County.<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22217</ref>
The two most important highways in the county are Interstate 55 and U.S. Route 61, which run through it from northwest to southeast, connecting Cape Girardeau and Jackson with smaller nearby communities such as Fruitland and Oak Ridge, as well as larger cities to the north and south. Other highways include Missouri State Highways 25, 34, 72, and 74.
==Demographics==
==Demographics==