Changes

==History==

==History==

American settlement of what became Stoddard County began in the 1820s, mostly in the Crowley's Ridge area of the central and north-central regions, as the lowland swamps to the west and east were mostly uninhabitable. The county was organized, mostly out of [[New Madrid County, Missouri|New Madrid County]], on January 2, 1835. It was initially somewhat larger than today, with its northeastern and southwestern portions being transferred in the mid-1800s to Cape Girardeau County and [[Dunklin County, Missouri|Dunklin County]], respectively.

American settlement of what became Stoddard County began in the 1820s, mostly in the Crowley's Ridge area of the central and north-central regions, as the lowland swamps to the west and east were mostly uninhabitable. The county was organized, mostly out of [[New Madrid County, Missouri|New Madrid County]], on January 2, 1835. It was initially somewhat larger than today, with its northeastern and southwestern portions being transferred in the mid-1800s to [[Cape Girardeau County, Missouri|Cape Girardeau County]] and [[Dunklin County, Missouri|Dunklin County]], respectively.

No major battles took place in Stoddard County during the [[Civil War]], though there were numerous skirmishes in the area, and organized military units passed through on a regular basis. In November 1861, some Union soldiers in possession of Bloomfield used the town's printing press to strike off the first issue of what became the Stars and Stripes newspaper (it would not become a continuous large-scale publication until the 20th century).

No major battles took place in Stoddard County during the [[Civil War]], though there were numerous skirmishes in the area, and organized military units passed through on a regular basis. In November 1861, some Union soldiers in possession of Bloomfield used the town's printing press to strike off the first issue of what became the Stars and Stripes newspaper (it would not become a continuous large-scale publication until the 20th century).

==Geography==

==Geography==

Stoddard County lies in southeastern Missouri, at the northern edge of the Bootheel. It is the tenth-largest county in Missouri by land area, with a total of 829 square miles.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> It is bordered on the north by Bollinger and Cape Girardeau Counties, on the east by [[Scott County, Missouri|Scott County]], on the southeast by [[New Madrid County, Missouri|New Madrid County]], on the southwest by Dunklin County, and on the west by [[Butler County, Missouri|Butler]] and Wayne Counties.

Stoddard County lies in southeastern Missouri, at the northern edge of the Bootheel. It is the tenth-largest county in Missouri by land area, with a total of 829 square miles.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> It is bordered on the north by [[Bollinger County, Missouri|Bollinger]] and Cape Girardeau Counties, on the east by [[Scott County, Missouri|Scott County]], on the southeast by [[New Madrid County, Missouri|New Madrid County]], on the southwest by Dunklin County, and on the west by [[Butler County, Missouri|Butler]] and Wayne Counties.

The chief geographic feature is Crowley's Ridge, running roughly from northeast to southwest across the county. The ridge's highest point, approximately 580 feet above sea level, is located about three miles southwest of [[Bell City, Missouri|Bell City]].<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22286</ref> The rest of the county consists of much lower-lying flatlands that are part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain.

The chief geographic feature is Crowley's Ridge, running roughly from northeast to southwest across the county. The ridge's highest point, approximately 580 feet above sea level, is located about three miles southwest of [[Bell City, Missouri|Bell City]].<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22286</ref> The rest of the county consists of much lower-lying flatlands that are part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain.