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At the time of European settlement, the future area of Ripley County, like most of southern Missouri, was under the sway of the powerful [[Osage]] tribe, though it was primarily a hunting ground rather than a permanent population center. The Natchitoches Trail, a prominent Indian trail leading to [[Texas]] and the modern Southwest that was later used by many American pioneers, passed through the region.

At the time of European settlement, the future area of Ripley County, like most of southern Missouri, was under the sway of the powerful [[Osage]] tribe, though it was primarily a hunting ground rather than a permanent population center. The Natchitoches Trail, a prominent Indian trail leading to [[Texas]] and the modern Southwest that was later used by many American pioneers, passed through the region.

The first settlement in the area was made by Lemuel Kittrell about 1819 on the Current River. At this time, it was part of [[Wayne County, Missouri|Wayne County]], which had been created the previous year. Though the population remained low for some years to come, the construction of a road from Potosi in Washington County to Little Rock, [[Arkansas]] aided in movement, with particularly heavy construction near the future town of Doniphan. In 1833, the Missouri legislature organized a new county, which was named for General Eleazar W. Ripley, an American officer who had distinguished himself at the siege of Fort Erie in the War of 1812. Upon its creation, the county included modern Carter, Howell, Oregon, and Shannon Counties, with its new county seat the seat of today's Carter County, Van Buren. Despite this large size, the county had a population of only 2,856 at the 1840 census.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 180, 306.</ref>

The first settlement in the area was made by Lemuel Kittrell about 1819 on the Current River. At this time, it was part of [[Wayne County, Missouri|Wayne County]], which had been created the previous year. Though the population remained low for some years to come, the construction of a road from Potosi in Washington County to Little Rock, [[Arkansas]] aided in movement, with particularly heavy construction near the future town of Doniphan. In 1833, the Missouri legislature organized a new county, which was named for General Eleazar W. Ripley, an American officer who had distinguished himself at the siege of Fort Erie in the War of 1812.<ref>https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/C2366/ripley-county</ref> Upon its creation, the county included modern Carter, Howell, Oregon, and Shannon Counties, with its new county seat the seat of today's Carter County, Van Buren. Despite this large size, the county had a population of only 2,856 at the 1840 census.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 180, 306.</ref>

 

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