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Oregon County, Missouri (view source)
Revision as of 19:57, December 21, 2020
, 19:57, December 21, 2020Added to page
Officially organized on February 14, 1845, the county was named for the then-disputed American territory of [[Oregon]], and is one of only three Missouri counties to share a name with another U.S. state (the others being Texas and [[Mississippi County, Missouri|Mississippi]]). [[Alton, Missouri|Alton]] is the county seat, and [[Thayer, Missouri|Thayer]] is the largest city.
Officially organized on February 14, 1845, the county was named for the then-disputed American territory of [[Oregon]], and is one of only three Missouri counties to share a name with another U.S. state (the others being Texas and [[Mississippi County, Missouri|Mississippi]]). [[Alton, Missouri|Alton]] is the county seat, and [[Thayer, Missouri|Thayer]] is the largest city.
==Geography==
Oregon County is located in the southernmost part of the state of Missouri, and lies entirely within the Ozark Mountains. It is bordered on the northeast by [[Carter County, Missouri|Carter County]], on the east by [[Ripley County, Missouri|Ripley County]], on the south by the state of [[Arkansas]], on the west by Howell County, and on the north by [[Shannon County, Missouri|Shannon County]].
The county has a total area of 791.55 square miles, including 789.80 of land and 1.75 of water.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> Despite its being part of the Ozarks, Oregon County is considerably less mountainous than other parts of the region, resembling a moderately elevated plateau more than anything else. The highest elevation, 1,080 feet above sea level, occurs at several points in the far west, though the most rugged terrain is found in the so-called "Irish Wilderness" in the northeast part of the county. The lowest elevation, about 360 feet, is found along the Eleven Point River in the southeastern corner as it continues into Arkansas.<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22267</ref>
The chief river in the county is the Eleven Point River, a tributary of the Spring and thence the Black Rivers farther south. The rugged valley it creates through the area east and northeast of Alton is part of the Mark Twain National Forest, and a stretch of it is further designated as a National Wild and Scenic River, the only one in Missouri to bear that designation. Other natural preserves include Grand Gulf State Park near Thayer, a canyon created by the collapse of an ancient underground cave system.
The main highways in the county are U.S. Route 63, which cuts through the southwestern corner and passes through Koshkonong and Thayer, and U.S. Route 160, which runs from west to east through Alton and the central part of the county. Other roads include Missouri State Highways 19, which passes northeast to southwest through Alton and Thayer, 99, whose southern terminus is at U.S. Route 160 west of Alton, and 142, which runs through the southernmost part of the county and crosses U.S. Route 63 at Thayer.
==Communities==
==Communities==