Dunklin County, Missouri

Dunklin County is a county in southeastern Missouri, in what is known as the "Bootheel" region. It had a population of 31,953 at the 2010 census. The county was organized in 1845 and named in honor of Daniel Dunklin, a former governor of Missouri. Kennett is the county seat and largest city.

History

Prior to the early 19th century, the area that became Dunklin County was virtually uninhabited by American settlers, though several Indian villages were scattered along or near the St. Francis River, one of the most important being Chilletecaux. As it was located away from the Mississippi River, the region was neglected during the colonial period, but isolated settlements had begun by the 1820s. Upon Missouri's receiving statehood in 1820, most of it lay below the 36°30’N latitude line that was to be the state's southern border, but a local landowner, Colonel John Hardeman Walker, successfully lobbied for the territory that lay between 36° and 36°30’N, and between the Mississippi and St. Francis Rivers, to be transferred from the Arkansas Territory to Missouri, creating what would be called the Bootheel.

Initially, the entire region was included within New Madrid County, then transferred to Stoddard County upon its organization in 1835. The section lying below 36°30’N was officially organized as Dunklin County on February 14, 1845. It was named to commemorate Daniel Dunklin (1790-1844), who had been governor in the 1830s and also surveyed the Missouri-Arkansas state line. A nine-mile-long section was added from Stoddard County in 1853, giving the county its approximate present shape.

Dunklin County did not see significant growth until well after the Civil War, when the swamplands were gradually drained and cleared for farming, and the arrival of railroads and the lumber industry brought a surge in population. Though many of these occupations have since declined, it remains one of the more populous counties in Southeast Missouri.

Geography

Dunklin County lies in far southeastern Missouri, making up the western portion of the so-called Bootheel. Its western boundary (except for a short overland section) is defined by the St. Francis River. Owing to the river's meandering course, the county has a vaguely hourglass shape; it has an east-west width of over 23 miles at its southern limit but less than 6 miles just north of Kennett. It is bordered on the west and south by the state of Arkansas, on the east by Pemiscot County, on the northeast by New Madrid County, on the north by Stoddard County, and on the northwest by Butler County.

The county has a total area of 547.18 square miles, 541.07 of which are land and 6.11 of which are water. The northernmost part of Dunklin County is part of Crowley's Ridge, which enters from Stoddard County to the north and passes west of Malden and Campbell before continuing across the St. Francis into Arkansas. The highest elevation in the county, about 534 feet above sea level, is located on the ridge about five miles northwest of Malden. The rest of the county is part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which is very flat and low-lying, though a few small sand ridges do run across it from north to south. Its lowest elevation (which is also the lowest elevation in the state of Missouri) is about 230 feet, along the St. Francis near Cardwell.

The major highways in the county are U.S. Route 62, which crosses through the northern section, passing through Campbell and Malden, and U.S. Route 412, which enters the county in the southwest near Cardwell, runs northeast to Kennett, then continues east into Pemiscot County. Missouri State Highway 25, which begins at Kennett and runs north into Stoddard County, is also an important route.