Madison County, Missouri

Madison County is a county in the so-called "Lead Belt" of southeastern Missouri. It had a population of 12,226 at the 2010 census. The county was officially organized in 1818 and named for U.S. President James Madison; the "Lead Belt" name derives from the lead mines that have long existed in the area. Fredericktown is the county seat and largest city.

History

By the early 18th century, it was generally known that the northeastern Ozarks contained large quantities of lead, which the French and Spanish colonial authorities of the Louisiana Territory made efforts to exploit, as did some French traders and entrepreneurs operating out of St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve. The first such enterprise began at Mine La Motte no later than the 1720s, which can claim to be the first functioning lead mine west of the Mississippi River. The area of future Madison County lay within the Ste. Genevieve district, and the authorities there allowed some additional mining operations, though these were generally short-lived. Permanent settlement began about 1799 along Saline Creek and the Little St. Francis River, these first arrivals being mostly farmers from the United States and the existing French communities. Soon after 1800, a village was established near the Little St. Francis, by the name of St. Michael. It was also at this time that more extensive mining operations began at Mine La Motte, a few miles away.

The lead mines were profitable enough that the population and prosperity of the region grew rapidly, boosted as well by local agriculture. The village of St. Michael, damaged by flooding, was eventually moved a short distance away onto higher ground and renamed Fredericktown in 1819. By this time, the Missouri territorial legislature had decided to organize it as a new county, which was officially formed on December 14, 1818 and named in honor of President Madison. Being near the center of the county, Fredericktown was soon chosen as the county seat. Originally extending west to the Black River, the county had more or less assumed its present boundaries by 1867, after the western strip had been added to neighboring Iron County.

Madison County's development for a long time revolved around its mineral deposits. Besides lead (access to which would lead to some minor actions between Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War), veins of silver, tungsten, and wolframite have been discovered; mining for the latter two was especially important in the county during World War II, when access to other deposits was cut off. Though most of the mining operations today are concentrated further north and west, with the last mine in the Fredericktown-Mine La Motte region closing in 1961, it continues to be an important element of the local economy.

Geography

Madison County is located in southeastern Missouri, in the northeastern part of the Ozark Mountains. It is bordered on the north by St. Francois County, on the northeast by Perry County, on the east by Bollinger County, on the south by Wayne County, and on the west by Iron County. The total area is 497.6 square miles, including 494.39 of land and 3.21 of water. The St. Francis River is the most significant waterway, with sizable tributaries including the Little St. Francis River and Marble and Saline Creeks.

The county is roughly in the shape of a square, with a few small irregularities. It is a part of the St. Francois Mountains that make up the eastern Ozarks and contain the state's highest peaks. Generally speaking, the western half is more mountainous, with multiple hills rising to over 1200 feet in height. Black Mountain, west of the St. Francis River near the Iron County line, is the highest peak in the county at 1,502 feet above sea level, and by some measurements actually has the largest difference in elevation from the base to the summit (about 962 feet) of any mountain in the state.

The two main highways in the county are U.S. Route 67, running from north to south, and Missouri State Highway 72, running from west to east; both roads meet at Fredericktown.

Like the rest of the "Lead Belt," Madison County possesses a wide variety of mineral resources. Lead is the most common, but silver, zinc, tungsten, titanium ore, and even small amounts of gold have been discovered and mined in the area. Most of these have been discovered in the northern half of the county, particularly in the Fredericktown-Mine La Motte area and along the St. Francis. Mount Devon, just southwest of Fredericktown, is home to the world's only known deposit of Devonite, a colorful igneous rock.