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 mid-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 area of future Madison County lay within the Ste. Genevieve district, and the authorities there allowed some periodic 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.