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Iron County, Missouri (view source)
Revision as of 00:22, September 10, 2020
, 00:22, September 10, 2020Added to page
By the mid-1850s, the local population had reached sufficient numbers to justify the creation of a new county, which the Missouri legislature approved in 1857. However, as none of the surrounding counties were very populous themselves, only small portions of territory were detached from each, giving the new district a very irregular shape. Although the local deposits of iron ore were by no means so extensive as local boosters claimed, it was nonetheless dubbed "Iron County" in their honor. Arcadia was the first county seat, but that same year residents voted to transfer it to Ironton.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 316-17.</ref>
By the mid-1850s, the local population had reached sufficient numbers to justify the creation of a new county, which the Missouri legislature approved in 1857. However, as none of the surrounding counties were very populous themselves, only small portions of territory were detached from each, giving the new district a very irregular shape. Although the local deposits of iron ore were by no means so extensive as local boosters claimed, it was nonetheless dubbed "Iron County" in their honor. Arcadia was the first county seat, but that same year residents voted to transfer it to Ironton.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 316-17.</ref>
During the [[Civil War]], the area's mines and ironworks were considered a valuable asset by both the North and the South, and in 1863 [[Union]] forces constructed Fort Davidson near Pilot Knob, to garrison the surrounding region. It was the site of the [[Battle of Fort Davidson]], one of the war's last major engagements in the state, in September 1864, when a large force of [[Confederates]] in General [[Sterling Price]]'s raid of Missouri attacked the fort, ending in a draw--the Union troops eventually withdrew, but not before inflicting heavy casualties on the attackers and strengthening the overall Union position.<ref>https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/70000332.pdf</ref> No further significant actions were fought in Iron County before the end of the war.
After the Civil War, mining and other livelihoods resumed, and the local economy rebounded during the late 19th century. The deposits of iron ore were gradually exhausted, though, and throughout much of the 20th century the population and prosperity of Iron County fluctuated significantly. A major boost came in the 1950s, when the St. Joseph Lead Company, transferring its operations from the depleted "Old Lead Belt" of St. Francois County, discovered new veins of [[lead]] and other metals in the far west, dubbed the "Viburnum Trend" after the nearby community of Viburnum. Sometimes known as the "New Lead Belt," this strip of territory (including parts of neighboring counties as well) remains one of the nation's most important mining districts, and has done much to maintain economic activity in the county.<ref>https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5140/pdf/Chapter1.pdf</ref>
==Geography==
==Geography==