| Jefferson
County, Missouri
Jefferson
County’s 200,000 residents comprise
the largest rural population in the state of
Missouri. To the north is St. Louis County,
the Mississippi River is on the east side,
and to the south and west are Ste. Genevieve
County, St. Francois County, Washington
County and Franklin County.
The county was fashioned from parts of Saint
Louis and SainteGenevieve counties on Dec.
8, 1818. It was named after Thomas
Jefferson, the third President of the United
States and father of the Louisiana Purchase.
Herculaneum was the first county seat, but
by 1831, Hillsboro was selected because it
was near a spring, and was a stopping point
along the trail that passed between Potosi
and St. Louis. Some of its cities and towns:
| Antonia |
Arnold |
Barnhart |
Byrnes
Mill |
| De
Soto |
Dittmer |
Cedar
Hill |
Crystal
City |
| Festus |
Grubville |
Herculaneum |
|
| High
Ridge |
Hillsboro |
House
Springs |
Imperial |
| Kimmswick |
|
Mapaville |
Otto |
| Pevely |
Scotsdale |
Ware |
|
Among the many points of interest are
several archaeological sites on the National
Register of Historic Places. Archeologists
have found remains of eight different Indian
cultures dating back 10,000 years in the
area. European settlement of Jefferson
County began in the late 1700s. Around 1774,
John Hildebrand, from France, set down roots
near Saline Creek in the northeastern part
of the county, an area later known as the
Meramec settlement. Other county sites of
historical significance include the De Soto
Historical Society Museum; Fenton History
Museum; Fletcher
House (built by Missouri’s
first native-born governor); Mastodon
State Historic Site (where bones
of American mastodons have been found) and
the Missouri
Pacific Historical Society Museum.
In recent years, Jefferson County has
planned to build a casino Barnhart, on a
150-foot bluff overlooking the Mississippi
River. When completed, the casino is
expected to employ more than 1,000 people,
making it the largest employer in Jefferson
County.
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