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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 |
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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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