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St. Francois
County, Missouri
About 56,000
people live in St.
Francois County (pronounced
"Francis"), which was formed in 1821
from parts of Jefferson, Ste. Genevieve, and
Washington counties, and named for the St.
Francois River. The river is believed to have
been named for St. Francois of Assisi, founder
of the Franciscan Order.
The area is widely known for its long-ago iron
mining and smelting, carried out in the area
of Iron Mountain in the southwest corner of
the county. Its lead production operations
made St. Francois County a key player in the
Civil War. The St. Louis Iron Mountain
Railroad ran through the county, permitting
rapid deployment of troops from St. Louis if
necessary. Though the county was solidly
Union, there were pockets of Confederate
activity throughout the war.
The city of Farmington is the county seat.
Other cities include Bonne Terre, Desloge,
Leadington and Park Hills.
Like much of Missouri, St. Francois County has
beautiful, natural places of retreat for the
world weary, especially at St. Francois State
Park: there’s the comforting wilderness of
the Pike Run Hills; the three hiking trails
(one allows equestrians) of Coonville Creek
Wild Area; and the perfect place for launching
canoes, the Big River, which forms the
southern boundary of the park.
Other places of interest in St. Francois
County:
- Buck
Mountain -- a 120-acre area is best known
for its natural granite formations.
- Mark Twain
National Forest -- the only national
forest in the state covers 1,487,009
acres.
- St. Francis
River
- St. Joe
State Park – this third largest state
park has two lead -ore mill buildings,
which have been designated as the Missouri
Mines State Historic Site.
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