52 COUNTISAS OF MISSOURI. 
COUNTIES OF MISSOURI. 
By Capt. J. P. CADMAN, A. M. 
Adair County—Is situated in the north-northeastern portion of 
the State, and drained by the Chariton and Salt Rivers and 
branches. 
KIRKSVILLE, the county seat, population in. 1870, 1,471, is 
pleasantly located on the Northern Division of the St. Louis, Kan- 
sas City & Northern Railway, 203 miles from St. Louis, and 115 
miles air line north:from Jefferson City, and 1o4 miles by rail from 
Hannibal. 
The surface of the country is gently undulating, with a good 
division of prairie and timber land. The soil is very fertile, and 
well adapted to agriculture. Coal, limestone and sandstone are 
abundant. ‘The county was first settled in 1831-2, by Kentuckians. 
Andrew County—lIs situated in the northwestern portion of 
the State, separated from Kansas by the Missouri River, and is 
intersected by the Platte, One Hundred-and-Two, and some minor 
3 
streams which afford good water power. 
SAVANNAH, the county seat, population in 1870, 1,257, has a 
good location, 5 miles from the Missouri River, on the Maryville 
Branch of the Kansas Gity, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad, 
15 miles from St. Joseph, and 85 miles north of Kansas City. 
The land is fertile and rolling ; more timber than prairie. This 
county was first settled in 1837. 
Atchison County—lIs in the extreme northwest corner of the 
State, bounded on the west by the Missouri River which separates 
it from Nebraska, and on the north by Iowa. 
Rockport, the county seat, population in 1870, 490, is five 
miles east of Phelps City, which is a station on the Kansas City, 
St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad; 65 miles north from St. 
Joseph, and 135 miles from Kansas City. 
The soil is very fertile, and there is good water power. About 
one half of the county is level and undulating, and the other half 
somewhat broken. Two-thirds of the land of the county is prairie 
interspersed with timber. The county was first settled in 1840. 
Audrain County—Is north of the center of the State, and 
forms part of the divide between the Mississippi and Missouri 
Rivers. 
Mexico, the county seat and principal town, population in 
1870, 2,602, was incorporated as a city, February 7, 1857, and 
is situated on the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railway, 108 
miles from St. Louis, and on the Louisiana branch of the Chicago, 
Alton & St. Louis Railway, 51 miles from Jefferson City. 
The area of the county is 680 square miles, or 435,200 acres. 
The face of the country is a rich undulating prairie, interspersed 
with timber, which occupies one-fourth of the county. The agri- 
cultural staples are wheat, oats, corn, rye, timothy, barley and 
potatoes, the two first of which are the principal exports. The 
county was settled principally from the Eastern States and from 
Germany. 
Barry County—Is located in the southwestern corner of the 
State on the Arkansas State line, and is drained by White River 
and Flat, Shoal, Indian and Sugar Creeks. 
CASSVILLE, the county seat and principal town, population in 
1870) 287, is situated in a fertile valley near the center of the 
county, 20 miles south of Peirce City, which is a station on the 
Atlantic & Pacific Railway, 291 miles from St. Louis. ‘ 
The face of the country is hilly and generally fertile, inter- 
spersed with prairie and timber. Lead, zinc and building material 
have been found in the county, the first in considerable quantities. 
Barton County—Is situated in the west-southwestern portion of 
the State, bordering on Kansas, and is drained by Spring River, 
Horse and Muddy Creeks, and their tributaries. 
Lamar is the county seat and principal town, population, includ- 
ing township, in 1870) 1,611 ; was located March 15, 1856, and is 
situated near the center of the county, 24 miles south of Nevada 
City, which is a station on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, 
20 miles east of Fort Scott, and 278 miles from St. Louis. 
The county was organized from Jasper county, December 12, 
1855. Its area is 600 square miles, or 384,000 acres. The 
face of the country is generally high table lands, principally prai- 
rie, interspersed with extensive groves of timber. ‘The valleys are 
fertile and well adapted to grain and stock raising. ‘The ridges 
are gravelly and excellent for fruit culture. Coal is abundant in 
the county, and it is being worked near the county seat. Lime- 
stone and sandstone for building, and clay and sand for brick, are 
abundant. 
Bates County—Is situated near the center of the western 
boundary of the State, bordering on Kansas, and is drained by the 
Osage and South Grand Rivers and their tributaries. 
BuTLeR, the county seat and principal town, population in 
1870, 1,064, is situated near the center of the county, about 12 
miles east of the Kansas line, and 20 miles from Appleton City, a 
station on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway, 51 miles north- 
east from Fort Scott, and 247 miles from St. Louis. 
The county was first settled in 1818 by missionaries, sent to the 
Osage Indians by the American Board of Foreign Missions. Har- 
mony Mission was established August 2nd, 1821, and maintained 
with good success until 1835 when it was abandoned, the Indians 
having removed farther west and south. The face of the country 
is principally high, rich, rolling prairie. The bottom lands along 
the streams are well timbered. There are a few high limestone and 
freestone ridges which are well covered with timber, also several 
thousand acres of swamp land of good quality. 
Benton County—lIs situated in the west centre of the State and 
is drained by the Osage River and tributaries. 
Warsaw, the county seat, occupies an elevated site on the Osage 
River ; population, including township, in 1870, 1383; was first 
settled in 1835, and is 24 miles southeast from Windsor, Henry 
County, which is a station on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas 
Railway, 21 miles from Sedalia, and 209 miles from St. Louis. 
This county was settled in 1834. 
The surface of the country is generally broken, one-fourth being 
rolling prairie and the remainder rough timber land. The prin- 
