Lewis County, Missouri

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File:Lewis County Mo Courthouse.JPG
The Lewis County, Missouri courthouse in Monticello as it appeared in the mid-1870s.

Lewis County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,032.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Monticello.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was organized January 2, 1833, and named for Meriwether Lewis, the explorer and Governor of the Louisiana Territory.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Lewis County is part of the Quincy, IL–MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Early history and founding

What is now Lewis County was once (like much of the Midwest) home to the Mound Builders, a general term for a group of Pre-Columbian peoples that established complex mound earthworks and existed roughly 2-3 millennia ago. The area eventually fell under control of the Missouria tribe. Lewis County was first scouted by Europeans in 1673, when a French expedition led by Father Jacques Marquette came across the region. Several French expeditions followed, and small numbers of settlers would occasionally settle in the area, though never permanently. The Missouria and European settlers were joined in the early 19th century by the Sauk people, with who they engaged in frequent skirmishes.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Following the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, the area was calmed when the United States established a peace treaty with the Sauk. The Sauk, however, fought against the United States during the War of 1812, after which a series of treaties were established, culminating in a final treaty in 1824 where the Native Americans of the area renounced their territorial claims. Following several failed attempts at settlement, the town of La Grange was founded in 1832.<ref name=":0" />

During the early 19th century, Lewis County was part of the District of St. Charles. After several county reorganizations, Lewis County was established in 1833 from Marion County and named after Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The county was largely settled by farmers from Virginia and Kentucky. They brought slaves and were attracted to the fertile land and easy river transportation. The economy was based on subsistence agriculture, timber harvesting, and lead mining. In 1845, Knox County was split off, leaving Lewis County with its present boundaries. The county continued to prosper through the 1850s, with hemp emerging as the main crop.<ref name=":0" /> A major flood came through in 1851, destroying the once significant town of Tully, but the county continued to prosper into the 1860s.

Civil War and 19th century

Following the election of Abraham Lincoln, the county became split between secessionists and unionists. Despite significant disputes, unionism was more popular in the county, and 500 men were raised for the Union Army during the American Civil War.<ref name=":0" /><ref>George R. Lee, “Slavery and Emancipation in Lewis County, Missouri,” Missouri Historical Review 65#3 (April 1971), p. 294-313.</ref> Secessionists remained popular, however, and the county was split for much of the war between Unionists at La Grange and Secessionists at Canton, although the county was spared from open conflict aside from occasional partisan attacks and skirmishes.<ref name=":0" />

After the Civil War, the slaves were emancipated and the county's economy shifted towards commercial agriculture, with the production of corn, wheat and timber that were shipped through Canton, a port on the Mississippi River. Having emerged from the war mostly unscathed, Lewis County continued to prosper even after emancipation.<ref name=":0" /> The Chicago and North Western Railway arrived in 1869, leading to even greater prosperity for the county.

Mark Twain lived in the county briefly and was inspired by the natural beauty of the river region for his writing.<ref>Lewis County Historical and Genealogical Society, Lewis County, Missouri: a Bicentennial History (2016).</ref>

Modern history

Today, Lewis County is all rural, with a few small towns under 2500 population, and Canton at 2800. The economy is built on soybeans, corn and timber, as well as higher education. Canton is the home of Culver–Stockton College. The National Register of Historic Places celebrates 12 historic locations in the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Template:US Census population

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 10,211 people, 3,956 households, and 2,709 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 95.92% White, 2.53% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Approximately 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.9% were of German, 18.3% American, 11.2% English and 10.8% Irish ancestry.

The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.00% under the age of 18, 12.90% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older and 51% of female population. The median age was 36 years.

Median income for a household in the county was $30,651, and the median income for a family was $35,740. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $19,679 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,746. 16.10% of the population and 10.70% of families were below the poverty line.




Lewis County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980<ref name="1980Census">Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 1990<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2000<ref name="2000CensusP004">Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name="2010CensusP2">Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2020<ref name="2020CensusP2">Template:Cite web</ref> % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 10,480 9,823 10,032 9,546 9,315 96.14% 95.99% 95.60% 93.49% 92.85%
Black or African American alone (NH) 356 342 264 321 185 3.27% 3.34% 2.52% 3.14% 1.84%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 4 19 16 25 30 0.04% 0.19% 0.15% 0.24% 0.30%
Asian alone (NH) 20 16 21 22 22 0.18% 0.16% 0.20% 0.22% 0.22%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> 2 7 0 x x 0.02% 0.07% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 5 7 6 3 10 0.05% 0.07% 0.06% 0.03% 0.10%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> 76 128 305 x x 0.72% 1.25% 3.04%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 36 26 77 159 165 0.33% 0.25% 0.73% 1.56% 1.64%
Total 10,901 10,233 10,494 10,211 10,032 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Economy

Today's Lewis County has a small but relatively diversified economy based primarily on agriculture, government services, and higher education.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref> Despite low unemployment rates, Lewis County, like many rural counties, suffers from a rapidly aging population. A sizable number of residents commute to larger job centers in neighboring Marion County and Quincy, Illinois.<ref name=":2" />

Largest industries by employment (>100 people)<ref name=":2" />
Sector Employment numbers
Government 550
Retail 380
Agriculture 340
Healthcare and Social Services 315
Construction 210
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 190
Manufacturing 190
Education 185
Logistics 170
Accomodation and Food Services 145
Finance 115
Other 100

Media

Media

Newspapers

  • The Press-News Journal is the county's newspaper of record, and has been published in Canton since 1862.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • The Lewis County Scoop is an online county paper.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Government and politics

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Government

Lewis County is represented in the United States Senate by Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, both Republicans. It is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Missouri's 6th congressional district by Republican Sam Graves. At the state level, Lewis County is part of Missouri's 18th Senate district, represented by Republican Cindy O'Laughlin, and Missouri's 4th House of Representatives district, represented by Republican Greg Sharpe. Locally, the county has a three-member board of commissioners and several elected county officials. Judicially, the county is in the Missouri Court of Appeals' Eastern District and the state's 2nd Judicial Circuit Court, presided over by Republican Matthew Wilson.Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

Politics

In its early history, Lewis County stood out from much of northeast Missouri by supporting Democrats, while neighboring counties tended to be Whig strongholds. This support for Democrats was never exceptionally strong, and in 1860 Lewis County joined its neighbors in voting for the moderate, anti-secessionist Constitutional Union Party, then for Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. In 1872, however, Lewis was caught up in a major Northeastern swing towards Democrats, and it along with the rest of the region remained loyally Democratic until the late 20th century, with its large agricultural and labor base supporting New Deal policies.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Even as the county was occasionally won in Republican landslide elections such as Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan's victories, Republicans never managed to pull away and the county continued to shift between voting for Republican and Democratic presidents. Even during Republican landslides, the county continued to vote for Democratic legislators due to the relative conservatism of regional Democrats, who were pro-unions and opposed issues unpopular amongst moderate Democrats such as gun control and NAFTA.<ref name=":1" /> As the Democratic Party has shifted sharply to the left in the 21st century, especially on issues such as gun control and abortion, Lewis County has sprinted to the right, delivering Republicans their best ever result for the past four election cycles in a row. In 2024, Democrats failed to break even 20% for the first time in county history, and today Lewis County is dominated by Republicans at every level except for a handful of Democrats at the local level.

Transportation

Major highways

Transit

Railroads

Education

Five school districts cover sections of the county: Canton R-V School District, Lewis County C-1 School District, Clark County R-I School District, Knox County R-I School District, and Palmyra R-I School District.<ref>Template:Cite map - Text list</ref>

Public schools

Two school districts operate schools in the county boundaries:

Private schools

Post-secondary

Public libraries

Communities

Cities and towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

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See also

References

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