MORE Counties
Butler County | Named for William O. Butler who served as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky. Butler County was organized in areas formerly part of Wayne County. The organization date was February 2, 1849 and the first meeting in the new county’s courthouse was held in June, 1849.
Poplar Bluff, Missouri is the county seat of Butler County.
Carter County | Formed in May, 1859, Carter County was made up of area from Wayne, Shannon and Ripley Counties. Carter County lies almost entirely within the Mark Twain National Forest. Carter County was named for Zimri A. Carter, an early pioneer. Van Buren, Missouri is the County Seat of Carter County.
Dent County | Formed from Shannon and Crawford Counties in 1851, Dent County was named for Lewis Dent an early settler whose family came to the area the first time in 1803 when the territory was still French. Salem, Missouri is the county seat of Dent County.
Douglas County | Made up of parts of Taney and Webster Counties, Douglas County was established in October, 1857 and named for Stephen A. Douglas, Illinois Senator. Locally known as Booger County, this county has had multiple county seats. First Arno, then Vera Cruz. During chaotic time after the Civil War, the records were stolen form Vera Cruz and returned to Arno. Later, a new city formed near a federal post office, Ava, was named the county seat which seemed to satisfy the residents of Douglas County.
Howell County | Formed in 1857, Howell County encompasses a wide, shallow valley and was named for the Howell family considered the first settlers along Howell Creek, now named Warm Fork Creek. West Plains is the county seat of Howell County.
Laclede County | Named for Pierre Laclede Liquest, founder of St. Louis, Laclede County was formed in 1849. Six Missouri counties have a part in the borders of Laclede County. Route 66 played a large role in the history of Laclede County. Lebanon is the county seat for Laclede County.
Oregon County | Named for the Oregon Territory and formed in 1845 from Ripley County. The county seat for Oregon County is Alton, Missouri. Oregon County contains more of the Mark Twain National Forest than any Missouri County. The county is also home to the Irish Wilderness. Very few residents of Oregon County fought for the Union during the Civil War, but troops were mustered three times for the Confederacy.
Ozark County | Organized in 1841, Ozark County was cut off from Wayne County which had been part of New Madrid County. The name comes from the Ozarks Mountains. For the period of 1843-1845 the county was named Decatur County in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur, but later the name was changed to Ozark County. Ozark County contains a large amount of rolling grazing country and is sparsely populated. Gainesville is the county seat.
Pulaski County | Formed in 1833 Pulaski County is referred to as the Mother of Counties because parts of Texas, Maries, Miller, Camden and Crawford Counties and the whole of Phelps County were carved from the original area of Pulaski County. This once huge county was named for Casmir Pulaski, a Polish general of the American Revolution. Pulaski County has a rough geography with swift rivers high hills and bluffs that remind one of a small Switzerland. The county seat is Waynesville, Missouri.
Reynolds County | The area of Reynolds County was part of Ripley County in 1830, then it was attached to Shannon County until the county was organized in 1845. Part of present Iron County was included until 1857. Records indicate the area was first settled in 1812. The County is named for Governor Thomas Reynolds. Lesterville was first named county seat until the courthouse burned in 1867. The county seat was moved to Centerville, Missouri
Ripley County | Formed by an act of the Missouri General Assembly in 1833, Ripley County has been considered the origin of Howell, Oregon, Carter Counties and a western part of Butler County. Ripley County was named for General Eleazor Wheelock Ripley, a valorous veteran of the War of 1812. The county seat is Doniphan, Missouri.
Shannon County | Separated from Crawford County early, in 1841, Shannon County is the most sparsely populated county in Missouri. Named in honor of George F. Shannon, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and is attractive to bird watchers. Missouri’s first copper mine was opened in 1846 while the only manganese mine in Missouri operated in Shannon County during World War II. The county seat is Eminence, Missouri.
Texas County | First named Ashley County, the name was changed to Texas to honor the Republic and later State of Texas. Some of the rolling country is reminiscent of the large Texas country. Early prominent pioneers were among settlers in the Texas County area; the name Ashley honored William Henry Ashley a fur trader who later became a Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. Houston, Missouri is the county seat of Texas County.
Wayne County | Organized from New Madrid County which established in Missouri Territory in 1815, the county was so large it was referred to as the State of Wayne or the Mother of Counties. The county was named for General Anthony (Mad Anthony) Wayne, a famous veteran of the Revolutionary War. The county seat is Greenville, Missouri.
Wright County | Settlement began in 1836 although some who also settled in the Texas County area were in Wright County in 1826. Named for Silas Wright, a prominent statesman from New York, at organization as a county in 1841. Orchards and lead mines were part of the early activity in Wright County. The county seat, Hartville, Missouri was the scene of a significant Civil War battle. The bodies of Confederate soldiers still lie in the cemetery at Hartville.
