County: Cooper County
Location of county: Virtually dead center on the state, on the Missouri River
Crossroads of: MO-5, MO-41, MO-87, MO-135 & I-70, US-40, US-50, MO-98
Founded: December 17, 1818
Named After: Sarshell Cooper
Elevation: 940 feet, 287 meters
Population: 17,709 (2019)
"All of the present State of Missouri, lying west of Cedar Creek, and north and west of the Osage River, and extending to the territorial line on the west and north, was for many years, known as the "Boone's Lick Country." The first settlers, who came here, knew it only by that name.
"It receives its name from a place called "Boone's Lick," in what is now Howard County, situated about eight miles northwest of New Franklin, near the Missouri River. This place was visited by Daniel Boone at a very early time, but the exact date is not known. Here Boone found several salt springs...
"Although it has always been stated as a surmise, that Daniel Boone once resided at this Lick, and afterwards, within the present county of Cooper, yet it has been impossible to find anything authoritative on the subject, and as Samuel Cole, a member of the first white family, which settled in the present limits of Cooper County, says emphatically, that Daniel Boone never lived farther west than St. Charles County, the conclusion is inevitable, that those historians are mistaken, when they make the statement that he was the first settler in the "Boone's Lick Country."...
"When the families of Hannah and Stephen Cole settled in what is now Cooper County (20th February 1810), there were no white Americans living in Missouri west of Franklin County and south of the Missouri River...Col. Benjamin Cooper, with several others returned to what is now Howard County...The Sauk Indians under Quashgami, their chief, lived on the Moniteau Creek, in the south part of Cooper County. When the settlers first came here, those Indians professed to be friendly to them...but they stole horses and committed other depredations. During the War of 1812, these Indians took sides with the British against the Americans. After the conclusion of the war, the Sauk Indians were ordered off to Grand River, and from thence to Rock River...
"The first fort in the present limits of Cooper County was built by Stephen Cole, his neighbors assisting, in the year 1812, and was called "Cole's Fort." It was situated in the north part of what is now known as the "Old Fort Field," about one and one-half miles east of the City of Boonville, north of the road from Boonville to Rocheport. (It was built as a means of protection against the hostile Indians.) The Indians gave the settlers quite a bit of trouble for several years." ~ History of Cooper County, 1876, Stearns & Drake, pages 11-12, 16-17 & 21
"Organization of Cooper County
"Cooper County was organized the 17th day of December, 1818, comprising all that part of what had been Howard County, lying south of the Missouri River.
"It was bounded on the north by the Missouri River, on the east and south by the Osage River, and on the west by what was then called the Territorial line.
"At the time of organization, it included the Territory now embraced in the whole of the Counties of Cooper, Saline, Lafayette, Jackson, Cass, Henry, Johnson, Pettis, Morgan, Moniteau and Cole; and part of the Counties of Bates, St. Clair, Benton, Camden and Miller; eleven whole counties and part of five others.
"The act under which Cooper County was organized, located the seat of justice at the town of Boonville. This place was designated as the place for holding court, by the act under which the county was organized, which was adopted by the Legislature, and approved during the year 1816, and entitled an "act establishing a part of Howard County into a separate county, by the name of Cooper."
"The commissioners to locate the county seat appointed by the Legislature, were Abel Owens, William We r, Charles Canale, Luke Williams and Julius Emmons.
"The first court in the newly organized county of Cooper, was held in the present limits of the City of Boonville, on the first day of March, 1819. It was held at the boarding house of Wm. Bartlett...The court, under the Territorial laws of Missouri, exercised the present duties of the county, probate and circuit courts. The duties of these three courts continued to be exercised by the one court until the duties of the Probate and County Courts were separated from those of the Circuit Court, and a new court, called the "County Court," was organized.
"The first County Court within the County of Cooper, was held on the 8th day of January, 1821, at the house of Robert P. Clark...in the City of Boonville. This court exercised the powers and performed the duties of the present County and Probate Court, which had, previous to this time, been under the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court. However, in 1847, by act of the Legislature, the Probate Court was separated from the County Court, and continued separate to the present day, (1876)...The first court house was completed at Boonville, in the year 1823. Previous to that time, the court had either been held at the house of the clerk or at one of the boarding houses...
"There have been three attempts to remove the county seat from Boonville. The first attempt was made in 1832, the second in 1838, and the third in 1842. The first two attempts were caused by some of the citizens wanting to remove the county seat to a more central location in the county...The third was caused by the excitement resulting from the fight between the militia and an organization of settlers known as the "Fantastic Company." ~ History of Cooper County, 1876, Stearns & Drake, pages 48-49, 56-58