Steelville, Missouri
| Steelville, Missouri | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Downtown Steelville
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|
 Location of Steelville, Missouri |
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| Coordinates: 37°58′7″N 91°21′19″W / 37.96861°N 91.35528°WCoordinates: 37°58′7″N 91°21′19″W / 37.96861°N 91.35528°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Crawford |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.42 sq mi (6.27 km2) |
| • Land | 2.42 sq mi (6.27 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 748 ft (228 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,642 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 1,683 |
| • Density | 678.5/sq mi (262.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 65565 |
| Area code(s) | 573 |
| FIPS code | 29-70576 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0752345 |
Steelville is a city in Crawford County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,642 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County. Steelville is the hometown of Congressman Albert Reeves and Missouri State Representative Jason Chipman. The town was named after landowner James Steel.
Prior to the 1800s the first people to live in the Steelville area were groups likely tied to the Osage. These peoples were driven west into what is today Oklahoma. In the 1840s the Trail of Tears, a government sponsored forced-march of the largest groups of the southeastern United States, passed through Steelville, with people primarily from the Choctaw and Cherokee tribes. They came mostly from Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee and were forced to relocate to Oklahoma and the West. It is believed that they stopped in Steelville around the spring to rest, bury their dead, and get supplies.
The first settlers in Steelville were William Britton, who built a small grist mill along the Yadkin Creek, and James Steel, who operated a trading post and was appointed by the government as Commissioner to lay out the city in 1835–the year in which Steelville was founded. Britton remained in the area. Steel, according to census, moved northward to continue his interest in mining.
James Steel purchased 40 acres of land from the government which he later sold to the “County Court” on December 16, 1835 for $50. By this time a little settlement had sprung up. Crawford County Court named the town Steelville as the County Seat. The deed was recorded on December 18, 1835, the town was platted, and the first deeds to lots were sold for $12 each.
The town was incorporated as a city of the fourth class in 1885. At this time, there were 500 inhabitants. The Lebanon Lodge, Masonic, was chartered on October 14, 1846. The first tailor, Mr. Vanburg, came in town in 1844. The first hotel was owned by James Davis. In 1847, A. W. Johnson opened a blacksmith shop. Andrew Jackson opened the first Post Office. Doctor Dunlap was the first doctor, and in 1838, J. H. Johnson opened the first saddle and harness shop.
The Steelville Normal Business Institute was originally at Vichy, Missouri. It was moved to Steelville with the help of John T. Woodruff of Springfield and Professor Hayes and opened during the latter part of 1890.
The first Newspaper of Steelville, Steelville Crawford Missouri, was established on May 4, 1874, by Thomas Roberts. The paper was printed in a log cabin the first time and was a Republican paper.
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