Why St. Charles Became the Temporary Capital of Missouri

The “battle” between the two areas was alive and well in the 1800s, too.

St. Louis leaders were seen as arrogant. They assumed that St. Louis would be the capital of Missouri because it was a wealthy and powerful city. But outstate leaders were wary of giving St. Louis more power and decided they were not going to let that happen. In fact, they weren’t going to let St. Louis elites have any more power – even for the short time that a temporary capital was needed.

They saw what happened with Washington DC no longer being close to constituents, so they wanted a place more central and accessible to all Missourians. But even in the meantime, St. Louis power-brokers weren’t going to impose their will on the state. In fact, the friction between St. Louis and the rest of Missouri continues to this day.
-John Brown, Missouri Bicentennial speech

Early map of St. Louis, the territorial seat of power
Courtesy of Library of Congress

As Missouri progressed toward statehood in 1821, the territorial seat of power was based in St. Louis. In addition to serving as the capital of Upper Louisiana, St. Louis was also the center of commerce and population for the territory. Early lawmakers and territorial leaders decided that the new capital of the 24th state should ideally be located in the middle of the state. They chose a piece of land along the bluffs of the Missouri River in mid-Missouri and named the town the City of Jefferson after President Thomas Jefferson. The capital city was later renamed Jefferson City. However, until a new capitol could be built, state leaders needed a place where governmental affairs could be handled as the territory transitioned into a state, so they chose a place closer to St. Louis.

Early bridge across the Missouri River
connecting St. Charles to St. Louis County
Courtesy of State Historical Society of Missouri

St. Charles in 1820

St. Charles was a bustling town in the early 1800s with buildings available for state usage. It was also located along transportation routes like the Missouri River and one of the few good roads at the time, the Boonslick Road. The city was ultimately picked as the temporary capital after residents of St. Charles offered free meeting space for official state meetings and functions.

Historical Map of St. Charles
Courtesy of Library of Congress

The Governor makes it official

Governor Alexander McNair made it official when he signed a bill on November 25, 1820, establishing St. Charles as the first capital of Missouri, where it remained until 1826. The state’s first legislators met in St. Charles for the first time on June 4, 1821. The first meeting place was on the second floor of a Federal-style brick building that had just been constructed. The first floor of the building was a general store, while the upstairs was divided into separate areas for the House and Senate, along with an office for the governor.

The First State Capital in St. Charles
Public Domain image

Glass, Andrew. “Missouri Enters the Union Aug. 10, 1821.” Politico, August 10, 2007. https://www.politico.com/story/2007/08/missouri-enters-the-union-aug-10-1821-005321.

Shepley, Carol Ferring. St. Louis: An Illustrated Timeline: Blues, Baseball, Books, Crooks, Civil Rights, and the River. St. Louis, Mo.: Reedy Press, 2018. 22.

“Timeline of Missouri History: 1820–1829.” Missouri Digital Heritage. Accessed July 9, 2019. https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/timeline/timeline3.