Brief History of Jefferson City

How Jefferson City Became the State Capital

Jefferson City was not even a town when the site was chosen to be the State Capital leading up to Missouri’s statehood. The area along the Missouri River was isolated and desolate with few residents. But the region was geographically important for Missouri’s founding fathers for numerous reasons. One, it was in the middle of the soon-to-be state. And two, it was near transportation routes through mid-Missouri with room to build and grow.

A Missouri First

The first Missouri legislators gave Jefferson City the distinction of being a city created solely to serve as the seat of government. No other state prior to or since has been “invented” to be a center of government. Governor Alexander McNair made it official when he signed a bill on December 31, 1821, making the town the eventual capital city. But a lot of work had was needed before the area was ready to host governmental functions.

The town was laid out by Daniel Boone’s son, Daniel Morgan Boone, on the cliffs overlooking the Missouri River. It was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson and incorporated in 1825. Since there was not actually a city there at the time of its inception, the legislators had nowhere to meet. Some had considered calling it Missouriopolous but settled on the City of Jefferson. It was eventually changed to Jefferson City. Thus, St. Charles was named the temporary state capital until the new capitol in Jefferson City was completed.

Early Years

Construction on the Capitol began in 1823 and took three years to complete. When the structure was finished in 1826, official government operations moved from St. Charles to Jefferson City. Jefferson City officially became a town in 1825 between the years when construction on the state building began and official operations got underway, Infrastructure began to expand across the town and a prison that went down in history was added in 1836. But this new seat of government was still a small town with only about three dozen families living in the new city limits.

Under Attack

The fledgling town saw growth once it became the capital city of Missouri. It grew from a smattering of people to a town. The population went from a little more than 1,100 residents in 1840 to nearly 10,000 by 1900. But it also endured challenging times. Being the capital city also made Jefferson City a center of controversy in the 1800s, especially during the Civil War era. The city faced attacks following a move for Missouri to secede from the United States to keep slavery as the law. In fact, secessionists went as far as to set up a provisional capital in Neosho as they pushed for Missouri to leave the union. The “new” state capital effort was short-lived as Confederates were pushed into exile once they lost control of the state.

Early Tragedies

The capitol buildings also suffered several tragedies. The original state capitol burned along with all government records in 1837. A new building was completed in 1840 and served as the seat of government until another fire about 70 years later. Lightning struck the building in 1911 and burned it so badly that it had to be torn down. A third capitol building was built on the same spot and dedicated in 1924. That is the same one that stands today.

Tragedy also struck the tracks. In 1855, a train full of dignitaries heading from St. Louis to Jefferson City crashed in the town of Gasconade when a bridge collapsed. This was to be the first train to arrive in Jefferson City but ended in deadly fashion. Train service would finally arrive the following year.

Another significant moment in Missouri history happened on March 30, 1997. The state’s seventh governor, Thomas Reynolds, committed suicide while in office shortly after eating breakfast. This led to the formation of the first mental health facility in Missouri in Fulton.

Boom Times

The turn of the century proved to be a boom era for Jefferson City. The population more than doubled between 1900 and 1930, growing to more than 20,000 residents. It doubled again by 2,000 to more than 40,000 residents. Part of the reason for the growth in the early 1900s was the expansion of government and government services. This was happening in states across the country and Missouri was no exception to the government expansion. The new Supreme Court Building was constructed in 1904 thanks to money generated during the St. Louis World’s Fair. Streetcar service followed in 1911. Lincoln University, which is one of the oldest historically black colleges in the country, also saw significant growth.

Jefferson City Today

Today, Jefferson City is a thriving city and remains the center of government for the state of Missouri. The largest employer is the state government, followed by the education sector and health care. It lies 30 miles from the University of Missouri-Columbia, 50 miles from the Lake of the Ozarks, and is close to Missouri’s wine country. It is now Missouri’s 16th largest city and has grown to more than 42,000 residents. The state celebrated the bicentennial in 2021 and our amazing history was put back in the spotlight.

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“What is the History of the Missouri State Capitol?” Missouri Secretary of State. Accessed September 14, 2019. https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/history/capitol.

“History: Heritage of Jefferson City.” City of Jefferson, Missouri. http://www.jeffersoncitymo.gov/live_play/history_heritage/index.php.