Caldwell County, Missouri

Mormon settlement

Caldwell County was originally part of Ray County. The first white settler was Jesse Mann, Sr., who settled one-half mile northeast of the public square of Kingston on Shoal Creek in 1831. The early settlers moved back south in 1832 for better protection during the Black Hawk War uprising.

A few Mormon settlers, who had been evicted from Jackson County, Missouri, moved into the county in 1832, and included Jacob Haun, whose mill on Shoal Creek would become the scene of the bloodiest incident in the Mormon War, known as the Haun's Mill Massacre.

The settlers established Salem, the first town in the county, two miles southeast of Kingston. A larger number of Mormons moved to the county in the fall of 1836. The Missouri General Assembly created Caldwell County in December 1836, with the understanding that it would be dedicated to Mormon settlers. Its county seat was Far West, Missouri. By 1838 Far West reported a population of 4,000.

The major figures of early Mormon history, including Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Edward Partridge, Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt and John D. Lee, were included in the migration.

Mormon War

Mormon settlers moved further north into Daviess County, particularly at Adam-ondi-Ahman after Smith proclaimed that it was the Biblical place where Adam and Eve were banished after leaving the Garden of Eden. He said it would be a gathering place on the Judgement Day. The Mormon War erupted following a skirmish between original Missouri settlers and Mormon settlers in the Gallatin Election Day Battle.

After the Missouri militia was routed in the Battle of Crooked Creek, Governor Lilburn Boggs issued Missouri Executive Order 44 to evict the Mormons from the state. Three days later, a group from Livingston County killed 18 Mormons in the Haun's Mill massacre. Troops laid siege to Far West, where Smith surrendered in October 1838. The settlers agreed to leave; they abandoned Far West and regrouped in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Following the dissolution of Far West, the county seat was moved to present-day Kingston.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 430 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 426 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) (0.8%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,969 people, 3,523 households, and 2,501 families residing in the county. The population density was 8/km² (21/mi²). There were 4,493 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (10/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.56% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,523 households out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51, and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,240, and the median income for a family was $37,087. Males had a median income of $28,710 versus $19,523 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,343. 11.90% of the population and 9.70% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.10% of those under the age of 18 and 12.90% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Public Schools

Local

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Caldwell County. Republicans hold all but three of the elected positions in the county.

State

All of Caldwell County is a part of Missouri’s 8th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Jim Neely (R-Cameron).

All of Caldwell County is a part of Missouri’s 21st District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by David Pearce (R-Warrensburg).

Federal

All of Caldwell County is included in Missouri’s 6th Congressional District and is currently represented by Sam Graves (R-Tarkio) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

All of Caldwell County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the U.S. Senate by Claire McCaskill (D-Kirkwood) and Roy Blunt (R-Strafford). McCaskill was elected to a second term in 2012, although Caldwell County was carried by her Republican opponent, Congressman Todd Akin.

Blunt was elected in 2010 over Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.

2016

The 2016 presidential primaries for both the Republican and Democratic parties were held in Missouri on March 15. Businessman Donald Trump (R-New York) narrowly won the state overall, as well as a plurality of the vote in Caldwell County.

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-New York) won statewide by a small margin, but lost Caldwell County to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

2012

The 2012 Missouri Republican Presidential Primary's results were nonbinding on the state's national convention delegates. Voters in Caldwell County supported former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), who finished first in the state at large, but eventually lost the nomination to former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts). Delegates to the congressional district and state conventions were chosen at a county caucus, which selected delegations favoring Romney.

2008

In 2008, the Missouri Republican Presidential Primary was closely contested, with Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) prevailing and eventually winning the nomination.

Then-Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes than any candidate from either party in Caldwell County during the 2008 presidential primary. Despite initial reports that Clinton had won Missouri, Barack Obama (D-Illinois), also a Senator at the time, narrowly defeated her statewide and later became that year's Democratic nominee, going on to win the presidency.

Cities

Ghost town

Townships

Caldwell County is divided into 12 townships:

Notable natives