Miller County's Chronological History

​(Printed in the AUTOGRAM-SENTINEL, in the "WINDOW TO THE PAST" column, Dec. 2, 2010)

1541 -- The Spanish explorer, Desoto, was the first white of record to come into what is Missouri and explored the Mississippi River area.

1673 -- The first white men to see the Missouri River area was Marquette and Joliet, French explorers.

​1682-1805  --  During this period of time most of Missouri was owned by France and Spain.

1805 -- Missouri was part of the Louisiana Purchase when the U. S. bought that vast region.

1812 -- Missouri became a Territory with a population of 20,000.

1821 -- Missouri was instituted as the 24th with a population of 56,000.

1810-1850 -- Early settlers came to Missouri from Virginia, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland and other eastern states.

1837 -- Miller County was formed on February 6 from Cole and Pulaski counties.

SOME EARLY SETTLERS IN MILLER COUNTY...

1719 -- The first known white man in present day Miller County was a French explorer named Charles Claude' DuTisne. He explored the Osage River region and traded with the Osage Indians.

1806 -- Zebulon Pike, the early explorer, came through Miller County on his expedition to present-day Colorado. He traveled the Osage River on his way west.

1807-1822 -- Other early settlers included William West in the Tavern Creek area, northeast of St. Elizabeth in 1807; Seneca Day, 1815, settled north of St. Elizabeth on the Tavern Creek​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; A. J. Lindley, 1819, also in the same area of the Tavern; John Wilson, 1822, settled in Osage Township near the Barren Fork and Tavern Creeks and he lived in a cave for a while (Wilson Cave).

HISTORICAL FACTS OF MILLER COUNTY...

1821 -- Jan. 15, 1821, the first circuit court was held in Cole County, which later became and included,​​​​ the northern section of Miller County.

1826 -- The first man to enter land in what is today's Miller County was William Miller. He settled near Spring Garden on July 20, 1826.

1834 -- The first water mill was built in Miller County by William Brockman on the Saline Creek and a few years later, William Williams built the second mill. The first steam mill was built in 1853 by John Humes near Mount Pleasant.

1836 -- In February of 1836, James Pryor Harrison entered land where the town of Tuscumbia now stands. James and his brother, John Brazil Harrison, donated land so Tuscumbia could be established as the new county seat.​