City beat - Cape Girardeau's rich history

Jean Baptiste Girardot, an ensign in the French Royal troupes de Marines who was stationed at Kaskaskia Island, decided to build a trading post in 1733 in what is now called the city of Cape Girardeau. "Cape Girardot" and "Cap Girardot" were the early spellings on the map.

Ensign Girardot chose a rock promontory with a commanding view of the Mississippi River. This "cape" provided much shelter from Indian attacks for his trading post. Sadly, much of the rock cape was dynamited off in the early 1880s to make way for the Frisco railroad tracks. They are still in use today.

A bronze plaque commemorates the place where the trading post once stood. The overlook there at Cape Rock Park has a magnificent view of the Mississippi River.

Ensign Girardot, however, was not the founder of the present city. In 1792, Louis Lorimier established a settlement here. By 1793, Spanish authorities recognized Lorimier settlement as an independent post.

The settlement was included in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and became a part of the United States. Barthelemi Cousin laid out the plan for the town. In 1808, the city of Cape Girardeau was incorporated.

In the years since, Cape Girardeau has grown rapidly.

A good place to start learning about Cape's history is the Cape River Heritage Museum. This is a non-profit organization that teaches people about the history of Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area.

As a visitor walks in, Marge Thompson or another helpful volunteer will be waiting to greet you.

When you look around, you can picture yourself in the Cape Girardeau of the past. The front room changes from time to time. The September exhibit featured an antique toy collection.

State flag originated here

As you walk further, you will see an exhibit on the Missouri State flag. After 100 years of being a state, Missouri still did not have a flag. Mrs. Marie Elizabeth Oliver, who was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a resident of Cape Girardeau, submitted the idea for a flag in 1908. On March 22, 1913, the Oliver flag was approved as the official Missouri State flag.

A large photograph taking up one wall in the Cape River Heritage Museum depicts a mule.

"In 1995 we adopted the mule as our state animal," said Mrs. Thompson at the museum. "It takes a horse and a donkey to make a mule; a mule cannot breed, as it is sterile."

The Battle of Cape Girardeau in the Civil War

On April 26, 1863, the Battle of Cape Girardeau was fought. There were thousands of clashes during the Civil War between Union and Confederate forces, but this one was of great importance. This battle stopped the Confederate raids by Major General John S. Marmaduke in Cape Girardeau.

The city was placed under military occupation on July 10, 1861. Ulysses S. Grant plotted points on which to build four forts strategically placed around the city. At that time, there was a camp here called Camp Freemont.

In 1861, 3,000 men were stationed at Freemont. Throughout the war, soldiers caught many diseases like typhoid, diphtheria, measles, ague, and pneumonia. Many local buildings were turned into hospitals at this time.

Courthouse site chosen

The present courthouse was put into use in 1908. It cost $75,000 to build the courthouse. It is built with brick and covered with Bedford stone from Indiana.

History of Cape Girardeau's police department

Cape Girardeau has appreciated its police department since it began. In the beginning the police department had a city marshal who was paid on a fee basis, such as 50 cents for serving notice on a delinquent citizen, 50 cents for removing an obstacle, and 75 cents for making a weekly examination of the city. If the marshal attended meetings, he received $1. In 1806, a jail for Cape Girardeau was built, complete with a dungeon and whipping post.

Dates back to 1880

The department opened in 1880 and is a very well run organization to this day. The firemen were called into action by the ringing of church bells instead of alarms. At first, the department only had 12 firemen. They would receive $10 per month for all that action.

In 1906 an alarm system was installed allowing the church bells to rest. In 1908 fire alarm boxes were placed at different points in the city to warn of a fire.

In December of that same year, the fire department purchased a $1,100 fire engine and spent another $400 to buy a team of dapplegray horses, Alex and Joe, for fighting fires.

Floodwall to the rescue

Before the floodwall was built in Cape, there was destruction every time a flood would come.

"I can remember that all the shops' first floors were submerged and all the owners would move their things to higher ground," said Mrs. Thompson. She also recalled one time, during the flood of 1993, when she was sitting at a meeting upstairs at Port Cape, the water was just below the top of the floodwall, and you could see the riverboats go by.

Communication history

In 1805 Cape Girardeau got its first postal service. The surrounding area of Cape Girardeau and the city itself did not have a postmaster, though, until 1807. A letter to Jackson cost 25 cents to deliver. It would cost 75 cents to deliver to a more distant point. During the 1800's there were several post offices in Cape Girardeau. City delivery service was established in 1903 and had three routes.

District Fair gets its start

The fair began when the Missouri General Assembly passed an act that gave $3,000 to complete the project in 1855. The first fair was a success and made much profit. It was continued because it would be practical for the state.

The fair was discontinued during the Civil War. The fair has been held every fall except the beginning of World War 1, the Civil War, and the Depression years. The fair has had many locations over the years, but now it is always held in Arena Park.

Need for schools realized

Around 1800, the first school in Cape Girardeau, the Mount Tabor School, was built. At that time, education was not a priority for many people. It seemed more important to work on the farm than to go to school.

In 1840 a census was taken of illiterate people. Twenty-five percent were totally illiterate. It was 1842 before the state had enough money to give adequate funds for school districts.

In 1835 a state Board of Education was created. This meant that every school had at least 6 months of operation and payments for the upkeep of the schools would be paid by the state tax. This made the tax three and one half cents for each one hundred dollars.

In 1853 the laws for education were revised again. School commissioners were assigned to maintain educational standards. Even though Cape Girardeau's population was small, their schools were above average.

In 1805, only 19 families lived in Cape. In 1834, the city built a school of bricks on Fountain and Merriwether Street.

By 1843, an academy for men was started similar to the one already in Jackson.

Five years later, a female academy was begun for interested young women. Both academies were housed in the Ellis Hotel. They were later moved to a church basement.

St. Vincent College and Trinity Lutheran schools were established during the Civil War. That meant that there were six educational facilities open in Cape Girardeau.

Museum details history

Stop by the Cape River Heritage Museum and learn even more about Cape Girardeau's wonderful, rich history. The history comes back to life in the rooms of the museum at 538 Independence St.