History of Cape Girardeau
Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has evolved from a tiny trading post to a
community of 40,000 residents. Although part of its namesake cape on the
Mississippi River was destroyed in the late 1800s to make way for the
railroads, a memorial "Cape Rock" sits atop the bluff of the trading
post site.
In the 1760s an adventuresome French soldier, Jean Pierre Girardeau, established
a trading post in a remote region populated by more than 20 Native
American tribes. Girardeau chose a promontory rock overlooking the
Mississippi River as the site for his trading post. Trappers and river
travelers soon discovered this welcome bit of civilization carved out of
the vast forest that one day would become Missouri. They called the
place Cape Girardeau, sometimes spelling it "Girardot" or other ways.
Girardeau, a frontiersman and trader at heart, eventually moved on. The
man credited with founding Cape Girardeau, French-Canadian Louis
Lorimier, came to the area from Ohio in 1793, commissioned by the
Spanish Governor General to establish a military post from which to
trade and interact with the Native Americans. From his "Red House" on
the site of Old St. Vincent's Church, Lorimier also served as the city's
first ambassador. He welcomed many settlers and even Lewis and Clark on
their way to St. Louis for their journey into the unknown west. Today,
the Red House Interpretive Center helps people understand how the Old
Cape Girardeau District got started and learn about our founder, Don
Louis Lorimier and his family and more. The Red House is owned by the
City of Cape Girardeau. Lorimont was a temporary name of the post.
The Louisiana Purchase in 1803, easily the greatest discount sale in
history, brought the Missouri region into American possession at the
cost of 2 cents per acre. As a result, Louis Lorimier donated four acres
for the establishment of a seat of justice. In 1806, the city was
platted and in 1808 was incorporated into a town. Lorimier died in 1812
and is buried in historic Old Lorimier Cemetery.
With the arrival of the steamboat in 1835, Cape Girardeau became a river
boom town. It was the busiest port between St. Louis and Memphis. Until
the Civil War, the Riverfront bustled with activity as a commercial
center and as an inviting port of debarkation for steamboat passengers.
During the Civil War, Cape Girardeau was occupied by Union forces who
built four forts to protect the city and river. For a brief period in
1863, General Ulysses S. Grant set up headquarters in Cape Girardeau
before moving his headquarters to Cairo, Illinois. A minor skirmish was
fought just west of town in 1863.
The post-Civil War years brought the establishment of
public education in 1867, the introduction of rail service, and advances
in agriculture and industry. In 1873, a teaching university was founded
in Cape Girardeau that is now Southeast Missouri State University.
Today, Cape Girardeau is a regional hub for education, commerce, and
medical care. Although the city's population is around 39,000 people, it
is estimated that as many as 90,000 come to Cape Girardeau daily to
work, shop, go to school, or visit the many doctors' offices or two
hospitals. In addition, the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, which was
officially opened in December 2003, carries 26,000 cars in and out of
Cape Girardeau every day.