A History of Cape Girardeau, Missouri

The city of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, is situated one hundred miles south of St. Louis along the banks of the Mississippi River. One of the oldest cities in Missouri, Cape Girardeau has a long and rich history. Now known for being the hometown of talk show host Rush Limbaugh, the city was once known for being the only inland cape in the world.

Cape Girardeau was settled by Don Louis Lorimier in 1793 just south of the site of a French trading post established by Jean Baptiste Girardot. Lewis and Clark made a stop at Lorimier's post in 1803 for supplies prior to their Voyage of Discovery to the Pacific Northwest. The town was plotted by Bartholomew Cousins in 1806 and would be incorporated in 1808. The incorporation of the town came thirteen years before Missouri would become a state. The town was reincorporated in 1843 as a city by the Missouri State Legislature.

During the American Civil War, Cape Girardeau was occupied by Union forces. Prior to taking command of the Union Army, General Ulysses S. Grant would have his headquarters in the city. The city was defended by four forts of which only one (Fort D) remains. A small battle occurred in the city on April 26, 1863. A confederate cavalry division under Brig. General John Marmaduke attacked the garrsions under the command of Brig. Gen. John McNeil. The Union claimed the victory with twelve casualties compared to the Confederates losses of 325.

Marie Elizabeth Watkins Oliver designed the Missouri state flag in the city of Cape Girardeau. The flag would be adopted on March 22, 1913. Cape Girardeau is also the home of Southeast Missouri State University. The dome of Academic Hall is the most dominant feature of the Cape Girardeau skyline. Southeast Missouri State was founded in 1873 as a teacher's college. It now offers 150 academic programs in five different colleges of education. The fifth president of Southeast, Willard Vandiver, is credited with coining Missouri's nickname of "The Show Me State". Vandiver was elected a U.S. Representative and during a meeting of the House Committee on Naval Affairs, he is reported to have said, "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me."

Currently, Cape Girardeau is home to approximately 36,000 residents and is the largest Mississippi River town between St. Louis and Memphis, Tennessee. This fact makes it a common stopping point for the riverboats that currently sail up and down the river. The town is home to over 150 restaurants and nearly 100 shopping establishments. The town also has two hospitals, three high schools and a regional airport. Louis Lorimier could never have imagined his tiny post would someday grow to be the largest town in Southeast Missouri.