Oregon County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,881. Its county seat is Alton. The county was officially organized on February 14, 1845, and was named for the Oregon Territory in the northwestern United States.
Home to a large area of the Mark Twain National Forest, Oregon County contains more national forest acreage than any county in the state of Missouri. It also contains the Irish Wilderness, the largest federally protected wilderness area in the state. Hiking, backpacking, and horseback riding opportunities abound on the Ozark Trail and the White's Creek Trail. Canoeing, kayaking, jonboating, and fishing are popular on the Eleven Point River, which is Missouri's only National Wild and Scenic River.
Eleven Point State Park is a Missouri state park under development east of Alton, Missouri that includes 6 miles of Eleven Point River frontage.
Grand Gulf State Park is a Missouri state park just west of Thayer that includes a collapsed karst canyon.
History
Oregon County was created in 1845, at a time when the Oregon boundary dispute was a major issue.
During the American Civil War, men from Oregon County enlisted to fight for the Confederate States of America on three separate occasions.
In July 1861, the Second Infantry Regiment of McBride's Seventh Division, Missouri State Guard was formed. Oregon County men made up Companies A, D, F, and G. On August 10, 1861 they fought at the Battle of Wilsons Creek near Springfield and were victorious.
In early 1862 the Missouri State Guard was disbanded and regular Confederate Army units were formed. During February and March 1862, Oregon County men were mustered into companies D and I of the Fourth Missouri Infantry Regiment. The Fourth Missouri was sent to Mississippi, where they took part in the Battle of Corinth on October 3â€"4, 1862. The Oregon County men suffered heavy losses to both disease and battle casualties, and surrendered with 30,000 other Confederates after the Siege of Vicksburg ended on July 4, 1863.
In the late winter and spring of 1864, Major Matthew G. Norman began organizing a regiment of cavalry. They would join with men from northern Arkansas men led by Lt. Colonel James H. Tracy to form Fristoe's Regiment, Missouri Cavalry. Colonel Edward T. Fristoe, a native of Rappahannock, Virginia, would lead his regiment during General Sterling Price's ill-fated Missouri raid in the fall of 1864.
Other units Oregon County men enlisted in were Freeman's Regiment, Missouri Cavalry, and the Fifteenth Missouri Cavalry Regiment from neighboring Ripley County. Only a few Oregon County men joined the Union Army. Oregon County suffered greatly during the war from raids by Union troops, as well as from atrocities committed by bushwhackers supporting neither side.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 792 square miles (2,050Â km2), of which 790 square miles (2,000Â km2) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4Â km2) (0.2%) is water. Arkansas is located to the south of Oregon County.
Adjacent counties
- Shannon County (north)
- Carter County (northeast)
- Ripley County (east)
- Randolph County, Arkansas (southeast)
- Sharp County, Arkansas (south)
- Fulton County, Arkansas (southwest)
- Howell County (west)
Major highways
- U.S. Route 63
- U.S. Route 160
- Route 19
- Route 99
- Route 142
National protected area
- Mark Twain National Forest (part)
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,344 people, 4,263 households, and 3,018 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 4,997 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.61% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 2.88% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 2.19% from two or more races. Approximately 1.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Oregon County were 29.7% American, 13.4% English, 13.1% Irish, and 13.0% German.
There were 4,263 households out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,119, and the median income for a family was $31,637. Males had a median income of $22,304 versus $16,353 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,043. About 16.30% of families and 22.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.20% of those under age 18 and 20.00% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Oregon County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Oregon County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (36.10%), National Association of Free Will Baptists (34.45%), and Churches of Christ (9.81%).
Politics
Local
Political control at the county level is currently divided between the Democratic and Republican parties, but, historically, the Democratic Party held the majority of positions.
State
All of Oregon County is a part of the 143rd District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Jeffrey Pogue (R-Salem).
All of Oregon County is a part of Missouri's 33rd District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Mike Cunningham (R-Rogersville).
Federal
Oregon County is included in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau). Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.
Political culture
At the presidential level, Oregon County is a fairly independent-leaning or battleground county. While George W. Bush carried Oregon County in 2000 and 2004, the margins of victory were smaller than in many of the other rural areas. Bill Clinton also carried Oregon County both times in 1992 and 1996. Like most of the other rural counties in Missouri, Oregon County favored John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008.
Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Oregon County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a womanâ€"it overwhelmingly passed Oregon County with 87.09 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the stateâ€"it failed in Oregon County with 56.78 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Oregon County’s longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hourâ€"it passed Oregon County with 73.14 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.
Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008)
In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary, voters in Oregon County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.
- Former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 989, than any candidate from either party in Oregon County during the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary.
Education
Of adults 25 years of age and older in Oregon County, 72.0% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 9.1% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.
Public schools
- Alton R-IV School District - Alton
- Alton Elementary School (K-06)
- Alton High School (07-12)
- Couch R-I School District - Myrtle
- Couch Elementary School (K-06)
- Couch High School (07-12)
- Oregon-Howell R-III School District - Koshkonong
- Koshkonong Elementary School (K-06)
- Koshkonong High School (07-12)
- Thayer R-II School District - Thayer
- Thayer Elementary School (K-06)
- Thayer High School (07-12)
Public libraries
- Oregon County Library District
Communities
Cities
- Alton (county seat)
- Koshkonong
- Thayer
Census-designated place
- Thomasville
Other unincorporated places
- Bardley
- Couch
- Myrtle
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Oregon County, Missouri
References
External links
- Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Oregon County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
- Geologic Map of the Piedmont Hollow Quadrangle, Oregon County, Missouri United States Geological Survey
-  "Oregon, a S. county of Missouri". The American Cyclopædia. 1879.Â
- Oregon County Sheriff's Office
