History of Columbia, Missouri

Its position astride the Boone's Lick Road led to early growth as settlers flooded into the Boonslick and eventually the West.

Columbia's origins begin with the settlement of American pioneers from Kentucky and Virginia in an early 1800s region known as the Boonslick.

Before 1815 settlement in the region was confined to small log forts because of the threat of Native American attack during the War of 1812.

When the war ended settlers came on foot, horseback, and wagon, often moving entire households along the Boone's Lick Road and sometimes bringing enslaved African Americans.

The Missouri Legislature appointed John Gray, Jefferson Fulcher, Absalom Hicks, Lawrence Bass, and David Jackson as commissioners to select and establish a permanent county seat.

Columbia's permanence was ensured when it was chosen as county seat in 1821 and the Boone's Lick Road was rerouted down Broadway.

Columbia's infrastructure was largely untouched by the Civil War, although several major battles occurred nearby at Boonville and Centralia.

The town was heavily garrisoned by Union troops, and though the city was pro-union the surrounding areas of Boone County and the rest of central Missouri was decidedly pro-south.

The downtown district has maintained its status as a cultural center and is undergoing significant development in both residential and commercial sectors.