Jefferson City: Recreation

Sightseeing

The State Capitol, which houses the Missouri State Museum, is the third state Capitol building, the first two having been destroyed by fires in 1837 and 1911. The stone building, built between 1913-1917, sits on a limestone bluff on the south bank of the Missouri River. A 1936 mural within the capitol building's House Lounge, painted by Missouri artist Thomas Hart Benton, is entitled A Social History of the State of Missouri. The mural, which depicts average citizens involved in their daily activities, was at first criticized for showing a lack of refinement, but has since become a beloved visual record. Free guided tours of the building are available daily. Located adjacent to the Capitol Rotunda, the Missouri State Museum houses a History Hall and a Resource Hall. The latter tells the story of Missouri from its earliest history to modern times. Located on the Capitol grounds is the large Fountain of Centaurs that was designed by sculptor Adolph A. Weinman.

The Missouri Governor's Mansion is perched on a bluff within walking distance of the State Capitol. An outstanding example of Renaissance Revival style architecture, the mansion has been beautifully restored. The three-story red brick building is trimmed in stone and has an imposing portico with four stately pink granite columns, and its mansard roof is crowned by iron grillwork. The work of Missouri painters Thomas Hart Benton and George Caleb Bingham adorns the walls. The mansion is decked out as a haunted house at Halloween, and is ornately decorated at holiday time.

The Jefferson Landing State Historic Site is a complex of three historic buildings—the Christopher Maus House, the Lohman Building, and the Union Hotel—located just one block from the Capitol. They form the state's oldest remaining Missouri River commercial district. The buildings were restored in 1976 and serve as the Capitol complex's visitors center. The 1854 Christopher Maus House typifies the small, red brick residences of its time; the Union Hotel, built in 1865, houses a gallery with historical exhibits; and the Lohman Building, which serves as the visitor center for the Missouri State Museum, was once a store that supplied boat merchandise and general items to the local citizenry. Across the street, the Cole County Historical Society displays artifacts of the city's earlier days, including a collection of inaugural ball gowns of former Missouri first ladies.

The Runge Conservation Nature Center has a 3,000-square-foot exhibit hall that provides hands-on exhibits of Missouri wildlife habitats, and features a 2,400-gallon fish aquarium holding indigenous fish. Adjacent to the Runge conservation Nature Center are five hiking trails with self-guided exhibits. More than 3,500 veterinary artifacts and instruments, some more than a century old, can be viewed at the Missouri Veterinary Medical Foundation Museum, along with old diaries and sample drug cases.

The Missouri State Information Center, which houses the State Records and Archives Division of the Secretary of State's office, is a must for genealogy buffs. Visitors to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Safety Education Center and Law Enforcement Museum can view old patrol cars, gun, drug, alcohol, and seat belt displays, and various law enforcement antiques.

Arts and Culture

The Little Theatre of Jefferson City, based at Lincoln University's Richardson Auditorium, stages musicals, drama, and comedy. Four major productions are presented annually. The Stained Glass Theatre Mid-Missouri, a non-denominational Christian theatre, stages seven shows per year. The Capitol City Players presents dinner theater entertainment ranging from traditional Broadway musicals to more contemporary fare.

The Jefferson City Symphony offers three annual concerts at Richardson Auditorium, in cooperation with the Community Concert Association. In addition, Lincoln University's University Vocal Ensemble, Dance Group, and "Share in the Arts" series invites members of the community the enjoy its theatre, music, dance, and poetry events.

Festivals and Holidays

Jefferson City keeps things lively with a number of annual events. January is highlighted by a bridal show and a boat show. In mid-March the Annual Ice Show provides a colorful extravaganza at the covered Washington Park Ice Arena. May brings the Collectibles and Antique Show and Antique Fair. The city welcomes Independence Day with the Salute to America, featuring musical entertainment, a parade, historical reenactments, arts and crafts, and fireworks. In September, the town celebrates the colors of fall with the Cole County Fall Festival, an arts and crafts fair; the Jefferson City Multicultural Fall Festival, focusing on the city's diversity; Art inside the Park, where contemporary artists create installations in Memorial Park; and the Annual JazzFest on the Capitol grounds. Oktoberfest celebrates resident's German heritage with a festival featuring a beer garden, wine, carriage rides, food, and home tours.

December is filled with holiday activities that begin during the first weekend with the Living Christmas Showcase downtown. It features music, carriage rides, hayrides, tours of historic buildings, and living window displays. Candlelight tours of the Governor's Mansion, decorated for the holiday season, are available. The Annual Christmas Parade takes place on the first Saturday of the month.

Sports for the Spectator

Both students and community members like to watch the Blue Devils in action during athletic activities that take place at Lincoln University. These events include women's basketball, softball, cross-country/track and field, and tennis, as well as men's basketball, baseball, cross-country/track and field, soccer, and golf. In 2005 the women's cross-country/track and field team won their third straight NCAA Division II Track and Field Championship.

Sports for the Participant

Ellis Porter Riverside Park offers 60 acres on a bluff overlooking the Missouri river. The park includes a 9,500 square-foot swimming pool, ball playing areas including a basketball court and three lighted handball/racquetball courts, trails, and an outdoor amphitheater. Binder Park, with 644 acres, is the city's largest park. It provides a 155-acre lake for fishing, a boat launch ramp, a campground, lighted softball fields, and two sand volleyball courts. Oak Hills Golf Center/Hough Park complex has an 8-acre lake with a boat launching area and an 18-hole golf course. Other parks in the city offer a variety of facilities including trails, horseshoe pits, ball fields, and an ice arena. Public and private golf courses in the area include Eagle Knoll, Railwood Golf Club, Turkey Creek Golf Center (public); and Jefferson City Country Club and Meadow Lake Acres Country Club (private).

South of Jefferson City, the Lake of the Ozarks State park offers more than 17,000 acres of camping, hiking, swimming, and boating facilities.

Shopping and Dining

High Street is the focal point of downtown shopping, with restaurants and galleries tucked among the brick-fronted shops. Shoppers may also browse at the Capital Mall, which offers dozens of stores, three department stores—Dillard's, Sears, and JCPenney—and a multiscreen cinema. Other local shopping areas include the Southside area, the Eastend with its many quaint shops, and the Westend area, which has more than 30 restaurants concentrated along Missouri Boulevard.

Local restaurants offer many opportunities to sample the cuisines of various cultures. Menus feature big Midwestern steaks and local catfish, as well as Greek, Asian, Mexican, Italian, and German offerings.

Visitor Information: Jefferson City Convention & Visitors Bureau, 213 Adams St., Jefferson City, MO 65102; telephone (573)632-2820; fax (573)638-4892

Jefferson City: History

Missouri's Early Development

Before the coming of white settlers, the region surrounding Jefferson City was home to an ancient group known as the Mound People. In fact, America's largest prehistoric city was located only 160 miles away at what is now Cahokia, Illinois. Why this civilization disappeared remains a mystery.

At the time Europeans arrived in the area in the seventeenth century, the Osage Indians inhabited the region. In 1673, the French explorers Joliet and Marquette explored the region. In 1682, the explorer LaSalle sailed down the Mississippi River and claimed the area of Jefferson City for France. In 1715, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac opened a lead mine nearby, where until 1744 white men used slaves to work the mines. During the mid-1700s, settlements were begun at Ste. Genevieve and at St. Louis. Soon many new settlers began arriving from Kentucky and Tennessee by way of the Ohio River and its tributaries.

In the 1780s, the Spanish built a road northward from New Madrid, Missouri to St. Louis, which today is known as U.S. Route 51. The area was explored by members of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804. In the early 1800s, frontiersman Daniel Boone carved out the Boone's Lick Trail, which is now Interstate Highway 70. It ran westward from St. Charles to the Missouri River at Franklin. In time the Santa Fe Trail was developed, running from Franklin westward to Independence, then southward. The Oregon Trail branched westward from Independence.

Created to Serve as Capital

Jefferson City holds the distinction of having been created specifically to serve as the state capital by a commission appointed by the Missouri state legislature in 1821. But until government buildings could be constructed, the town of St. Charles served as the capital.

Jefferson City was laid out by Daniel Morgan Boone, the son of the frontiersman. It was named for U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, who served from 1801-1809. The town was incorporated in 1825, and the general assembly moved there in 1826. At that time, the town had thirty-one families, a general store, a hotel, and a few other buildings.

For several years, other towns attempted to have the capital city changed, and in 1832 Governor John Miller suggested that a state penitentiary be built in Jefferson City to strengthen the town's position as capital. The prison was completed in 1836.

The next year, the Capitol burned and all the state records went up in flames. Five years later, a new statehouse was completed at the site of the present Capitol building. At that time, although pigs still wandered in the streets, modern steamboats regularly visited the city and stage coach routes brought travelers. These facilities encouraged the growth of local industries, including grist mills, flour mills, tanneries, and distilleries. The 1830s saw the influx of German immigrants, who were mostly farmers.

Civil War Brings Strife and Division

In 1839, Jefferson City was incorporated as a city, and in 1840 the population stood at 1,174 people, including 262 slaves. A frightening incident took place in 1849, when a ship carrying Mormon church members, some of whom had cholera, landed at the city dock. For two years, the plague infected residents in the area, paralyzing the local trade.

In 1855, the Pacific Railroad line was completed between St. Louis and Jefferson City. However, the first trip between the two cities was a disaster. As residents waited for the president of the railroad and other dignitaries to arrive, a pier collapsed on a bridge that crossed the Gasconade River, and the resulting train accident killed 28 people and injured 30 others. Regular train service did not begin until the next year.

The coming of the Civil War (1860–1865) brought to a head the question of whether slavery would continue in Missouri. While President Abraham Lincoln encouraged an end to slavery, Missouri Governor Claiborne F. Jackson favored the retention of slavery and the secession of the southern states, including Missouri.

Decades Pass Before Wounds Heal

Soon after, a convention was held in Missouri to decide which position the state assembly would embrace. The convention voted to remain in the Union. But Governor Jackson refused to recognize federal authority and also refused to send troops to fight for the Union Army.

Instead, he rallied 50,000 volunteers for the state militia and marched from the capital to join Confederate forces at Booneville. But two days later, Union troops overran Jefferson City and pitched camp on Capitol Hill. In 1864, Confederate General and former Missouri Governor Sterling Price and his men marched to within four miles of the city and announced they would attack. Troops exchanged fire, but in the end Price withdrew and fled westward toward Kansas City, and Jefferson City remained in Union hands.

Decades passed before the city recovered from the rifts occasioned by the Civil War. But the Missouri constitution of 1875 restored peace of mind to the citizens and a period of expansion began. Such industries as printing and shoe manufacturing developed in the city, and within ten years a bridge was built across the Missouri River, uniting the pro-South Jefferson City with its pro-North neighbors in Kansas. In 1896, the town of Sedalia tried to wrest the capital from Jefferson City, but the attempt failed when Jefferson City triumphed in a popular vote among Missouri citizens.

The City in the Twentieth Century

After 1900, the local economy began to grow again with the expansion of the state government. In 1904, The Supreme Court Building was constructed with funds from the St. Louis World's Fair. The next year St. Mary's Hospital was built. In 1911, street car service began in the city, and a dramatic fire brought the destruction of the old State House. A new one was completed in 1917 and the present Capitol building was dedicated in 1924.

For the next forty years, the business of state government business continued to dominate the local scene, throughout the periods of two world wars and the Great Depression. The city slowly continued to grow, as more people left the local farms and gravitated to the city.

In 1951, Still Hospital was built, and in 1954 a major prison riot took place at the state prison in Jefferson City. The 1960s saw the construction of Memorial Hospital, the opening of Rex M. Whitten Expressway, and Jefferson City's development as a manufacturing center. In 1983, the John G. Christy Municipal Building opened. A major flood in 1993 caused extensive damage, but by the end of the 1990s the city had fully recovered. Jefferson City, notable for its liveability, and relatively low cost of living and high per capita income, has entered the 2000s with vitality.

Historical Information: Cole County Historical Society, 109 Madison St., Jefferson City, MO, 65101; telephone (573)635-1850

Jefferson City: Economy

Major Industries and Commercial Activity

The major business in Jefferson City is government, which provides more than 28,000 local jobs; nearly 17,000 of these jobs are for the Missouri state government. Much of the state government business is carried on in the city, home of the Missouri Legislature, Missouri Supreme Court, and many offices that house the different state departments.

Jefferson City also serves as a trading center for the agricultural produce grown in the area. The main cash crops raised are corn, wheat, and soybeans. Between 1997 and 2002, the number of farms in the county decreased by 6 percent, from 1,162 farms to 1,098; however, the size of farms increased by 4 percent, from 162 acres to 169 acres.

More than 20 different industries make up the economic base of Jefferson City, including the manufacture of electric appliances, book binding, shoemaking, and steel fabrication. Per capita personal income in the county increased by 51.7 percent from 1991 to 2001, and the city has one of the lowest costs of living in the state; these factors, plus an increase in visitors to Jefferson City, have boosted local retail in recent years.

Items and goods produced: structural steel products, heat transfer equipment, books, cosmetics, automotive seating, radiators, washer parts

Incentive Programs—New and Existing Companies

Business incentive and economic programs are administered at the state level to Jefferson City businesses.

State programs

The state of Missouri offers numerous major tax exemptions, abatements, and credits for qualifying businesses. They include exemptions involving the purchase of new machinery and equipment; tax credits to small businesses; property tax abatement and state tax credit for property in a "blighted area"; and tax credits for vineyards and wine producers, and for film production companies. The Missouri Department of Economic Development and other agencies offer business finance programs.

Job training programs

The Missouri Training and Employment Council, a division of the state of Missouri, works with local, regional, and state businesses to create programs that help hire and train employees, such as career centers and educational systems. The Jefferson/Franklin Consortium Career Center acts as a "one-stop shop" for both employers and prospective employees. The Missouri Community College New Jobs Training Program offers assistance to companies expanding or relocating to Missouri and creating substantial new jobs; the program assists with employee training costs.

Economic Development Information: Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, 213 Adams St., Jefferson City, MO 65101; telephone (573)634-3616; fax (573)634-3805. Missouri Department of Economic Development, 301 W. High Street, Jefferson City, MO 65102; telephone: (573)751-4962; fax (573)526-7700; email ecodev@ded.mo.gov.

Commercial Shipping

The Union Pacific Railroad provides rail freight service. Several motor freight carriers serve the city. Barge lines ship cargo through Jefferson City via the Missouri River.

Labor Force and Employment Outlook

The labor force of Jefferson City is technologically competent. That, combined with the cooperation among city, state, and county governmental offices, the school district, chamber of commerce, public utilities, and industries, has helped to make this small metropolitan area among the fastest growing in the state. The city continues to attract new businesses and new jobs are being created. A 2004 study shows that job prospects in Cole County and surrounding counties are the best in the state; prospects are especially strong in the categories of durable goods manufacturing, transportation/public utilities and services.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Jefferson City labor force, 2004 annual averages.

Size of nonagricultural labor force: 78,400

Number of workers employed in . . .

trade, transportation and utilities: 13,800

government: 28,800

Average hourly earnings of production workers employed in manufacturing: Not reported

Unemployment rate: 5.1% (February 2005)

Cost of Living

The following is a summary of data regarding several key cost of living factors for the Jefferson City area.

2004 (3rd Quarter) ACCRA Average House Price: $207,800

2004 (3rd Quarter) ACCRA Cost of Living Index: 91.7 (U.S. average = 100.0)

State income tax rate: 1.5% to 6.0%

State sales tax rate: 4.225%

Local income tax rate: None

Local sales tax rate: 2.0% (1.5% city; 0.5% county)

Property tax rate: $.72 per $100 assessed valuation

Economic Information: Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce, 213 Adams St., Jefferson City, MO 65101; telephone (573)634-3616

Jefferson City: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Jefferson City School District elementary schools offer instruction in language arts, social studies, science, math, fine arts, and physical education. Two middle schools, identical in physical design, feature innovative curriculums for grades 6-8. All ninth graders attend the Simonsen Center; in tenth grade, the students transfer to Jefferson City High School. High school students may also opt to enroll in classes offered by Nichols Career Center, which offers classes in a variety of vocational areas.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Jefferson City public school system as of the 2002–2003 school year.

Total enrollment: 8,338

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 11

junior high/middle schools: 2

senior high schools: 1

Student/teacher ratio: 14.5:1

Teacher salaries

average: $41,062

Funding per pupil: $6,095

Jefferson City is home to 10 private schools. The largest of these is Helias Interparish High School, which enrolls about 900 students from three local Catholic parishes. Emphasis at Helias is placed on a four-year program in math, science, English, social studies, and foreign language. Courses are taught in computer applications with computer assisted instruction in other courses.

Public Schools Information: Jefferson City Public Schools, 315 E. Dunklin St., Jefferson City, MO 65101; telephone (573)659-3000

Colleges and Universities

Lincoln University, founded in 1866 by African American Civil War veterans, has changed over time from an African American university to a major coeducational state university with a multi-ethnic student body. The university offers undergraduate degrees in arts and sciences, as well as accounting, business administration, public administration, marketing, business education, economics, computer science, technology, military science, and agribusiness. Graduate programs are available in business, education, and social science.

Libraries and Research Centers

Jefferson City is served by the Missouri River Regional Library, which has nearly 200,000 volumes and approximately 400 periodical subscriptions. The library has special collections on local and state history. The system has one branch and two bookmobiles.

The Missouri State Library has special collections on health and education policy issues, human service, legislative reference, public finance, and state government. The Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, featuring braille and large-type books, has holdings of 321,832 volumes and 70 periodical subscriptions. Other state libraries located in the city are the Missouri Committee on Legislative Research, with 5,200 volumes and 125 periodical subscriptions; the Missouri Department of Corrections Libraries, with more than 100,000 book titles; the Missouri Supreme Court Library, which has more than 110,000 volumes; and the Office of the Secretary of State, Missouri State Archives, which has 12,500 volumes.

Other local libraries include Lincoln University's Inman E. Page Library, which has nearly 180,000 volumes, and special collections on ethnic studies, and the library of the Cole County Historical Society, which has special collections on oral history.

Lincoln University's Cooperative Research Program conducts studies in agricultural science, nutrition, and environmental science.

Public Library Information: Missouri River Regional Library, 214 Adams St., Jefferson City, MO 65102; telephone (573)634-2464; fax (573)634-7028

Jefferson City: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

The Jefferson City Post Tribune is published weekday afternoons; the Daily Capital News is published Tuesday through Saturday mornings, and the Sunday News Tribune is a combination of both publications.

The Catholic Missourian is the official newspaper of the Diocese of Jefferson City, while Word and Way is a religious tabloid published by the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Local magazines include the Journal of the Missouri Bar, Rural Missouri, Missouri Municipal Review, Missouri Conservationist, The Missouri Engineer, The Missouri Nurse, Missouri Pharmacist, Missouri Wildlife, and Show Me Missouri Farm Bureau News. Also published in Jefferson City are Something Better, an education magazine, and MLPGA News, a magazine for the gas industry. Locally produced journals include Focus MDA, a dental journal, and Missouri Medicine, a journal reporting on the interests of medical and public health professionals.

Television and Radio

Local radio stations include an FM oldies station, an FM jazz and urban contemporary station, an FM top 40 station, an FM country station, and an AM news and talk station. There are ABC, CBS and NBC-affiliated television stations in the city.

Media Information: Jefferson City News & Tribune, PO Box 420, Jefferson City, MO 65102; telephone (573)636-3131

Jefferson City Online

City of Jefferson City home page. Available www.jeffcity.com/cityclerk

Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce. Available www.jcchamber.org

Jefferson City Convention & Visitors Bureau. Available www.visitjeffersoncity.com/default.htm

Jefferson City Public Schools. Available www.jcps.k12.mo.us

Missouri River Regional Library. Available www.mrrl.org

News Tribune. Available www.newstribune.com

Selected Bibliography

Digges, Deborah, Fugitive Spring: A Memoir (New York: Vintage Books, 1993)

Ford, James E., History of Jefferson City, Missouri's State Capital and of Cole County (Salem, MA: Higginson Book Company, 1994)

Young, Robert Emmett, Pioneers of High, Water, and Main: Reflections of Jefferson City (Jefferson City, MO: Twelfth State, 1997)