Jackson

History

In 1813, Cape Girardeau County succeeded Cape Girardeau District, and the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Quarter-Sessions of the Peace in Cape Girardeau were superseded by the Court of Common Pleas, leading to a new seat of justice. The seat of the county and the courts were at first held on the plantation of Thomas Bull about one and one-half mile south of present-day Jackson. Land was then purchased along Hubble Creek for the county seat in 1814. The first post office was established in 1814 when the area was called Birdstown. The name was changed to Jackson on August 31, 1819, named for Andrew Jackson, a general popular for his role in the War of 1812. It was the first town to be named after Andrew Jackson. The town was platted in 1815. The Missouri Herald, the third newspaper in state, was established here on June 25, 1819. Although its initial growth was rapid, the economy of the City of Jackson developed conservatively. The town suffered a setback in June, 1833, when Cholera spread killing 128. Cholera struck again on June 10, 1852, causing all abled bodies to flee the town until the epidemic had run its course. In 1841, a bank was established. A flour mill was constructed in 1855 and another in 1873. But the community could not escape the impact of the American Civil War; on June 24, 1861, a military skirmish took place near Jackson between units of the Union Army and the Confederate Army. In 1877, Jackson was linked to Cape Girardeau by the first long-distance railway service line in Missouri. By 1884, the population of the City of Jackson had grown to 2,105, and the town supported 50 businesses. In 1884, by popular vote, it was decided to incorporate Jackson as a city of the fourth class. The courthouse built in 1818 burned down in 1870.…

Geography

Jackson is located on US Route 61 approximately seven miles northwest of Cape Girardeau. Hubble Creek and its tributary Goose Creek flow through the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,284
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,523
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  4,465
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,427
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,347
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  4,179
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  4,152
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,912

Most recent

• M 2.64 — 2026-05-29
  12 km E of Williamsville, Missouri
• M 2.84 — 2026-03-02
  3 km NW of Marston, Missouri
• M 2.6 — 2025-11-01
  5 km SW of Puxico, Missouri
• M 3.07 — 2025-09-06
  4 km S of Puxico, Missouri
• M 2.71 — 2025-05-02
  1 km NNW of Howardville, Missouri
• M 2.78 — 2025-05-01
  1 km NW of Marston, Missouri