Springfield

History

Native American peoples had long lived in this area. In the 1830s, the native Osage Nation, the Kickapoo from Indiana, and the Lenape (Delaware) from the mid-Atlantic coast had settled in this general area trying to evade encroachment by European Americans on their lands. The Osage had been the dominant tribe for more than one century in the larger region. Campbell Township was one of the seven original townships organized on March 11, 1833, when Greene County was much larger. An 1876 map shows its boundaries include all the sections in T29N and R21 and 22W. It was bounded by Center Township on the west, Robberson, and Franklin Townships on the north, Taylor Township on the east, and Wilson and Clay Townships on the south. (Later, Campbell was split into Campbell No. 1 Township and Campbell No. 2 Township, then into North Campbell No. 1 Township, North Campbell No. 2 Township, and North Campbell No. 3 Township.) The county seat of Springfield is located in Campbell Township due to the efforts of John Polk Campbell. The township is named after John Polk Campbell, who donated the land for Springfield's public square and platted the town site. In 1835 he deeded 50 acres of land to the legislature for the creation of a county seat. Campbell laid out city streets and lots. The town was incorporated in 1838. In 1878, the town got its nickname as the "Queen City of the Ozarks". By 1861, Springfield's population had grown to approximately 2,000, and it had become an important commercial hub. In the late 1850s, telegraph lines, previously connected only as far as St. Louis, reached Springfield. News from points further west was brought to Springfield overland. It was sent by telegraph to what was then called the New York Associated Press. At the start of the American Civil…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,903
• Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  7,304
• Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766)

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,521
• Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834)

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  6,261
• Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758)

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,045
• Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,018
• Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758)

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,479
• Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,269

Largest nearby schools

• KICKAPOO HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,881 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• REPUBLIC HIGH
  High · REPUBLIC · 1,542 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• CENTRAL HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,464 students · 13:1 ratio
• GLENDALE HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,307 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• PARKVIEW HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,234 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• HILLCREST HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,017 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• CHEROKEE MIDDLE
  Middle · SPRINGFIELD · 758 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• PERSHING MIDDLE
  Middle · SPRINGFIELD · 704 students · 16:1 ratio