On January 2, 1833, Lewis County was organized (having been attached to Marion County) with the approval of a bill which was introduced into the Legislation in December of 1832. It passed without opposition and was approved by Gov. Dunklin. Lewis County is named for Captain Merriwether Lewis, (of the famous "Lewis & Clark"), who was a native of Virginia.

It is said that probably the first merchant in Lewis County was a Mr. Everett, who had a small store at Smoot's Landing, on the Mississippi, two miles below Canton, in about 1830. The first miller was probably John McKinney, who sometime between 1830 and 1833 built a water mill on the Wyaconda near it's mouth, and immediately north of LaGrange (Section 25-61-6). Unfortunately, in a few years, the backwater from the Mississippi carried away both the mill and the dam.

The first steam mill was built at Tully in 1841 or 1842, by John Nelson of Kentucky.. It was a large flouring mill with powerful engines, expensive machinery, and it's capacity for work was large. It was, in fact, too large for the country. In a few years, it went down, entailing considerable loss on the proprietor.

The first ferry license was granted by the Lewis County Court in December of 1833, to John R.Wilcox, who lived on the river (fractional Sections 9-64-5), in what is now Clark County. He was granted license to operate a ferry-boat across the Mississippi for a term of one year. In 1835, John Montague was licensed to run a ferry across the Mississippi, at the mouth of the Des Moines, and on September 2, 1833, Jeremiah Wayland was given a license to conduct a ferry across the Des Moines River "at his residence". In March of 1836, the location was designated at Fort Pike, built by Captain Mace during the Black Hawk War. No ferries were operated in what is now Lewis County for a long time after it's organization.

The first legal inquest "on a dead body" was held in June, 1834, by Judge John Taylor, of Clark, acting coroner - the records give no particulars.

The first naturalization papers were issued in July 1834, to Thomas Legg, Robert Legg, and David Legg, "heretofore subjects of William IV, King of Great Britain and Ireland."

The first regular courthouse belonging to the county was completed in time for the June 1834 term. It was a rather small log building and cost $210.00.

The first jail was built in 1842. It was constructed of logs, and really consisted of two strong log pens, one enclosing the other, with the intervals between them filled with other logs set in palisade form deep into the earth. It stood in the southeast corner of the square, and cost the county $1,000.00.

The first school district was organized in Union Township, in September of 1837, and called Union.

It appears that the first marriages in what is now Lewis County were those of John Bozarth Jr. and Amelia Bowles, and Abner Bozarth and Millicent Bowles, both on March 5, 1829. The grooms were brothers, the sons of John Bozarth, Sr.; and the brides were sisters, daughters of Dabney Bowles, at whose house below LaGrange, the double wedding was celebrated.

The first marriage after the county was organized was of Joseph Loudermilk and Nancy Bailey, by Rev Eli Merrill, March 3, 1833.

Aside from the organization of the county, the first official proceedings, marriage, etc., another memorable event took place in Lewis County November 12, 1833. A meteoric shower, which began shortly after midnight on November 12, 1833, filled the heavens with "falling stars", as thick as snowflakes in a heavy snowstorm. Many thought that the end of the world had come and fell to their knees, confessing their sins, and praying for mercy! But, with the coming of morning, the fear was cast aside, and all returned to normal.

A few cases of cholera, nearly all of them fatal, occurred in Lewis County. In July of 1833, Asiatic cholera broke out in Palmyra, and before it subsided, 107 persons had died out of a total population of about 600. Some say that the plague was brought to this quarter of Missouri by General Scott's troops, from Prairie du Chien, who had been sent up during the Black Hawk War.

The citizens of LaGrange were thrown into consternation. Some were stricken with the cholera, but after much suffering, did recover. Dr Higgins, of LaGrange, and perhaps the only doctor in the area, sent his family to the residence of a reltave, Justinian Mills, two or three miles west of the village of LaGrange, and devoted himself to the care of those stricken by the plague. Eventually he too was taken by the dreaded disease, dying the next day after enduring the most intense agonies.

Coffins were made in the country by John Loudermilk, out on Dungen's Creek, and brought by him to the Wyaconda, at the "lover's Leap", and deposited on the bank of the creek. From here they were taken away in canoes, as fast as needed, Loudermilk having been ordered to keep a supply constantly on hand. In a week, or two, however, the plague was removed, owing to the strict precautions taken against it's spread, and also partly owing to the sparsely poplulated area. In 1849, the cholera did reappear, claiming "Juba" Jenkins and perhaps one or two others.

(The above bits of history of Lewis County, Missouri, were extracted from The History of Lewis, Clark, Knox and Scotland Counties, Missouri, 1887)