Place Information
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Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. Monroe County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area. As of 2000, the population was 27,619 (estimated at 31,876 in 2006). Its county seat is Waterloo, Illinois. Its largest city is Columbia, Illinois.
History
Monroe County was formed in 1816 out of Randolph and St. Clair Counties, as the 8th county created from the then Illinois Territory. Beginning on the Mississippi River where the base line, which is about three-fourths of a mile below Judge Briggs's present residence, strikes the said river; thence with the base line until it strikes the first township line therefrom; thence southeast to the southeast corner of township two south, range nine west; thence south to the southeast corner of township four north, range nine west; thence southwestwardly to the Mississippi, so as to include Alexander McNabb's farm, and thence up the Mississippi to the beginning shall constitute a separate county, to be called MONROE. It was named in honor of James Monroe, who had just served as United States Secretary of War and who was elected President later that same year. Its first county seat was Harrisonville named for William Henry Harrison, former governor of the Northwest Territory and future President. Harrison actually invested in several tracts of land in the American Bottoms above Harrisonville, mostly in the present precinct of Moredock, ownership of which he retained until his death. Waterloo assumed the mantle of county seat in 1825. The site of the old town of Harrisonville has since been submerged by the Mississippi River, there is still an unincorporated community of that name, some distance east of the original site. The bounds of Monore County in 1816 did not include Precincts 1 and 6 (village of Hecker and Prairie du Long), Precinct 1 and most of 6 was added in 1825 from St. Clair County. The strip of Precinct 6 from the survey township line east to the Kaskaskia was added, once again from St. Clair, two years later in 1827. Some minor adjustments and clarifications of the boundaries have taken place, but the borders have remained essentially static since 1827. Timeline
Population History
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