Published on February 06, 2026
Jackson County is celebrating its rich history during its Bicentennial in 2026.
The history of Jackson County began long before Missouri became a state. The area was a long-time home for the Osage tribe before the appearance of Europeans. Those first European explorers were French trappers who traveled the Missouri River trading with regional Native Americans.
Jackson County was part of the territory claimed by France and later sold to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark passed through Jackson County on their expedition in 1804. Among other comments, their report indicated a "high, commanding position" along the river within the current boundaries of Jackson County. In 1808, Clark returned and constructed Fort Osage on that spot. That stockade and trading post were among the first U.S. military installations within the Louisiana Purchase territory and remained active until 1822.
Fort Osage National Historic Landmark is now owned and operated by Jackson County Parks + Rec.
The earliest non-Native American community established near the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers consisted of about twenty families of French descent. They were led to the area in the 1820s by Francois Chouteau and his brothers, Cyprien and Frederic. The brothers came to the area hoping to establish a way station from which trade goods and furs could be sent up and down the Missouri River.
Missouri was admitted as a state in 1821, and on December 15, 1826, the County of Jackson was organized. The county was named for Andrew Jackson, a then U.S. Senator from Tennessee and hero of the War of 1812. Jackson became the seventh President of the United States in 1829.