Caldwell County, Missouri

Caldwell County
Caldwell County courthouse in Kingston
Caldwell County courthouse in Kingston
Map of Missouri highlighting Caldwell County
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Map of the United States highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°40′N 93°59′W / 39.66°N 93.98°W / 39.66; -93.98
Country United States
State Missouri
FoundedDecember 29, 1836
Named forJohn Caldwell
SeatKingston
Largest cityHamilton
Area
 • Total430 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Land426 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Water3.2 sq mi (8 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total8,815
 • Density21/sq mi (7.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district6th
Websitewww.caldwellco.missouri.org

Caldwell County is a county located in Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 8,815. It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.[1] Its county seat is Kingston.[2] The county was organized December 29, 1836, and named by Alexander Doniphan to honor John Caldwell, who participated in George Rogers Clark's Native American Campaign of 1786 and was the second Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky.

Caldwell County was originally established as a haven for Mormons, who had been driven from Jackson County in November 1833, and had been refugees in adjacent Clay County since. The county was one of the principal settings of the 1838 Missouri Mormon War, which led to the expulsion of all Latter Day Saints from Missouri, following the issuance of an "extermination order" by then–Governor Lilburn Boggs.

  1. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.