Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
In 1843 the people of Blacksnake Hills desired to become the seat of Buchanan County, moving it from its original location of Sparta, MO. A committee formed to find a spot for a new courthouse. They selected a site owned by Joseph Robidoux. As a result, Robidoux commissioned a plat for the town, choosing the design of St. Joseph's first postmaster, Frederick Smith. Robidoux signed the map and sent it to St. Louis to be filled with the Court of Common Pleas, and on July 26, 1843 St. Joseph officially became a town.