Pioneer Thomas Patterson attempted, in 1821, to make the first permanent settlement on the site of present-day Springfield; however, the Delaware people arrived the following year to claim the land as a federal Indian reservation. James Wilson was the lone settler to remain, and after the further relocation of the Delaware in 1830 he farmed land in the area. New settlers followed immediately. Among them was John Polk Campbell, who staked a claim in 1829 on a site that was then called Kickapoo Prairie; he carved his initials in an ash tree where four springs unite to form Wilson's Creek. This location was well situated, and a settlement soon grew up around the Campbell homestead.
Campbell was made county clerk when Missouri's Greene County was organized in 1833, and two years later he and his wife deeded land for a townsite. Springfield's name comes from a spring that creates Jordan Valley Creek downtown. Springfield was incorporated in 1838 and chartered in 1847.
Springfield's location and commercial base made it a military target during the Civil War. Sentiments regarding the war were split in the town, with the professional classes descended from Tennessee slaveholders supporting the Southern cause and rural settlers favoring the North. The Battle of Wilson's Creek was fought on August 10, 1861, resulting in a victory for the Confederate army; Union forces won the next battle in February, 1862, however, and held the area until the end of the war. Among the soldiers based at the Union Army's Springfield headquarters was James Butler Hickok, nicknamed Wild Bill, who served as a scout and spy. During a gun fight in July 1865 on the city square with his former friend, gambler Dave Tutt, Hickok shot Tutt through the heart. Hickok was acquitted in a trial in which he was defended by John S. Phelps, a future Missouri governor.
In 1870 land speculators persuaded the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad to build a railroad through a new town north of Springfield despite the protests of Springfield citizens, who claimed that the new route violated the original charter. Nonetheless, the Ozark Land Company was organized and the new town was deeded to the company. As both communities grew, they were consolidated in 1887.
During the first half of the twentieth century, Springfield became an agricultural and distribution center; after World War II, the population grew rapidly as the result of the expansion of Eastern manufacturing companies into the West. The city's proximity to the Ozark Mountains makes it a popular tourist destination.
A vital economy, low cost of living, commitment to education, scenic location, and commitment to downtown revitalization are ensuring the city's steady growth in population.
Historical Information: Springfield-Greene County Public Libraries, 4653 South Campbell, Springfield, MO 65810; telephone (417)874-8110