Gazetteer/Almanac
Headnote
PLATTE COUNTY, situated on the westerly boundary of Missouri, with Missouri river on the southwest. Area, --------- square miles. Seat of justice, Platte city. Pop. in 1850, 16,845. (Fanning's, 1853)
PLATTE, a county in the W. N. W. part of Missouri, has an area of 416 square miles. It is bounded on the S. W. by the Missouri river, and traversed from N. to S. by Little Platte river, from which it derives its name. The surface is diversified by forests and undulating prairies; the soil is very productive, and extensively cultivated. Hemp, tobacco, Indian corn, wheat, oats, butter, and pork are the staples. By the census of 1850 Platte county produced more hemp than any other county in the Union, more wheat and butter than any other in Missouri, and more corn than any other in the state excepting Buchanan. The produce of that year was 1,814,287 bushels of corn; 129,067 of wheat; 127,392 of oats ; 4355 tons of hemp ; 3551 of hay, and 959,811 pounds of butter. It contained 15 churches, 2 newspaper offices ; 1784 pupils attending public schools, and 200 attending other schools. Platte county is the most populous in the state excepting St. Louis. The inhabitants carry on a profitable trade with the Indian tribes. Capital, Platte City. Population, 14,845; of whom 14,047 were free, and 2798, slaves. (Baldwin & Thomas, A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States ... 1854)
