Nestled between the Mississippi River and the river bluffs, Clarksville was first settled by Kentucky pioneers in 1808. In 1817, four years before Missouri statehood, the first plat was made and Clarksville officially became a town. As legend has it, the town was named in honor of William Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame, and the military governor of the territory. In 1847, Clarksville was incorporated by Governor John Miller on land patented to him by Pres. James Monroe. In 1850, Clarksville received charter. Having had one of the finest river dock areas on the entire Mississippi River, Clarksville in the years between 1825 and 1879 became a busy river port. During this time, The Landmark House, c1847, was built. This house was used by early riverboat captains as a sighting point. Its cornerstone bears the mark of the 1857 river flood and five subsequent marks as the river has risen. The structure is considered a classic example of the architecture of the famed Christopher Wren of London. By 1860, the population approached 1200 with dry good stores, grocery stores, drug stores, hardware stores, meat markets, restaurants, a bakery, one hotel, a printing office, barber shops and eight factories including a vinegar factory (whose cider and vinegar won prizes at the Chicago World's Fair in 1896), a milling company, a stave and barrel factory, two tobacco factories, a paper mill, a foundry and a saw mill. Local vineyards yielded 12,000 gallons of wine annually and Clarksville was known as "Appletown" due to the large amounts of locally grown apples shipped from the docks. Clarksville has the distinction of having Missouri's first paper mill and tobacco factory. Commodities left Clarksville docks bound for the rest of the U.S. and Europe. In 1880 the population reached 1600. After 1879, the commercial trade shifted from river to rail with the introduction of a train line between St. Louis and Clarksville. Daily runs were made on the Clarksville/St. Louis short line. In 1886, Clarksville was chosen as the location of 50 mile bicycle race & went on to host a 100 mile race in 1887. At the turn of the century, music lovers enjoyed the Clarksville Opera House. The three story opera building was located on Front street facing the Mississippi River. Visitors from St Louis boated and rode passenger trains from the city to attend musical productions. The last quarter of the 19th century saw many improvements in Clarksville; streets and sidewalks were constructed, brick homes and brick commercial buildings became more prevalent, gas lights were installed and the telephone was introduced. Lock & Dam #24 construction by Army Corp of Engineers was completed in 1939. In the 1950's, Clarksville became a destination for tourists and in the 1960's, the the skylift to the pinnacle overlooking the Mississippi River and river valley was built. Then in 1987, with most of downtown in major disrepair, a not-for-profit organization began purchasing buildings, repairing them, restoring them and readying them for business occupation. As early as 1987, the Clarksville Artist Community began to establish, with active artist recruitment continuing today. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarksville%2C_Missouri