Doniphan, Missouri
Doniphan is the largest city and county seat of Ripley County, Missouri. It had a population of 1,997 at the 2010 census. The city was named for Alexander Doniphan, a famous Missouri soldier and politician of the 19th century.
History
Doniphan was erected on the site of an older Indian village, whose name is not known. Owing to its location on the Current River, a trading post, called Galigini, existed there as early as 1802. Around 1819, Lemuel Kittrell, one of the first settlers in the future Ripley County, built a house and mill overlooking the river next to the trading post, and after a road from St. Louis to Little Rock, Arkansas had been constructed through the area, a village gradually took shape around Kittrell's home.
In 1847, the community was incorporated, and at that time named for Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan. Doniphan, a noted lawyer and politician, had led a formation of 800 Missouri militia to Mexico the previous year to fight in the Mexican War, and was a popular figure in the state at the time. At this time, Ripley County was much larger than today, and the county seat was at Van Buren farther north; however, it was in the territory separated in 1859 to form Carter County. Owing to its relative size and its location along an important transportation route, Doniphan was then chosen as the new county seat.[1]