Gasconade County, Missouri

Gasconade County, Missouri
Location in the state of Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded	November 25, 1820
Named for	The Gasconade River
Seat	Hermann
Largest city	Hermann
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	526.09 sq mi (1,363 km²) 520.67 sq mi (1,349 km²) 5.43 sq mi (14 km²), 1.03
PopulationEst.  - (2008)  - Density	15,261 30/sq mi (11/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.gscnd.com

Gasconade County is a county in the U.S. state of Missouri located on the south side of the Missouri River, which once served as the chief route of transportation in the state. Located in the area called the Missouri Rhineland, the county had a population of 15,342 as of the 2000 U.S. Census. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 15,261. The county seat is Hermann. The county was named after the Gasconade River. Some of the land on the eastern border of the county is considered to be part of the rural exurbs of the Greater Saint Louis metropolitan area.

Because of its distinctive conditions, the Hermann area was designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1983. The southern part of the county is within the larger Ozark Highlands AVA, established in 1987.

Origin of name

Gasconade County (and the Gasconade River) received its name from French-speaking settlers. They came from the Gascony region in southwest France during French colonial rule of New France (Louisiana Territory).

According to Ramsay, the French colonial inhabitants of this region had the same boastful character as the inhabitants of Gascony in France. Hence the name Gasconade, meaning 'Gascony-like'.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 526.09 square miles (1,362.6 km²), of which 520.67 square miles (1,348.5 km²) (or 98.97%) is land and 5.43 square miles (14.1 km²) (or 1.03%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Montgomery County (north)
• Warren County (northeast)
• Franklin County (east)
• Crawford County (southeast)
• Phelps County (south)
• Maries County (southwest)
• Osage County (west)
• Callaway County (northwest at a point in the Missouri River)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 50
• Route 19
• Route 28
• Route 100

Education

Public Schools

• Gasconade County R-I School District - Hermann
  • Hermann Elementary School (K-03)
  • Hermann Middle School (04-08)
  • Hermann High School (09-12)
• Gasconade County R-II School District - Owensville
  • Gerald Elementary School (K-05) - Gerald
  • Owensville Elementary School (K-05)
  • Owensville Middle School (06-08)
  • Owensville High School (09-12)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,342 people, 6,171 households, and 4,288 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 7,813 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.69% White, 0.12% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Approximately 0.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,171 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,047, and the median income for a family was $41,518. Males had a median income of $29,659 versus $20,728 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,319. About 7.00% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.20% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Bland Gasconade

Hermann Morrison

Mount Sterling Owensville

Rosebud

Politics

Local

Politics at the local level in Gasconade County is predominantly controlled by the Republican Party. In fact, all but one of Gasconade County's elected officeholders are Republicans.

Gasconade County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor	Joseph M. Mundwiller			Democratic
Circuit Clerk	Joyce Gabathuler (also ex-officio recorder)			Republican
County Clerk	Lesa Lietzow			Republican
Collector	Shawn Schlottach			Republican
Commissioner (Presiding)	Ron Jost			Republican
Commissioner (District 1)	Matthew Penning (northern district)			Republican
Commissioner (District 2)	Jerry D. Lairmore (southern district)			Republican
Coroner	Benjamin D. Grosse			Republican
Prosecuting Attorney	Ada Brehe-Krueger			Republican
Public Administrator	Fay Owsley			Republican
Sheriff	Randy Esphorst			Republican
Surveyor	Paul Dopuch			Republican
Treasurer	Joey R. Gross			Republican

State

Past Gubernatorial Elections Results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2008	55.78% 4,307	42.90% 3,313	1.32% 102
2004	65.36% 4,696	33.57% 2,412	1.07% 77
2000	61.83% 4,091	35.31% 2,336	2.86% 189
1996	50.99% 3,042	46.36% 2,766	2.65% 158

Gasconade County is divided into two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives.

• District 111 - State Representative Charles W. Schlottach (R-Owensville). In 2008, Schlottach defeated Tod C. DeVeydt (D) 56.48-43.52 percent in the district.

Missouri House of Representatives - District 111 - Gasconade County (2008)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Charles W. Schlottach	1,368	68.30	{{{change}}}
	Democratic	Tod C. DeVeydt	635	31.70	{{{change}}}

• District 112 – State Representative Tom Loehner (R-Koeltztown). In 2008, Loehner defeated Tom Tramel (D) 76.07-23.93 percent in the district.

Missouri House of Representatives - District 112 - Gasconade County (2008)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Tom Loehner	3,829	69.86	{{{change}}}
	Democratic	Tom Tramel	1,652	30.14	{{{change}}}

In the Missouri Senate, all of Gasconade County is a part of Missouri's 26th District and is currently represented by State Senator Frank A. Barnitz (D-Lake Spring). In 2006, Barnitz defeated Susie A. Snyders (R) 52.44-47.56 percent in the district. The 16th Senatorial District consists of all of Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Montgomery, Osage, Phelps, and Pulaski counties.

Missouri Senate - District 16 - Gasconade County (2006)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Susie A. Snyders	3,107	52.56	{{{change}}}
	Democratic	Frank A. Barnitz	2,804	47.44	{{{change}}}

Federal

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Gasconade County is represented by Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-St. Elizabeth) who represents all of Northeast Missouri as part of Missouri's 9th Congressional District.

Political Culture

Past Presidential Elections Results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2008	61.29% 4,763	37.31% 2,899	1.40% 109
2004	66.28% 4,753	32.84% 2,355	0.88% 63
2000	63.21% 4,190	34.05% 2,257	2.74% 182
1996	50.19% 2,997	35.24% 2,104	14.57% 870

At the presidential level, Gasconade County is one of the most reliably Republican strongholds in the state of Missouri. No Democrat has won the county in a presidential election since before the U.S. Civil War.

Like most rural areas throughout Northeast Missouri, voters in Gasconade County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Gasconade County with 76.48 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Gasconade County with 58.61 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Gasconade County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Gasconade County with 74.74 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor. (During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.)

Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008)

• Former U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 848, than any candidate from either party in Gasconade County during the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary.

Gasconade County, Missouri
2008 Republican primary in Missouri
John McCain	793 (40.25%)
Mike Huckabee	514 (26.09%)
Mitt Romney	536 (27.21%)
Ron Paul	75 (3.81%)

Gasconade County, Missouri
2008 Democratic primary in Missouri
Hillary Rodham Clinton	848 (53.54%)
Barack Obama	692 (43.69%)
John Edwards (withdrawn)	25 (1.58%)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Gasconade County, Missouri

External links

• Gasconade County government website
• Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Gasconade County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books