This volume details the story of this important county that existed as part of the western settlement frontier for many years. The author chronicles the transformation of the tallgrass prairie and old-growth timber into farms and towns. The book covers the establishment of county government, organization of the early townships, characteristics of the early settlers, details of the original survey, different avenues of land transferal to private ownership, development of the transportation network, material life of the residents and frontier economy and society. The book documents research into the early history of towns established before the Civil War: Harrisonville, Pleasant Hill, Morristown, Austin, Dayton, Wadesburg, Index, Line Port and Jonesville.