The city’s upcoming 200th anniversary is for real now! A CoMo200 celebration is set for November 2018 (details to be announced soon) and Columbia’s CoMo200 website is live.
The site features a series of photographs and some information in the categories of History, Projects & Events, Get Involved, About and a search engine.
Here are some screenshots of the page:
Columbia, Missouri was founded first as Smithton in 1818, then moved a few blocks west and renamed Columbia in 1821. Boone County was founded in 1820, according to the Boone County Government site.
Here is some recent coverage about the upcoming bicentennial celebrations.
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- Aug. 28, 2018 — Mayor’s Task Force plans topographic survey for Flat Branch park extension. Source: Columbia Missourian, written by Clare Roth. Summary: The task force to plan the celebrations for Columbia’s bicentennial will have a survey conducted to plan an extension of the Flat Branch Park for the celebration. The article also notes how the survey will be funded. The park extension will add .6 of an acre to the already existing 2.75-acre park, the article notes. The park expansion will also involve uncovering the Flat Branch, which has been covered up from Providence to Broadway. The articles notes that originally Columbia was founded in 1818 as Smithton. When water could not be accessed at its original location on what is now Garth and Walnut, the founders moved the town down to the Flat Branch for water in 1821 and renamed it Columbia. The task force referred to as CoMo200 also plans to hold a bicentennial kickoff in November 2018.
- March 8, 2018 — Celebrating two centuries worth of Columbia history, Columbia Missourian, Vox magazine. This includes a selective timeline of CoMo’s last 200 years.
I’m just curious if where it is covered at flatbranch, if we uncover it doesn’t that wipe out the original history of Smithyon there? If so, why would we wipe that history away to add on? Haven’t we done enough adding on? Let’s not diestroy such an important piece of history!
Stephanie: Thanks for your comment and interest! This won’t wipe out any history because Smithton was where Garth and Walnut, several blocks from here. Right now, the Flat Branch in the area being discussed now disappears into a tunnel under Broadway, and clearly, there was no tunnel enclosing the Flat Branch when the founders came to this area. I agree that we shouldn’t be destroying history. This move will literally uncover history. Again, great to have you on board and to see your history in CoMo’s history.