CAPE GIRARDEAU

city, Cape Girardeau county, southeastern Missouri, U.S. It lies along the Mississippi River (there bridged to Illinois) at the southeast edge of the Ozark Plateau. Established before 1793 by the French-Canadian Louis Lorimier, it was named for Jean B. Girardot (or Girardeau), who had built a trading post (c. 1705) at nearby Cape Rock. Until its occupation by Union troops during the American Civil War, it was a bustling river port. A bitter struggle to obtain adequate rail service ended when Louis Houck organized the Gulf System (1902) and linked Cape Girardeau with the West (via St. Louis) and the Gulf of Mexico. The city's manufactures include paper products, clothing, shoes, and electrical appliances. The city is the seat of Southeast Missouri State University (1873). Inc. town, 1806; city, 1843. Pop. (1993 est.) 35,337.