Clark County, Missouri: History
Missouri folklorist Margot Ford McMillen wrote that early settlers were attracted by Clark County's good and inexpensive agricultural land. One section was called "Bit Nation" because land was sold there for just twelve and one-half cents ("one bit" of a Spanish dollar) an acre. In 1861, the Battle of Athens during the American Civil War took place in the town of Athens, Missouri in Clark County. The Battle of Athens Historical Site is a state park in Clark County at the site of the battle.