Camden: River Port and Local History

Camden was established in 1836 as an early river port on the Missouri River and was a good landing place for steamboats. The town was home to one of Missouri’s largest tobacco warehouses and Armour & Plankton’s first packing house. After a new channel of the Missouri River formed near Camden, the natural lake Sunshine Lake developed in the Bottoms area. David W. Walker, born on October 1, 1779, and died on October 1, 1832, is considered the oldest known burial at Camden City Cemetery. A railroad photograph from Camden is dated March 1943; two black-and-white negatives from the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information identify their location as Missouri–Ray County–Camden.

Early History on the Missouri River

Camden was incorporated as a town on May 13, 1836. It replaced the older river settlement of Bluffton on its western edge. The history of this earlier settlement is therefore part of Camden’s beginnings on the Missouri River. Camden was established in 1836 as an early river port on the Missouri River. The town was also a good landing place for steamboats. 1836 is the year it was established as a river port; its suitability as a steamboat landing place was part of the Missouri River’s historical use.

Trade and Processing

Camden became the site of one of Missouri’s largest tobacco warehouses and was home to Armour & Plankton’s first packing house. Camden was home both to one of Missouri’s largest tobacco warehouses and to Armour & Plankton’s first packing house. A tobacco warehouse was used to store tobacco; a packing house was used to pack goods. One involved storing a particular commodity, while the other involved an activity in the movement of goods.

Cemetery and Historical Context

For a more precise sense of the timeline, Camden City Cemetery offers a personal point of reference. The oldest known burial is considered to be that of David W. Walker, born on October 1, 1779, and died on October 1, 1832. David W. Walker died on October 1, 1832, four years before Camden was established as a river port on the Missouri River in 1836. The life dates of an individual and the year the town was established can thus be considered as two specific points in time. Camden City Cemetery is also called East Camden City Cemetery and North Camden City Cemetery; all three names refer to the same cemetery.

Sunshine Lake and the River Landscape

Camden’s river history also has a landscape dimension. After a new channel of the Missouri River formed near Camden, the natural lake Sunshine Lake developed in the Bottoms area.

Historical Images

Historical images also provide specific references to time and place. A railroad photograph from Camden is dated March 1943. Two black-and-white negatives from the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information identify their location as Missouri–Ray County–Camden.

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