About Missouri's Madison County
This site is a cooperative effort between the Madison County Chamber and the Fredericktown Revitalization Initiative intended to promote our unique natural environment and small town charm to residents as well as visitors. Whether your interest is hiking, fishing, hunting, kayaking, antiquing, folk art or music, we've got something you'll enjoy.
Located in the Saint Francois Mountains, our area features a perfect blend of rolling farmland and heavily forested hills with many creeks, rivers and lakes. Nestled amongst this natural beauty are the historic towns of Fredericktown and Marquand, each offering a unique experience to adventurers in Madison County Missouri.
Although mistakingly referred to as the Ozark Mountains, the region is actually a high and deeply dissected plateau. Geologically, the area is a broad dome around the Saint Francois Mountains. The Ozark Highlands area, covering nearly 47,000 square miles (122,000 km2), is by far the most extensive mountainous region between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains. Together, the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains form an area known as the U.S. Interior Highlands, and are sometimes referred to collectively. For example, the ecoregion called Ozark Mountain Forests includes the Ouachita Mountains, although the Arkansas River valley and the Ouachitas, both south of the Boston Mountains, are not usually considered part of the Ozarks.