Located deep in the rugged, wooded hills of southern Missouri, 在整个19世纪，现在包括在里普利县边界内的地区仍然人烟稀少. 虽然1833年正式成立，但该县直到1872年才有了现在的规模.
When Congress created the Territory of Missouri in 1812, what eventually became Ripley County lay within New Madrid County. Three years later, Lawrence County was established, which include all of southern Missouri west of the St. Francis River as well as a portion of northern Arkansas. 劳伦斯县的司法所在地位于今天阿肯色州的戴维森维尔. 1818年，随着韦恩县的成立，密苏里南部的行政结构再次改变. 这个庞大的县几乎占密苏里领土面积的五分之一, Greenville became the county seat.
In 1833 the General Assembly established Ripley County from a portion of Wayne County. At its creation, the county included the area comprising present-day Ripley, Carter, Shannon, Oregon, and Howell Counties, with Van Buren as the county seat. The county was named for War of 1812, General E. W. Ripley. Over the next twenty-six years, Ripley's boundaries decreased as new counties were formed-Shannon (1841); Oregon, which include today's Oregon and Howell Counties (1845); and Carter (1859). The last boundary adjustment occurred in 1872.
Because most of the population was in the southern half of the county, voters decide to move the county seat to the newly platted Doniphan, nearer to the center of population and a wooden courthouse was built. 直到1864年，联邦军队烧毁了这座建筑，以及多尼芬的大部分地区，这座建筑才为该县服务. Fortunately, William Russell, a county official, 早些时候把县里的记录簿从法院搬了出来，放在城南的一个山洞里. They remained hidden until retrieved by the county clerk in 1867.
Because of the chaos and destruction brought about by the Civil War, Ripley Countians did not replace the courthouse until 1871. A two-story brick courthouse resulted from the $10,该县的公民通过了价值5000美元的债券，并将其作为行政办公室的所在地，直到1898年1月被大火烧毁.
Ripley County's current courthouse was designed by William F. Schrage of Kansas City and built in 1898 1899. 后来在1929年的龙卷风中被摧毁的一座中心塔楼占据了这座两层砖结构建筑. 联邦救济人员在20世纪30年代对法院进行了一些维修和翻新. Not until an extensive remodeling project completed in the 1970's, however, was central heating incorporated into the building. 这座拥有百年历史的法院现在被列入国家历史遗迹名录，并在1999年的劳动节返校节庆祝活动中庆祝了它的百年纪念.
Ripley County Government
Ripley County is a Third Class County administered by a three member County Commission. 两个县区各有一名专员加入一名经广泛选举产生的主席专员，任期四年. The County Commission allocates the County property taxes, road taxes and sales taxes which are levied for County purposes. 它对县的公共道路进行一般监督，并维护法院和其他县建筑物. 它监督一些独立选举产生的官员的预算，例如县书记官, Sheriff, Prosecuting Attorney, Coroner, Public Administrator, Assessor, Collector, Treasurer and Surveyor.
早在1819年，莱缪尔·基特雷尔(Lemuel Kittrell)就在Current河东岸附近的一个悬崖上定居下来，成为多尼芬(Doniphan)的永久居住地. 基特雷尔很快在他家附近建了一个谷物和木材梳理厂，并吸引了更多的移民到这个地区. By 1841, a sizeable village had grown near the Kittrell home. The village became a regular stop on the Butterfield Stage Line and was on the St. Louis to Little Rock Highway. In addition to the mill, the village boasted of an inn, store, distillery, produce warehouse, tannery, justice of the peace and notary office, blacksmith and gunsmith. A school was nearby.
On the hills above lovely Current River, Doniphan was founded and became the county seat of Ripley County in 1847. 乔治·李(George Lee)为这个小镇拨出了50英亩的土地，并以墨西哥战争上校亚历山大·W·亚历山大的名字命名. Doniphan. Except for the mill, 基特雷尔磨坊的所有企业都搬到了新镇，并加入了几家额外的商店和企业. Churches, too, were added. Doniphan became the regional center of commerce. By 1860 there were plans to extend the St .Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad from Pilot Knob to Doniphan. The Civil War changed those plans.
里普利县以及周边县的大多数居民都信仰南方. Several Confederate regiments were formed in the county and one, the 15th Missouri Cavalry Regiment, CSA, was based at Doniphan. Because three major north-south highways passed through Ripley County, fighting was practically constant during the war.
In the war, brutal guerilla bands overran the county and in September 1864, 当邦联将军斯特林·普莱斯的军队从阿肯色州进入里普利县时，多尼芬被联邦军队烧毁. Devastated by the war, Doniphan grew with the coming of a branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1883. 这条铁路为多尼芬周围成千上万英亩的原始木材提供了销售渠道, native yellow pine logs, hauled to Current River and floated to Doniphan in enormous log drives. 多尼芬的一根原木吊杆将原木回收，这些原木经过研磨和加工，然后运往市场. Hardwood logs were normally hewed into crossties, then collected on the riverbank and moved to Doniphan by long tie rafts. 在20世纪初，多尼芬是美国主要铁路领带生产地区的中心.S. At the peak, the Missouri Tie and Lumber Co. cut some 35,000,000 feet of logs a year in northwest Ripley County. After 1905, 这片荒芜的土地一直无人看管，直到20世纪30年代，它被纳入一个重新造林计划，成为克拉克国家森林的一部分.
As other land was cleared by loggers, farmers moved in. Many orchards were planted, some very large. Elberta peaches were the major fruit crop, but apples and pears were also important and tomatoes were grown commercially. Strawberries, too, were a major crop. 由于铁路的缘故，几个农产品仓库和罐头工厂都设在多尼芬. Corn, wheat, and cotton were major crops. A roller mill at Doniphan manufactured the very fines grade of flour. In the 1920's and 1930's, the depression changed life in Doniphan, practically halting logging and production and stopping the exports of farm produce.
第二次世界大战为多尼芬的商业带来了新的活力，并建立了新的工业, particularly the Hunt Garment Factory and the Wright Leather Specialty plant. 今天，多尼芬的工业结构已经大大扩大，是一个重要的雇主. Logging is still a major enterprise with many family owned mills in the area. Because of the crystal clear waters of the Current River, 马克·吐温国家森林的美景和欧扎克的宜人气候, tourism is becoming big business at Doniphan.
City of Doniphan Government
Doniphan was established as a village April 26, 1847 and has served Ripley County as County Seat since that time. Doniphan became classified as a Fourth Class City May 1, 1891. The form of government is Mayor and Alderman. A Mayor is elected to preside over a four member Board of Aldermen, all of whom serve in staggered terms for two years. The Municipal Election is held in April of each year. Also elected is a City Collector. The Mayor is the Chief Executive Officer of the City who appoints, subject to Board Approval, all other non-elected officers of the City. The City Clerk, elected by the Board of Aldermen, 是市政府的预算官，处理市政府的大部分行政事务.
City of Naylor
今天的内勒镇的土地，是早期的巴菲尔德，最早是由刘易斯K. and Sarah Barfield family a few years prior to 1859. The family had come to the area from Kentucky via Illinois. 巴菲尔德家族曾享有很高的声誉，这一点后来在改变小镇名称的过程中受到了极大的抵制.
巴菲尔德社区直到1882年密苏里太平洋铁路的铁山分支穿过并通往多尼芬才出现. That same year Jasper McKinney opened a sawmill and a stave mill. The next year Edward Punch opened a store, the town was laid out, a post office was established and Barfield had a population of 75 and was growing. By 1889 there were 200 residents and in 1893 the population was 500. That year the town put up a city hall and a jail and had a fairground and a racetrack.
霍顿土地和木材公司于19世纪80年代末将总部设在内勒，并在铁路以南建造了一个大型锯木厂，雇佣了大约500名伐木工, lumberjacks and sawmill hands. 一条有轨电车向南进入森林地区，原木被拖到磨坊. 霍顿兄弟是Poplar Bluff的银行家，他们的公司专门制造维多利亚时代的家庭套件，通过邮购在整个中西部地区销售. 1892年，一个用来展示霍顿工厂生产的木材类型的样板房建成，并一度作为公司总部. Today it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
当发现货物被搞错航线时因为还有一个叫巴菲尔德的人, Arkansas, mill officials recommended the town's name be changed to Naylor in honor of William A. Naylor, a former Union army captain from Indiana who was the county's land surveyor. Although the name of the city was not officially changed until 1910, the name Naylor was adopted for all practical purposes on Sept. 23, 1892 when the post office was renamed.
The Horton Company sold out to the Kelsy Lumber Co. which ran the mill until it burned in 1896. With big timber running out, Naylor began to decline, but the Frisco Railroad built a line from Cape Girardeau to Hoxie, AR in 1902. Things began to improve as Naylor was now on a railroad crossroad. On August 30, 1905 it became a fourth class city, a seal was adopted and voting precincts were set up.
棉花是里普利县东南部的好作物，内勒同时有两台轧棉机. The school would take a "cotton" vacation when the cotton was ready to be picked. People would gather and visit while the cotton was being ginned, bringing a bit of carnival atmosphere to a normally quiet town. In the 1920s and up until about 1960 cotton was king in southeastern Ripley County. Picking cotton during the depression paid about 50 cents per hundred pounds. Many men could pick 200 to 300 pounds a day. By 1960 the cost of fighting the boll weevil made milo, soybeans, wheat and rice more attractive crops and cotton crops dwindled.
今天，拥有市长和市议会的内勒是里普利县唯一的另一个合并城镇. It has a modern school system, water system, fire department, bank, family clinic, restaurants, two grocery stores, 几座教堂和一个人口642人的小镇的所有其他要素.
Naylor Government
The City of Naylor, Missouri is the only other incorporated Municipality in Ripley County, Missouri, with a population of 610 residents according to the 2000 Census. It is a Fourth Class City with a Mayor-Council form of government. A Mayor is elected to preside over a four member Board of Aldermen, all of whom serve in staggered terms for two years. The Municipal Election is held in April of each year. Also elected is a City Collector. The Mayor is the Chief Executive Officer of the City who appoints, subject to Board Approval, all other non-elected officers of the City. The City Clerk, elected by the Board of Aldermen, 是市政府的预算官，处理市政府的大部分行政事务.
