The city of Canton, believed to be named in honor of Canton, Ohio,[6] predates the surrounding Lewis County by three years, having been founded in 1830, whereas the county would not be created from part of Marion county until 1833.[5] It was founded by Issac Bland, Robert Sinclair, and Edward White—the latter constructing the town's first home in February, 1830.[7] The building also doubled as Canton's first business, a tavern.[5] Canton's early history could well be called a tale of two cities. The village of Tully, founded in November, 1834, was just a mile north of fledgling Canton and had a slightly better area for steamboats to anchor.[7] Being the preferred spot to load and unload cargo, Tully slowed Canton's growth for the first two decades of its existence. However a series of floods, especially a major one in 1851, destroyed much of Tully.[5] The few remnants of Tully were destroyed in the early 1930s during the construction of Lock and Dam No. 20.[6]
Canton, with its somewhat higher ground but still close river proximity experienced rapid growth over the next nine years after Tully's demise and by 1860 had a population of over 2,000 people.[5] The town was officially incorporated on January 28, 1851.[7] Ferry service across the Mississippi River dates back as far as 1844 in the Canton area, the first being at Tully. On February 24, 1853 a charter was granted for the "Lewis-Adams" river ferry.[8] The early ferries were paddlewheel craft with the power supplied by horses on treadmills. Local travelers and those heading westward in pursuit of a new life meant heavy use of the ferry, with early fares being 50 cents per wagon and 10 cents for travelers on foot.[8] In an era where railroads were still few Canton, along with Alexandria, Missouri several miles upriver to the north, became major trading and shipping points for towns and counties on the northeast Missouri interior. A stage line ran from Canton as far west as Kirksville, some eighty miles away in Adair county, prior to the American Civil War.[9]