Most of Jefferson City and Cole County’s approximately 14,000 state employees are off today (Monday) for Columbus Day, which is a federal, Missouri and county holiday.
It celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492 and is one of Missouri’s 13 state holidays.
County courthouses in all 114 Missouri counties are closed today. The Missouri State Highway Patrol and other emergency services like county Sheriff’s offices are open today. Columbus Day is not a holiday in Columbia. City spokeswoman Sydney Olsen tells 939 the Eagle that city offices will be open today. Banks and financial institutions are closed today, and there is no regular mail delivery. Regular mail delivery resumes tomorrow.
Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed legislation into law in 1934, designating Columbus Day. President Lyndon Baines Johnson, another Democrat, signed legislation into law in 1968, recognizing it as a federal holiday. It’s been observed on the second Monday in October since 1971.
