Picture courtesy of Jim Kuntz

GERMAN INFLUENCE
German immigrants came to St. Charles County in large numbers beginning in the 1830s. Many had learned of the area from Gottfried Duden, who wrote a book describing the area as similar to the Rhineland. Placing great value on industriousness and hard work, these early German settlers brought tried and tested knowledge of farming methods with them. They eventually acquired much of the land throughout St. Charles County for agricultural purposes. Duden incorrectly forecast that "the city of St. Charles is too close to St. Louis which will interfere with its development." St. Charles was subsequently described by historians as "an almost ideal Americanization of cultures."

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