Missouri Germans Consortium

Missouri Life’s “Exploring Missouri’s German Heritage” will be a richly detailed book with hundreds of high quality photos. We’ll explore Missouri’s German Heritage with a fresh look at a state rich and deep in German history and cultural heritage. Missouri Life is producing this in conjunction with the heritage tourism initiative by the Missouri Humanities Council that brings to life the amazing story of how the land along the Missouri River from St. Louis to Glasgow was settled by German immigrants beginning in the 1830s. While this explores the past it is also aimed at inspiring people to visit these areas and explore what is there today.

German settlement developed throughout Missouri, with a majority of immigrants settled along the Missouri River. Thus the German Heritage Corridor will focus on the counties north and south of the Missouri River, from St. Charles and St. Louis, to Chariton and Saline counties. Along this corridor, distinctly German communities still exist today, including Augusta, Dutzow, and Washington, to name a few. Hermann is often considered to be the most German, but few often realize the communities in Westphalia, Loose Creek, and all the way up to Glasgow, were founded and settled by the mass of German emigrants that came to Missouri in huge waves in the 19th Century.

The Missouri Humanities Council’s German Heritage Corridor connects all of those communities along scenic byways, showcasing their specific German heritage and creating a corridor designed to increase tourism in the entire region. It will preserve Missouri’s German heritage as a designated scenic byway preserving it for future generations to enjoy. With this book, and other applications,  the German Heritage Corridor help everyone learn what this rich heritage has brought our state. We applaud the Missouri Humanities Council and Missouri Life Magazine for their work. For more information visit GermanHeritageCorridor.com or Like German Heritage Corridor on Facebook!