Do you ever wonder why Missouri is so German? This issue we are taking a look at what makes Missouri so German, then we share several ways to experience the German in Missouri and take a look at how German Missouri is compared to the rest of the U.S.!
Why Missouri is so German
Over 46 Million people in the U.S. list their ethnic background as German. It is still the largest ethnic group in our country. Missouri is one of the most “German” in America, and is part of our country’s “German Belt” across the northern tier. St. Louis anchors the “German Triangle” along with Cincinnati and Milwaukee which has the largest concentration of German culture. Did you ever wonder how Missouri got to be so German?
Part of the Louisiana Territory purchased in 1804, Missouri became a state on August 10, 1821, or 196 years ago. Its’ settlers had been here for decades thanks to trailblazers like Daniel Boone and Jacob Zumwalt. Both had friends and family whose heritage was German. It came as no surprise when a German named Gottfried Duden arrived to investigate the possibilities for settlement in the fall of 1824. Duden, who came equipped with a professional farmer and cook was a wealthy lawyer with a philanthropic need to see Missouri for himself.
In Germany, the end of the Napoleonic War combined with famine had created severe overpopulation problems. Principalities, Kingdoms and Bergs were needing to raise ever increasing tax money for the King. A growing revolution by young men in fraternities among the Universities was giving rise to an era of subterfuge, censorship and other horrible atrocities. Hundreds of books about emigration were being published but Duden realized that none were written by someone who had ever actually visited Missouri.
From 1824 to 1827 Duden lived with a young farmer named Jacob Haun, whose family had come with those early Boone followers. Duden traveled the state, from Mine a Breton to the Booneslick to St. Louis, while maintaining a home base at a little settlement he called Lake Creek. [Today’s Dutzow across the Missouri River from Washington, Missouri and about 50 miles west of St. Louis.] He recorded his visit in the form of letters and published them in a small book called “A Report of a Journey to the Western States of North America” in Germany in 1829. He recommended that immigrants travel in groups for safety as this was still very primitive and untamed territory.
Just the right words at just the right time! He described a countryside that was beautiful and resembled the homeland, and was filled with valleys just perfect for growing grapes. Better than that, the land was inexpensive and there were thousands of acres available. Anyone could buy it! You didn’t need the Kings permission. There was NO King, NO military draft or taxes! No permission needed to marry, move, or travel. Your children could be educated. You were able to choose your religion and decide who should inherit your property. This was where the “Sun of Freedom Shone”.
During the decade of the 1830s over 120,000 Germans would immigrate to the United States. Of those, over a third or 40,000, would chose Missouri. One-fourth of those would 
settle in St. Louis and double its population. The rest spread out across the Missouri River valleys and created what we call the German Heritage Corridor today. As a result of Duden’s book a majority came in”settlement societies” as he recommended. Those early arrivals would also write their own letters home to their friends and family. Read in the wine and beer gardens, after church on Sunday, and circulated among their closest friends they urged them to join them in this land of opportunity!
By 1900 St. Louis was one of the most foreign born cities in America, and over half of all of those were German. Many counties and cities large and small were over half German, with many of those already second and sometimes third generation Germans. Missouri became one of the most German states in America. Today we are proud to claim “my ancestors were German!” as they celebrate our heritage in the Oktoberfests, wine gardens, and celebrate German American Day. The Mannerchor, Liederkranz, cultural and heritage societies still exist. Everyone knows “Missouri is so German!”
German Heritage Bus Tour
On Sunday, September 17, 2017 you have the opportunity to join other Missouri Germans, and become a German immigrant for the afternoon. You will be assigned a role 
and follow the Boone’s Lick road with others who are making their way west. Hear the voices who settled Missouri’s German Heritage Corridor. Stop and rest in the German village of Dutzow at Blumenhof Vineyards and Winery and enjoy a German meal, a glass of wine and some music. You will return to St. Charles via Missouri’s first Weinstrasse along the beautiful Missouri River. Sponsored by the St Charles German Heritage Club with partners the Boone’s Lick Road Association the day will be unforgettable. Tickets are $40 per person and may be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/german-heritage-bus-tour-tickets-35607650441
Need More?
In the St. Louis Region there are several German singing societies, a German Genealogical Society, a German School, and even several Stammtisches that meet regularly. Want to know when the next event is? Where to hear the Liederkranz or see the Jungende Gruppe dance at the German Cultural hall? Don’t miss the Oktoberfest and German-American Day at Donau Park! The German American Committee of St. Louis brings together all of these great events and their sponsors. To learn more and see what is happening visit their website…https://germanamericancommittee.org/
German Heritage across the U.S.!
The German American Heritage Foundation announces the German-American Heritage 
Survey that will highlight America’s German culture and history across the country. From the original settlement of Germantown (Philadelphia) founded in 1683 until today, the Deutschamerikaner has played a huge role in our nation’s history. Modeled on Missouri’s German Heritage Corridor, the Survey collects and preserves the thousands of elements of our German-American heritage across the United States.
The German American Heritage Survey will assemble the past and present influence of the German heritage in the United States. An inventory of sites, prominent people and institutions, settlements, culinary memories, conflicts, scenic byways, migration routes, religious influences, agricultural influences, maps, prints, and images, and music, art, and architecture, along with a list of current organizations with whom to collaborate will be gathered. We are seeking input from individuals, organizations, and vereins to gather this information. Tourism, Convention and Visitors Bureaus, and Chamber of Commerce organizations will be tapped for their contributions as well. Please consider sharing information about German American sites, byways, or current organizations with us today. The public is welcome to submit their nominations for the survey, visit us online today.
Missouri Germans has been busy and we have a lot of exciting news to share! Did you know that June is #Immigrant Heritage Month? We would like to invite you to learn more about this at 
emigrants that gathered there as members of the Giessen Emigration Society, in 1834. Looking forward to a new life in Missouri, “where the sun of freedom shines” their ship, the Olbers had left with one woman ill on board, and her disease spread like wildfire, nearly killing the entire ship. The second group was just beginning to gather in Bremen 180 years ago, only to soon learn that the ship that they’d booked, would never arrive. They would spend weeks on the island, some families even taking shelter in the huge old hausbarn on the island. Others pitched tents and some who could afford to found lodging in the nearby village of Brake. An emigrant needs all the funds they have saved…
German Evangelical Church in Missouri. A campus of five buildings was completed here by 1859. Four of these remain in various states of repair, those being the Farm House, Bake Oven, Friedensbote (Messenger of Peace) Publishing House, and the Dormitory. The College Building itself was lost to a fire in 1930. The seminary was in operation at this site until 1883, when it moved to St. Louis and eventually became Eden Seminary. In 1893 the campus in Marthasville became known the Emmaus Asylum for Epileptics and Feeble Minded. The campus grew to a total of eight substantial buildings including a chapel, by 1928. An additional building, known as the Retreat House had also been constructed by 1954. In more recent years the religious denomination became the United Church of Christ and the two campuses the church body owned – this one in Warren County for men, and the other in St. Charles County for women – became known simply as the Emmaus Homes. This is an important historic site, having been constructed by some of the tens of thousands of Germans who emigrated here beginning in the 1830s. In the area the first Evangelical church west of the Mississippi was constructed, and this marked the beginning of the Synod of the west, known as Der Deutsche EvangelischKirchenverein des Westens. The buildings in the complex are unique in that they are of sturdy limestone construction in varying German styles by German immigrants. They are representative of the tenacity of some of Missouri’s earliest Germans, and are unique in that most are original with very few modifications over the years. 
On August 10, 2016, the Missouri Humanities Council celebrated its recent accomplishment of Missouri’s German Heritage Corridor. This project by Humanities Council seeks to preserve the cultural heritage through Oral History collection, the tangible sites through the German Heritage Corridor, and the narrative that makes
Missouri so German through many various 
projects in the planning stages at this point. Invited were friends and organizations who have assisted on the project thus far. If you wish to know more about the German Heritage Corridor contact Steve Belko, Executive Director or visit their website 
helped host the Ludwigsburg Philharmonic Choir. They, the City of St. Charles and 2 area churches, Hope Lutheran Church, and First United Methodist Church spent 10 wonderful days sharing music and singing and performed several concerts that were enjoyed by hundreds of people. The friendship between the two cities was strengthened and several members of the communities joined the Sister City chapter. The St. Charles 
Ludwigsburg Sister City is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. Members of the St. Charles community, including their Mayor Sally Faith, are visiting Ludwigsburg, and several families will be hosting young high schoolers from Germany with their youth exchange.
grandfather to Executive Director Dorris Keeven-Franke. 
grandfathers grave, but we were able to put her in touch with relatives in America she wasn’t aware of. Watch for this story in September about finding your relatives! and to learn more of Katherina’s journey of discovery.
Senior Fellow in the Global Issues Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) Berlin on
Ever since the Tri-Centennial in 1983 that celebrated the arrival of Germans in American and the founding of Germantown, the German Committee of St Louis has been dedicated to preserving this anniversary. This years 
German could want. Visit our Bier Garten and enjoy Kraftig Beer and pretzels, or step over to the kitchen and treat yourself to some Kaffee und Kuchen. In the Cultural Hall you can learn more about the German Heritage Corridor, meet all of the German Societies of the German American Committee or get help with finding your German ancestors! All in one day in one place! You won’t want to miss this and is definitely worth the travel time. Mark your calendars now for Saturday October 1, 2016 and join us Noon til 5pm and don’t forget your Dirndls or Lederhosen! For more information see the website of the German American Committee at 
