County of town: Warren County
Location of town: MO-94 & Bluff Rd, & Katy Trail, Warren County
County is eastern-central in Missouri
Post Office Location Bluff Rd. & MO-94, Dutzow
Elevation: 495 feet (151 meters)
Population: under 50
Sign Text:
Welcome To
DUTZOW
First German Emigrant Settlement in Missouri, 1832
Marker Text:
(ORIGINAL) DUTZOWFounded by Johann Wilhelm Bock. He named this village after his estate in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany.
1832 - A landholding company, Frederick Rathje & Co., purchased 252.79 acres of land in the original Stephen Jackson Survey #1769. One hundred sixty-eight lots were platted. This land purchase was made for the members of what was known as the Berlin Society. After settling his affairs in Germany, Bock arrived in Dutzow at a later date.
1834 - He built a brick house on a site containing several springs, a stone house, a mill and a distillery. Fond of entertaining, Bock invited the most elite of the immigrants to his home.
1835 - Bock began to have financial problems resulting in the sale of his property to pay off debts.
1869 - A post office was established with Peter Quickert as postmaster.
1893 - Railroad services became available. Businesses and residences were constructed nearer to the railroad.
Bock's dream of creating a 'pure German Village' never materialized, but German culture and heritage flourished. ~ Boone-Duden Historical Society
Marker Text:
Lake Creek Valley Area
Gottfried Duden, a wealthy German attorney, aware of the discontent, promoted emigration to the Lake Creek Valley Area.
1824 - Gottfried Duden along with Ludwig Eversmann, his travel companion, arrived here. They both purchased land and lived near here.
1825 - Duden began to send letters to Germany praising freedom and living conditions here.
1827 - Duden returned to Germany.
1829 - Duden's letters were published in Germany, which prompted emigration to this area.
1834 - Friedrich Muench and Paul Follenius were leaders of the Greissen Emigration Society.
1861 - Muench gained national prominence by his opposition to slavery in the United States. In this same year he was elected to the Missouri State Senate.
1867 - Muench's wine cellar was built.
1873 - The Muench family barn was built. The barn remains standing and is privately owned. The remains of the wine cellar are near the barn.
Eversmann (1799-1858), Muench (1799-1881), and Follenius (1799-1844), all owned land in this area and
their burial sites are on their farms." ~ Boone-Duden Historical Society