Mary Ann Sternberg has spent twenty years challenging the idea that the River Road between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is nothing more than rows of noxious chemical plants interspersed with 19th century plantation houses, so in this episode, we dig into its past and present. Mary Ann begins by orienting us to the
Gerhard Gesell emigrated to the US from Germany in 1863, an orphan eager to start a new life. He was the first generation in a family of high achievers in the United States. Patriarch Gerhard was a gifted photographer; son Arnold was a well-known child psychologist; and grandson Gerhard a respected federal judge. Their
Population (2010) Unincorporated History The village of North Prairie was founded around 1864 and was first known as "German Settlement"; with early settlers that included Peter Schnitt, John Burggraff, Matt and Nick Klein, it's easy to understand why. The name North Prairie was adopted around 1872 and comes from
Population (2010) 18,007 Introduction Godfrey is an old agricultural community that has grown far beyond its farming roots. The fields where inventive early settlers once conducted agricultural experiments are now covered with housing subdivisions and a growing college. Many of the town's early historic sites are still around, though,
Population (2010) 4,405 Introduction France hasn't governed the Mississippi Valley for over 250 years, but French influence lives on along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Sainte Genevieve. Many of the communities in this part of the river pre-date the founding of New Orleans and have preserved impressive
Population (2010) 319,305 Introduction St. Louis, my hometown, is a city with a long and layered history. As residents of Flyover Country, we tend to make the national news only when something goes wrong. Sure, we have our problems, but so do plenty of other places. We are a
