Once home to the fiercest Indian tribes of all, DeSoto was settled by men and women with unquenchable spirit, stirred by thoughts of wide open spaces. The Delaware and Shawnee Indians were in the Southwest part of Jefferson County and the Osage and Cherokee Indians inhabited other parts. They all pitched their tents along the Joachim and built villages by the clear waters of the rivers and streams that still feed our countryside today.

A Frenchman was probably the first white man to set foot on this land. He came twice seeking the legendary "mountains of silver" which were supposed to be plentiful here. On his second trip in 1723, he claimed the land and established a fort in the name of the French King Louis XV. Although most of the early settlers were French, many were descended also from Irish families.

DeSoto was part of the Louisiana Territory and was transferred from France and Spain; back to France again and in 1803 was sold to the United States. During that same year Isaac Van Metre came to the place that was later named DeSoto and erected a cabin. He was attracted to the spot by a spring and he cleared an acre and built a cabin. However, soon after that it was determined that the land really belonged to Walter DeWitt who had never developed the land. A settlement was paid to Van Metre and he left the country. A marker now stands to commemorate the first log cabin built in DeSoto.

The first plat was filed in the recorder’s office on September 27, 1857, and on the same day the first construction train of the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Company reached DeSoto. Then came the Civil War. Although DeSoto had a population of only 200, sentiments were divided.

After the war came a new era of transportation and DeSoto began to flourish. The railroad’s name was changed to Missouri Pacific Railroad. In 1873 it established a major rail car repair facility in DeSoto. During this great progress, "silk stocking hill’ was built. Throughout the city, shining examples of a bygone era still stand, serving as private residences after 150 years.

DeSoto is a town with many family businesses that have been handed down from generation to generation. In 1868 the first business in DeSoto was started as a blacksmith shop, then expanded into a carriage business, and it operates today as B.F. Mahn & Sons, Inc. They specialize in custom built residential and light-commercial installation and repairs. Now in it’s fourth generation, they still stand by their motto, "Quality service at an affordable price." Another longstanding family business is the Mahn Funeral Home, which began with Daniel J. Mahn’s embalming license in 1914 and has expanded to now include Mahn Twin City Chapel, another Mahn funeral home, and Peaceful Ridge Cemetery. There are many such family businesses, which began in those early days and are still thriving today. E.S. Fauth, whose father was a charter member of DeSoto Chamber of Commerce and the former superintendent of the DeSoto Shoe Factory, began his business, Fauth Appliance, over 50 years ago. Today his son, Stan Fauth, has taken his father’s original idea and expanded to include bottled water, commercial and residential water treatment equipment, as well as a full line of Whirlpool, KitchenAid and other name brand appliances. Most of the photographs for this profile have been provided by Felix Millfeld, whose family business, Fo Jo Studio, is 100 years old.

As it progressed, DeSoto became known for its Artisian Wells, which bubbled throughout the town. DeSoto has been nicknamed "Fountain City" because of these wells. They are rare and found only where the sand and rock construction of the earth are conducive to their formation. In 1904 at the World’s Fair in St. Louis (the "Louisiana Purchase Exposition"), water from these springs was bottled and sent by tank car where it was sold for five cents per cup.

Throughout DeSoto’s 200 years, it has twice been named an "All American City" and once named the population center of the United States.

Today DeSoto is one of the largest communities in Jefferson County. Jefferson County has almost 200,000 residents and DeSoto and its surrounding area has over 19,000 with 6,000 of those citizens within the city limits. Jefferson County is the third fastest growing county in the state.

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