History

The first inhabitants of Des Peres, Missouri were the Cahokia, the Kaskaskia, the Michigamea, the Moingwena, and the Tamaora Native American Tribes.

The Osage Tribe was the living in the area around Des Peres. The Osage were members of the Dhegiha Sioux group of tribes. This group also included the Ponca tribe, Quapaw tribe, Kansas tribe, and Omaha tribe.People of European descent began settling in Des Peres in the 1800’s.

By 1850, there were 75,000 people living in St. Louis. Des Peres was mainly settled by German immigrants and southerners from Virginia and the Carolinas who where drawn to the area by the farmland sold off by the United States Government in 80-to-160-acre (32 to 65 ha) tracts. Des Peres got its name from River Des Peres whose tributaries, Deer Creek and Two Mile Creek, ran through the town.

The name Des Peres is a French term which means "of the Fathers." In 1834 a small church, The Des Peres Presbyterian Church, now known as St. Paul's Lutheran of Des Peres, was built on Maddoy Road now known as Ballas Road.

Geography

Des Peres is located at 38°35′46″N 90°26′50″W (38.596023, -90.447299), at an altitude of 659 feet (201 m) MSL[citation needed] and in the Central Time Zone. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.4 km² (4.4 mi²), all land.