A Town Imbued with the Pioneering Spirit

Visionaries like Wentzville founder William Allen saw that the railroad not only would aid in the transportation of goods and people but also would be instrumental in the development of the interior of the county and state. Rugged pioneers like Catherine Thompson, Mary Louise Dalton and generations of the Cannon family infused the city with an enduring grit. From the men and women who helped Allen's vision take shape to the Civil War skirmish at Wentzville and the postwar rise of tobacco and the great wealth it brought to some, a trio of Wentzville authors open a time capsule on the city's fascinating early days.