The region both north (Marthasville & Dutzow) and south (Washington, Berger, Hermann, etc...) of the Missouri river west of St. Louis were heavily populated by Germans. Gottfried Duden's "Report of a journey to the western states of North America" was published in 1829 and extolled the virtues of the region, comparing it to the Rhine Valley. As a result, tens of thousands emigrated to the region. Their influence can still be seen in the family names, organizations, towns and architecture of the region.
The prayer list in the bulletin at church still reads like a page out of the Munich phone book.