Place names of six south central counties of Missouri

Abstract

Counties: Osage, Gasconade, Miller, Maries, Phelps, and Pulaski

"The six counties covered in this study, Osage, Gasconade, Miller, Maries, Phelps, and Pulaski, lie south of the Missouri River and east of Jefferson City. They are drained and joined by the great Osage River and its tributaries and the beautiful Gasconade River and its chief tributary, the Big Piney. For scenic beauty I have seen nothing to compare with these foothills of the Ozarks, especially in Phelps and Pulaski Counties. All of these counties are rocky and hilly, with fertile land to be found usually in the river valleys, "creek bottoms", and a few small prairies. Gasconade County, the oldest of this group, was formed in 1820 while Missouri was still a territory. It is a long, narrow county, though at one time it was known as the "State of Gasconade" because it included nearly all of the territory southwest of St. Louis..."--Pages 3-4.