- 1832: Arnold Krekel, age 17 and brother Nicholas, age 10 emigrated from Prussia
along with the rest of their extended family.
- 1833: They arrived penniless and motherless in St. Charles County.
- Arnold had a tremendous influence on the area and the state in the following ways: as justice
of the peace, school board member, investor, lawyer, surveyor, engineer, founder of newspaper for
the German immigrant community, and as state representative.
- 1855: Arnold purchased investment property in what is now O'Fallon, laid out the town, then
called the Krekel Addition, and granted a right-of-way through the town to the North Missouri
Railroad.
- 1856: Nicholas Krekel built the first home in O'Fallon facing the North Missouri
Railroad. It became his general merchandise store and in 1857 he became the town's first postmaster and
stationmaster of the O'Fallon Depot.
- Nicholas was postmaster for 32 years, station agent for four years and served with his brother
in the home guard militia during the Civil War.
- The first building, Krekel's home and store, stands today and is in use as a private pre-school
at the corner of Civic Park Drive and North Main Street. It is directly across from the present
City Hall.
- A total of seven settler forts were in St. Charles County; three were located in or near
O'Fallon. The other two being Pond Fort off Highway N in Dardenne Prairie, and White's
Fort in Dog Prairie (St. Paul area).
- Many direct descendants of the founders, Nicholas and Wilhelmina Krekel, live in O'Fallon today.
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