De Soto dates to 1857, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #105 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Louis J. and Harriet Rozier House and the Central School Campus. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives De Soto’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, De Soto is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #105 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of De Soto’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so De Soto’s 4.6 sits near the middle of its state (63% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.4 points). Two sources give 1857.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about De Soto’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
De Soto was platted in 1857 and named after Hernando de Soto (c. 1496/1497–1542), Spanish conquistador. A post office has been in operation at De Soto since 1858.
The city is known as "Fountain City" because of its numerous artesian wells. Water from these wells and springs were bottled and shipped by tank car to the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis.
The Central School Campus and Louis J. and Harriet Rozier House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1953 and 1959 De Soto was voted an All-America City by the National Civic League.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1857, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. De Soto’s post office opened in 1858, and the census of 1880 counted 1,989 people here.
How does De Soto rank for history?
De Soto is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #105 of 247 in Missouri. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in De Soto?
Two places: the Louis J. and Harriet Rozier House (listed 2006) and the Central School Campus (2009).
How old are the homes in De Soto?
15% of De Soto’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.4 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1966.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (7), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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