Waynesville, MO

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Waynesville, now a city of over 4,000 residents, was established in 1833. It was named for the famous Revolutionary War hero, General "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It is the oldest town in Pulaski County. Waynesville is rich in history and abounding in folklore. Most of the native population in this area came by wagon train from Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and North and South Carolina some from even further south.

Waynesville first began as trading post for settlers and trappers. Then during the Civil War, when Waynesville area was chiefly pro-Southern a fort was built on a bluff in Waynesville by the Union Army to protect the Wire Road, a main supply route that ran from St. Louis to Springfield. Although the fort is no longer standing, one historical building still in existence is the Old Stagecoach Stop, a lovely pre-civil war structure on the east side of the town square.

And, from an era closer to our time, Historic Route 66 runs through the center of Waynesville adding charm and nostalgia to the town.

Elevation: The basic elevation of the flat ridge tops around Waynesville is a little more than 1,000 feet above sea level. In the hollows, the elevation is usually about 250 feet lower.

Rock Formations: Rock formations here are like a layer of pancakes. The top layer is of soil covering a thin layer of Jeffersonian limestone. The next layer is the Roubidoux formation of limestone, about 200 ft. deep and extends to the east of Rolla. The fourth layer is the Gasconade limestone, the source of most of our caves and springs. Pulaski County is second in Missouri in number of caves with over 220.

Plant Life: There is an unusually large variety of plant life in this region. We are on a plant and animal life border here. Plants and animals from the prairie area, from the northeast woodlands and from the south meet and overlap here. For instance, Interstate 44 is the northern boundary of the shortleaf pine area.

Creeks and Rivers: The Ozarks plateau, resulting from millions of years of erosion, drops about 500 feet to the Missouri River. This causes faster water and more channels to be cut. Our east slopes are usually steep and our west slopes gentle.

The Gasconade River is about 300 miles long. It is Missouri's longest river and is often classed by authorities as the world's most crooked river. It is one of the nation's rare rivers that flow mostly north.

Rainfall: For Pulaski County, it is about 42 inches a year. The northern part of the state gets less rainfall while the southern gets more than Waynesville.

Water Level: the first good-quality, usable water table will average 250 - 500 feet below the surface. The underground rock formations in this section usually slopes northward meaning that water from Waynesville will probably be the drinking water for Jefferson City and Columbia.