Potosi, Missouri

Overview

• Location: Washington County, Missouri
• Legal status: Fourth-class city
• Population: 2,662 (Change since 1990: -0.8%)
• Founded: 1813 by Moses Austin
• Name origin: Potosi, Bolivia

Geography

• Located near intersections of MO 8, MO 21, and MO 185
• Latitude: 37°56'16" N   (+37.9379)
• Longitude: 90°46'55" W   (-90.7819)
• Civil township: Breton
• Land area: 2.2 square miles

As the crow flies, Potosi is...

• 1.5 miles NW of Springtown
• 3.1 miles NE of Bates Creek Camp
• 3.2 miles W of Mineral Point
• 4.4 miles NW of Summit
• 4.4 miles SW of Fountain Farm
• 5.1 miles SE of Latty
• 5.4 miles SW of Happy Hollow
• 5.5 miles S of Old Mines
• 5.5 miles NW of Hopewell
• 6.1 miles SW of Mud Town
• 57.2 miles SW of St. Louis
• 80.3 miles NW of Cape Girardeau

History

Name origin

Named after Potosi, Bolivia, a silver mining town. "Potosi" is a South American Indian word for "place of much noise".

Timeline

ca. 1763

Francis "The Breton" Azor discovered an outcropping of lead and received a land grant to open a mine. The village of Mine au Breton sprung up around the mine.

ca. 1797

Moses Austin received a large land grant and started to make improvements to the area.

1813

Potosi founded by Moses Austin as the county seat for Washington County.

1826

Potosi and Mine Au Breton incorporated into one town.

Demographics