Gasconade County

Organized January 29, 1841, from Gasconade County and named for the Osage River. Gasconade County was formed in 1820, from Franklin County. The name Osage is generally believed to be a corruption by the French of Washazhe, the name of the Osage Indians. The name has also been given as Wawsashe, Wacase, and Wassashsha. Marquette, Virginia, and Tennessee had settled in the area. A booklet has been published, available at the Missouri Historical Society, in Columbia, Missouri, that provides a detailed description of the county and its towns. spelled the named Ouchage and Autrechacha. The name, to the Indians, meant "people."