DE SOTO

de soto, a city of jefferson county, missouri, u.s.a., on joachim creek, 42 m. s.s.w. of st louis. pop. (1890) 3960; (1900) 5611 (332 being foreign-born and 364 negroes); (1910) 4721. it is served by the st. louis, iron mountain & southern railway, which has extensive repair shops here. about 21⁄2 m. from de soto is the bochert mineral spring. in de soto are mount st clement's college (roman catholic, 1900), a theological seminary of the congregation of the most holy redeemer under the charge of the redemptorist fathers, and a young men's christian association building. de soto is in a good agricultural and fruit-growing region, which produces indian corn, apples, plums, pears and small fruit. lead and zinc are mined in the vicinity and shipped from the city in considerable quantities; and among the city's manufactures are shoes, flour and agricultural implements. the municipality owns the water-works, the water supply of which is furnished by artesian wells. de soto was laid out in 1855 and was incorporated in 1869.