The land has had a lot of history throughout the years:
•The Cahokia Indians settled in these hills long ago. In 1811, Godfrey Duden settled on the property to build his home, one of the first German settlers west of the Mississippi River. His good friend was Nathan Boone, Daniel Boone's son, who lived nearby.
•In these early days, German Catholics migrated here to find a better life in Missouri. The land reminded them of their native country, Köln, Germany, where they could farm and grow wine vineyards much like in the Rhine river valleys.
•The Voelkerding family owned the land for many years. Walter & Jean Voelkerding could not have kids therefore, they created an endowment & trust to help children. In the early eighties, they invited the Franciscans to utilize the property for homeless youth. During this time they built the chapel. Later on, the land was given to the Dakota Boys Ranch, which used it until it was purchased by Patrick & Cathryn Barron.
•In Late 2003, the Patrick D. & Cathryn E. Barron Charitable Foundation, purchased the campus in Dutzow Missouri, and created a new not for-profit company, CATHOLIC CAMPS OF AMERICA, L.L.C, which took ownership of the property doing business as RockyVine.
