What is the history of Rolla, Missouri?
The first settlers in Phelps County came in the early 1800s, as farmers and iron workers along the local rivers, such as the Meramec RiverMeramec, the Gasconade RiverGasconade, and the Little Piney RiverLittle Piney. The first settlement in the City of Rolla proper was the home of John Webber, built in 1844. Nine years later, railroad contractor Edward Bishop, considered to be the founder of Rolla, settled in this area. Rolla was officially set aside as a town in 1858. There are two stories on how the town of Rolla received its name. One, widely regarded as a folk legend, and acknowledged as such by the Phelps County Historical Society, comes from the battle to become county seat with neighboring Dillon, Missouri. When Rolla was made the county seat in 1861, the residents of Dillon, losing the chance to be the home to the county seat, were allowed to choose the name of the new city, and named it Rolla, after a good-for-nothing hunting dog. The other, more widely accepted story, came fr
