O'Fallon's history began with Arnold Krekel, a German immigrant who invested in property in the heart of what became downtown O'Fallon.

     In 1854, Arnold Krekel granted the North Missouri Railroad a right-of-way through his property, and in 1855 he laid out the town of O'Fallon, after John O'Fallon, the railroad's first director and a popular St. Louis businessman and philanthropist.

     Nicholas Krekel, Arnold's younger brother, is considered O'Fallon's first citizen.  He built the first house and store in 1856 (which is still standing) and in 1857 became the first postmaster and station master of the O'Fallon Depot.  Nicholas Krekel is also the father of O'Fallon's first park, Civic Park.

     About 50 years after the town was first laid out, the City of O'Fallon was incorporated as a 4th class city.  In 1912, 107 homeowners petitioned the state for City status.  The population was about 600 residents.

     In 1956, O'Fallon's 100th anniversary, the census showed the population to be 1,327 people, and the town measured about 20 blocks square.  By 2000, the US Census put O'Fallon's population at 46,169 people, and the city had grown to 26 square miles.  Today, O'Fallon's population is over 70,000.