Although George Washington has been in the public eye since facing a racially-charged court case in the 1840s and a quick vote of support by the Missouri Legislature, his full life’s story has never been completely told — until now. Local historians Brian Mittge and Kerry MacGregor Serl have pulled together public documents, little-known archival materials and oral histories into a 200-page story that reads like the full history of the 19th century. From slavery to the frontier, from the Oregon Trail to the Pacific Northwest, this is a story that is sweeping in its scope but human to its core. You’ll read about the ways that George Washington nurtured ties during a time of division, creating unity in the community he created and sustaining his neighbors through the depth of dire economic depression.