Leopold Gast

Leopold Gast immigrated, with his brother August, to America in 1848 from Lippe-Detmold Germany. With little else but a lithograph press brought from Germany they worked their way to St. Louis, Missouri arriving circa 1852. They opened a lithography shop on Fourth Street between Walnut and Elm called 'Leopold Gast & Brother.' In 1866 August Gast bought out Leopold and expanded the business. By 1882 the business employed just over 100 people making it the largest printing establishment in the west.