Rhineland is a small Missouri River town nestled on a hill about an hour and a half west of St. Louis. The town has been around for over 150 years, though it hasn’t always been in the same spot. After devastating flooding in 1993, the people of Rhineland decided to move their houses uphill. Twenty-six years after the move, life in Rhineland continues to thrive. The people who live there work hard and then, when the work is done, gather at the town tavern for meals and to socialize with their neighbors. Deer hunting season is a time of tradition for the people of Rhineland. Many families host deer camp every year so their extended family can visit to enjoy meals, festivities and time together.
The sun rises over the river bottom Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The land beyond the granary is where the town of Rhineland used to be located before the houses moved up the hill to avoid flooding.
Tate Wehrle, 10, drives a tractor to move hay bales Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. Tate learned how to drive the tractor when he was eight years old and maneuvers the hay bales with confidence and ease.
Tate Wehrle, 10, runs to open a gate so his grandfather can drive his truck through it Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Tate said he didn’t know. “We’re trying to talk him out of farming,” his grandfather said in response because he said it’s hard to make a living as a farmer nowadays.
Steve Wehrle and his grandson Tate Wehrle, 10, drive to pick up hay bales to feed their cows Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. Wehrle’s family owns forty cows, or “just enough to aggravate us,” Wehrle said.
Steve Wehrle peruses a book Monday, November 11, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. When the town moved uphill in 1993, Steve would work day and night throughout the moving process. He’d spend all day in the tavern he owned at the time and then would come home at night to make improvements on his relocated home.
Houses owned by three generations of the Wehrle family sit in a row Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The home on the left belongs to Steve and Janet Wehrle. The home in the middle belongs to Janet’s mother, Margaret Bahr. The home on the right belongs to Steve and Janet’s son Scott Wehlre, his wife Amanda Wehrle, and their two children Machaela, 15, and Tate, 10. All three homes were relocated to these lots when the town moved uphill in 1993.
A photo of Steve and Janet Wehrle in their flooded home during the 1993 flood sits in an album Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The caption was written by Janet and reads “Going inside our house, water already has started to fall - about 6 inches.”
Night falls over The Corner after a busy night Friday, December 6, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. “Did you ever see the movie Field of Dreams? Well that’s kind of the way I look at this place. I told my daughter, you build it and they will come. Do a good job, serve a good product, treat your people with respect and I say they will come,” Jim Lampkin said. Lampkin owned the tavern in the 1970s and now his daughter is the manager at The Corner.
Almost every table is occupied during the dinner hours at The Corner Friday, December 6, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. Customers at The Corner are a combination of locals coming in for a routine meal and people passing through from Highway 94.
Tickets with each tables’ order line the back of the bar Friday, December 6, 2019 at The Corner in Rhineland, Missouri. The Corner also has a reception hall connected to it for town gatherings, like when Santa comes to visit the children in town.
Janet Wehrle picks up a tray of drinks Friday, December 6, 2019 at The Corner in Rhineland, Missouri. Wehrle also works at the bank in town. She picks up shifts at the tavern when they’re short-staffed or know they’re going to be busy.
Photos of town during the 1993 flood decorate the walls of The Corner Friday, November 15, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The building in the middle photo is where The Corner used to be located.
From left, Jim Tapp looks at Wayne Hoener as the two drink beer at the bar Friday, December 6, 2019 at The Corner in Rhineland, Missouri. The following morning, Tapp would play the role of Santa Claus and visit with the children in town. Tapp has been the town Santa for the last twenty years.
Brenna Panhorst listens to someone share a story during deer camp Friday, November 15, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The Bruckerhoff family gathered in The Shack on their land for a family tradition of sharing a meal together to celebrate the opening weekend of deer hunting season.
From left, Shad Noltensmeyer, Tom Bruckerhoff and Kevin Hagedorn, or “Kernel Hagenbauker” laugh and drink whiskey during deer camp Friday, November 15, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. Everyone sat around tables in The Shack for a few hours exchanging stories, making jokes and poking fun at each other, and recounting fond memories from previous deer camps.
Tom Bruckerhoff flips through previous deer camp kill records that hang on a fridge in The Shack Friday November 15, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. Bruckerhoff hung a new piece of paper labeled “2019 Deer Kills” on top of the old records to start the weekend.
