Chain of Rocks, MO

Chain of Rocks is a Lincoln County village on the Cuivre River, where the Chain of Rocks Bridge crosses between Lincoln County and neighboring St. Charles County. The name comes from a low line of bedrock extending across the river, a natural landmark that gave the original settlement its identity. The village was platted in the 1830s, and the post office operated from 1869 until 1907. The 2020 census counted 97 residents.

The bridge remains the clearest piece of the local map, carrying county routes across the river and connecting the small village with the roads on both sides. The surrounding landscape is rural, with the Cuivre's riverbank and limestone outcrop setting the pace more than a large commercial center. Chain of Rocks lies within the Winfield R-IV School District, and nearby county roads lead toward the farms and communities of eastern Missouri. It is a small village whose name still points to the same piece of riverbed that marked the place before the bridge and the present road network arrived.