Although German immigrants were not the first to settle in the area now known as Cullman, they are the ones who put the city on the map by incorporating the town in 1874. The original five families that Col. John G. Cullmann recruited to colonize the town quickly grew into many more. With the assistance of local people, the Germans adapted to their new environment, and the colony took root. The strong German heritage and influence is still widespread today. Cullman was, and still is, an agricultural town. Immigrants discovered that cotton, sweet potatoes, and strawberries would readily grow in the area, and they wasted no time in filling the earth with these and other crops. Cullman also thrived on other industry, including numerous factories and merchants. The railroad running through the town played no small part in both the colonization and success of Cullman.