St. Charles

By Vicki Berger Berger Erwin and Jessica Dreyer

Since the settling of St. Charles as Les Petites Cotes (the little hills) by Louis Blanchette in 1769, the riverfront area has been important to the commercial and social growth of the city. Today it is a vibrant example of historic preservation. Yet, in the 1960s, the area was endangered as the once-lovely buildings deteriorated. Thanks to the efforts of dedicated citizens prompted by the restoration of the first state capitol property, the area underwent a revitalization and rebirth. The Main Street Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1970.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Feb 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9781439640869

Vicki Berger Berger Erwin

Vicki Berger Erwin has been in the publishing industry for more than thirty years in various capacities, including sales, book distribution and as the owner of a bookstore in St. Charles, Missouri. She is the author of more than thirty books in varied genres: picture books, middle-grade mysteries and novels, local histories and true crime. She has an MFA in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University. James W. Erwin practiced law in St. Louis for thirty-seven years. He is the author of six books on local history. He has an MA in history from the University of Missouri. This is their third book together. They live in Crestwood, Missouri.

Book preview

—JRD

INTRODUCTION

A stone marker at 906 South Main Street denotes the spot where Louis Blanchette, the first white man to settle in St. Charles, built his cabin in 1769. He had made an earlier reconnaissance trip along the Missouri River searching for a suitable location for a trading post, and upon his return, he chose Les Petite Cotes (the little hills) because the river provided transportation, and fresh spring water was located nearby. Blanchette’s wife, Angelique, came with him, as did several men who soon took Native American wives, started families, and created a community.

Although Blanchette and the settlers who arrived in St. Charles in those early days were French, they lived under the Spanish flag in what was called then San Carlos. Blanchette served as commandant until his death in 1793. In 1800, in a secret deal, France took control of the Louisiana territory—land west of the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from British America in the north to Mexico in the south—placing St. Charles under the French flag. That paved the way for the Louisiana Purchase, bringing St. Charles under a third flag, that of the United States, in 1803.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked upon their famous expedition from St. Charles on May 21, 1804. In the 35 years from Blanchette’s arrival with his wife and handful of followers, Lewis and Clark reported St. Charles’s population as 400 with 100 houses. The culture was predominantly French at that time; this is still evident in the restored architecture on Main Street and in the area dubbed Frenchtown.

After the Louisiana Purchase, pioneers from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and the Carolinas made the journey and settled in St. Charles, following the lead of Daniel Boone, who the Spanish lured to the area with a large land grant in 1799. St. Charles was an important point in journeys westward for many travelers, giving rise to businesses catering to these