Sainte Genevieve is the oldest city in the Show-Me state. The first permanent settlement in what would become Missouri was established on the banks of the Mississippi River. Although the exact date that settlers set up an official village is debatable, most historians believe it was around 1735. Many of the early families came across the river from communities in Illinois to farm the fertile land.
Once the Louisiana Purchase was completed, the area became even more valuable to the emerging United States throughout the 1800s.
The first settlement did move at one point–constant flooding forced early families to relocate to higher ground in 1785.
Based upon content from the book Missouri 365: This Day in Missouri History by John W. Brown, broadcaster and Missouri historian. Get your copy at Reedy Press.
Photo credit: [Missouri Postcard Collection, P0032. P0032-Ste Genevieve-001.jpg.], The State Historical Society of Missouri, Photograph Collection.
Related Posts
Bring the Heat
Those who just can't get enough chips and dip won't want to miss the 417 Salsa Fest in Springfield. A celebration of all things salsa, the event features a salsa taste-off, a hot-pepper-eating contest, live music, Latin dancing, and more.
At Montauk State Park, a River is Born
Montauk State Park is one of the oldest in the Missouri State Park system. Visitors can see the headwaters that form the Current River, cast a line in a well-stocked trout run, explore a pre-Civil War mill, and maybe even spot a pair of bald eagles.
The Kansas City That Never Was
Sometimes it's fun to wonder "what if?" An exhibit at the Special Collections Gallery at the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Miller Nichols Library imagines how a number of proposed projects might have reshaped the Kansas City experience.
Calamity Jane is Born in Princeton, Missouri: May 1, 1852
Martha Jane Cannary Burke was born in Princeton. The infamous frontier woman was known as "Calamity Jane."