St. Charles

This is the day that "Le Chasseur," the hunter, Louis Blanchette died. He had earlier established a trading post that he called Les Petite Cotes, or Village of Little Hills. Under the Spanish, the name was changed to San Carlos but the Americans call it St. Charles.

The road from St. Louis to St. Charles was declared a public road on this date. It was laid out in 1772. In 1865 it was improved with a rock surface and has been known as St. Charles Rock Road ever since.

As a landlocked state, Missouri isn’t exactly a hub for lighthouses. Yet there are a few places within our borders to experience these iconic pieces of nautical life. All of Missouri’s lighthouse structures are ornamental, but they still o„ffer up interesting history, a study in architecture, great views, or at the very least, a fun photo-op.

Birthday of Louis Blanchette who founded St. Charles in 1769.

George Sibley and his party departed from St. Charles on this day to survey what would become the Santa Fe Trail.

The notorious St. Charles Bridge opened across the Missouri River. It was the scene of several collapses, train wrecks, and riverboat sinkings.  

On this date a huge still was located on an island in St. Charles County. This one had 6000 gallons of fermenting mash. St. Charles County was called the most still-infested in the state.

A railroad bridge across the Missouri at St. Charles collapsed for the third time! Thirty one freight cars plunged into the river. It was also proving to be a hazard for steamboats.

In St. Charles and St. Louis flag raising ceremonies were conducted recognizing the new American sovereignty.