St. Charles Missouri History & Facts

Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States.The population was 65,794 at the 2010 census, making St. Charles the ninth-largest city in Missouri. Situated on the Missouri River, St. Charles, Missouri is a northwestern suburb of St. Louis.

The city was founded circa 1769 as Les Petites Côtes, or "The Little Hills" in French, by Louis Blanchette, a French-Canadian fur trader.This former French area west of the Mississippi River was nominally ruled by Spain following France's defeat in the Seven Years' War. France had ceded its eastern territories to Great Britain. St. Charles is the third-oldest city in Missouri. For a time, it played a significant role as a river port in the United States' westward expansion, including trade with Native American tribes on the upper Missouri River. It was the starting point of the Boone's Lick Road to the Boonslick.

St. Charles was settled primarily by French-speaking colonists from Canada in its early days. In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition considered this settlement the last "civilized" stop before they headed upriver to explore the western territory that the United States acquired from France in the Louisiana Purchase.

The city served as the first Missouri capital from 1821 to 1826.It is the site of the Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne shrine.Native American peoples inhabited the area at least as early as 11,000 B.C. When European colonists arrived, the area was inhabited by the historic Ilini, Osage and Missouri tribes.

The first church, built in 1791, was Catholic and dedicated to the Italian saint Charles Borromeo, under the Spanish version of his name, San Carlos Borromeo. The town became known as San Carlos del Misuri ("St. Charles of the Missouri"). The original location of the church is not known but a replica has been built just off Main Street. The fourth St. Charles Borromeo Church now stands on Fifth Street.

The Spanish Lieutenant-Governor Carlos de Hault de Lassus appointed Daniel Boone as commandant of the Femme Osage District. He served in this role until the United States government acquired control in 1804 following the Louisiana Purchase from France.

The name of the town, San Carlos, was anglicized to St. Charles. William Clark arrived in St. Charles on May 16, 1804. With him were 40 men and three boats; they made final preparations for their major cross-country expedition, as they waited for Meriwether Lewis to arrive from St. Louis. They attended dances, dinners, and a church service during this time. Excited to be part of the national expedition, the townspeople were very hospitable to the explorers. Lewis arrived via St. Charles Rock Road on May 20. The expedition launched the next day in a keel boat at 3:30 pm. St. Charles was the last established European-American town that the expedition visited for more than two and a half years.

Famous Peoples From St. Charles Missouri

Brandon Bollig

Brandon D. Bollig (born January 31, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey player. An undrafted player, Bollig signed with the Chicago Blackhawks organization in 2010 after playing college hockey for St. Lawrence University. He made his NHL debut in 2012 and was a member of Chicago's Stanley Cup championship team in 2013. The Calgary Flames acquired Bollig in a draft-day trade on June 28, 2014.

As a youth, Bollig played in the 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the St. Louis Blues minor ice hockey team.

Bollig played high school hockey for Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, Missouri, where he graduated in 2005 with a 3.4 grade point average. During his junior year of high school, he also tried out for the St. Louis Jr. Blues Tier III Junior B team, but was cut. Bollig tried out again the following year and made the team for the 2004-05 season. After spending one season with the Jr. Blues and graduating from high school, Bollig moved up to the United States Hockey League (USHL) to join the Lincoln Stars.

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