History of St. Charles

History of St. Charles. . , 1769 , Les Petites Côtes, River Gateway , St. Charles stands on the banks of the Missouri River as the gateway to the Missouri River valley. First known as Les Petites Côtes (Little Hills), it was founded by Louis Blanchette in 1769 as a French fur-trading outpost. Located on high ground upriver from the Missouri-Mississippi confluence, the settlement became known as San Carlos (St. Charles) when the Spanish built San Carlos Borromeo Church in honor of the patron saint of their king.

In 1800, Spain transferred Louisiana Territory back to France. Three years later, the French sold the Territory to the United States for $15 million or around three cents per acre. The Louisiana Purchase, which included all of Missouri, immediately doubled the size of the country.

Springboard to the Frontier , When the United States purchased Louisiana Territory, St. Charles became the edge of the U.S. frontier. Lewis and Clark used St. Charles in 1804 as their final departure point before heading west. After the War of 18 12, settlers flooded into Missouri Territory, using St. Charles as the springboard to outfit and re-supply before reaching their new homes farther west.

1821, First Missouri State Capitol , In 1819, the first steamboat on the Missouri River made its appearance in St. Charles, ushering in a prosperous era. Two years later, St. Charles began serving as the temporary state capital. Along with the First Capitol, several buildings from the period, including Stone Row, the Millington buildings, and Eckert's Tavern, can still be seen today on Main Street. At Eckert's Tavern in 1827, three surveyors (including George Sibley) denied and approved the official route of the Santa Fe Trail from Fort Osage to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The same year, during a time of booming growth for St. Charles, George Sibley and his wife, Mary Easton Sibley, opened Lindenwood College as a women's academy.

1840 , German Rhineland , From 1824 to 1827, Gottfried Duden visited the Missouri River valley and wrote about its beauty. His descriptions initiated a flood of German settlers to Missouri and St. Charles. The German population was so numerous that the area of the Missouri River between St. Louis and Jefferson City is still sometimes called the "Rhineland." The Germans left their greatest marks in solidly built homes and barns, and local customs. The area's grape-growing, originally encouraged by Duden, has become world renowned among wine producers. German names about here, and their work ethic lives on today.

Growth and Disaster , The Northern Missouri Railroad first came to St. Charles in 1856 and was later bought out by the Wabash and Ohio Railroads. Construction on the Wabash Bridge, the second bridge across the Missouri River, was completed in 1871. The Wabash Bridge had several fatal disasters, including construction accidents, derailments and the collapse of two bridge spans.

St. Charles continued to grow in size and importance as a riverport, railroad stop, and agricultural and manufacturing center. But other disasters plagued St. Charles. In 1876, a tornado ravaged its downtown. The enormous steamboat Montana sank in 1884 after striking the Wabash Bridge. In 1891, an innovative pontoon bridge across the Missouri River was destroyed by ice.

Legacy of the St. Charles Carriage Co. , In 1878, the St. Charles Carriage Co. began building railroad cars. In 1899, the car company joined 12 other railroad car companies and formed the American Car and Foundry (AC&F). For over 100 years, the AC&F factory has dominated the riverfront landscape of the city. It was once the main rail car producer for all U.S. railroads, and produced most of the passenger cars for the Missouri-Kansas-Teas (MKT or Katy) Railroad. AC&F has constructed every sort of train car imaginable, including the first refrigerated car, St. Louis trolleys and subway cars for New York.

1894 , Arrival of the Katy , Katy Trail State Park was once the rail bed of the MKT Railroad. Under the name of the Missouri, Kansas and Eastern, tracks were built between Franklin and Machens in 1892-1893 to enable passengers to reach St. Louis. The first Katy train rolled through St. Charles on April 1, 1894. Once the new segment opened, a passenger could ride "The Katy" from St. Louis to Galveston, Texas.

In 1921, thieves stole $110,000 from the St. Charles Katy depot in one of the largest station and mail robberies in U.S. history. After World War II, highway travel became more popular than rail travel. The Katy's ridership slowed until passenger service was discontinued in 1956. By the 1970s, the Katy railroad was too small to compete with larger rail companies. On April 11, 1986, the last Katy train rode the tracks to St. Louis.

Trolleys to Interstates , In 1904, the St. Charles Bridge Co. constructed a trolley ad vehicle bridge across the Missouri River. This bridge was the first iron non-railroad bridge to cross the Missouri River. Automobile travel numbered the days of the railroad and the trolley. Highway 40, one of the first automobile routes to traverse the United States, crossed the Missouri River in St. Charles using the 1904 bridge. The first interstate highway, Interstate 70, began at St. Charles in 1956.

Rebirth of St. Charles , Around 1960, St. Charles began a movement to preserve its historic district. Visionaries began restoring the First Capitol and other historic buildings on Main Street, leading St. Charles to become home to one of the first historic districts in the nation. Today, over 100 historic buildings are within St. Charles' historic districts, and the First Capitol is managed as a state historic site by Missouri State Parks.