GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE - THE BEGINNING - "A TIME FRAME FOR THIS HISTORY"
By LOUIS SCHMIDT

 

1718 - NEW ORLEANS FOUNDED
1729 - PIERRE de LACLEDE BORN (NOV.22)
1752 - CHARLES GRATIOT WAS BORN IN LAUSANNE SWITZERLAND
1754 - OUTBREAK OF THE SEVEN YEARS WAR (ALSO KNOWN AS THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR) - ACTUALLY BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND
1755 - PIERRE de LACLEDE LANDED IN NEW ORLEANS AT THE AGE OF 26 SOMETIME AFTER HIS ARRIVAL IN 1755 AT NEW ORLEANS, LACLEDE MET MADAME CHOUTEAU. SHE WAS THE ESTRANGED WIFE OF INN-TAVERN KEEPER RENE' AUGUSTE CHOUTEAU. HE WAS AN EMBITTERED FAILURE WHO HAD DESERTED HIS WIFE AND YOUNG SON (AUGUSTE), AND GONE BACK TO FRANCE. AUGUST WAS BORN SEPT.7,1749 AS THE "LEGITIMATE SON" OF RENE' AND MARIE, HIS WIFE SOMETIME AFTER, THE FATHER DEPARTED. FOUR CHILDREN FOLLOWED BETWEEN 1758 AND 1764, THE OFF-SPRING OF LACLEDE AND MARIE. THE BAPTISMAL RECORDS WERE WORDED DIFFERENTLY - "THEY WERE BORN OF THE LEGITIMATE MARRIAGE OF RENE' AND MARIE". DIVORCE PROHIBITED BOTH BY THE CHURCH AND STATE, BUT PERMANENT SEPARATIONS WERE COMMON, THOUGH NEITHER PARTY HAD THE LEGAL RIGHT TO REMARRY DURING THE OTHER'S LIFETIME.
1759 - ENGLAND CAPTURED FRENCH CANADA, AND THE BRITISH FUR TRADERS STARTED MOVING SOUTH.
1762 - THE FRENCH LOST THE WAR AND HAD RELINQUISHED CANADA AND THE ILLINOIS COUNTRY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
1763 - THE GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA TERRITORY JEAN JACQUES D'ABBADIE OFFERED ANTOINE MAXENT A SIX YEAR FUR TRADING MONOPOLY WITH THE INDIANS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI AND NORTH TO THE DES MOINES RIVER. LACLEDE AGREED TO DIRECT THE VENTURE IN THE FIELD.

AUGUST 3, LACLEDE'S PARTY LEFT NEW ORLEANS WITH FOURTEEN YEAR OLD AUGUSTE CHOUTEAU AS HIS CLERK. USING A SHALLOW DRAFT BOAT (RAFT) AGAINST THE CURRENT, THEY ARRIVED AT FORT de CHARTRES IN EARLY NOVEMBER A FEW MILES NORTH OF STE GENEVIEVE.(700 MI.) AFTER SETTING UP WINTER QUARTERS, LACLEDE AND AUGUST CHOUTEAU SET OUT UPSTREAM IN DECEMBER TO SELECT A LOCATION FOR HIS POST. HE PLANNED FOR A SIGHT NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER, BUT IT WAS TOO SWAMPY. TWENTY MILES DOWNSTREAM, THE RIVER SWIRLED AGAINST A BLUFF THAT ROSE THIRTY TO FORTY FEET ABOVE THE WATER ON THE WEST BANK. THE WATER WAS LOW , EXPOSING AT THE BASE OF THE BLUFF, A SHELF OF ROCK THAT EXTENDED A HUNDRED FEET OR MORE INTO THE RIVER. THEY DREW THE BOAT ONTO THE SHELF AND CLIMBED TO THE BLUFF'S BROAD TOP. BETWEEN THE BANK AND THE CREST OF A RIDGE, SOME FIFTEEN HUNDRED FEET AWAY WAS A FOREST OF GIANT TREES. THIS WOULD COME TO BE ST. LOUIS. AFTER MARKING SOME TREES, THEY RETURNED TO FORT deCHARTRES FOR THE WINTER.
1764 - IN FEB. AUGUSTE WAS SENT WITH THIRTY MEN TO CLEAR AND MARK OFF THE PLAN FOR THE SETTLEMENT. THEY BEGAN CONSTRUCTION WHILE LACLEDE RECRUITED WORKERS, BOUGHT SUPPLIES AND TOOLS IN KASKASKIA, CAHOKIA, AND OTHER CREOLE SETTLEMENTS. THEY HAD TO HURRY BEFORE THE BRITISH TOOK OVER THE EAST SIDE. IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH TO ENCOURAGE THE FRENCH TO MOVE TO ST. LOUIS. BY THE END OF 1764 THERE WERE FORTY FAMILIES IN LACLEDE'S VILLAGE. BUT TO THEIR SURPRISE, THEY LEARNED THE FRENCH KING HAD SECRETLY MADE A TREATY WITH HIS COUSIN THE KING OF SPAIN, TRANSFERRING NEW ORLEANS AND THE LOUISIANA TERRITORY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI TO THE SPANISH. THE PAIN MUST HAVE BEEN EASED WITH THE SPANISH LAND GRANTS. ALSO THIS MUST HAVE HELPED TO HAVE A BUFFER ZONE OF THE FRENCH AND THEIR INDIAN FRIENDS, THE OSAGE. THIS SLOWED THE ADVANCE OF THE BRITISH. IN MAY, SHORTLY AFTER THE BAPTISM OF HER LAST CHILD, MARIE THERESE BOURGEOIS CHOUTEAU LEFT NEW ORLEANS FOR ST. LOUIS WITH HER CHILDREN. THEY ARRIVED LATE IN AUGUST JUST AS THE VILLAGE BEGAN TO TAKE SHAPE. RENE' WAS BACK IN NEW ORLEANS IN 1767, BUT DID NOTHING UNTIL 1774. HE TRIED TO FORCE MARIE TO RETURN TO NEW ORLEANS. AFTER TWO YEARS OF DELAYS, HE DIED IN 1776.
1768 - LACLEDE TOOK CARE OF THE FAMILY UNTIL MADAME CHOUTEAU WAS ABLE. SHE WAS VERY RESOURCEFUL AND MANAGED VERY WELL AFTER HE SET HER UP WITH A HOUSE IN 1768. THIS WAS A RESIDENCE LOT WITH A STONE HOUSE, A FARM LOT, TWO AFRICAN, AND TWO INDIAN SLAVES. MADAME CHOUTEAU WAS TO HAVE USE OF THIS PROPERTY DURING HER LIFETIME, WITH THE RIGHT TO SELL AND PURCHASE OTHER PROPERTY, WHICH SHE DID VERY WELL. ACCORDING TO THE DEED, THESE GIFTS WERE MADE IN CONSIDERATION OF THE SERVICES PERFORMED BY AUGUSTE, AND AS A DEMONSTRATION OF LACLEDE'S AFFECTION FOR ALL OF THE CHILDREN. THEY NEVER MARRIED AND HE NEVER ADOPTED THE CHILDREN. (ACCORDING TO FAMILY LEGEND LACLEDE AND MARIE WERE MARRIED IN A CIVIL CEREMONY, WHICH IF TRUE COULD HAVE BEEN LITTLE MORE THAN A SYMBOLIC ACT. (FROM LION OF THE VALLEY). SHE BECAME KNOWN AS "THE MOTHER OF ST. LOUIS". THIS BOOK "THE ROYAL FAMILY OF THE WILDERNESS" CALLS HER "THE QUEEN". THE FAMILY GREW AND BECAME THE DOMINANT FORCE IN THE CITY. THE INDIANS EVEN CALLED ST. LOUIS "CHOUTEAU TOWN"
1778 - PIERRE LACLEDE DIED.
1780 - BRITISH FORCES BEGAN ASSEMBLING ALONG THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI WITH THE SIOUX INDIANS AND CANADIAN TRADERS. CHARLES GRATIOT, THEN A CAHOKIA MERCHANT INNOCENTLY(?) PROVIDED THEM WITH NEEDED ARMS, AMMUNITION, AND SUPPLIES. HE HAD GOTTEN BOTH AMERICAN AND SPANISH PERMISSION TO SEND A BOATLOAD OF INDIAN TRADE GOODS TO PRAIRIE d CHIEN. THE BRITISH, DIRECTED BY THE BROTHER OF ONE OF GRATIOT'S FORMER CANADIAN PARTNERS, SEIZED THE SHIPMENT. THIS NEATLY TIMED EPISODE CAUSED GRATIOT TO BE CHARGED WITH TREASON. BUT HIS ACCUSERS PRODUCED NO EVIDENCE OF IT. PROBABLY NO ONE KNEW WHAT THE BRITISH WERE PLANNING, ALTHOUGH PIERRE PREVOST HAD WRITTEN FROM THE SALT RIVER (RALLS COUNTY MO.) THAT THE BRITISH AGENTS WERE VISITING THE TRIBES ALONG THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI, INCITING THEM TO ATTACK THE AMERICAN AND SPANISH VILLAGES. THIS IS WHEN FORT SAN CARLOS WAS BUILT. THIS MAY BE THE REASON THE CHOUTEAUS DIDN'T TRUST CHARLES GRATIOT. ALSO MAY TIE INTO THE STORY-(FROM "STREETS OF ST. LOUIS")- BEFORE COMING TO ST. LOUIS, GRATIOT HAD SECURED FOR GEORGE ROGERS CLARK, DURING HIS ATTACK ON KALKASKA SUPPORT OF THE FRENCH. HE ALSO HELPED FINANCE THE EXPEDITION. THIS WAS DURING THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. THE ENGLISH, ANGERED BY THIS, ARRANGED FOR GRATIOT TO BE KIDNAPPED. OTTAWA INDIAN CHIEF "PONTIAC" RESCUED HIM A FEW HOURS JOURNEY FROM THE BRITISH FORT AND SAVED HIM FROM BEING HANGED.
1781 - CHARLES GRATIOT MOVES TO ST. LOUIS AND MARRIES MADAME CHOUTEAU'S OLDEST DAUGHTER VICTORIE CHOUTEAU.
SO BEGINS THE STORY OF CHARLES GRATIOT. HOW THE DATES WORK OUT I DO NOT KNOW. FROM BEING CHARGED WITH TREASON IN 1780 TO COMING TO ST. LOUIS IN 1781 MAKES IT A BIT CONFUSING. COULD BE THE STORY OF TREASON WAS NOT TRUE.
"GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE"
SO NAMED FOR CHARLES GRATIOT SR. WHO RECEIVED THIS LAND GRANT FIRST IN 1785 BY CRUZAT AND WAS FINALLY CONFIRMED IN 1798 BY SPANISH (GOV. GEN. MANUEL GAYOSE DE LEMOS AT NEW ORLEANS). THIS BEING 3 SQUARE MILES,(5712 ACRES). THE BOUNDARIES BEING KINGSHIGHWAY - BIG BEND - AND A LINE THROUGH THE SOUTHERN 3/4 OF FOREST PARK - TO PERNOD IN THE SOUTH. (SURVEY 2037). THE PROMINENT LAND BEING THE VALLEY OF THE RIVER DES PERES.
THIS WAS ALMOST TOO LATE, FOR THE NEW U.S. GOVERNMENT IN 1804 WANTED TO INVALIDATE ALL LAND GRANTS BEFORE 1800. THIS EFFORT DID NOT PASS, BUT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT GIVE A BLANKET OK TO ALL LAND GRANTS. IT TOOK UNTIL 1809 FOR GRATIOT TO GET HIS GRANT APPROVED.
INSERTION FROM THE BOOK "ST. LOUIS -
AN INFORMAL HISTORY OF THE CITY, AND IT'S PEOPLE
1764-1865 BY CHARLES VAN RAVENSWAAY
CHAPTER 8 - INTRIGUE IN CANAAN
WITH THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE CAME THE LAND GRABBERS, AMERICAN AND FRENCH. BUT THEY SOON GOT SHOCKING NEWS FROM WASHINGTON. AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE LAND GRABBING CREOLES, CONGRESS HAD SEPARATED UPPER AND LOWER LOUISIANA AT THE THIRTY-THIRD PARALLEL, THE LOWER PART TO BE THE TERRITORY OF ORLEANS. THE UPPER, FORMER SPANISH ILLINOIS AND ARKANSAS WERE LUMPED TOGETHER IN A NEW DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA TO BE GOVERNED BY OFFICERS OF THE TERRITORY OF INDIANA.
THE EASTERNERS DIDN'T TRUST THE FRENCH ROYALTY CALLED THE "JUNTO" WHO ONE BOOK SAID GRATIOT WAS A LEADER". IN OCT.1804 GOV. HARRISON AND THE THREE INDIANA JUDGES ARRIVED IN ST. LOUIS WITH A SET OF LAWS FOR THE DISTRICT AND A LIST OF LOCAL APPOINTMENTS. JUDICIOUSLY, HARRISON NAMED CHARLES GRATIOT PRESIDING JUDGE AND AUGUSTE CHOUTEAU, JACQUES CLAMORGAN, DAVID DELAUNAY, AND JAMES MACKAY JUSTICES OF THE COURT OF QUARTER SESSIONS. THE SLAVE ISSUE, THE INDIAN RESETTLEMENT, AND THE LAND GRANTS WERE ARGUED AND DEFEATED. WHEN THE TOWN WAS INCORPORATED IN 1809,CHARLES WAS ELECTED TRUSTEE. CHARLES NAMED THE ROAD ALONG THE EASTERN EDGE OF HIS PROPERTY "THE KINGS HIGHWAY" IN HONOR OF THE KING OF FRANCE.
CHARLES WAS BORN IN 1752 AT LAUSANNE SWITZERLAND. HIS FATHER DAVID AND MOTHER MARIE (BERNARD) GRATIOT, FRENCH HUGUENOTS FLED FRANCE WHEN THE ROYAL ORDER FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM WAS ABOLISHED BY LOUIS XIV. CHARLES RECEIVED HIS EARLY EDUCATION IN LAUSANNE THEN WAS SENT TO LONDON FOR MORE, WENT TO CANADA TO WORK WITH HIS UNCLE IN A TRADE BUSINESS FOR 5 YEARS. HE TRIED SEVERAL FUR TRADING VENTURES THAT FAILED.
(FROM "STREETS OF ST. LOUIS")- BEFORE COMING TO ST. LOUIS, GRATIOT HAD BEEN A PRISONER OF THE ENGLISH IN ILLINOIS DURING THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, WHEN OTTAWA INDIAN CHIEF "PONTIAC" RESCUED HIM). IN 1781 HE MOVED TO ST. LOUIS AND BECAME A SPANISH SUBJECT IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO TRADE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER. HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE CAUSE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND HELPED FINANCE THE EXPEDITION OF GEORGE ROGERS CLARK AGAINST KASKASKIA, AND ALSO WAS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION TO THE WEST. HE TRAVELED EXTENSIVELY IN PURSUIT OF HIS FUR TRADING BUSINESS TO ALL PARTS OF AMERICA AND EUROPE. EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT STARTING A BUSINESS IN ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. HE ALSO HAD A RETAIL BUSINESS AND OPERATED A MILL AND DISTILLERY ON HIS FARM, ALSO A TANNERY AND SALT WORKS ON THE MERAMEC.
THROUGH THIS AND HIS SEVERAL GRANTS (WHICH INCLUDE CLAYTON) AND PURCHASES HE BECAME VERY WEALTHY. IT DIDN'T HURT TO BE A FRENCHMAN FRIENDLY WITH THE SPANISH, THEN TOP IT OFF BY MARRYING VICTOIRE CHOUTEAU ON JUNE 25, 1781, THE OLDEST DAUGHTER OF MADAME THERESE BOURGEOIS CHOUTEAU WHO SOME BOOKS CALL THE "MOTHER OF ST. LOUIS".
WHEN THE AMERICANS TOOK OVER LOUISIANA IN 1804, GRATIOT WAS AMONG THE HALF DOZEN MOST POWERFUL MEN IN THE DISTRICT. UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1817, GRATIOT AND AUGUSTE CHOUTEAU WERE OFFICEHOLDERS AND MAJOR FIGURES IN THE AREA'S DOMINANT POLITICAL FACTION. AT THE TIME OF THE TRANSFER OF UPPER LOUISIANA TO THE UNITED STATES, HE WAS ONE OF THE FEW FRENCHMEN IN ST. LOUIS TO APPROVE. HE SIGNED THE TRANSFER PAPERS AS ONE OF THE FOUR WITNESSES AND PART OF THE TRANSFER CEREMONIES TOOK PLACE AT HIS HOUSE ON THE CORNER OF MAIN AND CHESTNUT STREETS.
THE TREATY WAS SIGNED MARCH 10,1804 ON THE PORTICO OF THE GRATIOT HOME WITH CHARLES SR. AS INTERPRETER. SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD CHARLES JR. WITNESSED THE CEREMONY.
CHARLES AND VICTORE HAD THIRTEEN CHILDREN, NINE OF WHOM GREW TO MATURITY, MARRIED AND LEFT FAMILIES. THEY WERE:
JULIE, BORN JULY 24,1782 MARRIED TO JOHN P. CABANNE, FROM FRANCE, APR 8,1799.
VICTOIRE, BORN MAR.25,1785,MARRIED TO SYLVESTRE LABBADIE,AUG.16,1806.
CHARLES, BORN AUG.29,1786,MARRIED TO ANN BELIN, PHILADELPHIA, APR.22, 1819.
MARIE THERESE, BORN FEB.20,1788,MARRIED TO JOHN NICHOLAS MACKLOT AUG.16,1806
HENRY, BORN APR.25,1789,MARRIED TO SUSAN HEMPSTEAD, CONNECTICUT, FEB.,1813.
EMILY ANNE, BORN OCT. 5,1793, MARRIED TO PETER CHOUTEAU JR., JUNE 15, 1813.
LOUISE ISABELLA, BORN OCT.15, 1796, MARRIED TO JULES DEMUN, MAY 31, 1812.
MARIE BRIGITTE BORN JAN.6, 1798, DIED SEPT.7,1803; AT 5 YRS.
JOHN PIERRE, BORN FEB.1799, MARRIED TO MARIE ANTOINETTE ADEL PERDREAUVILLE FROM PARIS, NOV.18, 1819.
PAUL BENJAMIN, BORN MAR.13, 1800,MARRIED TO VIRGINIA BILLON, JUNE 6, 1825.
THREE INFANTS DIED YOUNG IN 1801, 1803, 1804.
FROM THE BEGINNING HE MADE EXTENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS IN HIS FARM. A HOUSE, ORCHARD, GARDEN, MINE OF STONE COAL, A SALINE AND MILL SITE. THIS WAS HIS COUNTRY HOME. NOT LONG AFTER THE ACQUISITION OF HIS LEAGUE SQUARE, CHARLES GRATIOT BEGAN TO SELL PARTS OF HIS IMMENSE TRACT. SOON A GOOD NUMBER OF GOOD SIZED FARMS AND ESTATES APPEARED. (CAN'T FIND WHO). MOST OF HIS LAND WAS VIRTUALLY UNTOUCHED UNTIL SUBLETTE'S TIME IN THE 1830'S,AND THE BEGINNING OF CLAY MINING.
HIS GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE WAS A BEAUTIFUL STRETCH OF LAND WITH THE LITTLE RIVER DES PERES MEANDERING THROUGH THE VALLEY WHICH RAN FROM JUST WEST OF KINGSHIGHWAY TO WHAT IS NOW THE CITY LIMITS, AND SOUTH TO THE RIVER AT CORONDELET. THE VALLEY ALONG THE RIVER HAD THE USUAL TREE GROWTH THAT GOES WITH STREAMS. THE HILLS ON EACH SIDE WERE COVERED WITH TREES.
A GROUP OF LORDLY OAKS SHADED A CLUMP OF PAPAWS. HERE AND THERE LEANED OVER THE STREAM THE CAPPLE-BARK OF SYCAMORE. AGAIN A SOLITARY, GIGANTIC COTTONWOOD STOOD. THERE WERE THICKETS OF HAZEL, STRETCHES OF WILD APPLE AND ON THE UPLANDS ONE STRUGGLES THROUGH THE BRIARS OF WILD BLACK-BERRY (FROM SHAWS GARDEN BULLETIN)
I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PINPOINT THE EXACT LOCATION, BUT I DO HAVE A DRAWING FROM A COPY OF THE 1790 GRATIOT COUNTRY RESIDENCE. IT HAD AN APERTURE AT THE CENTER OF THE BUILDING WHICH EXTENDED THROUGH TO THE BACK YARD. THIS WAS KNOWN AS THE DOG WALK. THIS WAS THE CHILDHOOD HOME OF CHARLES JR.
I FEEL I MUST INSERT AN ITEM HERE THAT PROBABLY SHOULD BE IN THE SECTION ABOUT WILLIAM SUBLETTE, BUT FITS HERE. THIS WAS FOUND IN A SARAH B. HULL SCRAPBOOK. (1891) A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE DESCRIBING WILLIAM SUBLETTE'S MANSION, WHICH REALLY WAS THE FIRST HOMESTEAD AND ORIGINAL BURIAL PLACE OF WILLIAM SUBLETTE, AND ALSO, I THINK WAS THE OLD GRATIOT COUNTRY HOME. A DRAWING IN THE ARTICLE SHOWS THE RUINS OF THE BUILDING WITH THE CHIMNEYS STILL STANDING. THIS MATCHES TWO DRAWINGS I HAVE OF CHARLES' 1790 COUNTRY HOME, AND HENRY'S 1810 HOME. BOTH ARE THE SAME EXCEPT HENRY DOES NOT HAVE THE DOG WALK.
THESE HOMES EACH ARE TWO STORY LOG HOMES (NOT SURE OF CHARLES' AS "LOG"). TYPICALLY, THE FRENCH BUILT WITH THE LOGS UP-RIGHT. HIS HOME HAD FOUR WINDOWS ON EACH SIDE OF THE MIDDLE, AND A CHIMNEY AT EACH END. HENRY'S HAS A DOOR IN PLACE OF THE DOG WALK. THIS IS ALL SPECULATION. CAN'T PROVE YET. THE ARTICLE STATES "ON A RIDGE SOME HUNDRED RODS SOUTH OF HOWARD STATION, WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS, AT THE FOOT OF WHICH FLOWS THE LITTLE TURBID RIVER DES PERES IS THE OLD HOMESTEAD AND ORIGINAL BURIAL PLACE OF WILLIAM SUBLETTE, THE NOTED FUR TRADER AND ONE OF THE MOST RENOWNED AND DARING OF THE INTREPID PIONEER LEADERS".
SUBLETTE AND ROBERT CAMPBELL CARRIED ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS AN EXTENSIVE MERCANTILE ESTABLISHMENT IN ST. LOUIS FOR THE SUPPLY OF GOODS FOR THE FUR TRADE. SUBLETTE SELECTED HIS HOMESTEAD ON THE RIDGE ABOVE MENTIONED. "FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS FOR REACHING THE PLACE WE WALK A SHORT DISTANCE SOUTH ON MACKLIND AVE. FROM THE RAILROAD, PASSING THE SMELTING WORKS ON THE LEFT AND CROSSING A BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER DES PERES. TURN TO THE LEFT, ASCEND A WINDING PATH UP THE SLOPE WE REACH A BROAD PLATEAU OF SEVERAL HUNDRED ACRES, FORMERLY A CORN FIELD, NOW OVERGROWN WITH WEEDS. WE SOON COME TO THE RUINS OF THE OLD SUBLETTE MANSION, WHICH WAS BUILT OF HEWN LOGS AND BURNED DOWN SOME TWO YEARS AGO, LEAVING TWO TALL MASSIVE STONE CHIMNEYS, THAT BUTTRESSED THE GABLE ENDS, STILL STANDING, WITH THE OLD STONE SMOKE- HOUSE NEARBY UNTOUCHED BY THE FLAMES AND IN A STATE OF GOOD PRESERVATION. THE OLD ORCHARD ON THE EASTERN SIDE HAS ENTIRELY DISAPPEARED".
SUBLETTE'S ESTATE WAS BORDERED ON THE EAST BY THE SPANISH GRANT KNOWN AS THE "GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE," AND IS BUT A SHORT WALK TO THE FAMOUS SPRING WHERE CHARLES GRATIOT, THE ANCESTOR OF THE MISSOURI GRATIOTS, ERECTED A MANSION AND A SPRING-HOUSE IN 1777, EVERY VESTIGE OF WHICH HAS DISAPPEARED. THE SPRING STILL ISSUES OUT OF THE SIDE HILL IN A COOL, LIMPID, SILVERY STREAM. TIME WAS WHEN HERDS OF ELK AND DEER FREQUENTED THE SPOT, AND PLOWED UP WITH THEIR HOOFS THE MUDDY BOTTOM BELOW, BETWEEN THE FOUNTAIN AND THE RIVER DES PERES.
ABOUT HALF A MILE WEST OF SUBLETTE'S MANSION (OLD HOME), AND BELONGING TO HIS ESTATE, WAS ANOTHER NOTED FOUNTAIN KNOWN AS SULPHUR SPRINGS, WHICH WAS OPENED AS A PLEASURE RESORT BY MR. GRIMES OF PADUCAH KENTUCKY. IT WAS MUCH FREQUENTED BY SOUTHERN PLANTERS. SO THERE WERE TWO SPRINGS, SOMETHING THAT HASN'T COME UP BEFORE. THAT ALONG WITH GRATIOTS COUNTRY HOME LOCATION, AND THE FACT OF SUBLETTE'S ROCK MANSION BEING BUILT CLOSE TO SULPHUR SPRINGS, ON THE HILL ON WILSON EAST OF SULPHUR.
AFTER REMAINING UNDISTURBED FOR TWENTY-SIX YEARS, THE OLD HOMESTEAD, HAVING FALLEN INTO THE HANDS OF STRANGERS, AND TO AVOID THE ENCROACHMENTS OF NEIGHBORING MANUFACTORIES, THE FAMILY CEMETERY WAS ABANDONED AND THE BODIES REMOVED TO BELFOUNTAINE CEMETERY. ON OCT.30, 1868. THE REMAINS OF SEVEN ADULTS AND NINE CHILDREN WERE EXHUMED AND MOVED TO THE ESTHER S. HEREFORD LOT. THE BODY OF MR. SUBLETTE WAS FOUND ENCLOSED IN AN OLD-FASHIONED CAST-IRON CASKET, WHICH WAS SO MUCH CEMENTED BY RUST THAT IT WAS NOT OPENED.
THE OLD BURIAL PLACE ON THE SUBLETTE PREMISES IS NOW BEING UNDERMINED BY CLAY PITS FOR FIRE BRICK AND POTTERY, IN ONE OF WHICH SAND GRAY, THE LAST SURVIVING MALE SLAVE OF MR. SUBLETTE, IS NOW EMPLOYED. THE FIRE MUST HAVE BEEN IN 1889.(ARTICLE WRITTEN IN 1891 AND "BURNED DOWN SOME TWO YEARS AGO" THUS 1889.
(FROM "THE FIRST AMERICAN FRONTIER" PG. 399). HENRYS OLD FARM HOUSE, BUILT IN 1810, THE FIRST HOUSE BUILT ON THE GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE, AND ONE OF THE EARLIEST NEAR THE VILLAGE, WHERE HE LIVED FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AFTER HIS MARRIAGE IN 1813. A WEATHER BOARDED LOG HOUSE ONE AND A HALF STORIES HIGH, FIFTY FEET LONG, BY 16 FEET DEEP, ON A STONE FOUNDATION ABOUT FOUR FEET HIGH, WITH A STONE CHIMNEY AT EACH END. THREE DOORS ON THE EAST FRONT, ONE TO EACH ROOM, WITH A SHED OVER THE STEPS TO EACH, IN PLACE OF THE GALLERY WHICH ORIGINALLY EXTENDED ALONG THE WHOLE FRONT OF FIFTY FEET. THE REAL GALLERY STILL REMAINS IN A DILAPIDATED CONDITION. IT STANDS ON HIGH GROUND OVERLOOKING THE COUNTRY IN EACH DIRECTION ABOUT THREE EIGHTS OF A MILE WEST OF KINGSHIGHWAY WHICH IS THE EAST LINE OF GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE, AND ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY YARDS NORTH OF PATTISON AVE. WHICH LEADS TO IT.
A DEEP WELL OF WATER STANDS ABOUT FIFTY YARDS NORTHEAST OF THE HOUSE. A PART OF THE OLD STONE FOUNDATION OF GRATIOTS OLD MILL ARE STILL TO BE SEEN,(1881) A SHORT DISTANCE NORTH OF THE HOUSE, ON THE SLOPE OF THE HILL WHICH DESCENDS TO THE RIVER DES PERES, AND THE RUINS OF THE OLD SPRING HOUSE, IN A HOLLOW ABOUT TWO-HUNDRED YARDS EAST, AND ALSO A NUMBER OF OLD DEAD APPLE TREES IN THE ORCHARD. THE BUILDER OF THIS HOUSE DIED AT BARNUMS HOTEL, BALTIMORE IN APRIL, 1835.
(PUTTING THIS STORY TOGETHER WITH THE 1890 STORY, I THINK THIS WAS THE OLD CHARLES GRATIOT COUNTRY HOME USED BY CHARLES (1780'S), HENRY (1810), AND WILLIAM SUBLETTE (IN 1831).
AT APPROXIMATELY THE LOCATION DESCRIBED THERE IS A RIDGE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE FRISCO TRACKS, AND OVERLOOKING THE VALLEY IS AN AUTO BODY SHOP (SOUTHTOWN AUTO UPHOLSTERY?) WHICH IS LOCATED AT 5301 NORTHRUP. THEN (PCI FILTRATION SERVICES-5323 NORTHROP), SO I GOT PERMISSION TO SNOOP AROUND THE BACK OF PCI. THE COMPANY IS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF NORTHRUP, RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE RIDGE. NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THE OLD FAMILIAR DUMP WHICH WE MIGHT CALL A LAND FILL SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH IS FILL. I COULD SEE ABOUT 20 OR 30 FEET BELOW, A FLAT AREA BEHIND A SMALL COMPANY NAMED "JOHN BOYLE AND CO" AT 1630 MACKLIND.
I RECEIVED PERMISSION AGAIN TO LOOK AROUND BACK, AND FIRST OF ALL A SWAMPY AREA WHICH COULD BE THE SPRING, (OR MAY BE JUST DRAINAGE FROM THE HILL). THERE WAS A SEWER GRATE, BUT IT SAT TOO HIGH TO DRAIN THE LOT. I WALKED AROUND THROUGH THE WEEDS ON THIS HILLSIDE AND FOUND THE USUAL DUMP MATERIAL PLUS WHAT LOOKED LIKE CINDERS. JUST LIKE THE DUMP THAT USED TO BE UP THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE ON PLATEAU.
I TOOK A FEW PICTURES AND FOR NOW CHOOSE THIS SPOT AS EITHER GRATIOTS OLD MILL ON THE SLOPE OF THE HILL WHICH DESCENDS TO THE RIVER, OR THE OLD SPRING HOUSE IN A HOLLOW ABOUT 200 YARDS EAST. THE HOUSE COULD HAVE BEEN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF NORTHRUP, "FACING EAST, BUT WITH A GOOD VIEW OF THE WHOLE VALLEY". I THINK A COUPLE OF MAPS VERIFY THIS OLD HOME. FIRST, AN UNMARKED BUILDING IS SHOWN ON AN 1899 PLAT MAP AT THIS LOCATION. ALSO, THE 1876 PICTORAL MAP SHOWS THE SAME BUILDING.
IN 1817 CHARLES SR. DIED OF A PARALYTIC STROKE AT AGE 65. EDWARD HEMPSTEAD, ONLY 38 COLLAPSED AND DIED AS THE RESULT OF A FALL FROM A HORSE A FEW WEEKS EARLIER, AND THOMAS HART BENTON KILLED CHARLES LUCAS IN A DUEL ON BLOODY ISLAND. (TWO DUELS LUCAS SHOT THROUGH THROAT THEN HEART). GRATIOT AND HEMPSTEAD WERE TWO FAVORITES AND SORELY MISSED. (TAKEN FROM "LION OF THE VALLEY" BY JAMES NEAL PRIM) VICTOIRE SURVIVED CHARLES BY 8 YRS. DIED AT SAME AGE OF 65. I WILL GO BACK TO CITY HALL ARCHIVES, WHERE I GOT A SURPRISE. FOUND A MAP WITH THE BREAK-DOWN OF GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE TO CHARLES' INHERITORS.
HENERY'S INHERITANCE OF GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE. 1927.2FT.WIDE N/S, THE FULL 3MI.E/W STRIP ON A LINE WITH VALLEY RD. (DALE) ON THE NORTH, AND GLADES & PHARE (SHAW) ON THE SOUTH.
PAUL BENJAMIN'S INHERITANCE OF GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE. 1131.9FT.WIDE N/S, THE FULL 3MI.E/W STRIP ON A LINE WITH WISE ON THE NORTH, AND VALLEY RD.(DALE) ON THE SOUTH.
VICTORIE & SYLVESTRE LABBADIE'S INHERITANCE OF G/L/S. 1131.9FT.WIDE N/S, THE FULL 3MI.E/W STRIP ON A LINE WITH SOUTH EDGE OF FOREST PARK (OAKLAND) ON THE NORTH, AND WISE ON THE SOUTH.
EMILY ANNE & PETER CHOUTEAU'S INHERITANCE OF G/L/S. 1131.9FT.WIDE N/S, THE FULL 3MI.E/W STRIP - PART OF FOREST PARK - OAKLAND ON THE SOUTH.
LOUISE ISABELLA & JULES DEMUN'S INHERITANCE OF G/L/S. 1131.9FT.WIDE N/S, THE FULL 3MI.E/W STRIP - PART OF FOREST PARK -
JULIE & JOHN P. CABANNE'S INHERITANCE OF G/L/S. 1131.9FT.WIDE N/S, THE FULL 3MI.E/W STRIP - PART OF FOREST PARK -
JOHN PIERRE'S INHERITANCE OF GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE. 1254 FT. WIDE N/S, THE FULL 3MI.E/W STRIP ON A LINE WITH GLADES AND PHARE (SHAW) ON THE NORTH, AND BERNARD (BISCHOFF) ON THE SOUTH.
MARIE THERESE & JOHN MACKLOT'S INHERITANCE OF G/L/S. 1362.9 FT. N/S,- 386 ACRES. PLOT BROKEN UP BY JAMES BERRY'S 224 ACRES BOUGHT IN 1813. NORTH LINE-BISCHOFF/ SOUTH LINE-COLUMBIA
CHARLES GRATIOT JR'S INHERITANCE OF GRATIOT LEAGUE SQUARE. 1914 FT. WIDE N/S, THE FULL 3 MI.E/W STRIP ON A LINE WITH PERNOD ON THE NORTH AND CHIPPEWA ON THE SOUTH.(SUR.2035)- 681.5 ACRES.
SUTTON OWNED 342 ACRES ON THE WESTERN END SOUTH OF MACKLOT'S 125 ACRES OWNED BY ? SOUTH OF SUTTON.
COOPER ESTATES - COLUMBIA TO ARSENAL/KINGSHIGHWAY TO TAMM LINDELL AND SHAW - ARSENAL TO PERNOD/KINGSHIGHWAY TO TAMM
A LARGE PLOT OF 1361 ACRES ON THE EAST SIDE OF SUTTON OWNED BY CHRISTY, SOUTH OF MACKLOT'S AND NORTH OF CHARLES GRATIOT JR.
THE GRATIOT "MANSION" WAS BUILT BY PAUL BENJAMIN (CHARLES' YOUNGEST SON) IN 1838-40 AT THE LOCATION OF 6135 VICTORIA ON 10 ACRES FRONTING ON CHELTENHAM AVE.(WEST PARK) TO A LINE WHICH WOULD NOW BE BERTHOLD, WITH CENTRE RD. (GRAHAM) ON THE WEST AND BILLON (HAMPTON) ON THE EAST. HE MOVED ONTO HIS INHERITANCE IN 1832.(WHERE HE LIVED UNTIL HE BUILT HIS HOUSE). THIS PROPERTY WAS STILL IN THE FAMILY UNTIL 1937.(PER MRS. BERTHA GRATIOT BLYTHE).
NONE OF CHARLES GRATIOT'S SONS STAYED IN ST. LOUIS EXCEPT POSSIBLY PAUL B. GRATIOT WHO IN 1829-30 WAS A RESIDENT OF MICHIGAN TERRITORY AND A MEMBER OF THE FIRM OF GRATIOT AND TERRY DOING BUSINESS AT DIAMOND GROVE, IOWA COUNTY. I DON'T HAVE MUCH INFO ON HIM, BUT HE MUST HAVE COME BACK TO ST. LOUIS TO BUILD THE GRATIOT MANSION ON VICTORIA IN 1838-40.(IF THIS IS THE SAME PAUL BENJAMIN AS NOTED ABOVE).
THE OLDEST OF FOUR SONS - CHARLES GRATIOT JR.- WAS EDUCATED AT WEST POINT, GRADUATED IN THE ENGINEER CORPS, AND BECAME DISTINGUISHED IN HIS PROFESSION. AS A YOUNG OFFICER, IN THE WAR OF 1812,AND AFTER-YEARS BECAME THE CHIEF OF THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS IN THE U.S. ARMY. HE WAS THE OFFICER WHO PLANNED AND CONSTRUCTED FORTRESS MONROE AT OLD POINT COMFORT ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY, WHICH STANDS TODAY THE MOST EXTENSIVE AND IMPORTANT FORTIFICATION ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT WHICH WILL REMAIN AN ENDURING MONUMENT TO THE SKILL AND SCIENTIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF GEN. CHARLES GRATIOT. (THIS WAS WRITTEN IN 1884). THE U.S. HONORED HIS MEMORY BY GIVING HIS NAME TO AN IMPORTANT FORT (FORT GRATIOT) ON THE STRAITS OF HURON IN MICHIGAN, WHILE THAT STATE NAMED ONE OF IT'S LARGE AND IMPORTANT COUNTIES AFTER HIM. (GRATIOT COUNTY).
NEXT- FROM THE BOOK "HENRY GRATIOT, A PIONEER OF WISCONSIN" AN ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRESENTATION OF HIS PORTRAIT TO THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN. BY E. B. WASHBURNE OF ILLINOIS:
THE SECOND SON - HENRY GRATIOT MARRIED SUSAN HEMPSTEAD IN ST. LOUIS IN 1813. I HAVE A PICTURE SHOWING HIS COUNTRY HOME. HE EITHER LIVED IN THE OLD COUNTRY HOME OR REBUILT IT IN 1810. THIS BOOK PUTS THE DATE OF MARRIAGE AT 1821. BY 1825, BEING A YOUNG MAN WITH A WIFE AND FIVE CHILDREN, HE THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT SLAVERY. HE HATED SLAVERY SO MUCH, HE DETERMINED HE WOULD NOT LIVE IN OR BRING UP HIS CHILDREN IN A SLAVE STATE. THAT YEAR HE AND HIS BROTHER JOHN PIERRE DEPARTED FOR THE LEAD MINES AT FEVRE-RIVER.
IN 1826 HE BROUGHT HIS FAMILY THERE. THE WINNEBAGO INDIANS HAD FOUND THE LEAD ORE AND TRIED TO KEEP IT A SECRET FROM THE WHITES, BUT ONE BROKE DOWN AND TO KEEP THE SPIRITS APPEASED, HE DIDN'T TELL BUT SHOT AN ARROW TO THE SPOT AND SAID "THAT WAS WHERE THE SECRET LAY" OR IN SO MANY WORDS. THE OTHER WINNEBAGO'S CHASED HENRY OFF, BUT THE GRATIOTS HAD A FRIEND IN A HALF-BREED WOMAN NAMED CATHERINE MYOTT. THEY WERE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE INDIANS TO MINE THE ORE.
THEY WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL AND MOVED TO A BEAUTIFUL SPOT LATER CALLED "GRATIOT'S GROVE". THEY HAD NINE FURNACES AND EVERYONE FROM MILES AROUND BROUGHT THEIR ORE TO BE SMELTED. THE GROVE BECAME A SETTLEMENT OF 1500. IT BECAME A LOVELY TOWN, CONSIDERED THEN TO BE IN ILLINOIS A FEW MILES FROM GALENA,20 MILES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. IT WAS A BUSTLING HAPPY PLACE UNTIL THE BLACK-HAWK WAR OF 1832.
AFTER THE WAR, COL. GRATIOT OBTAINED AN ALMOST UNBOUNDED CONTROL AND INFLUENCE OVER THE INDIANS SINCE THEY FULLY TRUSTED HIM, ESPECIALLY THE WINNEBAGO WHO CLAIMED ALL SOUTHERN WISCONSIN AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS.
COL. GRATIOT WAS CALLED TO WASHINGTON AND RECEIVED GREAT HONOR, BUT WHILE THERE HE CONTRACTED A SUDDEN AND SEVERE COLD. HE LEFT FOR HOME BEFORE HE WAS REALLY READY TO TRAVEL. BY THE TIME HE REACHED BALTIMORE HE WAS WORSE. HE DIED IN THE BARNUM'S HOTEL APR.27,1836. AS FAR AS I KNOW HIS BROTHER JOHN PIERRE WAS THE ASSOCIATE AND PARTNER OF HENRY AND MUST HAVE STAYED IN WISCONSIN.