ST. LOUIS — Two-hundred and fifty-nine years ago, the City of St. Louis was founded by a group that lead to the growth and settlement of the area.
Pierre Laclede, Auguste Chouteau and their party set out to establish a suitable trading post. The official date is disputed but on Feb. 14 or Feb. 15, 1764, the party arrived in the area and established the land as a fur trading post. They then began to construct the settlement named 'St. Louis' in honor of the King of France at that time.
Thus, the growth and construction of the city of St. Louis began. Over time, the trading post began to grow and in 1770, a Spanish lieutenant established Spanish control over the land. But St. Louis remained primarily a French community under Spanish control.
The land and city were returned to French control until in 1803, France sold them to the United States under the Louisiana Purchase. In 1876, the city's boundaries were established after voting to separate from St. Louis County.
St. Louis continued to grow in size and with time, the evaluation of cities and technology. The city was also host to many historical events over time including the World's Fair and the 1904 Olympic games.
From 1950 to now, St. Louis continued to grow and establish itself as a major city within the U.S. The edition of the Gateway Arch in 1965, professional teams including the Blues and Cardinals and neighborhoods all contributed to the history of St. Louis.
And the rest is history.
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