Preservation Journal

Timeline


1769 Louis Blanchette settles in an area called "Les Petites Cotes" (ref. History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren Counties, Missouri, 1885) (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1789 Blanchette became the first of three commandants appointed by the Spanish. The residents
of the area were still French in language and culture. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)
1791

The settlement of "Les Petites Cotes" officially changes name to San Carlos, to honor Charles IV of Spain with the name of his patron saint, Italian Bishop Carlos Borromeo. (ref. St. Charles Through Time) (from St. Charles County Historical Society)

The first church in Les Petite Cotes was dedicated to San Carlos Borromeo. The settlement became known as San Carlos del Misuri. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)

Blanchette was named the commandant of the District of San Carlos. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)

1793

Louis Blanchette dies. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)

Charles Tayon named commandant. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)

1794-1795 Census - San Carlos del Misuri--White Males: 198; White-Female: 75; Negro slaves-Male: 5; Negro slaves-Female: 5 (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1797 Population of the village of St. Charles consisted of 80 families. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)
1803 December - Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are assembling men and equipment at a camp near the Riviere a Dubois (Wood River). Thomas Jefferson had been considering exploratory missions west of the Mississippi as early as 1783. (ref. Foley) (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1804

March 9 - Formal transfer of Upper Louisiana Territory from France to the United States was made at St. Louis.

May 14- - While Meriwether Lewis completes business in St. Louis, William Clark and the Corps of Discovery break camp near Riviere a Dubois. They proceed up the Missouri River to St. Charles, a settlement along the river, to await Lewis from St. Louis. (ref. Foley)

May 21 - Corps of Discovery leaves St. Charles

October 1 - District of Louisiana's new government is inaugurated. Of the six existing districts five were kept: St. Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, and New Madrid. New Bourbon was eliminated. Each of the districts had a court of common pleas, a court of quarter sessions of peace, a probate court, and individual justices of peace. (from St. Charles County Historical Society)

Formal transfer of Upper Louisiana from France to the United States. San Carlos,part of the Louisiana Purchase, became a territory of the United States. The Spanish name San Carlos was anglicized to Saint Charles. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)

1808 William Clark, Nathan Boone, and the St. Charles Dragoons leave St. Charles. They go by land to make a treaty with the Osage Indians and set up Fort Osage on the Missouri River. (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1809 Village of St. Charles is incorporated (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1810 Census - white male population of district--1,096 (ref. Houck, "History of Missouri" Vol. iii) (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1820 The first state election is held. Alexander McNair is elected governor in August. On September 18th, the first General Assembly convenes in St. Louis. (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1821 August 10 - Missouri is admitted to the Union as the twenty-fourth state under the terms of the Missouri Compromise. (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1821-1826 St. Charles, Missouri serves as the temporary Capitol of Missouri (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1849 City of St. Charles is incorporated (from St. Charles County Historical Society)
1851 St. Charles and Western Plank Road Company established. Its purpose was to build a toll road of wooden planks along Boone's Lick Road to the western part of the county. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)
1876 A tornado struck St. Charles on February 27. Four persons were killed and over 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed including the County Courthouse, Jail and the Concert Hall. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)
1884 The Montana, a 252 foot long steamboat, lost power and crashed into the piers of the Wabash Railroad Bridge. No one was injured, but the boat was destroyed. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)
1888 Capt. John Enoch opened a pontoon bridge across the Missouri River at St. Charles. It was destroyed five months later by ice on the river. (St. Charles Library District: Bizelli-Fleming Local History Collection)
1903 October 3 - Cyclone
1909 October 11-16 - Centennial Celebration
2009 Bicentennial Celebration
 
  (Courtesy of the St. Charles County Historical Society)