Before European explorers traveled down the great river, the rich land that would become St. Louis was home to the Mississippians, a mighty Native American civilization of mound builders. At its height, more than 20,000 people lived in the fertile river valley. When that culture mysteriously disappeared during Europe's Middle Ages, only its huge earthen structures were left, earning St. Louis one of its earliest nicknames, "Mound City".
Founded by French fur traders in 1764, St. Louis was a strategically important spot near the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The founders named the city for Louis IX, the Crusader King of France. Control of this "Louisiana Territory" transferred to the Spanish, then back to France. Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 without taking possession. Overnight, the size of the United States doubled.
|