Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-12

sissippi At this time the river front presented a
perpendicular limestone bluff extending from
what is now known as Poplar street northward
distance of some two miles level with Main
street, about forty feet above the ordinary stage
of water in the river
There was a tow-path on the sand at the foot
of the bluff for cordelling boats, which in high
stages of water completely covered.
Only one road led then to the river-Market
street, as known-roughly quarried by the
early settlers in order to have access to the river
The principal road, however, of the little village
was known the Rue de la Tour" soon Angli-
cized and commonly called Tower street (now
known as Walnut), which led from the Govern
ment Office" at the southwest corner of Main
and La Tour to "The Fort" and soldiers quarters
on the HILL about Fourth street.
With land so abundant, limited only by the
Appalachian chain the east (1790) and the
Rocky mountains on the west, the Mississippi, of
course flowing between for a waterway, Main
street made only thirtys1x feet W1de-in
some instances narrowed to thirty feet by avar
icious lot-holders- and narrow lanes twenty-five
or thirty feet were generously donated for
streets, rather passways, since no houses were
built upon them until long after the addition Of
more outlying country to the little town site.
Upon Main street were the houses of the old
French and Spanish settlers, built of logs or
stones maybe, facing the river. The most notable
residence of that day was the old "Chouteau Man.
sion' on Main street in the center of the town
and clustered about it were the most pretent1ous
dwellings of the aristocrats of that generation. 1t
was occupied by Auguste Chouteau until his death
his widow several years longer. until she built
for herself residence upon the hill back of
Main street (about Sixth street,, where two stone
houses had already been built one inside the for
tifications for the occupancy of the officers of the
troops in the garrison, the other built by Judge
Lucas on his farm, the residence site being fixed
between Sixth and Seventh streets.
This departure from the river front established
a new fashionable residence quarter, of which all
who could afford 1t were quick to take advantage.
After while other handsome new dwellings
were built in this vicinity, and Chouteau pond,
or lake. on Mill creek-where the railroad tracks
all now converge, became a great pleasure resort
for the young people, for fishing or picnicking or
rowing on its calm waters
At Bellefontaine the government troops were
massed during the of 1872, and was cont1n-
ued as a military post for many years afterward.
This drew attention to the northern lands con-
tiguous to the little settlement; new fashionable
quarter was established and many handsome
homes were built upon the high bluffs command
ing beautiful view of the Mississippi river and
the Illinois country. OF these homes Col. ORAL
Ions was the nucleus, occupying the place now
known as O'Falon Park, he having left this mag
nifcent woodland to the city for that purpose.
The scenes of "The Crisis were laid in this por-
ton of the future great city, in the homes clus-
tered about Bellefontaine
Carondelet named for Baron Carondelet, built
upon the high bluffs south of Market street. was
among the earliest ventures in suburban places,
and here were built other picturesque homes,
these old French aristocrats having evidently
eye for the beautiful in scenery and no idea of
being cramped for space in the little town which
kept on growing and growing on the bluff above.
At that early day the aristocratic family owned
its own plat of ground and built its own house,
one or one and half stories high, fronting to-
ward the river, surrounded by gardens of ample
proportions. They sat literally under their own
vines for their broad porches were overrun with
a wealth of creeping vines easily unrooted IN the
woodlands and transplanted ABOUT tnelr doors
and windows.
thnir