Stretched along the west bank of the Mississippi, Carondelet with its indefinite boundaries and brief political existence, has yet maintained its strong individualistic character.

Here various tribes of Indians lived undisturbed by “white men”. The first recorded Europeans to view this territory were the Frenchmen, Joliet and the Jesuit Pere Jacques Marquette, who in 1673, sailed down the Mississippi south to the Arkansas River. In 1682 another Frenchman, Robert de la Salle, sailed down the same river to the Gulf. Claiming all the land on both sides for the King of France, he named it Louisiana. French and Jesuit Indian missions were soon established on the eastern position, but the west banks of the Mississippi were left to the Indians and French voyagers.

Mystery shrouds the first known settlement in what was to become Carondelet. A small Catholic Jesuit mission, St. Francis Xavier Des Peres was founded bout 1700 on an island at the conflux of the Mississippi and Des Peres Rivers. Once source indicates that they were fleeing from troubles in Kaskaskia. The last records of this village are dated 1703 and now even the island itself has disappeared.

Political events in Europe affected Louisiana. In 1762 by secret treaty France ceded to Spain the territory west of the Mississippi. By the Treaty of Paris in 1763 she surrendered to England land east of the river. By 1800 France had regained the western land and in 1803 sold this to the United States. However, communication of these actions was slow to reach those most directly concerned.

It was during one of these transition periods in 1767 that Clement DeLore de Treget, a former French soldier, arrived with his family to make the first permanent settlement in what would become Carondelet. Apparently he had received some type of Spanish authority for this although no written proof can be found.

Records do exist of the 1771 land grant to DeLore from the French captain, St. Ange de Bellerive acting for the Spanish Governor. The original grant, which included the Common Fields, was thought to have extended from the Mississippi River west to what is now Jefferson Barracks on the south. First called DeLore’s Village, it was later know as Louisburg and Prairie a Catalan. In 1794 DeLore formally named it “Carondelet” in honor of the Baron de Carondelet, a Frenchman who at that time was the Spanish Governor of Louisiana.

Delore built his first home at the foot of Elwood Street near Bellerive Park. The Village occupied an area that extended roughly from the River to Michigan and from Eiler to Schirmer. The Common fields were bounded by Virginia, Meramec, Morganford and Holly Hills. South of Holly Hills was designated as a Common Pasture. A 1796 Spanish land grant made all the citizens joint owners of this large tract, but no formal government was provided. Thus in 1826 with the signature of only twelve of the inhabitants, the new U.S. Government purchased for the grand sum of $5.00, the 1700 acres that became Jefferson Barracks. Later attempts to reclaim this land proved futile. Lack of written original land deeds also caused problems when the territory became part of the United States, but Delore’s grant was upheld.

Carondelet grew slowly. The Spanish Census of 1799 gives the population of St. Louis as 925; Ste. Genevieve, 943; Carondelet, 184 and the first U.S. Census in1803 indicates 180 houses in St. Louis and 50 in Carondelet. Most of the people were subsistence farmers and gatherers of wood, which they sold to their more prosperous neighbors to the north. To these neighbors, Carondelet was known as “Vide Pouch” (empty pockets). Whether this referred to the poverty of the inhabitants or the condition of those leaving its gaming houses is a disputed question. Their carefree manner extended to religion and education. Though land had been set aside for a Church in 1775, it was not until 1819 that the first Church was erected and 1832 before a resident pastor, Rev. Edmund Saulnier, was appointed.

After Missouri’s admittance as a State and spurred no doubt by the 1826 land deal, the inhabitants decided a more formal government was needed. The Town was officially incorporated on August 12, 1832. The Governing Body was a five man Board of Trustees with John Leitensdorfer as the first Chairman. The first Town Hall was located on the east side of Broadway south of Bowen. One of the Board’s first acts was to authorize Eiler’s Survey of the Town. In 1837 Joseph Meyer surveyed the land south of River Des Peres.

The population’s ethnic character began to change at this time. Large groups of Germans lead by Jacob Stein established a settlement in the southeastern portion of Carondelet in the 1830’s and 40’s. This was called “Stein’s Town”. By the 1860’s they had succeeded in building their own Church, St. Boniface. The Germans had their own lyceum, singing society, a turner hall and were very active politically.

The 1848 fire and 1849 cholera epidemic in St. Louis convinced many of its wealthy citizens that the southern suburb of Carondelet would be a more healthful place for their families. As a result many of them moved to Carondelet in the following decade. Henry Blow, Wilson Primm, Alexander Lyle and Louis Picot were among those who would yield great political and social influence in the new city. Carondelet’s population had increased to 1,265. Residences and businesses were spreading southward along Broadway and Pennsylvania. Such growth seemed to mandate a greater political status. So the Town petitioned the State and Carondelet was granted incorporation as a city on March 1, 1851. The new City was divided into three wards each with two Councilmen. This was the beginning of Carondelet’s greatest growth.

The Iron Mountain Railroad, the first west of the Mississippi started in 1852. In 1857 the Missouri Legislature authorized the Carondelet Railroad and Dock Co. James Eads built his ironclad ships here in 1882. In 1804 a foundry began which developed into the Vulcan Iron Works. The Iron works and the railroads attracted many Irish workmen. They settled in the southeast section which was called “Kelly’ Patch” which was shortened to simply “The Patch”. These industries and the increased population stimulated the founding of other businesses. Among these were a flour mill, a lumber factory and saw mill, breweries, commercial shops, banks and pharmacies.

Education was also a concern of the new City. Until the mid 1830s there had been little in the way of formal education. One of the first schools in the area was that initiated by the Sisters of St. Joseph in their log cabin convent in September 1836. As this was the only school the Village Trustees voted to give them a small stipend until the town could build their own. This school developed into St. Joseph’s Academy, which occupied this same site until 1925 and continues today in its St. Louis County location. From this school also grew St. Mary & Joseph’s Parish School. Parochial schools were also established at St. Boniface in 1860 and at St. Columbkill’s in 1872. While records indicate the existence of an old Market House School on Iron Street east of Broadway for some years, it would appear that the dating of the public school system began with the Blow School in 1866. This was followed by the Carondelet School in 1871 and the Des Peres in 1873. It was at the first Des Peres School that Susan E. Blow inaugurated the first kindergarten class in the United States. The Public School #6 for “colored” began in 1873.

In addition to the Catholic Churches previously mentioned other churches were founded to meet the needs of the population. Carondelet Presbyterian, 1850; Mellow Methodist, 1852; St. Paul’s Episcopal and Carondelet Evangelical in 1870, and St. Trinity Lutheran, 1872. The first church for the Black Community was St. John’s Methodist, founded in 1869, followed by the Quinn Chapel and Corinthian Baptist.

The Civil War caused a great upheaval in Carondelet. The older inhabitants tended to be Democrats and States rights, while the newcomers, especially the Germans and former St. Louisians were Republicans and anti-slavery. This was the source of bitterness between those who formerly had been neighbors and friends. Following the war Carondelet experienced new problems. St. Louis’ boundaries were expanding and Carondelet’s treasury was shrinking. Accounts of this event differ but the final outcome was the annexation of Carondelet to the city of St. Louis in April 1870. Thus officially ended the history of Carondelet but like the Phoenix it has survived.

Discovery of new sources of iron in Michigan caused a decline in the industry but the Edgar Zinc Company replaced this to some extent in the early 1900’s. This industry also brought to the area a large group of Spanish immigrants. Commercial development continues along South Broadway with smaller clusters on Michigan and Ivory. With the Depression years and World War II a general decline occurred. Younger people moved to the suburbs, greater accessibility to larger more modern shopping centers and the construction of Highway 55 all had an adverse effect on the area.

However, in the late 1960’s the Ecumenical Council of Churches and the newly formed Carondelet Community Betterment Federation spearheaded an effort to halt this trend. Through the co-operation of various organizations in the area efforts were made to improve the housing and living conditions. Later business and industrial leaders joined with endeavors. Old businesses were revitalized and new industries were encouraged to locate here. Improved housing has begun to attract younger families back into the area. The Carondelet Historical Society and the Susan E. Blow Foundation strive to arouse a sincere pride for future development while preserving the past.

The Carondelet library and the YMCA have also had a stabilizing effect on the area. These organizations as well as the many other organizations and businesses have met annually since 1973 at the “Who Does What In Carondelet” dinner. This event, which is sponsored by the CCBF, gives each group the opportunity to share their achievements of the past year and their goals for the current year. This unifying event also serves to coordinate efforts for the future development of the neighborhood.

The 1980’s began a period of great growth and restoration for St. Louis neighborhoods and businesses. The Carondelet Neighborhood is proud to say that it has been and continues to be a vital and integral part of this total renewal.

— Sister Teresa Maria Eagen, csj