4- 1764- THE FOUNDER'S FOUNTAIN

4
1764- THE FOUNDERS FOUNTAIN

Very little is known about Pierre Laclede, the founder of St Louis, and though many things share his name, few tributes to hime exist in the city. Little is known about how he found his way from France to the shores of St Louis, and no one knows where his body lies, somewhere at the bottom of the Mississippi River. Laclede and a small group of men founded and mapped out a trading post near the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers naming it after King Louis XIV of France.

The only current monument to Pierre Laclede is the statue that bears his name near city hall (Above). The district that bears his name, Laclede's Landing, just to the North of the Arch, but has no permanent memorials to commemorate him. This has always been a puzzling slight and a missed opportunity to showcase the history and French flavor that Pierre Laclede represents.

Long overdue is a memorial by the Mississippi River to commemorate Pierre Laclede. I would suggest a simple statue and fountain, complete with historical plaques and some 18th century artifacts. It should be at the base of Laclede's Landing right next to the river, on Leonore K Sullivan Boulevard. It should have three flags, one for France, one for Spain , and
one for the USA, to symbolize the early governors of the village of St Louis in its first 25 years.

It would be fitting if a French restaurant would open near the site of the memorial perhaps with a French flag and/or copy of the famous statue of Louis XIV that stands atop Art Hill.