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User:PJsg1011/French people in Missouri

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French people have had a presence in the U.S. state of Missouri since the 17th century, beginning with the voyage of Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet down the Mississippi River in 1673. The area was claimed for France nine years later, and in 1700 the first European settlement in what is now Missouri was established by French missionaries at the confluence of the Mississippi and the River Des Peres.

French explorers, traders, and pioneers were the first non-natives to colonize Missouri, and in the following decades they helped to solidify the influence of French culture on the state's history. The city of Saint Louis was founded in 1764, and quickly developed the largest population of ethnic French in the upper Louisiana Territory. Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and statehood in 1821, French Americans continued to settle and thrive in Missouri; by the mid-19th century, French towns and business enterprises had been established in all parts of the state.

Today, French influence is evident in the numerous placenames of French origin retained since Missouri's colonial days; more than a dozen counties are named for French people or French words, and many cities, towns, waterways, and geographical features have French names as well.

French placenames in Missouri

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Counties

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Settlements

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Geographic features

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References

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