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They lived in a log cabin built for them as a wedding present by her father Leonard Billeron
who was at the time Mayor of Kaskaskia. This log cabin (14115 Valles Mines
School Road) currently houses, some 259 years later and still in use, our
"Lost History Museum". Eventually, the gathering of lead from the surface
gave way to digging and mining of lead below the ground. Early mines were very shallow.
But European mining practices were advancing. It soon became obvious that there
was more work to do than any one man could ever accomplish so Valle took to leasing
land to others. A village grew up and then a town and soon Valles Mines was a population
center.
The village of
Kaskaskia was established by Jesuits in 1703 before there was a United
States. Fort Kaskaskia was destroyed by the British in 1763, a fact that did
not escape Valle's attention.
Sainte Genevieve grew directly to the West of Kaskaskia across the Mississippi
in the"Louisiana Territories", before there was a United States. When
Valle eventually moved to Ste. Genevieve and became Commandant of its fort there
in his old age, he had his chance for payback. Francois in 1780 saved his Spanish brothers
and sisters in Saint Louis from being overrun and captured by the British and their Indian war parties as
they had done to his father-in-law in Kaskaskia. This constituted one very brave act being outnumbered 3 to 1, for which
the King of Spain made him a Don, a great honor. You can be sure the Indians thought
twice about charging a garrison firing lead cannon balls instead of the British
rocks and gravel.
The French 'Colonial Era' refers to the culture there
in the 1700's and its connection all the way back to Europe. England, France, and
Spain all wanted a piece of the New World and for good reason.
And so the fighting began. Later Valles Mines would
become part of the Louisiana Purchase under Jefferson (1803).
Valles'
Mines lies 30 miles west of Ste. Genevieve in the Lead Belt, founded and thriving well before
St. Louis. The Mineral Area of Missouri may have passed out of its heyday but we
have found residents of Valles Mines living as far away as Australia. If you know
anything about the area or even if you don't, please stop by and add your 2 cents
worth.
The French Colonial era uniquely defined the culture of the area for centuries. Thanks
to the annual reenactments at Fort DeChartres in Illinois and
the work of many dedicated reenactors, you can see for a few
days an entire village reconstructed in historically accurate
dress and habits from the Colonial Era.
Maybe someday they will come to Valles Mines.
The pictures shown above were donated by prize winning reenactors
at Fort DuChartres, Prairie Durocher, Illinois
and display the dress of the times with historical accuracy, all the way down
to the Indian brave's facepaint.
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