From a Fort to Ste. Genevieve

Today was a three-stop day, and I enjoyed each one. I started the morning at Fort Massac State Park in Illinois, which was just a few minutes from my hotel. The fort has a long history, but I was interested in its association with Lewis and Clark. Here, two volunteers joined the expedition. I strolled around the reconstructed fort, gazed at the Ohio River, and watched the film.

Fort Massac State Park

Crossing into Missouri

After wandering through the back roads of Illinois, I crossed the Mississippi River into Missouri. My destination was the Trail of Tears State Park. This park commemorates and interprets one of the most tragic events in American history, the forced removal of the Cherokee People to reservations in Oklahoma.

I have visited several sites on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, but I was finally able to watch the documentary produced by the National Park Service. It was an excellent film, but it almost brought me to tears. I left the room feeling so angry about what our government has done to Native Americans over the years.

Trail of Tears State Park

I calmed down, however, and had a wonderful conversation with the park’s director about not only the Trail of Tears, but also road trips and solo traveling. I spent way too much time there, but she was wonderful to talk with. After driving through the park and checking out the scenic viewpoints over the Mississippi River, I was on the road again.

I followed a state highway to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and another relatively new unit of the National Park Service. Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park interprets French culture and colonialism and preserves the largest group of French vernacular vertical log structures in the United States.

Although the name of the park is the same as the town, the National Park Service is but one of many groups working to preserve Ste. Genevieve. The park service owns three historic buildings in town, and each demonstrates the different socioeconomic status of their inhabitants.

I toured the few exhibits at the Visitor Center and admired the amazing diorama of the town that was created by a local artist. After watching the film and learning more about the architecture of the buildings, I signed up for the two tours offered by the park.

The Diorama at Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park

I first visited the Green Tree Tavern and was intrigued with the architecture. The Green Tree Tavern, built in 1790, is the oldest structure in Ste. Genevieve and is a well-preserved example of a French colonial vertical log home. Although the vertical logs would have been covered with a lime wash, it was so interesting to see the actual construction details. We could even find Roman numeral carpenter marks that helped workers know which logs to connect.

The ranger gave a great tour, discussing not only the construction techniques, but the many people and stories associated with the building. Although I tend to focus on architecture, I found that her presentation about the various people who lived there brought the house to life for me. The National Park Service is awaiting the completion of a Historic Structures Report before undertaking restoration.

The Green Tree Tavern

Vertical Log Construction Details - Note the Roman Numeral Marks in the Middle Photo

The next tour of the Jean Baptiste Vallé House was equally interesting. This house belonged to the most prominent and wealthy colonial leader of the community. The house has a vertical timber core structure from 1793, like that of the Green Tree Tavern, but its appearance has been drastically changed and updated during its long history as a private home.

The ranger-led tour of the house was also interesting, particularly the story of Vallé family and the city’s transition from a legal system based in civil law to one based in English common law following the Louisiana Purchase.

The Jean Baptiste Vallé House

What interested me the most about the house was its art collection, which is on loan to the National Park Service. I learned that Ste. Genevieve was host to one of the most significant art colonies of its time between the 1930s and early 1940s. Here, artists created works that responded to the key political and artistic issues of the day, including social injustice, the impact of the Depression, and the creative possibilities of abstraction. Thomas Hart Benton was one of the artists who participated. I am a big fan of Depression-era and WPA art, and appreciated the pieces on display, particularly two works by Martyl, an artist with whom I was unfamiliar.

Paintings Created at the Ste. Genevieve Artist Colony

After the tour, I checked out many of the other historic houses in town, including the Bauvais-Amoureux House, also owned by the National Park Service but closed for rehabilitation. The house is a post-in-earth structure originally built in 1792 by Jean Baptiste St. Gemme Bauvais, a wealthy man, but it was later the home of Pélagie Amoureux, a free woman of color before the Civil War.

The Bauvais-Amoureux House

Other Significant Houses in Ste. Genevieve

I waited to leave Ste. Genevieve until 6:00 pm to avoid rush hour traffic in and around St. Louis. It seemed to be a good idea, and traffic on the interstate was moving smoothly until it suddenly stopped. At least a dozen or so fire rescue vehicles and police cars in both directions tried to maneuver through the stopped traffic to reach what must have been a terrible accident. We were stopped for about 30 minutes and then were slowly able to move forward along the shoulder. 

I tried not to rubberneck, but I couldn’t help but glance over and saw a white sheet on the ground with an overturned motorcycle nearby. I was horrified and really shaken by what I glimpsed. I managed to finish the drive into metropolitan St. Louis and was so relieved when I finally stepped out of the car.

Sometimes, I manage to end up just where I need to be. It’s happened before on this trip, and it happened again tonight. I was still a little shaky when I checked into the Hyatt Place in Chesterfield, Missouri, just west of St. Louis. Angela and Karen at the front desk were so welcoming, and we started talking. It turns out that Karen worked at Rocky Mountain National Park just before Tim arrived, and we had so much fun swapping stories.

My corner room was lovely, the nicest so far on this trip, and I talked to Tim for a while. I told him that I had decided to go down to the bar and have a drink. I rarely drink, but it seemed like a way to calm down after the drive. I’m somewhat surprised that the accident affected me the way it did. I guess I’ve never seen a white sheet covering a body before.

I sat at the bar and started talking with a lovely couple from Minnesota. I don’t usually “need” a drink, but this, plus the delightful conversation, was the perfect tonic for me. The fact that this Hyatt Place has a bar made this all possible.