In this episode, Monsignor and Theresa trace the events leading up to the founding of St. Louis, focusing on Pierre Laclede’s unlikely arrival in New Orleans and his partnership with Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent. They describe the city’s troubled state in the mid-1700s—plagued by corruption, natural vulnerability, and jurisdictional disputes—before introducing Governor Kerlerec’s ambitious vision of a commercial empire built through alliances with Native nations and merchants. His efforts brought stronger defenses, trade networks, and a blueprint for French survival west of the Mississippi, even as Versailles remained indifferent. The episode closes by highlighting how these plans set the stage for St. Louis to emerge as a new French trading hub and gateway to the American interior.
*Saint Louis: The Story of Catholic Evangelization of America's Heartland originally aired on Covenant Network Catholic Radio. These podcast episodes are being released in anticipation of the Bicentennial Celebrations of the founding of the Archdiocese of St. Louis as the Diocese of St. Louis on July 18, 1826.
