Day Trips in and around Ste. Genevieve

Day 1
Tour the Town

A perfect day in Ste Genevieve begins with breakfast in one of the town's charming B&Bs or hotels. The morning should be spent visiting the Great River Road Interpretive Center and viewing its video on Ste Genevieve. One should visit the park-like setting of the old cemetery, the oldest in Missouri, marking the graves of many founding families.
The tour of museum houses begins with the elegant Maison Guibourd Valle and Garden at fourth and Merchant, owned and operated by the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve. The next stop is the Museum and then the Felix Valle State Park Site, both are on Merchant.
On way to the Bolduc Historic Properties, one should notice the Vital St. Gemme Beauvais house. Although much altered, it is a poteaux en terre structure. Then, appreciate the Spanish Commandant's house across from the Tourist Information Center. This house has been altered, but it has the oldest garden in Missouri and many original lines.
One should finish the home visits with a tour of the Bolduc and Bolduc-LeMeilleur houses operated by the MO chapter of Colonial Dames.
A walking tour tape is available at several B&Bs and Interpretive Center.

Day 2
Tour the French Corridor

After a second breakfast treat, one should inspect the French Corridor. Starting south, the first stop is the Indian Mounds. When the Mississippi changed its course, a new island was formed. It is Kaskaskia Island, IL, reachable only through Missouri.
The Kaskaskia Bell, an 18th century gift from Louis XV, suffered considerable damage from the floods but has been restored. Some 75 residents have braved the floods and still reside on the island. The church and Kaskaskia Bell Shrine are open to the public.
In 1740 King Louis XV gave the town the Kaskaskia Bell, a handsome silver and bronze bell which took two years to ship from France, up the Mississippi from New Orleans. Later called "The Liberty Bell of the West," it bears the inscription "Pour L'eglise des Illinois par les soins du Roi d'autre l'eau," ("for the church of Illinois by the gift of the King from across the water.") Eleven years older than the U.S. Liberty Bell, it peeled out loud and long on July 4, 1778 when George Rogers Clark captured Kaskaskia for the American army. It was the first bell chime to be heard west of the Alleghenies. It also rang when the Marquis de LaFayette visited Kaskaskia in 1825. It was placed in the newly completed Immaculate Conception Church in 1843, but was retired in 1874, when a crack was discovered. In 1948 it was placed in an exhibition structure.

Fort de Chartres
Built to protect the French and their Native American allies in the Illinois Country, the first Fort de Chartres was built of wood in 1718, four miles west of present day Prairie du Rocher. The third fort was built of stone, in 1754, one mile north of the old site. The stone walls stood 16 feet high and were two and a half feet thick at the base. It was abandoned in 1772 after encroachments by the river had cause one wall to crumble. Until excavation and reconstruction beginning in the 1970s, a gun powder magazine was all that survived from the stone fort. Today a reconstructed version of the 18th century rock fort offers visitors a chance to experience the colonial period. The first weekends in May, June and October, the park hosts the United States' largest French Colonial rendezvous, featuring military drills, pioneer skills and period games. The on-site store, Nouvelle Chartres, sells replicas of 18th century artifacts and reference books year round.

Day 3
Tour the French Mining Country

The French Mining Country includes a number of villages settled by French miners, who spoke a special dialect of French. Here too are the traditions of LaGuignolee, and French cooking of croquinolles continues. City names in the region attest to the origins: Ironton, Mineral Point, Leadwood, Leadington, Valle Mines, Old Mines, Mine LaMotte, Irondale, French Village, Bonne Terre, Rivermines.

Bonne Terre Mine Tour, Bonne Terre -
French interest in lead mining predates Ste. Genevieve. Phillipe Francois Renaut did some of the earliest mining in Washington County and most of the affluent Ste. Genevieve residents owned lead-mining interests. It took the arrival of Connecticut Yankee Moses Austin in 1797 to usher in modern, efficient mining techniques.
The legacy of that French mining heritage may still be observed today. One example is The Bonne Terre Mine Tour. The world's largest manmade caverns, the Bonne Terre lead mine closed after nearly 100 years of continuous mining in 1961. After the pumps were turned off, the lower sections of the mine began gradually filling with water. Today only the upper section is above water. Walking and boat tours are available. The lower sections, 59 degrees year-round, meanwhile, have become a SCUBA diving haven.

Missouri Mines State Historic Site, Park Hills
Unlike the Bonne Terre Mine Tour, this lead mine apparatus is above ground. It is also open for tours. Completed in 1907, the surviving 25-building complex was known as Federal Mill No. 3. Known as "The Lead Belt" or "The Mineral Area," the region encompassing St. Francois, Washington, Iron and other counties was the world's leading producer of lead during the first half of the 20th century. The museum includes a mineral collection displayed with special lighting that detects specific elements.