Illustration of early scene of Ste. Genevieve in its original location on the banks of the Mississippi River. Cropped from a mural painted in 1924 that is located in the Missouri State Capitol building in Jefferson City, MO. Artist: Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874–1952).
Missouri State Capitol
Ste. Genevieve is rich with history, telling the stories of the people that lived and settled the land. Explore the links below to learn more about the stories that Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park has set out to tell.
Cooking in the Illinois country was region-specific and thus unique. It has been described as the art form found nowhere else. Get a little taste of Ste. Genevieve.
From simple to sophisticated, clothing on the French frontier was varied and unique as any society can be. Some were even said to be in good taste. Get your sense of fashion on here.
The pattern of land usage, settlement, and agriculture that developed in the middle Mississippi River Valley during the 18th century was unique in North America. The system paralleled the communal agriculture of northern France during the period of the high Middle Ages. Read more about life on the commons.
In colonial Ste. Genevieve the year was shaped around the religious celebrations and rituals that the majority French Catholic population observed. Learn about the winter celebrations that occurred during the most festive time of year from December-January for the community.
The inspiration for the name of the town Ste. Genevieve likely resulted from an effective cult that had developed around Sainte Genevieve. Lewis and Clark met several residents from the town during their expedition.
Like food, language helps define a culture. In Sainte Genevieve it was a melding of cultures. Thus new words came into being. Learn how people and place influence common terms still in use today.
This Ste. Genevieve culture was unlike anything else in what is now the United States. It is also substantially different from its parent cultures in Canada, Louisiana, and France. As a cultural zone it was unique in terms of law, religion, customs, use of the land, architecture, personal philosophy, slave law, and even in a skewed version of spoken and written French. Read more about how this culture was not like any other.
