Beautiful Spanish Lake

At the confluence of the Missouri and Mississipppi Rivers, Spanish Lake is an unincorporated township under the jurisdiction of St. Louis County. Spanish Lake was founded October 2, 1767. Spanish Lake began as Spanish Pond and was named for the Spanish Governor Zenon Trudeau, whose home was located there.

Fort Don Carlos was built in 1767 on the south bank of the Missouri River, six miles from the confluence with the Mississippi and Captain Don Francisco Rui was the Spanish Commander and official commandant of the Missouri county; he was replaced by Lt. Don Pedros Pienas in 1769. Charlesde Hault de Lassus (de St. Vrain) was the last Spanish Lieutenant-Governor in the Spanish Lake area and received several large Spanish land grants for his services. DeLassus and his brother Jacques, who retained the de St. Brain name, improved the lake area, to create a pleasant atmoshphere for receiving Spanish Officials and important French businessmen, from St. Louis.

Spanish Lake Park

In 1806, the U.S. Army under General Wilkinson, military leader in charge of the Western Waters and the Louisiana Purchase, chose a parcel of land including the site of the old Spanish fort as the location of the first U.S. fort west of the Mississippi River. Fort Bellefontaine was the first important U.S. Army military post, west of the river, to serve as headquarters for the army and for Indian affairs in the west. Bellefontaine Road leading from St. Louis to Fort Bellefontaine, was the start of the "Great Trail" that lead to Oregon and the opening of the West.

In 1805, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike started from Ft. Bellefontaine to explore Mississippi sources. Pike left Ft. Bellefontaine for his great southwestern expedition into Spanish territory on July 15, 1806. From 1809 to 1815, Fort Bellefontaine was the headquarters of the Department of Louisiana Purchase west of the Mississippi. In 1815, the cantonment was headquarters of the 9th Military Department responsible for the Purchase west of the Mississippi except Louisiana-as well as Illinois, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Kentucky. Ft. Bellefontaine was abandoned for Jefferson Barracks in 1826 and has since been used as the site for the Missouri Hill Home for Boys.

Spanish Lake is a great place for fishing, boating and fun!