Fort Belle Fountaine
Approx. Time: 2 hoursActivity Level: Easy to Moderate
"This frontier military post was the predecessor of both Jefferson Barracks and the St. Louis Arsenal. It was established in [1805] at the mouth of Coldwater Creek, then called La Petite Riviere, and sometimes St. Ferdinand River, by General Wilkinson, governor of the Territory of Missouri." The fort was used by the Army through 1828 when its decaying condition and the changing military needs of the region, convinced the War Department to abandon the location. Over its lifetime it was both the scene of stirring adventure as well as routine boredom to the soldiers stationed here, fifteen miles north of St. Louis.
Actually there were two Fort Belle Fontaine's by the same name. One was located on the flood plain below the bluff. That fort was abandoned in 1810 when the river shifted South. Today, the original fort site would be located in the middle of the river. The 2nd fort was built on the flat ground on the over looking bluff. In the 1904 Photograph at left is the last remnant of Fort Belle Fontaine. This log cabin has been suggested to be a soldier's quarters that would have been located behind the defensive walls of the fort. This structure is no longer standing.
Photo courtesy of St. Louis City Council
