Customer Reviews:
 A Peak Into French Colonial Life September 2, 2003
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Colonial Ste. Genevieve provides an excellent view of Eighteenth Century life in Ste. Genevieve, in particular and in French North-America in general. Founded in the early 1750s, not 1735 as popular history records, the story of Ste. Genevieve provides a view into the changing life in the Mississippi Valley as French gave way to Spanish colonialism and American ways took over, first at the governmental level and, gradually socially as the population changed from being primarily French to Anglo-American. The story of Ste. Genevieve mirrors the story of other French settlements in the area, such as Cahokia, Kaskaskia and St. Louis.From his role as a European history professor, Carl Eckberg relates events in Ste. Genevieve to developments in Europe which affected the town. His book is divided into various topics, such as relationships between settlers and Indians, the role of slavery in the community, the economy based in agriculture and lead mining, health care, town and regional government and church organization. For anyone interested in French colonial life in the heart of America, Colonial Ste. Genevieve is a worthwhile read.
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