Father Jacques Gravier, First White Man West of The Mississippi

October 10, 1700, a French Jesuit missionary, Father Jacques Gravier, discovered the river Mirameguoua, which we now call the Meramec. In his journal, the good Father also mentions a very rich lead mine 12 or 13 leagues (32-35 miles) from its mouth. “Mirameguoua” is an Indian word, meaning catfish and was given that name because the fish were so plentiful that they couldn’t navigate their canoe through them.

Father Gravier wasn’t the first missionary in the area, but many consider him the most successful. Converting many among the Peoria, Tamaroa, and Kaskaskia Indian tribes, he became the first to learn their language which he used to write a book of translations. Performing dozens of baptisms and a few marriages, he celebrated one of the earliest Catholic Masses in what we now call Illinois in 1693... continue reading.