Unattended Death and Biohazard Cleanup in Ste. Genevieve, MO

Ste. Genevieve was founded by French Canadian colonists in 1735 — some historians argue for a date closer to 1750 — making it the first organized European settlement west of the Mississippi River in present-day Missouri and the oldest permanent European settlement in the state.

The town was named for Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, and proudly carries the nickname "The Mother City of the West."

After the great Mississippi River flood of 1785, the entire village relocated about two miles north to its present site on higher ground between the forks of Gabouri Creek.

Ste. Genevieve is famed for its French Creole colonial architecture built from vertical wooden posts — three of the five surviving poteaux en terre ("posts-in-the-ground") houses in the entire United States stand in Ste. Genevieve.

The Louis Bolduc House, built in 1792–1793 partly from timbers salvaged from the flooded original village, is a National Historic Landmark and one of the finest French colonial houses in America.

Ste. Genevieve is home to Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park, authorized in 2018 as the 422nd unit of the National Park Service to protect the town's rare French colonial heritage.

Ste. Genevieve had 4,999 residents at the 2020 census, living in 1,863 households.

The Ste. Genevieve–Modoc Ferry, which crosses the Mississippi River to Illinois, is nicknamed the "French Connection" after the 1971 film of the same name.

Ste. Genevieve celebrates its French heritage year-round with events including the Jour de Fête festival each August, French Fest, the King's Ball, and La Guiannée at Christmastime.

In 1807, territorial secretary Frederick Bates described Ste. Genevieve as "the most wealthy village in Louisiana," thanks to the grain its farmers shipped downriver to feed New Orleans.