Tuesday June 10 we had nice weather and a free day on the calendar for 4 of us.
We loaded cameras and drove to Sainte Genevieve.
Perched on the West Bank of the Mississippi River about 50 miles south of Saint Louis, the village was founded either in the 1720's or the 1740's, depending on which report is cited. It was the very first European permanent settlement on the West side of the River, important in the French holdings in the New World. In the 1760's it was handed over to Spain in a secret treaty, then ceeded first back to the French, then to the Unites States as part of the Louisiana Purchase acquisition.
The village retained its French roots, and still has a number of structures surviving from the early period.
Today it is a mostly quiet hamlet of some 4,000 souls, County Seat of Saint Genevieve County, Missouri, with a laid back attitude, and a great destination for shopping and eating.
The village is also well know for its backyard gardens, and we were happily given personal tours of a few private gardens.

Here is my photo tour... camera: Pentax ME with f:1.4/50mm lens, all shots hand held and available light (the advantages of a fast lens! some of those back rooms and basements are truly dim!). Film mostly Kodak ASA 200 for prints.

Please click on thumb nail images to enlarge for detail.
All images are ©2008 E.J.Kowalski.