| The
stone residence situated on First and Walnut was
built in 1766 by Canadian fur trader, Jean B.
Martigny, and purchased by lieutenant-governor
Francisco Cruzat in 1783. Used as Spanish
Government headquarters and known as the
"Spanish Government House" at the time
the transfer of the Upper Louisiana, it was here
that American troops under Lieutenant Worrell,
acting as Adjutant for Captain Amos Stoddard, and
accompanied by Captain Meriwether Lewis, came on
March 9th. Captain
Stoddard, as Agent of the French Republic and
also of the United States, was received with due
ceremony by Lieutenant-Governor DeLassus in the
presence of the citizens of the village, and
announced the transfer of the Upper Louisiana to
the United States. Here, on March 9-10th of 1804,
a three flags ceremony took place. The flag of
Spain first having been lowered and that of the
French raised. A salute was then fired from the
fort at such time the American troops marched to
the fort and were received by the Spanish troops
under arms and placed in possession of the
quarters of the fort. The flag of the United
States was then raised on the staff in place of
the French, and the Spanish troops afterwards
marched to the corner of Elm and Third Streets to
their temporary barracks which they rented from
Manuel Lisa. Quartered here, they waited here
several months for the boats which would take
them to New Orleans.
The building was
afterwards purchased by William Christy and
turned into the Eagle Tavern, where Lewis &
Clark's explorers stored their belongings when
they returned in 1806. It should be also noted
that at the time Louisiana was ceded to the
United States, St. Louis had only one hundred
thirty one post and log dwellings, seven of post
and stones, and only thirty-three of stone, this
one among them.
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