The Starter Home of Francois and Marianne Valle at 14115 Valles Mines School Rd.
In 1749 they arrived here and started their own Trading Post out of this house,
a wedding present from the Mayor of Kaskaskia, Marianne's father. The Trading Post
bought lead there until, in 1754, the Valles had to flee with their new children to Sainte Genevieve
as the French and Indian War began.
But in his absence his lead operations went on by way of good management. At first they hauled lead
up the Selma Road, known today where it came across the top of today's upper dam at Lake Mina on Valles
Mines Road. For Francois Valle to come back to check on operations, now without his family in danger,
was simple with a good horse:
- ride on horseback west 6 hours from Ste. Gen for 20 miles, and stay overnight in French Village, then
- the next morning ride 3 hours for 10 miles and arrive at his Trading Post.
With lead production showing no signs of running out and French Army forts nearby and later,
the Continental Army of the United Colonies of America always in need of resupply as their
numbers grew, he was in a good spot financially.
Known later on in Ste. Genevieve for now being the parents of Jean Baptiste Valle I,
their Valles Mines grew. Well managed now, this allowed Jean Baptiste I, a Frenchman
of the First Republic to live comfortably over 90 years, and later, his
son, J.B. II, ultimately one of the first citizens of the State Of Missouri, to take over operations,
first transporting their lead ingots overland by horse and then by special ox wagons, 35 miles
east to Ste. Genevieve directly, which by now had established itself as a river port on the
Mississippi River. Delivering ingots via pole boats was tremendously successful upriver to George
Washington and his Continental Army and to markets on the east coast and south to New Orleans.
Jean Baptiste II formally started the Valle Mining Company, one of the first Missouri corporations
(Charter No. 123b), in 1869. It was superseded by the "Valle Mining Co."