In 1790, Pierre-Charles de Lassus de Luzieres gathered his wife
and children and fled Revolutionary France. His trek to America was
prompted by his "purchase" of two thousand acres situated on the
bank of the Ohio River from the Scioto Land Company--the
institution that infamously swindled French buyers and sold them
worthless titles to property. When de Luzieres arrived and realized
he had been defrauded, he chose, in a momentous decision, not to
return home to France. Instead, he committed to a life in North
America and began planning a move to the Mississippi River
valley.
De Luzieres dreamed of creating a vast commercial empire that
would stretch across the frontier, extending the entire length of
the Ohio River and also down the Mississippi from Ste. Genevieve to
New Orleans. Though his grandiose goal was never realized, de
Luzieres energetically pursued other important initiatives. He
founded the city of New Bourbon in what is now Missouri and
recruited American settlers to move westward across the Mississippi
River. The highlight of his career was being appointed Spanish
commandant of the New Bourbon District, and his 1797 census of that
community is an invaluable historical document. De Luzieres was a
significant political player during the final years of the Spanish
regime in Louisiana, but likely his greatest contributions to
American history are his extensive commentaries on the Mississippi
frontier at the close of the colonial era.
" A French Aristocrat in the American West: The Shattered Dreams
of De Lassus de Luzieres "is both a narrative of this remarkable
man's life and a compilation of his extensive writings. In Part I
of the book, author Carl Ekberg offers a thorough account of de
Luzieres, from his life in Pre-Revolutionary France to his death in
1806 in his house in New Bourbon. Part II is a compilation, in
translation, of de Luzieres's most compelling correspondence. Until
now very little of his writing has been published, despite the fact
that his letters constitute one of the largest bodies of writing
ever produced by a French emigre in North America.
Though de Luzieres's presence in early American history has
been largely overlooked by scholars, the work left behind by this
unlikely frontiersman merits closer inspection. "A French
Aristocrat in the American West" brings the words and deeds of this
fascinating man to the public for the first time.
General
Imprint: |
University of Missouri Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
December 2010 |
First published: |
December 2010 |
Authors: |
Carl J Ekberg
|
Dimensions: |
188 x 243 x 29mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards
|
Pages: |
240 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8262-1896-4 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8262-1896-2 |
Barcode: |
9780826218964 |
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