COTTLEVILLE HISTORY :

In 1541, Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to enter the Cottleville area. The area was subsequently claimed for Spain by DeSoto and claimed for France by LaSalle. After Louis XIV of France directed that a large area, including Cottleville, be explored in 1658, French explorers from Quebec began searching for potential locations of trading posts in the Mississippi River valley. In 1682, the French formally took possession of a large portion of the United States which they named Louisiana. By 1760, French traders, trappers, and missionaries had penetrated the Mississippi Valley and established settlements as far south as the Missouri River in St. Charles County. Louis Blanchette, a French Canadian fur trader, established an active riverfront during a brief period when the area was deeded to Spain. The territory remained under French control until acquired by the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

The Town of Cottleville is one of the oldest in St. Charles County. As far back as 1800 there existed a group of houses located near the spot where the old Boone's Lick Road crosses the Dardenne Creek.

Cottleville, located along the old Boone's Lick Road, was first settled by Capt. Warren G. Cottle who secured a land grant from the Spanish in 1798. It was said of him that he farmed extensively and practiced medicine occasionally, because there was little sickness among the people, and those who got sick had no money to pay for his services. However, the town did not develop much until the John Pitman family of Kentucky settled about one and one-half miles west of town in 1810. Other early settlers were George Huffman, a Kentuckian, prior to 1803; Aaron Rutger, a Hollander, prior to 1809; Nathaniel Simons from New England; and Nicholas Contz, a Pennsylvania Dutchman.

In 1811, Dr. Warren G. Cottle died and his children, who were quite numerous, inherited his extensive farmlands. One of his sons, Lorenzo, inherited about 200 acres of land located on both sides of the Dardenne Creek. In 1839, he parsed into lots that part of his property lying on the south side of the stream and named the town Cottleville in honor of his deceased father. Before that time the village was sometimes called Dardenne or Pin Hook.