User:Smuckola/sandbox - Wikipedia - Recent changes [en]

By the 1830s, French Bottoms was a thriving [[Francophone]] community of around one hundred people.<ref name="jchs"/> Its inhabitants were a mix of families from established Creole centers like St. Louis and [[Kaskaskia, Illinois|Kaskaskia]], and French trappers of mixed heritage, often referred to as ''[[Métis]]''.<ref name="jchs"/>

By the 1830s, French Bottoms was a thriving [[Francophone]] community of around one hundred people.<ref name="jchs"/> Its inhabitants were a mix of families from established Creole centers like St. Louis and [[Kaskaskia, Illinois|Kaskaskia]], and French trappers of mixed heritage, often referred to as ''[[Métis]]''.<ref name="jchs"/>

The settlement's architecture reflected its French colonial roots. Homes were likely built in the ''[[poteaux-en-terre]]'' ("posts-in-ground") style, with vertical logs set into the earth and the gaps filled with a mixture of mud and grass (''bousillage'').<ref name="CentreLouis"/> Farms were laid out in narrow arpent strips to maximize river access for multiple families, a pattern distinct from the square plots favored by Anglo-American settlers.<ref name="NPS_SRS"/>

The settlement's architecture reflected its French colonial roots. Homes were likely built in the ''[[poteaux-en-terre]]'' ("posts-in-ground") style, with vertical logs set into the earth and the gaps filled with a mixture of mud and grass (''bousillage'').<ref name="CentreLouis"/> Farms were laid out in narrow [[acre|arpent strips]] to maximize river access for multiple families, a pattern distinct from the square plots favored by Anglo-American settlers.<ref name="NPS_SRS"/>

Life in the settlement, known derisively by some in wealthier St. Louis as ''Nouveau Vide Poche'' ("New Empty Pocket"), was described as communal and vibrant.<ref name="jchs"/> Social life revolved around weekly dances (''bals'') with fiddle music and traditional songs (''chansons''). Visitors recalled a palpable ''joie de vivre'' and an atmosphere where "Their laughter and gay songs, mixed with the bird song from the tall trees, made a cheerful sound".<ref name="jchs"/>

Life in the settlement, known derisively by some in wealthier St. Louis as ''Nouveau Vide Poche'' ("New Empty Pocket"), was described as communal and vibrant.<ref name="jchs"/> Social life revolved around weekly dances (''bals'') with fiddle music and traditional songs (''chansons''). Visitors recalled a palpable ''joie de vivre'' and an atmosphere where "Their laughter and gay songs, mixed with the bird song from the tall trees, made a cheerful sound".<ref name="jchs"/>

<!--

<!--

[[Category:History of Kansas City, Missouri]]

[[Category:History of Kansas City, Missouri]]

[[Category:Former settlements in Missouri]]

[[Category:French-American history]]

[[Category:French-American history]]

[[Category:19th-century floods in the United States]]

[[Category:19th-century floods in the United States]]