LibGuides: Spanish Colonial Era in St. Louis: Home

Researching Spanish Colonial St. Louis: Published Manuscripts

The first printing press would not arrive in St. Louis until 1808, after the colonial era was over. To find out what happened during the colonial era in St. Louis, we rely on handwritten documents. Some are found in archival collections in St. Louis and elsewhere. Others, including the sources below, have been transcribed, translated into English, and published.

The Spanish regime in Missouri: a collection of papers and documents relating to upper Louisiana principally within the present limits of Missouri during the dominion of Spain by Houck, Louis
Call Number: Reading Room MO 9.3 H835s

Publication Date: 1909

Documents from the Archives of the Indies, translated from the original Spanish into English, as well as some documents from the Library of Congress.
[Documentos del Archivo de Indias, traducidos del original español al inglés, así como algunos documentos de la Biblioteca del Congreso.]
An Account of Upper Louisiana by Nicolas de Finiels by Carl J. Ekberg (Editor); William E. Foley (Editor)
Call Number: 917.7 F498a

ISBN: 0826207022

Publication Date: 1989

Nicolas de Finiels traveled along the Mississippi River in the vicinity of St. Louis in 1797-98 and recorded his impressions of social relations, agriculture and the economy as well as geography and natural resources.
[Nicolas de Finiels viajó a lo largo del río Mississippi en las proximidades de San Luis en 1797-98 y registró sus impresiones de relaciones sociales, la agricultura y la economía, así como la geografía y los recursos naturales.]
"An account of Spanish Louisiana, 1785" in Missouri Historical Review. by Nasatir, Abraham P.
Publication Date: 1930-07

English translation of report on Luisiana (Spanish Louisiana) provided to Governor Estevan Miro by Phelipe De Neve, 1785.
[Traducción al inglés del informe sobre Luisiana (Luisiana española) proporcionado al gobernador Estevan Miro por Phelipe De Neve, 1785.]
Before Lewis and Clark by Nasatir, Abraham P.
Call Number: Reading Room 978 N178 and 178-r

Publication Date: 1952; reprinted 1990.

Edited and translated documents illustrating the history of the Missouri River, 1785-1804. Many are written to officials in the Spanish colonial government.
[Documentos editados y traducidos que ilustran la historia del río Missouri, 1785-1804. Muchos se escriben a funcionarios en el gobierno colonial español.]