In 1804, St. Louis was a town that was strategically and centrally located within the North American Continent. The town lay near the confluence of the continent's mightiest and longest rivers, the Mississippi and Missouri, which meant that it was visited by people from all points of the compass. The town was influenced not only by its geography, but also by people who were residents and travelers. Local Indian tribes, like the Illini, interacted with Europeans (primarily French and Spanish, but also those of Dutch, Swiss, English, African and Anglo-American ancestry).