William Clark’s Estate Outside St. Louis

A rough pencil sketch of William Clark’s farmhouse at Marais Castor.

Unknown origin or date.  Public Domain.

During his term as Territorial Governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, William Clark lived in a large home in the city of St. Louis. But once the Missouri Territory was surveyed and all the title claims to the land were cleared, he purchased as much as 1,200 acres from Pierre Chouteau outside the city. He named this country estate, Marais Castor (Beaver Marsh), where he occasionally hunted and relaxed.

But Clark used the land for more than personal enjoyment. As Indian Commissioner, he found the area to be ideal camping grounds for hundreds of people, horses, and other domesticated animals – the Native peoples of Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa who would travel to the St. Louis area to meet with Clark regarding treaties. His Indian visitors found the country location very much to their liking, since it had several springs, ponds full of beaver, and forests filled with game. The treaty meetings often took place on Castor Hill in a grove of trees called Council Grove.

At some point, Clark found it necessary to build a farmhouse for his family on the estate, but details of this home are not known. We do know that upon his death in 1838 Clark left the parcel of land to his sons, in specified amounts and locations. Jefferson Kearny Clark (known as Jeff Clark), a son from his second marriage, received 500 acres, the largest parcel, which encompassed his father’s house, the Council Grove, and many of the springs.

In 1856, Jeff Clark build a large and elegant house near the old farmhouse, for himself and his family. Within the home he housed a private collection of artifacts from the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which had previously been on display at his father’s city home. Jeff Clark named his estate “Minoma” and the mansion stood until 1960, when it was razed for a new suburban residential development in today’s Northwoods, a small city in St. Louis County, about 10 miles northwest of downtown St. Louis. Castor Hill is now Council Grove Avenue in the city of Pine Lawn, Missouri.

Photo: A rough pencil sketch of William Clark’s farmhouse at Marais Castor. Unknown origin or date. Public Domain.

Alt Text: A faded pencil drawing of Clark’s farmhouse shows a two- or three-story home surrounded by several trees, horses, and cattle. Handwritten across the bottom, “Gen. Clark’s old home, Mo.”