Editing Bridgeton, Missouri (section)

===Early history===
The first [[European ethnic groups|European]]s to interact with Native American peoples and settle there were associated with the area's days as part of the French [[Illinois Territory]]. The [[French people|French]] explorer, [[Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont|Étienne de Veniard de Bourgmont]] traveled the area in 1724, on a trail that developed as the main route between St. Louis and St. Charles.

The [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish gained colonial control]] in 1768 after France was defeated by Great Britain in the [[Seven Years' War]] and ceded its territory west of the Mississippi to Spain; they remained in control until 1804, when the area was transferred to the Americans in the [[Louisiana Purchase]]. In a 1799 census, the population of "Marais des Liards" was given as 337&nbsp;whites and 42&nbsp;slaves.<ref>[http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsp&fileName=037/llsp037.db&Page=383 Digest of the Laws of Louisiana, Appendix 4] from the [[American Memory]] archives of the [[Library of Congress]]</ref>

Bridgeton was first [[plat]]ted in 1794, and named ''Marais des Liards'' ([[Populus sect. Aegiros|Cottonwood]] [[Swamp]]). It was also known as ''Village à Robert'', named after [[Robert Owen]], its founder, who had received a land grant from the Spanish government. In a Spanish census two years later it had a population (including [[slavery|slaves]]) of 77 males and 47 females.{{citation needed|date=July 2012}} As the area received more and more [[English language|English]]-speaking settlers, the village's name became Owen's Station.

Because of its location, including its proximity to a [[ferry]] across the [[Missouri River]], Bridgeton became a stop along the way from St. Louis to St. Charles. [[Meriwether Lewis]] passed through on his way to meet members who were gathering as part of the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]]. The city was granted a state [[charter]] in 1843; throughout the next few years it was a stop along the way for emigrants seeking the major trailheads to the [[Oregon Trail|Oregon]] and [[Santa Fe Trail|Santa Fe]] trails.

The [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]], a Catholic religious order of priests and brothers, came to Bridgeton from [[St. Stanislaus Seminary]] and [[St. Ferdinand Parish]] of [[Florissant, Missouri]].  The order established [[St. Mary's Parish, Bridgeton, Missouri|St. Mary's Church]] in 1851 as a [[Mission (station)|mission]] to serve area Catholics; it became a full parish within its first year. The [[Archdiocese of St. Louis]] suppressed the parish in 2001 due to the expansion of [[Lambert-St. Louis International Airport]], which caused a decline in residential population.