Saint Louis is an unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 community in the French Prairie

French Prairie

French Prairie is a prairie located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem...

 area of Marion County

Marion County, Oregon

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, about three miles northwest of Gervais

Gervais, Oregon

Gervais is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,009 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 2,250 residents. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, at the intersection of St. Louis and Manning roads. It is part of the Salem

Salem, Oregon

Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...

 Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

One of the oldest communities in the state, Saint Louis was founded in 1845 when a Jesuit

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

 missionary, Reverend Aloysius Verecuysee, built a log church

Log cabin

A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...

 there for the early settlers. Saint Louis parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 was organized in 1847 with a resident priest and named for St. Louis

Louis IX of France

Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...

, King of France. It was the third parish organized in what is now the Archdiocese of Portland

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland

The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the summit of the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean...

. The Saint Louis Catholic Church, built in 1880 on the site of the original Saint Louis cemetery, is still in operation. It is the oldest wooden church in the archdiocese. The current Saint Louis cemetery is northwest of the church. Saint Louis post office operated from 1860 until 1901; today Saint Louis has a Gervais mailing address. At one time the community had a school and store.

See also

• Marie Aioe Dorion
  Marie Aioe Dorion
  "Madame" Marie Aioe Dorion Venier Toupin was the only female member of the Astor Expedition, also known as the Wilson Price Hunt Expedition. Marie Dorion was a member of the Iowa tribe of Native Americans. She was married to Métis expedition member Pierre Dorion...
  
  , member of the Astor Expedition
  Astor Expedition
  The Astor Expedition of 1810-1812 was the next overland expedition from St. Louis, Missouri to the mouth of the Columbia River after the Corps of Discovery, led by Lewis and Clark.-History:...
  
   buried in Saint Louis
• St. Paul, Oregon
  St. Paul, Oregon
  St. Paul is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is named after the Saint Paul Mission founded by Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet, who arrived in the Oregon Territory in 1838 to minister to the Catholic inhabitants of French Prairie. The population was 354 at the 2000 census...
  
  , site of the oldest church and second-oldest parish in the archdiocese

External links

• Historic images of Saint Louis from Salem Public Library
• Transcription from the church register of the burials in the old St. Louis cemetery from U.S. Genweb Archives