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Article: STATE ENTRANCED MERCHANT IN 19TH CENTURY.(Local News)
- Article from:
- The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM)
- Article date:
- May 16, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 The Santa Fe New Mexican. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: MARC SIMMONS
Ceran St. Vrain, a close associate of Charles Bent and Kit Carson, ranks as a major figure in 19th-century New Mexican history. Yet today, he is unrecognized and his absorbing story goes unsung.
The grandfather of Ceran was a French-speaking nobleman who served as King Louis XIV's treasurer. Revolution forced him to flee the country with his family and settle in the wilds of France's Upper Louisiana colony.
Ceran St. Vrain was born into a French-speaking community in 1802 near St. Louis. After the death of his father, he was sent as a youth to live with Bernard Pratte Sr., head of a major fur-trading company.
In ...