Q. What does "Creve Coeur" mean? There are communities in both Illinois and Missouri with this name. Is there a story behind either one?
-- Bill H., of Breese
A. Nearly two centuries later, people still wonder why Belleville, usually noted for its German heritage, wound up with a French name.
At least, George Blair, who donated the acre of land for the Public Square, had the good sense to use a word that translates into "beautiful town." (I guess Schnestadt or Hbschesdorf just didn't have the same ring to him.)
But you do have to wonder about city fathers who try to lure new settlers to a town by naming it Creve Coeur. Oh, it sounds pretty -- until you realize it's French for "broken heart" or "heartbreak." I suppose that describes my feelings whenever I open my real estate tax bill, but there are far more romantic tales behind the two cities you're curious about.
In Missouri, the story is simple and straightforward. Olive Street Road follows an old Indian trial that centuries ago took inhabitants along the high ground from the Mississippi to the Missouri River. According to legend, an Indian princess once fell in love with a French fur trapper, but he basically told her to take a flying leap.
So, she did, jumping to her death from a ledge into a lake. Like magic, the lake immediately was transformed into the shape of a broken heart (whatever that might look like). Early residents named it Creve Coeur Lake. Then, when the town of 16,500 incorporated in December 1949, it took its name from the nearby lake in west St. Louis County.
The story behind the small Illinois town is even more colorful, a saga of both mystery and history that I heartily recommend to anyone who is the least bit interested in the past of Central Illinois.
It begins in January 1680 with the arrival of French explorer Robert de LaSalle. He had gotten the blessing of King Louis XIV to build a series of forts to protect France's New World interests against the English and Spanish, not to mention establish a lucrative fur-trading business for himself. He and 33 men in eight canoes had paddled down the Illinois River before stopping at a most inviting spot around what is modern-day Peoria.
After this, details get murky. According to Jerry Klein in his book "Peoria!," LaSalle initially camped with the Peoria Indians until some of the Native Americans became unhappy with the strangers and forced them to leave. The fort's Web site -- www.ftcrevecoeur.org -- says LaSalle and his men almost immediately set to work building a fort to help protect the Peoria Indians from the Iriquois.
Whatever the reason, the explorers quickly erected Fort Crevecoeur, considered by many to be the first permanent structure built by the white man in Illinois -- and perhaps the entire Mississippi Valley. But just why they called it Crevecoeur is still debated today.
According to historian John Reynolds, it fit LaSalle's mood at the time. After all, here he was in the middle of nowhere in the dead of winter trying to fend off a tribe of nasty Iriquois and even some friendlier Indians who weren't all that happy with him.
But others say the name was in honor of a battle fought by King Louis some years earlier. In 1672 during the Franco-Dutch war of 1670-1678, the French captured a famous Dutch fort name Crevecoeur. It was said to have been given that name because the Dutch felt it was impenetrable -- i.e., a heartbreak for anyone who would attack it.
"Who knows for sure?" says Mike Dickson of the Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society when asked for the real reason.
As it turns out, the fort lived up to its name. By May 1680, this first "permanent" structure in the state was gone, creating another mystery. Some say LaSalle's own men mutinied and destroyed it. Others theorize it may have fallen victim to the Iriquois-Peoria faceoff that followed soon after its completion.
Today, area historians can't even agree on where the old fort was. At least three sites have been proposed, although one at the top of a bluff has been sanctioned by the historical society with a stone obelisk.
Once known as Wesley City, today's village of 5,000 simply borrowed the name of the historic fort when it was incorporated on July 25, 1921.
Q. Paramount will release "The Love Boat" Tuesday, but it will contain only half of the first season. Are there any plans to release the entire season on DVD?
-- B.M., of Smithton
A. Oh, they probably will someday, but not before they shanghai your wallet for every dollar they can get.
I remember battling the same choppy waters with "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," one of my favorite sci-fi series from my childhood.
They, too, released only half a season at a time, but priced it even higher than, say, a complete season of "Hill Street Blues." I eventually quit buying "Voyage" after the second season came out, but now you can get the first three seasons together for about half the cost of buying the six sets individually.
Of course, Paramount is betting that Gavin MacLeod fans will sail full speed ahead to the video stores immediately rather than wait to save a few bucks. The second half of the first season is not due out for at least several months, according to a Paramount representative.
My solution: Wait for used copies to appear at sites likeAmazon.com. For example, I'm about to order the second season of "Hill Street Blues" for $15 rather than paying $20, $30 or more for it.
Q. Could you tell me where might find hot Italian sausage in the immediate Belleville area?
-- Kathy Crabtree
A. Not sure how you define "hot," but, locally, you might want to see whether B&D Meat Market in Belleville or Schubert's in Millstadt can set your taste buds alight.
B&D says it occasionally offers a hot sausage, although you might want to call 233-BEEF (2333) to see that it's available. Schubert's sells a mean spicy sausage, but if you want really hot, you'll likely have to buy a special order of at least 12 pounds.
The trouble, as David "Red" Lehr at Lehr's Meat Market in New Athens told me, you just can't convince a lot of Dutchmen in this area to buy it. So, for the real stuff, you may have to head for the Hill in St. Louis. Try Digregorios Italian Foods, 2232 Marconi (314-776-1062); Viviano Grocers, 5139 Shaw (314-771-5524); Volpi Italian Foods, 5250 Daggett (314-772-8550), and Fassi's, 2323 Sublette (314-647-5158) among others.
Seaworthy answer
If anybody is waiting with bated breath, my guess two weeks ago of "Abandon Ship!" as the movie a reader was looking for turned out to be shipshape. As a reward, he has offered to loan me this drama about a ship's officer, who, after his boat sinks, winds up with more passengers than his lifeboat can handle.
Send your questions to Roger Schlueter, Belleville News-Democrat, 120 S. Illinois St., P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427 or rschlueter@bnd.com
