Red House kicking off yearlong Lorimier celebration

Cape Girardeau residents will have an opportunity to commemorate and explore the life of the city's founder Sunday.

The Red House Interpretive Center will launch its observance of the bicentennial of Cape Girardeau founder Louis Lorimier's death at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Hirsch Room of the Cape Girardeau Public Library. The center, at 128 Aquamsi St., commemorates Lorimier's life and a visit from Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1803.

To kick off the yearlong celebration of Lorimier's life, the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center will receive a donation of two ledgers that document the daily activities of Lorimier's fur trade establishments in Cape Girardeau and Indiana. The public can view the ledgers at Sunday's event.

The Red House Interpretive Center in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Missourian file photo by Diane L. Wilson)

"I think a lot of people will be interested in seeing what's in those journals," Red House board member Linda Nash said. Nash has written a book about Lorimier that will hit bookshelves this spring.

The ledgers were acquired through an online auction by a local coalition headed by the Red House's board of directors and several local donors who will be recognized during the presentation, according to a news release. The ledgers, which are written in French, provide rare insights into the dealings of Indian traders of the Ohio Valley in the late 18th century, Nash said.

"There's a lot of translating to be done, but a lot of it is pretty obvious," Nash said. "This is a good opportunity to see what life was like back then."

Nash said she developed an interest in Lorimier as a child when she attended the Lorimier School, which is now city hall.

"I had a great opportunity to learn about him," Nash said of her experience at the Lorimier School. She will deliver a speech about Lorimier and his role in Cape Girardeau on Sunday.

Born in Lachine, Quebec, in 1748, Lorimier was heavily involved in his family's fur trade posts. He moved to St. Louis in 1787 and founded Cape Girardeau in 1791 after establishing a fur establishment in the city. The area was Spanish, and Lorimier served as a commandant, which meant he was the "judge, census taker, jailer and Indian agent," Nash said. Lorimier also helped developed primitive roads in Cape Girardeau to promote trade and travel. He died in 1812.

In addition to Sunday's event, the Red House Interpretive Center be open on Saturdays from May 5 to Oct. 27 for tours. On May 26, it will host a free open house with music, crafts and demonstrations.

On June 26, people can tour Old Lorimier Cemetery and hear the bicentennial address. The Red House Annual Fall Frolic will cap off the bicentennial celebration Sept. 29. The frolic is a free event for children that has crafts, games, costumes and other activities.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

711 N. Clark St., Cape Girardeau, MO

128 Aquamsi St., Cape Girardeau, MO