By Steve Richardson
Journal Correspondent
The Missouri Hills Home for Boys - which once housed as many as 206 troubled boys - closed its doors two weeks ago. But the deserted buildings in Spanish Lake have a rich and colorful story to tell.
The closing of the home, formerly owned and operated by the city of St. Louis, was a result of a phase out begun, by the Missouri General Assembly in 1980. The state now owns the property. The Regional Youth Center, a state-run home for. boys, is still operating on the grounds.
"The city has decided to get out of the child-care business altogether," said Winston Miller, who was superintendent of Missouri Hills for 18 years. Miller, who lived on the grounds, was packing to leave on Thursday.
From the site of Fort Bellefontaine, the first American fort west of the Mississippi River, to the splendor and beauty of the Grand Staircase that leads to the river's banks, the former site of Missouri Hills has a colorful past.
The Grand Staircase, actually a series of separate stone staircases, connects Missouri Hills to the Mississippi River banks. The, bottom of the staircase opens to the riverbank and the lower valley of Coldwater Creek. The top of, the staircase leads to the lawns and drives of the Missouri Hills Home.
In addition to its landscaping beauty, Missouri Hills is rich in history.
Fort Bellefontaine, the oldest building at the site, was 'established by Gen. James Wilkinson, governor of the Louisiana Territory, in 1805.
The fort went through numerous owners and developers before the construction of Jefferson Barracks in 1826 led to the fort's abandonment.
While also being the first American fort west of the Mississippi, the site served as a stopover for Lewis and Clark on their way back from their expedition in 1808.
From 1805 to 1815, the fort housed the U.S. Army's headquarters for the majority of lands west of the Mississippi and for Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant moved their artillery training to the site after the Army relocated its headquarters.
Zebulon Pike, the man who discovered Pike's Peak, headed an expedition to locate the water sources of the Mississippi in 1806, using Fort Bellefontaine as the starting point.
Originally called "Bellefontaine Farms," the Missouri Hills Home for Boys was set up in 1913 through the efforts of George Howard Williams.
Williams had been elected judge to the St. Louis Circuit Court in 1906. His experience as a juvenile court judge motivated him to draft legislation to abolish the old House of Refuge and establish a new shelter.
Once established, the program at Missouri Hills was rigorous and held in high prestige in its circles.
Black and white boys, housed separately, were schooled in the mornings and performed farming duties in the afternoons and evenings. Missouri Hills ran in this manner until the farming operation was phased out in the 1950s.
St. Louis County acquired most of the Missouri Hills property in, 1986, and in 1988, announced that it was ending its participation in the school.
The property may continue to serve as a home for boys under the direction of the state of Missouri, although no decisions regarding the future of the land have been finalized. Meanwhile, the buildings will stand as reminders to its rich past.
Reprinted with permission of the "North County Journal"