Mile 0 — Cote Brilliante (Saint Louis)
Cote Brilliante, a French term meaning “bright hill” or “shining hill,” is located near modern day Sherman Park close to the intersection of North Kingshighway Boulevard and Natural Bridge Avenue. This is the site from which Robert Campbell’s first journey to the Rocky Mountains began.
“We left St. Louis on the first of November. It was wrong to start at that season, because we had the winter to encounter. The animals — mostly mules — were purchased for the expedition in old Franklin Howard County, then a great point of trade to New Mexico. The mules were all shipped to St. Louis, and all our part mounted. Our camp was then at Cote Brilliante, a beautiful grassy hill, six miles from the City, west of the Prairie House.”
Leaving Cote Brilliante on November the 1st, as Robert recalled, was a precarious time of year to begin such an expedition. However, Robert had the good fortune to be travelling with some experienced Mountain Men. Men like Jedediah Smith were the ones who would teach a young Robert Campbell how to trade and trap furs, and most importantly, how to survive the treacherous Western winters.
Robert Campbells party began their journey travelling west along the Missouri River, sticking to the south bank. They would make many stops along the way, visiting early western towns, and Native American villages. Their final destination was Cache Valley, where they intended to meet up with the trading rendezvous that was scheduled to begin in 1826.
There are no known depictions of Cote Brilliante from the 1820s, however the images below highlight its location on the upper left side of some later maps.