Ceran St. Vrain
Ceran St. Vrain, born Ceran de Hault de Lassus de Saint-Vrain (May 5, 1802 – October 28, 1870), was the son of a French aristocrat who emigrated to the Spanish Louisiana in the late 18th century; his mother was from St. Louis, where he was born. To gain the ability to trade, in 1831 he became a naturalized Mexican citizen in what is now the state of New Mexico. He formed a partnership with American traders William, George and Charles Bent; together they established the trading post of Bent's Fort. It was the only privately held fort in the West.
Ceran St. Vrain | |
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Ceran St. Vrain portrait | |
| Born | Ceran de Hault de Lassus de Saint-Vrain May 5, 1802 St. Louis, Spanish Louisiana, present-day St. Louis, Missouri |
| Died | October 28, 1870 (aged 68) Mora, New Mexico Territory, present-day Mora, New Mexico |
| Resting place | Saint Vrain Cemetery, Mora, New Mexico |
| Nationality | American |
| Employer(s) | Bent, St. Vrain & Company, U.S. Government |
| Spouses | Maria Dolores Luna, Maria Ignacia Trujillo, Louise Branch, Luz Beaubien |
| Children | Jose Vincente (with Maria Dolores Luna), Mathias, Felix, Ysabel, Marcelino (with Maria Ignacia Trujillo), Felicitas, Margara (with Louise/Luisa Branch) |
| Parent(s) | Jacques Marcellin Ceran de Hault de Lassus Saint-Vrain and Marie Félicité Dubreuil Saint-Vrain |
| Relatives | Felix St. Vrain (brother), Savinien St. Vrain (brother), Marcellin St. Vrain (brother) Charles Emmanuel St. Vrain (brother), Domitille St Vrain (brother), Emma de Hault Vrain (sister) |
In addition to his trading post business, St. Vrain formed a business partnership with Cornelio Vigil. In 1843 the two men petitioned for and received a land grant of approximately 4 million acres (1,600,000 ha) located in what is now southeastern Colorado. However, their plans for development of the area were halted due to the onset of the Mexican–American War, by which the United States invaded and acquired the Southwest and California.
Following the creation of the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico in 1847, St. Vrain organized a group of volunteers who fought alongside the US Army during the Taos Revolt. After the deaths of Charles and George Bent, William Bent and St. Vrain dissolved their partnership. St. Vrain settled in Mora, New Mexico Territory. There he owned saw and flourmills and was a supplier to the U.S. Army garrison at the nearby Fort Union.