Two boys stand in front of the old spanish fort, later roy's mill, on the riverfront at the foot of biddle street. The steamer wyoming is at the river bank. At the time of this photograph, this structure was reported to be the only surviving remnant of the spanish fortifications around st. Louis. Although it was built during the spanish period, the tower that came to be known as the old spanish fort was actually built in 1797 by antoine roy as a wind powered gristmill. It operated as a mill until 1810, and acted as the first north boundary of the city of st. Louis. It was demolished in 1856 to make way for riverfront development. Ironically, the steamboat wyoming pictured in the easterly daguerreotype, also met its fate in 1856, in a fire in perkins, illinois. Title: old spanish fort, later roy's mill, riverfront at foot of biddle street, steamer wyoming at river bank. Date: circa 1850.
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