This imposing Greek Revival mansion began in 1848 as a four-room farmhouse built by Henri Chatillon and his then wife, Odile Delor Lux Chatillon, facing Carondelet Avenue, the road linking St. Louis with Carondelet, the town their grandfather founded. Cousins Henri and Odile were still newlyweds, having married after both were widowed, when they built the house. Soon after they moved in, the publication of Francis Parkman's The Oregon Trail brought Henri Chatillon national fame. Chatillon had served as Parkman's wilderness guide in 1846 on a journey of "observing Indian character," and Parkman called him "my true-hearted friend" and praised his wilderness wisdom, recalling their first meeting with Chatillon mounted on a hardy gray Wyandot pony and equipped with blanket coat, felt hat, moccasins, deerskin trousers, knife, bullet pouch, powderhorn, rifle, and well-worn saddle gear. The Chatillon farmhouse that eventually became the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion was later threatened with demolition to make way for Interstate 55, but public outcry saved the landmark, which is now open for guided tours.
