Julien Dubuque, born near Quebec, Canada, on January 10, 1762, established a trading post and lead mining smelter at the mouth of Catfish Creek in 1788 and was active in fur trading and lead mining with the nearby Mesquakie (Sac & Fox) tribe. According to legend, he married Potosa, daughter of Chief Peosta. His right to the land was first obtained from the Mesquakie in an agreement dated September 22, 1788, at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, permitting him to work the mine and giving him control over the ridge and lode they identified. On November 10, 1796, he received an official land grant from the Spanish Governor, Baron de Carondelet, in St. Louis. That grant included 73,324 acres stretching eleven miles north and south of Catfish Creek and nine miles west. Shown on early 18th century maps as Lead Mines (mine de plomb), this area became known as the Mines of Spain. Dubuque died on March 24, 1810, and the Mesquakie, or Meskwaki, buried him with tribal honors overlooking Catfish Creek and the Mines of Spain. In 1897, the Old Settlers Association erected the 25 foot tall limestone Julien Dubuque Monument.