Pierre Parrant

Sources disagree about Parrant's exact history before settling in the Minnesota Territory, but most indicate that he was of French Canadian origin (or perhaps Métis) and born near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, around 1777. For most of his adult life Parrant made his living as a fur trapper while working for a company called McKenzie and Chouteau. During his days as a fur trapper "Pig's Brown Eye" Parrant, so called because he was blind in one eye, started to gain a somewhat dubious reputation with law enforcement, most likely due to his dabbling as a bootlegger. With the onset of age and the fur trade's decline Parrant began seeking new endeavors to earn a living. His search brought him to a fledgling new settlement near a military outpost called Fort Snelling in the Minnesota Territory. == Pierre Parrant in Minnesota ==

Arriving at Mendota in 1832, Parrant began to carve out a new life for himself while residing in a squatter's colony near Fort Snelling. This new business served "Pig's Brown Eye" (French: ''L'Œil de Cochon'') until 1838, when the squatters were forced off the land surrounding the fort due to their strain on surrounding resources. It was at this time that the 60+-year-old Parrant made a claim on a tract of land at the entrance of what was known as Fountain Cave. showing that the growing community around Pierre's bar was becoming known as "Pig's Brown Eye". The city's name might have remained Pig's Brown Eye had it not been for the arrival of a Catholic priest named Lucien Galtier. So aghast was Galtier that the village on the river derived its name from a man of such ill repute that, when he built his small chapel in the area in 1841, he reportedly stated, "Pig's Brown Eye, converted thou shalt be, like Saul; Arise, and be, henceforth, Saint Paul!" In 1844, Parrant lost his claim at Fountain Cave and was forced to vacate the land. John Fletcher Williams, first librarian of the Minnesota Historical Society who wrote a history of early St. Paul, says there was an eviction order in May 1838. This Eviction Order came from Fort Snelling as Parrant was selling alcohol to both the soldiers at the fort and the Dakota they were fighting at the time. == Life after Saint Paul ==

What happened to Parrant after he left Saint Paul is a mystery. Some sources say he was so upset about losing his claim that he decided to leave the Minnesota area and return to Sault Ste. Marie, only to die along the way in 1844. Others say he eventually settled near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where he died between 1872 and 1886. == See also ==