Jean Baptiste LaLande was an American

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

. Born May 19, 1778, in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, to Jean Baptiste LaLande Sr. and Marguerite Lefevre. In 1804 he left

Kaskaskia, Illinois Kaskaskia is a village in Randolph County, Illinois. Having been inhabited by indigenous peoples, it was settled by France as part of the Illinois Country. It was named for the Kaskaskia people. Its population peaked at about 7,000 in the 18th c ...

, with a small outfit of merchandise bound for

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

. As a result, he is credited as being the first American to establish commercial contact with Santa Fe. At that time Santa Fe was Spanish territory and Spanish law prohibited foreigner trading. Upon arriving in New Mexico LaLande was arrested by Spanish authorities and the trade goods were confiscated. Spanish governor Alencaster released LaLande from prison in 1805 after LaLande agreed to accompany the Pedro Vial expedition in 1806. The expedition's purpose was to establish

Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language: * Pawnee people * Pawnee language Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States: * Pawnee, Illinois * Pawnee, Kansas * Pawnee, Missouri * Pawnee City, Nebraska * ...

allegiance to Spain. After making New Mexico his home, Jean Baptiste Lalande married three times. On October 18, 1807, he married Maria Rita Abeyeta, and had 2 children. In 1811 he married Isabel Casados Cortez and had a daughter. On October 15, 1812, he married Maria Apolonia Lucero y Sandoval and had 6 children. Jean Baptiste LaLande died February 8, 1821, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

References

LeRoy R. Hafen LeRoy Reuben Hafen (December 8, 1893 – March 8, 1985) was a historian of the American West and a Latter-day Saint. For many years he was a professor of history at Brigham Young University (BYU). Biography He was born on December 8, 1893, in B ...

, "New Light on LaLande, First American in Colorado," ''Colorado Magazine'', XXIV (Sept. 1947), 194–97. *Lansing Bloom, "The Death of Jacques D'Eglise," ''New Mexico Historical Review'', II, p. 371. *Fray Angelico Chavez, "Addenda to New Mexico Families," ''El Palacio'', vol 63, nos. 7-8 (Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1956), p. 242. 1821 deaths Year of birth unknown {{US-business-bio-stub