Pierre Parrant
Pierre "Pig's Brown Eye" Parrant was the first official resident of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. His exploits propelled him to local fame and infamy, with his name briefly adorning the village that became Minnesota's capital city.
History
Sources disagree about Parrant's exact history before settling in the Minnesota Territory, but most indicate that he was of French Canadian origin 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. His new career found him distilling liquor, which he sold to other squatters, the indigenous people of the area, and even the soldiers at the fort. This new business served "Pig's Brown Eye" 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.This cave was situated on the east bank of the Mississippi River just downstream from what is now Downtown Saint Paul. Around June 1, 1838, Parrant completed a small shack that, according to an 1892 publication by Albert A. Jones, became "the first habitation, and the first business house of Saint Paul." Thus Parrant became the first inhabitant of the future city of Saint Paul. That such a distinction belongs to a man with Parrant's reputation has irked some historians, such as J. Fletcher Williams, who lamented:
[Image:Fountain cave--near St. Paul, by Whitney & Zimmerman.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Fountain Cave, site of the first saloon in Saint Paul, Minnesota, operated by Pierre "Pig's Brown Eye" Parrant]
Fountain Cave was an excellent location for Parrant's claim, as the spring inside it provided a steady water supply for his still. It was at Fountain Cave that Parrant opened a tavern that became wildly popular with the surrounding community. The bar, known as "Pig's Brown Eye" or "Pig's Brown Eye Pandemonium", was easily accessible to local residents, riverboat crews working on the river, and the soldiers from nearby Fort Snelling.
Parrant became so popular, that when a nearby resident named Joseph R. Brown sent a letter to a friend in 1839 he gave the return address simply as "Pig's Brown Eye". Not long after, Brown received correspondence at the address he had given, 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!" It is disputed whether Galtier actually said those words, but the story is part of the city's folklore.
Parrant produced bootleg whiskey, likely a simple grain-based spirit distilled using rudimentary equipment. Historical accounts suggest that the whiskey was not refined but served its purpose for trade with soldiers, settlers, and Indigenous people. The spring water from Fountain Cave was essential for the distillation process, giving Parrant a competitive advantage in producing liquor in a remote frontier setting.
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.