Geography

Chesterfield is located at 38°39′12″N 90°33′15″W (38.653402, -90.554255)[4] about 25 miles (40 km) West of St. Louis, Missouri. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.7 square miles (84.8 km²), of which, 31.5 square miles (81.6 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²) of it (3.73%) is water.

Portions of Chesterfield are located in the floodplain of the Missouri River, now known as Chesterfield Valley, formerly Gumbo Flats. This area was submerged during the Great Flood of 1993; higher levees built since then have led to extensive commercial development in the valley. Chesterfield Valley is the location of Spirit of St. Louis Airport, used for corporate aviation, as well as the longest outdoor strip mall in America. The remainder of Chesterfield is located on the bluffs above the floodplain, and includes residential and retail development.

Historical communities

The present-day city of Chesterfield is made up of several smaller historical communities, including:

• Bellefontaine (French for, "beautiful spring"), or as the locals called it, "Hilltown", dates to about 1837 with the arrival of August Hill. The first post office was established as Bellemonte ("beautiful mountain") in 1851. Eighteen years later, in 1869, the town and post office name were both changed to Bellefontaine. Rinkel's Market was a familiar landmark for years, at the intersection of present day Olive Blvd. and Chesterfield Parkway (where Uno Pizzeria is now).
• The town of Lake started out as "Hog Hollow," in about 1850. The post office was established as Hog Hollow, in 1871; but a year later the town's name was changed, to what some thought was the more suitable name of Lake. Zierenberg's General Merchandise and Saloon (built around 1880), was a well known landmark, at the 18- mile marker on Olive Street Road. The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1918. It was replaced by the still existing structure, on the same site (Olive Blvd. and Hog Hollow Road).
• Gumbo is located in the valley at the present intersection of Chesterfield Airport Road and Long Road. A notable landmark (until it was razed in 1998), was the old Twenty Five Mile House - so named because of its distance from downtown St.Louis. Gumbo's name derived from its soil, which though very rich and silty, when wet became gumbo mud. A substance very similar to gravel was made from Gumbo mud and used for streets and sidewalks in Forest Park during the 1904 World's Fair. Gumbo's post office operated from 1882 to 1907.
• Monarch (earlier called Atherton, then Eatherton), was one of the settlements that sprang up along the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific rail line, when it came through the valley in the late 1870s. William Sutton's General Store stood on the northwest corner of Eatherton and Centaur Roads. Their post office operated from 1895 to 1907, when the mail was transferred to Chesterfield. A well known residence in Monarch was named "The Shadows"; it still survives, with a commanding view from its bluff site.
• Bonhomme had a colorful life. The name is French for "good man." This small community, at the extreme western end of Olive Street Road, was close to the Howell's Ferry landing. It had a blacksmith shop, grist mill, store, post office and Fenn's saw mill; but it was all washed away in the late 1800s by the Missouri River. Bonhomme was a popular name in St. Louis County; with Bonhomme streets, roads, creeks, churches and townships still so-named. However, this Bonhomme is the only one that ever had its own post office.