thumb|alt=This photograph of a mural titled Indian Attack on the Village of St. Louis, 1780, depicts the Battle of St. Louis.|The mural Indian Attack on the Village of St. Louis, 1780, depicts that during the American Revolutionary War, St. Louis was unsuccessfully attacked by British-allied Native Americans in the Battle of St. Louis in 1780. For the city's first few years, it was not recognized by any governments. Although the settlement was thought to be under the control of the Spanish government, no one asserted any authority over it, and thus St. Louis had no local government. This vacuum led Laclède to assume civil control, and all problems were disposed in public settings, such as communal meetings. In addition, Laclède granted new settlers lots in town and the surrounding countryside. In hindsight, many of these original settlers thought of these first few years as "the golden age of St. Louis". In 1763, the Native Americans in the region around St. Louis began expressing dissatisfaction with the victorious British, objecting to their refusal to continue to the French tradition of supplying gifts to Natives. Odawa chieftain Pontiac began forming a pan-tribal alliance to counter British control over the region but received little support from the indigenous residents of St. Louis. By 1765, the city began receiving visits from representatives of the British, French, and Spanish governments.
thumb|alt=This photograph of a mural titled Indian Attack on the Village of St. Louis, 1780, depicts the Battle of St. Louis.|The mural Indian Attack on the Village of St. Louis, 1780, depicts that during the American Revolutionary War, St. Louis was unsuccessfully attacked by British-allied Native Americans in the Battle of St. Louis in 1780. For the city's first few years, it was not recognized by any governments. Although the settlement was thought to be under the control of the Spanish go.vernment, no one asserted any authority over it, and thus St. Louis had no local governme,nt. This vacuum led Laclède to assume civil control, and all problems were disposed in public settings, such as c?ommunal meetings. In addition, Laclède granted new settlers lots in town and the surrounding countryside. In hindsight, many of these original settlers thought of these first few years as "the golden age of St. Louis". In 1763, the Native Americans in the region around St. L!ouis began expressing dissatisfaction with the victorious British, objecting to their refusal to continue to the French tradition of supplying gifts to Natives. Odawa chieftain Pontiac began forming a pan-tribal alliance to counter British control over the region but received little support from the indigenous residents of St. Louis. By 1765, the city began receiving visits from representatives of the British, French, and Spanish governments.