After the Louisiana Purchase, the American government had to contend with land claims problems in the St. Louis area for decades. Land in the Prairie des Noyers were secured by various French families, who later sold their tracts to land speculators. Large sections in the present Shaw area were acquired by Major William Christy, who sold them in 1816 to William Chambers. About 1860, these tracts were willed to Chambers' daughter, Mary Lawrence Tyler, who sold them to a subdivision developer in 1888. Homes began to fill the area shortly thereafter.