Yes, there are Créoles in Missouri. I hadn’t heard about that area until last year. Some people still speak French and they have a strong Créole culture in the area. They were French people who settled in the Missouri Ozarks – some moved to Ste. Genevieve and then later, some moved back into the Ozarks into the Old Mine area, or as they call it, La Vieille Mine.
They have a tradition, similar to the courir de Mardi Gras, called La Guignolee in which they go house to house on New Year’s Eve, dressed strangely, singing for food and money. Dennis Stroughmatt studied the area and learned the French Créole language and music. He plays the fiddle all over the place, including Louisiana. That’s some pretty interesting stuff - the fact that people speak an old form of French and have old French customs that are still practiced today, and all in Missouri. Sounds like my Dad might have a place to go visit on vacation this year. Allons a Missouri!