St. Louis History
The very long and colorful St. Louis history shows a trading post established in 1763 growing into one of the most powerful ports in the country in less than 100 years.
For much of its long and colorful history, St. Louis has been regarded as the "Gateway to the West". During the last three centuries the city of St. Louis has grown a lot from the days when it was literally the last major outpost on the American Frontier. You had to fill up your chuck wagon with vital supplies; you never knew where your next sack of beans and coffee was coming from.
Early History of St. Louis
Early one morning in 1763, an enterprising French man named Pierre Laclede got in his boat in New Orleans and traveled up the Mississippi River. He had the express intention of establishing a trading post. He founded this post at the junction of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, hoping to take full advantage of trade flowing down the Missouri River. His little post grew and grew; he certainly was a man with a vision. This little village began to expand at a great rate, with many French migrating westward and soon became known as St. Louis. Laclede had a vision of St. Louis becoming one of the finest cities in America, and he wasn’t far off was he?
St. Louis Early History
Plenty has happened to the city of St. Louis in the 250 years since Pierre arrived and started his trading post:
- Early 18th century – St. Louis continued to be the final trading post before pioneering types ventured into the Wild West. The rich and fertile soil was just perfect for growing grain and firmly established the agricultural boom too. Things were going rather well for St. Louis which was growing daily.
- 1817 saw the arrival of the first steamboat chugging its way up the mighty Mississippi towards St. Louis, and pretty soon the skies were full of funnels spurning out smoke, easily transporting goods up and down the Mississippi River and helping to establish St. Louis as the second largest port in the United States by the 1850’s.
- 1840 – it’s an ill wind which blows nobody some good, and war and famine in Europe drove thousands of immigrants across the pond towards St. Louis. Many of these chose to stop where they landed instead of taking their chances further west, and the population of around 20,000 in 1840 increased eight fold within the next twenty years. I bet Pierre was happy, especially if they all went to his store.
- By 1849 St. Louis just couldn’t cope with the massive amount of people who had arrived, and an outbreak of cholera ravaged the city, which was quickly followed by fire. It started on a steamship at its moorings but soon spread to engulf 22 more of the boats before starting to quickly eat up the town itself.
St. Louis Recent History
St. Louis lived through the civil war, though trade suffered, and entered into the golden age helped by both the establishment of the Budweiser brewery and horse feed, and the new age of travel. The rail lines which were built meant that even as the river traffic declined, St. Louis could still remain commercially strong.
Like everywhere else, St. Louis has had to move with the times, but the wonderful resilience, character and friendly disposition of the people of St. Louis has meant that although some things have changed some things will never change.
St. Louis, as good today as it’s always been, in fact, it’s even better.
