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St. Louis,
one of the oldest cities in
Missouri,
began when a man named Pierre Laclede Liguest discovered the perfect
place for a trading post on a high bluff of the Mississippi River in
1763. Early the next year, Leclede sent his stepson, along with thirty
men, to begin clearing the heavily forested land for a new town, of
which Laclede declared, "This settlement will become one of the finest
cities in America.”
The first structures
included a large house for the fur company’s headquarters, along with
cabins and storage sheds. A post house was completed in
September, 1764, becoming the focal point of the new village. From here, streets and buildings soon expanded, as trappers and
traders populated the settlement.
Referred to as
Laclede’s Village by its new residents, Laclede himself pronounced the
settlement "St. Louis” in honor of King Louis IX of France.
By 1766, the
burgeoning village had about 75 buildings built of stone, quarried
along the river bluff, or timber posts, and was called home to about
300 residents. Maintaining a steady growth through the end of
the century,
St. Louis boasted almost 1000
citizens by 1800, mostly French, Spanish, Indians, and both black
slaves and free men.
In 1804, when the Louisiana Purchase was
officially transferred to the United States, the settlement included a
bakery, two taverns, three blacksmiths, two mills, and a doctor. Several grocers also operated from their homes, selling merchandise at
outrageous prices due to high transportation costs. From St. Louis,
Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis & Clark to explore the new Louisiana
Territory in May, 1804. Two years later, when the explorers
returned in September, 1806, city became the "Gateway to the West” for
the many mountain men, adventurers, and setters that followed the path
of Lewis and Clark into the new frontier.
The first steamboat arrived in St. Louis
on July 27, 1817, beginning the boom town days of St. Louis
as an important river city. Before long, it was common to see
more than 100 steamboats lining the cobblestone levee during any given
day.
The 1830s were a decade
of growth and prosperity along the burgeoning river city. Many new
churches were built at this time, a public school system was started, and
the city implemented a new water system. By the 1840, St. Louis
was called home to almost 17,000 residents.
The
next decade saw a large number of immigrants populating the city,
especially those from Germany and Ireland, driven by the Old World potato
famine.
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