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St. Joseph |
St. Joseph, Missouri
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St. Joseph, Missouri |
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St. Joseph St. Joseph was founded in 1826 by Joseph Robidoux, who set up a fur trading post in the Blacksnake Hills. The migration of people following the discovery of gold in California in 1848 and Colorado in 1858 changed the frontier town into a major wagon train staging area and supply depot. In 1859 Robidoux drove the last spike on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, which made St. Joseph the westernmost railroad terminal. The Pony Express launched its famous mail service on Apr. 3, 1860, from St. Joseph to Sacramento, California. Riders traveled the 10-day route twice a week. Notorious outlaw Jesse James lived quietly in St. Joseph, where he was known as the mild-mannered, respected Mr. Howard. He was killed in 1882 by fellow gang member Bob Ford, whose brother Charles claimed the $10,000 reward. The 1880's and 1890's were the Golden Age of prosperity. In 1886, the Chicago Times reported that "St. Joseph is a modern wonder--a city of 60,000 inhabitants, eleven railroads, 70 passenger trains each day, 170 factories, thirteen miles of the best paved streets, the largest stockyards west of Chicago, a wholesale trade as large as that of Kansas City and Omaha combined..." One count of the U.S. Census had the City's population in 1900 at 102,000. Meatpacking had been active in St. Joseph from the early days. With the opening of the St. Joseph Stockyards in 1887 and the opening of several new packinghouses from then through 1923, St. Joseph became an important meatpacking center and one of the leading sources of revenue of the City and its surrounding agricultural area. As the City grew and industries were established, neighborhoods developed close to the factories, stockyards, and railroads. The City is less reliant today on the industries operating during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The City's job base has ten large employers of ten different industries. The City of St. Joseph is the sixth largest city in Missouri with 73,990 residents as of the 2000 Census. |
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