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St. Louis |
St. Louis, Missouri
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St. Louis, Missouri |
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St. Louis Chosen by Pierre Laclede in 1764, the site of St. Louis answered the needs of the French fur trader. First came New Orleanian settlers, then native and French-Canadian trappers. Explorers followed, notably Capt. Meriwether Lewis, who outfitted the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore and map the Pacific Northwest. The 1857 completion of the railroad link to the East Coast brought newly arrived immigrants from Germany, Ireland and other European countries; their skills and crafts enriched and transformed the character of the city. Italian immigrants arrived in the late 1800s and located in the area known as “the Hill” near their jobs in the clay factories. Having survived the disastrous 1840s, when a flood, cholera and a catastrophic fire conspired to nearly destroy the town, St. Louis citizens rebuilt with renewed effort. St. Louis Union Station, was constructed in 1894 and was once the largest and busiest rail passenger terminal in the world. By the 1900s the city had a population of 575,238 and thriving industries. In 1904 the great Louisiana Purchase Exposition opened, which lasted seven months and gave the world its first ice cream cones, hot dogs and iced tea. The city received its art museum, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and a statue of St. Louis the Crusader. The Gateway Arch at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the St. Louis Zoo at Forest Park, the baseball Cardinals at the new Bush Stadium and St. Louis’ NFL team, the Rams are all recent local attractions. In 1873 the first public school kindergarten in the United States was started in St. Louis. The St. Louis area has five universities and 26 colleges. St. Louis University, founded in 1818, was the first Catholic university in the Midwest. Washington University is known for its medical school. Chrysler, Ford and General Motors plants have made the St. Louis an important manufacturer of motor vehicles. Anheuser-Busch, Brown Shoe Co., Inc., Emerson and Solutia have their headquarters here. Many local jobs are in retailing, finance, transportation and manufacturing. Lambert Airfield brings many visitors and business people to St. Louis. The population of St. Louis, according to the 2000 Census, is 352,572. It is the second largest city in Missouri |
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