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Downtown
St. Louis |
The city of St. Louis has many things going for it. With an unprecedented dedication
to education (there are 5 universities and 26 colleges just to start with) and
a passionate love of all forms of entertainment, there is a great deal to discover
in this cosmopolitan city. The "home of the blues" has produced some of the
biggest names of the 20th century. The many celebrities who were influenced
by the city include T.S. Elliot, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, Miles Davis and Scott
Joplin, and there are tributes to them all. St. Louis loves life, and it shows
in everything the locals do.
HISTORY
St. Louis was born in 1764 when fur trader Pierre Laclede was given the land
by the King of France.
Laclede found the area ideal for the fur trade. Close to both the Missouri and
Mississippi rivers, the settlement would provide excellent routes for the very
busy traders, and the elevation made the area less subject to flooding.
One year later, construction of a village began. Taking its name from the 13th
century French king, Louis IX, the site was home mostly to French settlers involved
in the fur trade. The area was run by the French until 1762, when a treaty with
Spain transferred ownership of all land west of the mighty Mississippi River.
When the American Revolution came knocking at the door, St Louis-ians were
well prepared. The city was encircled by a wooden stockade. The stone watchtower
of Fort
San Carlos was erected, much to the surprise of the British
generals and their Native American and Canadian
soldiers. Even more to their surprise was the resounding defeat of their 1200
man army by a force of 50 soldiers and less than 300 townspeople. The St. Louis
defenders would unite again in 1788 to defend the Mississippi River from pirates
and smugglers.
Once again the land would change hands when Napoleon intervened in 1800 and
brought the territory back to the French. There it would remain until 1803 when
it finally became the property of the United
States. It is said that on the day St. Louis changed hands for the final
time three national flags were flown--French, Spanish and American.
Securing the west led to heavy immigration. It began with people from New
Orleans, Louisiana,
moving in and extended all the way to Canadian fur trappers. The 15 million
dollar deal also led to extensive exploration of the western region, and St.
Louis was chosen as the starting point for the Lewis and Clark expedition. In
two years the fearless adventurers would chart almost 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometres)
of undiscovered country.
In 1818 the St.
Louis University was founded. This was the first catholic university
in the mid west, and remains popular and successful to this day, producing many
Nobel Prize laureates.
The St. Louis of the 19th century was a constantly changing mosaic of French,
Spanish, Irish and African
cultures. As can be expected, racial tension was fairly common. In 1829 Missouri
joined the Union as a slave state, and the battle for freedom became prominent
in daily life. Those who did gain their freedom didn't find life much easier,
as it was difficult for freed slaves and free born African Americans to earn
a living or get an education. In an effort to even the scales, the Reverend
James Berry Meacham went against the state and taught African American children
to read and write in a school floating on the Mississippi River.
The river served the city again when it brought the first steamboat to St.
Louis, a boon for growing fur trade. Steamboats became very popular and hundreds
would line the Mississippi shores. Business was booming and St. Louis became
the second busiest trading centre in the United States. Unfortunately, the ships
brought tragedy with them as well. In 1849, the unthinkable happened when the
steamboat White Cloud caught fire and broke lose from its moorings. The fire
spread along the shores as the ship floated down the Mississippi, engulfing
15 city blocks before the vessel finally exploded. The disaster nearly destroyed
the town and many lives were lost.
One month later an outbreak of cholera crippled the city. By the end of June,
the disease was claiming 86 lives every day. An official "Committee of Public
Health" was formed to fight the spread, but with limited resources (the cholera
bacterium was not officially identified until 1884) it would take two years
to get the epidemic under control. The attack led to the construction of public
sewer systems in an effort to heal the ailing city. Cholera would strike again
17 years later, but the locals were now better able to stop the disease before
it spread beyond their control.
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| An
Old View of the City |
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The construction of the railroad was intended to include St. Louis and in 1857
it connected the city to the east coast. Further immigration brought German
and Irish. The city enjoyed an explosion of artistic expression.
Racial tension came to a head in 1861, when European immigrants, struggling
to compete with cheap slave labour, sided with the North to fight slavery. Many
citizens born in the south continued to keep slaves, and in the spring of that
year the Union Army surrounded the confederate militia. The "Battle of Camp
Jackson", fought on the grounds that are now home to the St. Louis University
campus, ended in the defeat of the confederate outpost without a single shot
fired.
The Union moved in and made St. Louis the home base for their one million man
army. The continuing battle between north and south made good use of the railroad
connections and soon the railroad would be busier than the steamboats on the
Mississippi.
On a more positive note, St. Louis began a new tradition in 1873 with the first
continuous kindergarten class in the United States. The spirit of giving was
ripe, and through its citizens the world would discover ice cream cones, hot
dogs and iced tea.
The first major event of the 20th century happened in 1904 when the 7 month
long Louisiana Purchase Exposition opened. More than 20 million tourists would
visit the attraction, showcasing exhibits from 60 different countries. Out of
this, St. Louis gained an art museum, the Jefferson
National Expansion Memorial.
World War I and II brought with them a focus on the military. Production of
military tools and weapons became the primary industry. During W.W.II, production
was so strong that President Roosevelt held a contest nation wide to design
a national monument. The competition would take some time to materialize, and
was put on hold until after the war. The winning design came from European architect
Eero Saarinen for the 630 foot (192 meters) Gateway
Arch. The arch took three years to build and was completed in 1966.
The 1960s were difficult times for St. Louis. Strict government policies, high
taxes and fear of crime led many citizens to leave the city center for the suburbs.
Businesses soon followed and the downtown began to fall into decay. The popularity
of St. Louis waned, and in an effort to revive interest the city undertook a
major urban renewal project. It was in these efforts that St. Louis found its
present form. The west side, the Central West End, is the artsy corner with
U City (for the university crowd). The south side has the markets, antique shopping
and Soulard, with many cafes and jazz clubs. East St. Louis is less frequented
by tourists, especially after dark, but it is here that such music icons as
Miles Davis and John Coltrane found their calling. The east end is by far the
least touristy area of the city.
The St. Louis of today is known for big business. Anheuser-Busch, Boeing, Ralston,
Chrysler, Ford and General Motors all have plants here. These organizations
have made the city an important force in car, aircraft and aerospace production.
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| St.
Louis in the Evening |
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TRANSPORTATION
The Lambert-St.
Louis International Airport
has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a balloon launch area.
Today it is the 11th busiest airport in the country, generating in excess of
$5 billion annually. By the end of 1999, 30 million travellers passed through
its 83 gates. The airport connects to Intertates 170, I-55, I-64 and the US
40, which cross Poplar Street Bridge headed into the downtown core.
St. Louis once laid claim to one of the largest rail terminals in the entire
country. Union Station was not only the largest but also the busiest of all
rail terminals. It has since retired to a life of markets and shoppers, but
the rail still travels to St. Louis. Amtrak
offers regular daily trips to and from Chicago,
Illinois, and Kansas
City, Missouri.
The city is easy to get around. Streets follow a basic grid pattern, but many
one way streets can be troublesome for first time visitors. Numbered streets
run parallel to the Mississippi River, with lower numbers beginning at the river
and getting higher further from it. The downtown area is all metered parking,
so having change on hand is a good idea. It is usually very busy in the city
center, and expensive to park downtown, so the public transit system makes for
a stress free alternative. Passes for one day and one whole week are available.
Tickets can be purchased at most banks, drug stores, grocery stores and shopping
centers. There are also ticket vending machines at all MetroLink
(St. Louis' light rail transit system) stations.
In an attempt to reduce traffic congestion, St. Louis has developed a few multilevel
parking complexes near the major stadiums but these also fill quickly.
SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS
St. Louis has a lot to see and do, beginning with the Gateway
Arch of St Louis, the nation's tallest monument. The unprecedented views
can be reached by way of a tram which runs to the observation deck 630 feet
(just over 192 meters) above the Mississippi River. A competition to design
a monument to the expansion of the young United States across the west was held,
and construction on the stainless steel Arch began in 1935 with the clearing
of 40 city blocks. Development was delayed, however, due to the onset of WWI.
The arch houses a visitor's center and museum
dedicated to telling the story of America's
Westward Expansion, a theatre and of course, a gift shop can be found
on the bottom floor.
The Old
Cathedral in downtown St. Louis is worth a visit. The oldest church
in St Louis began life as a log cabin in the early 1700s. The buildings underwent
heavy restoration during the early 1900s, and in 1961, Pope John XXIII conferred
Basilica status on the church, the highest honour ever for a church in America.
Today it is one of the world's most honoured churches.
The St. Louis Cardinals, the local major league baseball team, earned a spot
in sports history when first baseman Mark McGwire had a multi-record breaking
season. Most obviously, of course, is the breaking of Roger Maris' home run
record. Maris held the title for hitting 61 home runs in a single season in
1961. In 1998 McGuire hit his 62nd against the Chicago
Cubs at Busch Memorial Stadium. He would finish the season with 70 home
runs. That season McGuire hit one homer every 7 times at bat, breaking his previous
record of one every 8. He also set a record for walks in one season (162), home
runs on home field (38), became the first player to hit 50 homers in three consecutive
seasons, the oldest player to hit 50 homers in one season, hit the longest homer
in Busch Stadium history, and became the first Cardinal to hit a homer on opening
day. He also set a team record for the most home runs in one month with 16.
On the corner of the Busch Stadium lot is the International
Bowling Hall of Fame. The 50,000 square foot, three level museum is
dedicated to preserving more than 5,000 years of bowling history from around
the world with displays, toys and games, a library and a theatre The museum
even provides an educational experience through a specially developed scavenger
hunt requiring students to measure various items and calculate equations throughout
the complex.
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The
Gateway Arch |
Fans of shopping will love the St Louis Center and
Union Station, the former railway hub of western America. Built in 1894,
the station connected the new states to the rest of the country for almost 100
years. Its days of cargo and passengers ended in 1978, and in 1985 the complex
opened as a shopping center. Visitors to the station will also find a hotel,
movie theatre, business offices and, not surprisingly, four active train tracks.
Soulard,
also caters to the market shopper, with the added bonus of being the heart of
city's restaurant and club (mostly blues and jazz) district.
Forest Park has something for everyone. It's larger than Central
Park in New York, New
York, so it should. In it can be found the St
Louis Art Museum, the Zoo,
the Opera
Theatre of St. Louis and the science
center.
When Forest Park opened in 1876, it was outside the city limits. The 20 minute
train ride from downtown St. Louis allowed for attendance levels in excess of
50,000 people. The Louisiana Purchase Exhibition and World's Fair were held
on this site in 1904 and the art museum, dedicated to international art from
all eras in human history, is the only building remaining from the fair.
St. Louis and the Mississippi River also brought the world the only floating
McDonald's. The food is very much McDonald's, but the surroundings are fantastic.
The restaurant is a converted steamboat moored to the riverbank. There is ample
parking on the shore.
The arts have long been a staple of St. Louis life. The International Folk
Fest held every October, celebrates the city's (and the country's) multicultural
roots, much like the 22 foot Greater
Ville Monument tribute to St. Louis' famous African American citizens.
Pulitzer Prize winner and Emmy Award nominee Maya Anjelou was born here, as
was William S. Burroughs, theatre entertainer Josephine Baker and "The King
of Horror" Vincent Price. Music legend Scott Joplin lived and played here while
writing some of his greatest works. Scott
Joplin House, the home he and his wife Belle shared during the late
1800s and early 1900s, is a museum and heritage site committed to preserving
artifacts from Joplin's life and St. Louis during the ragtime era.
Kids can have fun here too. Grant's
Farm is a nature preserve that was once farmland owned by former US
President Ulysses S. Grant and later the home of the Busch family of Anheuser-Busch
fame. The 281 acre park selects its animals based on specific criteria, and
now protects bison, North American wapiti, aoudads, zebra, Chincoteague Ponies,
Oreo Cookie Cows, deer and antelope.
The
Magic House is billed as the city's children's museum. Devoted to entertaining
and educating the future minds of America, the museum offers a wide array of
exhibits, all of which are educational and fun. Interactive exhibits like the
Gear Wall allow visitors to learn about the world around them by building machines,
playing with optical illusions and more. The Fitness Safari teaches young children
about health and fitness, and the outreach program offers intensive educational
experiences through field trips and summer camps.
With shows, plays, festivals and rides like the Tidal Wave waterfall and the
Batman rollercoaster (with a G-Force rating of 4!), Six Flags St. Louis lives
up to the title of theme park. As with Universal
Studios and Walt
Disney World in Orlando,
Florida, Six Flags is
very popular, a testament to the fun it provides, so it is not surprising that
the rides often have long lines. Arriving early is a good idea, but it is also
advisable to carry extras like sunscreen, snacks and water. These are available
at the park but are often more expensive than at many stores around the city.
Keeping that in mind, a well planned adventure at Six Flags is sure to provide
many memories for years to come.
