This year, the City of St. Louis will celebrate 250 years since its founding in 1764 by a young French explorer, Pierre Laclede Liguest, and his even younger companion, Auguste Chouteau. While this blog is intended to reflect the history of St. Louis County, we cannot ignore the city and its influence west.
1764 was a rather busy year. Six-year-old music prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, would perform with his father and sister before King Louis XV of France. British Parliament would impose the Sugar Act on the American colonies, setting the stage for revolt on excessive taxation in the very near future. While the French and Indian War ended the year before, Pontiac's Rebellion was in full swing. In Pennsylvania, some enterprising wagon makers developed the Conestoga wagon which would be the precursor to the prairie schooners of American western lore*.
Benjamin Franklin was a 58-year-old foreign diplomat in Britain, George Washington was a 32-year-old Virginia planter, and the famous explorers, William Clark and Meriwether Lewis, weren't even born yet. A young Massachusetts lawyer and future President, John Adams, would marry Abigail Smith, and thus begin the first true American love story. What would become the United States in a few years was still a British colony and the newborn trading post of St. Louis was under French and later Spanish rule.
St. Louis County was merely wilderness known only to wandering Osage and Fox tribes and a few French fur traders. Where we call home today was far away from the growing drama that would lead to the American Revolution and independence.
So, happy birthday St. Louis! The last 250 years have been quite a ride. Looking for more to come!
*Source used: A Chronology of Life & Events in America. What Happened When: An Essential Collection of Facts & Dates from 986 to Today. Written by Gorton Carruth, Published by Harper & Row 1989.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Thursday, July 26, 2012
The Model Aeroplane
Ten-year-old Walter Ernst was mesmerized by the sight before him. His father had brought the family to the St. Louis riverfront to watch a man fly an aeroplane down the Mississippi. Young Walter had been fascinated by the news reports his father had read from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the Wright brothers' flying machines and the daring pilots who built and flew their own aeroplanes. Now, in September 1910, Walter was finally witnessing his first aero show.
The crowd cheered as they watched Thomas Scott Baldwin, a former dirigible pilot, guide his "Red Devil" Curtiss-type biplane high above the river. The plane flew across the river and landed just on the other side. There was a lull in the crowd, but not for long. The Red Devil reappeared. No one was sure what Captain Baldwin was doing until they saw him skillfully fly the machine under the Eads Bridge. If that wasn't thrilling enough, he did the same to the nearby McKinley Bridge. The crowds roared and cheered. The riverboats blew their whistles.
http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.slcl.org/hnpstlouispostdispatch/docview/579812693/fulltextPDF/$N/1?accountid=176
During the long ride home, all Walter could think about was that amazing biplane. He brought along a piece of paper and a pencil from school and began to draw the plane. His brothers and sisters always marveled at his artistic talents and as he sketched the aeroplane, they would continue to talk about the show. Father had read that there was another aeroshow coming in October, but nothing was confirmed.
The weeks that followed, Walter drew more and more pictures of the aeroplane. In October, the newspapers had stories of former President Theodore Roosevelt taking a plane ride with Arch Hoxsey at Kinloch Field - not far from where the Ernst family lived. They weren't able to attend that event due to several of the children coming down with colds. Then Walter's father came across an ad in the Post-Dispatch about a First National Aero Show coming up in November at the Coliseum on Washington Boulevard. Not only would the public be able to see these amazing flying machines up close, children could build models of these planes and enter them in a contest. There were cash prizes for the best planes.
http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.slcl.org/hnpstlouispostdispatch/docview/577833093/1382BDACF2E51EA05D5/51?accountid=176
Walter was thrilled. He gathered sticks along the roads as he walked home from school. Carefully, he whittled the sticks down to shape the structure of the biplane. His oldest brother, George, brought him a jar of glue to piece the model together. Mother gave him bits of cloth to make the wings and flaps.
The day came to attend the aero show. Walter was nervous. The family took the electric street car into the city and walked to the Coliseum. The place was filled with spectators. Walter, his brother George and Father found their way to the model aeroplane contest area and entered his model Curtiss biplane. Fifty model aeroplanes were on display, ready for the contest. The judges would make their announcement of the winners in a few days. In the meantime, the Ernst family chose to enjoy the show.
Three days later when the show ended, the Post-Dispatch published the winners of the model aeroplane contest. Walter had received honorable mention and one dollar cash prize.
This a fictional story based on an historical event. While the Ernst family is fictional, the events described here are fact. Sources used: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Kinloch Flying Field. Days of Glory to a Grave Unmarked" by Jack M. Abercrombie, "City of Flight; The History of Aviation in St. Louis" by James J. Horgan
The crowd cheered as they watched Thomas Scott Baldwin, a former dirigible pilot, guide his "Red Devil" Curtiss-type biplane high above the river. The plane flew across the river and landed just on the other side. There was a lull in the crowd, but not for long. The Red Devil reappeared. No one was sure what Captain Baldwin was doing until they saw him skillfully fly the machine under the Eads Bridge. If that wasn't thrilling enough, he did the same to the nearby McKinley Bridge. The crowds roared and cheered. The riverboats blew their whistles.
http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.slcl.org/hnpstlouispostdispatch/docview/579812693/fulltextPDF/$N/1?accountid=176
During the long ride home, all Walter could think about was that amazing biplane. He brought along a piece of paper and a pencil from school and began to draw the plane. His brothers and sisters always marveled at his artistic talents and as he sketched the aeroplane, they would continue to talk about the show. Father had read that there was another aeroshow coming in October, but nothing was confirmed.
The weeks that followed, Walter drew more and more pictures of the aeroplane. In October, the newspapers had stories of former President Theodore Roosevelt taking a plane ride with Arch Hoxsey at Kinloch Field - not far from where the Ernst family lived. They weren't able to attend that event due to several of the children coming down with colds. Then Walter's father came across an ad in the Post-Dispatch about a First National Aero Show coming up in November at the Coliseum on Washington Boulevard. Not only would the public be able to see these amazing flying machines up close, children could build models of these planes and enter them in a contest. There were cash prizes for the best planes.
http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.slcl.org/hnpstlouispostdispatch/docview/577833093/1382BDACF2E51EA05D5/51?accountid=176
Walter was thrilled. He gathered sticks along the roads as he walked home from school. Carefully, he whittled the sticks down to shape the structure of the biplane. His oldest brother, George, brought him a jar of glue to piece the model together. Mother gave him bits of cloth to make the wings and flaps.
The day came to attend the aero show. Walter was nervous. The family took the electric street car into the city and walked to the Coliseum. The place was filled with spectators. Walter, his brother George and Father found their way to the model aeroplane contest area and entered his model Curtiss biplane. Fifty model aeroplanes were on display, ready for the contest. The judges would make their announcement of the winners in a few days. In the meantime, the Ernst family chose to enjoy the show.
Three days later when the show ended, the Post-Dispatch published the winners of the model aeroplane contest. Walter had received honorable mention and one dollar cash prize.
This a fictional story based on an historical event. While the Ernst family is fictional, the events described here are fact. Sources used: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Kinloch Flying Field. Days of Glory to a Grave Unmarked" by Jack M. Abercrombie, "City of Flight; The History of Aviation in St. Louis" by James J. Horgan
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Welcome!
Welcome to my second blog site. This blog site will be devoted to one of my favorite hobbies - regional history. My aim is to educate and entertain all my readers on the wonderful things that helped shape our communities to what they are today. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I do researching them. Stay tuned!
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