Central High School - Red and Black Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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, QE E AN EE.: JM SE' 4 under the leadership of Captain Stoddard were led up to the Government House. An impressive ceremony followed. Then Com- mandant Delassus passed the key to the Gov- ernment House to Captain Stoddard. The Spanish flag was hauled down and the French flag raised. Upon the request of Delassus the French flag was allowed to fly all night. The next day the French flag was lowered, ln its place, the stars and stripes of the United States waved. In but three days St. Louis had beheld three flags: the Spanish, the French, and the stars and stripes of our country. When Louisiana was purchased by the United States, St. Louis was known as the , capitol of Upper Louisiana. No one had thought of the land far to the west, but in 1804 President Jeflerson, after much prepara- tion and planning, sent an expedition under Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Western territory. Pierre Chouleau. Jr. fl l'mm'vl of XI. laluu At last everything was ready, the St. Louis people gathered along the river bank to watch the boats move up. The blunderbus was discharged in salute: the cannon of the fort answered. Captain Clark, bidding good-by from the deck of the keel-boat, was in full dress uniform of red-trimmed coat and trousers, and gold epaulets, his sword at his belt, and his three-cornered chapeau on his red head. The sails swelled in the breeze, the men at the oars sang in French and shouted in English. All, save Captain Clark, were dressed for business- Corporal Warflngton's squad from St. Louis in United States uniform: nine Kentuckians in buckskin: the fourteen soldiers and civilians enlisted at the post, in flannel shirts and trousers of buckskin or coarse army cloth: the French boatmen in brightly fringed woolens, with scarlet 'kerchiefs about their heads. Rain was falling, but who cared! More than eight thousand miles were traveled during the two years, four months and nine days that the expedition was gone. When on September 23, 1806, they returned to St. Louis. They were welcomed as heroes. We can truly say that Lewis and Clark opened the great West. ln July, 1808, St. Louis asked to be incorporated as a town and the request was granted. The people of St. Louis lost no time in moving to incorporate. The first election was held on the twenty-third of July, 1808. The people elected five trustees to set up the new government. They were Auguste TLL'l'l7l tl- I Luo

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re' V WW' it Q QF xr cf- X -AV1 M- - - - J mwm falsmm We sms. , ee-me weeks and then one day decided to visit an Indian tribe at Cahokia. He was Warned against going across the river where the English people were so hostile to him, but he disregarded this advice, declaring that he could take care of himself. After feasting during the day. he went into the woods at night and was struck on the head with a tomahawk and killed. As soon as this was heard, the governor ordered his body to be brought to St. Louis for burial. In the lobby of the old Southern Hotel on Broadway and Walnut Street, a tablet has since been erected in his honor. For some time the French had expected the coming of the Spaniards. When, in 1770, Don Pedro Piernas, the Hrst Spanish Commandant, came to St, Louis, he made no demonstration of authority. He received the city practically as it was, with very few changes to conform with Spanish law. He retained the appointees of the former government. He recognized the land grants made before his coming. In short he left St. Louis as he found it, ratified all that the community had done during its six years of existence, and proceeded along the lines familiar and acceptable to the seven hundred inhabitants. The Spanish governors enforced very limited government. Few Spanish laws were enforced except those bearing directly on the happiness and welfare of the people. In business affairs, in court contracts, and in practical essentials, the people of St. Louis went on governing themselves, much as they had done under the leadership of Laclede. The legal customs of the French continued to prevail. Arbitration was common in business differences. Of all the Spanish governors, de Leyba was the one who was remembered with repugnanze. His conduct during an Indian attack on the city in 1780 set the entire community against him. During the Spanish rule many buildings were erected, including the Government House, on the present site of First and Walnut. Although French customs and manners were retained, rezords were kept in Spanish. At the end of the Spanish rule there were 925 people living in St. Louis. Then St. Louis becomes a part of the United States! Under what con- ditions? On October 1, 1800, the Louisiana territory was ceded back to Franie, but it was not until 1802 that the Spanish king ordered the land to be delivered to France. Napoleon, the French ruler, was so taken up with wars in his own country that he had very little time to deal with this new land. Besides he was in great need of money. So, when the United States sent a man to France to see if they might purchase New Orleans, they were surprised to Hnd that Napoleon would sell, not only New Orleans, but the entire Louisiana territory for 515,000,000 The treaty transferring the Louisiana territory to the United States was signed in Paris, April 30, 1803. When it was learned that the Americans were coming, some of the people were disappointed ffor they had been happy under Spanish rulej while others were glad. The American troops Twenty-one

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sem..Tll-Im mmm :spawn Chouteau, Bernard Pratte, Edward Hempstead, Pierre Chouteau, and Alexander McNair. Later a mayor was substituted for the trustees. The city limits were set and laws were made. The laws may seem very peculiar to us, but we must remember that St. Louis was a very young city at that time. One of the laws required all dogs kept in the city to be registered on the books of the city register and to wear brass collars bearing the owner's name. Another required every house owner to buy two leather buckets to hang in the house in case of fire. St. Louis was not without its amusements. lt had a town orchestra that played at the many dances and picnics. The pioneer paid amusement was announced in 1812. This was a series of slight-of-hand performances by John Eugene Leistendorfer. He gave his performance twice a week for several months and made quite a fortune. The first post office was opened in St. Louis in 1805 by Mr. Rufus Easton. He kept his post office in his residence at Elm and Third streets for over six years, and when he grew tired of the work he turned it over to his brother-in- law who kept the office in his drug store. Mail was iirst carried on foot, later on horseback. The postage was very high, costing fifty cents to send a letter over 450 miles. It took several months for letters from the Atlantic coast to reach the city. Finally on September 20, 1836, it was announced that mail would be delivered daily. ln July, 1808, the first newspaper west of the Mississippi was printed in St. Louis, Mr. Joseph Charless, the printer, called his newspaper the Missouri Gazette. lt started out with 174 subscribers. lt was several years before the news arriving from the coast was plentiful enough to have a weekly newspaper. By l82l there were three weekly newspapers. For the first time the people of St. Louis were brought into close contact with the outside world. It was not until l8l2 that the first bricks were used. However, the first brick sidewalk was not laid until l82l. The narrow, unpaved streets proved a hindrance to trade. As a result, several ordinances were passed to pave the streets. The first street paving was laid at the foot of Market Street. Later Main Street was paved, and as time went on, all the streets in the business district were improved. Until 1826 the streets were given French names. When the names were changed, Market Street became the dividing line between northern and southern part of the city. The streets running east and west were named after trees, as Pine, Olive, Elm, and Locust, while those running north and south were given numbers as First, Second, and Third. Market Street was so named because of a Market which stood at the foot of the street. Some fifteen years later a large market house and town hall was erected on the site of the old Place d'Armes between Market and Walnut. The crowning glory of this period was the Roman Catholic Cathedral. lt was a very elegant building, erected by the good Bishop DuBourg. With the Twenty-three