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The history of St. Louis began with the settlement of the area by Native American mound builders who lived as part of the Mississippian culture from the 9th century to the 15th century, followed by other migrating tribal groups. Starting in the late 17th century, French explorers arrived.
Main article: History of St. Louis before 1762. The area that became St. Louis was a center of the Native American Mississippian culture, which built numerous temple and residential earthwork mounds on both sides of the Mississippi River. Their major regional center was at Cahokia Mounds, active from 900 to 1500.
St. Louis's current boundaries were established in 1876, when voters approved separation from St Louis County and establishment of a home rule charter. St. Louis was the nation's first home rule city, but unlike most, it was separated from any county.
St. Louis played a pivotal role as the “Gateway to the West” during the westward expansion of the United States in the 19th century. The city served as a starting point for numerous explorers, pioneers, and traders heading westward along the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Santa Fe Trail.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Prior to 19th-century. 1764 – St. Louis founded by Pierre Laclède in Louisiana, New Spain. [1] 1767 - It was "a log-cabin village of perhaps 500 inhabitants". [2] 1770 - Spanish in power. [2] 1780 – "Indian attack." [3] 1785 - Floods. [2]
It became the crossroads of westward expansion in the United States and an outfitting point for exploring parties, fur-trading expeditions, and pioneers traveling across the state to Independence and the start of the Santa Fe, California, and Oregon trails.
The main artery of the continent, the Mississippi, flowed eternally past St. Louis, joined the Ohio River not far from my hometown, then rolled down to Memphis and New Orleans. South of St. Louis were the heavily-wooded, limestone-and-dolomite Ozark Plateaus, an ancient geography. In my kid imagination, St. Louis contained all times at once too.
Explore the storied history of St. Louis, from its founding in 1764 to the 1904 World’s Fair to the present day. The Missouri History Museum’s exhibits occasionally change, but they’re always well done.
By 1849 St. Louis was a major trading city as travelers passed through to the gold rush in California and on to Independence, Missouri to follow the Oregon Trail. With the travelers came deadly cholera that sickened and killed hundreds of people.
Beginning in 1804, St. Louis was the seat of government for the District of Louisiana, and from 1812 to 1814, the capital of the territory of Missouri. St. Louis was first incorporated as a town in 1809 and was given a city charter in 1823.