St. Louis Centuries

Said at the time to be the most complete visual documentation ever made of a city, this film celebrates St. Louis' 200th birthday in 1964. This overview starts when the town was born in 1764 as a fur trading post, and winds its way through the high points of history to the city's rebirth in the 1960's.

This full color documentary paints a dramatic picture of how westward expansion changed the United States as its boundaries stretched from St. Louis to the Pacific coast. Follow the path of famed explorers Lewis and Clark, as well as routes taken by other adventurers: hunters, trappers, California gold rush fortune seekers, and pioneers pursuing a new life along the Santa Fe and Oregon trails.

Between 1859 and 1875, the Mississippi River was the lifeline of St. Louis. Steamboats lined the riverbank for a solid mile from Chouteau to Carr, ready to transport manufactured goods up the Missouri and bring back raw materials from the West. The deck of a boat offered many newcomers their first view of the city, and yet, as seen in this documentary, the St. Louis economy turned away from the river with the growth of railroads and construction of Eads Bridge.

Even as late as the 1890's, cattlemen still got their herds to the Illinois stockyards via the most direct route: straight through the middle of downtown St. Louis. Despite these occasional intrusions, St. Louis' rough edges were polished by the Gilded Age. The city hosted a presidential convention, elegant Vandeventer Place became the most fashionable address, and the growing number of horseless carriages simultaneously spelled the end of the street sweeper corps and the beginning of cobblestone pavement.

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 is still regarded as the greatest World's Fair of them all. Through thousands of photographs and rare motion picture film, the documentary takes viewers back in time for strolls by the fountains, down the Pike and past the enormous Ferris wheel. The only thing missing is the taste of the ice cream cones!

When soldiers returned to St. Louis from World War I, they found much had changed in their hometown. The 18th Amendment closed bars, and the 19th Amendment opened polling places to women. This film recalls St. Louis from the end of the war through the 1920's, including visits to the people, places and events that made this era unique: the Cherokee Businessman's Street Carnival, the Veiled Prophet Ball and Parade of 1922, the 1926 Cardinals with Rogers Hornsby, the tornado of 1927 and the development of the city under Mayor Henry Keil.

Visit places not found on traditional tours of St. Louis: Lafayette Park, Soulard Market, and Calvary and Bellefontaine cemeteries. In seeking out these "secret" places, this documentary explores some locations that no longer exist - such as the old Kerry Patch neighborhood - and shows landmarks before renovations including the DeMenil Mansion, the Old Post Office, the Central West End and Eads Bridge.