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{{AmCyc
| previous = Saint Louis (county)
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| wikipedia = St. Louis, Missouri
| author = [[Author:J. W. Hawes|J. W. Hawes]]
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}}<!-- p. 541 -->
'''SAINT LOUIS,''' the chief city of Missouri, county
seat of St. Louis co., and the commercial
metropolis of the central Mississippi valley,
on the right bank of the Mississippi river, 20
m. below the entrance of the Missouri, about
175 m. above the mouth of the Ohio, 1,170
m. above New Orleans, and 125 m. E. of
Jefferson City; lat. 38° 37' 28" N., lon. 90° 15'
16" W.; pop. in 1810, 1,600; in 1820, 4,598;
in 1830, 5,852; in 1840, 16,469; in 1850,
77,860; in 1860, 160,773; in 1870 (when it was
the fourth city in the United States in population),
310,864, of whom 22,088 were colored;
in 1875, estimated by local authorities as high
as 490,000. Of the population in 1870, 161,796
were males and 149,068 females, 198,615
natives and 112,249 foreigners, of whom
2,652 were born in Bohemia, 2,008 in British
America, 2,788 in France, 59,040 in
Germany, 5,367 in England, 32,239 in Ireland,
1,202 in Scotland, and 2,902 in Switzerland.
There were 59,431 families, with an average
of 5.23 persons to each, and 39,675 dwellings,
with an average of 7.84 to each. Of the 108,691
persons 10 years old and over returned
<!-- column 2 -->
as engaged in all occupations, 810 were
employed in agriculture, 41,418 in professional
and personal services, 28,219 in trade and
transportation, and 38,244 in manufactures and
mining.{{—}}The city is many feet above high
water. It is built on three terraces, the first
rising gently from the river for about 1 m. to
17th street, where the elevation is 150 ft. above
the stream. The ground then gently declines,
rises in a second terrace to 25th street, again
falls, and subsequently rises in a third terrace
to a height of 200 ft. at Côte Brillante or
Wilson's hill, 4 m. W. of the river. The surface
here spreads out into a wide and beautiful
plain. The corporate limits extend 11{{frac|1|3}} m.
along the river, and in extreme width 3 m.
back from it; area, 13,216 acres or 20{{frac|2|3}} sq. m.
The densely built portion is comprised in a
district of about 6 m. along the river and 2
m. in width. The city is for the most part
regularly laid out, the streets near the river
running parallel with its curve, while further
back they are generally at right angles with
those running W. from the river bank. Grand
avenue, in part 120 ft. wide, extends through
the city from N. to S., and in the centre is
about 3 m. from the river. Washington
avenue, one of the widest and finest in St. Louis,
runs back from the river; at its foot is the
terminus of the great bridge. Front street, 100
ft. wide, extends along the levee, and is built up
with massive stone warehouses. The wholesale
trade is chiefly on Main and 2d streets,
but is extending into Washington avenue and
5th street. The fashionable promenade is 4th
street, containing the leading retail stores.
There are 14 street railroad companies,
running to various parts of the city, and one over
the bridge to East St. Louis. The city is
remarkably well built, largely of brick or stone.
{{c|[[Image:AmCyc Saint Louis - New Court House.jpg|600px]]
{{smaller|New Court House.}}}}
The principal public buildings are the city
hall, the court house, erected at an expense of
$1,200,000, the jail, the county insane asylum,
the Masonic temple, the polytechnic building,
the custom house and post office, costing $350,000,
the United States arsenal (a large and
imposing structure in the S. E. part of the city,
surrounded with fine grounds), the merchants'
exchange, the mercantile library hall, the city
hospital, the marine hospital, the high school
building, Washington university, St. Louis
university, several hotels (the chief of which are
the Southern, Planters', Barnum's, Lindell,
and Laclede), the Roman Catholic cathedral
(136 ft. long and 84 ft. wide, with a front of
polished free stone), St. George's (Episcopal)
church, the church of the Messiah (Unitarian),
the first and second Presbyterian churches,
the Baptist church at 6th and Locust streets,
the Jewish temple at 16th and Pine streets,
the Union Methodist church at llth and
Locust streets, the Lutheran church at 8th and
Walnut streets, the Congregational church at
10th and Locust streets, and the Presbyterian
churches at 11th and Pine and 16th and Walnut
streets. A new custom house and post office
<!-- p. 542 -->
and a new exchange are in course of erection
(1875). The public squares and parks embrace
in the aggregate about 2,000 acres. Missouri
park, Hyde park, Gravois park, Jackson place,
Carr place, St. Louis place, and Washington
square, with from 1½ to 12 acres each, are
within the settled portion of the city. Lafayette
park, in the S. portion, contains about
30 acres; it is handsomely laid out, and
surrounded by elegant dwellings. The Northern
park, 180 acres, on the bluffs in the N.
portion, is noted for its fine trees. Lindell
park, 60 acres, on the line of Forest Park
boulevard, is tastefully laid out, and filled with
native forest trees. Forest park, 1,350 acres,
still mostly covered with primitive trees, W.
of the centre of the city and about 4 m.
from the river, is bounded by wide
boulevards. Lindell boulevard (194 ft. wide) and
Forest Park boulevard (150 ft. wide), each
about 2 m. long, extend from it toward the
heart of the city. The Des Pères river meanders
through this park. Other public grounds
are Carondelet, Laclede, and Benton parks,
Exchange square, and Clinton and Marion places.
Tower Grove park, adjoining Shaw's botanical
garden, is in the S. W. part of the city, and
contains 277 acres. The garden (109 acres) is
owned by Henry Shaw, who has opened it to
the public, and intends it as a gift to the city.
The fair grounds of the St. Louis agricultural
and mechanical association, 85 acres, N.
W. of the centre of the city, are handsomely
laid out and ornamented, and contain extensive
buildings; the amphitheatre will seat 25,000
persons. The handsomest cemeteries are
Bellefontaine (350 acres) and Calvary (262
<!-- column 2 -->
acres), in the N. part of the city, about a mile
from the river. On the opposite bank of the
Mississippi is East St. Louis, a city of St. Clair
co., Ill., incorporated in 1865, and containing
in 1875 upward of 10,000 inhabitants. It has
a river front of 2 m., numerous manufactories,
several railroad
shops, an elevator,
and the extensive
national stock yard. It
is connected with St.
Louis by ferry and by
the great bridge,
before the completion
of which it was the
terminus of all the
railroads extending
east. The bridge is
of steel, and rests
on four piers. (See
{{AmCyc article link|Bridge}}, vol. iii., p.
276.) It passes over
a viaduct of five arches
(27 ft. span each)
into Washington
avenue. The lower roadway
runs into a
tunnel, 15 ft. wide, 17 ft.
high, and 4,800 ft.
long, which passes
under a large portion
of the city, terminating
near 11th street,
where a great central
railroad depot is in
course of construction (1875).{{—}}St. Louis
communicates by river and rail with a vast extent
of fertile country. Sixteen lines of railroad
centre here, viz.: the Ohio and Mississippi;
Chicago, Alton, and St. Louis; Indianapolis
and St. Louis; Atlantic and Pacific; Missouri
Pacific; St. Louis, Kansas City, and Northern;
St. Louis and Iron Mountain; St. Louis,
Vandalia, Terre Haute, and Indianapolis;
Rockford, Rock Island, and St. Louis; Belleville
and Southern Illinois; Toledo, Wabash, and
Western; St. Louis and Southeastern; Illinois
and St. Louis; Missouri, Kansas, and Texas;
Illinois Central; and Cairo and St. Louis. The
arrivals of barges and canal boats in 1874
numbered 951; of steamers, 2,332, viz.: from the
upper Mississippi, 1,063; lower Mississippi,
752; Illinois river, 269; Missouri river, 104;
Ohio river, 113; elsewhere, 31.
{{c|{{smaller|RECEIPTS OF FREIGHT FOR FOUR YEARS.}}}}
YEAR.
By rail.
By river.
Total.
1871
1872
1873
1874
2,298,321 tons.
2,888,364 tons.
3,245,178 tons.
3,165,093 tons.
884,401 tons.
863,819 tons.
801,055 tons.
732,765 tons.
3,182,722 tons.
3,702,283 tons.
4,046,233 tons.
3,897,858 tons.
SHIPMENTS OF FREIGHT FOR FOUR YEARS.
1871
1872
1873
1874
959,882 tons.
1,204,664 tons.
1,155,416 tons.
1,118,150 tons.
776,498 tons.
805,282 tons.
783,256 tons.
707,325 tons.
1,730,380 tons.
2,009,946 tons.
1,938,672 tons.
1,825,430 tons.
|}
<!-- p. 543 -->
The principal articles of receipt and shipment
are breadstuffs, live stock, provisions, cotton,
lead (from the Missouri mines), hay, salt, wool,
hides and pelts, lumber, tobacco, and groceries.
The trade in dry goods is also extensive.
<!-- column 2 -->
There are, including those in East St. Louis,
six grain elevators and warehouses, five
establishments for storing and compressing
cotton, and two stock yards. The movement of
breadstuffs for ten years has been as follows:
RECEIPTS.
YEAR.
Flour, bbls.
Wheat, bush.
Corn, bush.
Oats, bush.
Rye, bush.
Barley, bush.
Total grain<br>(reducing flour), bush.
1865
1,161,038
3,452,722
3,162,313
4,173,229
217,568
846,229
17,657,252
1866
1,208,726
4,410,305
7,233,671
3,567,000
375,417
548,796
22,079,072
1867
944,075
3,571,593
5,155,430
3,485,388
250,704
705,215
17,848,755
1868
805,836
4,353,591
2,800,277
3,259,132
367,961
634,500
15,444,731
1869
1,210,555
6,736,454
2,395,713
3,461,844
266,056
757,600
20,170,442
1870
1,491,626
6,638,258
4,708,838
4,519,510
210,542
748,518
24,313,791
1871
1,428,408
7,311,910
6,030,734
4,358,099
374,336
876,217
26,093,336
1872
1,259,933
6,007,987
9,479,387
5,467,800
377,587
1,263,486
28,895,912
1873
1,296,457
6,185,038
7,701,187
5,359,853
356,580
1,158,615
27,243,558
1874
1,683,898
8,255,221
6,991,677
5,296,967
288,743
1,421,406
30,673,504
SHIPMENTS.
YEAR.
Flour, bbls.
Wheat, bush.
Corn, bush.
Oats, bush.
Rye, bush.
Barley, bush.
Total grain<br>(reducing flour), bush.
1865
1,521,465
62,860
2,591,588
3,083,864
31,455
50,000
13,427,052
1866
1,700,740
635,817
6,759,199
2,624,044
225,458
89,751
18,835,969
1867
1,450,475
321,888
4,318,937
2,244,756
56,076
55,720
14,248,752
1868
1,499,337
542,234
1,611,618
1,952,579
192,555
64,426
11,860,097
1869
2,172,761
1,715,005
1,298,863
2,104,002
110,947
57,134
16,148,756
1870
1,790,739
634,562
3,636,060
3,144,744
100,254
70,451
21,039,776
1871
2,676,525
1,048,532
4,469,849
2,484,582
138,756
62,843
21,587,187
1872
2,247,040
918,477
8,029,739
3,464,594
150,208
87,566
23,885,784
1873
2,506,215
1,210,286
5,260,916
3,215,206
206,652
125,604
22,549,739
1874
2,981,760
1,938,841
4,148,556
3,027,663
166,133
227,418
24,417,411
|}
<!-- column 1 -->
St. Louis is noted for the manufacture of flour,
being in this respect the first city in the Union.
There were 24 mills in operation in 1874. The
production for ten years has been as follows:
1865, 743,281 bbls,; 1866, 818,300; 1867, 765,298;
1868, 895,154; 1869, 1,068,592; 1870,
1,351,773; 1871, 1,507,915; 1872, 1,494,798;
1873, 1,420,287; 1874, 1,573,202. The movement
of live stock and provisions for ten years
was as follows:
LIVE STOCK.
YEAR.
RECEIPTS.
Cattle.
Sheep.
Hogs.
1865
94,307
52,133
99,663
1866
103,259
64,047
247,622
1867
74,146
62,974
298,241
1868
115,352
79,315
301,560
1869
124,565
96,626
344,848
1870
201,422
94,477
310,850
1871
199,527
118,899
633,370
1872
263,404
115,904
759,076
1873
279,678
86,434
973,512
1874
360,925
114,916
1,126,586
YEAR.
SHIPMENTS.
Cattle.
Sheep.
Hogs.
1865
46,712
8,680
17,869
1866
24,462
15,194
13,368
1867
26,799
19,022
28,627
1868
37,277
6,415
16,277
1869
59,867
12,416
39,076
1870
129,748
11,649
17,156
1871
130,018
37,465
113,913
1872
164,870
29,540
118,700
1873
180,662
18,902
224,873
1874
226,678
35,577
453,710
<!-- column 2 -->
PROVISIONS.
YEAR.
RECEIPTS.
Pork, bbls.
Bacon and cut<br>meat, lbs.
Lard, lbs.
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
66,822
56,740
92,071
85,127
78,236
77,398
88,442
60,207
57,476
55,453
34,781,570
31,278,150
47,623,450
46,753,850
47,225,140
44,494,770
57,804,350
63,434,860
50,071,760
52,104,380
6,391,030
5,004,870
7,229,670
5,941,650
7,778,410
6,215,150
10,093,460
11,288,890
8,981,820
6,877,560
YEAR.
SHIPMENTS.
Pork, bbls.
Bacon and cut<br>meat, lbs.
Lard, lbs.
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
109,702
92,595
138,226
130,268
120,002
115,236
131,732
114,329
105,876
90,343
64,910,870
49,897,050
70,095,130
58,229,270
75,755,450
77,501,130
123,665,060
147,141,960
184,392,770
133,486,380
9,569,830
7,462,230
14,318,210
12,945,490
13,322,900
15,507,840
30,750,470
33,943,860
37,156,810
27,112,270
|}
The number of hogs packed for a series of
years has been as follows: 1869-'70, 241,316;
1870-'71, 305,600; 187l-'2, 419,032; 1872-'3,
538,000; 1873-'4, 463,793. The cotton trade
has increased rapidly during the past few years.
The receipts and shipments of cotton, together
with the receipts and consumption of lead, for
five years, are shown in the following table:
<!-- p. 544 -->
YEAR.
COTTON, BALES.
LEAD, PIGS.
Receipts.
Shipments.
Receipts.
Consumption.
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
11,372
41,512
29,436
83,439
155,943
6,692
35,782
19,039
70,949
122,694
237,039
229,961
285,769
356,037
479,448
205,600
226,654
222,907
255,938
200,000
|}
St. Louis is a port of delivery in the customs
district of New Orleans, and a port of entry
under the act of 1870 permitting the shipment
of foreign goods in bond to interior ports
from the port of first delivery. The value of
direct importations under this act in 1873 was
$1,120,455; in 1874, $843,313. The value of
foreign goods warehoused during the latter
year was $4,046,428; remaining in warehouse
<!-- column 2 -->
on Dec. 31, $276,547; amount of import duty
collected during the year, $1,674,116 53.{{—}}Notwithstanding
the extent of its commercial
interests, the prosperity of the city is chiefly due
to its manufactures, in which it is surpassed
only by New York and Philadelphia among
the cities of the Union. The number of
establishments in the county (mostly within the
city limits), according to the United States
census of 1870, was 4,579, employing 425 steam
engines of 15,118 horse power, and 40,856
hands, of whom 32,484 were males above 16,
3,455 females above 15, and 4,917 youths;
capital invested, $60,357,001; wages paid during
the year, $24,221,717; value of materials used,
$87,388,252; of products, $158,761,013. The
particulars of some of the principal branches
are contained in the following table:
INDUSTRIES.
No. of<br>establishments.
Hands<br>employed.
Amount of<br>capital invested.
Value of<br>materials used.
Annual value<br>of products.
Agricultural implements
5
448
$730,000
$657,450
$1,475,000
Bagging
2
333
1,200,000
423,100
750,000
Bags
5
314
505,000
1,442,500
5,007,250
Boots and shoes
148
709
376,900
957,580
1,990,940
Bakery products
185
799
654,260
1,963,734
2,936,085
Brick
85
1,253
1,046,746
374,879
2,763,372
Railroad cars
3
498
570,000
1,015,900
1,725,300
Street cars
3
72
105,000
86,000
202,000
Clothing, men's
366
3,077
2,139,425
3,311,626
6,665,617
Clothing, women's
131
823
243,425
597,800
1,011,420
Confectionery
12
281
272,000
541,390
1,189,155
Cooperage
152
1,165
742,450
982,265
1,949,630
Cotton goods
3
361
489,200
481,745
798,050
Flouring mill products
31
684
3,850,000
12,590,684
15,717,765
Furniture
108
1,507
2,362,000
1,464,980
3,635,659
Gas
1
156
1,815,000
342,000
1,359,250
Iron, forged and rolled
2
401
1,007,143
826,750
1,455,000
Iron, anchors and cables
1
20
20,000
25,750
60,000
Iron, nails and spikes
1
47
142,857
237,250
294,000
Iron, railing, wrought
6
28
37,000
28,710
79,500
Iron, pigs
4
734
880,000
813,000
1,945,000
Iron, castings, not specified
3
146
95,000
445,620
659,050
Iron, castings, stoves, &c.
17
1,564
2,762,500
1,416,775
2,937,950
Lead, bars and sheets
1
22
200,000
622,500
650,000
Lead, pipe
2
12
52,500
128,000
167,000
Liquors, distilled
6
63
317,200
495,157
774,694
Liquors, malt
40
630
4,248,800
2,184,760
6,105,500
Liquors, vinous
4
68
541,200
606,730
813,750
Lumber, planed
5
94
194,000
298,125
438,500
Lumber, sawed
12
387
975,900
1,306,520
1,910,370
Machinery, engines and boilers
30
1,406
2,045,000
1,776,540
3,750,280
Malt
9
70
450,000
547,470
700,550
Stone work
76
485
309,600
454,820
1,076,355
Masonry
153
696
168,200
640,572
1,234,660
Matches
5
189
110,500
104,375
546,400
Pork, packed
12
530
3,237,000
8,544,094
11,443,845
Molasses and sugar, refined
1
302
2,000,000
3,667,000
4,135,250
Animal oil
3
77
525,000
2,866,100
4,100,000
Castor oil
1
38
325,000
355,000
500,000
Paints
8
220
970,000
1,549,048
2,083,000
Medicines
23
305
1,031,500
762,060
2,036,450
Printing, not specified
28
1,188
1,797,500
1,819,270
3,837,250
Printing, newspaper
7
297
197,000
265,500
616,500
Printing, job
20
193
192,800
195,650
406,700
Saddlery and harness
97
1,084
1,556,500
2,633,835
4,326,276
Sash, doors, and blinds
12
473
1,086,800
1,222,210
2,334,100
Soap and candles
7
260
1,067,500
1,277,730
1,767,500
Tin, copper, and sheet-iron ware
127
793
814,150
998,680
2,079,147
Tobacco and snuff
36
1,408
2,173,500
4,204,750
7,620,940
Tobacco, cigars
264
1,185
470,260
712,692
1,765,593
Zinc, smelted
2
93
280,000
51,540
162,400
|}
<!-- column 1 -->
There has been a large increase since 1870 in
nearly all branches of manufacture except iron,
which since the panic of 1873 has declined; the
value of products for 1874 has been estimated
at nearly $240,000,000. Extensive Bessemer
steel works are now (1875) in course of {{hws|erec|erection.}}
<!-- column 2 -->
{{hwe|tion.|erection.}} There are 7 national banks, 19 state
banks, and 30 savings institutions, with an
aggregate capital of about $20,000,000. On July
1, 1874, the aggregate deposits were $42,088,214 59;
loans and discounts, $48,544,501 51;
cash and exchanges, $11,903,758 03. The city
<!-- p. 545 -->
contains a safe deposit company and 31
insurance companies, of which five are life
insurance companies. There are a chamber of
commerce, a merchants' exchange, a board of
trade, a cotton exchange, a mechanics' and
manufacturers' exchange, and a mining exchange.{{—}}St.
Louis is divided into 12 wards, and is
governed by a mayor and a city council
composed of two members from each ward, elected
biennially. There are also a comptroller,
treasurer, and auditor. The United States courts
for the E. district of Missouri and terms of the
state supreme court are held here. The special
city courts are the court of criminal correction
and four police courts. The headquarters of
the United States army were established here
in 1874. The police force is under the control
of five commissioners, including the mayor ''ex''
''officio'', whose jurisdiction extends over 30 sq.
m. of territory beyond the limits of the city.
The force on April 1, 1875, numbered 462 officers
and men. The fire department comprises
18 engine companies, 14 hose companies, and
three hook and ladder companies; the number
of men is 150. The water supply of the
city is taken from the Mississippi at Bissell's
point, near the N. boundary. It is raised into
four reservoirs, each 240 by 660 ft., with an
average depth of about 20 ft, by two pumping
engines, each with a capacity of 17,000,000
gallons a day. In these reservoirs it remains
24 hours, to free it from sediment. It then
passes into a small reservoir near the two
high-service engines, which raise it to the storage
reservoir, covering about 17 acres on Compton
hill, 26 ft. above the highest street grade.
The board of health consists of five members,
including the mayor as president ''ex officio''.
It is asserted that St. Louis is one of the
healthiest cities in the country. The number
of deaths for eight years, according to the
health officer's report, has been as follows:
1867, 6,167, or 28.2 per 1,000; 1868, 5,193,
20.6; 1869, 5,884, 20.6; 1870, 6,670, 21.3;
1871, 5,265, 16.8; 1872, 8,047, 18.2; 1873,
8,551, 21.36; 1874, 6,506, 14.45. Of the
deaths in 1874, 30.43 per cent. were from
zymotic, 18.29 from constitutional, 41.74 from
local, and 6.56 from developmental diseases,
and 2.99 per cent, from violence. The number
of deaths from consumption was 581,
being 8.93 per cent, of the whole. The assessed
value of property in 1864 was $63,059,078;
in 1874, $172,109,270. The balance in the
treasury on April 14, 1874, was $289,404 20;
receipts during the following year, $6,003,819 56,
of which $2,236,121 86 were from
taxes, 2,005,120 from the sale of bonds,
$1,150,000 from temporary loans, and $612,577 70
from miscellaneous sources; expenditures,
$6,231,286 72, of which $372,000 were
for the payment of matured bonds, $1,035,631 38
of interest on debt, $1,450,000 of
temporary loans, and $3,373,665 34 for other
purposes; balance, April 12, 1875, $61,937 04.
The bonded debt on April 13, 1875, was {{hws|$15,|$15,993,000,}}
<!-- column 2 -->
{{hwe|993,000,|$15,993,000,}} on which the annual interest is $950,710;
temporary debt, $1,027,000. The assets
of the city on the same date amounted to
$13,044,315 38, including, besides a sinking
fund of $738,126 65, the water works, engine
houses, public parks, &c. There are 2.61 m.
of paved and macadamized wharf, 220.81 m.
of macadamized streets, 10.2 m. of Nicolson
pavement, 40.68 m. of improved alleys,
162 m. of sewers, and 160 m. of water pipe.
The public institutions not already mentioned
are the workhouse, house of refuge, female
hospital, city dispensary, and quarantine
hospital. Under the management of various
societies, there are 9 hospitals and 27 asylums
and homes, including a deaf and dumb asylum
conducted by the sisters of St. Joseph,
and St. Vincent's insane asylum.{{—}}The public
schools of St. Louis are under the control of
a board of 24 members, two from each ward,
which appoints a superintendent and two
assistants. There are three courses of study,
viz.: the normal school course, for females
only, two years; the high school course, four
years; and the district school course, eight
years. There are also separate schools for
colored children, and evening schools, the O'Fallon
polytechnic institute serving as an evening
high school. German is taught in the
district schools to such pupils as elect to study
it. According to the school census taken in
April, 1874, there were 138,133 persons from
5 to 21 years of age inclusive, of whom 95,539
were from 6 to 16; there were 33,511
attending public schools and 21,789 attending
private schools; total attending school, 55,300.
In 1866 there were only 30 school houses, with
11,055 seats; number of pupils enrolled, 16,228;
average attendance, 9,597; average number
of teachers, 236; total expenditures,
$331,694 36. In 1874-'5 there were 57 day schools
(1 normal, 6 high and branches, 44 district, 6
colored); number of pupils enrolled, 35,941;
average attendance, 24,438; number of teachers,
654; number of evening schools, 21;
pupils enrolled, 5,751; average attendance, 2,644;
teachers, 115; number of school houses, 56;
rooms, 625; seats, 30,070; value of school
lots, $715,736; of school buildings and furniture,
$1,715,230; expenditures, $792,019 37, of
which $522,350 09 were for teachers' salaries,
$44,345 57 for permanent improvements, and
$225,323 71 for current expenses. The public
school library contains about 38,000 volumes,
and has a good reading room; it is open to
the public for consultation. Several scientific
and other societies have merged their collections
with it. There are about 70 parochial
schools, under the management of the Roman
Catholics and other denominations, and a number
of academies and private schools, including
one for the deaf and dumb. There are also
seven medical colleges and a college of
pharmacy. The St. Louis university, under the
direction of members of the society of Jesus,
was founded in 1829, and incorporated in 1832.
<!-- p. 546 -->
It has a very valuable museum, philosophical
and chemical apparatus, and a library of more
than 16,500 volumes. The select libraries open
to the students form a separate collection of
more than 8,000 volumes. The university has
a classical course of six years, a commercial
course of four years, and a preparatory class.
The number of instructors in 1874-'5 was 22;
of students, 353. Washington university,
incorporated in 1853, is intended to embrace the
whole range of university studies, except
theological. It comprises the academy, essentially
a preparatory school to the higher departments,
with a primary class; the Mary institute,
organized in 1859; the college, 1859; the
O'Fallon polytechnic institute, or polytechnic
school, 1857; and the St. Louis law school,
1867. The college course is similar to that
of other American colleges. The Mary institute
is a female seminary, with studies of all
grades. In the polytechnic school there are
five regular courses, each occupying four years,
viz.: civil engineering, mechanical engineering,
chemistry, mining and metallurgy, and
building and architecture. An evening school
is conducted by the O'Fallon institute under
the supervision and control of the board of
public schools. The number of instructors
and students in the different departments in
1874-'5 was as follows:
DEPARTMENTS.
Instructors.
Students.
Academy
23
321
Mary institute
17
260
College
5
30
Polytechnic school<ref>Exclusive of evening school.</ref>
13
32
Law school
8
57
Total (deducting repetitions)
58
700
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The college has a library of 5,500 volumes,
the polytechnic school one of 30,000 volumes,
and the law school one of upward of 2,500
volumes. The college of the Christian Brothers
(Roman Catholic) was chartered in 1855 and
organized in 1859. It has a library of 10,000
volumes. Concordia college and theological
seminary (German Evangelical Lutheran) was
organized in 1839 and chartered in 1853. It
has a library of 4,500 volumes. The Missouri
institution for the education of the blind was
established in 1851. The academy of science,
founded in 1856, has a large museum and a
library of 3,000 volumes. Other libraries are
the mercantile, 43,000 volumes; St. John's
circulating library, 27,000; and the law library,
in the court house, 7,100. The Missouri
historical society, established in 1865, has a large
historical collection. The newspapers and
periodicals are as follows : 10 daily (4 German),
4 tri-weekly, 1 semi-weekly, 32 weekly
(5 German), 5 semi-monthly (1 German),
28 monthly (2 German), 1 bi-monthly, and 3
quarterly. There are 162 churches and
missions, viz.: 16 Baptist (6 colored), 3 Christian,
4 Congregational, 15 Episcopal (1 colored),
<!-- column 2 -->
1 Evangelical Lutheran, 1 Free Methodist, 1
Friends', 9 German Evangelical, 12 German
Evangelical Lutheran, 2 Independent Evangelical
Protestant, 4 Jewish, 13 Methodist Episcopal
(4 colored), 9 Methodist Episcopal, South,
2 New Jerusalem (1 German), 23 Presbyterian,
38 Roman Catholic, 2 Unitarian, and 7
miscellaneous.{{—}}In 1762 M. d'Abbadie, director
general of Louisiana, granted to a company of
merchants, of whom Pierre Ligueste Laclede
was the leader, the exclusive right of trade
with the Indians on the Missouri. This
company after careful examination established
themselves on the present site of St. Louis,
Feb. 15, 1764, and erected a large house and
four stores. In 1770 the number of settlers
had increased to 40 families, and a small
garrison was maintained. On Aug. 11, 1768, a
company of Spanish troops under Capt. Rios
took possession of it in the name of the king
of Spain, under whose sway it remained till
the cession of Louisiana in 1800 to France,
which in 1803 sold the territory to the United
States. In 1780 an unsuccessful attack,
supposed to have been instigated by the British,
was made upon it by a considerable body of
Indians. For many years it was only a
trading post for the fur traders, and the furs
collected there reached an annual value of
about $200,000 at the beginning of the present
century. It was incorporated as a town
in 1809. The first newspaper was published in
1808, the first brick house erected in 1813, and
the first bank established in 1816. In 1817
the first steamboat arrived, and the same year
the first board of school trustees was formed.
In 1822 St. Louis was chartered as a city. The
growth of Illinois, which began to be rapid
after 1825, gave St. Louis its first great
impulse; and the ascent of steamers to the Great
falls soon created a thriving trade, which
began to assume magnificent proportions in 1840.
The city suffered from cholera in 1832, and
from cholera and fire in 1849. In 1851 the
first railroad was begun, and to the extension
of its railroad facilities is mainly due its rapid
growth since that date. By a legislative act
of 1867, taking effect in 1870, Carondelet,
adjoining it on the south, was annexed to the city.