St. Louis: An Illustrated Timeline

Many books have chronicled the exciting and complex history of the Gateway City, but none have taken a wide-angle view while capturing its most pivotal moments, until now. Through fascinating vignettes, illustrated with hundreds of photographic treasures, St. Louis: An Illustrated Timeline reveals how a fur-trading outpost grew into a major American city. This tour through the past, guided by award-winning author and historian Carol Shepley, delivers more than the typical highlights. We meet maverick Jacques Clamorgan, a fur trader who left his entire estate to the children he fathered with slaves; Josephine Baker, an entertainer who fought racism to achieve iconic status here and abroad; and Larry Roos, who took a stand against political corruption in St. Louis County. We encounter visionaries like James Buchanan Eads, who built the ironclad boats that helped the Union army conquer Vicksburg, and William Greenleaf Eliot, who believed women deserved an equal education and founded Washington University to meet that goal. Along the way, we greet legends of sports and entertainment, including the Gashouse Gang, Branch Rickey, Stan Musial, Scott Joplin, Miles Davis, and Nelly. Heroes and villains, saints and rapscallions, innovators and obstructionists, all have shaped this city. A rare and important publication, St. Louis: An Illustrated Timeline captures the story of this gateway to the West in a way not seen before.