This Month in Missouri History

First trip to Oregon trail, Cardinals' birthday

In keeping with St. Louis' name as Gateway to the West, the first wagon train to the Oregon Trail left the city on April 10, 1830.

Another famous anniversary during past Aprils included the arrival of "Miss Jim," the St. Louis Zoo's first elephant. The animal was purchased with pennies totaling $2,385 donated by local school children.

Usually, these anniversary items come from the staff of the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park.

But, this month, Young Saint Louis.com will introduce you to another interesting local history resource on the Internet. Local author John Sonderman has a unique collection of historical tidbits on www.stlmedia.net.

This article covers just a tiny percentage of the news items in the April section of his feature. To see more, just go to the website and click on the St. Louis History icon at the top of the page.

Next month's YSL.com history column will be from the Missouri History Museum staff.

Here are sample items from John Sonderman's internet feature:

Planter's House Hotel

April 1, 1841: The first luxury hotel in St. Louis opened. The Planter's House was located north of the Courthouse on Fourth Street. It hosted the great names of the day, including Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and Charles Dickens. It was the birthplace of the famous "Planter's Punch," (a well-known alcoholic drink of the times.)

April 1, 1880: Homer Gillian Phillips was born in Sedalia, MO. He became an attorney here and led the fight for the establishment of a hospital for African-Americans. He was gunned down on June 18, 1931. The crime was never solved. Homer G. Phillips Hospital opened in 1937 and closed amid much controversy in 1979.

April 5, 1879: A special force of federal reserve officers was in St. Louis. They were interested in reports that a "Whiskey Ring" was defrauding the government out of tax revenue. The national scandal would soon reach to the highest levels of President Grant's administration.

April 5, 1916: "Miss Jim" the elephant arrived and Mayor Howard Kiel formally dedicated the St. Louis Zoo. Children in the public schools raised $2,385 to purchase the elephant that was to be named in honor of Board of Education President James Harper. But, the animal turned out to be a "she" so they settled on "Miss Jim." A parade led by 3,000 school children accompanied her from Lindell and Kingshighway to the park.

April 10, 1830: The first wagon train to travel the famed Oregon Trail left St. Louis for Independence, MO., the trail's jumping off point. An estimated 300,000 people would follow in the years to come. About 30,000 of them never made it. The journey took anywhere from four to five months.

Joseph Pulitzer

April 10, 1847: Joseph Pulitzer was born in Mako, Hungary. He was penniless when he came to St. Louis. He rose to the state legislature and later became a partner in the Westliche Post, an influential German language paper here. In December of 1878, he purchased the bankrupt St. Louis Dispatch and merged into the Evening Post. His will established the Pulitzer Prizes for journalism, drama and education.

April 15, 1899: This could be considered as the birthday of the Cardinals. The new St. Louis team opened its season with a 10-1 win before 18,000 at League Park. The new owners of the Browns also owned the Cleveland team. During the off-season, they sent the hapless Browns players to Cleveland and sent the Cleveland players here. The new team was called the Perfectos. By 1900, the Cardinals had caught on as the new nickname.

April 15, 1956: The $6,400,000 Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital for Children was dedicated. John Cardinal D'Alton, Archbishop of Armagh and the Catholic leader of all Ireland, came to St. Louis for the ceremony honoring his late great friend.

April 20, 1769: The great Ottawa Chief Pontiac was assassinated by the Peoria Indians at Cahokia, Illinois. Governor St. Ange sent for his body. Pontiac was buried in St. Louis, near the present site of Broadway and Market.

April 20, 1875: The Police Board approved a proposal by Chief Laurence Harrigan to form a special "lady's platoon." The most handsome cops in the city would be assigned to patrol the fashionable Fourth Street Shopping District. All the officers had to be at least six feet tall. Their duties included helping the ladies across the street.

Dr. William Beaumont

April 25, 1853: Missouri's pioneer medical genius, Doctor William Beaumont, died. He came here in 1834 after his experiments with Alexis St. Martin made him famous. St. Martin suffered a gaping stomach wound at 19. It never closed. Beaumont studied the digestive tract through the hole. St. Martin outlived the doctor and died at age 83.

April 25, 1944: The St. Louis Star-Times reported that five blacks had been accepted for summer courses at Saint Louis University. It was the first time blacks had been admitted in the history of the school. The article didn't give the students' names.

April 30, 1887: The Browns set a St. Louis baseball scoring record that still stands. They defeated Cleveland, 28-11.

Charles Lindbergh

April 30, 1928: Charles Lindbergh flew the "Spirit of St. Louis' for the last time. The final flight was from Lambert Field to Bolling Field in Washington, D.C. The "Spirit of St. Louis" was presented to the Smithsonian Institution. The total flying time for the plane since its construction was 789 hours and 28 minutes.