This Month in Missouri History

Spanish flu epidemic of 1918; Lava soap invented

St. Louis area families are bombarded with messages urging them to get flu shots during this season. But, there were no vaccines available when the nation was hit in 1918 by the Spanish flu epidemic at the end of World War One.

But, swift and decisive actions by St. Louis city and health officials helped St. Louis to keep the flu death toll lower than other major U.S. cities. The closings of schools and even banning church services were credited with limiting the spread of the deadly flu.

Other historic events with anniversaries in December included the invention of Lava soap in St. Louis and the issuing of General U.S. Grant's infamous Jewish deportation order.

(Each month, the staff at the Missouri History Museum helps compile a variety of unique historical events or persons with anniversaries in the current month. If you'd like to know more about this area's long and varied history, check www.mohistory.org.)

The Flu plague of 1918

On Dec. 5, 1918, the peak of the Spanish influenza epidemic hit St. Louis with 1,310 new cases reported in that one day. This was an epidemic that swept the whole nation with deadly effect.

But, strict actions by city political and health officials earlier in the fall helped St. Louis to weather the disease better than other major U.S. cities.

Since the flu was an air-borne disease, city officials banned large gatherings of people, even including Sunday worship services. Occupancy of street cars and elevators was restricted.

Closings were extended to a 4-day shutting of businesses in November. Ironically, the end of World War One came on Nov. 11, 1918, while the business closings ban was still in effect.

Schools had been closed earlier but they reopened three days after the Armistice. A second wave of flu cases followed. The schools were closed again and the closings were extended through the holidays. Children under 15 also were banned from movie theaters.

By the end of December, the death toll from flu reached 386.8 per 100,000 population. New cases continued in 1919 but at a sharply lower rate.

Invention of Lava soap

The William Waltke & Co. of St. Louis trademarked Lava soap on Dec. 29, 1896. The "powdery pumice" soap wasn't very glamorous because it's bland color.

But, it had one distinct advantage: The soap could clean even the dirtiest hands.

One tongue-in-cheek promotional article when Proctor & Gamble had the brand said: "Lava Soap may not necessarily be the most glamorous bar soap ever made. Its gray color may fit in better with the color scheme of a prison than with kitchens and bathrooms in the typical American home.....but when it comes to washing hands completely clean from dirt and gunk, it was simply the best in the business."

The brand was acquired in 1999 by the WD-40 Co., which makes the versatile household lubricant.

Grant's Jewish deportation order

 

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant's life is entwined with St. Louis because his home was here. He also was stationed in St. Louis at the start of the Civil War.

One of his more infamous actions came on Dec. 17, 1862, when he issued General Order 11. That order became one of the nation's most controversial anti-Semitic policies.

The order called for expulsion of Jews from his military district, which then included areas of Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.

The order was aimed at Jewish merchants who were thought to be trafficking in black market cotton in the South during the Civil War. The order came as a shock since there had been little public anti-Semitic displays.

The order led to organized protests in major cities, including St. Louis.

Delegations went to Washington to petition President Lincoln to void the order, which he did Jan. 4, 1863. Grant complied with the revocation three days later.

(For more, go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/general_Order_No._11_(1862)

St. Louis' first bank

The first bank was established in St. Louis on Dec. 16, 1816, under the name The Bank of St. Louis. However, it was out of business by 1822, primarily because of constant bickering among directors.

In 1820, it was made the depository for the U.S. public funds for the land district of Missouri. But, that wasn't enough to keep the bank going.

In those early days, the financial business was very speculative as the city was seeking to grow and develop the surrounding territory.

Theodore Dreiser's time in St. Louis

Theodore Dreiser

Theodore Dreiser, one of the great novelists of the 19th Century, died on December 28, 1945. In his early days, he was a journalist at both the St. Louis Republic and Globe-Democrat newspapers.

It was while writing for the Republic that he met and married Missouri school teacher Sara Osborne White. He met her while he was covering the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

In the early 1900s, noted commentator of American values H.L. Mencken called Dreiser the nation's "leading realist." But, in those days, writing the truth about everyday life wasn't necessarily the politically correct thing to do.

For instance, the original manuscript of Dreiser's book, "A Traveler at Forty," was shortened through censorship by 40 chapters by his publisher because of the "too realist" content.

He associated with political radicals and supported birth-control advocate Margaret Sanger. He also was a friend to anarchist Emma Goldman and wrote for leftist journals.

What publishers didn't censor internally, critics tried to do after publication.

For instance, the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice caused his book, "The Genius," to be removed from library shelves in 1915. It wasn't until 1923 that a court suit overturned that ban.

(For more, visit www.library.upenn.edu/collections/rbm/dreiser/tdbio.html.)

Frontiersman Kit Carson born

Kit Carson

Kit Carson, a well-known frontiersman in the early days of exploration in the U.S., was born on Dec. 24, 1809, in Madison County in Kentucky.

He was linked to Missouri because of his service to controversial Gen. John Fremont, who was stationed in St. Louis in the 1840s.

Fremont was developing a reputation as an explorer of the territories west and south of St. Louis. He also had a reputation for erratic behavior on those expeditions.

Carson was the guide for the third of Fremont's expeditions. This one was supposed to map the Arkansas River valley. But, unexpectedly, Fremont turned west to California, where he stirred up the American settlers against Mexican authorities.

After fleeing California, Fremont and Carson ended up in Oregon where their troops got in a fight with the Klamath Indians.

They then turned south back to California and again stirred up trouble for the Mexican authorities. This insurrection was a preview to the Mexican-American War.

Carson went on to a career of battles in the west, including the war with Mexico.