This Month in Missouri History

Local links to beaux arts architecture, gold rush

July anniversaries feature two examples of Missouri's connections with events in other parts of the country. One was Louis Sullivan's beaux arts style of architecture and the other was the California gold rush.

This month also marks the anniversary of the opening of the first Ronald McDonald House here. Also, a groundbreaking for the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

The City Hospital opened here in 1845 as the first hospital west of the Mississippi. The New York Times featured a story about plans to build a giant autogyro, a cross between an airplane and a helicopter.

(Each month, the Missouri History Museum cooperates with Young Saint Louis.com to find interesting anniversary dates in Missouri's past. The anniversaries focus on people and events that have added to the state's colorful history.

(When possible, we add links to other Internet sites that give more detail and pictures. Also, if you'd like to do your own searching, visit the Missouri History Museum website at www.mohistory.org.)

Beaux Arts Architect Louis Sullivan

Louis Sullivan

One of the nation's most noted architects from the past was Louis Sullivan of Chicago. After a year's study in Paris, Sullivan returned to establish the style of architecture known as Beaux Arts.

It was in July, 1874, that Sullivan began his study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He returned a year later.

By the time he died in 1924, Sullivan was known as the "dean of American architecture." Among the young architects who worked with Sullivan's Chicago firm was Frank Lloyd Wright.

Sullivan designed many of the buildings which make up the Chicago skyline.

Wainwright Building in St. Louis

Among the buildings that Sullivan designed that typified his ornamental style was the Wainwright Building in St. Louis. The Wainwright building was built in 1890-91 and the 11-story building was the city's first skyscraper.

The building was added to the national registry in 1968 and is still in use. The address is 101 N. 7th St. in downtown St. Louis.

For pictures, see www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/wainwright/wainwright.html.

California gold rush starts at Sutter's Fort

John August Sutter

John August Sutter's name is forever linked to the California Gold Rush when gold was discovered at his fort near Sacramento. He arrived in California in July of 1839 after being involved in the Sante Fe trade while living in St. Louis and St. Charles.

Sutter was one person who didn't prosper during the gold rush. But, his personal history provides an intriguing look at one type of person who had a part in the growth in his country.

Sutter was born in Germany and lived in Switzerland. His departure from Switzerland was prompted by his flight from debtors as his dry-goods store failed.

In fact, financial troubles also had a hand in many of Sutter's moves while he was in this country.

But, despite his money problems, Sutter continued to have friends in high places.

While in California, he maneuvered between conflicting sides as Mexico, France and the United States fought for control of California.

For an interesting look at Sutter, visit: www.inn-california.com/Articles/biographic/johnsutterbio.html.

Sutter's Fort is now a California State Historic Park. For pictures, visit: http://www.inn-california.com/valleys/sacramentoC/suttersfort.html.

Ronald McDonald House opens

The idea of providing inexpensive overnight accommodations for parents with kids with cancer started in Philadelphia in 1973. That's when Philadelphia Eagles football player Fred Hill, and his wife, Fran, traveled to be with their daughter, Kim, who had leukemia.

The Hills met with other parents and found all had traveled long distances and then couldn't find accommodations near the hospital. The Philadelphia Eagles team joined with McDonald's franchisees to purchase a home and restore it for overnight visits by parents.

The first Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis opened in July, 1981. The original home on West Pine has been expanded over the years. In April, 1996, a second home was opened on Park.

Then, in 2003, eight apartments were made available for longer-term stays.

For more, visit www.rmhcstl.com/about/index.php.

Missouri Pacific Railroad ground-breaking

The ground-breaking in St. Louis on July 4, 1851, was the start of the colorful history of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The company billed itself as the first railroad west of the Mississippi.

In 1865, the railroad was the first to serve Kansas City. In those early days, railroad expansion was slowed by the Civil War.

From 1879 to 1915, the railroad was under the control of the notorious, but successful, railroad baron Jay Gould. During that time, the company was involved in mergers and takeovers of many other railroads.

By the 1980s, the Missouri Pacific owned 11,469 miles of track in an area bounded by Chicago; Pueblo, CO; Omaha, NE, and south to the Mexico border.

In 1982, the line was merged with the Union Pacific to form the largest railroad combination in the country. The MoPac headquarters building at 210 N. 13th St. was used by the company for its customer service center until 2005.

At one time, the Missouri Pacific had over 1,500 diesel engines.

You can get a look at one of the huge steam engines at the National Museum of Transport in west St. Louis County. Locomotive #635 was built in 1889 by Baldwin Locomotive Works in St. Louis.

For the complete history on the Missouri Pacific, visit: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mostfran/railroad/
mopacrr_history.htm

For more about the Transportation Museum, visit its website at: www.museumoftransport.org.

City Hospital of St. Louis

The construction of St. Louis City Hospital was authorized by a city ordinance passed in July 10, 1845. The hospital burned down in 1856 but a new hospital was completed in 1907.

A detailed report on early St. Louis hospitals, homes and asylums has been put together by Genealogy in St. Louis. Although updated in 2007, many parts of the article are written in the flowery writing of the 19th century.

The hospital closed its doors in 1987 after some 140 years of service.

The building sits at the corner of 14th and Lafayette Avenues in the historic old Lafayette Square neighborhood.

The old hospital has been renovated into the Georgian condominium complex.

(For more, visit http://genealogyinstlouis.accessgenealogy.com/hospitals.htm.)

About the autogyro plane

St. Louis has been involved with air flight for much of its history. Frank and Orville Wright were flying here shortly after their first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk. The nation's first space flight modules were built in St. Louis.

One flying machine got some national attention but didn't get off the ground. The July 7, 1910 edition of the New York Times carried a story on start of construction of a giant autogyro plane by inventor J.W. Oman in his St. Louis shop.

An autogyro was a plane that combined the look of a regular plane and of helicopter. The plane was supposed to be able to fly like both.

Oman said his plane would carry 100 passengers at 100 miles per hour. The giant plane was to provide regular passenger service between cities.

The first successful flight of an autogyro is said to have been made in 1923 in Madrid, Spain. And the plane was much smaller, more like a Piper Cub with an overhead rotor.

For more about autogyros, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/autogyro.