St. Louis from Village to Metropolis: Essays from the Missouri Historical Review, 1906-2006, edited by Louis Gerteis. Columbia, MO: The State Historical Society of Missouri, 2009.
St. Louis from Village to Metropolis is a wonderful book that allows readers to explore the history of the city as it transitioned from the Mound City to the Gateway City. This interesting and varied anthology explores the city and its people in fourteen lengthy essays.
During the first century of the Missouri Historical Review, historians explored the growth of St. Louis from a colonial village to a regional metropolis by examining episodes in its economic, social, and political life. In his introduction, author and urban historian Louis Gerteis ties together the diverse essays, finding that all contribute to a common theme of metropolitan growth and identity.
Gerteis selected many diverse and interesting topics for this anthology. Some of the essays include “Social Life in the City from 1840 to 1860,” “The First Jews in St. Louis,” and “Race Relations in St. Louis from 1865-1919.” Others include “The 1849 National Railroad Convention in St. Louis,” and “Martial Law and Military Prisons in St. Louis During the Civil War.”
Gerteis also features an essay titled “China at the St. Louis World’s Fair,” and a lengthy and informative article titled “Creating the Dream: Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, 1933-1935” by historian Sharon Brown.
Readers will come away from this book with a renewed appreciation of the city’s rich past and its importance in state and national history.
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January 23, 2020
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Last updated: January 23, 2020