Site Map

St. Louis Missouri Area

Gateway to the West!

Assisting home buyers and home sellers in St. Louis, MO (West St. Louis County, Jefferson County, St. Charles County, and Franklin County in Missouri, USA) with real estate transactions involving  houses, condominiums ( condos ), and all types of homes and residential properties.
Licensed in Missouri
 

Some Other Informative Sites:
Ballwin Real Estate   Chesterfield Real Estate
Town and Country Real Estate    Wildwood Real Estate

Office: (636) 386-2900
Home Office: (636) 861-3790

St. Louis is known around the world for its collection of fascinating attractions, great restaurants and exciting blues music and nightlife. But what was here on the banks of the Mississippi River before the modern, lively city you see today? Clues are all around in our museums, our architecture and our cosmopolitan outlook on life.

St. Louis was French and Spanish before it was American. And before the European explorers traveled down the great river, this rich land was home to the Mississippians, a mighty Indian civilization of mound builders where more than 20,000 people lived in the fertile river valley. When that culture disappeared during Europe's Middle Ages, only their huge, mysterious earthen structures were left, earning St. Louis its earliest nickname, "Mound City."

In 1764, French fur traders from New Orleans founded a city named for Louis IX, the Crusader King of France. St. Louis was built in Spanish territory on a high bluff just 18 miles south of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers - a perfect site from which to trade with Native Americans in the fur-rich lands to the west. France regained rights to
St. Louis and the west again in 1800, but Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 without taking possession. Overnight the size of the United States had doubled.

When Jefferson sent explorers Lewis & Clark from St. Louis to chart the new Louisiana Territory in 1804, more than 1,000 people, mostly French, Spanish, Indian and both free and slave blacks, lived in the city which already was the center of the fur trade in America. Two years later, after the triumphant explorers returned from the Pacific with their Corps of Discovery, St. Louis became the last stop for mountain men and trappers heading to the newly opened frontier. St. Louis' booming fur trade lasted until 1840, but the westward movement of Americans through St. Louis - "the gateway to the west" - was to last for many more years. For decades, entrepreneurs would make fortunes in St. Louis by selling goods to pioneers and adventurers who gathered their supplies and headed west for land, gold and glory.

The first steamboat arrived in St. Louis in 1817, heralding a new era of commerce and travel along the Mississippi River. Soon it was common to see more than 100 steamboats lining the cobblestone levee during the day. This was the Mississippi River Mark Twain came to know as a riverboat pilot and later as an author. In 1849, a deadly fire destroyed one-third of the city when the steamboat White Cloud exploded on the riverfront. Two historic structures - the Old Courthouse and Old Cathedral - both of which are open to visitors today, were saved by a quick-thinking fireman who lost his life setting an explosion that kept the flames away from both buildings.

While Missouri remained in the Union, the Civil War divided St. Louis just as it divided the nation. Abolitionists shared the streets with slaveholders and the Dred Scott trials - which began at the Old Courthouse downtown - led the nation to Civil War through their eventual outcome in the Supreme Court of the United States denying citizenship and rights to slaves. The area's Civil War connections can be explored in more depth today at White Haven, the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, and at the Jefferson Barracks Historic Park where Grant served with other soldiers, including Robert E. Lee, prior to the war. For more information on Missouri's involvement in the Civil War, click on http://www.mocivilwar.org.

New immigrants changed the face of St. Louis throughout the 19th century. Joining the French, Spanish, Indians and African descendants were Germans who settled in St. Louis and along the Rhine-like Missouri River valley, Irish who escaped the famine on their island and newcomers from many nations who heard about the great city on the Mississippi where fortunes could be made.

In 1874, the completion of the Eads Bridge across the Mississippi heralded a new day for the Iron Horse. As railroads grew, steamboat traffic declined. St. Louis became a major industrial center with more than 100 breweries operating in the city. The largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch, maintains its world headquarters in St. Louis today and offers free tours of its historic complex just minutes south of the Arch. Clothing and shoe manufacturers also thrived in the city. Today the former garment district, located along Washington Avenue downtown, is alive with new residential loft developments, nightclubs and City Museum - built in the former International Shoe warehouse. This is the St. Louis the world called, "first in shoes, first in booze, and last in the American League," a reference to the St. Louis Browns baseball club.

By 1890, the U.S. Census declared that the frontier had closed and America held no more unexplored and undiscovered lands. To honor St. Louis' role in the westward expansion of the United States, civic leaders planned a grand World's Fair - the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The 1904 celebration, held in Forest Park, recognized the 100th anniversary of the Lewis & Clark expedition. The park was transformed into a glittering expanse of palaces and attractions, drawing 20 million visitors and exhibits from 43 countries over seven months. Popular foods, including the ice cream cone and iced tea, were introduced at the fair. Scott Joplin's new ragtime music enthralled visitors and the song (and later the Judy Garland movie) "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis" summed up the most glorious time St. Louis had ever seen. The fair, and the 1904 Olympic Games, which took place at Washington University that same summer, defined St. Louis as a world-class city. Today Forest Park and its cultural institutions remain among St. Louis' most popular attractions.

The first International Balloon Race was held in St. Louis in 1908 and less than 20 years later aviation was still in the forefront when Charles Lindbergh captured the world's imagination by crossing the Atlantic non-stop. His 1927 solo flight from New York to Paris took place in an airplane nicknamed Spirit of St. Louis thanks to the financial backing of local businessmen. Aviation continues to play a major role in St. Louis today with Boeing's military manufacturing operations located in the area. Visitors can learn more about flight and space travel at Boeing's Prologue Room and at the St. Louis Science Center in Forest Park.

In 1965, St. Louis honored President Jefferson again by opening the Gateway Arch as a monument to his vision of a continental United States. The soaring Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old Courthouse make up the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a National Park Service site.

St. Louis' love of its past is reflected in the number of historic homes open throughout the year. For an in-depth look at St. Louis' past, visitors can explore the galleries in the Old Courthouse, the Museum of Westward Expansion at the Gateway Arch and the Missouri History Museum where a replica of Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis is on display along with information on the 1904 World's Fair. The Lewis & Clark expedition is chronicled and pioneer life is interpreted by National Park Service rangers at the Museum of Westward Expansion. The explorers also take center stage at the new Lewis & Clark State Historic Site and the Lewis & Clark Center. Special events take place at St. Louis County park sites - including Fort Belle Fontaine and Jefferson Barracks - throughout the year.

Visitors can climb the mounds built by the ancient Mississippian civilization at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a United Nations World Heritage Site, just minutes east of downtown St. Louis. Missouri's African-American heritage is re-told at the Black World History Museum and visitors can tour the home of ragtime king Scott Joplin. The city's industrial history is on tap at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery which offers free tours, and at City Museum where an old shoe warehouse has gained new life as a family attraction. Narrated trips on the Gateway Arch Riverboats let visitors re-live the days of the Mississippi steamboats during their St. Louis getaway.

News release from The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission

To search for houses, condominiums ( condos ), or any type of home or real estate in St. Louis MO - please go to our St. Louis Real Estate Home Search and Sevices site. You will have access to a free (and no registration) search of the entire St. Louis area Multiple Listing Service (MLS) containing all homes listed for sale. Additionally, tips for buyers and sellers, mortgage loan information, MLS Email update service, and much more is available. It really is worth a look.  Just  click here.

Linda Reeder provides St. Louis Missouri real estate information and resources in order to assist home owners and home buyers with the process of buying and/or selling their St. Louis area home or other residential real estate (house, condo or other property) in St. Louis MO. Linda Reeder is a top St. Louis real estate agent and will assist you in getting the best value for your purchase or sale of a St. Louis area home. Her on-line services include free search of the St. Louis area (includes St. Louis MO homes - houses and condos) Multiple Listing Service (MLS) with NO REGISTRATION, Email updates on new listings as they become available, and more. She provides you the links to help you learn more about St. Louis condominiums, houses, and other real estate. Linda Reeder is a Graduate, REALTOR Institute (GRI), is designated a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), and Coldwell Banker University Graduate (CBU). Additionally, Linda Reeder is also an Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR). When you want a top St. Louis REALTOR, Linda is your best choice. Linda can help you obtain financial services, professional building inspections, assist you in maximizing your relocation benefits, advise you on how to prepare your home for sale to maximize your selling price, and make your St. Louis home buying or home selling process go smoothly and successfully. When you need a Realtor in St. Louis, call Linda.

Linda Reeder
Prudential Alliance, REALTORS
1000 Schnucks Woodsmill Plaza
Town and Country, MO 63017