St. Joseph, Missouri, was a well-known portal to the West from the Eastern United States. By the end of the Victorian era, at the turn of the 20th century, St. Joseph had grown into a wealthy city. Industries began to flourish, including catalog, manufacturing, and warehouse businesses, gradually making the town not only a stopping point for the exhausted and hungry traveler, but also an attractive destination in its own right. These industries left a vast collection of photographic postcards behind, and some of the most interesting ones have been included in this photo album of the area's past. Focusing mainly on St. Joseph's architecture of the early 1900s, this book brings the older St. Joseph back to life and highlights the major events of the early 20th century. Many of the pictures in the book originate from Marshall White's private collection. The Robidoux Row Museum and Cole Woodbury have also generously allowed their photographs and postcards to be used.
This book takes the reader on a journey down memory lane from 1826, when St. Joseph was founded by Joseph Robidoux to the 1960's. A vivid picture is painted of what life was like in St. Joseph in the early 1900's to the 1960's with personal stories and photos by those who grew up in St. Joseph. Not only is the book illustrated with numerous pictures of this period, there are also excerpts from other historical writings that give the reader a better understanding of St. Joseph's long history. The "Illustrated London News" account in 1861 describes the people of St. Joe by claiming, "There is a wild look about the people of St. Joe. Nearly everybody carries a rifle..."In addition to the personal stories and photographs, there are chapters describing notable events, notable people and special timelines to assist the reader in keeping St. Joe's history in perspective. The personal stories are not only educational but also entertaining and sometimes humorous.This collection of stories, from those who lived it, will help the reader reminiscence a bit and will also be enjoyed by future generations wishing to discover more about their ancestors and what life was like in St. Joe in earlier times.Story Contributors: Rick Drozd, John Larry Flinchpaugh, Margery Jean Flinchpaugh, Phyllis Ann Nelson Flinchpaugh, Rodney Eugene Keyes, George Barry Nelson, Truman Nelson, Sharon Louise Roberts Patching, Jack Quinn, Bob Slater, Denise Bartles Tapia, C J Vetter, Clyde Weeks, and Dennis Weiser
Excerpt from Social Register of Saint Joseph, Missouri The latest books of fiction always in stock. An up-to date line of Fine Stationery and Visiting Cards. Water man's Fountain Pens in all points to suit anybody. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The picture on the front cover of this book is of the former site of M. Jeff Thompson's (1826-1876) home on Fifth Street in St. Joseph, Missouri. Originally from Virginia, he moved first to Liberty, Missouri and then to St. Joseph in 1848. In St. Joseph, he began as a store clerk before becoming a surveyor and the city engineer. Thompson served as St. Joseph's mayor from 1857 to 1860 and presided over the ceremony initiating the first ride of the Pony Express on April 3, 1860. The following year, in May, he received national notoriety for cutting down the union flag over the St. Joseph post office and tossing it down to a crowd of southern sympathizers who tore it to pieces. In his capacity as a brigadier general of the First Division, Missouri State Guard, during the Civil War, his patrol covered the swampy area in the southeastern part of Missouri. His battalion was referred to as the "Swamp Rats" and Thompson became known as the "Swamp Fox of the Confederacy." Picture taken by Denise Bartles-Tapia. The Origin: In the Spring semester of 2010 I taught a college course that dealt with local cultural history. The class met at various historical locations throughout the City of St. Joseph, Missouri. Frequently, community members that were acquainted with the sites we visited would graciously discuss the historical and cultural significance of their particular place. As the class visited various places our numbers grew. Community people, including some who had discussed their site with the class, joined in our walks about town. As interest developed, I came up with the idea of publishing a book based on student stories about the history and culture of St. Joseph. Not only were students interested in this project but so too were the community members that had joined in our walks about town. In addition, as the word spread about this project, some historians familiar with the history of St. Joseph also wrote stories for inclusion in this book. The Editor: John Tapia received his Associate of Arts generalist degree from Pierce Junior College, California, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication in 1972 from California State University, Northridge, a Master of Arts degree in Speech Communication in 1973 from the University of Massachusetts and a Doctorate of Philosophy degree, Speech Communication emphasis, in 1978 from the University of Arizona with minors in American History and Medical Statistics. He has published seven books including, most recently, Rhetoric and Centers of Power in the Greco-Roman World (University Press of America 2009) and Circuit Chautauqua: From Rural Education to Popular Entertainment (McFarland 1997, 2008). The latter book became the basis of the television documentary "Circuit Chautauqua: A Bridge Between Two Centuries." In addition, he has published twenty papers in scholarly journals and presented over seventy papers at scholarly conferences. He has also served at an editor for the Southern Speech Journal and the Quarterly Journal of Speech. Currently, he is working with the former Chief Diplomatic Interpreter of the White House and State Department on a book discussing various aspects of diplomatic communication. He has also been requested to write a sequel to Rhetoric and Centers of Power.
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