For the June Unseen STL History Talks, we welcomed Andrew Wanko, public historian at the Missouri History Museum, who discussed all of the local natural resources that built St. Louis and fueled (literally and figuratively) much of our growing industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Made in St. Louis
In his talk, Andrew explored the uses of different natural resources that could be mined and quarried in St. Louis and surrounding areas of eastern Missouri and western Illinois, as well as some of their uses.
He discussed:
limestone, often quarried right in the city limits and used in early construction and roadways, as well as forming caves for brewing and sinkholes that dotted our city
iron, invaluable to the railroads and cast-iron storefronts that allowed for large plate glass windows
granite, a popular stone for buildings as well as for street pavers and the cobblestones along the levee
lead, which was used for paint, roofing, and many other industrial uses (and he noted MO is one of the biggest lead producers to this day)
sandstone, used in construction but also glass-making (silica)
clay, most of which came from right in the city and was used both for brickmaking for local homes and businesses as well as for fire brick, clay sewer pipes, terracotta, and more
and coal, critical for early factories, the railroad, and home heating until the soft bituminous coal was outlawed in St. Louis due to the soot and pollution
You can view his slides, with a number of fascinating photos and illustrations, below:
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Unseen STL History Talks: Made in St. Louis