In the 1870s the great American tradition of bird's eye views became a popular way of depicting the seemingly limitless potential and growth of the great American cities. St. Louis was no exception and several documented the city's prominence in this period. Bird's eye view of the city of St. Louis from the waterfront stretching west. Important places are listed at the bottom of the view: Carondelet, Shaw's Botanical Garden, Compton Hill Reservoir, Market, Insane Asylum, Gas House, R. C. Convent, St. Louis & Iron Mt. R.R. Depot, Pacific and Missouri R.R. Depots, City Hall (Four Courts), St. James Hotel, Southern Hotel, Washington Sq., Masonic Temple, Jewish Synagogue, Laclede Hotel, Court House, Planters House, New Post Office, Missouri Republican Bldg., Missouri Park, New Post Office, St. Louis University, Odd Fellows Hall, St. Louis Life Ins Co, Union Market, New Reservoir, Mississippi Bridge, Fair Grounds, Hyde Park, St. Louis Kansas & Northern R.R., Elevator, Northern Park, Water Works. Many steamboats and much commerce can be seen in the foreground., Statement of responsibility: Sketched & Drawn on Stone by Parsons & Atwater.
Complied from survey of Upper Mississippi River from St. Paul to Grafton - made in 1878 and 1879 under direction of Bvt. Lt. Col. F. U. Farquhar, U.S.A. Major, Corps of Engr's; with additions from notes and surveys done under the direction of Bvt. Maj. Gen'l G. K. Warren, U.S.A. Major, Corps of Engr's, Col. J. N. Macomb, Corps of Engr's and Major A. MacKenzie, Corps of Engr's. Drawn under the direction of Major A. MacKenzie, Corps of Engr's. U.S.A., Contains a table of distances in miles by Steamboat Channel from St. Paul to St. Louis, as well as topographical signs for the steamboat channel of 1887, dams, shore protections and nearby roads and railroads.
This map, plotted out by Norbury Wayman, shows the various locations of steamboat lines and related companies on the St. Louis levee, detailing three periods of time; before 1865; 1865 - 1900; and 1900 - 1953. Lines and companies are donated by name, location and years of operation. Nearby streets are mapped as well, for easy frame of reference. Scale in feet: 100 ft. = 1 inch.
