History of St Joseph, Missouri, USA

1854 - St Joseph
St. Joseph, a flourishing town, capital of Buchanan co., Missouri, is situated on the left (E.) bank of the Missouri river, 340 miles above Jefferson City, and 496 miles by water from St. Louis. It is the most commercial and populous town of Western Missouri, and one of the points of departure in the emigration to Oregon, California, &c. St. Joseph is surrounded by on extremely fertile region, in which wheat, tobacco, and hemp are cultivated. A company has been formed to con struct a railroad about 200 miles long from this town to Hannibal, on the Mississippi. The town was laid out in 1843, and became the county seat in 1845. It contains 7 churches, several steam flouring and saw mills, and manufactories of bagging, &c. ; 2 or 8 news papers are published here. Population in 1853, about 5000.
A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States: Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy ... Thomas Baldwin (of Philadelphia.) Joseph Thomas January 1, 1854 Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Company 1854.

1860 - April 3 – The Pony Express begins its first run from Saint Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California.
April 3, 1860: The first rider was to leave St. Joseph at 5:00 pm. However, the mail had been slowed up in Chicago for transfer to Hannibal, Missouri. A train was stripped down with no passenger cars at Hannibal. Once the mail arrived there, the train rolled across the state at a record speed to St. Joseph. It finally arrived around 7:00 pm and the mail was rushed to the stables where the first rider, Johnny Fry awaited. The mail was placed into the specially made mochilla saddle and at 7:15 pm a cannon was fired alerting everyone Fry was on his way to the river. Cheering crowds waived at Fry as he made his way through streets of St. Joseph. Once at the river, Fry boarded a ferry which took him and his horse Sylph across the river to Kansas where he rode at breakneck speeds for 90 miles before another rider took over. In Sacramento, at noon, the first rider, Harry Roff, took off with the eastbound mail.
wikipedia


The PONY EXPRESS AND HOW IT WAS FIRST STARTED


St. Joe in 1860 ... Read MORE...

1861 - DIABOLICAL OUTRAGE.
Hudson, Mo., Sept. 6.
ABE HAGER, P. M. on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, furnishes to the St. Louis Democrat the following account of a diabolical outrage on that road, on the 4th inst.

The passenger express train, bound west, was thrown into Platte River - the timbers of the east end of the bridge over the stream having been burned nearly through. The entire train went down, the engine turning over and the baggage, freight, mail and two passenger coaches piled on top.

The passenger coaches were completely smashed, and I was nearly the only one on the train that escaped unhurt. After getting out of the baggage car, I commenced taking out the passengers that were not killed in the wreck.

The following additional particulars of the terrible disaster are furnished to the St. Louis Republican:

The catastrophe occurred at Little Platte River bridge, 9 miles east of St. Joseph. The bridge was a substantial work of 160 foot span, and about 35 feet above the river. The... Read MORE...

1868 - Generals Grant, Sherman and Sheridan arrive at St. Joseph, Missouri, on the 28th.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
August 8, 1868

1869 - At St. Joseph, Missouri, the other day, a young man employed in a saw mill had helped put a log on the carriage while the circular saws were yet in motion,
when he was caught by the log, thrown against the saws and instantly killed. His body was cut completely in two, the pieces falling on different sides of the saws.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
June 26, 1869

1881 - June 12 - Severe thunderstorms spawned more than half a dozen tornadoes in the Lower Missouri Valley. Five of the tornadoes touched down near Saint Joseph MO.

WeatherForYou.com
June 12, 1881

1882 - St. Joseph
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
The French element of the class of pioneers settled Canada and the northwestern part of the United States, as well as the country about the mouth of the Mississippi River. They came into the upper Mississippi and Missouri Valleys in 1764, under the lead of Pierre Laclede Liqueste (always called Laclede), who had a charter from the French government giving him the exclusive right to trade with the Indians in all the country as far north as St. Peter's River. Laclede brought part of his colony from France, and received large accessions to it in New Orleans, mainly of hunters and trappers, who had had experience with the Indians. In the year 1764 this colony founded the present city of St. Louis. From this point they immediately began their trading and trapping incursions into the then unbroken wilderness in their front. Their method of proceeding seems to have been to penetrate into the interior and establish small local posts for trading with the Indians, whence the ... Read MORE...

1882 - April 3 - Jesse James is murdered
One of America's most famous criminals, Jesse James, is shot to death by fellow gang member Bob Ford, who betrayed James for reward money. For 16 years, Jesse and his brother, Frank, committed robberies and murders throughout the Midwest. Detective magazines and pulp novels glamorized the James gang, turning them into mythical Robin Hoods who were driven to crime by unethical landowners and bankers. In reality, Jesse James was a ruthless killer who stole only for himself. history.com

JESSE JAMES.
At St. Joseph, Mo., the great outlaw, Jesse James, was shot and killed by Robert Ford, of Richmond, Ray county. Ford found Jesse off his guard in a room ant Thirteenth and Lafayette streets, and deliberately shot him though the head, killing him instantly.

The Belleville Telescope
Belleville, Kansas
April 13, 1882

JESSE JAMES.
Additional Particulars of the Tragedy.
With a Sketch of the Life of the Dreaded Banditti.

Kansas City, Mo., April 3. - The death of Jesse James the... Read MORE...


Read more about Jesse Woodson JAMES

1889 - Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented at St. Joseph, Missouri, was the first self-rising flour for pancakes and the first ready-mix food ever to be introduced commercially.

www.ereferencedesk.com/ resources/ state-facts/ missouri.html

1892 - Beginnings of St. Joe
St. Joe was a trading post, established in 1843, at the confluence of the Black snake creed with the great parent of waters. It was established by Joseph Robideaux, a Frenchman, and he is the man referred to incidentally on a tombstone up on the shores of Lake Superior. The stone reads as follows:

This stone was erected to the memory of John Robideaux who was shot by request of his brother.

Joseph is the brother at whose request the stone was erected and who forgot to have the stone properly punctuated.

This country in the early days was invaded by Sacs and Foxes. A humorous historian might have said the Anglo-Saxon Foxes, but that would be a facetious license.

A steamboat landing was erected here at great expense by driving a pole into the river bank. Soon afterward Audubon visited the place, and with prophetic eye has been utilized in that way.

Robideaux laid out a townsite here and then called together the old hunters and trappers to name the little town. Mr.... Read MORE...

1892 - Last Home of Jesse James
St. Joe was the last residence of Jesse James. He lived here quietly, having traveled a great deal formerly by rail during his life, meeting up with strangers on the cars and conversing with them briefly on current topics. Thrown among strangers as he was so much all his life, it is not strange that at the last he courted quiet and rest with complete change of scene.

He lived in St. Joe under the nom de plume of Howard, and those who were impudent to him at that time now often start up wildly in the night and shriek with terror after dreaming that Mr. Howard has returned to life in St. Joe and with a large shotgun in one hand and a John L. Sullivan ultimatum in the other is engaged in settling up old scores.

Mr. James lived a very uneventful life at St. Joe, and the gas man who remembers now the time when he and Mr. Howard were alone in the cellar looking at the meter, and how Mr. Howard spoke rather feelingly about the feeble veracity of the meter, and how he (the gas man)... Read MORE...


Read more about Jesse Woodson JAMES

1895 - Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph, a city of Missouri, the capital of Buchanan co., is situated on the left (E.) bank of the Missouri River, about 98 miles above Kansas City, and 33 miles by land N. of Leavenworth. By railroad it is 206 miles W. of Hannibal, 68 miles N.N.W. of Kansas City, and 133 miles S.S.E. of Omaha. It is the third city of the state in population and second in commerce and manufactures, being outranked in the latter only by St. Louis. St. Joseph is said to be among the wealthiest cities of its population in the United States. It is an important railroad centre, being the W. terminus of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, and the E. terminus of the St. Joseph & Grand Island Rail. road. Other railroads which converge here are the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Missouri Pacific, the Chicago Great Western, and the St. Joseph Terminal...

Pop. in 1870, 19,565; in 1880,... Read MORE...

1906
Saint Joseph, a city, capital of Buchanan co., Mo., is situated on the left or E. bank of the Missouri River, 63 miles NNW. of Kansas City, on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6, the Chicago, Rock Island and Western and other railroads. A steel bridge crossing the river connects with Elwood, in Kansas. It is the third city of the state in population and second in commerce and manufactures, being outranked in the latter only by St. Louis. The city, which is built along the bluffs of the river, has few buildings of prominence, some of the more noteworthy being the city- hall, court-house, stock exchange, public library, and the structures of various institutions of charity and relief. Its educational institutions include medical colleges. A state flsh-hatohery is located here. St. Joseph's industrial interests cover a wide range and relate primarily to slaughtering and meat-packing, the manufacture of cotton and woollen goods (shirts, overalls, etc.), cereal foods, boots and shoes,... Read MORE...

Here's a list of places to go and things to do in St. Joseph:
Pony Express National Museum: Dive into the history of the Pony Express, a vital part of American mail delivery in the 1860s. The museum showcases artifacts, interactive exhibits, and the fascinating story of these daring riders.

St. Joseph Museum: Explore the city's history at the St. Joseph Museum, which includes the Glore Psychiatric Museum and the Black Archives Museum. It's a journey through time and a great way to learn about the region.

Patee House Museum: This Victorian-era mansion was once a luxury hotel and the headquarters of the Pony Express. Today, it's a museum displaying historical artifacts and exhibits related to the region's past.

Linden Square: A charming area in downtown St. Joseph, Linden Square offers a mix of shopping, dining, and entertainment. It's a great place to stroll around, grab a coffee, and soak in the local atmosphere.

Krug Park: If you're a nature enthusiast, Krug Park is the place to be. It's a beautiful, well-maintained park with... Read MORE...