About this item
In 1849, St. Louis was little more than a frontier town, swelling under the pressure of rapid population growth, creaking under the strain of poor infrastructure, and often trapped within the confines of ignorance and prejudice. The cholera epidemic and Great Fire of 1849 were both a consequence of those problems and - despite the devastation they brought - a chance for the city to escape them. This book draws on the incomparable archives of the Missouri Historical Society, including newspaper accounts, letters, diaries, city and county records, and contemporary publications, to reveal the story of 1849 St. Louis as it was experienced by people who lived through that incredible year. The tale that emerges is as impressive as the city it depicts: full of all the drama and excitement of a great narrative and brimming with vivid accounts of momentous events whose causes and effects are still debated today.
About the Author
Christopher Alan Gordon is an American historian, lecturer, and museum professional based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Gordon's latest work, Fire, Pestilence, and Death: St. Louis 1849, focuses on the many dramatic events which occurred in one of the most fateful years in St. Louis history. Told primarily through the voices of those who witnessed the ravages of the country's deadliest cholera epidemic, a devastating fire which nearly engulfed the entire city, increasing violent crime, and a turbulent political climate, their stories stand as a testament to the courage and fortitude of a people who were living in the most uncertain of times.
