The Mississippi River and its valley were first explored by the Spaniard, Hernando de Soto in 1542. French claims to the valley began following the expedition of Marquette and Joliet in 1673, who came into the Mississippi from the Wisconsin River. The first settlements were made by LaSalle on the Illinois River near what is now Peoria and at Starved Rock.
The City of St. Louis is in its present location because the founder of the City, Pierre Laclede Liguest, chose the site to establish his fur trading post so it would not be subject to flooding. This site was found when, in November, 1763, Laclede and his band of traders from New Orleans landed.
Settlements by the French on the west bank of the Mississippi included Ste. Genevieve and New Madrid (then known as Ainse de la Graise or "Greasy Bend"). These were followed by St. Louis, St. Charles, Carondelet in 1767, St. Ferdinand (now Florissant) and Portage des Sioux.
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition or St. Louis World's Fair was the greatest event in the City's history which took place 1900-1914. The fair covered 1, 272 acres. The fair celebrated the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase and transformed Forest Park into a veritable fairyland of white palaces, lagoons, and landscaping. The event attracted 20,000,000 visitors to the City.
The City grew and became the world's largest producer of beer, shoes, stoves, wagons, and other products. A major change occurred in the local transit system when the St. Louis Public Service Company was purchased by the National City Lines of Chicago in 1939; this resulted in the introduction of more modern streetcars and diesel busses after 1940. The last remaining streetcar lines were abandoned in 1966.
