October 13 1809 St. Charles was incorporated as a village under the laws of the territory. Nathan Boone was named to make a new survey of the village. When Louis Blanchette settled on what is now Main Street, he called the village that sprang up around his post Les Petites Cotes or Village of the Little Hills. The Spanish named it San Carlos. That was anglicized to St. Charles when the Americans took over. 1834 A road was planned and laid out from the Village of Carondelet to LeMais ferry on the Meramec River, named for owner of the ferry at the time. The ferry was originally built by Jean Baptiste De Gamache, so it could have been De Gamache Ferry. It was anglicized over the years to LEE-may. 1882 A prominent St. Louis attorney was shot to death by J.W. Cockrell, the managing editor of the Post-Dispatch. Alonzo Slayback had gone to Cockrells office to demand an apology for an editorial. The paper had criticized Slaybacks partner, a candidate for Congress. After the killing, a mob tried to break down the door at the Post. A grand jury refused to indict Cockerill. 1925 President Calvin Coolidge appointed Dwight Davis as Secretary of War, replacing John Weeks. Davis was a well known St. Louis tennis player and public servant who donated his salary as parks commissioner from 1911 to 1914 to ensure the success of the first municipal tennis courts here. He donated the trophy we now know as the Davis Cup. 1933 For the first time, first day of issue ceremonies for a U.S. postage stamp were held in St. Louis. The five-cent General Tadeusz Koskiusco (Scott Number 734) was issued here. Koskiusco was a Polish nobleman who aided the United States Revolution. 1936 The new Wabash Railroad bridge over the Missouri at St. Charles opened. It replaced a span that had been the scene of several disasters. 19 men died in a construction accident in 1870. Five people died when a span collapsed in 1879, sending a freight train plunging into the river. 1954 Channel Four broadcast a color television program for the first time. At that time, the station was known as KWK TV. There were only a few hundred sets in the area capable of seeing the color broadcast of the CBS Best of Broadway presentation of The Man Who Came to Dinner. 1985 Cardinal outfielder Vince Coleman was run over by The Killer Tarp at Busch Stadium prior to the start of Game Four of the NLCS. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers that night 12-2. They would go on to the World Series, but their offense was no match for the Royals without Coleman.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 10:16:18 +0000
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