Thomas Allen portrait

Thomas Allen was among the most prominent and powerful individuals who led St. Louis in its transition from…

John Homer Bothwell. [State Historical Society of Missouri, Missouri General Assembly Portraits, P0217]

John Homer Bothwell, a capitalist, philanthropist, attorney, and state representative, was…

Robert Campbell. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, N38642]

Robert Campbell’s lengthy life bridged the transition from fur trade to modern capitalistic…

Jean Pierre Chouteau Sr. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, N22207]

Jean Pierre Chouteau, known as Pierre, was a pioneer settler in St. Louis and the territory that was to…

Pierre Chouteau Jr. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, 1922-024-0001]

Pierre Chouteau Jr., scion of the powerful early St. Louis family and the most influential…

Howard A. Cowden (right) with former president Harry S. Truman. [Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, 64-1411]

The founder of the Consumers Cooperative Association (CCA) and the original field man for…

James Eads. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, P0004-1016]

Born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, on May 23, 1820, James Buchanan Eads became an engineer of…

John Wesley Emerson, circa 1880. Photograph by John A. Scholten. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, P0233-2542]

John Emerson, a lawyer in Ironton, Missouri, became a small-town Victorian gentleman who…

Westport Landing by pioneer and watercolor artist W. H. Jackson. [William Henry Jackson, Scotts Bluff National Monument, SCBL 19]

Later in life William Gilliss would be a successful trader, real estate speculator, and…

Charles Gratiot. [Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, Photographs and Prints Collection, N12406]

At the time of the Louisiana Purchase, Charles Gratiot’s outspoken support for the incoming…