From frontier town to today: How St. Joseph’s past shaped its future

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- There has long been speculation about what St. Joseph might have become.

In the mid-19th century, the city was considered a strong contender to become the Midwest's dominant metropolis. St. Joseph existed as a frontier city in its early years.

"Joseph Robidoux had started it on a good bend of the Missouri River," City of St. Joseph Historic Preservation Planner Juniper Brown said. "We had a deeper section on our side of the river that was useful for ferries and river boats. That was our start, was the river connection to St. Louis and New Orleans."

The Missouri River had a huge impact on how St. Joseph was shaped early on due to the river connecting us to multiple cities.

"It connected us to St. Louis, New Orleans down south and that early riverboat economy is partly what shaped the wealth that was in the city early on after the Gilded Age helped kinda insulate us from the recession in the early 1900s," said Brown.

St. Joseph has also long relied on its strategic location as one of its greatest strengths.

"History of agriculture and maintaining the early profits that they made from being a frontier city," Brown said.

A lot of speculation points to the completion of the Hannibal Bridge in Kansas City in 1869 as a pivotal moment.

The bridge created the first permanent railroad crossing of the Missouri River, and many believe it helped Kansas City surpass St. Joseph as the region's leading economic and transportation hub.

"Some people point that out too as a reason St. Joseph stayed small in comparison," Brown said. "St. Joseph did what it had always done, and relied on the resources they had at hand when it was an early frontier town."

The historical impact in St. Joseph is seen throughout the city.

"Both on maps and by getting to drive around St. Joseph, the growth outward from the river, seeing a lot of the historical structures, and the way St. Joseph developed along with a lot of other cities in the U.S. with its growth out towards more suburban areas," Brown said.

Brown said it's really important to take into account the things St. Joseph has achieved in the past and not treat it as though we're always trying to cling to survival.

"St. Joseph has always found ways to utilized it's resources. If we look at the kind of milling done around here, it was because of our access to large agricultural sources," Brown said. "If we look at the river and the distribution out west helped us to build an economy, it's important to know St. Joe has alway maintain it's frontier character."

St. Joseph's rich history can be viewed in various museums throughout the city.