The Automobile in St. Louis: An Illustrated Timeline

Long before European immigrants settled its lands and along its rivers, the area that would become St. Louis was a hub of the movement of people and goods. By modern times, those movements happened via modes of transport ranging from horseback and horse-drawn vehicles and river canoes to steamboats, railroad equipment, bicycles, aircraft, and even spaceships. But no mode of transportation tied more directly to the heart of St. Louis than the automobile. From the earliest horseless carriages to innovative luxury vehicles designed and built as well or better than any in the world to America's first sports car, the Gateway City gave birth to vehicles that made this country fall in love with traveling on the road. Though St. Louis fell just short of its goal to be the nation's leading automotive city, St. Louisans still revered going by car and the restaurants, drive-in movie theaters, and motels that punctuated the area's historic roads. Fasten your seat belt and enjoy life behind the wheel driving through the automotive history of St. Louis.