St. Louis, Michigan
Encyclopedia
St. Louis is a city in Gratiot County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. As of the 2000 census
, the city population was 4,494. The 2010 census estimate places the population at 7,482.
, the city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), of which, 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (5.30%) is water.
It was long recognized that St. Louis sits at the geographic center of Michigan's lower peninsula "as closely as can be determined." A campaign by Clarence and Odessa Smazel in the early 1950s, owners of the St. Louis Leader-Press, a now-defunct local newspaper, resulted in the State of Michigan designating it as such: a sign in Clapp Park on Highway M-46 denotes the city as the official "Middle of the Mitten." One of the enjoyable results of this designation is the apparently irresistible urge to use the "Middle Of the Mitten" acronym "MOtM" on nearly any type of business venture. However, an unexplained mystery is exactly why the first letter of the article "of" is capitalized, and the first letter of the "the" is not.
were early explorers in present-day Michigan. They established fur trading with the historic First Nations
and Native American
nations. By the 18th century, the Ojibwe were the dominant tribe in present-day Michigan. After the Seven Years War, France was forced to cede its New France
territory to the victorious English, who increased fur trade at Sault Ste. Marie
. After the rebellious colonists' victory in the American Revolutionary War
, the territory changed hands again, being ceded to the new United States.
It was not until the mid-19th century that much European-American settlement reached this area. In 1848 missionaries established the Bethany Lutheran Mission
to serve local American Indians, mostly Anishinaabe
-speaking Ojibwe (also known in the US as Chippewa). Following a Native American path to the mission, the European-American Joseph W. Clapp came to the area in 1853, where he built the first house of present-day St. Louis. Over 150 years later, the Mission still stands near Main Street Bridge across the Pine River.
By the late nineteenth century, the discovery of mineral springs made St. Louis a destination for people seeking the health benefits of local mineral-rich water. The Park Hotel became noted as a health spa
, and for its duck dinners as well.
St. Louis is the site of the former Michigan Chemical Corporation plant, which helped market and produce DDT
as a widely commercial product. After its purchase by Velsicol Chemical Corporation
, the plant was responsible for a product mixup in the 1970s. This resulted in contamination
of cattle feed with PBB
, a flame retardant. The feed was distributed throughout Michigan and the Midwest. The mixup occurred due what was described as a "triple witching hour" of events: a labor strike with management's replacing regular workers; a shortage of bags that helped distinguish between cattle feed additive and the flame-retardant PBB; and storing both the cattle feed and the fire retardant in the same dimly lit warehouse.
Dredging has been underway for years to remove contaminants from the Pine River
, which runs alongside the property where the plant was located. Although the plant was disassembled years ago, the land remains vacant to this day.
St. Louis has gained some jobs by inviting the State of Michigan to build a minimum-security prison between Union and Croswell Roads (Pine River Correctional Facility), on the former Reichard "Rainbow Trail" hatchery property.
of 2000, there were 4,494 people, 1,468 households, and 964 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,568.4 per square mile (604.6/km²). There were 1,575 housing units at an average density of 549.7 per square mile (211.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.00% White, 10.08% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 2.74% from other races
, and 2.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.50% of the population.
There were 1,468 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples
living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 142.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 155.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,122, and the median income for a family was $39,271. Males had a median income of $29,028 versus $19,272 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,196. About 10.1% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Gratiot County, Michigan
-US Highways:* US-127 routes north to I-75 and south to Lansing.* BUS US-127 is a loop route through downtown Alma.* BUS US-127 is a loop route through downtown Ithaca.* BUS US-127 is a loop route through downtown St. Louis....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the city population was 4,494. The 2010 census estimate places the population at 7,482.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), of which, 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (5.30%) is water.
It was long recognized that St. Louis sits at the geographic center of Michigan's lower peninsula "as closely as can be determined." A campaign by Clarence and Odessa Smazel in the early 1950s, owners of the St. Louis Leader-Press, a now-defunct local newspaper, resulted in the State of Michigan designating it as such: a sign in Clapp Park on Highway M-46 denotes the city as the official "Middle of the Mitten." One of the enjoyable results of this designation is the apparently irresistible urge to use the "Middle Of the Mitten" acronym "MOtM" on nearly any type of business venture. However, an unexplained mystery is exactly why the first letter of the article "of" is capitalized, and the first letter of the "the" is not.
History
Indigenous people lived in this area for thousands of years before European contact. The FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
were early explorers in present-day Michigan. They established fur trading with the historic First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
and Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
nations. By the 18th century, the Ojibwe were the dominant tribe in present-day Michigan. After the Seven Years War, France was forced to cede its New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
territory to the victorious English, who increased fur trade at Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
. After the rebellious colonists' victory in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the territory changed hands again, being ceded to the new United States.
It was not until the mid-19th century that much European-American settlement reached this area. In 1848 missionaries established the Bethany Lutheran Mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
to serve local American Indians, mostly Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
-speaking Ojibwe (also known in the US as Chippewa). Following a Native American path to the mission, the European-American Joseph W. Clapp came to the area in 1853, where he built the first house of present-day St. Louis. Over 150 years later, the Mission still stands near Main Street Bridge across the Pine River.
By the late nineteenth century, the discovery of mineral springs made St. Louis a destination for people seeking the health benefits of local mineral-rich water. The Park Hotel became noted as a health spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
, and for its duck dinners as well.
St. Louis is the site of the former Michigan Chemical Corporation plant, which helped market and produce DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
as a widely commercial product. After its purchase by Velsicol Chemical Corporation
Velsicol Chemical Corporation
Genovique Specialties Corporation was a Rosemont, Illinois based chemical company founded in 1931 that specializes in plasticizers....
, the plant was responsible for a product mixup in the 1970s. This resulted in contamination
Contamination
Contamination is the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent in material, physical body, natural environment, at a workplace, etc.-Specifics:"Contamination" also has more specific meanings in science:...
of cattle feed with PBB
Polybrominated biphenyl
Polybrominated biphenyls , also called brominated biphenyls or polybromobiphenyls, are a group of manufactured chemicals, of the polyhalogenated compounds. Their chlorine analogs are the PCBs...
, a flame retardant. The feed was distributed throughout Michigan and the Midwest. The mixup occurred due what was described as a "triple witching hour" of events: a labor strike with management's replacing regular workers; a shortage of bags that helped distinguish between cattle feed additive and the flame-retardant PBB; and storing both the cattle feed and the fire retardant in the same dimly lit warehouse.
Dredging has been underway for years to remove contaminants from the Pine River
Pine River (Michigan)
Pine River may refer to any of the following streams in the U.S. state of Michigan:# Pine River . The main branch forms with the confluence of the East and West Branches of the Pine River at in Alcona County...
, which runs alongside the property where the plant was located. Although the plant was disassembled years ago, the land remains vacant to this day.
St. Louis has gained some jobs by inviting the State of Michigan to build a minimum-security prison between Union and Croswell Roads (Pine River Correctional Facility), on the former Reichard "Rainbow Trail" hatchery property.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,494 people, 1,468 households, and 964 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,568.4 per square mile (604.6/km²). There were 1,575 housing units at an average density of 549.7 per square mile (211.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.00% White, 10.08% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 2.74% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.50% of the population.
There were 1,468 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 142.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 155.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,122, and the median income for a family was $39,271. Males had a median income of $29,028 versus $19,272 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $14,196. About 10.1% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
US-127U.S. Route 127U.S. Route 127 is a long north–south United States highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 near Grayling, Michigan...-
BUS US 127 
M-46M-46 (Michigan highway)M-46 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan between Muskegon and Port Sanilac, terminating near Lake Michigan and Lake Huron on each end. Except for the north–south segment that corresponds with the US Highway 131 freeway between Cedar Springs and Howard City, M-46 is...
Notable people
- Archibald Bard Darragh (1840–1927), Member of Congress from 1901 to 1909, lived in St. Louis from 1870 until the time of his death. He was a banker and was elected mayor in 1893.
- Edward HartwickEdward HartwickEdward Edgar Hartwick was an American soldier, businessman and namesake of Hartwick Pines State Park in the state of Michigan.-Family:...
(1871–1918), United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer, businessman and namesake of Michigan's Hartwick Pines State ParkHartwick Pines State ParkHartwick Pines State Park is a 9,672 acre State Park in the US state of Michigan, located in Crawford County near Grayling and Interstate 75. It is the third largest state park on Michigan's Lower Peninsula and the state's fifth-biggest park overall...
, was born and reared here. - Bradbury RobinsonBradbury RobinsonBradbury Norton Robinson, Jr. was a pioneering American football player, physician, and local politician. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin in 1903 and at Saint Louis University from 1904 to 1907. In 1904, though personal connections to Wisconsin governor Robert M. La...
(1884–1949), who threw the first forward pass in football history, lived in St. Louis from September 1926 until his death in March 1949. Dr. Robinson founded the Robinson Clinic on N. East St. in 1935 and was twice elected mayor, in 1931 and 1937. - Lester "Tug" WilsonLes Wilson (baseball)Lester Wilbur Wilson [Tug] was a pinch-hitter/outfielder who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the season. Listed at 5' 11", 170 lb., Wilson batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Louis, Michigan.In a five-game career, Wilson went hitless in seven at bats ...
(1885–1969), who played briefly for the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
during the 1911 season, was born in St. Louis. - Jim Northrup (b. 1939), outfielder for the Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
1964-1974, including a major role on its World Championship 1968 team, was born in nearby Breckenridge, MichiganBreckenridge, MichiganBreckenridge is a village in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,339 at the 2000 census. The village is located in Wheeler Township.-Geography:...
, then moved to St. Louis, where he graduated from high school.