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How The Mississippi River Shaped St. Louis

St. Louis Public Radio | By Alex Heuer
Published December 6, 2019 at 3:58 PM CST
A woman, possibly Annie Kuehn, crosses the frozen Mississippi River in February 1905. Photograph by Oscar C. Kuehn, 1905.
Missouri Historical Society
A woman, possibly Annie Kuehn, crosses the frozen Mississippi River in February 1905. Photograph by Oscar C. Kuehn, 1905.
Andrew Wanko (left) is a public historian for the Missouri Historical Society. David Lobbig (right) is the curator of environmental life at the Missouri Historical Society.
Credit EVIE HEMPHILL | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
Andrew Wanko (left) is a public historian for the Missouri Historical Society. David Lobbig (right) is the curator of environmental life at the Missouri Historical Society.

The Mississippi River has been integral to life in the St. Louis region for hundreds of years — from Native Americans who occupied areas in and around Cahokia Mounds to the later arrival of Europeans.

On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske talked with Andrew Wanko, public historian for the Missouri Historical Society and author of the new book, “Great River City: How the Mississippi Shaped St. Louis.” 

David Lobbig, curator of environmental life at the Missouri Historical Society, also joined the conversation. He is the content lead on the Missouri History Museum’s newest exhibit, “Mighty Mississippi,” which opened Nov. 23.

Hear their conversation:

“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Tonina Saputo. The engineer is Aaron Doerr, and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

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Alex Heuer
Alex Heuer joined St. Louis Public Radio in 2012 and is the executive producer of St. Louis on the Air. Alex grew up in the St. Louis area. He began his public radio career as a student reporter at Tri States Public Radio in Macomb, Illinois and worked for a few years at Iowa Public Radio. Alex graduated summa cum laude from Western Illinois University with a degree in history and earned a teaching certificate in 6 - 12th grade social studies. In 2016, he earned a Master of Public Policy Administration with a focus in nonprofit organization management and leadership from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has won local and national awards for reporting and producing and his stories have been featured nationally on Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
See stories by Alex Heuer