began an omnibus service in St. Louis in 1843
Early public transit By the 1830s, St. Louis had grown beyond the ability of many of its residents to walk conveniently throughout the town. In 1838, brief mention is made in historical records of a private
horse-drawn cab service in the city, followed in 1843 by the beginning of an
omnibus service by
entrepreneur Erastus Wells in partnership with an
investor named
Calvin Case. In 1855, Case was killed in the
Gasconade Bridge train disaster, and the company was divided among its other investors. The Laclede line was never built, but by 1859, seven other horsecar lines were proposed. The first of these lines began operation on July 4, 1859, running east to west on Olive Street from 4th to 10th streets. Early operations were marred by difficulty in securing quality
rails, and construction problems caused
derailments of the cars. After the Civil War, other lines opened in St. Louis that connected the central city with western areas. Pioneering streetcar lines were laid to the
standard track gauge of . The use of untreated
railroad ties led to widespread track drift, and eventually a gauge of was adopted to account for the discrepancies without rebuilding the tracks. This would become the predominant local track gauge in St. Louis.
Consolidation Beginning in the 1890s, many U.S. cities began to consolidate their streetcar companies, St. Louis among them. St. Louis & Suburban was created in 1890 when a
Boston syndicate bought the Cable & Western Railway, the first cable line (of six) in St. Louis. On April 13, 1898, the city of St. Louis passed the Central Traction Bill, granting a consolidated company the right to run on other company's tracks, to acquire other companies, and gave it a 50-year franchise. Thus began the era of monopolies, many being funded by syndicates, often amid allegations of bribery. The bill resulted in the formation of St. Louis United Railways which operated as St. Louis Traction Company.
Brown Bros. & Co. of
New York City controlling most of St. Louis United's stock. Most St. Louis streetcar companies, including Lindell, joined the traction company. This consolidation prompted a strike among streetcar workers that lasted for months in 1900. Companies were accused of hiring non-union workers. In May, a dynamite explosion damaged the Houseman line in
Webster Groves. In 1903, Suburban had of track, and was readying for the
St. Louis World's Fair, highlighting the Kirkwood-Ferguson line and Forest Park line from Brentwood. After the 1904 World's Fair, ridership continued to increase, during what was regarded as the heyday for the streetcars. In 1905, United Railways was acquired by
North American Company which also owned
Laclede Gas and
Union Electric. On December 31, 1906, Suburban, the city's last independent streetcar company, was acquired by United. As automobiles became more numerous, ridership declined. United Railways stopped making a profit and couldn't pay the city's mill fare tax. On March 9, 1918, the city reached an agreement with United. The nickel fare would be raised to 6¢, the mill tax would be removed, the company would pay 0.5% of gross earnings to the city, and the $2.3 million due the city would be paid out of earnings over 7% of their $60 million assessed value. The public was outraged (probably at the fare increase). A referendum petition cancelling the agreement was prepared, but was stolen by burglars who drilled a safe where it was stored in the Cigarmakers Union office. United refused to honor the agreement. A compromise was reached in January 1919. The company would pay the back mill tax in 10 annual payments of $250K with interest. Again the public was outraged.
Mayor Kiel maintained he was elected in 1917 to resolve the United issue. This time, recall petitions were circulated for his removal. In 1919, United filed for bankruptcy. Richard McCulloch, president of United Railways, was to be tried for burglary in the theft of the referendum petitions. The very complex bankruptcy involving numerous bonds was finally settled in 1924. In 1926, United raised fares from 7 to 8 cents or 15 cents for two rides. The company reorganized again in 1927, and United Railways was taken over by St. Louis Public Service Company at midnight on November 30.
Decline In the 1920s, streetcars began to be replaced by
motor buses that could route freely over public streets, paying only vehicle and gas taxes, while streetcar operators had fixed routes by the tracks, and had to pay additional property taxes for the
infrastructure they placed in the road. The construction of
Highway I-70 through downtown St. Louis, ended service to many street lines. The last St. Louis streetcar route in operation was the 15 Hodiamont line, which ceased service on May 21, 1966. == List of streetcar companies ==