dual personalities

Tag: History

September 24, 2026

Another history lesson

by chuckofish

Yesterday I worked on an article about Hiram Wheeler Leffingwell, one of the founders of Kirkwood. Did you know that he was also one of the movers and shakers of St. Louis who promoted the idea of establishing a large public park–Forest Park–in the mid-19th century? Well, he was.

There was quite a bit of opposition to his proposal from land holders and taxpayers and it took five years to see the plan through. The park was half the size as initially imagined, but in 1874 Governor Silas Woodson signed three acts establishing Forest Park as well as O’Fallon Park on the north side and Carondelet Park on the south.

There is no statue of Leffingwell in the park, but in the early 1990s Forest Park Forever did create an award named after him, given annually to a person who has devoted considerable time, talent or resources to restoring and maintaining the park. I guess that’s something.

Well, he was indeed quite a fellow. After retiring from the real estate business and serving a term as a U.S. Marshall, he retired to Bradenton, Florida where he died in 1897.

I also went to my public library to return some books and while perusing the stacks I found All About Me! by Mel Brooks. I am presently reading about his happy childhood in Brooklyn during the depression. He is 100 years old now, the same age as my mother would be. I am enjoying it. I have known a lot of guys in my life like Mel, i.e. funny Jewish guys.

“A lot of people think that comedy and getting laughs and applause is making up for an unhappy childhood. Au contraire! I think it’s just the opposite. All I can say is that in my case comedy was keeping the joy of a happy childhood going strong. I definitely wanted a continuum of the love that I got from my mother, brothers, and aunts and uncles.”

So a toast tonight to Hiram Leffingwell and to Mel Brooks! L’chaim!

4 Comments
September 10, 2026

A little bit o’ history

by chuckofish

Today we toast Captain Thomas S. Baldwin, who made history when he flew an airplane for the first time over the Mississippi River on this day in 1910.

The starting point for the flight was a field just east of Bellefontaine Cemetery. The flight area was cleared of spectators, soldiers took guard positions around the field, and Baldwin’s plane, the Red Devil, was wheeled out. After a short test flight, Baldwin took off at 5:11 p.m. Some 200,000 persons lined the riverfront on both sides to watch the red biplane fly from the north St. Louis field and land in Illinois opposite Arsenal Street.

On the return flight Baldwin astounded the crowds by flying under both the Eads and McKinley bridges at the breakneck speed of 50 miles an hour. He landed at 6:05 p.m., exactly at his starting point.

Pretty cool, eh?

And in memory of Charlie Kirk, who was murdered on this day last year, please listen to Marco Rubio’s speech at the memorial service last year. Lest we forget.

1 Comment
August 18, 2026

Thrills and laughter, Concert after

by chuckofish

Today we remember this day in 1852 when Captain Jack’s Floating Palace arrived in St. Louis. Built in Cincinnati to carry the famous Spalding and Rogers Circus, its amphitheater for equestrain performances was capable of seating 1,000 people. Its museum contained about 100,000 “curiosities”, including Indian weapons, old-world relics, oil paintings, and zoological exhibitions of wild and rare animals.

The boat was 200 feet long – approximately two-thirds the length of a football field, and 60 feet wide. There were 1,100 cane-bottom arm chairs sold on a reserved basis. There was the “family circle,” consisting of cushioned settees to accommodate another 500 people. Finally, there were 900 gallery seats.

So many people crowded to the wharf in St. Louis for admission that special tickets were sold to those willing to watch the show through the windows.

Performers included: William Lawrence Slout; Miss Rosaline Stickney; H.P. Madigan, who served as a ringmaster, equestrian, gymnast, vaulter and pantominist; E.S. Perry; Charles Crosby, a gymnast who worked for Spalding and Rogers from 1852-56; D.W. Stone; Dr. Reed; the Le Pantomime Troupe; Masters Eustache & Jean and Monsieur Benoit. In addition, John Gossin was a clown, rider, tumbler and still vaulter. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., surnamed the Grimaldi of America, he was an immense favorite of audiences in the United States.

Each performance was two to three hours in length. Once a show concluded and passengers debarked, a steamboat pulled the elegant barge to the nearest small town.

The palace kept a busy schedule until the outbreak of the Civil War, when it was seized by Confederate forces and and fitted out to serve as a military hospital.

I was never a big fan of the musical Show Boat or of the movie Show Boat (1951)–based on the novel by Edna Ferber–although it would seem an appropriate historical diversion.

But it does kind of make me want to watch Circus World (1964).

4 Comments
August 4, 2026

Flyover hilights

by chuckofish

Yesterday we ventured to the Ulysses S. Grant historic site at White Haven…

…where Katie and Ida did the scavenger hunt and became Junior Rangers.

They got badges and everything!

I thought it was pretty cool…and free!

We didn’t go to Grant’s Farm, but we saw some Clydesdales running along the fence–always a thrill.

Today we are going to daughter #1’s pool and to Ted Drewe’s for frozen custard.

And, of course, we have indulged in a lot of driveway sittin’!

Flyover good times.

And this made me LOL:

1 Comment
July 23, 2026

Hail to the chief

by chuckofish

It is our custom to remember Ulysses S. Grant on July 23, the day he died in 1885.

Maybe I’ll swing by White Haven today and walk through the grounds.

As Mark Twain said: “The greatest man I have ever had the privilege of knowing personally. And I have not known a man with a kinder nature or a purer character. He was called the Silent Man — the Sphynx — and he was that, in public, but not in private. There he was a fluent and able talker — with a large sense of humor, and a most rare gift of compacting meaty things into phrases of stunning felicity.”

Let’s all take a moment.

And don’t you just love stories like this?

Have a good day! The heat has broken here–enjoy!

2 Comments
July 22, 2026

“I would rather wear out than rust out”*

by chuckofish

Well, I finally watched A Great Awakening (2026), the new movie about the friendship between the Rev. George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin and I loved it.

It is available to rent on Amazon Prime. I have the DVD, because I will definitely watch it again. And you know how I feel about physical media.

As Greg Morse writes, “The story of the man whom God used to spark revival on two continents cannot be fully told in a running time of just over two hours. Whitefield was a force, a hurricane that swept through Britain and the colonies with Christian zeal, resistless spirituality, and renowned oratory. The facts are almost unbelievable. On many weeks, he preached nearly as much, if not more, than he slept. When not preaching, he rode on horseback miles upon miles to his next speaking engagement. He preached and taught one thousand times every year for thirty years, most of the time to thousands of people, all without microphones and notes, and often outside. John Piper notes in his excellent sermon, ‘Estimates are that eighty percent of the entire population of the American colonies (this is before TV or radio) heard Whitefield at least once.'”

Yes, it is an amazing story and this movie tells it well. The production values are high. I had never heard of anyone in it, but the acting is excellent. The direction is solid. It is not a Hallmark movie. It won’t win any awards, because it doesn’t check any of the woke boxes, but it checked all of mine.

*George Whitefield

5 Comments
July 15, 2026

This and that, here and there

by chuckofish

Are you having a good summer? It is half over already! Not that that matters to us retired folks.

Today we remember the day in 1799 when the Rosetta Stone was discovered in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napolean’s Egyptian Campaign. The stone is famous for being inscribed with three versions of a decree in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, Demotic (the cursive Egyptian script used for daily purposes, meaning ‘language of the people’), and the Ancient Greek script. The Ancient Greek was translated into English in 1803. This allowed for the Egyptian hieroglyphics to be deciphered for the first time, by Jean-François Champollion in 1822. It now resides in the British Museum in London.

Pretty cool.

Here are a few things from the internet.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the passing into glory of the great John MacArthur. Here’s a video reflecting on his life and ministry.

Interesting! Here’s a video about a German who moved to America to get married, only to discover most of what he thought he knew was wrong. “Two years ago, on July 1st, I moved from Germany to the United States of America. And I did not just move countries. I moved from a culture of caution into a culture of courage. And I was not ready for what [that] would do to me.”

Good advice! “The 80-year-olds I admire most were not born different. They made a thousand small choices, over decades, that compounded in their favor. You are making those same choices right now, whether you notice them or not. It is never too late, nor too early, to begin.”

And here’s a little Billy Strings for your Wednesday music treat:

Have a good day. Watch an old movie. Read an old book. Listen to some good Bluegrass music.

1 Comment
July 2, 2026

Steaming down the Mississippi

by chuckofish

In the summer of 1870 a celebrated race took place between two steamboats, the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez. Leaving New Orleans on June 30, the Robert E. Lee reached St. Louis, a distance of 1,154 miles (1,857 km), in 3 days, 18 hours and 14 minutes. Indeed, it was one of the most thrilling events in the history of the Mississippi River. For days newspapers had been full of predictions, and bets were placed all over the world on the result. A crowd of thousands lined the levee to cheer the boat and its crew when it landed on July 4 several hours ahead of the Natchez.

It was very exciting, as you can imagine, because such racing involved major risks. Steamboats were inherently dangerous. The steam boilers were prone to exploding and igniting fires. The boats were wooden and much of their cargo could be highly flammable. These hazards came in addition to the snags and submerged bars that could rip a hull open. Between 1816 and 1848, boiler explosions alone killed more than 1,800 passengers and crew and injured another 1,000. Racing added significantly to the chance for an explosion.

Mark Twain described steamboat racing thusly:

“Two red-hot steamboats raging along, neck-and-neck, straining every nerve—that is to say, every rivet in the boilers—quaking and shaking and groaning from stem to stern, spouting white steam from the pipes, pouring black smoke from the chimneys, raining down sparks, parting the river into long breaks of hissing foam—this is sport that makes a body’s very liver curl with enjoyment.”

And, gee, nobody seemed to be overly offended by the name of Robert E. Lee, so soon after the Civil War. Interesting, n’est-ce pas?

Fun fact: The song “Steamboat Bill”, written in 1910, is an extended reference to the 1870 race. Mickey Mouse whistling a verse from “Steamboat Bill” in Steamboat Willie has been used as the production logo of Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2007.

Have a good day! Relax.

1 Comment
June 17, 2026

Freedom an’ whisky gang thegither!

by chuckofish

Today we celebrate the Battle of Bunker Hill, fought on June 17, 1775, during the early months of the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place after New England forces moved onto the Charlestown peninsula and built defenses on Breed’s Hill, close to Bunker Hill. British forces attacked on June 17, 1775, and eventually took the ground, but the fighting was costly. The battle showed that colonial forces could stand against the British army in a major engagement, even when they lacked the training, supplies, and structure of a professional military force.

Today is also the birthday of my grandfather Daniel Herbert Hilton Cameron, who was always called Bunker. The nickname suited him.

He would have fit right in with those Sons of Liberty. As it was, he was too young for WWI and too old for WWII. He missed out on the opening of the frontier. Like a lot of men, living a conventional life was sometimes a challenge. But he loved his wife and three daughters and he did the best he could. We toast you, Bunker, on your 126th birthday!

Here’s tae us
Wha’s like us
Damn few,
And they’re a’ deid
Mair’s the pity!


2 Comments
May 19, 2026

The little hills rejoice*

by chuckofish

Quelle stormy Monday! Always a good time to clean the house and catch up on chores and desk work.

I forgot to mention that Sunday marked the 250th anniversary of the Continental Congress’s 1776 “day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer.” William Livingston submitted the resolution calling for a national day of prayer, and wrote, “it becomes the indispensable duty of these hitherto free and happy colonies, with true penitence of heart, and the most reverent devotion, publickly to acknowledge the over ruling providence of God.” This was celebrated on the National Mall by tens of thousands of Americans gathering, lifting their voices, and re-dedicating this nation to God, under sunny skies with worship music, praise, prayer, and Bible readings. Of course, this made a lot of people crazy, but who cares? As one wag commented, “By all accounts, it was a warm, family-friendly, faith-forward event, with no shootings, leatherwear parades, naked bicycle riders, or even a single fistfight breaking out at the food truck line. It must have been pure misery for corporate media reporters assigned to cover it.”

William Livingston, by the way, was a Presbyterian and the brother of Philip Livingston, one of 12 Presbyterian signers of the Declaration of Independence. This is an interesting article by Kevin DeYoung about those 12 signers.

And here’s a little Barney Fife pick-me-up for the start of the week:

(It’s a silly show, but I feel better knowing that J.D. Salinger was also a fan of The Andy Griffith Show and, in particular, Barney Fife.) We can’t always be reading the Psalms.

*Psalm 65:12

2 Comments