Saint Louis, Missouri, is a wonderful city with a history that predates its affiliation with the United States. It is rich in heritage from Native American cultures as well as from France and Spain. To purchase a helpful booklet, Prayer-Walk St. Louis Guidebook & Journal, by Lesley Barker, click here. Use these links to join the ranks of the many who are committed to pray and love the city and its region. Pray For St. Louis
Sprague Barker took this photograph of a train on the elevated line in downtown St. Louis more than 100 years ago. His adventures included a trip to San Francisco in 1849 in a covered wagon to try his hand at mining for gold. A successful venture, he returned to St. Louis in 1850 where he deposited his riches in the lap of his beloved, proposing marriage and being accepted. His descendent, John F. Barker, gave much of his life to create a representative collection of trains in St. Louis from 1900 to 1990. The models he amassed are now part of the collection of the St. Louis Mercantile Library. His photographs are featured in the book, St. Louis Gateway Rail-The 1970s, by Lesley Barker and published by Arcadia in 2006. You can obtain your copy at www.arcadia.com, on Amazon.com, or in local St. Louis bookstores including Borders. This link will also let you explore some of the collection online: St. Louis & Trains