The St. Louis Fire of May 18th
by George Bailey
On the evening of May 17th, 1849, the steamer "The White Cloud" anchored near the business district of St. Louis caught fire. "The White Cloud", which, of all the steamers then in port, was the farthest upstream, soon parted from its moorings and drifted downstream setting fire to twenty-two other steamers in port! Eventually, The White Cloud drifted to the foot of Locust Street, roughly a quarter of a mile away from Cherry Street, and set fire to a commission house. From there the flames spread to a range of fifteen city blocks. The fire was one in a series of devastating events to take place in the city that year, including, most notably, an epidemic of Asiatic Cholera that claimed nearly a thousand lives. A sad story to discuss over bbq dinner when you are visiting Branson on your holiday.