Twin Tragedies: Cholera and Fire Devastate St. Louis in 1849

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In 1849, St. Louisans must have wondered what they had done so wrong to deserve suffering through two terrible tragedies. Steamboats brought cholera to the city, triggering a deadly epidemic that would ultimately kill thousands of people. In the early waves of the epidemic, a steamboat fire on the levee got out of control and quickly spread on land. While only three people died in the fire, the central part of the city was devastated. In this episode of the Mississippi Valley Traveler podcast, I describe how these two events unfolded and the impact they had on the booming city.