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The history of East St. Louis and surrounding communities unearths times of adventure and innovation, success and prosperity, struggle and pain, and violence and racism. 

Bob Gill, East St. Louis Historical Society member, presented a history of East St. Louis entitled, “City of Challenges, City of Champions” on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Learning Resource Center (LRC). The historical society and LRC collaboratively brought the program to the community, which was developed by LRC Program Assistant Danayka Saavedra Berrocal. 

“East St. Louis was considered to have been located in one of the best places in the country,” said Gill. “We were literally the heart of the United States. For the primitive people, all resources were here for a successful community. We had wood, water, fertile land and coal, which led to the industrial development of East St. Louis.” 

In 1100 AD, on the flood plain where East St. Louis would be located, the Native-American city of Cahokia had a population of 30,000, according to the historian. “It would be 800 years until a European city reached that size in North America,” he said. “The land of East St. Louis changed hands several times, starting with the French, to Great Britain and later America took control.” 

Gill noted that Blacks first came to the area in 1750. According to the book, Bits & Pieces of African-American History in East St. Louis by Reginald Petty, 300 slaves lived in the French mission of Cahokia and surrounding villages. Petty’s book also cites that in 1830, free and fugitive slaves established the town of Brooklyn, including Lovejoy School; and in 1833, there were 32 free negro heads-of-households in St. Clair County. 

“The area was developing a reputation where African Americans could come and be safe,” explained Gill. “Illinois had passed an anti-slavery resolution that said the State will not allow slavery in any form. This brought African Americans across the river from Missouri, and they founded the City of Lovejoy, the first African American city in America.” 

The City of East St. Louis developed as a booming industrial town. It solicited businesses to locate outside of the city limits so they wouldn’t have to pay taxes, informed the historian. Some early industries included stock yards, Horn Tool and Dye, Corno Mills, Monsanto Chemical, Obear-Nestor Glass and Aluminum Ore Co. 

“When the Eads Bridge was built in 1874, that changed everything for the city,” said Gill. “James Eads built the first bridge using steel in order for trains to cross over the river. At the time, all of the railroads east of the Mississippi funneled into East St. Louis. At one time, there were 27 major train lines terminating into East St. Louis.” 

However, as industries and the population grew, so did labor problems, marked Gill. “The stockyards and factories did not treat their workers all that well,” he noted. “Because of it, there were numerous uprisings and strikes. The city was brought to a halt many times.” 

To solve the problem, inspectors went in search of people who would be willing to work under their conditions. The mayor of East St. Louis, Fred Mollman, went to African American communities in New Orleans and passed out flyers advertising jobs. Almost six million Blacks moved to the north in search of employment, with many coming to East St. Louis, according to Gill. 

“They came in search of a new life, education and employment,” he added. “But they found was that they were strike breakers, or what is known as ‘scabs.’ A lot of anger was also generated when people started seeing all of these African Americans in what had been a mostly white town.” 

It was the summer of 1917 and tensions were high, informed Gill. Two white men in a black model T car drove into the Black section of town and began firing indiscriminately at houses. In defense, African Americans called the police. However, the police sent officers to their neighborhood in a black model T car. In self-defense and mistaken identity, Black people began firing upon the car carrying police officers. Two of the officers died. 

This touched off the 1917 Race Riots in East St. Louis. “White people went on a rampage,” said Gill. “They came into Black neighborhoods of East St. Louis, burning, beating, looting and killing as many people as they could find. It was horrendous. The exact number of Black people who died was not known. Hundreds is an accepted number. Those who got away fled from the city.” 

The news of the massacre had a shocking effect on Blacks and whites across the country. “In New York City, people were so outraged that 9,000 African Americans marched silently down Broadway,” continued Gill.  “The protest helped to popularize the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).” 

Later, Blacks bravely came back to East St. Louis. In the 1960s, the city slowly began integrating the schools. SIUE had come to East St. Louis in 1957 and was developing a strong presence throughout the 1960s. 

Also, during that time, East St. Louis was earning the reputation as being a place of crime, thanks to Frank L. “Buster” Wortman, according to Gill. Wortman was a low-level person in the Shelton Gang, which controlled alcohol during the prohibition. He was arrested and spent seven years in federal prison. When Wortman got out, he took over the Shelton gang and controlled gambling in southern Illinois. “He gave the city the reputation of being corrupt, crime lords and mobsters,” Gill added. 

The 1960s in East St. Louis was also a time of mounting racial tension, like it was across the country, noted the historian. Adding to this, realtors were engaging in what is known as “block busting,” where they convince one white family on a street to sell to a Black family. “When a Black family would move into a home, immediately every other house on the street would go up for sale,” explained Gill. “Then real estate agents would go to another street and do the same thing. In a very short period of time, almost all of the white people left East St. Louis. 

“I’m from East St. Louis, and when I graduated in 1969 my class was approximately 50-50 Black and white. Within 10 years, every white family had left.” 

What happens when two-thirds of a city’s population disappears? No more tax money. “White families left behind empty school, churches, houses,” he informed. “Very few cities in America could survive having two-thirds of their population move almost overnight.” 

The first Black mayor, James Williams, tried to resurrect the city. “But at the time that white flight had occurred, the city was on shaky financial legs,” said Gill. “There were infrastructure problems, and there wasn’t much he could do to turn things around.” 

Williams did stimulate interest in politics among new Black political leaders such as Kenneth Hall, Alvin Parks, Charles Merritts, Carl Officer and Clyde C. Jordon. Gill also noted the contributions of one influential politician who was the first Black state representative from East St. Louis – the late Rep. Wyvetter H. Younge, who has a school named for her in her hometown. 

Other East St. Louis “champions” that Gill mentioned included:

• Eugene B. Redmond–SIUE emeritus professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, and East St. Louis poet laureate
• Miles Davis–legendary jazz musician
• Katherine Dunham–legendary dancer, choreographer, anthropologist and author
• Tina Turner–renowned singer, dancer, actress and author
• Jackie Joyner-Kersee–Olympic legend and gold medalist

Photo:
Bob Gill, East St. Louis Historical Society member, presented “The History of East St. Louis” during LRC’s Black Heritage Month programming.