Wiggin's Ferry vs. the new East St. Louis

Inhabitants of the American Bottom called the sandbar Bloody Island because of the propensity for duelers to settle their differences there. After the Civil War the island continued to be a lawless place. The arrival of the railroads made the island an unpleasant place to live. St. Louis encouraged the rising crime rate on the island by sending Missouri criminals there when they wore out their welcome in St. Louis. Illinoistown wanted to annex the island for the potential taxes it could gain and to stem the lawless nature of the place. Another objective was to gain some municipal control over Wiggin's Ferry. The company blocked riverfront access to non-ferry commercial use and avoided any efforts to cooperate with Illinoistown.

In 1859 the city of Illinoistown, a newly formed town of Illinoistown, and another small town called St. Clair, became East St. Louis. The new city lacked control of Bloody Island and the arrival of the Civil War only increased the crime problems extending from the island into the city.

Besides a lack of cooperation from the rich Wiggin's Ferry Company, the new city faced the wrath of the large railroad conglomerates should anything interfere with the companies' lines. In 1863 East St. Louis faced flood damage from rising water that threatened to come through an open culvert in an embankment along the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad's tracks. The city closed the culvert to avert flooding, only to have the railroad open it again to avoid damage to its tracks. The city closed the culvert again and placed armed guards over it. The President of the Ohio and Mississippi, flexing his political influence, garnered United States Army troops to remove the city guard. In the ensuing riot the city lost and was promptly flooded by water from the open culvert.

The Wiggin's Ferry Company limited access to Bloody Island and opened a toll road on the dike road leading to island, even though it had not built and did not own the road. The company also tried to make the island an independent municipality, but East St. Louis successfully blocked the measure. Finally in 1865 the city gained some municipal control in a legislative compromise. Exerting its significant influence in the Illinois senate, the Wiggin's Company managed to work the compromise out with heavy concessions in its favor, including controlling access to the island through the St. Clair County Turnpike Company, who operated the toll gate.

The battle between the Wiggin's Company and East St. Louis was only the beginning of a long history of conflict. The railroad companies believed East St. Louis was only a means to the objective of securing terminal stations for transferring freight into and beyond St. Louis. The well-being of the residents or the condition of the city meant little to them. Likewise, the Wiggin's Ferry Company had no interest in acting as a responsible corporate citizen (a term that did not exist at the time) of the city. It sought to make profits through control of the shipping of freight across the Mississippi. Influence peddling in the Illinois state legislature for control of the city, corruption and violence on the streets, and general exploitation of the area's resources would continue into the twentieth century.

The Eads Bridge Story

previous | top

| Home | History | Culture | Archives | Guides | Search |


National Center for Supercomputing Applications