The Story of St. Louis Cardinals

The Story of St. Louis Cardinals — page 5
6 C a r d i n a l s COMING AND GOING t Louis Missouri became an official part of the United States when president Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana in 1803 A year later it served as the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition which traveled west to the Pacific Ocean mapping out the recently acquired territory along the way Later eager prospectors also departed from St Louis heading for California’s mountains and dreaming of gold Soon St Louis became the launching point for many westward travels as families followed the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails in search of open land and new homes St Louis’s reputation as a place of transition carried over to its sports teams as well The city’s first professional ballclub the Browns joined baseball’s eight-team National League NL in 1876 but lasted only two seasons Professional baseball departed St Louis until a new Browns team joined the American Association in 1882 That team signed a first baseman and manager named Charles Comiskey who led the Browns to four straight pennants Faced with a highly competitive baseball market the American S