Ferguson's yesterdays offer clues to the troubled city of today [View all]
The photo is an iconic image of post-World War II America: A bustling downtown main street lined with sturdy Chevys, Fords and Chryslers. Pedestrians strolling past a hodgepodge of storefronts with flashy light-up signs: Barbays Self-Service Market, King Drugs, Florsheim shoes, Coca Cola.
This was Ferguson, Mo., in the late 1950s, just past the midpoint of its 120-year history.
It was a city on the upswing. The population doubled between 1950 and 1960 — to just over 22,000, and the city was also expanding geographically. In 1964, annexation would land the primarily residential community an industrial plum: The Emerson Electric plant that was built outside the city limits in 1940.
But by the end of the 1960s, city leaders were eyeing the future with wariness.
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/fergusons-yesterdays-offer-clues-troubled-city-today
It is a long article, but offers an insight into some of the history of Ferguson and has some interesting photos.
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