Hannibal: Bluff City Memories

Images of America: Missouri

by Steve Chou

Hannibal, Missouri, founded in 1819 on the Mississippi River, has come a long way from its humble beginnings when it was home to only 30 residents. During the late 1800s, millions of feet of lumber were processed in its mills. By 1905, Hannibal had become a major rail hub, with over 50 passenger trains arriving daily. Today, Hannibal honors the memory of its most famous citizen, Mark Twain, and thrives on the legacy of the everyday people who built this idyllic river town. With over 200 historic photographs, Bluff City Memories explores the town that Twain made famous. These images recall festivals, floods, fires, and buildings that are now long gone. They also document events such as President Theodore Roosevelt's speech to a crowd at Union Station in 1903, and the aftermath of a shootout involving 1930s desperado John Dillinger.

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2002

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! I love being able to look back in time. I really think it would neat if Mr Steve Chou could take pictures from the same vantage point today to show everyone the difference from today and back then. I would love to see the rest of his personal collection, I'm so envious! My grandfather was a detective with Hannibal Police Department in the late 60's and I would love to dig up anything from his time with the Department.

[Ryan Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool. But what is Hannibal doing now and in the future? What’s going to happen to it once Mark Twain and Americana become irrelevant?
That’s what I want to know.