Between 1859 and 1875, the Mississippi River was the lifeline of St. Louis. Steamboats lined the riverbank for a solid mile from Chouteau to Carr, ready to transport manufactured goods up the Missouri and bring back raw materials from the West. The deck of a boat offered many newcomers their first view of the city, and yet, as seen in this documentary, the St. Louis economy turned away from the river with the growth of railroads and construction of Eads Bridge.