Even as late as the 1890's, cattlemen still got their herds to the Illinois stockyards via the most direct route: straight through the middle of downtown St. Louis. Despite these occasional intrusions, St. Louis' rough edges were polished by the Gilded Age. The city hosted a presidential convention, elegant Vandeventer Place became the most fashionable address, and the growing number of horseless carriages simultaneously spelled the end of the street sweeper corps and the beginning of cobblestone pavement.