Hometown Matters

By Pauline Masson – In the six months since two city administrators voluntarily resigned from the post aldermen have been remarkably quiet about a prolonged search for someone to manage the city. In response to a question about the search, Mayor Heather Filley said 38 candidates have applied for the job. Most have been rejected but a few remain to be interviewed. Previous city administrator Steve Roth resigned August 11, 2023 after nine years in the top city job. Interim … Continue reading “Board of Aldermen Bent on Change Are Stalled In City Administrator Search – Too Many Choices”

By Pauline Masson – A long washed away but remarkably substantial sandbar in the Meramec River – at approximately the location of the former Priest’s Ford – once flanked a small log hut and provided the backdrop for a spectacular bare knuckles ‘no holds barred’ boxing match that was recalled in the local newspaper seventy years later. The boxing match was between two well known local lads, the unmistakeable hope of two pioneer families.  One was George Mcnamee, the stalwart … Continue reading “A Spectacular 1873 ‘No Holds Barred’ Boxing Match Still Remembered 70 Years Later”

By Pauline Masson A sixty-year-old National Park Service program targets geological treasures like our Sand Mountain to promote appreciation of the nation’s natural heritage. President John F. Kennedy established the National Natural Landmark (NNL) program in May 1962 to identify and recognize outstanding examples of the natural features that “are important for the illustration of the basic geological and ecological story of America.”  The National Park Services runs the program which helps owners promote their site as a destination, recognizes … Continue reading “Sand Mountain is a Geological Treasure / The National Park Service Might Take Notice”

By Pauline Masson –  Pacific was in the throes of the national Railroad Shopmen’s Strike of 1922 and under threat of losing the Missouri Pacific Railroad repair shop altogether – which it did when the strike ended – when a Mr. Oscar Arcularius telephoned Mayor Albert Koppitz with the idea of bringing a shoe factory to Pacific. He was anxious to do it, Mr. Arcularius said. All Pacific needed to do was to provide a building. The shoe factory would set … Continue reading “Shoe Factories Joined the Railroad, Bottling Plant and Canning Factory to Bring Hourly Jobs to Pacific”

By Pauline Masson – My late friend Bob Bailin had a memorable reaction to troubling behavior in others. Rather than take them on directly, he looked elsewhere for solace. When he saw people – and especially friends –  acting out of line, he would tilt his head back, look up to Heaven, and say in his best “My Goodness!” voice, “Are You Watching This!” That came back to me like a nursery rhyme jingle that keeps playing over and over … Continue reading “Are You Watching This?”

By Pauline Masson – Readers of a certain age may remember one of Pacific’s favorite sons, Oliver Steinhaus. He was actually born in Washington, Missouri in 1893 but he almost grew up in Pacific.  Oliver Otto Steinhaus was the second child and oldest son of the vast Steinhaus clan. His father Charles Steinhaus, a telegraph lineman with the Missouri Pacific Railroad and Western Union Telegraph Company, and his first wife Anna had six children – Frances, Oliver, Charles, Wanda, Dewey … Continue reading “Oliver Steinhaus, a Favorite Son Whose Mastery of a Mysterious Machine Made Him a Rare Celebrity”

By Pauline Masson –  He was the longest serving elected official in Pacific history – 26 years as ward one alderman, two years as mayor and eight years on the Pacific Fire District board.  He hired the city’s first city administrator, urged his fellow aldermen to speak up but be willing to listen to the other guy and orchestrated assistance for victims of the city’s greatest flood. Kenneth Quennoz Sr lived his entire life in Pacific. He graduated from Pacific … Continue reading “Kenneth Quennoz Sr, Saw Himself As a Communicator Who Could Talk to Individuals with Differing Ideas “

By Pauline Masson –  An intense ten-minute verbal clash between Mayor Heather Filley and Alderman Scott Lesh at the opening of the Nov. 5 board of aldermen (BOA) set the stage for arguably the most dysfunctional meeting in Pacific history. And veteran meeting observers know that is saying something. The only item on the special meeting agenda was the city budget. Mr. Lesh wanted to amend the agenda to discuss the upcoming board of adjustment meeting, which he wanted to … Continue reading “Chaos at City Hall / Mayor Heather Filley Walks Out of Meeting Following Spat with Alderman Scott Lesh “

By Pauline Masson –  The Missouri Pacific (MoPac) commuter train, the Pacific Local, ran between Pacific and Union Station in downtown St.Louis for 100 years. At its height seven coaches carried 1,000 riders on its daily run. By 1961 the family car, Route 66 and the new Interstate 44 had reduced the number of rail commuters to 250, not enough to cover the cost to operate the train. It is uncertain when the daily commuter train, known locally as the … Continue reading “Forgotten Pacific / Commuter Rail Service to St. Louis Ended Sixty-Three Years Ago This Month”

By Pauline Masson – A twenty-foot tall lighted inflatable witch towers over a jungle of scary companions in Dan McClain’s yard at South Payne Street and Arbor Lane. It is Mr. McClain’s latest symbol of Halloween – his personal passion for celebrating what he thinks is the favorite dress-up holiday for children of all ages.  Halloween, a holiday celebrated around the world each year, will occur on Thursday, October 31. Sx times a year a hodgepodge of lighted inflatable characters … Continue reading “Twenty Foot Tall Witch Joins Bats, Black Cats & Creeping Spiders In Dan McClain’s Halloween Show”