Language and Content

Success in Social Science

Learn About Cities

Maps
map

map

map title

scale

symbol

legend or key

  • a yellow squareCity Boundary

  • a black dashed lineState Boundary

  • a blue lineRiver

  • a thin black lineHighway

  • a thin, dashed black lineRailroad

  • a highway numberHighway Number

Use the scale to measure the distance between places on a map.

centimeter

centimeter

inch

12 inches = 1 foot

3 feet = 1 yard

1,760 yards = 1 mile

Listen to the article and study the chart. Then do the Review.

Saint Louis, Gateway to the West

  • • How and why has St. Louis changed over the years?

Saint Louis, Missouri, is located near where the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers meet. Fur traders settled in the area in 1764 because boats could easily travel there. Soon the town became the starting point for explorers, fur trappers, and settlers traveling west.

Rivers Connected to the Mississippi

Rivers Connected to the Mississippi

  • a red dot, the map's symbol for city City

  • a blue line, the map's symbol for river River

In the 1850s, the railroads joined St. Louis with other large cities like Chicago.

Companies could easily ship goods in and out of the city. From 1840 to 1870, St. Louis’ population increased by almost 300,000 people!

Photograph of an old steam locomotive Illustration of a map showing major highways in the St. Louis area

Highways and bridges across the Mississippi River made it even easier to get to St. Louis. Today St. Louis is one of the leading railway and trucking centers in the United States.

    Review

  • 1. Check Your Understanding Why did the fur traders choose to settle in the St. Louis area?

  • 2. Vocabulary Name some highways that go to St. Louis.

  • 3. Use Maps What does the dot symbol on the map of rivers mean?