In 1808 St. Louis is a vibrant and multi-cultural city and the dominant western city in the United States of America. Ambrose describes the city's unique flavor and brief history in some detail. Tensions between the old Spanish and French established business families and the new American businessmen are tense. Lewis' predecessor, General Wilkinson, had administered the territory with one eye on his own pocketbook and thus the political and economic situations are complicated and uncertain. Administering such a complex and vast territory would be a challenge for an accomplished and professional politician—it was simply beyond the ability of the young Lewis.
Lewis arrives in St. Louis devoid of the melancholic depression that has apparently afflicted him for the past several months. He rents a house.....
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