The Pageant and Masque of Saint Louis

City leaders and Progressive era civic boosters planned the event with the purpose of uniting citizens towards a prosperous future by sharing its rich history.

Charlotte Rumbold, the secretary of the Public Recreation Commission of the St. Louis Park Dept., first suggested a city-wide event to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the founding of the city.

Local businessmen John H. Gunlach, Luther Ely Smith, William W. La Beaume, and Charles A. Stix played major roles as Pageant Committee members.

Thomas Wood Stevens, a nationally recognized master of modern American pageantry, wrote and directed the Pageant portion of the event.

Artist/director Joseph Lindon Smith and Percy MacKaye, a playwright and poet, collaborated on the "masque" segment of the program, fashioning a symbolic sweep through St. Louis history told in pantomime and dance.