Walter B. Stevens Centennial History of Missouri. Deluxe Supplement (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Centennial History of Missouri: Deluxe SupplementHis ability to plan and perform made his cooperation sought in various direc tions. His work in behalf of the St. Louis Agricultural Mechanical Asso ciation, of which he was elected president in 1874, is particularly noteworthy. Previous to that year the fair grounds were kept closed except one week each year. Mr. Walsh saw the opportunity for utilizing them in many directions and during the four years when he occupied the chief administrative ofiice of the association the grounds were beautified, new buildings erected, the zoolog ical gardens established and various other improvements made that converted the grounds into one of the favorite places of amusement and recreation for the people of St. Louis. Recognizing further opportunities in the business world, he began investigating the subject of making improvements at the mouth of the Mississippi river and in 1875 was elected president of the South Pass Jetty Company and thus served until the improvement was completed, giving a full navigable depth from the mouth of the Mississippi to the port of New Orleans for thelargest sea-going vessels. From 1875 until 1890 he was the president of the St. Louis Bridge Company, his work in that connection proving of the utmost benefit to the city at large. In 1882 he was elected to the directorate of the Third National Bank, one of the strongest moneyed institutions of St. Louis, and he was also identified as a director with ...