Many Midwestern cities play host to festivals and other events that highlight their civic pride. In St. Louis, the Veiled Prophet emerged at the forefront of this phenomenon, and his "reign" over St. Louis for more than a century stands out among similar celebrations of cities.

The initial spark for the Veiled Prophet organization had its origins in the labor unrest of the late 1870s. In 1877, a worker's strike had brought St. Louis business to a halt for nearly a week in late July. "Although St. Louis's business class ultimately won the strike, the disruption had a profound effect on those who had been required to use force against their own workers."[1] As a part of the St. Louis Agricultural and Mechanical Fair, which had waned after the Civil War, the Veiled Prophet parade served "...

Please subscribe to keep reading.