Episode Details

The St. Louis sky was once dark one day out of every three. Sunlight was precious, and often disappeared behind blankets of smoke. The culprit was coal. The book “Black Gold: The Rise, Reign and Fall of American Coal" was inspired by journalist Bob Wyss' interest in how St. Louis became an early environmental success story when it cleared its sky in 1941. In this encore edition of a St. Louis on the Air episode that first aired November 3, 2025. Also joining the conversation about St. Louis' key role in the story of coal in America is local historian Andrew Theising; he shares insights on Raymond Tucker, who led the city's "Smoke Elimination Committee." Tucker, who eventually became an influential St. Louis mayor, is the subject of Theising's 2024 book "Mid-Mod Mayor: How Raymond Tucker Shaped St. Louis."