St Louis is fascinating

I was writing an article for CBS Local on railroad adventures in St. Louis. I was doing research and was reminded how fascinating it is to live in St. Louis. Most people do not know how rich the history is, and what incredible treasures are everywhere. When I was younger, I had some friends who lived off Dorsett Road, when Dorsett was just a two-lane road and Westport Plaza was only a plan. My friend’s house sat on a large piece of land that is now a subdivision. There was (and probably still is) a large creek that ran through the property. I was walking along the creek bank and found the old Creve Coeur Trolley tracks. The Creve Coeur Trolley once ran from the Delmar Loop along what is now Midland and ended at Creve Coeur Park. The power station still stands in Creve Coeur Park.

The neighborhood I live in used to be a large lake. The spring that fed the lake still runs through the neighborhood. As I walk my dogs, I can “see” the curvatures of the lake still in the landscape. In fact, when walking my dogs, I actually walk uphill from my house and back to my house.

St Louis is a very old city. Looking at the architecture of the buildings and houses in the city, one might not guess this. The city was destroyed several times-once from a riverboat fire that burned most of the area near the Mississippi River, once by the strongest tornado every recorded, and once by an earthquake that was so intense the Mississippi River ran backwards. But if you are aware, you can find remnants of history still standing, or laying around.