Oh, boy, do I remember Griffith School Elementary school picnics at Chain of Rocks Amusement Park in North St. Louis County (right near the Chain of Rocks Bridge, along the Mississippi River). Who can forget the anticipation as we got closer to the big day? Who can forget racing for the Mad Mouse roller-coaster, ready […]
This video comes from KETC and features a nostalgic look back at the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s in North County. The video is based on Cruizin’ North County, a book by Craig Kaintz and Bill Kasalko. Even though I wasn’t born until 1960, a lot of the memories they share ring true for me too. […]
One of my fondest recurring childhood memories is seeing my grandfather, Art Landsbury, sit at the kitchen table with his transistor radio tuned to the Cardinals ballgame. In the ashtray would be a Raleigh cigarette. In a tall brown bottle would be either a Falstaff Beer or a Stag Beer. When I recently went to […]
“In the early 1950s,” writes St. Louis blogger Toby Weiss, “Jennings, Missouri was a red hot White Flight destination, just a scootch outside the St. Louis city limits proper. “ She goes on: ‘Newfangled’ is the correct word to describe the new homes and businesses that were built at a rapid clip, designed in the modern […]
Continue reading about Another Great Mall Gone: Northland Shopping Center
Last week, I discussed the development of St. Ann, an inner-ring St. Louis County suburb. Perhaps St. Ann’s greatest claim to fame is Northwest Plaza. Now defunct, Northwest Plaza was, in its heyday, perhaps the grandest place to shop in the St. Louis metropolitan area. And by “heyday,” I don’t mean its peak years as […]
Continue reading about St. Louis Icon No More: Northwest Plaza
This typical kitchen, circa 1950s, is part of a fascinating Missouri Historical Society exhibit on the development of St. Ann, an inner-ring St. Louis County suburb that drew many post-war families. Originally developed in 1942 and incorporated in 1948, the community was named for the mother of the Virgin Mary. The community had a strong […]
Continue reading about St. Ann: The Epitome of Suburbanization
For the past month, I’ve been providing highlights from Colin Gordon’s provocative study, Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City (Penn Press, 2008). This week, I want to reflect on the book and bring this discussion to a close. Mapping Decline is a heavy book. I mean that both literally and […]
For the past three weeks, I’ve been providing highlights from Colin Gordon’s provocative study, Mapping Decline: St. Louis and the Fate of the American City (Penn Press, 2008). This week, I thought I’d take a look at what Gordon has to say about Wellston and about Wagner Electric. Gordon traces the development and then abandonment […]
Continue reading about Mapping Decline: What Colin Gordon Has to Say about Wellston
Last month, I wrote about a new documentary, The Pruitt-Igoe Myth. I was lucky enough to see the film when I was in St. Louis in April. There will be another St. Louis screening of the film this coming Monday, June 13, 7 p.m., at Fontbonne College. The film is free and open to the […]
Continue reading about “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth” at Fontbonne, Monday, June 13
One of my goals in keeping this blog is to share resources I’m finding helpful as I research Wellston and St. Louis history (and soon I’ll be sharing resources related to the novel’s three target decades – the 1920s, 1950s, and 1970s). One resource I come back to again and again is Andrew D. Young’s […]
Continue reading about Streets and Streetcars of St. Louis, Part 1
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