Features an account of the evolution of Missouri's park system and essays on each of the state's historic sites and parks.

Mention St. Louis and most people think of the famous arch. Residents and visitors-in-the-know appreciate the many outdoor recreational opportunities the Gateway to the West has to offer. With new hikes and updated text and maps, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: St. Louis points hikers to the best outdoor trails and rambles within easy reach of the city. Whether walking in the footsteps of Louis and Clark, exploring amazing rock formation in the Pickle Springs Natural Area, or trekking along a portion of the longest rails-to-trails paths in the U.S., hikers are sure to be amazed at the diversity of outdoor experiences awaiting them. The included hikes are located in Missouri as well as its neighbor, Illinois.

Forest Park Highlands was once St. Louiss largest and best-known amusement park. In its earliest years, the Highlands boasted a fine theater and one of the largest public swimming pools in the United States. After the 1904 worlds fair closed, several attractions found a new home at the Highlands; the large pagodaa re-creation of the temple of Nekko, Japanserved as the parks bandstand for several years. Roller coasters are the lifeline of every good amusement park, and the Highlands always had two. The end came for the Highlands in a spectacular fire that decimated almost the entire park on July 19, 1963. Only the Comet roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, the Dodgems, the carousel, and the Aero Jets survived. Forest Park Highlands covers other historic amusement parks in St. Louis as well, starting with the earliest, West End Heights, and ending with Holiday Hill, the last remaining park.

"The St. Louis Street Department in 1900-1930 took thousands of photos to document municipal challenges and improvements, inadvertently capturing detailed scenes of everyday life. The images reveal the national trend among cities to use the camera as a documentary tool, and they showcase the city of St. Louis at the turn of the century"--

Tower Grove is a brief history of a collection of neighborhoods that abut Tower Grove Park. Built out shortly after the turn of the century, the Tower Grove community has been the bedrock of South St. Louis over the last one hundred years. Recognized historically as steeped in traditional St. Louis values, Tower Grove has become a haven to a very diverse cross-section of people and cultures and represents the new St. Louis. This book describes the early buildout of the neighborhood and the various architectural styles used. It discusses Henry Shaw's vision for Tower Grove Park and the role that the park has had in the life of the community. It also explores the identity of the various neighborhoods in the community and their interaction with each other, while highlighting several important streets, people, landmarks, and institutions in order to delve into the life of the community.

Baseball came to St. Louis before the dawn of the major leagues. It was a gentleman's game, a simple summer pastime, and its popularity grew as the city evolved. Local amateur teams proliferated, and interest in forming a team of professionals resulted in two such St. Louis teams in 1875, the Brown Stockings and the Red Stockings. The Browns and Reds played their home games at separate parks, the Grand Avenue Grounds and Red Stockings Park. The first fully professional game of baseball held in St. Louis took place at the latter. Very few modern fans are aware of this, or of these parks' locations. Moreover, there was a time early in the twentieth century when St. Louis supported not just two, but three major league teams, each with its own ballpark. This book is intended as a keepsake of the stadiums and playing fields of St. Louis' baseball past.