The Last Mound In St. Louis

I've visited Cahokia Mounds many times over the years I've lived in St. Louis. At one time there were over 40 mounds located in St. Louis but all but one of them was gone by 1904. Some time ago, I'd seen an article about the lone remaining mound being purchased by the Osage Nation.

Heather and I searched it out today. Over the years it has been called Sugarloaf Mound. It was 2009 when the Osage Nation purchased it. It is located on Ohio St. south of I-55.

When we got there we parked the car. There were "No Trespassing" signs posted. We were taking photos from the Street when the woman who lives next door pulled out of her driveway. She stopped by us and rolled down her window. "Are you looking for the caves," she asked. Apparently some people had contacted her about showing them where the entrances to the old caves were on the property. We told her we weren't, we were just looking at the Mound. She told us to feel free to roam around. The signs were just to keep the kids out. So we did.

From the street.

Another angle.

While standing in the backyard.

Another photo while in the backyard.

A view of the river from the top of the Mound.

I know the plan had been for the area to become an historical interpretive site. These things take time. I hope it comes to pass.

I'll Be Keeping Watch

The "For Sale" signs are up.

The transformation nearly complete . . .

It has changed quite a bit since I first started watching it . . .

 To take a ride down memory lane click here

While the property at the corner of Lafayette and Compton is getting a new chance, this property still looks much the same . . .

I did meet the guy who rents the property next door . . .

I asked him about the property. I found out the person he rents from doesn't own the building that is falling down. It seems the City had taken over the property and was going to tear the building down when the new budget year began. If so, then I suspect there will be some action soon. Then I asked him why he continued to live there. Was it because he had a lease? Nope. The reason turned out to be very simple. He just really likes his landlord. And, since the City inspectors have told him that the townhouse he lives in is still sound, he and his family are staying put.

And, I'll be keeping watch as I ride to and from work each day

A Beautiful Day in the Lou

I walk everyday during my lunch hour. Today I took the camera with me.

You can tell I'm walking and not riding because the light is green.

Citygarden is wonderful. During the Summer it is full of kids climbing on the sculptures and . . .

. . . running through these dancing fountains.

This is the Wainwright Building. This building is an international treasure. Louis Sullivan was the Architect. This is the building that is credited with being the first modern skyscraper design. It is a beauty. 

Do I smell barbeque?

The Courthouses. The Civil Courthouse is the tall one with the columns on top. Carnahan Courthouse is the shorter one. It was originally the Federal Courthouse, but when the new Federal Courthouse was built the City took over the building. I work in the Carnahan Courthouse.

These are the four bikes that are most often found parked behind the Carnahan Courthouse. The Vulcan doesn't let a little rain stop him, but he doesn't ride when it's real cold. The cyclist rides when it is nice. She admits she is a fair weather rider.  The bike furthest away seldom misses a good riding day, but he too, likes his weather fair and on the warm side.

And, that's what my lunchtime world looks like on a beautiful day in the Lou.

I Was Hoping For A Better Story

A window of time opened up for me to ride on Monday morning. It seems difficult for many to believe that most of my riding happens during the week or when it is raining. When the weekend comes or the weather is fine my first priority is Heather time. As it turned out she had some errands to run. This gave me some time to wander around the City a bit.

First on the agenda was to get a few pictures of the rehab project I've been following.

There has been a lot of progress since I last posted.
(  http://crcleblue.blogspot.com/2011/04/one-still-falling-down-and-another.html )

Now work has begun on the other building in earnest.

When last I posted about these building one comment reminded me that not only do buildings have a front, but they also have a back. So, I pulled around in the alley and sure enough . . .

Brand new garages and lots of interesting stuff.

This is the back of the first building. It does look like it is going to take a lot of work.

Next Billie and I just wandered around a few alleys and a couple of streets

We ended up next to this old beauty that is getting a new life.

Over the front doors is the word "Loretto". I suspect this property has been in the Dominican family for some time. I'm delighted to see it is going to be put to use.

Next door to the future Priory is a house that my daughter has always admired. So, even though it is still on tough times I had to get a picture of it.

It would be nice if the development next door led to the reclaiming of this grand old home. It seems to be having an effect on the building on the other side of the Dominican Priory development.

I mounted back up and almost immediately found myself on a part of the Saint Louis University campus I have never been on before. I parked up on the sidewalk to take a couple of pictures. As I dismounted I looked up to see a Police car coming down the street. I was sure I was going to get a "talking to", but instead we just waved to each other as he drove by.

On my way back toward Manchester Ave., which is one of the routes that Route 66 took through St. Louis, we came across an urban farm.

I've been wanting some photos of the murals that are showing up in The Grove. The Grove is a neighborhood seeking to reinvent itself. I'm told that in the 1850's this area was one of St. Louis' first subdivisions. As Manchester is a street that I often take when I'm riding Billie, I have found myself keeping an eye on the progress.

Billie and I found a Dragon. We also found Bob . . .

Of course, at the time I didn't know we'd found Bob. I was aiming my camera at another mural when I notice this guy striking a pose. So, I took his picture and walked over to show it to him. When he saw himself in the viewer he laughed. He thought he looked pretty damn good. He said his name was Bob Dixon and told me to not forget his name. It's not likely I will.

Yep, I'm in The Grove.

It was time to make my way home. I've been keeping another eye on a particular house with a rather large gargoyle in front. It certainly looked like it had a story. I've been hoping to catch someone out working in the yard so I could ask about it. As luck would have it, as I passed by the house on this day a couple were just pulling up to the house on their bicycles. It turned out they were the proud owners of the house and of the giant gargoyle.

The story? It seems the couple likes to ride their bicycles around the Holly Hills area. One time when riding through that neighborhood the guy saw a house with a gargoyle in front of it. He thought it was so cool and from that time on he wanted one. "Where did you find one?" I asked, "Tell me you didn't find it online."

"Actually, I did," he replied.

I will admit I was hoping for a better story, but I figured the story was good enough to post the photo.

One Still Falling Down And Another Showing Progress And . . .

Awhile back I posted about a building that had been slowly falling down. I'd been watching its demise on my daily commute.

First it looked like this.

Then more of it fell on its own.

And, finally the unit was torn down, but what was left looked none too sturdy.

This Spring has brought some very strong winds and now I am watching the further demise of the remaining portion of the building.

Look familiar?

There is still a family living in the building next to this one. I'm curious what will happen next.

On a happier building note, there is a row of buildings that have been being rehabbed. When last I posted about them they looked like this:

The dumpster had disappeared but it came back

There have been workers on the site all winter, but all the work has been inside. Just in the last two weeks has the progress began to be show on the outside.

Windows . . .

And doors.

The workers are gone by the time I get out in the evening. On a morning when I am either off during the week or can arrange to go into work late, I'm hoping to stop by and see if I can get some information on what the plans are for these buildings. And, if I'm really lucky maybe I will find out some of the history of these buildings.

Now there is another building on my daily commute that is being worked on. I can't tell if it is still being used or not. I had noticed the building before mostly because it had no windows.

The signage said, "Cavalier Products" and you can see the detail of a cavalier above the doors. I hadn't even thought about the building having a false front until it started to come off.

Now, I could see the details of the building from once upon a time.

I wonder what is going to happen to this building next? Is it getting a new facelift or what?


There is so much going on in my little eight and a half mile commute, and that doesn't even include the traffic. Speaking of traffic, it has actually lightened up on some of my route. There has been a speed reduction on Arsenal Street next to Tower Grove Park.

Since the reduction has gone into effect there has been a reduction in traffic. I'd not expected the speed reduction to make much of a difference, but St. Louis' Finest are actually enforcing this change. When the speed limit was ten mph higher people were adding another ten. With all the three-way stops on this route, it was hurry up and wait. Now, traffic is flowing nicely at about 30mph, which seems a good speed for this section of street. And, with less traffic it has cut time off my commute. Plus the incidents of folks passing illegally on my right, apparently in a hurry to get to the next stop sign to wait their turn behind five or six cars, has dropped as well. Don't you just  love it when a plan comes together.