Welcome to Distilled History! If you know me, you know I’m a big fan of two things: history and drinking. Specifically, St. Louis history and specifically, drinking well-made cocktails.
I’m from upstate New York and I have lived in St. Louis for about eighteen years. I’ve always enjoyed living in this town, but I never thought I’d be here long. Recently, I’ve started to realize that my stay in St. Louis is a bit more than temporary. I have a great little house in south city and I have a ton of great friends here. I’ll always consider myself an upstate New Yorker, but I’m comfortable here for now. I’ve also started to become really interested in the history of my new city. I have started reading books, articles, and blogs about the history of St. Louis and what life was like here over the past few hundred years. It’s turned into a great new hobby.
The history in St. Louis is deep and rich. It abounds with tales, monuments, and landmarks that rival the oldest and largest cities in America. The more I read, the more I realize much of the history of St. Louis is unknown, hidden, or even lost. I want to point some of this stuff out to my pals.
So, I started heading out on my bike to find some of the places I was reading about. In January of 2012, I also started volunteering at the Campbell House Museum in downtown St. Louis. This place is like a window into the past. Great people with similar interests work there. Each time I walk through the door, I learn something new and fascinating. I’ve had a great time there.
As all of this came together, I started sending emails to friends and posting facts on Facebook describing the bits of history I was uncovering. I included square format photographs with pretty photo filters applied (some of the places I find need something to add to the allure). I was simply having fun, but the feedback was very positive. People suggested it could be a blog. That’s where this whole idea started, but I needed to make it a bit more fun.
So, I decided to add a bit of alcohol to it. As I stated earlier, I love to make and drink cocktails. My favorite drink is the Manhattan cocktail, and I have often struggled finding a great Manhattan in St. Louis. Still, I have had fun walking into bars and ordering one just to see what I get. As I did this, I started becoming interested in the history of the drink. I learned just a few years ago that the original Manhattan was made with rye whiskey and used bitters. This lead me to researching other drinks like the Old Fashioned, the Sidecar, and the martini. Where did these drinks originate? How did they evolve? And most importantly, where can I get well-made versions of them in St. Louis?
Wrap it all up, and that is what I’m doing here. I plan to scour St. Louis for its bits of history and post it here. As I go after a topic, I’m going to stop and get a drink or two. I hope to learn more about my drink and write about the places that serve them well. I’ll invite friends to join me and add to the fun. I will certainly post about topics that are well-known, but my focus is the stuff that goes a bit under the radar. I want to find things that native St. Louisans may not even be aware of.
Please bear with me as I do this. I am no academic. I’ll eventually start citing sources and give credit where it’s due. I hope my research skills improve along with my blogging skills. For now, I’m going to focus on what I find and I’ll try to mention how I got the idea or give credit to the people who pointed me in a certain direction. My guess is I have much to learn about all aspects of this endeavor. I think I’ll simply get better as I go.
Update: Eight months after starting this blog, I’m proud to report that the Riverfront Times voted Distilled History as the “Best Personal Blog in St. Louis” at the 2013 RFT Web Awards. They also wrote a great article about this blog and how it came to be. The article was printed in the January 23, 2013 issue that announced all of the 2013 RFT Web Award winners. Thanks RFT!
Thanks and have fun reading this. I look forward to any comments or suggestions you may have.
-Cameron
cameron@distilledhistory.com
Simply, awesome.
Fantastic idea! if you need help with anything archaeological, let me know!
I was recently given this picture of my Great Grandfathers tavern,Welkener’s place. He is the man in the doorway with the bow tie. William “Buc” Welkener. How can I obtain more information on his tavern? Can you recommend a research source that could help? Unfortunately my mother was a “late in life baby” and all relatives are deceased. Only cousins left who know very little, other than that was Grandpa’s place.
Sorry I can’t get picture to paste.
I would start at the Research Library at the Missouri History Museum…
I’m also a displaced New Yorker living in St. Louis for a while. I also like history and drinking. Can I come with one day?
What a great idea!! Love the name too! I’m so impressed!
Thanks Tiff! You should come on a history hunt with me someday. We’d have fun… and then we’d get drinks after
U going on Charlie Brennan’s Bellfountain Cemetery walk Friday? My partner Dr. Jim Schmittel was telling me about it.
Great intro. You have a great voice. You’ve inspired me to want to write something similar on my various sites.
Thanks, Bancha. Did my sister tell you to read my blog? LOL.
I may have pointed him in the right direction…
I am really enjoying your blog! I think I’m going to add these sites to my St. Louis bucket list! Your writing style flows well, and gives the reader the sense of being at these sites with you. You should write a book!
~Ann
Thanks so much for the nice feedback! It’s been really fun so far. I don’t know about a book… I have to master this blogging thing first!
I’m totally making Roman Punch for my next party and maybe I’ll even have it at my wedding! YUM!! Nicely done, Cam!
C,
You have picked up a few readers in KC buddy as I am passing the good word on to my more scholarly friends…all 3 of them. This seems a truly worthy endeavor, please stick with! Good on you.
I love your blog! I am a recent transplant to St. Louis, and have been enamoured by the history everywhere around me. Thanks for sharing your fascinating finds and I look forward to your updates!
Thanks! I have a long post coming in the next few days. I need to tackle a few less ambitious topics, I think
I am looking for pictures of the old times in America. I’m especially interested in black and white photographs of motor bikes and bikers. I came across your blog entry on the Thomas Kampland Collection. Since I’m looking for exactly those pictures in high resolution for poster printing I hope that you can help me. It seems like you contacted Mr Kempland directly. I don’t seem to find an Email address or any other way to contact him myself regarding the pictures. That is why I would like to ask you whether you can give me any contact details or connect me with Mr Kempland? I would be very grateful for that!
greetings from berlin, germany
Hi! Not sure if this is the best place to show this but seeing if you have any research or are planning to do anything about the Hyde Park Brewery. Looks like it was operated in north st. louis until the 40′s. I ask because there’s a new building in Tower Grove South on Morganford that says Hyde Park Beer on it. Sorry if you’ve already covered this, I did a search and didn’t find it on the site. Love the site!
Hey there cousin! Lisa here in NY. Your Trek 470 reminds me a bit of my husband Brian’s old Trek:
harmonias.com/bikes/ Hope you are enjoying riding around in this gorgeous Spring weather!