In January of 1886, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported “crowds of coasters at the northwestern gate of Lafayette Park.” Sledding (aka ‘coasting’) in the 19th Century attracted “long lines of finely-dressed ladies and gentlemen.” They “shot down the steep incline from the flag pole, went whizzing through the big stone gates, across Park Avenue, and down the long hill (Missouri Avenue) to Chouteau Avenue. The neighborhood resounded with the laughter and raillery of the merry crowds.” Good times for a Saturday evening by all accounts.
Start from the top
The old newspapers impassively listed the coasting citizens hurt when smacking into gates, getting a leg caught in a fence, or running their three-man sled into a horse drawn wagon. All in the sport of it, I suppose.
The same month, a feature story on coasting (“A WINTER PASTIME IN WHICH THE LOCAL JUVENILE WORLD IS INDULGING”) appeared in the paper. The headline went on:
The article praised coasting as pretty democratic. It was available to both rich and poor, and a sport for which hilly St. Louis was well-suited. It cited three spots for their ability to attract numbers of coasters. These were Lafayette Park, Second Carondelet (now 18th Street) to Chouteau Avenue, and Mississippi Avenue between Park and Chouteau Avenues. Lafayette Square was the place to be for downhill adrenaline junkies.
It stated:
“of the above, the Park is by far the most popular resort, on account of the long run which it affords. Starting from the flagpole, there is an even decline down through the footpaths and on the adjoining street of fully 2,000 feet.”
A rough and tumble sport for the masses
The necessaries for sledding in the 19th Century were simple. “A sleigh, a hill covered with ice or snow, and a boy, who has but one end in life. That is to reach the bottom of the hill in the shortest possible time. He is not particular as respects the style he does it in, the grace of the position he takes on the sleigh, nor the poetry of the motion with which he descends.”
The paper noted that the democracy of coasting only reached so far. The girls could only gain one ride to the boys ten. It observed that the boys monopoly had no good reason, as they held “no patent, nor even priority of invention.” It guessed that the “boy’s tyranny lies in the fact that the girl’s sleigh is neat and clean with ribbons tied on the string.”
“Coasting, like a patent medicine, is a good thing. Taken moderately, it is perfectly harmless. Taken in medium sized doses, it acts on the system gently and easily. It tones up the nerves and develops the muscles. It brings a sparkle to the eyes and a glow of health to the cheek. Taken in large doses, it develops the respiratory organs, gives a strong appetite, and produces calm and peaceful sleep.”
Heavy use of the steep Lafayette Square roadways turned them to glazed ice. This dissuaded wagons from attempting to use them for transport before warmer temperatures intervened. For a short time, the downhill stretches of Missouri and Mississippi Avenues were the sole province of the coasters. The roadways were wide open for sledding in the 19th Century.
Skating gives way to coasting
An article from January 1892 claimed that the pond ice in Lafayette Park was too rough for skating. Many simply hustled home for their sleds. The “more refined lady and gentlemen skaters lingered to watch the sport on the hills. Their friends with sleds tried the run from the park to Chouteau Avenue. Companions who had no sleds amused themselves by pelting them with snowballs.”
By 7 p.m., “at least 500 persons gathered on both Missouri and Mississippi Avenues. There were sleds of all kinds, from the lengthy bobs to the diminutive “belly-buster.” Many fitted out their bobsleds with a gong or bell, and a few even had headlights. The reporter considered it miraculous that with the speed and number of collisions no one was killed. Specific bobsled teams gained names, like ‘Hominy Bob’ who owned a sled with gong and light. It was capable of carrying twenty persons at a time. The crowd cheered, raising a clamor that could be heard blocks away, and it was 11 p.m. before they dispersed.
Coasting into the 20th Century
The Post-Dispatch in February of 1902 noted many mild winters since the last great opportunity to drag the bobsled from the basement and thunder down the hill. It welcomed the return of cold and snow, with a resurgence of coasting that winter. It depicted a day at the hills where thousands of coasters played during the day. When night came, it brought “the time for the great crowds and the finest fun. This involved the big bobs and the men with the courage to run them”. The thrill of danger was a big part of the allure for riders and crowd alike. “To go coasting and never be thrown would be quite as unromantic as to go duck hunting and not get a boot full of ice water.”
This article singled out the ride from Lafayette Park down to Chouteau Avenue for special commendation. It became the primary run when street car tracks were laid along the former course down Mississippi Avenue. Overflow riders then chose a shorter (three block) run on Armstrong (now MacKay Place) Avenue.
Today…
Here’s a look down Missouri from Park Avenue. It’s easy to imagine sledding in the 19th Century, when winters had sharper teeth. Folks simply adapted by finding the fun in them. I’ve never seen a renegade on runners coasting toward Chouteau Avenue, but have no doubt it would still be a thrilling ride. Running it on a Lime scooter would keep one’s nose too far from the action. You need to be close to the ground to really feel the world whir by.
Maybe sometime the city will agree to open it back up, on some otherwise impassible day. This would be for the sole benefit of those who would want to give it a go. You’d hear my shouts from blocks away, for sure.
If your winter recreational interests tend more toward skating, you might enjoy the essay at https://lafayettesquarearchives.com/?p=480
Thanks to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Alamy, and Old New England Magazine. American Magazine and BoweryBoysHistory.com are credited for photos and source material.
An interesting essay on winter sports in the Victorian era can be found on Historic Denver at https://mollybrown.org/winter-sports-in-the-victorian-era/
