Soulard, St. Louis
Encyclopedia
Soulard is a historic French neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri
. It is named after Antoine Soulard, who first began to develop the land. Soulard was a surveyor
for the Spanish
government and a refugee from the French Revolution
in the 1790s.
It is a picturesque, residential neighborhood filled with restaurants, bars, and pubs, among other businesses and is one of the oldest communities in the city. The neighborhood of Soulard hosts many events throughout the year, including Mardi Gras
, Oktoberfest
, and Bastille Day
. It is also known as a neighborhood with a high density of bars, many of which play host to a variety of live music; especially the blues
and jazz band
s which the city is known for. The barrelhouse blues piano player James Crutchfield
lived in the neighborhood from 1984 until his death in 2001, and performed in many of the nightclubs. The district is also host to regular pub crawl
s which are popular among locals and visitors alike. Coincidentally, the name soûlard itself is the French word for drunkard, though there are many other aspects to the neighborhood than just drinking. Many of the homes there date back to the mid-to-late 19th century and have unique architecture. Soulard is a thriving, eclectic area, and is home to the largest Mardi Gras
celebration in the Midwestern United States
. It also has a very active community with its own newspaper, "The Soulard Renaissance", as well as organizations such as the Soulard Restoration Group and the Soulard Business Association helping to organize events and keep the neighborhood clean and safe. It is also home to a large popular Farmers' market
, several historic churches , and the North American headquarters of Anheuser-Busch
.
of Barkus" Beggin' Strips pet parade. Participants consist of anyone who dresses up their pet in costume, and walks their pet along the parade route. The parade is followed by the informal Wiener dog races
. Then, on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, the more adult-oriented flesh-for-beads parade occurs, although there have been various attempts to reserve a family section at one end of the route. People from all over come to storm the streets with beer
s and bead
necklaces after the Saturday parade. The east/west streets of Soulard, Geyer, Allen and Russell, and others are crowded with people from 7th to 12th Street. Several VIP tents are available for admission by fee and usually a national recording artist performs for free on a main stage, usually on 7th St. The Fat Tuesday parade occurs in the evening, and in recent years has been moved just north of Soulard to downtown St. Louis.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. It is named after Antoine Soulard, who first began to develop the land. Soulard was a surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
for the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
government and a refugee from the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
in the 1790s.
It is a picturesque, residential neighborhood filled with restaurants, bars, and pubs, among other businesses and is one of the oldest communities in the city. The neighborhood of Soulard hosts many events throughout the year, including Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
, Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest celebrations
The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German...
, and Bastille Day
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
. It is also known as a neighborhood with a high density of bars, many of which play host to a variety of live music; especially the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
s which the city is known for. The barrelhouse blues piano player James Crutchfield
James Crutchfield
James Crutchfield was an American St. Louis, Missouri based, barrelhouse blues singer, pianist, and songwriter, whose career spanned seven decades...
lived in the neighborhood from 1984 until his death in 2001, and performed in many of the nightclubs. The district is also host to regular pub crawl
Pub crawl
A pub crawl is the act of one or more people drinking in multiple pubs or bars in a single night, normally walking or busing to each one between drinking.-Origin of the term:...
s which are popular among locals and visitors alike. Coincidentally, the name soûlard itself is the French word for drunkard, though there are many other aspects to the neighborhood than just drinking. Many of the homes there date back to the mid-to-late 19th century and have unique architecture. Soulard is a thriving, eclectic area, and is home to the largest Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
celebration in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. It also has a very active community with its own newspaper, "The Soulard Renaissance", as well as organizations such as the Soulard Restoration Group and the Soulard Business Association helping to organize events and keep the neighborhood clean and safe. It is also home to a large popular Farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
, several historic churches , and the North American headquarters of Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
.
Mardi Gras
Soulard hosts the St. Louis Mardi Gras festival, sometimes attracting hundreds of thousands of revelers.(No source listed) But the size of the crowds varies greatly from year to year, with the weather being the biggest factor in determining crowd size. It has been said St. Louis hosts the 2nd largest Mardi Gras party in the country. The event is much like the New Orleans celebration in that it hosts several parades during the Mardi Gras season. On the second Sunday before Mardi Gras, there is a family-oriented "KreweKrewe
A krewe is an organization that puts on a parade and or a ball for the Carnival season. The term is best known for its association with New Orleans Mardi Gras, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations around the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, and...
of Barkus" Beggin' Strips pet parade. Participants consist of anyone who dresses up their pet in costume, and walks their pet along the parade route. The parade is followed by the informal Wiener dog races
Dachshund racing
Dachshund racing, or wiener dog racing, is a popular, yet controversial sporting event, primarily found in North America. Typical Dachshund races are either 25 or 50 yards in length, and are run on various surfaces...
. Then, on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, the more adult-oriented flesh-for-beads parade occurs, although there have been various attempts to reserve a family section at one end of the route. People from all over come to storm the streets with beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
s and bead
Bead
A bead is a small, decorative object that is usually pierced for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under to over in diameter. A pair of beads made from Nassarius sea snail shells, approximately 100,000 years old, are thought to be the earliest known examples of jewellery. Beadwork...
necklaces after the Saturday parade. The east/west streets of Soulard, Geyer, Allen and Russell, and others are crowded with people from 7th to 12th Street. Several VIP tents are available for admission by fee and usually a national recording artist performs for free on a main stage, usually on 7th St. The Fat Tuesday parade occurs in the evening, and in recent years has been moved just north of Soulard to downtown St. Louis.
Art Galleries in Soulard
See also
- Anzeiger des WestensAnzeiger des WestensThe Anzeiger des Westens was the first German-language newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri, and, along with the Westliche Post and the Illinois Staats-Zeitung, one of the three most successful German-language papers in the United States Midwest serving the German-American population with news and...
The former large German-American daily newspaper of St. Louis, and the politically charged riot related to its readership that happened in Soulard - Lafayette Square, St. LouisLafayette Square, St. LouisLafayette Square is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri that is bounded on the north by Chouteau Avenue, on the south by Interstate 44, on the east by Truman Parkway and on the west by South Jefferson Avenue. It surrounds Lafayette Park, which is the city's oldest public park, created by...
A grand nearby neighborhood - LaSalle ParkLaSalle ParkLaSalle Park is an integral part of the three-neighborhood "Old Frenchtown" area—LaSalle Park, Lafayette Square and Soulard—bordering the southern edge of downtown St. Louis. It was formed as a "new" neighborhood, legally distinct from the larger Soulard district, through the efforts of local...
A former area of the neighborhood divided off by the construction of highways - Missouri RhinelandMissouri RhinelandThe Missouri Rhineland is a geographical area of Missouri that extends from west of St. Louis to slightly east of Jefferson City, located mostly in the Missouri River Valley on both sides of the river...
A major winemaking area in the region, both past and present
External links
- Soulard.org Soulard Restoration Group - the neighborhood association of Soulard
- Soulard at St. Louis Front Page.com
- Mardi Gras Inc., Organizers of St. Louis Mardi Gras
- Soulard Farmers Market
- Soulard Market site
- The Lemp Mansion
- iLoveSoulard.com