#213: Centennial Greenway/KATY Trail

This is where two important trails in Missouri will come together. It is currently being planned that the Centennial Greenway will connect bikers/joggers/runners to the Katy Trail from most parts of St. Louis, including downtown!

Facts about the Centennial Greenway:

• Named for the 100th anniversary of the St. Louis World's Fair and the founding of University City.
• The trail will connect from Forest Park to Creve Coeur Memorial Park. 
• It is destined to be a 20-mile trail from St. Charles to St. Louis.
• Some parts of the trail have been completed, including the part that passes through Ruth Porter Park, and from this point (at the meeting of Katy Trail) to the St. Charles Heritage Museum.

The Katy Trail:

• Missouri's longest trail
• The country's longest 'rails-to-trails' path
• Edward 'Ted' Jones donated $2 million to the construction of this trail.
• Western terminus is located in Clinton, MO, and the eastern terminus is at the Edward 'Ted' and Pat Jones State Park. 
• Trails length is 237.7 miles, passing through such Missouri River towns and cities like Jefferson City, Hermann, Boonville, Columbia, and of course St. Charles.

The cake:

Right side of the cake

Top of the cake. Unfortunately, Mr. Swain's cake was subject to vandalism

***2015 Update***

The cake was purchased by the Cakelovers and its artist Mark Swain re-painted it. It is now the 'Saturday Morning Cartoon Cake', featuring several cartoon characters from the 1950's-on. On April 17, 2015, the cake was unveiled at R Space Gallery (in Soulard) and will be on display there until July 2015.

Centennial Greenway Official website

2886 Arena Parkway, ST. CHARLES, MO, 63303
Cake artist: Mark Swain

#212: Ameristar Casino St. Charles

There are a few casinos in the St. Louis area. On the Illinois side, you have the Argosy in Alton (formerly called the Alton Belle) and the Casino Queen in East St. Louis. Missouri has the Lumiere Place, River City, Hollywood (formerly Harrah's) and Ameristar. So why Ameristar Casino of all these places? And why is there a cake at a casino?

That was the question on my mind. Once you look at the cake, you'll get an idea. Ameristar just happens to be located very close to where America's first Interstate highway opened. After the Federal Aid-Highway Act passed in 1956, the state of Missouri was awarded contracts on paving interstate highways. One of them was the then-present road of Route 66 (now Interstate 44 which goes from Joplin, Springfield, Rolla to St. Louis). On August 13, 1956, the site of I-70 (near Ameristar) was awarded a contract, and at the same time, construction started for it. The rest, they say, is history. Interstates today are the best way to commute and travel on road trips. Say if you are traveling west of St. Louis via I-70, you can go to Columbia (MO), Kansas City, Topeka, or Denver. It ends out in the middle of the desert at Interstate 15 in Utah. If you're going East, I-70 can take you to Indianapolis, Columbus, and as far as Baltimore.

Little is known that there is some controversy on where the first Interstate started. Missouri, along with Pennsylvania and Kansas are states that claim to have it. Pennsylvania had the first traditional four-lane highway (the Pennsylvania Turnpike), which was the first of its kind. It was paved in 1940. Kansas, on the other hand, jumped the gun before the bill even passed (earlier in 1956), but was awarded a contract after Missouri.

The cake, which greatly focuses on the Interstate highway:

It's always nice to hear from the guy in the big chair about his cake pride

Back side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Mr. Clean? Nope, its Dwight Eisenhower who signed the Interstate act

Note: There was a rumor that this cake was originally supposed to go at the old Noah's Ark place in St. Charles.


1 Ameristar Boulevard, ST. CHARLES, MO, 63301
Cake artist: Amanda Leigh Blalock

#211: Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

And the last part of downtown St. Charles which has a cake location is right on the Lewis & Clark Trail, or Highway 94. This one is at the Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.

Left side of the cake

Right side of the cake

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Wikipedia link

619 North Second St., ST. CHARLES, MO, 63301
Cake artist: Megan Rieke

#210: St. Charles County Courthouse

Just by looking at the picture, yeah it was bright out that day! Still, the cake has some very cool colors and all.

• Started to be built in 1900, cornerstone laid out the following year, but in 1903 was put on hold because of flooding from the Missouri River.
• The land was called 'Clerks Hill' before the courthouse was built, as there were two government clerks offices atop the hill
• This was not the first location of the courthouse. The first was built at the corner of Madison and Main Streets in St. Charles
• In 1876, the original courthouse was damaged by a tornado, prompting local government leaders to move to a new location.
• Several historical markers are found outside the building. Most notably are some plaques surrounding the statue of St. Carlos Borromeo, which detail how St. Charles and the county developed.

Statue of Saint Carlos (or Charles) Borromeo, the city's namesake

Two artists, Zack Farmer and Erica Kaiser, decorated this colorful cake:

Back side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Official website for St. Charles County Government

100 N. 3rd St., ST. CHARLES, MO, 63301
Cake artists: Zack Farmer and Erica Kaiser

#209: First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site

It is not well-known to some of the St. Louis-area people that St. Charles was the first capital of Missouri. Only from 1821 to 1826, but not many people know that it was actually a 'temporary capital'. Missouri lawmakers at the time wanted to make an area in the central part of the state, off the Missouri River, and name it after Thomas Jefferson. Today, the area is known as Jefferson City, which of course, is the capital of Missouri.

St. Charles has so much rich history to it. Some obscure information about the city is found all over, and it has been well-restored. Many cakes have been placed in St. Charles, as well as all over the county. You'll see them in my other posts. A very little known fact: Jean Baptiste Point du Sable lived here, and died here in 1818. Du Sable was the first resident of the city of Chicago, Illinois. Who knew he would end his life in Cardinal Nation?

St. Charles County:
St. Charles is the county seat of St. Charles County and is a big city. However, it is not the largest city as it has been surpassed by O'Fallon. Other cities include Lake Saint Louis, Wentzville and St. Peters. St. Charles County is bordered by 7 different counties, in both Illinois and Missouri. Most of the county's border is water, by the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. According to Wikipedia, it is the wealthiest and fastest-growing county in Missouri. Both the county and city are named for Italian cardinal Saint Charles Borromeo.

The building is to represent what life was like in the 1800s, as well as its architecture. First floor was used as a store, while the second floor was for the government.

The cake, as designed by Lindsay Harmon: (Sorry, I wasn't able to get the back of it, but I know that it talks about the first state capitol)

Left side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Top of the cake

Wikipedia link
Official website

200 S. Main St., ST. CHARLES, MO, 63301
Cake artist: Lindsay Harmon

#208: Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center

Moving on into the old-town, downtown (whatever you want to call it....) part of St. Charles. First State Capitol. Lewis & Clark. Better not get ahead of myself here...

The Boat House and Nature Center is just right off the Missouri River at Bishop's Landing. Situated alongside the long Frontier Park in St. Charles, this museum houses full-size replicas of the boats used by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Several items related to their expedition are in here as well. In addition, plenty of factual information about the Missouri River too! There is something for everybody of all ages. Class field trips are often taken here.

Here's another cake that's got a map. If you've read my previous posts or know me, you know I'm obsessed with maps and geography! This one details Lewis & Clark's travels and what their current incarnations are.

Top of the cake

Right side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Official website

1050 S. Riverside Drive, ST. CHARLES, MO, 63301
Cake artist: Ashli England  (she also decorated the Heritage House cake)

#207: Lindenwood University

And yet another university and educational institution. Here we go.

• The 2nd oldest higher-education institution west of the Mississippi River.
• Founded in 1827 by George Champlin Sibley and his wife, Mary Easton Sibley.
• It is the fastest-growing university in the Midwest within the last 25 years.
• Called Lindenwood because the land it was purchased on had several linden trees.
• Originally a girls school (its name was The Lindenwood School For Girls), it became co-ed in 1969.

The Harlen C. Hunter Stadium as seen from the top

Spellman Hall

But the university has so much to offer. Some of my friends have attended classes here as well as graduated. The cake is located in front of Spellman Hall. The school's colors are black and gold, and they are well represented on this cake.

Left side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Right side of the cake

Top of the cake. If you look very close on the left side (white area), you'll see some graffiti (HOLA). Really? Must have been a student that watched too much Jersey Shore....

Lindenwood University on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website

209 S. Kingshighway St., ST. CHARLES, MO, 63301
Cake artist: John Troy  (he also decorated the Daniel Boone cake)

#205: August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area

• Located just south of St. Charles
• Is 6,987 acres, including 3,000 acres of wildlife (too many to list!)
• Has free programs that involve nature, and plenty of trails. In addition, several kid-related stuff is offered here
• The land was first purchased by the Missouri Department of Conservation in 1947, with help from August Busch's wife, Alice, from the United States government. 
• Licenses for fishing and hunting are available here
• Many exhibits also spotlight the area, including a 1,300 gallon aquarium

The visitors center

Inside the visitors center

The cake, of course, is focused on nature:

Top of the cake. It looks like Lindsay plastered a map on top!

Left side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Right side of the cake

August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area on FB
Wikipedia link
Official website

2360 Highway D, ST. CHARLES, MO, 63304
Cake artist: Lindsay Harmon