St. Louis Authors Share Forest Park's History in New Book
Forest Park’s 150th anniversary inspired a deep dive into the park’s history, with Amanda Doyle and Cameron Collins sharing what they found in a new book.
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BELLEVILLE/SAINT LOUIS - A new book explores Forest Park’s history and legacy.
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This past weekend at Belleville Books in Belleville, authors Amanda Doyle and Cameron Collins shared their book “Forest Park: St. Louis’s Gathering Place Since 1876.” This book explores the park’s 150-year history through newspaper articles, historical documents, and the memories of St. Louis residents.
“We wanted to have a project that would really celebrate the park as we know it today,” Doyle said. “It is kind of a walk through the history of the park with little vignettes of all the years along the way.”
Collins is a historian who often works with “off-the-beaten-path obscure history,” and Doyle is a writer who specializes in stories about the Midwest, Missouri and St. Louis. She said the two were friends already, but they were excited when they had the chance to work on a project together.
Doyle and Collins created “one giant Google Doc” where they kept track of all the history they learned. They worked on the book for a couple of years, but it wasn’t until they had the 2026 deadline, which marks the 150th anniversary of the park’s founding, that they began to really dig in.
Over 10 months, they researched newspaper archives and spent a lot of time at the Missouri History Museum, the Mercantile Library, the St. Louis Public Library, and the State Historical Society of Missouri to collect as much information as they could about the park’s story.
Doyle and Collins also began interviewing St. Louis residents who had a connection to the park. They were pleasantly surprised to realize that most people have a soft spot for Forest Park.
“Everyone wants to tell you their story of Forest Park,” Doyle said. “The chance to write about something that is so beloved by so many people was really special.”
Doyle also realized that national and international affairs had an effect on the St. Louis park. For example, a stock market dip in the late 1800s put many people out of work. The city, the park and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch started a donation campaign, and they paid able-bodied men to dig a lake in the park, now known as Post-Dispatch Lake.
Today, Doyle still loves going to Forest Park and seeing people enjoy the park’s space and amenities.
She added that people can follow the book’s official Instagram profile for more behind-the-scenes fun and history. To order your copy of “Forest Park: St. Louis’s Gathering Place Since 1876,” click here.
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