Making Tracks: The Untold Story of Horse Racing in St. Louis, 1767 1905

At one time, horse racing was a more popular sport than baseball. Nowhere was this reality more apparent than in St. Louis. From 1767 to 1905, throngs of excited St. Louisans rooted for their horses in almost twenty different racing venues around the area. Making Tracks takes readers on a tour of local tracks and racing history, where surprising facts emerge. St. Louis had the first night racing in the country; the St. Louis Browns, a professional baseball team, shared their baseball field with a race track; the St. Louis World's Fair Handicap in 1904 dazzled the racing world with a $50,000 purse; famous people, including celebrated jockeys and horsemen, came to St. Louis to race; and the Delmar Loop track made history as the city's last track and the scene of a notorious raid orchestrated by the Missouri governor. The track histories capture the thrill of the sport and the flavor of the times, including the political, social, economic, and religious realities involved. Making Tracks is a must read for horse racing fans, local history buffs, and people who love a good story. Saddle up and take a ride on bygone tracks once filled with passionate and engaged fans.

Nancy E. Carver is the niece of a member of a successful horse racing syndicate that once dominated horse racing in St. Louis as well as other parts of the country. Intrigued by family history and collections, she started a journey to uncover a family member's past and uncovered the history of a long forgotten sport in St. Louis. She is also the author of a book entitled Talk with Tilles, that explores both her family history and the history of Fort Smith, Arkansas.