Alleys & Ruins no. 141, Cotton Belt (2011, St Louis, MO, 10:30pm)
Alleys & Ruins no. 141, Cotton Belt (2011, St Louis, MO, 10:30pm)
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway, better known as The Cotton Belt Route, was formed in 1891 to supply a rail route for the booming cotton industry. Cotton was brought north to St Louis from Arkansas and Texas. The Cotton Belt was eventually bought out by Union Pacific.
The Cotton Belt Depot building was built in 1911, but would not last. The depot was closed and abandoned for good in 1959. It has sat vacant ever since. Its an enormous husk of a building, north of the arches, a block from the Mississippi river.
In 2011 the depot was voted Best Old Building in St Louis by Riverfront Times, and in 2014 two artists painted a 750 ft mural, called "Migrate", on the eastern wall to greet daily commuters.
Behind the building, when I was there, a tent city had formed for dozens of homeless people, including its "mayor" an imposing and boisterous woman they called Big Mama. She’s the no-nonsense leader who settles arguments, speaks for the community, and cooks giant meals after everyone chips in raw materials. She landed here after being laid off, without enough saved to keep paying rent. At least one resident is an artist, apparently a talented one. He’s always eager to show his new drawings but he has to hide his supplies in nearby abandoned buildings so they don’t get stolen. A sign provided the name of the camp: "Welcome to Hopeville"
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