Keemle was a printer, editor, publisher, fur trader, author & patron of the arts. He was apprenticed to learn the printing business in the office of the Norfolk Herald at the age of nine. At the age of 16 he walked from Baltimore to Vincennes, Indiana & established the Indiana Sentinal with a partner. Soon afterwards, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri where he took charge of the Emigrant newspaper, but he gave up the career after three years. He secured a position with the Missouri Fur Company as a clerk in Kansas. The following spring Keemle was part of a large party led by mountin men Robert Jones & Micheal Immel. Upon his return, he owned and/or produced several newspapers (the Enquirer, the Beacon & the Commercial Bulletin) in St. Louis. He then developed a strictly literary newspaper called the Reveille in 1844 & served as the business editor & correspondent. The origin of legendary flatboatman Mike Fink was an article in the Reveille. Through his journalistic work, Keemle took an avid interest in the theater. With his close friends, actor Noah Ludlow & Meriwether Lewis Clark, he helped raise money to build a theater in St. Louis. He was a member of the first board of directors of the St. Louis Theater Company in 1837. In 1841, he was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs at St. Louis by President William Henry Harrison. However, Keemle declined the offer, citing poor health. The actual reason for his declining the offer was due to a controversy created by Pierre Chouteau (co-founder of St. Louis). Keemle was elected Recorder of Deeds for St. Louis County in 1855 & held the position for six years.
Keemle was a printer, editor, publisher, fur trader, author & patron of the arts. He was apprenticed to learn the printing business in the office of the Norfolk Herald at the age of nine. At the age of 16 he walked from Baltimore to Vincennes, Indiana & established the Indiana Sentinal with a partner. Soon afterwards, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri where he took charge of the Emigrant newspaper, but he gave up the career after three years. He secured a position with the Missouri Fur Company as a clerk in Kansas. The following spring Keemle was part of a large party led by mountin men Robert Jones & Micheal Immel. Upon his return, he owned and/or produced several newspapers (the Enquirer, the Beacon & the Commercial Bulletin) in St. Louis. He then developed a strictly literary newspaper called the Reveille in 1844 & served as the business editor & correspondent. The origin of legendary flatboatman Mike Fink was an article in the Reveille. Through his journalistic work, Keemle took an avid interest in the theater. With his close friends, actor Noah Ludlow & Meriwether Lewis Clark, he helped raise money to build a theater in St. Louis. He was a member of the first board of directors of the St. Louis Theater Company in 1837. In 1841, he was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs at St. Louis by President William Henry Harrison. However, Keemle declined the offer, citing poor health. The actual reason for his declining the offer was due to a controversy created by Pierre Chouteau (co-founder of St. Louis). Keemle was elected Recorder of Deeds for St. Louis County in 1855 & held the position for six years.
Bio by: Connie Nisinger
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