River des Peres – a smelly, complex (and eventual) engineering marvel.
The River des Peres used to wind its way through Forest Park. Maximillian Kern, the original landscape architect for Forest Park, transformed the floodplains and lagoons of the River des Peres into a series of interconnected lakes. As the population of St. Louis moved west, this started to become a bit of a smelly swamp.
By the early 1900s, the river was deemed an unsanitary liability. In order to host the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (The World’s Fair), St. Louis needed to fix its smelly, swampy river problem. To achieve this, a wooden box was placed around the river and the World’s Fair was built on top of it (see photo 1). At the end of The Fair, after the buildings were taken down, and Forest Park was returned to its Pre-Fair condition, the river started to become an even bigger problem for a growing St. Louis. A decision to bury the river permanently was made after a massive flood in 1915. Nine miles of the River des Peres were buried (see photos 2-4). In doing so, the river (the water!!) was entirely diverted from Forest Park.
Questions? Ask Kelly when you get to the finish!
Fun Fact: The River des Peres project is recognized as a National Civil Engineering Landmark.
All photos courtesy of Missouri Historical Society.
Photo 1:
Photo 2:
Photo 3: 👀 Peep the Missouri History Museum in the picture below! ⬇️
Photo 4:
