Oh Yeah, We Are a River City
Sometimes I think it is easy for us to forget that St. Louis is a river city. I seldom see the river except for a few glimpses from I-55.
Today I was returning home from my real estate office on South Broadway and decided to take a few minute break in Bellerive Park. The view, as always, is spectacular.
The river seems very low with lots of sand being exposed on the Illinois side. A very old barge is barely visible in the sand directly across from the park. Upstream I spotted a barge no longer in the water — just sitting on top of the bank.
In this day and age of costly bio-tech office parks it is important to remember our industrial & river roots. The Jefferson Memorial erased all traces downtown and with the bright casino lights at Laclede’s Landing it is hard to picture industry there. But if you follow the river north or south of downtown you get a much better idea of the importance of the river in the past and how much it is still used. The number of barges still amazes me.
Next time you are near the river take a few minutes and check it out.
– Steve
Nice shot.
Personally, I prefer the “getaway” location view at old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which has no barges because they use the canal to the east. Plus, sometimes there are eagles.
I wish there were more locales for viewing the river on the Southside though. Nevertheless, Bellerive Park is great.
Someday, I’d like to live right on the bluff.
Be careful in that park, though. Seems that it’s quite the active location for shenanigans.
Cliff Cave park in S. County is nice place to view the river. The 60ft bluff to the west of the tracks provides a nice panorama.