Taming the River Des Peres, a.k.a. "The World's Most Gigantic Sewer"
![]() |
| preservationresearch.com |
| The River Des Peres circa the early 1900s. |
Among the things I learned reading Allen's piece is that St. Louis' great, open-air storm drain was almost refashioned into a town lake in the 1970s.
The idea, endorsed by St. Louis Mayor Alphonso Cervantes, would have raised the water level between Lansdowne and Morganford for use as a recreation area.
The plan also called for a marina but was ultimately defeated when nearby neighbors complained that boating would be too loud. Talk about your missed opportunities! Jet-skiing down the River Des Peres? Priceless.
Read other tales and view more historic pics of the river at Ecology of Absence.



























