Built St. Louis
What's Wrong With This Riverfront?
Across the river, the garish Casino Queen (source of countless inane billboards scattered throughout the metro area) joins in on the action, its monolithic ad board flashing messages visible from half a mile away day and night.
That ungainly barge did, at once point, actually move about under its own power. One of the biggest shocks of my life came when I was visiting the Arch in 1993, and looked up to see the Queen awkwardly turning around in the middle of the river.
The State of Illinois legalized gambling on permanently docked vessels in 1999, however, and the Casino Queen has remained stationary since.
Summer 2001.
December 2003.
Downriver, and almost directly across from the Arch, stands a solitary grain elevator and barge-loading facility. People visiting often wonder when it's going to finally be torn down. I can't say I support the notion all that much; it'd be a bit depressing to look across the river and see absolutely nothing but trees, as if East St. Louis did not exist at all.
Unsightly though it may be, the grain elevator is more of a true reflection of St. Louis's river heritage than most of what has been dropped on the Missouri side. Long may it stand!
My regret is that virtually all of the other industry of the area has vanished. A forest now grows where railroads and loading docks stood a mere 15 years ago.
Buried beyond the Cargill structure is Illinois' answer to the Arch: the Gateway Geyser. This bizarre fountain, centered in a cirular pool of water, launches a jet of water 630 feet into the air twice daily.
A friend and I tracked it down a few years ago. We found it completely fenced off. Around it: nothing but forest and railroad tracks.