A reader was kind enough to give me several photos of her family’s trip on the Huck Finn back in the late 1960’s. It’s fascinating to see that the riverfront was already by that time largely cleared of buildings, just as it is today. The traces of St. Louis once being a great river town were slipping away.
Photos courtesy of Lura Holt.
Most of the riverfront was actually cleared of its buildings starting in 1940. Well, at least from the Eads Bridge South to the MacArthur (aka the Free Bridge). I recall that from going on the Admiral in the ’40s.
North of the Eads, in the arches formed by the RR overpass there were stalls selling whatever – kinda like how you see those storage/garages in so many Brit movies where the crooks hide the goods.
I’d love to see a street market on Laclede’s Landing again. Could be nice to have some activity on the riverfront there.