Construction of a 32-foot-diameter tube

For decades in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the River des Peres threatened St. Louisans with catastrophic flooding with every heavy rain. Thanks to $11 million in funding from a city bond issue, the River des Peres Sewerage and Drainage Project was formed to fix the polluted river. Between 1924 and 1931, the project channeled 18 miles of the River des Peres into 13 miles of pipe and embankment—a remarkable feat of engineering. The scale of the project and the pipe required to bury the river is contrasted with the Missouri History Museum building in this photograph.

Object Title and Accession Number

Construction of a 32-foot-diameter tube in front of the Jefferson Memorial Building, Forest Park. Unknown photographer, August 24, 1929. N02959.