# Barge in the Meramec



## Gramps50 (Mar 14, 2012)

I was talking to a young man at George Winter park and he told me that there is a sunken barge in the Meramec just up river from Valley Park, I'm guessing between Valley Park and Castlewood. Anyone know anything about this?


----------



## fender66 (Mar 14, 2012)

Gramps50 said:


> I was talking to a young man at George Winter park and he told me that there is a sunken barge in the Meramec just up river from Valley Park, I'm guessing between Valley Park and Castlewood. Anyone know anything about this?



The only one I'm aware of is where the Meramec dumps into the Mississippi. It's not totally sunken though. More like abandoned and in a condition of less than scrap. I'll ask around though.

I can't imagine a barge being up river that far unless it's really small. The waters under the VP bridge at 141 are very shallow. At most times of the year, you can't run anything except a jet through that area.


----------



## Gramps50 (Mar 15, 2012)

Found this but it doesn't say where on the Meramec. If you look at the history of Valley Park it mentions trains and barge traffic. A friend of mine grew up out here and lived over where Meritz it now. He might know something too. The kids said that his dad told him that they use to dredge the river. Isn't there a sand & gravel plant off I44 past 84 Lumber, for some reason I want to say Simpson Sand and Gravel. I wonder if it a gravel barge? There are some small tugs in a cove by George Winter Park.

https://www.missourighosts.net/investigations05d.html

More interesting information
https://extra.mdc.mo.gov/fish/watershed/meramec/landuse/

Guess it true



Suppose to be around Glencoe


----------



## S&amp;MFISH (Mar 16, 2012)

I've been from Valley Park to Castlewood SP, and I don't recall seeing a barge. That doesn't mean it isn't there,I just don't recall seeing it. May be between Castlewood and Eureka(Route 66 SP). There is an area near Catawissa with sunken barges,just off the Meramec.


----------



## Brian J (Mar 16, 2012)

There are a couple of old ones in an oxobow above Allenton. They have been there so long that they are full of dirt and have trees growing out of them. Always assumed that these were left over from some old gravel mining operations.


----------



## Gramps50 (Mar 16, 2012)

The other night I started at Valley Park and followed the river up stream to the other side of Pacfic, using Google maps saltlelite view, and didn't see any barges. There were some spots were the angle was bad and you couldn't see both banks and the trees were full.


----------



## bulldog (Mar 16, 2012)

That picture is just up stream from Castlewood slightly further than Sherman beach on the North side of the river. I have been there many times and I am not convinced it is a barge. It looks more like a locomotive than anything. Possibly an old tug boat or something. Inside it has an old boiler and everything. It is directly underneith a large concrete wall that if the water was 20 feet higher than normal pool, looks like a shipping port of sorts and is very close to the railroad tracks. The wall is built very stout and has large steel rings to tie barges off to I would guess. There is a dinamite shoal just down river that holds a lot of fish.

There is a steel barge on the Meramec about 50 yards upstream from the East bound lanes of HWY 44 on the East side of the river. Looks like the perfect noodling spot if it were legal. You can see it from the highway if the water is at normal pool up to maybe +3 feet.

Hope this helps. I'll take more pics next time I'm up there.


----------



## bulldog (Mar 16, 2012)

This is the barge/locomotive

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=38.54231,-90.613374&spn=0.000528,0.001321&hnear=Fenton,+St+Louis,+Missouri&t=h&z=20


This is the barge upstream from HWY 44

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=38.545097,-90.434958&spn=0.000528,0.001321&hnear=Fenton,+St+Louis,+Missouri&t=h&z=20

I hope this works.


----------



## Gramps50 (Mar 17, 2012)

bulldog said:


> This is the barge/locomotive
> 
> https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=38.54231,-90.613374&spn=0.000528,0.001321&hnear=Fenton,+St+Louis,+Missouri&t=h&z=20
> 
> ...


They worked. I have been by the one by I44 a couple of times and didn't see it or didn't know what I was seeing. Guess I need to take the bike down to Glencoe and see what if I can find the barge/loco the picture I posted said it was at Glencoe which is where the little steam railrod is located.


----------



## fender66 (Mar 19, 2012)

bulldog said:


> This is the barge/locomotive
> 
> https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=38.54231,-90.613374&spn=0.000528,0.001321&hnear=Fenton,+St+Louis,+Missouri&t=h&z=20
> 
> ...



These links answer a lot! That's awesome! Love stuff like this.


----------



## Gramps50 (Jun 10, 2012)

Went on a barge hunt today, after walking 3+ miles I discovered the one I was looking for was right across the rivers from where I started at Emmenager Conservation Area which is right at I44 & the Meramec river.

Also found what appears to be a wooden barge or very large dock on the east side about 200 yards north of I44 on the east side.

The steel barge on the west side is a strange vessel had a 2 inch concrete deck on top of it. So I wouldn't think that it's a normal cargo barge or at least not in it last state. 

Took some interesting pictures of stuff I found but it's to many and they are way to big to post here so here's a link to the barge photos


----------



## Sawdust Farmer (Jun 10, 2012)

Gramps50 said:


> Went on a barge hunt today, after walking 3+ miles I discovered the one I was looking for was right across the rivers from where I started at Emmenager Conservation Area which is right at I44 & the Meramec river.
> 
> Also found what appears to be a wooden barge or very large dock on the east side about 200 yards north of I44 on the east side.
> 
> ...




Cool photos - thanks for sharing!!


----------



## bulldog (Jun 10, 2012)

Nice pics. Here I am in Mexico and the only place I want to be is on my tin running that part of the river.


----------



## Gramps50 (Jun 11, 2012)

bulldog said:


> Nice pics. Here I am in Mexico and the only place I want to be is on my tin running that part of the river.



That part of the river doesn't have much water in it right now. There were a couple of small tins and a 16' with a jet running around but that was about it. I was surprised how peaceful it was up there. Figured it would be full of jet skiers but you could actually fish up there without being hassled, I wasn't but some others were. There's suppose to be some big cat holes up in there.

Hope all is going well for you and the new bride down in Ole Mexico


----------



## Gramps50 (Jun 11, 2012)

bulldog said:


> Nice pics. Here I am in Mexico and the only place I want to be is on my tin running that part of the river.



Sorry didn't mean to make you home sick!!  

That part of the river doesn't have much water in it right now. There were a couple of small tins and a 16' with a jet running around but that was about it. I was surprised how peaceful it was up there. Figured it would be full of jet skiers but you could actually fish up there without being hassled, I wasn't but some others were. There's suppose to be some big cat holes up in there.

Hope all is going well for you and the new bride down in Ole Mexico


----------



## Gramps50 (Jun 17, 2012)

With the water down thought it would be a good day to go and look for the barge that is in the Meramec at Glencoe. I parked in the park on Washington, off Hwy 109 and Old State Rd. I then rode 1.25 miles and saw a chain link fence and went and looked over to see the barge. With a little more exploration I found some tracks in concrete going down to the river about 50 yards down river. 

Went down the slab to the river bed and over to the barge. After looking around some I don't think it was a wreck as I have seen reported. The site looks like a port. Maybe they would take sand & gravel here and load it on a train. I would say that the barge that appears to have been powered, it has a pilot house. I don't think it is wrecked there I think it was abandoned there when the operation was stopped.

Wish I would have climbed up on it and tried to see in the pilot house to see if there was anything left of it.





Link to the pictures that I took. https://gramps50.smugmug.com/NatureWalk/Barge-on-Meramec-Glencoe


----------



## bulldog (Jun 17, 2012)

I ran up through there with my boat on Friday evening. The river is the lowest I have ever run. Buddy of mine caught a 20" walleye near Castlewood.


----------



## fender66 (Jun 18, 2012)

Gramps50 said:


> With the water down thought it would be a good day to go and look for the barge that is in the Meramec at Glencoe. I parked in the park on Washington, off Hwy 109 and Old State Rd. I then rode 1.25 miles and saw a chain link fence and went and looked over to see the barge. With a little more exploration I found some tracks in concrete going down to the river about 50 yards down river.
> 
> Went down the slab to the river bed and over to the barge. After looking around some I don't think it was a wreck as I have seen reported. The site looks like a port. Maybe they would take sand & gravel here and load it on a train. I would say that the barge that appears to have been powered, it has a pilot house. I don't think it is wrecked there I think it was abandoned there when the operation was stopped.
> 
> Wish I would have climbed up on it and tried to see in the pilot house to see if there was anything left of it.



This is very cool Gramps. I've always wanted to head up that way, but never made it happen.


----------



## C.U. Fishin (Jun 20, 2012)

fender66 said:


> Gramps50 said:
> 
> 
> > I was talking to a young man at George Winter park and he told me that there is a sunken barge in the Meramec just up river from Valley Park, I'm guessing between Valley Park and Castlewood. Anyone know anything about this?
> ...



Found this out the hard way, luckily I had a spare prop shear pin with me, now I never leave the ramp without one. Still no fun having to change it on the bank of the Meremac.


----------



## archinstl (Jul 26, 2012)

bulldog said:


> There is a steel barge on the Meramec about 50 yards upstream from the East bound lanes of HWY 44 on the East side of the river. Looks like the perfect noodling spot if it were legal. You can see it from the highway if the water is at normal pool up to maybe +3 feet.


This is actually the remains of the sternwheel steamer _Betsy Ann_, a very famous boat.
She was converted into a dock before WWII by the Meramec Power Boat Club. Her pilot wheel is in the Steamboat Museum at Bee Tree park.
More information is a bit down this page: https://www.cincinnativiews.net/steam_boats_2.htm
I was just down at Possum Woods Park, which is directly across from the derelict; quite a bit is visible, due to the low water. Access can also be gotten by descending the steep bank at the intersection of Soccer Park Road and Yarnell Road, on the West side of the river.


----------



## Sidewinder (Jul 29, 2012)

That is cool.


----------



## dherberg (Feb 10, 2014)

This was taken through the chain link fence which is on an old concrete platform used by the gravel pit in Sherman. I grew up around Sherman & my wife lived there. This is an old gravel pit barge.


----------



## fender66 (Feb 10, 2014)

This is still a very cool post to me. I have to get up there sometime. Very interesting!


----------



## dherberg (Feb 10, 2014)

The Meramec River, like most rivers once used for commerce, have a lot of "skeletons" buried in the banks and sunken in the river bed itself. Up river from Pacific MO, you can see old 50s era cars used by the Corps of Engineers to shore up the river bank. It seemed like a good idea at the time. If you go to see it, beware of the metal frames in the river bed as they can skewer a canoe or raft easily.


----------



## panFried (Feb 12, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=276465#p276465 said:


> archinstl » 26 Jul 2012, 21:14[/url]"]
> 
> 
> bulldog said:
> ...



Nice! I always wondered what this skeleton was at one time. Steamer is cool, but I always imagined it as a Civil War relic. Still exciting to see, and I can always continue to dream that there were cannons mounted on it at one time. :lol:


----------

