Serenity a Autumn Walk
by Peggy Franz
Title
Serenity a Autumn Walk
Artist
Peggy Franz
Medium
Photograph - Photography/landscape
Description
This was captured in a walk I took at Castlewood park in Missouri. So peaceful and beautiful.In the early 1900s, the area that’s now Castlewood State Park was a popular retreat for partying St. Louisans. The dance clubs are gone, but the winding Meramec River and the lush valley that surrounds it remain. The park has hiking and mountain biking trails that range from those great for first-time riders to ones that even the most experienced will return to time after time. The park is considered one of the best mountain biking locations in the St. Louis area. Good fishing, broad meadows filled with wildlife, and plenty of recreational facilities make the park a favorite for people who want an adventure or just to get away.City dwellers flocked to Castlewood for weekends of water fun, dancing and clubhouse partying. The grand staircase at the Castlewood depot led to a big hotel, seasonal cabins and clubs. At the bottom of the palisade bluffs, visitors ferried across the river to a large sandbar known as Lincoln Beach. At the height of Castlewood's popularity, more than 10,000 visitors would descend on the area each summer weekend.
Following World War II, visitation to Castlewood steadily declined due to air conditioning, better roads and affordable vehicles. Numerous attempts were made to preserve the resortlike quality of the area, and a citizen conservation group, the Open Space Council of St. Louis, helped the state acquire the land that in 1974 became Castlewood State Park. The park is the centerpiece of the Meramec River Recreation Association (MRRA), established in 1975 for the protection and preservation of the Meramec River corridor.
The park straddles both sides of the Meramec River and stretches in linear fashion for nearly five miles. It incorporates much of the old resort area, including the grand staircase and Lincoln Beach. Castlewood had one of the first piped water systems outside of St. Louis that supplied water to the hotels and cabins. Water from a well along the river was pumped to a cistern atop the bluffs, which remains in the park
http://mostateparks.com/park/castlewood-state-park.
Uploaded
October 7th, 2013
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