West Newsmagazine 5-3-17

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Valley Park marks centennial with
presentation, ice cream social
By CHARLES BOLINGER
Valley Park turns 100 years old this
month.
The town nestled against the north bank
of the Meramec River will celebrate its
centennial on Friday, May 5 with an oldfashioned
ice cream social and community
open house from 4-8 p.m. at City Hall, 320
Benton Street. Historic memorabilia displays
will be featured and local historian
Doug Schneider will present “Valley Park
Buildings: Past & Present” at 6:30 p.m.
A century ago, almost 40 years after
its split from the county, St. Louis City
remained the population center, with
more than 685,000 residents according
to the 1910 U.S. Census. Much of St.
Louis County was still rural – farmland,
meadows and forest. For
city residents, the Meramec
River became a powerful
magnet with its attractive,
cool breezes, swimming and
other activities. Up to 50
trains a day would shuttle
folks to and from the Meramec
River Valley for vacations,
weekend getaways or
to visit their second homes.
This was decades before air
conditioning, when the hot
and humid summer climate
and urban congestion were
unavoidable for St. Louisans.
Valley Park and other communities along
the river were quick to accommodate those
urban visitors. The city featured two hotels
and hundreds of residents’ summer clubhouses.
Large companies, including the
Grand Leader [later Stix, Baer & Fuller]
and Union Electric [now Ameren Missouri]
developed employee clubs, and tour
boats and barges plied the river.
Archaeologists and historians believe the
town, which grew into Valley Park, was
originally a Mississippian Indian settlement
as early as the mid-18th century until
French and German immigrant farmers
settled the area in the 1760s. Over time,
the town carried many names – Nasby,
Sulphur Springs, Quinette and Meramec
– before becoming known as Valley Park
around 1890. The town had one of the
county’s first post offices and soon became
a railroad hub for the Missouri Pacific and
St. Louis-San Francisco rail lines.
According to a copy of the original
incorporation minutes, dated May 5, 1917,
the city began as 1.746 square miles in
size. The incorporation meeting took place
at the South Side School at 8 p.m. with
Mayor W.J. Vance and the city’s original
seven aldermen in attendance.
In 2010, the most recent year for census
data, the city’s population was listed at
6,942. Today, eight aldermen guide local
government, two from each of the city’s
four wards.
The Valley Park School District, which
links its origin to the opening of Hill School
in 1882, now serves about 1,000 students
and encompasses 4.6 square miles. It
includes a large area of the cities of Valley
Park and Twin Oaks as well as a section of
unincorporated St. Louis County. Recognized
by both U.S. News & World Report
and Newsweek for performance, Valley
Park High School also is a Missouri Gold
Star and national Blue Ribbon School.
Valley Park Middle School is a Missouri
and national School of Character.
The Valley Park Hotel opened in 1904 and closed in 1933.
One of Valley Park’s long-standing businesses,
the Circle Of Concern food pantry,
marks its own historical milestone this year.
“As Circle Of Concern celebrates its
50th year in 2017, we’re proud to mark
the milestone along with our hometown –
Valley Park – as it celebrates 100 years!”
exclaimed Circle’s Executive Director
Cyndi Miller. “We have good friends
in Valley Park. Businesses, Valley Park
schools, our churches, civic organizations
– they all support our mission to feed our
neighbors here.”
Circle Of Concern assists working adults,
children, seniors, disabled people, veterans,
underemployed, homeless individuals
and families, and others who struggle
with poverty and hunger in the geographic
footprint of the Parkway, Rockwood and
Valley Park school districts. Located at
112 St. Louis Avenue, Miller said Circle’s
relationship strengthens the work it does.
“The police and fire departments are responsive
to our every safety and training need.
And our friends at parks and rec make our
annual Run Circles Around Hunger 5K at
the Arnold’s Grove Trailhead in September
possible,” Miller said.
May 3, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
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