Ill-Fated Times Beach, Missouri
Once a vibrant stop along the iconic Route 66, Times Beach, Missouri, now stands as a haunting testament to environmental disaster and the enduring power of nature’s resilience. This once-thriving community, nestled in St. Louis County, met an untimely demise in the early 1980s due to widespread dioxin contamination, transforming it into a ghost town and ultimately, the site of the Route 66 State Park. The story of Times Beach is a cautionary tale, a reminder of the potential consequences of unchecked industrial practices and the devastating impact they can have on communities and the environment.
The origins of Times Beach can be traced back to 1925, a time when the automobile was revolutionizing travel and leisure. In that year, the St. Louis Star-Times newspaper, seeking to bolster its subscription numbers, acquired a strategically located triangular plot of land. This parcel was conveniently situated between the meandering Meramec River to the northeast and the Frisco Railroad tracks to the west, close to where the Meramec River Bridge would later be constructed. The newspaper cleverly subdivided the property into 6,000 individual lots, each measuring a modest 20 by 100 feet. These lots were offered for sale alongside newspaper subscriptions, with an enticing price of $67.50 per lot. To further entice potential buyers, the newspaper offered flexible payment terms: a mere $10 down payment and monthly installments of $2.50.
The marketing strategy proved successful, attracting primarily residents of nearby St. Louis who were drawn to the prospect of owning a summer home just a short 17-mile drive from the bustling downtown area. Over the next decade, Times Beach flourished as a popular weekend and summer recreational retreat. However, its proximity to the Meramec River also made it prone to frequent flooding, leading many of the town’s early structures to be built on stilts to mitigate the risk of water damage.
The designation of Route 66 through Missouri in 1926 further enhanced the town’s accessibility and appeal. Plans were soon underway to reroute the iconic highway through St. Louis, necessitating the construction of a modern bridge to accommodate the increasing automobile traffic crossing the Meramec River. This led to the construction of the 1,009-foot-long, 30-foot-wide steel Warren deck truss bridge, completed in 1931-1932. The bridge stands as a testament to the era of automobile expansion.
As the Great Depression gripped the nation, Times Beach underwent a significant transformation. Many property owners found themselves forced to reside year-round in the small homes that had originally been intended as weekend and vacation cottages. The town’s character shifted from a seasonal resort to a permanent community, albeit one still susceptible to the vagaries of the Meramec River.
In 1935, the Bridgehead Inn opened its doors, quickly becoming a notorious haven for gambling and other illicit activities. The population of Times Beach continued to grow during the 1940s, spurred by road improvements that made commuting more practical and a severe housing shortage in St. Louis. Following World War II, the dream of Times Beach becoming a thriving summer resort faded, hampered by gas rationing and other wartime restrictions. The town evolved into a lower-middle-class community, but residents still enjoyed the recreational opportunities afforded by the area flanking the river, known as Sylvan Beach, which provided opportunities for picnicking, swimming, and boating.
In 1947, Edward Steinberg took over the Bridgehead Inn, cleaned up the establishment, and operated it as Steiny’s Inn until 1972. Route 66 and the Meramec River Bridge continued to contribute to the area’s growth, and in 1956, an auxiliary bridge was built to the south of the original 1931 bridge to accommodate eastbound Route 66 traffic.
By the late 1960s, however, the construction of Interstate 44 had begun, and traffic was permanently rerouted to the 1956 bridge, relegating the Meramec River U.S. 66 Bridge to local traffic. The shift marked a decline in the prominence of Times Beach as a major thoroughfare stop.
The seeds of the town’s ultimate downfall were sown in the early 1970s. Facing a chronic dust problem due to its many unpaved roads and lacking the financial resources to pave them, the city hired waste hauler Russell Bliss to oil the roads. Between 1972 and 1976, Bliss sprayed waste oil on the town’s roads as a dust control measure.
Bliss had previously used this technique to control dust in horse stables. In 1971, the spraying of waste oil resulted in the death of 62 horses. The stable owner immediately suspected Bliss of contamination, but Bliss assured them that it was simply engine oil.
Unbeknownst to the city and the stable owners, Bliss had subcontracted to haul waste for the Northeastern Pharmaceutical and Chemical Company (NEPACCO), which operated a facility in Verona, Missouri. During the Vietnam War, this facility had been a producer of Agent Orange, and the waste clay and water removed from the plant contained levels of dioxin some 2,000 times higher than the dioxin content in Agent Orange. Bliss would later claim that he was unaware that the waste contained dioxin. In the meantime, he was spraying the dirt roads of Times Beach, as well as area horse stables, with the lethal material.
As horses continued to die at area stables, the owners contacted the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which launched an investigation in 1979. When a NEPACCO employee confessed that the company handled dioxin, the government sued NEPACCO in 1980.
The EPA began visiting Times Beach in 1982, taking samples and tests that revealed dangerously high levels of dioxin in the soil. In December 1982, the Meramec River flooded, further spreading the contamination throughout the town and surrounding areas. On December 23, residents were informed that the entire city was contaminated. Panic ensued, and every illness and animal death was attributed to dioxin exposure. President Ronald Reagan formed a dioxin task force to study the effects of the chemical, and in early 1983, the EPA announced the town’s buyout for $32 million.
By 1985, the entire population of more than 2,000 residents had been evacuated, except for one elderly couple who refused to leave. An executive order from the Missouri Governor disincorporated the town. The entire site was quarantined as residents moved on to other areas, forever marked by the tragedy. The residents who moved faced the continued worry about the long-term health effects of the contamination. Furthermore, the widespread press coverage at the time led to former Times Beach residents being shunned by their new neighbors, who feared the contamination. It was the largest civilian exposure to dioxin in U.S. history.
Thousands of lawsuits were filed against Bliss, NEPACCO, and its subcontractors. While Bliss’ practices were questioned, he was never implicated or convicted of a crime. As for the lawsuits involving the chemical companies, no laws were in effect that regulated hazardous waste disposal at the time of disposal.
For years after the evacuation, the site sat silently behind barricades, protecting the public from the toxic threat while the Federal Government decided what to do.
During 1996 and 1997, the government removed 265,000 tons of contaminated soil and debris from Times Beach and 28 other sites in eastern Missouri at a cost of $110 million. An incinerator was built on the Times Beach site by Syntex, the parent company of NEPACCO. After the soil was incinerated, the incinerator was dismantled, and the site was turned over to the State of Missouri.
The 1983 federal government buyout of the town was the first such event in the nation. The Times Beach tragedy brought dioxin to national attention, and the EPA continued to locate and clean up dozens of other toxic waste dumps throughout the nation. It also pushed for the passage of new environmental laws regulating waste disposal.
Though dioxin has been connected to cancer, skin diseases, immune disorders, and birth defects, the long-term effects on the exposed residents remain unknown.
After the site was turned over to the State of Missouri with the EPA’s assurance that the land was safe, Missouri began to develop plans for the site, and the idea of the Route 66 State Park began to take shape.
The 419-acre Route 66 State Park opened in October 1999. Today, the park includes a section of old Route 66, including the historic bridge across the Meramec River. The visitor center, housed in a 1935 roadhouse that was once Steiny’s Inn, features a museum on the historic highway, as well as the history of Times Beach and the environmental cleanup efforts.
The park itself offers more than seven miles of trails for hiking, biking, and equestrian use. Visitors can observe various wildlife, including turkey, geese, deer, and more than forty species of birds. Picnic sites are plentiful, and a boat ramp provides easy access to the Meramec River. Route 66 State Park is located on I-44 at exit 266.
After visiting the Route 66 State Park, visitors can continue on the Mother Road through Eureka on their way to the Pacific area. While in Eureka, one can visit the Six Flags Theme Park for a wild roller coaster ride or check out the Wild Canid Center, a breeding facility for endangered wolves worldwide.
The story of Times Beach serves as a poignant reminder of the delicate balance between human progress and environmental responsibility. Its transformation from a bustling community to a contaminated ghost town and, ultimately, a state park stands as a testament to both the destructive potential of environmental negligence and the enduring power of nature to heal and reclaim.