HSOC Corridor Information
From Missouri Outdoor
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center
An Urban Oasis
By Conor Watkins
Powder Valley Conservation Nature
Center, Located in Kirkwood, Missouri, offers
a unique nature center and several miles of trails.
The 112-acre area, administered by the Missouri
Department of Conservation (MDC), is located well
within reach of anyone living in St. Louis and
is very close to both highways I-270 and I-44.
Powder Valley is a good escape for being located
in an otherwise urban area.
The conservation area offers three
trails with a combined length of three miles.
The trails take the visitor into an oak and hickory
forest with rocky ridges and ravines. The Tanglevine
Trail is the shortest trail and is one third of
a mile in length. It is level and handicapped
accessible. Both the Broken Ridge and the Hickory
Ridge trail are longer, steep in sections, and
are not handicapped accessible. The Broken Ridge
Trail is two-thirds mile in length. The Hickory
Ridge Trail consists of two loops totaling 1.2
miles in length and can be made into a half-mile
hike by taking a cutoff. If it wasn't for the
sound of two nearby interstate highways, one would
not know they were in the St. Louis Metro area.
Area brochures describe the area as "An Urban
Oasis.";
The indoor nature center offers
something for all ages. The children's discovery
room offers exhibits such as animal puppets and
a touchable display with bark, skins, and bones.
The center contains an exhibit known as "Trackways"
which is built into much of the floor of the lower
level. Trackways consists of various animal tracks
recreated, as they would appear in the wild. An
interpretive brochure is included in the exhibit.
There are multiple exhibits on wetland ecology
including a 3,000-gallon aquarium filled with
various native Missouri fishes, exhibits on streams,
marshes, and ponds. Other exhibits include the
"Tree Factory" with processes occurring in trees
displayed on a large scale and exhibits encouraging
recycling and environmental conservation. Some
exhibits are seasonal and change throughout the
year.
Powder Valley partially owes its
name to a story dating from the time Civil War.
The story has never been verified so it may not
be accurate, but this piece of Missouri folklore
makes for an interesting tale. Jefferson Barracks,
also located in St. Louis County but farther east
along the Mississippi River, served as an ammunition
storage and provided critical military support.
In 1864, Confederate General Sterling Price and
his Missouri Militia attacked parts of eastern
Missouri including Union, St. Albans, and other
parts of Franklin County. This part of the story
is factual and well supported.
Lore says that Price was closing
in on St. Louis and there was a possibility that
he was going to try and attack St. Louis and Jefferson
Barracks. His most likely approach would have
been a bridge across the Meramec River in Fenton,
MO. This was the last bridge, heading towards
St. Louis, across the Meramec River at this time.
Militiamen on the Union side organized to either
protect or destroy the bridge if absolutely needed.
A large amount of blasting powder, to blow the
bridge if needed, was supposedly stored in caves
near present day Powder Valley. When the Battle
of Pilot Knob, to the south, erupted, General
Price's attentions were turned from St. Louis
and the bridge remained.
This story hasn't been verified
although it is published in brochures and other
historical literature. Some say that such a story
is unlikely for various reasons. The supposed
caves used to store the blasting powder no longer
exist or have never been re-discovered. Multiple
caves and springs were destroyed during the construction
of Interstate Highways 44 and 270. These have
been described as small rat holes barely large
enough for one person to fit. Most Missouri caves
are also relatively humid and are not ideal storage
locations for blasting powder. Although General
Price's Army was large, it was relatively untrained
and defeated by forces of much smaller sizes by
the time it approached St. Louis. At this time,
it was not considered to be much of a threat.
During World War I, Dupont de Nemours
manufactured and stored explosives on the site.
A sign bearing the name of the munitions manufacturer
is still visible within the area. It is most likely
that the use of the land by Dupont to manufacture
explosives gave the site its name.
In 1986, the MDC purchased area
from the Alwal Moore family. Howard and Julia
Sell previously owned the land and it was these
two who named the area "Powder Valley."; Planning
for the center took over 4 years and construction
took around 15 months. The center opened to the
public in October 1991.
To get to Powder Valley from Rolla,
take I-44 east to the Watson Rd. exit (exit 276),
which is just past the large I-44/I-270 interchange.
Turn left onto Geyer Rd. and left again onto Cragwold
Rd. The nature center is located on the right
at 11715 Cragwold Rd., Kirkwood, MO 63122. The
area is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (daylight
savings) and from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (standard
time). The building and area are closed on Christmas,
New Years Day, and Thanksgiving. The phone number
for the area is 314-301-1500.
Thanks to the City of Sunset Hills:
History (http://www.sunset-hills.com/history.html),
the staff at Powder Valley Nature Center (http://www.mdc.mo.gov/areas/cnc/powder/),
"Civil War St. Louis"; by Louis S. Gerteis, and
users of the MOCAVES listserve for assistance
in gathering information for this article.
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