Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Loss of Land and Beauty
Once, swamps covered vast lands throughout the southeastern United States.
Land lost
Missouri used to boast more than 2.5 million acres of rich swampland. Now the land has been converted and drained for farming as well as logged for timber. To date, Missouri has lost 97% of its swamps.
Beauty vanished
Thousands of animal species rely on swamps. With the loss of swamps comes the loss of these animals:
Carolina parakeet, ivory-billed woodpecker and Backmann's warbler
A future uncertain
Fragmenting wetlands can affect the fate of swamp animals in Missouri.
Swamp rabbit Alligator snapping turtle Western chicken turtle Western mud snake Mississippi green water snake Three-toed amphiuma Illinois chorus frog Cypress minnow Starhead topminnow Swamp darter Alligator gar Baldcypress katydid
Erected by Saint Louis Zoo.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment • Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources.
Location. 38° 38.14′ N, 90° 17.249′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bringing Back the Beauty (here, next to this marker); Nest of the Bald Eagle (a few steps from this marker); Tale of the Swamp Rabbit (within shouting distance of this marker); A Century of Free Flight (within shouting distance of this marker); Our Endangered Gorrillas (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gorilla (about 300 feet away); Two Species - One Fate (about 400 feet away); Threats and Solutions (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Louis.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Giant of the Swamp (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on March 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 262 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 28, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
