Sunset Greenway

Sunset Greenway. . , Preserving a Slice of Serenity, You are enjoying the environs of Sunset Park, a recreational greenspace that spans 90 acres of spectacular landscape and stretches 3,000 feet along the shore of the Missouri River. It was originally known as Desloge Park after philanthropist Joseph Desloge., As President of the Minerva Oil Company and with the approval of its Board of Directors, Desloge gift-deeded almost 27 acres of land to the City of Florissant in 1961. Union Electric Company leased 13 acres of land adjacent to the Desloge property to the City for $1 annually. Additional land was acquired over time: 15.5 acres purchased from Willis and Luella Ehrhardt in 1963 for $25,000; and the largest parcel of land from William and Molly Riley in 1975 for the sum of $1.00. , In 1964, Junior Park Board Members and the Park Board held a contest to rename the park. Vincent Fonte, Jr. of Florissant won the contest, and was awarded a $25.00 U.S. Savings Bond. In 1967, the park was dedicated as the City of Florissant's fifth major park., Enhancing the Vision, Since its creation, the park has offered a convenient and quiet escape from modern life, where visitors can gaze at the river, hike, picnic, and enjoy all the expressions of the seasons. As part of an effort to improve the community's parks in order to provide more recreational activities for children, a new plan for Sunset Park was enacted in 2004. It included the construction of a Nature Lodge that today overlooks the Missouri River from its bluff vantage point. The Lodge offers area schools an ideal venue for class instruction and experiential learning about ecology, science, and how people can become good stewards of the natural world. , Additional features of the new park plan include a boat marina, walking trails, restroom facilities, a five-acre scout camp, picnic area, park benches, lighthouse, store, and restaurant. A 501c3 charitable foundation was formed in 2004 to help identify funding sources, including organizations and individuals willing to donate money and/or services, to help make the new park vision a reality. , The Missouri River, The Missouri River is the longest river on the North American continent, stretching more than 2,340 miles. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of Southwestern Montana, and flows into the Mississippi River just north of St. Louis on the border of Missouri and Illinois. The Missouri is the second largest tributary of the Mississippi River. Nicknamed The Big Muddy, the Missouri carries 20-25 million (unreadable) of sediment annually, most of which gets washed from the river's floodplain as it meanders, changes course, and erodes soil and rock from its banks. , This section of the Missouri River that flows past Sunset Park is known as Mullanphy Bend. It is located approximately 20 miles from The Confluence, where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi. It was named after philanthropist Bryan Mullanphy, who became Mayor of St. Louis in 1847. Mullanphy was known for his compassionate generosity toward weary, westward-bound immigrants, often from Germany, Ireland, or England, who arrived in St. Louis by steamboat without the money to continue their travels. In 1867, his heirs built the Mullanphy Emigrant Home to temporarily lodge poor travelers until they had sufficient resources to resume their journey. , Wildlife at the River, The land along the Missouri River provides diverse wildlife habitats: dense forests, wetlands, deep valleys, remnant prairies, open pastureland, and gently rolling farm fields. Two hundred years ago, an abundant population of mountain lions, black bears, elk, wolves, prairie chickens and other wildlife called this area home. Today white tail deer, raccoons, rabbits, coyotes, and muskrats can still be seen along the river. Local species of (unreadable) catfish, sturgeon, bullheads, and carp. , Here at Sunset Park, bird watching is especially rewarding. Chickadees, nuthatches, robins, orioles and many types of woodpeckers are common. Birders might be treated to sightings of migrating songbirds and waterfowl including Great Blue Herons, Sandpipers, Canada Geese, and Belted Kingfishers. Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures may be seen soaring above. Even American Bald Eagles can be spotted in the winter. , A Diverse and Lush Habitat, Plant and tree life along the river is diverse and abundant and includes cottonwood, serviceberry, poplar, sycamore and maple trees. The once thick forests of cottonwood trees that grew along the river provided habitat for many birds and animals. Seeds from the cottonwood trees were spread by floodwaters and nourished by the rich silt deposits for which the Missouri River is known. , Colorful, fragrant and/or simply interesting plants found along the river today include the columbine, aster, wild ginger, wild onion, sweet flag and milkweed. , A River of Many Uses, On May 18, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off on their famous expedition, traveling up the Missouri River with three boats carrying 33 people to its headwaters in Montana. In charting their travels, they produced accurate maps of the Northwestern United States that would guide future explorers, and emigrants in the western expansion. , The transportation of goods and people was once a major function of the Missouri River. Traveling by steamboat was common in the 1800s, before the advent of railroads. But navigating the Missouri River in a steamboat was dangerous, particularly during storms. The current was fast, and the river channel - the deepest part of the river - would shift over time. Submerged tree snags could rip open the bottom of a steamboat. Historians have located as many as 400 steamboat wrecks along the Missouri River alone. , Today, millions of people depend on the swift Missouri River for electricity, recreation, navigation, drinking water, irrigation, and industrial needs. Since the 1930s, the river channel has been modified to keep the water flowing for those purposes.