Grant's Trail

Grant’s trail was once part of the Missouri pacific railroad line. Freight trains would come from Kirkwood on their way to the Mississippi River via this route and cross by ferry for eastern connections. This section was known as the Carondelet or Kirkwood Branch and provided an alternative to crowded downtown rail lines. The ferry closed in 1940 and this portion of rail line was abandoned in 1990.

It was purchased by Trailnet in 1991 under the Rails to Trails Act. The trail is a 75 acre corridor 100 feet wide and 6.2 miles long running mostly parallel to Gravois Creek.

Construction of the trail began in 1994. By September 18th, when the trail officially opened, 800 feet had been paved, two additional miles were graveled, and the first bridge, Dillman Birdge, had been built. St. Louis County Executive “Buzz” Westfall commemorated this milestone with a ribbon cutting ceremony, and the trail was named the Carondelet Greenway.

The Early Days:

In the early days of this trail most of the physical work was performed by volunteers including boy scouts, cyclists, Trailnet board members and staff, and AmeriCorps. In fact, the Dillman Bridge - the first bridge from the trailhead at Orlando’s Garden - was named after Trailnet board member Bob Dillman who, with a small volunteer crew, actually built it.

The construction of the trail was truly an example of community involvement. AmeriCorps volunteers worked six weeks preparing the trail for major construction. They planted trees, worked on sewers and culverts, cleared brush and did much of the work at Grasso Springs Pond. Other volunteers did supplemental construction on the trails including fences and culverts. There were 21 Eagle Scout projects which added such things as safety signage, landscaping, bridges, erosion control, mile markers, mulch bins and rest areas.

It took nearly three more years before another four miles were paved. Pat Jones, widow of Ted Jones, the father of the Katy Trail, helped fund acquisition and requested that the name be changed to “Grant’s Trail.” On July 6, 1997, the opening ceremony officially changed the name and turned the trail over to St. Louis County Parks for operation and maintenance. Grant’s Trail is still owned by Trailnet.

The Future:

Future plans include paving the remaining 2.2 miles from Tesshire to Pardee Road. Planning and engineering is presently underway and construction scheduled for 1998. Negotiations could take place with the railroads to acquire another two miles that would extend the trail to Sappington Road.

There are also plans to lengthen the trail ½ mile north of Orlando Gardens to Bayless along the I-55 right-of-way. This effort will be in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

Many water and wildlife attractions can be found along the trial. A natural spring feeds a small pond (Grasso Springs) filled with cattails. This area is located behind the Trailnet Office on Reavis Barracks Road. A small lake, Taylor Lake, located near TV station KMOV will be developed as a wetland.

The Missouri Department of Conservation will fund wetland projects in the near future. The first of these will be construction of an outdoor amphitheatre near Grasso Springs for classroom education. Also included will be comfort stations, picnic areas, and self-guided educational trails with appropriate signage. Taylor Lake will be reopened to the public with benches, plantings and parking added to enhance usage. There are plans for wetland, woodland and prairie demonstration areas.

When completed there will be six bridges along the trail. The Ripa Connector located at Ripa Ave., connects this neighborhood to the trail. The two other unnamed bridges between Union and Highway 21 were constructed by Boy Scouts. Two more “scout” bridges will be built between Highway 21 and Highway 30 (Gravois).

The Koepke St. Louis Bicycle Park is being developed by volunteers on land presently leased from Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD). Located off Mount Olive, this park includes a mountain bike section and a BMX Trail.

When future sections are added, the trail will provide alternative access to recreational areas including Affton Athletic, White Haven National Park (the home of Ulysses S. Grant), Grants Farm and White Cliff Park.

Additional Information:

More information on Grant’s Trail can be found in Walks and Rambles in and around St. Louis by Robert Rubright in the chapter titled “Carondelet Greenway”. Robert Rubright is a member of Trailnet.

Grant’s Trail is unique in that it attracts cyclists, hikers, rollerbladers and naturalists in an urban area adjacent to undeveloped wetlands. There are 35,000 residents located with a 15 minute walking distance from Grant’s Trail. The trail has been in heavy use almost from day one.

DID YOU KNOW?

Trailnet Office: The yellow brick building that now houses Trailnet was once the office of the Grasso Brothers Coal Company. Coal from the freight cars was unloaded in the adjacent lot.

Gravois Creek Tribes: In the 1700’s the Kaskaskia and Tamaron Tribes lived along the Gravois Creek. Later there was a French Trading Post located probably at the Koepke St. Louis Bicycle Park Site. The trading post is believed to have been destroyed when the Knights of Columbus “straightened” the route of Gravois Creek in this area.

Pokertown: Coming towards Union from Tesson Ferry, just past the Clydesdale Park on the east side, is the remains of a quarry where Italians “mined” clay in the late 1800’s. The clay was used to make bricks for the Continental Brick Company. These Italians lived in a nearby settlement known as Pokertown.

Taylor Lake: Warren and Anita Taylor leased property from owner and father Roy Taylor in the Reavis Barracks area. They ran a dairy farm until 1945 when Warren stopped dairying and began Taylor Excavating. Around this time there was a demand for fill dirt. Warren loved to fish. So he sold the fill dirt he got by digging the pond to pay for the excavation costs and created his lake. It was also known as “Pop’s Lake” or “Island Lake” because of the island in the lake.

LOCATION: South St. Louis County
LENGTH: 4 miles one way
DIFFICULTY: Beginner
SURFACE: Asphalt, 12 foot wide
ADA ACCCESSIBLE: Yes