A shot similar to this ran on the front page of The Missourian June 26, 1967, along with a story headlined “River Keeps Rising.” Then, as now, people gravitated to the riverfront to experience the power of the rushing flood waters. (Click on any photo to make it larger.)
Missing Cape landmarks
There are two Cape landmarks in this photo that you won’t see today: the tall, white smokestack at the shoe factory and the smaller stack at the power plant north of it.
The river’s coming up, but both floodgates are still open.
Cape river gauge
The negative sleeve is marked June 24, 1967, but the photos didn’t run until June 26. The story says that the river was at 32.88 feet and expected to crest at 33.3 feet, 1.3 feet above flood stage.
Honker’s Boat Dock
I must have worked my way north from the riverfront, because the rest of the roll was taken in that direction. Here’s a car getting ready to launch a boat at what was then called Honker’s Boat Dock in the Red Star District north of the shoe factory.
Shoe factory smokestack
Here’s another view of the shoe factory smoke stack from Honker’s. I must have talked my way onto the boat that was being launched to get this angle.
Twin Trees Park?
The next two shots are a mystery, but they look a little like Twin Trees Park. Can anyone confirm that? I know that a lot of you never saw the park in the daylight, so it might be a little tough.
Picnic next to the floodwaters
I don’t recall the land going up that steeply behind Twin Trees and I don’t see the railroad tracks that run behind it. If it’s not Twin Trees, where is it?
Another mystery photo
Here’s another shot north of Cape I can’t identify. I’m going to guess that it’s north of Twin Trees along East Cape Rock Drive.
Need boat to get to garden, chicken and cow
A similar shot in The Missourian says that Otis Phillps, East Cape Rock Drive, and his daughter, Becky, are forced to use a boat to get to their garden, chickens and cow.
Cape Creek or Juden Creek?
The photo caption continues: “The Mississippi River has backed into Cape Creek, causing the smaller stream to overflow into the Twin Trees Park area.” My topographic map doesn’t show a Cape Creek in that area, but there is a Juden Creek. Has it been renamed or did it go by multiple names like Cape LaCroix creek was also called 3-Mile Creek?
Controversial dam
The same week, I did a story about a controversial dam farmers erected near Dutchtown to protect their fields.
I would guess Otis is Dave Phillips Father. Dave ran 2 mile track events and Cross Country for Central and was All State two or three years straight during high school. I think he graduated in “67”. I saw him sometime in the early 80s and he noted that he had discovered why everyone was at Twin Trees on weekend nights.
I remember seeing a cow stranded on a little hill surrounded by flood waters at Dave Phillips’ house. I didn’t know Dave personally but I do remember that he ran to and from school every day.
The picture of the picnickers (sp) looks like a place where we used to picnic out at Moccasin Springs where my mother grew up, now known as Trail of Tears Park. I’m not positive of it though. Pretty sure it’s not Twin Trees although it would be difficult to determine in the daylight 🙂 for some people.
There was a picture in The Missourian a couple of days earlier that was taken out at Trail of Tears, but the Google archive photo was too dark for me to see if I recognized it. There’s a good chance I’ve got another roll or two kicking around that I haven’t found yet that would put those two mystery shots at Trail of Tears.
I would think that your Cape creek would be Cape LaCroix as it is an early flooder when the river is up. Just a guess.
No, it’s not Cape LaCroix Creek because that was in South Cape. The photo caption specifically says it was taken on East Cape Rock Drive near Twin Trees.
That puts it in the northern part of the world.
Maybe twin trees near the bridge to 177? My sister and I took her Jeep down in that area to go “mudding” it had a few steep sides to it. Perhaps just north of the circle turn-around. The tracks aren’t AS visible from there if I can remember correctly after 13 years.