In the Great Flood of 1913 , the main bridge was destroyed along with several factories causing extensive damage to the city 's economy . St. Louis families would board the trains for summer vacations , weekends , or second family homes along the Meramec River . Clubhouses were built on the banks of the Meramec . Some of those clubhouses stood until the 1990s . The 1992 and 1993 floods destroyed them beyond repair . The remains were removed in order to allow for construction of the Meramec Valley River Basin Levee . The levee had a major flood test in March 2008 ; it saved Valley Park from a devastating flood . Most of the town also survived major flooding of the Meramec in 2015 and 2017 , which forced closings of interstate and state roads in the area , and flooded other small towns . The intersection of Highway 141 and Interstate 44 was flooded and closed from December to January 2016 . This area flooded again in 2017 , cutting off wide areas of cross-country traffic
Great Flood of 1913
Great Flood of 1913
Valley Park, Missouri