Why Are Secret Towers in the Mississippi River?00:16:53

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In the middle of the Mississippi River near St. Louis stand two mysterious stone towers rising straight out of the current. Drivers passing Interstate 270 often mistake them for abandoned river castles or strange Route 66 landmarks but these structures were built for a far more important purpose. Known as the Chain of Rocks intake towers, they were once the front line of St. Louis drinking water system.

Built in 1894 and expanded in 1915, these towers allowed engineers to draw water directly from the Mississippi River and send it through tunnels to the citys massive waterworks plant. Inside, keepers lived for weeks at a time operating intake gates, monitoring river conditions, and defending the system against floods, ice jams, and the powerful currents of one of the muddiest rivers in the world.

In this episode of Its History, we explore the surprising story behind the Mississippi River intake towers from Mark Twains famous criticism of the citys muddy water to the dramatic engineering project that placed fortress-like structures in the middle of Americas most dangerous river.

#MississippiRiver #StLouisHistory #EngineeringHistory

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ITS HISTORY - Weekly Tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash.

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Scriptwriter - Ryan Socash
Editor - Karolina Szwata
Host - Ryan Socash


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