Engineers Week: St. Louis Buries a River

February 20, 2018

Engineers Week: St. Louis Buries a River

Wesley Horner made his mark on the City by putting River Des Peres underground

Three years before H&S was founded, Wesley Horner was Chief Engineer of Sewers and Paving for the City of St. Louis. At this time, Horner wrote an article for Scientific American detailing the extensive design work he performed on the River Des Peres, an undertaking that would form his lasting legacy. At the time, the burying of River Des Peres was the largest public works sewer project in the country. The project greatly improved drainage, protecting property from flooding and limiting the exposure of sewage to the public. River Des Peres would ultimately achieve the status of National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. WW Horner’s article from August 1930 can be read below.