Louis. Times Beach developed as a popular weekend and summer recreational area over the following decade. Prone to flooding, many of the town’s first buildings were built on stilts. Louis residents, the investors touted the potential for summer homes just 17 miles away from downtown St. Buyers could purchase the lots with just $10 down and a $2.50 monthly installment. Focusing primarily on St. In an effort to boost its lagging subscriptions, the newspaper company subdivided the property into 6,000 lots measuring 20 x 100 feet each and sold single lots with newspaper subscriptions for $67.50.
Louis Star-Times newspaper purchased a triangular parcel wedged between the Meramec River (northeast) and Frisco Railroad tracks (west) near the present Meramec River Bridge. Times Beach was founded in 1925 as a summer resort just prior to Route 66’s designation as a federal highway.
