Category Archives: Opinion

by Don Corrigan

Environmental  book author and EE reporter Don Corrigan is looking for skinny-dipping tales from Missouri outdoor enthusiasts for a paper presentation in Atlanta this spring. He can be reached by email at: corrigan@timesnewspapers.com.

Corrigan’s paper, “Skinny Dipping & Happiness,” has been accepted for presentation at the annual convention of the Popular Culture Association of America in Atlanta in April.

When the Founding Fathers wrote about “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” they neglected to emphasize how integral skinny-dipping was to happiness in a new land, according to Corrigan.

“Less than 100 years later, Mark Twain, a son of Missouri and America’s premiere scribe, captured the joy of skinny-dipping when writing about Huck Finn swimming in the Mississippi River just east of Hannibal’s Cardiff Hill,” Corrigan said.

Twain conveyed the sense of youthful freedom associated with swimming naked in rivers, a popular 19th century pastime. The act of skinny dipping became a literary motif for innocence, connection with nature, and youthful rebellion against prudish convention and traditional mores.

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by Don Corrigan

After the historic Snowmaggedon winter storm of 2026, the Wine Country organization known as Magnificent Missouri offers real hope: “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow After.” If you don’t believe Annie from the musical, “Annie,” you can believe Magnificent Missouri.

Magnificent Missouri is an environmental and historical conservation organization focused on preserving the last 100 miles of the Missouri River Valley and the Katy Trail. Key 2026 initiatives included the “Sweet Corn Sunday” and the “Treloar Elevator Party,” Both of which celebrate rural, agricultural heritage.

The organization has worked with partners to manage native prairies, remove invasive species, and plant trees along the Katy Trail. Bikers and hikers appreciate the many trail improvements that the organization has made to benefit outdoor enthusiasts.

Magnificent Missouri has published a number of leaflets and quality books celebrating the beautiful nature sites of Missouri. The new book project  “Trails Across Missouri,” is a book that documents the great progress on the  Katy and Rock Island trails in Missouri.

Next time you are in Missouri Wine Country, check out the Katy Trail at Dutzow and Marthasville, the Peers Store where the Peers Store Music Series is held, and the amazing architecture and history at Treloar.

By Don Corrigan

Low water in the Meramec and other Missouri rivers can reveal skeletons of the past, including those of old steamboats. Remains of the good ship Betsy Ann can be found in the Meramec near Kirkwood.

Betsy Ann’s rusty hull can be seen near the Meramec banks in low water across from Emmenegger Park in Kirkwood. This defunct river steamer should not be confused with the Betsy Ann that plies the Mississippi near Biloxi, Miss.

“The boat carried U.S. Mail from Natchez, Mississippi to Bayou Sara, Louisiana,” explained Drew A. Walters, who did research for an article on the Betsy Ann for his Eureka Historical Society Facebook site.

According to Walters, the Betsy Ann changed hands several times through the years. The boat was in three steamboat races in the 1920s in the Ohio River before making it to St. Louis.

The Betsy Ann raced steamboat Chris Greene in 1928 and steamboat Tom Greene in 1929  and 1930. From 1930 to 1931, the boat operated on several different routes from Pittsburgh.

“In 1932, it was sold again and used to push barges,” according to Walters. “In 1940, the top half was demolished in St. Louis and the hull was briefly used by the Wood River Refining Company at Wood River, Illinois.

“She was then sold to the Meramec Power Boat Club, a club based at the Sylvan Beach Resort at 11991 Stoneywood Drive in Sunset Hills,” added Walters. “During the late 1940s, facilities for the club were built on the hull and the boat became an excursion boat for both the club and the resort.”

In 1952-53, the boat sank during a flood. The boat’s carcass has sat in the Meramec River near the Meramec Greenway since that flood more than 70 years ago.

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By Don Corrigan

Reports of the death of the Grainbelt Express have been greatly exaggerated. After years of back and forth between the Missouri Legislature and the Missouri Courts, the Grain Belt Express may still moving forward.

Ameren Missouri has given the project a shot in the arm. Ameren plans to build a nearly 30-mile transmission line through Callaway and Montgomery Counties to connect local substations with the Grain Belt Express, a major multistate power line carrying renewable energy from Kansas to Indiana.

Ameren submitted its proposal to the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) in November and does still need regulatory approval before construction can begin.

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