Visit Kimmswick

RIDE ON SAINT LOUIS

Located at 6008 Windsor Harbor Lane in Kimmswick Missouri. Ride on St. Louis, also known as ROSL, is a community-focused not for profit organization, that offers Equine-Assisted therapy. Founded in 1998, the program is dedicated to using equine-assisted therapy to achieve emotional, mental,physical and spiritual benefits for individuals with developmental physical disabilities, youth who are at-risk youth adults in assisted living settings.

The ROSL program provides individuals with disabilities the foundation for achieving improved neurological function and sensory processing. Riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, balance and muscle strength. Riders with intellectual or emotional disabilities often experience increased confidence, patience and self-esteem as a result of the unique bond formed with the horse.

ROSL offers hippotherapy and a therapeutic riding camp in the spring, summer and fall, beginning in late April and extending through the beginning of November. Eight-week hippotherapy sessions are offered in the spring and fall. A six-week session, a mixture of hippotherapy and therapeutic riding, is offered in the summer. Lessons run weekly and biweekly and are held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for one-hour each. The cooler morning hours are especially advantageous during the warmer months. (When school starts, sessions are held in the afternoons to accommodate students' schedules.)

Following one of two curricula attains ROSL objectives: a curriculum for group therapy, the therapeutic riding camp, and a curriculum for individual therapy, hippotherapy. The camp curriculum focuses on the following three major areas of riding therapy:

Stable Management Component. These lessons are intended to provide vocational skills useful for the students who are able to enter the work force. Students learn tasks such as cleaning and bedding stalls, sweeping, raking, feeding, and watering. Supervised grooming, horse care and organization of equipment are integral parts of this component. Stable management lessons complement skills and concepts taught in the classroom component.

Classroom Instruction Component. Classroom instruction includes lessons in animal science, such as basic equine care, nutrition, anatomy, growth and reproduction. Parts and care of appropriate tack* are also taught in the classroom. Lessons relate to life experience as well as to self-help. (* Tack is the gear used in equipping a horse, including saddle, bridle, harness, straps, etc.)

Mounted Component. The mounted component consists of lessons in all phases of horsemanship. The goal of this component is to build confidence and self-esteem, as well as to develop muscle tone and balance. The mounted lesson is always taught by a qualified riding instructor and uses a qualified leader.

Two to three students participate in each one-hour session. The student pair is escorted by an instructor and/or trained volunteer from one area to the next as each component is completed. The first 15 minutes is dedicated to stable management and classroom instruction; 40 minutes is used for therapeutic riding. An Occupational Therapist Assistant utilizes the final 5 minutes to work with each student on stretching and improving muscle flexibility. A registered nurse is on staff and is available to address emergency situations.

For more information please contact Ride On Saint Louis at 636-464-3408 or send them an e-mail at rideonstlouis@juno.com

MASTODON STATE HISTORIC SITE 

Located at 1050 Museum Drive Imperial, Missouri.Mastodon State Historic Site contains an important archaeological and paleontological site - the Kimmswick Bone Bed. Bones of mastodons and other now-extinct animals were first found here in the early 1800s. The area gained fame as one of the most extensive Pleistocene ice age deposits in the country and attracted scientific interest worldwide.

Archaeological history was made at the site in 1979 when scientists excavated a stone spear point made by hunters of the Clovis culture (14,000 - 10,000 years ago) in direct association with mastodon bones. This was the first solid evidence of the coexistence of people and these giant prehistoric beasts.

Today, the 425-acre property preserves this National Register of Historic Places site and provides recreational opportunities. A museum tells the natural and cultural story of the oldest American Indian site one can visit in the state's park system. A full-size replica of a mastodon skeleton highlights the exhibits. A picnic area, several trails and a special-use campground offer chances to explore the land where the lives of Native Americans and mastodons once intertwined.

For more information you may call the museum at 636-464-2976.

ANHEUSER MUSEUM & ESTATE

The ancestral home of Fred and Mabel Ruth Anheuser, affectionately known to many as Fredmar Farms, is located in Kimmswick, Missouri just 25 miles south of downtown St. Louis. This historic estate was gifted to Fred and Mabel Ruth in the 1940's by his father, W. Fred Anheuser. Fred's great grandfather, Eberhard Anheuser, was the founder of E.Ahneuser Brewing Company. The brewery later became the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company, producer of world famous Budweiser Beer, after Eberhard's daughter Lillie married Adolphus Busch. Fred was the last Anheuser to work the brewery retiring as a Vice-President.

Fred passed away in 1984 and his beloved wife Mabel Ruth followed him in death in 2000. Through the generosity of Mabel Ruth and her heirs, this pristine river estate and its 23-acre grounds were donated to the City of Kimmswick. With the help of the Anheuser heirs, family and brewery artifacts and other memorabilia have been preserved for public viewing in honor of the contributions that the Anheuser family made to Kimmswick and the entire St. Louis region.

The Anheuser collection includes family heirlooms, antiques, portraits, and a family library. Accenting the collection are Mrs. Anheuser's Westward Ho Crystal collection, a pair of 1904 hand-carved World's Fair beds, and an original "Feasting Fox" perched on the bluffs overlooking the mighty Mississippi. The grounds feature splendid views of the river and its indigenous wildlife. Bald Eagles are often spotted soaring above the river bluffs. The grounds also include several outdoor arenas occupied by the beautiful riding horses still stabled at Fredmar Farms in memory of Mabel Ruth who was an accomplished equestrian.

For information on group tours, please contact Kaye or Jeff with the City of Kimmswick at 636-464-7407. Reservations for groups of 25 or more are offered at a reduced rate.

Windsor Harbor Road Bridge

Built in 1874 this bridge which spans Rock Creek and is now on the National Register, is the oldest known wrought iron span in Missouri. It is the same age as the Eads Bridge in Saint Louis. The Keystone Bridge Company constructed this bridge to be placed across the River des Peres at Ivory Avenue. It remained there until 1928 when it was replaced by a new bridge. The bridge was moved to Kimmswick and put in place in 1930. The bridge is only open to pedestrian traffic and is located at the intersection of Mill Street and Front Street.