A History of Washington University Tyson Research Center

Linda Gussman

Gail Lima

Biology 580

December 22, 1977

The 2373 acres known as the Washington University Tyson Research Center located on the north side of highway 1-44 between Valley Park and Eureka was originally included in the properties of two families, the Rankins and the Minckes. In the late 1800's the majority of the land was included in the Rankin estate, a wealthy family from Europe. The Rankins had a farm located just outside the Tyson border near the railroad tracks. The Rankins had some grazing animals, sheep, and cows that were- free to roam through out Tyson Park. The railroad tracks located outside the fences are those of the San Francisco - St. Louis train laid in 1873. The coming of the railroad brought industry to the area. Resources that had otherwise been untapped in this area could now be utilized and transported easily to the city by train.

In 1878 an area near the railroad in Tyson was leased from the Henry Mincke family for fifty years. A quarry was set up here to mine the limestone in the area. This area was known as Mincke Hollow. It was a hilly area where about fifteen houses were built.

They were small three to four room houses. A small area would be cleared to build each house and provide a small yard. The residents of Mincke would remain there for only fifty years until the lease expired. These people were a type of migrant worker, they lived where they, found work. When the quarry ended in Mincke they would go on to- the next job. There wasn't any farming in Mincke the land in Tyson is extremely rocky. The people didn't have much livestock; there were only about two cows in the town. Food would have to be brought in by train or most often from Valley Park. Mincke was designed to meet the needs of the community. There was a schoolhouse in the town the furthest of the structures located down the road from the quarry. The schoolhouse was built to accommodate the workers' children and the children from nearby Crescent. There was also a general store located near the railroad tracks and a boarding house opposite the quarry. The boarding house would accommodate the workers who came in by train to work for the week and return home on the weekends. The road that went through Mincke was lined with the houses on either side. It would be periodically covered with cinders from the kiln'. The quarry was located above this road on the cliff. The receding line of the cliff today suggests the former state of the hill. Located below the quarries were the kilns. There was a road that went 'up the side of the hill from the railroad 'to the quarry. A train switch had been laid on this road to enable, the men to easily transfer the limestone down to the kilns to be processed and then to the railroad tracks to be transported by train. If one walks through Mincke today evidence of the areas' past activities still retain. Foundations from the homes, the general store, and the kilns can still be found among the remnants of this ghost town. In the caves the holes that were used to place the explosives for blasting are visible. The lease on Mincke expired in 1928. Everyone moved on abandoning their homes. (see map #1)

The Rankin family leased out a small portion of their land near the Blue Spring, which is now part of the ecological reserve, around 1939. The set up in Blue Springs was similar to that of Mincke Hollow. Blue Springs had a sawmill and about nine houses for the workers. Lumbering was done through out this area and most of Tyson Park except the area that was once Mincke Hollow. Extensive strip clearing was done in approximately forty feet long by five feet wide sections up and back. The clearing was not selective, that would involve much more effort than could be afforded. Black and white oaks would be selected from the trees cut and delivered to a barrel company in Pacific to construct barrel staves. Erosion resulting from this strip clearing is visible on a jagged exposed path in the ecological reserve. The military department claimed the area of Tyson Park when World War II broke out terminating the lease in Blue Springs and forcing all inhabitants to vacate. (see map #2)

The government used Tyson through World War II as an ammunition depot and turned it over to the county for a short time only to reclaim it with the start of the Korean War. In 1951 after World War II, St. Louis County placed a herd of elk and bison in the, park only to be eliminated by the army during their stay for he Korean War. Removal of the entire herd was completed between October 9, 1958 and March 2, 1959. The herd, which totaled 103 elk was removed for safety reasons and because of insufficient funds to adequately feed the herd in the winter. During the army’s' claim of Tyson they constructed roads and 52 bunkers of reinforced concrete for powder storage. These bunkers and various other buildings were not apparent from the air. The depot was designed in such a fashion to protect it in the event of an enemy attack. The army used Tyson for both powder storage and testing of arms and ammunition. (see map #3)

Tyson was conveyed to Washington University by Quit Claim Deed #SA-VI-10 on October 2, 1963. The metamorphisis that has occurred in the area since the time of the Blue Springs settlement and Mincke Hollow can be clearly seen in the rapid growth of the forest. The growth has been quite extensive since 1941 when the area was under massive strip clearing. This growth can be clearly traced in aerial photographs available from the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service Office. Changes in the area are also visible in the water sources. There are three sources; Blue Grass, Mincke, and #35 Igloo Springs that were classified as unreliable resources in the July 1966 report by the Campus Planning Office. Yet Blue Grass and Mincke Springs were the major water sources for their respective inhabitants.

In a summary report from July of 1975 the areas' diversity was characterized. There was found to be a four hundred foot difference in elevation between the lowest and highest points. Tyson was classified by percentages: 83% oak-hickory forest, 10% maintained mowed fields, and 5% space around buildings. The specie diversity was categorized as follows:

16 species of algae

500 species of plants

39 species of mammals

115 species of birds

32 species of reptiles

15 species of amphibians.

Since Washington University has taken claim to the site they have utilized it in various ways. The buildings in Tyson are used for storage by various departments in the university and as laboratories for professors and research persons. Tyson is open for visitors and is an outdoor classroom for students.

References

Mrs. Walter Brandenburg 314-822-2145

former teacher in Mincke Hollow school house

317 North Harrison

Kirkwood, Missouri

Dr. Richard Coles 314-938-5346 (office)

Director of Tyson Research Center

Mr. William Hendrix 314-587-7538

314-587-3266

resident and logger in Blue Springs

Crescent, Missouri

Ms. Florence Mason 314-587-7538

student of Mincke Hollow school house

Lewis Road

Crescent, Missouri

Mrs. Florence Jones Terry 314-587-7878

Lewis Road

Crescent, Missouri

Washington University Archives

Reports by: Campus Planning Office

Summary Reports

St. Louis Post Dispatch, March 3, 1974, Renken, Tim. "Herd at Lonely Elk Park".

The Journal of Wildlife Management, Volume 27, Number 3, July, 1963. Murphy, Dennis. "A Captive Elk Herd in Missouri".