A real photo view of the bridge and Steiny's. Times Beach was on the west bank. Times Beach was founded as a promotion by the St Louis Times newspaper in 1925. Waste oil was sprayed on the dusty streets in the 1970's. After a disastrous flood in 1982, residents learned the oil was contaminated with dioxin. The town was leveled and the decontaminated site is now Route 66 State Park.