You'll note that it looks as if they had been smeared with tar or something. Not sure what that means, but I feel as though it supports my theory of these things being laid at the time of paving, by a street department worker. I've lost count of these things.
Another thing I found on the same ride, was closer to the river. Riding along the relatively new asphalt path that runs behind the River City Casino and over to Jefferson Barracks, I happened to notice some stuff on the banks of the river. Since there are no leaves on the trees, it was easier to see through them and onto the shore than it would the rest of the year. Check it out:
Rows upon rows of concrete and woden pylons, sloping into the river. It is clear that whatever they had been supporting earlier in their lives is now long gone, though I suspect it was some sort of a boat launch for some old shipyard.
I am familiar with the location of shipyards that were located nearby, originally owned and operated by none other than James Eads, better known for his bridges. These shipyards built many of the famous "ironclads" that get a lot of attention during the Civil War, but as far as I can tell, they were located upstream, right on the other side of the River Des Peres. (Read more info about them here and here.)
However, those shipyard still existed and were operating under the name "Rohan Boat, Boiler and Tank Co." by the year 1933 when this man purchased them and continued making boat after boat for both the US and the USSR until 1984. So I wonder if the shipyards expanded onto both sides of the River Des Peres of the years. Having just looked at www.historicaerials.com I didn't learn much, only that I wish it the images were higher resolution, and I can't definitively see those pylons until the images taken in the 1990's - and they were clearly not being used by anything at that time.
This is what I love about this town, there are a seemingly endless amount of secrets to be told, if you look closely.
