Folklore has it that it formed into the shape of a broken heart after an incident of unrequited love between a French fur trader and a local Native American woman.

[5] In December 2003, construction for the Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park Bridge, which is part of Missouri Route 364, was completed.

[5] Originally a resort,[7] Creve Coeur Lake, which is 320 acres (1.3 km2),[4] had hosted many boating events decades before the park officially opened.

[8] It also hosted the Creve Coeur Regatta[9] and the Annual Races of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen in 1904 (the rowing competition for the 1904 Summer Olympics),[10][11] and it was the site where local sculler Jacob Gaudaur often competed, including his victory over John Teemer in a sculling match in 1884.

Gangsters and hoodlums also frequented the saloons, restaurants, and nightclubs located at the lakefront adding to the unsavory reputation it had at the time.