Since we live in the state that touts the Ozarks, how many of us actually know where the Ozark Mountains are? When I was about 16 years old, I worked at a gas station in the south county area. While I was filling up a gas tank for some customers, they asked me, “Where are…
The history along the Oregon Trail has tried to be collected and saved throughout the years. Some of the routes and stories have been changed a bit by organizations trying to get their name and works better known for those who are to come along latter. According to the 1850 census, one-quarter of the Oregon…
Although many pioneers started from other parts east and south of Missouri, the greatest majority passed through Missouri and left for the Oregon Trail around St. Joseph, Missouri. With 500 to 600 thousand people passing through this one area it must have been a busy place from 1840 to1860. Not only did many tons of…
Last spring I took a trip to try to rediscover the Boone’s Lick Road across eastern Missouri. I was looking for the 32 pink granite Boone’s Lick Road markers that were erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the State of Missouri in 1913. Along my trip I found 20 of the 32 markers…
When I recently suggested a road trip north of St. Louis to my family, and they weren’t quite sure what to expect. The truth was I felt the same. I prefer exploring spots south of I-44 in Missouri, so this was a step outside of my comfort zone. What can I say? It was a…
We have not been around much the last month-and-a-half, as we have been following the Oregon Trail, literally! We started out, as most of the immigrant pioneers started, either by crossing the Mississippi River or traveling from different parts of Missouri. The biggest questions are why did so many people come across Missouri (the Gateway…
The next time you are traveling along Interstate 70 between Columbia, Missouri, and St. Louis, plan on getting off the highway at Exit 170. Here at the Danville Exit there are some interesting historical sites right on the north outer road. Just go a little way east on the north outer road for three blocks…
(Editor’s note: This is the third of a three-part series — Day 3: The Historic Markers.) I discovered 20 of the 32 Daughters of the American Revolution granite markers, and other historic markers, on my two-day trip to explore the Boone’s Lick Road through eastern Missouri from St. Louis to Boone’s Lick State Historic Site. …
