Prior to the 1928 dedication of Meramec State Park near Sullivan, Mo., some people in the community believed it should have been called the “Dill-Pickles State Park.”
Most of the land for the park was purchased from Thomas “Benton” Dill and Julian Pickles, and the unique name was derived from combining the two surnames. Other parcels making up the original park were purchased from Leo and Henry Fisher, Mrs. Jane Coe Brant, and W. N. Dace.
The State of Missouri purchased 5,778 acres of land for the park in 1927 at a cost of $95,220. The state was responsible for naming the new park, but locals put their thinking caps on after a Sullivan newspaper solicited suggestions for names.
