5/14 Arrow Rock Historic State Park, MO

I had made reservations for two nights at this state park because it was supposed to have a lot of little shops and demonstrations going on.  It is a small town founded in the early 1800s when the Missouri River ran past the area.  That made it an important port city for people heading up or down the Missouri River.  The entire small village is now a National Historic Landmark because it was also the place on the river where travelers crossed to begin their journeys on the Santa Fe Trail.  Two fires, the changing path of the Missouri River, and the advent of railroads caused the town to decline economically.   

It sounded like an interesting place, but I discovered when I arrived that their season did not really begin until Memorial Day, so most of the buildings were closed.  It was a beautiful day and was able to take a tram tour--as the only passenger--so I learned a lot of the history anyway, but it was disappointing to find the place so deserted. 

In any case, here are some photos I took while there.  I parked at the visitor center parking lot and walked across the walkway to the town.   

 I found this small turtle trying to find his way across the path.  I looked him up and he/she is an ornate box turtle.

 

Here are some signs describing the town:

   

One of the interesting things about this town were the sidewalks and the original rock draining ditches along the street.

Some of the buildings that were reconstructed in the mid-1800s after the second fire.  Notice that little walkway bridges over the stone gutters. 

I could not resist taking a photo of this almost-two-year-old Great Dane puppy who was still trying to be a lapdog!  The humans gave me permission to take this photo. 

Some of the buildings in the town.   Most have had substantial renovations to replace roofs and things like windows. 

This sign describes the grey home in the next photo. Note that it is a private residence.  In fact, many of the stores on the main street have living space above and there are some more modern (early 1900s) in the town that existed before it was made into a state park, so 56 people live in town. 

  

This used to be an old church, but now it has summer musicals which attract a lot of people. 

Since it was only 1:00 pm when I was done and the campsite I had was in the woods, meaning no satellite TV, I decided to abandon it and head farther west to my next stop near Lawrence, KS.  I had reservations for the next six days and knew the campground would be empty on a Sunday, so off I went!  Sunday night is one of my favorite nights for TV!