Dozen Distinctive Destinations
Arrow Rock, MO
Year Listed: 2006
Situated on a scenic bluff overlooking the Missouri River, Arrow Rock, Mo., was known to both Native Americans and early explorers long before the town's founding in 1829. It was none other than the famed Lewis and Clark who noted the Arrow Rock bluff and nearby salt licks as they labored up the Missouri River in 1804. With its prime location on the Missouri at the crossroads of the Santa Fe Trail, Arrow Rock was a popular stopping-place for travelers heading west, and the town soon swelled to 1,000, half of whom were African American. Following the Civil War, Arrow Rock remained the center of a rich farming community with a diverse but dwindling population until it was rediscovered in the 1920s by early preservationists, who recognized its historic importance. In fact, because of its unique and timeless appeal, the entire town of Arrow Rock was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Today, the town's cherished river history is interpreted at the Arrow Rock State Historic Site Museum, the Bingham house, built by Missouri's preeminent artist of the 1800s, George Caleb Bingham, and the Huston Tavern, dating back to 1834, once a popular spot for trail travelers and now operated as a restaurant and museum. Visitors enjoy taking walking tours of the old courthouse, a gunsmith's shop and house, an I.O.O.F. lodge hall, a stone jail and other historic buildings. Architecture lovers won't want to miss the town's treasure trove of 19th-century buildings, wooden sidewalks and overhead canopies which line storefronts and recall times long past. Once a church, Arrow Rock's award-winning Lyceum Theatre is now a beautiful 408-seat complex where professional actors from around the country stage Broadway-caliber shows each summer.
