Jefferson County - East-West Gateway Coordinating Council

A Regional Overview All-Hazard Mitigation Plan
1,000 Steps Trail. The three hiking trails at Washington State Park provide every
experience, from an easy stroll with bluff-top views of the river to a vigorous
excursion through 10 miles of rugged Ozark terrain.
Park visitors also can enjoy camping, fishing and swimming -- in a modern pool,
or in the Big River. Available for rental are canoes and comfortable cabins with
fully equipped kitchens.
Due to storm damage, portions of Washington State Park are temporarily closed. Closed
areas include:
• special-use area
• Civilian Conservation Corps shelter
• all hiking trails
Sandy Creek Covered Bridge boasts the picture-perfect appearance of an old red
barn. It was one of six bridges built in 1872 to allow passage from the Jefferson
County seat of Hillsboro to St. Louis.
Mastodon State Historic Site contains an important archaeological and
paleontological site - the Kimmswick Bone Bed. Bones of mastodons and other
now-extinct animals were first found here in the early 1800s. The area gained
fame as one of the most extensive Pleistocene ice age deposits in the country
and attracted scientific interest worldwide.
Archaeological history was made at the site in 1979 when scientists excavated a
stone spear point made by hunters of the Clovis culture (14,000 - 10,000 years
ago) in direct association with mastodon bones. This was the first solid evidence
of the coexistence of people and these giant prehistoric beasts.
Today, the 425-acre property preserves this National Register of Historic Places
site and provides recreational opportunities. A museum tells the natural and
cultural story of the oldest American Indian site one can visit in the state's park
system. A full-size replica of a mastodon skeleton highlights the exhibits. A picnic
area, several trails and a special-use campground offer chances to explore the
land where the lives of Native Americans and mastodons once intertwined.
Gov. Daniel Dunklin's Grave State Historic Site, Herculaneum, houses the grave of
Missouri's fifth governor (1832-1836). The site interprets Dunklin's role as the
Father of Public Schools, and provides a scenic overlook of the Mississippi River.
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