The Boone's Lick Road or Boonslick Trail was an early 1800s transportation route from eastern to central

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Running east–west on the north side and roughly parallel to the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

the trail began in the river port of St. Charles. The trail played a major role in the westward expansion of the United States and the development of Missouri's statehood. The trail's eventual terminus at Franklin was the start of the better-known

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the ...

. First traced by the sons of

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

, the path originally ended at a

salt lick A mineral lick (also known as a salt lick) is a place where animals can go to lick essential mineral nutrients from a deposit of salts and other minerals. Mineral licks can be naturally occurring or artificial (such as blocks of salt that far ...

in Howard County used by the pair to manufacture salt. Today the lick is maintained as Boone's Lick State Historic Site.

History

A large area in central Missouri became known as the Boonslick, or "Boonslick country." It was the core of a larger area eventually known as Little Dixie, because it was settled primarily by migrants from the Upper South, who developed hemp and tobacco plantations dependent on enslaved African-American workers. Parts of the trail eventually were improved or developed as paved roads. Its route is the forerunner to today's U.S. Highway 40 and

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

. Towns founded along the trail include Franklin, Smithton, Columbia, Fulton,

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

, and Warrenton among others.

Route

The Boone's Lick Road and Santa Fe Trail in Missouri The trail began at the Missouri River port of

St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 70,493 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making St. Charles the List of cities in ...

, a late colonial town, and struck a westward path through present-day St. Charles, Warren, Montgomery, Callaway, Boone and

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

counties. Different shortcuts were made on the trail as towns and county seats were founded, especially in Boone and Callaway counties. Major streams crossed include Cedar, Roche Perche, and Moniteau creeks. The route was followed by

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...

and his followers, members of the new Church of the Latter Day Saints in 1830s and 40s on their way to establish the settlement of

Far West, Missouri Far West was a settlement of the Latter Day Saint movement in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States, during the late 1830s. It is recognized as a historic site by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, added to the register in 1970. I ...

."Two More Mormon Trails: The Boonslick Trail; The Mississippi Saints’ Trail"

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

, August 1979, p. 49.

References

External links

Boone's Lick Road AssociationBoonslick Historical Society
{{Authority control Historic trails and roads in Missouri Pre-statehood history of Missouri History of Columbia, Missouri African-American history in Columbia, Missouri 19th century in Columbia, Missouri

History

Route

See also

References

External links