Park Week – Day 3

Jefferson Barracks Park sits on land that was once a military outpost. Built in 1826, the post was active until 1946 and its guests during that time include future general and president Ulysses S. Grant. Many of the buildings are preserved today and are quite lovely. Moreover, these buildings today house myriad museums on the park property, including the Missouri Civil War Museum and the Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum, as well as numerous exhibits on Jefferson Barracks and Missouri soldiers.

In addition to the historic buildings, the park also has large tracts of land with plenty of walking and running trails offering scenic views of nature and the Mississippi River. While we were walking on one of the trails, we were actually treated to a rather loud concert of small frogs just off the trail–they were difficult to find at first, but we were finally able to spot dozens of the little frogs and their bulging throats as they sang.

Finally, Jefferson Barracks Park offers several shelters that visitors can rent and use, cross country and disc golf courses, and an archery area.

Jefferson Barracks Park is a lovely natural area that also contains a great amount of history. It’s a nice place for a walk, as well as a good location to learn more about Missouri and St. Louis history.