Washington State Park

Washington State Park is a public recreation area covering 2,147 acres (869 ha) in Washington County in the central eastern part of the state of Missouri. It is located on Highway 21 about 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Potosi or 7 miles (11 km) southwest of De Soto on the eastern edge of the Ozarks. The state park is noted for its Native American rock carvings and for its finely crafted stonework from the 1930s.[3]

For other uses, see Washington State Park System.

Washington State Park
Stone shelter overlooking the Big River valley
Map showing the location of Washington State Park
Map showing the location of Washington State Park
Location in Missouri
Map showing the location of Washington State Park
Map showing the location of Washington State Park
Washington State Park (the United States)
LocationWashington County, Missouri, United States
Coordinates38°05′00″N 90°41′18″W[1]
Area2,147.57 acres (8.6909 km2)[2]
Elevation673 ft (205 m)[1]
Established1932[3]
Visitors233,424 (in 2017)[4]
Governing bodyMissouri Department of Natural Resources
WebsiteWashington State Park
Washington State Park Petroglyph Archeological Site
An eagle petroglyph at Washington State Park
Nearest cityFertile, Missouri
Area25 acres (10 ha)
NRHP reference No.70000352[5]
Added to NRHPApril 3, 1970
Washington State Park CCC Historic District
Washington State Park CCC pavilion
Nearest cityPotosi, Missouri
Area710 acres (290 ha)
Built1934 (1934)
Built byCivilian Conservation Corps
Architectural styleRustic
MPSECW Architecture in Missouri State Parks 1933-1942 TR
NRHP reference No.85000517[6]
Added to NRHPMarch 4, 1985

Stone carvings

The carvings, or petroglyphs, carved in fixed dolomite rock, are believed to have been made around 1000 to 1600 CE and to give clues to the lives of the prehistoric Native Americans who once inhabited this part of Missouri. It is also believed that the park served as ceremonial grounds for these Middle Mississippi people who were related to the builders of the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois.

Most of the carvings are of birds, arrows, footprints, turkey tracks, human figures, and various geometric shapes and patterns. The three petroglyph sites in the park are thought to be all that is left of a more extensive site. They make up almost 75 percent of the known petroglyphs in Missouri and contain over 350 symbols.[7]

The petroglyphs were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 as the Washington State Park Petroglyph Archeological Site.[5][8][9]

Stone structures

The park was built during the Great Depression of the 1930s by the African-American stonemasons of the Civilian Conservation Corps known as Company 1743.[10] Their efforts left the park with the historical stone structures that still stand today: hiking shelters, picnic pavilions, and the stones that make up the 1,000 Steps Trail.[11][12] Fourteen buildings and stone structures are included in the Washington State Park CCC Historic District, a national historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[6]: 482–503 

Activities and amenities

Park activities include camping, fishing, canoeing, hiking, an olympic-sized pool and river swimming in the Big River.[3]

References
  1. "Washington State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. "State parks...estimated acres" (PDF). Revised Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan: 2008-2012. Missouri Department of Natural Resources. pp. 142–143. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  3. "Washington State Park". Missouri State Parks. Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  4. "Missouri State Park Attendance 2017" (PDF). Missouri State Parks. February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. Wright, Bonnie (1985). "Emergency Conservation Work (E.C.W.) Architecture in Missouri State Parks, 1933-1942" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 1, 2017. (includes photographs)
  7. Drew, Nancy (March–April 1993). "Ten Miles of Ozarks History". The Ozarks Mountaineer. Kirbyville, Mo.: 58.
  8. Neathery and Michael Fuller (January 2016). "Washington State Park Rock Art Site "A" (23WA01)". Missouri Archaeological Society. Retrieved March 1, 2017. (includes photographs)
  9. Neathery and Michael Fuller (April 2016). "Washington State Park Rock Art Site "B" (23WA02)". Missouri Archaeological Society. Retrieved March 1, 2017. (includes photographs)
  10. Cunning, John (January–February 1996). "CCC Company 1743: The Thunderbirds" (PDF). Preservation Issues. Jefferson City, Mo.: Missouri Department of Natural Resources Historic Preservation Program. 6 (1): 1, 6–7. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  11. "Trails at Washington State Park". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  12. Drew, p. 59. "One can only marvel at the effort it must have taken to shape the limestone blocks and then to place them on the hillside."
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