Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Rock Bridge in 2006
Map showing the location of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Map showing the location of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Location in Missouri
Map showing the location of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Map showing the location of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park (the United States)
LocationBoone County, Missouri, United States
Coordinates38°52′44″N 92°18′12″W / 38.87889°N 92.30333°W / 38.87889; -92.30333[1]
Area2,273 acres (9.20 km2)[2]
Elevation696 ft (212 m)[1]
Established1967[3]
Visitors714,187 (in 2022)[4]
Governing bodyMissouri Department of Natural Resources
WebsiteRock Bridge Memorial State Park

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is a geological preserve and public recreation area encompassing 2,273 acres (920 ha), five miles (8.0 km) south of Columbia in Boone County, Missouri off of Missouri Route 163.

The park is home to 12 caves.[5]

The state park is noted for its excellent examples of karst landforms including the rock bridge, sinkholes, and an underground stream at the cave known as Devil's Icebox. The rock bridge was created by the collapse of a section of a cave which resulted in a small arch of rock being left to form a natural bridge over the creek.[6] The park is the only known home of Kenkia glandulosa, more commonly known as the pink planarian.[7]

History

Throughout the 1800's, the Devil's Icebox stream that flows through the rock bridge was a power source for settlers, with a stone dam being built to harness the power to operate a gristmill. In 1834, the first paper mill west of the Mississippi River was built at the site, then a whiskey distillery was built in 1847. Later, a blacksmith, stores, homes, and roads made up the historical community of Rockbridge Mills, also known as Pierpont.[8]

Although privately owned, the area was open to the public for more than a century and became a gathering place for people in the surrounding area.[8] In 1961, a University of Missouri professor, Lew Stoeker's, nine-year-old daughter, Carol Lousie, was killed in a hit-and-run accident. [9] In order to memorialize her and create a safe area for children, the state park opened in 1967.

Activities and amenities

The boardwalk on the Devil's Icebox Trail gives access to the park's primary karst features and the opening at Connor's Cave. Park trails are available for hiking and cycling, and horseback riding is offered in the 750-acre (300 ha) Gans Creek Wild Area.[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Rock Bridge Memorial State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ↑ "Rock Bridge Memorial State Park: Data Sheet" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. November 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  3. ↑ "State Park Land Acquisition Summary". Missouri State Parks. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Missouri State Park Attendance For January - December, 2022" (PDF). Missouri State Parks. February 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Getaway to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park | Inside Columbia". insidecolumbia.net/. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Rock Bridge Memorial State Park". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  7. ↑ Elliott, WR (2007). "Zoogeography and biodiversity of Missouri caves and karst". Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 69 (1): 135–162.
  8. 1 2 jennifer.sieg (February 6, 2011). "General Information". mostateparks.com. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  9. ↑ Adix, Kaelyn. "Rock Bridge park, originally envisioned as a child's memorial, celebrates 50 years". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Park Trails at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
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