Experience the life and times of 19th Century settlers in the Boonslick area at the Boone’s Lick Folk Festival. The event, sponsored by Missouri State Parks in partnership with the Boonslick Area Tourism Council, will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 7 at Boone’s Lick State Historic Site.
In addition to historic crafters, the event will also include musicians playing music of the period and tours around the salt springs explaining the importance of salt mining in the early economy.
Boone’s Lick, the site of early 19th century salt manufacturing, lies in the valley of Salt Creek in southwestern Howard County. At this location, several saline springs seep to the surface. Animals such as deer, elk and bison would gather at the springs and literally "lick" the ground to obtain the salt.
Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, sons of famed frontiersman Daniel Boone, began manufacturing salt at the location in 1805. The countryside around this salt lick was ideal for settlement and by 1810 it had acquired the name of "Boonslick Country." In addition to sources of much needed salt, there was an abundance of timber; wild game, fertile river bottoms for farming and the Missouri River to serve as a water highway for commerce.
Boone’s Lick State Historic Site is located in southwest Howard County on Highway 187 near Boonsboro. For more information about the event, call the Arrow Rock State Historic Site at (660) 837-3330. For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.