Boone's Lick Road - Drover's Inn - Williamsburg, MO
Posted by: 
gparkes
N 38° 55.074 W 091° 41.532
15S E 613377 N 4308478
Drover's Inn marker along the historic Boone's Lick Road. This marker, out of all markers, is in the worst shape. I hope that attention can be drawn to it and it's condition improved.
Waymark Code: WM5TEG
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 02/10/2009
Views: 10
BOONE'S LICK ROAD
Drover’s Inn (1836)
Marked by the
Daughters of the
American Revolution
and the
State of Missouri
1913
I could find very little published information on Drover's Inn. The Inn would have been a stagecoach stop on the Boone's Lick Road.
Perhaps the most important piece to the history of the marker is the condition of the marker. Currently the marker is located about 300 yards into private property. The marker is broke off it's base and laying on it's back.
The road originated as an old Indian trace. In the 1764, the first part of the road was expanded by trappers through St. Louis County, Missouri. The road was expanded by brothers Daniel Morgan and Nathanal Boone, sons of famous frontiersman Daniel Boone, as part of gaining access to salt springs near present day New Franklin, Missouri. The complete road from St. Louis to Franklin, Missouri takes its name from the Boone brothers. In 1821, William Becknell established a road from Franklin to Santa Fe, Mexico, there by establishing the Santa Fe Trail. The Santa Fe Trail at Kansas City splits off into other major wagon roads such as the California and Oregon Trails. The Boone's Lick road is the land route to the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail and carried many of those who would settle the west.
The development of our national transportation is very evident in this community. The Inn and Williamsburg developed along the Boone's Lick Road. Boone's Lick Road developed into US-40, the National Road. Today we find US-40 at this point being the outer road for I-70.