Embark on a journey back to early 19th-century America and discover the pivotal role of Boone’s Lick Road, also known as the Boonslick Trail. This historic east-west route, Missouri’s first significant thoroughfare, paved the way for westward expansion, linking eastern Missouri to its central regions and beyond. Originating near St. Louis in St. Charles and stretching 150 miles westward along the Missouri River to Old Franklin, this trail was more than just a path; it was a lifeline for settlers, traders, and adventurers shaping the American frontier.
The Origins: A Salt Lick and the Boone Brothers
The story of Boone’s Lick Road begins with necessity and enterprise. In 1805, Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, sons of the legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone, discovered significant salt springs in Howard County, over 100 miles west of St. Charles. These natural ‘salt licks’ were vital for preserving food and other frontier tasks. The brothers established a salt-making operation, boiling water from the springs in kettles. To transport their valuable product, they blazed a crude overland trail from St. Charles to their salt works, and thus, the Boone’s Lick Trail was born.
By 1806, their operation was sizable, floating salt down the Missouri River to St. Louis. The importance of the Boone brothers’ salt lick gave its name to the entire surrounding region, known as the Boone’s Lick Country. This fertile land, reminiscent of Kentucky, soon drew a flood of settlers, especially after the War of 1812 diminished hostilities with Native American tribes.
Boone’s Lick Country and Westward Expansion
The influx of migrants, predominantly from Virginia and Kentucky, shaped the cultural landscape of what became known as Little Dixie. These settlers brought with them Southern traditions, developing plantations that cultivated hemp and tobacco and relied on enslaved African Americans. Towns like Old Franklin emerged and boomed along the trail, which was continually widened to accommodate increasing traffic and wagons of pioneers heading west.
Gateway to the Santa Fe Trail
The significance of Boone’s Lick Road escalated dramatically with the opening of the Santa Fe Trail. In September 1821, just after Missouri gained statehood, William Becknell, famously known as the
