Marketplace
![[SeMissourian.com]](http://www.semissourian.com/images/nameplate.gif)
|
|
Fair ~ River stage: 33.86 Falling Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
|
Magnolia Hollow: A nice diversion on the way to St. Louis
Posted Friday, October 10, 2008, at 5:12 PM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
Last year, I wrote about places to visit along Highway 61 as an alternative to the boring interstate when travelling to St. Louis.
Here's one more: Magnolia Hollow Conservation Area near Bloomsdale in Ste. Genevieve County. Featuring a scenic overlook of the Mississippi River and a large swath of Illinois, this conservation area makes for a nice getaway from the orange barrels and truck traffic along I-55.
 Near the overlook is the confluence of the Mississippi with Establishment Creek. The funny name is a corruption of the French word for "settlement," referring to a very early settlement that offered a campsite for those travelling to St. Louis.
 Looking downstream offers a view toward Ste. Genevieve and the Holcim cement plant under construction:
 Looking upstream offers a view of the tall bluffs near Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. Almost-but-not-quite visible is Fort de Chartres, a key site in southern Illinois history.
 What Missouri overlook would be complete without a Lewis and Clark marker? They passed through here on December 4, 1803.
 In addition to the overlook, Magnolia Hollow features trails through the surprisingly rugged river hills. A one-mile loop trail continues past the overlook and down to the mouth of Magnolia Hollow itself. Other trails and service roads snake through the 1,740-acre conservation area. Forget about the I-55 rest area at Bloomsdale... Magnolia Hollow is a much better place to stretch your legs.
Driving directionsFrom Cape Girardeau, take I-55 Exit 154 (Route O) and turn right to reach Highway 61. Make a left, go two miles north, and then turn right on Route V. If coming from St. Louis, take the Bloomsdale exit, turn left to go through town, and then turn right on Highway 61 and drive south to the Route V intersection. Follow Route V for about a mile and then turn left on White Sands Road. I didn't see any white sands along this road, but it does offer a scenic drive through the Establishment Creek valley. Most of the 5-mile road is paved. Eventually the pavement ends as the road leaves the valley and climbs a steep hill to reach the conservation area. Stop at the last parking area and take the short paved trail to the overlook. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
The webmaster of seMissourian.com and its sister newspapers, James Baughn has lost track of the number of websites he manages. On the side, he maintains even more sites, including Bridgehunter.com, TheCapeRock.com, and Humorix.
Hot topics Devil's Elbow is another oddball Missouri name(  1 ~ 10:26 PM, Nov 20)
Stuff to see on 66
All the fall foliage you can photograph
Beware of unexpected trail junctions
Take the Dead Governors' Tour
|
![[Feed icon]](http://www.semissourian.com/images/icons/feed-icon-14x14.png){kind=icon}
As usual, a fine job and much appreciated.
James-
I'm sure you have written about the Old Appleton Bridge in Old Appleton, MO---however, this small town may become part of history in the near future. My final project in preparation for graduation from Southeast's Historic Preservation program was to work with my amazing HP partner to write a National Register of Historic Places nomination. She and I decided to be brave and pick the only non-residential or commercial structure brought to the University as a possible choice---and it was the best decision we could have made. We have combined our strengths(mine:research and writing; hers:"people" skills, technical skills and all around get-go) to bring this nomination to its "Big Day", November 15th, where we will defend our Bridge and the people of Old Appleton in front of the Historic Preservation Committee of Missouri in Jefferson City. This bridge is more than a bridge; it is a part of Old Appleton and its residents and now, a part of me. I would just like to say, I hope it gets the recognition it deserves and that more structures across Missouri and the rest of the United States do as well. Thanks!
hpgirl23: That's excellent news. I've been following the reconstruction of the Old Appleton Bridge closely (see my site http://bridgehunter.com/mo/cape/old-appleton/). As one of only a handful of surviving bridges from the 1870s in Missouri, it's more than worthy (in my opinion) for listing on the National Register.
By the way, if anybody else is looking for an HP project to tackle, let me know -- I've done some research on the "Oldest Concrete Highway In Missouri Still Open To Traffic." Built in 1918-1921, I think that would be a worthy (if obscure) addition to the NR. Look for that in a future blog as soon as I get some better photos.
James-
I am always looking for freelance HP work, especially National Register work, so tell me more about this highway...and if you hear of any other HP projects let me know: asphares@gmail.com. so much for anonymity...haha