TRAIL OF TEARS GETS FACELIFT; SOME PROJECTS NOW NOTICEABLE

While some of the recent improvements already completed or under way at Trail of Tears State Park can be easily seen by park visitors, others cannot. But officials said all will benefit those who use the 3,265-acre park along the Mississippi River in east Cape Girardeau County.

The more visible improvements completed recently include renovation of the old shower house near the Mississippi River electric campsite, renovation of the Lake Boutin dam and spillway, and the resurfacing of the Scenic Overlook Road at the east end of the park. Work is now under way on a much larger picnic shelter in the day-use area near the river.

Assistant Park Superintendent Greg Henson said two not-so-easily seen projects completed include the youth group camping area and installation of new sewer and water lines in the electric campsite near the river.

Henson said funds for the capitol improvements were appropriated up to two to five years ago but the work is just now being completed, or started because of the time it takes to draw plans and specifications and schedule parks and historic site construction crews to come into the park and do the work. "Remember, our construction crews have more than one park to take care of in this part of the state," Henson said.

Original plans called for the construction of a new shower house in the electric campsites along the river. But Henson said the appropriation for the new shower house was cut in half.

"Since we couldn't build a new showerhouse we decided to go ahead and renovate the cinder-block showerhouse that was built in the 1960s," Henson said.

The old showerhouse was a rather unattractive building that was giving the park maintenance a lot of problems because of its age, Henson said.

"We were always having to dig up the floor to work on or replace the plumbing," he said. "We went in and totally gutted the building. About the only thing original left are the cinder block walls, and now they're hidden by the cedar siding that makes the building blend in much nicer with the wooded hills behind it."

The work began last fall and was completed this past May.

In addition to adding separate entrances to the showerhouse for men and women, a new sidewalk was also built from the existing parking lot next to the road to make the showerhouse handicapped-accessible. "We're also striping some of the parking spots in front of the showerhouse for handicapped parking," Henson said.

The renovation cost about $17,000 for the materials. "If we had to contract the work out, it probably would have cost us twice that amount," he said.

Adjacent to the showerhouse, work is under way on a new and much larger picnic shelter that's designed to seat up to 100 people. "The old shelter located north of the showerhouse was not large enough to handle the demand," Henson said.

The new shelter will be unlike any other in the park. "The design will be similar to the Civilian Conservation Corps buildings that were built in some of our parks in the 1930s," he explained. "There are some CCC buildings still in use in some of our parks, and we felt the design fits in with the outdoor theme of the park system."

Henson said the new shelter will have large, exposed wooden beams, and a peaked roof. Instead of oak, pine beams will be used since they are less expensive and easier to work with. In the middle of the west side of the shelter an enclosed fireplace will be built.

"If you've seen the dining lodge at Sam A. Baker State Park on the St. Francois River, our new shelter will look something like that, except they have used some native rock in addition to the wood," he said. "We're going to install water and electric lines to the shelter since it will be used by large groups. In the past we've had requests for shelters with water and electric utilities."

Plans also call for building a short access road from the electric campsite road to a 10-car parking lot that will be located behind the new shelter. Henson said the new lot will relieve parking space problems at the existing parking lot next to the road. "At first the new parking lot will be graveled, but after it's had a chance to settle in this winter, we'll come back next year and cover it with asphalt pavement," he said.

Several smaller parking lots will also be built along the edge of campsite road at each of the other picnic tables north of the showerhouse, Henson said.

During the park's winter off-season all of the old sewer and water lines that service the 19 electric campsites along the river were dug up and replaced with plastic pipe. This past spring all of the trailer pads in the campsite were paved. In addition, a new plastic water main replaced the old water main that serves the assistant park ranger's home, the showerhouse, and the electric campsites along the river.

Another major park improvement completed last year was the youth group camping area, which Henson says is more commonly referred to as the Scout camping area. The three campsites that can accommodate up to 180 youths are just off the Hill Road, about a mile north of the park Visitors Center.

Although designed in cooperation with the Southeast Missouri Boy Scout Council, Henson said the primitive campsites are open to any youth group.

Each of the three tent-camping areas has its own burning pit and grill for cooking. A larger gathering area with benches, picnic tables and a large fire ring is in an open area adjacent to the campsites. Henson said the parking lot is large enough to turn a school bus around, if necessary. New pit latrines for boys and girls are at the north edge of the gathering area.

"We do require reservations to use the youth group campsite since it is closed unless it's in use," Henson said. "This is the only campsite in the park that can be reserved. The other park campsites are on a first-come, first-served basis," he explained.

Reservations can be made by calling the superintendent's office at the Visitors Center, 334-1711.

Henson said the youth camping area has been used mostly by local Boy Scout troops about twice a month. "We'd like to see more youth groups take advantage of the camping area because it will help to keep down the weeds and open up the area a little more," he said. "The charge for the campsite is $1 per person per night."

Youth groups that plan to use the youth camping area should bring water containers since there is no water available, Henson said. The water containers can be filled at the non-electric campsite near Lake Boutin.

In addition to repaving the Scenic Overlook Drive, a new trailhead for the 10-mile Peewah Trail was built to make it more accessible to hikers when the Scenic Overlook Road gate is closed to traffic.

Henson said renovation of the Lake Boutin Dam included removal of all of the small trees that had taken root on the backside of the dam and construction of a paved spillway.

"Trees are bad for a dam," he said. "Their roots tend to draw water through the soil in the dam, and that's something our geologists who are concerned with dam safety do not want."