State Parks Stories
Missouri State Parks invites you to explore the world of nature our state has to offer. Read our stories and find a state park that's close to you.
Hermann Celebrates German Composer
Bach, Brahms and Wagner are three of the big names of the Golden Age of Classical Music, but another prominent German-American composer had roots in Hermann.
His name was William H. Pommer and he was the grandson of German immigrants who arrived in the Missouri River Valley in the early 1800s. He was the youngest son of Fredric Pommer, one of the six children who moved with their widowed mother, Caroline, to Herman in 1839.
Women’s History in State Parks
Marilyn King loved mastodons. Katharine Ordway loved prairies. Luella Agnes Owen loved caves. And Rita Piacenza loved Thomas Hart Benton.
Women played major roles in the creation of many of Missouri’s state parks and historic sites, so it’s fitting to honor their impact in March, during Women’s History Month. Here are a half dozen of the women, and the stories of their important contributions:
Parks Add Audio Tours
The Ice Age has met the Audio Age at Mastodon State Historic Site.
Missouri State Parks chose two sites on either side of the state – Mastodon at the south edge of the St. Louis area and Weston Bend State Park north of Kansas City – for a one-year pilot program to evaluate the OnCell Mobile Tour System in which personal cellphones are used to access audio tours.
Trout Fishing in Winter; Peace in the Valleys
Temperatures nearing 40 were melting the weekend snow as Charles and Cindy Maledy unloaded their fishing gear near Missouri’s premier Ozark stream on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
“You get cabin fever, and a day like this is perfect for getting out,” said Charles Maledy. “We normally fish regularly seven to 15 times a winter.”
Parks Offer First Day Hikes
Bison, nature’s ice sculptures, maybe an eagle or two - visitors to Missouri State Parks can expect to see these and more when taking part in the 40 First Day Hikes programs schedu
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