Central Missouri / Missouri River Corridor

Boone's Lick State Historic Site and the salt springs

Boone's Lick State Historic Site preserves the salt springs that gave the Boonslick region its name, making it a tangible anchor for the county's settlement-era story.

Boone’s Lick State Historic Site, managed by Missouri State Parks, preserves the salt springs where an early-1800s salt-making operation associated with the Boone family gave the surrounding Boonslick region its name. Salt was a valuable commodity on the frontier, and the ‘lick’ refers to the briny springs where it was produced. For visitors and residents, the site offers a direct connection to the settlement history that shaped Howard County and the wider river corridor, with interpretive trails on the grounds. Missouri State Parks is the authoritative source for the site’s location, hours, access, and any seasonal conditions, all of which can change. Confirm current visiting details and trail status through the state parks system rather than assuming year-round access.

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Howard County and the heart of the Boonslick country The Boonslick name and Howard County's early-1800s settlement explain why this stretch of the Missouri River became a gateway for westward expansion, shaping the county's historic towns and road names today Glasgow, Fayette, and Howard County's government layers A Howard County address sits either inside a city like Fayette, Glasgow, or New Franklin or in unincorporated county land, and within several overlapping special districts that decide who provides services and which taxes apply. Missouri River floodplain and levees along Howard County's southern edge The Missouri River runs along Howard County's southern edge, so bottomland near New Franklin and Glasgow can sit in a mapped flood zone or behind a levee. Check the exact parcel before you buy or build. Assessor values it, collector bills it in Howard County Many residents do not realize the Howard County assessor and collector are separate offices with different jobs, which matters when questioning a value versus paying or appealing a bill.

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