Trails to Highways

Artist: Ginny Blankenship

Sponsored: by Jerry and Mary Lou Hubble

Dedicated to: Jim Bartle for his help to Meramec Community Mission

"Trails to Highways" is a progressive story on this mural. It all started as follows; commencing eons ago many of Missouri highways used to be Native American Highways. These trails were mostly along the high ridges of the hills. Also back then the forest had large mature trees, which did not allow for much undergrowth and left much room even for wagon trains.

The natives depicted here are the Osage Indians, common in Missouri and were the tallest of all the North American Indians with many of the males of 6 feet or more in stature. The story continues with the arrival of the early Americans and Europeans, in their wagons, and the quest for a place of their own in the far west. Naturally they followed the trail, now called the Osage Trail, which was very visible especially in Missouri. With these many people passing through, a few stopped and erected outposts to supply the many travelers who wanted to continue the journey West. Many of these outposts turned into towns. After years and hardships for the travelers, the trails turned in to the roads numbers with bridges, and assigned road numbers. Finally in 1926 Route 66 was established, some of which is shown in the top of the mural.

And just imagine, the Indians made it ALL happen!