Nathan And Olive Boone Homestead Shs Shelters

Open — Open year-round for day-use activities including historic site tours, hiking, and picnicking.

About

Nathan and Olive Boone Homestead State Historic Site near Ash Grove preserves the frontier legacy of Nathan Boone, the youngest son of Daniel Boone, and his wife Olive Van Bibber. The couple married in 1799 and settled in the Louisiana Territory, eventually building this log cabin home in 1837. Nathan was a hunter, soldier, surveyor, and businessman who helped establish the Boone's Lick salt works, served as a captain in the Missouri Rangers during the War of 1812, and rose to lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Dragoons before retiring in 1853. Olive managed the homestead and raised their 14 children during Nathan's frequent absences. Both lived in this house until their deaths in the 1850s. The historic site consists of 370 acres of the original homestead, including the double-pen log cabin with its distinctive dogtrot design, remnants of outbuildings, the family cemetery where Nathan and Olive are buried, and a cemetery for enslaved people who were instrumental in operating the homestead. The landscape has been preserved to closely resemble the prairie grasslands, limestone glades, and groves of ash, walnut, and oak trees that surrounded the property in the 1830s. Visitors can take guided tours of the furnished cabin, explore interpretive signage and information kiosks, and hike the trails throughout the property. The site offers day-use amenities including a small picnic area with a grill and reservable picnic shelter, along with accessible restrooms equipped with running water. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources acquired the property in 1991 after decades of preservation efforts by the Ash Grove community.

Directions

Located at 7850 N. State Highway V, Ash Grove, Missouri, approximately 2 miles north of Ash Grove in Greene County.

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