Experience the Battle.
History
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, a unit of the National Park System, preserves the site of the first major battle of the Civil War in the West. The Confederate victory on August 10, 1861, focused national attention on the war in Missouri, leading to greater federal military action.
Preservation
In 1950, local community leaders formed Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation, with its first priority purchasing the 37 acres of Bloody Hill, using funds raised mostly from area school children. After several attempts to gain national park status, and with the financial assistance of the Missouri Legislature to obtain 1,700 additional acres, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield was dedicated on August 10, 1961, the 100th anniversary of the battle.
Enjoyment
The park, which hosts over 200,000 visitors annually, is considered to be one of the three best preserved and most pristine Civil War battlefields in the National Park System. While many come to enjoy the natural setting, growing numbers of guests visit the park for study and research.
Things To Do
Take The Tour
A 4.9 mile paved tour road provides a self-guided auto tour with eight interpretive stops at significant battle-related locations. There are trail systems for walking, running, hiking and horseback riding. Be sure to check out the new mobile phone tour!
Civil War Museum
This outstanding collection of Civil War artifacts will provide visitors with a clearer understanding of the events that took place west of the Mississippi, as well as details of the lives of people involved. The museum, formerly General Sweeny’s Museum and purchased by the National Park Service in 2005, is currently in temporary storage at the battlefield, and new exhibits are being designed for the Visitor Center, to be installed in the spring of 2013.
Hulston Library
The research library at the Visitor Center has grown to be among the largest in the National Park System. Containing government records, books, diaries, maps, and journals, it is a wealth of historical information for research scholars, genealogists, and all the generations to come who will want to know more about this defining event and how it shaped U.S. history and particularly the war in the west. The collection is now housed in a new state-of-the-art library annex and education center adjacent to the Visitor Center. Each year more than 8,000 school children visit this historic site to learn about their heritage as Americans.
So Much More
- A Junior Ranger program for kids
- Ray House, where John Ray’s family lived during the battle
- Restored Edwards Cabin, site of General Sterling Price’s headquarters
- Fiber optic map presentation that recreates the battle
- A brand new twenty-nine minute interpretive film in stunning HD & surround sound
- Several artifact exhibits in the Visitor Center
- Gift shop with Civil War books and souvenirs
How To Get There
Park Location
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield
6424 West Farm Road 182
Republic, MO 65738-9514
Interactive Park Map
Click on any of the major stops to get directions. The blue marker indicates the Visitor’s Center. The green markers highlight important destinations along the Tour Road.