A Trail of Discovery in Arrow Rock

A hike down the Lewis & Clark Trail of Discovery within the Big Muddy Fish & Wildlife Refuge, by way of Arrow Rock State Historic Site, and the Sante Fe National Trail.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving promised to be one of the last good days of the year, with temperatures near or above 15 °C. It was as good as any excuse to hit the road, find and discover the sort of tranquility only found hiking in late fall.

After reviewing a map of potential locations within a couple of hours of Kansas City, my traveling companion and I decided upon Arrow Rock State Historic Site. It promised a little history, some unique architecture, and the potential for a quiet and thoughtful walk in the woods.

Missouri Department of Natural Resources Map of Arrow Rock State Historic Site

We did not do much research beyond location and general interests, as is our habit, preferring to take it all in as if having only discovered the place by accident. It was a pleasant surprise to find our choice to be that of a landmark dating back to the pre-history of Missouri, as well as a bit of a crossroads in American history.

Displays of Native American limestone tools and other artifacts at Arrow Rock State Historic Site Visitor Center

As the first inhabitants of the area, Native Americans living along the banks of the Missouri River leveraged the limestone bluffs for tools and weapons in their everyday lives. French trappers passing through the area first noted this, calling it out on their maps as “Pierre á Flèches,” or the “Stone of Arrows.”

After acquisition of the territory through the Louisiana Purchase, population in the area began to increase significantly. Farmers found the bottomland soils highly productive, and salt mining at nearby Boone’s Lick provided a steady supply of the ingredient essential to pioneer life and travel.
Moving goods, people, and wagons across the river remained a task though. The small gap in the bluff offered the perfect spot for a ferry landing and once established, a small community quickly took root.

Originally named New Philadelphia (renamed to its namesake in 1833) it was only a pit stop for most. There was no better place in the area to cross the Missouri River. Freight was already moving along the route, salt was plentiful, and a natural spring on the bluff combined to make it a perfect fit along what would become the Sante Fe Trail.

As settlers passed through with increasing frequency, the little town quickly became one of the busiest steamboat landings in the area by 1830. When the river was free of ice, steamboat traffic moved stock, goods, and people almost constantly. Indeed, a local judge at the time, William B. Napton reported nothing less than “a great throng of emigrants through Saline County to California on the river road in 1849 and 1850. By the early spring of that year, the covered wagons of these emigrants were hardly ever out of sight at Arrow Rock.”

The Civil War came along and changed everything for Arrow Rock. Steam locomotives moved people and freight across the land more efficiently than ever before, dominating transportation. The little town of Arrow Rock, high on a bluff, suffered the fate of many other towns bypassed by the railroad, and population dwindled over the years from more than a thousand residents, to only about 50 remaining today.

Over the years, the town made significant contributions to the westward movement in the United States during its time though. It nurtured a few Governors for the State of Missouri. It was home to a Dr. John Sappington, responsible for revolutionizing treatment of malaria, and home to one of the most easily recognized American frontier artists, George Caleb Bingham.

We stopped to talk with one of the Park Rangers about the trails, before we left the Visitor Center. It was a good thing we did too. She suggested a trail that was not part of the Park; rather part of the adjacent Big Muddy National Fish & Wildlife Refuge. It seems that at this time of year, that path offers the best view of the bluffs, and the trail leads right down to the banks of the river.

Appreciating the information, we slowly made our way across the little town towards the trailhead, pausing and musing over various points of interest. It was a hard to believe that on such a beautiful sunny afternoon, all was rather quiet and empty. A small strip of shops stood open and ready for business, across from the historic tavern, purported to be the oldest west of the Mississippi River. A few folks wandered about, but it was obvious this was a fair weather town.

We found the entrance to Big Muddy easy enough, just past the historic Lyceum Theater. The gravel service road descends through the infamous gap in the bluff, gently sloping down to the bottoms, eventually opening up to the original Arrow Rock Ferry Landing site.

A sign and an old wagon mark the spot where perhaps tens of thousands of folks headed west disembarked and made their way up the hill and to points beyond. The road ends abruptly with a chain across it, restricting vehicular access, but not pedestrian, and a sign indicates arrival at the trailhead of the Lewis & Clark Trail of Discovery.

The trail continues along an old levee, wide, straight and level through the bottom land forest of the refuge. There is not a significant amount of scenery here, excepting the trees. The bluffs can be seen between the trees at this time of year, but are very likely completely obscured any other time.

We were tempted to try and get a close-up look at the formations, but decided the path through the marshy area was probably easier said than done. One can never be too sure what lies in wait, and it is usually best to leave the natural areas to themselves anyway. There is no sense in disrupting the state of things. Plenty of signs along the way discuss the various aspects of the wildlife and other natural resources in the area.

After about a kilometre and a half, the levee fades, and the trail continues more narrowly through the trees. While it is not a particular tight fit, it could be little bit of a bushwhacking adventure in the depths of summer. The short 50 meter walk at this point is completely non-toxic at this time of year though.

Missouri River, looking North from end of Lewis & Clark Trail of Discovery at the Jameson Island Unit of Big Muddy Fish & Wildlife Refuge

The trail opens up, as promised, with a fantastic view of a wild and muddy Missouri River. The wide, sandy and crumbling banks are packed well-enough to walk around and explore the nearby alternate channels and creeks, to some extent. It is enough for us to just sit on the edge and watch the river roll along, while listening to the sounds of the surrounding wilderness.

It is easy to see why early travelers chose this spot to cross. Aside from the fact that the banks are relatively flat and mostly sandy, the river is not very wide here. I seem to remember reading it was only a couple hundred meters wide back then, and relatively shallow.

After relaxing for a while, we made our way back along the same path. We noticed a footbridge half way along, crossing back towards town, and decided to explore that route. It turned out to be the much shorter River Landing Trail associated with the State Park, an alternate path to access the trail we had taken, returning us easily to the southeast corner of town.

The day was getting late, so we did not linger much longer than that. We paused for a few photos on the way back to our vehicle, and while musing over one of the subjects, the calaboose (an old jailhouse), we noticed a little clearing and a lone structure at the edge of the trees.

It seemed nothing more than a small park gazebo, but turned out to be one the many unique little projects in the region built during the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. Much more humble in its duty than most other projects associated with President Roosevelt’s New Deal agency, it simply covers the graves of a couple of early settlers in the area, Jacob and Mary Shroyer.

Aside from being a State Park, a National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, being one of many stops on a National Historic Trail, it is also listed on listed on the US National Register of Historic Places, and a US National Historic Landmark District.

There is quite a bit to see and do at this site, and we are definitely looking forward to making a return trip in the near future. Another trail wanders out on the bluff, a 4-acre stocked lake provides fishing access for all, and an adjacent campground offers visitors a chance to stay just walking distance from the town and trails.

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Further Reading

Arrow Rock State Historic Site
Missouri State Parks

Sante Fe National Historic Trail

National Park Service

Big Muddy National Fist & Wildlife Refuge

US Fish & Wildlife Service

Protesting Hypocrites

In the wake of the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States, people in various, yet extremely predictable places came out to express their anger and frustration. The violence continues to escalate too. Anti-Trump protesters insist they will not accept him to represent them.

All of this, they will tell you, out of fear of what might happen.

I wonder if they realize aliens could land tomorrow and annihilate us all.

That is something to be more afraid of.

Yet…

The protesters scream that they intend to show President-Elect Donald Trump exactly what hate looks like.

They are beating other people down, while holding signs that loudly proclaim “Love Trumps Hate.”

They are calling for more violence, even going so far as to suggest that someone should assassinate the man.

Really?

Are they even listening to themselves?

Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in all of this?

The very same individuals that condemned Trump supporters for their potential unwillingness to accept the election results that are doing the very same. They are unwilling to accept the outcome of the election. The shoe is on the other foot and the irony and hypocrisy are utterly astounding, but not very surprising, and as predictable as the people involved and the locations.

What I do find surprising is that many of the very same people chose to sit this one out, and took no part in the election at all. I heard a piece on NPR, and then a few other mainstream outlets as well, talking with quite a few of the protesters, most of whom indicated they did not even vote.

What exactly are these folks protesting, and on what grounds?

They made a conscience decision not to participate, and now are upset at the outcome, intent on harming others, perhaps even killing people.

Seriously?

Sit down and shut up!

If you chose not to vote, then you have no right to complain about the results. You had your chance.

Another thing strikes me, looking at the photos of the protests. Most of these folks appear to be of a certain generation where disruption is a way of life. Indeed, it is all they seem to understand, and maybe I will write a piece on that in the future, and the ridiculousness of it all.

Whether needed or not, whether good or bad, if they do not like something or the way a situation things turn out, they rally hard and fight for change. That in itself is actually admirable. However, they have the whole country believing that is the norm, and cowering in the corner like frightened parents of a spoiled and abusive child.

They have decided that the democratic process is unacceptable. They are going to hold their breath until we give them their way. They are going to take a stand in the middle of the grocery aisle, stamp their feet, and scream about how life is not fair.

Life is not fair. You do not always get your way, and throwing a temper tantrum is not going to change anything. It might have worked with your apathetic parents, who apparently could not be bothered with teaching you that not everyone wins, and you do not always get what you want.

It is time. Learn it. Accept it. Move on.

Protest when there is something worth protesting.

Those opposed did not rise up and take to the streets in protest because Barrack Obama won election in 2008 or 2012.

Those opposed did not attempt to harm others because Barrack Obama won either election.

Those opposed did not threaten to kill people because Barrack Obama won either election.

Those opposed did not threaten to assassinate Barrack Obama because he won either elections.

Those opposed walked away from the election results, hung their head in disappointment, and went on about their lives.

Those opposed followed a peaceful and democratic route in opposition to President Obama and his policies, without physically harming anyone.

Do you see the difference?

Today, I read reports that the Democratic National Committee and their sponsors are posting advertisements on Craig’s List, hiring protesters, and buying charter buses to ship them to all the right places.

Allow me to translate; the wealthy are hiring the poor to rally together and go to jail and/or die for them.

Does that sound familiar; you know, like all the wars that have been raging around the world for more than a millennium?

Congratulations, duped again.

Add to all of this, the continual flood of disinformation on social media that has been going on several years now. Reading nothing but propaganda on Facebook and Twitter, apparently quite a few folks believed every meme that crossed their path, because that is their only “news.” It is their way of life, and they do not allow themselves to read or understand anything else. If you offer an opposing view, they will unfriend you. They do everything they can to ensure they do not hear anything but their own voice and those that agree with them, and they prefer it that way.

I suspect none of them have read this far; too many words, and not enough pictures with cats.

The media was just as guilty of the same throughout the entire election cycle, and they continue to fan the flames.

Foreign media outlets jumped on the Trump-hating bandwagon early, attempting to manipulate the situation. Sitting at their desks thousands of kilometers away, watching CNN and MSNBC, they looked to social media for confirmation and found it. They followed up reporting biased assumptions, based on preconceived notions and intentionally incomplete evidence.

How is it possible for foreign media to understand anything about this nation, the election, or the candidates from 5000+ km away?

It is not. They know nothing and are only causing trouble, and they know it.

Meanwhile, within the US, media outlets are in disarray, finally recognizing the very echo chamber from which they have been broadcasting. They are not even hiding it now, but doing nothing to correct it. Indeed, they continue to fuel the fire by acknowledging the brat children, broadcasting their antics and portraying the situation as if it were the scene in every town in the US.

It is not and will not be.

The more civilized in this nation will shut them down. They will not allow the country to be ripped apart by spoiled toddlers consumed by a fit of rage.

If you are a one of these non-voting protesters, either in the streets or in journalism, there are a few things you need to come to grips with.

Fact: Donald Trump will be the President of the United States, elected under a fair and democratic election process.

Fact: Hillary Clinton did not get enough votes and conceded the election. Simply stated, she gave up.

It’s over.

Get used to it.

Quit preaching peace at the point of a gun.

The country will move forward with or without you.

There is nothing more to say.

Go home.

If you must protest something, perhaps it would be best if you started at the offices of the Democratic National Committee for blatantly cheating Bernie Sanders out of the nomination. They lied. They cheated. They manipulated the vote. They did everything they could to ensure this result. They are to blame for this mess.

For the record, I am not Republican or Democrat. I am an independent thinker that makes decisions based upon the best available data. My data said that Hillary Clinton was a fraud, wanted to continue a dynasty, insisted that she was rightful heir to a throne that does not exist, and was prepared to continue business-as-usual by lying and cheating her way into office.

In my humble opinion, democracy triumphed and prevented that atrocity.

And no, I am not of Gen X, Gen Y or of the Millennials. I am one of the “In Between,” those that have been ignored and marginalized. I am not white. I am not black. I am an American mutt among other mutts, and as you might have noticed, we have had enough of the bullshit.

Can we try just once, to give peace a chance

Van Meter State Park

Tucked into the wooded hills of north central Saline County, near a former bend of the Missouri River, is a rare opportunity to examine three thousand years of Native American history up close.

Glacial deposition and natural weathering formed these mostly unremarkable loess hills. They are like many others across the state, near the river, and most folks probably drive right past without even noticing.

Native Americans recognized the strategic importance of the hills though. Aside from the fact that the river and marshes provided for all of their needs, a commanding view from the tops of these hills ensured control of any and all transportation along the river and surrounding countryside. Most native and foreign expeditions did not progress up river without the consent of the Missouri Indian tribe that inhabited this region.

In depth of study of this tribe, and those that came before, continues today on site at Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center. Also serving as the Visitor Center for the park, the center hosts display interpreting the cultural history of the Native American tribes of the region. Also included among the displays are early maps of North America, similar to those relied upon by the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The Native Americans had almost vanished by the time Meriwether Lewis and William Clark came along though. European disease and warfare with other tribes had reduced populations dramatically. Lewis and Clark estimated only about 300 maintained an existence when they passed through.

By the time Abel Vanmeter arrived in the 1800s, the Native Americans had moved on or been forced out. The family tended their farm on the land for nearly 100 years, leaving the Native American portions mostly undisturbed. In 1932, they deeded the land to the State, and the Civilian Conservation Corps developed the park and shelter houses in use today.

The park hosts six different trails, but the most interesting to me was that chosen for this particular hiking adventure. The Earthworks Trail, a 2.8 km hike, winds up the hills through the forested part of the Oumessourit Natural Area and into an open area known as “The Old Fort.”

An earthwork fort built about 300–500 years ago by the Oneota people, the grounds measure approximately 300 meters long by 120 meters wide. Constructed along the edges of the narrow ridge it straddles, embankments and ditches enclose roughly 2.5 Hectares. It is truly an amazing feat of engineering, when one considers it was likely built with little more bison scapula tools and a lot of hard labor.

While archaeologists still do not really know the purpose of Old Fort, it appears somewhat obvious. Standing in the middle of this area, imagining how it might have looked then, defense was of the utmost importance. An attack could come from anywhere, at any time, by anything.

There are arguments against this, primarily since the site lacks any evidence of palisades, typical in most of these arrangements. There does not appear to be any need though. The entire situation is a palisade by its very nature. Any guards posted would have been able to see anything coming for miles.

Nothing could breach trenches or embankments without someone knowing well in advance. Trees were absent from the area at the time, and one could see down into the trenches, along all of the embankments, and down the hillside from any vantage point in the area. Additionally, tribal cultures avoided night operations, leaving wildlife the only concern after dark.

Finding the trail late Autumn can be a challenge. Leaves obscure the obvious, but continues at the other end of Old Fort. Someone without much thought towards usability had decided upon green trail markers. In an area that is typically green and forested most of the year. This seems like a choice that might need reconsideration.

The trail continues past the signs and on into the forest for a few hundred meters before emerging at another clearing. More appropriately placed to greet visitors than the last set, a couple of signs present a short discussion of the burial mounds immediately in view, and the village site beyond.

There was not much more to see. It splits another direction on the other side of the Old Fort. While the path on the right was not hazardous, it was a bit tighter and a more strenuous climb.

Van Meter State Park was a fantastic site, just a couple of hours east of Kansas City, hosting relatively well-maintained trail. It also contains picnic sites, a playground, and a couple of group shelters. Nearby are basic and electric camping areas, complete with modern restrooms and a shower house. Additionally, the park hosts an 18-acre fishing lake, along with a couple more trails that meander the edges of the water.

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further reading

Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park

Missouri State Parks

Missouri's American Indian Cultural Center

Missouri State Parks

PLSS Research & Data Restructuring - Restoring a County GIS (Part 6)

Map of the Public Land Survey System - US Dept of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management

The next phase in restructuring the County data towards dependency on a more solid framework of geographic data consisted of building out the Public Land Survey (PLSS) layer. As noted in the previous chapter, the essential part of this work consisted of collecting Ground Control Points and Registered Land Corners for addition to their own respective layers.

Assembling all of the point data related to the Land Corners layer, numerous inconsistencies were noted, which required further investigation to understand their relevance to the situation.

Section corners appeared to have multiple locations along the eastern edge of the county, as well as along old Kansas City boundaries. Additionally, limited availability of data related to the boundaries along the river created challenges on that front, requiring in depth research to understand all of these issues and their relationship to one another.

. . .

Downloading the PLSS layer from the Missouri Spatial Data Information Service (MSDIS) answered a few questions, but begged clarification on others. Partial sections adorned the eastern boundary of the County, and of the same Township/Range/Section as those adjacent in Clay County. What caused this?

The part of the County along the Missouri River valley had its own set of problems too. Some of the Township/Range information seemed to be completely wrong. Township/Range composed of 50s/30s dominated the County, but in this part of the County, 7/20s popped up along the river. Where did these come from?

While researching these questions, I came to know University of Missouri Professor and co-author of the “Atlas of Lewis and Clark in Missouri,” Jim Harlan. He developed the PLSS layer I downloaded, was very informative, and just a lot of fun to talk with. Validating much of what I already understood, he clarified a few other points as well.

The Platte Purchase of 1836 caused the issue along the eastern boundary. I am still not quite sure that I understand why the surveyors did not just pick up where they left off when they began their survey; instead, a slight jog remains today along the Platte County Boundary, where partial Sections of that part of the Township / Range meets partial Sections from the very same Township / Range in Clay County.

A lengthy technical discussion with Mr. Harlan did not exactly clarify the reasons behind the Sections mismatch, but did help me to understand the origin and impact. He attributed most of the issue and many other discrepancies I would soon uncover to excessive drinking on the frontier survey crews. Amusingly, it only took a little bit of reading to validate those conditions.

More easily understood, the sections along the Missouri River are a simple result of nature, which slipped my mind. Survey boundaries never move. The river does, and quite often. Most of Missouri is surveyed under the 5th Principal Meridian, while Kansas was surveyed using the 6th. Since that time, the Missouri River has wandered about quite a bit, leaving bits and pieces of what some perceive as other states on both sides of the river. This is most evident along the Mississippi River, but the Missouri has its own share too.

At least two mysteries were resolved, which only left the northern boundary of the County. That turned out to be a rather simple matter really. Everything was normal. The County boundary moved a few years prior, and several surveys were available, along with extensive documentation and precise GPS positions along the entire boundary.

. . .

Following the framework identified in the previous chapter, I started construction on what would be four distinct layers. This actually took quite a bit of time, as I originally thought that I might just put it all together in one layer, but revelations associated with the Parcel Number, forced me down another path.

The Parcel Number identified the location of the land, indicating the Township/Range, the Section, the Quarter Section, as well as a couple other elements; indeed, the first 4 numbers in the set represented the legacy Map Sheet # that any parcel with that number could be found on. The second part of that number caused a little difficulty, but a little research uncovered that it was an old National Weather Service thing that has somehow found its way into the Parcel number; it covers 4 sections.

Example Parcel Number: 18–9.0–32–400–015–001.000

• 18 = Township 52 North / Range 33 W — 5th Principal Meridian
• 9.0 = Tetrasection 9.0
• 32 = Section 32
• 400 = Southeast quarter
• 015 = Block Number
• 001.000 = Lot . SubLot Number

Taking the Land Corners feature previously generated, along with the PLSS from MSDIS, I began tying corners to points. It was strictly a Section PLSS, and most of the corners on the PLSS did not move far, usually only a handful of feet in just about every direction. There were a few exceptions, and I decided it would be best to set those aside until completing more research on the specific attributes of those.

Once complete, I began developing the framework for the PLSS that would live on our system. It would be comprised of four independent layers. The current Map Sheet number already in use would carry through all layers.

The PLSSTownships defined the Township/Ranges for further division. PLSSFirstDivision was the first division of the Township/Range layer, and contained the Tetrasections. PLSSSecondDivision was the second division of the Township/Range layer, and contained the Sections. PLSSThirdDivision was the third division of the Township/Range layer, and contained the Quarter Section information.

Fields in each of the layers were named straightforward and simple, but still abbreviated. When developing these, I discovered that while you could give field names any number of characters, if you went to export any of them to a Shapefile the names were truncated. Consequently, all of the field names needed to be eight characters to provide clarity and prevent any confusion about the name.

Most of the data was numeric, or simple text. This attribute information would rarely, if ever change. The field definitions would always work, regardless of what changed though. I used Short Integer everywhere possible, as well as limiting the length of text fields. In the case of cardinal and ordinal directions, I simply created a domain (lookup table).

The layers do not contain all of the data for each of the division. They only hold that relevant to the County, which causes it to appear as if data is missing along the boundaries. There was just no need to define Sections that were not in Platte County though.

We left the boundary on the Missouri River alone. There was just no help for that. Surveys were more than 100 years old in some cases, or had never been properly located with GPS.

GPS positions identifying County boundaries on the north and east side of the County enabled us to re-define the boundary with 99% confidence. The work added hundreds of acres to County that had not been previously included or assessed, resulting in increased revenue for the County.

In the end, we only used the PLSSThirdDivision in our production environment. It had everything we needed in it. All of the other layers ended up being really for other cartographic purposes only and for analysis, and quality control. I simply made all adjustments in the PLSSThirdDivision layer, and migrated those changes up to the other layers once a month.

Building them out independently proved to be a good exercise that provided valuable insight when I started building the Subdivision framework. It helped in understanding the numerous peculiarities of working with DB2, ArcGIS, and ArcSDE, when building out new features and tables. It also provided an excellent understanding of the idiosyncrasies of the Public Land Survey System.

We decided not to involve too many parcel adjustments at this stage. There was more work to do and another framework to complete. New parcels that did not belong to subdivisions were subject to the new PLSS, and adjacent parcels adjust out of the way of them. Additionally, the individual receiving deeds in the Office of the Assessor began updating all associated parcels, where previously they had only reviewed the legal to determine location. This worked well for the remainder of my time there, and just updating as it came through resulted in updating nearly 75% of parcels in the County over 5 years.

All individual features were stored in a Feature Dataset named Public Land Survey System, along with the LandCorners and GroundControlPoints, due to their geographic relationship and dependencies.

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Map displaying all layers of the grid and Land Corners

Below are links to access the four new features created in this process. Full detail on the construction of these features is further defined within the Info Sheet, containing the Metadata, for each individual feature.

. . .

PLSSTownships feature (KML)

- Info Sheet for PLSSTownship Metadata

PLSSFirstDivision feature (KML)

- Info Sheet for PLSSFirstDivision Metadata

PLSSSecondDivision feature (KML)

- Info Sheet for PLSSSecondDivision Metadata

PLSSThirdDivision feature (KML)

- Info Sheet for PLSSThirdDivision Metadata

. . .

Coming next in the series … more data restructuring, Subdivision, re-alignment, and other points of interest!