Washington State Park, Washington County, Missouri

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Rock formations inside north entrance to Washington State Park.  Photographed:  July, 2000

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Washington State Park Interpretive Center near petroglyphs.
Photographed:  July, 2000

 

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Scenic Overlook Pavilion.     Photographed: July, 2000

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Near edge of 100+ foot cliff at scenic overlook. 
Photographed:  July, 2000

 

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Thunderbird Lodge near Big River. 
Photographed: Sept./Oct. 1998

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Big River swimming hole near Thunderbird Lodge.  Photographed:  July, 2000  The park also has a swimming pool.

 

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Scenic overlook which is waaaaaay up
"The One Thousand Step Trail"
(which, by the way, is more than
1,000 steps 'cause I counted!)

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Citgo Station near north entrance of Washington State Park


 

INDIAN PETROGLYPHS

The prehistoric Mississippian Indians were believed to inhabit this area around A.D. 1000.  They made spiritual carvings of thunderbirds, sunbursts, fertility & other symbols called "petroglyphs" in outcroppings of dolomite rock on a mountain above Big River.  This site located at the northeast edge of Washington County, now Washington State Park, was used for the Indians' religious rituals & ceremonies.

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ABOVE:  ACTUAL PETROGLYPH CARVINGS

 

Below:  The other petroglyphs were too faded to show up well on film so we took pictures of the signs above them. There are other petroglyph carvings & signs but we did not photograph them all.

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Pavilion over petroglyphs site.

 Petroglyph pictures photographed:   Sept./Oct. 1998

 

WASHINGTON STATE PARK FLOOD

13 May 2002
 

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Taken from Scenic Overlook

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Road Covered with water

 

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Washington State Park Tornado
6 May 2003 ~ Washington County, Missouri

This is only a minute section of tornado damage.  There is much, much more throughout the
park & north along Hwy. 21 to DeSoto in Jefferson County.   Photographed:  17 August 2003

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