Central Missouri / Missouri River Corridor
Van Meter State Park holds the Missouria people's homeland and ancient earthworks
Van Meter State Park is tied to the Missouria (Missouri) people and preserves earthworks and a Native American cultural center, deep Indigenous history that predates and underlies the county's later story
Van Meter State Park sits in Saline County, by the Missouri River. Its full name is Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park. The park is tied to the Missouria people. The Missouria were a Native American nation, and the state of Missouri is named after them. Long ago, they lived along the river here. The park still holds earthworks, which are mounds and shapes made of dug earth. It is also home to Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center, where this history is shared. So the river bottoms hold a deep Native American past, one that came long before Boonslick and Little Dixie. Please treat this history with care. The Missouria are a living people today, the Otoe-Missouria. For what is known and how it is told, trust Missouri State Parks and, when you can, the Otoe-Missouria themselves. To plan a visit, confirm hours and details with the park office.
References
Where this fits: this note belongs to Saline County. See every local note for the county on its page.