Honoring Our Heroes

Begin your journey through the history of Pulaski County at the John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex at Fort Leonard Wood. Home to three U.S. Army museums in one convenient location, the Mahaffey Complex honors the lives and contributions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, and the U.S. Army Military Police Corps with fascinating exhibits, uniforms, equipment, and much more. All three museums are free and open to the public. Also located within the complex is the Military Police Regimental Walkway and Memorial Grove, which provides a serene place for Soldiers — both active and inactive — to honor their fallen comrades.

Just up the road from the Fort Wood Main Gate, pay homage to the Black Americans who proudly served our nation at the African American USO Chimney Monument, a remnant of the Black USO Club formed in 1942.

Peer into the Past

From Saint Robert, head west on Historic Route 66 to the city of Waynesville. Here, catch a glimpse of Pulaski County as it once was at the well-preserved Old Stagecoach Stop. Built in the 1850s, this impressive structure began as a stop on the Burden & Woodson stage route before transitioning to a tavern and later a Union hospital during the Civil War. Now open to the public as a museum, visitors can tour the oldest standing structure in Pulaski County and immerse in its fascinating history.

On the other end of the square, the 1903 Route 66 Courthouse Museum stands as one of two period courthouses on the Missouri stretch of the Mother Road. Designed by notable architect and Missouri native, Henry H. Hohenschild, the courthouse served the residents of Pulaski County for more than 80 years and features an intact period courtroom upstairs that spotlights the structure’s gorgeous, 20th-century craftsmanship. Before you go, snap a selfie in front of the 8-foot Route 66 Shield on the front lawn of the courthouse!

A Tearful Memorial

In the early 1800s, the U.S. government forcibly removed tens of thousands of Native Americans from their homes in the Southeast to Indian Country in modern-day Oklahoma. Along the 800-mile journey, some stopped along the Roubidoux Creek at what is now Laughlin Park in Waynesville. One of seven Trail of Tears certified sites in Missouri, the Roubidoux Spring Cherokee Campsite tells the harrowing history of the Cherokee who camped there, illustrated by storyboards around the site detailing the trials and tribulations of their long trek.

Remembering the Rails

As Route 66 and Fort Leonard Wood helped shape the communities around Pulaski County, so too did the Frisco Railroad. In Crocker, the Frisco Depot Museum displays the history of the railroad and its influence. Housed in an authentic Frisco Railroad depot, the museum chronicles the industrial growth of Pulaski County through exhibits and memorabilia. In nearby Frisco Park, snap some photos of the Frisco Railroad Caboose.