State Parks and National Parks

Pershing State Park

Pershing State Park was created in honor of Gen. John J. "Blackjack" Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. The young Pershing swam and fished in Locust Creek, which runs through the park.

The 3,527-acre park is a significant example of the original landscape of northern Missouri, a region now mostly agricultural. The stretch of Locust Creek meandering through the park is one of the last sizable streams in northern Missouri that has not been channelized. Its floods nourish a wetland prairie of more than 1,000 acres, as well as rich bottomland forest and valuable marshlands.

This varied landscape supports a wealth of wildlife. A birdwatcher's list will blossom at the park, with American bitterns, bald eagles, white pelicans, barred owls, warblers and myriad waterfowl all in residence seasonally or year-round.

A 1.5-mile interpretive trail that features a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk reaches into the wet prairie and provides prime birdwatching.

A seven-mile trail along Locust Creek offers primitive camping by permit.

Other recreational uses of the park include fishing in the creek for channel catfish, bullhead, carp, drum and four small lakes. There's also swimming in one lake and boating with non-powered boats only.

The park has 39 campsites, of which 29 have electricity. A dump station and laundry are provided.

History buffs should visit Pershing's old haunt within the park, the site of a former grist mill, the 1868 Locust Creek Covered Bridge nearby, and, three miles away, Pershing's boyhood home. Also at this state historic site is a one-room school where Pershing taught that houses a museum about his life.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Courtesy of Missouri Department of Natural Resources.