Arrow Rock

Catalpa in Arrow Rock transforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early America, taverns were as ubiquitous as churches; every town had at least one. In Arrow Rock, that tavern was owned by a man named Joseph Huston. A founding father of the town, he arrived in Missouri in 1819, and helped transform the settlement into a thriving village where the Missouri River and the Santa Fe Trail intersected.

The National Historic Landmark Village of Arrow Rock Embraces its Diverse Past.

Missouri is defined by its small towns as much as anything else. Between our state’s two great metropolises lies our state’s heart—where tiny towns populate great plains and small communities dot the rugged landscape of the Ozark hollows. Some sit high above the Missouri on great river bluffs; some are tucked away in the woods. 

Missouri’s general stores of yore offered shoppers everything they needed—and a lot of what they wanted—along with a generous side serving of local news, gossip, and a few tall tales.