Old Appleton Bridge

The Old Appleton Bridge

"Old Appleton Bridge" by cmh2315fl is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Quick Facts

Location:

Old Appleton, MO

MANAGED BY:

City of Old Appleton, MO

Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums

This map shows a range of features associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail spans a large portion of the North American continent, from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington. The trail is comprised of the historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an auto tour route, high potential historic sites (shown in black), visitor centers (shown in orange), and pivotal places (shown in green). These features can be selected on the map to reveal additional information. Also shown is a base map displaying state boundaries, cities, rivers, and highways. The map conveys how a significant area of the North American continent was traversed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and indicates the many places where visitors can learn about their journey and experience the landscape through which they traveled.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places the bridge crossing the Apple Creek was built in 1879 connecting Perry and Cape Girardeau Counties. The only iron bridge of its kind in Missouri still in its original location. But before the bridge gave life to the thriving communities on both sides of the creek, in the late 1790’s the Shawnee Native Americans discovered the Apple Creek and made their home here with one of the largest tribal settlements known as the La Grande Village Sauvage in Perry County. It was during this time that Lewis and Clark documented in their 1804 journal about meeting and trading with the Native Americans on the Apple Creek as they ventured up one Mississippi River’s tributaries.