News Release No. 421

NATHAN BOONE HOMESTEAD STATE HISTORIC SITE
TO RE-CREATE PAST DURING CANDLELIGHT TOUR OCT. 22

Volume 33-421

Contact: Sue Holst

(For immediate release)

573-751-6510

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 12, 2005 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will host a candlelight tour at Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site near Ash Grove on Saturday, Oct. 22. The tour will begin at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The candlelight tour will re-create the events surrounding the 1851 visit of historian Lyman Draper to the Nathan Boone farm in Ash Grove. Draper, who was seeking information about the life of Nathan's world famous father Daniel Boone, conducted extensive interviews with Nathan and his wife Olive concerning Daniel. It was Draper's intention to write an accurate biography of Daniel Boone, which would set straight popular myths and inaccurate histories concerning the great frontiersman. In recording hundreds of pages of oral history, Draper preserved not only a compelling history of an American icon but also a compelling history of two of Greene County's first settlers -- Nathan and Olive Boone.

By the light of candle lanterns, visitors will walk through the Boone farm and witness different perspectives of the story of Daniel as told by family, friends and neighbors. The tour lasts approximately one hour and will require a half-mile walk. The number of tour slots is limited, so please register in advance. Much of the program will take place outside, so participants are reminded to dress warmly.

Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Site preserves the last home and grave of Missouri frontiersman Nathan Boone. The historic site is located 1.5 miles north of Ash Grove on State Highway V.

To register for the candlelight tour, or for additional information, contact the site at 417-751-3266 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For more information about Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/parkssearch.do.

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