MISSOURI STATE PARKS

Trail of Tears State Park is in need of volunteers to help staff the Visitor Center.  One dedicated day a week is requested.  Staff with work with volunteers on their day preference.  The Visitor Center (VC) is open Wednesday - Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 12-5.  Duties would include welcoming visitors, providing park information and orientation, answering phones and cleaning the building and bathrooms.  There are opportunities to learn about and research the cultural/historic aspects and/or the plants, animals and natural communities in the park. 

For more information you can call the park office and ask for Denise Dowling or Danny Counts at 573-290-5284.  If you get the answering machine please leave a contact number as we do not have caller identification. 

Gain a better understanding of one of the saddest chapters in American history at Trail of Tears State Park, where nine of the 13 Cherokee Indian groups being relocated to Oklahoma crossed the Mississippi River during harsh winter conditions in 1838 and 1839. The park’s visitor center tells the tale of the thousands who died on the forced march, as well as the park’s many natural features. The park also has a cheerier side: shaded picnic sites, hiking and horse trails, opportunities to fish in both the Mississippi River and Lake Boutin, and majestic views of the Mississippi River and beyond. Its location right on the river makes the park one of the best places in Missouri for viewing migratory waterfowl.