Dedication of a historic marker recognizing the 19th-century Boone’s Lick Road between St. Charles and Old Franklin in Howard County will take place at 11 a.m., Nov. 8, at the Katy Trail State Park pullout on Highway 87, three-tenths of a mile west of Highway 5 at the north end of the Boonville Bridge.

Installation of the interpretive sign is a joint project between the Boone’s Lick Road Association (BLRA) and the Santa Fe Trail Association (SFTA). The sign will commemorate the western end of the Boone’s Lick Road, which was used beginning in 1816 to connect St. Charles with Boone’s Lick Country in Central Missouri.

The Boone’s Lick Road ended where the Santa Fe Trail began in 1821 at Old Franklin. It became a main route for Americans migrating from east of the Mississippi River into the Louisiana/Missouri Territory after the War of 1812. It derived its name from Boone’s Lick salt works established in 1805 near present-day Boonsboro in Howard County. Two of Daniel Boone’s sons, Daniel Morgan and Nathan, were involved with the commercial production of salt at the Lick for several years.

Members of the Boone’s Lick Road Association, the Missouri River Outfitters Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association, Missouri State Parks and Hal Jackson, author of a 2012 book, “Boone’s Lick Road: A Brief History and Guide to a Missouri Treasure,” will make brief comments at the dedication.

“This interpretive sign project came about through the generosity of Santa Fe Trail Association members who provided the funds,” said David Sapp, president of the Boone’s Lick Road Association. “We are grateful to the Santa Fe Trail Association and to Missouri State Parks for handling the installation of this important historical marker.”

The BLRA was organized to draw public attention to the historic importance of the Boone’s Lick Road and promote federal recognition of it as a National Historic Trail. “An organization like ours can make a difference over time by helping to preserve and commemorate historic trail sites,” Sapp added.