Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, a unit of the National Park System, preserves the site of the first major battle of the Civil War in the West. The Confederate victory on August 10, 1861, focused national attention on the war in Missouri, leading to greater federal military action.

In 1950, local community leaders formed Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Foundation, with its first priority purchasing the 37 acres of Bloody Hill, using funds raised mostly from area school children. After several attempts to gain national park status, and with the financial assistance of the Missouri Legislature to obtain 1,700 additional acres, Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield was dedicated on August 10, 1961, the 100th anniversary of the battle.

The park, which hosts over 200,000 visitors annually, is considered to be one of the three best preserved and most pristine Civil War battlefields in the National Park System. While many come to enjoy the natural setting, growing numbers of guests visit the park for study and research.