Barn Quilts of the Boonslick 2022

Left, Jim the Wonder Dog became famous for predicting the winners of the Kentucky Derby and the World Series, the gender of unborn babies, and other seemingly impossible predictions. Above, the recently restored Saline County Courthouse anchors a bustling town square in the county seat of Marshall.

arshall, Boonslick country’s largest city, sits at the wes t e r n edge o f t he scenic region. Founded MARSHALL VisitMarshallMo.com M in 1839, Marshall is the seat of Saline County. Years before in 1821, William Becknell and his party made their way through rural mid-Missouri on a crude wagon trail to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Carrying loads of goods for trade, Becknell’s party landed in Saline County at Arrow Rock, just off of the Missouri River. The party traveled through Saline County north of Marshall and headed southwest on the soon-to-be-named Santa Fe Trail. They would have seen Saline County’s breathtaking views of river bluffs, rolling hills, and undisturbed countryside. Today, Marshall offers visitors a view of well-kept Victorian homes, a stately courthouse, the renowned 325-acre Indian Foothills Park, quaint eateries, and bed and breakfasts for everyone to enjoy. Visitors will find Missouri Valley College and a community with a rich heritage of music, agriculture, aviation,

and a memorial garden dedicated to the state’s only “wonder dog.” And, about that wonder dog … No trip to the Boonslick area would be complete without a visit to Marshall, where a memorial garden, museum, and statue honor the extraordinary legend of Jim the Wonder Dog. Jim was a Llewellyn Setter that lived at the Ruff Hotel in downtown Marshall in the early 1900s. A champion hunting dog, Jim became famous for his many mysterious talents, which included predicting the winners of the Kentucky Derby and the World Series, the gender of unborn babies, discerning colors and numbers, and completing commands given in Morse Code and foreign languages! His talents were so widely acclaimed that the Missouri legislature named Jim the “Wonder Dog of Missouri” in 2017. Learn more about the story of Jim at the Museum and Welcome Center located across from the courthouse. Marshall takes great pride in its musical history. It is the smallest city in the United States with a philharmonic

orchestra, and it teams with a com- munity chorus and municipal band to offer musical performances that rival those in metropolitan areas. In the 1920s, early aviation had roots in Marshall. Russell B. Nicholas and Howard A. Beazley created one of the most successful aviation companies and flight schools in the country. The Nicholas-Beazley Airplane Company produced top-selling aircraft such as the Barling NB-3 Monoplane. The Marshall Flying School was the largest civilian flying school in the world, training more than three thousand pilots. Today, the Nicholas-Beazley Aviat ion Museum captures thi s history in a twelve-thousand-square foot museum, complete with exhibits, flight simulators, and young aviators area. The spacious Martin Community Center adjoins the museum. Many things have changed since folks traveled the Santa Fe Trail, but Marshall still offers travelers a place to rest, eat, and enjoy the countryside. Meet us in Marshall and enjoy the Boonslick.

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