Steamboat Junction Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Bluffton is a ghost town in Missouri wine country. Winding along the Missouri River, scenic Highway 94 passes through what once was a flourishing little town and the home of Bluffton Winery (1866). Settled in the 1840’s, it was originally known as Stringtown and was renamed Bluffton when the wine company came to town. The Bluffton post office closed in 1966 and mail now comes from nearby Rhineland.
Clara, a side-wheel steamboat built in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1864, struck a snag near New Haven and sank on May 24, 1870. The boat was part of the Star Line Packet Company running from St. Louis to Kansas City. Captain William L. (Steamboat Bill) Heckmann bought the cabin from the wreckage and built a fine two-story house at Bluffton for his family. He put fancy stained glass from the Clara in the windows, strung gingerbread along the walls and called his children to dinner by ringing the engine-room bells. According to Steamboat Bill, who spent sixty four years on the river, whiskey and carelessness sent many a side-wheeler and sternwheeler to the bottom. The two-story house still stands today although it has been moved from it’s original location near Synthiana Creek.
Steamboat Junction is a nice place to stop for a break along the Katy Trail. You can purchase cold drinks and snacks at the outdoor refreshment stand (honor system) or make a quick stop to air up your bicycle tires. The campground is open from mid-April through early November.
Sources:
Steamboating: Sixty-Five Years on Missouri’s Rivers by Captain William L. Heckmann
The Material Culture of Steamboat Passengers – Archaeological Evidence from the Missouri River by Annalies Corbin
Permission to place this cache was granted by Steamboat Junction owners Sandra & Dan Benz. Be sure to say hello if you stop by on a weekend.
Congratulations to Arthur & Trillian for FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Whfg unatva' nebhaq Fgrnzobng Whapgvba