Parade Rest Traditional Cache

Parking is available at the cache. This one designed for a very quick grab in a high-traffic area. But it won't last long unless you're stealthy! Unless it's muddy, you can probably get a wheelchair very close to the cache - but I'm not sure you can see it without leaving the chair.

You are looking for a screw-top container about an inch long. Bring your own pencil and maybe a tweezers.

The photo is from the St. Louis County Parks collection. It's the cover photo for the Jefferson Barracks Master Plan, prepared for the St. Louis County Economic Council in 2009. If you were at the cache location in 1902, you'd be visible in the background of the photo just in front of Officers Row.

Jefferson Barracks was founded in 1826. It was the first permanent army post west of the Mississippi. It is named after President Thomas Jefferson, who negotiated the Louisiana purchase. The army purchased 1702 acres from early settlers for a $5 gold piece. The first temporary camps were established on the parade ground, just south of the cache. The boundaries of the parade ground are one of the very few things that have not changed in the entire history of the post. During the early years, virtually all supplies and personnel heading West passed through Jefferson Barracks. The Army's purchase of supplies had a substantial influence on the St. Louis economy.

Nothing remains of the early temporary buildings. There is a sundial which dates from 1841. It is located outside the administration building, which is to your left on the east end of the parade ground.

The post played an important part in virtually every conflict from 1826 until it was decommissioned in 1946. In many cases, it served as a recruiting and training center. During the Civil War, it served primarily as a hospital. The Western Sanitary Commission assisted the Union Army in supplying and supporting the hospital. The commission was responsible for a number of innovations, including the use of Union Pacific rail cars and a fleet of four steam ships to transport the wounded to Jefferson Barracks and other area hospitals. The steam ships were first used for transport from Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee, during the battle of Shiloh.

During the 1930's and 1940's, the post was home to camps for the Citizen's Military Training Corps, which was the precursor of the Army Reserves. During the Great Depression, there were also Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the area.

Most of the buildings visible from the cache date from the 1890's. During that time, the closing of the frontier and the advent of rail travel allowed the army to consolidate into fewer, larger installations. At the same time, poor living conditions for the soldiers contributed to an extremely high desertion rate. Post-Dispatch reporter Frank E. Woodward enlisted in the Army in 1889 in order to write an expose on living conditions. He was stationed at Jefferson Barracks. In response to his articles, the Army launched a series of high-level investigations which eventually resulted in big improvements in army facilities nationwide. The changes were implemented first at Jefferson Barracks. The southern part of the post was razed and 50 new buildings were built between 1891 and 1897.

The row of barracks along the south side of the parade ground, directly across from the cache, were constructed during this time. The mess hall in the center of the row was built in 1884. It was one of the first central mess halls on any post.

A number of buildings were added during the Spanish-American War. The duplexes of Officers Row stood along the north side of the parade ground, approximately where the cache is located. They were built in 1898. Only two of them remain, to the west of the cache. They house telephony and Civilian Conservation Corps museums. The administration building, to your left at the east end of the parade ground, dates from 1900.

Just beyond the remaining Officers Row duplexes is the building which housed nurses during WWII. It was built in 1939. At the east end of the parade ground, north of the administration building, you can see three buildings which housed Officers Quarters. These were built in 1940.

The Missouri National Guard took over the southern portion of the base in 1949. The fenced area south of the cache, including the parade ground, is currently used by several branches of the National Guard and Reserves.