Folk art memorial featuring handcrafted stone sculptures, terraced gardens, and symbolic monuments commemorating the Cherokee people's forced journey along the Trail of Tears.
How to Get There
From St. Robert (14 mi): Take I-44 east to Exit 172 at Jerome, turn north and then east onto State Highway D, and continue a short distance to the memorial on the left along the historic Route 66 corridor.
Overview
Larry Baggett's Trail of Tears Memorial is one of the most unusual and personal folk art environments along Historic Route 66 in Missouri. Created by Larry Baggett over several decades, the site was inspired by the tragic history of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, the forced relocation of Native American tribes through Missouri during the winter of 1838-1839. Using locally gathered stone, concrete, and handcrafted sculptures, Baggett transformed a hillside property into an intricate memorial landscape filled with symbolic figures, terraces, gateways, gardens, and spiritual imagery. The result is an immersive environment that blends history, remembrance, and artistic expression.
Among the memorial's most striking features are stone-covered sculptures, a dramatic entrance arch, a large white buffalo figure, and pathways winding through elaborate rock formations. Following Baggett's death in 2003, the property fell into disrepair before being purchased and restored by preservation-minded owners committed to maintaining its unique character. Today, visitors exploring Route 66 can experience a landmark that stands apart from traditional museums and monuments, offering a deeply personal interpretation of one of the most significant events in Native American history while showcasing the creativity of a self-taught artist.
This article uses material from Route 66 historical resources and preservation references for the Larry Baggett's Trail of Tears Memorial, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0.
