Stanton - Home of Meramec Caverns
Stanton, Missouri is a small unincorporated community on Interstate 44 at the junction with Missouri Supplemental Route W. Prior to Interstate 44, it was an important town on U.S. Highway 66 due to the nearby Meramec Caverns.
The largest cave in the "Cave State" - Missouri is home to nearly 6,000 caves - Meramec Caverns has earned some notoriety for its various historical occupants. Used by local Indian tribes for shelter and, according to legend, used as a station by the Underground Railroad, the caverns also provided the perfect post-heist hideout for Jesse James and his gang.
Today, this family-friendly show cave located under the Ozarks in the Meramec Valley comes complete with gift shop, restaurant, and 28 flavors of ice cream. Meramec Caverns' seven stories are composed of a series of natural underground openings, with another 26 miles of underground passages. One incredible speleothem, the Stage Curtain, measures 70 feet high, 60 feet wide, and 35 feet thick - the largest single cave formation in the world. Besides this 70-million-year-old, calcium-carbonate curtain, other notable formations in Meramec Caverns include the Wine Table and Onyx Mountain.
For those that enjoy the unorthodox, Stanton has the Jesse James Museum. This small attraction lies just off the I-44 Stanton exit. Its owner and cheerleader, Francena Turilli, carries on the legacy of her late husband, Rudy, who built the place more than 35 years ago. Francena bubbles with the enthusiasm of a religious zealot as she earnestly explains that Jesse James wasn't really shot to death in 1882 -- he died of old age in 1952 in the small town of Granbury, TX! It is this startling revelation upon which the museum focuses. Revisionist history we admit, but its a lot of fun and a one-of-a-kind experience!
Source:
Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Jesse James Museum
Caving in Stanton
