Pea Ridge National Military Park
August 8, 2026
The next day we headed to the Pea Ridge National Military Park. It was a Civil War battlefield that I had never heard of. It turns out to have been the turning point of the war on that side of the Mississippi, deciding the fate of Missouri. After touring the visitors' center and seeing the video, we took the driving tour of the battlefield.
The Elkhorn Tavern was first built in 1833 along the Telegraph Road and in sight of the Trail of Tears. During the battle it served as Confederate Headquarters and then as battlefield hospital. Over the years it burned and was rebuilt, and then modernized for twentieth century comforts. For the park, it was restored to a more original condition.
