Springfield

The plaque names Wild Bill Hickok only as a Union scout, but his best-known day here came after the war. On July 21, 1865, on the town square, he shot Davis Tutt, who had won Hickok's watch at poker and insisted on wearing it in public. They fired from about 75 yards apart; Tutt missed, and Hickok's bullet went through his heart. A jury acquitted Hickok on August 3, and in February 1867 George Ward Nichols wrote him up in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, spelling his name Hitchcock.

What the plaque says

Springfield Queen City of the Ozarks, settled in 1830 by Tennessee pioneers on what had been a Kickapoo, Osage, and Delaware Indian camping ground. Springfield was first called Campbell and Fulbright Springs after its first settlers. Rivalry over location of the railroad in 1870 led to founding of North Springfield. The two towns were joined in 1887. Through here came Cherokee Indians on their "Trail of Tears" removal to Oklahoma, 1837. In 1858 the first westbound Butterfield Overland Mail coach stopped at its station here. It is of interest that Springfield was home of Missouri Governor John S. Phelps. Here were established Drury College, 1873, on campus is Shepard Museum; Southwest Mo. State College, 1906; Central Bible Institute, 1922; and Baptist Bible College, 1950. The U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners is here. Near Ash Grove, 21 miles northwest, is the Greene County home of Nathan Boone, noted surveyor, legislator, soldier and son of Daniel Boone. Nathan came here with his family in mid-1830's. On farm are graves of Nathan and his wife, Olive van Bibber Boone. (See other side) Erected by State Historical Society of Missouri and State Highway Commission, 1953 Springfield (Continued from other side) Springfield was a military prize held by both sides during the Civil War. At Wilson's Creek Battlefield, 3 miles southeast, on Aug. 10, 1861, one of Missouri's bloodiest battles was fought, ending in an important Confederate victory. Union General Nathaniel Lyon was killed leading his outnumbered troops against the combined force of the Confederates and General Sterling Price's Missouri State Guard, both under command of Gen. Ben McCulloch. The Confederates left Springfield at the approach of the Federals under General S. R. Curtis, Feb. 1862. For the duration of the war Springfield was under Union control. In Jan. 1863 a Confederate attack under General John S. Marmaduke was repulsed with help of a "Quinine Brigade" of convalescent soldiers. "Wild Bill" Hickock served as Union scout here. On a 1300-foot Ozark plateau, Springfield county seat of Greene Co., is an industrial, rail, and dairy center. One of many historic markers in the area identifies Fort Ancient, the work of early mound builders. Also of interest are Wilson's Creek Battlefield, now a memorial park, the National Cemetery, and the City Art Museum. Erected by State Historical Society of Missouri and State Highway Commission, 1953

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Wilson's Creek National Battlefield — 2.2 mi
  The farm valley southwest of Springfield where the first major Civil War battle west of the Mississippi was fought on August 10, 1861, and where Nathaniel Lyon became the first Union general killed.
• History Museum on the Square — 8.8 mi
  Springfield's history museum on Park Central Square, on Route 66 itself, with a gallery on how the highway got its number here in 1926 and another on the Osage, Kickapoo and Delaware.

More markers nearby

• Butterfield Overland Mail in Missouri - 1858-1861 — 5.4 mi
• Christian County — 15 mi
• Butterfield Overland Mail in Missouri - 1858-1861 — 23 mi
• Galena — 24 mi