Arrow Rock

History

Arrow Rock was the name of a prominent flint-bearing bluff on the Missouri River. The name first appeared on a French map from 1732 as "Pierre a Fleche", meaning "Rock of Arrows". Edwin James on the 1819 Yellowstone Expedition wrote, "Arrow Rock is so called from its having been formerly resorted to by neighboring Indians for the stone used to point their arrows." The two dominant Native American tribes in the area encountered by French traders early in the 18th century were the Missouria and the Osage. The bluff continued to be a landmark to explorers and travelers for over 150 years. Lewis and Clark passed by on June 9, 1804, and noted "Several small Channels running out of the River below a Bluff [Cliff of rocks called the arrow rock] & Prairie (Called the Prairie of Arrows)". In 1808, William Clark passed through the area again on his way to construct Fort Osage noting a "Big Arrow Rock" and a "Little Arrow Rock" just upstream from it. He declared the area would "make a handsome spot for a town." During the first half of the 19th century, this region of central Missouri was called "Boonslick Country" so named for the Boone's salt lick about four miles east of Arrow Rock in adjacent Howard County. The term "lick" derived from wildlife licking salt from the ground around the briny springs. Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, sons of famed frontiersman Daniel Boone, manufactured salt here from 1805 to 1812, shipping it to St. Louis. Their partners and co-operators, James and Jesse Morrison, continued the salt business until 1833. Salt boiling continued intermittently until the 1860s. The site of this early frontier industry is now managed as Boone's Lick State Historic Site by the Missouri Division of State Parks. Euro-American settlers arrived in 1810, establishing…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  732
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  683
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  644
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  545
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  465
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  461
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  460
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  437

Largest nearby schools

• HARDEMAN ELEM.
  Elementary · MARSHALL · 69 students · 11.5:1 ratio
• OREARVILLE ELEM.
  Elementary · SLATER · 68 students · 8.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.53 — 2025-07-15
  3 km W of Hale, Missouri
• M 2.59 — 2022-12-05
  4 km SW of Madison, Missouri
• M 3.3 — 2005-07-31
  Missouri