Old Appleton

In 1793, Spain granted twenty-five square miles in southeastern Missouri to the Shawnee Tribe. Their largest town, originally called Chillicothe, was located on Apple Creek. Today, teenagers from the region drive to Old Appleton on hot summer days to sneak jumps off the bridge. No sign remains that this was a major Shawnee settlement for some twenty years. No historic marker notes that Tecumseh's relatives lived there or that he likely visited more than once. No roads retain tribal names. No extant buildings or graves seem to have the preservationists' attention - at least from what can be seen from a driving tour of the area. Instead, later American structures lie empty and collapsed.




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