JEFFERSON CITY, MO, SEPT. 01, 2026 – Mastodon State Historic Site in Imperial is turning 50 years old this year! You’re invited to join us to celebrate this anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 5.
This event will feature free museum admission from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as free live music and interpretive programs in the picnic area between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome, and there is no need to register. Attendees are encouraged to bring snacks, drinks, sunscreen and lawn chairs for the outdoor portion.
Mastodon State Historic Site contains an important archaeological and paleontological site: the Kimmswick Bone Bed. Here, scientists discovered the first solid evidence of the coexistence of humans and the American mastodon in eastern North America.
Visitors to the site will learn about this discovery and how the landscape of Missouri looked in prehistoric times. The site also features a museum, displays of ancient artifacts and fossils, and an impressive mastodon skeleton replica.
Mastodon State Historic Site is located at 1050 Charles J. Becker Drive in Imperial.
The primary source of funding for the state park system is half of the dedicated constitutional tax of one-tenth-of-one-percent Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax. The tax provides about three-fourths of the division’s budget for operation and development of state parks. All additional funding for Missouri’s Division of State Parks comes from revenues generated in the state park system and some federal funds.
For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit Missouri State Parks. The Division of State Parks is part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.