REPUBLIC, Mo. (AP) – A $4.5 million expansion project is planned to make room for more Civil War-era artifacts at the site of the first major battle west of the Mississippi River.
The Springfield News-Leader reports the project will add almost 1,900 square feet (about 175 sq. meters) of exhibit space to the visitor center at the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield. An estimated 1,200 Union and 1,100 Confederate soldiers died in August 1861 in the fighting near what is now the Missouri city of Republic.
Fundraising got a major boost last week when Bass Pro Shops donated $25,000 to help jump-start a $300,000 local campaign for the project. Remaining project funding will come from the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation.
The park draws about 200,000 visitors a year.
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