Van Meter State Park occupies 1,105 acres along the Missouri River in central Missouri, where hills, ravines, marshes, fens, and forests create an unusually varied landscape. It preserves important archaeological evidence of the people French settlers called the Oumessourit, or Missouri Indians, including the Utz Site, Old Fort, and a mound field. The park began in 1932 with Annie Vanmeter’s gift of 369 acres, and Civilian Conservation Corps work from 1934 to 1935 left historic structures that still stand. Alongside camping, hiking, and fishing, the park serves as a major place for interpreting Native history in Missouri.