October 18, 2009
The Civil War Round Table of Western Missouri dedicated two low-profile historic markers for the Battle of the Little Blue on Sunday afternoon, October 18, 2009, at the Ripley Junction Park. These markers are in memory of past presidents, Sonny Wells and Tim Cox.
The Battle of the Little Blue was Day One of the Battle of Westport which was part of Confederate General Sterling Price's Great Missouri Raid on October 21, 1864. The new markers are an attempt to tell the story in an accurate and enlightening fashion with graphics, maps, pictures, and text. This is our way of helping to observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War which will start in 2011.
The Battle of the Little Blue is among the National Park Service's top 384 battle sites in the U.S., in the top 15 at risk sites in the U.S., and is in the top 10 endangered battle sites in Missouri.
These markers were funded by private donations, and no government money was used to erect them. We are grateful to Jackson County Parks and Recreation for allowing us to place the markers on park land.