Arlington, Missouri

What is Arlington?

Arlington today is a handful of homes rather than a destination. Railroad tracks still run along its southern edge, and I-44 runs a short way east of town. A short piece of original two-lane Route 66 leads toward town and stops short of the Gasconade River, where the old highway bridge used to be. Across the river, about three-quarters of a mile northwest, lies the community of Jerome.

History of Arlington

The spot at the mouth of the Little Piney was first known by that name. Around 1867, when the railroad later called the Frisco reached it, the town was laid out and renamed after Arlington, Virginia. In 1923 the state built steel bridges here on the old Wire Road, and that road became part of Route 66 in 1926.

The highway brought fishermen and travelers. In the late 1920s George Prewett ran a store and filling station by the road, and his son Vernon, a stonemason, built the cabins, the bathhouse and the restaurant of what became Stony Dell. Its spring-fed pool opened in 1932, and for a short time from about 1934 the resort also kept a small zoo. When Route 66 was widened and moved in the early 1950s, Arlington was left off the main road. Building I-44 in the mid-1960s finished the job: Stony Dell's pool, restaurant and gas station were torn down, and the old bridge went too.

Visiting Arlington: tips

Reach Arlington from I-44 by the outer roads and the old Route 66 pavement, then turn back where the road ends near the river. Ruins of Stony Dell, including stone arches, a cabin and the old souvenir shop, can still be seen near Jerome on Highway D. Stay on public roads and respect private land. The Lyric Live Theater and the Clementine ghost town are both about 4 miles away, as is Onyx Cave.