Pacific Travel Guide

Pacific is rich in history. It was once a major railroad hub and Gen Price marched his Confederate Army through the town on the way to St. Louis. The Great Pacific Coffee Co. offers a wide-range of pub food and good country cooking but the coffee is the best. For small-town USA it has superb espresso. It is located in the 1908 McHugh Dailey Mercantile building in the historic center across the railroad tracks. This building is full of history as it was made from brinks left over from the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis

Favorite thing: "A touch of the wild west about this place"

"I suppose so, but this town has more to do with iron horses rather than the equine variety"

"Oh God here comes some more anorak information"

"Please yourself, but I found it interesting"

"Go on then"

"Well the town was originally called 'Franklin', but when they applied to have a post office the name was already taken. They took the opportunity to sieze a commercial opportunity"

"Specifically ?"

"No, Pacific as in the ocean"

"But we are thousands of miles from the ocean"

"Well that was the whole point, the railroad company could legitmately call itself the 'St Louis and Pacific Railroad'. They had only built this far from St Louis at the time."

"Bit of a con then ?"

"Well it does seem a little cheeky"

"Is the story true ?"

"Probably"

"Passed another sign to the Meramec Caves."

"Only about the thousandth one. I admit that repitition in advertising works. We'll have to go"

Next>>>