Home > Travel > State Parks > Kentucky > Columbus-belmont State Park

At one time, national leaders considered moving the country's capital from Washington to Columbus--a nod to Columbus-Belmont's important role in American history. The site was considered a strategic location for control of the Mississippi River, and the struggle to control the river led to the Battle of Belmont on November 7, 1861.

Confederate General Leonidas Polk established camps on both the Kentucky and Missouri sides of the river and named the more heavily fortified Columbus the "Gibraltar of the West." But a Union General destined for the White House, Ulysses S. Grant, outflanked the "Gibraltar" and forced evacuation of the Confederates in 1862.

Today, you can still see the massive chain and anchor used by the South to block passage of Union gunboats and the earthen trenches dug to protect over 19-thousand Confederate troops. The farmhouse that served as a Civil War hospital is now a museum that interprets many historic events at this site. The park has a beautiful campground and activity center.