Traveling Trunks are available for a period of two weeks. The fee for trunks shipped to Missouri and Illinois is $35.00 per trunk. Trunks shipped to any of the other continental United States cost $45.00 per trunk. Trunks shipped to Alaska and Hawaii will incur an extra charge.

Call (voice) 314-655-1635 for more information. Trunks are limited; reservations are taken up to 30 days in advance. Reservations begin for the school year on the first weekday of May.

Traveling Trunks Topics & Descriptions:

African Americans of the West
James Nash, an African American explains the contents of this trunk and the involvement of African Americans in St. Louis and the west during the 1800s.

ARCHitecture
Explore the design, materials, and people involved in the construction of the 630 foot, stainless steel Gateway Arch.

A St. Louis Mercantile
Step back to St. Louis in the nineteenth century to meet William Barr, owner of Barr's Dry Goods Store. Meet his customers, learn about his enterprise, and gain an understanding of economics through hands-on items and historic vignettes.

City of Immigrants
"Congratulations, you are now citizens of the United States of America." Thousands of nineteenth century immigrants longed to hear these words. Join three immigrant families, the Reillys, the Kuhlmanns, and the Martinos as they make St. Louis their new home.

Cowboys
"Come an' get it!"...With these words the cowboys knew it was time to get up, get dressed and head for the chuck wagon. Join cowboy Nat Love and experience his adventures on the trail and the rail.

Dred Scott Trunk
The Dred Scott Trunk includes includes living history items, primary resources and audio-visual materials telling the story of Dred and Harriet Scott from the perspective of St. Louis Circuit Court Clerk, Michael Cerre. As circuit court clerk, Cerre processed the legal documents associated with Scott's 1850 trial at the Historic Old Courthouse. The court proceedings, as recorded by Cerre, were recently conserved by the State of Missouri and belong to the St. Louis Circuit Court.

Frontier Classroom
Schools were much different long ago. Join the adventures of four children, Toussaint, Joshua, Catherine, and Jessie as they experience schools in early St. Louis and on the western frontier.

Gold Miners
Eureka! Catch the fever and relive the days of the forty-niners. Meet Albert White, an African American from St. Louis who finds his fortune in California and returns home to open his own business.

Heritage of the Southwest
The Pueblo, the Navajo and the Spanish have all influenced the development of the Southwest. Experience these three different cultures through the travels of Susan Magoffin, who was one of the first Anglo women on the Santa Fe Trail.

Lewis and Clark Expedition
Relive this exciting adventure from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back. Discover new lands, people, plants, and animals through the eyes of Patrick Gass, the longest living member of the expedition.

Mountainmen
Travel with John Colter, who left the Lewis and Clark expedition to become a mountainman. He was the first non-Indian to explore the Yellowstone area. John shares some of his personal items and many of the tools he used to trap beaver during the nineteenth century fur trade.

Overlanders
Join fourteen-year-old Sally Hester and her family for their overland journey through St. Louis on their way to California in 1849. As you unpack this trunk you will find many of the items needed for the journey.

Plains Indians
Explore the culture of the Plains Indians as Chief Red Cloud describes the items in the trunk and explains their usefulness and significance to his people.

Steamboats A' Comin'
Experience the glorious days of steamboating on the western rivers. Learn about travel and work aboard these floating palaces as crew member Henry Blossom shares his memories and mementos.