Louisiana, Missouri is located on the Great River Road alongside the Mississippi River about 85 miles north of St. Louis and 33 miles south of Hannibal on State Route 79. Louisiana is home to twenty-three murals and is known as the "Route 79 Mural City."
Mississippi riverboats are a frequent subject of interest to the artist. Here is a link to several pen and ink drawings. The town of Louisiana sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and dates from the early 1800s. The population is about 4,000, and there are several antebellum homes and Victorian-era buildings downtown

The mural, located at the corner of Georgia Street and 5th Street, is reminiscent of the John Pugh mural in Twentynine Palms, California. More beautiful examples of Mr. Stoeckley's work can be viewed at his gallery located in a restored stagecoach stop in downtown Louisiana at 107 South 9th Street. For more information and hours is online here. Another one of the 23 murals in Louisiana was painted by Holly W. Dehner and can be seen here.

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Photographed by Gerald Thurman, 6/24/06
Posted on RoadTrip America 03/07