Meeting of Washington Irving and Kit Carson at Arrow Rock Tavern from a mural in the Missouri State Capitol.

(ARROW ROCK, Mo., AP) — Efforts to gain national recognition for a historic river crossing in central Missouri have taken a step forward.

The Marshall Democrat-News reports (http://bit.ly/UpMypk) the Saline County Historic Preservation Commission has endorsed the nomination of Arrow Rock Ferry Landing to the National Register of Historic Places.

The privately owned 8-acre property is located on the Missouri River just north of Arrow Rock, a 19th century town that is already a state historic site.

Property owner Rich Lawson told the commission at a recent meeting that Arrow Rock Ferry Landing was originally known as Todd’s Landing. He traced its history to the early 19th century and says the land contains a deep set of swales, marking an early segment of the lesser-known eastern end of the Santa Fe Trail.