A trading post on the Poplar bluff

In case you didn’t know, there is a museum here in Poplar Bluff. It has tales of us, our family, and our history. I want to tell you some of those tales found within the museum walls.

Native Americans have lived in our county since prehistoric times. According to the monument on the courthouse lawn, Indian mounds were found north of Poplar Bluff along the Natchitoches Trail, an Indian path to the southwest.

Mississippian Indian pottery and arrow heads are on display in the front lobby of the Poplar Bluff Museum. These artifacts were found by Glen Hill on his Fisk farm in 1950. They date from AD 700-1650.

In the 1800’s, Southeast Missouri was nothing but a swamp. If you want an example, just go visit the Mingo wetlands. That’s how our entire region looked. The early French trappers would canoe up and down the Black River trading with the local Osage Indians. One of their favorite spots was a bluff rising out of the swamp with a grove of Poplar trees. This became known as the Poplar bluff. An Indian trading post also existed on Gillis Bluff, just south of town.

The first white settler was Solomon Kittrell in 1819. His portrait is on display in the Museum’s “People” room. The town was laid out and named Poplar Bluff in 1849. Almost destroyed by guerillas and foragers during the Civil War, Poplar Bluff didn’t grow until the railroad arrived in 1872. The lumber industry contributed to the growth bringing a second railroad to town. The swamps were drained in 1913 allowing expansion of Poplar Bluff and establishment of local farms.

In 1927, a tornado devastated Poplar Bluff killing 86 people. A photo gallery of its devastation is on display on the Museum first floor hallway.

The town was rebuilt and continued to grow to this day.

Many more stories of early Poplar Bluff are on display in the Butler County Historical Society Room. The Museum is open free of charge from 1-4 p.m. every Sunday at 1010 Main St., Poplar Bluff (Formerly the Old Mark Twain School). Tell them Mike sent you!

Mike Shane is a veteran, Poplar Bluff resident and board member for the Poplar Bluff Museum.