The story of Butler County’s first highway

The Poplar Bluff Museum has tales about us, our family and our history. I want to tell you some of those tales found within the museum walls.

The Black River runs right through the center of Butler County and Poplar Bluff. Beginning up north in Reynolds County, it eventually flows into the Mississippi River in southern Arkansas.

The Black River was the first highway.

It is what first brought Native Americans and later white settlers to this area. Life along the river has been eventful but a few odd snippets of history has been captured in Robert Forister’s 1935 book “Complete History of Butler County.”

During the timber mill boom, workers regularly bathed naked in the river after a hard day’s work before hitting the saloons in Poplar Bluff. It was so disturbing for townspeople picnicking along the river bank that in 1916 the city passed an ordinance prohibiting bathing in the river.

Later, in 1920, Qulin bank robbers were speeding toward Poplar Bluff along Highway 53. When they reached the bridge over the Black River, they saw a young man with a rifle. Thinking he was part of a road block they turned around heading back in the direction they came. The criminals ran head on into the posse and were captured. It seems it was just a boy shooting turtles from the bridge.

Tom Parks was a well known hermit. In 1926, he lived in a log home on the river. It consisted of a single hollowed out cypress log. It was tall enough to sit in and wide enough to lay in. It was the quintessential log home.

Besides timber, collecting mussels in the river was a big business. Mussel shells were used to make buttons. In 1932, two angry mussel men began shooting at each other. The Daily American Republic dubbed it “The Great Black River Naval Battle.” It seems G.J. Staggs and Ocle Blevins had a disagreement and began peppering each other with shotguns from their boats.

Staggs had to go to the hospital with 50 pellets in him. Sheriff Lester Massingham responded to the scene but couldn’t find Blevins hiding in the swamp.

A wall map of Missouri depicting the Black River is on display in the Githens Hall of the Poplar Bluff Museum.

The book “Complete History of Butler County” is on file in the museum’s reference library.

The museum is handicap accessible and open every Sunday free of charge from 1-4 p.m. 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.