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Johnson's Shut-Ins
Nearly 1.5 billion years ago, violently explosive volcanoes
hurled hot gasses and ash into the air. The ashes and gas fell and
cooled, forming rhyolite rock. A billion years later,
shallow inland seas swallowed the ancient, worn-down mountains,
burying the igneous rock under thousands of feet of sedimentary
rock such as limestone, sandstone, shale and dolomite.
About 250 million years later, the entire Ozark region
lifted and the seas retreated. The wind and rain took their toll on
the upraised land, sending streams of sand- and gravel-laden water
to slice away the layers of soft sedimentary rock and expose the
rhyolite below. In low places, the swift Black River became shut-in
by the hard igneous rocks, swirling and churning to form huge
potholes, and breaking away the weaker rock to create natural water
slides and canyon-like gorges.
This immense natural playground is the primary feature of the
180-acre Johnson’s Shut-Ins Natural Area, only a portion of
the 8,549-acre Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park. Most of the
park, including the shut-ins and two miles of river frontage, was
donated in 1955 by Joseph Desloge, a St. Louis civic leader and
conservationist from a prominent lead-mining family.
A portion of the park is included in the state’s largest
natural area, the 7,028-acre St. Francois Mountains Natural Area.
Another part, the Johnson’s Shut-Ins Fen Natural Area is a
9-acre combination of seep forest and calcareous fens found in the
flood plains of the East Fork Black River. This wetland community
is promoted by seasonally ponded rain water and calcareous ground
water seepage on the flat flood plain. Seep forests are rare in
Missouri and this unique location is dominated by trees such as Red
Maple, Green Ash, Honey Locust and Slippery Elm and wetland plants
such as Closed Gentian and Silky Willow are found in the fen.
A relatively rare area in the St. Francois Mountains region, the
18-acre Dolomite Glade Natural Area is the only dolomite glade
represented from the St. Francois Mountains section of the Ozark
Natural Division. Some plants, including Missouri’s Evening
Primrose, Sandwort, and Englemann’s Adder’s Tongue Fern
are found nowhere else in the park.
A relatively rare area in the St. Francois Mountains region, the
18-acre Dolomite Glade Natural Area is the only dolomite glade
represented from the St. Francois Mountains section of the Ozark
Natural Division. Some plants, including Missouri’s Evening
Primrose, Sandwort, and Englemann’s Adder’s Tongue Fern
are found nowhere else in the park.
The nearby 4,874-acre Goggins Mountain Wild Area was acquired by
the parks division of the Department of Natural Resources in 1993,
and was designated as Missouri’s largest state wild area in
1995. The Goggins Mountain Valley contains the Wild Area as well as
the Goggins Mountain Hiking and Equestrian Trail which opened in
2000. This valley will become the new home of the campgrounds for
Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, which were destroyed in the
breach of the upper Taum Sauk Hydroelectric Plant Reservoir atop
Profitt Mountain on December 14, 2005.
The breach of December 14, 2005
Early that morning, the park was assaulted with over one billion
gallons of water rushing from the broken reservoir atop Profitt
Mountain, through the campground and shut-ins and down the East
Fork of the Black River. This onslaught of water left behind
devastation in the form of enormous boulders, several feet of sand
and clay and broken and uprooted trees piled up to 15-feet high on
the few trees left standing in the 52-site camping area and fen.
The campground was destroyed, filled with concrete and rebar from
the broken reservoir. Most of the trees and buildings were gone,
replaced by boulders and sand that were carried with the water.
Amazingly, one building in the campground-a basic vault toilet-was
spared from the flood’s force, losing only its rear wall. The
fixtures, rolls of toilet paper, and even a flypaper strip were
left intact, and this toilet now represents two distinct periods in
the park’s history.
Though the destruction seemed overwhelming, restoration soon began.
Mangled trees were mulched in a 50-foot-long tub grinder to form
piles of mulch as deep as 15 feet. Truckloads upon truckloads of
sand and sediment were removed. Once cleared, native grasses and
saplings were planted and new local topsoil was brought in to
replace what had been washed away. Wetland ecologists and soil
biologists were brought in to determine how to restore the
precious, delicate fen. The sand and sediment covering this fragile
area was several feet deep in places and was mostly removed using a
large, industrial vacuum, though the most sensitive areas could
withstand the use of only shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows to
uncover the buried vegetation. This area had to be cleared by
spring, or the buried plants would die. The recovery and
reestablishment of the fen was the park’s first major
success.
The hard, volcanic rocks that make up the shut-ins were virtually
unscathed, though some of its potholes and gorges were filled with
boulders, gravel, concrete and rebar, making swimming temporarily
unsafe. The boardwalk to the shut-ins was rebuilt, and the park
opened for limited day-use in May 2006. Visitors could see the path
of destruction and the on-going restoration, but were not allowed
to swim, or explore the rocks of the shut-ins. The immense recovery
effort continued throughout that summer and winter, and on through
the spring of 2007. On July 2, 2007, visitors were again allowed to
enjoy the park’s most popular feature, the rocks for which it
was named, and the newly restored river that ran over and among
them.
This past September, the park closed again to continue restoration
and development. The new entrance from Highway N will boast a
boulevard road system leading to the new multi-story park Office,
Store and Interpretation and Information Center located on a
sloping high point with views of both the Scour Channel and park
valley. From the boulevard, dispersed parking areas will be
available to access the abundance of day-use areas including
playgrounds, picnic areas and several different themed trails.
There will be areas for fishing and wading along the river, as well
as un-programmed, free play spaces. The Ozark Trail will be
rerouted through the park and will include a backpack camp.
The Scour Channel is such a unique feature it may rival the
shut-ins for the most popular area of the park. There will be
access to the boulder field from the park as well as from a
separate entrance in Highway N which will provide an overlook of,
and access to, the Scour Channel so visitors may enjoy this
incomparable aspect of the flood. The campground is being relocated
outside of the flood plain to the Goggins Mountain valley,
approximately a mile from the park’s main entrance. A shuttle
system is expected to be used to circulate visitors from the
campground to the Scour Channel Overlook, the park Office and Store
and the Shut-Ins.
Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park has long been one of
Missouri’s most popular state parks, entertaining nearly
250,000 visitors a year. For 2008, there will be swimming in the
shut-ins from Memorial Day Weekend until Labor Day Weekend and the
rest of the park will remain closed for redevelopment. The park is
expected to be fully open and operational sometime in 2009, better
than ever, providing satisfaction to visitors with an array of
interests-from camping and swimming, to hiking, birding and
studying the variety of plant life and the exceptional rock
formations. For updates on the redevelopment of Johnson's Shut-ins,
please see the Department of Natural Resources page on the park's
redevlopment.
Information above acquired from:
http://www.missouristateparks.net/johnson's-shutins-state-park/index.htm
Permission to place the Earthcache was
granted by Jeff Ayers Superintendent at the Park
Office
In order to log this Earthcache you will have to take a short walk
down the boardwalk to the water pools. Along the way you will see
several informational signs describing the areas geological
features. You will need to answer a few simple questions to log
this cache. Once you have the answers e-mail them to me.
*Optional - post a photo of yourself with the river in the
background
1: How many types of rhyolite can be found in the river, and
what types are they?
2:There is a sign with three colored arrows, what are the
colors of these arrows and what feature does each color
represent?
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)