The Black River

The Black River. . , For early Powhatan, this river was the source of life and connection to the outside world. , The river originates in Missouri, north of Johnson's Shut-Ins and flows south into the White River at Jacksonport. Powhatan is the northern most point on this river where steamboats could land all year round., As you look the river think of some ways it might have provided life to the people who lived here. Could the river also hurt them? , , (caption) Steamboats provided the people of Powhatan a direct connection with large shipping ports like New Orleans, St. Loius, and Pittsburg, allowing the purchase and sales of a large assortment of goods here. , (caption) A downside of river life was the constant danger of floods. Today, some buildings are built on stilts to escape water damage. , (caption) Flowing river water also provided a convenient way to transport cut timber. Logs were floated in rafts downstream, where they were hauled out of the river on carts and taken to the sawmill. , (caption) Freshwater mussels abounded in the Black river. When an especially large pearl was discovered in 1897, a pearl rush began. Pearling camps like this one (circa 1900) appeared up and down the banks of the Black River. Demand for mussel shell buttons kept the pearling industry alive into the 20th century.