Van Buren in Carter County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Van Buren
Van Buren, settled as the seat of Ripley County, organized, 1833, became the seat of Carter County when it was organized from parts of Ripley and Shannon counties, 1859.
Nearby Big Spring State Park, 4582 acres of Ozark grandeur, founded 1924, features the natural beauty of the largest single-orifice, fresh water spring in the U.S.
Big Spring has a maximum flow of 840 million gallons every 24 hours and a daily average of 250 million gallons. The spring discharges about 175 tons of limestone in solution daily. 433 feet above sea level, at the base of a 500-foot cliff, the spring gushes through an impeded opening from an underground streambed and flows 1,000 feet into Current River, famed spring-formed, spring-fed Ozark fishing stream. Of the 69 springs in the U.S. having a dailyflow of 64,600,000 gallons or more, 11 are in the Missouri Ozarks.
During the Civil War the Union Army of Southeast Missouri wintered in the area 1862-63. The Snider House, west of town is the site of one of several skirmishes.
(Reverse):
The town of Grandin, to the south, once-time lumbering center of Missouri, was laid out in 1888 by the Missouri Lumber and Mining Co. Over 100,000 acres of Carter County's virgin forest land were bought and 15 to 20 thousand acres were harvested a year. From the mid-1890's to 1909 when the forest was depleted and the mills closed, production at the Grandin's mills exceeded 60 million board feet of lumber a year. With the sawmills closed, Grandin and other mill towns in the area became like ghost towns.
The natural forest resource of the area is being restored through local, state, and national effort. Much of Carter County lies in Clark National Forest, founded 1933-37.
Erected 1955 by State Historical Society of Missouri and State Highway Commission.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Features • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Missouri, The State Historical Society of series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1833.
Location. 36° 59.708′ N, 91° 0.873′ W. Marker is in Van Buren, Missouri, in Carter County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (Business U.S. 60) and Oliver Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Located in front of the Carter County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Van Buren MO 63965, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Carter County Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Big Spring (approx. 3.2 miles away); Big Spring: A Karst Topography (approx. 3.2 miles away); There Was Work To Be Done (approx. 3˝ miles away); Camp Hains - 1710 (approx. 3˝ miles away); CCC - A Peace-Time Army (approx. 3˝ miles away); Building Human Happiness (approx. 3˝ miles away); The Ancient Ozarks (approx. 12.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Van Buren.
Regarding Van Buren. Clark National Forest, mentioned on the marker, was consolidated into Mark Twain National Forest in the 1970s. Also Big Springs State Park was incorporated into the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, administered by the National Park Service, in the late 1970s.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 25, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,825 times since then and 80 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on September 25, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.