Historic Driving Tour of Deer Run
Introduction
Welcome to the Deer Run unit of the Current River Conservation Area. this 7,475-acre tract of land lies in the middle of the vast Ozark forest and is typical of the heavily timbered Ozark hills. It supports healthy stands of pine and oak, which range in size from seedlings to mature sawtimber. However, the flourishing forest you see now did not always exist. As recently as the mid-1920s, this area consisted only of harsh, rocky hills. The lumber boom in the Ozarks in the late 1800s and early 1900s exploited most of the forest resources in this area. After the Civil War, reconstruction efforts called for the rebuilding and expansion of towns and cities. Railroads were biding built to expand the young nation's western frontier. The pine and oak in the Ozark forests were nearly exhausted. This was followed by repeated destructive wildfires. It wasn't until 1924 that the original plot of 6,160 acres was purchased for about $2 an acre. Additional tracts of land were acquired between 1926 and 1940, contributing to the development of a game refuge and conservation area.
Forest management practices have rejuvenated a once-depleted forest into a healthy, thriving forest. Deer Run now integrates the rich and diverse history of days past with the forest management practices and public use of today. Managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation's Forestry Division, the Deer Run unit offers many recreational opportunities for public use. Hunting, fishing, hiking, primitive camping, sightseeing and photography may be enjoyed during all seasons of the year.
During this tour, visitors are advised to say on the designated roads. Some of the other trails are rugged and are suitable only for four-wheel-drive vehicles. Thank you for your cooperation.
Civil War Fortification
About 0.6 miles north on the logging road remains an important piece of Missouri's Civil War history. This fortification, a type of earthen fort or redan, is also known as Fort Barnesville. Barnesville was the original name of the nearby town of Ellington.This site is shaped like a horseshoe, allowing access for the wagons and supplies on the north side. An old powder magazine inside the structure is usually full of rain water. This site was first believed to be an unfinished Civilian Conservation Corps pond because of its steep banks and depth. However, the structure wasn't recognized as a Civil War fortress until 1995. In that year, several Civil War experts confirmed the authenticity of this military structure. The fortification was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Civil War fortress at Barnesville is believed to have been constructed as a temporary field fortification by either the 13th Illinois Cavalry or the 25th Missouri Infantry. It is thought to have been built in the winter of 1862-1863. We do not know for certain because military personnel often failed to document or report the construction of temporary structures. In fact, this is a remarkable archeological site because it is one of the few remaining temporary field fortifications known in Missouri.
The purpose of this structure was to protect a strategically important stretch of the union Army's military wagon road between Pilot Knob and Van Buren. Due to the rugged topography of the Ozark terrain, the few existing navigable roads in this area were vigilantly guarded by whichever army held them. The trail that leads to the fort is a section of that military y road and is also used as a logging road. There was never a major Civil War battle fought in Barnesvilloe, although there were many skirmishes and troop movements in the nearby countryside. This fortification is the only remaining feature identified with the Civil War in the Ellington area.
The fort's dimensions are about 150 feet long from north to south by 135 feet wide from east to west. A trench runs along the inside wall or parapet. At the southern tip or apex of the horseshoe is an earthen platform, which was used by field artillery to fire upon enemies approaching from the south. In the middle of the redan is a rectangular pit that served as a powder magazine, measuring approximately 12 feet by 8 feet with a depth of 4 feet. In the spring of 1996, archaeologists discovered a copper belt buckle and parts of another belt buckle in the fort. The items were identified s parts of a state militia saber plate buckle. The water inside he powder magazine was drained in the fall of 1996, and the mud was dug out and searched with a metal detector. The only recovered artifact at that time was a timber fragment. The powder magazine has since filled with rain and groundwater.
Fire Tower
Towering above you is Missouri's first steel fire tower. Erected in 1926, the steel tower was one of the first steps in fire prevention, a key component in forest management. Towermen sat at the top to spot forest fires. The tower was moved to this more favorable site from its original location in 1937. During the fire season, all Civil Conservation Corps enrollees were on mandatory fire duty and weren't allowed to leave the camp. A crew was selected to take shifts watching from the fire tower.
The fire tower is still used today. It is not used as much as in the early days of firefighting, because airplanes also help to spot fires. In some areas, the practice of using planes has made the more old-fashioned fire towers obsolete; but in Deer Run, the tower remains a valuable fire-prevention tool.
Buford Pond
Buford Pond is a manmade pond that covers about three acres. With several shaded picnic tables surrounding it, this serene, beautiful pond is a perfect location for having lunch or just relaxing. Buford Pond is believed to have been built by the Missouri Lumber and Mining Company as a water source for steam engines and livestock. It was later named for Senator Wilbur Buford, an early Game and Fish and Conservation commissioner from Ellington. You may fish at the pond, or walk the trail around it.
While Buford Pond is stocked with fish, this is not typical of the other manmade ponds in Deer Run. Most of them have been specifically built as wildlife water holes. They are not deep, and contain few, if any, fish. This makes the ponds good habitat for other aquatic dwellers, such as salamanders. Some of the first water holes were not dug with machinery, but were experimentally blasted with dynamite in the early days of the conservation Commission. Other Ponds were constructed by the lumber company.
Oak Decline
The young forest on the south side of the trail was regenerated in 1985 after the previous forest died from oak decline. Oak decline typically affects members of the red oak group on sites where we think pine predominated before the logging boom. Land management practices after logging prevented regeneration, and oaks became established on these sites. Red oaks are not as tolerant as pine of these droughty soils and become susceptible to a variety of insects and diseases when placed under stress. To reduce the occurrence of oak decline, deteriorating oak stands are harvested and replaced with a healthier mix of pine, white oak, red oak, hickory and other species.
Tram Roads
The years between 1870 and 1920 saw the great logging boom in the Ozarks. The main sawmill that processed the trees of Deer run into lumber and railroad ties was located at Grandin, Mo., and owned by the Missouri Lumber and Mining Company. A standard-gauge railroad moved the trees from the forest to the sawmill. The main line went through the nearby town of Ellington. Spur lines connected to the main line and these branched out into the nearby forests. Several of these spur lines crossed through Deer Run and the road beds were the tracks of the railroad used to be can still be seen today. When these railroads were built in 1904, they were considered to be temporary, so quality construction was not a main concern. The tracks were rough and bumpy and accidents were common. After the lumber industry exhausted the resources, all the steel rail was collected, cut into pieces and sold for scrap.
Wildlife Food Plots
To the right of the trail is Wildlife Food Plot 9. Wildlife food plots are an important part of forest management. There are about 65 food plots in Deer Run, each with a small water hole. Additional ponds exist in other areas of the forest. These open areas offer wildlife a place to feed when other food resources might be scarce. They are left standing over winter for use by a variety of wildlife. Food plots in Deer Run contain white and red clover, wheat, native warm season grasses and lespedezea.
The Civilian Conservation Corps began planting wildlife food plots in Deer Run after their camp was established in 1935. They used Food Plot 13 as a softball field. The CCC work was continued when the Department of Conservation built more food plots and ponds in 1956 and 1957.
The impact of the Deer Run food plots has been felt throughout Missouri. Since it was a game refuge, this forest was one of the few remaining spots in the state where white-tailed deer still existed as late as 1936. During a period of 16 years, 323 deer were trapped here and released in various parts of the state. This contribution, along with those of other game refuges, was integral in the reestablishment of Missouri's deer herds. This led to the reopening of deer hunting season in Missouri in 1941.
1941 Fire
Although the Civilian Conservation Corps camp at Deer Run was mostly successful at preventing forest fires, there was one major setback on Easter 1941. On this day, a devastating fire destroyed thousands of wooded acres in a mile-wide strip that stretched completely across the forest from the south border to the north. The unseasonably dry conditions in the area and gale-force winds on that day hindered the CCC's efforts to stop the fire. Also, they had no modern fire fighting equipment - only shovels, rakes, axes and saws. The fire is believed to have been deliberately set on land south of Deer Run. At that time , many people believed that burning the woods was beneficial in killing ticks and snakes and promoted grass growth.
Nearly all trees were killed in the burn. The dead trees were salvaged - the first timber sale on Conservation Department lands. Now, nearly 60 years later, a healthy forest grows here, a testament to the remarkable recovery powers of the forest. However, Easter 1941 still remains a dark day in the conservation history and serves as a reminder of the destructive forces of forest fires.
Log Cabin
This log cabin sits at the original site of the fire tower. It was built at the same time that the tower was erected in 1926. Towermen used the cabin to take breaks, warm up and rest between shifts. There would typically be three or four men on duty at a time during fire season. In the early days, they would work for several days in a row without going home, so they needed a place to rest. Usually the towermen would have a shift of four hours, then be off for four hours, and so on. This allowed the fire crew to have one man watching from the tower at all times during an active fire season. The four square concrete blocks in front of the cabin are the original footings for the fire tower.
MOFEP Research Site
To the right of the trail is the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project Site 6. One of the most comprehensive forest management studies in North America, MOFEP is a 100-year interdisciplinary research project designed to study the effects of forest management practices on Ozark forest plants and animals. The project has 20 concurrent studies looking at many aspects of the forest ecosystem. Three different management schemes - no harvesting, even-aged management and uneven-aged management - are being applied, and the effects on different components of the ecosystem will be observed. Scientists' studies include forest vegetation, neotropical migrant birds, reptiles and amphibians, small mammals and invertebrates. Cooperators from the Department of Conservation, University of Missouri, Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service are involved with the project. The colorful painted and flagged trees mark some of the research plots.
Firearms Shooting Range
To the left of the trail is Deer Run's unmanned target shooting range. The range is handicapped-accessible and provides shooters with 25-, 50- and 100-yard shooting stations and a shotgun range. Restroom facilities are also located here.
Range Rider's House
The old range rider's residence was to the north and across the road from the shooting range. When Deer Run was a game refuge, a portion of it was fenced to protect the remnant population of deer and turkey. the fence was to keep poachers, dogs and open-range livestock out of the refuge. Protecting these few remaining deer and turkey was important to the re-establishment of these animals in the rest of the state. The job of the range rider was to patrol the fence on horseback to watch for poachers, breaks in the fence and keep a lookout for fires. The range rider's barn and stable were on the west side of the trail. today, all that remains is an old concrete spring house. The spring provided water and the only refrigeration for the range rider and his family.
CCC Camp
The Civilian Conservation Corps was founded in 1933 as one of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs. This program was established to provide much-needed employment young men between the ages of 18 and 25, and to aid in the conservation of the united States natural resources. It eventually became the most productive conservation in U.S. history. The CCC was conducted much like the Army. The boys could fulfill up to two years of service, during which they worked on conservation projects. This work led to the development of many of our national and state parks and the saving of millions of acres of land from damaging soil erosion between 1933 and 1942.
Each camp consisted of a company of about 200-250 young men. Included was a commanding officer who was a regular Army or reserve officer, a second in command, an Army or contracted doctor, and a civilian educational adviser. The pay for enrollees was $30 a month, of which $25 was sent home to their families. Room, board, clothing and tools were provided by the government. Company 734 at the Deer Run forest was established in 1935. Their efforts included constructing good roads, building ponds, cultivating wildlife food plots, planting tree seedlings, beginning timber stand improvement work and preventing fires. This work was fundamental to making the forest healthy again. The rock house that still stands was an administrative center for the camp. The nearby small brown barn also was constructed by the CCC and was used as a garage where vehicles were repaired.
Each work day began at 6:30 a.m., when a bugler awoke the CCC enrollees. They washed up, ate breakfast and began working at 8. Lunch was usually eaten at the work sites. The men labored until 4:30 p.m., then had time to clean up and dress out in uniform before supper at 5:30 p.m. The evenings were theirs to do as they wished, until lights out at 10 p.m. However, the CCC boys had opportunities for fun, as well as plenty of hard work. Camp dances were held about once a month during the summer and fall. Open houses were often held on Sunday afternoons in the winter, when camp activity was slow. These typically consisted of a skit or musical performance, display of specialty crafts or carpentry work and a camp tour. Sports - baseball, softball, basketball and boxing--also were popular in the CCC camps.
Centennial Forests
In 1900, the forests of Missouri and the entire nation were being harvested with little or no thought to the future. In that year, the few professional foresters in the United States founded a group called the Society of American Foresters to promote sound forest management across the country. To recognize 100 years of forest conservation, the Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri Society of American Foresters are organizing the Centennial Forests celebration. Participating in Centennial Forests activities, such as the driving tour of Grandin, is a way to better understand our forests and the profession that is devoted to their care and conservation.
Missouri Department of Conservation
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Missouri Society of American Foresters
P.O. Box 7063
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Contact: Bruce Palmer 573/751-4115, ext. 113
