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Mark Twain National Forest
Welcome to the magnificent Mark Twain National Forest located in the Missouri Ozark range.
Forest History: Mark Twain National Forest has a long human history. Before the arrival of European settlers, this land was occupied by Native Americans as far back as 12,000 years ago. The oldest known inhabitants were the Llano tribe, the oldest tribe of the Paleo-Indian Period (12,000 B.C-8,000 B.C.). The Llano culture is often defined by clovis points and the woolly mammoth. Clovis points have been discovered in various sections of the forest including the Houston/Rolla, Ava, Doniphan/Eleven Point, and Poplar Bluff ranger districts.
After the Llano culture ended the Folsom culture began and it lasted from around 9,000 B.C. to 8,000 B.C. The Folsom culture is commonly defined by big-horned bison and Folsom points. After the Folsom culture ended the Paleo-Indian period was over and the Early Archaic period began. The first groups of the archaic period included the Plano Culture and the Dalton Culture. These groups were small bands of people who lived as nomads collecting the lands fruits and hunting the lands animals. In the Houston/Rolla region, many Dalton arrowheads have been discovered. As the Archaic periods progressed over it's 3,000 years and early middle and late stages, reliance on fruit and vegetable increased, people moved into caves for shelter, and more weapons and tools were developed. Once the Archiac Period ended the Woodland Period began and lasted from about 1,000 B.C. to 900 A.D. This period saw many social and technological advances including the storage of water, the invention of the bow and arrow, and the planting of crops.
Finally after the Woodland Period ended the Mississippian period began and lasted from about 900-1700 A.D. It was the tribes of the Mississippian period who had first contact with Europeans and the two primary tribes were the "Missouri" and "Osage" tribes. In 1870, the people of Missouri began looking towards the state's natural resources for economic purposes. Silver mines and timber mills were established and many forests were over-logged and many streams over-fished.
By the 1930's most of the forest was gone and thus the timber mills were out of business. Soil and water pollution were two major problems. Then came Uncle Sam to the rescue. During the era of The Great Depression the U.S. Forest Service and Civilian Conservation Corps came to the region and planted many trees and built fire lanes and recreational facilities. Mark Twain National Forest was established on September 11, 1939 and today sprawls over 29 counties and contains seven Congressionally-designated wilderness areas.
Wildlife: The Mark Twain National Forest helps protect the home of more than 650 different species of wildlife. Some of these include wild turkeys, deer, bald eagles, and many others. Please treat their home with respect.
For the lover of the outdoors this forest boasts many miles of multipurpose trails, fourteen floatable streams, 16 lakes, and numerous campsites. Come on out and explore! You may even run across Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer!