Engineering
Office, United States Army
St. Louis,
Missouri,
March
11, 1872.
General.: I have the honor to submit the following report on the recent examination of Black River from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to Pocahontas, Arkansas, to which duty I was assigned by orders from this office dated November 13, 1871.
Black River rises in the western part of
Iron and the northern part of Reynolds County, in Southeastern Missouri, and
flows in a general direction southeast through that State, parallel to the
Saint Francis River, and at an average distance from it of fourteen miles,
traversing the counties of Reynolds, Wayne, and Butler, when it strikes the
Arkansas line and diverges toward the southwest., touching the edge of Greene, flowing
through Randolph and Lawrence, forming the boundary-line between Independence
and Jackson Counties, and empties into the White River one-half mile above the
city of Jacksonport.
From its source to Poplar Bluff the river
flows through the mountainous country of the Ozark Ranges and their spurs, and
then leaves the mountains and seeks the low lands, through which it continues
to flow, without any elevation on its banks higher than 25 feet above low
water, until it again strikes the hills at Pocahontas.
Between the limits of this examination the
principal tributaries are Cane Creek, Current River, and Fourche Dumas, in
Arkansas, and a large number of sloughs in Missouri, which drain the country
between this stream and the Saint Francis River, one of which connects the two
rivers, and in which the current has either an easterly or westerly direction,
according to the water-level in the two streams.
The total drainage area of the Black River
and its tributaries may be estimated at 8,000 square miles.
The
river frequently divides itself into branches; hence we have Dan’s River,
Little River, and Catharine Slough. Again, sloughs fork into the swamps, which
in the dry season much diminish the quantity of water in the river.
Throughout its whole length the river
pursues a very winding course. The bottom lands are low, varying from 18 feet
at Poplar Bluff to 2 feet in places at Dan’s River, and from 18 to 20 feet at
Pocahontas above low water, while the difference of level between extremes of
water varies from 18.5 feet at Poplar Bluff to 5 feet at Dan’s River and 26.25
feet at Pocahontas.
The river-bed is generally sand, or in its
lower part sand and clay, sometimes mingled with muscle-shells and fine gravel.
There are 54 shoals in the river, having a
sandy bottom, generally occurring in bends, and which have much increased in
size from the quantity of snags and drift wood accumulated in such places.
These shoals cover an aggregate length of
3.7 miles, but the average depth of water upon them in the low-water season is
never less than 2 feet. In addition to these there are three shoals called Cox’s,
Fish-Trap, and Rocky, which have a rock bottom of a ferruginous sandstone conglomerate,
friable in its nature, and extending over the whole width of the river. The
depth on these shoals averages 2 feet in the channel, and their aggregate
length is .25 mile. The beginning and termination of these shoals are very
abrupt, and the formation is a peculiar one. Borings for wells in the immediate
vicinity of the shoals failed to encounter similar rock, but at a depth of 40
or 50 feet a bed of limestone was struck.
The general depth of the river in its upper
part is not great, and the channel is often very narrow. The general width
between banks is 1:30 feet, but in some of the “cut offs” the river has made,
and in the portion of the main river adjoining Davis and Little Rivers, the
width varies 50 to 90 feet ; below the mouth of the Current River the river is
225 feet wide.
The current of Black River at Poplar Bluff,
at low water, when the examination was conducted, had a velocity of
six-sevenths mile per hour; in no place did the current exceed a velocity of 1½
miles per hour, except on the three rocky
shoals mentioned above.
I estimate the distance between Poplar Bluff
and Pocahontas at 161 miles, and place the fall in the water-surface between
those limits at 36 feet.
As an appendix to this report a list of the
shoals is given, their length, width, and depth of low-water channel.
CHARACTER OF THE ADJACENT COUNTRY.
Leaving the last spur of the Ozark
Mountains, on which Poplar Bluff is situated, we enter at once a swampy
country, which is annually overflowed to a depth varying from 6 inches to 6
feet.
On the right bank of the river there is a
second bottom, which is very fertile, and is extensively cultivated. On the
left bank there are few elevations above overflow, until Gillis's Bluff is
reached, forty miles below Poplar Bluff, which is about 24 feet above low
water, and of considerable extent; the banks from this point down average higher
than above, and exhibit more clay in their composition.
The upper half of Butler County, Missouri,
is not so well adapted for the cultivation of cotton as the lower half. The
lands bordering the river in Arkansas are eminently adapted for the production
of cotton, and this is the chief farming product. The country adjacent to the
river abounds in every kind of timber except pine and cedar, but both of these
varieties are found in the hills north and west of Poplar Bluff. The lumber
interest is a large one; poplar and cypress are annually rafted in considerable
quantities. Poplar is not found below the Arkansas line. The white-oak timber, especially,
is worthy of mention; parties are at present engaged in getting out large quantities
of it at the head of Dan’s River for ship-building purposes.
In the Arkansas tract of land lying between
the Black and Current Rivers is called the “Cherokee Bay country,” and is
probably the most fertile and thickly-settled farming country on the river. On
the first terrace of this portion of the valley an excellent quality of black
walnut is found, and large quantities of it are under preparation for shipment
to New York and Boston.
Between Poplar Bluff and the mouth of the
river there are ten steam saw-mills. A very good quality of iron ore (brown
hematite) is found in the north and west parts of Butler county, but no mines
have yet been opened.
TOWNS, RAILROADS, ETC.
Poplar Bluff, the county-seat of Butler
county, Missouri, is situated on the right bank of the river, on an elevation 60 feet above low water. In 1870 it had a population of 400, but since that
time it has increased to about 800, while the valuation of its real estate has
been enhanced over 200 per cent. The extension of the Pilot Knob branch of the
Iron Mountain Railroad intersects the Cairo and Fulton Railroad one and three-quarter
miles above the town, and the latter road runs directly through it. It is expected
that cars will be running to Poplar Bluff in July next.
The grading of .the Cairo and Fulton
Railroad is being rapidly pushed in the State of Arkansas toward and from
Little Rock ; the road crosses Black River about ten miles below the State line
on the eastern edge of township 20, range 4 east of the fifth principal meridian,
and then, confining itself to the left bank, runs parallel to the river at a
distance from is of from six to fourteen miles, crosses the White River at
Elizabeth, three miles below Jacksonport, thence runs by way of Little Rock to
Fulton, Arkansas, on the Red River, and connects with the South Pacific road at
some point in Texas.
The Cape Girardeau and State Line Railroad
is at present under construction, and is graded within nineteen miles of Poplar
Bluff, where it will intersect the trunk line. The Memphis and Saint Louis
Railroad is promised, and will intersect the same line.
Everything seems to indicate that Poplar
Bluff will be the principal town of Southeastern Missouri. As far as railroad
facilities are concerned, there are but few inland towns which will surpass it.
It at present contains eight stores, which do a business of $120,000 in general
merchandise. Goods heretofore were hauled in wagons to the town from Pilot
Knob, on the Iron Mountain Railroad, or from Cape Girardeau, on the Mississippi
River.
Pocahontas,
the county-seat of Randolph County, Arkansas, is situated on a bluff, 120 feet
above low-water mark, on the right bank of the river. The town is the shipping
point for a large section of country, extending up Black and Current Rivers,
and a regular line of boats is kept up to the town for the entire year. It
contains a population of about 800, and sells $350,000 worth of merchandise yearly;
2,500 bales of cotton and about 5,000 dressed hogs were two items in her
shipments last year; 1,000 bales of this cotton were raised in the country
adjacent to Black and Current Rivers.
Ten thousand bales of cotton is a low
estimate for the entire quantity shipped in the Black River Valley.
Previous Improvements.
Butler
County, Missouri, some time before the late rebellion, had donated to her by the
State a large quantity of swamp-lauds for internal improvement purposes. In 1850,
13,000 acres of this land were appropriated for the improvement of Black River by
the county court, and the work let to contractors. Some little work was done in
cutting trees and removing drift-piles for a distance of twelve miles below
Poplar Bluff, but the improvement was poorly executed for want of suitable
superintendence. In 1867 another appropriation was made of 35,000 acres of the
swamp-lands for the same purpose; 15,000 acres were patented to the contractor
to provide his outfit, who chartered the steamer Nitronia, (138 feet in length, 24 feet beam, and 20 inches depth of
flotation,) which succeeded in reaching Poplar Bluff, from which place the improvement
was to commence. On account of some legal complications in which the contractor
became involved, no work was done, and his contract abandoned. On the remaining
20, 000 acres the county has made a contract with two of its citizens to run a
steamer to Poplar Bluff four times a year for five successive years, without
requiring any improvement to be made. The contractors have built a boat at Poplar
Bluff (72 feet in length, 20 feet beam, and drawing 18 inches) for the work. No
improvement to the river can result from this contract.
The Missouri legislature of 1870 made an
appropriation of $15,000 for the improvement of Black River in Missouri,
contingent, however, on the condition that “a provision be made for similar
improvement in Arkansas.” Butler County has donated the remainder of her swamp-lands
to railroads, and Arkansas has failed to make a provision whereby the $15,000
could be made available.
OBSTRUCTIONS TO NAVIGATION —IMPROVEMENTS AND COST
THEREOF.
The
principal obstructions to navigation are snags and overhanging trees. From Popular
Bluff to the Arkansas State line, a distance of sixty-eight miles, there were counted
2,977 snags and 4,618 overhanging trees. Between the limits of the examination,
a distance of one hundred and sixty-eight miles, were counted 7,411 snags and sunken
logs, and 10,122 overhanging trees.
The river is so narrow that trees, in
falling into it from its hanks, reach entirely across the stream, and are in
the worst position for removal.
I do not recommend that any improvements be
made on the shoals, other than removing snags, except on the three shoals
mentioned as having rock bottom, where the channel might he advantageously
widened and the depth increased.
As before stated, there are many sloughs and
cut-offs, which, as they draw large quantities of water from the main river,
should be closed up by dams. Commencing with a slough above Poplar Bluff, there
are 14 places where dams should be built, involving an aggregate length of
1,200 feet. Low stone and brush dams would be well adapted for this purpose,
hut as stone can only he procured at great expense, “snag-dams,” held in place
by piles, will have to be resorted to.
These dams should not be built much above
usual low-water mark, in order that the water during freshets may flow over
them into the sloughs, and thus prevent the excessive overflow which would
ensue should the water be confined to the main banks of the river.
There are five drift-piles in the river
above the Arkansas State line, more or less obstructing navigation, and upon
which some work should be done ; also a wreck of an old stave-boat, which
should be removed.
In operating for improvement upon streams
the size of Black River, it being about three hundred miles from Poplar Bluff
to its mouth, and its general width very narrow, it is of almost an absolute
necessity to use a boat having some propelling power of its own, in order to
place the snags pulled out of the way of passing steamboats. When such a boat
shall have been furnished, I present the following estimate for improving Black
River from Poplar Bluff to Pocahontas :
Pulling
7,411 snags and sunken logs, 20 months' work, at $3,000 per month…$60, 000
Cutting
10,122 trees, at 50 cents per tree………………………………………….5,061
Work
on 5 drift-piles, and wreck of stave-boat……………………………………3,000
Pile-driver,
delivered, (hand or animal power)……………………………………1,500
1,200
linear feet snag-dams, at $5 per foot………………………………………..6,000
Work
on rock shoals……………………………………………………………….5,000
80, 561
Add
for engineering and superintendence……………………………………….10,000
Total
estimate……………………………………………………………………90,561
I
am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A.
H. BLAISDELL,
Civil Engineer.
General W. F. Raynolds,
Lieutenant
-Colonel, Corps of Engineers, U.S. A.
References:
Chief’s Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers to the
Secretary of War for the Year 1872. Page 387
– 381.
Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. Accessed 07 July, 2019. 
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