Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

In an area of rugged beauty near the geologic center of the Ozark Highlands, Reynolds County was organized 1845, and named for Missouri's 7th governor, Thomas Reynolds. Drained by the Black River, called L'eau Noire by early French trappers, the county lies in land claimed by the Osage Indians until 1808. Kentuckian Henry Fry was probably the first settler in 1812.

Centerville, the second town to serve as county seat, is on the West Fork of Black River. 80 acres were acquired there from John Buford for $100 in 1845. It succeeded Lesterville as the county seat when the courthouse there burned, 1867. Centerville had a courthouse, 1872. In Civil War, troops and guerrilla bands foraged the area.

Clearwater lake, in southeast Reynolds County, flood control measure and popular resort area, was impounded by a dam built on Black River, 1940-48. Near Lesterville is Johnson Shut-Ins State Park, opened 1956, on land donated by Joseph Desloge. The scenic shut-ins, where East Fork of Black River flows over some of Missouri's oldest exposed rock, is named for an early settler.

Reynolds County, resort, lumbering, and livestock farming area, was once one of the state's leading timber producers. About 85 percent of the virgin pine forests were cut out in the lumbering boom of the 1880's to 1920's. During 1898, a peak year, some 92 million board feet were produced. A large part of the county is now in Clark National Forest, established during the 1930's.

The lumbering industry brought the Mill Spgs., Current R., Barnesville (Mo. Southern) Railroad. No longer operating, it was built through west Reynolds County in 1884-86. Ellington, founded 1847, by Thomas Barnes was a prominent lumber town and shipping center. Ruble, Corridon, Reynolds, Garwood, and Bunker were other shipping stations. Redford, Black, Monterey, and Greeley are among other communities.

Near Lesterville at Proffit Mtn. (altitude 800 feet) is Taum Sauk power station built 1960-63. Water pumped at night through a 7000-foot tunnel cut through solid granite to reservoir atop the mountain is released to create daytime power by flowing down to reservoir at the foot of the mountain made by damming East Fork of Black River.

Comments (2)

Jim Kuntz: ... The first county courthouse in Centerville opened in 1850 and was burned in 1863. The second courthouse, built in 1867, burned in 1871. Clark National Forest was combined with the Mark Twain National Forest in 1976. 1 October 25, 2006 Ken Merkel: ... Surely something should be included in Reynolds County lore about the Great Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925. My grandfather, Samuel Marion Flowers, was the first known victim killed. It started in Dry Valley, just west of Hwy 21, and then went northeast, leveling Annapolis and Leadanna. It ended 220 miles later in Indiana, having killed some 689 people. 2 March 08, 2008

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