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Butler County, Missouri (view source)
Revision as of 04:30, December 5, 2019
, 04:30, December 5, 2019Added to page
Although logging and agriculture gradually declined during the mid-20th century as a major source of employment, the county has remained fairly prosperous overall, thanks to the prominence of Poplar Bluff as a regional economic hub and to the presence of several major highways, including U.S. Routes 60 and 67. Unlike many counties in southern Missouri, its population has remained stable or even slightly increased in recent decades.
Although logging and agriculture gradually declined during the mid-20th century as a major source of employment, the county has remained fairly prosperous overall, thanks to the prominence of Poplar Bluff as a regional economic hub and to the presence of several major highways, including U.S. Routes 60 and 67. Unlike many counties in southern Missouri, its population has remained stable or even slightly increased in recent decades.
==Geography==
Butler County lies in southeastern Missouri, just northwest of the so-called Bootheel. It is approximately though not exactly quadrilateral in shape, the most irregular boundary being that formed on the east by the St. Francis River, which "bows" eastward in its middle. As it was formed exclusively from Wayne County, its boundaries have changed very little since its formation. It is bordered to the north by Wayne County, to the east by [[Stoddard County, Missouri|Stoddard County]], to the southeast by [[Dunklin County, Missouri|Dunklin County]], to the south by the state of [[Arkansas]], to the west by Ripley County, and to the northwest by Carter County.
The county has a total area of 698.99 square miles, including 694.67 of land and 4.32 of water.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> It is roughly bisected by the Mississippi Escarpment, a sharp slope which runs through the county from northeast to southwest. This marks a division between two geographical regions: to the northwest are the foothills of the [[Ozarks|Ozark Plateau]], characterized by high, heavily wooded hills and steep, narrow valleys. The county's highest elevation is 769 feet above sea level, located near Cane Creek in the extreme northwestern portion.<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22213</ref> Southeast of the escarpment is the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, which is generally flat, devoted to agriculture, and much lower in elevation; several points near the Arkansas state line average only about 300 feet above sea level.
Butler County has two significant rivers, both originating in the Ozarks: the St. Francis, which forms most of its eastern boundary with Stoddard and Dunklin Counties, and the Black, which flows through the center of the county from north to south and drains into the White River in Arkansas. Small boats can navigate the Black as far north as Poplar Bluff. Both rivers have been significant to county history and identity; the Twin Rivers School District takes its name from them, and they are two of the rivers referenced in the local Three Rivers Community College.
Several major highways pass through the county, the most important being U.S. Route 60, which enters from the northwest, runs southeast to Poplar Bluff, and then due east to the St. Francis; and U.S. Route 67, which runs more or less north to south. Both highways meet in Poplar Bluff, where U.S. Route 160, entering the county from the southwest, also has its eastern terminus. Secondary state roads in the county include Missouri State Highways 51, 53, and 142. There are plans to extend Interstate 57 into and through Butler County along the Route 60 and 67 corridors, but no concrete steps are expected to occur any time soon.<ref>https://www.kasu.org/post/arkansas-has-lot-work-do-bring-future-i-57-missouri-line</ref>
==References==
==References==