Changes

The original site of Poplar Bluff is a moderately high bluff on the west bank of the Black River, along the line where the Ozark Plateau drops into the Mississippi Alluvial Plain to the southeast. Despite the prominence of this spot, it is not known to have been frequented by Native Americans in the years before white settlement (although the Natchitoches Trail, an important long-distance path used by many Indian tribes, ran a short distance to the west). Several different native peoples dominated the region from time to time, the last being the Osage in the 18th and early 19th century.  

The original site of Poplar Bluff is a moderately high bluff on the west bank of the Black River, along the line where the Ozark Plateau drops into the Mississippi Alluvial Plain to the southeast. Despite the prominence of this spot, it is not known to have been frequented by Native Americans in the years before white settlement (although the Natchitoches Trail, an important long-distance path used by many Indian tribes, ran a short distance to the west). Several different native peoples dominated the region from time to time, the last being the Osage in the 18th and early 19th century.  

Although French fur traders made brief encampments on the Black River after about 1750, the first permanent settlements by incoming whites in what became Butler County did not occur until well into the 19th century, and most of those were centered on Cane Creek, northwest of Poplar Bluff.

Although French fur traders made brief encampments on the Black River after about 1750, the first permanent settlements by incoming whites in what became Butler County did not occur until well into the 19th century, and most of those were centered on Cane Creek, northwest of Poplar Bluff. The development of a community there only came as a direct result of the organization of Butler County in 1849. Commissioners tasked with finding a permanent location for the county seat settled on the bluff, not only because it was roughly in the center of the new county, but because it was near the head of navigation for the Black River, providing opportunities for water transport, and because the high location would minimize the risk of flooding.

[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]

[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]