Ozark National Scenic Riverways was created by an Act of Congress on August 24, 1964, to protect 134 miles of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers in the Ozark Highlands of southeastern Missouri.
The battle fought here on August 10, 1861, was the first major Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi River, involving about 5, 400 Union troops and 12, 000 Confederates.
Located in the upper end of the lower Mississippi River valley, Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, at 21, 676 acres, is the only large remnant of bottomland hardwoods remaining out of an original 2 1/2 million acres in the Missouri bootheel.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge is located in northwestern Missouri within the historic Missouri River floodplain. The 7, 350-acre refuge was established in 1935 as a resting, feeding, and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.
Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established by Executive Order 7563 on February 27, 1937. Purchase of 10, 670 acres began at that time.
The 3750-acre Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to the Mississippi River. Although it is protected by a levee, the refuge provides flood storage in periods of high water.
The Rivers Project is responsible for the operation and maintenance of five dams and seven locks, 300 miles of dikes and revetment and 110, 000 acres of public lands and waters for the authorized purpose of maintaining a nine-foot navigation channel on th
Located in southern Missouri, lies the Mark Twain National Forest. The Forest lies mostly within the Ozark Plateau dotted with remnant hills from this country's oldest mountains, the Ozarks.