The Gulf... Of Wayne County
Special Feature presented by on December 15, 2001
Missouri tourism brochures tend to gloss over Southeast Missouri. They provide only token coverage of Elephant Rocks, Johnson Shut-ins, and Trail of Tears State Park before moving on to St. Louis, Kansas City, and Branson. But this part of the state contains much more than a pile of rocks surrounded by a braille trail. We've got waterfalls, mountains, bluffs, springs, caves, arches, sinkholes, and canyons.
However, these places aren't listed in tourist brochures. They aren't shown on most maps. They aren't advertised on road signs. And to reach them you will need to... Turn Off The Paved Road.
This is the first part in a series of articles describing interesting places in Southeast Missouri that you won't find listed in your Rand McNally. In this installment, The Cape Rock visits "The Gulf" in Wayne County... a bizarre sinkhole with a 200 feet deep underground lake.
At the surface, The Gulf (also called Blue Hole) is about 100 feet long, 20 feet wide, and drops down 40 feet from the rim to the surface of an underground lake. Only a small portion of the lake is visible from the surface. According to the book Geological Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri, explorers have determined that the underground lake is 600 feet long, 200 feet deep, and has a maximum width of 80 feet.
|
The origin of the system is a mystery. Sinkholes and caves are common throughout Southeast Missouri, but The Gulf is located in a portion of Wayne County that doesn't contain much in the way of karst topography.
Directions
Wayne County is not known for its well-maintained or well-marked county roads. This is one destination where you will be able to actually take advantage of the "Sport" and "Utility" features of your SUV.
[Click here to browse a topographic map of the area on Terraserver.]
- Start at Highway 49 in Mill Spring. (This town is south of Piedmont and northwest of Williamsville)
- Take Highway 49 south across the railroad tracks and Black River and continue for about 2 miles.
- Turn right on Carson Hill Cemetery Road (also called County Road 442). This road should be marked... but remember this is Wayne County we're dealing with, so all bets are off.
- This gravel road climbs to the top of a hill. Continue straight at the crossroads at the summit.
- County Road 444 branches left and goes to Carson Hill Cemetery. Continue straight at this intersection.
- This is the tricky part. Keep going until you pass the second house on the left. Turn right on the unmarked Forest Service road near the house. If you miss this turnoff, you will reach Big Brushy Creek; turn around at the gravel bar after crossing the low-water bridge.
- Follow the Forest Service lane for a short distance until you reach a parking area on the right. If your kids ask "Are we there yet?" you will now be able to shout back "Yes!"
The Gulf is surrounded by a chain-link fence, presumably to keep stupid animals from accidentally plunging to their death. A short trail leads through the gate and to the rim of the sinkhole. The truly adventuresome might want to try climbing down to the surface of the water. However, the sinkhole doesn't have a "beach" at the water's edge, so be careful not to take a wrong step unless you really want to go swimming.
The underground lake can be explored with a boat and caving equipment, although you'll probably need to get permission from the Forest Service to avoid being ticketed for having fun without a permit.
Other intersting stuff in the area
- Carson Hill Cemetery (mentioned above) contains the grave of Gov. Mel Carnahan.
- During 1973-74, a wave of UFOs sightings took place near Piedmont, particularly at the landfill south of town on Highway 34.
- Piedmont is one of the few towns in Missouri that still has an operating drive-in theater (on Highway 34 east of town).
- Lon Sanders Canyon is a shut-in on McKenzie Creek just north of Piedmont. Take Highway 34 east and turn north on Canyon Club Road for about half a mile until you see the parking area on the left for Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area. Supposedly this canyon was used as a hideout by Jesse James and company after the Gads Hill train robbery in 1874.
- Markham Springs (west of Williamsville on Highway 49) features a large spring and old mill. Unfortunately, the Forest Service has turned over the operation of this recreation area to a private concessioner and is therefore a "Fee Area". This park is sparsely visited because few people want to pay to go look at a spring in a state with thousands of springs.
Check back later as The Cape Rock turns off the paved road to visit other obscure places in Southeast Missouri.
