Riverdale is an unincorporated community in western

Christian County Christian County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Christian County, Illinois * Christian County, Kentucky * Christian County, Missouri Christian County is located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. ...

in southern

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States.GNIS data
/ref> The community lies on

Finley Creek Finley Creek is a stream in the Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of K ...

, approximately four miles southwest of

Ozark The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant portio ...

and two miles east of the Christian -

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

county line.

U.S. Route 160 U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a 1,465 mile (2,358 km) long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 five miles (8 km) west of Tuba City, Arizo ...

is about one-half mile southwest of the site. The Finley is dammed at Riverdale.

History

The site was chosen for a

water mill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production o ...

site by a Benjamin H. Hooten ''circa'' 1840. This was followed by numerous others, leading to the construction of a three-story mill building in the early 1890s. By 1896, Riverdale had a general store and post office. In the early 1900s, the current

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

was constructed and an iron truss bridge crossed the waterway. The mill burned in 1926 and was not rebuilt, ending the era of

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

production. McCall, Edith, ''New Life to Historic Riverdale'', White River Valley Historical Quarterly, Volume 7, Number 10 - Winter 1982
/ref>

References

External links

Unincorporated communities in Christian County, Missouri Unincorporated communities in Missouri {{ChristianCountyMO-geo-stub