Pilot Knob is located in the Arcadia Valley of Iron County,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

, between the towns of Ironton and Pilot Knob. Pilot Knob, so named because of its distinctive shape and prominent position, reaches an elevation of rising above the Arcadia Valley floor and has a large deposit of iron ore in its upper regions. Pilot Knob is a peak in the

St. Francois Mountains The St. Francois Mountains in southeast Missouri are a mountain range of Precambrian igneous rock, igneous mountains rising over the The Ozarks, Ozark Plateau. This range is one of the oldest exposures of igneous rock, igneous rock (geology), rock ...

. The mountain was heavily mined in the 19th century, leaving many open mine workings. The summit of the mountain consists of the Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge which is the home for nearly one-third of the world's population of

Indiana bat The Indiana bat (''Myotis sodalis'') is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in colo ...

s. The bats hibernate in the abandoned mine workings. Pilot Knob Ore Company donated the land for conservation purposes after ceasing its mining operations on July 22, 1987. Currently the Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge is closed to the public to protect habitat for the endangered Indiana bat. There is an eight-foot-tall (2.44 meters) chain link fence around of the land for safety reasons, keeping individuals away from the open mine shafts.

History

The rock formation is approximately 1450 million years old. Based on notes and writings of three individuals who traveled with a band of Spanish

Conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

and explorers, the first Europeans to see the Arcadia Valley and Pilot Knob would have been Hernando DeSoto and his army as it crossed Missouri in September 1541. Specifically, the date being September 7. They reportedly crossed some mountains and came into the region where Ironton is now located. There they found a good salt spring for making of salt cakes. The next day the army's stragglers caught up to the main body where Pilot Knob is now located. The following day de Soto's band departed the area, moving towards present day Lesterville. By 1800 members of the

Algonquian peoples The Algonquians are one of the most populous and widespread North American indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous American groups, consisting of the peoples who speak Algonquian languages. They historically were prominent along the East ...

of Native Americans had moved into the area with a village of the

Delaware Tribe The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historical territory included present-day northeastern Dela ...

established at the base of Pilot Knob. This village existed as late as 1819. In the late 1830s during the infamous forced relocation march named the

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...

the Cherokee Tribe came through the valley. The completion of the Iron Mountain Railroad all the way to the town of Pilot Knob in 1857 provided easy the transportation of iron ore mined from the Pilot Knob to the growing

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, with a looming invasion of Missouri by the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

under the command of General Sterling Price, the Union constructed and stationed troops at Ft. Davidson, an earth work fortification near the base of Pilot Knob in the small town of Pilot Knob. In September 1864 the invasion materialized and the

Battle of Fort Davidson The Battle of Fort Davidson, also known as the Battle of Pilot Knob, was a battle of Price's Missouri Expedition fought on September 27, 1864, near Pilot Knob, Missouri. Confederate troops under the command of Major-General Sterling Price had ...

(also called the Battle of Pilot Knob) was fought in the valley below Pilot Knob. During the years before Pilot Knob was closed to the public, one could hike to the top and experience a blast of cool air flowing out of one of the mine shafts nicknamed the "Devil's Icebox". In the early 20th century Easter sunrise services were held on the top of Pilot Knob.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * ''Reader's Digest'', (August 1987) v. 131, nos. 783–787, page 61. "19 Hours in "Devil's Icebox"" Mention of ''Devils Icebox''

External links

* * * * * {{authority control Hills of Missouri St. Francois Mountains Protected areas of Iron County, Missouri Mountain ranges of Missouri National Wildlife Refuges in Missouri Regions of Missouri Protected areas established in 1987 Landforms of Iron County, Missouri