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Campground Information | Trails | Photos | The Shut-Ins | Fen Natural Area
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is closed for redevelopment.
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is home to one of the best shut-ins in Missouri.
This popular rocky gorge brings joy to almost 250,000 visitors each year. A fen (wetland), glades (dry, open areas), wild expanses and an outstanding Ozark stream make Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park a unique place.
Floodwaters raced through Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park.
On Dec. 14, 2005, the upper Taum Sauk reservoir on Proffit Mountain breached, sending more than 1.3 billion gallons of water cascading down the mountain toward Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. Water rushed through the park, leaving a path of destruction from Highway N, through the campground, past the store, through the shut-ins and down the East Fork of the Black River.
When the water receded, the landscape was completely changed. The water and rocks scoured a hole at the base of the mountain, then rocks created a dam across the river and formed a six-acre lake. The park superintendent’s home was gone. Trees stripped from the hillside were piled 15 feet high on the few trees left standing in the campground. Sand and clay covered roads, campsites and trails, sometimes more than 8 feet deep. A part of the Ozark Trail was washed away.
Then there was the river. The crystal-clear, gravel-bottom river became a river of sand. And the shut-ins? While the water dropped gravel and boulders in pockets throughout, the hard, rhyolite rocks of the shut-ins remain basically the same.
Cleanup was the first priority.
- The superintendent and his family were rescued and it was determined that everyone was safe.
- Crews began the cleanup process by moving 15-foot-high piles of trees that blocked the roads.
- The cemetery was cleaned and the rail fence was repaired.
- The area was searched for the superintendent’s personal belongings, all of which were washed away.
- The main parking lot was cleared to serve as a staging area. A 50-foot-long tub grinder made mulch out of countless downed trees. The mulch soon covered three-fourths of the parking lot in piles 15 feet high!
- Workers removed sand and trees, by hand, from the sensitive fen area. This wetland was home to many unusual plant species. Thanks to the efforts of recovery workers, many of these plants now have a chance to survive .
- Heavy equipment removed sand and trees from Highway N to the park store. By April 1, 2006, 11,000 truckloads of sand and mulch were hauled out of the park. That’s enough to fill 283,000 bathtubs.
- A notch was cut in the rock dam to help drain the lake.
- The campground area was cleared and grass was planted.
- The boardwalk was repaired and the rail rebuilt to give visitors access to view the shut-ins.
- Downed trees and sediment were cleared from areas that were once wooded. Native grasses and saplings were then planted to help control erosion.
Much work is yet to be done.
Restoration of the portion of the East Fork of the Black River that flows through Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park has been completed. In the past, the river channel was straightened. Stream specialists re-established a more natural, healthy and meandering stream through the park. This restored stream will also filter sediments from the event from entering the Black River. This section of restored stream is still closed.
