Arcadia Valley
Encyclopedia
Arcadia Valley is rural area in Missouri
located 80 miles south of St. Louis
in the St. Francois Mountains of the Ozark
Plateau. The valley includes of the towns of Arcadia
, Ironton
and Pilot Knob
, all founded in the 19th century.
Arcadia Valley has been a non-indigenous settlement for over 300 years. It became a permanent settlement as a mining
community, primarily mining iron
and lead
ore.
Arcadia Valley is known for its red brick Iron County
courthouse, graceful antebellum homes and turn-of-the-20th-century mercantile buildings. It was a popular 19th century summer resort. During the Civil War
, the valley was the site of a significant battle at Fort Davidson
in Pilot Knob.
Elephant Rocks State Park
is located in the valley. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park
and Taum Sauk State Park
are nearby.
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
located 80 miles south of St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in the St. Francois Mountains of the Ozark
The Ozarks
The Ozarks are a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwestern and north central Arkansas...
Plateau. The valley includes of the towns of Arcadia
Arcadia, Missouri
Arcadia is a city in Iron County, Missouri, United States. The population was 567 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Arcadia is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Ironton
Ironton, Missouri
Ironton is a city in Iron County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,471 at the 2000 census and is 12 Miles South Of Belgrade. It is the county seat of Iron County.-Geography:Ironton is located at...
and Pilot Knob
Pilot Knob, Missouri
Pilot Knob is a city in Iron County, Missouri, United States. The population was 697 at the 2000 census. It lies eight miles south of Belgrade and thirteen miles east of Centerville.-History:...
, all founded in the 19th century.
Arcadia Valley has been a non-indigenous settlement for over 300 years. It became a permanent settlement as a mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
community, primarily mining iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
ore.
Arcadia Valley is known for its red brick Iron County
Iron County, Missouri
Iron County is a county located in the Lead Belt region in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 10,697. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 9,918. The largest city and county seat is Ironton...
courthouse, graceful antebellum homes and turn-of-the-20th-century mercantile buildings. It was a popular 19th century summer resort. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the valley was the site of a significant battle at Fort Davidson
Battle of Fort Davidson
The Battle of Fort Davidson, also known as the Battle of Pilot Knob, was the opening engagement of Price's Missouri Raid during the American Civil War. This engagement occurred on September 27, 1864, just outside of Pilot Knob in Iron County, Missouri...
in Pilot Knob.
Elephant Rocks State Park
Elephant Rocks State Park
Elephant Rocks State Park in the U.S. state of Missouri encompasses an outcropping of Precambrian granite in the Saint Francois Mountains. It is named for a string of large granite boulders which resemble a train of pink circus elephants....
is located in the valley. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is a Missouri state park on the East Fork Black River consisting of in Reynolds County. The park is jointly administered with adjoining Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, and together the two parks cover in the St...
and Taum Sauk State Park
Taum Sauk Mountain
Taum Sauk Mountain in the Saint Francois Mountains is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Missouri, 1,772 feet above mean sea level.The topography of Taum Sauk is that of a somewhat flat ridge rather than a peak....
are nearby.