HSOC Corridor Information

From Missouri Outdoor

Rockwoods Reservation
By Conor Watkins

Rockwoods Reservation, a natural area administered by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), is an enjoyable outdoor retreat for those looking to escape the hurried life of St. Louis. Even though Rockwoods Reservation is located near metropolitan St. Louis, it is heavily wooded and home to a variety of wildlife species including fox, bobcat, squirrel, chipmunk, skunk, deer, raccoons, opossum, wild turkey, bobcat, lizards, bats, salamanders, frogs, birds, and snakes. As with much of Missouri, Rockwoods is an excellent example of a karst terrain where groundwater has dissolved some of the limestone bedrock. The area is home to several small caves, springs, a natural bridge, and losing streams (streams that lose water into the groundwater). The area also shows evidence of extensive lumbering and mining/quarrying, which went on in the past.

New visitors to the area should start by investigating the main office/museum provided by the MDC. This building provides information on the history, attractions, and wildlife of the area. Pictures of the area during the mining days are on display at the office. Young children will especially enjoy the exhibits where one is allowed to touch animal bones, skins, and other natural artifacts. Some aquatic wildlife is on display in a tank along with some stuffed mammals that inhabit the park. No visit to the office building is complete without a stop at the talking and moving Smokey The Bear, which can be activated by the push of a button. This attraction is viewable through an outside window of the building and is located on the on the south end of the office. Smokey randomly tells stories, sings songs, and gives advice on how to prevent forest fires and is usually a hit with children. Feeders for songbirds and hummingbirds are also present outside the office. The area is planted with native flowers and vegetation. If planning a hike, pick up a map of the area at the main office. An intermittent spring (one that flows in wet weather) is located behind the office at the edge of the woods. It soon disappears into a karst swallow hole. Picnic areas are provided near the office and scattered throughout the rest of Rockwoods along the main road.

Rockwoods provides six main trails ranging in length from 300 yards to 3.25 miles. The shortest trail is the Wildlife Habitat Trail. This trail is flat and is an excellent choice for families and the handicapped. The area near the trail is complete with handicapped parking, picnic, restroom facilities, and is wheelchair accessible. The trail also features an interpretive brochure pointing out around ten sites of interest along the trail. The Prairie Trail is 500 yards long and passes through a grassland prairie complete with native prairie vegetation. Controlled burns help simulate a natural environment back when man didn't put out wildfires. This trail is also flat but not suitable for wheelchairs.

The Trail Among The Trees is a hilly 1.5-mile long trail complete with an interpretive brochure. The trail takes the visitor through a rocky glade, forested uplands and lowlands, through valleys, quarried areas, and a small cave. The cave, known as Bathtub Cave, is good for beginners. The cave is small and it would be nearly impossible to get lost. There is also minimal water and mud. The cave's close proximity to the trail has made it a target of vandals. Many formations have been broken off and names have been spray painted on the walls. Karsted rock along the trail is noticeable because of its resemblance to Swiss Cheese. An excellent view of the Rockwoods area can be seen from an overlook at the rocky glade. This view is good at sunset because of its west facing aspect (exposure). Another interesting part of this trail is the fact that this area was once quarried for its limestone. Evidence of this appears in the drill holes in the cliffs where dynamite was inserted to blast the rock apart. An old rail bed, made of piled up rocks, was once used to haul away quarried rock and is still visible within the valley. The beginning and end of the trail is paved with asphalt and relatively flat but the middle section of the trail is not paved and consists of steep grades and stairs. A small spring is present in Hamilton Creek directly across from the office near the beginning of this trail.

The Rock Quarry Trail is two miles long and has scenery very similar to the Trail Among The Trees. It is paved with soft white gravel and complete with an interpretive brochure. The trail is very hilly and offers excellent views of the old quarry remnants. The rail bed is still present along with foundations of other structures. Two small 'caves' are located near this trail. These rock shelters are not natural caves, but remains of the old quarry created by dynamite. Metal and wooden parts such as rails, railroad ties, and the associated hardware were haphazardly left in these caves and are still present.

The Lime Kiln Trail is the longest and most rugged looping trail in Rockwoods. It is hilly, has a rough unpaved surface, and is around 3.25 miles in length. An old lime kiln is present at the beginning of the trail. The trail also passes by Hamilton Spring, a large spring also visible from the main road through the area.

At ten miles in length, the Green Rock Trail is Rockwood's longest trail and is the only trail in the area that does not form a loop. This trail is hilly, scenic, and ends up in the nearby Greensfelder County Park. The trail has a small side loop within Rockwoods.

Casual vistors to present day Rockwoods Reservation would find it hard to believe that the area was a barren wasteland only fifty years ago. In the past, the land was stripped of its trees, rock, and soil. The first sustained human use of the area was by the Hamiltons, a pioneer family who settled there in 1800 when the land was still under Spanish rule. Although they left little or no evidence of their presence, a creek, spring, and the valley containing the road through Rockwoods bear their name. After the head of the household, Ninian Hamilton died in 1828, the family moved on and the area was sold to migrants who farmed the valleys and low slopes. The steep slopes were left forested. Farming changed the hydrology of the area, which caused small springs and Hamilton Creek to dry up. Much of the area remains this way today. Nearby towns such as Pond and Glencoe sprang up as distribution centers for the agricultural goods from the Rockwoods area. Landmarks such as the Pond Hotel still stand.

By 1854 the Woods-Christy Lumber Company from St. Louis had bought up most of the land in Rockwoods. In three years they stripped the area of its valuable white oak timber and left it barren and eroding. In 1857 the lumber company sold some of the land back to farmers and attempted to sell the rest of the area as a subdivision geared toward wealthy businessmen from St. Louis. Due to the remote location of the area and the barren landscape, this business venture was a failure and was scrapped in 1868.

Quarrying, which started in 1868 was the last major industrial use of the Rockwoods area. The Cobb-Wright-Case Mining Company (later known as Glencoe Lime Company) had previously heard rumors that the site held deposits of marble. This 'marble' actually turned out to be a very high-grade limestone from the Plattin Formation with far joint (fracture) spacings. The company was able to sell the rock as marble. Blasting was not used to remove the rock at this site since the rock was used in construction and was best used in large intact pieces. Steam powered saws were used to cut ten foot cubes of rock from the cliff face. These large cubes were then cut into more manageable sizes and loaded onto rail cars. The rock was then transported to St. Louis on a spur line that connected to the main Missouri-Pacific rail line in nearby Glencoe. This high-grade limestone originated mostly from the southern end of the current day Rockwoods Reservation. As soon as quarrying started, the valley near the present day office changed into a company town.

Once the remaining Plattin Limestone was no longer profitable to mine, the miners turned to quarrying the lesser grade Kimmswick Limestone. This rock of this formation was only suitable to make lime, which is used in fertilizer or cement. Blasting was the chosen method of removal. Six locations were quarried. All that remains of these quarries are sheer cliff faces with vertical drill holes for sticks of dynamite. In at least one location the miners turned to underground room and pillar mining, mainly to avoid having to remove overlying 'junk rock', which left the present day Cobbs Cavern. The mine is large. It is around two stories in height and larger than a football field in area. It is unfortunate that this impressive feature was recently closed for fear that parts of the roof were becoming unstable and might collapse. The trail to this site is closed too, but the mine can be viewed from the Rock Quarry Trail at a distance. This is best done in the winter when the leaves are down.

All this quarried limestone was kilned and reduced to lime on site. During the early stages, this was done with four large kilns built of local rock and lined with high temperature firebrick. The kilns were loaded with wood and coal (once all the locally available trees had been cut). The high heat chemically altered the limestone to lime, which is lighter and easier to ship than an equivalent amount of limestone. Six metal kilns, which are no longer at the site, were added later on. Only one crumbling rock lime kiln, now reinforced with metal rods, still exists.

Gravel and clay/shale were mined from the northern part of the area. The gravel was used in road construction while the clay was used for clay pipe and low-grade terra cotta. This site now resembles a huge (800 feet across) sinkhole and has strange eroding clay formations inside.

The Glencoe Lime Company went broke in 1938 after 70 years of mining in the area. In order to recoup some of its costs, the mining company sold its land to the state for $30 an acre. The land was then placed under the jurisdiction of the MDC, which has done an excellent job of reforesting the area. Although evidence still exists, one would find it hard to believe that the area was once ravaged and barren. The area's return to its current state proves that nature is very strong and can recover from almost anything, given enough time. To get to the area, take I-44 east from Rolla to Eureka exit number 264. Turn left and follow Hwy 109 3-4 miles north to Rockwoods, which is located on the left. Visitors who enjoy the area should also check out nearby Greensfelder County Park, Rockwoods Range, or Babler State Park.

Thanks to the Missouri Conservation Department (http://www.mdc.mo.gov/), MDC literature available at the site, "A Brief History of Rockwoods Reservation" by Steve Wyatt, and users of the MOCAVES listserve for some of the information presented here.