The Irish Wilderness is a
wilderness area
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural) are Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human activity, or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally ...
in the U.S. State of
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 ...
. The U.S. Congress designated it a wilderness in 1984. The Irish Wilderness is located within the Eleven Point Ranger District of the
Mark Twain National Forest
Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is a U.S. National Forest located in the southern half of Missouri, composed of nine disconnected parcels. MTNF was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The ...
, northeast of
Alton, Missouri. The Irish Wilderness is one of eight wilderness areas protected and preserved in Missouri.
Hiking and horseback riding are popular on the White's Creek Trail, an 18.6 miles trail throughout the wilderness. Attractions include White's Creek Cave (temporarily gated to protect endangered bats), Fiddler and Bliss Springs, traces of old tramway railroads, and overlooks of the
Eleven Point River. The
karst topography
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
of the area creates very scenic views along this trail. Wildlife present include black bear, mountain lion, whitetail deer, timber rattlesnakes, turkey, and bald eagles.
History
The Irish Wilderness was historically a settlement of Irish immigrants in Oregon and Ripley Counties founded in 1858 by an
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
Priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
,
John Joseph Hogan. The settlement was wiped out during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
and has remained a wilderness ever since.
The Settlers
The settlers of the Irish Wilderness came from St. Louis, which had a high influx of Irish immigrants in the 1840s. The Irish immigrants in St. Louis were discriminated against, and were largely employed by the railroad and mining industries. Bishop John Joseph Hogan saw the potential for the immigrants to have their own land, to farm and settle in families. Some land in Oregon and Ripley Counties was bought and donated by a Reverend James Fox. In 1859, there were around forty families who began to settle in the wilderness, and more were on their way. The settlement's western border was the Eleven Point River in
Oregon County, from there extending east past the
Current River in
Ripley County, as far east as
Doniphan, Missouri.
[Mike Crawford, ''Father Hogan’s 1859 Irish Wilderness Settlement'' (Doniphan, Missouri: ''The Prospect-News'').]
Destruction of the Settlement
The settlement was in existence only from about 1859 through 1863.
During the Civil War, the roads that crossed straight through the heart of the settlement, including the Old Bellevue (or Bellview) Road, made the settlers vulnerable to Union and Confederate troops, murderers and criminals.
By the end of 1863, the settlement had been destroyed, and all settlers had fled or died. Union Major James Wilson was a factor in the destruction of the settlement. Jerry Ponder (1937-2005) is responsible for much of the research about the Civil War in the area of southern Missouri, especially Ripley County.
See also
*
Bell Mountain Wilderness
*
Devils Backbone Wilderness
*
Hercules-Glades Wilderness
*
Paddy Creek Wilderness
*
Piney Creek Wilderness
The Piney Creek Wilderness is an wilderness area in Missouri. The United States Congress designated it wilderness in 1980. The Piney Creek Wilderness is located within the Ava-Cassville-Willow Springs Ranger District of the Mark Twain National ...
*
Rockpile Mountain Wilderness
References
External links
History of Irish Creek Wilderness PDFWilderness.netTopoQuest mapMystery of the Irish Wilderness book
{{Authority control
Protected areas of Oregon County, Missouri
Wilderness areas of Missouri
Mark Twain National Forest
Protected areas established in 1984