The McDonald Territory was an extralegal, unrecognized territory of the United States that comprised all of

McDonald County, Missouri McDonald County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,303. and was estimated to be 24,054 in 2024, Its county seat is Pineville. History The county was org ...

and existed for a short time from 1961 to 1962. In 1961, a provisional government chose the name when they attempted to

secede Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal is the c ...

the county from the 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 government of the territory was never recognized by the State of Missouri nor the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. Described by

the Neosho Daily News ''The Neosho Daily News'' is a twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday) broadsheet newspaper published in Neosho, Missouri. The paper covers Neosho and Newton County, Missouri, including Diamond, Goodman, Granby and Seneca. A regular feature of t ...

as a "publicity stunt", the McDonald Territory's claims to independence were rarely taken seriously by those not involved.

Background

In 1961, the

Missouri State Highway Commission The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT, ) is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Missouri under the guidance of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC). MoDOT ...

published its annual ''Family Vacationland Map'' and distributed it around the state. Officials in McDonald County discovered upon reviewing the map that the small but economically vital

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

resort town of

Noel Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community *Noel Park, a suburb in Greater London, Engla ...

, as well as Pineville, Southwest City, and "other significant historical and scenic points of interest in McDonald County" were omitted from the publication.

, located in the southwest corner of the state, was one of the most popular tourist destinations in that part of the state due to its resorts, bluffs, caves, and rivers. Its absence on one of the most popular tourist maps in the state hurt the town, with McDonald Territory President and Noel Mayor Dan Harmon later describing 1961 as "one of our poorest years". Although a spokesman for the Missouri highway commission said that Noel's exclusion from the map was intentional on the basis that the area was too commercial and commercial attractions were not listed in the guide, Governor John M. Dalton apologized for it, calling it a "serious oversight". This was the culmination of a series of multiple frustrations with the Missouri state government experienced by McDonald County. In 1960,

U.S. Route 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Intersta ...

was rerouted away from Noel, separating the highway from several of the local attractions. The number of the highway running through Noel also changed twice, confusing tourists. Some also complained of high taxes, with one local merchant allegedly saying that, "this southwestern corner of Missouri could join Arkansas and not be so heavily taxed".

History

To demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the state's inattention to detail and apparent lack of respect for their rural isolated county, local officials drafted a resolution to secede from the state, and to possibly form a

51st state "51st state" is a phrase used in the United States of America to refer to the idea of adding an additional state to the current 50-state Union. Proposals for a 51st state may include granting statehood to one of the U.S. territories or Washing ...

in union with

Benton County, Arkansas Benton County is a county in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Created as Arkansas' 35th county on September 30, 1836, Benton County contains thirteen incorporated municipalities, including Bentonville, the county seat, and ...

and

Delaware County, Oklahoma Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 40,397. Its county seat is Jay. The county was named for the Delaware Indians, who had established a village in the area prior to t ...

.''Missouri Senate Resolution Number 51''
McDonald Territory Secession Attempt website page; retrieved May 2016; text: "...Study of the feasibility of taking the necessary steps to form a fifty-first state of the Union, to be composed of that territory now within the boundaries of McDonald County, Missouri; Benton County, Arkansas; and Delaware County, Oklahoma..." Such a state would have had 11,798 McDonald County residents at its core. Few people took the effort seriously and as anything other than a publicity stunt. Governor Orval E. Faubus of Arkansas was willing to accept McDonald County into Arkansas, but this plan never came to fruition. Giving Native Americans control of the land, which was suggested by Chief Henry Saugee of the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

tribe of the nearby

Jay, Oklahoma Jay is a city and county seat of Delaware County, Oklahoma, Delaware County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,448 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, compared to 2,482 at the United States Census, 2000, 2000 census, a de ...

, was also under consideration.

Provisional government

McDonald County set up a

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

and printed their own tourism literature. They elected and appointed officers, but there is conflicting reporting on who held many government positions. A local territorial militia was formed and visas were issued. Vehicles entering the territory were stopped by militiamen, and if the occupants were not local residents, they were given entry visas and local tourism information. The government of the territory also established a dispatch service, which provided mail service from the territorial post office to the nearest

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

. This service issued a series of six two cent stamps to charge for its services.

Activity

In April 1961, during a mock battle between the territorial militia and troops from nearby Jasper County, a Jasper County soldier was accidentally injured when his musket exploded. He received minor cuts and burns. The McDonald Territory hosted a fishing derby that had paid out over $500 in prize money as of May 1962.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald Territory McDonald County, Missouri Former regions and territories of the United States History of Missouri Separatism in the United States 1961 establishments in Missouri