Traces of past live along the Buffalo River

By Andy Ostmeyer
Joplin Globe Metro Editor

Some of the best haunts in the Ozarks lie along the region’s premier national park.

Buffalo National River offers Skull Bluff, for example in the Middle River, and, when the water is right, one can paddle even into the eye of the skull.

Then there’s Bat Cave, too, on the Upper River, not far from Lost Valley.

Each have enough ghoulish spirit in their names to spice up late night campfire tales.

But don’t overlook Rush, on the lower river, which is a genuine ghost town with a unique connection to Joplin, said Suzie Rogers, park historian.

In the 1880s, farmers along Rush Creek discovered zinc, and soon the mining boom was on. At one point, according to Rogers, thousands of people were trying to grind out a living in the area. She said that in the early history of Rush there are references to Joplin, but there’s not enough information to determine if these were Joplin miners looking for work, or Joplin investors, or even smelter builders and others with specific expertise.

Mining in Rush peaked during World War I, but the community endured for a few more decades. Consolidation did in the schools, and the post office and a store closed in the 1950s. By then, most of the processing mills had already been dismantled.

Today, the remains of a smelter can be seen along the road leading to the Rush campground, and the remnants of some of the mills are buried in the jungly vegetation.

But the heart of Rush is the half-dozen buildings that remain, also along the road to the campground.

There are several simple board-and-batten houses, and not far away are the remains of the Taylor-Medley store, now sagging under the weight of its years.

A fire a few years ago took two of the buildings, and Rogers asks visitors to respect the property, adding that the park service wants to develop new interpretative trails and exhibits to tell the story of Rush.

Rush is also on the National Register of Historic Places and, as such, is protected by law.

If you still need persuading to go, consider this: There’s still enough water to float the lower Buffalo without dragging. (Put in at Buffalo Point and you’ll also float right beneath a rock formation called Devil’s Tea Table, by the way, which continues the Halloween theme, and take out at Rush.)

What’s more, the fall colors of this mountainous country are in full glory, and that alone is worth a visit.

Details:
• The National Park Service maintains a primitive campground at Rush and a developed campground at nearby Buffalo Point.
• The best float is from Buffalo Point to Rush, which is just under eight miles. Outfitters in the area can arrange a canoe and shuttle for around $30 to $40.
• Rush is located south of Yellville, Ark. Take Highway 14 south to Arkansas 26, and follow this for several miles, past the point where it turns into a gravel road.veral old buildings can be found in Rush, Ark.