REYNOLDS                       58 Johnson's Shut-Ins

Johnson's Shut-Ins Natural Area

A 180-acre area in Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, parts of Sections 16 and 21, T33N, R2E, Johnson's Shut-Ins 7.5 min. topographic map. Designated June 5, 1978.

Natural Features--At Johnson's Shut-Ins, the East Fork Black River encounters Precambrian-age volcanic rocks. The valley walls converge dramatically and the stream plunges over a series of enclosed rapids called shut-ins. Igneous rocks exposed along the river tell a fascinating story of violent volcanic eruptions that occurred more than a billion years ago in the St. Francois Mountains Section of the Ozark Natural Division. Johnson's Shut-Ins Natural Area also includes gravel bars along the river, dry igneous forest, igneous glades and extremely rugged igneous talus slope communities. A separate state park brochure interprets the geologic and natural history of this area. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is owned by the Department of Natural Resources. For further information contact the Park Superintendent, Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, Middlebrook, MO 63656, phone 573/546-2450.

Johnson's Shut-Ins Natural Area