Ozark Plateau

Lore & Background

The Ozarks cover a significant portion of northern Arkansas and most of the southern half of Missouri, extending from Interstate 40 in central Arkansas to Interstate 70 in central Missouri. There are two mountain ranges in the Ozarks: the Boston Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, as well as the St. Francois Mountains of Missouri. Wahzhazhe Summit (formerly known as Buffalo Lookout), is the highest point in the Ozarks at 2,561 feet (781 m), located in the Boston Mountains, in the westernmost part of Newton County, Arkansas, 6.2 miles (10.0 km) east of Boston, Madison County, Arkansas. Geologically, the area is a broad dome with the exposed core in the ancient St. Francois Mountains. The Salem Plateau, named after Salem, Missouri, makes up the largest geologic area of the Ozarks. The second largest is the Springfield Plateau, named after Springfield, Missouri, nicknamed the "Queen City of the Ozarks". On the northern Ozark border are the cities of St. Louis and Jefferson City, Missouri. Significant Ozark cities in Arkansas include Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, Harrison, Mountain Home, Batesville, and Eureka Springs. Branson, just north of the Arkansas–Missouri border, is a tourist destination where Ozark culture is popularized.

Reader's Guide

The Ozarks consist of five physiographic subregions: the Boston Mountains of north Arkansas and Cookson Hills of east Oklahoma; the Springfield Plateau of southwest Missouri, northeast Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas and the southeast corner of Kansas; the White River Hills along the White River; the Salem Plateau or Central Plateau; the Courtois Hills of southeastern Missouri; the Osage-Gasconade Hills around the Lake of the Ozarks; the Saint Francois Mountains; and the Missouri River and Mississippi River border areas. Karst features such as springs, losing streams, sinkholes and caves are common in the limestones of the Springfield Plateau and abundant in the dolomite bedrock of the Salem Plateau and Boston Mountains. Missouri is known as "The Cave State" with over 7,300 recorded caves, second in number only to Tennessee. The majority of these caves are found in the Ozark counties. The Boston Mountains contain the highest elevations of the Ozarks, with peaks over 2,500 feet (760 m), and form some of the greatest relief of any formation between the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains. Turner Ward Knob is the highest named peak, found in western Newton County, Arkansas, at 2,463 feet (751 m). The St. Francois Mountains in the northeastern Ozarks are the eroded remnants of an ancient range which form the geological core of the highland dome. The igneous and volcanic rocks of the St. Francois Mountains are the exposed remains of a Proterozoic mountain range hundreds of millions of years old. The origin of the name "Ozarks" is uncertain; it may derive from an English-language adaptation of the French abbreviation aux Arcs (short for aux Arcansas, meaning "of/at/to the Arkansas (Quapaw) [plural]") or from the French phrase aux arcs, meaning "[land] of the arches", in reference to natural bridges formed by erosion and collapsed caves.

Did You Know?

• The Ozarks cover nearly 47,000 square miles, making it the most extensive highland region between the Appalachians and Rockies.
• Missouri is known as 'The Cave State' with over 7,300 recorded caves, second only to Tennessee, and most are in Ozark counties.
• Wahzhazhe Summit (formerly Buffalo Lookout) is the highest point in the Ozarks at 2,561 feet, located in the Boston Mountains.
• The St. Francois Mountains are the eroded remnants of a Proterozoic mountain range hundreds of millions of years old.
• The name 'Ozarks' may come from the French abbreviation 'aux Arcs,' possibly referring to the Arkansas (Quapaw) people or natural arches.