My Corner Online

Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park

Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is often referred to as simple "Johnson Shut-Ins" by Missourians. This long-time favorite of Missourians is located at 148 Taum Sauk Trail, Middle Brook, Reynolds County, Missouri. The camping and the river wallowing amongst the big rocks in the East Fork of the Black River are a lot of fun. I actually have only been there to go on the Shut-ins Trail and wallow in the water, but I should go back and explore the other trails and camp overnight.

The park was completed destroyed onn December 14, 2005, when a section of dam wall on the Taum Sauk reservoir collapsed and 1.3 billion gallons of water rushed down Proffit Mountain and the wall of water followed the Black River and swept through Johnson's Shut-ins State Park. The park had to be completed rebuilt and the river and shut-ins were reopened for water recreation in 2009 and a new campground opened in 2010. I remember the first time visiting after the reopening and how much the place had changed, looking almost nothing like the original place except for the big boulders of rock.

June 12, 2018

July 3, 2011

2004

I took a bunch of teenagers camping and exploring in 2004 and this seems to be the only photo I have to share. It was a fun adventure as I remember it well. I wish I had more photos of the place before the flooding damage.