| Courtois Hills | |
|---|---|
  Courtois Hills | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,001[1] ft (305 m) |
| Coordinates | 37°15′36″N91°04′48″W / 37.260°N 91.080°W /37.260; -91.080 |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
TheCourtois Hills region is an area of theOzark Mountains in southeastMissouri. It is one of several mountainous regions that surround the Ozarks'Salem (or Central) Plateau.
Although it does not contain the highest peak, the Courtois Hills has most rugged terrain and steepest average slopes of any region of the Missouri Ozarks.[2] It, and the communityCourtois, are named afterCourtois Creek (pronounced "Cote-o-way" or "Curt-o-way"), one of many waterways flowing through a narrow and steep-sided valley separated by sharp ridges.[2] The region was named after thisCrawford County creek because it was one of the earliest settled valleys.[3]
The area contains significantoutcropping oflimestone, ridges ofchert. It also contains several springs includingGreer Spring,Round Spring andAlley Spring nearEminence andBig Spring nearVan Buren. Other common landforms are caves, sinkholes, andsolution caves such as the Sinks natural tunnel onCurrent River tributarySinking Creek.[2]
Settlement was delayed by the difficult terrain. The western frontier of the United States had crossed theMississippi River and reached the edges of the Courtois Hills by 1811. Settlers moved in to areas to the east, north, and west of the Central Plateau and its surrounding hills first. The plateau received very slow and gradual immigration later, with settlement of the Courtois Hills occurring last.[3]
Timber was once the largest contributor to the region's economy.[2] From the late 1880s until almost 1920, theMissouri Lumber and Mining Company and several other large lumber companies operated in the region, extracting millions ofboard feet of lumber from forests ofshort-leaf Southern yellow pine. The region's narrow ridges are often covered withoak.[3]
More recently,lead andzinc have been discovered and profitably mined. The terrain limits agriculture, as well as settlement, primarily to the valley floors.[2] The best areas for agriculture are concentrated in the southern part of the region, where rivers have made the valleys wider. TheCastor,St. Francis,Black, and Current Rivers are such valleys. The numerous springs also provide an abundant source of water.[3]
