Corkery is an unincorporated place inDallas andLaclede counties, in theU.S. state ofMissouri. TheGNIS classifies it as a populated place.[1] The now extinct community is located on a ridge surrounded on three sides by anentrenched meander of theNiangua River which is about 300 feet below the ridgetop. The location is only accessible by road from Laclede County.[2]
The immediate area is known today as a resort destination forcanoeing andcamping, north of the popular recreational region ofBennett Springs.
A post office called Corkery was established in 1893, and remained in operation until 1944.[3] The community was named after either Mike Corkery, a local merchant,[4] or Ed Corkery, a millwright who came to the area in 1863 to install millworks and ended up staying, opening a store, and becoming the first postmaster.[5]
Corkery was once a thriving town and became the main crossroads for the region "because of the natural ford which people crossed by foot, horseback and wagon." The timber industry andtie rafting along theNiangua River and other traffic "made mail service a necessity."[6][7]
Today, only ruins remain: "...the bridge piers, the graveyard, the graffitied building, the spring house, the crumbling cement retaining wall against the bluff, the shop building foundations, the general store steps...."[6]
The Corkery Cemetery Preservation Society is preserving the cemetery here.[8]
A low bridge across theNiangua River existed for a time before it was washed out. Construction began in 1918 on a high bridge on Jugtown Road out ofLeadmine that would have crossed theNiangua River near here, at Low Gap. The bridge was supposed to help renew the economy but was never finished; its tall piers remain, a topic of conversation for the hundreds of canoeists who pass by annually.[6]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Municipalities and communities ofDallas County, Missouri,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| CDP | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofLaclede County, Missouri,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
37°47′43″N92°51′41″W / 37.79528°N 92.86139°W /37.79528; -92.86139
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