BY BARBARA BOOTH
The small town of Crane located in northern Stone County, in the midst of the beautiful Ozarks scenery, flows the clear stream of historic Crane Creek.
Crane Creek is a 23.2-mile-long stream that flows through the town of Crane. The creek, is a tributary of James River and part of the White River drainage basin.
From Lawrence County the stream enters Stone County and flows past the southwest side of Crane, then passing under Missouri Route 413. Crane Creek then goes through several sharp meanders before entering the James River about 2.5 miles north of Galena.
During the Civil War, Crane Creek was the site of the 1862 battle that took place along the Old Wire Road. It was there where a telegraph line followed the Butterfield Overland Mail route between St. Louis and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The creek may have also inspired the name of the Crane post office which was originally called Hickory Grove but was renamed after the large number of blue cranes that lived along the banks of Crane Creek.
Crane Creek probably was chosen because of the railroad being the main form of transportation in the 1800s. Records show that the train tracks crossed the cold, clear creek and were a perfect match for the Missouri Fisheries to stock rainbow trout. It's stated that the trout were transported by train to Missouri from the California McCloud River, the fingerlings were propagated into the creek by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Legend has it that in the 1800s a railroad car carrying a load of rainbow trout from the McCloud River in California to the east coast, broke down on the tracks that ran through Crane. To save the trout, railway workers transported as many trout as possible to the cold waters of Crane Creek to increase their survival. Eventually Crane Creek became home of the wild species known as the world famous McCloud River Red Band Trout, renowned to fishing history.
***
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: This Friday and Saturday, August 23 and 24, the Historical Society and Museum will hold a large indoor yard sale from 10:00 to 4:00 both days, at the lower end of Main Street in Crane.
Visit Crane for quaint shops, the large indoor yard sale and the Crane Broiler Festival, August 23 and 24, at the Crane City Park. Enjoy our famous and delicious barbecue chicken!
Comentarios