Big Sugar Creek - History of The Area

History of The Area

The name of Big Sugar Creek is believed to come from the fact that at one time, there were a number of sugar maple orchards on the creek. The first settlers to this area were supplied with syrup, sugar and a wide variety of trees, fruits and nuts. Some of these were water oak, post oak, pin oak, white oak, giant sycamore, pine, cedar, elm, blackhaw, chinquapin, walnut, hickory and several types of maple. Some of the fruits that were used are huckleberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, dewberry, wild plum, cherry, apple, paw-paw, May apple and persimmon.

Local legend states that Daniel Boone lived along the banks of Big Sugar Creek and led some of the early settlers through the Ozark trails. When ready to die, Boone made himself a walnut coffin, but his neighbor's wife died suddenly and Boone gave the coffin to his neighbor.

From the initial settlement of the area in the 1820s-1840s up until the early 20th century, Big Sugar Creek was home to a large number of mills. A saw mill and grist mill owned by Henry and Elizabeth Schell was situated at the point where Otter Creek joined Big Sugar Creek in the community of Jacket. The Schells had previously founded the town of Shell Knob, Missouri in Barry County, Missouri before establishing their claim on 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) in McDonald County. Henry Schell was killed by bushwhackers during the American Civil War and his wife and daughters, as his sons were off fighting for the Confederate States of America, dug his grave and buried him in the yard of the old homestead. The war disrupted the usual funeral rituals. They used a large wooden meal box from the mill as a coffin. His mill was later destroyed in a flood.

One of the largest mills along Big Sugar stood at the junction of Brush Creek. Heavy rains washed this mill away in the late 19th century. A smaller mill was built near the old dam. Several mills dotted Bentonville Hollow and Creek into Arkansas. Just outside the town of Powell, about two hundred feet, was a mill built back in the early 1840s. In July 1883, the Ozarks were part of a major flood that destroyed most of the mills along the rivers and streams. Part of the mill dam can still be seen today. Mikes Creek enters into Big Sugar at Powell and they say several mills were along this creek.