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| Bridge Crossing into East Calico aka Peppersauce Ghost Town |
The highway north into central Missouri from Arkansas is full of twists and turns through mostly forested wilderness, and a mostly undiscovered history. It is here that quiet little ghost town attached to a living community sits quietly crumbling on the bluffs of the White River.
East Calico started like many towns of 1800s, as a trading post for French traders and trappers traveling the White River. Numerous little taverns appeared, and the site became home to various thieves, vagabonds, and other troublemakers indulging in “Peppersauce,” the local moonshine; along with that, prostitution, fist-brawls, knife fights and gun battles.
By the 1890s, homes had begun to appear along the bluffs, and a bit of a community started to form. The taverns continued serving though, making the town still a bit unfit for regular folks. News of the intent of the railroad to lay tracks along the bluff in 1902, and the promise of the associated prosperity, encouraged the law-abiding citizens to run the taverns and their patrons out.
In 1903, the train started making regular stops in Calico Rock, and homes and businesses sprang up, providing work for anyone looking. The town hosted a thriving community until the 1940s. A local electric plant closed when high tension lines came through, food and cotton harvests were replaced with cattle farms, and over-foresting silenced the timber mills; folks were forced to find work elsewhere. By the time the 1960s rolled around, the train no longer made stops there, everyone had moved on to other more sustainable destinations.
A few folks remained on the outskirts of town, and many locals still favored the spot for trout fishing, so the area was never completely abandoned. A new prison brought back a few residents in the late 1960s, but the once bustling town that had grown up east of Calico Creek remained empty, and a ghost town. The property was bought up over time, but many of the buildings collapsed, burned, or were overtaken by undergrowth; only about 20 buildings remain today.
... Further Reading …
East Calico Rock Historic District Ghost Town
Arkansas.com
