Allred Lake

My father in law often talks about a place that renews his faith in the world around him.  There is a natural area that has spoken to his heart and allowed him to leave his woes with the Cypress and Tupelo Trees.  Indeed, there is something magical and calming about Allred Lake Natural Area in Butler County.  It is as if the 500 year old trees endow the curious wonderer with their endless wisdom and sagacious nature.

ALLRED LAKE Natural Area near Neelyville (the locals call the area East of Neelyville "Coon Island)" is owned and administered by the Missouri Conservation Department.  The area is important because it is one of the last remaining bottom-land swamps in Missouri and arguably one of the best examples, save Mingo in Puxico.   Cypress trees and swamp use to dominate the landscape of Southeast Missouri from the boot heel to the foothills of the Ozarks.  Now, farm land is ubiquitous and swamps have become a tiny fraction of area.

To the untrained eye, this natural area seems like a scary and unattractive place.  Many people remark that beauty is gently rolling hills, mountains in the distance, or ocean waves crashing into seashores.  Swamps have long been the Rodney Dangerfield of the natural area because they "get no respect".   However, if you think beyond the normal confines of beauty and see what the swamp holds in its boundaries. ALLRED LAKE not only has one of the few concentration of swamp trees, but it also houses several endangered species of fish such as the Taillight Shiner and Swamp Darter.

Now I understand why this place is my father in law's special thinking place.  The lake, ringed by swamp trees, is a subdued place with quiet awe and magical history.  The boardwalk does more than take you a few feet from the shore.  It takes you to an alter of nature guided by the towering cypress and dedicated to the land that was swamp-east, Missouri.   As a resident of Southeast Missouri,  I look at this natural area as proof that swamp water runs through the very fabric of who we are and where have come from.


Suggested Reading/Viewing

allred lake summary page

Missouri Department of Conservation