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2008 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Phone: 660-442-3187 |
History
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White-tailed deer fawn concealed in the foliage. Photo by Kenny Bahr. | |
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a refuge feeding and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.
The refuge comprises 7,350 acres along the eastern edge of the Missouri River floodplain. The region in which the refuge is located formerly was part of a large area of natural marsh and water in the Missouri River bottoms which was very attractive to migratory waterfowl.
The famous explorers Lewis and Clark documented the abundance of wildlife along the Missouri River in their journals. Settlers began to follow the Missouri River and were attracted to the region because of the fertility of the soils, the abundance of wildlife, and the close relationship of the land to the Missouri River then being used for transportation and marketing of goods. By the late 1920's much of what is now the refuge was low, wet ground that was being farmed or hayed.
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Female yellow warbler on nest with male nearby. Photo by Kenny Bahr. | |
The creation of Squaw Creek Refuge protected a very small portion of the Missouri River floodplain from drainage. A Civilian Conservation Corps Camp located in Mound City worked on the refuge from July 1935 until December 1936 and undertook conservation restoration projects to improve wildlife management of the area. The Works Progress Administration of the same era also contributed to the early development of the Squaw Creek Refuge.
