Hughes Mountain facts for kids
Hughes Mountain and the Hughes Mountain State Natural Area are special places in southern Washington County, Missouri. They are found in the St. Francois Mountains range, which is part of The Ozarks. The mountain stands over 1,200 feet tall, rising 430 feet above the nearby Big River. The Hughes Mountain Natural Area covers about 462 acres of the mountain. This area includes a unique rocky open space called a glade at the top, made of a rock called rhyolite.
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History of Hughes Mountain
The area around Hughes Mountain was first settled around 1810. A man named John Hughes, his wife Susannah, and their children moved there. Because of them, the mountain was named Hughes Mountain.
The mountain itself was public land for many years. Then, in 1861, John Hughes's son, Mahlon Hughes, bought it. The land stayed with the Hughes family until 1982. That year, the Missouri Conservation Commission bought it. They then made it a State Natural Area, protecting its unique features.
Exploring Hughes Mountain State Natural Area
You can visit the Hughes Mountain State Natural Area! There is a trail that is about 1.4 miles long. The trail starts at a small parking area on Highway M, about 3 miles southeast of Irondale.
Inside the natural area, you'll find a glade with amazing rock formations. These rocks are made of very old Precambrian rhyolite. They show something called columnar jointing. This special spot is known as the Devil's Honeycomb. It's even mentioned in a book called Geographic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri because it's so unique!
The natural area has two main parts. About two-thirds of it is covered by different types of forests. The other third is made up of glades, which are open, rocky areas.
Plants and Animals of Hughes Mountain
The forests at Hughes Mountain are home to many kinds of trees. You can find post oaks, white oaks, and blackjack oaks. There are also eastern red cedars, black hickorys, and winged elms. Smaller plants like farkleberry and lowbush blueberry also grow here.
The glades have their own special plants. Look for poverty grass, yellow star grass, and little bluestem. You might also see bright flame flowers and even prickly pear cactus! Many types of lichen also grow on the rocks.
Animals live here too! Keep an eye out for two kinds of lizards: the fence lizard and the collared lizard. You might also spot lichen grasshoppers and hear prairie warblers singing.
Geology of Hughes Mountain
Hughes Mountain is a peak in the St. Francois Mountains in southeastern Missouri. These mountains are very, very old! Their rocks, made of granite and rhyolite, formed about 1.485 billion years ago. Back then, this area was full of active volcanoes.
Hughes Mountain itself is made of rhyolite that came out of volcanoes. When this hot rock cooled down, it cracked into tall, vertical columns. This process is called Columnar jointing. These columns usually have four to six sides. They can be up to three feet tall. If you look down on them from above, they really do look like a giant honeycomb!
Columnar jointing isn't just found at Hughes Mountain. The Devil's Honeycomb is a smaller example of this cool rock formation. You can see much larger examples at places like Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, Devils Postpile in California, and the famous Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
Images for kids
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The Devil's Honeycomb, Hughes Mountain State Natural Area
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The Devil's Honeycomb, Hughes Mountain State Natural Area
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The Devil's Honeycomb, Hughes Mountain State Natural Area
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The Devil's Honeycomb, Hughes Mountain State Natural Area
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Columnar jointing of rhyolite, Devil's Honeycomb, Hughes Mountain State Natural Area
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Panoramic view from atop Hughes Mountain
