McDonald Territory facts for kids

The McDonald Territory was a special, unofficial area in the United States. It included all of McDonald County, Missouri, and existed for a short time from 1961 to 1962. In 1961, a temporary government chose this name when they tried to break away from the state of Missouri.

Neither the State of Missouri nor the United States Congress ever officially recognized this territory. Many people, like the Neosho Daily News, called it a "publicity stunt." This means it was mostly done to get attention, and most people didn't take its claims of independence seriously.

Why McDonald County Felt Left Out

In 1961, the Missouri State Highway Commission printed its yearly Family Vacationland Map. This map was given out all over the state to help tourists. But when officials in McDonald County looked at the map, they noticed something important was missing.

President McGowan and Chief Saugee show off a "Welcome to McDonald Territory" sign.

The map left out Noel, a small but very important tourist town in the Ozarks. It also missed Pineville, Southwest City, and other interesting places in McDonald County.

Noel was a popular spot for tourists because of its resorts, bluffs, caves, and rivers. Being left off such a popular map really hurt the town. Dan Harmon, who was the mayor of Noel and later the President of McDonald Territory, said that 1961 was "one of our poorest years."

A spokesperson for the Missouri highway commission said they left Noel out on purpose because they thought it was too commercial. However, Governor John M. Dalton apologized, calling it a "serious mistake."

This map issue was the final straw after many problems McDonald County had with the Missouri state government. In 1960, U.S. Route 71 was changed so it no longer went through Noel, which meant fewer tourists would see the local attractions. The highway number through Noel also changed twice, confusing visitors. Some people also complained about high taxes. One local business owner even said that McDonald County "could join Arkansas and not be so heavily taxed."

A Plan for a New State?

To show how unhappy they were with the state government, local officials decided to try and break away from Missouri. They even thought about forming a 51st state by joining with Benton County, Arkansas and Delaware County, Oklahoma. If this had happened, McDonald County's 11,798 residents would have been at the center of this new state. However, most people didn't take this idea seriously and saw it as a way to get attention.

Map showing McDonald County (red) and nearby areas in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Governor Orval E. Faubus of Arkansas was open to McDonald County joining Arkansas, but this plan never happened. Another idea was to give Native Americans control of the land. This was suggested by Chief Henry Saugee of the Cherokee tribe from nearby Jay, Oklahoma.

Setting Up Their Own Government

McDonald County decided to set up a provisional government. This was a temporary, unofficial government. They even printed their own tourism brochures. They chose leaders and other officials, though reports differ on exactly who held which jobs.

They also created a local militia, which was like a small, unofficial army. They even issued "visas" for people entering the territory. Militiamen would stop cars coming into the area. If the people weren't from McDonald County, they were given a visa and information about local tourist spots.

The territory's government also started a special mail service. This service would take mail from the territory's post office to the nearest official U.S. Post Office. To pay for this service, they printed a series of six two-cent stamps.

Activities in the Territory

In April 1961, the territorial militia held a mock battle with soldiers from nearby Jasper County. During this pretend fight, a Jasper County soldier was accidentally hurt when his musket exploded. He got minor cuts and burns.

The McDonald Territory also hosted a fishing contest. By May 1962, they had given out over $500 in prize money for this event.