Wolf Island, Missouri facts for kids
Wolf Island is a small, unincorporated community located in the eastern part of Mississippi County, Missouri, in the United States. It sits along Route 77, about nine miles east of the town of East Prairie. Being "unincorporated" means it's not officially a city or town with its own local government.
A Look Back: Wolf Island's History
The community of Wolf Island was started a long time ago, in 1792. It got its name from a nearby island in the Mississippi River also called Wolf Island. Interestingly, the island itself is actually part of Kentucky, not Missouri!
Why the Name "Wolf Island"?
According to a Missouri historian named Margot Ford McMillen, both the community and the island were named because of the many wolves that lived in the area during the late 1700s and early 1800s. These wolves have since disappeared from Missouri, but their name lives on in these places.
River Pirates and Their Hideout
Wolf Island was once known as a place where criminals would hide. In 1799, a group of people known as "river pirates" moved to the Kentucky island. These pirates, led by a person named Samuel Mason, used to rob boats traveling on the rivers. They had previously used a place called Cave-In-Rock as their main base before moving to Wolf Island.
