As we continue to search online for tidbits of historical information, we recently encountered a mention of the "Arkansas Pearl Tide". That accidental encounter led to a revelation that few people expected today. Our first tendency is to assume that this is just an "Arkansas" folktale and ignore it. After all, this continuous series is about our (Missouri) trip to Ozark. But the things inside pushed me.  

It turns out that the Arkansas pearl boom is actually a major event, and it did spread to Ozark County. According to reports, this was caused by a New Jersey shoemaker who found a large pearl in the New Jersey River and sold it to Tiffany & Co in New York for $1,500. It was in the 1850s, when US$1,500 was more than US$50,000 today. Tiffany eventually sold the pearl to the Queen of France. 

People from all directions began to search for pearls in freshwater streams. We have some in Ozark County. By the 1880s, pearls were discovered in Arkansas, tent camps appeared everywhere, and men, women and children were fishing for molluscs. The newspaper of the day reported that cotton planters were quite anxious about the labor pool of cotton pickers who were absorbed in finding pearls. 

In 1895, Ed Graham of Gosport discovered a pearl worth $50 in the White River. Two years later, Dr. J. Hamilton Meyers discovered a large and precious pearl in Black Rock, Arkansas, which flows from Missouri into the Black River in northeastern Arkansas. This discovery sparked a pearl fever, reminiscent of the early gold rushes in California and Alaska. In fact, the area is called "Arkansas Klondike" by national newspapers.

  A side effect of the pearl craze is that the button industry is increasingly using "mother-of-pearl" in mussel shells. Pearl buttons are popular all over the country. Initially, the shells were discarded by those looking for pearls, but the value of these shells soon became apparent and the secondary market flourished. In fact, the first shell button factory was established in 1900 in the town of Black Rock, not far south of the Missouri-Arkansas line. 

On September 9, 1910, the "Ozark County Times" published a report titled "Money in Mussel Shells". The report stated that "Pearl pickers are getting richer and richer. Shells are now sold at a price per ton. From 20 to 22 dollars, a full candy bucket will weigh 100 pounds." 

The story goes on to say that the daily income of pearl divers was 4 to 6 US dollars-a considerable income for ordinary workers at the time. Since mussels are often found in large beds, many generations of mussels form very large piles, which are so deep that they cannot be fully excavated, which makes their job easier. The same article reported on the discovery of a pearl recently sold in Fort Smith, Arkansas for $2,035-higher than the price of some banks in the Ozark area at that time.

The descendants of the late Sam Martin ran a grocery store in White River in Oakland, Arkansas, and grew up hearing stories about how their great-grandfather sometimes traded White River pearls. He might also use the pearls to pay for the goods brought to Oakland from the paddle steamer on the Mississippi River along the White River. 

According to former Ozark County resident Mike Bredding (Sam Martin's great-grandson now living in Springfield), the Oakland area was a trading center for cotton grown in the area at the time. Breeding also recalled the news of the pearl button factory that he operated in Oakland that year. He remembered that among the items owned by his grandmother, the late Delphia Martin McDonald, there were some shells with perfect round holes, and the mother-of-pearl had been cut out. 

White River Pearl

The Gemological Institute of America lists the White River as the seven largest freshwater pearl streams in the United States. Most of the news reports at the time were related to the discovery in Arkansas, but there were similar pearl searches along the North Fork of the White River and other streams in Missouri. The Ozark County News of September 23, 1897 cited an example. There, a local news report said: "Missourians don't have to go to the Ark to find pearls. Not long ago, Mr. Harris Mitchell found a pearl in the White River. It is a precious pink hue and is estimated to be worth about thirty-five. Dollar."   

Two months later, in the November 18th edition of the news, the Kangjin family was jokingly quoted in the following clip: "Lost-a beautiful frog-said that the frog has slightly cross-eyed eyes and is wearing a gray setting. The light green coat on the side. When I saw it for the last time, it was moving fast along the North Fork, towards Arkansas. People thought it was meant to find pearls. Anyone who returned the same thing to Miss Jarretta Conkin would do it. Get rich returns."

In the November 22, 1901 edition, the Ozark County Times reported: "Earlier Wednesday, a bank in Black Rock, Arkansas, was robbed of $2,000 in cash and $10,000 worth of pearls belonging to WD Bird. Safe deposit box. It was blown up by explosives. The thief escaped." 

The tragic ending of the boom

Due to overfishing and the development of "cultured pearls" in Japan, the pearl tide ended in 1905. The local button factory disappeared, and the craze began to fade. By then, the pearl frenzy had already caused great damage to the stream. 

Sadly, freshwater mussels are today considered the second most endangered species in North America. In the past century, more than 20 species of molluscs have disappeared from North American waters. 

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