The Craziest Protest You’ve Never Heard Of

What Happened When A Missouri County Went Rogue

Welcome to McDonald Territory

Let’s face it: 2016 is the Year of the Angry Voter. On the Left, Right and smack dab in the middle, many folks are fed up with politics as usual. In some cases, that frustration has even led to nasty demonstrations.

Which reminds me of the craziest protest you’ve never heard of. It started as a joke, had moments that were as zany as a Saturday Night Live sketch and ended, incredibly, in victory with the protesters making their point.

So get ready to discover what happened when McDonald County left the State of Missouri.

Elk River funIf there was a competition for the prettiest spot in America, McDonald County would be a serious contender. Tucked in the extreme southwest corner of the Show-Me State, with Arkansas on its southern side and Oklahoma immediately to the west, the sparkling Elk River runs through Ozark Mountain splendor, complete with dramatic cliff overhangs. Plenty of camping and canoeing, fishing and hunting make it an ideal vacation getaway. In the decades before Branson became a tourism behemoth, McDonald County’s economy depended heavily on tourist dollars.

Back in 1961, bad feelings toward the state government in Jefferson City had been brewing for months. It started when the Missouri State Highway Department renamed a major road without bothering to inform area residents.

1959 Missouri Tourism advertThings went from bad to worse when the department’s annual Family Vacationlands map for 1961 came out listing recommended places to visit … and McDonald County wasn’t in it. With tens of thousands of free copies of the map distributed statewide, this was more than a snub: it was a serious economic blow.

At first, state officials said the omission was an honest mistake. Then, someone leaked a dirty secret to the news media: McDonald County had been intentionally left out because it had become (in their words) “too commercial.”

That was the last straw. McDonald’s residents weren’t going to take it lying down. Drastic times call for drastic measures. So in April 1961 they voted to “secede” from the State of Missouri and create McDonald Territory.

CW Centennial(It’s important to understand at the outset that this was entirely a tongue-in-check protest. Folks felt McDonald County had to “go big” to get the state’s attention so their grievances would be addressed. That took publicity. April 1961 was the 100th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, which began with Southern states seceding from the Union. So McDonald County piggybacked on interest in that anniversary to drive home its point with humor. At no time did they dispute state authority; they still paid state taxes, state court was still in session and the Missouri Highway Patrol still cruised the roads. Folks just wanted headlines so their squeaky wheel would be greased, that’s all.)

And boy, did they get it! Their “secession” was national news, with stories appearing in papers from coast to coast and even overseas.

Z.L. “Zeke” McGowan was elected Territorial President. Various other worthies received posts, including Claude “Butch” Wyatt who was named Executive Vice-President in Charge of Grievances (a real resume standout).

Mcdonald Stamp

Then they set about milking their moment in the sun for all it was worth.

A special two-cent territorial stamp was printed for letters that were delivered from the Territorial Post Office to the U.S. Post Office in the town of Noel (the newly-designated Territorial capital), where the US Postal Service took it from there.

Militia with truckThey erected Territorial signs and formed the McDonald Territorial Border Patrol and Militia (complete with a relic of a truck as its official vehicle). All cars driving into the Territory (especially those coming from Arkansas) were stopped; if the driver and passengers weren’t from McDonald, they were given special “visas” … which were actually clever tourism promotions.

They even wrote a Territorial Song, set to the tune of (what else?) Old McDonald’s Farm, whose chorus said:

“With a blank map here,

and a blank map there;

you can’t find McDonald County on it anywhere.”

Gov. DaltonThe new Territorial leaders drove to Jeff City in May and met with Governor John Dalton, a small-town lawyer who knew a lot about assuaging upset locals. He appointed a “diplomat” to negotiate with McDonald; they responded by presenting a visa so the Governor could legally come visit. Dalton joked he hoped the Territory “wouldn’t get ahead of us in the space race.” Then he got down to brass tacks: “We realize it was a serious oversight, and we will do anything we can to remedy it … I sure would hate to lose McDonald County; there are some fine people down there.” (When in doubt, flattery is always a safe strategy.)

But the locals didn’t buy it. “Welcome to McDonald Territory” signs stayed up.

As I wrote earlier, the Civil War Centennial was in full bloom just then, so folks in a nearby county got in on the act. State senator Richard Webster, a Civil War buff, formed a group which issued the following ultimatum in a letter that was hand-delivered to the Territorial Attorney General:

MilitiaNow, therefore we, the combined Union and Confederate Armies of Spring River, will march on Pineville [McDonald County’s real county seat] at 1:30 p.m., Sunday April 16. They will arrive at the seat of the provisional government at 3 p.m. If the territory desires to reunite with Missouri, we will join you in raising the proud flag of our state.”

The ultimatum was, of course, refused. And so the Combined Union and Confederate Armies of Spring River staged a much-publicized mock battle with the McDonald Territorial Boarder Guard and Militia. The “invaders” were repelled and their leaders “arrested,” after which both sides quickly reunited over beer.

It was all great fun … until things suddenly took an ominous turn.

McDcDonald Territory signWhile McDonald Countians were working to get the attention of their state officials, officials in other states began paying lots of attention to them.

A guy named Chief Henry Saugee lived nearby in Jay, Oklahoma. He referred to himself as a Cherokee “chief” (although the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs didn’t share that opinion) and met with President McGowan, offering to turn McDonald into a truly independent Native American nation. Sauguee humorously told a reporter (intentionally using cheesy “Indian Speak” from old B movie Westerns) “Looking for new tribe territory. Hear Noel no more Missouri. Not on map. Want big teepee on beautiful bluff at Big Bridge so can see all valley. Look for elk on Elk River.” (The news media ate up this shtick with a spoon.)

Map of proposed 51st StateThat was harmless enough. Then, semi-serious talk began emerging about McDonald and next-door neighbor Benton County, Arkansas (with some audacious dreamers including adjacent Delaware County, Oklahoma, too) uniting to form a new 51st state.

[Side note: in 1961, all three counties were backwater regions of their respective states. Today, Benton County boasts the headquarters of J.B. Hunt Trucking and a little company you may have heard of called Walmart. Those corporate giants would have made the tiny state an economic powerhouse.]

But that was nothing compared to what happened next.

Orval FaubusArkansas Governor Orval Faubus told reporters that since Missouri had dissed them, McDonald County would be more than welcome to officially join his state. (There are even claims he made a few phone calls to sound out Territorial officials.)

McDonald Territory now had Jefferson City’s full, undivided attention. State officials are politicians, after all, and they appreciated a good publicity stunt as much as anyone. But they could also tell when a rival politician was sniffing around on their turf, and they didn’t like it.

There are varying versions of what happened next. One says state officials quietly sent word down to McDonald County: “It’s been fun, but it’s time to knock it off.” They none too subtly reminded folks that state employees there could be fired, state retirement pension checks could be stopped and state funding could be withheld. If McDonald chose to play hardball, the state could, too.

The locals got the message. By Christmas, McDonald Territory sputtered out of existence.

1962 mapThe state did offer an olive branch: it announced that starting in 1962, official state-produced maps would only promote national and state parks moving forward; all commercial tourist enterprises would be dropped. It was a sweet consolation prize for the protesters.

Author Michael Trinklein summed up the entire episode as “akin to those Christmas Eve broadcasts that report sleigh and reindeer have been reported on radar.” From start to finish, it was a good-natured farce that made its point, and then quietly melted into McDonald’s folklore. Every so often, the Territorial Border Patrol and Militia’s old truck was rolled out for parades, but that was all. McDonald County returned to doing what it still does best: providing wholesome outdoor fun to its many guests.

Noel -cliffsThe Angry Voters of 2016 would do well to learn the lesson McDonald County’s protesters taught in 1961: gentle humor goes a long way in making your point and getting what you want.

Did you find this enjoyable or helpful? Please continue to join me each week, and I invite you to read Tell it Like Tupper and share your review!

Curious about Tell It Like Tupper? Here’s a chance to see for yourself. Take a sneak peek at a couple chapters in this free downloadable excerpt.

34 thoughts on “The Craziest Protest You’ve Never Heard Of

  1. Rebecca Simmons

    I was eleven years old when this happened. I lived sic miles from Noel, and remember it well.

  2. Howard W. Hogan

    And the local attorney, who was a close associate of the then powerful Missouri Senator Richard M.Webster, replied to the Joplin Globe when asked “… about your next step …” replied : “Well, I don’t rightly know just yet … it has been quite some time since I handled a secession.” And, so, it went on from there.

  3. Snake County

    2016 voters can’t appear to be “joking around” if they want to be taken seriously. The GOP & the Dems are already plotting to cancel out their primary votes.

  4. Dale Tyler

    Enjoyed reading about the McDonald County secession. The only fault with the article is that Tyson’s Foods headquarters are in Washington County not Benton.

  5. Noël

    I LOVED reading this! I live in Miami, Ok and with my name ( Noël like the song) I’ve been to Noel a lot and love hearing history tid bits about our four state area!

  6. Tim

    Great read! I moved to Bentonville from out of state 7 years ago and love it out here. I always enjoy reading about local history. Thanks for the article!

  7. Chautona Havig

    I loved this story when my grandpa told it to me as a kid. He lived right on the main street in Noel (parents still live there). I loved it so much, that I put it in a novel I wrote as a funny aside. Character buys a book about it.

  8. wes

    that was very good story never heard it before moved here when I was 4 in 1969 thanks for the info

  9. Tiffany McDonald

    Very good read. Does anyone know how it was named McDonald County? My last name is McDonald and most of my dad’s family is from Missouri. Any more insight would be greatly appreciated.

    1. Marilyn Carnell

      It was named for Alexander McDonald who fought with Francis Nation (The Swamp Fox) in the Revolutionary War. Newton and Jasper Counties were name for contemporaries of his. Originally it was to be called Seneca County. It is the only so named county in the US.

  10. Heather O'Brien Daugherty

    This story brought a smile to my face and makes me very proud to be a McDonald Countian. Thank You.

  11. Rebeccah Wylie Stone

    My Dad’s family was from Noel. I never heard this story! So interesting. Can you ID the people in the pictures?

    1. admin Post author

      Thanks for commenting, Rebeccah. Unfortunately, I don’t know their identities. Very sorry.

  12. Josh

    Awesome read. Being raised in McDonald County, in the old Saratoga parts, I love to read about our history. I take pride in being part of what I heard a few Joplin/Neosho residents called us…hill people.

    1. admin Post author

      Thanks for your kind words, Josh. They’re appreciated. I invite you read my new column when it posts each Sunday.

  13. Charles Mote

    As I remember it, at one point visas were required to visit, not just for the governor. McDonald County boasted a town called Noel; good rock band summer weekends and Missouri’state version of a beach (rocks!). Girls and women from there, however, were treated quite shabily, and twenty years later the women making expensive woven baskets were paid only two dollars an hour.

  14. Steve

    At that time you had to pass a test on the Missouri Constitution to graduate from the eight grade. I was a sophomore so had passed but the eight graders thought they might get to “slide”. 🙂

  15. Peggy McNeley Stahlman

    We moved to Noel summer of 1964. Jr in HS. Always loved Noel. Still canoe, hike, cave explore. I heard Noel succeeded from Missouri because they had moved highway 71 from going through Noel. Great to know the Real history.

  16. Rick Bronson

    I can remember a large billboard posted at the Newton-McDonald county line on Highway 71 north of Goodman, “Welcome to McDonald Territory”. In all seriousness, McDonald County’s interstate highway, I-49, which essentially bypasses many businesses and communities that were served by US Hwy 71, still is incomplete….just sayin’.

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