Clarksville MO is a very small town that has mostly dried up. It has 372 people (as of 2020). A lot of buildings along the main roads are empty and have been for decades. Apparently when a nearby cement plant shut down, the town couldn\u2019t recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The town is right on the bank of the miss river. There is a dam on the river with a lock for boats. Look that up.
Right in town is a steep hill that is the highest point right alongside the Mississippi. Until about the 1940s there was a “sky trolley” from downtown to the summit of that hill. There were some little houses and a view point on the summit. The equipment is still along the road but it had to close for the too high insurance costs the town could not afford. We tried to find a road up to the summit but it was impassable.
There is one place to eat in Clarksville – Cherry bar and grill. Good food! I was surprised to see people smoking in there.
There are no gas stations, no grocery stores or even convenience stores. One business is in operation that makes candles and stationary for hotels. It is currently run out of abandoned buildings along the main road and the company is building a new building to house the operation. I heard this from an old gentleman who was walking his dog nearby.
The nearest town with facilities is Louisiana MO, about 10 miles away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our RV park is about 4 miles inland from Clarksville, surrounded by corn and soybean fields.
I took a few pics of the river and dam and found a postcard picture showing the Sky Trolley and the dam from the 1940s.\u00a0 Here they are:<\/p>\n\n\n