Ozark Breakaway

Former McDonald County resident documents ‘secession’

“McDonald County’s decision to secede from its home state of Missouri in April of 1961 was not a publicity stunt when it began. It was the result of people whose livelihoods were compromised and forced to take matters into their own hands.” — Dwight Pogue, author

NOEL, Mo. — Dwight Pogue literally was in the driver’s seat when McDonald County “seceded” from the nation in 1961.

He and his family were frontand-center in a historical event that would forever shape the county’s history. Pogue’s father, Ralph, owned the local newspaper. He, Noel Mayor Dan Harmon and several others took matters into their own hands, “seceding” from the United States after the townspeople felt they were snubbed and left off a state tourism map. The secession made national and international headlines.

Pogue, as a 16-year-old, witnessed the historical event from the driver’s seat. Pogue drove his first car — a 1931 Model A Ford five-window coupe with rumble seat — to transport the newly formed “Territorial Border Patrol”, when handing out and checking territorial visas to visitors.

Over the years, Pogue had shared many stories of the eclectic characters of his childhood with his children. Now, in his retirement, Pogue’s children urged him to write about those interesting stories. He’s recently documented those interesting personalities and a large chunk of history in his new book, 1961 Ozark Breakaway: The Year McDonald County Seceded From Missouri. The book is now available on Amazon.

Pogue, a retired college professor who lives in Massachusetts, used his dad’s unpublished territorial journal of writings, photographs and first-hand knowledge to create a historically significant treasure trove. Pogue’s own yarns and tales inspired his son and two daughters, who always heard about his childhood stories of Noel and its townsfolk. He was motivated to create something educational to add to the discussion. Information about the “Secession of 1961” is not widely available, Pogue said. That has always bothered him. So, in celebration of Missouri’s Bicentennial, Pogue felt compelled to document what he could. “If I don’t write a book on it, no one will ever know anything about it.”

A PLAN

Pogue’s father was college-educated, articulate and gregarious. His writings even made it to Paul Harvey’s radio program on several occasions, Pogue said.

Pogue’s parents were hardworking people who owned and operated the local newspaper. “My parents barely made it,” he said. They couldn’t afford a babysitter, so their three children — Pogue, his sister and his brother — were always at the print shop, after school and at other times.

Pogue was running a printing press by the time he was 11. By the time he was 16 years old, the now infamous secession began to unfold.

It all started in mid-July in 1960 when the Missouri Highway Department changed some signs so that U.S. Highway 71 no longer went through Noel, Pogue said. Noel, which was a tourist hot-spot, no longer had signs pointing visitors to the fun. “This confused vacationers and resulted in a significant loss of income for Noel and parts of McDonald County,” he said. Residents were upset and complained.

The tipping point came, however, when a state tourism map, released in April of 1961, left off eight of 10 towns in McDonald County, including Noel. At that point, Noel was driven by tourism dollars. People flocked to the resort city because of Shadow Lake, the great outdoors and the area’s beauty, Pogue said. Upset about the deletion, local officials tried to find ways to correct the situation — including asking state officials to reprint the map. No one seemed to take action. So, Pogue’s father and two other men decided to come up with a way to handle the situation.

In one more step forward, state senator Lee Aaron Bachler even proposed a resolution to form a 51st state, which would include McDonald County, Benton County, Ark., and Delaware County, Okla. “The proposed new 51st state would triple in size, and such action would likely put pressure on Missouri politicians since sister states would be gaining beneficial publicity at Missouri’s expense,” Pogue said.

Locals did take other steps, including changing McDonald County’s name to McDonald Territory and printing thousands of “Territorial Visas.” Those who visited or vacationed were required to carry those visas while in the “new territory,” Pogue explained. “Tourists coveted the visas as proof to show friends and relatives back home they were actually in the new territory,” he said.

Additionally, three new territorial post offices appeared. The U.S. Postal Service granted permission for the printing of 30,000 territorial mailing stamps.

Pogue’s dad served as Territorial Press secretary, collecting information and photographs along the way. The entire secession plan sparked national and international interest, newspaper reports and action from governmental officials. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas invited McDonald County to become part of Arkansas, Pogue said. Missouri Governor John M. Dalton met with McDonald County “Territorialists” to discuss their request for foreign aid, he said.

“To make fun of themselves was the best way to go,” Pogue said. “They were classic hillbillies. That’s what made it really work, and it struck the heart of America.”

TOURISM-DRIVEN NOEL

Of course, McDonald County has evolved and changed since that time. Part of Pogue’s plan is to offer insight into McDonald County years ago. “To see what things were like,” he said.

America had come through two World Wars, the Spanish flu and, by the 1950s, people were happy and the economy was thriving. Unprecedented wealth led people to travel, enjoy weekend excursions and contribute to the economy.

Noel was comprised of extraordinary people, Pogue said, interesting characters and some that could be called nuts. On the flip side, Noel residents were highly tolerant of tourists because they realized tourism greatly contributed to the town’s thriving popularity.

“People walked around on Main Street and window shopped in their bathing suits because they had just come up from the lake,” he said. By 1961, when tourism took a real blow, McDonald County residents showed true ingenuity in drawing attention to themselves in a funny way. Pogue hopes the book will shed some light on that.

“Nobody really knew about how it started,” he said. “McDonald County’s decision to secede from its home state of Missouri in April of 1961 was not a publicity stunt when it began. It was the result of people whose livelihoods were compromised and forced to take matters into their own hands,” he said.

Ultimately, McDonald County residents knew they held the cards in their hands. “They knew their only hope for success was to win over the hearts and minds of fellow Americans, including those in Missouri,” he said.

For information about 1961 Ozark Breakaway: The Year McDonald County Seceded From Missouri, visit Amazon.com.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Courtesy Photos/Dwight Pogue) Author Dwight Pogue had first-hand knowledge and access to historical documents and photos to publish in his newly released book, “Ozark Breakaway: The Year McDonald County Seceded From Missouri,” now available on Amazon. His father, Ralph, the local newspaper owner and operator, was highly involved in the McDonald County secession in 1961.

Famous McDonald Territory Border Patrol: Sergeant Jim Stevens, Lietenant ‘Squeak’ Howerton and Corporal Jim Riley.

Pogue was 16 years old in 1961 when McDonald County seceded from the United States. His father was the owner of the Noel, Mo., newspaper at the time. Pogue shares images and stories from the time in his book.

McDonald Territory President Z.L. McGowan and Cherokee Chief Henry Saugee of Northeast Oklahoma discuss the possibility of McDonald Territory going back to the Native Americans.