Is Bismarck Conservation Area Closed?

Rumors have been swirling that Bismarck Conservation Area and the lake there are closed.

Regional Radio spoke to Clayton Lewis, the St. Francois County conservation agent about it.

He’s heard the rumors too.

Lewis says eventually the camping area will re-open fully but not anytime soon.

Bismarck Conservation Area is a 1,188-acre tract of land in St. Francois, Iron and Washington counties.

The area surrounds 210-acre DiSalvo Lake, which was constructed in 1944 by the Hanna Mining Company to serve as a water reservoir for nearby lead mining operations.

The Department of Conservation purchased the property from Hanna in 1981.

The geology of Bismarck Conservation Area is among the oldest in Missouri.

It includes Precambrian igneous rock and lava-formed Cambrian-age LaMotte sandstone and Cambrian-age dolomites.