Missouri set to reopen Johnson's Shut-Ins in May

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Southeast Missouri state park heavily damaged five years ago by the Taum Sauk reservoir collapse is reopening to campers in May.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources began taking reservations Thursday for camping at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park near Lesterville.

The old campground was washed out in December 2005 when the hilltop reservoir owned by power company AmerenUE broke through a retaining wall. Billions of gallons of water rushed through the park.

The new camping places are located about a mile from the old campground and will open April 30.

Some sections of the park reopened in 2007, including the Shut-Ins, which is a group of natural stone slides in the Black River.