many drainage districts were created in the Bootheel. In 1914, more than 20 drainage districts existed in Stoddard County. One of them was the Mingo Drainage District, a small district in the Advance Lowlands near Puxico. More than $1 million were spent to make Mingo Swamp suitable for farming. A system of seven major north–south ditches was constructed to drain water from the swamp into the St. Francis River, about south of Puxico. Except for the narrow southern extension of the district south of Puxico, the district's boundary and the Mingo NWR boundary are essentially the same. The ditches constructed by the district are used today by the refuge for water control and management. During the Great Depression, land values plummeted and many of the large landholders (lumber companies) defaulted on payment of taxes rather than continue to maintain unprofitable investments in the land. Throughout the Bootheel, many drainage districts were unable to meet financial obligations and defaulted on bond payments, largely because they could not absorb the loss of revenue created by the large landholders. Mingo District was one of these. Drainage attempts at Mingo had not been completely successful, at least in part because of the overflow from the St. Francis River. Also, the soil was not as productive as in other areas of the Bootheel. During the 1930s, Mingo District became insolvent. The remaining timber was cut by anyone without regard to ownership. The area was open range country. Cattle and hogs ran over the entire swamp. To maintain it in a grassy condition, the land was burned, often several times a year. Hogs and cattle became so numerous, they overflowed into the small towns near the swamp. Indiscriminate shooting of waterfowl was common. Other wildlife species were also not faring so well. Beaver and deer had disappeared and the wild turkey were nearly extinct from the swamp. In 1945, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service purchased 21,676 acres (87.7 km2) of the Mingo Swamp and established the Mingo National Wildlife Reserve. The condition of the land was deplorable. In the previous 50 years, people had reduced a beautiful swamp, lush with the growth of plants and alive with animals, into a burnt and eroded wasteland. Through careful management, most of the natural plants and animals were restored. Native trees have replaced much of the brush and briers, and a canoe trip down the Mingo River