Pilot Knob (Iron County, Missouri)

Pilot Knob
Pilot Knob. Note distinctive summit formation. (1998)
Highest point
Elevation	1,470 ft (450 m)[1]
Coordinates	37°37′10″N 90°37′33″W / 37.6194946°N 90.625956°W / 37.6194946; -90.625956[1]
Geography
Location	Iron County, Missouri, U.S.
Parent range	Saint Francois Mountains
Topo map	USGS Lake Killarney

Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge, July 2012
Map of the United States
Location	Iron County, Missouri, United States
Area	90 acres (0.36 km2)
Established	1987
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge

Pilot Knob is located in the Arcadia Valley of Iron County, Missouri, between the towns of Ironton and Pilot Knob. Pilot Knob, so named because of its distinctive shape and prominent position,^[2] reaches an elevation of 1,470 feet (450 m)^[3] rising 581 feet (177 m)^[4] above the Arcadia Valley floor and has a large deposit of iron ore in its upper regions. Pilot Knob is a peak in the St. Francois Mountains.

The mountain was heavily mined in the 19th century, leaving many open mine workings. The summit of the mountain consists of the 90-acre (36 ha) Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge^[5] which is the home for nearly one-third of the world's population of Indiana bats. The bats hibernate in the abandoned mine workings. Pilot Knob Ore Company donated the land for conservation purposes after ceasing its mining operations on July 22, 1987. Currently the Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge is closed to the public to protect habitat for the endangered Indiana bat. There is an eight-foot-tall (2.44 meters) chain link fence around 40 acres (16 ha) of the land for safety reasons, keeping individuals away from the open mine shafts.