Rat, Missouri

Rat, Missouri
Unincorporated community
Rat Location within the state of Missouri
Coordinates: 37°22′21″N 91°13′39″W
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Shannon
Township	Moore
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	573
GNIS feature ID	751809[1]

Rat is an unincorporated community in northeast Shannon County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.^[1] The community is adjacent to Big Creek, approximately six miles south-southwest of Bunker.^[2]

History

A post office called Rat was established in 1898, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1954.^[3] The community was named "Rat" in protest after postal authorities denied the townspeople their first choice of "Buckshorn".^[4] Rat has been noted for its unusual place name.^[5]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rat, Missouri
2. Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 1998, First edition, p. 55, ISBN 0-89933-224-2
3. "Shannon County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
4. "Shannon County Place Names, 1928–1945". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
5. LIFE. January 31, 1944. p. 57. ISSN 0024-3019.