County of village: Pulaski County
Location of village: MO Hwy Z, south of I-44, near St. Robert and Waynesville, on the Big Piney River and Old Route 66
"Devil's Elbow: A post office in northeastern Cullen Township on the Big Piney River. So named because it is on a sharp bend in the river." ~ Postal Guide 1928, W.W. Howard
"A resort center on the Big Piney River near the old bridge -- a lovely place today, popular for hunting and fishing. It got its unusual name during the era for lumber and tie rafting down the river to market. It was the abrupt bend in the river that caused so much trouble. Long rafts had to be cut in two in order to round the bend, hence the name "Devil's Elbow."' ~ Lest We Forget, A History of Pulaski County.
"There was a post-office at Devil's Elbow in 1939-40." ~ Missouri Manual for 1939-1940, p. 936.
It is located at Section 16, Township 36 N, Range 10 W, on Highways 66 & V, east of St. Robert.
"Take a trip back in time as you enter the Historic Route 66 town of Devils Elbow, Missouri! Once named one of the “Seven Wonders of Missouri” by the Missouri State Planning Commission, it is not hard to see why once you enter this quaint little Ozark town. The early stages of Devils Elbow began when tie hackers were known for logging short leaf pine, and later hardwood railroad ties, upriver. The tie rafters would then rope the ties together and float them down the Big Piney River to the Gasconade River. They did, however, have much difficulty with a rather large bend in the river that continuously caused chaotic log jams, to which the rafters believed only the devil could have caused; hence the name Devils Elbow." ~ Pulaski County
TThe Flood; and aftermath:
"The rain started on the eve of the weekend, harmless. Seven inches later, the Big Piney River swelled. When the rain stopped, residents of Devils Elbow sighed with relief. In other parts of the state on that last weekend of April 2017, some ninety-three evacuations were occurring.
"But on Sunday morning, the Missouri State Highway Patrol told folks in Devils Elbow to get out, fast. Something big was coming.
"By local estimates, the Big Piney River rose a record twenty-eight feet by Sunday before finally retreating. When the Debos returned to their house four days later, two of their cats had died. A box with their birth certificates and land deeds and marriage license was missing. The refrigerator had burst open, leaving a stick of butter stranded on the fireplace mantel. Fearing further damage, Carmen left her soaked photo albums untouched. Down the street, Terry Toula’s house had simply floated off its foundation. Dale and Kate Martin, who just three weeks before had finished building their dream home, returned to find half the deck gone and the backyard gouged with holes large enough to swallow a Volkswagen. The only downtown house spared—perhaps saved by the grace of about a foot of elevation— belongs to Bruce and Nancy Frazier, who offered laundry services in the immediate aftermath. Pitted and debris-strung, every road in Devils Elbow looked like a bombing target. Television sets and Christmas ornaments and photo albums hung from the underbelly of the town’s famous steel truss bridge, deposited by water that had risen to its beams." ~ Missouri Life