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BRICE SPRING – now Bennett Spring State Park on the Niangua River

Real photo postcard – Mill Dam at Brice Mo, 1914 Given an abundant water source, like a spring-fed Ozark stream, one of the first things pioneers often did was build a water mill. The dams began as crude wood obstructions … Continue reading

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Blind Pony Hatchery – Paddlefish Nursery

Paddlefish eggs at Blind Pony Hatchery When Truman Dam closed, the paddlefish was cut off from its primary spawning grounds, the gravel bars of the upper Osage. This ancient fish has inhabited the Mississippi and Missouri river system for more … Continue reading

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PLANS FOR LOCK AND DAM NO.1 ON OSAGE RIVER

Local plans for improvements to the Osage River to make it a commercially navigable stream projected a series of locks and dams.  Work by the Corps of Engineers on the first one began in September 1895 at Shipley Shoals, then … Continue reading

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James A. Reed, Senator

Press Photograph We began our chapter on Lake of the Ozarks with a discussion of a now-forgotten lawsuit against Union Electric over the destruction of the trout pool at Ha Ha Tonka. This was a huge case that filled the … Continue reading

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Save the Last Dance: an extraordinary book in all aspects

Save the Last Dance: The Story of North American Grassland Grouse Photographs by Noppadol Paothong Written by Joel M. Vance There are no wild buffalo grazing the tall grass prairie region of the Osage River watershed. There are, however, relic … Continue reading

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PADDLEFISH OF THE MISSISSIPPI

Drawing from Scientific American (19th century) Living paddlefish are somewhat hard to draw and preserved paddlefish are even harder.  Their physical representation has been poorly illustrated.  They’re not only hard to draw, they are near impossible to mount. Their habits … Continue reading

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THE VILLAGE OF BAGNELL, MISSOURI

Photograph, 1920s The village of Bagnell, Missouri, was a little railhead along the river used mostly for unloading railroad ties that had been rafted down the Osage. There were plans for the railroad to cross the river at Bagnell, but … Continue reading

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THE SHOVEL FISH RAG

Sheet Music , 1908 Most often known as the paddlefish, Polydon Spathula, this cartoonish looking fish also been called Spoonbill cat, Shovelbuild cat, Duck-Bill cat, and Spadefish. It’s an image that evokes mirth. Hernando de Soto was the first European … Continue reading

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HA HA TONKA LAKE AND DAM

2 Real Photo postcards by Strathman Photo Both postcards have been sent, postmarked Linn Creek, but the dates are obscure – probably 1930s. The exact origin of the low dam that created Ha Ha Tonka Lake is not clear. It’s … Continue reading

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Steamboats Remembered

Steamboats ran up the Osage as far as Osceola when the river was high. Tuscumbia, county seat of Miller County, was a regular stop – a fact commemorated today in this plaque on the new county courthouse. [hr]

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