June 2017: Full Version

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JUNE 2017

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Tourists flock to Missouri for a variety of reasons (Editor's note: This is the first in a three-part series about tourism in Missouri.)

By MATTIE LINK mattie@sextonmediagroup.com _____________

W

hat is the number one most asked about attraction in Missouri? You may be surprised to know that a common interest in the Joplin, St. Louis, and Conway areas is

Route 66. “We get a lot of foreigners asking about Route 66 as well as out of state

travelers, so it’s kind of cool to see that,� said Kamala Bramlett, supervisor of the Missouri Welcome Center on Interstate 44 in Joplin.

Each welcome center in Missouri has a Route 66 guidebook that they use to assist people on what sites there are to see in their particular area.

There are nine welcome centers in the state operated by the Missouri Division of Tourism, each located on a major highway or interstate: • Hannibal, on Highway 61 South.

• Joplin, on Interstate 44 at the Mile Marker 2 Rest Area. • Kansas City, on the Blue Ridge CutOff. • Hayti, at Mile Marker 20 on Interstate 55. • Rock Pork, on Interstate 29 South. • St. Louis, on Interstate 270 at Riverview Drive. • Eagleville, on Interstate 35 at exit 112. • Conway-West, on Interstate 44.

Please see TOURISM, 13

Outfitters recovering from flood

By MATTIE LINK mattie@sextonmediagroup.com _____________

M

From family float trips to Fourth of July gatherings, her connections to the Bourbeuse are strong and date back to the fishing stories told by her father. “My husband’s father and my father both fished the Bourbeuse a lot in years past. Both would go rod fishing. They

issouri experienced historic flooding April 28-30, with floodwaters sweeping away several cabins, businesses, beach shores, and affected several campgrounds and outfitters all around the state. Eleven Point Canoe Rental, Shady Lane Cabins, Bearcat Getaway, and Lay Z Day Canoe are among several campgrounds that sustained damage the weekend of the flood. Eleven Point Canoe Rental, owned by Brian Sloss, is located in Alton, and according to Sloss, it was the biggest flood he has ever had at the campground. “Our big advantage is that we don't have much shoreline, so we didn’t have near as much damage as some of our neighbors,� said Sloss. There was tree damage and the river accesses had damage, but they were able to get two river access points operating before the Memorial Day weekend. “We were shut down for three weeks after the flood hit, and we are a small outfitter so we don’t have as big of a margin when we have to shut down,� said Sloss. Eleven Point Canoe lost quite a bit of money in the three weeks they were closed, Sloss said, and they were struggling to get everything repaired and pay their normal monthly bills. “It’s been hard, and it’s very stressful when you’re shut down because you aren’t making any money, but most of

Please see BOURBEUSE, 15

Please see FLOOD, 13

Michelle Turner/Traveler

Since there are very few public access points, floating the Bourbeuse is quiet with few signs of civilization.

Bourbeuse is a friendly river for floating, fishing

By Michelle Turner he Bourbeuse River may have gotten its name from the French word for muddy, but that certainly doesn’t stop floaters and anglers from enjoying this 154-mile river.

The Bourbeuse follows a crooked path through five counties until it meets the Meramec in Franklin County near Moselle, just south of Union.

Gary Rice, of Astral Glass Studio in New Haven, has been exploring the Bourbeuse for the past eight years. “Though I’ve paddled both a kayak and a canoe, for the most part the

T

Bourbeuse is a friendly river for either type of boat. It offers great opportunities for family outings where kids of all ages can enjoy being out in nature,�

Rice said. “Because of the slow meandering nature of the river, you can paddle a short distance from your put-in and feel like you’re in total wilderness.�

Rice isn’t the only individual who shares a love for the Bourbeuse.

Glenda Schroeder, a retired teacher from Washington, has enjoyed over 35 years on the river with her family at their clubhouses near Union.

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Page 2 • June 2017

RiverHillsTraveler.com

This secret cave could become a shelter — again

By Larry Dablemont y daughter, Christy, and I took a little trip over to the Big Piney River in mid-April, where I grew up. I wanted to show her some caves I remember, caves that my grandfather had shown me more than 50 years ago.

He found many of them just because when he trapped the river in the winter, he would look for overhangs on the river and feeder tributaries where he could build a fire and be a little warmer through the night.

I forgot my hip boots, something I wouldn’t have ever done when I was a kid on the Piney. Of course when I was a kid, my hip boots always were handme-downs and they usually leaked. But you only used them half the year, the other half of the year you waded in old shoes or sneakers.

So I did some wading again in the Big Piney.

I did good, though, to remember my camera, boat and paddles… and some lights!

Looked a long time for that one cave I remember that grandpa said only he knew about back decades ago. Found the first one easy and a third one he hadn’t told me about, but the one that had big rooms back in the back and a waterfall took some looking.

The entrance to that one is small and well hidden, and I found that day a couple of weeks back that what I could crawl into so easily in 1962 was one heck of a challenge today. I think that entrance has grown smaller!!

Those caves had some little orange salamanders back in them a ways, but there were formations that were absolutely beautiful in size and shape and color. When I was a kid, folks would go into a cave in various areas of the Ozarks and break off stalagmites and stalactites and carve on the walls.

But that is exactly why grandpa Dablemont told me to never take anyone to see the hidden ones, or the hardto-find ones. I thought about blindfolding my daughter so I could protect the location of those we saw that day, but I decided I could trust her.

She was in awe of what we found, and like me, a little apprehensive about going back into a cavern through small openings with small lights. But she was awed by all we saw.

I want everyone to see some of the pictures we took, so I put 8 or 10 of them on my website and if you have a computer or have someone who does have, for pete’s sake take a look, you will be amazed.

M

We found one thing that I don’t remember seeing, something that looks like a petrified jawbone with teeth sticking out of a rock wall. Formations in caves form usually up or down according to the drip or the flow of water, but the teeth on this thing stuck out at a 90 degree angle to the floor.

I would like to think it is a petrified jawbone but I would hate to bet one way or the other. Take a look and see what you think.

When I was only about 14, I and a couple of cousins dug down into the floor of a huge dry cave and found an assortment of artifacts that I have on my office wall today. One was a fourinch piece of ivory with a hole drilled in it. Those items are pictured in my book, “Rivers To Run.” As we sat resting at the mouth of the first cave, Christy remarked that a family could wall it off and live inside the cave. I told her that it was likely that the only time it had been without dwellers of some sort was the last 200 years.

We found a piece of clay pottery a couple of inches across and a quarterinch thick, back in the dark recess of that cave. It was made of baked clay and tiny ground up pieces of mussel shell. The outside was decorated a little with striations, the way so much of the pottery that bluff dwellers used was adorned.

I have spent much time thinking

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about those people who were there, maybe 500 years ago, maybe thousands of years before. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to see what they were like, to hear their language and see what a day of their life consisted of, what they ate, how they slept, what games they played.

Yes, I told my daughter, people lived here before and some of the grandparents and great-grandparents that many of us have were born in caves in the Ozarks, because they were shelters for those who came here before the civil war hoping to clear a small place along the river or creek for a cabin. If it took a couple of months to build that cabin, they had shelter in the yawning mouths

of caves.

I spent many a night sleeping in caves on fishing trips on Ozark rivers.

And when my dad was a boy, they always had a vacation during the hottest months of the year, living, sleeping and eating in the cool protection of a dryfloor cave on the Big Piney, one big enough to place a semi and trailer in.

But is that over forever, never to be again? I wouldn’t bet on it. Those who believe nuclear weapons will never be used again do not know about Iran and North Korea.

If there comes a time when turning back to the earth is the best way to survive, those caves may be shelters again.

It might be that the few who survive some catastrophe like a war or a meteorite, will be those who know how to find a deep rock shelter that once sheltered primitive people way back before we had electric plug-ins and the only light at night was a bright warm flame.

(Larry Dablemont lives in southwest Missouri. He can be reached by email at lightninridge@windstream.net, or by phone at 417-777-5227.)

RiverHillsTraveler.com

June 2017 • Page 3

I like big bass & I cannot lie!

I

hope the title of this article produced at least a few chuckles. But the title says a lot about the fisherman I have become.

I am asked a dozen times a month why I do not, and never have, participated in organized bass fishing contests and tournaments.

The answer is simple for me but not clearly understood by many others: I do not like fishing for six to eight hours trying to catch five or six keepers. I like fishing for one fish… a big fish.

So your first thought might be that I do not catch very many bass.

Not true. In the process of hunting for that 5-pound or bigger largemouth, I catch a lot of smaller fish.

However, my methods and techniques have been refined in over four decades of chasing trophy bass. It is those ideas I would like Mike Roux to share with you today.

———— First, size of the impoundment makes no difference. Big bass live in waters of every size and shape. That having been said, big bass are easier to find on smaller waters.

But if huge bass boats with monstrous motors and running 60 mph is more your cup of tea, you can still find bigger bass if you really try. The key to finding them is to mentally shrink the big lake into smaller areas and then fish those areas just like a small impoundment.

Do not be misled by stories that big fish like bigger baits. That statement is a coin toss. I do like to throw large baits most of the time. But if the bass, all sizes of bass, are feeding on something that day that is smaller than usual, then I will most certainly downsize my lure to more closely match the current menu items on the fish’s diet.

Experimenting with lure size is as important to finding the daily pattern as changing lure color.

Time of day and the level of overcast help me determine where I start my hunt for big bass. Early in

the morning, at or just before sunrise, I do like to fish the points near the bank. I like to start with topwater lures, which is by far my favorite style of bass fishing.

If I have a topwater bite and it is cloudy I might stay with it all morning. If the sun rises on a bluebird day, I will go deeper after the sun hits the water.

When I say I will go deeper, I mean with deeper lure presentations AND in deeper water. All bass relate to cover or structure in their environment. This structure provides shade under the water and bass do not like direct sunlight. When the sun is high in the sky I seek out these kinds of spots.

Big bass like deeper, cooler places during the day.

They feed mainly in the first and last hours of the day, but if you put the right bait in front of them they will eat it regardless of what it says on your watch.

I learned many years ago from my best friend and great angler in his own right, Roger Lewis, that the biggest bass will always be found in the deepest water you can find. He told me who taught him that but I cannot remember who he said. Anyway, I subscribe to this theory most of the time.

During midday I totally agree that big bass will go deep. However, in the middle of the summer I also know without hesitation that the big girls will come into the shallows to feed.

And when she is shallow, she is much more vulnerable to my presentation than when she is deep. The main reason for this is because she feeds more often early and late and when she does come shallow at those times, it is so she can eat and eat big.

Another key to finding big female bass is to understand when, where and why they make their beds and spawn the way they do. During the spawn in the spring is by far the best and easiest time to find that world-class largemouth that has eluded you for years.

This is the time when shallow water holds the best results for the longest period of time.

Bass are creatures of habit. This year’s spawning beds were very likely last year’s spot, as well. I learned this many years ago as I caught the same 10-

This bass was caught by Mike Roux two years in a row off the exact same bed.

pound+ Illinois largemouth in the EXACT same bed two years in a row.

You may wonder how in the world I could tell it was the same fish. It seems that during the photo session that first year I punctured the membrane just inside her lower lip.

That very same membrane was in fact unhealed the following year when I caught her is the very same bed.

Take the time and effort to slightly modify your bass angling tactics and you, too, will find yourself boating more big fish than ever before.

(Mike Roux is the Midwest Regional Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Outdoor Ministry. To become a Home Team Member of this new ministry, call him at 217-257-7895.)

Page 4 • June 2017

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Solar eclipse is a ‘once in a lifetime’ event

T

he Monday, Aug. 21, solar eclipse is quickly approaching and if you haven’t gotten your plans lined out, now is crunch time.

Several towns throughout mid-Missouri are planning festivals, viewing parties, and various events leading up to the eclipse.

You don’t want to miss this once-in-alifetime event.

Hermann, Marshall, and Lathrop are three more towns that have events planned for the weekend of the solar eclipse, in addition to Perryville, Jimmy Sexton St. Clair, Cape Gi———— rardeau and other Journey On communities we've been reporting on the past two months.

In Hermann, to celebrate the once-ina-lifetime events, there will be several activities including the annual Wine & Jazz Festival on Saturday, Aug. 19, an eclipse movie marathon at the Amphitheater on Sunday, Aug. 20, and an eclipse viewing party on Aug. 21 hosted by the Hermann Area Chamber.

More details will be posted to the vis-

ithermann.com website so check back to that site for more information.

There are several events all over Marshall to celebrate the eclipse. The events include: • "Shopping under the Sun" on Aug. 19-20 around the courthouse square, as well as arts, crafts, food, and entertainment on the square.

• Nite & Day 5K walk/run on Aug. 19. A Historic Marshall Walk will begin at the Marshall Public Library and will take you on a historic walk through town. The trail is part of the American Volkssport Association’s list of 1800+ self-guided trails in the USA. • There will also be a guided tour Monday, Aug. 21, at 11 a.m. at the library, as well as a cosmic concert. The website to keep up to date on what’s

going on in Marshall is marshallmosolareclipse.com.

Lathrop is planning a four-day celebration of an old-fashioned “Mule Days," a chuckwagon hoedown, eclipse viewing, “Diamond Ring” weddings, wine & shine, gospel singing, BBQ, horseshoe tournament, RV and primitive camping, and marketplace vendors.

Information about parking, passes, shuttles, viewing and maps can be found at www.lathropeclipse.com.

On Aug. 21 the Katy Trail will open for a special bicycle ride to celebrate the solar eclipse. The 36-mile ride will be from Rocheport to Jefferson City and is limited to 500 people. A $50 registration fee includes an eclipse Katy Trail T-shirt, water bottle, SAG support, special eclipse glasses, and access to Katy Trail staff who will provide information about the eclipse and how to safely view it.

An optional return shuttle of $25 will haul riders and bicycles from Jefferson City back to Rocheport after the ride.

The schedule for the day includes: • 8:30-10 a.m. — Check-in.

• 9:30-10:30 a.m. — Depart.

• 11:45 a.m. — Eclipse begins.

• 1:12 p.m. — Eclipse totality begins.

• 2:40 p.m. — Eclipse ends.

• 3-5 p.m. — Return Shuttles from

Jefferson City to Rocheport.

If your town is doing something special for the solar eclipse, let us know and we will mention it in the July issue of the River Hills Traveler.

——— This month marks our 8th annual issue of Ozarks Float Trippin’, which is inserted inside this issue of the Traveler. In it you will find descriptions of Missouri’s most popular rivers and creeks, as well as stories and photos about various campgrounds, outfitters, and conservation areas we believe you might enjoy.

Float Trippin’ has grown so much the past three years that we’re creating a website just for it, so you can easily access this information to Missouri’s best outfitters 24/7. It should be up and running sometime in June at www.ozarksfloattrippin.com.

Whether floating or camping this summer, I encourage you to check out the many outfitters that are featured in Ozarks Float Trippin’. They’re all topnotch, professional outfitters who will treat you and your family right.

Tell them the Traveler sent you.

(Jimmy Sexton is owner and publisher of the River Hills Traveler. He can be reached at (800) 874-8423, ext.

1, or jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com.)

Witching: I think there’s really something to it

I

know a lot of smart folks don’t believe in witching (or dowsing) rods to locate water or graves, but I do.

I’ve even read a scientific study aimed at proving it’s all a bunch of hooey.

Maybe it is.

Perhaps, as the study I read claims, the movement of the rods is caused by an imperceptible, totally subconscious movement of the hands.

Maybe.

All I can speak of is what I have seen and experienced myself. I will also share a couple of stories from people I know personally.

First off, if you don’t know what I’m talking about Wes Franklin here, I’m referring ———— to the process of loNative Ozarker cating ground disturbances by taking two rods (copper or brass, though I’ve heard of some people using peach and willow branches) and loosely holding them at elbow length in front of you as you walk forward.

When you reach a point where the soil below has formed a pocket – be it by subterranean water source, a utility line, a grave, or whatever – the rods will turn inward and cross each other.

When you step over that point, the rods will straighten out.

I realize that it SOUNDS rather strange or surreal. While I do not personally believe there is any supernatural force behind it, I do believe it is real – even if it can’t be scientifically explained.

I suppose the “subconscious movement” theory might be tested by using a robot. I’m sure someone has, with what results I do not know.

Even if a robot proved that the rods only move when in human hands, there are still some things unexplained, at least to me.

For instance: A city utility worker I am acquainted with carries a pair of dowsing rods with him in his truck to locate undocumented utility lines.

Some of the oldest water pipes in this particular city were placed in the 1920s and for whatever reason, they don’t all necessarily appear on any maps existing today – or they are in error.

He told me he has used the rods on more than one occasion to accurately locate where a line is buried when a map isn’t available.

In those cases, he doesn’t have prior knowledge of where the rods “should” cross. He just points to where the rods indicate the line is and says “right there.”

A sober, straight-laced, church-going man that I respect once told me that he located the graves of a couple of ancestors in a cemetery near Seneca, Mo. The headstone was located in a different part of the graveyard, but he believed it was in the wrong place (I forget why).

For whatever reason he had cause to believe the ancestors, a husband and wife, were instead buried in a part of the cemetery where there weren’t other graves nearby.

He walked the area with his rods and got a “hit” on two particular spots, side by side, and unmarked by any memorial stone.

He contacted the caretaker and, to make a long story short, a cemetery plot map showed that his ancestors were indeed buried at that spot. The headstone had been inaccurately located for some reason.

I was at a small cemetery in a grove of trees in the middle of a cow pasture near Exeter, Mo., where there was believed to be four murdered men buried side by side in a mass grave. I saw a man with dowsing rods walk across the suspected grave site.

Four times the rods crossed and uncrossed as he stepped the width of the sunken grave.

He then walked the grave site length-

wise, head to foot, and the rods remained crossed for just shy of six feet, and then uncrossed.

I was at another cemetery in Neosho, Mo., where a much larger mass grave is supposed to be located. The approximate boundaries of the long grave are marked with cornerstones.

I did this one myself, and yes, the rods crossed for the entire length of the grave site and then uncrossed after my foot stepped over the border.

Now, the last two stories especially do not prove anything. Even taking my word for what I saw and what I experienced — and I swear on the Bible I am telling nothing but the truth as I witnessed it — it certainly doesn’t disprove that the rods weren’t being manipulated subconsciously, as in both cases the grave sites were already known before the fact.

It is very possible that one part of the brain is secretly telling the fingers to slightly move the rods, without the owner’s knowledge. All I can say is if that is the case, I personally was totally unaware.

Those times I have witched (or “dowsed,” since some people frown on the other term) graves I pledge that I was not in any way “purposely” moving the rods myself.

They are held very loosely in the hands for that very reason, that is so the rods may move freely on their own without hindrance (or help).

Believe what you want to — and let me just say that I am a skeptic in most things — but whether it’s all just mule muffins or there’s actually something to it, witching/dowsing is an old-time Ozarks practice that isn’t going any-

On the Cover A kayaker floats Sinking Creek near Echo Bluff State Park on a lazy summer afternoon. This image also appears on the River Hills Traveler delivery van.

(photo courtesy Missouri State Parks)

where anytime soon.

(Wes Franklin can be reached at 417658-8443 or cato.uticensis46@gmail. com.)

River Hills Traveler 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850 Phone & Fax: 800-874-8423 www.riverhillstraveler.com Email: jimmy@riverhillstraveler. com Owner & Publisher Jimmy Sexton Managing Editor Madeleine Link Circulation Manager Amanda Harvel Staff Writers Heath Wood, Wes Franklin, Mike Roux, Bill Wakefield, Sue Blesi, Bill Oder, Bill Cooper, Michelle Turner & Dana Sturgeon Advertising All of us River Hills Traveler, established in 1973, is published monthly by Sexton Media Group and Traveler Publishing Company at 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Postmaster: Send change of address notices to: River Hills Traveler, 212 E. Main St., Neosho, MO 64850. Subscription prices: $22 per year; 2 years, $40. Back issues available up to one year from publication, $5 plus sales tax & shipping.

COPYRIGHT © 2017 No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher of the River Hills Traveler or his duly appointed agent. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising or editorial submission for any reason.

RiverHillsTraveler.com

June 2017 • Page 5

REMEMBER WHEN 5 years ago • I have always had a love for water, and yearly my husband Ryan and I plan a short getaway to take a summer float.

Over the last few years it has become quite the battle in our house whether or not we should take our children floating with us. Ryan believes that by putting them in a canoe with life jackets, we’re good to go.

For me, I have been in a canoe with him, I have been floating with him, and I have been in a jon boar that ended up upside down in Lake Girardeau, so I am not too keen on the idea of spending the day on a river with him and the kids.

(Becky Davenport) 10 years ago • Smallmouth bass are arguably the most incredible fish of all the bass species. Their strong, muscular, coppercolored bodies coupled with fiery wild red eyes cause anglers to call them handsome. Add to the mixture the incredibly beautiful habitats where smallmouth lurk, and you have the ingredients for the perfect outdoor adventure. (Bill Cooper) • This morning (May 7) I completed my part in the gobble study being done by the Missouri Conservation Department. It was an eight-week thing, during which I discovered a number of things, including a fairly profound thing about the moon. (Bob Todd) 15 years ago • With lakes high and apt to be above normal for a long time, it is a good time to brush up on techniques for catching fish under high water conditions. Actuallly, as lakes fall, fishing can be excellent. It was May 15, the freezer was bare.

Except for one small bass that fleshed out a short stringer of crappie back in March, I’d not kept a bass yet this year.

Truth is, I hadn’t had many opportunities. (Bob Todd) • A faint, grating sound reverberated from the tall hickory tree. I strained my youthful ears. The sound started again high in the tree. Now 40 years later, I would not hear that sound.

Then, however, my undamaged eardrums picked up the scratchy sound perfectly. I moved ever so slowly, from the waist up, to bend around the trunk of the oak I was hiding behind.

There it was! A fat fox squirrel gnawing on a big green hickory nut. The emerald green hickory nut. The emerald green leaves of the shagbark hickory cast a glowing halo of light on the plump red squirrel. (Bob Todd) 20 years ago • The woman straightened up, holding a stringy piece of aquatic vegetation about a foot long. That’s when she noticed Roy and I, floating by on the Current River. “That piece is too short,” I said impulsively. “You’ll have to throw it back.”

The blank expression changed to a grin, then a broad smile as the silliness of my statement sunk in. She couldn’t think of a quick comeback, and the current and wind whipped Roy and I on downstream before she could. (Bob Todd) • What will the deer situation be in 1998? It won’t be anything like 1997’s Feb. 1 fiasco, that’s for sure. The Game Division of the Conservation Department will make recommendations to the Conservation commission in June or July, and following a meeting with a citizen’s panel, the shape of the 1998 system can be guessed. (Bob Todd)

25 years ago • If you count “long range releases,” Al Agnew probably caught about 75 smallmouth on a float trip when we were forced out of an official trophy smallmouth area and fished an unofficial one instead.

A “long range release” is when the fish is on, but gets off before being boated.

Al actually boated about 45 smallmouth during the eight-mile float of Huzzah Creek. (Bob Todd) 30 years ago • Togetherness is fine, but there’s something to say for aloneness, too. And a little aloneness felt good as I shoved the canoe off into the Meramec River.

Alone, I could pursue whatever I wished in the way of fishing. Generally I’m pretty agreeable, but once in while I like to be picky about my fishing and do as I please without comment or debate.

(Bob Todd) • It was not a large island, little more than a sandbar with a few scrubby willows growing among the piles of driftwood. The brown waters of the Mississippi swirled around it and washed it clean in flood times.

Small though it was, the island was familiar to the citizens of nearby St. Louis.

Known as Bloody Island, it was here that high-born gentlemen came to kill one another in duels. (Emma Comfort Dunn) 35 years ago • Three recreation areas at Lake Wappapello have been closed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers as an economy measure. But Sulfur Springs access was not among them. Closed in late May were Cozart Point Primitive Camp, a campground at Chaonia Landing known as the Upper Campground, and the Dike One ground campsite near the dam. (Bob Todd) • Indian cookery is a natural for today’s wilderness lovers because, in a sense, it is almost all camp cooking.

Even woodland Indians with tended garden patches moved about constantly within the tribal lands for hunting, fishing, berrying and nutting, as well as for longer trading trips.

Therefore, besides using to the full the rich bounty of wood and stream, dietary staples from their gardens were prepared with an eye to use on the trail. (A.E. Lucas) 40 years ago • A regulation that as been on the books for a while, but rarely enforced, is now being put into full force at Lake Wappapello. It states, in effect, “no camping except in areas designated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.” And that means, we understand, only those areas that are equipped with picnic tables, trash barrels, and fee collectors. (Bob Todd) • Horses were brought to the North American continent by white men. But the Osage of this region had horses perhaps 100 years before they saw their first white man. And by that time they had become a part of the Indian way of life.

Horses represented wealth, were used for travel and hunting, and were used to display the skill of the Indian. (Bob Todd) (compiled by MyraGale Sexton)

VINTAGE OZARKS: Gigging

W

hen working on our new book, “James Fork of the White,” we were struck by the continuity of sporting activities from a century ago to today. On opposite pages we put a circa 1910 George Hall real photo postcard of giggers on the James River at Camp Yocum (above), with a recent photograph of the Nixa Sucker Day festival (below). One difference — the gent in the center of the boat in Hall’s “flashlight” photo is wearing a necktie and coat. I doubt if today’s giggers dress so formally.

(This feature is courtesy of Leland and Crystal Payton at Lens & Pen Press, publishers of all-color books on the Ozarks. Their new book, James Fork of the White, will be published in 2017. Some pages from this book can be seen on www.beautifulozarks.com. Their earlier river book, Damming the Osage, can be at seen www.dammingtheosage.com.)

Public Notice Availability of Funding For Waste Reduction And Recycling Projects The Executive Board of the Southeast Missouri Solid Waste Management District hereby notifies eligible parties that it will have an open grant call to accept grant applications for funding of waste reduction and recycling projects in the Counties of Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Iron, Madison, Perry, St. Francois and Ste. Genevieve.

Eligible applicants for grant funds include counties, cities, businesses, and organizations located in the District involved in waste reduction or recycling activities that complement the District's Solid Waste Management Plan.

Available funds are to be used for waste reduction and recycling projects necessary to further the activities promulgated under Senate Bill 530, as amended. These activities must be directed toward the goal of achieving a 40% reduction, by weight, in the amount of solid waste generated for disposal in Missouri landfills.

The District requires that applicants for recycling project funds provide a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) in local match for the District funds.

Proposed projects and supporting documentation must be received by the Southeast Missouri Solid Waste Management District by 5:00 p.m., June 30, 2017. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Proposals should be mailed or hand-carried to the district at the address indicated below.

Application packets are posted at www.semorpc.org via the "SWMD" link, and further information my be obtained through: Solid Waste Management District 1 West St. Joseph Street Perryville, Missouri 63775 Telephone: (573) 547-9357

Page 6 • June 2017

RiverHillsTraveler.com

Rivers flood to a record not seen since 1904

T

he Eleven Point River is considered the purest river in Missouri.

It has 30 springs flowing into it and is classified as a scenic riverway.

There are 44.3 miles of the river that can be floated in Missouri until the rest of it flows into Arkansas.

With any river, stream, creek or lowwater crossing, when the area receives a lot of rainfall in a short amount of time, especially on already saturated ground, it overflows.

There is flash flooding, which is an immediate threat especially to lowwater areas. Then, areas can get into flood warnings, which effect rivers, creeks and streams.

The last week in April, this occurred.

Dana We received enough Sturgeon rainfall for flash ———— flooding, but also Eleven flood warnings.

Point River Several creeks, streams, rivers and low-water crossings flooded.

The Black River, the Jacks Fork River, the Current River, the Eleven Point River and the Norfolk River all flooded to a record not seen since 1904.

The towns of Van Buren and Thomasville were heavily damaged.

West Plains was also flooded in areas of the city.

Major highways like 63, 60, 142, 160, 99 and 19 were closed down for a period of time due to water over the roadway. The water got up to about 58 feet in Van Buren and came close to the bridge, within 8 feet.

The lower Current River in Doniphan had come over the bridge and flooded places there, too. The Eleven Point River came over the bridge at Highway 19. It reached heights up to 20-25 feet in all the river access areas.

A lot of trees, sand, debris and boat ramps were damaged. Also, picnic areas and campgrounds. It is amazing how much power water actually generates. It has a lot of force to topple huge trees along the river that have been there for over 100 years.

Floods are devastating to towns, to families, to businesses and to river areas. The human spirit is stronger than people think, though. People have come together to help each other out in these flooded town areas.

The Park Service, the state, the Forest Service, the electric companies, the

city utilities, and the county employees were all working very hard throughout the week to bring back things to a normal working environment.

Recreation and summer is approaching fast. A lot of people go on vacation during this time and come here to enjoy these rivers and towns. They get away from their regular lives to destress and enjoy the outdoors.

These cleanups take time, however.

A lot of people are working hard to clean up all these places.

Then everyone can go back to enjoying our beautiful rivers and outdoors!

(Dana Sturgeon lives in southern Missouri. She can be reached at mo_dana@hotmail.com.)

Surprise School, located at Turner North, was moved four feet off its foundation. The school was built in the 1800’s.

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June 2017 • Page 7

Options when hunting with non-traditional .22’s

L

ever-action, single-shot, bolt action, semi-automatic and pump.

All of these describe styles of the ever-popular .22-caliber rifle.

When we picture a .22 in our mind one of these traditional guns is sure to appear. However, a new style is emerging as a great sporting tool.

Lately .22 rifles are being built on tactical rifle frames. These guns may look a lot different, but when it comes to putting a round in a squirrel’s ear, they all work the same.

So with squirrel season in full swing in Missouri, what better time to take a look at America’s favorite rifle caliber.

Literally billions of rounds of .22-caliber rim-fire ammunition are fired each year. Most of it is shot while plinking and hunting squirrels and rabbits.

Small varmints, like groundhogs, are also heavily hunted Mike Roux with rim-fire guns.

———— Today almost all of the rim-fire ammo used is of .22-caliber with but a few limited exceptions. However, this was not always the case.

One of the most sought-after “Yankee” guns of the Civil War was a Spencer carbine. Its very large magazine capacity and the fixed cartridge it used made it a very desirable weapon.

The cartridge used in the Spencer was a rim-fire cartridge of about .52caliber. There were also many rim-fire handguns in this era. Thirty-caliber, .38-caliber handguns along with the .44-caliber Henry rifle were all rim-fire guns.

The rim-fire ammo being used today is primarily as follows: .22-Short, .22Long, .22-Long Rifle and .22-Winchester Magnum. There are a number of variations which include standard velocity, high velocity, solid bullets and hollow-point bullets. One or more of these variations can be found in a single cartridge: for example, a .22-Long Rifle, high velocity, hollow point.

The 5mm-Remington Magnum never really caught on, and it is probably not unfair to say that, even though it is a relatively recent introduction, it is already a dying cartridge. The other, more popular rim-fires will for sure be with us for as long as we have the right to bear arms.

The lifespan of the various .22-caliber rim-fires is assured by their comparatively low cost, very low noise

For paper or plinking, non-traditional .22’s are great fun.

level, good accuracy and sufficient energy to take small varmint and small game at ranges to 50 yards. Under certain circumstances the ranges can be stretched to 75 or 100 yards.

But the use of any rim-fire cartridges at ranges beyond 100 yards falls into the stunt category and will result in the loss of a lot of crippled game.

Of course, the ability to practice almost anywhere with a .22 is reason enough to ensure its longevity for another century. In these areas, there are several special oddities of .22 rim-fire ammo — the .22CB-Short and the .22CB-Long.

These are nothing more than a .22Short or Long loaded to a reduced velocity of about 675-fps (feet per second). These cartridges allow the use of the .22 on indoor ranges.

The low-velocity projectiles ensure that the noise level will be about on par with a high-velocity air gun and that relatively modest backstops will be adequate. These guns are a favorite of trappers because they cause very little, if any, pelt damage.

Let us now take a closer look at the most popular .22-caliber cartridges: • 22-Short — The .22-Short Standard Velocity with standard lead bullet is the ideal plinking round. Its low cost, good accuracy and low noise level add up to the perfect plinker’s cartridge.

There is one drawback, however. Extensive use of the Short case in guns chambered for a long rifle load will eventually cause some chamber erosion in front of where the Short case ends.

After this erosion occurs, it then becomes difficult to extract a long rifle case after it has been fired. So I do not recommend over-use of the .22-Short in guns chambered for longer .22 ammo. For use on small game at ranges to 25 or 30-yards, the .22-Short High-

Mike Roux uses a new Colt .22 rifle for squirrels and other small game.

Speed Hollow Point will work well.

Even in this configuration, the Short should never be used on anything larger than squirrels and rabbits, and then only at the ranges I have mentioned.

• 22-Long — The Long round still hangs on despite there being very little reason for its use. At one time, the Long was discontinued by one of the major manufacturers.

The Long is a cross between the Short and Long Rifle cartridge. It uses the 29-grain bullet of the Short and the case of the Long Rifle. The muzzle velocity of the Long in the high-speed load is 1240-fps. However, due to the light bullet weight, the energy level is substantially below the Long Rifle.

• 22-Long Rifle — Without a doubt, the .22-Long Rifle is the most popular cartridge ever designed, and it will survive as long as shooters shoot.

The high-speed hollow-point versions can be used to 50 or 60 yards on

varmints as big as groundhogs if you stick to head shots. Body shots should never be attempted on animals this tough or large, regardless of the range.

Cripples do not gain us a thing.

For squirrel hunting, head shots are preferred to prevent damaging too much meat. Some squirrel hunters will not use hollow points for the same reason. The Long Rifle cartridge is a favorite for just about any small game.

Varmints as large as fox can be successfully harvested with it. The .22Long Rifle is a hunter’s ammo. It forces you to stalk game carefully to ensure the swift and humane dispatch of your game. The low cost of the ammo provides almost anyone the ability to become an “expert” shooter.

Many a long-range varmint shooter, who has lost the thrill of the hunt, finds himself returning to the hunting of varmints with the .22 Long Rifle. With low noise levels, hunters find that they are welcomed in places that center-fire rifle shooters find impossible to get in to.

• 22-Winchester Magnum Rim-fire — With more energy at 100 yards than any Long Rifle cartridge has at the muzzle, the .22-Magnum is the muscle round in the .22-caliber rim-fire family.

Useful for all the hunting purposes of the .22 Long Rifle, the .22-Mag. can stretch the range of varmint hunters to 100 yards and, with good equipment, possibly to 125 yards. Despite ballistic levels at ranges beyond this, the Mag is not practical due to accuracy limits.

However, this increased range does not come free of charge. The cost of ammo is considerably more than the Long Rifle. While it is still far cheaper than any center-fire ammo, the cost is a bit high for plinking. It is a cartridge for the serious rim-fire hunter who is willing to buy equipment that will let him take advantage of the higher energy levels at the longer ranges.

In closing, let me say that no shooter should be without a .22-caliber rim-fire firearm. Inexpensive practice, the fun of plinking, serious hunting or target shooting can all be enjoyed almost anywhere with a .22.

It truly is the most valuable recreation rifle or pistol ever designed.

(Mike Roux is the Midwest Regional Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Outdoor Ministry. To become a Home Team Member of this new ministry, call him at 217257-7895.)

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Page 8 • June 2017

RiverHillsTraveler.com

RiverHillsTraveler.com

June 2017 • Page 9

Fishing • Kayaking • RV camping • Cabins • And more!

84 Cat Hollow Trail, Lebanon, MO • (417) 532-4377 www.FORTNIANGUA.com

Barn Hollow CA would be a great stop while on a Jacks Fork float trip

D

uring the summer months of the year, my wife and I love getting outdoors to enjoy some of mother nature’s hidden places in the Ozarks.

The most interesting places are those small, overlooked areas that still produce a lot of fun while exploring.

One of those hidden areas that comes to mind is Barn Hollow Conservation Area near Mountain View, Mo. Barn Hollow CA is a 252-acre area that is deeply dissected by the 1.2-mile canyon. Barn Hollow is located about 3 miles north of Mountain Heath Wood View in Texas County.

———— Barn Hollow is the Traveler local name for a clear Outdoors Pro Ozark stream that drains directly into the Jacks Fork River. This natural area is equipped with a .5-mile hiking trail that is mostly surrounded by beautiful standing timber.

Just a few hundred yards at the beginning of the hiking trail is a small pond that has some beautiful vegetation growing on and around it. During early mornings and late evenings, the sounds around the pond is music to the ears of a nature lover like myself.

At the end of the .5-mile trail, there is usually a viewing platform that sits on the look-

out point that has a mind-boggling view of the Barn Hallow.

All of my life I have lived within a few minutes from this picturesque natural area.

When I lived in Birch Tree, Mo., it was just a mere 20 to 25 minute drive. A year-and-ahalf ago we moved to Mountain View which is even closer, now only a five minute drive from our home, and that is what struck our interest in Barn Hollow CA. When we first moved to the Mountain View area, we were looking for places to take our yellow lab retriever on some walks in different areas that we had never been, and this is when we came across the Barn Hallow CA walking trail.

As I mentioned before, we have always lived near the area. However, my wife nor I was familiar with it. Since discovering the area, it has become one of our favorite places to go on a weekend to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

It’s a clean, safe place to take our dog on a walk like we have done many times, or a great place to take a family to explore some beautiful sights that mother nature has provided.

On our most recent visit to the Barn Hollow CA we got to witness a beautiful stream of flowing water that was caused by the recent flooding in the area. In the span of a week-and-a-half, this area was dealt with 20plus inches of rain, which obviously created a lot of the natural small streams to flow like small rivers.

Once we came to the end of the walking trail we were able to look off into the bottom of the hollow and get a bird’s eye view as the water flowed like a winding snake down through the hollow. It was truly a sight to see.

This is what I love most about these small, overlooked areas that are so close, they must be explored. You never know what the area is going to look like, and you never know

what has changed since the last time you have visited.

My wife and I have made plans to visit the same area multiple times throughout the year to take pictures as the seasons change from spring to summer, into fall and winter. We are anxious to see how different the same area can look throughout one year.

As I mentioned earlier, at the end of the walking trail you will usually find a viewing deck. However, due to natural aging of the wood-constructed deck, along with some unfortunate vandalism, the deck is no longer there.

Which means hikers definitely have to be cautious of sliding rocks that are found near the dropoff point of the Barn Hollow view. I did reach out to the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Sarah Medlock to see if the MDC had any plans of rebuilding the lookout.

Unfortunately, Medlock informed me that due to the recent flooding, the MDC has obviously a lot of unexpected expenses that they will be doing this coming year. Because of those unforeseen circumstances, any plans of rebuilding have not yet been set.

“However, maybe a few years from now, new plans may be made to build a new and improved structure, with possibly even a new location that overlooks the Barn Hollow,” said Medlock.

She also added that the MDC is always looking for input from the public and to contact the West Plains Regional office of the

MDC at (417) 256-7161 to voice any concerns about Barn Hollow CA. Medlock mentioned that some future projects are planned according to public concern.

Which means the more people that show interest in Barn Hollow could provoke a sooner then expected new lookout.

If you’re a nature-exploring junkie like myself, and are looking for your next adventure in the Missouri Ozarks, I highly urge you to visit the Barn Hollow CA. This beautiful natural area would be a great stop while on a float trip of the Jacks Fork River, which is only 10 minutes from the natural area.

(Heath Wood can be reached at struttin1@hotmail.com.)

The bleeding shiner frequently shares spawning sites with the striped shiner, rosyface shiner, Ozark minnow and southern redbelly dace.

Hybrids between these species are common. It may be tempting to net some of these fish for personal aquariums but that is a bad

idea because these fish are not adapted to aquarium environments.

In order to survive and thrive, these fish need moving water, gravelly bottoms and many of the other characteristics found in an Ozarks stream. (source: MDC)

Critter of the Month: Bleeding shiner • Species: Bleeding shiner.

• Scientific name: Luxilus zonatus.

• Nicknames: None.

• Claim to fame: Bleeding shiners are one of several species of minnows and darters that put on a miniature aquatic art show each spring in small Ozarks creeks and streams.

The color display that the bleeding shiner and several other species of minnows (cardinal shiner, dusky-striped shiner, and red shiner are a few of the more common fish) put on is similar to what happens with birds in the spring: the males take on bright breeding colors to attract females.

The colors of some species rival many of the fish found in pet store aquariums. When these species go into their spawning colors, they are often easy to spot; it’s just that few people ever look for them.

• Species status: Bleeding shiners are found throughout much of southern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas.

• First discovered: The first scientific description of the bleeding shiner was written by the American naturalist Louis Agassiz in 1863.

• Family matters: Bleeding shiners belong to the fish family Cyprinidae, a group more commonly known as the minnows. The minnow family contains approximately 1,500 species and is one of the largest fish families on earth.

• Length: Adult bleeding shiners usually attain lengths of between three and five inches.

• Diet: Insects and other small invertebrates found floating on the water’s surface.

• Weight: Not available.

• Distinguishing characteristics: The back of the bleeding shiner is a light olivebrown with a broad, dark stripe running down each side. During the spring spawn, the dark markings of breeding males become very pronounced and are given additional

highlight when parts of the head, body and fins turn bright red.

• Life span: Few individuals live beyond three summers.

• Habitat: Bleeding shiners inhabit clear, small creeks to moderately large rivers that have a persistently strong flow. They are typically found over a clean, gravelly or rocky bottom, near riffles or in pools that have a noticeable current.

• Life cycle: In Missouri, spawning by bleeding shiners occurs from April to early July, but is most intense in May and early June. When spawning, bleeding shiners gather over the spawning sites in groups that range in number from a few fish to well over a hundred. The brilliant color of the males creates a patch of red that can often easily be seen from a distance of several yards.

Like other species of minnows, bleeding shiners practice little parental care. They desert the eggs once spawning is completed.

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Page 10 • June 2017

RiverHillsTraveler.com

It’s a family affair at Eddy Boys Bait & Tackle

By Bill Wakefield very bait shop has its own atmosphere that sets it apart from others. Such is the case with Eddy Boys Bait & Tackle, located in St. Clair, Mo. This bait shop is a prime example of the American Dream. Shawn and Amanda Eddy are the proud owners of Eddy Boys Bait & Tackle. Shawn and Amanda’s passion and desire to make a better life for themselves and their children is by following their dream of owning a business that has meaning for them and would be fun for them and their children.

Shawn and his two boys enjoy the outdoors, especially fishing for trout, bass and catfish. Shawn used stopped at an existing bait shop in St. Clair called Don’s Bait & Tackle for his fishing supplies.

When Don decided to retire, Shawn and Amanda saw an opportunity to fulfill their dream of owning their own business — and it was Shawn’s dream to own a bait shop. They applied for and received their business and bait dealers’ license from the State of Missouri. In February 2017 Eddy Boys Bait & Tackle was open for business.

The Eddys have three children — ages 10, 8 and just under one year — and all three are boys, hence the word “Boys” in the name of the shop.

As you drive up to the shop you are greeted by the Commando Worm in the window and a large OPEN sign. Walking into the shop you immediately notice two things: first is how clean and organized the shop is, and second is the large blackboard on the right wall.

The blackboard reminded me of a menu board that you see at a roadside diner. The following items are listed on the blackboard: live bait, frozen bait, medium goldfish, chicken livers, large goldfish, shad, jumbo goldfish, whole skipjack, shiners, whole herring, crickets, turkey livers, red wigglers, rabbit liver, night crawlers, meal worms, wax worms, and super meal worms.

They also carry a line of prepared catfish baits, including Sonny’s (which seems to be very popular throughout Missouri). Shawn has been working on developing his own homemade catfish bait. Amanda is very proud of the crickets that they carry. When you visit the shop you will need to have her explain why.

Shawn likes to show off the super meal worms. These worms look like they have been on steroids. When I inquired about the turkey and rabbit livers for bait, Shawn explained that these two types of bait typically stay on a hook better than chicken livers.

All of the baits that Eddy Boys Bait & Tackle carry are designed for fish found in the Meramec, Bourbeuse, and Missouri rivers along with the many private lakes and ponds in the area.

Like all bait and tackle shops that service the river fisherman, you will find a large assortment of terminal tackle for catfish along with trotline equipment necessary for jug fishing.

The walls contain a well-organized display of fishing lines, hooks, weights, fish strike indicators (or bobbers), spinner bait and soft plastics. Spinning and bait caster reels are displayed in the counter display case. In the center of the store is a display rack showcasing a nice assortment of fishing rods, rod and reel combinations, and cane poles.

Their beginning inventory was pur-

E

chased from Don’s Bait Shop when Don retired, and they have been slowly expanding their inventory. Besides the normal fishing equipment and supplies you will also find children’s fishing poles, PFDs (personal flotation devices), additives for outboard motors, and several types of minnow traps, tackle boxes, fish nets, and minnow buckets.

If you cannot find a particular item that you need to improve your fishing experience, then Eddy’s will have a solution for that. They have made arrangements with the Bass Pro Shop in which they can order products

through them in order to meet their client’s needs. The Eddys plan to grow their business by adding camping equipment and supplies.

I think that one of the best things that Eddy Boys Bait & Tackle has going for it is its Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/Eddy-Boys-Bait-Tackle).

This is a collection of many fun and interesting items. There are client reviews of the bait shop, and people use this Facebook page as a bulletin board to show off their catch.

It also has one of the best collections of fish sayings, cartoon pictures about fishing, and fishing philosophy that I have ever seen. Everyone will enjoy these, no matter if you fish or not.

Amanda maintains the Facebook page and you can see the work and pride that she puts into it.

Both Shawn and Amanda have a tremendous amount of pride in their shop. Their children spend time there and they hope other families bring their children in when they need bait and tackle for their fishing adventure.

The bait shop is open at 8 a.m. but the hours may change in order to accommodate their client’s needs. Eddy

Boys Bait & Tackle is involved within the community in many ways. They sponsor fishing contests, Shawn does some repair work on fishing poles and reels, and they are working with the Missouri Department of Conversation to be a location where people can obtain hunting and fishing permits.

They enjoy meeting and helping the people of the area as well as those who stop by as they are passing through.

Don’s Bait & Tackle Shop had been an institution in this area for over 50 years, and when Don retired and then passed away, the people in the community were concerned.

In stepped Shawn and Amanda. This clean, neat and organized business is an example of this family’s commitment to each other and to their community.

This is truly a family business and these young energetic parents are teaching (by example) their children life skills and work ethics.

The Eddys are working with Don’s widow (Gladys) in establishing a memorial in Shawn and Amanda’s new place with some of Don’s photos and other items from his old bait shop.

Stop by and visit Shawn, Amanda and their boys. Buy some super meal worms, ask the Eddys where to go fishing and take your children there to catch a nice mess of panfish.

As one of the sayings on their Facebook says, “Go Fishing – It’s Good For The Soul.”

Eddy Boys Bait & Tackle is located at 245 Kitchell Ave., St. Clair, MO 63077. They can be reached at (636) 322-1271.

(Editor’s note: If you have a favorite bait shop you’d like to see featured in the Traveler, please email Bill Wakefield at w3@charter.net.)

AROUND the WORLD with the River Hills Traveler

Chuck & DiDi Kinnison, of Augusta, Mo., visited Havana, Cuba, in mid-May and took their copy of the River Hills Traveler with them to Ernest Hemingway's home in Havana. "Our trip to Cuba was an adventure and we enjoy reading every issue and every article in the Traveler," said DiDi. "We enjoyed reading it on our trip to Havana!"

——— If you're going on a trip or vacation, please take the River Hills Traveler with you and have someone photograph you and the magazine in front of a landmark or particular setting. Then email the picture to us at jimmy@riverhillstraveler.com and we will publish it an upcoming issue. You can also text your photos & info to (417) 451-3798 or send them to us via our Facebook page.

Thank you very much and we look forward to seeing your family’s adventures!

RiverHillsTraveler.com

June 2017 • Page 11

Mill & covered bridge are simply magnificent

I

f you want one word to characterize the mill and covered bridge at the Bollinger Mill Historic Site, that one word would have to be “picturesque.”

However, one word doesn’t quite give it justice and probably shortchanges this gorgeous place to a humiliating degree.

So I enlisted the aid of my dictionary and came up with a few more words for “picturesque,” such as something of skillful design (I like that one) or something marked by beauty or elegance (that’s a good one), or something that is pleasingly or strikingly old-fashioned (I really liked that one) and while you look at the photos that accompany this article, it should be plain for you to see what I mean.

The mill itself is a magnificent, stately four-story structure that not only flaunts an impressive appearance but posBill Oder sesses a fascinating ———— history encompassing nearly two hundred years. The covered bridge, though not as old as the mill, is equally magnificent and stately and also boasts a remarkable history.

The mill was built by a gentleman by the name of George Bollinger who came to the area in 1800. The mill was originally constructed with logs along with the dam which stretches across the Whitewater River. In 1825, the mill and the dam were rebuilt using stone.

During the Civil War, Union soldiers burned the mill to keep it from falling into Confederate hands. After the war, it was sold to Solomon Burford who rebuilt it in 1867.

It was around this time that the town of Burfordville was formed, since a mill such as this one would naturally attract people who would settle around the area. The covered bridge was erected in 1868 which linked the emerging town to the main road, and the town grew even more. Records show that there was even a toll house at one end of the bridge.

When you visit this area, you get a double-whammy of sorts because the mill and the covered bridge are right next to each other. Both of them are on the National Register of Historic Places. We have four covered bridges in our state and this one, which is called the Burfordville Covered Bridge, is the oldest.

Although the main purpose of a covered bridge was to protect the wood structure from the elements, I’ve also heard that they were useful in coaxing hesitant cattle, that exhibited a fear of bridges, into crossing since they would believe they were entering a barn in-

10 p.m. daily. Since the mill has been restored to a working mill, there are live demonstrations and museum exhibits. There is also a shaded picnic area available.

The site is about six miles from Jackson, Mo., on Highway 34. The signs are clearly visible when you get to Burfordville and the site is just a short distance from the highway.

When you visit this site, it is impossible not to spend some time there so

stead of crossing a bridge.

The public is invited to walk across the 140-foot bridge where another breathtaking view of the mill and covered bridge can be appreciated from the other side of the river.

The Whitewater River, on which this area is situated, looks very inviting and enticing to a fisherman. I haven’t fished it myself but I have seen fishermen bank fishing and also wading, so undoubtedly there must be a few interesting things with fins lurking in those waters.

The summer schedule for the mill tours is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday. The summer schedule stretches from the 15th of March until the 15th of November. There is also a winter season with a reduction in the hours that the tours are available to the public. The area itself is open from dawn to

consider bringing a picnic lunch, maybe a fishing pole or two, and of course, a camera.

Additionally, if you’re an artist, you must not forget your paintbox and canvas.

After you arrive I’m sure you will see for yourself that none of my praises for this beautiful area have been an exaggeration.

(Bill Oder can be reached at oderbill@yahoo.com.)

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June 2017 • Page 13

TOURISM from 1 • Conway-East, on Interstate 44.

“When we get people wanting to see Route 66, we give them a book and I usually send a lot of people to Cuba for all the murals and the big rocking chair, because I think that is so neat,” said Valarie Nash, assistant manager of the Conway-East Welcome Center.

Pam Ebbinghaus, manager of the St. Louis Welcome Center, explained that if people aren’t coming in to see St. Louis, they are wanting to see Route 66.

“We have a group of European travelers who come annually to explore the Route 66 areas and we have a map that we show them with all the sites they can see. Right now we send people to the history museum because they currently have a section dedicated to Route 66,” said Ebbinghaus.

For the St. Louis area of Route 66, they send people to the Chain of Rocks Bridge and to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard stand, which was recently named the best ice cream in the world.

“I asked them (the foreigners) why they want to see Route 66 and they say that it represents America, and because they feel like they get a good sense of what the United States is about when they travel Route 66,” said Ebbinghaus.

Other than Route 66, each welcome center gets a different pool of travelers and each center gets asked about different areas and different attractions.

In Joplin, they get about 100,000 visitors every year, according to Bramlett, and several of those travelers are coming from Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.

FLOOD from 1

The inside foyer of the Joplin Welcome Center on Interstate 44.

“We, however, get several foreigners from all over that are coming to see Route 66 or other attractions,” said Bramlett.

The Joplin Welcome Center has a pin board recognizing visitors from other countries and several get represented every year.

Aside from Route 66, the number one thing the Joplin Welcome Center is asked about is Branson. The shows, the motels, various attractions, and of course, Silver Dollar City.

“Most of our travelers are traveling to the Branson, Kansas City, and St. Louis areas so Branson comes up a lot when people are coming through our area,” said Bramlett.

She said people want to know what shows are going on in Branson, if they can get coupons for shows or different places to eat, and if any new attractions have opened in the Branson area.

“In the winter we see a lot of people come out wanting to see the Christmas shows and the lights at Silver Dollar City, and that’s what really draws people out in the winter months,” said Bramlett.

Like all things, interests change with the seasons, and at the welcome center they see a trend with the seasons as well.

“Compared to our neighbors, we weren’t hit that bad but we are looking our bills come due in May and April and at about $12,000 in repairs from the everyone still wants your money,” said flood,” said Anderson.

Shady Lane returned deposit money Sloss. for those who had reservations during Eleven Point Canoe was able to rethose four weeks but according to Anopen the weekend before Memorial Day, derson, some area resorts have also had though the water on the Eleven Point to return their summer deposits.

River remained a little high.

“We are fully functioning now and the “The water is a little swifter than norriver is running about a foot higher, but mal, but it’s getting better and better that’s part of living and working on the every day and it shouldn’t be a problem river,” said Anderson. for anyone wanting to float,” said Sloss.

In the town of Eminence, the city's According to Sloss, the river should be water line was destroyed but the city back to 100 percent by the first of June. crews got it back up and running within “When bad weather like this is coming three days. in we do a lot of updates for people “We’re ready for the summer now, but about what the forest service tells us, so we need the people,” said Anderson. people know what to do about their Bearcat Getaway, in Lesterville, expereservations,” said Sloss. rienced severe damage to its road, beach, Eleven Point Canoe Rental is open stage, bathroom facilities, and office. year-round by reservation, but with the “Our bathroom buildings were hit, the flooding they had to cancel several trips flood totally rearranged our beach area, and lost thousands of dollars. our roads were non-existent, our stage “We are used to the flooding, but since was hit, and some of our office wall was we are farther back from the river, we knocked out,” said Glee Suntrip, owner don’t get it as bad as others,” said Sloss. of Bearcat Getaway.

Shady Lane Cabins, in Eminence, has According to Suntrip, the flood was as a similar story of flood damages but bad as the flood she experienced in Desince they are also set back from the cember 2015, but in terms of damage, river, it wasn’t as bad as their resort this one was worse. neighbors.

“Our stage was built to withstand these “This flood was the biggest flood Emthings and was constructed 12 feet high inence has ever experienced and was off the ground, but the floodwater was also historic flooding for the Jacks Fork way higher than that,” said Suntrip.

River,” said Jim Anderson, owner of Bearcat had no roads after the flood Shady Lane Cabins, and the mayor of and Suntrip's crew had to work their way Eminence. in a little at a time, rebuilding roads and Shady Lane had severe, heavy rushing fixing up the beach. water that hit six cabin units.

The cost for all rebuilding and repairs “Our modern brick ranch-style had is on the upward side of $50,000, she water, four of our small cabins had water said. damage, and one large cabin also had “We really couldn’t have done this water damage,” said Anderson. without some great people in the comShady Lane was closed for four weeks munity that were willing to defer payafter the flood. They are also open yearment until we were back on our feet. We round, so they lost four weeks of revhad some wonderful and dedicated peoenue.

According to Bramlett, in the spring people want to see gardens and spring festivals. In the summer they want family activities, and activities to do outdoors, and in the fall people want to go to harvest and fall festivals.

“It’s fun to watch the changes throughout the year. You see more families in the summer since school is out and kids are free, and you see more elderly people in the winter and spring because they go on group tours, and then you have people who want to kayak, canoe, or hike almost throughout the entire year,” said Bramlett.

According to Bramlett, the summer months are pretty busy at the Joplin Welcome Center and they always have a huge fall season. In the winter they get several visitors in for Branson and spring is when it tapers off.

“We see a drop in August because kids are going back to school, then it really kicks off for fall and winter and then drops back down in the spring until May rolls around when it speeds right back up,” said Bramlett.

Other things travelers ask about are scenic drives and casinos.

“If people want a scenic drive within an hour of here, we send them to 86 Highway in the Roaring River area and work them south, and for those who want to go a little farther we send them to Ozark County, east of Branson, with all the grist mills because they are pretty neat to see,” said Bramlett.

Joplin also has a motorcycle guide that they refer to when people ask about scenic routes in the Joplin area.

With the casinos, most people are traveling from Kansas or Oklahoma and

they've seen so many signs for them and want to know if Missouri has them.

“People want to know if the casinos have campgrounds on them, hotels, and how far away they are. We even get some travelers who, when they travel, only stay at casino campgrounds,” said Bramlett.

In Missouri, all information about what people are interested in or ask about gets reported to the Jefferson City office of the Missouri Division of Tourism, on sometimes a daily or weekly basis.

“Jefferson City does a lot of tracking and we, as the Joplin Welcome Center, do a lot of our own tracking on where people come from and what we need to stay informed on and up to date on,” said Bramlett.

When asked what the strangest thing they get asked about in the Joplin Welcome Center, Bramlett answered with, “People love the strange things about our area. They ask about oddities in the area.

People look for unique or special things around here,” said Bramlett.

“What’s cool about being where we are is that we get to make the first impression about Missouri when they come and see us, and with our nice facility and hospitality we just feel like it’s a great place for them to rest and relax from being on the road.

“We are constantly learning something new every day, no day is the same, and that’s what makes it fun."

(Make sure to check out July’s issue of the River Hills Traveler on what the St. Louis Welcome Center is like, what they get asked about, and where they send their visitors.)

ple working with us on this,” said Suntrip.

The Black River, according to Suntrip, is back to being beautiful and ready to be used.

“We were supposed to have my daughter's engagement party the weekend after the flood, which was around 250 people, and we had to cancel that but we were

fully functioning for Memorial Day weekend and are ready for the summer,” said Suntrip.

A member of the River Hills Traveler Staff was able to confirm with Lay Z Day Canoe that the April flood completely wiped them out, and they do not plan to re-open.

Page 14 • June 2017

RiverHillsTraveler.com

‘Small’ fire towers were scattered throughout the state (Editor’s note: This is the fifth part in a series about fire towers in Missouri.)

By Bob Frakes must admit, for many years of “towering,” I didn’t pay much attention to the various tower designs.

They were either unusual, small, oil derricks, “back & forth” or “diagonals.”

However, after decades I began to have an increased interest in telling “this from that.” Now, I won’t attempt to explain the totality of design. I get stumped on the big picture even now.

But, if we limit it to Missouri, I can lay out some general ideas that you may find useful in your tower observations.

Let me begin with what I used to call the “unusuals.” These are made up of two groups: 1) Taum Sauk and Baldy; and 2) Lincoln, Tram, and Bloomfield.

Neither Taum Sauk or Baldy are very high (270 feet) and both have, as in the case of Taum Sauk, or had, in the case of Baldy, a walkway that surrounds a central housing/office unit. These features were common to CL-100 models.

Conservationist Jim Lyon noted to me that some lookouts out west have no height. They are simply built at high mountain locations and that provides the elevation for coverage.

He also noted the need for the central facilities as isolation might make trips out few and far between. It might be noted that Taum Sauk Tower sits at Missouri’s high point, so part of what is true out west might ring true here, also.

Lincoln, Tram, and Bloomfield seem to be actual or variations of the Aermotor LL-25 design. The notable feature of this model is the absence of the central steps — or “risers” — and land-

I

The Taum Sauk CL-100 “unusual.”

An Aermotor “windmill”-type tower.

ings. Instead, you made your way up by a metal ladder or ladders, even if that was 100 feet or more.

If the metal ladders ran to a series of platforms, LL variations were created.

These models were very unpopular with the tower workers who found climbing these with many pounds of radio or supplies “interesting.”

The “small” towers might have been small in size, but were large in number and scattered all over the state. These towers were almost always “secondary” towers that were used only in the dry season or to provide coverage.

These evolved from the Aermotor windmills and were often called “windmill towers.” Aermotor just took the windmill off and replaced it with a platform or walkway.

Jim Parker notes that a few of these towers, like Corn Creek, even had small cabs atop them. The worker accessed the tower by a series of rungs that ran up one of the legs and, although these towers were usually only

50 or 60 feet, the climb here was also “interesting.” The “oil derrick” design was just that, a cab placed atop a converted oil derrick. You can find these at Summersville, Hartshorn, or Caney II, for example. Many of these were made by the International Derrick Company and were called IDM (International Derrick Model) such and such.

Entry was gained by a metal ladder that ran up a leg or up a side. Again, climbing these with a radio or items in tow was “interesting.” One solution on many of these “steel ladder” or rung designs was to have a pulley system to haul items from below.

A discussion of most of the big towers will center on the very popular Aermotor LS-40 (what I used to call the back and forth) and the Aermotor MC39 and it’s International Derrick Company versions (what I used to call diagonals).

The LS-40 is one of the most common designs you will see. It has fairly short “risers,” or steps, that lead up to

platforms as you make your way up.

Since the distance between platforms is short, I appreciate this design more each day as I approach 70.

My retired MDC friend, Max Gorman, noted one characteristic of this type of tower. As you climb, you can feel the tower “bounce” as you go up.

Minor differences created LS variations.

This leads to the MC-39, often noted as the most popular tower design in Missouri. I used to just call them “diagonals” as the risers run longer than the LS-40, and run diagonally from tower leg to tower leg.

If the tower runs in diagonals and has an Aermotor tag, it is likely an MC-39 of some height. Again, minor differences created MC variations.

Now, the International Derrick Company made two versions of this same tower. Telling the “diagonals” apart can be difficult. Or course, if it has an Aermotor tag, it is likely an MC-39. You may find an International Derrick tag but those are not common.

Conservationist Jim Lyon and tower expert Gary Weber note that the IDM models often had the steel company (Carnegie, Bethlehem, Inland) etched on the large pieces somewhere. The bolt patterns and some plates might differ but with the specifications very similar, they are hard to tell apart. For me, they are often Aermotor MC-39 or IDM similars, and I leave it at that.

The next time you “tower tour,” try your hand at this new angle.

(Part six of this series on Missouri fire towers will appear in the July issue of the River Hills Traveler. Questions or comments? Bob Frakes can be reached by email at frakes2@mvn.net or by phone at 618-244-1642.)

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June 2017 • Page 15

BOURBEUSE from 1 also did a lot of limb-line and trot-line fishing. They would pull out huge catfish! They had numerous fish stories to tell,” Schroeder shared.

Rice also has some fish stories about the Bourbeuse, and highly recommends anglers come give the river a try.

“It offers some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the state,” Rice said.

If you are interested in experiencing the Bourbeuse, don’t expect an abundance of campgrounds or float companies. As a matter of fact, there is only one outfitter on the Bourbeuse.

Jennifer Paulsen is the owner of Devil’s Back Floats. They are located south of Beaufort off of Highway 185.

Paulsen’s parents started the business in 1980 with six canoes. They have grown to 36 canoes, seven aluminum kayaks, and a few Jon boats.

Paulsen took over operation of the business in 2016. Since then, they have established an office and store. They’ve also started taking credit cards.

“Because we are the only outfitter on the Bourbeuse River and there are very few public access points, floating the Bourbeuse is quiet. As you float, you will see little evidence of civilization, even when we have many canoes on the river,” Paulsen said.

“We strive for a friendly, personalized experience. Because of our small size, we try to put each party in the river separately, whether it’s one canoe or more, not with a smelly bus and a

whole group of strangers.

“This allows our floaters to feel like they have the river to themselves as they travel downstream. They get off the river at our ramp where their car is waiting.”

Granted, Devil’s Back may be the only outfitter on the Bourbeuse, but river-goers like Gary Rice enjoy the experience they provide.

“Devil’s Back can completely outfit you for an all-day float. Just bring your picnic basket,” Rice said. “Wildlife and good fishing are close by. Do yourself a favor and discover this wonderful little river.”

Terri Overstreet lived in Franklin County for several decades. She also enjoyed her experiences at Devil’s Back and remembers them fondly.

“Devil’s Back is a bit more rustic and the river in that area can be fun to navigate, but the fishing was always good,”

Overstreet reminisced.

Your day on the river doesn’t have to end when you return to Devil’s Back.

Their campground may be a bit off the beaten path, but that’s all a part of the peacefulness this river offers.

“Camping is primitive. We have no electric, water, or sewer hookups. The most noise campers will hear will be from the coyotes, owls, and other nighttime wildlife,” said Paulsen.

“Unlike other campgrounds, our sites are quite spacious, allowing for privacy. They each have a picnic table and fire ring. Eight of the 10 sites sit right on the riverbank.”

If you want more information about Devil’s Back Floats, visit their website at www.devilsbackfloats.com and feel free to let them know that you learned about them in the River Hills Traveler.

Additionally, I hope that wherever you put in your canoe or kayak, or

pitch your tent, that your experiences will be peaceful and restorative!

(Michelle Turner lives in Union, Mo.)

The ‘swallow hole’

By Loring Bullard few weeks ago, the James River Basin Partnership (JRBP) Stream Team sponsored a river clean-up/ riparian area recon on Wilson’s Creek, a major tributary of the James River.

JRBP will soon be starting a watershed project in Wilson’s Creek, which will focus on placing better stormwater practices in the watershed and restoring degraded riparian areas along the stream.

Participants Mike Kromrey, Joey Waitman and I floated the creek, picking up trash but also taking pictures of eroding and poorly vegetated banks. These could become priority areas for measures like conservation easements or bank stabilization in the Wilson’s Creek Project.

A short distance downstream of our put-in, Mike shouted, “Hey guys, come look at this!”

There, near the bank, was a whirlpool, vigorously sucking water into a cavity in the stream bottom. I have seen swallow holes before, but never one of the size and intensity of this one, and we lingered several minutes to gawk at the amazing sight.

We weren’t terribly surprised, since this swallow hole is in a very pronounced “losing section” of Wilsons Creek, which Jerry Vineyard described in detail in an old issue of Ozark Caver, along with maps showing dye traces done here.

From those dye traces, we assumed our swallow hole connected to Rader Spring, about a mile downstream. I explained this to Wes Johnson, of the Springfield News-Leader, who later accompanied me to the site and probed into the hole with a Go-Pro camera. He told me there was a lot of interest in the subsequent story.

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, be-

A

cause swallow holes are interesting.

These kinds of features certainly make the Ozarks a unique, even fascinating place to live.

But the whirlpool is also a reminder of the serious responsibility of living on karst. That swallow-hole would not just swallow water — it could also slurp pollutants directly into the groundwater.

Wes asked me whether I thought it might also trap a kid — I said I didn’t think so, but I wouldn’t want to put it to the test!

(Loring Bullard is a former executive director for the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, a non-for-profit water quality protection group. He lives in Springfield, Mo., and enjoys canoeing and fishing on Ozark streams.)

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