OurOzarks
Spring Antique Shopping Guide Inside!
This Issue Exploring Historic Reeds Spring Urban Strolls:
Historical Markers of Early Springfield, MO
Civil War:
Battles of Springfield
Regular Features Through the Lens Saddle Up!
Riding the Ozarks’ Trails
Tales From The Booth:
Display until June 31
Chocolate Gravy?
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Plus More!
The Ozark Mountain region is made up of the St. Francois Mountains, Salem Plateau, Springfield Plateau & Boston Mountains. A gradient area of the Ozarks drifts across the Mississippi River into SW Illinois, and is captured within the Shawnee Hills.
Our Ozarks Magazine
Find Your Way...Find Yourself
Vol 2, Issue 2
SPRING 2017
Editor/Publisher Jeffrey Haskins Staff Photography Jeffrey Haskins Carolyn Thornton
Mission Statement The mission of Our Ozarks is to help preserve the history, culture, beauty and all that is the Ozarks. Our Ozarks Magazine is published bi-monthly. Any correspondence can be directed to the editor at: Our Ozarks PO Box 268 Ozark, MO 65721 or email us at OurOzarks@yahoo.com Phone: (417) 209-4872
Contributors This Issue:
Find More Great Photos and Information on our website at OurOzarks.com!
Writers Victoria Ree Photographers: Ron McGinnis Victoria Ree
Scan the QR Code above with your smart phone or tablet to visit Ourozarks.com
Cover photo by Ron McGinnis
In This Issue Saddle Up! Riding the Ozarks’ Trails Page 1-2 Through the Lens Photographers of the Ozarks Page 3-4 Off the Shelf-Authors of the Ozarks Mule Kisses by Dan Manning Page 4 Growing Up Hillbilly by Betty Perkins White Page 24 Settling The James River Valley The University Club
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Hiking The Ozarks Urban Strolls Page 9-12 The Battle of Springfield, The Civil War Page 13-15 Tales from the booth, Chocolate Gravy? Page 17-18 ‘Tiques & Fleas Reeds Spring: Revitalizing A Downtown Page 19-21 Tales of the Yocum Silver Dollar Page 22-23 Ozark Chiming Cylinders Page 26-29 Spring Antique Guide Page 19-32
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Saddle Up!
Riding The Ozarks’ Trails
Adventures on the Ozark Trail (Berryman/Courtois Sections) Berryman Campground. Steelville, MO by Victoria Ree
Victoria Ree is an avid rider and calls Londell, Missouri home.
Berryman Campground is located on the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp from 1937. Eight small sites for camping have a lantern post, picnic table and fire ring. Drinking water is not provided and must be carried in if you plan to have an extended stay. Riding out of Berryman Campground provides several choices for some great rides on the Ozark Trail. If you head to the North, you can ride the Berryman trail to the NE or the Courtois Section to the NW. There are forest roads that connect each side of the loop that can make the 24-mile distance a little more appealing to a majority of riders. The trailhead is accessed directly from the parking lot. It is consistently marked with the green-on-white OT trail markers. On the way to the Brazil Creek trailhead and campground to the east, you traverse the Mark Twain National Forest where the trail winds through hardwood forests with hills and switchbacks. If riding all the way to the Brazil Creek trailhead there is a very nice creek there for water, and along the way you can take the trail down to an artesian well. The creek bottom at the artesian well is very inviting stop for a break on a warm day. To the west, the Courtois Section of the Ozark Trail heads NW through more of the winding hills of the Missouri Ozarks. You may encounter deer, squirrel and chipmunks out on the trail, and there are many places that are quiet, with nice shady spots to have a lunch break. This is a multi-use trail and you may encounter mountain bikers and hikers along the way. The forest roads that to go between the east and west legs are numbered and easily identified making crossing between the trails an easy way to shorten your ride. Saddle Up!
She has been riding since she was 4-years old. Her favorite ridings spots are out in the truly wild areas of the Ozarks.
As with all public use areas, be aware of hunting seasons! Directons & GPS Location From Potosi, MO: Head west on MO-8 for 17.3 miles Turn right on Berryman Rd. and follow for 1.2 miles Turn left into Berryman Campground. From Steelville, MO: Head east on MO-8 for 19.3 mi. Turn left on Berryman Rd. and follow for 1.2 miles Turn left into Berryman Campground. GPS: 37.929875, -91.062400 Difficulty Level Easy with switchbacks on slopes Camping 8 sites with fire rings, lantern posts & picnic tables Day use picnic tables, along with a pavillion are available on a first-come basis. Some sites have hitching rails.
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The Ozark Trail is managed by volunteers known as the Ozark Trail Association. You may download their maps at the Ozark Trail website: http://www.ozarktrail.com/ Other scenic and historical sites are within a short drive of the Berryman/Courtois Sections and include the Old Mines and Bonne Terre Mines areas. The city of Potosi is full of mining history. You can also visit the Washington State Park to view tribal petroglyphs. Dillard Mill State Historic Site is not a far drive away either. And, of course, you are not far away from floating the Meramac River!
Images from the Berryman/Courtois trail sections
Meramec Farm
A Secluded Retreat for Families & Friends
Situated on the Meramec River just 70 miles from St. Louis. Two comfortable cabins with views of high bluffs and green pastures and a large gravel bar to enjoy swimming, fishing and rock skipping. Features horseback riding tours along the river, through the cattle and into the wooded trails of the hills.
Cabins & Trail Riding
“Come to Stay”
Gaited Horses Our Specialty
or
“Ride for the Day!”
Log Cabin sleeps 4-Cedar sleeps 6-8. Both have porches, kitchens, linens. Offering Horseback riding with or without lodging. Packages and hourly rates. 208 Thickety Ford Road Bourbon, MO 65441 (573) 732 4765
www.meramecfarm.com
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Through the Lens TM
Our Ozarks spotlight on local photographers “There are times in my life, that I see the handy work of God. These photos are my feeble attempt to capture those times.”-Ron McGinnis You can visit Ron’s website at RonMcginnis.com/ Prints are available. You can also visit his Facebook Page at Facebook.com/ronmcginnisphotography/ Available for wedding, senior class, and portrait photography. Ron lives in Fair Grove, Missouri. He is the son of a professional photographer and introduced to the other side of the lens at an early age. Tutored not only by his father, but also by his father’s cousin, a Kansas City crime photographer.
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Our Ozarks Magazine
McGinnins works on photo shoots with cowboy Randy Cate (left and upper right with guitar) and author Danny Manning (upper right with dog on knee).
Mule Kisses...
reminiscing on local history & muleskinning by Dan R. Manning
Dan R. Manning has been a writer for over 30 years and has been published in magazines and historical journals. The life of his ancestors call to him through his writing, as well as his love of anything equine, including mules. Manning has a vast knowledge of early-day agricultural tools and machinery, as well as old grist mills and uses that knowledge in his volunteer work as miller at the Wommack Mill in Fair Grove, Missouri during openings to the public.
written by a true mule man. In it are wisps of regional history that are so often lost when no one, capable or willing, writes them down for posterity.” When the rain or snow keep you indoors and away from tending the fields, Mule Kisses is a great way to spend time with your feet up and by the fire. Through anecdotes of his ancestor’s experiences, or his own, Manning lets you understand the relationship born of hard work, dirt, and the warm breath of a mule
In his book, Mule Kisses, Manning brings you into the world of raising and working mules, and all the while entertaining you with his humor. Modern agricultural techniques and equipment have sent the use of mule teams all but into the history books. In this book, the author hopes to keep the love of mules alive…and no better part of the country to share than the state that has the state animal of the Missouri mule. In his review of Mule Kisses, author John Duncklee put it best, “When two mule men are together they don’t have to waste words telling each other about their love of mules, because they both know why. MULE KISSES is a true testament. Its stories about the partnerships between men and mules was
nuzzling as it anticipates the coming gees and haws....or appreciation of the its long, rewarding day at work. You can find Manning’s books, including Whippet Kisses, on Amazon. Or track him down at area locations where he will be found at times doing a book signing. At Amazon, just type in Dan R. Manning into your search.
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Becoming The Ozarks
Settling The James River Valley
Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando De Soto first explored the Mississippi River region in 1541. He and his men made their way inland and were the first Europeans to see the beauty of the Ozarks. The Spaniards and French made claims back and forth on the holdings of lands beyond the great river. In 1735, French Canadians set up the first organized community west of the Mississippi called Saint Genevieve. Modest efforts of mining were approached across the waters of the Mississippi and into what is now eastern Missouri. The French also set up the fur trading post of St. Louis in 1764 and began packing their fur pelts down the river. Keel boats plied the inland tributaries of the waterway, such as the Arkansas River and Missouri River. But with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the pioneers of the United States began to look ever westward, following the trails of fur traders, as well as the expedition of Lewis and Clark and other great explorers. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 resulted in the United States acquiring lands west of the Mississippi River from France, and as far as a line from the Rocky Mountains down to the Gulf of Mexico. Known as the Louisiana Territory, much of that land was renamed the Missouri Territory in 1812 to avoid confusion as Louisiana became a state. Jacob Wolfe was appointed Indian Agent and moved inside the Indian Territory in 1810, building his log house near Norfork, Arkansas along the White River. It was considered the first white settlement in Indian Territory. The White River at that time served as the dividing line for the Indian lands to the west as numerous Native American tribes were shifted westward through the Ozarks as the relentless push was made by the Europeans.
Friend had been part of what was originally a 24-man expedition from Ohio, although some lost their lives in the trip. John P. Pettijohn, a revolutionary soldier and resident of Ohio struck out for the new territory in 1818. With him were Friend, Joseph Price, and the others. Packed together on a keel boat, they made their way down the Muskingum River to the Ohio, and down the Ohio to the Mississippi, and further down to the White River. The way up the White River was not an easy task. Stranded by flooding waters and running low on provisions, they finally reached a small frontier encampment at the mouth of the North Fork of the White River. Here they remained for nearly two years. William Pettijohn, the son of the expedition leader, used the time to explore further to the northwest and on one occasion it is stated that he returned to tell his fellow frontiersmen that he had found the land of Scripture, of the land that “floweth with milk and honey.” Pettijohn returned with his family and built a cabin at that spring. Thomas Patterson arrived in the area at the approximately same time and eventually bought the claim from Pettijohn in 1822. The spot, south of Springfield and off Cox Road (west of Hwy 160), is now known as Patterson Spring.
Moses Austin and other miners had already increased the mining efforts around Potosi in eastern Missouri in the late 18th century, but now the settlers were looking for homesteads. Keel boats stretched further up the Arkansas River and into other tributaries, including the White River, but settlements could be at best described as modest encampments. A few intrepid souls were trapping and hunting up the White River in Arkansas when Henry Rowe Schoolcraft made his journey through the Ozarks in 1818-19. He notes the existence of a James Fisher and William Holt along the mouth of Beaver Creek at the White River, and a Mr. Coker at Sugarloaf Prairie (NE of Lead Hill, Arkansas), and of Augustine Friend near the Bull Shoals of the White River (yes, the lake gained its name from this). And a bit south of Mr. Friend, they would come upon a J. Yochem. There were likely a few others in the area at the time, but little existed in the way of true settlements above the White River. Augustine Friend had regaled Schoolcraft and Schoolcraft’s companion, Levi Pettibone, with tales of Friend’s capture by Osage Indians and the loss of his traps and other items. The other settlers had made inquiry as to Schoolcraft’s notice of the natives, giving merit to a true respect of the possible danger the tribe held for unwary travelers. The Osage claimed the lands south of the Missouri River to the Arkansas River. It was not until the Delaware tribes were given treaty to the these lands in that same year that the Europeans began to forage their way deeper into the Ozarks.
Marker at the Thomas Patterson homestead near Patterson Spring. Marker reads: “465 ft. DUE WEST IS THE SITE OF THE FIRST CLAIM LOCATED IN WHAT IS NOW GREENE COUNTY BY JOHN PETTIJOHN, SR. ABOUT 1818. FIRST SETTLEMENT HERE BE THOMAS PATTERSON, AUG, 1822. ALSO SITE OF MUNSEE INDIAN VILLAGE UNDER CHIEF SWANNICK. MARKER ERECTED 1921 BY SPRINGFIELD CHAPTER SONS OF THE REVOLUTION.”
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Delaware Town was the central village for the tribe. Located west of Nixa, Missouri near the junction of Wilson Creek and the James River in Missouri. This fishing access is located west of Nixa off Highway 14 near the James River bridge. The Delaware would have used the prime farming land and likely lived in the higher grounds to the north near Wilson’s Creek. Behind these men would come the future settlers of Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri. A man named Ingle settled at a point about where the Ozark Road crossed the James river in Springfield, Missouri. He built a mill at this spot, although a ramshackle affair, it receives credit as being the first mill in southwest Missouri. A small monument was placed at this spot by the University Club of Springfield in 1930, but the marker has since disappeared. This spot is just east of the Highway 65 bridge over the river. The old bridge is now part of the Galloway trail. But the men who had set claim to land in southwest Missouri soon found that they were trespassing. The Delaware Indians still held the lands by virtue of treaty with the United States. The tribe leased out lands to some of the trespassers, allowing them to stay. But the only white men approved by treaty to live on these lands were two Indian traders and their men, a government blacksmith assigned to the tribe, another trader who also served as inter-
preter, and the Indian agents.
Silver and Government Men The treaty held by the Delaware with the United States provided support to the tribe via annuities for over $6000 in silver, salt and other material goods, as well as support services of trading posts and a blacksmith. Those silver annuities provided the basis for the trading posts to make their wealth, but also caused issues for the tribes when payments were late. The tribes often felt justified in stealing from the squatters in the area, which led to later deductions from the annuities for settlement of those damages. The annuities also led the tribes to become dependent, which led to their further poverty later on in tribal history. The silver was also a likely the basis for legends of silver mines in the Ozarks (see our article this issue on the Yokum Silver Dollar). Captain Anderson was chief of the great village of Delaware Town. The Delaware leaders often took on the mili-
tary rank as part of their names. Reports indicate that there were villages also headed by William Patterson, Captain Ketchum (Catchum), Won-num-da-gum, Pe-che-na-halous, Johnny Quick, Poushe (Pooshies, the Cat), Na-quiti-ha-ta, Capt. Killbuck, Capt, Pie, and Capt. Beaver and possibly others. Estimates place as many as 2,500 Delaware living in southwest Missouri by the 1820s. Their homes were either log cabins in the pioneer style, or the more native bark huts. Much of the history of the area at this time come from the letters and papers of Richard Graham. Graham, a military officer, served as Indian agent for the region. John Campbell was the local Indian agent and his reports to Graham provide insights to Delaware Town and life along the James. Following is some of the information on other sanctioned white men of the reservation.
James Pool served as the government blacksmith that was provided to the Delaware as part of the treaty. His wife Phoebe joined him in at Delaware Town. James Wilson While James Wilson was here officially as interpreter, he also traded with the Delaware and other tribes. He was ultimately removed from his duties as interpreter in 1823 after he was accused of dishonest dealings with the others. It has been suggested he actually did not operate in trading until after this release of service, although his financial dealing may have been illicit. Records show he had returned to some sort of service by 1826, as his name appears as witness to one of the annuity payments to the tribe. Interestingly, that payment included restitution by the tribe for the compensation to a John Sample for the burning of his mill. Alongside Wilson, Antoine Le Clair appears as witness the annuity payment. Le Clair was a respected interpreter and had worked with Lewis and Clark, as later during the peace treaty following the Black Hawk War of 1832.
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Settling The James
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Wilson’s complete epitaph is missing details on his colorful exploits, other than his reputation of taking several Delaware wives. After his third such wife, and the removal of the tribe to Kansas, Wilson left to St. Louis and returned with a French wife named Elizabeth. History might surmise that some of these repeated liberties of taking Indian wives (and possibly abandoning by some accounts) left him unwelcome of trust amongst the tribe and traders. Or did he allow himself to also be involved with the trading of alcohol amongst the tribe? We do know that after Wilson’s death in 1834, his wife Elizabeth partnered with William Dye to continue to run what became known as Bell tavern at Delaware town. The origins of the name Bell are unknown. She would later marry Dr. C. D. Terrell, for whom nearby Terrell Creek takes its name. William Gillis William Gilliss, who had traded with the firm of Menard-Valle in Ste. Genevieve, stumbled into a partnership and friendship with Joseph Philbert. Gilliss was just 29 years of age, and young Philibert just 16, when they met in the Mississippi River settlement of Ste. Genevieve. The pair followed the Delaware Indian tribe into the Missouri Territory and set up a trade station at the mouth of Wilson’s Creek on the James River at Delaware Town. Gilliss also operated a trading post at the mouth of Swan Creek at the White River, now known as Forsyth. That location had dealings with the Weas, Peoria and Piankashaw tribes that had migrated to that area. The clerk for this outpost was a man by the name of William Myers, while Joseph clerked and managed the operations from Delaware Town. Some is known of the ancestry of Gillis. Accounts of his date of birth vary from 1788 to 1797. His father was of Scotch origin and his mother was thought to have been French. He grew up in Maryland and began his career upon a sailing ship at an early age. He went on to a proficient ship’s carpenter, but eventually left the sea and moved inland to Ohio. It was there that me caught the eye of William Henry Harrison, who later became ninth president of the United States (Harrison was also the first president to die in office when he succumbed to pneumonia only 31 days after his inauguration). Harrison employed Gillis as a builder and Gillis later enlisted under Harrison in the War of 1812. Following the war, Gillis moved with his brother John, and widowed mother, to the French and Indian settlement of Kaskaskia, Illinois. Across the Mississippi river lay the settlement of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Gillis established business with Pierre Menard and Felix Valle, heads of the Menard and Valle fur trading firm. Menard was also the president of the Illinois Territorial Council and later Lieutenant Governor of Illinois when it became a state. Valle was grandson of Francois Valle, a man who made his wealth in mining and farming. Felix’s father, Jean Baptiste Valle, was commandant of Ste. Genevieve. The homes of Felix and Jean Baptiste still stand as historic sites in Ste. Genevieve.
Already on his way to wealth, Gillis saw his stock rise during the years along the James, but his claim to real fame began when he followed the Delaware to the Kaw Valley. The trading post there and subsequent land holdings and other businesses became the start of Kansas City. Joseph Philibert Joseph Philibert (pronounced Fillabare) was born in St. Louis around the year 1804 and it is told that rather than follow in the desires of his father for him to become a Catholic priest, he ran way at the age of 14. Finding his way to Ste. Genevieve in the Missouri Territory, he met William Gillis and came with him to the Delaware Town trading post. Although Philibert’s original capacity was to act as gunsmith and clerk at the outpost, it is quite apparent that he managed the operations and trading, and made purchase and trade visits back across the Mississippi and to other trade routes north and west. When Gillis followed the Delaware tribe to the new reservation in Kansas, Philibert followed for a short time before returning to Missouri. He then made his way to the mouth of the James River at the White River and settled. Family stories state the Philibert helped unload the boats of James Yoachum (name variation also includes Yokum, Yocum and others). While unloading the keel boats, Philibert was instantly attracted to Peninah Yoachum. On February 26, 1833 the pair were married. Philibert lived out the rest of his life at his farm at the junction of the White and James Rivers in Stone County, Missouri. That area is now marked by the small island off the Joe Bald Park in Kimberling City. Read more about Philibert in our Reeds Spring History article this issue. William Marshall Farther downstream at the mouth of the Finley River into the James River, a man named William Marshall operated another trading post and ran a crude mill. That mill had actually been purchased from the aforementioned James Ingle after the Delaware forced Ingle to leave their lands he had settled. Marshall also followed the Delaware to Kansas, but returned shortly after, and in ill health. His death in 1833 resulted in a long probate battle over his estate. Not much is known of Marshall, other than his business dealings. Some references note he had at least one Delaware wife. Solomon Yokum and James Denton Also, living and trading on the James, were Solomon Yokum and James Denton, who were ordered off the reservation by Campbell for selling whiskey to the Delaware. Read more in our article on the Yokum Silver Dollar this issue.
Gillis also became familiar with the Delaware tribe at Kaskaskia, and when they moved west, he followed and took wives from that tribe and others. Later court records for the settlement of his estate amongst the children from these marriages are valuable sources of information for the history of the James River trading posts.
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Our Ozarks are full of wooded trails for intrepid hikers, but the paved roads of our towns & cities offer their own taste of nature & history for evening or weekend strolls.
The University Club of Springfield,
Missouri was established in 1919. The club was at first a social organization where men gathered downtown (some say for cigars and drinks…every fine hotel downtown had a corner cigar store within its doors). Social etiquettes seemed to imply you should be a man about town if you were in business in the Queen City, and the University Club held its share of those men. Prohibition took hold of the country in 1920, so if drink had been a part of meetings, the ban of evil rum might have been part of the impetus for the club to have a philanthropic pursuit. The more likely push behind the monuments came from president of the club, Dr. Edward Shepard. Shepard was not only a man about town, but also a professor and dean at Drury College, plus a world traveler. In the May 29, 1921 issue of Springfield News-Leader, it was announced the setting of 8 initial markers, sponsored by various organizations as part of the Missouri centennial. The markers were made of locally mined dolomite limestone, granite and marble so one can only wonder if they had been mined from the town of Phenix just to the north of Springfield. The company town was at its peak during this period and producing the Phenix marble for many works of architecture. Phenix is now a ghost town with few buildings standing.
Check out our article this issue on historical points in downtown Springfield that digs into some of the history pointed out in the markers. A list of the University Club Markers is below. #1 First Settlement in Greene County #2 First Settlement in Springfield #3 Schoolcraft’s Camp #4 First Mill Site in Southwest Missouri #5 First School in Springfield #6 First School in Greene County #7 First Store in Southwest Missouri #8 First Classical Academy in the Southwest #9 First Church in Greene County #10 First Religious Service in Southwest Missouri #11 Kickapoo Indian Village #12 Grant Beach Park WWI Monument #13 Indian Mounds #14 Wilson’s Creek Battlefield #15 First Cabin in Springfield #16 Fort Ancient (Lawrence County) #17 Zagonyi’s Charge #18 Butterfield Overland Stage #19 First Post Office in Springfield #20 First Religious Service in Greene County Area #21 History of Springfield Public Square
The University Club set a total of 21 historical markers in the Springfield area and each notes a significant event that occurred within the vicinity of the stone placement. One marker that was set by the University Club was on the Drury College grounds for Osage Indian mounds. Sampling and study done by the Ozark Archaeological Survey in 1976 refutes the facts given to a degree. Their work noted in a A Springfield News-Leader article of June 26, 1976 stated: “A recent archaeological investigation revealed that at least one of the ‘Indian mounds’ on the Drury College campus is a natural formation and is not manmade.” They also disagreed with the inscription on the obverse side, noting: “old St. Louis road once ran diagonally through the campus. Findings of the archaeologist show this statement to be in error, but old Springfield maps show the road to Jefferson City cutting through the campus.” Several of the markers have discrepancies with fact as the borders of city limits have changed, so the distinguishments made as “firsts” for items in counties and another for the city are now in conflict. Nonetheless, the monuments provide great information at locations of import to area history. The last marker laid was in 1972 and the majority are within public view, but there are some have been lost in time. Marker #3 (Schoolcraft’s Camp) is on private property. You can find directions and more details on each at the Springfield-Greene County Library website here: http://thelibrary.org/lochist/historicalsites/
University Club marker placed in 1921 just outside Springfield, Missouri (on private property now). Marker reads: “HENRY SCHOOLCRAFT, GEOLOGIST, EXPLORER AND ETHNOLOGIST, CAMPED HERE JAN. 1, 1819. SITE OF FIRST LEAD MINE AND PRIMITIVE SMELTER IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI. ALSO OF OSAGE CAMP. MARKER ERECTED 1921 BY ROTARY CLUB OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.” Schoolcraft began his journey through the Ozarks in the winter of 1818, concluding in 1819. Events are already in planning for next year’s bicentennial mark of that journey.
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Hiking Our Ozarks
Urban Strolls...
looking back at downtown Springfield, MO
As you wander downtown Springfield, take a moment to imagine yourself walking in the footsteps of those in history. So many faces have passed through those same veils of time, a rush of their memories can overtake your own steps if you try to place yourself in their shoes. A full day can be spent exploring the history, not even considering the choices of eateries and entertainment available to enjoy as well. Queen City of the Ozarks is an apt nickname for Springfield, Missouri. The plateau of land nestled between all of this wonder provided broad fields of rich soils to farm and call home. The western boundaries of the Ozarks come into view as you travel the prairies of the Kickapoo and then step a county or so into Oklahoma and Kansas. The northern boundaries find you amongst the waterways of the Sac and Pomme De Terre that flow towards the Osage River and on to the boundary line that lies just above the Missouri River. And to the south, the waters of the James River roll through the rugged valleys on its way to the White River and Mississippi which forms the eastern border of our part of the world. Below the White River is the Arkansas River
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and southern line of the Ozarks, until you veer back to the northeast as you hit Russelville, Arkansas on a line to Jonesboro. The early settlers of Springfield found a mixed lot of tribal villages spread about the plateau and into the James River valley. It was still Indian Territory when they first arrived and the early arrivals either were not aware, or ignored the fact that this was still Indian land. The Delaware tribe lived along the James River valley and the Kickapoo were scattered in and about Springfield and to the prairie to the west. There were still bands of the Osage tribe still wandering the Ozarks. The Ozarks had been Osage land for generations. Piankashaw and a few other tribes filled what even then was a mixing pot of cultures and peoples. Originally inhabitants of the Delaware River Valley of Delaware state and lower Hudson Valley in southern New York, the Delaware tribe had occupied those lands for thousands of years prior to the arrival of the Europeans. For the next 300 or so years, they would find themselves forced to relocate twenty or more times. They arrived in Missouri just in time to find the white man right on their heels. The Delaware were intent upon making a stand for their new homes and were quick to remind the trespassers it was tribal land. One story tells of 500 Delaware coming upon those early settlers in a show that they meant business. But, as they had mostly shown in the past, the Delaware were a friendly tribe and despite having been pushed ever westward, they still made agreements with the settlers for land leases. As did the Kickapoo. The Osage had already been pushed west to make room for the other Native American tribes. Prior to Missouri’s statehood in 1821, the Pettijohns, Pattersons, Friends, and a man named James Ingle had wandered up the White River and its tributary the James (also then known by many as the “Jeems�). Other hardened men of European descent had made their way into these lands as well. Some stayed with the
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Can you find the marker above? Hint: It is located on the Springfield Public Square. Post a photo of you standing by the marker with a sign stating “FREE SUBSCRIPTION” and post it to the Our Ozarks Facebook Page and be eligible for a drawing for a free Lifetime Subscription! permission given by the tribes, some left only to return later when legal homesteads became available. The Ozarks were still a wild frontier. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft made his famous jaunt through the Ozarks’ wilderness in search of mining deposits in the winter of 1818. Here and there, he would pass some of the small communities of outlanders. Men were already digging into the lead deposits within what is now called Greene County, and those digs had caught the attention of others. Schoolcraft came from the mining community of Potosi, Missouri for the specific purpose of assessing the mineral deposits of the Ozarks. His journal of the trip provides great insight to the state of the Ozarks during this time. Milton Rafferty’s “Rude Pursuits and Rugged Peaks”, is a great reprint of the journal and a must read. As the decade of the 1820s came to an end, two brothers from Tennessee, John Polk Campbell and Madison Campbell, came prospecting; but they found the area suitable for something more. The treaty of September 1829 had uprooted the Delaware once again, and the land was available for settlers. The brothers marked land claims before rushing back to Tennessee to load up their families. In February of 1830, William Fulbright arrived from Tennessee and chose a homestead on a spring that we know as Fulbright Spring, just north of Springfield. He later operated a mill at the spot. His brother, John, found another small spring that became known as Jones Spring (not to be confused with the other Jones Spring that is east of town). The area was rich with water, and A.J. Burnett, a brother-in-law to the Fulbrights, took a claim to a natural well. Unfortunately, this was the same spot that John Polk Campbell claimed previously.
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History Museum on the Square Park Central Square, Springfield, MO
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Urban Strolls
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When Polk returned from Tennessee, Burnett was asked to move along. A third Campbell brother, Junius T., soon followed and opened the first store. A town was beginning to take shape near the natural well. In January 1831, Joseph Rountree and his family arrived from Tennessee. He later started the first school in the area and one of his daughters married a James Harvey Slavens. Slavens made his mark on Springfield history by delivering the town’s first sermon, and later preached within the first church of the city, a simple log house of worship built by William Fulbright. Augustine Friend had made his way up from the White River, but was one of the early men turned away by the Delaware. He returned in 1832, and settled along to the other Jones Spring that lays near Catalpa Street east of Highway 65. He later operated a small mill at the spring. Not far away, Jeremiah Pearson also operated a mill and still on Pearson Creek. A town of this growth was in need of a good blacksmith and jack of all trades, and one Samuel Painter answered the call. Back in North Carolina, Samuel had learned the trade of a blacksmith, as well as gunsmith and silversmith. His talents also extended to that of watchmaker, harness maker and millwright. He eventually moved to a spot called “Mill Bottom” on the James River where James Ingle is noted as building the first mill. Here Painter built his own mill where “Big Spring” trailed down the rocks into the James River. This would be in the proximity of the Highway 65 bridge and the old Ozark Road bridge to the east which is now part of the Ozark Greenways Trail. The springs are now below the waters of Lake Springfield Samuel’s son, Jacob, took up home near what was called
Brashear’s Cave to the northwest of the mill. That area is now called Sequiota Park. Both later moved to the center of Springfield and Jacob became a noted gunsmith on Olive Street, at the northeast edge of the public square. History notes that many who headed to the California gold fields of 1849 carried a “Jake’s Best” pistol as a preference over others. The “Jake’s Best” was a single shot, long barrel pistol, with the hammer on the underside known as the understriker. Supposedly the absence of a top hammer allowed for a quick, smooth draw. Painter’s rifles were single shots of the “long tom” ball and cap type. Any of his weapons that can still be found are prized among collectors. Jake later moved his shop after he sold his land to make room for the Butterfield Stage. On January 2, 1833 Greene County, Missouri was created with lands separated from Wayne County. Named after the Revolutionary War hero, Nathanael Greene, the new county included most of the lands of southwest Missouri. The first courts were held in the home of John Polk Campbell. In 1835, the settlements at Fulbright and Campbell Springs merged into the city named Springfield. John Polk Campbell provided fifty acres of land for county use, hoping to ensure that Springfield would be named the county seat. In November of 1836, Sydney S. Ingram submitted plans for a brick courthouse to be erected in the center of the public square. The first post office was set up at the store of Junius T. Campbell, and he became the first postmaster. It has been noted that Springfield was named after Springfield, Tennessee; but others point to possibly even Springfield, Massachusetts, while others state it was so named because of the numerous springs in the vicinity. The latter seems the most likely. Most who drive or walk the downtown area may not realize the waterways that run underfoot...but the flooding of certain areas during heavy rains should be a good clue. Jordan Creek, which is the upper tributary of Wilson’s Creek, has its beginning near the Hammons ball field and then dips below the surface into an underground drain tunnel that travels a half mile or so before opening back to the surface on the other side of the downtown area. The large tunnel is accessible and The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks can be contacted for group tours of the tunnel. News of good land traveled fast to families back east and the curious found their way to Springfield in search of better lives. J.C. Tuberville recognized these new citizens wanted to know the happenings here and of what was happening back home. The Ozark Standard newspaper was put to print in 1836, but was later renamed the Ozark Eagle. One of his early stories was likely of the “Osage Wars” that came the winter of 1836. We can only wonder if a banner headline gave rise to an overblown account of the “war”. Bands of the Osage tribe had crossed back over the borders into their old hunting lands in southwest Missouri. Militia were mustered and the show of force resulted in little gunfire and the surrender of several hundred Osage. The following summer another group of Osage would gather near Sarcoxie, Missouri and provide some apprehension to settlers. Troops were again called out and after the Osage assured that there was no evil intent, they dispersed and no bloodshed occurred.
This marker can be found at the southwest corner of the Landmark Building at 309 North Jefferson in Springfield, Missouri
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On February 19, 1838 Springfield was officially incorporated as a city, with a population of approximately 250. That same year, the number would swell, even though very temporarily, as the Cherokee passed through town on their historic march to the reserva-
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tions of Oklahoma. Walking downtown Springfield and looking to the markers denoting the Trail of Tears, one can only wonder the thoughts of the 250 citizens as the mass of humanity trudged through. Progress came on the footsteps of so many others. The Osage Trace had paths through the Springfield area. The Native American trail system was used for migration to and from various hunting grounds in the Ozarks. Roads from St. Louis to Fort Smith, Arkansas had followed that route for some time and parts of the roadway was known to settlers as Military Road. Telegraph lines were stretched along the road in a path from Jefferson City to Springfield in April of 1860, and later to Fort Smith. This would later lead to the road becoming known as the Old Wire Road. Many of the country roads or city streets that now serve the same areas as that stretch of pioneer highway are still named Old Wire Road. The Butterfield Stage route was set to follow the basic path of the old trace and road, and John Butterfield wrapped up his purchase of Jacob Painter’s land to make way for a key stop of the stage line in Springfield. Wagons were changed out there, going from the heavier Concord wagon to the Celerity style. The Concord was fully wood, while the Celerity was lighter and carried a canvas cover, as the lighter style helped them make the rougher trails of the Ozarks and into the western terrain on the journey to California. The first stage passed through Springfield on September 17, 1858 as it headed to California. The return stage came back on its eastbound journey on October 22. As the wheels of history bounced and rolled towards the Civil War, the population of Greene County in 1860 was 11,470 with 1,668 additional people noted as slaves. So, in just over three decades, the landscape had gone from wandering bands of Native Americans to a burgeoning city called Springfield.
Founders Park marks the spot of the natural well that was first settled by John Polk Campbell. Located at 330 East Water Street in Springfield, Missouri. The marker at left is of the first tavern and Butterfield Stage route in Springfield. Can be found at 222 Park Central North.
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First Blood, Last Blood
Springfield, Missouri In The Civil War Major Charles Zagonyi sat astride his Union mount and surveyed the small creek that lay between his men and the slope leading up to Springfield, Missouri. The Confederates lay in wait along the buckbrush and the few trees scattered about Jordan Creek on October 24, 1861. Zagonyi was Hungarian, had fought within several conflicts in Europe, and then had provided himself to the Union armies. He commanded the personal guard of General John C. Fremont, who had brought nearly 20,000 troops from St. Louis to clear southwest Missouri of the rebels. His main contingent was encamped near Bolivar along the Pomme De Terre River, but the general sent Zagonyi and his 300 men of the guard. Headed to join Zagonyi were 100 members of Major Frank White’s “Prairie Scouts” to strike at Springfield.
Confederates and taken to Christian County. It was a short-lived imprisonment, as he was apparently liberated the next day by Union soldiers and sympathizers. This left Zagonyi with just a little over 300 men to face the rebels. Zagonyi nudged his horse forward and ordered the charge. The First Battle of Springfield was underway.
Confederate General Sterling Price had held Springfield, but upon hearing of the large advancing force, he had ordered his men to withdraw from the town. Other rebel troops in the area were apparently unaware of the move and had been moving to join Price at Springfield. Some 1,000 to 2,000 ragtag southern forces lay in wait for Zagonyi along Jordan Creek. Major White’s men strayed from their original path to Springfield in support of Zagonyi, and White was captured by the
Zagonyi’s Charge by unknown artist in the book titled Hungarian America by Géza Kende
Leading To The Charge... The Missouri Patriot was established in Springfield, Missouri in 1864. Published by A.F. Ingram, the newspaper succeeded the Missourian, which in turn had succeeded the Ozark Eagle. A Republican paper, it undoubtedly “streamed” headlines during its first year of the final battles of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln’s re-election. Ingram was the son of a wealthy family, whose holdings had included the Ingram Mill, which operated on the banks of the James River. While it operated east of where Highway 65 now runs, the city street of Ingram Mill Road now runs parallel and west of the highway. The Ozarks’ mills would become a key component in active guerrilla campaigns by both sides of the war. Missouri saw the third most engagements, only behind Tennessee and then Virginia. The total number of actual battles pales in comparison to what Virginia endured, but constant skirmishes brought Missouri’s total engagements to well over 1,200. None touched the level of atrocity as the Bleeding Kansas raids during the years leading up to the Civil War, even when William Clarke Quantrill and his Raiders, or “Bloody” Bill Anderson found their way into the upper border of the Ozarks. But the level of disarray that the war brought to the Ozarks communities was hardly less. The burning of Melville on June 14, 1864 took on the same air of disregard as guerrilla Kincheon “Kinch” West raided the small
town and burned the mill and nearly the whole town to the ground. The town rebuilt after the war, and is now known as Dadeville. Other towns suffered the same fate. So perhaps it was the headlines of Quantrill that made the northern raids far worse, but for the families going through the living hell, there was probably no difference. It mattered not to them the malice behind the attacks, they only saw the death and destruction. Troops, horses and mules had to be fed, and if a mill could not be counted on to supply your side or held within your control, then it became a target for burning to keep supplies out of enemy hands. And when troops returned home between services to care for their families, many became targets of neighbors who were sympathetic to the other side. Many families simply abandoned their farms and homes during parts of the war and headed to more secure counties. The Dred Scott case had foreshadowed the role of Missouri and even Arkansas in the secession movement. With the smoke of the guns from the shots at Fort Sumter still clearing, Arkansas announced its withdrawal from the Union on May 6, 1861. On June 17, the Civil War took its first blood in the Ozarks as Union and Confederate forces clashed at the Battle of Boonville, Missouri. Union forces prevailed in taking control of the area. Interestingly, Missouri never really seceded during the war, nor officially became part of the Confederacy. Even though the Confederates accepted Missouri within their ranks later in 1861, Union forces
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never considered it part of the Confederacy and kept it under Federal control for most of the war. July 5, 1861 saw a Confederate victory at the Battle of Carthage, Missouri. A month later, on August 2, the war crept closer to Springfield as a skirmish occurred between troop movements at Dug Springs near Clever, Missouri. Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon had led his troops out of the safety of Springfield in the hopes of dividing the lines of the southern troops that outnumbered the north at that time. The Confederates retreated at Dug Spring, but on August 10, the combined forces of Confederates killed Lyon at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, and sent Federal troops retreating to Rolla. First blood had been drawn in Greene County and the to-and-fro struggle for control of southwest Missouri was just beginning. The losses at Carthage and at Wilson’s Creek were sore spots with the Union and with President Lincoln. General John C. Fremont oversaw the Missouri Union forces and Lincoln pushed him for results. This would lead to the First Battle of Springfield, but not before Fremont gashed a deep wound into his relationship with Lincoln.
On August 31, 1861, General Fremont ordered martial law in Missouri and made his emancipation proclamation…a year before Lincoln began his move to issue the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Not only did Fremont not consider the repercussions of making policy instead of tending to troop movements, he did not consider that emancipation was still a political hot topic amongst politicians and military leaders of the Union. In October of 1861, Fremont was relieved of his duties. John Charles Fremont (1813-1890) had been a leading explorer for the United States and was often known by his nickname “Pathfinder”. He led several expeditions into what were the wilds of the midwest at the time, and on to the west and northwest. He was often accompanied by Kit Carson and is given credit for naming Nebraska when he listed a large river of the area by its Native American name of “Nebraska” on his reports. The name was later given to the state. Fremont was also avid in his views on anti-slavery. Interestingly, he was aware of the coming loss of duties in Missouri and sought to hide behind his military lines to avoid receiving the dismissal orders. It took two messengers to finally get the orders into his hands.
The Second Battle of Springfield Just as the Union defeat at Wilson’s Creek spurred the Federal forces to seek a win by pushing back into southwest Missouri at the First Battle of Springfield, the Second Battle of Springfield resulted from the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas (also called the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern). Following the liberating of Springfield, Missouri after “Zagonyi’s Charge” in October 1861, General John C. Fremont was relieved of his duties. He had won the battle, but lost the war with President Lincoln. Despite pushing the rebels from Springfield, the Union army left the town largely unattended after that victory. The Union ranks were in disarray under Fremont and it wasn’t until November 9, 1861 that things began to get back on track when Major General Henry W. Halleck took control of the Missouri Union troops. In February of 1862, Halleck ordered General Samuel Curtis to clear the Confederates from southwest Missouri. Curtis marched towards Springfield with over 10,000 men and continued past in pursuit of the Confederate General Price and his men who had withdrew to Arkansas. The Confederates had also had their issues with command in the Ozarks. Major General Earl Van Dorn was put in charge of getting the southern forces back in line. He answered the threat of the approach of Curtis and the Union army with an order for rebel forces to push through the Boston Mountains and look to battle that threat. But even though Van Dorn had 16,000 men available, he apparently pushed them too hard in the cold weather. Both Union and Confederate troops were far from supply lines as they met in
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Twelve markers like these above denote events of the Civil War that occured during the Battle of Springfield, Missouri. Find maps to these at OurOzarks.com/civil-war
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A marker at the southeast corner of the Springfield public square outlines historical dates of the area. Across sits the History Museum on the Square. Below the marker is a dark epitaph to three black men who lost their life at the hands of a lynch mob in 1904. The men were pulled from the local jail and hung and burned by an angry mob seeking vigilante justice for unfounded charges. Charges never stuck against any of the lynch mob. The downtown area was once home to many nice hotels of the time, and almost every one had a corner cigar store or vendor. One can imagine gentlemen sitting back, derby hats tilted back and cigar in their hands as they discussed the future of Springfield. Perhaps it was that wistful sentiment that prompted the naming of one of the Ozarks liquor chains, Brown Derby. Have you tried breakfast at Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe? Once the location of a local drug store, it now serves up great morning breakfast. Who remembers midnight movies on the square? Or sitting in the balcony of the Gilloiz? We will explore more of downtown Springfield at Ourozarks.com
Second Battle of Springfield
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battle at Pea Ridge on March 7, 1862. Curtis and his Union forces prevailed after the two-day battle. Another Union victory followed at Prairie Grove, Arkansas in December. The losses were crushing blows for the Confederate forces. In effort to keep a stand in the Ozarks, Brigadier General John Sappington Marmaduke headed north in an attempt to cut off the supply depot at Springfield. The Confederates swept up and across the Missouri border and overwhelmed Union troops at Lawrence Mill in Douglas County, and then again at Ozark in Christian County. Marmaduke marched on to Springfield with just under 2,000 men. On the other side of the picket lines, Union Brigadier General Egbert B. Brown had only a force of just over 1,300 men‌and many of them were pulled from the sick and injured. Shots started firing in Springfield on the morning of January 8, 1863. Fighting spilled into the streets of Springfield as rebel forces advanced. Intense fighting filled the day, but as darkness finally approached, the Confederates withdrew in defeat. Committed to creating as much havoc as possible, Marmaduke ordered troops to the northeast to destroy telegraph and rail lines. The small garrison of Union troops fled their Sand Springs fort near Marshfield and the rebels set it afire before heading towards the next battle at Hartville, Missouri. Twelve markers can be found within the center section of Springfield that show locations and details of the Second Battle of Springfield. Maps to these markers are available for viewing at Ourozarks.com
We also invite you to visit us at OurOzarks.com starting May 1 as we dig into the history of Springfield and Greene County as they head into the 20th century and beyond. We will also take a look at the history of the mills of Greene County! And look forward to future articles there on specific Civil War battles of the Ozarks! All part of our on weekly chronicles OUR OZARKS HIGHWAYS & BYWAYS
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Look for our next issue coming out in June!
Great Outdoors: Paddling & Boating The Ozarks
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Milkshakes Burgers Steaks Fries Hand Battered Mushrooms Salads Eggs Omelets Pancakes Biscuits & Gravy Chocolate Gravy!
Tales from the booth... finding the icons and menus of the Ozarks
Chocolate Gravy? Get any farther north of the Arkansas border than a county or so, and you may find it hard to talk to anyone who knows about chocolate gravy. If you are like me, biscuits smothered with sausage gravy is not just breakfast, but a meal. And chocolate gravy probably sounds like a dessert item…but that would be chocolate sauce, right? Chocolate gravy is ladled up over biscuits as a breakfast treat, or perhaps at a Sunday dinner as dessert treat, but it is treated like gravy, not sauce. Chefs (or grandma) will tell you that when you thicken up a sauce with roux (butter and flour for those who do not find their way around the kitchen) that you are making gravy. But chocolate gravy is not usually made from a roux base, although you can
thicken it by starting it with the same approach. Southerners began makin’ chocolate gravy and soppin’ it up with their biscuits some time ago. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America suggests that the breakfast choice probably originated from traders working their way up through the Appalachians from Spanish Louisiana and the Tennessee Valley. The encyclopedia also suggests that it might had origins from Spanish colonies on the East Coast of the U.S. in the 16th and 17th centuries by the ethnic group known as the Melungeons. Melungeons are a mystery of their own. Dark-skinned mountaineers that are told to have been descendants of shipwrecked Portuguese sailors, or gypsies. Others suggest they are of a mix of European, African and Native American ancestry. Some derivatives of mole sauce in Mexico entail the addition of chocolate, so those recipes may have made their way up from south of the border and mixed their way into the gravy recipes of the south. Or maybe some resourceful grandmother, in a time that sweets were a luxury, used what was available for a treat for the grandkids. And a can of Hershey’s powder happened to be in the cupboard. Whoever is responsible, they did a good thing. Chocolate gravy has its fans, and like all recipes, there are those who give it a shrug. Give me mom’s sausage gravy and biscuits, and breakfast is complete, but an occasional serving of the chocolate gravy and biscuits is a welcome treat. Unlike gravy, the sugar is the key to thickening chocolate gravy. You can change up the flavor as well and go with a spicier taste by mixing in a bit of ground chile to take on the flavor of a Mexican mole sauce. Others add a bit of cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon perhaps).
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Chocolate Gravy
Ingredients 1/4 cup cocoa powder 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups whole milk 3 tablespoons butter Melt butter in a large skillet, or saucepan. While melting, mix your cocoa, sugar, flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly add this to the melted butter. It will be approached as you are mixing a roux, but a little less gravy making skill required as the sugar does provide the thickening agent, rather than a true roux. Add the milk slowly and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat,
stirring continuously until it thickens. You can add your vanilla now as well (vanilla is not critical, so up to your preference). Serve the warm gravy with biscuits or pancakes or waffles.
KEEP TURNING THE PAGE FOR OUR SPRING ANTIQUE GUIDE Including REVITALIZATION....REEDS SPRING, MISSOURI REPURPOSE...OZARK CHIMING CYLINDERS
o t e d s i a u e l G F & ks s e u r q i a z ‘T O e h in t Reeds Spring, Missouri
Stone County
History of Reeds Spring Had it not been for a steep ol’ Ozark hillside, there may not be a story to tell of Reeds Spring, Missouri. The historic downtown area is centered about a spring. The spring is noted as having a flow of one million gallons of water per day, which doesn’t place it anywhere towards the top in the Ozarks, and at times, the spring can be a mere trickle. But for what it lacks in measurable, Reeds Spring has immeasurable amounts of quaintness. Fitzhugh was given a land grant on the area of the spring in 1875, and served as a Justice of the Peace in Stone County. At that time, there was no town at the spring. The closest thing to such was up the hill along the Old Wilderness Road at Linchpin Camp. A post office was later added for the area and named for Ruth, the daughter of postmaster William Steele. Ruth no longer exists as a town, but plat maps carry it as the name of the township for the area. Joseph Philibert, one of the early settlers of southwest Missouri, had managed the operations of a trade camp at Delaware Town during the 1820s. The camp was near the confluence of Wilson’s Creek at the James River in what is now Christian County, Missouri. William Gilliss, a fur trader who married into the local tribes, and would later establish the early parts of Kansas City, ran the trade business with the Delaware Tribe.
SOFT ICE CREAM TASTY SANDWICHES
POP’S DARI DELL
MENU TASTY SODAS & FANCY SUNDAES
“HOME OF THE TWIST” Just Northwest of Historic Downton Reeds Spring on Hwy 413 Closed Tuesdays (417) 272-8290
When the tribe was relocated to the Kaw River in 1830, near present day Kansas City, Gilliss followed. Philibert went as well, but after two years he returned to the Ozarks and settled on a farm near the bald mountain named after him. If you look to the island near Joe Bald Park in Kimberling City, that is said to be the top of Joe Bald Mountain. This would also have been where the James met the White River prior to the construction of Table Rock Lake. Philibert was instrumental in the push to establish the Old Wilderness Road which ran from Berryville, Arkansas to Green Forest and then on to Maybry’s (aka Mayberry) Ferry at Radical, Missouri (now Kimberling City), then through Linchpin Campground (now Branson West) and then through Dutch Store (Highlandville) and on to Springfield.
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Visit The Historic Downtown Philibert and Nathaniel Kimberling recognized the need to establish a trade route to Springfield to connect goods with the railroad lines being constructed there. Philibert worked with Nathaniel’s son, William Wesley Kimberling, to have the old Indian paths and pioneer trails cleared into a roadway. Plans began before 1860, but the Civil War created a temporary hold on work. After the war, Philibert and Kimberling brought in war veterans to help conclude construction. Kimberling constructed a store at his home along the road, and in 1874 a post office was granted for that location and named Radical. That name would later be changed to Kimberling City. The Old Wilderness Road served as a regular route along cattle drives even up until the 1930s, as cattle and horses were taken through Reeds Spring, either on their way south, or up from Texas on their way to St. Louis or Chicago, or over to Kansas City. This included the cattle of the Reed family, some of who rotated their residence back and forth between Missouri and Texas. But we have digressed…what about that steep hillside and Reeds Spring? Construction began on a railroad line from Carthage, Missouri to Batesville, Arkansas in 1902. The White River Division of the St. Louis Iron Mountain and Southern Railway took five years to complete across the rugged landscape. Rails were being laid both from both ends. The southern end came past the historical landscape written about by Harold Bell Wright and from the north it passed through the county seat of Galena. Just east of Reeds Spring was a steep hillside that blocked the way, with no easy way over or around. A tunnel had to be constructed. Laborers blasted and picked their way from both ends of the hill to create the 2,904-foot-long tunnel. W.E. McCullah constructed a general store in 1902 to serve the influx of railroad workers and other businesses followed, including the restaurant of Mose Andoe that featured his chili. A town began to form. In 1906, Reeds Spring was officially incorporated as a city and the name taken from the early settler, Fitzhugh Reed. Tourist traffic to the Ozarks was quickly on the heels of the railway, due much in part to the 1907 work of Harold Bell Wright called Shepherd of the Hills. Travelers were seeking out Old Matt at the Garber post office, or Uncle Ike down at the Notch post office, or heading to the White River for fishing. The creation of Lake Taneycomo in 1912 only helped increase traffic to the region.
Talking Rocks Cavern now draws visitors. During its heyday, the Stone-Taney County area boasted over sixty canneries. Tomatoes were the main product line for canneries, and the local farmers were more than willing to “prospect” for that red gold. Roy Nelson and Frank Mease headlined the names of cannery owners in Stone County, and Bob Emerson would be the last when his closed in 1968. Mease was a colorful character, not only running canneries, but also a firm believer in healthy living and farming. He wrote for health magazines and to show off his health and longevity, Mease would often have his son drive him around town while he stood on top of his head on a chair in the back of the truck. Family stories are even told of his love of sunbathing, and even plowing while wearing nothing but his boots. Nelson stood atop his field. His meager beginnings were rooted in Rogers, Arkansas where he canned apples and peaches with his brother-in-law in 1902. He moved to Webster County, Missouri and operated there for a decade before he moved his operations to Stone County in 1912. By 1920, Nelson owned fifteen canning factories within Stone, Taney and Douglas counties. He was reputed to be the world’s largest individual canner, gaining him the nickname of “Canning King of the Ozarks”. In 1926, the Joplin Globe declared Stone County the world’s greatest producer of tomatoes with nineteen canning factories and production of 600 train carloads a year worth over a million dollars.
The beginning or the end? Nelson didn’t live to see the results of the Great Depression. His death in 1929 coincided with the start of the financial turn for the country, as well as for Reeds Spring and Stone County.
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SPRING STREET ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES
But the real boon to Reeds Spring was the railroad tie business and the numerous canning factories that came into production. Although hard labor and with long hours, work was available to tie tackers (cutting of timbers into railroad ties) and to cannery laborers. Old photos show wagons loaded with ties crowding the streets about the spring as tie buyers walked about to appraise prices. Men, women and even children packed the canneries.
17 Spring Street Reeds Spring, MO 65737 417-239-7965
Red Gold! Waldo Powell is often noted as having the first cannery in Stone County in 1895, just up the road from Reeds Spring near where
Clarice Curl/Judy Thornton
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Reeds Spring History
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Demand for the canned goods increased during World War II, but unfortunately Missouri suffered through droughts as the Dust Bowl raged in Oklahoma. The demand for soldiers was evident as well when you look to the names laid out in the bricks of the old Reeds Spring school and the rolls of graduating classes left lacking for the names of young men who had headed off to war. The Workers Progress Administration (WPA) created jobs during the depression. One of the projects was the construction of the Reeds Spring school in 1936. The building is currently under renovation as a community center. The close of the war ended the demand for Stone County’s tomatoes as the larger farms of flatter lands took over, and the warmer climates of California and Florida ramped up productions. Things took a turn for the better in the 50s. In 1958, a dam was completed and Table Rock Lake began to draw crowds for fishing and soon…entertainment! The Old Wilderness Road was a highway now, a fast lane for tourists out of Springfield and beyond. The Baldknobbers were no longer a menace, rather they were then known as a music sensation for the Ozarks. And in 1960, Silver Dollar City opened just down the road. Fishermen made their way down past Dinky’s Diner and to the waters around Cape Fair and Kimberling City. As the entertainment increased at Branson, it seemed only logical that Reeds Spring would continue to reap the benefits as well. But MoDot had other plans. Progress has its costs, and often it has sacrifices as well. In 2003, the Highway 13 Bypass was completed that connected Branson West to 160 at a point north of Reeds Spring…thus removing traffic from historic downtown Reed Spring. And the dollars went with the traffic.
Revitalization Reeds Spring is well worth the trip through the loop that takes you off Highway 13 and back up to Branson West. Antiques and vintage décor await in multiple shops, or dinner and drinks at Papouli’s, or grab a slice of deliciousness at nationally praised Reeds Spring Pizza, or family breakfast and dining at Suzie’s Midtown Café, and who can resist a burger or ice cream cone at the longtime crowd favorite of Pop’s Dari Dell!
Mike Collins stands with giclee print that is being raffled in Reeds Spring as part of fund raising for the community center. The building was a WPA works project in 1936 and previously served as the Reeds Spring school. Collins previously served as a teacher at Reeds Spring schools and has now taken charge of renovations of the old building. The original painting was done by Harry Louis Freund, a muralist, as part of WPA arts jobs creation project and is part of the Smithsonian collection. It currently hangs in the offices of Senator Roy Blunt in Washingsont, D.C. Freund was born in Clinton, Missouri and attended both the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Washington University in St. Louis. He traveled to Paris as part of foreign travel study, and on his return he worked for a short time in New York City before beginning his work with the WPA. As part of that work, Freund travelled the Ozarks to paint the culture of the region in an effort to preserve before it vanished. Freund’s work can also be seen within what is known as “ghost murals” of buildings in several towns, including Eureka Springs. Raffle tickets for the print are available at Spring Street Antiques in Reeds Spring, as well as other locations in the area.
Reeds Spring now and then when the Bush Hotel still stood along the historic downtown area of Reeds Spring, Missouri
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Legend of the Lost silver mines. If you have ever visited Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri you may have wondered why they picked themes that center on lost and flooded silver mines. No one ever hit a large silver strike in the Ozarks, right? Well...years ago, in the early 1800s, a bag of silver was laid upon the desk of land offices in Springfield, Missouri as payment for some remote hillside in Stone County. After a look, the bag was shoved back across the desk with the claim that it had to be counterfeit. Arguments went back and forth between the men until the silver was finally sent off to be tested…only to come back that the silver was finer then what the U.S. government was minting! “How do you have such?” they asked. The man stated that it had came from a man that had traded for a silver mine owned by the Indians and the man had been minting the coins himself. That man was Solomon Yokum (the last name is synonymous with one of the earliest settlers of the Ozarks and has variations on the spelling from Yoachum, to Yoachem, to Yokum, and Yocum… but for easy reference we will keep it as Yocum). Yocum and his three brothers (James, Jesse and Mike) had settled areas of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri after the War of 1812. They were often noted as pillars of their communities and had amassed farm, swine and cattle holdings and operated mills. But most of those memories have been forgotten in the shadow of the tale of the Yocum Silver Dollar. In defense of those Yocum brothers, mining has flourished in the Ozarks at one time or another. But it wasn’t for gold, or even silver. It was for lead and zinc, and clay for pottery, and a few other minerals. Missouri has been ranked as high as 8th in silver production. However, don’t expect to strike it rich by finding a vein of silver running through your property. Ozarks silver production is a residual product of lead, zinc and copper mining as a trace mineral. Only through heavy refining can you produce silver from these hills. This means that you would mine a ton of rock to gain 100 pounds of lead, and if lucky perhaps gain enough silver for a single coin. But in much of the manner of how treasure lore perpetuates itself, believers would say “you’re telling me there’s a chance, right?” There was a time when stories of gold and silver strikes cried out from the Ozarks’ hills. As the gold and silver rushes out west began to calm down in the 1800s, the lead and zinc mines in our region were ramping up. Lead and zinc had already been mined from the eastern areas of Missouri prior to the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, but it was being discovered in ever greater quantities in other spots as well, and the Ozarks gained the nod as a top producer in the world. But greed likely helped spur stories of shinier metals being found.
Images at top right are of some of the Yoachum Silver Dollars that finally found their way into daylight during the 1920s and then again in the 1980s
Yocum Silver Dollar Sham mine assayers returned from the gold fields (if they even worked in those areas) and helped scam artists build up claims of gold and silver strikes. This continued well through the lead and zinc booms of the late 1800s. The January 18, 1894 issue of the Ozark County News had this report: “L.D. Haskins, of the west part of the county, was in town Saturday. He says the gold mines on Pond Fork are looming up. Large bodies of land have been entered by a company formed for that purpose, and it is said to be positively known that there is something valuable in the ore being taken out there. The value, from assays made, is places at $80 per ton. We hope their wildest dreams may be realized.” Lorenzo Dow Haskins was a respected member of the community and acting judge. Many communities were taken in by crooked assayers and land dealers. Luckily, the Ozark County attempt did not take firm roots. To understand on how the legend of the Yocum Silver Dollar rings true, let’s understand a little of how the U.S. mint was working in the early 1800s. Congress passed the first coinage act in 1792. During those early years of our mint, gold and silver were rare commodities in the states, so our forefathers allowed Spanish coins to be legal tender for a time and that rule would follow until later gold strikes provided reserves that allowed great minting of our own coin. During this period, it was often the case that private minters would melt down gold and silver in production of their own coinage. This practice was not forbidden, as long as the metals were found to be of proper quality. There were often incidents of counterfeit metals, often a mix of lessor metals with gold or silver. Zinc was a relatively new element to those early miners and often referred to as “Ozark Silver”, so it is easy to imagine that it became part of early counterfeiting efforts. As long as we use money, there will always be those who attempt to counterfeit. Another account of fraud was written in the Douglas County Herald (Ava, Missouri) in 1890 that read: “The U.S. Marshal made a ride on the southwestern part of the county and carried away Levi Bozarth and his son. They are charged with making and passing counterfeit silver dollars. W.J. Campbell, Wm. Lyon, George Johnson, and W.E. Riebards went to Springfield last Sunday as witnesses.” Just a few years earlier, millionaire Mathias Splitlog, a Wyandotte Indian, fell for a fake mine in McDonald County, Missouri. The
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Yocum Silver Dollar Continued from Page 22 impetus to his “Splitlog Line” railroad venture was the assay reports of gold and silver in the county. Splitlog felt he could bring prosperity to his people through the construction of a railroad from Joplin to Neosho, and on to Splitlog (just southwest of Goodman, MO). The dream was to continue the line on to Cuyuga, Oklahoma. But the gold and silver assay was a scheme bent on separating Mathias from his money and the final leg to Cuyuga never developed. A lot can be said, and has been said, of the Yocum Silver Dollar throughout the years. Every few years the story hits the message boards of numismatist societies and another round of debate ensues as to the history and truth of the legend. Of course, one of the bigger questions is always “where are the old coins now”? Not a single Yocum Dollar had been presented since Solomon and his brothers passed away. That supposedly changed in the 1920s. The Springfield Daily Leader published an article in 1923 that reported that a Yocum Dollar had been found. Another article in 1926 notes that a Yocum was being displayed at the Missouri capitol, but the whereabouts of the coin(s) are unknown today. Later, Artie Ayers of Reeds Spring reported that the find in 1923 was by his father and that five coins were found. Ayers ran with the story and operated the “Lost Silver Mine Outdoor Drama” that was based on the legend Ayres is worth noting as a military veteran and was mayor of Branson West and a civic leader in the community, as well as the first president of the Ozark Writers League and served as president of the White River Historical Society at one time. While drama is often greater than life, Ayers left his own trail of silver. A great theory was brought up by Lynn Morrow in a 1985 article for the White River Valley Historical Quarterly that could explain why a Yocum Dollar would have existed. But what about those dollars that have been found? A total of nine other coins have been reported over the years. One, known as the William Bradley specimen, was reportedly given to Mr. Brandley in 1921 by his great grandmother. Eight coins were reported as unearthed from beneath a bluff by Don Webb and Raymond Jones in 1982 and told to have been inside a “rotting leather bag with a crucifix”. Interestingly, all the reported coins are of the same die cast markings noting “United States of American” and “1 Dollar” to the one side, and on the reverse “Yoachum 1822” and 13 stars. In 1983, J.R. Blunk claimed the discovery of the original dies. So let us backtrack a bit…“you’re telling me there’s a chance, right?” The tales of lost Indian or Spanish silver mines are great tourist stories. But there is no credible evidence of their existence in the Ozarks. But there was Indian silver. When the Delaware tribe agreed to treaties with the United States, not only did they agree to move to areas along the James River of southwest Missouri, but they also agreed restitution in the form of annuities….yearly payments in silver and other goods and services. But why would the Yocum brothers need to remint that government silver if they had acquired it from the Delaware?
Back to Morrow’s theory. John Campbell was the Indian sub-agent for southwest Missouri during the Delaware tribe’s stay in the Ozarks. In 1822, he made reports noting “Solomon Yoachum has erected a distillery…and has made a quantity of peach brandy and has been selling it for some time in quantities to the Indians. There is a number of those outlaw characters all below him who are selling whiskey constantly to the Indians.” His reports included his orders to remove John Denton and Solomon Yoachum from the reservation. Yoachum merely moved a little farther down the James. While the trading posts along the James River were seeking trade in furs and pelts, silver was a welcome payment for any good or service. But if you are illegally trading alcohol to the natives, how better to disguise the government silver than to remint it as your own coin. Similar tales of silver mines and coin have been told throughout the Ozarks. Brown’s Cave in Douglas County, Missouri owes its name to Tom Brown. Isaac Fleetwood had lived in the cave while building his home around 1830, and in turn, Tom Brown would live in the cave next and build his own cabin on the surrounding land. Family stories revolve for both the Browns and Fleetwoods having secret silver mines and the minting of their own coin. Reports even surfaced of the molds being found later. The “Lost Huntsville Silver Mine” follows a similar vein in Arkansas. Two men supposedly found a silver mine in Bear Creek Hollow and using wooden molds, they cast silver dollars. They were later supposedly convicted of counterfeiting after refusing to divulge the location of the mine. On their release, others hoped that the location of the mine would be discovered, but the men disappeared to California. In Kentucky, there is the legend of the “Sprinkle Dollar”, the maker being one Josiah Sprinkle who claimed his silver for his coins came from a western mine. The “Lost Louisiana Mine” of Arkansas has made the legend circuit since the Victorian era and seems to wander in its potential location from the Quachita Mountains or even up into the Boston Mountains of the Ozarks. Listen to the tales and you would discover that there must be silver everywhere in the Ozarks. So, you’re telling me there’s a chance?
REEDS SPRING UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday, May 20 Cajun Days........Crawdad Boil and more! Saturdy, June 3rd 13th Annual Music Festival
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Growing Up Hillbilly near Branson, Missouri
by Betty Perkins White
Betty Perkins White introduces herself with her first book GROWING UP HILLBILLY NEAR BRANSON, MISSOURI A great-grandmother, White is comes from five generations of family in the Reeds Spring, Missouri area. White brings you along on a journey through the Ozarks. You ride along as her ancestors wind through the history of the region, and in particular, Reeds Spring, Missouri. The story is told through the experiences of her grandparents and parents, and intertwines their daily lives with historical facts. The personal experiences keep the reader in step with the events as they happened, and allow you to feel the life they lived. The story begins in 1907, the year that Harold Bell Wright brought us Shepherd of the Hills. Only fitting as the story within that classic occurred not far from the Yocum Pond Cemetery where many of White’s ancestors rest in peace. Reeds Spring, and Stone County in general, are small places on the road maps, but carry a huge weight of the Ozarks history. Many of the familiar family names of the eastern parts of the Missouri Ozarks found their way to the James River, and then drifted south along the White River, or headed north along the James (often called the Jeems). The juncture of the two river ways became a nexus for growth into southwest Missouri, and when Table Rock Lake flooded the valleys, Stone and Taney County became major influences on the growth of the region. Hillbilly is not a term that endears itself to me. But within White’s book, it is term of endearment. Growing Up Hillbilly reads with the flow of historical fiction, but gives you an understanding of events that were truly occurring. Stories told to Betty, and of her own memories, are true to the hills and nature of life and she brings the anecdotal story to life. Where Shepherd of the Hills stopped, Betty Perkins White continues the timeline of history for us. This book by Betty Perkins White can be found on Amazon or at BalboaPress.com, or you can also purchase at Spring Street Antiques in Reeds Spring.
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REPURPOSE
Beating to a different drum
Ozark Chiming Cylinders
Cameron Campbell works on an OC2 Chiming Drum Most of us are familiar with the propane tanks that fuel backyard barbecue grills. These same gray canisters that we tote to the nearest exchange location on a warm, sunny day after forgetting they were almost empty during the last cookout. Most of us would not look upon them as anything else. Cameron Campbell, however, sees decorative colors and hears music coming from them. Cameron, along with his wife Bonnie George-Campbell, runs Ozark Chiming Cylinders as a hobby turned part-time business. What is produced are metal hand drums that produce a wonderful musical blend. What is unique is that what you or I may consider trash, is re-purposed into the musical treasure. In 2002, new laws mandated that propane canisters have OPDs (over-fill prevention devices) that prevent gas leaks during refilling of the tanks. This, coupled with the fact that any tank older than 12 years cannot legally be refilled, made the old tanks obsolete. Even though a tank can be refitted with an OPD, many found themselves tucked away in the dusty corners of sheds or garages. The goal of OC2 (pseudonym for Ozark Chiming Cylinders), is to convert those tanks into metal tongue drums.
Cameron first became acquainted with the instrument after seeing a similar instrument in 2013. The Hang drum was a percussion instrument developed by Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer in Bern, Switzerland. Derived from the steelpan drums that are native to the Caribbean, the design is basically taking two metal pans together to form a UFO shaped instrument. Indentions of various size are made within the metal, creating points for the making of various notes. Cameron came across the instrument during a late night YouTube session brought on by a bout of insomnia. He decided he had to have one. Unfortunately, Cameron found the Hang drum to be fairly expensive and buyers were placed upon a waiting list, and even if fortunate enough to be selected to purchase, the buyer had to travel to Europe to make the purchase as no shipments were made to the U.S. As Cameron states, “I am a middle-class kind of man with bills to pay like most people, so I couldn’t justify spending that kind of money for an instrument. I actually became angry that this type of instrument was not more available to everyone.”
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What is a metal tongue drum?
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CHRISTIAN COUNTY, MO Explore Shopping in Ozark Highlandville
p r e pa r e
t o
Explore Chiming Cylinders
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That frustration became an impetus to research alternative instruments and the musician discovered “tank drums”, also known as “steel tongue drums”. Dennis Havlena is given credit as for being the father of tank drums, also called Hank drums (a combination of Hang and tank). He shared the same frustration as Cameron in obtaining a Hang drum and had set about designing the tank drum. Adversity is not a stranger to Cameron, it is what turned him to music as a child. Growing up with Cerebral Palsy, the young boy found it hard to join the other children outside for normal childhood play. Much of his time was spent with his love of music: “I discovered that music was the one thing that came easily for me, especially being able to hear it in ways most people clearly don’t” “Doctors had even said it was part of the way my brain works differently due to that neuro thing. I discovered I can listen to music and then play it on the piano almost instantly,” recalls Cameron. The musician taught himself to play multiple instruments and played brass in school before moving on to percussions, and also enjoys singing. “The day I finished it I took it to a drum circle event scheduled that same evening. People seemed to be pretty amazed with it! Several contacted me to inquire about making one for them. So I eventually decided to start a small business doing it. Because it was the price of that first instrument that caused my upset enough to create an alternative, I made a personal mission to keep the prices of my chime drums in a range that nearly anyone can afford. We continue to have about the best prices available for the quality of what I make.”
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So how is a propane tank converted to a chime drum?
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Chiming Cylinders
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Cameron explains: “Due to the potential danger involved in working with used propane cylinders, most people make these drums from new tanks. They don’t have to deal with the fire danger nor the smell of the propane having infused with the steel. I choose to use legally obsolete, used tanks because removing them from the environment is something I enjoy doing. We have achieved federal acknowledgment as a green company on that aspect alone! When a cylinder has aged 12 years or more they must have the fill valve replaced and be pressure inspected and re-certified to continue to be refilled. This process costs as much as buying a new cylinder so most don’t bother. The obsolete cylinders are left in the land fill or out in the environment. Many recyclers don’t care to work with them due to the explosive dangers.” OC2 starts with these used and abused cylinders. Three sizes of drums make up the inventory, with choices depending on how portable one would want the drum to be, and the sustaining ring time of the notes. All are made with either one scale or two, with the double scale drums using both the top and bottom of the cylinder as a drum head.
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Cameron explains how the musical tone is achieved: “Once we know what the notes on the drum will be, how many notes will be and the size of the instrument, I can do the extensive process of preparing the cylinder to be a chime drum. After the cylinder is cleaned up and paint and corrosion free on the outside, I draw the shapes of the “tongues” where they will be cut on the drum head(s) which is the bottom of the cylinder and the top of it if it is a dual scale. There is quite a bit of science that goes into what notes and scales to use and what works well for this kind of instrument.”
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Cutting the tongues and tuning them is a process that requires patience and focus. Tuning them to the proper notes is accomplished by controlling the weight of the tongue at the vibrating end. Fine tuning them is an art in of itself. Cameron notes that many people who make this kind of instrument avoid painting them because it is extremely challenging to fine tune the weight of the tongue to account for the weight of the paint…that will change the pitch!
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Outstanding sound can only be achieved when the notes are in perfect tune. Is it exact? Cameron states just how much: “Oh yes! Some customers even ask me to tune them to a very specific frequency such as 432hz! Once they are cut and tuned, the rest is “body and paint” work. I do all of my own paint and art work. There are a multitude visual textures and color combinations! Each chime drum is an individual work of art! The only way to paint the same thing twice would be to do them in one solid color… which has never been done by me. When the drum is finished, Bonnie makes a custom matching set of mallets for it.” The drums can be played with finger tips or mallets, but OC2 includes one set of mallets with each drum. The company also makes wind chimes and bells, but Cameron is quick to point out that they are rare compared to the chime drums. Cameron has no plans to leave his career at O’Reilly, but notes he could really use help in the shop. “I love my job and it also provides benefits like health
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(417) 324-6714
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COOKIE'S ANTIQUE WORLD 8180 Hwy 160 South. Highlandville, Missouri (417) 443-5000 Hours Mon-Fri: 9AM - 5:30PM Sat: 9AM - 6:00PM Sun: 10AM - 5:30PM Open 362 Days A Year! 8000 Square feet of Antiques & Collectibles with over 80 booths! A traditional Highway 160 stop for antique shoppers since 1999!
Over the years it has been our pleasure to serve our customers locally and those who visit from states near and far. It is our sincere hope that when you visit us your experience will be one that encourages you to return. Our personal love of antiques creates an at home feel to our mall and promotes a relaxed and welcoming atmoshpere. You are cordially invited to Cookie's Antique World to shop, browse, or just to visit.
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GREENE COUNTY, MO Explore Shopping in Springfield Rogersville
Chiming Cylinders
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insurance and such for my family. It will be a good while before I grow OC2 enough to cover all of that. As time becomes more available I would like to add more machines and tools to the shop that will decrease the amount of time required to make the drums. I also have visions of getting a building separate from my house and perhaps creating a few jobs for people.� There may be a dozen or fewer places to get a steel tongue drum. And while it is nearly impossible to patent an acoustic instru-
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ment, a person can patent a process in manufacturing. OC2 has applied for such a patent on the way the drums are reassembled, in a process that uses no heat. Using no heat is important because both the outside and inside of the drums are painted to prevent internal corrosion. Using a heat source, such as welding, would destroy that internal paint finish. Cameron believes he is the only person who approaches the manufacture of chime drums in his manner, and he takes pride in keeping the instruments unique and beautiful. He quotes one of his customers: “Those drums (other companies) have no soul!”
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Cameron agrees, noting: “I pour a huge amount of love, know-how, passion, and care into every instrument I make. The sound of my chime drums amazes people! They also have a visual beauty that makes them recognizable as “That HAS to be an OC2 drum!” I have heard from customers who met each other at a music event of some sort and they automatically know, “That’s from OC2!” I live to hear those stories! My personal mantra that drives my drum shop is, “The Stradivarius of Chime Drums”. They don’t leave my work bench until I am ready to declare, “I’d buy this drum if I wasn’t the one who made them!” Cameron, his wife Bonnie, and their grandson, live in Ozark, Missouri after moving there from California in 2012. He is a replenishment analyst for O’Reilly Corporation in Springfield in the purchasing department. As he puts it: “We are a family of three humans, two dogs, one cat, and multiple fish”. They are also manufacturers of quality and beautiful chime drums.
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Baxter Springs
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Roderique’s Antique Gallery J. H. Roderique 417-859-4408
Marshfield, Missouri
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Selling unique hand blown antique glassware and other small collectibles. We carry bottles from the Civil War era; ranging from $20.00-$100.00. We also have in stock some beautiful glass bowls and vases that would make great center pieces for a holiday party. Like us on Facebook!
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