THE LAKE OF THE OZARKS REGION, MISSOURI: A STUDY IN RECREATIONAL GEOGRAPHY Thesis for the Degree of M. A. MICHEGAN STATE UN’EVERSETY Robert Sidney Vogel 1957 .? [HEI\ THE LIKE CF THE ZARIE RE GICN', LISJCURI: S”iDY IN RECI EATICNA CGRAIHY ". A By ALBAT SIDZ‘IEY ch L AN'ABBTRACT Submitted to the College of SuIfilUJ AND ARTS Lichigen State University of Agriculture and ueplled Science in partial fulfillment of tne requirements for the degree of Tfifim7u h fi_ fi Inna.) L443 J: 432T.) Department of GEDGRAlHY 1957 Approved _3;;_;5 RCBGLT SIDNEY VOGEL .| h r‘vmv 4 THESIS AnolAACT Since the end of World Jar II, the area surrounding the Lake of the Ozarks of hissouri has become one of the out- standing recreational centers of the Middle Western United States. It has been estimated that nearly five million people, most of whom were tourists or resorters, visited the region during 1955. Reasons for the develognent of this area as a recreat— ional center are many and varied; perhaps the most inlortant being, this region is part of the northernmost penetration of the Ozark Highland into the populous prairie areas of the hiddlewest. To the north, east, and west are plains unrelieved by hills, forests, or large water bodies suitable for recreational activity. Coupled with this somewhat monotonous landscape are a number of large population centers (St. Louis, Chicago, Des hoines, Omaha, Kansas City, Wichita, etc.) within a one-day automobile drive of the Lake; residing within a 500 mile radius are approximately forty—five million people. Thus, the region offers a potential vacation land to nearly one-fourth of the population of the United States. The Lake itself is without doubt the most important single attraction for the recreationist. Fo~ned by danming the entrenched meandering Osage River, its winding configur- l D.) ROBERT SIDNEY VCGEL ation and many tributary streams afford a total shoreline in excess of 1,300 miles although its length is only a little over 125 miles. Associated in the same general area with the Lake are many large springs and small rivers and creeks. These Water bodies, so different from thoee of the prairies, and the local topography with its nany karst engressicns and rugged hills, offer the touring or resorting Visitor a rather conplete change from his norhal everyday environhent. In order to acconnodate th recreational visitor nunirous facilities heve been developed. From an economic and l4ndscape dominance stanépcin the host ingortant of these have been lodging and resort suodivision developnents. Connercial lodging for over 15,000 visitors '3 now eVLllbblc, and tell in excess of hOO subdivisions for cottages have bien platted and are in various stages of development. host of these structures are designed to serve the middle and lower- niddle income groups which comprise the largest portion of all visitors. Among other establishments catering to the recre tionists are cafes, restaurants, dance hells, taverns, and many specialized services designed to exploit special natural features of the region. Concentration of recreational facilities has occured in only a few sections of the region. The major factor influencing the location of these concentrations appears to be accessibility. Since most tourists enter the area by car, ROBERT SIDNEY VOGEL the region owes its recreational development nainly to the advent of the automobile and good roads. This being the case, most concentrations of facilities are along portions of the Lake's shore that are readily accessible by car. Second to accessibility, nearness to a tourist or resorter source appears to be the most important locative factor; that is, given two areas on the Lake with the same physical character- istics and a like degree of accessibility, the area nearest the user's home is the most thoroughly utilized. In this particular region, perhaps as a result of little outstand- ingly spectacular scenery, special attractions serve only as secondary reasons for concentration. Resort construction at drowned tributary mouths along the shore-line is especially marked. This appears to be the result primarily of early accessibility at these places due to the existence of roads to valley farms prior to lake construction. The bases for the develognent of this area as a recreational region appear to be sound; and barring unfore- seeable circumstances -- changes in aims of recreationists, major war, depression, etc. -- it should continue to increase in magnitude of development and number of users. THE LAKE OF THE OZARKS REGION, MISSOURI: A STUDY IN RECREATIONAL GEOGRAPHY By ROBERT SIDNEY VOGEL A THESIS Submitted to the College 0: SCIENCE AND ARTS Michigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of EASTER OF ARTS Department 61' GEOGRAPHY 1957 PREFACE Although I have not been a resident for nearly ten years, the fact that I was reared in the Lake of the Ozarks Region was responsible for my initial interest in the geo- graphy of the area. The relatively recent recreational development of the region provided a particularly interesting thesis subject: f the Recreational Geography of the area. In order to write a thesis of this type, the assist- ance of a great many people was enlisted. An enumeration of all of those who assisted and contributed to this work would be practically impossible. However, there were a number of people who were especially helpful. Among those to whom I am most indebted are the members of the geography faculty of Michigan State University. Professor 3.0. Prephct, the chairman of my thesis committee and Professors 0.1.. Vingc and LE. Summers assisted in every stage of my work and very oftcn imported- to me many valuable ideas. The accomplishment of my fieldwork was greatly facilitated by many residents of the Lake of the Ozarks Region. Especially valuable assistance was given by W. Wilkerson of Gamdcnton, Missouri and R. Roberts of Edwards, Missouri. Among the officials of the State of Missouri who 11 aided in my research were L. Kennon of the Missouri Resources and Development Commission, J. Jaeger, State Park Director, and many others who were members of the State Conservation Commission, the State Geological Survey, and various other State agencies. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to acknowledge my obligation to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. P.E. Vogel of Climax Springs, Missouri with whom I lived while engaged in field work for this thesis. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION......... ‘ Statement of Problem . . . . IMethods of Investigation . . Definition of Terms General 0.0 e e o e e 0 Regional Location . . Regional Boundaries . Recreational Sub-regions Physical Features . . . Physiography . . . . . Hydroeraphy Climate O O O O O Biotic Characteristics Cultural Features . . . 0 II. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REGION Transportation . . . . . . . . . General Economic Characteristics The Recreationist . . The Local Residents III. General e e e o e e e e e The Headwaters Area . . . . . iv REGIONAL RECREATIONAL PATTERNS . . . . . . . . Page QWmQQQQWWHH wwaNNNI-‘HH O\O\J-“O\O\»\n\0ml-4 37 CHAPTER Page The Middle-Lake Area . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 The Gravois Mills-Hurricane Deck Area . . 1.5 The Camdenton-Linn Creek Area . . . . . . L8 The Osage-Beach-Bagnell Dam Area . . . . . 57 Non-Lake Shore DevelOpments . . . . . . . 63 Iv. CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 BIBLIOGRAPHY . .'. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Figure l. 12. 13. 18. 19. 2h. 2. 3. h. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Maps Relative Location and Major Routes of Access to the Lake of the Ozarks Recreational Region. Source of Out-of-State Recreationists to the Lake of the Ozarks Recreational Region . . . . Major Settlements and Recreational Facilities of the Headwaters, Middle-lake, and Non-Lake Shore Areas of the Lake of the Ozarks Recreat- ional Region 0 o e e e o o o o o e e e e e e e The Gravois Mills-Hurricane Deck Area of the Lake or the Ozarks Recreational Region . . . . The Camdenton-Linn Creek Area of the Lake of the Ozarks Recreational Region . . . . . . The Osage Beach-Bagnell Dam Area of the Lake of the Ozarks Recreational Region . . . . Photographs A chart filled stream bed . . . . . . . . . . A typical "ridge-farm" . . . . . . . . . . . . Bagnell Dam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A floating fishing and boat dock . . . . . . . The Hahatonka Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hatching and breeding pools of the trout hatchery at GraVOiS M1118 e e e e e e e o e e A State highway 0 e e e e e e e e e e e e e e A ford on a secondary road . . . . . . . . . . A county highway 0 e e e e e e e e e e e e e 0 vi Page 32 38 46 A9 58 10 10 12 12 l7 17 2h 24 25 Figure 11. 1h. 15. 16. 17. 20. 21. 22. 23. 25. 26. 27. 28. A low water bridge . . . . . . The Lake of the Ozarks above Warsaw A typical motel near Warsaw . A typical secondary road . . . A view of the gently rolling terrain Middle-lake Area . . . ... . . A natural bridge at Hahatonka A poor quality resort . . . . An uvala in the Hahatonka Area The Hahatonka Area . . . . . . A better quality resort . . . A typical resort . . . . . . . A typical novelty stand . . . A floating dance hall . . . . vii of the Page 25 AC LO 42 42 50 50 52 52 6O 6O 62 62 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ll recent years the Lake of the Ozarks area has ’ attained a high rank among the recreational regions of the central.Uhited States. It has been estimated that some 1,850,000 persons vacationed in the region during 1955, and that another 3,000,000 people made one-day visits to the area; these visitors spent an estimated $42,AOO,0001. The cultural landscape is dominated by improved supervised beaches, curio stores, camp grounds, recreation realty offices, roadside zoos, taverns, dancehalls, and many other facilities designed to serve the recreationist. Net including private .tourist homes, nearly 15,000 overnight visitors can be accomodated by currently available cabins, motels and hotelsz. Statement g£_Prob1am In order to adequately study the recreational geo- graphy of the Lake of the Ozarks Region, the thesis problem was approached on a two-fold front: (1) a description of the types and functions of recreational developments and lMissouri News Ma azine, Missouri Division of Resources and Dave opmen , .e arson y, Missouri, march, 1956. 21bid. .nOwnem fie cwsrracem manage rxp pa eveq was Op mmmoom we rzuzoa memes use soapeoom e;«wzscm . ’ ‘\ £14 mag 3 as :02! «NW DJ 02¢ 203.100.. Hamil—UK . r. f e f, ...... u---l:l--!ei£|-i.--!--i-.s Se! 12059.8: .3... . «E48 9: do 9:: ~ ‘11 ii. ll V 3 their distribution within the region; and (2) an analysis of the basis for the develOpment of the region as a recreat- ional center, and an analysis of factors involved in the location of particular recreational developments. To emphas- ize the recreational significance of the region it was decided to adopt a topical, as Opposed to a regional, approach in the study. That is, only those facets of the geography of the region that were directly connected with the deveIOpment of recreation would be studied. Methods 9; Investigation During the summer, and in December of 1955, as well as in the latter part of March Of 1956, actual field study in the Lake of the Ozarks Region was accomplished. Initial field work consisted of acquainting myself with the recreat- ional 'lay-of-the-land' in the region. About ten days were spent in a general survey of the region, in which every 'nook-and-oorner', using United States Geological Survey topographic and county highway.maps as guides, was entered with the intention of determining which areas could most profitably be selected for concentrated study. Actual concentrated field work was begun with the observation and field mapping of those structures, other than individual private cabins, that had a strictly recreat- ional function. The variety of these forms was literally myriad; however, the most numerically outstanding were motels, hotels, resorts, resort subdivisions, restaurants, taverns, and dance halls. To supplement field observation, interviews with a large number of people were conducted. Among those inter- viewed were recreationists, motel and resort owners, cham- bers of commerce personnel, realtors, restaurant owners, county office holders, and conservation agents. Topics of interviews varied, depending upon the person interviewed, but in the main were concerned with obtaining information relative to numbers, source, interests and activities of recreationists. Statistics concerning the source areas of recreation- ists were obtained by studying guest registers. Approxi- mately one week was spent in interviewing and recording resort subdivision data in the offices of the Recorders of Deeds of Benton, Camden, and Morgan Counties. various State agencies concerned with the promotion of recreational activities were visited and their personnel interviewed. Library research consisted of examining;material concerning the general geography of the Lake Region. Particularl emphasis was placed on obtaining information concerning the physiography, hydrography, climate, flora and fauna, and cultural characteristics-of the region. Some unpublished or out-of-print materials were examined after receipt on "inter-library loan".1 1A recent unpublished Master's thesis, by Paul M. Mattingly of the University of Missouri Geography Department, concerning the recreational development of the Lake of the Ozarks Region, was requested but was not available on loan for.my examination and possible reference. 5 Definition gngerms Many recreational terms are in general use in the English language, but their meanings in some cases are not especially clear. To overcome this confusion, I have defined selected terms as they will be used in this thesis. Particularly enigmatic are the various terms describ- ing the users of recreational facilities. To mitigate this problem, I have differentiated among tourists, resort- ers, transients, and recreationists. The tourist is any person who travels, primarily for pleasure, and spends less than two days in the area visited. The resorter is any person visiting an area for the express purpose of recreat- ion; his length of stay may be of any duration exceeding two days.1 The racreationist is a general term used to include both the tourist and resorter. A transient is an individual traveling through an area whose arms are not, or are only incidentally, concerned with recreation. Differentiation among recreational lodings used by racreationists is also rather hazy. In this thesis a h2§gl_is any hostelry designed to serve primarily the transient; it generally furnishes more services than its motor court counterpart; usually all services (a.g. rooms and restaurants) are confined to one structure; and almost all hotels are located in established settlements. The 1The criterion.(more than two-days steyi used to differentiate between tourists and resorters is an arbitrary decision on my part. Basically, however, this definition is meaningful in that it definitely separates the week-end visitor and the vacationist. 6 .mgtgl,(or.motor court) functions as a place of lodging for either the tourist or the transient; it is always found on major traffic routes or in settlements; and it may be a single (usually "ranch-style") or a multi structured unit. A resort is any hostelry designed to serve (almost exclus- ively) the recreationist, usually the resorter rather than the tourist; it offers more recreational services than either the motel or hotel. In special cases motels and hotels are engaged in some resort functions.1 A resort subdivision is any platted area of privately owned recreational structures (cabins, grocery stores, gas stations, and other recreational forms) that has been surveyed and developed by a realtor or realty organization and recorded in the plat books of the county Recorders of Daedae 1The fact that hotels are.multi-storied (as Opposed to single-storied motels) is probably best attributed to the fact that space is at a premium in the established settle- ments. Motels can cover larger areas where land is less expensive. The hotels of this region in many cases pre-date the construction of the Lake of the Ozarks and owe their existence to being located in towns which were served by passenger rail service. CHAPTER II CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REGION General Regional Location The Lake of the Ozarks Recreational Region lies south and west of the center of the State of Missouri. The center of the region is slightly south of the inter- section of the 38th parallel and the 93rd meridian. Kansas City and St. Louis are approxmmetely 100 and 160 .miles respectively from the area. Portions of seven count- ies are encompassed by the region. In all the region con- tains nearly 2,000 square miles; about 600 of which are in Benton County, 655 in Camden County, 50 in Dallas County, 25 in Hickory County, 150 in Laclade County, 300 in Miller County, and 300 in Morgan County. I Regional Boundaries Beyond doubt, the core of the region is the artific- ially formed Lake of the Ozarks. Meet recreational activ- ities and facilities are based on the presence of the Lake, and practically all recreational development is either on the Lake shore or in its immediate vicinity. Hen-lake shore 7 8 developments are restricted to the.maJor traffic arteries leading to the Lake. Practically all of the service est- ablishments in these developments owe their existence to, and function primarily for, the Lake of the Ozarks tourist and resorter. - The exterior boundaries that have been delineated are based on the presence and function of roadside services. iMost of the developments lying inside the boundary (see Figure 13) serve primarily the region's tourist and resorter. The Lake of the Ozarks recreationists have but little effect on the business of the roadside services which exist beyond the regional boundary. Recreational Sub-regions A large part of the region has little or no recreat- ional development. Accessibility and points of natural interest have tended to concentrate the construction of recreational facilities. 'With the construction of these facilities (and the development of services to recreat- ionists which follows) various natural recreational divisions are differentiated. Five such sub-regions, and a sixth area, which includes all remaining parts of the overall region not included in the first five, have been delineated (see Figure 13). These sub-regions are: (l) The Head- waters Area, (2) the'Middle-lake Area, (3) The Gravois .Mills-Hurricane Deck Area, (A) The Camdenton-Linn Creek Area, (5) The Osage-Beach Bagnell-Dam Area, and (6) The 9 Hen-lake Shore Development Area. Physical Features Physiography The topography of the region is responsible for much of the tourist and resort interest in the area. In the final analysis, it is the extreme dissection and incision of streams (particularly the Osage River) that permitted the creation of the Lake of the Ozarks, which is the reg- ion's greatest tourist attraction. The recreationist finds the scenery of the area much enhanced by the topography; especially multiple summit levels, resulting from at least two periods of erosion, which accounts for panoramic views that are outstanding. Steep slepes, possibly the result of a heavy chert.mantle and/Or solution sapping, add to the region's scenic beauty. Hereting (a result of an extremely soluble bedrock; primarily dolomitas, but some limestone, and a few thin lenses and strata of sandstones; and the relatively abund ant precipitation in the area) has served to.make the region even.more attractive to tourists and resorters. Caverns, natural bridges, sinking streams, and many other solution- formed features functioning as tourist attractions are pres- ent throughout the area. 10 ."'v"7»‘\‘\: ‘, , .7 . r - ~-*~ ' ‘ F5 " 4. 0'. ". 21“»; v: a“? I pus Figure 2. A chart-filled stream bed in the Middle- lake Area. H. “ Figure 3. A typical ”ridge-farm" with the accOrdant summit level of the Salem.Platform in the background. 11 Hydroeraph! The Lake of the Ozarks is not only the chief hydro- graphic feature of the region but it is also the chief recreationally attracting feature. The Lake was formed by damming the Osage River in.Miller County, only a few hundred yards east of the Camden County line. Built by the Union Electric Company of Missouri, this dam.was designed to function solely as a source of electricity.1 Development of tourist and resort activities, which now makes the production of hydroelectricity of secondary economic import- ance was but little envisioned. Although power lines from the dam place the hydroelectric unit in a ”power pool” for a large portion of Missouri, the turbines function quite often only as standby units. The dam has a maximum.height of 1A8 feet above bedrock, and a maximum.length of 2,5A3 feet. The surface of the Lake is at an elevation of 660 feet above sea level when it is at full reservoir. However, due to flood control and power requirements, considerable fluctuation in the elevation of the Lake surface is necessitated. The lowest elevation on record was 639.95 feet (February, l9h8) and the highest 1It currently produces an average of 440,000,000 kilo- watt hours per year from its eight generators of 21,500 kilo- watt capacity each. Most of the statistical material relat- ive to the dam and lake were provided by W.E. Turner and A. Philips, Union Electric Company Hydrologists, in an inter- view on December 28, 1955. 12 - t} I . ' l '- . ,. r -'. ‘ A" . . ' ‘1 be I '0 .d e I. ’ y. g: . " .l ' ' \ o‘ '- ‘k " I . A\‘ ‘e l ."i.‘ b " ‘ . 'e 3‘. \‘ ,'_‘I'U at: ‘1 '.n . h-i “OW" “u‘lxri‘. ‘ r e . l‘ . . .-. ' . fi.‘ s. '. . "T-l. ,fi‘» ‘ f _ u .1. ' {up ." .. . ,e I '. .' ‘I .-... . » a , H.L‘.‘1.M. ”kw—v- Figure A. Bagnell Dam with its impounded waters, The Lake of the Ozarks, in the back- ground. "v‘fi- . -° ‘ 5r 1'. .. 3", {JR-dig“ ' —- —. -——.-. ‘ “as. 5,. Figure 5. A floating fishing in 5.53.1; docfadapte'a to changes in lake level. 13 665.h5 feet (during the flood of May, l9h3). The tOp of the dam.serves as a roadway for federal highway 5h. The Lake is 129 miles long and covers apprOximataly ninetyefive square miles. Due to the complexity of the drainage pattern it has a maximum shoreline length of nearly lAOO miles. This length of shoreline is greatly affected by fluctuations in the surface levels of the Lake; that is, concomitant with a decrease in surface level there is a pronounced decrease in the length of shoreline. The entire Lake border area is extremely dissected; being especially severe in the vicinity of the Lake and its tributaries. Inter- fluves are narrow, and minor tributaries are, for all pract» ical purposes, numberless. With the creation of the Lake, the floodplain of the.Osage, and the valleys of.many of the tributaries were drowned, and an inordinate (relative to the total area of the Lake) amount of shoreline was created. Many of the peculiarities of the Lake are of special significance in its development as a tourist and resort center. The fluctuation in elevation of its surface is a 'definite problem for resorters; one day the Lake may be at the doorstep of a cabin and a few days later it may be a mile away. Prior to construction of the dam, the Onion Electric Company purchased easements on all property to above any possible highewater mark. Thus, control of all lake shore has prevented any possible legal recourse by resort owners if the Lake level changes fully enough to cause a hardship. In order to adjust to Lake fluctuations lh most boat docks are of the floating rather than stationary type. Prior to the filling of the Lake, all trees were removed from the valley floors, and even though Lake levels do change there is no creation of navigation hazards or exposure of unsightly stumps and limbs. Swamps and sloughs are negligible problems. Silting.has been sufficient, since the creation of the lake, to cover all vegetation on valley floors, and the silt dries out almost immediately when exposed above the water surface. Rock outcrops form.almost all of the old valley walls, and the walls themselves are sufficiently steep to prevent the development of undrained or poorly drained areas beyond the valley floor. The most outstanding stream of the region is the Osage River. This river, since its damming, along with most of its floodplain is now occupied by the Lake. Within the region there are a large number of tributaries whose valleys have been partially inundated by the Lake. Among the largest of these are the Niangua, Pomme de Terra, and Grand Rivers. Both the Grand and the Pomme de Terra are in the Headwaters Area and offer little spectacular scenery and have been but little developed recreationally. On the other hand, the Niangua River follows a serpentine channel through the most rugged part of the region, and much recreational development has occured along its shores. Owing to the solubility of the bedrock and chart- filled stream channels, small perennial streams are almost completely absent from the region. Thus, there is little 15 Opportunity for the development of recreational forms and activities on this type of water feature. There has been but little recreational deveIOpment along the trunks of the.major streams of the region. Where tributary streams are confluent with the Lake there has been, in most places a pronounced development, while upstream from the mouth, few recreational sites have been developed. Although the Missouri Ozarks is the site of some of the world's largest springs, the Lake of the Ozarks Region con- tains only two springs of really great magnitude: Bennett's . Spring and Hahatonka Spring.1 There are, however, literally hundreds of springs in the area, all of them smaller than either of the above, but varying in size from a.mere trickle 1The daily discharge of the.major springs in the area is as follows: Spring ' Discharge (Gallons_per dgy)_ Bennett's 99,500,000 Hahatonka h8,000,000 Armstrong, East 26,000,000 Blue 1A,900,000 Wet Glaize and Campground 8,210,000 Gravois Mills 5,700,000 Toronto A,A80,000 Conn 3,300,000 Famous Blue 2,870,000 Armstrong, west 2,060,000 Morrow l,6h0,000 Boyler's Mill. . 780,000 Cullen” 756,000 Little Toronto 271,000 Moulder 30,000 Compiled from: Beckman, H.C. and Hinchey, N.S. The Lar S ri s of Missouri. Vol. XIII, 2nd ear.i Mo. GeB'I'l' 355%. and Rater Res., RoIla, Mo., l9hh, pp AB- 28 16 to a daily discharge of upward of 26,000,000 gallons. The Niangua River valley is the area of'greatast concentration of the larger springs. Smaller ones are also found on the Little Niangua, Auglaize, and Gravois Creeks. Historically, springs have functioned as a source of power for grist mills and spas. There are, at present, no actively functioning grist mills or spas in the region.1 Springs are currently used in relation to recreational activities as trout hatcheries, bait (minnow) hatcheries, commercial trout fishing sites, and as a source of domestic water supply for a few resorts. Since springs in this region maintain an almost constant temperature of fifty-six to fifty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, their waters are, temperature wise, almost ideal fer trout raising. In this region of relatively abundant rainfall, ground- 'water resources are more than sufficient to meet the current needs of all resorters, tourists, and permanent residents. Due to the physical characteristics of the bedrock (highly soluble calcium and magnesium carbonates) the height of the water table is extremely variable; thus, well depths vary greatly (average from fifty to 150 feet). On the whole, .most resorts and tourist camps obtain their domestic water supply from wells. Pollution is definitely a potential ‘v— 1Thera is one grist mill still standing in the Bennett Springs State Park, but it is only a tourist attraction and performs no milling. The development of a spa at Climax Springs is discussed in Chapter III. 1? A A.-.“ Figure 6. The Hahatonka Spring. The island on the right is a hum that rises approximately 100 feet above the water surface. w. wfim-_ -‘AA. ——-—-—-—-.——*7—J . mfiipggls of the trout v v Figure 7. Hatching and breedi - hatchery at Gravois l8 groundwater problems As yet disposition of sewage has created no problem, but it is highly probable that with further settlement on the limestone and dolomite terranes there will be the problem.of trying to maintain purity in the groundwater resources. The absence of natural filtration in the solution-formed groundwater holding cavities make e certain amount of pollution almost inevitable. Climate Considering the extremely high summer temperatures (an average in excess of eighty degrees Fahrenheit in July), experienced in the Lake of the Ozarks Region, it appears, at least superficially, very unusual that the esea has developed into a major summer resort. The temperatures actually are no higher and in some cases somewhat less than those of the areas from which tourists and resorters originate; i.e. Kan- sas City, St. Louis and surrounding prairie states. Certainly the sensible temperatures of the region are less and the diurnal rangemore.1 Other than as an agent of solution weathering, precip- itation plays an insignificant role in the total regional recreational picture. The average annual precipitation is about forty inches, with slight maxima in late spring and 1Although I did not have instruments to make quantit- 'ative measurements, it was my observation that air drainage in- to Ozark valleys, the location of.most resorts, accounted for a significant amount of nocturnal cooling. 19 early fall. Much of the warm season precipitation is of convective origin and is associated with thunderstorms. Fre- quent droughts may cause fluctuations in Lake levels, and occasional summer squalls may force cancellation of swimming and boating for a few hours. The deer season may be effected by large and unseasonable snow storms (e.g. Nevember 1951, when approximately two feet of snow blanketed the surface during the season), when.many hunters are forced to forego their annual week's outing. Tornadoes are rare in the region and constitute only a minor hazard relative to the tourist and resort industry. However, during 1953 a number of drownings and the destruct- ion of most of one resort subdivision were reported as a direct result of tornado action. Biotic Characteristics The biota of the Lake area not only functions as a major recreational attraction, but also as a rawxmaterial source for an important part of the non-recreational econ- omy. The recreationist, relative to the fauna and flora of the region, is either a sportsman looking for game or a sightseer.merely enjoying the scenery afforded by the mixed deciduous forest. The native is.mainly interested in the forest as a source of lumber, and the fauna as a source of food or income, as well as sport. About seventy-five per cent of the region is mixed deciduous forest. The.major species are the white oak, post 20 oak, red oak, burr oak, blackjack oak, hickory, walnut, and various alms and ashes. valley floors, near streams, usually exhibit a large number of sycamores. The eastern rad cedar is the only evergreen found in any significant quantities in the area. The only non-forested areas are the more extensive ridges, the valleys, and settlements; in a few rare cases hillsides have been deforested and are used as farms. The chief recreational function of the forest is as a scenic attraction; particularly during the Spring and Autumn. Secondarily it offers habitat for game animals and rewmmat- erials for novelties and handicraft products. The red cedar is especially favored for souvenir and novelty manufacture; the largest factory of this type is located at Camdenton and is reputed to do an annual business of about one million dollars. ' The outstanding faunal attraction to the region are the fish in the Lake and its tributary streams. Within the area literally hundreds of species of fish and minnows are found; the.most outstanding, from a sportsman's view'are the crappia, channel catfish, black bass, white bass, and Jack salmon. Trout fishing is a popular but artificial sport, since the trout is not native to the area, and is present only where "planted”. Trot-lines, containing upward of fifty hooks spaced at regular intervals, are used in fishing for the non-game and larger game fish.1 This method is 1The.most po ular trot-line fish are the paddle-fish (spoonbill catfish flathead catfish, buffalo and blue catfish. 21 particularly popular among local inhabitants and has gained the favor of some tourists and resorters. In order to add to the attractiveness of their resorts, many owners have located and marked crappie beds. These beds are usually in old root wads or around stumps, and in less than ten feet of water. Although there is no legal seasonal limitation on fishing in the Lake of the Ozarks, practically all fishing is confined to the Summer, late Spring, and early Fall {months. The reasons for this seasonal concentration are .many, but doubtless the prflne factor is climate. Only during the warmer.months is the fisherman willing to risk the vagaries of the Ozark weather. Among other factors ‘ involved in the restriction of fishing to the warm seasons are: (l) the Spring, Summer, and Fall are the seasons when most peOple are vacationing; (2) it is the cOncensus of opinion.among local fishermen that fish will not bite during the winter; (3) the winter months are a closed season for game fish in all of the tributaries to the Lake; and (A) week-end recreationists are more willing to travel from such places as Kansas City and St. Louis when there is little danger of bad road conditions and daylight hours are longer. The outstanding animal attraction to the area is the white-tailed deer. The deer population of the State is rather limited and the legal hunting season is only a few days (usually less than a week in the early part of 22 November). However, since the deer herd in the immediate vicinity of the Lake is one of the largest in the State, the season is important to the resort owners of the area. The end of the deer season is, for all practical purposes, the end of the tourist and resort season in the region. Deer hunting is restricted by law to residents of Missouri; thus, out-of-state recreationists are almost totally absent from the region during the season. However, all commercial tourist and resort facilities are filled to overflowing, and most private homes entertain a number of guest hunters during deer season week. Fox hunting, in which the object is not to catch the fox, but to listen to the Wmusic' produced by the haying hounds, is a major sport of the region. This sport, origin- ally engaged in only by natives, has caught the fancy of many recreationists. Squirrel and rabbit hunting is engaged in by a few vacationists but it is not a.major sport. Hunt- ing and trapping of skunk, Oppossum,.mink, raccoon, and various small fur-bearing animals is restricted mainly to local residents. The only game bird of any recreational significance is the quail. At one time, prior to large scale recreat- ional deve10pment of various types on the Lake, ducks and geese, in large numbers, used the area as a "stopping-off- place” during their seasonal migrations. During recent years these water birds have almost completely abandoned the region. The quail still excites some interest among 23 hunters, but since it is a common species, found all over the midwest, few hunters are attracted to the area for this reason alone. Cultural Features Transportation Transportation facilities for recreationists into and within the region are limited primarily to the automobile. Railroads are nearly non-existent; two lines (the Rock Island and the St. Louis and San Francisco) breach the region in its peripheral areas, tOuching the "gateway” towns of versailles, Eldon and Lebanon. Prior to WOrld war II, branch lines, with one train daily, connected warsaw and Bagnell with.maJor rail networks; but with their aband- onment, the heart of the region was left without rail service. Few tourists and resorters use rail facilities to enter the area. Commercial airlines are completely absent. Doubt- less, some tourists do use this type of facility for portions of their vacation trips, but the number deing so is negligible. A few small private airports have been constructed but have had hardly any effect on recreation. Although bus travel is unimportant in the area, the larger towns (Warsaw, Lebanon, Camdenton, and Eldon) and a few small settlements on highways 5A, 65 and 5 are served by bus lines. A franchise has recently been granted 21. Figure 8. -A State highway (route 35) in the Head- waters Area. your. i‘”b‘\r‘ .. “6‘ .9? _ ‘0' 'ffa. ‘ fi-“fin ”w- . $52.4 21,35; _ 1W- 1 aka} Figure 9. A ford on a secondary road in the Middle- lake Area. . Figure 10. Figure lle l ,0 ‘v-" U. --—'~.- -- A county highway in the Camdenton-Linn Creek Area. . u» .~ , . 1:. * new,” ' 2.; :m» :5- ,‘ .1 ,'__o . - ~- ?r :‘a, “J‘i‘ d'rwz‘r ' -- .g L; r ~ /. - ' ‘ A low water bridge spanning the little Niangua River. 26 a bus company whose main route will be highway 5A. This line will serve an area west of Camdenton which, heretofore, has been withoutgbus service. To.more than anything else the recent popularity of tourism in the Lake of the Ozarks Region is indebted to the automobile. Prior to the construction of major highways and the introductiOn of cars the region was virtually iso- lated. Good rOutes to the Lake area are available from.most of the surrounding population centers. However, it is only recently that good secondary roads connecting points within the area have been built; and even today, along the southern and western extensions,of the Lake, secondary and tertiary‘ roads are lacking or of a poor quality. Essentially the only roads in the area that are surfaced are the major nat- ional and parts of the state highways. From the north and west the greatest number of tourists and resorters come from.the Kansas City area and major highways are available for the entire route. The region is a minimum road distance of ninety.miles (at warsaw) from Kansas City. St. Louis is about 160 highway miles from the closest part of the region, and Springfield abOut 60 miles. All of these major tourist routes are along good highways, some of them four-laned for part of their distance. A preponderance of secondary roads are graded and 27 graveled. The gravel used on these roads is the ubiquit- Ous chart of the Ozark Region. This chart, present in channels and flood plains of most Ozark streams, may be procured at no cost other than for transportation. Although the chart is cheap, it tends to break into sharp, angular fragments, and automobile tires are often adversely affected. The proximity of bedrock to the surface and the presence of a pronounced hardpan in the ”B" horizon of most soils has, combined with the chaapness of chart gravel, permitted the constructionof these roads without great cost. Many of the roads leading into subdivision developments have merely been bulldozed out of the forest and surfaced with gravel. In those places where recreational development has 'advanced to any.marked extent, the Missouri State Highway Department has constructed graded and graveled "Lake Roads”. These roads are of about the same quality as the county I highways (see Figure 6). The only bad reads in the area are those connecting hill farms with.major routes, and some private roads connecting individual developments. Even these are pass- able at all times except during flood periods when valleys may be under water for a short time. A major problem.in building public roads has been the severity of topographic dissections Many of the orig- inal roads were constructed to connect farms with.markat- ing centers, and as such were built atop the sinuate O 28 ridges of the region. A large portion of the present day secondary roads were formed from this nucleus, and maintain the same winding configuration. Rather than being a hind- rance to recreational development, this sinuousity, which results in a constant change in scenery, seems to be apprec- iated by the tourist. Regardless of the aesthetic value of these curving roads, distances between points are increased, and costs of construction and.maintenance are magnified. The presence of the Lake and its many tributary streams has, costawise,.mada bridge construction a major road building problems Below Warsaw, the Lake is spanned by only four bridges and Bagnell Dam. ‘With the exception of bridges across the Pomme da Terra near Fairfield and the Little Niangua near its confluence with the Lake, the smaller streams are either unbridged or are spanned with "lowawater" structures. The lowawater bridges are little better than the fords, except that they furnish solid footing for crossing the streams. Although roads in general are passable at all times, their quality requires enhancement if a maximum ease of movement within the area is to be achieved. In some areas, especially in the central and headwaters portions of the region, the past scarcity of roads of any type has.mili- tated against recreational development. 29 General Economic Characteristics Relative to the total income, recreation is by far the dominant economic activity of the region. The Lake of the Ozarks Association (a chamber of commerce type group) estimates that over forty million dollars were spent in the area by tourists and resorters during 1955. The 1950 federal census1 indicates that farming is the dominant industry relative to the total number of peOple employed. In 1950 Camden County2 had 2,1Ah.amployed.men in the labor force; of this number, 958 were either farms are or employed on farms. The total value of farm.prod- ucts sold in Camden County was $1,746,875 or $1,898 per farm, the net income was only #395,900 or $1.28 per farm. This very low income forces the native farmers to seek part-time employment in the business of recreation as laborers, guides, general handyman, and in a few cases to establish businesses of their own. Regardless of the absolute accuracy of the forty million dollar figure quoted above, the business of recreation is the major economic activity by an over- whelming margin. One attraction alone, whose entrance 1Unless otherwise noted, all economic statistics in this section and all population figures in this thesis are taken from this census. 20amden County, in the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks Region, is used because it is the most nearly typical of area as a whole. 30 fee is $1.25 per person, attracts more than 100,000 visit- ors per year; the income thus derived is about one-third that of the net farm income of the county in Which it is located. The Recreationist The Lake of the Ozarks is well located relative to large pOpulation centers. The metropolitan areas of Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Des Moines, Omaha, Lincoln, Wich- its, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Little Rock, and many smaller cities are within a distance of a one-day drive of the region. According to the 1950 census the area lying within a radius of 500 miles of the Lake Region contained more than one-fourth of the population of the entire Uhited States (some 45,000,000 people). In an attempt to ascertain the source of recreation- ists, the registers of two types of attractions were stud- ied; one a free attraction, the other commercial. The free attraction was the forest-fire lookout towers which are built atop commanding heights and are of sufficient height themselves to offer a commanding panorama of the Ozarks. The commercial attraction was the Bridal Cave near Camdenton. In neither of these places is registrat- ion of visitors compulsory, and information from other sources indicates that recreationists from out of state register more frequently than do those from Missouri. 31 The addresses of the 1368 registrants were studied and the following table compiled: HOME STATE OF RECREATIONIST PER CENT OF TOTAL Missouri 30.0 Iowa 1700 Kansas 13.2 Illinois 10.9 Nebraska 6.5 Michigan 3. Minnesota 3.1 Other 15e1 If the Missouri registrants are excluded from the above table, the proportionated total supplied by the var- ious states is as follows;2 HOME STATE OF'RECREATIONIST PER CENT OF TOTAL Iowa 25.1 Kansas 18.8 Illinois 15.2 Nebraska 8.5 Michigan 5.3 Minnesota h.5 Wisconsin 2.2 Indiana ‘ 2.2 Other 18 e0 thio, California, Wisconsin, Colorado, Indiana, South Dakota, Arkansas, New Jersey, Texas, New York, Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada, Maine, Florida, as well as Washington D.C., Canada, Germany and Hawaii were represented in the reg- isters. None of these represented more than two per cent of the total registrants. 2To cross-check these figures various people were inter- viewed, including chamber of cameras personnel, motel owners, and the owners of the Bridal Cave DevelOpmant Company, Inc. 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