The 1920s saw a surge in optimistic developers vying to attract the leisure class to vacation destinations in the Ozarks. Springfield’s own John T. Woodruff bought an unfinished health resort in Siloam Spring, near the North Fork River, where he built the impressive four-story Pinebrook Inn, a nine-hole golf course, dance pavilion and dug a swimming pool. (More on that story in our book James Fork of the White.)
Across the hills on the eastern side of the Ozarks, entrepreneurs formulated designs for a tourist development of the Clark Mountain Park just north of Piedmont.
Photograph, circa 1925-1930. Through the canyon, McKenzie Creek encounters outcroppings of very hard igneous rock (blue granite), creating a miniature version of the famous Johnson Shut-Ins. The Wayne County Journal-Banner, Sept. 1, 1927, carried an article noting that, “T. J. Elliott has a large force of men and teams at work on the construction of a gravel highway along the south side of the canyon.” We think the folks seen here are either investors or prospective buyers of lots in the development of Clark Mountain Park, just north of Piedmont in Wayne County.
St. Louis businessman Col. Lon Sanders, president of the Clark Mountain Development company, had elaborate designs for the scenic canyon and McKenzie Creek shut-ins. In 1927, 53 lots had been laid out. A water system and electric lights were planned, as well as a 9-hole golf course, tennis courts, and baseball diamond. The company envisioned a low dam on McKenzie Creek to create a 30-acre lake.
Today the canyon is managed by the Missouri Conservation Department as the Lon Sanders Conservation Area. This 130-acre area is intended as a wildlife study, hiking and nature resource. The Department’s brochure notes: “He (Sanders) built small dams, lily pools, flower gardens, shelter houses, and foot paths. He also planted non-native ornamental plants, some of which grow here to this day.” Remnants of Sanders’ small rock dams remain in the creek, creating small waterfalls. His stone steps are incorporated into the hiking trails. The loop trail is about half a mile long.
Fun fact from Wikipedia:
“In August of 2023, to mark the 50th anniversary of alleged unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings in Piedmont, the Missouri General Assembly passed SB139 designating Piedmont and Wayne County as the UFO Capital of Missouri.
Between February and April 1973, residents of Piedmont and the surrounding area witnessed unexplained activity in the sky. Several hundred calls were made to local police, sheriffs and newspapers. The incidents made local headlines and eventually national news outlets began reporting the sightings. Today, the city of Piedmont celebrates this designation every April with its annual UFO Festival.”
Vintage Images are courtesy of Leland and Crystal Payton of Lens & Pen Press, publishers of books on the Ozarks region. James Fork of the White: Transformation of an Ozark River, with more information on regional development, is available for $31.50, postage paid, from www.beautifulozarks.com